Secrets Revealed

Let’s get this out of the way first….

Many (many) moons ago, I promised a new website was coming.  I keep telling myself “as soon as business slows down” I will get to it. 

However…. things haven’t slowed down.  I’m crazy busy – which is kind of an awesome problem to have.

Frankly I just don’t like sitting in front of the computer when I could be cleaning making something.  I tell myself that I will do it after the kids are in bed, but then I start working on proofs, emailing clients, and sometimes (though not as often as I'd like) I get to work on New Stuff.

Now about that New Stuff….

When I turned my hobby into a business last year, I was pretty much the only one around offering personalized home décor.  But as with all great ideas, I wasn’t alone for long.  Now it seems that a new would-be competitor pops up almost weekly and each offers a lower price than the last guy.  This is great news for buyers because it not only gives them more choices, it keeps prices reasonable across the industry. But just remember this when shopping around for the best price on custom work:

Anyway - back to the New Stuff...

When I'm busy filling orders, it's easy to get away from the reason I started this:  I love creating.

In all honestly, if you've got about $300, an internet connection and some free time, you can teach yourself to do (much of) what I do.  That's why there are so many of these types of businesses on etsy, facebook and now locally as well.  And here's the other thing:  You don't even have to be creative.   Yep, that's right.  It takes zero creativity to download a pre-designed file from the internet, cut it out, and put it on a piece of wood or glass.   Though like with everything, there is a bit of a learning curve.  You will curse, threaten to throw your machine out the window, want to quit, and cry real tears over the amount of time and materials you waste while trying to learn how to do this.  

But I digress....

Creating.

That's why I started this.  So I could create.  

Pinterest and etsy is the lifeblood of many businesses like mine.  I get countless requests weekly to imitate something a client has seen online.  And while that provides a very steady level of business for me, it doesn't leave me much time to come up with my own creations.

Flattered

The best ideas are often imitated by the lazy and un-creative.  But great quality and excellent service cannot be duplicated.

Know before you buy.

It's been awhile...

I wish I had a good reason for not updating this blog or kicking off the website that I promised I was working on.  But simply put - I just haven't had time.

When I started this business last fall as a vendor at the (now closed) Distressed Nest, I was terrified of failing.  I have been crafting my whole life but I never attempted to make any money at it.  But with the encouragement of friends and family, I took a risk at an unknown shop in a so-so location with little foot traffic.  And despite all those things working against me, in 4 short months I was running a successful business and doing what I loved.

Unfortunately, that happiness was short-lived.

I knew when I had so much success in such a short time span that imitators would soon follow.  I was expecting that.  But I wasn't expecting it from people that I knew well and trusted whole-heartedly.

I can't pretend it doesn't bother me when clients contact me to tell me they see items and ideas that I have been making for months being sold by other local businesses.  Every time it happens I run through the same gamut of emotions:  hurt, anger, sadness.

Coming soon!

Two at a Time is about to get a whole new look!

My computer genius husband is in the process of building a whole new site for me and I really can't wait to get it up and running!

Hubby's not just smart...he's cute too.

In the meantime, come visit me over on Facebook.com/TwoAtATimeDesign where I post almost daily or send me an email at brittenlinn@gmail.com.

If you're in the Tampa Bay area, you can check me out at the Distressed Nest Boutique where I am a vendor, or at one of the shows I will be at this month.  *

This Saturday, 12/7 I will be at Brandon Winterfest from 10-5 with the Distressed Nest and Bentley Redesign and next Saturday 12/14 is my last show of the year and it's at The White Rabbit in Brandon.

Thanks for stopping by and Merry Merry Christmas!
Britten

I'm a Turkey

No really.

I kinda am a turkey.

I've been super busy lately.  Really busy.  

I've been making some wonderful things for some wonderful people and I am loving every minute of it. And I try to get as much done as I can while the girls are in school so that when I pick them up, crafting business is over for the day - (or at least until they go to bed).

