Free Affinity Designer Vectors From LollyJeanne

  

Lollyjeanne Affinity Vectors

If you are seeking holiday vectors to use in your Affinity Designer, Photo and Publisher apps, this is the place. Lori at Lollyjeanne has skillfully and accurately recreated mid-century designs that can be fully edited, in the Affinity programs, to your style and needs.

I downloaded some of her cute free graphics. I really like her coffee cup and am already thinking of how I can use it in card designs. It would also work well in cafe-style wall art.

You can get her freebies here Lollyjeanne Freebies where she also offers a generous license and creative options.

Vector & PNG Resource Freebies by Lollyjeanne

I have been using Affinity products for years and I like Lori's work so much that I purchased 5 files from Lollyjeanne's Etsy Shop

I love the files that I've purchased. They are a very good investment and I would buy from Lori again. While she mainly offers design resources for creative folks working with Affinity graphic programs, she also designs clip art.

She says everything here on Lollyjeanne is created with love in Affinity Designer. I hope these design resources will be a useful addition to your creative library! 

Atomic Christmas Chickadee by Lollyjeanne

 Chickadee: This is the sweetest vector image! Looking forward to using him in my holiday designs.

Atomic Christmas Orament II by Lollyjeanne

Atomic Christmas Ornament II: I love mid-century modern and Lori has created a stunning, accurate replication in her holiday ornaments designs. Can hardly wait to get started creating my holiday designs using her fully-editable work.

Atomic Christmas 4 Snowflakes: Anything snow and I'm in love. Lollyjeanne's Atomic Snowflakes give me chills of excitement! Remember: she designed them to be very easy to edit in the Affinity Suite apps. So excited about my purchase!

Atomic Christmas Pine Branch: This is the best simplistic, stylized design of a pine bough that I've ever seen! Very easy to download too. Happy with my purchase!

Atomic Christmas Ornament 4: Another mid-century ornament design that can be fully edited to your style and needs. Happy with my investment and you will be too!

 Lollyjeanne also offers gorgeous design packs!

 

 

Visit Lollyjeanne at these sites:

Atomic Christmas PNG Graphic Set 

Lollyjeanne Website

Lollyjeanne's Etsy Shop

 

 

Another File Format Free Of Charge

Seed Savers Envelopes at Printaphoria

At Printaphoria, I usually list products as one of these file formats:

• Jpeg
• Pdf
• Png

Seed Catchers Envelopes Roses Design at Printaphoria

Occasionally, a pack may include more than one format.

If you ever need another format other than what is offered, just contact me before you order.

1. I'll first verify that it is doable.
2. I'll then have you purchase the listing.
3. I will email to you the format that you need.

Best of all? It's free of charge, courtesy of

 

 

 

Happy Creative Day!

Sandi

 

What Is The Sweet Spot In Marketing Today?

The Sweet Spot In Marketing

Unique ideas and creativity in marketing is the sweet spot in selling. When many sellers joined Etsy, Ebay, Amazon and other high-traffic venues, they never learned how to market. The marketing was done for them, traffic was heavy and sales were good.

Nowadays, it's more difficult than ever to get a significant piece of the creative sales pie. Even becoming successful at Etsy today, the old quick-sales stomping ground, is a huge challenge. For a decade or more now, shifting of manufacturing jobs, poor economy and COVID woes have led many to start selling their handmade products and creative services. The influx of overseas sellers offering cheap products has virtually decimated the market for handmades sellers and independent designers.

All of the easy ways for crafters, artists and designers to make money online have largely dried up. Except for a few unique start-ups, the only Etsy sellers who are in the black are those who started with the launch of the selling site and grew their enterprise through it. They are successful today because they got a foot in early on, which was around 2007 for most of them.

Today, the savvy creative is committed and diligent in seeking new places, methods and niches to which to market. I'm not sure how useful services like Google Adwords, Facebook Ads and Pinterest Ads are anymore. I know they can be expensive for the average creative person as you increasingly funnel in money to obtain elusive results. If we can create, we can create our own targeted marketing processes, not with the primary goal to increase sales but to get our products in front of those who would most benefit. It's all about the customers needs and wants.

