Graduation Exploding Box

Last week at the Salem Etsy Team Spring Sale, I met a very nice lady who requested a custom graduation exploding box card.  I had one that I had previously made there as a sample, and she loved it so much she wanted one for a family member who is graduating from a local university in June.  I was happy for the challenge!  I made my sample box in the colors of my son's high school, complete with the high school logo, and my customer really liked that, and asked that I do the same using the university's colors and logo.

Now, I've posted exploding box cards here before, but this one is different.  This one is not a standard box, but an octagonal one!  Part of this idea actually came from my BFF Kendra awhile back, when I was in the planning stages for the craft show last weekend.  She said I ought to have an exploding box there for people to see, and suggested one in a graduation theme.  I took that idea and played with it, and came up with a design for a box that looks like a graduation cap- cute, huh?  I found a tutorial for the octagonal exploding box on a blog here, although after doing the first one, I figured out a slightly different way of making the layers.  Check back here for a tutorial on that in the future!  I really like the results of this- I hope my customer does too!

As you can see, this is a far more complicated box than the standard four-sided box!  It is a lot of measuring and cutting for the three layers, and embellishing 24 panels plus the bottom is very labor-intensive.  However, it's worth it- what a dramatic presentation!!  I am so happy with how this turned out, and I hope my customer is happy with it!  The panels on the outer two layers are embellished with some graduation paper that has sayings on it like "Congratulations" and "Celebrate".  The center layer, has the university logo and "Class of 2012", which I printed out on the computer.  I made the tassle out of embroidery floss,and attached a little tag with a ribbon, so that she can write a message to the box card recipient.  The tassle attaches to the box lid with a brad that I found at Michaels- it was just perfect for this!

In other news, I hit a big milestone in my Etsy shop today- I made it over 100 sales!  My hubby's best friend's mom placed a big order for 8 cards from my shop today- what a sweetheart!  Thanks Sharon!  You might remember this thank you card from a few weeks ago- this was the card that I made to send to Sharon and her husband for letting us use their beautiful beach house to celebrate our anniversary.  I guess she loved the card so much she wanted to buy some of her own!  Anyway, I was only 3 items shy of 100, so Sharon's order put me over the top and then some!

Well, I guess I will start working on some stuff for Father's Day next, since it's just a month away.  If I had more time, I'd prepare months in advance for each holiday or occasion, but as busy as life is these days, that won't happen for awhile.  Maybe when I retire!

After the Craft Show

Hello- I have been so busy the past couple of weeks getting ready for the Salem Etsy Team Spring Sale that I have not had time to post!  The sale was yesterday, and I had a blast!  It was so great meeting customers and other Salem Etsy Team members- I can't think of a better way to spend a spring Saturday!  I was in a crafting frenzy in the week or two before the sale, and hauled everything I had in my inventory to the sale.  Now that it's over, I have a lot of new stuff that I will be listing in my shop in the next few days, and I thought I would give you all a preview!

More to come soon, as soon as I have time to take photos of all the new stuff!  There are a few things I am really excited about.  One is that I found a really great supplier of Japanese washi paper on Etsy, susiestablefare .  Last week, ordered some paper from her, and it arrived just two days later!  Of course it helps that she is only about 40 miles away from me, but I love to find sellers who are so diligent about shipping out promptly!  I will definitely be ordering from her again!  She does some beautiful work with boxes that she covers with washi paper, so check out her shop if you are into that sort of thing!

I came out of the craft show yesterday with a custom order for a graduation exploding box, and I am very excited about that also.  I did one for the show to have as an example, and while it was complicated and challenging to put together, I think the next time around will not be as tough.  This box is different than the others I have done- it's an octagon!  That means a LOT more cutting, and by that I mean manual cutting with scissors, not a paper trimmer.  The result is really stunning though!  I don't have a picture of the full box yet, but here is a pic from yesterday's show, and the box is on the table in front of me.  It's the one that looks like a graduation cap:

The one I will be doing for a custom order is for an upcoming graduate of Western Oregon University (WOU), so I will be doing the box in WOU colors.  It should be fun, and I will post pictures when I have it all done!

