Reasons to Send Holiday Cards This Year

It's getting to be that kind of year where you are thinking about how to spread the holiday cheer with gifts to your friends, your family, your coworkers or classmates, and the list always seems to grow...

And you come to the realization that you cannot afford to provide a gift to all of these people, but you can't shake the feeling of wanting to do something for them. I often feel the same way. I try to think of small inexpensive gifts to get everyone, but even this ends up being expensive because I want it to still be "nice."

So the solution is holiday and/or Christmas cards. Yes, the idea seems simple and "not enough," but last year when I was writing out all of our cards my husband wanted to give some to his coworkers. The night he came home after handing them out to everyone he told me about their responses and comments. Many people told him how unexpected and appreciative they were because they never get holiday cards from anyone, and the card he gave them made their day. Hearing this made me feel all fuzzy inside.

Giving people well thought out personal holiday cards is the best inexpensive gift that you can give them. They can display the card in their locker or desk at work to read during times they are having a bad day, or they can take them home to put out on the table.

Last year I sent maybe around 50 cards, and I received less than 5. In honesty it was disappointing, but I clung to the thought that the people I sent mine to appreciated the thought.

Cards don't have to be expensive or handmade. This year I found a great deal on plain cards, and I plan to write out a nice personal message/holiday greeting in them. The image on the front of the cards are nice and festive enough, but people will focus on the handwritten note inside.

Though I must say on more than one occasion at work a coworker gave everyone a card, but they just signed their name and didn't add anything to the simple printed message "Happy Holidays" that was inside. I know I should be grateful that they took the time to give me a card, but it just felt really impersonal.

A few questions for my readers: Do you ever send or receive holiday cards? How does it make you feel? Do you plan to send any this year?

Thank you so much for reading.

Back from Maui and Back to Work!

I recently got back from my Maui honeymoon...very adventurous to say the least. We had some good times.

It's time to get to work! Christmas and the other holidays are creeping up...and I am far from prepared.

I'm moving into my husband's house, and I'm getting my own studio!!! The progress is slow, but every little step is so exciting. At the moment I am beyond thrilled that there is enough space on the floor in there for me to sit down. I still need to work on my thank you cards from the reception, and once I lay out all of my papers and embellishments I hope it rekindles my desire for collage work.

My Goals:

1. Blog daily
2. Add new items weekly to my shops: Etsy and Artfire
3. Send out monthly email newsletters.
4. Organize/finish my studio area.
5. Make many new items!

I am going to go on a supply binge that will hopefully tide me over until after the Christmas season, but I do love my supplies...

(if there is something you are wanting to see more of, at all, or just as a general suggestion please let me know email or comment so I can plan for it. :] )

__1337 Art is taking custom orders again! You can note me or send an email to 1337art@gmail.com with your serious inquiry/request.

Coming Soon:

New Stud Earrings.
Champagne Rose Stud Earrings.
New Gemstone Rings.
Gemstone Chip earrings.
Themed Cameo necklaces. (think Hemingway & Victorian)
Gunmetal and Antiqued Copper Filigree Rings.
Gunmetal and Antiqued Copper Filigree Chandelier Earrings.
And more...(!)

Look forward to daily blog posts hopefully by next week and new items in my shops.

Enjoy your weekend!

-
Christina
__1337 Art

Time to Think Ahead.

I conducted a small survey with 160 participants regarding when they start shopping for Christmas gifts. If you take a look at this chart you'll notice that a majority wait until November and December.

These results have me thinking about my three shops (I recently opened one on Madeitmyself) and how to prepare them for the upcoming Christmas season.

I want over 200 items in my Etsy Shop, over 150 in my Artfire Shop, and at least 100 in my Madeitmyself Shop.

Since the times are slow I need to take this time to really evaluate my shops, my items, my supplies, etc. to determine what steps I need to take to make this season a successful one. My first step, obviously, is to use this down time to create new designs. Step two: organize my studio. I'm not going to fret and worry about low views and sales at this point, and as a result I have been away from the Internet and all things social networking for the last couple of weeks.

After my Honeymoon/Vacation next month I'm going to look over my design/new idea books and hoard on supplies in August so I can spend August and September sitting in the middle of my bead mess and create until my fingers threaten to stop working. Until then I'm going to utilize the supplies I currently have and work hard to keep my shops inventory stocked (and update my blog more often!)

Thank you very much for reading. I hope this chart is helpful to your business. And good luck this holiday season!

-
Christina
1337 Art

Holidays coming to a close and a feature mention!

I hope everyone had and is having a great and interesting Holiday season!

The wonderful plant decked out in red Christmas lights is my fiance's alternative to a traditional Christmas tree. We have been snowed in for several days so we weren't able to go get a regular tree, but we all liked this Christmas plant quite a lot.

Now the snow is being washed away by the pouring rain, and we regrettably all have to start going back to work.

I'm already starting to think about my New Year's Resolution - it's never too early! There are a lot of new things I want to experiment with and possibly contribute to __1337 Art. I also want to get my workspace cleaned and organized once and for all! Any tips on that would be fantastic!