So today when Red came to me asking for a turkey t-shirt to wear to their big Thanksgiving feast at school tomorrow, my first reaction was to say no...because hey, this was supposed to be my non-crafty time!   But before I did, I took a second to think about the last time I made something for them.

And I couldn't remember the last time I made something for them.  

Ugh.

So upstairs to my craft room we went and I turned on my long-neglected heat press and fired up the laptop again.  After some googling for turkey silhouettes and a lengthy discussion as to what the shirt should say, my Design Team headed back downstairs for a snack while I worked on the finished product.

I was rewarded not just with these awesome smiles, but also with a leftover piece of Halloween candy attached to a "Good Job!" sticker.

Thanks girls for reminding me - again - what's really important.

Love you, Mom

Keep Calm and Craft On. And on. And on.

It's been a busy summer.  Was.  Was a busy summer.  We are already in our third week of school....

First Day of First Grade

So now what??  Clean?  Laundry?  Re-organize closets?  Learn to cook?

Boomer feels the same way I do about housework

Or......I could just....
Make stuff.

Smile if you like to craft

Yeah let's do that.  Let's make stuff.

And maybe I could actually make stuff and keep sell it.  Like for real, actual money.  Instead of just for the fame and adoration I get for making stuff like this:

It's a haunted house.  Out of paper.

Little vinyl project

Not-so-little vinyl project

Custom t-shirts for twins that aren't mine

Glitter vinyl - this one is mine

More custom t-shirts.  Supernatural theme.

So the first thing I did was something that I said I would never, ever do again.
I signed up for a craft fair.  And then another.  And then another.  That's 3 in 3 months, with the first one at the end of September.  Which is coming up.  Like soon.  But I'm not alone in this.  My best crafty friend is doing these with me.   The same friend that was supposed to talk you out of doing any more craft fairs, Britten? Yeah her.  That one.

But now another opportunity has come along and it's a pretty awesome one.

There is a new boutique in town and the owner is looking for vendors to rent their own space within the shop to display and sell their handmade items.  I had a meeting with the owner last week and took in some of the things that I have been working on for the craft fairs.  She thought they would fit in with her boutique so I will be setting up my own booth in the shop very soon.  (Like - maybe next week.)  They are moving this weekend into a new, bigger location just a few doors down from the original shop.  Which means I could be moving my stuff in as soon as next week.  It's awesome, exciting and overwhelming all at the same time.

My site here as well as my also neglected Two at a Time Facebook page will be going through some changes in the coming weeks.  I am working on getting a shop set up right here on this site, as well as possibly adding a store to my Facebook page as well.  But I suck at the computer stuff so it's going to take me some time.  And also because I'm...

There's water in here

I plan on keeping this blog updated (yeah I know, you've heard that before) with all the craft fair info and updates on the boutique.  

I.  Can't.  Wait.

Square One Masterpiece - A Love Affair

I didn’t set out to stray from regular vinyl.  It just kind of happened.

I’ve had the printable Square 1 Masterpiece in my stash for quite awhile, hoarding it along with all of my other paper. 

Then a neighbor dropped off a bottle of homemade mulberry wine.    As a thank you, I thought it would be fun to make him some custom wine labels, but didn’t want anything that would stick permanently to the bottle.  I found a wine label template online, typed in the info, printed it out on Square 1, then cut it out.  As my 6-year olds say:  “Easy peasy lemon squeezy!” – and pretty sophisticated looking too:

 Okay so now I’m excited about the possibilities…

What can I do with this stuff next???

I spotted the shelf in my kitchen.  I like decorating it for holidays, but after Memorial Day and the 4^th of July, I was at a loss as to what to put on it until Fall.  I found a cute, cupcake-themed canvas for $5 so I used that as my shelf inspiration.

