Instant Address Label #rubberstampchamp

Are you one of those conventional people who prefer to send out paper holiday greetings rather than send an e-card to their family and friends? Have you sent your Christmas cards out? If not, then it must have been very tiring to write all those addresses on the envelope, including the return address.

Don't let writing hinder you from sending those nice greeting cards you've purchased to be given out to your love ones. You can purchase a nice stamp and customize it with your return address so it is easier to stamp it on the envelopes. You can even add a signature stamp that you can use inside the greeting card. A great place to find high quality stamps is in rubberstampchamp.com. there are plenty to choose from but a self-inking stamp will be a good choice.

(photo credit: http://www.rubberstampchamp.com/)

#rubberstampchamp 

To Give Or Not To Give Christmas Cards?

If you will ask me that question, I will certainly say YES. I am old school. I like giving, rather, I love sending out personalised cards to my family and friends via post. I like the fact that I take time to personally write the dedication and addresses on the cards. It has more personal and human touch to it than sending out generic e-cards. While sending out e-cards does not defeat the purpose of letting your family and friends know that you are well-thought of this Holiday Season, it is just not my cup of tea.

Some people may be in a pickle at the moment and debating within themselves whether to send a card or not. Well, let's make it easy for you to decide. Pick up some tips and pointers from the infographic below and you decide accordingly.

What ever it is you decide to do, it's okay.




Source: https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check



And here are some Holiday Card Facts:

• Americans send 1.6 billion holiday cards annually [source]
• Women purchase an estimated 80% of all greeting cards [source]
• E-cards have become an environmentally friendly alternative to paper cards [source]
• Christmas cards originated in London, where Sir Henry Cole commissioned the first in 1843. [Source]
• Two batches totaling 2,050 cards were printed and sold that year for a shilling each. [Source]
• Despite the separation of church and state, it’s customary for the President and First Lady to send White House Christmas cards each holiday season. [source]
• Calvin Coolidge issued the first official Christmas message to the American people in 1927. [source]

About Grammarly

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Grammarly is a simple and powerful writing app that corrects more types of spelling and grammar mistakes than any other software on the market. The product suite comprises: the Grammarly Editor online editing tool; browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari; Grammarly for Microsoft Office; and Grammarly for your Desktop, a convenient desktop editor for Mac and PC.

As a company, Grammarly’s mission is to improve communication among the world’s more than 2 billion native and non-native English writers. Millions of registered users worldwide trust Grammarly’s products, which are also licensed by more than 600 leading universities and corporations. Grammarly is an Inc. 500 company with offices in San Francisco and Kyiv.

More Father's Day Gift Ideas from Minted

Tomorrow is Father's Day and it's not yet late if you haven't purchased something for dad. Check out these cute paper products from Minted and be inspired. Give dad some Minted products and he'll be happy with the fresh designs and super high quality of papers used by Minted. They make great Father's Day gifts!

Get your Minted stuff here: SHOP FOR DAD

Greeting Box for Mac Giveaway

PearlMountain Software is giving away 2 full access to Greeting Box for Mac software. This software is great for creating beautiful electronic cards you can send to your family and friends.

2 lucky winners will have the chance to get the full version of the software for free. Thanks to PearlMountain Software! You can read more about the uses and features of this software from my review here.

This giveaway is open Worldwide for all Mac Users. The software runs on Mac so this will be beneficial for Mac users.

The giveaway will run from April 25 to May 10, 2014, 12 midnight, Dubai time.

It is very easy to enter. Just fill up the Rafflecopter form below and do all mandatory entries to qualify.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Disclosure:
It's My Party was not monetarily compensated to run this giveaway.
This giveaway is not in association with Facebook, Rafflecopter and Twitter.
The sponsor will fulfill the prizes.
All entries will be verified.

Review - Greeting Box for Mac

Making cards whether it is handmade or electronic is one of the things I love to do. I used to make handmade cards when I still had the time. However, time has changed and I have to make things fast without the hassle of cutting papers, putting embellishments together to make a beautiful paper card.

