When is a Crafter like a Groundhog?

By SandraG

In a little less than a week, all of us artisans will be like groundhogs, popping our heads up through layers of yarn, beads, saw dust, fabric shreds, and other crafting leftovers to face the world and share what we have made with the community at our local craft fairs.  We don our nicest and sometimes craziest clothes, set up tables and booths with our goods, and greet each person we meet with a smile.

With every smile, we invite our peers to judge our hard work and creativity...and secretly hope they love something so much that they buy it. I think this may be the hardest part of craft fairs; it's not the digging ourselves out of months of crafting sediment, it's revealing our soul to the world...GULP.   However, we crafters enjoy and love the process and the people, so we become vendors every year and greet the world with fun, creative, and/or useful items.

This year Michelle and I will be vendors at several craft fairs (see our event page for details) with three of the fairs in three consecutive weekends.  We might go crazy by the end of this "Groundhog Season for Crafters."  Does anyone have a couple straitjackets? hahaha

Before we go hilariously insane, Michelle and I will be displaying our unique handmade items featuring high quality jewelry, beautifully crafted home decor, amazing calligraphy cards, fun toys and gifts, and several unique crochet items with patterns made by yours truly. There is even a hint of our geekiness with items featuring Skyrim, Mario, Star Wars, Doctor Who, and more. 

These craft fairs are so much fun and Michelle and I welcome everyone to check out the ones on our event page.  If those are too far away, be sure to check out the local fairs in your area.  We artisans love to see people come to these fairs, talk, and simply enjoy all if our amazing work. Hope to see everyone there.

When is a crafter like a groundhog?
When it is craft fair season!

Making Christmas Cards in October

By MichelleD

Let it Snow... in October? That’s right. Here in the mountains of northern Idaho we have had two snows so far. That means it is time to make up some Christmas cards!

October is a fantastic time to make Christmas cards. We can get them all done and be ready to send them out in November or early December. To make Christmas cards, I use black ink, a calligraphy pen, and watercolor paper. Charcoal, pastels, watercolors, paint, crayons, stamps, glitter glue, or anything else crafty are also fun to use as well!

Christmas cards are a wonderful way to remind the people we love and care about that we are thinking of them and wishing them the very best. A simple sentence can make someone’s day. There’s something magical about being so far away and still able to tell a good friend, “I miss you." "You are awesome." "Keep your chin up.” A card is a hug made of paper and love.

My favorite part about making my own cards is that I can make them for any occasion, not just holidays. I have yet to find a Hallmark card for, “I’m thrilled you made it onto the volleyball team.” However, I can certainly write it all fancy, stick it in an envelope, and put a stamp on it.

I find my card envelopes on Amazon run for $10-$15 per pack of 100. The A7 size is perfect for cards that are 5” x 7”. Be sure and cut the cards a little smaller so they will fit in their envelopes.

Speaking of mailing things, did you know we can also make our own postcards? A postcard qualifying for First-Class Mail simply has to be a flat rectangle ranging between 3.5” x 5” and 4.25” x 6”. No envelope needed!

For those looking for something unique, I’ll be selling these cards at the upcoming Craft Fairs. Check out our Events Page to see where Cutoff Crafts will be in November of this year.