Penny Black Obsessions

I am completely obsessed with the cute line from Penny Black Inc. This elephant is one of my favorites. I used the cuttlebug to emboss some of the papers and put them together to make a "quilt" look. The flowers are 3-D. I used watercolor pencils and a Dove blender to color the image. The card is stitched and of course glittered! This is a great card for any occasion.

Materials used: DCWV DP, Bazzil Cardstock, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Dove blender, Faber Castell watercolor pencils, Guterman thread. stickles

Winter Craze

Here it is, halfway through January and I realize that I have been away for months. First we have the holidays, then a new job and school, and my kids. I used to think I was good at multitasking and now...not so much. While I still love making cards, I have had to slow down the production lines for now. I did end up making a fun card for New Years and ended up winning a prize for it, talk about excited!
I hope the new year has treated everyone well so far. If anyone has any advice on time management, I am all ears!

Mission Soldier Support, a.k.a. MSS

So many people support our troops overseas with prayers and praise, however, most of us would like to do more and just don't know where to start. This is where MSS comes into the picture. MSS is a program started by Rachel with Captured Time Books, and supported by other ETSY card makers. Here is how it works. Card makers opt into the program by donating 5 of their beautiful Holiday card creations. They are then placed on a list where people can buy cards to donate to the program. All of the donations are then sent overseas to the troops, so they can send holiday cards back home to their loved ones. Stationary and cards are nonexistent over there so it is a special gift for our Men and Women in the military.
Want to participate but don't know where to start? Here are step-by-step instructions on how to donate.
1. Log onto http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=tag_title&search_query=mss
2. Choose a card you would like to donate
3. Pay
4. Send a note to seller that this purchase is for MSS
5. You are done! The seller will do the rest.

If you have any questions regarding the program, please don't hesitate to ask!

Fantastic companies - worth your valuable browsing time.

After being a daily viewer of the SplitcoastStampers I decided I had to have the Vintage Die for the Cuttlebug. It is so versatile and, while my creativity with dies is meager, I have come up with some really cute ideas. Let me know what you think!
While on the topic of great new products I wanted to share some great new companies I have come across in the last few weeks.
Verve Stamps - Beautiful clear stamps that have so many possibilities. Their gallery is just full of inspiration, go check them out and take some time to browse the beautiful cards.
Unity Stamp Company - I am in love with their kit club. They offer a new kit each month and there are only a limited amount sent out. This is a huge plus for me with the pressure of offering one of a kind creations on Ebay.
I encourage you to take a few minutes (or hours!) and browse through the products, designs and card galleries. The talent is amazing.
Of course, you can always find my goodies at Beautiful Greetings Card Shoppe or on Ebay, look for the seller name Bellenoche.
Happy Crafting!

New On Etsy...plus a coupon!

School has started and fall is in the air. I just love this time of year! It is hard to believe that with fall, comes holiday cards. I have been working diligently on my new holiday collections both for Etsy, and my craft fairs. I am now taking orders for holiday cards in my store, come check them out! http://beautifulgreetings.etsy.com. Here are a few of my new creations.
I would love to see others holiday designs....have one? Come post it here.

Special for blog readers! Mention Greetings and Salutations in my Etsy Shop and I will give you
10% off your entire purchase. Everyone loves a sale!

Christmas Preview Penny Black 2008

I have been looking forward to the Penny Black Christmas Collection for awhile now. I know I have mentioned that they are my favorite stamp company! I was fortunate enough to be featured in their new Christmas 2008 catalog and the collection is adorable. The Margaret Sherry's never let me down and this collection is no different. I have been making some really cute preview cards and selling them one at a time as a teaser. My whole Christmas line should be out in the first few weeks of September. Take a look here for what is to come! Check out my ebay listings under sellername bellenoche to buy one of the previews!

Whirlwind Summer and Ebay success

It has been such a busy summer and yet again, my blog gets neglected. I have really enjoyed the warm days playing with my kids and making cards. I have started selling my wares on Ebay and it has been a blast. Nothing like obsessing over your auctions to see where they go. I swear the last day I must refresh my page 40 times! I am truly amazed with the talent out there. One thing that absolutely amazed me was a seller whose cards went from $50 to $150 each! Talk about being blown away. I never dreamed that people would pay that much. Don't get me wrong, they are amazing and the gal has serious talent....but over $100 for a greeting card. My jaw is still not completely closed. While I haven't seen that kind of success I am selling my "deluxe" cards for an average of $10 each. Pretty darn good I say. Don't worry, you can still get my classics for under $3 each in my store! Come visit http://beautifulgreetings.etsy.com/ and see some great cards. Christmas cards will be out at the end of this month! Scary isn't it! Anyone started their shopping yet?

Now Accepting RME!

If you haven't heard about Revolutionary Money Exchange, check it out! It is about time Paypal had a little competition, their fees are a little high for my liking. RME is completely free to use when sending or accepting payments. That is right! No Fees. I was completely sold on the idea after hearing that. To make the deal even sweeter, they are offering people $25 just to sign up. All you have to do is create an account and voila, they pay you $25.

So sign up, get $25, and spend it in my shop! :)

Another Feature this week!

I was so excited to get an email on Sunday from a fellow Etsian. She has featured my shop in her blog. How exciting! This is 4 blogs this month and I have to say it feels good to know that my name is out there now. I love what I do and I get such pleasure from knowing others love it too. If you get a chance, take a peek!

http://qbranchltd.blogspot.com/

Feel Fuzzy - Featured Shop!

While browsing Etsy (this is becoming a habit for me!) I found a shop that not only crafts new items, but reuses vintage items. I love the idea of recycling the old to add new life. I had an opportunity to speak with the owner of this wonderful shop, Debi. She graciously answered a few of my questions so that we may all understand her craft. Here is my interview with her.

Q. Can you describe to the readers what you make?

A. I breath new life into vintage children's things, I currently make wallets from felt, Utilising vintage fuzzy felts and journals from vintage children's books, giving these charming books a new lease on life. Each book is unique and has been used by kids through the ages. I like the idea of bringing these forgotten items back into peoples lives, my motto is "its never too late to have a happy childhood"

Q. What mediums do you enjoy working in most?

A. At the moment I mostly use vintage books and felt. I also make magnets and key rings from illustrations from children's books. (these aren't up in my shop yet, but will be soon)

Q. How long have you been creating craft?

A. I'm a newbie and have only been doing this since Jan 2008.

Q. How did you get started?

A. I'm a graphic designer and got fed up with the corporate world, I've always loved handmade things and finally got around to doing something with my ideas.

Q. Where does the name of your shop come from?

A. Feel Fuzzy comes from my first items I made, fuzzy felt wallets and also the feeling I get from making my crafty items.

Q. What would you most want people to know about your work?

A. That my work is made with great care and attention to detail, and that there's lots of love and hugs in each item.

Q. What words of advice do you have for other artists?

A. Not to sure what I would say to other artists as I've only just started on this road myself, but if you have a good idea and a lot of passion, go for it!

Thank you Debi for sharing your adorable shop with us!

Everyone! Take a look at Debi's shop for unique gift ideas made with great craftsmanship and love!

http://feelfuzzy.etsy.com