Holiday Card Contest

My Christmas medallion card has been entered into the Holiday Card Contest on Instructables. It would be great if you voted for me :)

View my instructable here and click on the "Vote Now" button at the top of the page.

Happy Holidays!

Introducing...Mommy's Little Helper

MommysLittleHelper.etsy.com (Bath and Body shop)
1MaddieAndMe.etsy.com (Children's Clothing shop)

Today's feature is about two Etsy shops owned by the same person. Mommy's Little Helper has both a bath and body shop and a children's clothing shop.

Her bath and body shop is a delightfully unique shop with fun, quirky items such as "Monster Away Spray", to exterminate monsters lurking in your kid's room, and "Boo Boo Bags" to help calm an injured child.
The first item shown here is soap titled "We 3 Kings". It contains real gold leaf flakes, Ethopian Myrrh and Frankincense.

It looks like a piece of art and has great reviews on how it lathers, smells and how it leaves your skin feeling.

A great gift idea for someone looking to send a traditional style Christmas present.

This next item is "Cleopatra's Bath Milk". This is a 5 year old Mommy's Little Helper secret recipe and comes in a cool glass jar.

It looks like it would be incredibly relaxing to take a bath filled with these milk epsom salts.

Everything in her bath and body shop has a great price also.


Her second shop sells children's clothing. There are some adorable outfits available.

One of my favourites is this Damask patterned dress. It would make a cute Christmas day outfit. It is made of cotton with a cream lining and a tulle ruffle.

There are other matching outfits made from the same pattern, so you can dress several kids in the same design.


This last piece is a cute Christmas tree dress called "Round the Christmas Tree". It is cleverly made from a long sleeve t-shirt with a ruffle sewn onto the hem to make a dress. The t-shirt is embellished with appliques from the ruffle skirt fabric.

All her clothes come with washing instructions labels sewn in.

She also offers a gift wrap and drop service so that items intended as gifts can be gift wrapped and sent directly to the recipient.

Check out her shops today!

Learn how to make my Christmas medallion card

My newest Christmas card is a stunning 3D and glittery medallion card.

The medallion is embossed in gold, embellished with glitter and layered to give a dimensional effect.

It is available to buy now in my Etsy shop, click here to buy.

Or, if you are feeling creative you can learn how to make your own medallion card. I have made a step by step Instructables guide on how to make it. Click here to get started!

I now ship Internationally!

Because of increased traffic on my blog from countries from almost every continent, I realised that I am possibly missing out on customer opportunities by not offering international shipping.

Therefore, I am now offering international shipping. My items now have shipping rates for the US, Canada and Everywhere else.

So now, anyone from any country can purchase my cards!

Introducing...A Fine Distraction

www.AFineDistraction.etsy.com

I would like to share with everyone the beautiful jewellery sold by A Fine Distraction. Her store was one of the first that I ever came across when I started out on Etsy, and she remains my favourite jewellery shop to this day.

A Fine Distraction started out when she decided to make some wine stem charms for her mum. She started looking for materials to make them and became hooked on beads. This soon turned into a love of jewellery making. Earlier this year, she opened A Fine Distraction on Etsy.

Her work is inspired by nature and this is shown by the soft coloured beads and antique brass in all her pieces. I find her jewellery beautifully subtle, just the type of jewellery I like. The first piece shown here is a set of White Wedding Lucite Flower earrings.

A lot of her shop is earrings, but there are also a few necklaces and bracelets. Shown here is a Cranberry Pearl Passion Flower necklace. A large stunning flower with subtle muted red, cranberry and plum coloured pearls and antique brass chain.
The backgrounds used in her photographs only make her jewellery look even better.

Shown here is a Golden Tortoise bracelet made with Czech glass and antique brass. Its faceted glass beads gleam in the sun and has a very autumnal feel to it.

This last set of earrings are pink and purple fairy baubles. They are blooming pink lucite flowers in enamelled purple flower bead caps. Simply adorable.

