In a Thanks Kind of Mood

Today turned into a day full of thanks. Perhaps I'm thankful for many things right now: like having such a wonderful husband, enjoying the change of weather, or being able to do something that I absolutely love. Either way it helped me come up with some pretty nice thank you cards.



I love when I have a day that inspiration comes really easy. Most days I stare at all the papers I have and feel like I have a cardmaker version of writers block. Then I have the occasional day where I can produce 5 cards with complete ease. Today was one of those days, and I LOVE those days.

Coaster Progress

Well, it's been two weeks since I last posted a blog and it was all about my coasters. I've finally got myself into a rhythm and I'm REALLY happy with how they are coming out. They take 24 hours to dry, but it is best to let them sit for a week before stacking them. I've included a couple pictures of my first designs which can also be found on my etsy site. They are high maintenance (a big change from cardmaking) in that they like warm, non-humid weather to cure perfectly. This is definitely something we don't have here in Oregon, so I've created what I'm calling the "hot room" aka the laundry room where I've turned on a space heater to try and help my coasters cure. So far so good.

I think these coasters look more impressive in person so I'm not sure how well they will sell online, but I'm hoping they do well at the craft shows. Of course I have a constant pit in my stomach that I better get started on my Christmas card inventory! So much to do.

Trying to make coasters

I decided a few days ago to try and make coasters out of all the beautiful papers I have. I ordered some tiles, cut out my designs, and pieced them together. I then proceeded to coat my prints with modge podge to give them a hardier coating. Finally I topped them with Envirotex pour on high-gloss finish. This is where everything got difficult. My first set completely discolored. This must have been due to lack of modge podge so I triple coated all my other coasters. The second set came out quite well, however, there are small specks of dust on top. My next set I coated and put a large piece of tupperware on top to prevent any dust. This set came out great except some bubbles dried on top. Ugh!

Now I am trying my fourth set. I have them coated and sitting under the tupperware and every ten minutes for the next two hours I am blowing out the bubbles. I have noticed a couple of them have the slightest discoloring on the ends, but I'm hoping it's not that noticable.

These turned out to be a lot more difficult than I anticipated. Hopefully I'll get all my kinks worked out and these will be a new and lovely addition to my etsy shop. If they do work out I don't anticipate any listings for the next couple weeks or so.

My First Blog

I've created this blog in the hopes of continuing to build up my business. I will keep you posted on all my newest ideas and designs as well as any upcoming events. Currently I am selling my items at carriescards.etsy.com. I absolutely LOVE this site and all the fellow etsian artists. It is amazing how much talent is out there.

Last weekend I vended at the Mt. Tabor Centennial Celebration and it was a lot of fun. They had events, concerts, booths, food, and an original art exhibit. It was really great to spend the weekend outside in the wonderful Portland weather.

This week I am hoping to start on Halloween cards and tags as well as Christmas. It may seem a little early, but I have a lot of shows during October and would like to prepare early. I will try to post pictures of my work once they are complete.