Friday, March 27, 2009

A New Paper Project from Team Member Alycia Morales

We have a great "how to" project from EtsyPaper Team member and admin, Alycia Morales of Peek-a-boo Productions. She makes these gorgeous paper pine cones and is sharing her "trade secret" with us!

SUPPLIES:
  • A styrofoam ball (example is 3"around)

  • 12 x 12 scrapbook paper/card stock - 2 sheets

  • Straight pins (I buy them in packs of 250)

  • Ribbon

  • Scissors, Paper Cutter

  • Thimble (You will want this for your forefinger from pushing the pins)

THE FUN PART:

  • Step One - cut your paper. You will want to line your paper up with the 2" mark on your paper cutter first. Cut a strip that is 12" x 2". Then, line up the 12" strip with the 1" mark, and cut. You will have rectangles that are 2" x 1" when you are finished. You will need approximately 60 of them for a 3" styrofoam ball, give or take a few.

  • Step Two - fold the paper rectangles into paper triangles. To do this, start with the first rectangle face down on your work surface. Next, fold one side of the rectangle in to make a small triangle (see photographs below). Then, fold in the second half of the rectangle, making them meet in the middle, forming a triangle with your paper. You may wish to use a bone folder to crease your triangle, especially if you are using thicker paper. This will make it "tight" and not sloppy.

  • Step Three - start your pine cone...First, pick up your styrofoam ball, and find a starting point. (It's round, so you really can start anywhere.) Place your first triangle on the ball, and place a pin into the tip of the triangle. Take your second triangle, line it up next to the first one, with its tip touching the middle of the ball, like the first one (you are basically making a square on the bottom of your styrofoam ball...). Do the same with the third and the fourth triangles. You are pinning them only at the point right now. (See photographs for more detail.)
Once you have that completed, start pinning down the other corners of all of the triangles. Some may overlap just a tad. That is okay. You will be covering those corners up with the next row of triangles, anyway.




  • Step Four - Now we start the second row of triangles going around the ball. Line the first one up with its point directly at the meeting point of one set of your already pinned triangles. It should sit so that the point is at the midsection of the bottom layer of triangles. (See photo.) Pin only the
    TOP 2 points, leaving the bottom point free.

    Place three more triangles around the ball, with their top corners almost touching, if they don't touch. (It will depend on your skill how close together they get.) They should be in a straight line around the ball, and your rows will start to alternate as you go further up the ball. Every row will have four triangles, until you reach the top.
    (In the following photograph, you will see that I added ribbon to my ball. It is due to the design of my ball that I did this so early. Normally, you will not add ribbon until your triangle rows reach the mid-section of the ball. I will tell you about that step once we get there.)
    Next, you'll add the third row of triangles. Choose a spot between two of the second row of triangles, line up your point with that second row, and pin the top two corners down. Do this all the way around the ball, placing each triangle between the two triangles from the second row. It should look something like this (minus the ribbon):

The fourth row of triangles will be place above the third, overlapping the second, like this:




Continue on around your ball, alternating and centering rows until you reach the midsection of the styrofoam ball. In the following picture, I am holding the ball by the ribbon. This is the point in time that you would add your ribbon, cutting it approximately 12" long, so that you can make a loop for the ornament to hang from. Use as many loops as you'd like. Use as many colors as you'd like. Place one end of the ribbon flush with the row of triangles. Pin it down. One pin will be enough, as you will pin paper triangles over it for the remaining half of the ball. Next, pin down the other side of your ribbon, directly across the ball from the first half, keeping it flush with the row of triangles that you last completed.


You're half way there!


Continue with your rows of triangles, making your way up the rest of the styrofoam ball. You may want to start using your thimble by now. I know that my finger is tired of being "pricked" by the pin points at this place in the process!


Once you get to about the spot where you have formed a small square on the top of your styrofoam ball, you will want to decide how you will finish it. I usually continue adding triangles until I have a triangle-made square at the top of the ball, with two triangles forming it and my ribbon pinched between them, forming the hanger. In this design, I chose a different approach:
  • Step Five - cut two squares, the bottom one being 2" x 2", the top one being 1.5" x 1.5". Pin the larger one down first, placing your pins toward the middle of the square, inside your row of triangles. Then pin the top one down, layering it directly over the first, so that it makes a framed effect.






This is the point at which I chose to add my hanging ribbon on this particular ornament. I simply pinned it down in the middle of the top of the ball. The bottom ribbon that I displayed previously, I chose to turn into "lapels", hanging out of the bottom layers of the triangles. I cut them off at the midpoint of the ball, removing the "loop" I had been holding it by.


Here, you may choose to be finished with your ornament, or you may want to add some detail to it with the help of any type of pins, beads, etc. On my example, I added a loop of the black ribbon that I had used in the lapels, making it take the shape of a tie around my loop. I then pinned it with a straight pin and some beads, as finishing touches. Here is my final product:

Simply beautiful Alycia - thanks for sharing! If you would like to see more of Alycia's gorgeous Paper Pine cones, visit her shop "Peek-A-Boo Productions. If you decide to try your hand at these, we would love to see the results! This is a great rainy day project for the weekend - enjoy & happy crafting!

