Sep 30, 2013

Shop Talk - getting ready for the holidays

Happy Monday friends!

For the last several months I've been working on a few new things for the shop.

First up, my 2014 Bible verse calendar.

2014-verse-calendar

I have wanted a little monthly calendar with basic Bible verses for a little inspiration and when I couldn't find just what I was looking for, I made my own. I thought it would be nice to give out to friends and family at Christmas so I bought some little cotton bags and designed a stamp for them. The stamp says "do all things with love."


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There are 12 unique designs of a Bible verse for each month and each is printed at 4x6 on card stock. The back is left blank so you can record important events throughout each month and then neatly store the year away in the bag. Each set is packaged in a sturdy box with a little kraft crinkle paper and ready to ship.



The next two items in the shop are digital graphics, aka clip art, and all are hand drawn by myself then digitized for you to use!

I started with a fall set, "it's fall y'all."

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There are pumpkins, leaves, banners and some text, all making up 27 graphics and they are available in both transparent PNG and vector EPS. You can click on the images to link over to the shop listing for more details.



The second set it called, "merriest" and is a holiday/Christmas/winter collection.

cover---merriest

There are ornaments, packages, more banners and more fun text, all making up 29 graphics, also available in both PNG and EPS formats.



If you have an image editing program, like photoshop or illustrator, you can use these graphics. Some creative uses could include:
  • stationary or other printed pieces
  • diy cards or party favors
  • blog graphics
  • invitaions

I have two more Christmas sets that I'll be adding to the shop soon so check back soon!



AND just to make the week a little sweeter, because this Saturday is my birthday and all, I'm giving away two calendars to a random person - one for them and one for them to gift.

To enter:
- leave a comment telling me happy birthday.

kidding. you can comment about whatever you would like

Details:
- one comment per person
- deadline to enter is Thursday at 10 pm
- winner chosen at random and announced Friday
- open to US residents only

That's it.

I hope you have a great week!





Sep 18, 2013

Be Crafty came to Oklahoma

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If you would have told me 6 months ago that I would be helping organize and put on an instagram meet up AND a craft workshop in the same day - I would have laughed out loud.

I'm not know for my craftiness. No. I'm not sure what I'm know for. People say they think of me when they see donuts. So maybe that.

But, when the idea started forming with Amanda and Allison, for some reason, I hopped right in. And I am SO, SO glad I did. Not only did I get to meet Amanda in real life, I got to watch her in action, eat with her, laugh with her and may even have rubbed a little Okie on her, I heard her say y'all! The weekend could have been complete with the new friendship with those girls, but alas, there were so many great things that happened. Hence this post.

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Let me start by saying thank you to all the sponsors. Without you, this event would not have even been possible.

I was blown away by the support of the small business community here in Tulsa. Christine at Made: the indie emporium offered some space to host the event for FREE! Randy over at Mod's supplied our meet up with plenty of coffee and all the fixin's. Laken, cutie owner of Lick Your Lips Mini Donuts, filled our bellies with her amazing cinnamon sugar mini donuts! The Round House had scones for all the meet up friends as well as cupcakes and cookies for the workshop ladies.

On top of all the food - we even had some amazing decorations delivered to us by Studio Mucci, Inspire Lovely and Nourishing Notes. It is an incredible thing to see so much support and I still feel like pinching myself that I got to be a part of it.


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Don't think the donut print didn't find its way home with me.

Several ladies showed up to meet, chat, snack and mingle. It was nice meeting people you've only seen through a square on your phone. During the initial plannin stages, my husband asked if it was going to be creepy to go to something like this - where you meet people in person you follow online. Now isn't the time to talk about the fact that he has no cell phone, no personal email or online identity at all. But let me tell you, it wasn't creepy at all. It was so much fun and so many talented women connected in real life for the first time. It was pretty awesome.

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There were some fantastic giveaways donated for the meet up including a seat in Ashley's phone Snap Shop course, a photo pack from Origrami, the cutest peg people sets from Once Upon a Peg, Passive Juice Motel printed my "howdy y'all" design on a pillow, Jenna Lou Designs offered a cute handmade clutch, jenntage gave away some super cute hoops and coasters and House of M gave a special lady a hat and necklace.

