Colour of the Month: Red

Heart confetti

February's colour of the month I would say is RED. Since it's Valentine's, the month of Love, I thought red is the most suitable colour as it's most commonly associated with love.
One of my favourite colours also, especially burgundy, red is the colour that symbolizes passion and energy.
Red - One of the primary colours. 

Valentines Day Card with silver heart

It is the symbolic colour of the heart and the red rose, is closely associated with romantic love or courtly love and Saint Valentine's Day. Both the Greeks and the Hebrews considered red a symbol of love as well as sacrifice.

Valentines Day Heart Card

Red is also the colour of urgency and is used in many danger signs. 

Romantic Valentines Card

Encourages appetite, red is many time used in advertising and branding, often used by fast food chains. 

source: www.digitalinformationworld.com/2013/08/how-colors-influence-people-psychology.html       www.wikipedia.com

Quote of the month - December

"If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all."

 - OSCAR WILDE -

Christmas Cards

Christmas is just around the corner, and it's time to start planning and preparing for Christmas cards, Christmas gifts, and all that Christmas shopping. Fortunately we can find a lot of these things online, which is a total time-saver, with our busy lives. Here are some of my newest creations for original, unique, handmade, personalized Christmas cards for that special someone in your life.

 This cute Santa Claus card is great for children. 

Christmas tree card

A classy approach, with traditional Christmas colours, (which I love by the way) these cards are for your special someone, personalized with your own message.

Red Christmas tree card

Christmas gift card

And for those "Frozen" lovers out there, a personalized Frozen Christmas Card - Handmade, with rhinestones. I'm sure every girl will love this card.

Free Printable: Lists

Our super busy lives can make us go crazy! We all need to have something that helps us remember everything we need to do and put everything in order. Whether it's shopping, house chores or ideas we have. Some people use their diary to jot things down, others use an app, and others use lists and notes. I personally use lists a lot.  

Here are some freebie lists for you to print at home: 

Shopping list

cleaning list 

Notes!  

You will need: a printer, paper, scissors or cutting knife.

How to print: Click on the links above and click print. 

Enjoy!!

Colour of the Month - Purple

Purple - a blend of red and blue.

Thought to resemble royalty, luxury, faith, religion and also magic.

100 purple stars confetti  /  Thank you card 

I personally associate the colour purple, with the smell of lavender and Amethyst gemstones (my favourite.)
I don't really wear purple clothes too much, but I do like using it in design. 




In marketing and branding Purple is considered to represent a creative and imaginative brand and is used a lot in beauty products. 

source: http://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2013/08/how-colors-influence-people-psychology.html

Quote of the Month - October

"It takes a lot of work to make something seem effortless" - Alexander Isley -  

The Frog

What's the first thing that comes in your mind when you hear the word "Frog"? 

Well for me it's Disney's animated movie "The princess and the frog" and Kermit the Frog! 

Frogs are the most beloved cute animals. I guess it's because they are a bit funny looking. As I totally love them, I use them in my creations. 

If you see below are a few samples of my own creations (Birthday Invitation, Birthday Card, Art Print) with a Frog theme and also two finds I stumbled upon in Etsy which are really sweet. A Crochet Pattern Frog, by YukiYarn Designs in The Netherlands and a Newborn Frog Hat by Knit and Crochet Land in Poland.

Quote of the month - August

"Life simply is too short to drink bad wine, wear uncomfortable shoes and live with bad design!"

Pizza made Easy

I am not an expert cook but these recipes I will share with you are tried and tested and they taste wonderful.  Starting here is my easy Pizza that I make often.

Last year I spent hours trying to make a nice pizza dough, from different recipes.. Well it didn't happen. So I decided that I would make my life easier. I went out and bought some tortilla wraps and used them for a base. Sometimes I buy the Lebanese pitta bread, or you can even use slice bread (but that's another recipe).

