Wedding Season is Upon Us...

With the spring and summer months come the busy season for us card makers... weddings. What better way to send your congrats than with a beautifully handmade card. Back by popular demand this year are my best-selling doubles cards- choose from brides or grooms, and each is handcrafted on recycled papers with extremely detailed adornments. These cards are sure to be a hit with the lucky recipients! Couples have told me they've even recycled their cards and put them into frames to save for years to come- great idea! See my full wedding collection in my Etsy shop today!

Promo Time: Make Mark's Day

Ever have one of those friends in your life who's got everything going wrong all at once, ALL THE TIME? Well I do, and I thought getting cards from strangers wishing him well would be a fun way to cheer him up. So keep your good karma in check and send my friend a card with your personal message!

Just pay a buck for the card and 44 cents for the stamp, and I do the rest. Full details and card options at the following link:

DESIGN YOUR CARD HERE!

The 10 Most Common Reasons to Send a Greeting Card

Thank you changeofaddress.org, for sharing this article with me!

Whatever the occasion, for whatever reason, greeting cards are the customary way to send your love and congratulations, as well as keep in touch with loved ones. Nowadays, there is a greeting card for every holiday, age and celebration. Greeting cards have an important purpose for the sender and the receiver, and although they move at a snail’s pace, they are just as special, if not more, than a phone call, e-mail or eCard. Here are the 10 most common reasons to send a greeting card:

• It’s Someone’s Birthday: Birthdays are the number one reason people send their love through snail mail. Birthday cards make up the majority of greeting cards and they are one of the easiest and most thoughtful gestures you can do for a good friend.


• It’s a Holiday: Whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, Valentine’s or Easter, holidays are one of the most common reasons to send a greeting card to a friend or family member. People also like to use holiday cards to update everyone on their latest family news and send cash gifts.


• You’re In Love: When you’re in love and you want to show it, an “I love you” or “I miss you” card may just do the trick. These modern-day love letters are sent between lovers who are separated by distance or aren’t on speaking terms. It’s a romantic gesture that really gets the point across.


• Someone’s Getting Married: When someone you know is getting married, it’s a common gesture to send a card to congratulate the happy couple and maybe give them a monetary gift. And if you can’t make the wedding, these thoughtful cards really make up for your absence.


• Sending Get Well Wishes: When someone you know is sick or underwent surgery, it’s common to send a get well card to send your support and lift their spirits. These cards are especially popular to give when you are separated by distance and can’t visit.


• You’re Sorry: Apologies are hard to give, but they are easier written than said for most people. “I’m sorry” are a great alternative for people who aren’t on speaking terms and when you’ve really messed up.


• Just Thinking of You: When you come across a funny card or you want that special someone to know that you’ve been thinking of them, it’s commonplace to send a “thinking of you” greeting card. It’s a considerate gesture that will brighten up anyone’s day, and who doesn’t want to do that?


• Sending Your Congrats: Whether someone you know graduated, had a baby or received a job promotion, sending congratulatory cards is a common and thoughtful gesture. It’s like sending a high five through the mail and will, without a doubt, make them smile.


• Sending Your Deepest Sympathies: When someone you know loses a loved one, it’s commonplace to send a card to extend your deepest sympathies. These thoughtful cards always come at the right time and have a way of lifting your spirits even if it’s just for a minute.


• It’s Someone’s Anniversary: Anniversaries are a popular reason to send greeting cards and share in this celebration of marriage. These cards are especially popular for newlyweds and those celebrating the milestone years.

Check out the selection of cards in my Etsy shop for these and more special occasions!

Cutting Back and Moving Forward

So AJKArtistry went haywire for a bit. The last few weeks (ok, well, the time from Thanksgiving thru New Year's) has been pretty stressful. The 'holidays', my usual mom duties and working full time (extra hours)- all at once, while trying to keep crafting, and I officially threw in the towel. It took its toll mentally and physically. I was adding less and less to my Etsy Shop, ignoring my blog and even finding myself drifting away from Facebook (yes, really, to those of you that know me!).

I realized this holiday season (after not getting my usual influx of orders), that my craft-slacking created a downward spiral for my mood, my extra income, my health and my overall well-being that is usually so positive when it comes to running my business. I love making things. I love selling things. It's all the stuff in the middle- the organizing, listing, the renewing and the photographing of items that takes the time that I sometimes don't have- especially that time of year. As a result, I made the decision to cancel my website from my list of things to update and worry about. I never use it. I rarely update it. I can't sell from it. It costs me money to have it... so bye bye. I'm hoping this change will encourage me to update my other avenues much more and reach more people by doing so. Time will only tell, I guess.

This month, I made a promise to myself to create some really great cards and get them listed. In a matter of these first few weeks, I'm floating back to the top of my game. My fellow Etsians have been kind enough to feature me in some really great treasuries, get me some sales and thankfully, I have some wonderful repeat customers. Hopefully, this streak continues so I can stay motivated! Below is a list of links to find me, friend me and follow me:

TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/ajkartistry
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/ajkartistry
ETSY: http://www.ajkartistry.etsy.com/

Thanks for reading and wish me luck!

Valentine's Day Cards are ready!

Get ready for the romance holiday of the year! I've worked hard this weekend getting tons of cards ready to upload into my Etsy shop! For sale now- Valentine's Day cards and all new selections for baby, wedding and birthdays. I'm adding a few cards each day, so if you don't see what you're looking for- please ask- chances are I have it and it's just not listed yet =)

Figuring out this blogging thing...

I know, I say it all the time... I'm a terrible blogger. BUT, I'm excited to have finally logged back into this and found that Blogger has given us all the option to 'add pages'? WOW, this is great! I'm hoping I stay as motivated as I feel right now to set them up... I'm thinking "about me", "My Etsy Shop", "Events"... dunno. Maybe more will come to me, maybe I'll leave it alone, but I'm kind of excited to play around with this. I've been considering dumping my website (costs $$) and making more out of this blog (free!)... the tabs help me organize things a bit, but I'm wondering if anyone actually looks at this at this point (since I've been SO BAD at keeping up with it)... Input? Anyone, anyone? :)

Big Show this Weekend!

Ok, so I'm ridiculously excited for this one... After literally YEARS of waiting to get into a BUST Magazine Craftacular event, I got into one of the biggest, coolest venues EVER. The Maker Faire is happening this weekend and I'll be there on Sunday, 9/26 selling my handmade cards, painted ceramics, artwork and whatever else I can fit in my booth space. The cool part is, they only selected 100 vendors- and I'm so happy to have made the cut. Fingers crossed for a fantastic show and a great turnout. Off to spend the next few nights crafting up some inventory. Hope to see you there!