Check out her shop today!

Introducing...Clippy Hut

http://www.clippyhut.etsy.com

I would like to share with everyone the adorable hair clips made by Clippy Hut.

Clippy Hut makes many different styles of hair clips that are all very cute. Many of them are suitable for toddlers and young kids. But she also makes clips that would suit adults, yay!

This first set of hair clips epitomises Clippy Hut's style. The flower hair clips are aligator clips decorated with loops of ribbon, a button and a flower embellishment. So cute for kids.

This second set of hair grips is an excellent example of clips for kids or adults. I would definitely wear these fabric button bobby pins! The designs are beautiful and the fabric comes directly from Japan.

This third set of hair clips have to be my favourite. They are made with Swarvoski crystal beads. They would look stunning when added to
a hairstyle for a special occasion such as a wedding.

This final hair clip is perfect for the upcoming holiday season. How adorable would a child look with this in her hair on Christmas day. So cute. And it can be made with your choice from 3 different ribbon styles for the tree.

Clippy Hut also accepts custom orders, so if you don't see anything you like (unlikely!) or you have an idea in mind, let her know.
Check out her shop today!

First Christmas card set

I have listed my first Christmas card set on my Etsy store. Click here to see it.

I decided to sell my Christmas cards in sets of 4 because I think people may prefer this for holiday cards rather than single cards.

I actually really love how these Christmas tree cards turned out.

Check back at my shop to see more sets which will be added soon.

UPDATE. I have listed my second set. It is a set of 4 poinsettia Christmas cards. Click here to see it.

Cool Japanese dolls

We went to a Japanese supermarket called Mitsuwa on Saturday. It's in north NJ near New York. My bf loves Japanese food, so he picked up a whole load of groceries. There was also an awesome food court inside, the whole place was buzzing with people. I had some really good udon noodles and then we shared this pancake type thing, I forget the name of it!

As well as the supermarket, there are other little stores in the complex such as a Japanese bookstore and a couple of stores that sell Japanese bowls and tea sets, furniture and other Japanese things.

I came across the stationary section and found lots of cool origami stuff. I bought a couple of things. My favourite is this kit to make little Japanese dolls. They are so cute! I can't wait to make cards with them. Will have to wait til after Christmas though, have to concentrate on Christmas cards!

Introducing...Ladybug Designs

http://www.ladybugdesigns1995.etsy.com

I would like to share with everyone the wonderful shop of Ladybug Designs. Behind Ladybug Designs are two ladies who design and put together cross stitch kits based on famous artworks. When I first came across this store I was amazed! I used to do a lot of cross stitching but I have never seen such beautiful designs and think that being able to cross stitch my own Picasso or Monet masterpiece is such a cool idea.

The two ladies that are Ladybug Designs are stitching veterans! They started Ladybug Designs back in 1995 and have enjoyed much success selling their designs through catalogs such as The Stitchery Catalog, Keepsake Needlearts Catalog and Annie's Attic Catalog. This year they started an Etsy shop.
The first cross stitch design shown here is an adaptation of Monet's "The Japanese Bridge".

If you can part with your beautiful creation once it's completed these would make great gifts, especially for somebody who is a fan of a particular artist. Ladybug Designs features designs adapted from works by Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh, Matisse, Degas, Gauguin, Homer, Klimt, Munch, O'Keeffe, Renoir, Seurat, Diego Rivera and several contemporary artists.
This second design is an adaptation of "Nature Morte" by Picasso.

The designs are easy to read and follow, and all the materials you'll need to complete the design are included in the kit. The prices of the kits are also great. They also offer the option of "Chart Only" for 1/2 the kit price.
This third design is an adaptation of Seurat's "Sunday in the Park".

I would like to finish this feature with a quote from one of the ladies behind Ladybug Designs.
"It's a wonderful way to display your favorite masterpiece that you actually had a hand in creating, which actually you've spent far more time on than the original artist. It's very rewarding to complete a masterpiece that in the art world is "Priceless"".
This last design is an adaptation of "Sunflowers" by Van Gogh.