One way to more effectively invest our advertising dollars is through blog banner advertising. Many bloggers sell banner ad space in the sidebars of their blogs. If we buy banner ad space at blogs that compliment our products, we will place our work, almost exclusively, in front of our target markets. In this way, we can also zero in on niche markets where the competition for our product and service type is not nearly as steep.

In addition to choosing appropriate blogs, it's important to design an attention-getting, yet tasteful banner.

• You can design them yourself
• Barter with a friend or associate skilled at graphic design
• Pay for a banner to be designed at graphics venues like:
• Fiverr, where most gigs start at $5
• People Per Hour, where client deposits are locked in  
• Freelancer, which has an effective time-tracking process
• Truelancer, where you can post a project and be matched with freelancers from which to choose

• Allow the blog owner to design your banner if the service is offered.
  

Fiverr is the most economical design source. It was launched as a $5 per gig site and has since opened up to all price points. I have sold writing and naming services there and am planning to buy illustration services. I have not used the others sites. Always read the guidelines, policies and procedures on these sites before buying work.

Your banners need not be elaborate or complicated. They should be easy to spot and easy to read with a minimum words. Ask the blog owner if there are any specifics that you need to adhere to in your design.

What I like about this type of advertising is the variety of banner sizes and prices that are usually offered and the variety of time frames for the banner to be displayed. Try out several blogs to find the ones through which you get the most response, even if it's just nibbles. Build on those nibbles and turn them into sales and returning purchases! Don't forget to develop some unique products and services, the first part of the equation.

 

 

How To Start A New Design Project

Coffee, Cake, Creating on a rainy, thunderstorm day. Don't have the fat piece of cake, like the lady in the image and don't feel like taking out the box of chocolate cake mix either. I do have some chocolate chip pecan cookies.

Do you use a planner journal with all of those cute accessories? I don't but I sure need to. They are SO popular! I do have a creative notebook but a planner would help me get more done, I'm sure. It would be fun to use those stickers, paper clips, Washi tape and more.

Motivational Artwork by Artsy Craftery Design Studio

I've decided to design a downloadable planner set for sale. It will be based on my printable artwork: "I Am Positive-Minded. I Attract Health, Wealth & Love." To help me get started, I ordered a pretty Heidi Swapp planner set to use as inspiration.

 

Find the Heidi Swapp planner kit that I ordered from HSN. There's even an HSN vid on how to use it: https://ishort.ink/YoZt

Heidi Swapp Memory Planner

TAKEAWAYS: 

• Look around at what others are doing to get inspiration for new products.
• Design something that you need and will use yourself. You can market it much better.
• Use the products and kits of others to coordinate your own. 
• Give credit whenever someone else inspires you.
  

 

 

HAPPY CREATIVE TUESDAY!!!🖤⚡️🖤

 

Make Bookmarks Of Your Family

Buzzfeed Craft Project

I have never seen bookmarks like this before! Opening your book and seeing your most favorite person would be SO much fun! Wonderful gift idea for parents and grandparents. Easier than I thought to make them too. Find this nifty project and others at

22 Silly DIY Projects That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud at Nifty on Buzzfeed

 

Happy Crafting! 

 

Ira Glass Uplifts The Creative

THE GAP by Ira Glass from Daniel Sax on Vimeo.

Stuck in a slump and not creating? Fearful that your work may never be good enough?

Watch Ira Glass's video, a mesmerizing, motivating and inspiring message about the gap between what we may be creating at any point with our hands ~ versus ~ what our minds may be creating.

Find more info about Daniel Sax, the man who shared Mr. Glass' vid, here at Vimeo. 

 

How To Make A Mason Jar Shaker Card

 

Mason Jar Shaker Card Design by Artsy Craftery Design Studio

This is my first shaker card design and my first time using my BiraCrafts Stamping Pro stamp platform. This stamp platform is unique in how it works and I love using it already. So glad I saved money and bought it.

Die cut red glitter hearts for mason jar handmade card.