I picked up some wood letters on sale at Joann and spray painted them black.  I put them on the shelf and they looked….fine.  Meh.  A pattern would’ve been more exciting but covering them in scrapbook paper and mod podge just seemed too permanent – and like too much work.  I found some free digital paper online, printed it on Square 1, traced the letters, cut them out and stuck them to the front of my letters.  Not only can they be easily removed and changed (if my love of chevron and quatrefoil ever fades) but I can RE-USE those letters cut out of Square 1 again and again!   LOVE THAT PART!  And since I had some extra patterned Square 1 left over from the letters, I cut out these cute cupcakes to go with my theme:

I also had some of solid Square 1 in green so I cut out this saying for under the shelf:

I love that I can save the cut-outs I made with Square 1 and re-use them.  I also love, love, LOVE that Square 1 is PVC-free!

Here’s how my shelf looks now:

So there’s my story about how I fell in love with Square 1 Masterpiece.  I am really excited about using this on all kinds of future projects!

Scrap Your Stash - (Reusable!) Ombre Wreath

If you got here via my Scrap Your Stash Facebook page - then Hiya!

I am working daily on getting a Scrap Your Stash website up and running.  The problem is....I know nothing about building an actual website.  Zip.  Zilch.   Nada.  And what I have learned so far is that it is MUCH harder than just starting a blog.  Like a lot harder.  But a website, although it will have some costs associated with it, will give me much more flexibility when it comes to what I can put on it, and that's pretty important to me.

So for now, I'm going to use my blog here at Two at a Time to communicate and post until I get SYS up - which I hope to do in the next week or so.  But I really couldn't wait that long to share my first official Scrap Your Stash project with you!

I finished this wreath last week, but I was waiting until after Easter to put it on my front door.

I found 6 pieces of cardstock from my Stash in varying shades of turquoise and blue because I wanted to create an ombre effect.  I used the Free Shape of the Week from the Silhouette store to cut the peonies from large to small, with a bright yellow cardstock for the centers.

I have had this $4.99 grapevine wreath from Joann for months, but I couldn't decide what to put on it.  Then I had the idea that - with a little extra effort - I could make this wreath reusable!  

Instead of gluing the flowers directly to the wreath, I glued them instead to a thin strip of cardstock that I cut into a semi-circle.  Once they were all secure, I attached the cardstock strip to the wreath with some floral wire.

Now all I have to do is snip the wires to remove the cardstock strip and yippee!  I will have a blank wreath that I can decorate again and again.

At the last minute, I decided to spray the flowers with some Crystal Clear Krylon protectant in the hopes that it will keep the flowers from fading in this hot Florida sun.  We'll see how they hold up.  (I used this because it's what I had in my Stash:)

Here's a few more pics of my front door.  I found the rug at Target and bought it because the color felt so springy so it ended up serving as my inspiration for the colors on the wreath.

Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you all at Scrap Your Stash very soon!

Foyer Re-Do

I haven't really liked the red paint color I selected for the foyer - well, basically since we bought the house in 2004.  It was just too dark.  But there always seemed to be another project that needed more attention (our house was a fixer-upper).  However, last month my husband said it was time for a new couch and I figured now was a good time re-do the foyer too.  I didn't want to spend a lot, and since I enjoy the challenge of re-using and re-purposing, I couldn't wait to get started!Here's what it looked like BEFORE (the blue is painter's tape):

(not sure why this looks so organge-y.  the true color is in the first pic)

\

And here's the AFTER:

Much lighter and brighter,  isn't it!  I really love it!  

Wanna see a closer look at some of the details?  Keep reading...

We had this green and wicker hanging shelf/key thing hanging beside the front door and my husband really didn't want to lose the place he puts his wallet, keys, phone, etc.  I looked high and low for a replacement, but couldn't find anything I liked for the right price, so I bought a $5 can of textured spray paint at Walmart and viola!:

(I'm still looking for some little baskets to put on the shelves but haven't found any to fit just yet)

I saw a cute "Shut The Front Door" saying on pinterest some time back so I decided to make my own version of it.  The wooden letters were $2 each and naked when I bought them from Joann.  I painted them with paint I already had and finished the word in vinyl - again from my stash.  The font I downloaded for free on dafont.com and cut with my Silhouette Cameo:

