New segment: Favorite Etsy Items and shops

As many of you may know, I have a shop on Etsy.  If you are not familiar with Etsy, or any sites like Etsy, Etsy is a site where artisans show and sells their goods.  It is a perfect way to get your name out there, show what you make, and hope that someone will like that product enough to buy it.  The best thing about Etsy is when you buy something from an artisan, the products are of a good quality, and no two are alike.  There is not middleman (other than Etsy providing the space to showcase in).  You set your own prices, and the only thing you have to pay is a $0.20 listing fee.   It is something that makes it different from Ebay alone.  This is a problem I have had with Ebay from the very beginning.  You pay to list the product, for Ebay to hold the product listing, and then you have to pay them when you sell the product.  A product that has been in your home or business during the course of the sale.


Etsy also gives artisans tips on how to keep people coming back to your shop.   Another nice thing about Etsy is you get to heart your favorite items and shops you see while hunting for that unique item.  This is where I come in.   I have a bunch of shops and items I love to see, and nowhere to give a review on why I love it, until now.  I hope it will inspire you to see the product itself, like it, or even buy it.   


So I have my first item, which is not a made item.   Etsy also allows people to sell supplies on its site as well.   So this product on sale is a lace grab bag.   As I start working more and more with lace, I need a place where I can get it as inexpensive as possible.  Lavish Laces is the name of the shop, and Jaizella Lynn is the shop owner.   I have not bought anything from her yet, but I have seen a you tube video where someone bought the grab bag, and I saw that the bag does not skimp on quantity.  It cost $5.  In addition to the grab bag, she has laces, roses, trims, and more for sale at her shop.    Check her out.


This is just a taste of what's in store for this new segment.   Also check out my own shop, MDN Creates, to see what I have listed.   I am recuperating from the last person who bought some items, and I talking replenishing the supply vault.   As you see from my previous post, I have also taken in an auction site called Tophatter, and my auction should be ready to go out the door.  In the meantime, if you are an artist and you would like me to look at your products on Etsy or another site like Etsy, let me know in the comments section.  Have a blessed day.

Tophatter

This is my first auction on the site. It is a set of 20 bags of eyelets.   The auction is set for June 26.  If you have a account with Tophatter take a look on the 26th.  It is the Early Bird Special, which is 6am PST/9am EST.

DCWV, scraps, and a Just Because card

Today, I made a simple card, utilizing my scraps again.   This time, the scraps come from the Performance Stack by DCWV.   I have been using this brand a lot lately, for several reasons:   you can get a lot of projects done from just one stack, especially if you use the 12 x12 stacks.  They are also trendy.  I still love the other brands like Bo Bunny, Basic Grey, and K and Co, but another reason why I like DCWV is durability.  The papers hold up to whatever project you are working on, from cards to mini books to simple scrapbook layouts.   The stacks are always on sale, especially at Joann's  .   Little known fact, DCWV makes the Recollections paper line for Michaels. This paper line is always one sale at Michaels.

Before I get into the card itself, I want to talk about re-purposing your scraps.  I am not talking about the little bitty pieces after trimming a project, I am talking about those big piece that can be used.  These pieces of paper are good for a quick tag, a 3x3 card, part of a scrapbook layout, and even your child's school project or something for the kids to do while you are working on your own projects.  When you use your scraps, not only does it challenges you to come up with new ideas, but it allows you to save money in the long run.  If you are a budget, you should be anyway, you spend less money and time in the craft stores or ordering online.   For organizing , I have my scraps in an accordion folder I take my scraps and separate them by color.  If they are a pattern piece of paper, I separate by dominant color, and put them in the same slot as the solid cardstock paper.  For the vellum pieces, they have a separate slot.   This works for me at the moment, which I will have to find another container for the scraps,  as my projects increase that I do for both me and my business.

Ingredients for the card:

• Performance stack paper
• Gold organza ribbon
• Border (if you have a border punch, it works perfect for this task)
• white gel pen (for writing on dark paper as well as the faux stitching)

This card is made from the scraps of a 6 x 9 layout, featuring my parents with their friends while they were on a cruise in February.   I also made a tag book with the piano paper with just the piano keys.  The bottom is a border by Bazzill. I finished off the card by adding dash lines and in my own handwriting wrote the words "Just because" and did a simple knot for the ribbon.  If you do not trust your handwriting, which I do not sometimes, use the printer or a stamp with white ink.

