The Train To Crazy

Business Cards for Bloggers

I often have a hard time answering the question, "What do you do?"

I do many things. And I love the things I do. I primarily stay home with my kids. However, I also blog, I design sewing patterns for my own label, I run a currated pattern shop, I design for Pattern Anthology... But to the average person, none of those answers make much sense. If I share any of those answers I usually hear either, "oh how fun" or "how did you start doing that?" And usually theirs an air of confusion. But, those are the things I do. 

And so I had a difficult time with my recent business cards. How does one put all that on a card?

You can't.

What to put on your blogger business card

When someone (a potential sponsor, another blogger, etc) first looks at your card, it should say something about you and your blog. It should be pleasing to look at and, hopefully, memorable. But beyond that, what do you write on it?

1. Your name. 
2. Your web address. Where can they get online to see you?
3. Contact info. Email is traditionally preferred by bloggers as a form of communication but you can also add a phone number and social media handles. 

Honorable Mention. Tag lines or short blog descriptions are nice if your design doesn't indicate what your blog is about. 

What you should NOT put on your business card

This is all debatable, of course. But this is my two cents.

• Glitter. Just don't. I know you love glitter like it's your third child but I seriously hate glitter and will throw away your card.
• QR Codes. Do you ever check those? Me either. And they take up space and look so 2009.
• ALL your social media accounts. Choose the best and let them find the rest on your blog.
• A lot of words. Keep it simple! Let the design speak for you.

I decided to put my photo (wearing the Casual Lady) on the front of the card. I've got so many sites and things going on I really want people to begin to recognize my face and name and connect those with my sites. That's why I also put my AndreaPannell.com site as the primary web address. People can go there and find out about all the different aspects of my business rather than just one little portion.

I also included 4 other URLs. They ended up a bit small but I don't really mind. I wanted to let people know I'm multifaceted but I really do want them to go to AndreaPannell.com first.

I also included my primary email address and my phone number (redacted here). 

I left off social media. I'm not sure if that was wise. I probably should have at least included instagram. Though they'll find all that info on my site easily.

Let's talk about design

There are some incredibly creative bloggers who do some amazing things with their business cards. From letterpress to embossing, unique shapes/materials, adding DIY details, and more, the possiblitities are endless. Just make sure the design you choose speaks about you and your blog.

Some of my favorite business cards I've seen:

Mike and Alma do this well. It makes an impact, says everything you need to know to figure out what they do and how to contact them.

DIY block printing by Design Bright. If your blog is DIY/design this might be a good way for you to go.

The use of letterpress and negative space is what attracts you to this card. Sometimes we forget about the impact of negative space or even the lack of color. As in the "hello".

Craft paper is a great paper for blogger business cards. I love the way the white ink on craft paper looks.

Using unusual shapes can be memorable and cute. Just keep in mind that people have to store these or carry them somehow.

Where to buy business cards

I've purchased business cards at 3 different online printers previously. My favorite is Moo. I've been consistently pleased with the quality. Here's what I ordered:

• Classic (standard) weight
• Rounded corners
• Matte (as opposed to gloss)

These are a sufficiently thick, sturdy card. I love the matte though some people love gloss. Go with what you love! 

A few other sites that I considered ordering from:

Vista Print- inexpensive

Minted- lovely design and quality

JukeBox- great materials and quality

 What do you like to see on a business card?

Granola Bar Recipe - gluten free, dairy free

In the hunt for a granola bar recipe that isn't full of sugar and wheat/dairy, I stumbled upon tons of really healthy recipes. Tons. And then we combined a few recipes and made some unhealthy ones. And they're the best thing ever. We call them granola bar cookies because they taste so good. And they're gluten free and dairy free so they're great for people with Celiac Disease or gluten sensitivities. 

These are basically an oatmeal cookie with extra oatmeal. We're all fans. Not the healthy grab-n-go snack I was looking for but I'll take it. I probably took too many.

