Save-The-Date Ideas

Back in my time, we didn't have what you call the "Save-the-Date" information to announce the upcoming special event of someone.  We announce special events either through print ads in the socials of highly publicised newspapers, by word-of-mouth or by sending telegrams or mails posted.

These days, anyone who has special announcements to make to highlight a milestone event in their lives can either announce it via email, via social media, send video reminders, SMS, and through old-fashioned "save-the-date" cards.

If you prefer to remind or notify your family and friends by sending Save-The-Date infos, then here are some ideas you may consider to let everyone know that there is something special coming and they better "save-the-date!"

Cards
This is the conventional way of telling everyone to remember your special date by sending out cards. There are plenty of online companies engaging in providing you with customised Save-The-Date cards according to your whim.

Videos
Why not tell them face to face? Not possible? Perhaps, a video will do the trick. You can make your very own home video and upload in social media sites or enlist the help of a talented friend of even a professional videographer to capture the moment as you inform your family and friends to note the momentous date in their calendars.


Photos
Creativity is the key and a lot of people would like to capture their uniqueness through snaps. Just like having videos, this one is in portrait. If you know someone who's very good in photography, you can ask him or her to help out with the layout.

Tickets
You can get ticket templates in the internet and other crafty sites and print them yourself after customising the details. This is a cute and budget-friendly way of sending out your Save-The-Date.

Magnets
One company that is an expert on making memorable magnets is MagnetStreet.com. This company offers fantastic selections of Save-The-Date options so you can either have them in print like cards or as magnets. This is surely a unique way of announcing your special day. Also, MagnetStreet.com is having a big sale. If you're looking for the right product to announce your special day then head on to MagnetStreet.com and avail of their 10th Year Anniversary sale! Be sure to check out their fantastic offers!

Coasters
This is a unique Save-The-Date option to consider. I have not seen any coaster Save-The-Date yet but upon checking these ideas out in the internet, I am in awe by the many creative designs you can choose from.

(All photos are not mine. Due credit to the owners.)

20% Off on Foil-Pressed Cards, Gifts and Arts at Minted

*** This post contains affiliate links.


Check out Minted's fabulous 20% discount offer until 17 Nov! Buy any foil-pressed cards, gifts or arts at Minted and avail of the 20% off. Use this code upon checkout -  FOIL2014




And since you have gifts for your love ones, why not wrap them with Minted's personalized wrappers too?  

Fresh Wedding Invitations and Save-The-Date For The Modern Bride and Groom

**This post contains my affiliate links. I will be compensated when you click on the link and make a purchase.

Seeing the new types, designs, colors and textures in a contemporary wedding invitation these days make me want to walk down the aisle once again with my hubby.  I love how the freshness, uniqueness and splashes of lively colors and use of decorative fonts are now in use in most wedding invitations I have seen so far. Makes me green with envy!

Just to give you an idea why I am the green-eyed monster right now, here are some lovely and really captivating wedding invitations I found in Minted which make me drool and want to print one for myself and hubby just for the sake of having a contemporary style wedding invitation for our keepsake.

Sweet Name Frame Wedding Invitations

from: Minted

Woodtype Poster Wedding Invitations

from: Minted

Calendar Finish Wedding Invitations

from: Minted

A Blessed Union Wedding Invitations

from: Minted

Splash of Paradise Wedding Invitations

from: Minted

Timeless Wedding Invitation Minibook™ Cards

The above samples are just few of my personal choices. There are more and you can personalize them and the waiting time for your invitations to arrive is not as long as how it was before where we had to go to the proper printing press, discuss the designs, choose the colors and textures of the type of papers, limit the page inserts for a cheaper wedding invitation and choose from limited types of fonts. That time, it was mostly the very formal cursive fonts and the stern block types.


Aside from the lovely wedding invitations, the save-the-date designs are also pretty and awesome!

