Magnets and more

Hi all, I've been puttering about and keeping up with my inventory at my online store at etsy. I'm pleased to say that orders are picking up to several a week. Not big bucks by any means as most of my stuff is relatively inexpensive, but its meaningful to me. I hope to get to the self sufficient stage and then slide into the making a profit stage (which I am fast approaching!).  Notebooks are popular! In all sizes and with all coverings. Its a good thing. Especially since I like making them. I did have to stock up on more National Geographic maps but that was easy enough to do on ebay. I've also been expanding my horizons with a FaceBook page and trying to get used to posting on that medium (as opposed to the regular blog post). So if you are so inclined (and have not already done so), feel free to wander over to my LizzieLuvs2Recycle FaceBook page and like it! thanks! :)

Well, I added a new item for me: fridge magnets. I had been thinking about making these for quite a while but couldn't figure out what images to use. Then it struck me: "Duh! Vintage maps. Of course!" So, last weekend I made the first batch with some glass cabochons that I picked up on etsy. I tried initially to use the squashed marbles that you can buy for cheap at Michael's but they are not appropriate: too uneven in shape, scratched often, and with bubbles or other internal flaws. So lash out and buy the real thing that really works.

 And here are some of the sets that I made up. I used the last little bits of maps from the 1964 atlas that I used to make the thank you cards for my dear friends Matt and Mindy recently. The color range on that atlas was really rich and varied.

Here's a set cut from the greater Washington D.C. area.

 And a set from North America.

There was one little map that was of downtown Washington D.C. Aren't the colors great?

All of the maps were cut out and adhered with my favorite multi-purpose adhesive, E6000.

 After that had dried, I used it to affix the magnets on the back.

Each set got its own padded box and...done!

A happy customer :)

My lovely niece recently place a large order from my Etsy shop for some early Christmas shopping. I was quite grateful for the business, of course, and envious that she was getting started Christmas shopping so early. I'm sure I'll be running around in December, as usual. [sigh]

One of the items she purchased was for herself, however, and she sent me a very nice picture of her wearing her new Frida Kahlo pendent.

She paired it with the perfect black cord, I think!

Thanks for sharing, Jackie! I don't usually get to see my creations out in the big wide world when they find new homes, so this is a nice treat for me.

Felted sweater flowers

So.... what did I make with that glorious felted sweater flower bit stash that I created??

Well you might ask, my friends! I made a bunch of flowers, of course. And then made them into various items. Here's the low down on one of these babies!

 Here's a finished flower using the Kool-Aid dyed petals (the very bottom whorl), the natural shade of heathered blue of the sweater (next whorl up) and then 2 whorls of yellow and then gold for the sexual parts (the stamens and the carpels). [OK, now you're saying: huh? and I have to admit that my grown-up job is teaching biology and botany at the university level. So the terminology just happens. Sorry. Can't help it]

Here's the flower from the back. You can see that I have sewn a pin on the back. Thus, this flower is a pin/broach. A big, exuberant flower pin.

 And a little bit of a close up so you can see the details. While it isn't 100% botanically accurate, I think it still has the flavor of a real flower center.













I have this ongoing goal of stepping up and developing my brand. That includes developing my logo, which you saw a few posts ago. Currently, I'm integrating that logo into business cards, invoices and product packaging in an effort to really look professional and add perceived value to my items.

So here you see the card stock mount that the pin is mounted on.

I'm really pleased with how it looks. And when you see a whole group of these together, it really looks great.

I made some other stuff, too! More flower items as well as some related items using different materials. So stay tuned!

I

LizzieLuvs2Recycle Logo

Ooooo. I'm so excited. I've been steadily selling larger and smaller items from my LizzieLuvs2Recycle shop and I figured it was time to continue to evolve--time for some "branding" if you will. And, this past week I purchased a wee bit of advertising space on an online craft magazine and that prompted me to get my creative juices flowing with regards to a real logo that I can use on all of my correspondence and paperwork and hopefully integrate into the shop website somehow. Thus far I have been including a handwritten note on one of my art note cards thanking people for their purchase and I just felt that I needed to step up the professionalism.

The first step in generating some cool paper goods and packaging was designing an appropriate logo to use. Working with a very helpful and knowledgeable expert with Photoshop, the two of us were able to design a logo and an ad for my shop at etsy.com: (https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/LizzieLuvs2Recycle) this morning in record time.



Here's what we came up with for the logo. Isn't it grand? Its just what I was envisioning, too.




And then we took that logo and did a little addition and manipulation to come up with the ad that I will be submitting to Tru(4)ia Magazine. (I'm not quite sure where the ads are going to appear there, but I'll keep you posted on that.)

They wanted copy that was 3.5" x 2 " which just happens to be the size of a business card, so I think I might just have have some of those made up too.

Serendipity all the way around, no?