Check out their shop today on Etsy!

Thanksgiving cards

Here are my two newest cards. Both are Thanksgiving cards. They are both my favourite cards ever that I've made. I was having a great couple of days, creatively, when I made these. I love them.

The first one includes hand stamped leaves in varying autumn colours. I created the background to the leaves by using a teabag coloured distress ink pad. Finished off with an autumn plaid design and a "Thanksgiving blessings" greeting. It suits this time of year perfectly.


For the second card I decided to use some handmade paper. I have lots of this, so I decided this is the perfect season to use it on. I stamped leaves in gold ink and a small dotty background in brown ink. I ripped the edges of the handmade paper and the orange paper it is mounted on to give it a natural look. Tip, when trying to achieve this ripped paper look, run a wet paintbrush along the line where you wish to rip. This makes ripping easier as the rip will stay along the wet line and there is less chance of ripping into your image. I really like the subtle greeting, reading "We are Thankful", stamped in a soft brown chalk ink in the corner of the card. Oh I love them both. Definitely proud of these two. Fellow card markers will know that that's not always the case for every card you make!

I will be posting both on my Etsy shop in about an hour, so take a look!

SALE!!!!

I have reduced a selection of my cards by 15%! Check out the sale section of my Etsy shop here.
Here are a couple of the cards on sale. I also took new photos of all my cards, which I'm pretty proud of. I like using a white background, I think it brings out the colours in my cards alot more.

Introducing...Little Hand Studios

http://Littlehandstudios.etsy.com

I would like to share with everyone the beautiful handmade glass artwork made by Little Hand Studios. Their store is full of bright and shimmering fused glass plates, pendants and other glass decorations. As Little Hand says herself, life is full of colour, celebrate it!

The majority of their shop is fused glass plates. These are not only fun, they are functional since they are food safe. So use them as decoration, to serve food or even as a soap dish. The colours in this stunning Le Cirque plate look so crisp and glimmer in the light.

Their modern bright plates, such as this Cherry red tic tac toe plate, would look great displayed as a candy dish.

As well as modern designs, they also make beautiful classic style plates, like this amazing Raspberry ambrosia plate where pink glass is fused with creamy white glass. This one has to be my absolute favourite.

As well as plates, they also make pendants. The one shown here is aptly named you are my sunshine, and would brighten anyone's day if given as a gift.

Check out their shop today!

Shop Handmade, yay or nay?

I was just wondering if anyone who reads my blog had come across Shophandmade.com? It is sponsored by an online rubber stamp company that I buy from so they sent me an email telling me about it. I was initially drawn to it due to the fact that listings are free. I have listed 5 of my cards but then stopped because I found the user interface very glitchy and non intuitive.
When I listed my cards there were only about 60ish cards listed, now there are 390. So lots of people are listing. They say that it is still a beta, so the glitchy issues may get sorted out, but I'm still not sold. It made me realise how professional a site Etsy is.

Take a look http://www.shophandmade.com/home and also at my shop here

Would appreciate comments from anyone who has an opinion :)

Introducing...Sunbasilgarden

http://www.sunbasilgarden.etsy.com

I would like to share with everyone the beautiful soaps created by sunbasilgarden. Bright, crisp and clean colors in modern designs await you at her shop. Her soaps are also made with top ingredients that produce a wonderful lather, so they not only look great but leave you feeling great too! (I'm a customer).

Her soaps come in many different colors and yummy scents including pink grapefruit, salty caramel ice cream and kumquat. Soaps that smell good enough to eat!

She also makes fun soaps such as her section of foodie soaps that includes eggs and bacon, buttered toast and even basmati rice soap! Try finding that in the stores.

Another of her great ideas is her loofah soaps. These soaps have an organic loofah embedded into the soap, such as the cucumber melon loofah soap shown here. These soaps are great for using on knees, elbows and heels to keep skin soft.

