Pinterest to the Rescue

I confess. I partake in the Pinterest craze. I entered into the fray this past in February. I haven’t gone totally bonkers like some folks have, pinning everything in sight. But it is a very convenient way to find items of interest and file visual bookmarks. And every now and then, I actually do a project that I’ve pinned! Imagine that, LOL. 

For example, I needed to make a little box earlier this week to contain a birthday present for a dear friend. So a brief search on Pinterest lead me to a pillow box pattern. As luck would have it, the gift box design is posted on Martha Stewart web site. (Thanks, Martha!) I pinned it and proceeded to print the template out at 200% enlargement. 

Handmade Greeting Cards

Have you checked out the price of greeting cards these days? Oh, it’s enough to give you a fright! Several years ago, I decided to forgo my regular visits to the local Hallmark store and avoid the greeting card aisle at Wal-Mart. What’s a budget conscious gal going to do? Make her own! 

I started out doing stamped designs, but then later changed to making cards using my own photographs. The cost per card is a fraction of store prices. It’s also much more satisfying to create something uniquely beautiful. As a bonus, recipients appreciate the thoughtfulness of receiving a handmade card in this cookie-cutter world. 

I like to make two cards out of regular size cardstock. A finished card is 4-¼ ” by 5-½”. Envelopes are easily found for this size at office and paper supply stores. For a double border, I size rectangular photos down to a maximum width of 4-¼” and print four to a page. I use to Epson's Premium Presentation Paper with a matte finish. I also go through through my stash of cardstock to find colors that complement the photos. 

I gather up my other supplies and tools, such as my nifty paper trimmer with a rotary cutting head, double-sided adhesive, bone folder, basic cardstock, black cardstock, and custom self-adhesive labels. 

The background colors I picked are keepers! 

Next, the photos get trimmed up and stacked. 

The photo stacks are ready!

Then I start taping the photos to black cardstock pieces (to help make the images “pop”) and colored card stock. 

The next step is to cut the matted photos apart and trim, leaving a ¼” margin all around. 

I cut the cardstock in half and score each half down the middle for folding. I forgot to take a picture of the scoring board earlier! You don’t have to have one of these, but it does make the job a little easier. And you’ll notice that I didn’t use a plain white cardstock for the cards, but one with multi-colored speckles. 

Then I start taping the photos onto the cards. The final step is to apply a decorated adhesive label on the back of each card. I designed and printed out the labels using a free Avery software program. The rabbit silhouette was created with a Martha Steward punch. 

And here are the final results of my card-making endeavor. It is a little time consuming, but I enjoy the whole process. If I ever get to the point of selling my cards, then I will be exploring the use of printing services. 

 

4-Year Blogging Anniversary Celebration!

My blog turned 4 years old on January 1st, and I promised to have a little celebration to commemorate this milestone. I planned way back in early December to have a different kind of giveaway this time. Unlike most giveaways, you don’t enter on this post. All my faithful friends who commented during the month of December were included in a surprise drawing! 

December was a tough month for us because of hubby’s surgery. So I wasn’t able to post as much as usual. My dear blogging friends stuck with me, faithfully commented when I posted, and lifted our spirits. You have no idea how much you brightened our days! And it is precisely because of such dedication that I continue this blog and try to bring a little cheer back to you. 

So here is the surprise gift! I recently made up a batch of handmade cards that feature some of my scenic Alaska photos. 

As a token of my appreciation, a set of cards will go out to the following four winners:

 

Kim of Homesteader's Heart

Donna of Made in Heaven

Irene of Irene's Desk

Ann of Ann's Snap, Edit, & Scrap

Congratulations! And THANK YOU for being my friend!

600th Post Celebration and Giveaway!

It’s my 600th blog post celebration! Hip, hip, Hooray! And what’s a celebration without a giveaway, right? Marty helped me gather up a few goodies to raffle off to a lucky blogging friend. The winner could be YOU!

What’s up for grabs? The main prize is a Martha Stewart Crafts Glitter Set! With this assortment, you can glitter up your world with 24 delicious jewel colors. And the set’s arrival in your mailbox will be just in time for your Christmas crafting projects. The prizes also include three Prince Edward Island souvenirs featuring Anne of Green Gables: a magnetic note pad, pin, and post card. Last in the mix is a set of four of handmade photo note cards. I recently created a new batch featuring some of my favorite Alaskan scenes. 

