All finished

Here is Amy's box all finished before I shipped it out last week!

It has already arrived in California with days to spare before

her big day this Saturday!

Reception card Box

I am currently working on another Reception Card Box custom order.

Here is a picture of the cake the Bride sent me for inspiration.

She is wanting more brown as the main color with green as the accent.

And her wedding is a week from this Saturday, so I am

off to my playroom to work on creating something special for her

Special Day!

Slack Blogger

I have been slack with keeping up with my blog.

Spring hits and when it warms up so do all our activities!

Two boys playing baseball means we live at the ball fields

5 days a week between games and practices. Spring also means

craft fairs! I have one coming up next weekend so I have been

spending all my time trying to make lots of items.

I have been taking my work with me to the ball field, field trips and even a long car trip to Ohio

to visit my sister for Easter & hit all my favorite paper shops there!

I found lots of fun papers that I am really excited about!

Here is one of them that I am using to make a perpetual Birthday Book

from Basic Grey's Urban Prairie Collection:

After my show next Saturday I will be adding lots more items to my Etsy shop and hopefully more time keeping up with my blog too!!

A little competition

Boys in Front of Sword Gate in Charleston SC

My oldest son is wanting to earn some money doing chores around the house.

I was very excited about delegating some of cleaning! I made up a chore chart, nothing

major, (set the table, empty the dishwasher & empty all the trashcans).

I wanted to add clean the bathrooms, but his idea of clean & mine live miles apart!

Then I added my one rule.

If I have to tell you to do the job then it doesn't count!

I posted the chart on the fridge for him to sign off as his chores were completed.

If all jobs were completed everyday then he gets $5.

Day One:

Didn't have to ask and all jobs were completed!

Day Two:

Little brother who is a money mogul, discovered the chore chart and signed off on a couple of the jobs!

Day Three:

Big Brother got up earlier so he could get his name on a few of those jobs!

(I had to add range for number of blocks completed & amount paid since we have some friendly competition now!)

Day Four:

Little Brother took care of all the jobs available!

Day Five:

I am in HEAVEN!!!

I have not had to even ask or listen to complaints about having to help!

I am now making out a bigger chore chart

and maybe this time I will add bathrooms, dusting, ironing, cleaning blinds????

Guest Books

I just finished creating this guest book for one of my Etsy customers!

She wanted a special book for her son's 1st Birthday.

Her son's guests will 'sign' the book with their feet!

I thought that was such a sweet way to remember

a special day!

I started making these when I was looking for a guest book for my Mom's 8oth Birthday.

All I could find in the stores were the same white books with silver lettering for a wedding or anniversary, but there was nothing for Birthdays, bridal showers,sweet sixteen parties, baby showers, going away parties or to use for a beach or lake house.

I gave the first one I made to my sister for her lake cottage.

There are 20 pages in this book, each decorated to match.

On the first page I put the event page with the Guest of Honor's name

& date of their special event!

You can put a picture from your event or of your guest of honor on the inside cover or even the invitation as a keepsake.

The pages are made of heavy card stock and each one is accented with coordinating paper or a

little embellishment. For the book above I added vellum accents of lions, elephants & giraffes to the right side pages and on the left had vellum dots accenting the side.

I have these guest books listed in my Etsy shop with some pictures of other custom

books I have created.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20865697

Wedding Reception Card Box

It all started with a customer from Etsy who requested a Peacock themed guest book for her wedding last year. She also wanted a matching box for her reception.

I had never made a box for guests to drop their cards in at the reception, but

that doesn't stop me from trying!

I made a few prototype boxes working on where I should put the slot for the cards to drop into easily, how wide the slot should be and even trying the slot out in different places on the box.

I had lots of fun with the peacock theme and working with this wonderful customer to create exactly what she wanted!

When I get an order for a card box I usually get the request for a box in certain colors.

I talk with the customer alot through the creating process.

First I am off buying papers to see if I can find exactly what they had in mind.

I load lots of paper choices on my Flickr account and when the final selection is completed I begin on the box.

As the box progresses, I am snapping pictures so the customer can see too!

This also helps if they would like to make any changes along the way.

I LOVE making these boxes, I love making something for some one's special day and like to add something special for them!

My last order was scary for me!

It was for two identical boxes, and the paper she selected was no longer available so I had only 3 12x12 papers to use. I had to be precise on all cuts and make the most of what I had, one mistake would be disaster! Nothing like a little stress!

The boxes turned out perfectly and even had enough paper left to make some tags out of to send with the boxes as a little 'thank you'.

Awesome Award!!!

Back in the early part of December

I ran across a post in the Etsy forums from

someone volunteering to proof read your shop.

I posted asking for another set of eyes to read over my listings

and Katy began checking out my shop.

Four other shops also signed up for her wonderful offer, so

Katy was a little busy! She sent me a convo to let me know when

she would be proof reading for me.

Well I did not make it easy on Katy!

I had a show and removed alot of my items to take with me,

seems Katy was proofreading at the time too!

And after the show was over I added the items back, also

seem to time it right when Katy was going through about 60 listings!!!!!!!

Sorry about that! :P

Katy kept on reading, catching my typos etc.!

After much begging & pleading from me Katy sent me her address so I could

send her a little thank you for all her hard work & eye strain.

Had a busy Christmas Season in the shop, I give Katy some of that credit for

catching my typos for me!

Every couple of weeks, I still get convo's from Katy who is STILL awesome enough

to help with my typos!

Last week I got an order from Katy for a little album to store her ACEO's.

I keep in touch letting her know when her order will ship

and ask if maybe she is interested in trading.

Katy does not have a shop on ETSY, she is a buyer.

Now I know you are thinking, she is pretty awesome to be a buyer and go through

all that work to help out a seller!! Yes, she is!

I had mentioned to Katy about trading cause she is in Canada.

She is in the land of Smarties & Kit Kat Bars.

Not smarties like those sweet tart rolls in the US.

Nestle in Canada makes chocolate that is peanut free.

My oldest son has a peanut allergy and most of the candy bars in the US are not

peanut free.

It has been over 5 years since Adam has had Smarties or Kit Kat Bar from Canada.

Well in a few short days that will change!

Katy instead of trading with me went & made up a package of chocolate

heaven and shipped it out to me!

Thank You Katy!!!

You have to be the most Awesome Person!

You don't know how much I appreciate You!!!!