an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.
Whew. Mini kits for sale. Save your summer.
The kits do not include book rings. I am thinking of having them as an add-on, but this is not something I will be able to get in the shop until next week. If you are curious where to buy book rings (the little silver guys that hold it all together) I have found them at Staples and Office Depot. In the same section as the paper clips. If you are an internet shopper, amazon.com has oodles to pick from
It really couldn't feel less like summer around here. But I know it will. It will. It will. I cannot wait.
I started this book as a summer project similar to what I made in Fall 07. It is part of my plan to a) enjoy this summer because I seem to have waited for it forever and b) to PRINT MORE PHOTOS. I take a lot of pictures, but I never seem to get them printed. It is a goal of mine to print more. And now, between this book, the engagement book and my 24 to-do list, it seems like I will have a place to collect all my printed photos.
I am in the process of finishing kits for making your own little summer book if you are interested. The kits will include a mini file folder, a printed cover, journaling cards, pretty labels, and a few pretty papers. Fingers crossed they will be up tonight after the mail comes with my last print order. If not, they will be listed on Saturday. I will keep you posted.
I have actively had an etsy shop for about 15 months. In the same amount of time, I have had about six different versions of business cards. The first ones I typed out on a typewriter. When my typewriter ran out of printer tape, I ordered a stamp (from simonstamp.com) and started stamping them. Then I bought an embosser and added a raised "joy" to each card.
Once I added letterpress to the shop and started to bring in a few more sales, I decided to order cards. I used vistaprint.com and was very happy with the results. The online printing service runs amazing sales. Their premium business cards (you pick a design, they print full color) are $19.99 for 250. But they usually have promotions that reduce the cost of the cards to free. Even when the printing is free, you still have to pay to upload your custom design ($4.99), to add a full color backside ($12.99) and upload a backside design ($4.99). But that equals out to about $23 + shipping. Not too bad for 250 cards. (ps. just want to be clear that I am not sponsored by vistaprint – just a happy customer.)
My theory on business cards is : DO NOT SPEND A LOT OF MONEY. I mean, spend a lot of money if your job is flipping houses. Or if you create expensive wedding invitation suites. If you normally ship out $5 worth of merchandise, like I often do – sending a $1 business card with the purchase is like throwing away 20% of your profit before you even consider your costs. Not genius. Your primary concern with business cards should not be, "Oh no, I am going to run out!" Instead it should be, "Oh, man, I hope I run out!"
Because ordering cards from an internet print shop is relatively inexpensive, I have no qualms about giving out cards and mailing them along with purchases because I can always get more. And the sooner I get to order more, the sooner I get to do a re-brand for myself and come up with different colors and different designs.
On my newest cards, the "enjoy" and the "elise joy blaha" are my own handwriting. (I decided I am not going to make a font because I like how I write words, not how I write individual letters.) To get them on to the card, I wrote them on white paper with black pen and then scanned them into the computer. I played around with the magic wand tool in Photoshop Elements to make them the right color/size.
I am happy with the result. It is something much different than the photo-heavy cards that I have been passing out for the last year. I am sure I will change it all over again when these start to run out – but that's my favorite part.
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
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
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
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
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!
1. 04.01, 2. 04.02, 3. 04.03, 4. 04.04, 5. 04.05, 6. 04.06, 7. 04.07, 8. 04.08, 9. 04.09, 10. 04.11, 11. 04.12, 12. 04.13, 13. 04.15, 14. 04.16, 15. 04.17, 16. 04.18, 17. 04.19, 18. 04.20, 19. 04.21, 20. 04.22, 21. 04.23, 22. 04.24, 23. 04.25, 24. 04.26, 25. 04.27, 26. 04.28, 27. 04.29, 28. 04.30
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Adios, April. Hello, (What greeting starts with "M"?) May!
So far, May is quite gray. But it's at least 20 degrees warmer many days in April so I will take it and run. All the way to June.
May is going to be a busy month. I can already tell, just by looking at my messy planner. I am heading home to Sacramento next week for Operation Pick a Wedding Reception Venue. Paul is going to join me in California to give the final "Looks great babe." over the weekend. I have a great feeling that a venue AND a white dress will be settled on by next Sunday. That will make the rest of the planning seem like a piece of cake with a side stack of invites.
With May, comes geese. We have not one, not two, but THREE geese families living in our backyard this spring. And by backyard, I mean the giant field across the street. They are currently hiding due to the rain, but once they're back out and about I will try to get some photos of the 18 little goslings. If you are really lucky, I'll grab one and bring it into the bathtub for a photo shoot. Wish me luck.
