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Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tootin' My Own Horn!

















Everyone knows I am all about whoring myself out for the product, so when others do it for me, I am appreciative as well as grateful.


















The talented photographer Wendi Schoffstall, requested custom invitations designed for a birthday party, I happily obliged. She then took the invitations to the next level by combining them with a pig sugar cookie , box and other goodies.....can you guess it was a pig themed party?
We love it when our clients take our products to another level.
















For other her other work or if you are in the greater Houston,Texas area and would like to contact Wendi Schoffstall for her services, please contact her thru her website.




photos & packaging courtesy of Wendi Schoffstall
paper invitation courtesy of Gramkin Paper Studio
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Thursday, October 22, 2009
Why Logo Design Does Not Cost $5.00

One of the most requested private projects I get is logo design or a company banner , then the next thing I get is "my budget is $10". I then have to explain to potential buyers, not just the difference between logos and banners , but also why neither will be done for $10.
I was beginning to get a little tired of explaining to individuals the difference, but realized that if you are not in design field, it is not readily known knowledge.

Then I happened to come across a posting that answered and explained these issues so clearly. Jacob Cass, a self employed graphic designer as well as the founder of "Just Creative Design", a graphic design company posted a fantastic as well as clear article about this issue entitled "Why Logo Design Does Not Cost $5.00". And, for anyone who has ever had any questions about logo prices, this is a great article to educate yourself on pricing, design and the little ins and outs when requesting logo/branding work from an artist.

Of course bigger companies will charge more than others, so smaller firms or companies can be the affordable alternative for the start up. For the " one person" company, such as some etsy sellers or other online only companies, the price can be dramatically lower, but never $5. At least nothing of quality will be that price, be prepared to budget at minimum $50-$75 for a professional logo when you are planning your company branding.

Some individuals try to avoid this "logo" request by requesting "banners" whether for their website or blog. The difference between a logo and a banner is that you can have your logo in your banner, but not vise verse. Banners are screen resolution (72 DPI) branding tools that can have your logo incorporated in the design, but should not be used as a replacement for your logo. In addition , banners are cheaper in price, due to design, low screen resolution and a variety of other factors. Of course if you are starting with a banner that you like and find that you need a logo, you can request elements of your rectangular banner be incorporated in your smaller high resolution logo. Also I have seen several sellers take there banner and wrap it around there product packaging, scewing and warping the banner design. This is one of those places were a logo comes in handy, you can take your logo and put it on any packaging, whether its your product or letterhead.

Take a look at it and keep those tips in mind when making those Alchemy or private request...because while in this economy, alot of people want to pay the least amount of money as possible, buyers need to realize that paying more is the difference between quality and cheaply made design.
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Sunday, October 18, 2009
Crafts in Chelsea: A {New New} Event

When asked what I did over the weekend?....I whored myself out in the rain and 40 degree cold weather at the "Crafts in Chelsea" Fair. This weekend there was a weather advisory for coastal flooding , 90% chance of heavy rain and some snow, so when I found out the fair was still on , I was skeptical, but one thing that I can say about New Yorkers is that they come out, rain or shine!
This {New New} Team sponsored event was in conjunction with PS11 (local school) so in addition to the other vendors they had food and fun in the school for the kids as well as the adults....on a side note there was so much food that they were practically giving it away, bags of cookies and pastries for $.50. Not to mention the hot food they had, from fish, fries, macaroni & cheese to vegetables, pasta and more. Due to the weather they only had half the vendors, but the crowd was continuous, not just from advertising but from the normal New Yorkers who happened to walk by. More importantly they also came to buy.


For the most part, the fair went well and it was run well, with only a few sponsor organizational glitches. With a rainy day I was surprised that more people did not have up side walls on their canopies.Because I like to be able to see out of the sides of my canopy, I prefer clear walls, also it helps buyers see in the booth, which is important. Alot of times when they walk they only glance from side to side, so any opportunity they have to view the product unobstructed is great. Opaque walls does not let them see the product from far away, only when they get up to the booth and if there is a crowd...buyer lost.
I made my "rain" canopy walls from thick plastic clear shower curtains for a few dollars. but you can purchase side walls for canopies from a variety of places.

{SHOWER CURTAIN SIDE WALLS}

Materials:
  • 8 clear or color of your choice shower curtains preferable with metal grommets for rings and weighted/magnets in bottom hem
  • Clear Thread
  • Sewing Machine
  • Grommet Tool such as a Crop-A-Dile
  • Shower Curtain Rings or Twine/Rope
  • This is for a standard 10 x 10 tent
Construction:

After you unwrap all eight of the shower curtains, take two and lay them out ( we suggest the floor due to size). Take the last grommet ( at an edge) of one curtain and overlap it the other edge of the shower curtain and pin
so that both grommets of the two shower curtains will match up ( as pic).

Make sure shower curtains are flat and straight and pin down to the edge.
Then with your sewing machine use clear thread to sew (regular running stitch) the two curtains together on each side of the grommet closer to the edges of the overlaps. You can use regular colored thread, but I wanted it to be invisible.Repeat this step with the remaining curtains for the other three walls.

Once all of the walls are sewn together, you will need to put grommets down each side so that they can be attached to the four corners/poles of the canopy.

