Small Projects Done

Last night I finished a couple of small projects.

First up was a yellow halter.

Next was a greeting card, featuring a blue lobster.  Why?  I don't know.  haha  No, I've had this really pretty sea life stamp kit I hadn't used yet and it seemed like the thing to do.  Also, the photo prompt for July 1st was Sparkle and the paper I used for the trim is sparkly.  I actually started with that a few days ago and couldn't decide what to actually put on the card.  The deep blue sparkle paper made me think of the ocean, so there we have it!  

Giveaway! - First of Many

I love to give gifts, I think it's easily as much fun to give as to receive - or even more so!  I almost always try to include "extras" when I ship off orders and for a while now I've wanted to do some sort of giveaway on my Studio Facebook page.  I've seen a lot of other pages organize giveaways as a way to increase traffic and so on.  I've wanted to do it for that reason, but also just because I love to give things away!

So, today I set up the first ever Giveaway on my Facebook page!  I couldn't decide what to offer as the prize, since I have a bunch of different things that I make, so I decided to offer a choice to the winner.  Whoever wins (I'll draw a name on December 6th) can chose from something in the picture:

Up for grabs are two Christmas cards, a dreamcatcher, a cross necklace or two Stablemate-scale saddle pads.  I already have plans for future giveaways - with more prizes and larger prizes too.

Ideas for future prizes...  More of the above...  plus: larger saddle pads and custom horses - maybe even NAN-qualified custom horses!  I might do some craft supply giveaways too, since I am wanting to pare down my "hoard".  The ideas are endless and I'm really excited about the opportunity to get more of my work out in the world, hopefully gain some new FB friends and fans, AND spread some cheer - not only during the holidays, but all year long.

Most giveaways ask you to like and share their page, I decided to give multiple entries for doing things.  So... Like the post = 1 entry.  Like and Comment on the post = 2 entries.  Like, Comment, and Share = 3 entries. 


In  other news, I've spent a few more sessions on my latest saddle pad and here's how it looks right now:

I did decide to go with the black, though I feel like I'm really itching to use a tan/sand color in a design, possibly in the next one.  I'd like to stitch this design again using shades of pink...  maybe it will turn out to be pink and tan? 

I love the way the 18 count pads turn out and the amount of detail I can work into them, versus the 14 count, but boy do they take a long time!  I've heard there are some pads stitched onto even higher count fabric - yikes!  While looking through my collection of fabric recently, I did find that I have some in a higher count - 20-something..  (I scored a bunch of fabric and floss for a few dollars at the thrift store a little while back and hadn't fully picked through it all until recently)  I'm thinking I'll break some of that out soon and see what kind of smaller scale pads I could make.  I'm not sure I'd do them in the Traditional-scale though, it seems like they would take for-ever.  Though knowing me, I'll probably try and do one anyway.  Yeah...  I'm nuts.  ;-)

A Quick Post and Some Ideas

Jeff and I have now both been sucked into Minecraft...  The last few days it has been snowing quite a bit outside.  Monday was a snow day for most everyone around here.  So we sat at home and played the game.  Then the last couple of days, he's come home from work and we start playing... and don't quit until it's time for bed.  Today is a nice, sunny (windy) day and I'm hoping to be more productive!

As always, I have a PILE of finished items that need to be listed for sale.  I've been toying with the idea of doing some giveaways.  Maybe a weekly or bi-weekly thing on Facebook.  I've also been thinking about listing one new item a day and "announcing" it here and/or on Facebook to: 1) give me fresh things to write about and 2) start working through the backlog of finished work.  I really, REALLY like making things, but the photographing, formatting pictures, typing up listings, and so on are usually quite tedious for me.  It's a necessary evil I suppose, unless I want to be buried in all of the goodies I've been cranking out over the years!

In the spirit of all of that - Here is my most recent listing to ArtFire, a colorful carousel horse card:

I've also considered starting some themes for this blog, inspired by what other people do on their blogs.  Maybe something for certain days of the week.  Such as: Thankful Thursday (or Throwback Thursday), Wordless Wednesday, etc.  I don't think I've ever actually done tutorials, but maybe a Tutorial Tuesday would be fun if I could think of some things to share.  It seems I have trouble remembering to post every day (that is my goal!), maybe something fun like that - with preset topics for at least some of the days - would help. 

Ok, I'm going to stop rambling and head for the craft room!

Valentine's Day Cards - New!

Here are three brand new listings on ArtFire.  Valentine's Day is right around the corner, but there's still time to order a special, one-of-a-kind card for your sweetie!

