Using the pause button

I had to make a tough decision this past weekend regarding my Etsy shop. And I have decided to put the online store on hold until the Summer of 2008.

I've put in so much time and effort into starting the shop, learning the ropes, etc., while my personal life was on hold. I need to take a break, get things back in order, and then come back to the store. Etsy has been fabulous, but it does take a fair amount of time to promote the shop. Time that I can't spare until things are normal again.

Therefore, the online store will not be stocked up with inventory as it usually is. Instead, I will be taking small custom orders, so as not to abandon the customers that I've been so fortunate to meet over the last 12 months. So, if you wish to purchase/order cards, etc., please feel to contact me via email: amiedesigns@yahoo.ca

But, I do plan to blog about my creations during the break. I am hoping to get back to the scrapbooking as my creative outlet, so there will be pictures.

For my few readers....Thank you for coming by today, and please keep checking in, as I am sure that this blog will have to be the replacement for my daily internet fix.

A few thoughts on Craft Shows

Some observations about Craft Shows:

They are hard work if you are a vendor! I had a pretty simple setup for this weekend's show at Delbrook recCentre, but as I was looking around at others' setup, I was amazed at how much work is involved. Wish I had taken pictures of the other booths, but here is my humble table:

And always bring as much inventory as possible, because you just never know what might be popular. For instance, I thought that this card might be a good seller:

But, it turns out these little items were the most popular:

Sadly, I did not bring enough of them along with me. So, I did lose out on a sale.

And, snow is not the best weather to have on the day of a craft show.

Help Etsymoms Save Christmas

Rudolph ran off and needs to be found before Christmas Eve.
He is hiding in EtsyMom shops.
When you purchase the item with Rudolph, you will receive a free gift. Prizes vary from shop to shop, see item description for prize details.
Santa can't leave the North Pole without him, please hurry!
Search for EtsyMomRudolph at Etsy.com

Thank you for shopping Handmade with EtsyMom!

Find more information about EtsyMom at EtsyMom.com and at EtsyMom.blogspot.com

A new camera for Amie

Oh thank goodness for Canon! I have been borrowing digital cameras from friends and family recently. See, I was having problems with my old one and I wanted to wait until I had time to research and shop for a new one. Well, I got a great one, check it out!

It's the Canon Powershot I5 IS. Great mid-sized camera, and I find it's easy to use. And the pictures are great. I'm in L-O-V-E with it!

100 Christmas Cards

Yep, I just received 2 orders for Christmas cards. And I'm not even halfway to my goal for the craft show. I would like to sprout 2 more arms temporarily so that I can get everything done!

I have been taking a lot of custom orders from other Etsy shop owners. Here's a few of the most recent for 2 fabulous shops:

FiveForty

I love how these mini notecards turned out!

AdornYou

These are cute little gift card holders, great for any occasion from Birthdays to Christmas!

Craft Show Season

So much to do, so little time! That's been the thought running through my head lately. And it's all because I've rented myself a table at the Delbrook Craft Fair in North Vancouver for December 1, 2007, 10am - 4pm.

This has caused me to worry about having enough inventory, finding a babysitter for that day, and whether anyone will want to buy my papercrafts!

Anyways, I've completed a few projects that are outside my usual greeting cards.

A Notepad Holder that I just may save for myself :)

A custom birthday card. I just may make up a few more of these cards! I had a lot of fun with it....

Christmas

Christmas? I'm sure that some may think it's a little early to be planning for the holidays. Not me. I've already been doing some shopping at the fantastic online stores at Etsy.com . And I'm going to chance being non-PC (politically correct) by using the word CHRISTMAS this year. After all, that is what December 25th is called.

I've been asked by a few customer whether I will have Christmas cards in my shop this year. The answer is Yes. Here are a few pictures of what I have come up with some far. Though, I am sure that I will have a few more. They will be listed in sets.

Morning studio time

I was able to sneak in some time in the studio this morning before the rest of the family was up!

