Circle Time

I'm venturing out in my post topics. I make cards, but I also dabble in other randomness. Today, I'm sharing the project I tackled this weekend. It was so simple I almost thought there had to be a catch, but nope! It is in fact one of the easiest projects of all time.

I saw this super cute, quasi-tutorial for a wreath on another blog (and go figure now I can't find it to give her proper props). Her directions were easy. I don't know if they even really count as directions because it was basically:

• Buy wreath form.
• Cut fabric scraps that are long enough to tie around form.
• Tie the scraps around the form.
• Scrunch them together to cover form.
• Make a hook by wrapping a loop of floral wire around wreath.
• Hang.

For the past year, I've been contemplating making a wreath. But do I make a yarn wreath? Or a felt wreath? Do I use a wire or foam form? Do I add flowers that I've carefully cut and shaped from satin, rhinestones and bits of my fingers? Do I add a punch of neon, or make it all white as a statement against ornate wreaths? Do you see how my ideas spiraled because of all the random tutorials for beautiful wreaths that I read online? So when I saw these easy instructions and nice result, I thought, "What the hey. Let's try it."

In related news (you'll see how it relates in a second), the 4th of July is coming up, and we just added this new bad boy to the front of our house.

Since we're already showing our colors, I decided to take our decorations up a notch and make a red, white and blue wreath. We're going to be THAT house. (Although I'm not sure two decorations really will qualify us. I might have to line our sidewalk with mini-flags to truly be THAT house.)

I built a little pile of options as I dug through my pile-o-random-fabric. In the end, I used part of an old bed skirt, two separate parts of an old dress that was no longer wearable, scraps from the only quilt I've ever made and scraps from a pillow project I did more than 10 years ago (how do I still have that fabric? mind = blown).

Since I've been tying shoes for a great many years, I was a wiz at the remaining steps of this project. Tie knots.

Once the scraps were cut, it moved along quickly. This could totally be a movie and a craft night project. I'm holding onto the final, final pictures though because I don't have them yet. It was extremely rainy here this weekend, so the wreath did not make it onto the front door. When it's properly hung, I'll let you see the final product in all its Americana glory.

Happy crafting!

Weekend Prep

She's saving up her energy for a fun weekend, I think. Happy Friday!

Simple Birthday Wishes

It will arrive a few days late (since his birthday was last week), but I hope my cousin enjoys his birthday postcard. I kept it very simple and added a few touches of color. What do you think?

Update

This finally happened:

And since it was so late, I threw some extra goodies inside for good measure. One down, several more to go.

The new cards came in, but I have not been able to get great photos of them yet. Maybe next week? We'll see.

Until then, hope you all are having a fun spring!

Birthday Bunny

If you knew (or know) my friend who is receiving this card, you'd think it was a lot funnier. He'll laugh and shake his head at me. I guarantee it.

Exciting news!!

For starters, I hope you haven't been holding your breath for the new card designs or the birthday cards. If you have been, well, you're probably not reading this because you would have passed out long ago. Breathe and bear with me. The new cards have been ordered, and I hope to have them in a little over a week. The birthday cards are works in progress. But none of that is the exciting news.

Today, we made our first (pause to let that sink in) - our very first sale on KismetCards.etsy.com! I am thrilled. Good things are happening, people. This is just the start. I feel it. Love to you all! I hope you can feel my super-excited, positive energy vibes radiating through the Internet.

Birthday Rush

What do you get when you mix good intentions with procrastination and slightly out of focus cell phone photography? This:

This card was a collaborative effort with a co-worker. I started it then rushed out for a meeting, and she finished it. Go teamwork. Add in a last minute cupcake run, and you have the perfect office birthday celebration.

Dreaming Up Birthday Wishes

April is one of my favorite months. Spring is most assuredly in the air (ask my sinuses). Warm weather is arriving. The days are longer, and you can feel the positivity and good humor rising in those around you. The winter blahs are real, and April is the dragon that slays them.

April is also fantastic because of some birthdays that occur during it. That means I need to get on the ball and start making some cards! I got the big gift done already. So we'll count that as 1 point for me.

In the shower this morning, I was thinking about potential card designs. I L-O-V-E doing cupcakes on cards, but I do them a lot. Presents too. These April cards need to be special and different because April is special and different and so are the wonderful people who celebrate their life anniversaries during it.

"What about balloons?" I thought. And because the shower is my place of clarity, I instantly remembered I did balloons last year. I painted them on the cards. They were only alright. So option 1 is to revisit balloons and make them much, much cuter. But that wouldn't be very different.

So I'm scanning the Internet for inspiration. I have no idea what doodle will end up feeling like the winner. Stay tuned for the results...

Fail-tastic!

