BIG NEWS...my blog is moving!

Why hello there!

Bet you thought I wasn't around anymore, eh?

Well I am, and I'm here to tell you good news!

I have a brand new website!

Up until now, my domain name just redirected you to my Blogger site but now, my domain Second Surf is actually a website! Pretty cool, eh? What I'm most proud of is that I've done it all by myself! ~well, mostly....with a lot of help from my amazingly talented, patient and handsome technology director ;)love you Mr. Mike!

Here's a little sneak peek!

What this means for you:

*If you currently subscribe and follow me on google, blogger, or another feed burner, you'll need to update your reader. all you have to do is enter http://secondsurf.com into the little do-hicky in your reader and that should do it!

I won't be posting anymore on my blogger and I've moved ALL of my posts & comments over to the new site! YAY!

It is still a work in progress and I'll be adding more functionality over the next few weeks but I was too excited to hold back anymore! There is also a shopping cart on over there and that's fully functional, although a little empty, but I hope to remedy that very very soon!

Weekend project

I've been out of business cards since.....October?

And I really want to do a redesign and eventually I'd like to pay someone to do the whole she-bang for me complete with etsy banners, blog headers, avatars, cards, stickers....the whole shebang.

So I didn't want to print anymore but it's getting a little ridiculous so I spent Saturday afternoon coming up with something suitable for the interim.

I've recently had come into my possession sick printer....and I've been trying to use up this stack of really nice cardstock I bought when I worked for a printing company ummmm....a loonnnng time ago.


So, I decided in the mean time...I would print my own until I use that cardstock up.

I designed them in photoshop.

Simple design and a take off my old cards but with updated colors.


So here's the easy version:

To start:

1) I created one file the size of the finished business card - 2" x 3.5"

2) I laid everything out and saved the original. Then I flattened the image and saved it as a .jpg

3) Then I created a new document letter size -8.5" x 11" and used the guides to create a grid (insert basic math skills here) and copy a pasted my .jpg image onto the grid. I can fit 10 cards on a letter size sheet but I have to trim them out.

This is what that file looks like:



4)Print out and cut on a paper cutter.

Here's the photo that will go in my Etsy listings:



Interesting side note/tip about cutting:
You want to set yourself up a little system so all the cards come out square and straight and all the right size. so 10 cards centered on a sheet will leave you with a border of .75" on the left and right and 1/2" on the top and bottom. So I trim that off first and then cut the main vertical. Then you can trim the long strips of 5 cards down into individuals. I sort of make notes of where I'm cutting on the grid of the paper cutter so I can cut faster and more methodically. It's actually sort of zen...

I know that's kind of hard to picture but if you want I can try to do a tutorial on the cutting thing. What do you think?

Earring Card Tutorial

Hi Friends!

I'm bringing you a fun tutorial! Be nice to me because I haven't done too many and my workspace doesn't have the best lighting for pretty, pretty pictures, although it IS functional.

Making earring cards doesn't have to mean being a professional graphic designer or having them professionally printed, although that would happen in a perfect world with limitless resources. Sometimes, you need something on the fly and this is a good quick fix. I think they have a nice presence, don't scream ugly, and reflect the quality of handmade work.

One of my pet peeves, having a background in graphic design (archaic as it is) is seeing pretty handmade goods on crap-tastic Avery perforated business cards with badly done graphics that are all pixelated. Yuck....

And, in saying that, I bring you this tutorial from a place of love.

Before we begin, let's talk about some basics of package design:

1) KEEP IT SIMPLE. If you don't have the knowledge or resources to have something professionally printed, don't try to make your packaging look like you do.

2) Stick to one or two colors and one or two fonts. More is not always better.

3) Keep it clean. Don't clutter up your packaging with too much information.

Let's get started:
(Remember you can click on the photos to see them better.)


Make sure to use a nice heavy cardstock, not plain from the office store. Make sure it is at least 90#. Scrapbook cardstock is a good fit or if you plan on making a lot, you can order a ream of heavy cardstock from a professional printer


I chose grey for the background and black for my letters, sticking to my KISS rule.







Hope you enjoyed my tutorial! I would love your thoughts! (ummm, good and bad, :)

Are you SMART....

Oooooh, I had a massive lightbulb moment today. And maybe I'm not too smart, but I thought it was a pretty groovy idea.

I'm preparing for the upcoming Indie Craft Parade and I was thinking about payment methods. I do not do enough craft fairs yet to warrant the expense of a credit card machine and many small fairs and outdoor events don't have power available to plug them in...even if you have the mobile capacity to run them. So...the question remains about having some pricier items to sell and customers having enough cash on hand to pay you right then and there.

Customers might love a piece but may not want to part with all of their craft fair cash right then and there...They might want to spread the love around to other vendors, right? I know I do. So that got me thinking about....



Smartphones.

...you know droid, iphone, etc. A LOT more people have these devices now! And, if they have a paypal account and have that app downloaded on their phone, they can send you money right then and there! If you both have smartphones and the paypal app, you can "bump" money right there at the show! WOW! Potential for more sales.



Just a thought...a lot of the buyers at shows are other buyers, who most definitely have paypal & might have a smart phone if they do the majority of their business online....like i do.

Yeah, there's a lot of variables here, I realize that. However, I'm thinking it's a completely viable option...since our society is increasingly mobile and such...

Hmmmmm.

learn more about the paypal app here to see if it seems right for you. I have it and like it immensely but this is a suggestion from me and not an endorsement for paypal.

{photos above from Flickr, click on the photo to take you to the source.}