Here’s how to get your name in the proverbial hat to win these lovely prizes: 

1. Leave a comment on this post to get one entry. 
2. If you follow my blog, leave another comment to get a second entry. 
3. If you publish a post about this giveaway or put a picture link on your blog’s sidebar, leave another comment for a third entry.  (Yes, snag the picture shown above!}
4. Participants outside the U.S. are welcomed. However, only entries from bloggers with active web sites will be eligible for the drawing. 

The last day to enter is Wednesday, November 2. So please help me celebrate my chatty milestone of 600 posts!


P.S. Marty is deleting comments from those who are not following the rules.  It's not fair to the others.

300th Post Celebration!

(Yes, this is a picture of mini-me.)

My 2-year blogging anniversary was just a few weeks ago. But I need to celebrate once again because I have hit my 300th post! You know what that means, don’t you? Yes, it’s time for another giveaway, this time for two lucky readers!

The craft and sewing supplies are tucked away in long-term storage boxes right now. So I went out and stocked up on some paper materials to make some handmade cards. I will be giving away a two sets of four cards each, along with peel-to-seal envelopes. Each card features one of my altered photographs on white cardstock with multi-colored flecks. These cards would be perfect for a valentines, birthdays, or thank you notes.

Marty is anxious for you to join the celebration by entering to win one of these card sets! Here’s how to get your name in the hat:

• 
  
  Leave a comment on this post and tell me your favorite post since May 2009, when I had my 200th blog celebration.
• 
  
  If you enter and follow my blog, your name will get entered twice!
• 
  
  Entries outside the U.S. will be accepted. However, only entries from bloggers with active web sites will be eligible. If you are “anonymous” or don’t routinely post on your blog, your entry will be deleted.

The last day to enter is Tuesday, February 2. I’ll announce the winner on the 3rd. Thank you, my blogging friends!

Photo Challenge: Signs of Spring

Time for the Brenda Photo Challenge! The subject is Signs of Spring, picked by the current challenge hostess, Joy of Shuttershy. Thank you, Joy, for selecting this great theme. I also appreciate my visitors for stopping by and checking out my entries!

Natural Signs of Spring
The spring season is starting to awaken here in east Tennessee. The forsythia bushes are blooming, and the faintest of light green colors is starting to tip out on the weeping willows. Yeah! With the help of a recent warm spell this month, our daffodils are stretching toward the sky and getting ready to begin their 2009 show.

Artistic Signs of Spring

With my temporary consulting work winding down, I got industrious earlier this week and made up some new greeting cards for my inventory. I used an altered version of a daffodil photograph that I took in the gardens last year.

Hopping Signs of Spring
Marty is getting into the spirit of the upcoming season here at the homestead. While he guards the door to my home office, he looks quite dapper wearing a beautiful green ribbon.

Handmade Christmas

I had the best intentions to do more handmade gifts this Christmas season. But it just didn’t happen! A girlfriend and I have decided that we will start a "Christmas in July" campaign in 2009. Maybe I’ll have a fighting chance if I start that early!

There were a few things I accomplished this season, including the fabric tree ornaments that I shared earlier here on my blog, for a forum swap, and for some gifts to friends. I also stitched a few Prairie Schooler Santa designs for myself, but these have not yet been assembled into ornaments. That may be a January project!

To supplement the store-bought Christmas cards leftover from last year, I also created some handmade ones to send out to friends. Echoing the tree idea of this year’s little fabric ornaments, here are what the cards looked like.

I didn’t make the slightest dent in my paper supply stash, ha-ha! Nevertheless, it was fun to make a great mess in my studio and do something creative.

I also just completed some pincushions for gifts too. I chose a muted cottage-style fabric in blue/brown tones for the base, and embellished them with old wool felt, little doilies, perle cotton, and stacked buttons. These turned out so sweet looking, don’t you think?

I hope the gift recipients like them (fingers crossed)! Maybe I’ll do another one to give away for my one-year blogging anniversary coming up in a few weeks. I haven’t cleaned up that mess yet, so I might as well keep on going!

Greeting Cards

One of the things I decided to do this year was to make my own greeting cards. I have made a few in the past, but I always bought more than I created. My studio has a good supply of stamps, inks, papers, and envelopes already, so it’s just a matter of getting it done! I have begun working on an inventory of cards that corresponds to various occasions. Here is a sampling of the cards that my friends and relatives can expect to get this year. Nothing fancy, but sweet nonetheless!