Ingredients

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil (substitute butter if you prefer)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup gluten free flour mix
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups certified gluten free oats 
1 1/4 cups gluten free crispy rice cereal (we used Gluten Free Rice Krispies)
1/2 cup ground flax
1 cup dairy free chocolate chips (we used Enjoy Life mini chips)

Directions

1. Cream together the brown sugar and coconut oil.
2. Add the honey, vanilla and egg. Mix together well.
3. Blend in the flour, baking soda and salt.
4. Stir in the oats, cereal, flax and chocolate chips.
5. Press mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes
7. Cool completely before cutting into the bars.

Wrap individually and store in pantry for snacks and lunches!

Enjoy!

Hair on Hide Chair Makeover (video tutorial & leather giveaway)

I found a Craigslist steal last summer. A woman was advertising a vintage dining table and china cabinet but the photo clearly showed top quality mid century modern furniture. I jumped on it and snatched them up right away. The table came with 6 chairs but we keep just 4 around it and 2 have been sitting in the basement. Until now.

Hair on hide has inspired me lately.

 

source: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

I recovered the chairs with hair on hide leather. 

The chairs are lovely. I love the blend of Mid Century Modern and the hair on hide.

Our living room is fairly bare but I love the clean feel. With 4 kids, you get "clean" where you can take it.

I can't figure out exactly where I like those newly recovered chairs.

Couches, yellow chair and chair on right: Thrive Furniture
Gray knitted blanket: from Grandma
Chairs on left: MCM thrifted
Hair on hide: LeatherHideStore.com

This is my favorite arrangement.

And no, there are no end tables, coffee tables, pillows or artwork of any kind. 

But we do have Superman.

Thank you to the LeatherHideStore.com for sending me the hair on hide. I couldn't be more thrilled! Just check their remnants department for some really good deals. 

Want to recover your own chair? I've got an easy tutorial for you!

How to recover a chair seat with hair on hide:

Now, who wants to win some leather?? The Leather Hide Store has SO many great leather hides! Or just buy a remnant at a greatly discounted price. I loved my experience with the store and couldn't be happier with my chairs!

Enter the rafflecopter giveaway. Win $50 worth of leather!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Settling in for Winter

It's WINTER here. Not winter, but WINTER. If it's WINTER where you are then you probably feel like staying indoors and getting cozy. I prefer to stay inside and do something fun and warm. Cooking, baking and crafting with kids is always preferrable to playing in the snow. For me anyway.

If you need a little inspiration then consider the Handmade Winter e-book. It is 92 pages of recipes, craft projects and inspiration for spending time with family.

This was put together by a bunch of your favorite bloggers. You'll recognize most of them like Jess, Shannon, Abby, Carla and Marigold.

I could eat that photograph. Seriously.

And that leather necklace is adorable! If I had time today, I'd make it.

But these sewing projects are my favorite! That skirt is gorgeous and the ipad case is adorable! The skirt is for a girl but I'd make that for myself!

If you're interested in seeing more about this e-book, you can head over to Handmade Winter to see the contents list and check it out!

2013 in Review

I've felt like I didn't blog much in 2013. I think I feel that way every year. But looking back, I guess I've made and blogged quite a bit. Here are a few of the things I've made.

I'm especially fond of my patterns:

And of Pattern Anthology:

I'm excited for 2014! So many fun things planned! Starting with this blog getting a major facelift. You might notice some downtime this week but then I'll be back and looking slick. 

Don't miss all the fun in 2014, including new videos, tutorials, easy DIY, and some top secret stuff I can't wait to share. Subscribe here to the blog and follow on facebook and bloglovin so you don't miss anything!

Last Minute Christmas e-Card Tutorial

Well it's December 23rd here and it's time to start thinking about Christmas cards. If you're in the same boat then you're in luck. They're easy! Sending an e-card is free and fun. This tutorial uses the new online design site, Canva. I signed up when they hadn't gone live and it's fun to play around with. This morning I made this cute little card.

