Can you believe it’s holiday season again?! Seemed like the year just started and now we’re nearing its end! Where I live, it’s even time to take out our winter coats because it’s getting ridiculously chilly outside – although the cold weather didn’t stop Rinoa from riding her bike this morning for an hour!
Anyway, I wanted to share what I prepared for the holiday shows I’m participating in this year. The first one was last Saturday and it went well considering the fact that most people were not in a Christmas shopping mood yet – too busy preparing for this week’s Thanksgiving dinner – and my two daughters kept asking me for money so that they can shop around! Rinoa definitely rocked the house with cards that featured two of her awesome artworks. (I’ll be sharing more on that in a future post.)
I have two more upcoming events – Rockford Handmade Market on December 1 at the Prairie Street Brewhouse and Holly Jolly Market on December 2 and 3 at the Millenium Center. (You can find more details on the right sidebar.) If you can’t come, worry not! You can shop right here at the site! :)
Mini Tree Kirigami Holiday Card
Mini Tree Kirigami Holiday Card (cover)
Gift with Bow Kirigami Holiday Card
Gift with Bow Kirigami Holiday Card (cover)
Reindeer Kirigami Holiday Card
Reindeer Kirigami Holiday Card (cover)
Star Kirigami Holiday Card
Star Tree Kirigami Holiday Card (cover)
Kirigami is the Japanese art of papercutting that involves a folded base and usually has a symmetrical design. All the cards featured here were hand-cut with an X-acto knife and are available at the shop.
Thank you so much for all those who posted a comment for my Fall Giveaway! I had fun reading the comments. And the winner is Trea Newsome! Congratulations, you will receive the cards in the photo. Please email me your mailing address this week so I can send them to you.
I want to share part of my process when making cards. I usually start with a 12″ x 12″ cardstock paper. (I have tons of them!) I cut an 8.5″ width from the cardstock to make either 1 large card that measures 8.5″ x 5.5″ or 2 small cards that each measure 5.5″ x 4.25″. I then use the remaining 3.5″ width from the 12″ x 12″ cardstock to make 2 mini note cards that each measure 3.0″ x 3.5″. I use these mini cards a lot to write short messages (especially thank you notes) that I include in the packages I ship out.
A diagram of how I partition a 12x12 cardstock for use in making cards.
I normally make cards in batches and I usually have a theme for each session. It makes making a mess easier to handle. Here are samples from my autumn-themed cardmaking session. This first one measures 5.5″ x 4.25″.
The corrugated board on the card is from a coffee cup sleeve. I ripped off the top layer to expose the corrugation and then I painted it with crackle paint. It’s a great way to reuse items that will otherwise just be discarded.
Below are some of the note cards I made. The design is mostly made up of scraps and leftovers. Again, it’s a great way to stretch supplies and minimize waste.
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| Fun Fall Giveaway |
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Fall is my favorite season! I love how the leaves turn yellow, orange, and red – making everything outside feel so utterly romantic! I love seeing leaves pile up on my driveway and watching the wind rustle them away. I love the anticipation of the coming holidays and the sweater-perfect weather. But fall also means that winter is just around the corner and I don’t like winter – it’s so depressing! I’ve been wanting to move to a warmer place but it also means that I lose experiencing fall every year. Sometimes I’m torn. I don’t know which I like better – having an autumn season to enjoy or escaping the dreary months of winter. How about you? If you had a choice, would you prefer to live in a place where the climate is moderate or in a place where there are four seasons?
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below with your thoughts on my question and I will choose one lucky winner who will receive 6 adorable mini note cards like the samples I showed above. Comments will be closed this Sunday (October 23, 2011) at 10:00 PM CST. You can double your chances of winning by retweeting this post or sharing it in Facebook. (If you do share it in Facebook, please mention it in your comment.) I will announce the winner on Monday.
