I really like when the color of the shaker bits and the frame match. I have a couple of confetti dies, but most of them are no-name brands. I’m going to keep looking for dies that can be used like this from brands I’m partners with.

About a month ago I applied to join the Kat Scrappiness Influencer Team. I’m super happy to report that I was accepted! I’ve even submitted my first order with my influencer discount. I’m looking forward to receiving it and getting stuck in!

Blog posts for Influencer Team projects will be clearly labeled as such. In those, only Kat Scrappiness products will be named and linked. Normally I link all products, including those that I don’t have affiliate links for.

This was my first tax season as a small business owner. Unfortunately I came to the conclusion that I need to get a paying job. So I’ve spent a lot of time updating my resume and portfolio site. My timing isn’t great, so it may be a while before I find something. The San Jose Mercury seems to have articles about more Silicon Valley layoffs a couple of times per week.

There are some great deals on Tim Holtz dies and embossing folders in the Sizzix Spring Sale. Here are some that stood out to me.

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. 😭

I need to stop trying to sell my cards. It’s a distraction and the ROI is terrible.

Stay tuned to find out what I’m going to do with the destash items. It may involve a giveaway or two…

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

The way affiliate programs work is that if you as a shopper click on an affiliate link, your browser saves a cookie. If you buy anything from the affiliate site within the referral window, the affiliate (blogger) gets a percentage of the sale as commission. The length of the referral window differs from merchant to merchant, but 1-3 months is common.

The theme for the Instagram hop this Sunday was Butterfly or Bee and Symmetry. I took the chance to use the recent Flowering tree pop-up die set from Spellbinders. It creates a fantastic four-tiered card that folds flat into a regular A2 format. It’s a real stunner and not too hard to pull off.

The weather is finally getting warmer here in the Bay 😎 Area. I celebrated by going for a swim in the community pool. It’s been such a cold and wet winter, we’re all longing for sunny days. 🏝️

This is where things went wrong. Out of sheer habit, I doubled up the die cuts. That meant that I couldn’t create an eclipse card. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Find out how I recovered from my mistake.

Newsletter sign up, spring collab and crafty sales…

These fairy birthday cards are currently available in my Etsy shop. Here’s how you can make your own.

These moose birthday cards are currently available in my Etsy shop. Here’s how you can make your own.

Weekend updates about boxes, older cards and a new box

A fine birthday present

New product design for Equinox cards