I was wondering around Old Time Pottery when I came across some drastically marked down clearance items.  I loved the middle of this frame, but the paper around the edge was badly damaged.  I figured I could probably re-do it somehow and for only $1.49 , I couldn't pass it up:

The first thing I did was attempt to remove the heavy, laminated paper that was around the edge.  Goo Gone didn't budge it so I did a quick google search and found that vinegar and water works to remove wallpaper so I sprayed some of that on it and started scraping.  It did scratch the painted wood underneath but since I was going to cover it again, I didn't mind:

I took it upstairs to my scrap room and started going through my stash of paper to see what would coordinate with the throw rugs that I picked up for less than $30 at Ross.  I was so excited to finish this, that I didn't take any pics while I was working on it, but I basically just put the paper over the frame, marked where I needed to cut, and used my paper trimmer for clean, straight edges.  I adhered it with Mod Podge and then put a couple coats on top of that.  Here's how it turned out:

(seriously - how cute is this?!  and for $1.49!)

This little wall is outside the french doors to our master bedroom.  This antique-y table I had in another room fit perfectly on this wall so it found a new home here.  I decided to just prop up the motorcycle print that I found (again on clearance) at Joann's for $8, and surrounded it with some accessories that I already had.  The bowl is a great place for sunglasses and other misc stuff that you always have in your hand when you are coming in the house:

Well that finished up the tour of my new foyer.  It makes me happy every time I walk through it - and isn't that how every room in your house should make you feel??!!

Now....Go Scrap Something!

Britten

:

It's A Happy New Year

I love the beginning of the new year and all the possibilities it represents.

2013 feels different to me.

Maybe it's because I'm not "working" right now. No guest blogging, no design teams, no tutorials, no deadlines...basically I have no formal commitments to anyone.

Before now, this would've sent me into a panic. I would question my worth. I would fret over the tens of thousands spent on my formal education over the years and feel terrible that I wasn't using it to make money. My self-esteem would suffer. I would get depressed.

But I've...evolved. (I hope.)

This year I want to dedicate my time to our home.

One of the things I love about our house is it's 2-story, northern feel and traditional style. But it's time for some updates to the decor. Nothing drastic, nothing expensive. I'm talking about up-cycling, re-cycling, and re-purposing. I want to stop being afraid of stepping out of my neutral-ruled comfort zone. Will I dare to put a coat of paint on real wood furniture? Can I add a trendy chevron print in a way that doesn't look out of place?

I have hot pink hair, several tattoos, & I'm a member of a woman's motorcycle group called The Chrome Divas. Yet my house doesn't reflect this side of my personality. At all.

I'm excited for 2013.

Really excited.

My Last Halloween Card of 2012 *sigh*

It's not just HALLOWEEN today but it's also Card Making Wednesday over at Tanner Bell Designs and here is what I made especially for the occasion:

Picking the paper for the card was easy with Paper Layerz by Megan Elizabeth.  All the colors coordinated easily PLUS her Ink Edgerz in Limelight and 1am matched her paper perfectly (she did that on purpose to make it easier on those of us who are color-challenged!)  The witch shoe and frame are from the Happy Hauntings Cricut cart.

I found the sentiment from last year's Close To My Heart "Wicked" set and used the new Background Stamp from Tanner Bell Designs under it.  The brads are from my stash.

I hope you enjoyed this final Halloween card of the season.  I will be sad to see Halloween over so soon.

Now...Go Scrap Something!

BLOG HOP!

Hey Everyone!

Welcome to Tanner Bell Designs October Release Blog hop! This month Tanner has created some REALLY awesome background stamps! This is something totally different than he has ever done before! If you came here from CourtsCraftCorner then you’re in the right place. If you need to start at the beginning, then head over to Tanner Bell Designs and get to hopping!

I love love LOVE Halloween, so I made this witch card using one of Tanner's new background stamps:

I used Ink Edgerz by Megan Elizabeth and some clear embossing powder to make the diamonds really pop. The witch was made using Paper Layzerz and cut from Happy Hauntings (I LOVE that cartridge!!) and of course, I had to include a little Stickles be-dazzled Drippy Goo punch from Martha Stewart.