Thanks to PearlMountain Soft for allowing me to review this software for free. I am very pleased that it did not take me long to complete a card I have made for Easter.

What I like:
It is very user friendly.
It is easy to use and not complicated.
WYSIWG - What you see is what you get!
Plenty of art elements to incorporate in your project.
Plenty of ready made template to use in various occasions.
Customizable templates for your preferred designs.
You can add photos by dragging them in the box allocated for photos.
You can export your finished project in different image formats.
You can share your greeting cards too via email.

What I don't like:
Not enough background and extra embellishments but in general, the software has plenty to choose from. I just hope there are more.


Price: Pegged at $9.99 in iTunes/Mac App Store


Specifications:
Version 2.0.2
Supported OS: Mac OS X 10.7 or above operating system.
RAM: At least 512M physical RAM.
Processor: 1G Hz or above Intel processor.


My recommendation:
Yes! Please buy this software for your personalized greeting card projects. It is very convenient and easy to use. It won't take you long to finish a project for you to send right away.

For more information about this product, please visit PearlMountain's site.

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

I have a giveaway to run from April 25 to May 10, 2014. It is open worldwide, for Mac users. Please join here: GIVEAWAY LINK



Disclosure:
I was given this software for free for evaluation purposes. All the opinions stated here are 100% mine. I only review products/services/programs that I will use and will be beneficial to my readers.

Simple Card Tutorial With Flat-Back Pearl Embellishment

Hi everyone! This is my very first tutorial. I am going to show you how to make a simple blank handmade card for any occasion using easy to find materials and one of my favorite embellishments to use in my projects - flat-back pearls.

What you need:

• Plain card stock for the card, I used 4 x 6 inches cardstock
• Patterned papers cut in various sizes (my favorite brand is Bo Bunny and K & Company but there are a lot more with fancy designs in the craft mart)
• Matting papers (any solid or block colored card stock or art paper will do) for background and framing
• Cut-out letters - H E L L O or any greetings or sentiments you want to use
• Scissors
• Glue for the flat-back pearls
• Fine tip tweezers to pick up the small flat-back pearls
• Double-sided tape or roller adhesive tape
• 3-d foam with double adhesive
• Ribbon, about 8 to 10 inches long and folded for double-ribbon effect
• Embellishments: butterfly chipboard and flat-back pearls (about 3mm diameter) in pink and cream. I got the flat back pearls from Qrhinestones of Etsy. (You should check Emily's Qrhinestones for more beads and fancy gems to use on your projects. She ships very promptly too!)
• Optional: Pigment inkpads for side-inking effect (I used a pigment-based ink to ink the edge of the yellow matting paper)

(This project can be done in less than 15 minutes as long as you have everything you need within your reach.)

And here's how you do it:

1. Gather your materials.
2. Apply adhesive at the back of the matting and patterned paper .
3. Layer the papers together, arranging them in gradual decrease in size. Do not stick the papers on the cardstock yet at this point as we will add ribbon later. I always tuck the edge of my ribbon beneath the matting papers for a clean finish. I also inked the side of the yellow paper for some drama and emphasis.
4. Cut out some small strips of 3-D foam with adhesives and adhere to the cut-out letters.
5. Fold the ribbon in half and make a bow. This method will create a double ribbon in one knot. Tuck the edges under the biggest matting paper. Now, apply double-adhesive tape on the biggest matting. Peel off the protective film of the adhesive.
6. Stick the matting papers which is now your card topper on the card stock.
7. Stick a butterfly embellishment at the edge and dot some glue to stick the cream flat-back pearls.
8. Now dot an undulating line on top of the letters and stick the pink flat-back pearls.
9. And now,  you have your simple card done!

Easy, right?

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.

