Sewn Wedding Invitation

Someday I would love to work on a custom invitation like the one featured on the Merriment Design blog. The fabric, the stitching, the colors...everything is perfect. I may have to throw a housewarming party and make some fun sewn invitations for it! I'll have to find the perfect fabric...maybe something with little houses on it.

Check out the original post because she shares all the supplies and templates you will need.

Interview with T and Little S Designs

Just a few short weeks ago I sent a message to my fellow Etsy Team Columbus members asking about doing some interviews. Would anyone be interested, I said. I got 2 replies almost immediately and then slowly others have filtered in. Traci, from T and Little S Designs was the second to volunteer and I'm so happy to have this interview with her today. I think you will all love her items made for your home and your parties as much as I do. Check out the giveaway at the end of the post as well!
Tell Us About Yourself: My name is Traci, and I'm a former teacher turned stay-at-home-Mommy to my 2 1/2 year old daughter, Sophia. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Wilmington College and a Master's Degree in Elementary Education from OSU, and I swear that I use both degrees every single day with my toddler. I enjoy creating things with paper and through decoupage and love to give new life to boring or recycled items. I'm also currently learning to sew and make hair bows that I may sell at local craft shows, but don't currently plan to sell online.

What Kind Of Items Do You Sell In Your Etsy Shop: Ceramic coasters, party supplies/invites, shop supplies (thank you notes, etc). I'm working on a new line with more items for the home and additional party supply kits and themes.

What Brought You To Etsy: I decided to join Etsy the same time I started my own business. My daughter was around 6 months old, and I realized that I really needed a creative outlet in my life. a way to really grow as an individual in addition to as a Mom. I learned about Etsy through an article in a parenting magazine and decided to give it a try. I'm so glad that I did!

How Do You Promote Your Shop: Right now, I promote my shop through Facebook, my own blog, alchemy requests, and occasionally through Twitter. I also regularly contribute sample items to the Spotted Box.

What Is Your Favorite Item In Your Shop Right Now: I have several that I really like, but I think my personal favorite is this set of funky bird ceramic coasters on blue. I love that the blue makes it seem a little retro but the funky birds give it a modern punch.

What Is Your Biggest Shop Goal In The Next Six Months: I really want to have a big holiday season and grow my business. I've really narrowed down my focus to decoupaged items for the home (coasters, with frames, light switches, and outlet covers coming soon!) and for the events in your life (party supplies, invites, coasters as favors, etc). I would love to get to 400 sales by the end of summer and 500 sales by the end of the year. I aim big!

Favorites: Food, Music, Books, whatever you love: Seeing as the only music I listen to and shows/movies I really watch are Dora or Diego, there's little time for my own tastes. However, I love to watch reality TV shows, Tori and Dean, home remodeling shows, etc when I get the chance. My music tastes are pretty eclectic, but a few of my favorites are Jason Mraz and Norah Jones. However, I've been known to turn up the 80's and 90's rock music when the little one is away. I really need to get my own ipod soon :)

To win your own set of funky bird ceramic coasters leave a comment! Contest will end Friday (August 7th) at noon, Eastern time.

Thanks Traci! Be sure to check out T and Little S Designs on Etsy!

Giveaway Winner

The winner of the pendant from Smarty Pants Design is comment #3 from tscrapper!

Click the contact me button over to the right to send me your mailing information!

Interview with Smarty Pants Design

I'm so excited today to have my first real interview with Heather of Smarty Pants Design. Heather is a member of Etsy Team Columbus who I've had the opportunity to meet at a couple of different team events, including the Eco Chic Craftacular back in May. I can't wait to share Heather's work with you.Tell Us About Yourself: I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland...took watercolor lessons at age 12 and gradually art just became more and more a part of my life. I moved to Columbus to study painting at the Columbus College of Art and Design and loved the city so much that 9 years later, I'm still here. I love to dabble in all kinds of mediums, and have tried my hand at stained glass, feltmaking, woodworking, and all sorts of mixed media projects. A few years ago I started making jewelry, then began making my own beads from polymer clay, and that's evolved into my current business, Smarty Pants, where I make and sell my own handcrafted beads and buttons.

