DIY Folded Earring Card/Display

I spent many hours trying to figure out how to make some earring cards that would work as a display, and then could be folded up as a little package. I would bet money I had seen something similar before. However, after lots of research I could find nothing like I had envisioned. Now, part of the problem was that the design in my head was not possible. But, I still couldn't find something exactly like what I finally created either. After aforementioned hours of failures, I finally got it right. I thought many other jewelry designers might appreciated a little tutorial to save them the hours of frustration I suffered :) I think the handmade packaging adds the perfect final touch to a handmade product.

The earring display!

So here you go, step by step instructions, with pictures. This is a picture of the supplies that I used to make these cards. A paper cutter, 8 1/2" white cardstock, scissors, a 1/8" round hole punch, a bone folder, a craft knife and a plastic folder. I also used a dime, but any small round object would work.







Step 1: I decided what size I wanted my earring cards to be when they are standing up. I decided on 2" wide by 2 3/4" tall. So 2 3/4" tall, times 2 for the front and back, plus 1 1/2" for the bottom. That gave me a total length of 7". I then cut my white cardstock into 2" by 7" strips.














Step 2: Using the ruler, I measured 2 3/4" of length, and started the fold. I made it a sharp crease using the bone folder. (Don't worry, they aren't made from bone anymore, just plastic)









Step 3: Using the bone folder, I folded up the bottom tab, completing the folds.

Step 4: I used a plastic report cover I found on clearance for 42 cents!! But any thick firm plastic would work just fine. I cut off a strip, about 2 inches wide, since thats the width of my earring cards. Next I figured out where I wanted my holes placed on the card. I then punched holes where I wanted them.

 I wrote "top" so I wouldn't get mixed up :)

Step 5: I lined my template up at the top of my earring card (unfolded!) and punched the holes. I tried using a paper template, but I just kept making the template holes bigger. The plastic worked much better, because I was able to "seat" the hole punch in the hole, and make it much more precise.

Step 6: I folded the card back up, and drew a little line in pencil, for where I was going to put my slit.

Step 7: I opened the card back up, and using the craft knife and the dime as a template, I sliced a half circle along the line, with the convex part pointing down toward where the flap would fold up.
(If anyone is aware of a paper punch that would make this shape, I would be eternally grateful, as this is the most tedious step.)


Lastly, I placed my earrings inside and folded it up in a nice little package! 

The final product.

These are perfect little displays if you do shows or have your jewlery in a shop. The earrings are displayed very prettily, and then when they are purchased you just have to fold the paper the other way, and close up the package. As a final touch you could place the earrings in a box, a pretty bag, seal with a sticker, or some other pretty little finishing touch. You can finish this off in many ways to personalize it and put your brand on it. You can use any color or pattern of paper you want. The size can be adjusted to fit your personal designs. The options are essentially limitless.

Hopefully this little tutorial will help someone create the earring display/packaging they have been wishing for!

Side note: There are a couple of "earring card punches" available on the market. One is insanely expensive. The other makes a large slot for leverback earrings, as well as the single hole for post or wire earrings. Its a personal choice for me, that I don't like the look of the large slot for leverback earrings. If you don't mind the look, the hole punch would make this process much simpler, as you wouldn't need the template.

Why read the directions.....

If you aren't going to follow them?  A.K.A Sunday nights dinner!

Last week I received a"treat" that I had ordered for myself. I'm a major popcorn addict, and one of my teammates on etsy sells popcorn and gourmet seasonings. So I bought myself a little package.

dellcovespices.etsy.com

4 different kinds of popcorn, and 4 different seasonings! I was in heaven.

The first night I popped myself some royal purple kernels, with kettle corn seasoning, the old fashioned way. Meaning, with oil in the pan, on the stove. It was beyond amazing. Literally as good as the stuff they sell at the fairs. I was absolutely blown away. Who knew it could be so easy and delicious?? For those of you who are unfamiliar with kettle corn, its popcorn, with both salt AND sugar mixed together, giving it the perfect sweet n' salty mix.

Now, I'm in the process of moving. Well really, just packing up everything and putting it in storage, until we find out where my husbands new job is going to place him. So away I packed all my pots and pans. Whoops, now how do I make this delicious popcorn again? Trust me, unpacking the pan did cross my mind! Instead I thought, well I'll just go buy this microwave popper I'd seen at Target. That way I don't have to use oil, and it will be better for me, since I'm trying to lose weight.