Alllllright. Much ado about nothing around here. I am waiting for three deliveries from UPS, FedEx, and USPS. So it will either be a busy mail day or an annoying re-enter the 18 digit tracking number day. I am hoping for the former.
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aaand also! My favorite mini album is up on the kolo blog today. Check it out. And see more of my small books here.
I have had a box of misprints sitting under my desk and slowly getting heavier since I first started printing. All the letterpress pieces that were not quite right went there. They were cut wrong, or pressed a little wrong, just ONE of a certain paper color or a little bit bent. Prints and cards that were never going to make it into the shop as is. Instead of letting that big box sit and wait for the recycle bin, I evaluated, sorted into groups of five (as even as possible) and packaged for you. I see this as a perfect purchase if you a) want some letterpress, b) like surprises and c) really want to cut up some prints for scrapbook pages and projects but think $5 is expensive for one embellishment. These misprint packages are just $7 and include FIVE prints/cards that are anxious to be cut up and/or stuck on a wall and enjoyed.
Please note : no returns. No requests. They are what they are. But as always, I do my best to make everything worth the cost.
UPDATE : ALL SOLD, THANK YOU!!
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So now what? I need to get started on my next etsy update. This next project is something new. Not letterpress but my second favorite: mini-book related. I am hoping to get that update ready by Monday.
I also need to clean up around here. Which is what I need to do every single day. I also might need to buy a swimsuit on jcrew.com. Maybe this in tropical aqua.
happy Thursday.
1. baggu bags : I know I chatted them up on earth day, but my bags arrived and I broke them in while grocery shopping yesterday. Super cool. They are in the wedding colors because nearly everything I do these days is in wedding colors. Gray and orange are my favorites. And I bought the tan one so Paul can feel like a manly man when he goes shopping without me.
2. Mark Anthony curl booster : Not new. In fact, it's a very old favorite. But something about the heat makes my curls spaz out and this booster is just what they need. Plus it makes the curls look dry. I am not a fan of wet curls. And it smells good.
3. gold sparkles on pink nails : This is what happens when one is bored and has access to craft supplies.
4. pineapple : We, and the rest of the happy shoppers, picked one up at Costco this weekend. I adore pineapple. Makes me feel like I am on a beach somewhere. Minus the fabulous pina colada with tiny umbrella.
5. racer back dresses from Target : I bought one on Monday and wore it all day yesterday. Perfect for the heat. I need to go back for more. (And also, is my hair seriously that dark in the back? Why do I say I'm blonde?)
6. silver glitter toms : When you buy a pair, they donate a pair. And they're comfy. And I think they're fabulous.
Any current favorites you would like to share?
3191
Black*Eiffel
coco+kelly
Creature Comforts
Darling Dexter
Design Crush
Design For Mankind
Design Sponge
{frolic!}
hula seventy
i heart ban.do
littlebrownpen
max wanger
mint
my polaroid blog
oh, hello friend
Paper Schmaper
party perfect
pretty good
SeeSaw Designs
Simple Lovely
smosch.com
SouleMama
The Crafts Dept.
the sweetie pie press
{this is glamorous}
I wanted to do something to keep track of this 14 month MAXI-engagement we have going on. Planning a wedding for a large group of people from across the country when you are obsessed with doing everything yourself is not very mini.
Right now, this book is very little. But by the time we are through I expect it to have grown quite a bit. It is a catalog of sorts for all the ideas and little things. Someday I might say, "OH! Do you remember when I thought I would embroider allllll the table numbers?" and Paul will be like, "No." And then I will say, "IT'S IN THE BOOK!"
Right now, our story is pretty much a picture book. I haven't decided how to best add text or if words are even necessary.
Two things : 1. I will be removing that heart stamped transparency. I realize now, it just looks blah in there. 2. That bracket on the front is not a label. It is a stamp on paper.
For the past ten weekdays, I hosted an online workshop based on the idea that scrapbook art can be made out of anything. It was the best working experience I have ever had. And trust me when I say, I worked.
My "students" have heard this, but again, THANK YOU for joining in and playing along.
I made ten layouts and 4 mini books as samples for the class and I am so thrilled to have projects documenting these past two weeks in April. It had been a long time since I had felt the MAKE STUFF energy and it felt good.
I will be running this workshop online again. It will be the same lessons and many of the same projects. If you missed it the first time, this is a great chance. I am hoping to run at the beginning of June – but don't want to interfere too much with summer schedules. Let me know if you think the end of May (or much later, like September) would be a better opportunity.
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Today. It is already probably 80* out. (YAY!) I have to go to Target to pick up some photos and I have PDFs to create of the workshop lessons. Am also hoping to start something new. P's on call tonight so I have at least 24 hours to make a huge mess and then clean the house.
Happy Monday.
enJOY it 