Card Making Genius

There are days when I talk to myself in the studio.

Last week I was muttering "card making genius" until my husband came home and there was an audience for my great idea.

I have struggled with number specific birthday cards.

I have a wall of birthday cards at the show, but inevitably, someone will ask if I have a 50th or a 60th card. I think any card is a number card. They are all blank inside, so open one up and just write Happy 50th! I figure anyone having a milestone birthday doesn't need the reminder.

Ahhh. But that is the cranky card maker talking.

I just don't want anyone telling me what to put on my cards.

So I started making a few sets for each show. Happy 50th and Happy 60th. Wouldn't you know it, it was the show people needed Happy 70th and 80th.

I can't dedicate 6-12 cards to a number that may only have the interest of one or two customers.

That's when card maker genius came into the studio.

Make four sets of cards...but have the customer select the number!

These buttons are magnetic, so I placed a small strip of metal into the card.

My card buyers can select a card body and then a matching magnet with the number of their choice! I can't wait to see how these cards do at the show!

Also.  Guess who caved and started a blog?  Karen Arts!

It Might Be Grey Out....

But the sun is shining in my studio!

I am still selecting bright colours to work with. These are the last sets I am making so I am choosing the items I most want to work with.

My set up table is slowly being cleared. I am just finishing those cards that I absolutely wanted to have at this show. I made so many embellishments this winter. So any hand made resin bezels or fabric buttons are finding their final home. Sunday was the perfect day for me to complete these last few sets.

I have been making 24 cards a day for three months now. Since I am moving into the show site today and tomorrow, it will feel very strange not to make a set. I'll miss the quiet days of production, but I am so excited to finally show off all these new cards!

I was checking to see if I had enough stands for all my new altered books.  I have decided to display them on a table at the Spring show this week.  So I snapped this quick photo when I walked back into the room.   It made me realize that I was very productive this winter.

Today I just need to do some finally signing and pricing.  Then the books will be packed up for transport to the show.  Two more days until they are finally in the booth!

Speaking of productive, here's what the Beading Gang has been up to this week!

About.com Jewelry Making

Jewelry and taxes, ick! But maybe these tips will help you navigate through this beader's nightmare.

Art Bead Scene

Needing more inspiration for this month's challenge? Here are a few ideas for you!

Art Jewelry Magazine

The Bead&Button Show is featured in USA Today!

Carmi's Art/Life World

Carmi experiments with UV resin.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles

Melanie finds inspiration, right at her front door!

Jennifer Jangles Blog

Jennifer invites you to attend her Creative Celebration.

Jewelry & Beading

Thanks to some inspiration from beadmaker Melanie Brooks, Cyndi has an article in Belle Armoire Jewelry!

Katie's Beading Blog

Check Out Katie's Fabulous Beaded Fruit!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!

Jean designs a colorful parrot necklace with a treasure of an equisite, hand painted Russian art bead

Strands of Beads

Melissa discusses the usefulness of the preliminary sketch in her design process

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton

Inspired by Spring, Andre compiles a shopping guide for egg-themed beads and components. 

Happy Cards

Having finished the sympathy card production...I feel so much lighter and brighter!

The monkey card just makes me laugh.

The Home Stretch

Earlier this week Paul asked me if I was getting excited about the show.

Most of the time I am just worried that it is coming up too quickly. All I can think about is the cards I have not made and the customers who might be disappointed. That's just my typical pre-show jitters. But there came a point in my day yesterday when I realized I really was in the home stretch. My to-do list was nothing but a series of check marks. I really couldn't be more organized. If your forced me to move into the show today, I could do it.

But I have four more days!

I am starting to put away the materials and samples that won't make it to this show. I have everything already boxed and priced. Happily, my cat themed cards are done! I disappointed this group at Christmas so I'll be glad to show off a nice "animals we love" section.

So today, excitement has set in. I can't wait for the show to open on Wednesday so I can show off the last three months of production!

UV Resin

This post is dedicated to Sharon!

More than a few people have struggled with resin. I myself am an Envirotex Lite girl.

Love it, can control it, know exactly how to make it do what I want.