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

4 Tortilla wraps or Pitta bread

For the sauce:
1 can of chopped tomatoes
Some basil, salt, pepper

Toppings:
About 500gr grated cheese (mozzarella, edam, cheddar)
2-3 slices of ham or turkey ham cut into little squares,
salami slices
red and yellow peppers ( about half each cut into small pieces)
some olives
a small bowl of sweetcorn

Method:
Mix the chopped tomatoes, basil, pepper and salt in the mixer.
With a spoon, spread the sauce on the 4 tortillas.
Add some of the grated cheese on top.

Now the ingredients for the toppings are ideas so here are some combinations:
Pizza 1: turkey ham, peppers, corn and olives
Pizza 2: Salami, sweetcorn
Pizza 3: peppers, sweetcorn
Pizza 4: just cheese

After adding these ingredients on you pizza, add the rest of the cheese on top of each pizza and sprinkle some basil on top.

Place in a preheated oven at 200˚C and bake for about 5-10 minutes (until the cheese melts and is golden.)

Enjoy with family and friends!

Quote of the Month - June

"A day without laughter is a day wasted" - Charlie Chaplin -

Personalized age birthday cards

New cards in my Etsy shop! Make it a special birthday with your very own wish on the card.

Valentines Day

Valentines day is coming soon. Have you thought about your loved one's gift yet? How about a Valentine's Day card to say "I love you"...

"For you see, 

each day I love you more

Today more than yesterday

and less than tomorrow."

Rosemonde Gerard

"Be completely humble and gentle;

be patient, bearing with one another in love."

Ephesians 4:2

"Love doesn't make the world go round. 

Love is what makes the ride worthwhile."

Franklin P. Jones

5 Tips for Managing Time

Here I am again, it's a new year and I'm hoping that this year I will have more time to make time for new ideas and creations. So starting out, I have written down some tips for managing time. 

Trying to manage a small business, an online shop, can be very difficult. Especially if you have a full time day job, a little toddler running around the house, and all those chores like laundry, cleaning, and cooking. Yeap that's me!  I'm always having problems with managing my time, as many things come along every day, to fill up my schedule. But I have so many ideas and things I want to do and create that I will find the time.

Hopefully these tips will help you as they will help me too.

1. Lists! Yes that's right. To do lists are my favourite thing in the world. I have different list. For example. Shopping list, Home cleaning list, Things to make, Etsy shop list, Gift list, Food ideas list, Creative ideas list, and I can go on for ages. Lists basically help me clear my mind. I have it all on paper, in my lovely diary (which I bought from Busy B).
Of course a to do list, can get you carried away, and you could write an awful lot of things that would not be possible to finish in 1 day.
So I suggest, when making your list, place the most important things on top, and consider how much time you need for each task. Therefore you can manage your lists and not add things you know you won't have time doing.

2. Clean Up! It's good to have your work-space clean and clear of bits and pieces before you start working on a new project. This way your mind is clear.

3. Take short breaks! For a cup of tea, for some biscuits, or fruit, or a bite to eat. Your brain needs food and drink to work and perform better. And remember the most important (which I usually forget) DRINK WATER. 

4. Switch off your phone and internet! We can get very distracted with all this new technology and social media going on around us. If you really want to work and concentrate I do suggest it's a good idea to turn off your phone, or just "forget" your phone in the other room. 

5. Make time! Sometimes we just really need to make the effort and make time. Especially, if you have a full time job, and manage a small business at home, through Etsy or any other place and space. Now that I have a baby and my free time is limited, I just decide what is most important for me. For example, do I want to bake a cake, watch TV or work on my blog, site, shop.? That's the most difficult thing. But if you want to grow your business then you have to make sacrifices from other small things you like doing.

Weekly Finds - Christmas Gift Ideas

I've started looking for some ideas for Christmas Gifts. I know it's a bit early, but I really want this year to order most of my gifts from fellow Etsians who make special handmade creations. These beautiful creations I found are all from Europe. 

Personalized Necklace - Initial Jewellery: I have bought a gift for a friend from shrynka a gorgeous shop from Slovakia and just love her creations. Have a look at her shop for many more amazing items.

Dragonfly Earrings: I love dragonflies! and these are my favourite earrings. Should I just buy them for myself instead..? :) From the wonderful shop ArxRosarum from Finland, who makes victorian and art nouveau jewellery.

