Summer Freebies

Etsy sellers and vendors are stocking up on business cards and tags for their handmade items in preparation for local craft shows. Brides are ordering up chalkboard labels right and left to hang from mason jars and wedding favors. The clouds are rolling back and the sun is shining through, it feels like summer!

I've decided to give away some freebies to celebrate the start of summer!

The first 5 customers to place an order and write the code SUMMERFUN in the notes to seller at checkout will receive a FREE set of assorted chalkboard tags!

To make this deal even sweeter, enjoy an extra 10% off your order using coupon code SUMMER10. Offer expires June 30th, order now!

Happy Summer!

Silhouette Cameo: 10 Money Saving Tips

As many of you know, Mr. Modern Typography bought me a Silhouette Cameo for Christmas. 

Best. Gift. Ever. Now that I've cut 8 million tags on it (slight exaggeration) I feel qualified to throw some money saving tips out there.

Let's do it!

1. Don't buy the Designer Edition software.

You won't need it. Everything you need comes with the machine. Surprisingly, the program is easy to use but is also capable of most of the tasks I use in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. Boom, I just saved you $50 dollars.

2. Do buy extras.

Chances are your machine came with an extra mat and blade. I find having 3 or 4 mats helpful when cutting large quantities of the same thing. I prep the extras with the paper I'm going to cut next. This saves me a lot of time, and time is money for me. 

The reason you'll need extra blades is that they dull over time. Buy these before you need them so you don't have to pay added shipping charges. By the way, I cannot find a place to buy these items locally, chances are you will also be forced to buy everything online.

3. Buy yourself some Krylon Easy-Tack.

Why? Because the mats don't last forever, which anyone who has had these awhile knows. Instead of constantly spending $15 on a new cutting mat, you can spray the ones you have with Easy-Tack and get the same results. It's $7.59 at Hobby Lobby, but you can use a coupon on it. You'll get multiple uses out of the can, saving tons of money. I'd say I sprayed about 5 mats 10 times. By the way, I am STILL using the original mat that came with the Silhouette. 

4. Move your paper, shapes or mat between cuts.

The reason the mats don't last forever is the adhesive that holds your paper in place loses it sticky. It's even worse if you cut in the same spot over and over. 1 Easy way to do this is to change the orientation of the paper (landscape/portrait) in the program. OR you can move the shapes in the program before each cut. If you are worried about cutting outside the paper, use registration marks. This is my favorite Silhouette feature. If you haven't learned how to use this yet, you should! Last, you can turn the mat 180 degrees and get more use out of your mats.

5. Avoid the double cut.

This will save both your mats and your blades. The only shapes I've had to use double cut on are my really intricate feathers and headbands for my Thanksgiving headdresses  There is some trial and error here, but I'd rather save my blade which costs $11 than a piece of paper that costs me 4 cents.

6. Buy this squeegee, not this scraper or spatula or the pick me up tool.

To take your cut items off the mat, simply bend the mat and the items will pop off.

They stick a little more when the mats are new or right after you spray Easy-Tack, but after that it's super easy to pull things off. I use the squeegee to scrape off any remaining paper, such a tiny circles from holes. Why pay $10-20 dollars for name brand tools when you can pick up a squeegee for a couple bucks at a hardware store or sign shop. I like the roller squeegee because I smooth items onto my mat with the roller side, and pop off small pieces with the scraper side.

7. Switch out your blades for different types of papers.

The same is true for hand held paper punches. When you cut a thicker paper, your blade dulls more. I keep one blade set on 3 and one on 7. I find all paper works with one or the other and switching blades is easy. My very first blade wore out quick. 

8. Clean out your blades when it seems dull.

It's easier than you think. You just set your blade to zero. Then twist that little white cap off the end, just below the red line (lefty loosy). Clean out of the goop and paper shreds and give the blade another whirl. 

9. Buy through Amazon.

If you haven't noticed already I don't buy anything straight from Silhouette. Its way more expensive. AND I have Amazon prime, so everything ships for free. This is a huge savings for me, and I get everything in 2 days!

10. Design your own shapes.

When we first got the machine, I was concerned about the price of buying additional shapes. I was also concerned about using purchased shapes in my business, did you know you need a commercial license to use them? I decided to design all of my own shapes. It's so much easier than it sounds. Once you see how it's done, you'll realize why the machine is called a silhouette ;)

Here are a couple tutorials on converting images to cutable shapes on the Silhouette.

Video

Text

 Hope you found these tips helpful! I'd love to hear if you have any of your own!

I give in.

I finally signed up for Zulily.

You should, too!

Follow this link to sign up:

http://www.zulily.com/invite/mrhoades605

And if you do, I get a little credit.

Then I can buy this!

This is the reason I joined Zulily.

I clicked on a Pin and read about this company, Schoolbags for Kids.

For every backpack you buy, they send one to a child in need.

Isn't that awesome?

I mean, I'd buy it anyway, it's so cute!

These are cute, too.

Sold out, darn!

Another adorable item:

Thanks!

Presidents Day Sale

Who doesn't love a good Presidents Day Sale?!

Visit the shop and use the code PRES15 at checkout

to receive 15% off your entire purchase.

Don't miss the new fold-over vintage style recipe cards,

a great idea inspired by a custom order.

You guys are swell :)

Also, be sure to checkout the sale section of the shop for additional savings

and new markdowns.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend friends!

Procrastination Pays Off

At least that's what I like to tell myself. Putting off laundry = large loads = more efficient load of laundry, right? Wednesday is catch up day for me, and today I feel like I've been very efficient, hehe.