You can purchase your set of these amazing stamps in his store HERE!

Thanks for stopping by! Head on over and check out what Ruza has created today!

Now....Go Scrap Something!

The Manly Man

Megan's latest (and last!) kit is available now right HERE and I wanted to share some of the cute stuff I made using this awesome - but manly - kit of scrapbooking supplies and embellishments.

Here's a pic of all of the projects I've made with this kit so far:

Let's take a closer look at some of these.

I posted the details for this shadow box over at AboveRubiesStudio.com

I added some black cardstock from my stash and made this super easy, cute and quick card that would work for many a manly occassion.  The mustache is a cut from the Close to My Heart Artiste Cricut Cartridge now available HERE.  And see how the Sparkle Lightz from Megan Elizabeth that are included in the kit work even on this masucline card:

I used the Chevron embossing folder from Stampin' Up to add some texture to this cute banner card.  The baker's twine is from CTMH.

 I love how the striped paper from the kit really makes this clever card look even more like a man's shirt!  This card cut can also be found on the CTHM Artiste cartridge.

I hope you enjoy this manly mustache kit as much as I did.  I'd love to see your creations so please leave your blog address in the comments so I can check out what you made using this fab kit.

Now...Go Scrap Something!

Cropped Recap

I was lucky enough to get to go to Wisconsin to be a part of the live Cropped event last weekend.  Even better I got to be in the "Pro" Cropped Challenge that was held on Saturday.  (I think it's pretty funny that Megan considered me to be a papercrafting "pro")

The first round of the Challenge was to create a card in 25 minutes using the mystery products provided.  The mystery package included: white cardstock, Kraft cardstock, a roll of Snazzy tape, a sheet of Sili-Craftz and....a pop can tab.

Here's the card I made:

I used the Kraft cardstock as the base, wrapped the Snazzy tape around the white cardstock, used a punch to cut the heart shape from the Sili-Craftz sheet, tucked the pop tab behind it and attached it with a brad, and cut the sentiment out of the Snazzy tape using the Expression2.  A little Megan Elizabeth Ink Edgerz in Limelight and some more brads and I was done.

Here are the other 3 entries:

Created by (from left to right): Abbey from the Craft-e-Corner blog, Shawn from Craftychics, and Carrie from Craft-e-Corner.

This round was a tie between my card and Abbey's.  The tie-breaker judge selected my card as the winner for the first round.  Carrie was the first participant "Cropped" from the competition.

The second round of the Competition was to create a scrapbook layout with a fall theme in one hour using the mystery supplies provided.  We were given some fall themed scrapbook paper, 2 sheets of Paperlayerz by Megan Elizabeth, a rhinestone sheet...and a Coca-cola can.  This time I came in second place.  My layout is below on the left.  The cute one on the right is Shawn's from CraftyChics:

Where's the coke can you ask?  I took a little creative license and used the can to round out the corners of the layout.  (Shawn actually cut the word "nice" out of the side of the coke can - genius!)

Abbey won the round with this layout:

Since Shawn came in 3rd place, she was the next one "Cropped".  It was down to just Abbey and I for the home decor themed third round.

We were given a shadow box, some Christmas themed paper, Candi's, puzzle pieces, gold thread, Megan Elizabeth Alpha Stickerz, bubble wrap and only one hour.

Here's my Christmas themed shadow box:

Abbey and I both used the bubble wrap to "stamp" on our projects.  The ornaments and Noel were cut from the Close To My Heart Artiste cartridge.  I made the tree by folding strips of paper and attaching them one on top of each other.  The puzzle pieces are stacked under the tree to give it a little height.

Here's Abbey's very clever project:

She wrapped her shadow box like a present, using the puzzle pieces inside so they made noise when you shook the package - just like a real present!

The vote for the third round went in my favor and I was named winner of the "Pro" Cropped Challenge!  What an exciting and totally fun event!  I hope to be invited back for the next one so I can defend my title :)

Now...Go Scrap Something!