Monday 29 June 2015

What You Need to Know when Giving Handmade Cards

Hi there

Monday again---ugh

Got the builders in today altering my utility room

Thank goodness my 6 cats (none of who go outside) stayed upstairs !!

Anyway, a few pics and then my tips


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                                                                    £ 3.50 plus £1 post


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All cards are £1 post worldwide








Now to my tips for the day:


What You Need to Know when Giving Handmade Cards

Giving handmade gifts is all in rage right now. When before it is generally frowned upon as cheap and tawdry, now it is being celebrated as something that is artistic, creative and practical. In the face of an economic slump, being able to create for yourself gifts that you can give to people is a talent that many will admire. After all, it is not something that a lot of people will be able to do. Some just do not have the talent while others have none of the patience.

Handmade gifts are however considered to be more personalized and more meaningful. After all, you yourself have made the gift and therefore a lot of your ideas and personality is reflected there, not to mention your feelings. In fact, people who are close to you will actually appreciate handmade gifts more than ready-made ones because they come from the heart, so to speak.

But even if handmade gifts are becoming the trend right now, you still need to learn a few things before you start a project. There are after all still unspoken rules when it comes to giving handmade gifts. Here are some of the things that you need to know before you make your own handmade gifts.

First thing to consider when doing this is your ability to make them. Flat out ask yourself, are you crazy to do this? If the answer is yes, then seriously reconsider your plan. You know yourself and if you feel that you are not capable or comfortable doing something as simple as child’s craft project, then that spell trouble for the project. You see, making handmade gifts may seem simple but for the creatively challenged and artistically deficient, it can be one harrowing task.

It may even prove to be impossible and will eventually end up with you buying a ready made gift at a nearby 24 hours store just to be able to present something next morning. Thus, save yourself the trouble and check if you can really do the project.

The next thing that you should consider is the time. Do you have the time to do the project? Remember that most projects will not take you a couple of minutes. Give and take, it can last for hours especially if you are not used to doing craft projects like this or worse if it is your first time to do so since your kindergarten class. If you do not have the time to spare to rummage through art materials and come up with a decent card or anything, then better buy a ready-made gift. It will be less stressful for you.

The third thing to consider is the person that you are giving it to. Remember that handmade gifts are much to personal to give to just anybody. You need to give it to people who you really know and those who really know you. That way, they will be able to look past the obvious flaws in construction and see the meaning, the effort and the time that you have put into making the handmade gift.

When they are given to strangers or people you are not close to, they might misconstrue your intentions and read more than what they should into what you have given. So be careful.



Good luck and dont forget to look at the website AND follow this BLOG-------this is  a MUST


Bye

Susan

Sunday 28 June 2015

Why Choose a Handmade Card ?

Hi

Hope you are having an awesome Sunday

Some more cards for you, then my little words of wisdom

The cards are all Art Deco Wedding Style:


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Now for my awesome words of wisdom  !!


Why Choose A Handmade Card?

A handmade card is actually pretty special. When you are giving a gift like this, you are basically giving that person a part of yourself. But some people are still reluctant to give these kinds of cards. They are after all seen as cheap and home made and only people who are either a miser or as stingy as can be.

With the current financial situation in the world, it is important for people to consider this option. You need to be able to save money whichever way you can and who is to say that you cannot scrimp on cards to people? Here are some of the reasons why you should give people handmade cards:

1. It’s cheap but NOT ALWAYS
If you do not have the budget to buy gifts, then swallow your pride and start making that card. People will understand especially now with the current economic crisis going on. Besides people nowadays are seeing handmade gifts in a new light. They now feel that these cards are okay and are actually quite economical.

2. It’s the trend
Believe it or not, giving handmade cards is not considered tacky anymore. QUITE THE REVERSE. In fact, in some ways it is a celebrated endeavour because it shows that you are practical, wise and very creative. People who give these cards  have artistic talents and are able to put their heart into what they are giving. Handmade cards are also seen to have more meaning than something that you have only bought from a supermarket.