After you have finished visiting my post, hop over to the Card a Day Blog, and enter in one of your cards if you are a card maker for the June challenge.   You could win a prize.  Until next time, have a blessed day.

Finding a good support system

Today, I want to talk to you about finding a good support system.   I am not talking if you have a problem I am about when you start scrapbooking or any hobby for that matter.  It is extremely important that you do this step.  Why?  I will explain in a moment.   

Consider this... You have decided to start scrapbooking.  You have done the research, bought all the necessary tools and consumable supplies (supplies you can replace as you use it), and asked questions.  You get ready to start you first real project but are you sure where to start?  I mean how hard is it to glue paper to paper?  Before you go into a panic rage, consider getting a support system.   Just as anyone from new mothers to addicts ask for someone to help them, scrapbookers and other crafters can get the same kind of help.  Here are the types of people and resources you need on your team:

1.      Groups.  These are organized groups who have a common goal and interest…To create great works of art, or in this case, wonderful scrapbooks.   Everyone from beginners to the experts come together to basically, help each other, promote products that they use, offer discounts that they find on the internet and offline, and show off their work.  Look for group who are interested in your best interest, such as answering you questions, no matter how trivial they are, and the understanding that everyone has to start somewhere.  Yahoo and Google are the more popular place to look for a scrapbook group.  Take note of the rules of each group, because some groups do not allow idle chitchat.

2.      You Tube and Ustream:  These sites can show you in tutorial form how to make anything, from embellishments to whole minibooks.   All you need is an account, and search terms. 

3.      Store clerks:  Places such as LSS (Local Scrapbook Stores), Archiver's, Michaels, and Joann’s have clerks who can teach you how to scrapbook, make cards, or just simply teach a technic to you.  They can even show you how to use a tool.  Many of these stores have classes you can take, but take note that classes of this type may require a fee.

4.      Rec and community centers:  Many rec and community centers have beginner classes for free.  They also offer supplies to play with including many of the basic tools.

5.      Join an organization:  Utilize these as you would an online group.  Search Meetup groups for groups.  Please note that some of these organizations may require a membership fee.

6.      Find a mentor:  Some people do not mind teaching you the basics of scrapbooking, either for free or for a small fee.

Enjoy finding your team of experts, and not so experts.

Etsy Listings

I am finally listing on Etsy again.   I have two items.

The first one is a welcome to our home card set.   I decided to list it again after a year's absence, because I would love for this set to go to a new home.   I have listed it as a letter press-like item, because it looks just as good as a card that is made with letterpress ink.  They do come with envelops.

The second item is my final notepad before I need to make more.  Made from chipboard coasters, scrapbook paper pieced and is in tan and brown metallic.  A post of note is being held in place by double sided tape.

To see these items, visit my Etsy stop by clicking the tab at the top.

Enjoy!

sharing an article: ATC cards

I want to share with you an article I found on Facebook,   The article originated from scrapbooking.com, and the writer talks about word and letters, and how you can do a little creativity with fussy cutting.   In case you are not familiar with the term fussy cutting, it is a term used mainly to delicate cutting, cutting to the edge of the image, and cutting the white space from the image itself.   I do a lot of my fussy cutting with my pointy Fiskars scissors, leaving about a  .25 border around the image.  Some some people who scrapbook can do more intricate work, getting inside of the image as well.  I personally leave it up to my cricut machines for that type of work.  They can make cutting snowflakes a breeze (providing that I change the blade often)

a collection of ATCs

Anyway, the article also explains making ATC (Artist Trading Cards) with this technique where she takes not only the fussy cut image but stamped words in different fonts.  An ATC is a card that is like an artist's calling card (or business card).  unlike a business card, there isn't any information on it, like name and address, but in a creative manner, there is a main image, and an artist will decorate around it.  Often times, an artist will trade another, and it is a good way to network if you have a business.  Some artists do place their information on it, if they are looking for business.  

Enjoy the article!



Scrapbooking.com -- Article - Words, Letters Part 1

Scrapbooking.com -- Article - Words, Letters Part 1

Couples on a cruise

I just want to point out that this is the third layout for my parents cruise album.


I used once again the Performance Stack from DCWV (I have a card coming up made from the paper scraps of this stack).

The background paper is 6x9 to fit the album.  I double matted the picture from the same paper stack, and did a scallop corner cut using the We R Memory Keepers corner chomper.  Below is a quote from the stack and popped it up using 3-D pop-ups from Stampin!up.   Enjoy!