As the holiday season approaches, also check out her Christmas soaps such as this glittery Christmas tree soap. What a great Christmas present this would make.

Check out her Etsy shop today!

Baby Cards

Last weekend I went to a baby shower for my boyfriend's cousin who is having a girl. The party was great and was beautifully decorated. Everyone was given a frame in the shape of a shoe to display a photo of the baby once it arrives. It's adorable.

The shower was also great because it forced me to get making baby cards, which I have been planning on doing for a while. I made her the girl version of the baby feet card that I show here. I recently purchased gorgeous new white card from an online company. It gives a beautiful quality to these cards. The design is simple but stunning. The image and greeting are backed with pearlized card, which I also purchased from the same company. Amazing quality. The card is also finished with a quality white paper insert which is stamped with a cute paragraph about babies. I have to thank a fellow Etsian from whom I purchased the stamps to make this card: http://www.stakersensations.etsy.com

The second baby card is just too cute. Who wouldn't want to hug that baby? I stamped a rattle and diaper pin as a background and mounted the baby image on 3D foam pads to add dimension. I finished the card with pink gingham ribbon and brads. This card contains the same paragraph stamped onto the paper insert, but in pink of course! I am adding a paper insert to all of my cards now, because I love the quality of this paper so much.

Both cards are available in girl and boy on my Etsy store.

Halloween Cards

In line with the below post, even my Halloween cards are kind of cute. I instantly fell in love with the chick dressed up in a pumpkin costume stamp. Colored in with shimmering stardust pens and backed with glittery card, makes chicky look ready to go "chick" or treating.
The second card features a fun frankenstein who is offering you a flower. A different take on the usual depiction of frankenstein. Coupled with a greeting reading "Have a frightfully fun Halloween" with a spider web hanging between the words, this card would be great for a kids' halloween party.
My third halloween card is slightly more spooky. Glittery bats fly around an eery looking tree, in front of a silvery full moon. Send this to someone and they will "Have a Spooktacular Halloween"

Cute animal stamps

If you visit my Etsy store, you may see that I don't really have a trademark style. I like to think I use different styles for my cards. But one recurring theme you may begin to observe is the use of cute cartoon style stamps, like these animal designs. They are too adorable. And I love how easy they are to make pretty by simply adding color.

They look particularly great when colored with a watercolor style technique. This is achieved by scribbling a brush marker or stamping an ink pad onto an acrylic block and then mixing with a wet paintbrush to produce a watercolor. When using this technique, it is best to use a permanent ink to stamp your image.

Another of my favorite ways to color in these type of stamps is with stardust pens from Sakura. They give a shimmering effect, and come in bright colors. Perfect for the cheery chick in the "you rock" card.

Medallion Cards

There are many medallion design rubberstamps out there. And I love pretty much all of them. I think they are so majestic looking, but best of all they are very versatile. Here I have made three very different cards by simply changing the color scheme, coloring medium and medium stamped on. They can be used to make cards for any occasion.

Another reason I love them is their ability to be decoupaged. This is shown in the Christmas card. The medallion is stamped several times, each time cutting out only one layer of the design and then assembling them with foam pads to make a 3D design. Looks fabulous.

The red and white medallion was stamped onto clear vellum and embossed with white embossing powder. It was then colored with red Sakura glaze pens which dry to a glossy finish.

The purple medallion was stamped onto black card and embossed with white embossing powder. It was then painted with purple Twinkling H2O paint. When these paints are used on black card they produce intense, almost glowing color, very different to when used on white card.

The Christmas medallion was stamped several times onto ivory card and embossed with gold embossing powder. Each layer was cut out separately. I then used a quicky glue pen from Sakura to apply glue to the areas where I wanted glitter. I applied green and red glitter to alternating layers. I then assembled each layer. On this occasion I simply glued each layer together, but foam pads can also be used to acheive more dimension.
**Please note** The Christmas medallion card is currently not available on my Etsy store. I plan to make a new one soon for when I start listing Christmas cards.