Merry Christmas!

Hi all! It's been an incredibly busy year and, in some ways, even busier than my previous job. Yes, I have come to view 'Green Gifts' as a job, even though the hours spent are not yet generating an income as such! It's a lot more time-consuming than I first thought, but definitely worth it. I'm very blessed to be able to explore my creativity on a daily basis and, the more I do it, the more I realise that I'm just scratching the surface. It feels very satisfying. On the flip-side, my house is totally trashed and I have let a lot of things slide during 2010. I'm optimistic that 2011 will bring more time to take care of basic household things, as this year has been spent building up so many ideas and concepts for my market stall and online shop.

Thank you to everyone who checks my blog from time-to-time, and to the random visitors from all around the world. If you like a design, please leave feedback by clicking on the Reader's Response boxes at the bottom of each post you read. Have a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic New Year. Keep checking back for new ideas and products throughout 2011.

Materials: Pre-printed cardstock by Grace Taylor, stamps by Stamp-It and Hero Arts, leaves die by Sizzix, water-based resin; This card is hand: stamped, cut, diecut, glued and embellished.

♥ the colour green!

Materials: Cuttlebug Cindy Loo embossing folder, inks, rubber stamps, foam mounting squares; This card has been hand: cut, torn, glued, dry embossed, inked, coloured and mounted.

One of my fellow stallholders was looking through my handmade cards recently and commented that my Christmas cards were rather unimaginative, as I had made them in the colours of red and green. She pointed out that 'Christmas' can be any colour. I do agree but I secretly like the opportunity to use the colour green in my creations! It's not a colour that is generally very popular, so Christmas gives me an excuse to go crazy with it! This card is a case in point. It's got it all--a spiritual theme (rather than a garish 'santa' or similar), dry embossing, leaves, my own handmade recycled paper, and many shades of green.

2010 - Year in Review

My primary aim this year has been to gradually use the numerous craft supplies and tools I've bought over the years! I've always had good intentions but never had the time to explore my creativity deeply (due to being a dedicated school teacher) .

The feedback received from customers thus far has been very encouraging, so I will continue to attend craft markets in the Blue Mountains and Sydney, as well as increase online ordering options. If you would like to purchase anything, please feel free to contact me.

It has been a privilege to teach some cardmaking classes in and around Sydney this year, and I would love to continue doing this in the future.

It has been an extremely busy year, with a lot of new developments, but I'm enjoying every moment of it and plan to continually improve the scope of my handmade products in 2011.

So Busy!

It's been such a busy week, and blogging probably doesn't help my cause, but I've been pretty excited by all the things I have been doing--new photographic cards, preparation for a cardmaking workshop I'm running and trying to get ready for upcoming markets. Thought I'd post a few of my recent hand drawn cards, as it's such a cathartic pastime.
 

Heritage Photo Restoration

Since having a break from teaching, I have discovered skills I have that could be used to produce some income. The hardest part is inspiring people and getting them to give you 'a go'. Unless I was to invest in advertising, many of my skills will continue to be used for personal projects only! An example of a service I offer is 'photo restoration'. Recently, I happened to be talking about restoring an 80-year old photograph in front of a fellow stallholder. She had paid a professional $25 to restore a 50-year old photo--the only childhood shot she has of herself. She was very disappointed with the result but paid anyway because she wasn't sure of what could be achieved. I offered to 'give it a go' for free.

Below is the original photograph which measures 6cm x 8cm. It is pretty typical of the quality I have encountered in older-style photographs (in terms of creases, scratches and blemishes).

My fellow stallholder paid $25 for this 6" x 4" print but had wanted it cropped and the original colours retained, rather than the rather dark tones on her face. I explained that the original resolution/clarity will always be lost when a tiny heritage photo is cropped, then enlarged to the 6" x 4" size. I was pretty confident, however, that a better result could be achieved.

Below is my attempt at restoring the photograph using a professional scanner and Photoshop. Given the limitations of the image, it's about as good as I can get it. I would usually charge between $5 and $20 for a complete photo restoration provided in digital form. As this lady preferred the actual print, I would have charged her $15 in total for this job. Pretty good value! Now...how do I get the word around?