My first Tilda card

Pattern Paper from the DCWV Mariposa Stack 12x12, faux stitching with white pen 

Is she darling?  Ok, at first when I got started into making cards, I was not much of a fan of making cards with people in it.   I thought that was left up to the pros.   Besides that, what will I color these images with?   I am not an artist who can draw eloquently, so why would I be making something like this?  Ok, there is an old saying that you are never too old to learn, and even though I do not consider myself old (I am still under 50), I have a lot to learn about scrapbooking, card making, journal making, and the like.   I guess in the last 24 hours, I decided to issue a challenge to myself to break away from my old boring routine  of folding a card in half, sticking decorative paper (patterned) and a cute little saying on it.  I also made a scrapbook layout with a space of 6 x9 (see previous post), when I normally make 12 x 12 scrapbook layouts.  I am finally putting all of those You Tube video lessons into good practice. You guys make great videos.  (I have my own channel too.)

Anyway, sorry for the phone camera lens, I need to clean it.   I did a diamond fold on this card.  A first in that department as well.  This was meant to be a practice card, because once again, I was watching a video on this fold, it was easy to do, and the woman's instructions were clear.Here is the link of the video I watched to make the card.  You can view it here.
I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday. Talk to you later and God Bless You.

First layout in a while

Hello, and welcome  to the first Monday in June.   Over the past few months, I have either worked on cards, mini books, or something a little more creative.   Today, I went back to my first love, and the thing that got me started, a scrapbook layout.   I am working on my parent's cruise album. (*sarcastic remark coming, brace yourselves*)
February, they left me and my siblings to fend off the cold, cold, harsh winters of Ohio for sunny Florida, Jamaica, and the Bahamas, to ride on some tugboat owned by Carnival Cruises, which is big enough to house two cities to  sun, play, explore Bob Marley's grave site, and eat lavishly.   (Man that was a mouthful.  Intentional run-on sentence, you can breathe now.)What's a daughter to do but to only offer to make their cruise album.   Ok I am only being a little melodramatic here, and I am glad they had fun.   I am grateful to be doing this album.  So this is the second layout.  They went to the first night's cruise dinner, and the attire was after 5.

To make this 6x9 layout (Which was a challenge for me), I use DCWV's Performance paper, and at first I was going to have a double mat.   I measured the layout again, and I did not like have all that black from the album page itself showing, so I took it out and matted it on a longer sheet of the damask red paper.   I used a quote from the paper stack, and I wish I had put it on last so I can lower it more.   Now that I look at it in the photo and in person, I like it this way (even if it covers my mom's arm).  I printed from my printer the word Elegance, and placed two Martha Stewart pearls on the sides.   My mom is coming over so I better wrap it up, so I change my shirt.  Talk to you later.

Happy Birthday, flower Card

Merry May.   Hello and welcome to my blog and card for today.  I have another simple card.   This one takes about 15 to 20 minutes to make, and you do not need a big fancy electronic die cut machine to make it.  All it takes to make this card is a few simple items:

Ingredients:


2 punches ( 3 1/4" and 1 1/4")
Blank card
ribbon-your choice of size (I used the 1" sheer size)
Ink for edging and stamping a Happy Birthday sentiment (optional)
Flowers (from any brand and your stash)
Patterned paper for matting (paper from my stash, brand unknown)
3-D dots to raise the circle up
Pearls for the center of the flower (I used the Martha Stewart brand)

Outside card.

I made the  blank card and the largest circle the same color, while the smallest circle is in a monochromatic  color, two shades darker.  If you are not using a pre-made card blank, cut a sheet of 8.5" x 11" cardstock in half, horizontally, and fold in half.  Tip:  use a bone folder or even a credit card to make a crisp crease.    Next, glue the mat to the blank card  glue your ribbon to about the middle.  Set aside.  Work on the circle piece next.    Ink the edges of both circles.   Place the smaller circle in the middle of the largest circle, and place the flowers in the middle of the smaller circle.   If you want to place the sentiment in the circle area, now is the time to do it.   place pop dots on the back of the circle, then place the circle in the middle of the card.

Inside of the card.

The insides of my cards are usually pretty simple, but this idea comes from just making a simple pocket by gluing down all sides but the top.   Mat the pocket as well.  At this point, you can stick a tag, money or a gift card card in the pocket and it is ready to go.














Thanks for stopping by.