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.