Time for a Change!

So inspired was I by yesterday's photographic journey, that I decided to change the header of this blog today. I think this might be a good thing to do once or twice a year to keep it looking fresh and interesting. I really like 'blogging' as a medium of communication and have noticed that, for many people, it has taken a back step to their Facebook page updates. As I have always found it quite difficult to self-promote, I have decided to keep my fb profile for personal connections. Many of my customers are visitors, tourists or passers-by so, at this point, I'm not sure if I can justify spending yet more time online. I've even given Twitter consideration, as everyone in the art/craft world seems to have an account, but have decided that this would just be another distraction from my real passion--creating!

Everglades Gardens - Leura

Images (clockwise from top left): Lilac Terrace, NSW Waratah, View across Jamison Valley, Old Man Banksia, Rhododendron Walk, Bird Bath, Maple Leaves on the Watercourse

Yesterday I visited the Everglades Historic House & Gardens. It is a popular tourist attraction but, other than that, I did not know much about it. I ended up walking around the gardens for about two hours and mangaged to take a few nice photographs--I'm still constantly learning. Today, I produced these into photographic cards, four of which are collaged in the image above (2 x portrait, 2 x landscape). I'm not sure how quickly these cards will sell, but I have really enjoyed creating this pictorial glimpse of Leura's much-loved attraction.

If you are interested in purchasing any Everglades cards, please email me and I can send you attachments of available designs. Professionally-printed photographic cards are $3 each. For every $20 you spend, you will receive a free photographic card up to the value of $2.50. Please mention this post.

Beaded Bracelets

I haven't posted as frequently as usual--it seems like I'm just getting busier and busier! I really don't know where all my time is going these days although I have built up a lot of stock over the past few weeks. There are still HEAPS of things I plan to make which I already have the materials for--it will take time to gradually create these products in 2011. Lately, I have been getting a bit carried away with jewellery making and neglecting my cards. Sadly, jewellery has been selling more successfully at the markets I have been attending. Before I priced the bracelets above, I thought I'd take a couple of quick shots. The picture on the left features bracelets designed for girls, whilst the picture on the right features bracelets for young women and adults. Prices range from $4 to $8. Click on the image for a closer look.
 

Great Gift Idea

One of my online customers recently purchased a large quantity of photographic cards to give away as gifts. She explained that she ties them up into the little bundles and gives them away to friends and family to say "thank you" or for other special occasions. I thought this was such a great idea, that I've taken a photo of a bundle of cards as an example. Please read the post below if you are interested in ordering any photographic cards.

Christmas Photographic Cards

I've just received a new order of professionally-printed photographic cards and I'm really happy with them. They're vibrant and work well with coordinating envelopes. If you are interested in ordering any of these cards, I can post between 15-16 cards for $6.95 by registered post. These cards are perfect for sending to loved ones overseas as all of the photos have been taken in Australia. I accept bank deposit and PayPal. Printed cards are $3.00 each and you will receive a free card up to the value of $2.50 for every $20 spent. Please mention this post.

One of my favourites...

Just thought I'd do a quick post of one of my favourite cards. Besides my love of leaves and everything green, I also like retro-style designs. A card like this is a little funky and, admittedly, doesn't appeal to majority of my Blue Mountains' customers. I usually sell cards like this to Sydney-siders from suburbs like Newtown or Bondi! I'm not sure why this is but it sure would be interesting to try a few markets in the city. The only problem is the stall costs they charge--as high as $100 for a trestle table. I can't perceive how I would be able to cover costs, let alone make any profit, and wonder how other stallholders are able to do it?!

P.S. I'm love that the blogger software let me insert images at a larger size today! I'm assuming that this is their new browser for uploading images--they look really effective at this size :)

Some of my latest designs...

It seems like all I do is feature greeting cards on this blog. Actually, I make a large range of products to sell at markets--but I guess it's just easier to photograph particular cards as I make them. Jewellery, for example, is quite diffcult to photograph well unless you have a model or similar. I have heard that some people use a light box in order the get the best photographic results. This would be worthwhile if I was to start an online shop in the future.