This one too.

Ready to make your own?

 

Create an account with Canva.com.

1. Select Christmas Card.

2. Then select a template or even select just a background and add your own photo and text.

3. Select the current template photo then click the trash to delete.

4. Select upload and upload any photos from your computer or facebook. Double click them to put them in your card. 

5. Use the circles at the corner to make the photo larger or smaller. The round handle at the bottom of the photo is to rotate it. Sometimes tilted photos are super cute.

6. Click the interposition button (see arrow) to bring one element in front of another. Simple highlight that element then click your cursor on that button to bring it to the front.

7. Click to send your card. Choose if you want to upload email addresses or give Canva access to your friends and contacts.

That's it!

When your friends and family check their email this is what they'll see.

They just click to view the card.

That's it! Have a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Book Review: Sew Classic Clothes for Girls

I am so excited to share a new book with you, Sew Classic Clothes for Girls: 20 Girls' Dresses, Outfits and Accessories from the Cottage Mama . I ordered this one before it came out and was so excited the day it came in the mail! I took it to Panera, enjoyed a bowl of soup and enjoyed flipping through it because it's just a beautiful book. I shouldn't have been so surprised it was amazing, because the Lindsday Wilkes is amazing, but I was just amazed because I feel like sewing books are often great but not totally beautiful.

I was more than happy when Lindsay asked me to join her book tour. Of course I'd love to share her book with you! I can honestly tell you that if you love to sew timeless clothes for girls you'll love this book.

Gorgeous Clothes

The clothes are pretty but I really love the instructions in this book. Full color and they don't miss a step! Patterns come in sizes 12 months to 10 years.

Decorating the Entry for Chirstmas

I don't know about you but doing just one more thing for the holidays seems to feel like so much work. That's how I was with decorating inside this year. The kids opened most our decorations and did much of the decorating themselves but I could never seem to finish!

I don't like to go overboard and decorate every inch of home that shows. I prefer understated, clean. So, step on in.

Welcome to my home.

Our entry way doesn't have a great place for a table or much furniture because I added a coat closet there where the space used to be but that's alright with me. Less surfaces to gather clutter. Plus, a coat closet so the kids can throw all their junk and we don't have to see it!

I love the peace sign. I can't say for sure where I bought it but it's a few years old. It's all bent and worn from being packed each year but I think that adds charm.

Can you smell those pinecones?

With a simple wicker basket, some cinnamon scented pinecones and a little ribbon, we've got the right smells and a cute little detail. (all from Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts)

I used one bag of pinecones and just filled the bottom of the basket with some fabric. Perfect solution.

So far she hasn't eaten any. 

And this might be my favorite part. Just some simple Christmas balls, ribbon and a few push pins and we've got a cute garland hanging in our entry!

People have been begging for a home tour, and, it really isn't much to look at, but I think I'll start that in the new year. Interested? 

Do you decorate a lot for the holidays?

Special thanks to Jo-Anns for supplying me with the supplies for this easy, understated holiday cheer!

Love for Ruby

Today is a big day for Ruby. She's having heart surgery and we'd love to show her mama, Christie from A Lemon Squeezy Home, some support. Today on instagram, facebook or twitter post a photo of a heart and tag it #loveforruby to show Ruby's family that there are people in the world praying for and thinking about her as she undergoes surgery and recovery. 

Sequin Bubble Skirt Tutorial - Great for beginners!

Today I'm joining the 12 Skirts of Christmas series over at Sewing In No Man's Land! So many great skirt tutorials. Head over to see the skirts that have come before me in the series! And don't skip looking around Kelly's blog. She's an amazing photographer and seamstress!

Have you seen those fabrics in the store that have the wide elastic waistband already sewn to them? These are the easiest skirts ever to sew. Unfortunately, they usually come in a women's length. Thankfully I've got an easy, fun way to shorten them without hassle!