But. When you say resin, I tend to tune in to see what else there might be on the market.

I decided to do a little experiment with Magic Glos. Magic Glos comes premixed. All it needs in the sun to dry. No sun, no UV, no hardening. It will stay liquid forever.

Unless you have a UV lamp, in which case feel free to work anytime of the day indoors.

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Last week I used these gals on a necklace I made. Since the images were handy, I popped them into some bezels.

Then, I poured in the resin. LOOK HOW EASY this is. The bottle dropper makes this so simple. Also, no messy mixing accidents. There were a few bubbles, but I am used to that, so I let the resin settle before I moved the bezels into the window to cure.

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Free art equipment. A sunny window.

Unfortunately, as soon as I moved the bezels into the window, the sun disappeared and it was overcast all day. I checked in on the bezels several times and four or five hours later the top layer was relatively hard, but clearly, they were still in a gel like form. If it had been sunny, they would have been harder.

I do have a UV lamp....no surprise. So I popped them under the lamp for 20 minutes and they were done. If you want to know what a UV lamp set up looks like I really like this kit from Rings and Things. I think I will set them out for another 24 hour to give the resin a really good chance to get hard. I plan to use the UV resin again this summer. On one of those super hot, super sunny July afternoons when I know it will harden outdoors in 15-20 minutes.

For even more detailed information, these is a super video tutorial on John Golden's blog.

Puppy Cards

At 4pm yesterday afternoon I only had six cards made.

Yikes. It was time to pick up the pace.

Pulling out all my dog and cat images took some time. I was distracted by the various embellishments I could use and decided to print my own sentiment on ribbon. In the end I had a really productive evening. I really wanted to focus on the dog themed cards. Ordinarily, I do really sentimental sympathy cards for animals...but I just can't make them anymore. So these cards could be used as sympathy or to celebrate any dog occasion. I want them to be bright and fresh. Today I'll work on cats!

Purple and green.

This is a colour combination I keep using my accident.

These two card sets came together while I was trying to sort out the animals.

Father's Day Imagery

I always struggle with Father's Day. This year I pulled some 50's style images which I love to make my card sets.

I know that fishing and hunting is over used for this occasion...but my own Dad is a hunter so I have a sense of what sort of a card he might like. I just hope my twist of printing on fabric and using metal embellishments makes these cards a little more artistic.

Packaging

I figured out how to turn my purse hangers into a card embellishment! They are all attached to a card body and ready to be displayed now. I was so happy this worked out and that I had hanging boxes that they fit in. I'll have purse hangers in my Etsy shop after the One of A Kind!!

Today I'll be working on Father's Day. I hope to finish my card sets for this occasion by tomorrow!

Card Ideas

It seems as though I am always thinking about my art cards. Because the one of a kind show is juried I have to focus on the items I know I am allowed to sell. Given the opportunity, I would have some jewelry in my booth....but that category already has too many vendors! So, I must focus on my own category which is paper arts.

These resin bezels would make beautiful pendants. I myself have several necklaces which feature them. Ordinarily I drill a hole to attach them to a card when I am working on inventory for the show. For this special group I am going to try something different. I have glued them to the card and I am including a note and a magnet in an extra envelope in the box. This way people will know that the card can be cut up later so that the resin bauble can become a magnet or perhaps they will use it for a pin or necklace. I suspect though, that many people will be happy to just keep it in the plastic hanger box that I display it in.

Happy Sunday! Here is what the beading gang reported on this week!

Art Bead Scene

We all need a little bit more organization. Here's a nifty organizer for your tools.

Barbe Saint John - New Jewelry from Forgotten Artifacts

Barbe talks about her love of Egyptian Jewelry.

Bead & Button Magazine

Lesley shares tips on getting organized from her and the staff.

Carmi's Art/Life World

Carmi prints her favorite images onto cotton to create a new fiber necklace.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles

Melanie ponders the beauty and symbolism of butterflies and lets herself fly free with a new pendant.

Jennifer Jangles Blog

Katie Hacker designed a fabulous necklace using some of Jennifer's pinwheel beads.

Jewelry & Beading

We've been concentrating on organic materials for jewelry making this month, and Cyndi has rounded up a few of her projects that fall into that category!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!

Come read Jean's review of this super new book by Kim Gover: Designing Jewelry with semiprecious beads!

Strands of Beads

Melissa discusses shopping opportunities for unusual stone-wrapped chain.

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton

Finding inspiration in an unlikely place, Andrew creates a necklace based on a Jell-o dessert.

Saturday Wrap Up

I have a few odds and ends to answer and post about today.

First. I did make more Van Gogh cards! Yes, the sunflowers were a given, but I just could not resist.

I didn't realize that a few of you had never seen a purse hanger! Here is how it looks on the edge of a table. I always get a question or two when I pull one out in a restaurant. As long as the table top isn't too thick it usually works brilliantly!

I did get a new egg cup! Ronna to the rescue! She made this one for me after I requested bees!

I am loving fiber. The Fridas are now attached to this card set.

Happy Saturday! I have a three year olds party to attend today!

Purse Hangers

I have been wanting to make my own purse hangers for a while. The resin dried beautifully on my chosen images. I want to make a set of cards with these hangers attached. Today will be the trial. My art card theme has been "the card is the gift." This would be really true in the case of a card with a purse hanger attached. I had my purse stolen in Montreal several years ago...and truth be told I never got over it. I was in a really nice restaurant and the purse was parked against a wall...which I thought would be safe. Now I always hang it from the table using these purse hangers or I keep it in my lap. I might put these into my Etsy shop if the card idea doesn't work out.

New Fabric and Felt Necklace

I have had the idea for this necklace rumbling about my head for weeks and decided it was time to just make one. Ever since I saw a fabric bracelet in Sherri Haab's book I knew that sooner or later I would have something made from fibers too.

I printed some of my favorite images on fabric (EQ Printables) and then gathered some pre-felted wool.

I sewed a dozen pockets which I then stuffed with cotton bating.

I loved the little pockets! I could have just kept them like this!

But, I stilled added some hand sewn beads, some iron on crystals and the connectors so I could attach them to a necklace.

Now I have something very new to wear to the One of A Kind show!

Fabric Hearts

I found this vintage heart postcard image and printed it on fabric. It really is very pretty.

Once I printed it, I decided it would look great if I sewed it into a small stuffed heart. I know it is hard for you to see, but the heart is stuffed and sewed to a blue felt backer. It dangles on the card so that it could be removed. I contemplated putting in a little scent of some sort...but no doubt someone would be allergic so I left them unscented.

My last round of Easter cards. I put all the other Easter items away. It's time to move on to other occasions.

Easter Cards

I have to limit how many Easter cards I make this year. The One of A Kind show is just a week before Easter, so most people will have already purchased a card if they intend to mail one to family or friends. But I love this holiday. The vintage images are easy to work with. I especially love the idea of painting an Easter egg. That was one of my favorite things to do as a child. Waiting for the annual egg decorating box was hard. I would finally get my set and pull out all the stickers and coloring dies days before my Mom boiled the eggs and let me spend an afternoon decorating them.

HOO Decides

When I think about owls I immediately start chanting "hoo, hoo." Or "who, who."

It really is an amazing bird. I have collected a few vintage postcards of owls. They usually associate the owl with new years resolutions or Halloween.

I also like the cartoon versions of the bird. Those eyes make it easy for the illustrator to create an image of an owl that is easily recognized. They also make them really cute.

This year owls are popping up everywhere in the paper and embellishment market. All of a sudden they are the new mouse. Remember when everything had a cute mouse on it? The owls on the Imaginisce papers are very sweet. I have no idea how everyone ends up using the same animal. It's almost as though there is a organization that says this will be the year of the cute owl like Pantone does with selecting their colour trends.

And here is a great owl that I really want to track down from a paper company called Sassafrass.

But, since I am house bound and busy for a few weeks I decided to create a few images digitally on my own. I downloaded some files from letteringdelights.com and got my owl fix.

Resin Happy

Yesterday's resin projects all turned out perfectly.

I only went into the studio for a minute...and then I stayed for the afternoon.

These Erte bezels are filled with images from a calendar I couldn't toss out. The images were on the back of the cover and perfectly sized.

When resin is happy, it is best to stay with it.

The Frida's are also recycled. They appeared on the back of a greeting card set. I am keeping the front images to frame and thought I would recycle the back of the cards.

Here's a look at what my beading friends were up to this week.

About.com Jewelry Making
New Lucky Earrings Project - Hot off the jewelry press table, here's a new earring project just in time for St. Patrick's Day.

Art Bead Scene
It's March and the snow is beginning to thaw. Color comes alive in Red Fish for this month's challenge.

Bead Style magazine
Jane talks about her admiration for Brenda Schweder and her work.

Carmi's Art/Life World
Carmi turns a gift of hand felted beads into some lovely new rings! Perfect for spring.

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles
Melanie ponders her passion for porcelain, inspired by a brass embraced pendant she created.

Jennifer Jangles Blog
Jennifer has announces the official rules of the Creative Celebration, check it out.

Jewelry & Beading
Seed bead artist Beverly Ash Gilbert shares her amazing creations.

Katie's Beading Blog
Bead and Button will be here before we know it! Be sure to sign-up today!

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done!
Jean thinks Barb Switzer's new book looks extremely cool!

Strands of Beads
Melissa shows off her stash - a selection of beautiful clasps from Green Girl Studios.

The Morning Recap

There are days in the studio when I can't seem to pull one thing together. On those days it can take up to 12 hours to meet my 24 card a day quota. Yesterday was one of those days. As over there boy pointed out....I over did it earlier in the week.

But when I came down this morning I decided I really liked yesterday's batch of cards.

Everything looks different after it has had a night to settle. The glitter dries and the paper flattens. The stitching seems to glow. It makes me want to immediately start a new set of cards.

But it is Saturday and I plan to do non-card related art. Also, I'll be popping by A Scrapbookers Dream in Bolton. This is their last weekend at this location before opening their new store slightly closer to my neck of the woods. Since I taught there for three years it will be nice to say good bye to the building.

Felt Bead Rings

My mannequins hand is a little too small to really wear this new ring.

But I wanted a neat opening picture to tempt you to read my new post.

A few months ago my friend Odile gave me an amazing gift!

A whole bag of hand felted little beads. She makes them by the hundreds. And, they are all from recycled sweaters too!  Odile has a Etsy shop now: Woolly Fabulous.

When she handed me the bag I was absolutely in love with all the tiny spheres of colour. I knew I wanted to make something great with them and today was the day.

With a whole evening of TV ahead, I pulled out a few supplies and sat down to hand stitch the felt beads in place. I bought the metal circles in a jewelry supply store....so inexpensive I got 12 for .80 cents. I put a little felt into the back to hold my thread knots. Then, all I did was sew all around the circle using the pre drilled hole openings.

I finished the back with an extra piece of felt and then glued a ring blank in place.

And look how they turned out! I stopped at four..but I think I might make a few matching brooches if I have enough felt beads left.

My Own Design Challenge

I like to give myself design challenges.

They usually involve some sort of a threat.

And by threat, I mean the little voice in my studio that says "if you don't use that, it goes into the good will box or bin." Use it or lose it began almost two years ago when my studio was out of control with supplies and I couldn't get anything done. Too many choices.

This vintage green trim was falling into the "lose it" category.

I had taken it from the drawer a half dozen times and then eventually always had to return it unused. I just love it. It is glittery with sequins. But, a little hard to incorporate into a card.

Or so I thought.

Yesterday I noticed it was gathering friends around it.

Suddenly green and black was everywhere.

A card set.

Non traditional. But I like it a lot.

I'm not neglecting Paris though.

Paris and birthdays go hand in hand around here.

All Over The Map

As long as I stay in, the card production just keeps getting better and better!

I made two more sets appropriate for caregivers.

I am officially in pre-Paris planning mode.

Parisian images will now pop into the designs.

And some special Easter cards. I have collected ten of these very pretty crosses. The sentiment of PEACE is one that I use often. I really needs no other wording.