Salon de Maria Blog

Last weekend I needed to decompress from working on the computer all week, so I pulled out the trusty scrapbooking materials for a change of scenery.  I realize that I haven't added anything to my greeting card collection in awhile, so I got in relaxation mode and created two new mini works of art. 

I found a great deal on scrapbooking paper at Big Lots (my go-to place for bargains) and was drawn to a pattern with fairies on it. And because I love flowers, naturally I came up with this handmade birthday card with a fairy and flower theme...

Here's a Thank You card in a flower theme...

Check out more of my handmade greeting cards...

This weekend I'll probably work on adding more cards. I've been inspired after browsing through the latest Somerset Memories Magazine. I've come to realize just how much I love creating art using mixed media. Art journaling is something I think I'll start doing...

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As an artist with a great deal of creative energy, I often have moments when I'm focused on my writing...then I'll switch to making jewelry or greeting cards.  Recently I've started to feel a little burned out from blogging and writing, so to mix it up I've started making greeting cards again. 

I took inventory of all the cards I have and realized that many of them were never added to my online greeting card shop, so I spent most of the weekend uploading cards and making new ones as well. 

I still have one of the first greeting cards that ever made.  I've titled it, "The Power of Flowers"... 

Flowers are one of my favorite themes.  Flowers really do have a great deal of power.  They teach me that there is beauty in everything...and flowers bring so much happiness to people. 

As the famous painter Claude Monet once said, "I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers." 

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Today my creative energy was urging me to make greeting cards and since the holidays are around the corner, I decided to work on handcrafted holiday greeting cards.

It actually felt good to focus my energy elsewhere besides writing! I really got into a creative zone where I was feeling as if I was on cloud 9 - "La La Land". I listened to inspiring talk shows on BlogTalkRadio.com while churning out greeting card after greeting card. One of my favorites is this one pictured here with the little reindeer.

All of my greeting cards are available at my online greeting card shop. I also added a couple new birthday cards as well.

In my opinion, there's nothing more life fulfilling than being able to get into that creative zone and just to do what you love. As I write up this post, my boyfriend says to me, "You're glowing..." Whatever I'm doing - whether it's making jewelry, greeting cards, or writing, I really and truly enjoy every minute of it. I'm happy...and it shows!

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When I worked at Nordstrom we were required to write two Thank you Cards a day to our customers.  Back then it seemed like such a hassle - after all, any time away from the floor meant that I was losing sales.  However, it wasn't until I left Nordstrom and began working on my own business did I realize the power of Thank You.

I haven't been consistent in saying Thank You to my customers lately, but today I'm committing to reviving the art of the handwritten thank you note.  Here's an example of what I would write in a thank you card to a jewelry client:

Dear Miss Customer,

I just wanted to drop a note to thank you for your jewelry purchase.  I hope that you are enjoying the necklace!  If you have any feedback, please don't hesitate to call or write to me. 

All the Best,
Maria
"Salon de Maria"

Very short and sweet, but hopefully it puts warm fuzzies in people's hearts.  It's rare to get a thank you note these days - and handwritten to boot!

If you just don't have the time to create your own cards like I do, CardsDirect has Thank you cards that you can purchase online.

However, you don't have to have a business just to send a card - why not send a Thank You to a friend just for being a great friend? 

By the way, have I told you "Thank You!" lately for reading this blog?  I appreciate you! 

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When I first embarked into the digital art world about seven years ago, I had no idea how amazing it was going to be.  I got my first digital camera and I was ecstatic that I didn't have to buy film and take it to the photo lab anymore.  And now all the excitement is back again with the arrival of my new Bamboo pen tablet.  I felt like a five-year-old on Christmas Day as I opened the box and unwrapped this little tool.  It's the little things that make me happy :)

With this pen tablet I can create freehand digital drawings and hand-write notes which can be turned into text documents in Word (although I still prefer to type...much faster).  There's a great deal of other stuff I can do with this pen tablet that I haven't explored yet.  However, the main reason I bought it was to draw freehand in Photoshop.  I bought the small version, but I know pretty soon I'll want to go "pro" and get a bigger one.

So I unleashed the creative juices today and created a couple pieces which I turned into Mother's Day greeting cards.  They're available at my CafePress shop.  Stay tuned for more!

Well, now it's back to the "drawing board" for more practice so I can start creating art like this "Cherry Blossoms" piece by Esther Kirby...



Buy your own Bamboo pen tablet at Amazon.com

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The blooming flowers and chirping birds have inspired these newest Easter handmade greeting cards which I've added to my Etsy shop.

For the full collection of handmade greeting cards, please visit my online greeting card shop

Have you thought about starting your own greeting card business? Check out my Squidoo lens for resources: Start Your Home Based Handcrafted Greeting Card Business

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