Friday Feature: Terrbear37

1. Tell us about you and your shop.
My name is Terri Moore. I live in Denver, CO. I have been married to my husband Rich for over 15 years and we have an 11 yr old daughter Emilia who I home school. We also have 2 fur kids. Sophie a 4 yr old black lab mix and Lily a 3 year old Westie. I have been doing nails out of my home for over 15 years now specializing in hand painted nail art. I also like to knit, crochet, quilt, cook/bake, watch reality TV and read biographies about famous people.

I sell hand stamped cards, boxes, bags journals and more in my Etsy shop Terrbear37 /Cards&Moore By Terri.

2. How did you get started in your craft?
I got started stamping over 4 ½ years ago when an online friend of mine sent me some Close To My Heart Acrylic stamps to try. Shortly after that I found The Technique junkies and I was hooked. A few months later my husband created a website for me to try and sell my work from but right after that I found out I could not sell the things I made with the stamps I was using through the internet because of their policies. I stopped using that company's stamps and started using only true angle companies stamps in my work after that. About a year later I started my Etsy shop.

3. What tool can you not live without?
That would probably be my heat gun. I love to emboss!

4. What inspires you?
Bright colors! Other stampers blogs. Catalogs. Things around me.

5. Name one favorite item from your store.

Winter Holiday House

Snow One Like You giveaway from KillamCreative

The final giveaway for this year on the EtsyGreetings blog is from KillamCreative and titled " 'Snow One Like You". It's a paper-pieced step-fold card featuring a cute snowman and penguin. It will be mailed First Class in a sturdy box.




A little about the artist: I've been a paper-piecing card maker for a few years, and just recently delved into coloring digital stamps. I use a variety of mediums on my cards, including acrylic paint and Prismacolor pencils - with and without the help of Odorless Mineral Spirits, depending on the effect I want. I love layering papers and adding loads of embellishments, from soft laces to bright shiny metals. My cards are 1/4" to 1/2" thick, and I always make coordinating envelope boxes.

For one entry, visit my Etsy shop (KillamCreative) and comment here to tell me which card is your favorite. :)

For a second entry, "follow me" on my blog at http://killamcreative.blogspot.com, where you can see all my creations, including custom cards and locally sold cards. Comment here to let me know you've done so! Thanks!

Special bonus for Etsy Greetings Team Blog readers only! If you purchase from my shop by midnight EST Wednesday December 18 *and* mention the Etsy Greetings Blog, I will give you free First Class shipping on your order. This isn't mentioned anywhere at my shop - it's just a "Thank You" to readers of this blog.

The giveaway will end at midnight (EST) Friday, December 18th and the winner will be announced on Saturday, December 19th by 9 am. One winner will be picked from comments made. Please make sure you leave a way to be contacted should you be the winner.

Tuesday Treasury

A Very Textured Christmas

Created By: sugarcoatpaperie


Birdie Holiday Tags By:twohanddesign



Mistletoe Kissing Ball by:CornerstoneLAE



Postcard from Santa Christmas Card By:RoseBushDesigns



Handmade Holiday Notebook/Journal By:Everydaygrace



Vintage Style Merry Christmas Card By:petitepear



Holiday - Explosion Card Gift Card Holder PaperFairy


Holiday Garland Card Gold and Red By:curiousgravy


Amazing Grace 4 pack By:mrsdstahl

Etsy Greetings Featured Sale - The Art of Joy

Each week EtsyGreetings highlights a sale from one of our member shops. This week, we are excited to offer you special pricing from The Art of Joy

The Sale: Free shipping on all items! No coupon code required - prices already marked to reflect sale.

Sale begins 12/13 at 9 pm and will end 12/14 at 12am.

Friday Feature: KittyKatKards

1. Tell us about you and your shop.
Hi, everyone! ::waves:: My name is Tina, 26, born and raised in Maryland, USA. My day job is at a public health non-profit organization.

During my free time you can find me working on my Etsy shop (KittyKatKards), wandering around the craft store, sweating at spin class, or baking all kinds of goodies.

KittyKatKards features mainly cards with origami on them, and occasionally, I sprinkle the shop with origami embellishments and stamped cards.

2. How did you get started in your craft?
I have folded origami since I was a kid. My mom taught me how to make samurai hats out of newspaper and then turn the hats into goldfish.

I only recently got into this homemade card kick seriously, and I thought that adding origami to the front of the card would add an interesting and eye-catching 3D effect. I started KittyKatKards in February 2008 as a creative outlet; the shop gives me a wonderful opportunity to share my creations with others.

