Adore By Nat

Princess Birthday Theme

2012-02-02T08:28:00.003-08:00

What a beautiful Thursday! The sun is shinning. The cloud is clear. Yes, it's still a little bit chill but it's beautiful!

I recently had a chance to work with a client creating invitations, favor tags, cupcake toppers, and door sign in Princess theme.

This was a great excuse to let my girly girl style out and play with pinks. So much fun!

Let's not waste the sun, shall we? We're going to drive to the North Shore around noon, give the dentist a little visit then pick up my pre-order papers. Along the way, we'll be sure to enjoy the sunny day.

EtsyGreetings Valentine Blog Hop

2012-01-30T05:00:00.003-08:00

Welcome to EtsyGreetings team's Valentine Blog Hop.

Valentine's day is merely 2 weeks away. Have you gotten your Valentine's card? As you're hopping through our blogs, I hope you find "the card" for your special one or maybe inspired to make one yourself. Either way I'm sure it'll be the perfect one for your loved one.

For me, the card above is the perfect one. The quote: Grow Old Along With Me, The Best Is Yet To Be, is so true to me. It reminds me of our wedding vows. We might not use the exact phrase, but you know what I mean :-) I love my husband dearly and I really hope that we grow old together, through the ups and downs and always be reminded that we have each other.

I'd like to pair this card with these miniature houses by Orlydesign.
I adore Orly's artworks by the way. Every single piece is a beautiful keepsake. These little houses remind me how together, DH and I had built a family. With a loving husband and a sweet son, I feel right at home, no matter where we are and what we're going through.

Thanks for hopping by!

Valentine's Tags

2012-01-23T07:35:00.002-08:00

Happy Monday!
I hope you had a great weekend.
Mine was pretty nice. I had a chance to spend 2 full days with DH and Ethan, pretty much spending the time at home and relaxing and ended it with a family dinner last night with my parents, sister and her daughter to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Today, I'm anticipating that my replacement printer to arrive on time. It'd better be today as I have tons of pending orders to complete. Yes, my printer died on my last Thursday. *sigh* Thank goodness that it's still covered under the 1 year manufacture warranty. I can tell you that I'll be working until late at night tonight to meet deadlines. I do love what I do, so no worries about it.

By the way, Valentine's day is just around the corner. Have you gotten your Valentine cards and tags for your loved ones? I have a few in my shop, so if you don't have time to make yours and really want to have one-of-a-kind handmade cards and tags, be sure to check my shop out.

Star Wars Lego Party

2012-01-17T06:34:00.004-08:00

Happy Tuesday!

I originally created these Star Wars Party Line for a sweet customer of mine. How I'm glad that I was up to the challenge, Thanks J! :-)

Late last year, I started to offer these on my Etsy shop and I have been having a great response. It's one of popular themes for birthday party or baby shower.

So, if you are looking for Star Wars Favor Tags, Cupcake Toppers, Invitations, Food Cards, Thank You Notecard, and Banner, don't hesitate to contact me.

Firsts in 2012

2012-01-16T07:00:00.006-08:00

Gosh, it has been over a month that I haven't showed myself up in the blog world. This is my first post in 2012. As some of you know, we went for a month vacation to Taiwan and Indonesia. I thought I would just relax while being in overseas. It turned out, we've been quite busy running around, going out with friends and family, one mall to the other, and excessively enjoying the foods! A month went by too fast.

So here I am, back in Canada, back to the routines with some plans cooking up :-) We're up to something and I can't share that just now.

It snowed on the weekend, the first snow of the year. I heard that there is a snowfall warning on Wednesday, a heavy one. I just hope that we still can go out as I have errands to run that day and there is no time to slow down.

Sunny and snow is a good combo. It's just beautiful. And the smile of my little one makes the day just super perfect!

Taipei, Taiwan - December 2011

2011-12-14T16:37:00.004-08:00

We stayed in Taipei, Taiwan for 3 nights. It's too bad that it was cloudy and rained the entire time we were there.

Unlike most tourists, we did not go to those attraction sites that are normally suggested such as Memorial Halls and Temples. Instead, we went to places where most Taiwanese go on a day-to-day basis.Night market is one of the examples. We really enjoyed the foods and drinks: stinky tofu, noodle soups and bubble teas. Authentic as is. Shopping is fun and inexpensive. Gotta love that, right?

So we thought let's go to at least ONE recommended tourist site, and we chose Taipei 101.