I've been wanting to create with these fabric blooms that I've had in my stash for over a month. This is the one card I was able to come up with.... The Thank You Friendship Card

Passion for Purple

It's been a funny 10 days, in terms of custom orders. I've had a handful of custom orders to fill, and 2 of my buyers have a total passion for the colour purple! Fortunately, my inventory of cardstock is like the rainbow, and so is my growing collection of patterned papers and ribbon. Here's some pictures of what I've been working on:

A totally purple set of my Blossom Hang Tags

An order for my Mini Note Cards with a lot of purple please

And this is a set that I intend on donating to Brynnalex/Heart Strings on Etsy. Please click on the name if you'd like to check it out. It's being run by one very strong determined person that you can't help but admire.

New Mini Thank You Cards

A sneak peek at my next design of mini notes.

They are sized at 4 1/4 x 2 3/4 inches. Each will feature a block of pretty paper with handstamped Thank You on white or ivory. Available in a rainbow of colours.

Sympathy Cards

It's the type of card that I don't create very often, but last week I had a request for a few, so I thought I'd share pictures.

1st Etsy Anniversary

Well, I can't believe it, but I did not announce my 1st Anniversary Sale here! So, if you want a great deal, check out my shop Link on the right!

On Etsy, the sale will end on July 28th, but for those reading my blog, I will extend the sale until July 31/07. Just be sure to write "BLOG Sale" in the notes when checking out, and wait for a REVISED invoice to come from me.

20% off with purchase of 1-2 items

30% off with purchase of 3 or more items

Sale also applies to Clearance items!

And here's one item that I just added and I will continue to add to my shop through the sale period.

"Going in Circles Mini Notecard Set"

Available now in my Etsy store!

Blossom Tags

I just love using flowers in my creations. Tonight's creative session was all about the Blossom Tags. I have been working on a custom order that calls for me to use these blossoms, so I made just a few more for fun and turned them into tags. These are great as price tags, gift tags, or as embellishments in scrapbooks.

Taking Risks

I'm not a Salesperson. Never have been, can't imagine ever being one. However, this holiday long weekend, I took a chance. I felt brave.

And so, I headed into a shop in Chase, BC, to see just how brave I could be. I had heard very nice things about this store and how they seemed to always have unique jewellery, clothing, and gift items. Well, I showed my cards and the new altered notebooks and address books. They showed great interest in the books! They are already carrying a line of greeting cards and don't wish to change that. Fair enough. But, the exciting part is that they purchased the few books that I took in, and ordered several more.

I will share their information, when I have their permission. But, I am doing the happy dance!

I think perhaps that the market for greeting cards is very competitive. However, altered and customized items are a different story. Much of what I do get in custom orders are usually for items that can't be mass produced by the giant companies. This is something that I will have to consider over the summer, as I work on expanding my product lines.

So, I have a lot to work ahead of me......but it's work that I'm so happy to have!

New - Grande Tags and Altered Notebooks

Just a quick one to share some pictures of what I'm working on this week. I've been busy getting ready for a road trip for this long weekend, but of course, can't stay out of the studio for very long!

Custom Pregnancy Journals - SR

Here's a great gift for yourself or friends who are on the 9.5 month journey, also known as pregnancy. Here are 2 that I've just finished for a fabulous customer:

(Click on the photos for a larger view)





Price starts at $55 Cdn or $52 US, final price determined by style, embellishments and size of journal.

The examples above made to accomodate 4 x 6 inch photos, have hard covers, and are binder styles so that pages can be removed for ease of writing. For each month of the pregnancy, there is a page for journaling some things that may be happening, such as food cravings, mood, selections of nursery decor, etc. There's also pages to record doctor's appointments, names chosen, Mom and Dad's thoughts, and plenty of pages for photos.

And hopefully, these will be filled in throughout the pregnancy and will eventually become keepsakes for baby.

oooooooo....Ribbon

I just had to get a craft shopping fix this weekend. So, off I go to Michael's,

and I'm so glad I did. Look at what I found!

I can't wait to make some new cards with these new additions to my collection of ribbon. Stay tuned!

Still here

I've been crazy busy filling custom orders. Which is a great thing, but it also means some very late nights. Good thing that I'm a night owl! I will be posting pics of those as soon as I have them completed. I'm currently working on 2 Pregancy Journals and 2 Father's Day projects.

If you haven't already, please check out Etsy Moms, Etsy Greetings, and the Canadian Etsyians, found on the right. They are great, creative and friendly groups of artists. I am proud to be a part of these groups.

I'll have to keep this short and sweet and get on with my creative process. Have a great day!