3. It’s more personal
Handmade cards are much more personalized. After all, when you give them to a person, you have not only given your time and money into it but also a part of yourself. You decide what to put into it, from its designs and drawings to its dedication at the back. Every idea came from your head and as cheesy sounding as it is, from your heart. Most people will actually appreciate a handmade card than something that is factory manufactured but be careful with the people that you give them to. They are often given to people who you feel are very close and dear to you.

4. It is more meaningful
The time and the effort that you put into making the card as well as the ideas that you have come up with is priceless. Handmade cards have more meaning into them than any other gift. They can actually if you permit to a reflection of not only your personality but also the feelings that you have for the person that you are giving it to. That is why, these cards are often only given to people who are close to you.

5. It’s an outlet for your talent
In giving a handmade card, you are basically using the talent that God has given you, be it the ability to design and make a card,  compose a poem or a song or something as simple as how to bake a cake. You can also make use of the hobbies that you have and make a gift from out of them. For instance, if you love photography you can make use of your photographs. The same goes with people who do sketching and caricatures. You can enjoy yourself and at the same time make your cards. Doing this, you can basically do two things in one go and save time.

You can rest assured that 99% of the people that you send one of your self made cards will keep and treasure them.    They WONT end up in the Bin, this I assure you


Talk soon and buy these cards -----dont think about it, they will be gone


Susan




Friday 26 June 2015

What you need to Know about Handmade Gifts

Hi

All ready for the weekend

Some new cards made this afternoon

















Okay, further information and tips about hand made gifts



What you need to Know about Handmade Gifts

Handmade gifts are fast becoming a trend right now because of the recession that is going on. Unfortunately for most people, the world of Anna Griffin and Martha Stewart is as alien as can be. Most do not have the talent for the arts let alone have the patience to do it. Thus, even if it is all the rage right now, only a few are able to really come up with a handmade gift that they can truly be proud of to give to their loved ones.

But that I guess is the reason why handmade gifts are such great gifts because no matter how tawdry it looks or how unfinished the construction is, the people you give it to will be able to look past those ugly things and instead see the time and effort that you have put into the project. They will see not the gift but the meaning behind it and the message that you want to convey when you gave it to them.

In fact, most people who are close to you will probably appreciate these gifts more than something that you have bought from the store. This is because these gifts are more meaningful especially if you have managed to incorporate something meaningful into the gift like maybe a receipt from the first date or the first gift that you have give to your best friend. Some create albums and scrapbooks that showcase photos that you have together. These gifts are more special and more memorable as it contains a snapshot of your lives together.

And because you have done this yourself, the gift is more personalized, containing all of your ideas and all your thoughts while making the gift. Sometimes the design will even reflect your personality. In some cases, it will also display your special talent and your extraordinary brilliance in a certain field like for instance when you are giving someone a poem that you have written or a caricature that you have made of them or maybe a song that you have composed about them.

Handmade gifts are however not all pros. There also disadvantages into giving handmade gifts. People who are not much artistic will have a harder time making these gifts. Even with the help of art and crafts shows, they will still find it awkward to create a project that they can give as gifts. If the person is not careful, they can even spend much more than they should in the project and end up paying more than the price that they could have spend had they bought a gift in the stores. So you see, if you are the novice when it comes to making handmade gifts, you will encounter a lot of problems.

Another disadvantage is the fact that it will take a lot of your time, from the initial conception to the actual finishing of the project. If you are making many gifts for many people, you cannot replicate the gift. One gift will always be different from the others that you have made.

Of course, the first few ones will be more unfinished and dirtier than the later ones because by then you have already gotten used to the whole process and have already devised techniques on how to make it easier to do.  