They had Coral Arts Exhibition. I was in awe.

The details are impressive. The fact that these corals are hard to get makes them very expensive.

I wish we had more time to spend in Taiwan and explore more what it offers. Maybe next time.

Giveaway Winner of Vintage Children Book

2011-12-14T16:13:00.003-08:00

Hello sweet friends! I'm in Indonesia right now, enjoying a little break but I do miss papercrafting so much. Good thing that my shop is an online shop and we have FB and twitter, which somehow makes me feel that I'm still present and is in touch with what I love doing.

We have a winner for the Vintage Children Book's giveaway. Congratulations Shannon Foust!
Thank you Lilly's Lucky Penny for sponsoring the giveaways. To everyone who entered, thank you!

I'll be sharing some pictures of our vacation soon!

Giveaway Winners

2011-12-06T08:30:00.003-08:00

I'm sorry for the giveaway winners late announcement. I've been crazy busy in completing last orders, final errand runs before heading for a vacation. Did I mention that I haven't done any packing yet? Eek!!

So without further a due, Congratulations to Kairi #128 for winning Shadow Jewels'sEarrings and Maegen Morin #4 for winning Scrapbooks and Stones' $10 gift certificate.

Thank you Rhonda and Colleen for sponsoring the giveaways. To everyone who entered, thank you!

There are 2 current giveaways. Be sure to enter here!

Giveaway: $10 Gift Certificate

2011-12-04T09:22:00.003-08:00

Win $10 Gift Certificate from Baby Tweeds . Get to know Christine, our Saturday Artisan this week.

There are many ways to enter. Please make sure you leave a separate comment for every entry.

How to enter to win:

Mandatory entry:

Go to Baby Tweeds shop. Return to my Adore By Nat blog and simply leave a comment here about your favorite item from the store.

Extra entries (only qualify once mandatory entry is fulfilled):

Earn 2 entries - Go to yesterday's post to know her more. Leave a comment there (yesterday's post) on at least one the following: what you learn from the interview, what you want to see more on her shop and why, or any constructive feedback are always appreciated. Come back here and leave 2 comments that you did, to ensure your entries are counted.
Heart Baby Tweeds (1 entry). Simply let us know your Etsy username.
Follow my adorebynat blog (1 entry). If you're already a follower, you still get an entry, just says you're following already.
Like Baby Tweeds Facebook page AND tell Christine , Nat of adorebynat send you there.
Like my Adorebynat Facebook Page. You must drop by and say hello to earn 1 entry.I'd love to hear from you.
Follow Baby Tweeds on twitter (1 entry)
Follow adorebynat on twitter (1 entry).
Tweet about this giveaway, add "@adorebynat" in your tweet. (1 entry).
Blog about this giveaway to earn 2 entries. Leave two separate comments here please providing me with the link to your post.
Be creative and share the love! Refer your friends and family to enter this giveaway. Use your social media (other than twitter and blog) to shout out this giveaway. As long as you provide me a link or a way to confirm it, you'll earn 2 entries (two separate comments).
Purchase an item from Baby Tweeds and earn 10 entries for each purchase. Don't forget letting us know by leaving comments.

Contest starts now and ends on December 17, 2011. Contest opens worldwide.
Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you. Entries without contact information will be disqualified. Entries that do not follow the rules will be disqualified. Contest winner will be drawn on Sunday, December 18 by a random number generator, by the artist herself. Winner must respond within 48 hours after being contacted otherwise another winner will be randomly selected.

Saturday Artisan: Baby Tweeds

2011-12-03T08:41:00.005-08:00

Meet Christine of Baby Tweeds, our Saturday Artisan. Baby Tweeds is an Etsy shop where vintage is dedicated for children. Adorable vintage clothing, toys and blankets and many more can be found at this shop.

Tell us a bit about yourself and what arts/ crafts that you make?
I am a stay at home mom (living in Seattle, WA) who spent several years working in high tech before my daughter was born. After the birth of my daughter 1.5 years ago I decided that I wanted to pursue a career where I would have flexible hours and that would be a great creative outlet for me. A friend of mine turned me on to Etsy and I finally opened my shop at the beginning of 2011 (although did not have any items to sell until August of this year). I love to sew headbands for babies and also plan on making some quilts and caplets in 2012.