Etsy Greetings

I am now a proud member of Etsy Greetings. This is a group of independent card artists that sell their handcrafted creations on Etsy. Etsy is the online place to go when you want to buy handmade arts and crafts. You can my shop link to the right.

But, what I really want to tell you about today is that Etsy Greetings is having a "Welcome Baby" promotion at:

http://cicadastudio.net/baby/baby%20shower%20promo/babypromo/babypromo.htm

And I am happy to say that I am a part of this latest promotion! Here is my creation:

If you have a moment, please be sure to visit our promotion page!

The Winner is.......

Sarcastj, who is also known as Jay from Loopy4ewe! Congratulations!

And here is a picture of the prize so far:

I say "so far", as I just may tuck in a few extras. This photo below is of the cards that can be customized. For example "Happy Birthday", "Hi!", "Thank You". I'll add the sentiment by including a block of computer wordart.

Thank you to those who did drop in and took part in my first contest. And you just may see this happening again here, so please visit when you get a chance!

Inspiration

As I sat down in my studio this morning, the sun was shining, and I was inspired by this sight....

And this.....

That's my stash of paper flowers and the second is what I have on the corner of my desk by the window. I've inherited a love of flowers from my Mom and it shows in my work. I often reach for the paper or silk flowers for embellishing the cards just after I've laid the foundation with cardstock and paper.

And to just to make the morning even more perfect....a steaming hot cup of coffee!

Hope you are having a Fabulous Day!

A peek at the Prize(#2)

Okay, as promised, here's another peek at the Grab Bag prize! If I get a chance, I will post yet another Peek later today. Stay tuned!

A peek at the prize (#1)

Whoops! I guess I'm a little late posting the first picture, but here is one item that will go into the GRAB BAG that I'll be giving to the winner of the draw mentioned in my previous post.

This one features some of my favourite materials: pretty patterned paper, ribbon, flowers and a bit of bling with the clear sparkly jewel.

Be sure to stop in tomorrow for another peek!

A little A.H.D. contest giveaway

Okay, just for some fun, I want to give away some product. So, leave a comment on this post, answer my trivia questions, and you'll be entered to win a GRAB BAG of my products. And just for incentive, I will post a picture sometime over the next days to show you what's in it, starting tomorrow.

Comments linked to this post until Friday 05.25.07 will be entered into the draw, to take place on Monday morning 05.28.07. Please be sure to check back on Monday afternoon (after 12pm PST).

Okay, so here are the questions that can be answered just by digging around my blog(s), hint, hint.

1) What is the name of my other blog?
2) On what date did I join Etsy?
3) What did I make with Playdoh on May 17th?

Good luck!

Father's Day

Dad's day is coming next. See my Etsy store for my newest Accordian Folded Card / Mini Album! It's sure to bring tears to even the most stoic of Dad's.

It can be used solely as a greeting card, but to really make it a personal gift, you can add little pictures of you and good 'ol Dad. And it looks great on display. Please click on the link to the right to get a better look!

Custom Orders and a Sale

Just wanted to share the happiness I feel for this business! And if I were more outgoing...I'd probably be dancing around right now.

I've just received my 3rd custom order this week, and it's only Wednesday! It feels so good when my design work gets acknowledgement like this. 1 has been for a quantity order of my notecards, and 2 more for personalized journals. And since I love paper art, I'm more than happy to lose a few zzzzz's at night to get these orders filled.

This is so great, that I want to celebrate by offering a sale on my Etsy site!

From today until May 21st, 2007 I am offering a discount of 10-15%, depending on how many items you buy. See the link at the right sidebar for more info.

Kid's Birthday Cards

A friend recently pointed out that she never finds Birthday cards for kids, here on my site. So, I thought that maybe it's time that I do some up! I even made a few extra for myself to keep on hand. Here's a few of the more boy-ish ones:

Price: $3.00 Cdn each, comes with a white envelope.

Shipping via Canada Post lettermail service: $0.55 per card

Note Card Sets

These Note Cards Sets have just been added to my Etsy store. They are blank inside and sized 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches. Very pretty, and practical, since they would be great for almost any occasion!

If you'd like to order direct, or want them in different colours, just send me an email at amiedesigns@yahoo.ca .

Set of 2 Notecards: $3.95US or $4.50 Cdn.