So my advice is NEVER give up-----you will make rapid improvements


Bye for now and enjoy your weekend


Susan

Thursday 25 June 2015

Ways To Help You Create Handmade Gifts

Hi there

I hope you are having a great Thursday

Before I start rambling about handcrafted gifts, I thought I would tell you about these unusual items I have made----I am inserting a couple of  pics for you to see

Unusual Presents.Handcrafted Jute Bags

All the bags are made of a natural jute material and make excellent presents.The bags have strong handles and most have a resin lining.The pictures and decoration are all made from a cotton/nylon material.






Right then , off we go with some tips


Ways To Help You Create Handmade Gifts

Handmade gifts may seem hard to do but when you really think about it, it’s actually pretty easy as long as you know what you want to do and you know how to do it. But what if
you are the type of person who do not have any crafty bone in their body, how can you create a handmade gift when you have no idea what you are doing.
Well, lucky for those kinds of people, there are ways to make sure that you get all the help that you can get. Here are some of the things that can help you with your handmade gift.
Read on and check them out.

1. Craft books
There are a lot in the market that will help you with your craft projects. For instance, if you want to make jewelries as presents to your friends, you will find a lot of jewelry craft books in bookstores. Look at the projects and look at the materials. If you are a newbie, make sure that you buy the one for the novice like yourself. some books can be really advanced and if you start with that, it can be a problem and it might even discourage you to even make the jewelry in the first place.

If however you want to create an album, there are craft books that you can read as reference. They will give you tips on how to start your album.
They will even have designs that you can follow and incorporate into the album that you are doing. These kinds of crafts books are available in bookstores as well as in craft stores where you can buy supplies. To make it easier for you, you can actually buy the book in the craft stores. That way, you can point to the materials that you want and then buy them right off.
There is no need to go back to the store just to buy the set of materials. You will have saved not only your time but also petrol money.

2. Craft shows
There are also great craft shows in the country that will help you with the project that you want to make and give as gifts. Certain TV shows for instance have a lot of projects that you can do to make it easier for you. It will also keep you up to date with some of the materials and gadgets (yes crafters have gadgets)
 They will even have designs There are the sticker machines, the stamps and the engravers.
Trust me, making handmade gifts has never been easier with all these gadgets.

3. Art shows for kids
Ok face it, even if you are too old for such juvenile shows, you will learn a lot from these shows. You will find a lot of new ideas for handmade gifts with these shows and
what is more, they are easy to do because after all they are for children and projects for children are pretty easy to do.
 Just make sure that you write down everything you need and try to watch it as closely as you can.

That way, you will not have a problem should you try to replicate the project on your own. Remember that unlike with books, you cannot reread or replay the whole thing unless
of course you taped the episode

I hope you find this interesting, particularly where the kiddies ( and you, of course) are concerned.

I will write again soon

Bye for now

Susan



PSif you like the jute bags, which are really strong, get one NOW---------there is only one of each

Wednesday 24 June 2015

Why Give Handmade Gifts ?


Giving handmade gifts is something that should not be taken lightly.  Giving something which is handmade and made unique by the artist is a great experience both for the receiver and giver.  Thus, giving a gift that you made yourself would truly be rewarding.

A good thing about giving handmade gifts is that it is entirely different and it is unique.  You will not see the handicraft that you have received in the shelves of popular stores.  Handicrafts are made in less volume compared to mass produced gift items which can be found in different states and locations.

Handmade crafts have individuality and originality which makes them completely personal.  Crafters or those who make handicrafts even encourage customers to make custom orders, like colours, designs, or decorations. Aside from custom orders, the artist also created the crafts sees to it that they are of high quality. 

Crafters would like to have regular customers or patrons, but it is difficult if the crafts are not of quality standards. As artists, they also have a sense of pride whenever they see something that they made and how valuable it is to the person who bought or received it.

Often, people would think that it is actually an inconvenience to get gift items from handicrafts.  There would be times, that people would think that getting crafted items as gifts would require you to go to far-off craft stores just to get a good item.  But with the improvement of technology, everything was made easier for interested buyers.  There are websites where you can check different information and products about different kinds of crafts.