Aurora Save the Date Minibook™ Cards

Love Letter Save the Date Cards

Good Ol' Fashion Love Save the Date Magnets

Don't even get me started with the photobook that is very famous now for newlyweds to use during their wedding reception where the guests can sign instead of a usual guest book.

How come they didn't print these kinds of lovely invites before? And those save the date cards were not too famous back then.

Easy To Make Christmas Card Kits Project

I have been very busy with a project for a friend lately so some of the usual stuff I do has to be pushed aside. Not only that, I was under the weather too for few days so my movement is a bit restrained and I need full rest to recover.

A commitment is a commitment for me so despite of the fever and achy joints, I managed to complete the 30 pieces Christmas Card kids for the young ones. This project is commissioned by a friend from work who is into arts and crafts as well. I do appreciate the fact that she contacted me to prepare easy to make cards that can be assembled by the youngsters attending her Christmas Party this December.

I am honored that she chose me to make these cards. So, I made 2 samples and they are very simple to follow. I prepared the kit which consists of the following:

1 patterned paper matting
1 Christmas image/graphic
1 small ribbon embellishment
1 paper lace cutout
1 Christmas sentiment
1 A5 cardstock

The items (except for the base card) have all been pre-cut and I already applied double adhesive tapes for easy sticking. So, there's no need for those sharp scissors and glue sticks. Everything will be assembled in a jiffy!

Free Shipping Worldwide Of Handmade With Love Cards

Update as of 28 Oct. 2014 - I have stopped making handmade cards. I thank all those who supported and went out of their way to purchase my cards. Thank you all.

------- oOo -------

It's the season of giving so scrap the 25% off on shipping fee. I am giving FREE SHIPPING for any purchase worth $25 and above from my Handmade with Love cards starting from today until supply lasts.

So, support handmade and micro-business and share the good news! Take your pick and order now from Handmade with Love.

Thanks!

Free Travel Paper Piecing Patterns

Do you love crafts? How about scrapbooking or making handmade cards? Do you enjoy piecing papers together to create fun embellishments? If you do, then here are some free paper piecing patterns from BHG.com for you to enjoy and incorporate in your projects. You have to sign up first to be a member before you can get the patterns. Have fun!

All these photos are from BHG.com. Patterns can be downloaded from here:

Paper Patterns - Travel

Why Buy Handmade Cards? Part 2

This is the continuation of my post on Why Buy Handmade Cards?  Part 1.


How long does it take you to finish one card?

It depends on the project. I can complete cards with easy layout in 15 minutes while the harder ones with plenty of details and intricate designs tend to be done between an hour or two. Yes, that long. Like I mentioned in Part 1, I don't rush with my card-making process. I want each card to be made with precision, clean and well-thought of.


Do you get attached to some of your work?

Yes. Sometimes, I even keep them for myself until my daughter sees them stashed in my treasure box. She would reprimand me and tell me to sell them because that was the reason why I made them in the first place - to sell them so that someone else will receive the kind of love I have put in that card. So, it's like a piece of my heart goes to every card I make.


Does your hands hurt after making the cards?

Yes, plenty of times and really painful. I used to have a die cut machine but I sold it last year because of my hiatus. It wasn't really used much so I still did my cutting by hand. I once commissioned a friend's Birthday thank you souvenir cards and I had to cut them manually - all 50 of them. I told myself, I would buy a die cutter. And I did but after that, my creative juice went dry. I'm just recovering now, in trickles.

Have you studied card-making?

No. I kind of knew I had it in me when I was young. I would always make stuff out of scratch, sew my dolls' clothes by hand and send greetings cards I made from art papers. It just developed as the years go by because I learned few tricks from my artsy blogger friends. I also watch tutorials and practice at home until I get it done the way I envisioned my project.


Are there other projects, aside from cards, that you are engaged in right now?

My daughter and I are learning how to make a plushie pattern. We can make 2-D plushies but it would be nice to have it in 3-D. And I plan to make a lot of felt plushies too which I can sell eventually. I just hope I can make all these soon so I can open up my small handmade business.