Why vintage?
I have always been drawn to vintage items whether it is clothing, furniture, serving pieces, it is something that I love. I think that this is probably because there was a certain craftsmanship, care and detail that was used in years past to make things that you don't necessarily see in items sold today.

What is the story behind your shop name?
I can't quite explain the name except to say that one day it just came to me when I was thinking about opening a shop on Etsy.

Who is your target market?
Moms, grandmothers or anyone interested in purchasing a unique gift for a child.

For us who love to travel, could you share a bit about your beautiful town/ city?
Seattle is an amazing city. My husband and I moved here 8 years ago and absolutely love it. Downtown Seattle is filled with fun restaurants and shops in addition to the world famous Pike's Place Market where you can buy everything from fresh seafood to hand knit sweaters. Also, the Space Needle is a big draw for people visiting Seattle for its unique architecture and beautiful views. The city itself is divided into specific areas or districts (similar to San Francisco). We live in Wallingford which is an historic part of town. Many of the homes in Wallingford are over 100 years old and are craftsman style architecture (we live in a Craftsman bungalow which was built in 1906).

Could you share on how your organize your products, we all can use a little tips here and there in this department?
I organize my products by the type of clothing that I sell (as opposed to organizing the products by gender). For example, I have one section called Christening and Baptism, another called Dresses, Suits and Slips, another one called Sweaters, etc. I think that this organization works well in helping people find what they are looking for easily.

What is your best seller?
Coats, then dresses then sweaters. Everyone seems to really love a vintage warm winter coat for their child.

How does your day go in general?
Each day is different and always crazy busy. However, my daughter attends preschool 3 days a week so on those days I take her to school and then spend the rest of the day focused on my Etsy shop (photographing new items, uploading them, creating treasuries, looking through the blogs of the teams that I belong to to see if there are items that I can add to a discussion thread, etc.

How do you balance your personal and work life?
I always place my family first and once their needs/wants are covered than I work on my business. My husband is incredibly supportive of my Etsy shop so he does a lot to make my life easier in terms of keeping the house running smoothly allowing me time to work on my business.

What inspires you?
My daughter as she has a really sweet and sunny personality and makes me laugh a lot but also see the world in a new and different way. Also, other Etsy sellers have been really inspiring in terms of their products, treasuries and feedback for me.

What is your goal for 2011? And are you on the right track?
My goal for 2011 was to break even in terms of the cost of starting up my business vs. total sales. I am unfortunately not on track because although I opened my business on Etsy at the beginning of this year, I didn't actually upload anything to sell until the Fall. I am ok with this however, because I am having a lot of fun and feel like the sales and positive exposure will pay off next year.

What is your favorite tool that you cannot live without?
My laptop or sewing machine depending on how I am looking at my business. :-)

How do you promote your shop?
Through treasuries. Also, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. I also want to start a site on Tumblr and independent blog but haven't had the time yet.

Any advice for others running their on-line shop?
Have great tags for your items - this is key for helping buyers and other Etsy sellers find your shop. Create treasuries and get them out on Etsy through teams that share similar interests that you have. Create a Facebook site, sign up for Twitter and also Pinterest. Lastly, stay positive and ask for feedback from fellow sellers as they often give the best advice and can be incredibly supportive.

Saving money is important; tell us one thing that you do to save money?
I am constantly looking for bargains related to my business in terms of buying supplies and also trying to find the most unique items to sell that are at a reasonable price so that I can resell them and make a good profit. Also, I have found shopping at thrift stores (such as Goodwill) is a great way to find business supplies and items to sell at really reasonable prices.

Stay-tuned for tomorrow's giveaway!

Weekend Special - 3 FREE Cards

2011-12-02T17:52:00.002-08:00

This weekend only, from Friday to Sunday, Dec 4, 2011:

Buy 3 Handmade Cards
Get 3 FREE Handmade Cards
(doesn't apply to sets of cards)

Simply purchases all 6 cards of your choice and I'll refund 3 cards (equal or lesser values).

So what are you waiting for? Shop for the holidays at my AdoreByNat Etsy shop. A set of handmade cards are great gift!

Christmas Door Sign

2011-11-29T12:48:00.008-08:00

Hello friends!

Today I'm sharing with you a Christmas Door Sign that I made for my son's preschool teacher. Tomorrow is Ethan's last day at the preschool before we're going for our vacation.

I'm using one of Amy Jaz Designs' Document Your December kits, the Modern Merry Element Pack.

Thanks for stopping by!