Flickr Pool Friday

Every Friday we jump into EtsyPaper's Flickr Pool. Here's what we surfaced with today:
Victorian Chair Notecards
Image: ScarletStationary
Take a seat! It's Friday!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Flickr Pool Friday

Every Friday we jump into EtsyPaper's Flickr Pool. Here's what we surfaced with today:
Trees
Image: AScrappyDesign
Just getting lost in the forest this Friday morning, the first day of spring, ya know.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

"Aspiring" Members Challenge - So Far...



We have had some great entries in the "Aspiring" members challenge so I thought it would be fun to add the photos to our team blog for everyone to see.




The challenge is to create an ACEO/ATC with Spring as the theme and to include flowers somewhere on the card.






The challenge deadline is March 20th (Friday). If we have at least 12 entries, Brenda (Ragqueen) will create a treasury to feature them.




We have had a couple of "aspiring" members with multiple entries - multiple entries are welcome!




Don't forget to add your photos to the ning site, and our Flickr group photo pool.






Be sure to tag your photo(s) "AMC1". I will add them as a "featured" photo on ning. Join us on the team thread and let everyone know when you have submitted your entry.




We have something special in mind for all of our challenge participants!







Thanks to all who have entered so far:

Monday, March 16, 2009

SAVE MONEY - Use Your Inactive Listings on Etsy




WAIT! Don't delete those unwanted listings, use them!!! I have found a great way to save money on your etsy shop listings and thought I would share. I have a few pages worth of "Inactive Listings" in my etsy shop, things that I change my mind about selling or someone purchases them in a custom listing, or things that are close to expiration. I have started to use these inactive listings to my benefit. I figure why not? I have already paid for them. So, one of the main things I use them for are custom/reserved listings for customers. I usually use an inactive listing that is really close to expiration, say in a week or so. All you do is go into the listing you want to use and edit the information to fit your needs. Because this custom listing may be far along in your shop search results, I would suggest you convo your buyer with the listing link once you have set it up (so they can find it easily). I also find inactive listings are great for items that are a day or two away from expiration - things you want to give a little more time but without putting them at the front of your shop and without paying a new re-list fee. I even use them for some "leftover" or "destash" items that I prefer to just slide into the shop. Sometimes I just don't care about certain items rolling through the front page on etsy and I don't want to add another fee to my bill. Remember, you have already paid for your inactive listings so USE them to save a little money here and there!


It's easy!



  • Go into your "inactive listings"

  • Choose one with an expiration date that will give you the amount of time needed for the newer listing

  • Edit and add the new listing title, description, photos, price ,etc

  • Finalize and your done

  • Save money!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Flickr Pool Friday

Every Friday we jump into EtsyPaper's Flickr Pool. Here's what we surfaced with today:
Kristin and Craig (in a frame mat)
Image: Sycamore Street
Why hello! Such lovely faces you have!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

EtsyPaper on Blockhead Radio Live - A Review

As the majority of you are aware, our friends at Blockhead Radio Live featured our great team on their radio webcast on Saturday. The wonderful Katy (K is for Calligraphy) acted as the show co-host and representative for the team. All who participated had so much fun! Blockhead Radio has done a really nice job of creating a friendly & interactive program to help promote independent musicians and artisans/etsy sellers and teams. Not only can you listen to excellent live streaming music and talk programs, but listeners can go into the website chat room where they can add comments about the music and programs they hear. The show host(s) can then chat with listeners in real time. The whole concept is just too cool!

The etsypaper team was well represented in the chat room and we had even more members who were listeners only. Katy did a phenomenal job co-hosting. She talked a little bit about the history of the team, what we're "all about", our vision for the team moving forward and also what kind of shops and items our team members have to offer. She was also able to give out links for listeners to find out more about the team and our shops. All in all, I would say that the show was a great success!

Thanks so much to Blockhead Radio Live and Tulip's Treasure Box (show host) for your hard work & effort to help promote Indie Musicians & Artisans - we know it's a labor of love & we really appreciate it!!!

*If you missed the show, it will be re-broadcast today at 11:00am Eastern Time. Click on the "Blockhead" link above or the radio badge on the sidebar. Happy listening!

Monday, March 9, 2009

EtsyPaper on Blockhead Radio Live

Did you miss Katy on the Blockhead Radio Live webcast? No worries - they are re-broadcasting the show today (Monday 3/09) at 11:00am Eastern and again on Wednesday (3/11) at 11:00am. I will post a show review on the blog later today!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Paper Talk - Join us on Blockhead Radio live!!!