Guess what? I failed miserably at my 7 days o' mailing fun project. (insert your surprised face here)

This is Lola's reaction:

The weird part is that I have tons of stuff to mail. I just haven't. So yeah. I need to get on that because...

my friends might appreciate receiving the gift I got their baby before the baby actually arrives,

my other friends might like to get their engagement gift before the wedding,

I'd like to clear the box of random-stuff-that-belongs-to-my-brother-but-somehow-ended-up-in-boxes-of-my-childhood-stuff from my desk, and

while they aren't specific to one season, these cocktail napkins would be perfect for a summer fiesta at my aunt's house, so they need mailed too. Guess I have a date with the Post Office.

Two more!

A small thanks

This is going to Grandma's.

One down!

Day 1 (Saturday) - This didn't make it in the mail on Saturday in time for pick up, but it's ready and waiting for Monday.

This is going to a wonderful cousin.

It's the Final Countdown

On Feb. 23, I started my Send a Smile project. I didn't have a specific, measurable goal with which I could ascertain my success/failure. That was totally intentional. However, as the end of Lent draws near, I think I could kick it up a notch.

For the next week, my completely specific, measurable goal will be to send 7 cards. That means I will send a card every day the post office is open (starting tomorrow). Do you think I can do it? I'll track my progress here each day, so be sure to check back!

Thanks for reading! Love, L

Laughter is contagious

This is headed to the Tampa area.

Going Generic

A co-worker went above and beyond for a couple of us the other day, and she needed a handwritten thank you for that. In all honesty, she probably deserved a gift card for a free lunch, too. She was great! Anyway, due to time constraints, I had to go generic for this one. I'll get back to handmade cards soon. I promise! (Also, Mom just gave me lots of new designs she made, so this will be an easy promise to keep.)

Love, L

Thank you, Target, for this one. It stayed in town.

Change of Plans

Turns out the next card wasn't headed to Grandma. I made this silly card to recommend a funny YouTube channel to a friend. I hope it (and the videos) bring her a smile.

Love, L

Ripple effect

It's happened! Only two weeks (and change) into my Send a Smile project, I am already hearing back from people who received cards. And I haven't sent that many! I'm on a bit of a good vibes (and good coffee) high right now, so please excuse me while I reward myself with a victory dance in my chair.
...
...
There. Done. And I feel awesome!

It started with a simple text from a friend. "I got your card in the mail. I think I'm gonna join the trend and make you one. It's always nice to get real mail once in a while." Damn straight it is! Big smiles.

Then, Daddy stayed up late to thank me via Skype for his birthday card and present, never mind it was two months-ish late. Coincidentally, my brother's birthday package for Dad arrived the same week, and we hadn't coordinated that. We're both just equally great at procrastination then action apparently.

But the piece de resistance so far came last night. I never take my phone to the softball field, so after the game, I boot it up and see what I missed. Usually, it's nothing, but last night I had a missed call from a number I didn't recognize. I figured it was for work, so I checked the voicemail. Considering I had six old voicemails dating back weeks (lie, months) ago, you can safely assume that it's an oddity for me to immediately check a voicemail. Typically, I just call the person back. Anyway, back on track from that tangent, I checked the voicemail. All the way from the sunny shores of Hawaii was the voice of a dear friend whom I haven't actually spoken to in years. We typically send a card or two a year, and it is what it is. This call made my night (the whole week really). Due to the time difference, I'm going to give her a call back this weekend, so neither of us has to rush.

It's reassuring how something so simple is spreading so many smiles. I'm very excited to send my next letter (Grandma, I'm looking at you!).

Loves! L

Circles

This jumbles of circles went to California.

Just like the song

This is headed down south.

Sending a Smile

In college, I was surprisingly good at keeping up written correspondences. I loved making cards, sending them off, thinking about the person opening their mailbox and smiling. It warmed me.

Then, I got a real 8-5 job. My sporadic schedule that allowed for random creative time or staying up til 3 a.m. for no reason got more structured, and I fell into a routine rut. My letter sending wained. I'd go through bursts where I'd send lots of cards (Christmas), then go months with nothing. My brain, however, is still teaming with ideas. Some are too big (time consuming) to tackle right now. I want that near instant gratification of making something, sending it off and knowing it'll make someone smile. (Seriously, who doesn't love to get a real card in the mail from someone they know and love?)

I've pared down my expectations of myself for making cards. They don't need to be elaborate to be full of love. The bottom line is that I'm trying and I'm sending out some love.

I'll be posting pictures here for you all to see. Some of the designs might be incorporated into the shop; others are just for fun. They might not be the best pictures, but hopefully you'll feel the love anyway.

Happy day!
L

This postcard is going to Hawaii!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Dear Blog Readers, Friends & Family,

Happy Valentine's Day! While not everyone gets excited about today, I am not one of those people. I donned my red dress, colored some cards and intend on spreading a little cheer to those I care about. I hope you will do the same.