3. What tool can you not live without?
My all-time favorite tool has got to be my guillotine paper cutter. The tool allows me to cut my scrapbook paper, origami paper, and cardstock quickly and efficiently. The ruler and guidelines help me cut the paper to exactly the right size.

4. What inspires you?
Color and life events are the biggest inspirations for me. I really enjoy pairing up different colors and patterns. The scrapbook paper aisle is my favorite section of the craft store. I’m like a kid in a candy store there!

As an example of life events inspiring me, going to see Twilight Saga movie, New Moon, inspired me to make some Twilight themed origami dress cards.

5. Name one favorite item from your store.

My origami panda card is my current favorite in my shop. I think the jiggly eye gives the panda an adorable expression and the cupcake is just too cute to resist!

Etsy Greetings Featured Sale - Simply Inviting Cards

Each week EtsyGreetings highlights a sale from one of our member shops. This week, we are excited to offer you special pricing from simplyinvitingcards

The Sale: Buy any 2 cards and get any 1 card free (Equal or Lesser Value)! Purchase 4 or more cards and shipping is free! No code required. Additional Information: This sale includes cards in my Sale section and mini cards. You can tell me in Message to Seller during checkout what you'd like for your free card. If you purchase four or more cards, I can either refund your shipping or send you a revised invoice!

Feel free to contact me with questions at the following e-mail address: greetings@simplyinvitingcards.com. :)

Sale begins Wednesday, December 9th at 12:00 am CST and will end Saturday, December 12th at 11:59 PM CST.

Tuesday Treasury

Ho Ho Ho
Created By:adorebynat


Its Yorkie Claus - Set of 12 handmade holiday cards By:Lindentreephotograph



The Night Before Christmas -- Simple Vintage-Inspired Holiday Cards -- Boxed Set of 8 By:macaroniandglue



Santa card By:Galacards



Santa Claus is Coming to Town Card and 3 gift tags By:sentimentaljourney



Santa Claus Note Card SET By:JumpingJackDesigns



vintage style Santa Claus Card By:petitepear



Funny Santa Pop-Up Christmas Card By:mollylee



Santas with Trees Noel Greeting Card-handmade Fabric Card By:cardwear

Our First December Giveaway - The Paper Flower Shop

The Paper Flower Shop is offering these three cards . . .two full sized cards and one mini card, just in time for your holiday gift-giving.





How to Enter:
There are two ways to enter, please leave a separate comment for each. For one entry in the giveaway, I'd like people to visit my shop and leave a comment with their favorite item. For a second entry, follow me on Twitter at: @paperflowershop and leave a comment letting me know, or let me know if you already follow @paperflowershop.

This giveaway begins on Monday, December 7th and will end Wednesday evening at 8PM CT., December 9th. A winner will be picked from all the comments left. Please make sure to leave a way that you can be contacted should you be the winner.

Friday Feature: Curious Gravy

1. Tell us about you and your shop.

My name is Jenn and I am Curious Gravy. Gravy because it is one of my many nicknames and curious because it is a quality that I value and strive to embody.

I live in Los Angeles with my husband who also has many nicknames. This is because neither of us really likes our own given names - and also because we like to make each other laugh by being silly and acting like we are twelve.

I have a shop on Etsy where I sell things that I make and think are pretty. Sometimes I get caught up in Etsy and just want my stuff to sell, sell, sell!! Once I realize that I'm doing this I try to take a step back and remember why I make things in the first place. That's usually when I get a sale.

If I am not playing in the studio chances are that I'll be in the kitchen. I really enjoy cooking and I like challenges, so I try cooking new things all the time. I also do a lot of reading, I like to travel and I enjoy spending time in nature. I love to shop, I practice yoga, and most importantly I enjoy spending time with my silly husband, my amazing friends and loving family.

2. How did you get started in your craft?
Curious Gravy cards started in November of 2008 when I thought it would be fun to make Holiday cards to send out to friends and family. I had done a lot of print making in art school but had never worked with linoleum blocks so I thought I would give them a try. Once I got the hang of it, I discovered that I enjoy the act of carving the linoleum most - it's almost like meditation. I really look forward to spending an afternoon in the studio, I usually listen to music or watch congressional hearings on cspan.org. My Etsy shop is where all of my best work ends up.

3. What tool can you not live without?
There aren't too many things I can't live without - there's always more than one way to do something, and while I appreciate many of my tools the only thing I don't think I could live with out would be my comfortable/ergonomic/adjustable desk chair. I know, I know, it's silly - but if you've ever spent time sitting in a hard cushion-less chair for days on end you'll be nodding your head in agreement with me.

