Friday, October 31, 2008

First Card order COMPLETED!

I just finished my big 40 card order. I love how they turned out. I normally don't put this much detail into cards, but this is the type card she saw on ebay I was selling. I was so excited to have an order that I gave her a very low price. I will sell cards like this for $2-$3 with the detail in them.

Next week I'll try making some more for fun and show those to you!

Here are the outsides of all the different styles I made, and a few of the insides. I love how the little corner pieces really set off the inside!


Monday, October 27, 2008

Busy making cards!

I have been out of town, but I was busy making cards for my first card order while we were gone. My dear friend Kathy was with us and helped me create layouts for the images I'd stamped. I'll be posting pictures of these when I finish them.

This is a VERY busy week. We (the girls & I) were out of town from Wednesday afternoon til Sunday at 9 pm. We had an unexpected flat tire yesterday that had to be replaced. Thankfully Phil, my husband, had come up for the weekend (we were at his mom's house), so he did the manly job of putting on the spare for me.

That started our week off "behind" from the get go. Tuesday is our homeschool co-op day, Friday is "Hallelujah Day" (just my name for Halloween!) when we send the kids out to beg for candy, and Saturday I have a Pampered Chef booth and will take along cards to sell. At some time amongst those events, I will make a pumpkin outfit for Natalie's Build-a-Bear Bear, not to be confused with her Build a Bear Dog (a beagle named Bagel). If I can get sizes for these critters, I'd like to add these to items I make to sell.

I'll try to pop in with pictures soon of this week's creations. For now, I will share some of the costumes from the past that I've made for the girls. The poodle skirts were made for all the girls in dance class, and my friend Kathy came to my rescue and helped me cut poodles!


And here is the REAL Natalie!


Happy crafting!

Friday, October 17, 2008

What would YOU like to see in Doll Clothes and Papercrafts?

I'm trying to develop ideas for the doll clothes to sell in this new business. Obviously, the little costumes are great for this time of year. But, what else would your daughter, or any little girl you know, like in these type clothes? I can create pj's, contemporary clothes, historical period clothes, princess clothes (that look similar to those worn by animated princesses whose name is probably a copyright so I can't use!), and even horse riding outfits. I've even found a pattern for a horse to fit this size doll!

Would you like to see clothes for girls & dolls to match? Stay tuned, as I am going to bring you a pair of pj's for a doll to match something my own daughter just made for herself! I am so proud of her!

For Papercrafts, would you be more interested in cards, scrapbook pages, gift ideas (such as a set of notecards), or something different? I want to create things that people really want. I could make 100 Talk Like a Pirate Day cards, but I suspect no one would want those! ARGH! tee-hee!

PLEASE leave feedback for me! Thanks!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Fall Cards

I've sold some fall cards and had an order for more like this. I am in the process of creating more and will post those when I get them finished.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Some of my cards

The other "half" of my crafting involves paper. Lots of paper! I love paper. I can remember making paper chains as a little girl to hang on the Christmas tree. I was always challenged to try to cut out paper dolls without them falling apart. I loved to do snowflakes, and again, I had to remember which way to fold to keep it from being snow drops! My biggest love in paper is putting a rubber stamp into an ink pad, then pressing it onto a piece of cardstock. Voila! The concept is so simple. Each time I print the same image several times, I think, "This is so cool!" I wonder if Gutenberg thought that when he invented the printing press in the 1400's. Though, even 600 years ago, I believe the printing press is more advanced than what I do with a single stamp!

Here are some samples of cards I've made over the years. I'm working on a slew of fall/Thanksgiving cards. I have already received an order to make 40 cards! When I finish these, I'll get to work on Christmas cards. Hope you enjoy some of these samples!

With the exception of the chef card, the images are all from Stampin' Up. The chef is from Stamping Bella.

Pumpkin Outfit for 18" Doll

This is the first outfit I've made for an 18" doll. This outfit fits the American Girl Doll and other 18" dolls. It includes tights, a shirt, the Pumpkin top, boots, and hat. I can also make this without the Jack O'Lantern face if you prefer just a pumpkin.

I'm Gettin' Crafty!

I've decided to take the plunge & start a SECOND blog for my crafts. I've decided that we need additional income that can be done from home, in addition to my Pampered Chef business. With my unpredictable health and homeschooling two very active girls with special needs (my full-time job), My "alone time" when I can work is often at strange hours when I can't be calling my Pampered Chef customers or cooking for people. I am STILL a Pampered Chef consultant. That is my first part-time job and WAY more lucrative than selling crafts. Did you know you can make about $100 for 3-4 hours of work involving a bunch of friends laughing and eating and shopping----and it's LEGAL??? LOL! If you want to know more about THAT, I'm more than happy to fill you in.

My NEW 2nd part-time job is selling my crafts! In this blog, I'll share some of the pieces I am selling, and also just some that I'm making for fun or to encourage people. I have two main areas of items to show you: Papercrafts (primarily cards, though I WANT to scrapbook!) and Sewn items, starting with clothes for 18" dolls (such as American Girl, Life of Faith and Springfield, none of which I am affiliated with). The girls are old enough to help cut out patterns and are helping me design items and choose which ones to make first.

I'll post in my 2nd ever post the first doll outfit I've created!