The designs below will not make it into the shop, but they did make it into a few mailboxes. I saw a similar martini cup design (although much more elaborate with sparkly jewels) while surfing the Internet, so I wouldn't feel right selling it. The margarita cup though might have potential.

Love to all! L

BTW - I took the pictures on my phone during a training class, so sorry for the less-than-stellar results. The sentiment, however, remains the same. XO

Issues with Space

As a lovely, thoughtful Christmas gift, my hubby built a new desk in the office for me. My old, circular, former kitchen table desk was really not cutting it. It took up a lot of room, and the circular shape was odd for crafting. It always seemed like I was wasting space on it. This new desk would fit in the corner and allow me ample room to spread out, which I did as soon as he said, "It's done!"

I covered it with a bunch of stuff - unfinished crafts, craft inspirations, cutting mat, coasters, lamps, pens, scissors, holidays cards, etc. My existing stuff left very little actual space for me to create new stuff. Realizing this, I cleared one blank space about 18 inches wide to be my designated work space until I get more organized.

Yesterday, I began working on a poster, which involved paint. Smartly, in my one clear spot, I put down newspaper to protect the top of my awesome new desk. It's all about planning ahead with this stuff. I painted the first layer and left the piece to dry.

Later in the evening, my family decided to Skype. (3 cheers for family face time despite distances!) Since my computer was already hooked up near the desk and the lighting there is good, I sat down with the computer in my lap. But that got old quick. So I set it in the extra chair, but the angle with the lighting was not working. So I set it on the desk. And...

....

...I was sure to move the art before I set the computer down. Saved the art, didn't spill the paint. See - planning ahead.

I did forget, however, to move the glass of rose I had set down on the newspaper (because it would do just as good of a job as the safely-located-out-of-the-way-in-a-corner coaster of protecting the top of my awesome new desk), and I suffered my first design loss. Goodbye little cupcake! Sorry I drowned you in rose.

My First Photo Shoot

Since I've been planning on opening an Etsy store for so long, I've been a subscriber to all its different email blasts for an equally long time. Through those, I've picked up a lot of tips on how to stage, take and produce a fun, effective product photo. But learning how to do something and actually doing it are two different beasts. So armed with as much information as I could remember, I set up my first photo shoot last weekend.

I knew the lighting inside my house was not the best, so I staged a little area outside. I waited until late afternoon to have ample natural light without it being too bright. I do, after all, live in the Sunshine State.

Since the grass is mostly dead, I needed a backdrop. I had doors off some old furniture stashed in the garage, so I dragged one out to use as my background. The dark wood contrasted nicely with the black and white cards.

While I was setting all this up and planning my shots, Lola, my husky mix, was bounding about the yard. She became very interested in what I was doing and came to check it out. I took a chance while she was sniffing around and asked her to lay down. Surprisingly, she did. (Side note: It took me three years to teach her to lay down. For most of that time, she knew how and simply refused. She's very independent.)

I was able to snap a few shots of her with cards. They aren't the best, as she had her outside collars on and showing in most of them, but I was very excited to get even one usable one. Because she makes me smile, I posted one of the pictures of her with a card in the shop.

Then my aunt called with a great suggestion. Why not have a featured item each month or week as Lola's favorite? Yes, yes, yes! It will help highlight an item and provide some fun with Lola. So from now on, in each pack of cards, we will feature one as Lola's favorite. She might even be gracious enough to include a signed photo with each purchase. We'll see if I can get her to agree.

Leap of Faith

Yesterday was a big day for me. Yesterday, I launched Kismet Cards on Etsy.

As soon as I discovered Etsy a couple years ago, I swore up and down I would start a shop. But I know nothing about business. And who would want to buy my cards and crafts anyway? And what if I never made back the money I invested into it? What if my shop was a complete flop? An utter failure? And did I mention I know nothing about business? Numbers, in fact, make me a little sweaty. So I would put it off and put it off and well...that continued for a while.

On vacation two years ago, my super-creative, art-guild-member aunt showed my mom and me this fun little drawing craze called Zentangles. The free form of it really hit a cord with my mom. I compulsively kept doing the same designs.

After vacation, she kept drawing, and her drawings were really cool. Dad framed a few and hung them around their house. Each time I'd visit, she'd show me her new "zendoodles" as she calls them. She has them laying around, so I borrowed 20 of them during a visit.

I scanned them into the computer and, thanks to the wonders of a company called Moo, had postcards made. Then it hit me...what if we sold them? Because for longer than I have been saying I'd start an Etsy shop, my family has been saying we should have a small family business, something we can do together.

So I did it. Yesterday, I launched Kismet Cards, and even if we never make a dollar, even if it's a complete flop, even if no one likes it, I already feel successful because I'm trying. We're trying, and that is a wonderful feeling.