The cards above are quite feminine with their shades of purple and pink--a different style of cardmaking for me but very popular with my customers!

I ♥ lady beetles!

Whether you call them ladybirds (British), ladybugs (US) or lady beetles (scientific, as they're not technically bugs, and definitely not birds), they're just so cute! I'm not normally a great fan of beetles--I seem to have some sort of aversion to Christmas beetles and other larger winged beetles but lady beetles are adorable. Have you ever just been standing around and a lady beetle softly lands on you? This happened to me recently whilst I was at the markets. It was a moment of pure joy and then a rather assertive customer wanted my attention, so I had to forget about the lady beetle crawling on my arm.

My sister, very thoughtfully, gave me the handmade, recycled skeleton leaf paper which features on this card. The paper was a little pale and pasty, so I carefully dyed it to a vibrant green (♥ the colour green too, as you might have guessed!). The rest of the design just came together and I still have some more skeleton leaf paper left to make another card!

Materials: Wooden lady beetles, skeleton leaf paper, pattern paper, Stampin' Up! rub-on; This card is hand: cut, dyed, glued, drawn and embellished.

Photographic Cards - Aussie Images

 
Customers are already starting to ask me about Christmas gifts and cards! (I guess some people like to get organised early--I've always been one of those people who leaves everything to the last minute!) So, I have been designing some photographic cards with an Aussie flavour. I have just received an online order for photographic cards from a customer today. If you are interested in purchasing any, please email me and I can send you attachments of some of my most popular designs (or check out images on this blog). Professionally-printed photographic cards are $3 each. For every $20 you spend, you will receive a free photographic card up to the value of $2.50. Please mention this post.

Leafy Branches

This card really epitomises 'Green Gifts'. I must admit that I'm a little obsessed with leaves! Leaves represent growth, life and fresh air. Living in the Blue Mountains, I'm constantly surrounded by trees, leaves and leaf litter. I used to try to maintain my bush block and rake up the leaves but have since given up. Taming nature, to that magnitude, was a losing battle! Reclaimed cardstock was used for the background and to create the leafy branches (the grey piece was the front of an old notebook). It didn't cost much in the way of materials, mainly in time and perseverance.

Materials: Cuttlebug Happy Birthday and Leafy Branch embossing folders, black pen, inks; This card is hand: inked, dry embossed, cut, glued, coloured and drawn.

So Lucky!

My sister has been able to source me some more notecard envelopes in different colours! They're quite hard to come by and can cost as much as, if not more than, the regular-sized white or coloured envelopes used for greeting cards. Now I'll be able to make more notecards like the one below. I love using all my little left-over paper pieces and arranging them into unique collage creations!

Love the Bling!

It's been a bit longer than usual between posts because I had quite a few whole-day markets in August. I'm really enjoying it, and try to use the time productively while I'm there, but never seem to get as much done as I'd like! (That's a good sign--it means I'm dealing with customers rather than sitting around!) I still have so many ideas for 'Green Gifts', which I'm gradually actualising but I have to be patient--I'm only one person!

There are actually a lot of retail opportunities for a business of my kind--it's just a matter of choosing what to focus on. Good planning will build a financially-realistic foundation, whilst poor planning will just suck 'Green Gifts' dry!

I've posted a couple of pictures (above) of a wedding card which was lots of fun to make. I love hand drawn designs, but I suspect that most of my customers don't even notice them until they remove the card from its sleeve and take a really close look (click on the card images for a closer look yourself). Talking about customers, I have been getting some great feedback, many commenting that my cards are "different" from the norm. But I'm not really sure what they mean!
By the way, this card sold during August. Cost: $4.00; Materials: pattern paper, self-adhesive rhinestones, Stampin' Up! rub-ons, Kindy Glitz (applied to parts of the pattern paper), various acid-free pens.

My Market Stall

Each market I go to has a different space and layout, and I am constantly trying to make the best of the given space. My stall last weekend was quite small and so many people just walked past without even noticing it because it was adjacent to the entrance of the hall. Encouragingly, one fellow remarked on how beautifully my stall was presented. If given this space again, I will need to make the effort of greeting everyone that walks by! It was not a good day for sales, even though countless people did come to the market. Here are a few photos, taken as the sun was going down...

