Have a Handmade Christmas!

Christmas will soon be upon us, and I've begun making handmade cards, wrapping paper and gifts for a range of family and friends. Yes, I could just chuck money at it, but what would be the point? It's so much better to make something meaningful for people--I abhor the mass-production that taints the season. For example, last year, I made a $25 gift for someone, which took 3 hours, but was completely unique! How much easier would it have been to throw $25 over the counter at some chain store down in mall city? Very easy but, instead, I printed out a collection of this person's favourite photographs and made them into colourful, A6-sized greeting cards with coordinating C6 envelopes. Very pretty, and perhaps a slight abuse of my facebook friendship, but the recipient really appreciated the sentiment :)

As is customary at this time of year, I've updated my blog header/banner. Last year (2012-2013), I chose a photograph I took in Fiji in 2011 (shown below). Perhaps not very Blue Mountains-ish but an 'ode' to my favourite colour...green (and to my favourite part of the planet, the South Pacific Islands). People sometimes ask me, "Why Green Gifts?" (a number of my products are not 'green' in the environmental sense of the word, but I am constantly striving for this--it's just a matter of continuing to convince the Australian public to embrace it too...)

For the year ahead (2013-2014), I've cropped an image that I took in Paris of a lady beetle on a rose (blog header above). As people wandered past the rose garden in 'Jardin des Plantes', the main botanical garden in France, they stared at me as though I was crazy. What on earth is she looking at? The average passer-by took shots of the whole rose garden, and rarely ventured to the macro level (which invariably involves crouching, body twisting, stillness of hand, and a hell of a lot of patience!) I was happy with the few shots I was able to capture with my rudimentary digital camera and have created photographic cards from some of the better images.

So, "Why Green Gifts?" I love nature, trees, leaves, the colour green, and a number of my products reflect this. I'm always seeking to incorporate 100% recycled paper/cardstock into my cardmaking & stationery range and try to make use of reclaimed materials, especially in my cardmaking. Handmade, local production is also sustainable (i.e. less waste, minimal carbon impact) and doesn't have the same effect as mass-production does on the environment. I encourage you to consider both the direct and indirect impact of your purchasing choices on the global environment, as you prepare for Christmas this year :)

Blog Banner 2012-2013

It's been so busy!

Chervonne and Thomas Ah Kuoi,

100% Recycled "Thank You" Cards,

'Wishing Well' Advice Cards

Well, I'm not quite sure what has happened to this year! I started an online store earlier in the year and certainly never expected it to grow as quickly as it has :) A couple of weeks ago I had to 'shut shop' completely for a time--it was just too hectic! My sister's wedding was approaching and I was a bridesmaid :) I also made some 'Wishing Well' advice cards for the Bride & Groom. I was so pleased to see that many people took the opportunity to write on these cards throughout the night. They are an alternative to a guest book and are very versatile--no waiting in a queue or for the book to be passed around. Just grab a groovy coloured pen and go for it! I haven't heard back from my sister yet, as she has been on her honeymoon, but I will be interested to hear about some of the wonderful messages received by the newlyweds.

I opened my store again after one week, and the orders just came rolling in once again! It hasn't stopped since. I'm now starting to get some larger orders, which is ideal, as it's easier to do things in bulk and package one parcel, than many small orders.

Although my online store is not very creative at this point (lots of bulk stationery items), I'm hoping to inject a bit more vibrancy into it in the New Year. One aspect of my store that has been very encouraging, is the opportunity I have had to sell environmentally-friendly paper products. They haven't exactly taken off, but there is a small percentage of people out there who wish to consciously support sustainable paper production in Australia. I am describing my cards which are made out of 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper. They also come with matching envelopes--all made in Australia, unlike many 'kraft' paper products, which (in worst case scenarios) can be made overseas from old-growth forests!

Well, gotta go for now--so many orders to complete, and I don't think I can get away with asking my husband to man my market stall yet again this weekend!

♥ 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.