enJOY it

Will you donate to my silent auction, blog auction, fundraiser, giveaway, great cause, etc.?
Due to a large amount of requests this year (2011), I have decided to address this in the FAQs. While my initial plan was just to donate whenever asked, it’s no longer realistic for me or my small business. So at the moment, I am not giving away product for donations or fundraisers unless there are special circumstances. Thank you so much for your interest. I will make an adjustment here when this policy changes.

Can I link to your blog and use your photos?
Yes, you can link. Yes, you can use my photos but you must provide a link back to where you found them. Common sense. Credit where credit is due. Thank you!

Can I advertise on your blog?
At the moment, I am not taking sidebar advertising. But if you are interested in sponsoring one of my 26 project blog posts, please email me (elise.blaha AT gmail DOT com) for more information & rates.

Will you do a giveaway of my product on your blog?
At the moment, no. I do not do giveaways of anything but my own shop goods.

How do you get people to read your blog?
I have been keeping a blog since December 2005. At first, it was just for my friends and I managed to get my parents reading. At the time, I was active on a scrapbooking message board, and some people found the blog from there.

Here are my recommendations if you are hoping to increase your blog readership. Ultimately though – stay true to who you are. I think people like honesty.

When is your next workshop?
I always blog about online workshops weeks in advance of when they will run. You can also keep an eye on this page of my website. If you are interested in downloading PDFs of old workshops, they can be purchased here. I am open to teaching crafting workshops in real life. If you are a shop owner or have a workshop space and would like to set up a live class, please email me at elise.blaha AT gmail.com.

What kind of camera do you have?
I have two. A small point and shoot – a Canon PowerShot SD 1000. And I recently bought a digital SLR and went with the Canon Rebel XSi. I am a fan. I also bought the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens and I love that too.

The best trick I have to making a crappy camera take decent photos is to play around with the ISO. This will adjust the amount of light let into the camera and may improve your indoor photos. Also, avoid using the flash at all costs.

How do you print your photos?
I print a lot at home. Mostly because I want instant gratification. We have a HP PhotoSmart printer that works just fine and I don’t think it goes through ink too quickly. I print on Office Depot brand semi-gloss photo paper.

I develop photos through colorinc.com and scrapbookpictures.com. I only print with a matte finish.

What is your job?
Currently, I am self employed and keep myself busy with my etsy shop : ELISE JOY. I teach online workshops about once a year – keep an eye out on my blog for more information on upcoming classes. I am also available for custom design work : wedding invitations, stationery & business cards.

Here is my most current resume.

I am very blessed to have a flexible work schedule.

What is letterpress? Can you print a single card/print/something for me?
Here is a full description of the letterpress process. I have recently moved to Southern California and right now, I do not have access to a letterpress printer and am not making anything using this method.

What is gocco printing?
Here is a video tutorial of the gocco printing process. 

What kind of sewing machine to do you have?
A Singer Esteem II.

I am a beginner scrapbooker. How should I start?
Don’t panic. Don’t buy a lot of supplies. The hardest part is not overwhelming yourself. Don’t think, “I need to go back and scrapbook 20 years of memories.” For one, that is impossible, and for two, that will not be any fun. Start by printing or finding your favorite photos. Make scrapbook pages telling the story of those photos. If you are able to get through all your favorites, THEN start working on some of the not so favorites. Try to not get caught up in hype that you must scrapbook everything.

I also recommend browsing the galleries (and design team galleries) at Two Peas in a Bucket. There is so much inspiration there to start getting ideas. Another idea: buy a scrapbooking kit from a website like Studio Calico or Cocoa Daisy. I am always impressed with the amount of stuff in scrapbooking kits. You will only need to add adhesive, scissors and your photos.

What are your favorite scrapbooking supplies?
I am a big believer in less is more. My favorite tools are: detail scissors (extra pointy), a 15-Inch Cut Rotatrim Professional Cutter, (but I also like this  Fiskars paper cutter), stapler, a Crop-A-Dile (punches through everything all at once and can set eyelets), a corner rounder, scalloped scissors and a gluestick or tape runner.

I also love: paint, glitter, labels, shipping tags, embroidery floss and transparencies (the all clear ones that used to be used with an overhead projector in school).

For paper, I primarily use: white textured cardstock and gray and tan cardstock.  The patterned papers I use most frequently are Hambly and American Crafts.

For pens, I use American Crafts Slick Writers in black.

For stamps, I believe in keeping it simple. Circles, squares, frames. And I use Staz-on ink pads almost exclusively. I hate waiting for ink to dry.

I don’t like it when you don’t blog about craft/scrapbooking/mini-books. Why don’t you do that more?
Hmm. This blog is a personal blog. It is a blog about my life. Often, that involves craft projects – but it also involves general chatter. If you are looking for all craft all the time, I highly recommend the Martha Stewart Craft Blog. Or a google search for “craft blog.”

How do you make your mini books?
I taught an online workshop on minibook making that can be purchased in PDF form here.

So are the photos and the paper in your mini books just touching each other? Will that ruin the photos?
Yep, just touching. I don’t know if this will ruin the photos, but if it does, I am not too worried. They are just pictures. And I have them all on my computer anyway. For me, it is worth it to have the creative outlet of making stuff.

Any other questions? Something I have missed? Leave a comment I will get it added. Thank you for reading!