I don't have step-by-step images for this project, only finished product. I was rushing, as I made it, to get this card into the mail.

For the mason jar shaker window and flower stems, I used Stampendous! Fran's Bouquet For You clear stamps set. Couldn't find this set at Stampendous!'s website, so it may be discontinued. I bought it on Ebay in a pack with 2 other sets. I found it alone at Ebay and Amazon, if you want to look.

Create a handmade shaker window for your card.

Fran's has some pretty, little stamp sets at Stampendous! I love the Fruity Drinks clear stamps set but while I got a good bargain on the 3-set pk at Ebay (one set was used), on the site that set is $16.00.

You know these craft supplies are expensive! That's why I'm always seeking bargains. I keep a wish list of craft stuff and it's often a long while before I buy a new product. I have to watch my budget very carefully but that does not stop me from crafting whenever I want to. I use lots of generic products as well as found, salvaged and recycled things.

Cut die cut glitter hearts in half to make falling petals.

For the stamped hearts I used a stamp from an Aliexpress set and My Favorite Things Boysenberry Premium Dye Ink Cube. Any heart stamp in the size you prefer and any stamp ink will do. I colored the inside of the hearts with a hot pink gel pen and added a heart sequin to the center of each.

I stamped the leafy vines using Stampendous! Perfectly Clear Stamps Encouraging Words set and My Favorite Things Limelight Premium Dye Ink Cube, and added highlights with gel pens. You can see the stamp set at Etsy and Ebay. I stamped the word Hello and the sentiment panel inside using Aliexpress stamps also and Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black dye ink pad.

Handmade mason jar shaker window tut at Printaphoria blog.

The shaker window was made by stamping the mason jar twice, once onto the card and once onto a piece of card stock. I decided to color in the flower stems and the inside of the mason jar on the card to simulate water. I used pastels, Gelatos and gel pens. I won't do that again because it caused the shakers to drag and stick when shaking the card. It would be better to use colored card stock. I guess the media, no matter how dry after applied, are substances that grab glitters and other tiny shaker pieces.

I cut out the mason jar from the card stock and cut a piece from a sheet of salvaged clear plastic that would fit behind the mason jar cut out. I glued them together and set aside. I then cut small pieces of double-sided sticky foam, removed the protective tape from one side and adhered them around the border of the mason jar image that I had stamped onto the card. I ensured that there were no spaces between the sticky foam pieces, that I butted against each other, for the shakers to fall out.

You can use salvaged foam pieces and scavenged plastic to make your handmade card shaker windows.

I salvage any foam that is sticky on both sides with protective tape that has to be pulled away. You can use sticky foam strips, foam weather stripping rolls (cut your pieces to size), etc. You can even use foam pieces in a pinch that are not sticky and that you'd have to glue down.

I added my shakers inside the foam walls that I stuck around the border of the mason jar image on the card. I used glitter, sequins, rhinestones, flat sequins, etc.

Use a variety of shaker pieces for your mason jar shaker window.

I used an Aliexpress heart die to die cut fuchsia red hearts from My Favorite Things Replenishments Celebration Glitter 6x6" cardstock pk. The paper is beautiful but the last time I checked they did not have that pk anymore. I cut some of the hearts in half to make petals. You can see that I glued a couple of the hearts inside. I ended my crafting session by accenting this handmade card with sequins and rhinestones and brushing a green stamp pad over the edges. I signed it and sent it on it's way to my friend for Valentine's Day.

TAKEAWAYS:

• Don't use media to color inside shaker windows.
• Design a more interesting background for the card front.
• Wipe the inside of the shaker window with an anti-static pouch before assembling.
  

 

 

News: Baroqoo

 

 

 

Went to visit Baroqoo today and found out they shut down last year. I found this post by an Etsy seller dated 6/20:

 

I have just been in contact with the team at Baroqoo today after noticing that my monthly payment was not removed by PayPal. I was told that while Baroqoo is closing at the end of June, they did not feel comfortable taking payments for June. They said they did not have the success they had hoped for and that having public venues to get the Baroqoo name know came to a halt with Covid-19.

