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!

Return from Paradise

Poolside Flora, Lautoka Hotel, Fiji

Leaves in the Light, Nausori Highlands, Fiji

I have recently returned home from a short trip to Fiji. My sister and her husband chose to be married over there and they had the most quintessential beach wedding (and honeymoon). As I was a bridesmaid, I didn't have the chance to snap too many pics on the day :( but I can't wait to see the professional photos when they emerge. Due to the overall schedule of the trip, there weren't copious opportunities to take photographs, but I tried to keep an eye out for interesting subject matter and managed to take some decent shots. I'm hoping that a few shots will make successful photographic cards for my market stall. Fiji is a beautiful country. I love the way in which any form of travel forces you to reflect, causing some kind of mindshift. It's because you're away from the humdrum and routine of everyday life. But I certainly haven't quite returned to reality yet! - Mel

My beautiful sister...

I was googling some things about Leura, Blue Mountains today when I stumbled upon a photograph of my sister. It is still being used as part of Spa Sublime's advertising after all these years! I don't think my sister received much money (if any) for this shoot (I believe there are some other photos too) but it is a lovely shot and kudos must also go to the photographer who took it. My sister currently works in the beauty industry in Bondi Junction and has been a great help to me in terms of facial skin treatments. I had moderate to severe acne for 17 years, and was taunted daily for many years, which affected my self-confidence immensely. She has really been a great support in helping to reduce scarring and skin damage on my face. Thank you beautiful Chervonne!
 

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.

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 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.