Spooky but Cute Cards 2010

I have just posted few of my Halloween cards for 2010 in my other blog. Please feel free to view the slide show and leave your lovely comments and suggestions. I hope you will all like them :)

Halloween Spook Fest cards 2010 slideshow

Handmade with Love Blog

I am really having a dilemma here. I created the Handmade with Love blog to feature my handmade creations but I cannot seem to keep up maintaining 2 accounts. However, I feel that I must carry on and update it as my avenue for creative products to post.

I just feel a little uneasy about not having any readers at all but like this Party blog, this used to be a quiet blog until I reached this stage.

Well, I will continue posting to my HWL blog about my greetings cards and hopefully, my friends here in the party zone will visit that blog too.

You can tell your kids to check that out once in a while for new updates. If they feel like creating similar cards as the ones I posted, please be my guest. I would appreciate though a little "credit love" from you :)

Art Attack - Choco Loco Birthday Card

I opened another site focusing on my handmade cards, unfortunately, I have no time to maintain two accounts. So, I will be featuring my creations here every now and then.

This is my Choco Loco Birthday Card. It's a big birthday card for the chocolate lovers. I made this for my big boss since he is a chocolate fanatic.

I used patterned papers from free digi-scrap sites and printed them. I also used aluminum foil to simulate the foil wrapper. I wrote the "Choco Loco" wordings in front of the card.
The size is 5 1/2 inches (height) x 3 inches (width when tri-fold).

The inside of the card is blank so my other colleagues can write on it too. I used 3 varying colors of plain colored paper to highlight the tri-fold.


Lastly, I used a "bite-mark" effect on the edge to make it look more realistic and yummilicious!

Handmade Valentine Cards

I have been very busy these past few days because of my handmade cards activity. I created Valentine Lollie Cards and simple Valentine cards made out of card stock, patterned papers, ribbons, glitters and flat back gems for my daughter and her friends. They all liked the Valentine Lollie cards because they are unique, cute and no need to put in an envelope. And what is a lollipop without the stick handle right?

Here are my creations:

Welcome My New Blog!

After so much deliberation, I decided to create another blog to showcase my handmade cards which I will eventually turn into e-commerce, barring any circumstances.

Please welcome my new blog - Handmade with LOVE.

What's in store for everyone in this blog? Well, I will showcase my handmade cards, custom cards and special requests and probably some of my polymer clay tinkering with my daughter.

I will also provide tips and how-to's and if I become a bit of a whiz on multi-media setting, I may also feed some video tutorials.

So, please pass by and leave a comment or two. I would love to hear from you.

Where To Get More Stuff?

My momentum is on over-drive regarding my handmade cards craft. I was just thinking a while go where to get more stuff to create more cards. I don't know if I will make a profit or not but I love to be able to support this hobby and passion in some means possible.

Dubai is not really a haven for scrapbookers and crafters like me. There are only 2 shops here which sell embellishments, patterned papers, glues and other tools needed for the craft. The other stationery stores carry office supplies only. I am so tempted to buy online. The dilemma!

Check My Handmade Cards

I have started making handmade cards recently and so far, I have sold 2. I have advertised my craft yet because I am still wondering if my work is good enough. This is when doubt hinders my limitless growth.

I showed my work to my friends and office mates and they said they were great and looked professional. However, I view it plain and simple. I think beauty really lies on the eyes of the beholder.

Here's a sample of my cards:

And this is my fave because it's my first paid work. It is a customized wedding anniversary card.

Handmade Greeting Cards

I am venturing into the handmade cards craft these days so I don't get to blog as often as I used to. I just can't seem to keep my hands off on the beautiful scrap papers, embellishments and other materials around me.

I made several Christmas cards already and will post pictures soon. Today, my colleague commissioned me to make their 14th wedding anniversary. I didn't give a price but she left a money on my table ;) She said, "I hope I'll be the precedent and more customers will follow." I hope so too :)

Maybe I can open my own Etsy account one day. Cross-fingers! And toes!