Aside from this, more and more people are showing interest in crafted items.  There are craft fairs which showcases the talents of local crafters.  There are also craft stores which can carry on with personal or custom orders.  There are aside from this local crafters clubs or organizations would hold fundraising and other activities that could help them promote crafters and their products.

Another thing which made people think twice about buying craft items it that they are expensive.  Although, there would be times when crafts really tend to be expensive you can still find items which does not cost too much.  There would be talented craftspeople who are totally competitive with their prices.  In order to compete with other crafters, some artists tend to lower their prices to have and maintain clientele.

A good thing of getting handmade gift items is that there is interaction between the client and the crafters.  To make sure that the customers are happy with their handmade products, crafters build healthy relationship with customers in order for them to deliver or surpass the expected results. A crafter should also healthily welcome criticisms and feedback to improve their handicrafts.

There are also some studies and research showing that handmade gifts and crafts are actually more environmental friendly, since they were made in traditional and natural methods.  Mass produced items tend to be made in factories that are emitting large amounts of carbon monoxide and also have poor working conditions. Another thing is that handmade crafts are made in a way that they last for a long time and even transferred from one generation to another. 


Handmade gifts used to be perceived as simple but meaningful gifts.  But with the increase of people paying attention on handicrafts and personal gifts, its value increased.  It is no longer a gift that you can make when you lack budget or want to showcase your skill, handicrafts and handmade items are recognized as gifts with heartfelt meaning. 


When I look back

Hi there I started making cards by watching a programme on TV and I thought 'I can do that' So, I bought a kit (Vital to newbies) and made some cards. I thought that they were lovely, and when I look back, they were probably a bit basic, but I was so pleased at the time. I got better and better , until the cards I oroduce today, I am very proud of My website is number 5 on the FIRST page of Google, so I am well happy I shall be starting a series of posts about hand made things, not just cards, soon Hope you enjoy them Bye for now Susan

One of my newest cards that I have made

Hand Crafted Luxury Cards for all occasions: Just launched my new music cardsPic of one below--...

Hand Crafted Luxury Cards for all occasions: Just launched my new music cardsPic of one below--...: Just launched my new music cards Pic of one below-----they rock people !! http://www.susananneluxurycards.co.uk
Just launched my new music cards Pic of one below-----they rock people !!
http://www.susananneluxurycards.co.uk

Monday 22 June 2015

Hand Crafted Luxury Cards for all occasions: About MeWelcome to my blog. My name is Sue James a...

Hand Crafted Luxury Cards for all occasions: About MeWelcome to my blog. My name is Sue James a...: About Me Welcome to my blog . My name is Sue James and I have been a full time teacher for 23 years until a few years ago when I decided to...
About Me Welcome to my blog
. My name is Sue James and I have been a full time teacher for 23 years until a few years ago when I decided to go part-time and have a little time to myself and my interests and hobbies. In my younger days, I studied Art and Graphic Design as my main subjects at Teachers Training College, so card making was a natural progression many years later when I had the opportunity to devote some of my time to art and graphics in the form of card making. I started card making comparatively recently and found that my College background subjects were ideally suited to this. After a few months of making cards and receiving a lot of positive feedback from friends, family and associates, I decided to set up this website and turn my talents in to hopefully earning me some money. I intend to donate some of my earnings from this venture to Charity, the major one being the Cats Protection League as I have 7 cats of my own at present . Images of my cats are now on my 'Animal Magic' page Please study the website at your leisure-----------all cards are individually hand-crafted by myself and each one, therefore is totally unique. Some cards contain their own individual insert , some have text/verses, some are blank. This will be detailed under each image. More cards will be added and if you would like a card individually made, please e mail me at susan@susananneluxurycards.co.uk or write to me ( see 'Contact Us Page' ) .