Sets of Cards

hey all you crafty types!

there's nothing i like better on a rainy day than spending the time crafting away at my desk while the rain hits the window of my hobby room. it's so cozy and FUN in here! i did have to venture out earlier to run some errands, and man was it blustery!!! rain coming in sideways...

are any of you lovely readers selling your wares on ETSY? i have some products listed in my shop, but don't seem to be getting anywhere with my sales. hopefully in the future good things will happen. i just can't bring myself to spend a tonne of $ putting my stuff in the showcases. i tried it a couple of times and got zero sales out of it... i just joined an ETSY CANADA group yesterday too. i'm looking for ways to promote my shop and get to know some other crafters at the same time!

i've been doing a plethora of craft shows, and there's still many more to come . a couple of these shows are going to be home parties. a little wine, some cheese, and shopping for Crafty Girl Cards and Avon products. (yes, i'm an Avon lady too!) i thought today i'd share with you some of the card designs i've been making for the cards sets i plan to sell. i have been trying to come up with "less involved" designs so that i can sell the sets for less than i would my individual cards. who would pay $50 for a set of 10 cards, even IF they are all handmade and lovely? (there i go, tooting my own horn again - i SO love to do that!) anyhoo, i still end up spending a lot of time on these simpler cards. i just can't seem to stop myself from going overboard!

i'd love to hear your comments on these... and suggestions for keeping myself under control! hehehe! have a fantastic day everyone!

cheers!
crafty girl

Call the Blog Police!

hey all you crafty types!

does anybody know if there is such a thing as "blogging police" ?? i fear i have been very lax in doing my blog posts... over a month? not acceptable!

it's not that i don't think about it all the time, i just don't seem to find the time for it these past weeks. between making all my products, selling at all the craft fairs i booked, keeping up with emails, facebook, etsy, selling Avon, job hunting, and the myriad of other things i've been doing lately, i guess something had to fall by the wayside! sorry about that!

i was drooling last week over the Mexican stamping cruise that tim holtz did. have you seen anything about that? it was a week-long cruise to ports in Mexico, with classes and an onboard stamp store for the cruisers to shop at! can you imagine how much fun that would have been? they had a stop in Cabo San Lucas, and my mom & dad were there vacationing at the same time! would have been cool to get onboard and meet tim holtz. he's my creative idol.

so do you wanna see a few pics of the Christmas cards i've been making lately? there's some lovely ones, if i do say so myself!

whadda ya think? i love that glitter snowman foam sticker. it's so sweet! and i actually have little button brads that i added. cute cute cute!

anyhoo, gotta run... my sister is flying in from Whitehorse so i have to hit the airport!

cheers! crafty girl

Denami Design giveaway!

hey all you crafty types!

another quick post today...

who loves Denami Designs? i do, i do! leave a comment on their blog by oct.11th stating your fave Denami product, and you could win a $50 gift certificate to use on their website! ah, the joy of new products... grin!

cheers!
crafty girl

World Card Making Day - coming soon to a craft desk near you!!

hey all you crafty types!

being the crafty people that you are, i'm sure you all know about World Cardmaking Day! it's coming up soon on oct.3rd... what are your plans?

are you the type to create wonderful handmade halloween cards and decorations? or, like me, will you be getting started on christmas cards? i'm a little late beginning this year... as i sell in a number of craft fairs, i need to make many dozens of cards and i sometimes get started as early as july! not to mention cards for family & friends! it's a labour of love, believe me! nothing i like better than spending the day at my craft desk... let me know what you'll be up to!

last weekend i had 2 craft fairs! it's rather exhausting, but it's certainly rewarding! making contacts and getting my products out into the world is exciting. i really hope it leads to more online sales so that when i have to get a real job (yuck!) i'll still have some craft activity going on!

this weekend it's Portobello West - a large and well-known European-inspired fashion & art fair held here in Vancouver and also in Calgary. starting this year there is also Portobello East in Toronto. i'm nowhere near a level where i'd actually travel to other cities to take part, but you never know! someday, maybe...




cheers!
crafty girl

More Craft Shows This Weekend!

hey all you crafty types!

as the weekend approaches, i'm busying myself to prepare for the next 2 craft shows!