Spring Sale Sneak Peek!

And here's a little something extra that I plan to offer with the cards at the Salem Etsy Team Spring Sale:

Custom Project

Hello!  I had the pleasure of having a custom project this week, and wanted to share it.  I was contacted by a very nice lady who wanted a personalized bookmark and gift envelope to give to a dear friend who is retiring from her job with a university library.  What better gift for a library employee than a bookmark?!  She asked for pink and purple larkspur, but apart from that, gave me free reign with the design.

I decided that instead of doing the traditional three-flower bookmark, I would go with the collage-style on this one.  I think it's time to update some of my listings, this being one of them, so I was glad to be able to have this project to use as a showcase for the new-and-improved personalized bookmarks!

I used a cute little dark purple verbena there in the left corner of the bookmark, and a couple of cornflowers, in addition to the larkspur flowers.  I like the contrast of the deep purple with the vibrant dark pink here!  Notice that on the seal for the envelope, I used a pressed flower like I did with a previous custom order a couple of months ago.  I really like this!  It really ties in the pressed flower bookmark to the gift envelope.

Also, I mentioned this in my last post, but I am excited to be a part of the upcoming Salem Etsy Team Spring sale on May 5th!

I have never done a public craft sale like this before- my one and only experience was at a private sale in someone's home.  I am thrilled to have this opportunity to get my feet wet with craft sales!  The venue is smaller and more intimate than the larger-scale craft fairs, which is great for a newbie like me!  I have been crafting like crazy to bulk up my inventory, and I promise I will share some previews of those items soon!  I have been too busy making cards and bookmarks to take pictures of them, but will try to do some of that in the next few days.  I will be away this weekend, but am hoping to take a couple of days off work next week to finish getting ready for the sale.  SO much to do and so little time...and I want to make sure I am well prepared!  Know what the hardest thing has been so far?  This is so silly...but finding a decent tablecloth for my table!  I have not been able to find one in the color I want, and I am starting to get frustrated!  I've checked the usual discount stores, but may have to bite the bullet and head to Bed, Bath and Beyond to see what they have.

Check back in a few days for some pictures of my newest cards and bookmarks, and a twist on the cards I plan to sell at the sale!

More Birthday Stuff, and An Upcoming Event

My daughter had another birthday party to go to this weekend- another friend from her dance classes.  Apparently, we now have a reputation with these girls to uphold- we are the "cool card givers"!  Since I have not repeated a card type for this group of girls, the pressure is on to come up with something new for each girl's birthday.  At first it was easy- I did the exploding box card for the first one back in December, then followed up with a never-ending card in February (which apparently I did not get a picture of), a slide card in March, and then last weekend, a different type of slide card.  I was a bit at a loss what to do for this one, until I remembered a card that my BFF Kendra did a couple of years ago and sent to me.  I emailed her and described it, and she informed me that it was called a waterfall card and that I could find a video tutorial on YouTube on how to do it.  I did find the video, as well as this tutorial, and it turns out that it is really quite easy to make!

When you pull the tab down, each of the decorated panels flips and cascades one by one, which is probably why it's called a waterfall card.  It's very cute, and pretty easy to do, once you get the hang of it!  Meredith decorated the inside with a paper flower as well.

I also made a bookmark for the birthday girl, which I posted about previously.  Since we had two birthdays a week apart, I made both bookmarks at the same time.  Both girls seemed to like them.