It doesn't take a genius to realize these ladies got some sweet goods.

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1. Once Upon a Peg // shop
2. jenntage // shop


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That's my pillow. In case you were wondering what it looked like :)

Thank you instagram meet up sponsors:


After the meet up we all took a short break. Then Elote delivered their famous puffy tacos, chips/salsa and queso and churros. I was given a hard time about my fondness for the churro but I'm totally okay with it - they are so amazing.

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After lunch the crafting began.

You'll have to forgive me for not having a lot of pictures and that all the ones I have were from my phone. If I ever do one of these things again I'll make note to bring my big girl camera, take tons of pictures and get some with the ladies. My head was not in the photo game that day and now I shall pay.

This is also a great time to introduce Jenna. She drove down with Amanda and was like the best helper of all time. She was a TROOPER. I can't imagine how the day would have gone without her and I'm so thankful for her. Anyway, she took tons of pictures for Amanda and I'm hoping she posts more from the day over on her blog or Amanda does on her blog or just someone somewhere posts some pictures on a blog out there.

Anyway, here's the few I did get.

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Impressive. That's me being sarcastic at the amount of pictures I have. Massive fail. I even had to steal a couple pictures from some instapeeps for the finished craft project!

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So cute, right! These ladies made the cutest chalkboard and serving spoons. I wanted to steal them all. Thanks for the photo, @cdbayer3!

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention my little chalk art segment. I did a quick little spiel (yes, I googled that to make sure I spelled it right, and good to know because I nearly typed schpeal). Anyway, I'll post more about the tips and chalk stuff sometime soon. But, there I am in all my awkward glory. Ha.

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And then it was off to Vintage Market Days for some treasure hunting.

It was crazy just how much fun I had with this group of ladies. They were the perfect mix of quiet, loud, funny, serious, thoughtful and everything else. I cannot remember the last time I've laughed so hard for an entire day. I walked away from the event with a few new friends, a little more painting know-how and happy spot in my life that I didn't even know I had missed. So thank you to all the ladies that came to our event. It really wouldn't have been possible without you and I'm so thankful for the time you shared with us.

And I'll leave you with the little, read MAJOR, thank you we got to pass out to the ladies in the form of insanely awesome swag.

So many incredible men and women donated gifts for each of our ladies to take home. I wish each one could have been there in person to hear the squeals that came out of these ladies as they opened their goodie box. I can't tell you how many times I heard, "this is like Christmas!" or "this is better than Christmas." Ha. They were so thankful and so am I.

If you weren't there, take a look at this roundup of awesomeness. I mean, it should be in like the Hall of Fame for swag. Right?

And if sending the ladies all this swag wasn't enough, several sponsors are offering YOU a discount in their shops so look for a coupon code, if they have one - it will be bold.  

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  1. Inspire Lovely  //  shop
  2. rayna jaye // shop
  3. studio mela  // shop // current promo: buy 2 prints get a 3rd free
  4. happy days by wifeysinger // blog // shop // twitter // instagram // code: BECRAFTY for 20% off



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  1. gleeful peacock // shop 
  2. weather & noise // shop
  3. katygirl designs // shop // blog // instagram // code: becrafty for 15% off
  4. art jaden // shop



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  1. HOPEhandmade // shop // blog // instagram, #hopehomemadeonetsy
  2. Jenna Lou Designs // shop // blog // facebook // instagram
  3. the Splendor Shop // shop
  4. Fancy That Design House & Co // shop // blog // instagram // fb // code: OKBeCrafty for 10% off through 9/21



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  1. Benzie // garland shop // felt shop // blog // fb // code: BECRAFTY13 10% off both shops
  2. Oh hello friend // shop
  3. Ella Reu Designs // fb  // instagram
  4. cmHandmade// shop



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  1. give with JOY // shop // blog // fb // instagram, #givewithJOY // code: CRAFTY 15% off & if you like her on fb & make a purchase with the code, you'll get a special gift!!
  2. the mason bar co. // shop // fb // twitter // instagram // code: BECRAFTY for 25% off through the end of September
  3. Vintage Market Days // site
  4. Lori Danelle // shop // fb // instagram // code: BECRAFTY15