September 19th:

Mommies on Main

Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street (Main & 15th)

10:30am to 4pm

www.mommiesonmain.com

(no I don't make stuff for children, but I know a lot of mommies will like my stuff!)

September 20th:

International Village Gifts & Craft Fair

88 West Pender Street (at Tinseltown complex)

12-5pm

www.henderson-development.ca/artsandcrafts/missed.php

(this is a 2-day show but I'm only selling on one of the days)

September 27th:

Portobello West Fashion & Art Market

Rocky Mountaineer Station (1755 Cottrell Street off Terminal Ave.)

12-6pm

www.vancouver.portobellowest.com

(also selling at this market Oct. 25th)

cheers!
crafty girl

Fall is Here!

hey all you crafty types!

i don't know how the days fly by so quickly! suddenly it's mid-september... the trees in our townhouse complex are changing colour, school's back in, and my fall craft shows are about to begin - tomorrow, to be exact! the first one is in a fantastic little seaside village not far from me called Steveston. if you live anywhere near here i'm sure you've visited the area. taken a lovely stroll along the seawall, eaten fish and chips on the pier, and purchased fresh shrimp or fish right off the boats on the dock! a wonderful experience to say the least.

the Steveston Farmers & Artisans Market takes place alternating sundays from late may to mid-october, but i've only gotten in on the last couple of dates. tomorrow is my debut at the market, and i'll also be there on oct. 11th. looking forward to it! it's such a great location and there's always lots of people wandering about the village so here's hoping it goes very well!


my other news for today is that i was featured yesterday on Listen to Lena's blog in the "Lena Loves..." section! sorry i didn't get around to posting yesterday, but i had family over for dinner and the day was spent cleaning, grocery shopping, and food prepping! we ate outside because it was such a lovely evening! i'm happy it's still warm enought to do that... but i digress! it's such a cool website - Lena gives out info on sales and other events going on, coupons for readers to print out, and all sorts of goodies! there are contests to win and her site is just so fresh and fun to peruse! check it out and let me know what you think of my review!

cheers!
crafty girl

September Is Upon Us!

hey all you crafty types!



here is a teaser of a couple of my magnets! cute or what!!! hehehe! do you not just dig those tiny pink beads surrounding the flamingos!

International Village Gifts & Craft Fair

this is one of the craft fairs I'll be selling at this month. they've got a couple of my keychains featured on their Facebook page right now!

my shows this month are as follows:

September 13th:

Steveston Farmers & Artisans Market

4111 Moncton Street (Steveston Village)

10am-3pm

www.sfam.ca

(also selling at this market on Oct. 11th)

September 19th:

Mommies on Main

Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street (Main & 15th)

10:30 to 4pm

www.mommiesonmain.com

(no I don't make stuff for children, but I'm sure a lot of mommies will like my stuff!)

September 20th:

International Village Gifts & Craft Fair

88 West Pender Street (at Tinseltown complex)

12-5pm

www.henderson-development.ca/artsandcrafts/missed.php

(this is a 2-day show but I'm only selling on one of the days)

September 27th:

Portobello West Fashion & Art Market

Rocky Mountaineer Station (1755 Cottrell Street off Terminal Ave.)