Giveaway: Vintage Children Book

2011-11-27T08:53:00.003-08:00

Win a vintage children book!

This giveaway is sponsored by Lilly's Lucky Penny who is giving away one book of their choice to the winner. Just let them know the gender and age of the intended reader and a few of their favorite things and they will ship out a surprise book!

Get to know April and Kara, our Saturday Artisan this week.

There are many ways to enter. Please make sure you leave a separate comment for every entry.

How to enter to win:

Mandatory entry:

Go to Lilly's Lucky Penny shop. Return to my Adore By Nat blog and simply leave a comment here about your favorite item from the store.

Extra entries (only qualify once mandatory entry is fulfilled):

Earn 2 entries - Go to yesterday's pos t to know her more. Leave a comment there (yesterday's post) on at least one the following: what you learn from the interview, what you want to see more on her shop and why, or any constructive feedback are always appreciated. Come back here and leave 2 comments that you did, to ensure your entries are counted.
Heart Lilly's Lucky Penny (1 entry). Simply let us know your Etsy username.
Follow my adorebynat blog (1 entry). If you're already a follower, you still get an entry, just says you're following already.
Like my Adorebynat Facebook Page. You must drop by and say hello to earn 1 entry.I'd love to hear from you.
Follow adorebynat on twitter (1 entry).
Tweet about this giveaway, add "@adorebynat" in your tweet. (1 entry).
Blog about this giveaway to earn 2 entries. Leave two separate comments here please providing me with the link to your post.
Be creative and share the love! Refer your friends and family to enter this giveaway. Use your social media (other than twitter and blog) to shout out this giveaway. As long as you provide me a link or a way to confirm it, you'll earn 2 entries (two separate comments).
Purchase an item from Lilly's Lucky Penny and earn 10 entries for each purchase. Don't forget letting us know by leaving comments.

Contest starts now and ends on December 10, 2011. Contest opens worldwide.
Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you. Entries without contact information will be disqualified. Entries that do not follow the rules will be disqualified. Contest winner will be drawn on Sunday, December 11 by a random number generator, by the artist herself. Winner must respond within 48 hours after being contacted otherwise another winner will be randomly selected.

Saturday Artisan: Lilly's Lucky Penny

2011-11-26T09:06:00.002-08:00

Meet April (Penny's Mom) & Kara (Lilly's Mom), two sisters that works together offering vintage toys and books for children at Lilly's Lucky Penny.

There are something about vintage items that I adore, the story and memories that they have being passed on to next generation.

I really wish that I still have my toys that I could pass on to my son, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take them with me when I moved here in Canada.

Most of you knows that I'm a mom to a little man and I'd bet he loves this pick up truck.

So without further adue, let's get to know these 2 womens, April and Kara.

Tell us a bit about yourself?
We are two sisters who have fairly recently become moms together. Our girls are both under two years old and keep us real busy when we're not at work or school. We both love to garden and neither of us like to cook, luckily the men in our lives do otherwise we'd only eat red vines and hummus (not together!) for supper.

Why vintage store for children?
When we were shopping for our girls, we were drawn to Fisher Price and other toys we played with when we were kids. We ended up finding more stuff than we had room for in our homes but we didn't want to stop looking.

What is the story behind your shop name?
Our little girls, Lilly and Penny, were the inspiration for our shop so it was a no-brainer that our Etsy shop would carry their names.

Could you share on how your organize your products, we all can use a little tips here and there in this department?
We organize the store in a way that we would like to shop it if we were the customer in a physical store. We put all the fun attention-grabbers in the front and the browsing-type stuff in the middle and our bookstore is at the end.

How do you balance your personal and work life?
Leave your work at work! It's easy to do when you walk through the door at home and are greeted with big toothy smiles and outstretched arms from your kids. If we have time at the end of the day and when the kids are in bed and the dishes and laundry are done, we try to get some more of our inventory up on Etsy, Every couple of weeks we have a Friday playdate for the girls, and Happy Hour for us girls and we'll bang out a bunch of Etsy stuff - it makes it less work and more personal when we can do it together.

Stay-tuned for tomorrow's giveaway!

Black Friday Sale

2011-11-24T19:01:00.004-08:00

BLACK FRIDAY SALE:

Enjoy the following promos at my Adore By Nat shop! It's time to stock up for the holiday and party you've been planning for.