What Kind Of Items Do You Sell In Your Etsy Shop: Polymer clay beads and buttons, all individually hand rolled by me...I don't use any molds, and I typically mix my own colors. I also sell finished pieces of jewelry made with my own beads. I have an additional shop under my own name, HeatherWirth.etsy.com that I use as an outlet to sell my paintings and other artwork.

What Brought You To Etsy: My friend back home in Maryland turned me onto the site. She sells baby gear on Etsy as part of her own business, Bitchen Stitchen. She's always been such a huge supporter of my artwork that once she realized how fantastic the website is, she told me I had to try it out.

How Do You Promote Your Shop: I frequently post links to new items on my Facebook page, or visit Etsy chat rooms to advertise new pieces, but mostly I focus on print media - business cards, postcards, etc. I recently participated with some fellow Etsy Team Columbus members to create a brochure featuring our Etsy shops, which each member then in turn distributes to their own clientele.

What Is Your Favorite Item In Your Shop Right Now: It's a pendent I just created this week...it's a blend of chocolate brown, cream, yellow and emerald green polymer clay, rolled together in such a way that it looks to be half woodgrain, half gemstone. I particularly love to use clay to emulate other materials, like a woodgrain, slate, a piece of turquoise, a gemstone, etc. I think the biggest compliment is when a customer doesn't realize my work is created with clay.

What Is Your Biggest Shop Goal In the Next Six Months: I would like to list things more frequently. I have quite a bit of merchandise that is sitting on my worktable waiting on me to photograph, so I would love to have a faster turnaround, and have things listed on my site the same day they are created.

Favorites: Food, Music, Books, Movies, whatever you love: I love all kinds of Mexican...although Mexican would probably call it Tex Mex...fajitas, quesadillas, tacos, and a margarita of course. Right now I'm listening to quite a bit of Brett Dennen and Ray Lamantagne, and in general I'm a sucker for a heart-on-his-sleeve acoustic guitar player. I haven't read it yet, but Wally Lamb, who is my ALL time favorite author recently put out his third novel, so I anticipate that it will soon be my favorite book.

Thank you so much for the interview, Heather. Your work is beautiful and I'm so happy to know you a little better now!

If you'd like to own something from Smarty Pants Design, leave a comment here before Friday at noon (Eastern time). You could be the lucky winner of this Surfer Girl Pendant!

Winner will be announced on Friday!

Free Printables: Book Club Goodness

Next Thursday night I have book club with 8 of my closest book-loving buddies. We are finishing The Wonder Spot by Melissa Bank which we picked specifically for the short story aspect of the book. It has been a nice summery read and pretty amusing. I'm going to really push for our next book to be The Time Traveler's Wife. I really want to read it before the movie comes out. I might have to bribe the rest of the book club with some fun book club treats!

Get the freebies for your book club too...
Book Club Gift Labels
Ex Libris Gift Labels
Ex Libris Labels

Thank you to Wedding Style Guide for the freebies

Mailing Your Wedding Invitations

Proper Postage

Bring a completed invitation to the post office to have it weighed; many require postage for at least two ounces, currently 61 cents. Have a reply card and its envelope weighed as well, to ensure that you don't over or underpay for that postage.

Selecting Stamps

Ask what's available at your local post office, or browse through a wider variety at the U.S. Postal Service website: http://www.usps.com/. Vintage stamps can be purchased from philatelic societies. They are worth the amount printed on them - but they can cost much more, since they are collectible and limited in quantity.

Hand-Canceling

Take your invitations to the post office and request that they be hand-canceled. Machines print bar codes on the envelopes, but hand-canceling- just marking each stamp- keeps invitations neat and prevents damage that machines could cause. (Maybe you'll have better luck with this than I did-my post office refused to hand-cancel for me.)

original information from Martha Stewart Weddings 2003

Real Wedding: Suzanne & Joe

Suzanne was a co-teacher of mine. I taught 4th and she was down the hall teaching 3rd. Then she moved to the middle school, found love (not with a student...obviously), and decided to get married. She heard that I made invitations (well, 1 so far) and contacted me.

Suzanne wanted a simple wedding and a simple but elegant invitation to match. Nothing fancy, just a sheer ribbon to tie around it.

But you should have felt this paper...such luxury.