I did finally get around to a few of my business resolutions. I've updated my Etsy banner, added the new Pantone Sprint 2013 Color Palette to my designs, even sent out an e-Newsletter. The list of things to do for my shop is endless, but I'm working diligently and it's paying off. I feel very blessed.

About those other resolutions, I'm working on those, too. Putting them on the blog has really helped motivate me. Here's how it's going so far:

Goal 1: Invite more people into my home
No formal plans yet, but I've been stirring ideas around in my head. I'm thinking regular game nights with some people from church. Maybe some churros? Did I mention my husband made me churros? So sweet, both the churros and my husband.

Recipe Here

Goal 2: Get my children involved in more activities
This one isn't as easy as I thought it would be. How do people do this? I looked into half a dozen water polo and basketball leagues for Eleanor and I'm convinced that there is no such thing as a sport that doesn't conflict with violin. I'm hoping this one gets easier when she gets to junior high and the school has teams. For now I'm must trying to get them outside more, to the park or in the backyard. The weather has been nicer which has made this more enjoyable for me.

Goal 3: Make more meals from scratch
I packed my refrigerator and freezer so I wouldn't be tempted to eat out as much, but I haven't made nearly as much progress in this area as I'd like. I'm a little stumped by the fact that so many recipes I come across either have a ton of ingredients I don't keep on hand, or I don't think my kids will eat it. They did like the baked beans I made from dried beans (a first for me) but they were a bit sweet for me. I also went back to some old favorites, including home made build-your-own taco salads. I really think if I'm going to be more successful in this area, the next goal has got to happen.

Goal 4: Work Less
Would you believe right after I wrote my post about resolutions I found out my per diem job is changing? I've been working Tuesdays or Thursdays there for a little over a year. Now they've gone and hired a more regular employee and pushed me to weekends. I wonder if God isn't trying tell me to give this one up.

Goal 5: Encourage people
2 steps forward, 1 step back. While I have made some effort to say more encouraging things to people, I've also stuck my foot in my mouth a few times over the last week. The devil is trying to keep me from this goal, and it's making me kinda angry. This is a life goal, I know He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it.

Goal 6: Pray
Fail. Ughh. Why is this one so hard? While I haven't really been formally praying, I do find myself more thankful. Amazingly, I have managed to keep up with writing in a daily journal. It's helped me to remain positive and thankful for the blessing of each day. If you've never tried this before, I highly recommend it. I know I'll cherish it forever.

Here are a few entries I thought you may enjoy:

January 4th "I hope I never forget how cute it was watching George chase the others with a light stick"

January 11th "Already time to order [Suzuki violin] book 4, so proud!"

January 13th "Bought a pea coat. Paul said I look like Kate Middleton"

January 18th "Tonight George said 'night night' for the first time, just like his big sister"

New Shop Banner

Trying out a new style in my Etsy shop.

What do you think?

I don't love it, but it'll do until I get around to taking some photos.

(You can double click on the picture to see it full screen)

I'm thinking about incorporating this style into my blog as well.

Love to get some feedback!

Resolve

I've really never been one to make New Year's Resolutions but for some reason it's on my mind this year. Let's blame it on Pinterest. I think what started it was a blog post I saw about writing in a journal everyday. Next thing I know I'm buying a daily calendar at Target to write in. I'm sure I won't write in it everyday, and that's just fine. But there are a few things I'd like to work on this year.

In 2013 I want to:

*Invite more people into my home.
This one will require quite a bit of effort for me. I'll have to clean a lot more than I do. I'll have to make plans, which isn't in my nature. If it were up to me, I'd live under a rock. There are quite a few reasons this has got to happen, and I've just got to stop being lazy and do it!

*Get my children involved in more activities.
Paul said something I loved so much I wrote it in my daily calendar. We were talking about not having much time for ourselves and the things we want to do. He said something about realizing that we've just got to give that time up. We need to commit to the time it takes to do the things kids need to do. This year Eleanor is going to do more than violin and summer swim.

*Make more meals from scratch.
This will be difficult for the same reason the first one is, I don't plan. One reason I don't cook much from scratch is that I'm always missing some ingredient. But there's got to be a way, and I'm going to find it.

*Work less.
Or at least work smarter, not harder. Paul bought me a Silhouette Cameo, and I really have no excuse now not to rock my Etsy shop. As much as I love working as a dietitian, God wants me at home with my kids. I wonder, will this be the year I figure out how to stay home full time?

*Encourage people.
After the terrible thing that happened in Sandy Hook I noticed articles and Facebook posts about "random acts of kindness". I know many people have made a resolution to commit more of these. But I say there is no such thing. What I meant to say is kindness is intentional, not random. I'm going to find ways to bless people. Last year I told my AWANA commander that I want to recognize the leaders who volunteer so much time and energy to help us out. Up until now I've been doing a pretty mediocre job. I know God gave me a gift in this area, and I seldom use it.

*Pray.
How can I accomplish any of this without God's help? I used to think of prayer as something you had to do at a certain time, in certain way, with particular thoughts or feelings. Maybe having kids has changed my mind. When Henry prays before dinner, you'd think God was sitting right next to him and they were having a great conversation. Thing is, God is there!

Hopefully 2013 will also be full of fun and interesting craft projects, like these upcycled egg carton lights. I got this idea from this great post. My daughter really enjoyed cutting and painting them. They hung on our divider above our advent bags giving just the right touch during our holiday festivities.

Happy New Year, may God bless you all in 2013!