All three of these cards were inspired by the January Challenge for the Card Markers Guild on ArtFire.  We were challenged to create a card using "Inchies".  (I blogged about my excited discovery of Inchies a few months ago:  Another Discovery! )  I decided to take off and run with the idea and ended up making three Valentine's themed cards, featuring little inch-square tiles.

On ArtFire: Checkerboard Card 

On ArtFire: True Love Card

On ArtFire: Hearts and a Kiss Card

They were fun to make and I would love to create even more Inchie cards after this!  They are a lot of fun to create, but I wasn't entrirely sure what I would do with them.  Oddly enough I hadn't considered using them on cards!  The growth of ideas like that are why I really enjoy the monthly Challenges on the Card Markers Guild.   

New Greeting Cards

Ok, here, at long last, is a post with PICTURES!

These are some of the cards I've made over the past few months, all soon to be listed on ArtFire:

I used new techniques on several of them, including neoprene foam elements on several of them, a layering effect on the mermaid card, along with an actual dried starfish added on that one.  For the Patriotic/4th of July card, the white stars were stamped with my first ever handmade stamp.  It turned out much better than I had hoped!

I hand drew a star, transferred it onto neoprene foam and cut it out  Then, instead of ink, I used white acrylic paint, applied onto the stamp with a paint brush, and then went to town!  I was very happy with the results.

A few of the stamps used: the ducks, the mermaids, and the girls in swimsuits, are from the collection of vintage stamps that my Granny gave me.  (earlier readers may remember my obsession at the time with a certain chicken marching band stamp that also came in the box - I still haven't used that one yet, bit rest assured - I WILL!  mwahahahaha....)

It's Green!

Once again I've fallen off the blogging wagon, as I am prone to do.  I wandered back on here just now and realized that my background was of a winter scene.  :-O  While our weather is not exactly summer-like yet, everything is GREEN around here, not white. 

I love the color green. 

My favorite color is blue and has been for as long as I can remember, but green has a special place in my heart.  The reason for that is the 7 years that I spent living in the deserts of Arizona and California.  I missed the color green so desperately during that time.  Now, especially this time of year, I am surrounded by green!  Even after 4 years back in the land of four seasons and greenery, I still take time to stop and admire all of the plant growth around me.  I love to watch the transition of the fields and trees from brown to green as winter fades away, spring and summer move in. 

In Studio news, I've been in the middle of an overhaul of my Studio room.  I pulled everything out and toyed around with rearranging the furniture in there, only to put it back where it was.  I did add a shelf and another smaller desk, for more storage and work space.  I'm now in the process of getting all of my supplies put back in the room and reorganized. 

I've made several new cards and bookmarks over the last few months or so.  (darn those paper goods - they don't seem to sell, but I can't stop making them!)  I bought some new stamps, including one that I'd had my eye on for quite a while.

One of my horses foaled (had a baby) a few weeks ago and so I made a bunch of my foal announcement cards to send to friends and family.  I've been making these cards for several years, for each of the three foals that my mare has had. 

For years now I've been thinking of putting together some sets of the foal cards and trying to sell them.  Of course the time when I usually think about it is when the babies are actually being born - and by then it's pretty much too late to make up and market the cards.  If I were smart, I'd run with the idea NOW - while it's fresh - and start making a stockpile to advertise next spring.  We'll see...

Oh!  On the card-making front, I'm thrilled to report on a tip that my Granny gave me.  She mentioned that she uses double-sided tape to put her cards together.  I had always used glue - and it was a headache!  So, I decided to try her method and..  I LOVE it!  No more waiting for the layers of paper to dry in place...  No more having to press each card while drying to prevent the cards from warping...  No more having them warp anyway and ruin an entire series of cards...  Double-sided tape rocks!  :-D

Ok, that's more than enough for now.  There is more that I was going to add, but if I wait, maybe I'll actually get back to blogging daily!  I know the creative bug has been chomping on my rear all this week while I've been reorganizing the Studio room.  It really lights a fire when you see all of your materials and start getting a flood of brainstorming on what to do with them! 

Everything is green and growing here - including my ideas!

Catchy Title Here

I'm tired.  It's been a week or so since I've blogged.  A lot has gone on in that time.  I started a new job, and I am... still trying to cope with that.  My creativity has suffered, as I was pretty sure that it would.  It's always seemed that working a J-O-B really puts a damper on the creative juices for me.  I was on a roll, creating new work and getting items posted all over the internet.  I was going full speed ahead with getting serious about getting the Studio off the ground as a real business attempt.  Since I started working, I haven't accomplished much of anything else and that's depressing. 

I've also had quite a bit of difficulty with my schoolwork over the past week and that's been a downer. 

Yeah, things are kinda rough right now.  It's just been bad timing I guess for a job to start, school to suck, and all the momentum I had to come to a grinding halt at the same time. 

On an up note, before I did start the job, I was in a flurry of creativity.  I created several new bookmarks and I'm very, very happy with how they turned out.  I've been questioning the intelligence of continuing to create paper goods.  Quite frankly, I haven't sold any of them since I started getting into making them a couple of years ago.  This is the first time I've really advertised them, so things will pick up eventually.  I sure do like making my cards and bookmarks, but if they don't start selling I guess maybe I should hold off on making any more.  My necklaces, dreamcatchers, and horses have sold well over the years, but not the paper goods - I'm not sure why.  I've read how people sometimes question if they should make what they want or make what sells.  For me, my cards and bookmarks are the things that I classify as wanting to make - even though they aren't selling.

Tomorrow is Monday and many people don't like that day.  I guess I'm strange because I generally like Mondays.  For me it's a fresh start to a new week.  I really hope next week will be better, because this one was pretty crummy.

Lovely Fall Day and Studio Pics

This morning when we woke up it was only 34 degrees. Very close to a first frost, I think it's coming soon. I did another big harvest of cherry tomatoes in the garden yesterday. Hopefully I'll get in another one before the frost hits.

The house has been a little chilly this morning. With chilly bare feet and thinking I should evetually put socks on, I wandered down to the room I call the Studio (yes, THE Studio! heehee) and opened the door. This is what I was greeted with:




The room was delightfully warmer than the rest of the house, having soaked up the morning sun for the past few hours. My chilly bare feet met the sun warmed carpet and it was fantastic! Instead of retrieving whatever now forgotten item I had went in there for, I went to get my camera and started taking pictures, not wanting to leave the warmth.

Here is my desk, were much of the creation takes place:




This is part of the view out the window - our garden and a scrawny little pine tree:




And of course, my cat found some sun as well on this lovey, if a bit chilly, fall morning.



I was insipred to go throgh my supplies and see what might be useful for the Harvest Creative Challenge at Etsy. Here's what I put together so far...




Hmmmm, what will I make? So far I'm thinking one or two cards and maybe even a few bookmarks. I'm also thinking of a dreamcatcher, as any natural colors usually look lovely on them.

Hard at work!

I've been hard at work creating new things for the inventory here at the studio. I have also realized that Halloween is just around the corner. I made some wonderful Halloween themed greeting cards last year, based on a favorite card that I made for a friend many years ago. The cards feature a black cat sitting on the fence of a graveyard, with bats flying in the sky. The card is made from a mixture of cardstock, stamps, and hand drawn elements. I made up a bunch of them last year and I think I'll post them on my Facebook page and possible at my Etsy store.

I'm currently working on dreamcatchers and will have MANY of them available very soon, in a variety of colors and sizes. Stay tuned!

Wow, time flies! Many Updates!

I have been so busy that I didn't realize it's been over a month since I updated this blog! Jeez...

Anyway! I finally came up with a banner for the Studio and an overall theme for the site. All that's left now is to continue taking pictures (furiously) and get them formatted and uploaded. The photo cube is working out... fairly well. I think I kinda messed up in getting a HUGE one, because I've having trouble lighting it well enough from the outside. Jeff loaned me a couple of crazy bright halogen work lights and I'm going to try them next. My little clamp on office lamps aren't quite cutting it! I have quite literally HUNDREDS of items to photograph and it's been slow going so far, trying to figure out what lighting and camera settings work best. I'm hoping once I get the details worked out, I can just start cranking out pics. It's a little touch and go right now.

The big news is that I now have TWO online stores. The first, specifically for my cross necklaces, was set up several months ago and has just been kinda sitting. The second will be my overall store linked to the Studio site and will be the location where orders can be placed from the Studio site. I'm very excited about this development as one thing that had been stalling the progress was how to set up the Studio for online sales. My html skills are still pretty basic and I'm a long way off from being able to write up a fancy sales page/shopping cart from scratch. Jeff had used a free shoopping cart software to created the cross necklace site last fall, and he just showed me how to use the software to create another store - for the Studio.

I've now actually created Facebook fan pages for both the Studio itself, and the cross site individually. Those pages aren't public quite yet as I'm still waiting on having a sufficent number of good pictures for the "Grand Opening" of the Studio site AND the Facebook pages.

For now, here is the banner!:




And a couple of the pictures I have taken, of a greeting card and a bookmark with the same designs: