~ORIGINAL HAND PAINTED ARTWORK~
Have you ever planned on doing something you were excited and passionate about and then found yourself actually putting it off for days and days? How about weeks upon weeks? Umm....do I dare ask~
"HOW ABOUT YEARS?"
Well my fellow Peeps...I sure have! Let me explain...
For years now I've loved to paint roses! As my love for this gorgeous flower has grown, so has my desire to find new ways to market goods that showcase my original artwork. In the back of my head I've had lots of ideas, but sadly I've never taken the time to put them down on paper.
"Working Smarter - Not Harder"
Still the notion of working smarter not harder has never left my mind and the wheels inside my brain have never stopped turning...
Last January I made two "New Year's Resolutions". Even though I
NEVER make RESOLUTIONS (for obvious reasons), I was determined to:
#1 - Start a BLOG
and
#2 - Complete two marketable products incorporating my artwork
I PROMISED myself before 2009 came to an end I would reach my goal. By God's grace (and the support of both my family and friends...AND the THUMB of "My Beloved" pressing into my back) I'm making some headway.
~COOKIE CUTTER PACKAGE~
I had a few rules:
1. The finished product had to be inexpensive!
2. It had to be marketable in SWEET Gift Shoppes frequented by WOMEN!
3. The product had to be pleasing to the eye!
4. Easy to assemble.
5. Marketable with other products (like Gift Baskets, etc.).
6. Usable as a 'stand alone' gift.
~LOTS OF MISTAKES WERE MADE~
I began FIRST by making lists! LOTS and LOTS of LISTS. Little by little they were whittled down. Tons of IDEAS were tossed into the garbage!
And then some of the IDEAS that were originally thrown out were dug BACK OUT of the trash...
~ORIGINAL ARTWORK/PACKAGING~
What you see above is both the product and packaging of a very simple Cookie Cutter using my artwork as the backdrop. It's inexpensive (check). Easy to assemble (check). Perfect for specialty stores where girls love to shop (check)! Sweet for gift baskets or as a stand-alone gift (check). And lastly, something I HOPE will be pleasing to the eye! Since the patent for a fold-over card is sewn up, I opted to make the packaging single-sided with a separate insert that includes a Sugar Cookie Recipe (and one for FROSTING)!
~BACK OF PACKAGING~
It's my personal belief that a thoughtful gift doesn't have to be expensive...just meaningful...and of course, pretty!
The "SWEET TEA" Cookie Cutter was the FIRST of many designs I've finally completed! They will be offered up on my website in the near future and to Specialty Shoppes across the USA in 2010.
And...for those of you who follow me on eBay or have been wondering WHY my Website is STILL DOWN, now you know! And you all only THOUGHT I was taking a sabbatical from creating...
"GOT DREAMS?"
Time's a wastin'.
Blessings to you as you live life to the fullest...Rebecca
PS: To my FOREVER FRIEND, "Sweet Tea"~ These are in HONOR OF YOU and your quiet, constant encouragement for so many years...xo~r