12-6pm

www.vancouver.portobellowest.com

(also selling at this market Oct. 25th)

i don't know if anyone reading my blog is in my neck of the woods, but if you are come on by! besides my fabulous creations (toot, toot!), there will be all sorts of awesome handmade stuff to peruse. christmas is coming after all!

take care everyone! i'll send out my november and december dates later on...

cheers! crafty girl

Mommalicious Finds Review

hey all you crafty types!

i was reviewed on Mommalicious Finds! just wanted to share the link so you can check out this great site... not just for MY stuff but other great things as well! i'm off to Whitehorse for a family visit on saturday and i can't wait! i haven't been up there in almost 4 years, and not in the summertime in i don't even know how long. when i get back i plan to be more diligent with my blogging. i've just been so busy prepping for all the craft shows i'm going to do that i haven't spared myself time for much else!

i hope you have all been enjoying a great summer and nice weather. we've been bbq'ing a LOT! so yummy...

cheers!
crafty girl

The Pink Slice is here!

hey all you crafty types!

don't know if you follow Making Memories or not, but they've just come out with the new PINK Slice machine at the summer cha show that ended last week. i already have the lovely aqua coloured one, but man O man i wish i had it in pink! it's just to die for...

my husband is laughing at me saying "you already have one!" yeah, yeah, i know. but a girl can wish, can't she?!

see ya all later.

cheers!
crafty girl

Raspberry Suite colour challenge 14

hey all you crafty types!

so i don't get to blogging for over a week, then i do 2 posts in one day! came across this awesome colour challenge today on Dawn McVey's site called My Favorite Things and i had to put everything aside and take up the gauntlet!
my new EK Success punch broke when i tried to use that one first (embossed curve) so i had to stop and email them a complaint! it's hardly been used and i hate faulty stuff! it makes me so irrate... but then i got back to stamping and finished up with a different border punch.

hope you like...

cheers! crafty girl

Time Flies!

hey all you crafty types!

it's amazing how time flies by so quickly... i've really let my blogging get away from me! i have just been so busy with all my product-making and craft fair research that i've been neglecting my blog i worked so hard to get up and running. i seriously need a clone to get everything done that i want to accomplish each day. sheesh!

i have some extra time today because the craft fair i was supposed to be in got cancelled due to rain! it was the one i blogged about last week called "Got Craft? mini edition. so i thought i'd share links with you for some shows i will be vendoring instead of selling my wares today! (is 'vendoring' a legit word? i saw it used somewhere and i adopted the term, but i don't know if it's really a word... who cares i guess? people will know what i'm yammering on about when i say it.)

Portobello West Vancouver

i'll be at this show September 27th and October 25th. it's a pretty big show in Vancouver so i'm rather stoked about being accepted!

and then we have Mommies on Main:

this one is new to me, but it was cool to have them contact me to say i should come be part of the show!

i have applied to 8 others as well for October, November & December - trying to keep myself VERY busy these days! i'll keep you all posted when i have some more firm dates...

cheers!
crafty girl

MIA

helloooooo out there! have you missed me? i've been crazy busy and i'm sorry i've been neglecting the land of bloggy goodness...

i have been trying like mad to get my products out there into the realm of consumers, and spending all day doing card challenges just wasn't getting me anywhere! so i just had to avoid even glancing at 365 Cards or Mojo Monday, and all the other great blogs i was so diligently following! it's addictive, don't you think?!

i have applied to be a vendor at a bunch of craft fairs, and since i make ALL of my products myself i have to spend all my time planning out what i want to make and then creating it all. takes so much time - but of course i love it with a passion so it's time well spent.

i sold dozens of my cards to some downtown businesses a couple of weeks ago, and that really dwindled my stock. i have to make many many more before i'll have enough for the fairs. but anyway...

i wanted to share with you something new i'm playing with - domino pendants! i have been making magnets and keychains from dominos for quite a while now, but i wanted to add something more to my repertoire.

don'tcha just love these washi papers? i have a big stash of them, and i've used them on cards before, but now i've found a new used for them too! i love how these turned out. i'm gonna give them a go at my next craft fair on Aug.9th and if they sell i'll make more.


i doubt any of you live in my neck of the woods, but if you do - come on by the craft fair! it's just a small one, but i did it back in june too and it's a fun day! our tables are outside so i better remember to bring a big umbrella. it's been over 30 degrees all week here! we've been melting.

thanks for stopping by! i promise it won't be so long until my next post. TGIF!! Have a great weekend - for us here in BC it's a long weekend so my hubby has a couple of extra days off to play.