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  1. Stephlovesben // shop // instagram // code: TENOFF for 10% off
  2. pen and paint  // shop // blog // instagram // twitter // fb // code: CRAFTY20 good through 9/25
  3. larissa loden // shop
  4. raising up rubies // shop // blog // instagram // code: becrafty20 for 20% off





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  1. Kelsey Davis Design // shop
  2. once upon a peg // shop
  3. Nourishing Notes // shop // instagram // twitter
  4. jenntage // shop



I tried to get a picture of all the swag but unfortunately there were a couple I missed, I apologize. Busted Trumpet provided thank you cards and 2Bcreative sent everyone home with a mini wood easel.


Whew.

So much fun. So much paint. So much food. So much swag. So much laughter. So much awesome. Thanks for everything!

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Sep 16, 2013

Tuesday20

That's the discount code for my shop today. Use it all day for 20% off your order.


I have wanted to create a print from Matt Redman's, 10,000 Reasons, for a while now. It's one of my favorite worship songs and it's been scribbled in my notebook for I can't even tell you how long. I was finally urged to do it after receiving a several comments and etsy convos asking about it. In particularly after a sweet woman shared a heartbreaking story of loss and hope with me.

I don't know if I'll ever get used to people contacting me to create something so dear to their hearts to give to a loved one. It is something I take seriously and am so very thankful God has blessed me to use the talents he gave me to bless others.

Anyway, I had planned on using the first verse in my design but was asked to do the chorus so I decided to do both. They can be displayed alone or together! So this print set is how that song looks in my head. And since it's about to be fall, I opted for some fall colors. I hope you don't mind.

Part 1.

merry and bright


And part 2.

merry and bright

I also added a new printable:

PDF-download


That's all for today. Remember, TUESDAY20 at checkout for 20% off today!

Happy Tuesday and make sure you come back tomorrow to hear all about our Be Craft shindig!

Sep 4, 2013

mug swap 2013 - part 2

So yesterday you saw what I got from my amazingly talented mug swap partner, Heather.

Today I'm showing you what I got for mine. There may have been a little squeal when I got my email that I had been matched with a partner from Kim. I was to find a mug for Jules of JoysHope. I only know her through her blog and instagram feed so from what I can tell from that is she has a huge heart, she's amazingly talented, she is hilarious and I'm pretty sure we'd have some serious laughs together if we ever met in real life.

And if you've visited her blog or seen her instagram feed, you know she loves color and the beach. So the hunt was on to find her a perfect mug.

I went all over this crazy town searching for a mug. I came up empty after many outings. Instead of continuing my hunt, I played a little. You see, what you may not know, Julie is not too fond of some specific things. When you fill out the mug swap questionnaire there's a spot for what you like. Here's what she had to say:
I love everything. Except purple. And cats. And bananas. And clowns. And sharks. And poorly written books. And ketchup.
So what does one do with that knowledge? Sketch a little doodle of all those things together. Naturally. So that's what I did. I couldn't help myself.

mugswapdoodle
A purple cat, a shark and a clown at a "poorly written book club" with a lovely snack of bananas and ketchup.

It's a little sad how many giggles there were as I made this. Quite sad.

But I finally gathered my wits and went back on the hunt. I ran to my go-to-mug-swapping-place, Anthropology. I found two mugs and texted pics to my friend Katy, who just happened to be my last year's mug swap partner. She and Julie are friends so I knew she'd steer me right. And just like that, mug found.

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I gathered up a few little extra goodies to add to the box. Mainly so Julie wouldn't hate me after she saw the doodle :)

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A little Burt's Bees, my favorite local coffee, Topeca, a teal bracelet and my "coffee and Jesus" print and called it a day.

And since Julie follows me on instagram, I had to mess with her a bit. I didn't want her cluing in that I had her for a partner so I finished wrapping her package with a nice little note and posted it to instagram.

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I also have to share my little surprise mug with y'all. Katy, mentioned above, is pretty awesome. We have joked that once a mug swap partner, always a mug swap partner - case in point: This little mug she sent me.