Today is the EtsyPaper Team live radio webcast on Blockhead Radio Live at 1:00 Eastern Time and we couldn't be more excited! The lovely and talented Katy Jamison (K is for Calligraphy) will act as co-host and Paper team representative from 1-3pm. If you haven't already, please head over to the radio website and sign-up for a user name. You will be able to listen to the show live on your computer and join in discussion on the Blockhead site chat room. WE REALLY NEED YOUR SUPPORT & PARTICIPATION so PLEASE BE SURE TO JOIN US!!!! Hope to see you all there!

A Little "Paper Love" - Our most wonderful Katy found some terrific songs with a PAPER theme. Looks like our team members aren't the only paper lovers out there. Take a look at the list of songs she found:
  • The Beatles - Paperback Writer
  • Beck - Paper Tiger
  • Def Leppard - Paper Sun
  • Guided By Voices - Paper Girl
  • Jay-Z - Paper Chase
  • Cream - WRAPPING PAPER
  • Fiona Apple - Paper Bag
  • Belle And Sebastian - Paper Boat
  • Frank Sinatra - Paper Doll
  • Sesame Street - Paper Makin'
  • Ella Fitzgerald - It's Only a Paper Moon
  • Anna Nalick - Paper Bag
  • T.I. - Paper Trail
  • Fleetwood Mac - Paper Doll
  • Talking Heads - Paper
  • Emerson Lake And Palmer - Paper Blood
  • MIA - Paper Planes
  • Chameleons - Paper Tigers
  • The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Pen and Paper
  • Nirvana - Paper Cuts
  • James Taylor - Paper Moon
  • PM Dawn - Paper Doll
  • Green Day - Paper Lanterns
  • Kylie Minogue - Paper Dolls
  • Live - Paper Flowers
  • Gene Watson - Paper Rosie
  • Roy Orbison - Paper Boy
  • Roy Orbison - Pretty Paper
  • Blind Melon - Paper Scratcher
  • Gillian Welch - Paper Wings

Friday, March 6, 2009

Flickr Pool Friday

Every Friday we jump into EtsyPaper's Flickr Pool. Here's what we surfaced with today:
Beautiful Japanese Washi Paper Writing Pad-Sakura Cherry Blossoms 10.5 cm x 10.5 cm
Image: SouZouCreations
Washi paper writing pads. From Japan, with love.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Blockhead Radio Live features the EtsyPaper Team!

WOW! Blockhead Radio Live (webcast/podcast) has given the EtsyPaper Team a wonderful opportunity to promote. We will be represented by the lovely & talented "team calligrapher", Katy Jamison (K is for Calligraphy). She will co-host the webcast live on Saturday, March 7th, at 1:00 p.m Eastern Time. Team members (and "aspiring" team members) can listen in and participate by signing up for a user name (don't worry, it's free) at http://blockheadradiolive.com/ . On Saturday, you will be able to participate in the cast by going into the website's chat room. This is a rare and wonderful opportunity for all of our member shops and the team as a whole. We NEED to have tons of member/aspiring member participation & SUPPORT so please be sure to sign-up for a user name & join us on Saturday. We are excited and looking forward to the cast. I hope to "see" you all there - let's show everyone what the EtsyPaper Team is all about!

GO GET 'EM KATY!!!! GO GET 'EM ETSYPAPER TEAM!!!

Not sure when 1:00 Eastern time is? Check here for your local time: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

Monday, March 2, 2009

ETSYPAPER TEAM "ASPIRING MEMBERS" CHALLENGE

We have had so many new "aspiring" members join us on ning in the last two months that we thought it would be fun to have an "aspiring members challenge". This should be a fun one!

The CHALLENGE is to create an ACEO or ATC using Spring as your theme and inspiration. The only guideline (other than following standard rules for creating ACEO's/ATC's) is that you have to include or incorporate flowers somewhere on the card. We are asking that you post a photo of your card on the ning site and also on our paperteam group on Flickr (if you use Flickr). Please be sure to tag your photo(s) with "AMC1". If we have enough participants, we will also have a thread in the teams section on etsy so everyone else can share the ACEO/ATC love. The deadline for the challenge is March 20th. In addition to having fun, we will also have a vote for our favorite submission and a great prize to the winner. The prize will be announced later (but admin knows what it is, lol). So let's get into a creating mode and have some fun - I hope everyone enjoys this challenge and maybe even learns something new!!!

Wondering what an ACEO/ATC is? Need a few examples? Read on for a little info and inspiration.......

ACEO stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals and they are small works of art that are a standard measurement of 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches (6.4 cm x 8.9 cm), roughly the size of a standard playing card. They are an affordable way to collect wonderful, original works of art by your favorite artists. They are also the same as ATC's (Artist Trading Cards) but ATC's are only traded and not sold. The back of an ACEO/ATC should also include a date, artist signature, and a title and edition # (if there are multiples of the same). These are so much fun to create! We can't wait to see what our "aspiring members" come up with - create away!!!

Follow these links for examples & inspiration from your fellow Etsypaper Team members: