Crafting on a Budget

These lovely birdhouses are just a couple of the many 3d svg designs you'll find at Dreaming Tree.  With a few fun touches, like little birds and moss from the Dollar Tree and even a few of the silk flowers they have, you can have a beautiful gift for a friend or neighbor, or put a touch of sping in your home decor.


 

Someone may be wondering where I disappeared to, so I thought I would take a minute and update by blog.  In September,  a new grandson was born.  Then in October, and new granddaughter was born.  I watch the grandson and his sister (who turns three in a few days) Monday through Friday and I watch the new granddaughter about 2 Saturdays each month.  That doesn't leave much time or energy for crafting these days.  I do manage to sneak in an item or two here and there.  I did make a free file from Dreaming Tree for preschool teachers.

Back in the spring, when Cinderella first came out, I took my grandsons and a friend to see it.  I fell in love with that version of the movie.  I had planned to make the pumpkin coach by SVG Cuts, but never got around to it.  This week, I rented it at Redbox and watchd it with my granddaughter. (She's 2 1/2).  After we watched it a few times, I knew for sure I wanted to make the coach.  So I picked out my papers and got to cutting.

June 14th is Sunday and that is Flag day.  That means you can get out all of your patriotic decor and enjoy it for almost a month!  

I feel inspired to make the lighthouse from SVG Cuts.  I think that will be my project this weekend.  I have the Graphic 45 paper By the Sea, so I should put it to good use.

It has been awhile since I've posted.  It's been awhile since I was in my craft studio.  I'm really tardy in completing the prize for the 200 page likes give away, but I finally got all the 3D pieces put together.


This is the first time I've made all the 3D projects in a single kit.  It was really fun to pick a paperstack collection and work only from that stack for the decorated papers.  I also kept a common theme on the solid color paper.  I hope the winner will like the choices!

I'm hoping to get into my studio and craft some more.  Since I didn't complete my 30 day challenge, so many events have kept me out of the craft room.  Hopefully, this has passed and I can get back to more crafting.  At least a few times a week!

Thanks for stopping by.  I want to put the General Store from Country Market SVG kit together soon.  Be sure to check in and see how I'm doing!

First, let me start today's blog with a customer service story.  Yesterday's project didn't turn out the way I had invisioned, and I want to make another cap, correctly.  One of the problems I encoutered was the shape I wanted to cut didn't maintain the score lines when I broke it apart and copied it to a different page.  This is something that is really easy to do, if you know what you're doing.  Clearly, yesterday I did not.  I had to hand score the tabs for the front panels.  I don't enjoy scoring by hand.  I knew that what I wanted to do could be done, I just didn't know how to go about it.  So, I sent an email to SVG Cuts.  They are the designers of the file I was using.  Within 2 hours I had a response and a link to the video I needed.  2 hours!   That's just the kind of service you can always expect from SVG Cuts.

Now on to todays challenge.  It was a double challenge, because my granddaughter is sick, and that always limits any time I have for anything!  This project is going to take two days.  I spent this evening cutting it out and will put it together tomorrow.  Here's a picture of my progress

It is day 2 and I do have another project to share.  Today it's from the SVG Cuts Box Cards file.

Tomorrow I will begin posting a new project each day of April.  Now to be honest, I don't plan on doing a project on Easter Sunday because of a family dinner I'll be hosting, so I'll do an additional project in the few days before and post it on Easter!  Be sure to check in often (or daily would be even better) to see what crafty goodness I'll be up to!  I hope to dive into svg kits that I have only dreamed of completing up to now! Fingers crossed!

Be sure to check out my Facebook page.  I'll do a give away when it hits 200 page likes!

I didn't sell a lot of what I had made for the craft show on February 7, but I did get a few nice orders for bunnies.  I finished the first order today.