These grommets can easily be attached with a handy Crop-A Dile. If you have never heard or bought a Crop-A-Dile, it is an investment you need to make. They come in a variety of sizes and colors and are affordable grommet/eyelet setters (under $30). They can be purchased at Amazon or Ebay for less as well as a variety of other places. You can put as many grommets as you want down the sides but we suggest at least 4. We suggest marketing the curtain for the grommets with masking tape and then setting the grommets right on the tape for added strength, since you can't double up the sides..
Continue and finish both sides of each curtain and voilĂ  ....four side walls for a fraction of the cost.

Attaching to canopy:
There are a variety of ways to attach your new side walls to your canopy. As you can see buy the picture, we used twine strung thru the grommets and attached to the frame. This was done since it was extremely windy and I wanted to make sure it was secure.

You can purchase curtain hooks ( these are small and very discreet from Target) and use them to attached the top of the canopy rails underneath the canopy.

You can then attached the sides to the frame legs with twin at each grommet.

Now there are two ways that you can create the wall for the opening of your booth. If you have followed the instructions in creating your side wall above then to attach the canopy so that buyers can freely come and go, just attached the top of the wall to the frame (leaving the sides loose/unattached). You can then roll up the bottom (creating a bundle) and tie to the frame at three places(side and the middle).

Or another option is to leave the two curtains loose/unsewn in the middle , but still set grommets in sides. That way you can attach the sides to the frame with twine and leave the middle loose for the buyers to push aside and come in....this is where a clear color curtain comes in handy as well as the show curtain hooks so that they can be pushed and moved freely.


Just Note:

  • This is not the time to scrimp on the material, make sure that the curtain is a decent thickness, not the flimsy dollar store shower curtain liners (this is important). It needs to be the actual shower curtain, not the liner! You can purchase the clear shower curtains with metal grommets from any home store, like Bed Bath & Beyond , Target, Walmart or Kmart for $1-$2 each. You need to purchase 8 curtains ( 2 for each side). Most shower curtains are about 70 x 72 , so this gives you enough material for the next step.
  • You can us this technique with other materials for different variety of side walls. Using this technique with canvas material is great for every day walls (three sides, open front). Canvas can be bought cheaply and in a variety of colors at any fabric store including Walmart. Just make sure to measure and account for hems
  • This shower curtain side wall will be longer than you need, but it is easily tightened if you use rope/twine to attach to frame.
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Saturday, October 10, 2009
Juicy :Hawaiian Punch Lip Gloss Tutorial

Now when I first saw this I thought...this is never going to work, but lip gloss and Hawaiian Punch are two of my favorite things in life so why not.
Vaseline or Petroleum Jelly has been used for years to hydrate the skin, and for some of you your grandmother use to use it for other things, like cuts, scars as well as uses that I am sure Johnson & Johnson did not intend.. So now, why not use it to gloss up those puckers!

{WHAT YOU NEED}
  • sugar-free presweetened Hawaiian Punch powdered drink mix (1 individual packet)
  • petroleum jelly
  • small glass container with lid
  • teaspoon
  • wooden chopstick to stir
  • microwave
  • pot holder
  • refrigerator
#1















Layout everything you need for this project. Lip gloss can come in a variety of containers, not just the one shown above(which is a Lip Balm Container). Since I don't like to put an unwashed finger in the tub(when I am out all day and need a touch up) I prefer the screw up tubes which you can get from any soap or beauty supply shop online or since you most likely are going to only make a small batch why not try an etsy seller (just search for "chapstick tube")

#2
Put 3 teaspoons of petroleum jelly in container if using a Lip Balm tub or microwavable safe bowl if using a tube; whatever amount it takes to reach 1/8" from the top of your container.
Then microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring with chopstick or Popsicle stick ( whatever wooden implement you have handy) to dissolve any lumps between heatings. The time depends on the wattage of your microwave; be sure to watch the jelly carefully as you don't want it to boil. When it looks like a thin soup, remove jar with your pot holder.

#3
While jelly is hot, pour in Hawaiian Punch powder and blend well. If you want a darker shade, put in more powder. For this gloss I chose the red fruit juice.
Cover with lid and place in refrigerator for 1 hour till it hardens. Congratulations! You've just learned to make Hawaiian Punch lip gloss. It will keep your lips moist and they will taste delicious! Sugar-free too! Enjoy!










I chose to add a tiny bit of food color for a more intense color, but you don't need to . You could just as well as a little more of of the fruit punch.



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Sunday, October 4, 2009
Download Day: Freebie Swirls

One of the most requested design elements I get request for are swirl patterns and as anyone knows there are hundreds of them. Swirls can take your design from plain to fancy with just a few strategic placements (too many can be overpowering..they really can be).
Most people just usually purchase the whole design or for some of the more craft individuals you can purchase the individual design elements from other designers. You can find a variety of designers & sellers on the web (including ours "Gramkin Paper Studio") or there are other fellow Etsy sellers who sell design motifs.

These swirls and motifs are from designer haiderm3 and are available for download here. Just download and save to your computer.Please note that they are in pdf form and can be used in a variety of programs (Adobe included).

DOWNLOAD LINK


designed and created courtesy of haiderm3
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