cheers!
crafty girl

Shake It Up Baby!

hey all! missed a couple of days cuz i've been pretty busy! but i have a couple of cards for you to check out today... shaker cards! i haven't made any of these in quite some time. my girlfriend wanted to buy 2 thank you cards from me that had a beach/ocean theme so i got some sand and shell pieces and voila! hope you enjoy!

cheers!
crafty girl

Saturday Rules!

the hubby and i went out to do some errands today and ended up buying a wicked new patio furniture set plus a bistro table & chair set at The Home Depot, on clearance! we thought we'd have to wait til next spring but now we have a great set to enjoy for the rest of the summer! awesome, because we plan to have a couple more bbqs before the weather turns.

happy happy joy joy, to quote Ren & Stimpy. (a very strange cartoon that my brother used to like.) quite the tangent...

so anyway, i'm happy to post this card this evening to finish off the 365 Cards challenges for the week! it's great to see your name in print when Pam posts the full-week finishers, don't you agree?! i got this fab-tastic stamp set yesterday on my jaunt to Michaels, using my last 50% off coupon. i couldn't wait to try it out!

i painted some white cardstock with silver paper paint for my background, to see how it would work out. not bad, i think! the distress inks and brilliance inks needed to be heat-set because they didn't want to dry on their own, but otherwise it was great! i stippled the paint a little with my sponge brush to get some texture.

stuff used:
paper...
white, purple & pale blue speckled cs
stamps...
Hero Arts - Grid Pattern designblock
Martha Stewart - clear butterfly stamps
PSX - happy birthday!
ink...
Tim Holtz distress - broken china
Brilliance - victorian violet, crimson copper & lightning black
extras...
Cherished Memories - cherished silver paper paint
EK Success - scallop dismond border punch
Marvy - mini rectangles punch
Offray - spool o' ribbon looped purple
Forever in Time - purple buttons

cheers! crafty girl

Raspberry Suite colour challenge 12

well i meant to get this card finished WAAAAAAY earlier today, but i just had to go to Michaels for some "much needed" supplies (yeah, right!!) and then my hubby got home from his trip this week and we went out for a bite to eat. so it's better late than never, right?!

this card is for dawn mcvey's current raspberry suite colour challenge (#12). these 4 colours look fantastic on the plant in her pic, but it's not so easy to make them work on a card! hence, the challenging part, i guess...




stuff used:
paper...
cream, celery & dark red cs
Doodlebug Design Inc. - very cherry paisley
stamps...
Inkadinkadoo - Chelsea Alphabet
Martha Stewart - Clear Pattern stamps
ink...
Brilliance - pearl crimson & pearl lime
Tim Holtz distress - peeled paint
Adirondack Earthtones - lettuce
Studio g - grass green
extras...
EK Success - morrocan lace
Studio18 - rhinestones (i picked these up at Michaels today and they happen to fit my colour scheme! not even planned!)
Making Memories - cajun reds ribbon
1/8" hole punch
Offray Spool o Ribbon - bright pink
Slice - Basics 1 design card
Inkssentials - ink blending tool

cheers! crafty girl

Playing Catchup

TGIF!!

sorry to have missed you all yesterday... i had quite a busy day and not 1 minute for stamping! i had lunch with a friend, a dentist appointment (just a cleaning, no pain!) and then dinner with 2 of my sisters and some friends. PLUS my other sister from Whitehorse called during dinner to tell us she got engaged!!!!! i'm overjoyed for her. it's awesome news! my brother from Edmonton is in Whitehorse right now too - he flew in for a vacation to surprise my parents. apparently my mom was screaming like a little girl when she saw him. wish i'd seen that!

i have 2 cards to showcase today - catching up on the 365 Cards challenges. thursday's challenge was "she said, and i quote..." you have to use a quote on your card and i have several of those stamps so i got right to it. don't you love the polka dot papers? i got them on sale and there's 5 colours in the pack. so cute! the 'recipe' for this card is based on a sweet little card on the kwernerdesign blog today - Finally Friday.

