Tuesday, June 25

Behind the Scenes: Making Cards

crystalstine.me
One of my favorite things to do in the world is making handmade cards. But for some reason I don't do it as often as I would like. I seem to only do it when I have something specific to create... and I had a baby shower to attend. One of my favorite gifts to give is handmade thank-you notes. Every new mom (or new bride) has to write at least a few thank-you notes.


So I checked her registry looking for some color schemes. and I came up with gray/yellow (and I knew I had paper in my stash that would be perfect). So I spent a little time at my craft room creating and it came together beautifully and I made a set of 10 cards--cards that I loved so much, I almost didn't want to give them away.

 photo 4f102516-6bae-4503-8e88-55de3000a664_zps6452043d.jpg

This photo is just in the process, but you catch a glimpse of my cluttered work space... miscellaneous stamps from projects of yesterdays (really it's been over 3 months since I last created, I think), a well-stamped grid paper for protecting my workspace, even the little baby in the upper right that is part of my finished cards.

Zoom out even farther and the mess gets a little bigger... paper, paper, and more paper scraps, piles of stamp sets, more ink pads, markers, colored pencils, glue sticks and other adhesives... all the tools that help me in my craft.

I love it so much, I almost want to put my laptop down and head to the basement and craft some more, but it's already past my bedtime and I'm not sure I could create something useable this late at night... maybe tomorrow.

It's funny how just spending an hour or two in my craft area revitalizes my desire to make cards on a regular basis... I just need some accountability, or a personal cheerleader, or a kick in the pants once in a while... will you help me?

Community Conversation: Do you ever send "snail mail" anymore? Are you more likely to send a card from the Dollar Store, or a handmade note? Hypothetically speaking, if you were to buy my cards, give me some ideas for creating... Color scheme, Sentiment, etc!



20 comments:

  1. Those are amazing!

    I send hand-written letters to my grandma, and a friend in California that I used to pass notes to in high school. ;) There's just something about it.

    My favorite cards to send are those Just Thinking Of You-types. Birthday and holiday cards are nice, but they're almost expected and they tend to pile up. Who doesn't like a surprise for no good reason? :)

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    1. Yes, I lean to making mostly Thinking of You and thank you notes!
      thanks for you encouragement

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  2. Oh I love how they turned out and I want to buy them all! :) Seriously, if you sell them give me first dibs?! :)

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    1. I tried selling through Artfire for a few years, but it wasn't successful enough to offset the fees. i guess I just have to build up my "tribe" to start my customer base!! :)

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  3. I love your cards and hope that somehow, magically one of them end up in my mail box (a hint perhaps) - I too love paper crafting and often make my own cards - although it's scrapbooks that get me jazzed.

    I love sending snail mail and totally need to do it more often... thanks for the inspiration.

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    1. I love the hint... adding it to my to-do list!! :)

      Scrapbooking used to be my thing, but I got overwhelmed and gave up...

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  4. Girl, you are amazing. Those are so beautiful! (I would definitely buy some!)

    I'm good at writing notes and giving them to people in person, but terrible about actually mailing them...you are inspiring me to learn the art of snail mail again, especially if what I'm sending is cute. :) And, color-wise, I'm into the whole gray thing right now...wearing it, painting my walls that color, etc...I really love it with yellow, lime, or turquoise. (Just me, though.) ;)

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    1. ooh, love those color ideas, must try them out!
      just wondering what you think is a reasonable cost for homemade cards.

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  5. Those look beautiful!!! I love to send 'snail' mail almost as much as I love to receive but I do tend to send dollar store cards. I am crafty but not with paper. As for color schemes I always lean more towards the earthy colors and love the cards that are just those of encouragement for no special reason.

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    1. That's why I have a hard time pricing my cards... because I'm too cheap to spend hallmark prices on cards!
      I love earthy tones, too... I have some cute fall cards in my stash!

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  6. I will help you keep up with the making of cards and you can help me keep up with sending them out! I had the goal of sending one letter a day with my kids last school year. EPIC FAIL! But this makes me want to try again! The cards are beautiful. I think I recognize some from my Stampin' Up parties I used to host? Have a wonderfully creative day!

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    1. Yes, lots of Stampin Up supplies in my stash... Love their products! I said I was going to start actually using the cards I made this year and while I did send a few, it wasn't really regular! I keep trying, though

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  7. The cards are lovely! And you have a "craft room"? How nice! I've tried my hand at many different crafts (and I have the supplies to prove it) but have yet to find anything to speaks to me, unless you count blogging.

    And I'm a big fan of turquoise with black or gray. :-)

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    1. after 10 years in a 2 bedroom trailer with no space for crafting, God blessed us with a home that had space in the basement for me to set up my craft supplies! It is delightful!!

      and I'm going to be digging for some turquoise soon!

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  8. Your cards a very special. So special I would want to keep them forever! So...what are some ways the cards can be "kept"? I would use them as bookmarks or I would stand them up as a decoration. Any other thoughts??

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    1. I was trying to figure out how to market them in some way to be framed after use... depending on the sentiment!

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  9. Your cards a very special. So special I would want to keep them forever! So...what are some ways the cards can be "kept"? I would use them as bookmarks or I would stand them up as a decoration. Any other thoughts??

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  10. I love them! They turned out great. I will admit that I don't make the cards I mail...sometimes, whether with stamps or my photography. More often it's cards I buy in the $1 bin at Michael's {which are super cute!}. But snail mail is something I do on a regular basis.

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  11. I am horrible at buying people cards, which makes me feel terrible because my best friend buys me cards for every little occasion. I love cards!!....I just forget :(
    Love your Behind the Scenes look though, and am glad it revitalized a bit of your creativity. Being creative is so refreshing for the soul...I just need to find mine as well!

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  12. You are so creative, Julie Anne!
    I LOVE sending snailmails :) I send out 2-5 cards (handmade & pre-made from store) every week :) It is because I was blessed when I received card/mail from others, and I would like to be a blessing to others, too :)
    My favorite stores to get cards are TJMaxx, Marshalls, and Target. I make cards and sell them for raising support :)
    If I were to buy your handmade cards, I love clean & simple, colorful, love handwriting/drawing and stamping too :)

    Blessings,
    Helen G. (www.byheleng.wordpress.com)

    ReplyDelete

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