Second place goes to my #11 Xacto knife, for sheer versatility.

4. What inspires you?
I am inspired everyday by the things around me - I see, hear and smell beauty everywhere I go. In trees, clouds, bodies of water, color, pattern, kindness, complexity, maps, texture, passion fruit, wallpaper, machinery, fashion, babies, laughter, sunshine, organization... I could go on.

5. Name one favorite item from your store



My favorite item changes all the time - I guess I am just fickle. Right now it's the Ribbon Candy Card in Candy Cane Red. I like that it can be used for the holidays but that it's not specific to any holiday.

Friday Feature: Pulp Art

1. Tell us about you and your shop.
I have held many jobs in many different fields but I have always had a creative hobby on the side, which means I also have every expensive piece of specialized equipment: a glass grinder for stained glass, a table top loom for weaving, all kinds of pliers for making jewelry, a gocco printer, bookbinding cloth... But my favorite creative outlet through it all has been paper-making.

Sometimes you’ll see another hobby creep into my paper — some yarn remnants from a knitting project will make it into my paper or cards will be printed with my gocco machine, but my handmade paper is always the focus.

2. How did you get started in your craft?
My journey with paper started a long time ago. I have always been a writer, journaling in my diary every day growing up. I loved not just the writing but the feel of pen to paper, turning the thick pages inside of a handmade journal, enjoying the sound of the sheet. I became a newspaper editor in my 20s and merged my love of paper with a fascination with words - not just their meanings but how they look on the page. I love artwork that has words incorporated in it or jewelry that has one inspirational word stamped into metal.

When I was engaged to be married, I took a class in paper-making and I was hooked. Words, paper, torn up and combined with water to make a new crisp sheet of paper ... it thrilled me. I made all of my own wedding invitations from my handmade paper back in 1994 and have been making paper by hand ever since.

3. What tool can you not live without?
I can’t live without my blender. I tear up pieces of paper to recycle them, then put them in my blender to mix them into a pulp. Usually I mix them at a very high speed so that the original piece of paper is pulverized. Sometimes I just grind them at a low speed so that there are still little pieces of works that appear in the new sheet of paper.

4. What inspires you?
My garden has always inspired me. I learn a lot about composing art from my garden - the colors, textures, compositions. This year, I started a new line of paper that has perennial seeds embedded into the paper. The idea is to keep recycling. Once one of my cards has been received, it can be planted to grow a wildflower garden and start the process of growing and recycling all over again.

5. Name one favorite item from your store



I have been making these cards for years and I always sell out of them at Christmas and never tire of making them!

Tuesday Treasury

Thanksgiving Greetings
By:Silvercloud07



Thankful Heart Greeting Card by lavendargreetings



The Thanksgiving Tree Card by jessijewels



Happy Thanksgiving Card by AJKArtistry



Give Thanks Seasonal Greeting Card by CarlinCardCreations



Thanksgiving - Giving Thanks by PaperFairy



Thanksgiving by CardsByDeb



Thanksgiving Star by CornerstoneLAE



Set of 3 Thanksgiving Cards by L7Designs

Thank You Mr. Love.

It’s the day of the big test…you have prepared for weeks. You have butterflies in your stomach but it’s okay because you are ready to go. You even have two nicely sharpened pencils sitting on your desk. You begin the test and …SNAP…your pencil point breaks. Not to worry you have a back-up. As you reach for it, it begins to roll off your desk and hits the floor point down..ugh another pencil broken. What shall you do? You could pull out your penknife and whittle the tip to a nice point, but alas, you can’t have a pen knife in school are you crazy! ANd what would you do with the shavings? Suddenly it dawns on you, raise your hand and ask to use the classroom pencil sharpener. Crisis averted. You can now get back to that test.

We’ve all been there, and until recently I never knew who to thank. On this day in 1897 the first mechanical pencil sharpener was invented by John Lee Love, an African American inventor from Fall River, MA. John Lee Love designed the "Love Sharpener." Love's invention was the very simple, portable pencil sharpener that many artists still use. The pencil is put into the opening of the sharpener and rotated by hand, and the shavings stay inside the sharpener. Love's sharpener was patented on November 23, 1897 (U.S. Patent # 594,114). Prior to that invention pencils had to be sharpened with the ever handy pen knife. Similar to the way carpenter pencils (you know those funny rectangular ones) still are.

