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Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Having fun with the Green!

The Green is coming! Are you ready???
I discovered a sweet little gift shop here in town called The Hummingbird Junction, just blocks from where I live! I stopped in a few weeks ago (had already been many times), and took some of my crafty creations there to ask if she'd be interested in carrying some of my cards and albums, and she was! So I've been busy making cards, treat boxes (green of course) and teapot "cards".  Whatever she doesn't sell, will go into my Etsy shop.

Every year, I find myself wanting to know WHY we and so many other countries celebrate St. Patrick's Day. I always (kind of) forget. So here is info from Wikipedia if you're interested. I just love Wikipedia when I want to look up anything!


Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (IrishLá Fhéile Pádraig, "the Day of the Festival of Patrick"), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.
Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion(especially the Church of Ireland[4]), the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland,[3] and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general.[5] Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, céilís, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks.[6] Christians who belong to liturgical denominations also attend church services[5][7] and historically the Lentenrestrictions on eating and drinking alcohol were lifted for the day, which has encouraged and propagated the holiday's tradition of alcohol consumption.[5][6][8][9]

St Patrick's Day, while not a legal holiday in the United States, is nonetheless widely recognised and observed throughout the country as a celebration of Irish and Irish-American culture. Celebrations include prominent displays of the colour green, religious observances, numerous parades, and copious consumption of alcohol.[8] The holiday has been celebrated in North America since the late 18th century.

Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival.[12]

Here are two of my more "fancy" as I call them, cards. I used vintage images for all of them from The Graphics Fairy
Handmade double bow, handmade rosette, layered (digital) papers that I printed out from my printer (purchased from Etsy), and I had to make a special "box" envelope to hold the card.

Inside there is a pocket that holds some cute tags and an Irish Tea teabag.



I gold glittered the images. Isn't she the sweetest image?


I decided that these fancy, layered cards with pockets inside, and a teabag, were too labor intensive to put into a shop who takes 50% of the profit! So I made some simpler cards.. just as cute in my opinion.


Each card has a decorated envelope.

I made the paper bows using my We Are Memory Keeps Envelope Punch Board. I LOVE that punch board!  You can make so many things with it!

I made the tags that I put on some of the cards, using an old photo program (The Print Shop) that I have, where I can easily "collage" clip art images. I gathered together a top hat, some flowers, an old pocket watch, a hummingbird and a piece of lace (all clip art) and collaged them onto the tag.



I made all of the "word" tags using my photo program.. then backed them with a piece of white or green cardstock.

This fancy flourish behind the vintage image is a die cut using some gold glitter paper.


I made the circle "Happy St. Patrick's Day" tags and printed them out, then punched them out using my 1" paper punch. Then punched a scalloped circle to put behind the little tag.


Another handmade tag. This is an easy way to make cards!
Here are the tags I made:







I know this post is photo intensive, but also want to show you some darling little "teapot" cards I've made, following a YouTube video by Rejoice and Create.  Here is the link to her video: Mother's Day Teapot.  These are just darling! The card opens at the top.


Each card has a little stand I made, so it can sit up to be displayed. 


The top of the "card", where the gold clip is (or the ribbon bow) opens up and inside, there are 2 teabags, a fancy tag and a plain tag for writing on.  I had such fun making these and want to/will make some for my Etsy shop (soon I hope). I did also make a St. Patrick's Day teapot card, but forgot to take a picture of it.

And one more thing I whipped together - some tiny little treat boxes. Each one holds one little Ghiradelli chocolate square. These are in the shop in town now... and if they don't sell, I'll take them back and eat all the chocolates! 



Look at the darling little alpacas clip art I found on Etsy! 



I think I'm all "greened" out for now! 

We still have a good foot of snow on our ground and I'm SO ready for it to be gone (we DID have 2 feet, but some has melted and settled) - at least gives me an excuse to stay in the house and craft (except for having to go out and shovel every couple of days, we we kept getting more... and more..... and more)!




Have a good week everyone! Oh... and Happy St. Patty's Day!


~Marilyn~



22 comments:

  1. Marilyn!!! You never cease to amaze me! Your creations are sooooo pretty and I can tell a LOT of work. It does sound like you have a blast making them though, and the love you put into each and every one shows. I'm so happy for you that the lady agreed to have your items in her store :).

    I don't envy you with all that snow! Just a few more weeks and it will all be a distant memory...

    xxx

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    1. Doreen... Yes I want this snow gone! We're having a few sunny days so that is helping to melt it. And yes.. I do LOVE doing the paper crafting so it is pure joy for me! Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Would love to see a blog post from you about your new home! Hugs.. Marilyn

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  2. Oh Marilyn these are just adorable. What a lot of work and talent you put into your cards and tags you make. These will sell quickly on Etsy or in the Junction shop. Let's hope Spring is around the corner and we will not be seeing much more of the white stuff.
    Have a great rest of the week.
    Hugs,
    Kris

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    1. Thank you Kris. I do so enjoy paper crafting. And I hope the white stuff will be gone from here soon! Hugs.. Marilyn

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  3. These are so pretty! You have such a big talent ☺☺

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    1. Thank you Natalia. I popped over to your blog and your recipes look wonderful! Marilyn

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  4. Dearest Marilyn, your creations always "WOW" me! I simply love what you have made for St. Patrick's Day :)

    And oh, just look at that snow! We are getting snow right now, but thankfully this time of year it melts quickly. Hugs to you, dear one!