stuff used:
paper...
Gartner Studios - Polka Dot stationery
Accent Design - ginger cs
white cs
stamps...
PSX - Abraham Lincoln friendship quote
ink...
Brilliance - victorian violet
extras...
Fiskars - corner rounder scissors
Provocraft - scallop scissors
Marvy - 1 1/2" square scallop punch
Forever in Time - purple button
string
foam tape

today's 365 challenge is to try the technique of paper piercing - something i have enjoyed doing before so i liked that they chose this technique for today! so many stamps to choose from! how does a person narrow it down? tough... if only i had time to make 30 cards today!

check out that closeup on the paper piercing! it works so great with flourish images, and putting dark paper underneath makes it stand out more.

stuff used:
paper...
PaperTrey Ink - lemon tart
white cs
stamps...
Hero Arts - Grid Pattern designblock & Thank You greetings
Stampington & Company - Time 'clearly impressed' set
ink...
Tim Holtz distress - peeled paint, antique linen & fired brick
extras...
Making Memories - paper piercer
Making Memories - funky vintage trims
K&Company - Wild Saffron felt stickers
Inkssentials - ink blending tool

cheers!
crafty girl

A Summer Scene and more!

it's such a sunny summer day and all i want is to sit here crafting! there must be something wrong with me... i'm addicted to stamping, that's what it is!

first off we have a card for the new kwernerdesign colour challenge #56. 6 colours to use today! not so easy, but i searched thru some papers and found patterns that fit. flowers are on my mind because last night my husband & i took a walk thru our neighbourhood and looked at so many wonderful gardens! the colours are incredible everywhere! so here's my take on the challenge:


stuff used:
paper...
Basic Grey - Gypsy 6x6 paper pad
white & green cs
stamps...
Hero Arts - Italian Poetry background & Manuscript background
ink...
StazOn - blazing red
Brilliance - pearlescent orange
extras...
Slice - Animal Crackers & Basics 3 design cards
Cuttlebug - Swiss Dots embossing folder
EK Success - embossed curve border punch
white embroidery thread
PaperTrey - yellow satin ribbon
Basic Grey - obscure button
Prima - Calypso Tin flowers

next up is today's 365 Cards challenge card. the theme ("i'm in a bind!") is to bind 2 pieces of something to make a card. i took 2 pieces of blue cardstock at attached them at the seam with patterned reinforcements. i got these ages ago and still hadn't found a use for them in my cardmaking. hip hip hooray, today's the day! (grin)



stuff used:
paper...
white & cyan cs
stamps...
Inkadinkadoo - Wellspring
Savvy Stamps - birthday wishes
ink...
Brilliance - pearlescent ice blue & mediterranean blue
Tim Holtz distress - antique linen
extras...
Staples coloured reinforcements
Memories in the Making - Ocean craft fibres
Slice - noteworthy design card
Inksenntials - ink blending tool
Prima - Calypso Tin flowers

cheers!
crafty girl

Black and White and Red all over!

good day my lovely followers! i have a very pretty card to share today for 365 Cards - day 136! what is black and white & red all over? you guessed it... the challenge cards for today! for some reason black & white usually inspires me to think of wedding cards. maybe because it can be such a classic and elegant colour combo. regardless, i reached for a beautiful photo my husband took to make another card out of it. (i had done one with this same photo before for a Hero Arts challenge a while ago. see it here on my flickr photostream if you like!)

that pop of red ribbon really gives it that somethin somethin, don't you think?!

i have a lot to do today so much as i'd like to linger over my post i have to get a move on! take care out there...

stuff used:
paper...
Halcraft USA - black notecards 5 x 6 1/2
Accent Design - black leather-look cs
white cs
extras...
black & white photo
Making Memories - velvet sayings
red satin ribbon
black loopy ribbon
Colorbok - chipboard button
black photo corners
Recollections - 1/2 pearls
Cuttlebug - divine swirls embossing folder

cheers!
crafty girl

Hero Arts new site is coming!!!

i want to tell you all about a little company called HERO ARTS. okay, so they aren't so little... i am in love with their products, techniques, everything! they are the first company i ever ordered from online when i got started on my stamping hobby about 17 years ago, and every year i simply cannot wait for their new catalogue to come out! it's chock-a-block full of fab ideas and new products. i continue to be inspired by their website and blog postings every day. their design team members make incredible stuff - i am always coming back for more!

just for blogging about them today, i get to be entered to win a great prize pack! take a look at this pic!

i am keeping my fingers crossed that i get picked to win this. i love it all, especially that set of 4 stamps with the woodgrain pattern! fan-tab-u-lous!!

cheers!
crafty girl

Manic Monday

it's just another manic monday... (80's Bangles song, i'm sure you remember?!)

actually i'm trying to calm myself because i'm overwhelmed with ideas this morning. i had one of those nights when i didn't sleep well cuz i couldn't turn off my brain. ever have that going on? i wanted to get up and write everything down cuz i know i won't remember it all in the morning!

so today we've got Mojo Monday to contend with, as well as day 135 over at 365 Cards. they're both looking sweet! so i jumped right in this morning and got busy! 365 challenged us to make a window card, so i grabbed my clear cardstock (LOVE this stuff!) and did a fairly simple yet elegant card with an asian theme. i have a huge drawer of asian stamps and i rarely use them, even though they are awesome! gotta pull them out way more often...

stuff used:
paper...
Hero Arts - textured notecards
clear cs
GrimmHobby - patterned origami papers
stamps...
Hero Arts - sparkle clear Arigato
Magenta - Asian squares
All Night Media - Chinese Calligraphy
ink...
StazOn - olive green, timber brown
extras...
pop dots
Slice - Animal Crackers design card

and the next creation, based on this Mojo sketch...

stuff used:
paper...
Accent Designs - ginger cs
cocoa & white cs
Basic Grey - Mellow 6x6 paper pad
stamps...
Inkadinkadoo - Bold Damasks
Hero Arts - Time to Enjoy
Savvy Stamps - birthday wishes cursive
ink...
Brilliance - coffee bean
Tim Holtz distress - antique linen
extras...
Martha Stewart - piped ribbon
EK Success - scallop & diamond border punch
Ranger Inkssentials - ink blending tool
cream embroidery thread

cheers! crafty girl

2 challenges in One!

2 cards for you to view today my friends, to submit entries for 2 challenges! i'm in "combine" mode again to save myself some time. the more challenges i come across the busier i get! (i can't resist a good challenge...)

i'm following the sketch challenge for 365 Cards day 134 - Super Sketchy Sunday. and i'm using the 'ingredients' from Use It Challenges, which is something new i came across and it's my first addition to their site. they post a new challenge every friday, so i think i can handle one extra card a week! let's hope anyway... their challenge from this past friday (#18) is to use at least 2 punches, your favorite paper line, add texture, and use pearls. done! can't wait for next week's! i'm happy with the cards i came up with, and i didn't even use any stamps & ink! craziness!

gotta run and help with dinner. enjoy!

stuff used: (card #1)
paper...
K&Company - Small Wonders boy designer mat pad (4x6)
white cs
extras...
EK Success - scallop/diamond border punch & corner punch
Cuttlebug - swiss dots embossing folder and daisies diecut squares
Creatology - blue & white fun foam sheets
Imaginisce - green glitter brad
Slice - Animal Crackers design card
Michaels - 1/2 pearls

stuff used: (card #2)
paper...
K&Company - Small Wonders girl designer mat pad (4x6)
white cs
extras...
Cuttlebug - spots & dots embossing folder
Slice - Animal Crackers design card
EK Success - dots & line border punch, scallop/diamond border punch
Michaels - 1/2 pearls

cheers! crafty girl