Are you going to post tutorials?

I would love to but each time I make a project, I always forget to take pictures of the materials and step by step process. I don't know much about videos as well. I'll work on that and let's see.


Are you going to open a shop in Etsy or other e-commerce site?

I don't think I'll go to Etsy for now mainly because I am not sure if I can break  the international scene that soon. I want to build my fan base and just let the word spread. That is my goal but I want to be realistic as well. I may open a fan page in FB or post my artwork in my blogs. I'm not sure yet but I'm working on it.  I also hope that before Christmas, all my cards are out!


So there you have it. The reasons why handmade cards are ultra special. They are already a gift in itself. Don't shy away from buying handmade cards because when you do, you are supporting micro business like ours to flourish. I am nothing compared to the giant commercial card makers out there but one thing I know why my handmade card will stand out is because I know my cards are all made with love.

Why Buy Handmade Cards? Part 1

I am a staunch supporter of anything "handmade." I believe in making things special and out of love. I have nothing against commercially made greeting cards but what I don't like about it is that, it is mass produced so that particular feeling of uniqueness and crafted out of passion and love is gone.

Before my hiatus from card making, I used to sell my creations during holidays like New Year, Valentine's Day and Christmas. I make customized cards too for friends who have specific preference and much as I wanted to cater to their budget, I just couldn't "underestimate" the value of my labour of love.

People ask me these questions over and over each time I approach them to check out my creations and buy few ones for their special someone. Trust me, selling my work was never easy even if I knew they should sell well. People just don't support the idea of handmade because of many reasons and lack of proper information about the craft.  Here are the common questions I encounter with my handmade card passion:


Why is it expensive?

Here's my question back, do you put a price tag on someone that you love? It's just like that.

• A single handmade card, before it is even crafted by the maker, is well thought of. I have a sketch pad of my ideas, the color scheme I would use, the patterned papers I would cut and in what shape and border, the ribbons I would add and even the kinds of embellishment I would put.

Few pages out of my sketch or doodle pad for layouts and ideas

• Aside from that, I don't make handmade cards when I don't feel like making one. I don't want it to look like it's rushed or forced to be done. It has to come from the heart so you can tell that each card that I made and will be making is made out of love. Hence, Handmade with Love is my card brand.

• I scout for materials and they are not cheap. I buy my stuff in the U.S. whenever I am on vacation and I don't spend less than a $100 dollars for my craft. I spend more than that just to be sure that each card I will make last long, the glue will hold the pieces together, the papers and ribbons won't fade and the papers are acid free for archival purpose.

• Right now, I am trying so hard to make embellishments on my own so my next batch of cards will be slightly cheaper than the first ones while maintaining the value of my craft.

• No two cards will ever be the same. I guarantee you that. Even if I try to copy my previous work, it will never come out exactly the same way as the original. So the recipient of my handmade cards are assured that they are the only ones who have that kind of design.

• Lastly, I buy commercial licence from designers too. Handmade card makers know these (well at least the ones in my circle do). We have to respect the copyright of these designers. If we use a stamp in our designs, we have to make sure we abide in the "angel policy" of that designer. Same goes with die cut shapes and sentiments used in cards. Everything has to be noted and well credited. We don't want to end up in an ugly law suit just because we used someone's design without permission.

You see, all that goes into a single card that we make. So, the next time you see a handmade card in your local craft store or bookshop or when I approach you to sell my craft, remember what you have read here. Don't say, "That's too expensive" because when you do, it's like insulting us and degrading the love we have for our craft.

A lot of love, time and effort has been put in that single card to make someone very special happy. And that is priceless!



Do you earn a lot in card-making?

Honestly, no. It is not even break even, well I am speaking based on my experience. There are well established handmade card makers in the US, UK, Australia and Canada who are really earning a lot. I'm not yet there, not even close. Like I said, I love to make cards. I have tons of ideas in my head which can't be translated into words. I have to let them out and card-making is my medium.