No new handmades selling sites seem to be able to make it anymore. While money can be a major issue and COVID threw a monkey wrench into the mix, I wonder if it's something else? I remember more failures before the virus hit. Many massively-successful enterprises in other industries made it through the most astounding odds. There just seems to have been a slump in handmades selling support during the past 10 yrs from which the cottage industry never recovered.

What do you think is the most significant cause(s) for the failure of new handmades selling venues?

Hearts & Dots Turquoise Hot Pink Blue Peach Coral Printable Paper

 

Hearts & Dots Hot Experience Single Printable Paper by Artsy Craftery Design Studio

This is a colorway tending towards pastels with pops of turquoise and fuchsia. The peach or light coral highlights add a unique accent to the color theme.

Detail & Full View Of Hearts & Dots Hot Experience Printable Paper

The detail image shows an up close look at the watercolor strokes. This is a digitally-enhanced design of my original Hearts painting that I named Hearts & Dots. This version I call Hot Experience. 

To read more details about this printable paper

visit my shop at Payhip:

PRINTAPHORIA

To buy this printable paper immediately click below:

Buy Now

To add this printable paper to your cart to buy more products click below.

You will be taken to my Payhip shop. 

Click the ADD TO CART BUTTON.

You will see your cart icon appear at the top right.

Mouse over Printaphoria under the listing title to visit shop main page to add more products to your cart.

Add To Cart

 

Thanks For Visiting Printaphoria! 

Graphics To Beautify, Organize & Simplify Your Life

 

Printaphoria graphics are always personal and

commercial for anything that you use in your craft projects.

The files and the printed images from the files

cannot be sold or given away. 

Please direct anyone interested in my graphics

to my Printaphoria shop or email

artsycrafterydesignstudio at outlook.com

 

Ponderings: What's Wrong With ArtFire Subscriptions?

 

Sometimes I think that the man who started Artfire has lost his mind, but I don't have anything against John A. Jacobs. I just continue to be confused. A long time ago I was impressed by his story of how his mother's struggles as a handmades or jewelry seller inspired him. He decided to launch a venue that would support and make it easy for other cottage industry sellers to succeed. He specifically attacked the challenges that hand-makers had of paying the fees that many selling venues charge.

He said he recognized a growing dissatisfaction with his customers selling their products on the Internet. Some sites charge too much and are too restrictive, he said, and are unresponsive to their customers, sellers and buyers.

I know that goals and purposes change, but...

Over the years I've checked on Artfire and what I have consistently found went from good to worse. You probably have read my similar rants about AF as I discovered each unfavorable change or feature. I've never sold at AF, but I did join in the earlier years when free shops were offered. That has been no more for a long time. The always free shops went from always free to a trial period. That went kaput!

I ran by AF today and couldn't believe my eyes! Maybe it's just me, some type of twisted prejudice maybe? You tell me. I run by from time-to-time just because there are so few handmades-dedicated selling venues that exist anymore and because AF was one of the originals. They have outlived all the many others that have shockingly fallen by the wayside.

Unbelievably, a standard shop with a cap of 250 listings, is $4.95 a month. Not bad, right? But there's a fee of $0.23 per listing. Palatable? The listings are only active for 2 months before you have to pay again. If you are still with the Artfire creator's thinking up to now, think about this. There is an FVF of 12.75%. Like I said, you tell me. Is it me, or is there something wrong with this picture?

Well, ArtFire is still functioning, you say. Yes. Most smart businesspersons don't continue to invest time and money in non-lucrative ventures. I don't know what the turnover in shops is but some sellers are still finding the site useful. Af, however, is not the same as it used to be with regards to happy socializing and devoted promotion of the site by sellers.  Af was fondly talked about on all the crafting forums and social platforms. Listings even used to appear in Google Shopping. I stopped hearing about AF a long time ago. As far as the cost to invest in a shop? It's worse than Etsy and not nearly as much traffic and probably very little promotion, if any. Still, I wish all of the sellers there much success and satisfaction!

Printaphoria - Artsy Craftery Design Studio