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    1. Stephanie... yes we have alot of snow. It is melting VERY slowly as still so cold here.. I think I must live in Colorado, not central Oregon! I lived in Sheridan, Wyoming for 2 years and this reminds me of there. I too love the St. Patrick's Day cards and the little vintage images. They were so fun! xoxoxo Marilyn

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  5. Happy St. Patty's Day to you also, Marilyn. I never thought much about why we celebrate that day. It was just something that had been around since I was old enough to notice. All your cards and handiwork is so creative and pretty. You do have such a great talent in that area. I love pretty cards but seem to just go to the computer and type out a Happy Birthday or whatever any more. It is really a shame that life has come down to that! Thanks for your visit, as always. I love that your pink bedroom is good for your soul. We all need a little something..Happy Tuesday..xxoJudy

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    1. Judy, It WAS very interesting to learn more about St. Patrick's Day. I always wonder and never go find out why we even celebrate it! I always thought it was just a reason for people to go drink beer and party! I've always worn green on that day, just so I won't get a pinch! xoxo Marilyn

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    2. Thanks for your visit this week, Marilyn. We are having a lot of rain so far this week and I haven't gotten out of the house. It seems that I tend to hibernate and when the sun isn't out, neither am I. I am itching to start doing some spring cleaning. I am just the opposite from most. When the weather warms and the sun is out I would rather be cleaning house than in the garden. Crazy!? Happy Wednesday..xxoJudy

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  6. Congratulations, Marilyn - that is so exciting - hope you sell out the first week!

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    1. Connie I doubt it! But a few things have sold which is nice! I like having a place close by to put some of my creations.. just for the heck of it!

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  7. My word Marilyn, you have been a busy bee! I just love the tags that you created and all the beautiful cards, but of course my favorite are the teapot cards, they are gorgeous! I love those paper bows that you make with the bow maker! They are just darling, and add the perfect touch to your cards. I am so happy that you have found a place to sell the cards, but 50% profit, that's pretty sad! So yes, it would make sense to make things that don't cost you much time or money to sell. You really have gotten a lot of snow! It has just been a really wild winter everywhere I think. Are you getting warmer temps this coming week? We are supposed to get up to 60 degrees... boy its going to be a muddy mess! But, I am ready to see the snow melt for sure, and have spring here. Enjoy all your crafting, I love the beauty and craftsmanship in all your creations :) Big hugs!

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    1. Yes Marilyn.. the 50% commission is pretty steep so don't know if I'll put much in there of great value... just small things I guess. She wants some kids pillow cases. She said they sell really fast but unless I use fabric from my stash, it's not worth it to buy fabric. It's way too expensive! I have a few planned from the kids fabric I have in my stash.. but that's all she may get! I can't go out and buy the fabric. I'll keep an eye out at thrift stores and yard sales. Yes.. a ton of snow here but is slowly melting and we may see 60 later this week too. That would be awesome. We actually had some 65 degree weather in January! Oh.. the paper bows I make....... I use the We Are Memory Keepers Punch Board..... they are pretty quick and easy so I now save all of my 3/4" and 1" strips. I also have a mini envelope board, so I can make even tinier paper bows! So much fun. I have a whole box of them I've made! Very addictive...... Hugs... Marilyn

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  8. Thanks for the very informative blog.

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    1. Thank you Clipping Path for your comment. I appreciate all comments so much! Glad to see a few new commenters this month! Marilyn

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  9. Marilyn ... Your creation are fabulous ... I love all the vintage little "Irish Colleens"... You could probably sell your cards on Etsy by advertising on your blog..Goodness, 50% does seem alittle steep..However if it will be fun just getting them out there and becoming known. I so enjoying viewing all the sweet ideas, but the little tea stash cards stole my heart. What a wonderful talent you possess.... Can't wait to see what you create next...Hugs

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    1. Thank you Zaa! I missed this comment and just saw it. Sorry I'm so late responding. I just did another blog post with more goodies I've made! I hope you get to see it! (April 17th). I hope you receive this reply! Marilyn

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  10. I’m hoping by now your weather is getting warmer and Spring is finally popping up! Your creations are really nice and you do keep busy!

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  11. Yes Cathy... I've been keeping busy! Am on a roll again for making holiday things, St. Patty's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, etc. So fun and I just can get carried away for hours. Spring is definitely on its way I think. Today is 71 degrees and I actually mowed our yard the other day! Am seeing a few blooms here and there too which makes me want to go buy flowers, but still too early here. Have a great week! Marilyn

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