I am hoping that my future venture into this card-making business will be received warmly by people. I am in the process of building up my stocks, looking for great deals with shipping companies here and checking out tutorials so I can make my own embellishments. That will reduce the price of my cards without sacrificing the quality. And I do hope and pray that you will support me in my journey to become an entrepreneur someday.


More questions in Part 2. Please visit again.

Busy Making Cards

I didn't feel the long weekend at all. It's already Saturday and I'm back to work tomorrow when I still have plenty of things to do in my craft zone. I have been busy making cards.

I started making cards but not in full swing as I don't have that much materials. I have to buy more flowers, ribbons, laces and other patterned papers with shabby and vintage designs. I'm getting my hands on making shabby inspired and vintage looking handmade cards with lots of paper distressing to give it that old feel. I'm still learning the process and I have made 3 cards this week. It took me approximately 1 - 2 hours for each project only because I didn't want to force my brain to think hard. I didn't want my project to turn out "forced." I am happy I took my time developing the design in my head and executing it longer than usual. Hey, my creative mojo has been gone for more than a year so it's hard cranking up this rusty engine.

I am starting from square one again. I kept my old notebook of inspirations and started with a fresh one for 2013.  I have also been learning some tips and techniques to better my craft as I really intend to sell them. I want someone to have the cards I made with love. Isn't that a great thing to give to someone special?

Anyway, I wish the days are longer when I am at home so I can achieve so much. I am looking into sewing as well. I am keen to do this small online business on handmade stuff and promote everything handmade. It's like being organic - in a material way.

So, I hope next week, I'll be able to make few cards again and build up my stock until my Silhouette Cameo arrives. I want to make at least 50 cards before I decide to open my small handmade cards business. I also need to buy commercial license from other designers because I plan to incorporate their designs in my limited number of handmade cards.

 This is me, following my dream. I know one cannot make mega millions just by making handmade cards but the feeling of seeing something I created out of love is I think and feel, worth more than a million.

A Comeback to Making Handmade Cards

My creative tank went dry for more than a year. The last project I did was a special gift to a friend who turned 50 last year. I made her a scrapbook page and placed it in a nice frame. After that, I noticed I couldn't think of anything creative to do for my cards and scrapbook projects. So I gave myself a break from making cards. Months followed and there is still not a drop of creative juice flowing in my brain.

I did everything I could to crank the think-tank only to end up cutting papers but never piecing them together. So I stared a a blank canvas for so long that I almost gave up.

Recently, I made a card for my god daughter for her Confirmation. I was struggling so hard to come up with a decent design. I even sketched my layout and had to practice on news papers just to save my patterned papers. And alas! I finally made one and I am really happy that even if I took a while to complete the card (1 week because I was pausing a lot when nothing was coming out of my creative brain).

Then weeks passed again. I didn't attempt to make any cards anyway until today. I was browsing through beautiful photos of vintage-inspired and shabby-chic styled handmade cards and told myself that I could make one too. Perhaps not as pretty as the ones I have seen but presentable enough to get me started. So, I gathered some pieces of left over materials to put together and I did it in half an hour's time only.

I think my creative juice is trickling back. I hope it continues as I just recently purchased a Silhouette Cameo and I am so excited about it. I haven't received the package yet and when I do. I am sure that it will become an integral part of my way back to creating handmade cards with LOVE.

Re-post: Handmade Wedding Card

This is the stuff that I miss so much! If you have been following this blog, I have reiterated my desire to get my sleeping monster (a.k.a. CREATIVITY) to wake up from its slumber. It's been sleeping for the last 5 months and that's not good. I normally don't have a lull moment when it comes to creating crafty cards and scrapbook pages. This is different. So, to re-live that moment when inspiration comes in and I create something fancy, here is a re-post of one of the handmade wedding cards I have made for a colleague.

oOoOo

My colleague will soon tie the knot. I am not really sure what she likes for her wedding so I decided to make a card for her. As usual, a handmade with love kind of card.

I used a champagne bottle template and traced it on a card stock. Then I used patterned papers from http://www.making-handmade-cards.com/. I love the way the doodles are done on the patterned sheets. Looked so whimsical and I love whimsical stuff!

I also used ribbon rosettes and flat-back pearls as embellishments. The cork-like top is a scrap of card stock which I distressed using Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Ink to make it look like a cork. Well, I hope I did justice on that one :)

I just wrote the sentiment using a slightly pearlized felt pen. I couldn't find my glittery gel pens so I settled on this one. I outlined the words with a fine-tip permanent marker to bring out the letters. I used the remaining piece of the card stock as mat for my card's sentiment. It i glued to the card with square foam adhesives for the 3-d effect.

I used shiny ribbon for the bottle and the bucket too. Speaking of bucket, the champagne holder is also made from scrap card stocks. I glued two of them but left the back bare (I couldn't use too much patterned paper or else, the entire design will look too loaded and I am trying to avoid that). For me, simplicity is still the best. The slit is about 6 inches and .5 cms so I can slightly tilt the bottle-card. The tag is one of the flower-doodle patterned papers. The tiny flower affixed to it is a ready-made foam sticker I bought for my scrapbook stuff many moons ago. I have finally found a good use for it! The back of the card also carries my trademark logo - Handmade with Love by Ria Cervantes.

It's a blank card so I can write my sentiments inside. I wonder what to write though...

Hope you like this creation. It's made out of love.

MyMemories Purse Card Freebies

Thanks to MyMemories.com for giving me these fun and crafty templates to share to all of you. Here is another fun paper craft project to do. Kids will have tons of fun creating their purse cards this summer to while away their time and pour out their creative juices. Parents and adults can help out too. This is a great activity to do at home by the whole family.

Head on the the side of my blog for the Freebies and feel free to save them in your computer and print. Also check out the many beautiful products in MyMemories.com if you do not have the software yet. You may use my 10$ discount code when you buy your MyMemories Suite Digital scrapbooking software to make your crafty juices go a long way! Click this link to purchase your MyMemories Suite. Use this code for 10% discount: STMMMS30652

Using MyMemories Software to Customize your Purse Cards

1. Download template file and install it into your software
2. Using MyMemories Suite, choose Create Album From Designer Template and find your project
3. Now you can print and enjoy the provided template, or customize it with your own papers and embellishments.

TIP:
You can right-click on the white guide and lock it in place to keep it from moving while you are working. Make sure this is the top layer of your project before printing.

Instead of adding the paper as a background paper, you can add it as an embellishment so that you can move the paper around.  This is especially useful when using papers with stripes or circles, so you can decide which part of the paper you want to use.

Once it is added as an embellishment, you can now select the paper and move it into the position you want it.


Just SAVE and PRINT on cardstock!
 

Purse Card Tutorial

1.  Print your Purse Card templates on cardstock and gather supplies.  (Recommended supplies: small craft scissors, bone folder, 8-12" of ribbon, stapler, tape or velcro)
TIP: To print your information on the inside create another page with the template in place.  Put all your text and embellishments in (leaving a little room on the edges) and then remove the template right before exporting or printing the inside page on the back of the first.  This will keep from having to worry about if the templates line up exactly when cutting out your card.

2.  Cut along outside line.

3.  Fold card at indentations.
TIP: Using a bone folder will help you get crisp edges on your project. But if you don't have one, just use a normal ruler. That's what I use and I still get a good indentations.

4.  Repeat by folding down top flap.

5.  Staple ribbon to both sides of your card on the inside to look like a strap or handle.

6.  Enjoy the finished cards and share.  Don't forget to use your imagination.  The possibilites are endless!

Enjoy your purse cards!!!