Now for an exciting announcement!  I am going to be taking part in the Salem Etsy Team's Spring Craft Show next month- my first real craft show!  There will be a variety of craft and vintage vendors there, and I am really looking forward to meeting to some of the other Salem Etsy sellers!  Now, I just need to have stuff to sell at this show- so I have some crafting to do!  I've been working on cards this weekend, and will post a preview of some of these later in the week.  Also on my agenda is to make some more collage-style bookmarks, and perhaps some gift envelopes to go along with them.  I am focusing on Mothers Day products, but also plan to make a few Father's Day and graduation items as well.  Time is short, however- the sale is May 5th, which is less than 3 weeks away.  Time to get busy!  Be sure to check back and see what I'm making, because I will have lots to share in the next couple of weeks!

Some Birthday Stuff, and a Thank You Card

What a busy time of year!  Though I have wanted to start working on some new stuff for my shop, I have not had time.  Instead, this week I have focused on some stuff for specific events taking place.  My daughter has 2 birthday parties in 2 weeks, so I made bookmarks for both birthday girls.  I have so far made one card, and will be doing the other one this week, because that party is coming up next weekend.  Here are the bookmarks:

I neglected to get photos of the reverse, which I need to remember to do more often!  Alisha's had a really neat blue and teal washi paper with white and red geometric flowers on the back.  Coral's has a pink and orange floral print on the reverse.

I have not made a card yet for Coral, as hers is the birthday party coming up next weekend, but here is the one I did for Alisha:

This is a slide card, similar to the one I did for the slide card swap last year.  The only difference is that I oriented the card so that it slides to the side instead of from the top and bottom.  I like how it turned out..however, I have to say that this type of card is a huge pain to make!  The slide mechanism is difficult to manage, and it really took a long time to assemble.  Besides that, I had to have my daughter show her friend how to open it without messing it all up, and that is just a bit more trouble than it is worth.  I was happy to do the card and glad that it worked out well, but am not anxious do to another on in this design again.

I also did a thank you card this weekend, for my husband to send to his best friend's parents, as they are going to lend us their beach house in a couple of weeks so that we can celebrate our 18th anniverary there.  I can't wait!  They are letting us stay at the house for incredibly cheap, so we wanted to send a nice card.  I had some washi paper I was dying to use, so here is what I did with it:

The colors are not looking great on my computer because I took these pics in the evening when the light was not very good, so I apologize for that.  The card base is actually a deep burgundy red, and the next layer is a deep olive green, though it looks more teal here.  I embossed the sentiment on an off-white piece of paper that I cut out with a Spellbinder die on my Big shot.

Next week I really hope to have more to show that is shop-ready.  There is a local craft fair coming up on the first weekend in May for my local Etsy team, and I would really love to participate!  I just have to make sure I have some good, fresh inventory, since it is the weekend before Mother's Day.  Guess I will have to get busy in the next couple of weeks!

Bookmark Giveaway!

Just a quick note that I wanted to pass on!  Elizabeth Loupas,  the author for whom I did the big custom project, is doing a giveaway of three of the bookmarks I made for her.  Enter the drawing today and she will be choosing the winners tomorrow, which is the release day of her new book, The Flower Reader.  Enter by leaving a comment on her blog here:
http://www.elizabethloupas.com/2012/03/29/bookmarks

New Bookmarks!

Well, I took a few weeks off from making bookmarks after my last big custom project.  The break gave me a chance to think ahead to some new designs, and how I might take what I learned from my project and apply it to new products in my shop.  Life has been busy these last few weeks- we just finished spring break here, which is busy in its own way, and finally today I had some time to play with some new designs.  One of these days, I need to go through my flower inventory and reorder some stuff that I ran out of, but for the time being, I still have plenty to work with.  I took the collage concept that I used on the bookmarks I did for Elizabeth Loupas, and applied it a little differently here.  For one thing, I used coordinating patterned papers on the reverse sides.  For another, I did not use ivy leaves, just flowers on these.  Also, I did not limit myself to natural flowers- I used a few dyed ones (well, one at least), and that enabled me to use some colors that I might not normally use.  I like the results!  I was able to use some gorgeous new paper that I got the other day, and also some fantastic teal satin ribbon, which is a color I have not been able to find previously.  My daughter and I went shopping up in the Portland area the other day, and we visited a paper store up there, which is where I got both the paper and the ribbon.  I love both!

Here are the four new bookmarks I made today- all are listed in my Etsy shop:

  It was fun to get back into making bookmarks again!  With spring now here, I am excited about restocking my shop with fresh new designs!

Also today, I made a couple of bookmarks for friends of my daughter who have birthdays coming up.  Both are friends from dance, and will be having parties in the next couple of weeks.  I have enjoyed making personalized bookmarks for her other dance friends' birthdays in the last few months, so seem to be working my way through the group of girls- don't want to leave anyone out!  Here are the two I did today:

I hope they like them!  I will be doing cards for them as well, but didn't have time today.

I am glad to be over the hurdle of having the first bookmarks done for the spring season, and now am motivated to get some more done in preparation for Mother's Day.  As it is already the first of April, there is not much time!  I'll be working on that in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned for some new stuff!

New Bookmark for Me, and Happy Birthday Dad

As promised last week, I have my dad's birthday card to share.  I didn't want to post it too long before he got it in the mail, because I'm not sure when (or if) he ever checks my blog!  He should be getting it in the next day or two though, at least I hope so- his birthday is tomorrow!  Here it is:

As I think I have stated before, I find making masculine cards a bit challenging.  For one thing, it is not easy to find papers that are geared toward/would appeal to men.  The vast majority of scrapbook paper out there is pretty feminine in terms of color and design.  That's why when I find a good paper with masculine colors or patterns, I try to stock up.  I have had both of these papers for a long time, pretty much since I first started making bookmarks, so you have probably seen them both before.  I did try to find a new one for my dad's card, but right now, everything in the stores are very pastel and flowery.  I didn't want to do anything too close to the card I did for him last year, so stayed away from any of those same papers.  I like the two of these together.  The argyle is bold, while the pin stripe is more subtle, but the color tones go very well together and don't clash.  The little bit of gray in the pin stripe gives an extra color to work with beyond the different shades of blue and the black.  I didn't stamp a setiment on the inside- just left it blank, and hand-wrote in my Happy Birthday message.  Hope he likes it!

Next, I would like to share a bookmark I made for myself today.  A few months ago, I told you about a book cover I bought from a fellow Esty seller, Rebekah, for which I made a coordinating bookmark.  You can see both the book cover and bookmark here.  Recently, I have found myself reading more trade-size paperbacks than I have in the past, and have missed having a book cover to protect the books I read.  So, back to Rebekah's shop I went!  She was so nice and accomodating with my first order, I knew that her shop was the right one to go to for my next one.  Besides that, she works with the MOST beautiful batik fabrics!  The hardest part about shopping in her shop is picking just one- they are all stunningly beautiful!  After perusing her shop, I found one or two fabrics that I really liked, and sent her a message about customizing a trade-size book cover for me.  This time, my eye was drawn to a beautiful batik fabric in blues, greens, and teals with dragonflies.  Unfortunately, I only saw it on a checkbook cover.  So when I messaged Rebekah, I mentioned that I liked another fabric, but if she had the dragonfly fabric, that would be my preference.  She responded that she would be able to accomdate my request.  Again, I asked for no ribbon to be sewn in, as I wanted to make my own bookmark.  And this time, I asked for a custom closure for the cover that was similar to another one I had seen elsewhere.  I thought it would protect the book better, and since I live in the rainy PNW, I am happy for any additional protection for my books!  Rebekah was great about it- she had not done anything like it before, but was willing to try.  It came out exactly how I imagined it, and I couldn't be happier!

When I saw the fabric, I immediately knew what kind of bookmark I wanted to make.  You might remember these cards, where I used a sponge and different colors of stamp ink to make a pretty mottled background in colors very similar to the ones in this book cover.  So I used that same technique, and then stamped a very subtle leaf pattern in a light green, and a dragonfly in the teal ink.  I framed it in deep blue and teal, and topped it with a coordinating blue ribbon.