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It's pretty perfect. Thank you Katy. My mug is awesome. You rock. And I'm pretty happy we met through Kim's mug swap last year. Even if you and Kim text me ridiculous amounts of pictures of yourselves as cats.

So Kim. Katy. This one's for you two.

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Don't say I never did anything for you :)


And that's a #mugswap2013 wrap.

Sep 3, 2013

mugswap 2013

Do you remember my post about the mug swap last year? If not, here's part 1 and part 2. Yes there were two parts. As there will be this year too. Just a heads up for tomorrow :)

Anyway, last year was my first year participating in Kim's swap. It was so much fun. I had Katy for a partner and Hannah had me. I have loved getting to know those girls better even since the swap.

So it was a no brainer that I would sign up this year too. In fact, I was scrolling through bloglovin' in bed one morning, checking out the news on the blogfront, and saw Kim's post that singups were up!

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I literally jumped out of bed and shimmied on over to the computer to sign up right then. I may have been a tad excited.

A couple days went by and then I got the email. I had been matched. Which meant someone had me for a match too. The next couple of days were spent hunting down goodies for my partner. Then I went to craft weekend and met other ladies who were doing the mug swap too! Crazy small world.

Anyway, several days later, I came home to a lovely box waiting on my door step.

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It was from the amazingly talented Heather of Life Made Lovely! If you recall, she asked to feature the girls' room in her new Room Made Lovely series a while back on her blog. I adore her style, her shop (the paperie) and her photos on instagram. So you can imagine how excited I was to see that my box was from her. I couldn't wait to tear into it and see what my mug looked like!

And wouldn't you know, she picked out a perfect mug for me! A vintage Swedish mug. It's delicate to the touch with a strong graphic pattern. PERFECT.

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But she didn't stop there. Oh no. She spoiled me with the cutest packaging and gifts to go with my mug. So generous and lovely.

You can see it all in this photo.

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Some Starbucks Via for the mug. Baker's twine and washi tape for me! And the sweetest print for my home. I actually saw Heather's IG post of that print and immediately went to her shop to favorite it. I'm glad I didn't buy it at the time since it came to my house not too long after :) You can get your own from her shop here.

So thank you, thank you, thank you, Heather. I don't know how you picked the perfect gift for me, it's like you read my mind! But I'm grateful you did. I just love it all. Thank for for the time you took in selecting and packaging this lovely gift. You're pretty much a mug swappin rock star.

Thanks again, Kim for hosting. You flat out rock. No joke. I don't know how you go through 800+ people and find everyone a partner for this swap and I don't really care how but I'm thankful you put the time in to do it. Love ya!

I'm linking up at Kim's blog today. Did you mug swap? Link up with me.

And if you're interested in what I gifted my buddy, come back tomorrow. There will be a ship, clown and purple cat involved!


Sep 2, 2013

instagram meetup and shop discount

Happy Labor Day! I hope you're having a relaxing and fun day.

Just a quick reminder for you locals - there's an instagram meetup this Saturday at 10-11am at Made, downtown.

instameetup

Here's the address: MADE: The Indie Emporium Shop 501 S Boston Ave, Tulsa, OK 74103.

IG meetup + be crafty comes to Oklahoma

There will be donuts from Lick your lips mini donuts, Mod's coffee and crepes will be providing coffee and there will be snacks from the Round House bakery!

Also, there will be several giveaways including: print sets from Origrami, a spot in Ashley Ann's upcoming phone photography Snap Shop (mega value!), peg sets from Once Upon a Peg, and many more! You must be present to win so come say hi!

And in the event you don't follow me on instagram, I'm @recipeforcrazy, you missed a little shop announcement and discount. Since it seems like you guys are always the last to know everything here, I'm giving you a better discount the the instagram peeps - but you can't tell them :)

This week you get 25% of your total purchase (over $5.00) by using the code LASTISFIRST25.

Here are some of the new prints in the shop (click on the picture to visit the shop page):

always kiss me goodnight - art print

dream as if you'll live forever - art print

hark the herald angels sing - Christmas art print

It's the most wonderful time of the year - holiday art print

o holy night the stars are brightly shining - chalk art print

And this was added a bit ago:

God love you with... - art print

That's all for now. Come back tomorrow to hear about part 1 of the third annual mug swap!