Glitzy Pink Card!

As a child, I was never one to go gaga over the colour pink. But over the years I've actually become more of a girly girl! I own pink blankets, jackets, tops, perfume bottles and a scarf (acquired this winter--made from hand dyed and spun wool). I think this card turned out more girly than I planned! I've owned the embossing folder to make this card for about a year and have only now had the chance to use it. Can't wait to use it with a whole different colour scheme--like green or blue. This card took quite some time to make, so I will be selling it for $5.00. Do you want to know what goes into making a card like this? Then keep reading...

1. Cut metallic silver cardstock to A5 size. Fold in half.

2. Run front half of card through embossing machine using Cuttlebug Tiny Bubbles embossing folder. Adjust folder and run through again to emboss bottom section that was missed.

3. Cut pink cardstock to size. Run through embossing machine using Cuttlebug Friends Forever embossing folder (looks a little like arty dandelions). Attach to silver card.

4. Draw over the embossed (raised) lines with a metallic silver pen. Add self adhesive rhinestones in different sizes to some of the florets of the dandelions.

5. Stamp a sentiment on a coordinating piece of paper (Stampin' Up! stamp used here). Cut to size and mount on silver paper. Mount again using double-sided foam tape to give sentiment a 3-D effect.

6. Hand draw a border around the pink cardstock and sentiment box. Even subtle borders give definition to the different layers of a card.

7. Adhere metal dragonfly. Voila!

Love is in the air...

With my sister's wedding pending (well, in a year from now!), I felt inspired to make some wedding/love cards. It's been a while since I've made some that don't just say 'Congratulations'. I once spent all night making the most intricate wedding card and regret not taking a photo of it before giving it away. The first two photos above are of a card I made today, the last two are of cards made quite some time ago.

Hand Drawn Cards

Quite often, I put the stamps aside and draw my own designs. It takes longer, but there's more love in it! I usually charge $4-$5 for a hand drawn card because each one's a unique mini work of art! I will be posting more hand drawn and coloured cards in the future. This notecard is priced at $2.00.

Super Cute!

From: 'Crochet with Raymond' blog on wordpress

From: 'Mel P Designs' on madeit.com.au

From: 'MonkeyTravelClub' on etsy.com

I love these crocheted cup, teapot and plunger cosies. Crocheting and knitting is no longer confined to the beanie and scarf-making of the winter months!

Post Comments - Thank You!

Thank you to all the people who have taken the time to write comments on my blog thus far! You have all been very encouraging. I first started this blog because it is a necessity to have a 'website' in order to apply for some markets. But I have been pleasantly surprised to find that some people have stumbled upon my blog and actually looked at my posts :) If you have asked a question and would like to check my reply, click on the 'Post Comments' link under 'Browse Blog' on the right sidebar. All posts which have been commented on will be listed.

"How does your garden grow?"

I really love how this card turned out. I'm always seeking to buy tools, stamps and embellishments with a botanical theme. As I continue to create cards from week-to-week, I feel like my techniques and colour choices are improving. As I live in the Blue Mountains, my aim is to promote nature to the people who visit, so I will be focusing more on creating nature-themed cards as time goes on.

New Notecard

In the future, I will begin preparing to sell my handmade goods online. To start with, I will focus on selling cards including, greeting cards, photographic cards and notecard sets. So, I thought I'd better start honing my skills at taking appealing photographs of various products. It's really all about getting good close-ups in the right light. N.B. The morning light (above) probably didn't provide the best illumination for this notecard.

I love the butterfly on this card. It came from a piece of junkmail! I get a real kick out of upcycling unwanted things into something new and vibrant. The wings have been embellished with clear resin to add texture to the card.

Dimensions: 9.8 x 7cm; Cost: $2.00 with white envelope; Materials: 'Whisper White' cardstock and envelope by Stampin' Up!; 'Little Leaves Sizzlits Die' by Stampin' Up!