Well,  I made it.  Got to my first craft show and actually sold a few things!  Unfortunately for the vendors and crafters,  Wichita had a February temp of high 68 so the traffic was a little light.  Most people chose to spend the day in the great outdoors on such a glorious day.  We've had some really cold temps, so I don't blame them!  I met some really nice people and bought some wonderful jams from Steve's Jams and Jellies.  I opened the Cherry Cheesecake right away to try it.  It really taste like Cherry Cheesecake!

Ok, back to my experience.

We could choose to set up either Friday evening, or Saturday morning.  I chose Saturday morning, so I could do a mock set up at home first.  (I also had to finish up pricing and packing my items)  I got up just before 6am, took my shower, loaded my car and drove over to pick up my niece, who was helping me.  We arrived right at 8 am and got busy setting up.  We were done by 9 and I am very pleased with how our booth turned out.

 One of the things my family highly suggested was for me to take the Easter bunnies from last year and see if anyone wanted to order them.  That was the best idea of all!  I ended up with orders for 10 bunnies!

All in all, I am very pleased with my first attempt at craft showing.  I'll be keeping a look out for another small craft show for the future.  In the mean time, I have some bunnies to make!

Be sure to visit my Facebook page and give it a like!

It's time to give something away!  Go to my Facebook page for your chance to win a clutch purse like this one shown!

A new year is here and  I plan to share more projects with you while building up an inventory to take my crafting to a few shows this year.  I hope you will follow along while I share my experiences with you.

My first goal will be to create some easy to assemble items that I can make in quantities that won't take up a lot of storage, or table space.  With paper crafting, that is one of my biggest concerns; having the necessary space to display enough items to make the craft show circuit profitable, and keeping things from being crushed before they get there!  Displaying is also a concern.  Table tops alone won't allow for many items to be displayed.  I have been on a search for the folding type wire shelves that were very popular a few years ago.  I have found two so far.  I need display items that are light weight and easily portable.  I'll continue looking for the shelves while I start making a list of projects to work on.

I find that taking the time to select the paper and cut out the project is the big hurdle for me.  I love putting them together.  Assembly is something I can do while sitting with my granddaughter as she plays.  She can turn my craft room into a disaster area if she's allowed in there!  So cutting is something I have to do in the evenings, or during her nap time.  However, I find that time taken up by other things that have to get done.  That's something I need to overcome if I want to get this going!

Typing up my blog post is a way to keep me motivated.  I feel if I have posted that I'm going to do something, that someone out there will be checking back to see when or if I get it done!  So keep me honest blog readers!

As always, all the projects I will be creating are from SVG Cuts.  I have registered with SVG Cuts for commercial use of their files, so I am allowed to sell at craft shows or on my website.

If you are reading this, and have sold your creations at craft shows, please feel free to comment.  Perhaps you have some very useful advice for me and fellow readers!

As always, be sure to visit my Facebook page and like it.  I will be doing more give aways starting soon!

If you have an electronic cutting machine, (i.e. a cricut, cameo, eclips, brother) then you need to click on the link below and get your absolutely free Santa's Sweets SVG kit from SVG Cuts.  It's their way of wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Today I got a  Facebook post from SVG Cuts alerting that there was a new free design available for download.  It just reaffirmed why I love SVG Cuts and have since Easter of 2010.
 This was a free file that they offered on 2-27-2010.  It is also the day I discovered how wonderful they are!  Below is what I made for a class of preschoolers for an Easter take home treat.  I had just gotten my Cricut Expression in December, and hadn't really done any crafting like this before.   SVG Cuts taught me a lot!

For November, the give away will be winners choice.  There are still fans that prefer to keep the autumn theme going.  I will have the drawing on November 15.   Be sure to check out my Facebook page.  If you like the post for the give away, you'll get one chance.  If you send a friend my way, you'll get 5 more chances.  They need to say you sent them, and like my page for you to get the additional chances.  If we get to 100 page likes by November 15, I'll make the North Pole Express for the milestone give away.  So, visit my page (click here for the link).  Be sure to like it.  Share my page with your friends.  Be sure they know to like my page, and leave a comment that you sent them.  Then you'll get even more chances to win!  You might even win the North Pole Express!

Thanks for stopping by!