Welcome to Candy Cane Lane!

So, my boss challenged us this year to come up with some new holiday decor for the office.  The kicker was that we had NO budget.  So we decided on a theme - initially it was "Candyland", but then we settled on "Candy Cane Lane".  We gave all the corridors created in the cube farm candy themed street names, and decided on some directional arrows that we wanted to do.  Then I created them at home.  I have them printed out and we will be decorating on Monday.  I'll take some pics!

In the meantime, I created a listing on Etsy so that you can decorate your office, home or event with these signs too!  I think they're super cute, if I do say so myself.  Additionally, if you want different street names, directional arrows or welcome sign, I can customize it!  Just convo me on Etsy (or email me at pixelsandposies@gmail.com) and I'll create a special listing for you!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87750686/candy-cane-lane-diy-printable-pdf

PS: the "Elf Workshop" arrow will be pointing in our direction!

New Christmas Items - Holiday Designs for Tile Coasters

In my last post, I wrote about the tile coaster project for the holiday and damask papers I have for sale in my Etsy shop.  I can't begin to tell you how cool I think this project is.  A lot of craft projects come out looking like just that - craft projects.  The end result of this one is fantastic, and it's sooooo easy and economical.

Anyway, yesterday, I created some holiday designs specifically for tile coasters.  Without further ado, here are the listings:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87143413/printable-pdf-of-christmas-holiday

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87143886/printable-pdf-of-christmas-holiday-holly

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87144391/printable-pdf-of-christmas-holiday

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87145041/printable-pdf-of-christmas-holiday

Why, hello there

Happy after Thanksgiving everyone!  Did anyone go shopping on Black Friday?

It's been forever since I've posted anything and for that, I apologize.  I got a part time job at a Halloween store, so was working my 40 hour day job, plus about 20 hours a week at the Halloween store, and *somehow* didn't have much free time!  The last couple of weeks have been spent alternately vegetating and preparing for the holidays.

I took this week off from work, and wouldn't you know it... I caught a cold.  Which is weird because I have been mostly at home this week, and the whole time I was working in the Halloween store, riding the light rail to my day job and mingling with customers at my night job, I didn't catch anything.  And yet the one week when I am sequestered at home, I get sick.  Life is funny.  But I guess it's good that I have this week off to be sick in because nothing is worse than having to work when you're sick.  Um... actually, a  lot of things are worse.  But I digress.

ANYWAY, I do have some Christmas items in my shop, mostly gift tags and Christmas cards.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82077600/custom-printable-christmas-card

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82078619/printable-christmas-gift-tags-winter?ref=v1_other_1

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83984709/printable-christmas-gift-tags-square

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82052136/custom-printable-christmas-card

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83915172/printable-christmas-gift-tags

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83983550/printable-christmas-gift-tags-square

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82055851/custom-printable-christmas-card

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82075593/printable-christmas-gift-tags-with?ref=v1_other_1

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83985680/printable-christmas-gift-tags-with

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87113409/custom-printable-christmas-card

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83988016/printable-christmas-gift-tags-blue-and

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83986375/printable-christmas-gift-tags-square

And I just recently posted some printable decorative papers, which can be used for scrapbooking or cardmaking, or whatever other project that you can think of that uses decorative papers.  Included are instructions on how to make pretty tile coasters with decorative paper and tiles from a home improvement store.  This project is really cheap and easy to make.  I bought some tiles at Home Depo for something like 15 cents each.  You use modge podge (or diluted craft glue) and an acrylic sealer.  This is the finished product:

Pretty nice, right?  A stack of four tied in a ribbon or some raffia or twine makes a beautiful yet economical Christmas gift.  A shout out to Jordan who told me how to make these.

Anyway, here's the listings for the papers:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86991055/printable-pdf-of-damask-paper-and

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87004852/printable-pdf-of-holiday-paper-pack-with

I also have a listing for custom monogrammed paper to make monogrammed tiles:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86993494/custom-printable-pdf-of-damask-paper?ref=v1_other_2

Now let the Christmas season begin!

"Vote" for me!

Please go to The Graphics Fairy Brag Monday and "like" my link towards the bottom of the post (#40, Printable Halloween Party).

To see my Halloween Parties, please scroll down my blog here, or click these links:

http://pixelsandposies.blogspot.com/2011/09/new-festive-parties.html

http://pixelsandposies.blogspot.com/2011/09/monsters-and-witches.html

Clip Art Search

I'm currently working on some Christmas stuff and have been looking for some clip art.  I ran across this image on The Graphics Fairy.  On first glance, I thought the angel on the left had just punched the angel on the right in the face.  Peace and joy!

Monsters and Witches

This next Halloween party has a cute monster theme.  My friend Deb drew most of the monsters, I added a jack-o-lantern and a witch.

I think they're so cute!

I used one of the patterns from Graphics Fairy again, 

but changed the colors to shades of yellow.  You can see it in the background of the invitation.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80837463/cupcake-toppers-wrappers-monster-mash

The third party is what I call the Pretty Witch party.  I wanted something a little girly, so I imagined a witch who likes shoes and pretty accessories.  I drew all of the illustrations in Illustrator.  I also used a damask pattern that I drew a while back for something else and used a purple color scheme.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/81131524/cupcake-toppers-wrappers-pretty-witch

The potion bottles on the left on the invitation were modeled after some perfume bottle clipart that I found on The Graphics Fairy.