FREE SHIPPING within CANADA, use coupon code: BF2011

For EVERYONE: Spend $5 (before shipping) and get $5 toward your next purchase of $10 or more. Offer cannot be combined with any other offers, discounts, or promotions.

A Very Vintage Christmas

2011-11-23T07:00:00.004-08:00

I am in love with A Very Vintage Christmas Kit by Amy Jaz Designs. Truly, the kit is wonderful and I have so many ideas running in my head. But let's do it one step at a time, shall we?

Many papers to select from the kit and I just combined 3 of them. Love the deer!

Added the Joy to the World phrase and a couple of gold brads. Of course, red and white baker's twine adds a christmasy feel to it. Subtle machine stitching and distressed ink makes the card perfect.

Check others' project here at Kara's site and get inspired.

Lona de Anna Special Offer

2011-11-22T07:17:00.004-08:00

Hi friends,
Lona de Anna from the land down under has a special offer for AdoreByNat's readers. Enjoy 25% off on her prints available in her Etsy shop from Tuesday to Thursday (3 days only). Enter Coupon Code - LDA25ABN on checkout to receive your 25% off any print.

To use this coupon codes, you must be a visible follower of Adore by Nat and heart Lona de Anna Etsy store.

More Holiday Gift Card Holders

2011-11-21T19:01:00.002-08:00

Happy Monday!
Hope you had fabulous weekend!

As I'm preparing for holiday season, I thought I'd make a few more Gift Card Holders. They really come in handy for adding special touch to your gift cards. Sometimes I think they're the best gift as you could just get what you want or need.

Giveaway: Crystal Snowflake Earrings

2011-11-20T08:29:00.004-08:00

Want to win this gorgeous Holiday Crystal Snowflake Earrings?

This giveaway is sponsored by Shadow Jewels. Get to know Rhonda, our Saturday Artisan this week.

There are many ways to enter. Please make sure you leave a separate comment for every entry.

How to enter to win:

Mandatory entry:

Go to Shadow Jewels shop. Return to my Adore By Nat blog and simply leave a comment here about your favorite item from the store.

Extra entries (only qualify once mandatory entry is fulfilled):

Earn 2 entries - Go to yesterday's post to know her more. Leave a comment there (yesterday's post) on at least one the following: what you learn from the interview, what you want to see more on her shop and why, or any constructive feedback are always appreciated. Come back here and leave 2 comments that you did, to ensure your entries are counted.
Heart Shadow Jewels (1 entry). Simply let us know your Etsy username.
Follow Shadow Jewels blog (1 entry).
Follow my adorebynat blog (1 entry). If you're already a follower, you still get an entry, just says you're following already.
Like Shadow Jewels Facebook page AND tell Rhonda , Nat of adorebynat send you there.
Like my Adorebynat Facebook Page. You must drop by and say hello to earn 1 entry.I'd love to hear from you.
Follow Shadow Jewels on twitter (1 entry)
Follow adorebynat on twitter (1 entry).
Tweet about this giveaway, add "@adorebynat" in your tweet. (1 entry).
Blog about this giveaway to earn 2 entries. Leave two separate comments here please providing me with the link to your post.
Be creative and share the love! Refer your friends and family to enter this giveaway. Use your social media (other than twitter and blog) to shout out this giveaway. As long as you provide me a link or a way to confirm it, you'll earn 2 entries (two separate comments).
Purchase an item from Shadow Jewels and earn 10 entries for each purchase. Don't forget letting us know by leaving comments.

Contest starts now and ends on December 3, 2011. Contest opens worldwide.
Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you. Entries without contact information will be disqualified. Entries that do not follow the rules will be disqualified. Contest winner will be drawn on Sunday, December 4 by a random number generator, by the artist herself. Winner must respond within 48 hours after being contacted otherwise another winner will be randomly selected.

Saturday Artisan: Shadow Jewels

2011-11-19T07:39:00.006-08:00

Our Saturday Artisan this is week is Rhonda of Shadow Jewels. Come on, take a peek at her shop and you'll stay awhile admiring her beautiful jewelry collections. Looking for a perfect Holiday gift? She gets that covered.

Tell us a bit about yourself and what arts/ crafts that you make?
My name is Rhonda, but everyone calls me Shadow. I make vintage inspired and wire wrapped jewelry. I'm a nurse and a nature nut. I'm married, have two grown kids, and a house full of cats. I live near Los Angeles.

