This week I have been mostly ....

This week has been busy ... I have been working on cards for various portfolios and its been brilliant.  Not only creating cards, but cards that hopefully will sell my business to investors and get my cards to different places to sell :)  Its made me really happy!!

On Friday some great friends of ours came up for a trip to the seaside and we spent the day wandering around, and we wandered into the Turner Contemporary art gallery.  

Inside they have a gift shop, and they sell a selection of greetings cards.  After a brief chat with the receptionist, it turns out they do buy from local artists, so this week has seen me preparing a portfolio to take in ....

Here is a quick selection that  I have been working on ....

Bearing in mind that it is an art gallery, I have not used any patterned paper at all in these designs, but have used simple stamps hand coloured, and the beach huts are free drawn by me.  I think they need a little more work, but maybe the start of designing my own stamp set :)

Sorry about the poor photography, I still haven't sorted out a decent camera, and I don't know how people put water marks on them!!!

A project for next year perhaps!!

Please let me know what you think about the cards, any feedback would be more than welcome :)  

Thanks for stopping by

Shelly X

Hard at work ...

As the title says .. I have been hard at work this week.  Not only on cards, but in every aspect.  Hard at work losing weight, getting fit, cleaning the house, de-cluttering, post office trips, selling items on Ebay, doing my tax return ... you name it, I've tried to fit it in this week!

And you now what ... I am feeling better for it! Yes my muscles ache, and my head is full of cotton wool after doing my taxes, BUT, I am feeling better, I am getting much more out of my working hours that I put into the business, and I am looking forward to my day off so much more, knowing that I have really earned it!  I suppose you don't get old hand me down phrases like  ... If you want a job doing, give it to a busy person!!....

[photo credit]

Aside from all the household jobs I have been doing, I have been working on a very important project this week.  

I have been making a selection of greetings cards to start taking round to Theological colleges. Cards for confirmations and priestings can be so difficult for people to get hold of, that I have decided to go directly to the training colleges to start sharing with people what I do.  I also intend to approach Canterbury Cathedral again to see if the new designs are more suitable for their gift shop.

I have spent some time reflecting on craft fayres and the best methods of selling my work, and I think this a good place to start.  I have two craft fayres I'd still like to do this year, one being in August for the summer, and I will do one Christmas one.  Mainly I think because it will be nice to just get my work out and about, and to meet people- not because I think it will be a huge selling tool.  But approaching the fayres with this attitude will really help- even if I don't make any sales, at least I know I am going with purpose and have something good to get out of the experience.

I'll leave you with some snaps of the cards I have been making for the portfolio- simple and easier to create than some other designs, but then they have to be, I might get an order for 1000 cards that I would need to fill!!!

Thanks for stopping!!  Bye :)