I don't know about you but I love a nice sharp No.2 pencil. In fact I hate to write with one when it gets even the slightest worn down. I still sketch card ideas with a pencil and even write out my grocery list with one. I know that I personally am glad I don't need to pick up all those shavings as well.

Since we are a group that promotes the lost art of the personal greeting I thought we should take a moment and thank Mr. Love for his brilliant invention. If you are really curious about the timeline of the pencil sharpener you can find a complete history of the mechanical pencil sharpener at the Early Office Museum website. While you are waiting for that site to load, sharpen your pencils to take some notes and smile at how easy it is!



by: aplusastudio

Friday Feature: Paper Dragon Cards

1. Tell us about you and your shop.
Our shop features designs inspired from living and traveling around the world especially Asia.

Each greeting card is hand assembled and we fold every kimono. We take great pride on using only the best papers around.

On our travels around the globe, we search for unique papers... you should see the stash!

2. How did you get started in your craft?

After moving to Asia 10 years ago, there was not a greeting card to be found. Since I had all of my scrapbooking supplies with me, I began to make cards. Friends started asking where they could buy them and Paper Dragon Cards was formed. We sold them at craft fairs and boutiques in Asia.

We are now living back in Michigan and I want to share my designs with you!

3. What tool can you not live without?
I would have to say that I cannot live without my paper cutter.

4. What inspires you?

It could be a piece of ribbon or paper. I love putting different textures together to make each greeting card. It's quite a process but the finished product is well worth it.

5. Name one favorite item from your store

This is one of my favorites... such beautiful paper and so feminine. The kimono cards are the most fun to make... each one is hand-folded and made out of different color combinations.

A Bit about Me.

My name is Tricia Richner and my shop is http://www.etsy.com/shop/tricia16. It's not the most creative shop name, but I was already quite the etsy buyer under that name, so I just went with it.

How I got started in this craft -
I've been a scrapbooker and card maker for like 10 years or so. It was totally just a hobby. I came up with this style of card because I was trying to use up some coordinating papers that I had around and then ended up really liking it. I now refer to it as my "signature style" (sounds fancy, huh?). I keep the same basic design but change up patterns, colors and embellishments for different occasions.

Then, I started giving card sets as gifts and people really really liked them. I also went to a bridal shower over this pat summer and gave the bride some personalized note cards which everyone "oohed" and "aahed" over. One of the other guests came over to me afterwards and asked me to make her a set and she'd pay me. I refused her at first because I really just liked doing them for friends, but she relented and I did a set for her and she convinced me to really pursue it. That's when I went from being an etsy buyer to an etsy seller!

Favorite item in store -
Right now, I am loving the Christmas cards and the Mommy Journal. I am particularly fond of the Mommy Journal because it was totally my own idea. I have 4 kids and years ago made little journals to write down the funny things they say and do. I've talked to other people about it and some friends have seen mine and they thought it was so cute. When I found these little spiral bound notebooks, I knew they would make perfect Mommy Journals.

My kids (and the hysterical things they say and do on a daily basis) were the inspiration for the Mommy Journals I talked about above. Mostly, I just love pretty papers and coordinating accessories and once I find something that "goes together", I put it into a monogrammed note card!

Other things I like to do -
I love doing things with my family and we especially love summer because we go boating, swimming, fishing and camping. I also try to find some time to exercise a few times a week and also love to go on weekend scrapbook retreats with some of my best friends.

Advice to other etsians -
I feel like I am still just starting out on etsy so I can't really give much advice there. I guess the best thing I have done is meet new people on the teams and learn from them. My greetings team has helped me immensely - from photos to pricing to descriptions, I have gotten great information from my teammates there.

Other interesting things about me -
I've been a vegetarian for a really long time, new Mac user and loving it and my husband delivered one of our babies on the kitchen floor (we couldn't make it any closer to the hospital).

Tuesday Treasury

It's Starting To Look Alot Like Christmas

Created By:candyragz


NEW Jingle bell Rudolph the rednosed reindeer holiday Christmas card By:riricreations



Christmas Cards red green tree set of 4 By: ThisNThatCraftHouse



3 Holiday Snowman Christmas Cards By: shesbattydesigns



Gather Round the Aluminum Tree - Aqua and Lime By:winemakerssister



Cottage style Santa Claus holiday card By:petitepear



SUPER SALE- Set of 20 Boxed Holiday Cards By:AJKArtistry



Classic Christmas Ornament Note Card- Set of 5 By:creativeapples


Be merry (stripes) - one blank notecard By:happydaystudio