Crochet Coin Purse: From Thessaloniki, Greece, polixeni19, is an amazing shop with exquisite handmade crocheted & knitted accessories. Have a look at her shop, I'm sure you will find a gift for Christmas.

Beaded Bracelet: Found from the shop BacaCaraJewelry, Cologne, Germany. You can find unique artisan jewelry handmade with vintage treasures!  Perfect for a gift for someone special, for Christmas. 

Christmas is in the Air

This are my all new Christmas cards! Rudolph Christmas Card, Christmas tree cards, Snowman Card.

Ready for sale in my Etsy shop, along with many more Christmas Cards! 

Weekly Finds - Hello baby girl!

This weeks finds are for my baby niece, who my husband and I are going to baptize in the spring! I can't wait to be a godmother :) 

Handmade baby doll: from this cute little shop called Miusla on Etsy. Amazing creations for kids, from Lithuania.
Baby girl romper / onesie: this sweet onesie is all the way from Australia, from the shop ChasingMini.
Ballerina nursery art print: I love tutus! And I love ballet. This is just perfect for a baby girl nursery. From DreamsandNotions, a Photography and Arts Shop on Etsy.
Lavender bunny: From my favourite shop CrochAndi who makes handmade crochet dolls and finger puppets.
New baby card: From my Etsy shop, this handmade, hand-stamped card is made with a wooden embellishment. 

5 Tips for a Tidy Workspace

What I learnt from my years of experience as a crafter and creator, your workshop can get messy easily. A few years back when I first moved to our new home, my workshop was all over the place. Everything was everywhere. Once I started creating more cards, everything got chaotic. Especially during Christmas season. So after that I decided it was time to tidy everything up. It took me a few days, but I finally got everything in the right places. If my workshop is messy, then I feel that I am messy and I can’t think straight, therefore I can't work. So I always keep everything in its place, unless I’m creating of course. 

Here are a few tricks I use to make things easier.

1. Boxes, Boxes! Get lots of boxes to separate each item you use. For example, a box for papers, another box for stamps, another box for punches.. etc.

2. Categories! Along with the boxes, you can categories your materials. For example, all Christmas materials can go in one box. If you have certain things you use for weddings, christenings etc you can separate that in categories.

3. Colour coding!  Categories with colour. This can work for handmade creations like jewellery or clothing where you can separate all your materials according to colour.

4. Labels! Make your own labels and label each box. Believe me it makes life easier, as I always forget where everything is. Especially if you have lots and lots of small things.

5. Tidy Up! Last but not list, every time you make something, make sure at the end of the day you tidy everything up, and clean whatever needs to get cleaned. Therefore you will always have a nice and tidy environment to work in.

I hope this was helpful for your own work space! 

Weekly Finds - Red is Always a Good Idea!

This weeks finds from Etsy, are from my latest treasury. Every week I will be posting my favourites.

Red Mosaic Heart - From one of my favourite Etsy shops here in Cyprus, MiaCristi
Freiberger porcelain vintage red floral set of sugar bowl with lid, creamer cup and coffee pot made in Germany Democratic Republic - From this unique shop USSRvintage
Cranberry Necklace - From this sweet shop called Herinia's Jewelry Chest
Adjustable Bead Ring - From my favourite shop Quimeras (I have bought a pair of earrings from here and had them for nearly 2 years and love them!)

New theme Birthday cards - Sports - Football - Basketball

So August is now really hot here in Cyprus, and I can't get myself to blog a lot. Can't wait for winter to come. Here are some of my new creations this summer. The idea came from my nephew's and brother's birthday. I always have a hard time making a card for men. I can never think of a theme that they like. So this year I decided to make a personalized card with their football (soccer) teams. The first one is Barcelona FC and the second one is Arsenal. The third one is a trial of basketball teams like New York Nicks!

You can find these cards available in my shop as from today. You just need to choose your football team or basketball team, or any other team and I will make your own personalized card.  :)

Holidays

Holiday weekend in Protaras - Cyprus. View from Cape Greco. Wonderful sunset.