The leaf detail is difficult to see, so here's a closeup:

Ok, maybe it's hard to see here too..but the ligth green that you see is the viney leaf stamp.  The lighting wasn't great when I took this picture, but in reality, there is much more differentiation between all the colors.  Anyway, I love it, and it goes great with the book cover!

My family is off on spring break for a few days, so I may actually have some time to craft in the evenings this week!  I'm anxious to start on some collage-style pressed flower bookmarks to list in my shop, since I enjoyed making the ones I did for Elizabeth Loupas so much.  I'm planning to do some gift envelopes that can go along with those as well, in hopes that they will sell for Mother's Day, which is just around the corner!  I also need to make a card for my cousin Trina's birthday, which is on April 1, so will have to get that done soon too.  Til next time!

Thank You Card and Some Odds and Ends

I'm getting back into a crafting groove after a couple of weeks off since finishing the big custom project for Elizabeth Loupas.  Who, by the way, will be having another giveaway this week of her new book, The Flower Reader, along with one of the bookmarks I made for her!  Be sure to check her blog for details on how to enter!

I might have mentioned while I was doing that project that I decided to get some new business cards.  The ones I have been using were ones I made myself with some of those perforated sheets that you can get at office supply stores.  They were ok, but I was ready to upgrade to something a little more professional.  I have had the idea floating around in my head for awhile for a logo- actually, I have had the image in mind since I started my shop nearly 2 years ago now.  But I am no graphic artist, that is for sure!  However, I do know one, and I enlisted (begged for?) her help with this.  Kindra is one of my coworkers, and does a bit of graphic design on the side.  I showed her what I had in mind, and she ran with it, and several versions and much patience on Kindra's part later, I have a logo of my very own!  And none too soon- I got my new business cards printed up the same day that I shipped the big custom order to Elizabeth!  She graciously offered to include my cards with each of the bookmarks that she is giving away, so I really wanted them to look nice.  I'm very happy with how the logo looks on the cards.  What I'm not so happy with is how Staples printed the cards offset to the right- I had everything perfectly aligned in the center in the template on their website, so I don't know what happened there.  In any case, like I said, I got them the day I was shipping Elizabeth's order, so there was no time to ask to have them redone.  I guess next time I will go somewhere else to get cards printed.  Anyway, have a look:

I think it's very cute, and it's just what I had pictured in my mind!  Now I just need to figure out how to get it onto my shop banner and stuff like that!

To thank Kindra for her efforts, I made a thank you card for her:

I saw this paisley paper at Michaels, and even though I am an admitted paper addict and really should not have been buying more, I HAD to!  I love the color combination, and the design is kind of fresh and springy, and boy am I ready for spring!  In any case, Kindra certainly deserves thanks for the great job she did and especially the patience she had with me and my revision requests.  I also happily offered to pimp her talents and graphic design business, so here is where you can find Kindra for all of your graphic design needs: http://www.designsbykindra.com/

I haven't done too much else lately- I did make a birthday card for my dad yesterday, so I will post that next time.  Still need to do one for my cousin Trina, but may not get to that until next weekend.  I'm having a spring cleaning sale in my shop- use coupon code SPRNGCLN12 at checkout for 15% off entire purchase through the end of March.  And I am still working on a concept for the wall art that my friend Sandra asked me to do for her office.  I have a plan, but it is a bit slow in coming together.  Thankfully, Sandra said she can be patient with me!  I am looking for some materials and having a hard time finding what I am looking for, so may have to figure out a plan B, but I'm not ready to give up yet!  And yesterday, I took a class at Michaels where I will use what I learned to create this project.  That's all I'm going to say about it for now!  Finally, I am going to begin work on some new bookmark stock for my shop in preparation for Mothers Day, so look for some of those designs soon!