Welcome to Valley Oak Paper
I design handmade greeting cards.
Sales tax time
I made a little more than $1,000 from selling my cards last year. That’s actually more than I thought. It’s still not enough to pay even one monthly mortgage. 😭
B♥️ Mine - Clean & Simple Valentine
For this card I used the MFT Vanity License Plate Alphabet Stamp Set and MFT Vanity License Plate Die. I have so many ideas for how to use these! How about a 🍕PIZZA, 🎂 HBD, 🐻 BEAR, 🦌 DEER or 🐋 WHALE license plate?
You Make My Heart Smile
For this card I used the Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil Kit of the Month for December 2023. Getting a new toy to play with every month is just so much fun!
Orchid Postage Collage
This card was inspired by the Waffle Flower December Sneak Peak Club that included the Mini Slimline Postage Collage dies and stencil.
Mistletoe card tutorial
That’s all for this card - now you can sit back and admire the sparkle! ✨
Thinking ahead to 2024
I need to stop trying to sell my cards. It’s a distraction and the ROI is terrible.
Happy Holiday Bears
This is a relatively simple holiday card that would be easy to mass produce in a couple of evenings.
Craft Fair Crunch Time
My next craft fair is at Fairwood Explorer Elementary School here in Sunnyvale on Saturday.
Monochrome Stocking Full of Joy
This die set is great to use with scraps, because there are lots of small dies that combine to create characters and greenery.
Lovely Layers Deer
The main feature of these cards is the Lovely Layers Deer Die Set by Honey Bee Stamps. You can watch me make this card on YouTube. It’s a 13-minute video on the @ValleyOakPaper channel.
Business planning
I’ve started my giveaways. Here’s the first announcement post. You have until Sunday to comment to win.
Trinity Stamps Birthday Witch
With the lunar eclipse happening on October 28, I thought a witch flying in front of an eclipsed moon was a fitting motif.
Lovely Layers Quail
This is also the very first video on my brand new YouTube channel, @ValleyOakPaper. I’d love it if you watched and subscribed. To begin with I’ll be releasing weekly cardmaking videos there.
Halloween Gift Card Mugs
This is a quick and easy way to dress up gift cards for Halloween. The paper I used is scrapbook paper pad from Michael’s. I paired it with glitter paper in matching colors, also from Michaels.
A change will do you good
Stay tuned to find out what I’m going to do with the destash items. It may involve a giveaway or two…
Halloween Makes for Tomorrow
Tomorrow, Saturday October 7th, I’ll be at the De Anza Flea Market in booth O45. I hope to see you there! For this market I’ve changed my pricing structure to hopefully sell more. I’ll report back if it worked.
Crafty Business Update
Silicon Valley in-person shopping
Unique Boutique is open 10.30 to 2.30 Monday through Friday at the Sunnyvale Senior Center
De Anza Flea Market: October 7th, next and probably final day.
Unique Boutique Craft Fair: November 3rd - 4th, Sunnyvale Senior Center
Birthday Bears
The mama bear and her cub are from a Sizzix die set by Lisa Jones. It’s called Nature Friends and also includes a bunny, a hedgehog and a badger.
Pumpkin & Plaid
The theme was supposed to be making your own plaid, but as you’ll see I cheated.
Oak Wreath
The next day I created the texture with the Pinkfresh Studio’s Stitches Cover Plate. This had the added bonus of flattening the cardstock after its bath.