New Festive Parties!

I know, it's been forever since I've posted anything.  Sorry!  Since my last post, I have made three Halloween parties and a Fall/Thanksgiving invitation & tent cards.  Here's the first Halloween party that I created:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80141605/printable-party-package-halloween-party

For that one, I used a lot of vintage images, mostly from The Graphics Fairy Blogspot.

For the invitation, I used a Victorian House from The Graphics Fairy:

Took it into Photoshop, isolated it, darkened it, and added some glowing windows:

Then I took some trees and put them behind the house.

I also took a Halloween type design (also from Graphics Fairy) 

and redrew it as a repeating pattern in Adobe Illustrator to create a border for the invitation.

And voila!  Here is the invitation:

I also used some other patterns from Graphics Fairy

And redrew them in Illustrator to create some backgrounds and borders for the papers, tent cards, cupcake toppers, etc.

(I added the spiders :o)

I hope you like them!

I'll be posting about how I created my other parties in the next few days, so check back!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80141605/printable-party-package-halloween-party

Shop is Back, New Listing

I’ve been extremely busy for the past 5 or so days, so I haven’t been able to properly blog, but as you can see from my previous post, the Pixels and Posies Etsy shop is back on line!  My son fixed in about 10 minutes what I had been trying to fix for several days.  Humbling, but oh well, at least it’s fixed!

I have a new item in the Etsy shop, a birth announcement.  This one was actually designed by my friend Deb.  I think it looks great and is very cute! 

I will continue posting Deb’s designs in my Etsy shop, as well as my own.

I am going to be pretty busy for a while getting my files back on my computer and organizing, but I have lots and lots of ideas, so hopefully I’ll be able to post some new party packages soon.  Stay tuned!

Pixels and Posies Etsy site is back!

My shop is up and running again, thanks to my son who fixed my computer and helped me with a few glitches!

HELP

I got the drivers the tech guy sent in the mail, and of course they don't work.  OF COURSE.  I am at my wit's end with that computer.  I am going to have to do some serious googling, folks.

In other news, I drove in to work today because I'm meeting some friends after work (I usually take the light rail).  On the way in, some lady rear ended me so hard that my shoes flew off!  But luckily (and strangely) enough, there was no damage to either car.

In more other news, I brought in boiled eggs for a blood drive we are having at work today as part of the "hearty breakfast" you're supposed to have before giving blood.  Anyway, I was in the kitchen putting out the eggs when the receptionist came in and told me that I have a hole in my pants.  YIKES!  Luckily, she had some safety pins, so I was able to pin the hole closed.  How embarrassing.
 
But, life could be worse.  I could be walking around with my underwear showing and driving a smashed car.

More Delays

Unfortunately, I still have my Etsy site on hold because my computer is still not working.  Well, it's working, but I can't get on the internet.  I was on the phone with tech support for two hours and I still can't get on the internet.  I kind of felt like I knew more about computers than the tech support guy, and that is not a good feeling.  They are supposed to be sending me the updated drivers for my network adapter and that's supposed to fix it, but I have my doubts.  I just hope that they send me the right drivers.  I told the guy several times that I already loaded the drivers and I will need updated drivers if it's a driver issue.  So, we'll see.  In any case, until I get on the internet, I can't download a service pack that I need for my OS, and until I download the service pack, I can't load my Adobe programs.  I don't want to open the shop back up until I can edit my work, just in case there is a problem.  I want to be able to guarantee my work.  So, I wait.

In the meantime, my daughter went to town this weekend and baked cupcakes, made some other stuff (including green eggs and ham!), set up some of the parties I have already designed and I took some pictures.  The pictures could be better (I have only just now discovered that I am not a very good photographer - who knew?), but now that I have done a couple of "photo shoots", I can probably get some better shots for the next ones we do.  My daughter has been so much help with this you would not believe!  Anyway, here are some of the pictures that we took of the Paris party and the Seuss party: 

  

The green eggs and ham that my daughter made was delicious BTW.  Maybe I will include the recipe with the party pack!  We discovered after we took the pictures that the ham and eggs are best eaten together.  So if we take pics again, we'll put the ham with the toothpicks on top of the eggs.  It looks really cute that way too!

And here is a picture of my cat, Kibbles, who decided that it would be a good idea to crawl into one of the craft boxes to sleep.  My daughter took one of the crowns we used in the Paris party and put it on Kibble's head.  Isn't she cute! (she is also sporting a collar that my daughter knitted for her):

In other news, it's still very hot here in AZ, with the added humidity from the monsoon season.  The saying "Yeah, but it's a dry heat" does not apply during the monsoon season.  I was at the light rail station this morning at 7 am and I don't know what the temperature was, but it was warm enough that I was sweating.  It's a little after 9 am now and almost 100 degrees, so it was probably close to 90.  It keeps threatening to rain, but then it just doesn't.

I am so over summer.