My new microwave popper!

Off I went, back to where I'm staying, with my new popcorn popper. Sunday night comes, I'm exhausted, and hungry. I look for the directions to work the thing, and I've lost them somewhere in the moving. Whoops. I get the great idea....just google it!! So I do, and I find the directions from the manufacturer. Where it CLEARLY says, DO NOT use oil. But I saw consumers post that they use oil. And despite my weight loss intentions, it was sooo good with the oil last time. Guess where this is going? Yup, oh she of the multiple college degrees decides to ignore the manufactures directions, and to add oil to the container. Oh, but wait, it gets better! I then decide, ummmm more kettle korn, lets add that to the container too!! Into the microwave goes my dinner. Yum yum I can hardly wait. About 3 minutes passes, and the popping has stopped. Oh its ready!

Now I carefully pull it out of the microwave, cause you know, its hot and all. Off I tear the lid, and there sits, wafting up to me, CHARRED popcorn. Now, I'm not talking burnt, I'm talking, little piles of charcoal briquettes AFTER you've had the big bar-b-que. Unfortunately (Fortunately?) for you, I have no pictures of this. Why, you ask? Because it was smoking and smelled horrid! So I had to rush and get it outside to the trash before I stank my aunt and I out of the house!! But here's a pic of the container after its maiden use :(

(not ruined, just not the nice pretty yellow it used to be)

Moral of the story, and the title of the post? Why read the directions if you aren't going to follow them? In this case, I assume the manufacturer had tried popping with oil, and had a similar outcome, though I bet not as spectacular, since they probably hadn't added kettle korn seasoning. Which, did I mention, is sugar! Sugar, oil, and heat equals caramel, on a stove top. However, in a microwave it apparently equals char!!

And a parting word from one of my favorite comedians: "Here's your sign!"

2012 Goal Update for February

Goal #1- To sell 104 items on etsy in 2012.
So far I am doing good. I have only had 2 sales so far, but they have been big orders price wise, and the first one was for 6 necklaces, and 6 earrings. So can I count that as 12 sales???? Then I had a sale in Feb for my highest price necklace. How exciting because its also my first international sale!! Its going to New Zealand. It makes me feel really validated that strangers are finding my little store, and recognizing my quality, and wanting to own a piece of my jewelry!

Goal #2- To participate in 2 shows in 2012.
So far I have done nothing about shows. No research, no planning, no applying. Its the slow season, but I probably should start looking so I can find a good one.

Goal #3- To maintain at least 100 items in my etsy store.
I'm on track with this! Been over 100 every day so far. Have lots of ideas for more running around in my head, just need to get to work on them.

Goal #4- To dedicate 5 hours per week to my shop. Whether that means creating, photographing, editing, or listing.
This continues to be a difficult area for me. I think the main difficulty, is keeping track!! Like tonight I made a pair of earrings as I watched TV. Now, how long did I spend? Maybe I need to invest in a craft storage thingy with a stopwatch attached, and when I open the lid the timer starts!! Now, this was my idea, so don't anyone steal it from me, hehehehehe 

Goal #5- To maintain better records on how my time is spent, my supply purchases, and my sales. Also to keep a notebook full of the things that I need to work on, as well as ways to prepare my shop for the trends of shoppers.
Well I think I just answered above about the records of my time spent. My purchases I have also forgotten (but should be easy to update). I forgot I had intended to track this in fact, so its a good thing I'm checking in! Shopping trends I am having issues with. I read the emails from etsy, but I'm not sure what is important to pay attention to. Any advice from anyone???

Goals for 2012

Many of my goals for 2012 will be the same as they were for 2011. Since I didn't meet those goals, I decided not to raise them for this year.


Goal #1
To sell 104 items on etsy in 2012. This averages out to 2 items a week. My first year on etsy I sold about 1 item a week, however last year I didn't even reach that benchmark, so I am leaving this at 104 sales for the year, with the hopes of blasting this year out of the park.


Goal #2
To participate in 2 shows in 2012. I foresee lots of changes in our near future, so I am not going to push too hard on doing lots of shows. I am going to take my time, and research the venues thoroughly, so that I can maximize my potential for profits.


Goal #3
To maintain at least 100 items in my etsy store. This will allow lots of diversity in my shop, as well as giving potential customers plenty to choose from.

Goal #4
To dedicate 5 hours per week to my shop. Whether that means creating, photographing, editing, or listing.

Goal #5
To maintain better records on how my time is spent, my supply purchases, and my sales. Also to keep a notebook full of the things that I need to work on, as well as ways to prepare my shop for the trends of shoppers.

Status Update 2011 Goals

Well, 2011 is rapidly coming to a close. Christmas is only 4 days away, and the year ends in 11 days. So its time to look back at 2011 and see how well I did reaching my goals. Here they are!

1. I would like to double my Etsy sales to 104 for the year. That's essentially 2 a week, or 8 a month. In those terms it seems much less daunting.

How did I do with this goal?? Well to be completely honest, horrible. Not only did I not reach my goal for 2011, I also didn't even meet last years sales total. Last year I made 57 etsy sales. This year I made 22 etsy sales. And 8 "off etsy" sales. So instead of doubling in sales, I declined by more than half. But the thing to focus on is the why? Answering this will help me grow, and learn. That is what every failure is about, its a learning experience.

So here's my best assessment of what happened. We were homeless for the first 3 weeks of the year. Then we were living with my parents until March. I have also been unemployed the majority of the year. And while this should have been a huge plus, it wasn't. Why? Because I was depressed. I didn't have any motivation or inspiration. I was too busy wallowing. I couldn't focus on the positives of the situation. Another problem? The majority of our belongings were in storage until July. So I didn't have most of my beading supplies. So what could have been a positive, I allowed to become a negative.

2. Participate in at least 4 craft shows. This will really help get my name out in my local community, not just the online community. There is one I wanted to do this year, but couldn't find how to apply. Well, I know what I need to do now to participate so that's one show down. And it will be back in North Carolina, at the beach I usually go to with my girlfriends. So It will be an awesome opportunity to get back together with my girlfriends who I will be moving away from shortly.

Craft shows. *Sigh* This too did not go as planned. I wasn't able to get back to NC for the show due to financial reasons. Three shows I applied to I wasn't able to do. Two because I wasn't accepted, and one because I couldn't get off work. I did one show in southern California, and it was a bust. I had one sale to a teammate who came to the show to meet me (thanks Patricia!!!) and one sale to a fellow vendor. I did however learn the importance of researching the location!! The show was in North Hollywood. I heard "Hollywood" and thought, oh people have money in Hollywood. They would recognize the quality of my work and appreciate it. Unfortunately NORTH Hollywood, is NOT like Hollywood. The demographics of North Hollywood is nothing like Hollywood! The other problem was that it was a "food truck" show. So most of the people who came spent all their money on the novel food items available.
The lesson? Research the location, the demographics, the show, everything. If you are going to put down your hard earned money you better make sure you know it's going to be worth it!

3. My goals for creating products is a tough one. I will say that I need to dedicate 5 hours a week to product creation only. This can always be changed as my life changes. Right now, I may not be working after Wednesday for the next few weeks, to months!!! Scary thought, but our life is in major flux and all I can do is roll with the punches. So I can use it as an opportunity to create like crazy.

This goal is a little harder to asses. Did I spend 5 hours a week creating every week? NO. But there were plenty of weeks I spend 20+ hours creating. I guess I have bipolar tendencies with creating. If I'm inspired or under a deadline I create like crazy. My mood is so much better when I'm creating, its a fantastic stress relief for me. So I really need to focus on making creating a priority. I need to find a way to track my time better, and a way to reward/punish myself for sticking with this goal. The weeks that I listed regularly, ie everyday, I had much better traffic and sales to my etsy shop. So its important to stick with this goal, as the foundation of growing my business and becoming successful.

Overall this was a rough year for me. Personally, financially, everything. It was a year to learn and grow as a jewelry designer, a physical therapist assistant, a wife, a daughter, a sister, and most excitingly, an Aunt!! Yup, I'm an Aunt now. A handsome baby boy was born in January to my brother and SIL. And only 3 1/2 weeks later an adorable baby girl was born to my sister and soon to be BIL. So while my business may not have prospered as I'd hoped, my personal life had some amazing blessings!

Look out for my goals for 2012 coming soon. Hopefully I will have more success with my business in 2012 thanks to the important lessons I have learned in 2011!

Wishing everyone a happy holiday season, and a fantastic new year!!

More recipe reviews

A few more weeks have gone by, and we have tried a few more recipes I found on pinteret. For info on pinterest, please see previous post http://turtlexiii.blogspot.com/2011/10/pinterest-recipes.html

Recipe #1
One Pan Turkey Taco Pasta
http://pinterest.com/pin/5840674486299640/

DELISH, absolutely wonderful. I love tacos, I love pasta, I love one pot recipes. What more can a girl ask for??? It was easy to make. The only chopping that was required was the onion. The rest was canned/boxed items. I love that its made with turkey burger, especially since I found a 3 lb box of frozen turkey burgers for under $7 at Target. Wow. The fresh package of meat was over $5 for 1 lb. Plus, with my family consisting of myself and hubby, there was tons of leftovers. This would easily feed a family of 5-6 with no modifications to the recipe.

Recipe #2
Crock Pot Lemon Chicken
http://pinterest.com/pin/5840674486292392/

Yummmmmy. Hubby loves lemon chicken, and we finally found a recipe that we both love. I cooked it on the stove top, as I forgot to put the crock pot recipe together. I also used 1/4 cup of butter instead of 1/2 cup. That was still too much butter for my taste, and I will probably try less butter and more lemon juice the next time. The other important factor to consider: Use the zesty Italian seasoning packet. Do not try and save money by buying the 4 pack box of Italian seasoning. The plain Italian has a LOT more salt and a lot less seasoning. So it makes the dish really salty.

Recipe #3
Pesto Chicken Wraps
http://pinterest.com/pin/5840674486269767/

These were amazing. I love pesto. And this recipe exceeded my expectations. I used jarred pesto, so it was a bit oily, but still delish. I will try to make it with fresh basil when I have time. This also made 6 wraps, so we had enough for lunch the next day, which is always a super bonus.

So far we have tried 5 new recipes. 4 of them will or have become part of our regular repertoire. I have over 40 more recipes pinned that I still want to try. The quicker, easier, and healthier the better.

Feel free to leave recipes below for me to try. Or link me back to your favorite pinned recipes.

Pinterest Recipes

As many of you know, I've signed up for pinterest and have become a semi-addict. I can sit there for hours pinning things. But I can also go days without looking.

For those who don't know what pinterest is, it's a virtual pin board. You "pin" things to your boards, and they show up as pictures on you pin board. The pins show the picture from that website, as well as the link back to the website. Its a visual collection of your favorites.

This is what my pinterest looks like at the moment. But its ever evolving.

So, I've been gathering lots of recipes. This week, while making my menu plan, I decided to try some of the recipes I had pinned.

The first one was called Priest Chicken. Its a super simple crock pot recipe.
http://pinterest.com/pin/259630839/ OR
http://forkinit.blogspot.com/2008/01/dinner-reality-check.html
My opinion? Good. Super easy. Love crock pot meals. Modifications- 1) add about 3/4 can of water to initial mixture to help the cheese and soup integrate. 2) I would use two packets of Italian seasoning to increase the flavor. But this was definitely yummy and will become part of our routine.

The second one was Chicken and Roasted Garlic Risotto. A nice one pan recipe. It took 30 minutes, and that was with frozen chicken.
http://pinterest.com/pin/259731937/ OR
http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/01/chicken-roasted-garlic-risotto.html
My opinion? Okay. It was easy and quick to make. But something was off. The chicken was bland. And I just didn't like the combination of cream of mushroom soup and cream of chicken soup. It was just not my favorite combination. I don't know what I would do to modify it for future use. Maybe only use cream of chicken soup and LOTS of garlic. The rice was good. I have never had risotto, so I don't know if that's what its supposed to be like, but it was good.

We also have Chicken Pesto Wraps on the menu. I think I will make them Wed or Thurs. I was going to make them Tues, but we got too hungry and didn't have time to marinate them. But I LOVE pesto, so I don't know how these can be bad.
http://pinterest.com/pin/259767386/ OR
http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/04/chicken-pesto-wraps.html

Feel free to post your favorite recipes too!!!!