Which part of creation process that you like to do the most?
Putting beads and rhinestones together in different ways to create something beautiful and unexpected, that keeps me interested in my craft. But even more than that, I love shopping for vintage beads and rhinestones, and finding rare old pieces to use. My favorite part of all is opening a package, and finding my vintage rhinestones in their original wrapper. I love the yellowed crackly paper, the warm musty smell, and the soft cotton batting that has kept the crystals safe through the years. And of course the labels are wonderful sources of information. It's always fun to be able to tell my customers exactly where their beads or rhinestones were made.

For us who love to travel, could you share a bit about your beautiful town/ city?
When I go out, I don't head for the city, I run to the Sierra Nevada mountains. There is something so serene in the high lonely places, it touches my soul. I am drawn to the forests and giant trees of Sequoia National Park. The sweeping vistas, spring flowers, forest creatures, and the colors of nature through the changing seasons are my main sources of inspiration.

How does your day go in general?
Oh boy. Well, a couple of months ago we took in a stray mama cat. Someone had obviously dumped her when she was pregnant, and she was the skinniest, sorriest cat I have ever seen. It took a few days, but she finally grew to trust us enough to bring her kittens. They are growing up fast, and mama is fat and happy now. My days are filled with caring for them and playing blanket monster and paper ball.

What is your favourite tool that you cannot live without?
My dremel with the burr cup attachment. With this amazing little tool, you can remove the sharp bits from the end of a clipped wire, and make your own earrings. Brilliant!

How do you promote your shop?
First, I strive every day to improve my shop and make it the best it can be. I signed up for the Etsy emails, and read all of the tips they send us. It does no good to promote your shop if you only have a few tired items, poor quality photos, or bad tags and titles.

I mainly promote my shop through team activities. Making treasuries is great for promoting inside Etsy.

For off Etsy promotion, I use social networking. Facebook, twitter, my blog, and other sites around the web. Get the word out people! Shake your moneymaker!

Stay-tuned for tomorrow's giveaway!

He is 4

2011-11-18T22:45:00.003-08:00

Today my little baby turns 4. No matter how many times he corrects me, "Not baby, mama. I'm a BIG boy," he will always be my baby.

That's him trying to show me his four fingers. How adorable!

I love you, my little man. You makes me smile and laugh. Tonight I asked you if you know what a birthday means. I started to explain it to you that you were on mommy's tummy and then you came out... You quickly asked me, "Mama, where is the door?" LOL. I was speechless and could only laughed.

Yes of course, there are moments that you're a trouble-maker. But still at the end of the day, I still love you so much no matter what.

I could see you were SO happy today: having a little party at the preschool, getting lot of toys from grandparents, aunties and cousins, and visiting Toys R Us to get your Thomas Trains and more. The joy was overwhelming, but in a good way.

Happy Birthday my little man!

EtsyGreetings Holiday Blog Hop

2011-11-14T05:00:00.009-08:00

This year EtsyGreetings team is doing a Holiday Blog Hop and the theme is My Favorite Handmade Holiday Tradition.

Oh how I love this time of year as it gets very festive with all the bright lights and carols. We love to drive around the neighborhood to see all the pretty decors and sometimes we go up to the mountains to get a little bit of white Christmas.

One of my holiday favorites is Eggnog. It's sad that I can't have it throughout the year but come to think of it again maybe I like it a lot because I can only have it during the holiday season and that's what makes it special. Mmm.... A friend has an eggnog cake recipe that she's going to share with me very soon. I think if I can make it right, it will be part of our holiday tradition.

But for now, being a papercrafter myself, my handmade holiday tradition is not far from making anything that involves papers.

This Christmas Card with our son's picture is a perfect one to send to our family and friends.

I'm also making Christmas Tags. Aren't these adorable?
I can't help in mixing vintage and modern style together. Who says we have to stick to just one style, right?
The tags are 2"x3". The images and paper are from A Very Vintage Christmas Kit by Amy Jaz Designs. Add some baker's twine, ribbon, and brads and you get beautiful tags.

Thanks for hopping by!

Giveaway: $10 Gift Certificate from Scrapbooks and Stones

2011-11-13T09:41:00.003-08:00

Win $10 Gift Certificate from Scrapbooks and Stones. Get to know Colleen, our Saturday Artisan this week.

There are many ways to enter. Please make sure you leave a separate comment for every entry.

How to enter to win:

Mandatory entry:

Go to Scrapbooks and Stones shop. Return to my Adore By Nat blog and simply leave a comment here about your favorite item from the store.

Extra entries (only qualify once mandatory entry is fulfilled):

Earn 2 entries - Go to yesterday's post to know her more. Leave a comment there (yesterday's post) on at least one the following: what you learn from the interview, what you want to see more on her shop and why, or any constructive feedback are always appreciated. Come back here and leave 2 comments that you did, to ensure your entries are counted.
Heart Scrapbooks and Stones (1 entry). Simply let us know your Etsy username.
Follow Scrapbooks and Stones blog (1 entry).
Follow my adorebynat blog (1 entry). If you're already a follower, you still get an entry, just says you're following already.
Like Scrapbooks and Stones Facebook page AND tell Colleen , Nat of adorebynat send you there.
Like my Adorebynat Facebook Page. You must drop by and say hello to earn 1 entry.I'd love to hear from you.
Follow Scrapbooks and Stones on twitter (1 entry)
Follow adorebynat on twitter (1 entry).
Tweet about this giveaway, add "@adorebynat" in your tweet. (1 entry).
Blog about this giveaway to earn 2 entries. Leave two separate comments here please providing me with the link to your post.
Be creative and share the love! Refer your friends and family to enter this giveaway. Use your social media (other than twitter and blog) to shout out this giveaway. As long as you provide me a link or a way to confirm it, you'll earn 2 entries (two separate comments).
Purchase an item from Scrapbooks and Stones and earn 10 entries for each purchase. Don't forget letting us know by leaving comments.

Contest starts now and ends on November 26, 2011. Contest opens worldwide.
Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you. Entries without contact information will be disqualified. Entries that do not follow the rules will be disqualified. Contest winner will be drawn on Sunday, November 27 by a random number generator, by the artist herself. Winner must respond within 48 hours after being contacted otherwise another winner will be randomly selected.

Saturday Artisan: Scrapbooks and Stones

2011-11-12T08:52:00.012-08:00

Meet Colleen of Scrapbooks and Stones. Colleen specializes in scrapbooks (custom books or premade pages), handmade jewelry, and things made out of duct tape.

As some of you may know, I scrapbook and I love it. Preserving memories, looking back to what we'd been through, is priceless. Scrapbooking is more important to me now that we have a son who is growing up so quick.

So when I 'meet' Colleen, I said, "Gotta love this gal". Lol.

Let's get to know her a bit more, shall we?

Tell us a bit about yourself and what arts/ crafts that you make?
I am a newly wed and when my husband and I moved to Florida for his job I needed something to do. So I started my etsy shop. I make scrapbooks pages, custom scrapbooks, jewelry, and things out of duct tape.

I started making things out of duct tape when I was about 13 and I used to sell it to other kids. Then I started making jewelry when I worked at The Pot & bead, which was a beading and potter studio. Finally I started scrapbooking for my boyfriend (now husband) when I was in college.

Why scrapbooking?
My father was a photographer so photos were always a big part of my life. He took pictures of everything. When I got to college no one was taking my picture anymore, so I became the friend with the camera and I took pictures of everything. I made my boyfriend a scrapbook because we were going to be apart for the summer and I never stopped adding to it. I think scrapbooking is a great and unique way to preserve photos and other memorabilia.

What is the story behind your shop name?
I wanted something that incorporated my items, and I like the idea of everything starting with the same letter. Scrapbooks and Stones was the result.

Which part of creation process that you like to do the most?
I like the planning process. I like coming up with an idea and sketching out a scrapbook page, or laying out beads and seeing what looks good together.

For us who love to travel, could you share a bit about your beautiful town/ city?
I live in a small town on the east coast of Florida. It is in-between Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale. I’ve only lived here a few months so I haven’t discovered all of the cool things to do, but the beach is always nice.

How do you balance your personal and work life?
This is pretty easy. My husband goes to work all day and I work on things while he is gone. I know sometimes he gets annoyed that I am constantly checking the computer, but I figure it’s a good opportunity for him to check on sports.

What is your favourite tool that you cannot live without?
Tape. I use tape while scrapbooking, I use it to tape off one end of a string while I’m beading, and then of course there is duct tape.

How do you promote your shop?
I have a facebook, twitter, and tumblr that I use regularly. I’ve also just started a chime.in and digg. I do a lot of promotion through those but I also am a part of lots of teams and participate in challenges, giveaways, and blogs.

Stay-tuned for tomorrow's giveaway!