I have a lot of beads and supplies and piles of things that make it *slightly* hard and/or overwhelming to create new things. I'll definitely post my workspace organization progress if and when I can conquer it!

Blazer, my sleeping kitten, was napping from an exhausting morning of annoying our dog and my older cat, playing in boxes, and getting lost under chairs and wrapping paper. I like that he is sort of photogenic.

I wanted to say a special thank you to dzfantasy for the wonderful blog feature of __1337 Art that she published on her blog! You can view her blog here and my feature here. She offers a wonderful variety of fiber fantasy sculptures. You can follow the link below to view her colorful and fanciful Etsy Shop:

http://dzfantasy.etsy.com

Thank you so much for reading,

-
Christina
CM Designs dba 1337 Art
http://1337art.etsy.com/
http://1337art.artfire.com
[Elite Art for the elite at heart.] Featuring jewelry for men and women, awareness items, bookmarks, brooches, cards, cell phone charms, clip on earrings, cuff links, hair accessories, wine charms, and more!

Winter Weather in Washington State

It appears that the Winter weather has been getting on some people's (as well as bird's) nerves. I believe the angry bird pictured is upset that his birdseed is slightly frozen.

It also appears that Western Washington (Seattle/Tacoma) has been getting paid in snow for not having a White Christmas for the past couple of years. The snow keeps falling down, and we are either snowed in or brave enough to ski to work!!

A lot of us have missed work, which is both a good and bad thing. We get to spend time with family and friends while being able to relax. We're losing money though, and with our current economy situation there could be no worse timing.

Pictured is what I call the hill of doom.
You're lucky to be able to go down it, and blessed to get back up in the snow and ice, that is. It's this huge steep long hill that inhibits me from going to work. There's more to the hill, you just can't see it.

I am happy to finally get my White Christmas. I've always wanted one but rarely get it.

There has been a lot of relaxing and changing in my sleep schedule, and it is definitely time to get back to working on __1337 Art.

Thank you very much for reading,

Happy Holidays!

-
Christina
CM Designs dba 1337 Art
http://1337art.etsy.com/
http://1337art.artfire.com
[Elite Art for the elite at heart.] Featuring jewelry for men and women, awareness items, bookmarks, brooches, cards, cell phone charms, clip on earrings, cuff links, hair accessories, wine charms, and more!

It's not too late to shop __1337 Art for the Holidays.

If you're still looking for that perfect last minute gift for the holidays my shop offers a variety of items for every budget and for just about every member of your family.

I have gemstone potion necklaces and key chains available in the following gemstones:

*Peridot
*Tiger Eye
*Black Tourmaline
*Lapis Lazuli
*Rose Quartz
*Blue Goldstone
*Goldstone
*White Howlite
*Amethyst

If I do not have the gemstone of your preference from the above list for sale in my shop please contact me for a special listing.

I also have a growing variety of necklaces - both simple and elegant and hair accessories including combs and bobby hair clips.

I recently added three beautiful Paua Shell Necklaces in blue, pink, and green. The natural original designs of each shell are truly unique-I can't choose a favorite!

There are currently four masculine necklaces perfect for your special man for sale in my shop.

Hair accessories are perfect for stocking stuffers and Christmas Eve gifts that your daughter could wear on Christmas morning or on the way to Grandma's house.

You could even slip my hair clips onto your wife or girlfriend's vanity as she dresses up for a nice evening out in town.

If you're looking for a nice stocking stuffer or a small gift to hand out with a greeting card my earring studs are perfect!

They are available in Sterling Silver as well as Surgical Steel - great for people with metal allergies. Prices start at just $4.50 a pair. I have gemstones, shell, crystal, and aluminum.

I have great bookmarks for that book lover in your life! They could fit nicely inside of a stocking, and you can even slip the bookmark into the receiver's book as they're sleeping for a nice surprise.

My bookmarks can accommodate the coffee lovers, pet lovers, nature lovers, and more!

I also have three lovely cat's eye rings for just $5.00 each! They reflect a ring of light that resembles a cat's eye. Available in black, pink, and purple.

I also have men's cuff link sets available in black snake's eye and black onyx. Both are very masculine and would make an excellent gift for the man in your life.

The postal service can no longer guarantee delivery of items being sent via standard mail for Christmas. They have provided the following shipping methods and deadlines for almost guaranteed delivery:

Priority Mail
Deadline: Saturday, December 20th.

Express Mail
Deadline: Monday, December 22nd.

You can still place your order with __1337 Art and still have your items by Christmas if you choose one of the above shipping methods. Please contact me if you are interested in an expedited shipping method.

Thank you very much for reading,

Happy Holidays!

-
Christina
CM Designs dba 1337 Art
http://1337art.etsy.com/
[Elite Art for the elite at heart.] Featuring jewelry for men and women, awareness items, bookmarks, brooches, cards, cell phone charms, clip on earrings, cuff links, hair accessories, wine charms, and more!