Flea Market Fun!

This past Sunday, my sister and law Jessica and I opened up the new and permanent (for the foreseeable future anyways) Paper*Cakes booth at the North River Rink Flea Market in Cornwall, PEI.





We had both spent the last three weeks @ the flea market de-junking and selling off old clothing that no longer fit, home goods, etc. I was lucky enough to make almost $500 off of my old junk and was able to invest a lot of that into the startup of this new booth :)

I have been collecting vintage dresses, accessories, and knick knacks for a while. I have also recently developed a love of spray paint.. so this led to my house overflowing with both! In February, I took my crafts to the Flea Market twice, but with a cast on my leg and not enough inventory to bring back and forth all the time I decided to wait for a while, and eventually go back. There was a special this July for buy 2 tables get 1 free, and I decided that I should take advantage of it!





This last week Jess, Aimee, and myself spent a lot of time doing prep and painting and shopping for the booth. On Saturday, we had a photoshoot and had some girls came over to pose in the dresses and handmade accessories. I recently invested in a professional printer so I was able to print out some of these photos to use on our tables as display promo and they looked GREAT!





We opened with a pretty good turn out! Good sales, a lot of people looking, many business cards passed out, and many nice compliments on the set-up! I was even recognized by Karen Mehr, a local cbc radio personality! She said she saw me on twitter - how cool is that?? :) We did get there a little bit late and missed a lot of the early birds due to not being fully set up, but I feel like we still did really well and am so happy with how it all went!





Anyways... next week there will be more items, gift wrap and shipping available, a free paper*cakes zine to pick up, and 10% off again for anyone who comes to see us and mentions that you saw paper*cakes online!

Of.... everything.. :)

According to my husband, I need to update my blog - I know - a lot of you have been waiting for me to post a few things! It seems like every time I try to sit down and post something life gets in the way. I have half finished posts all over the place waiting for me to sit down and code.

Annnnyyyyways, take a seat. This is going to be a long one!

I've been busily preparing for a bunch of big events.. events that have now passed since I originally started typing up this blog post (yeah, that's how long I've been trying to get this done!). We had a super busy weekend! I had a photoshoot on Saturday with some local gals to showcase some of the vintage dresses I have collected and the accessories I have been making. On Saturday evening we had people over to watch the UFC fight and I made some snacks and whatnot. On Sunday, Jessica and I went to the flea market and opened up the "official/permanent" Paper*Cakes Booth and that went well too! Photos will be coming from these events soon :)





We have all kinds of friends and family visiting this summer, and a few weddings to attend (one is next weekend and I am doing makeup for the wedding party). My husband's best friend is coming home after being in the army for months - he is about to move away to Ontario with his wife Jenn and I will be sad to see them both go. Some childhood friends of my Mom's are visiting and we will all be doing fun touristy PEI things, which I am so excited about! Not to mention all of the other friends and acquaintences coming back to PEI for the summer - and then in the fall our best Calgary friends Paul and Alma will be coming.





Jude is turning into such a little man.. which is adorable and funny and sweet but at times tiring and frustrating and even painful when he accidently hurts me lol :) I feel time blurring and my sleep is seriously lacking. I've been trying to get a haircut since april and feel perpetually 5 steps behind everything but life is very good! My ankle is still broken, I am having surgery in August and need to get things finished up before then. Matt has sporting events all the time and has become really involved with work which is fun.





With all of the flea market prep (like spraypainting) I have ended up also fixing up items around my home and finally hanging up prints and decor items I have been planning for ages. Here is a shot of the little montage on my living room wall:





So in conclusion.. I may be more "absent" on a personal level in the coming weeks, but don't worry, I am still here reading posts and comments and posting new items and shipping orders and all of that fun stuff, I just don't have as much time to be as "present" online. I will be re-doing the blogs a little and debuting a new Paper*Cakes crafts website where the design team, tutorials, and anything crafty related will live. I have been posting a lot of photos on flickr daily so if you're missing me please add me as a contact!

Lots of X's and O's

PS: Keep watching today - I will be posting the design team in a couple of hours and roundups from the past week or so later today! The shop will also get an update soon! xo

Soooo much fun!

I'm having so much fun right now taking photos with my new camera... I can't stop. Here is a little mosaic of some new paper*cakes stuff, things I did on the weekend, etc :) Enjoy! xo





1. MAC Pool Party Postcard, 2. Push the button.., 3. Stealing Radios, 4. Bathtime Fun, 5. More Vintage Patterns, 6. Horsie!, 7. More Treasures.., 8. First Coat, 9. Pink Polka Dotty Bows, 10. Fire Dancing, 11. Victoria Row, 12. Eco Friendly Posy Embellies

Calling All Artists!

Calling all digital artists!

I will soon be opening up a permanent booth at the flea market here in PEI and I am looking for artists to partner with. I am recycling various old frames and I would like to sell them with art work inside! I would like to print your art at home on a professional quality printer - so this would be great for digital artists. You would get 50% of the profits made, and I would include your business card and/or info with any sale made. Reach a larger audience!

If you are interested in a partnership like this, please email me! I would like to get a little bit of basic info about you, some examples of your art, and please ask me any questions you may have. Email me directly at spikernub@hotmail.com

xoxox!

Of making ugly things new again and good deals..

Happy FRIDAY! It seems this Friday has come so quickly.. I guess it always seems like Friday arrives so much quicker than it should have. I wanted to share a couple of things from my Friday so far:





I went to Michaels this morning and was super stoked to find *SO* many amazing deals! Everything shown in this photo came to $51.00 even with tax - which is like 15% or something crazy here on PEI! Mostly everything I got was half off, or even better half off of the last marked sticker. I paid full price for one can of spray paint, and the other I had a 50% off coupon for :) (see Jude's dino?!)





So now Jude is napping and I am spray painting some of the hideously ugly wooden things I picked up at Value Village this week. Isn't it amazing what spray paint can do? This is with only a couple of light coats. I highly reccomend this Color Tool spray paint - available at Michaels! I'm using colors raspberry and olive bright to transform these pieces. The bowl cost $0.69 and the frame $1.99!

It's summer time and things are gooooood..

If you've ever been to PEI, you will know that the summer is amazingly beautiful and you never want to go inside (this makes the crappy winter all worth it). So, I haven't been inside much and the time that I have spent inside I have spent working! Aimee has been over for the last two days helping me out with Etsy stuff! We did a little bit of a training day yesterday, and today she did her thing and I was able to get orders done as well as play lots with Jude which I have missed lately, and work on some chores.

I am finally getting out from under the giant pile of orders I had building up - I love that things are so busy but was struggling to keep up as one person with all the custom and made to order items. Annnnnnnyways.. today Aimee took almost 400 photos with my new camera! I will be slowly tickling items into the shop and onto flickr.. but here are a few previews of what is to come.







You may notice that these photos are seriously AWESOME compared to my old photos, and this can all be credited to my new best friend:



Yay! I finally have a DSLR! This is the most exciting moment I've had in a while! :) Here are a couple photos I took tonight of Jude's first trip to the lake:



It has been so sticky here so we took an impromptu trip out to my mother in law's house and went to the nearby lake. Jude loved it.. and loved being naked in the water hahah.

In Paper*Cakes news - I am slowly adding some vintage items into the shop, and will be adding more accessories as time goes on :) I'm hoping to set up a semi-permanent stall at the flea market here selling cool stuff, vintage/crafts/whatevers so I've been collecting. My sister is law is coming over tomorrow to model two very cool dresses that I found, so watch for those!!









So watch for new things to come in the following days :)

xoxo

Just a quick post to announce....

The job positions! :)

I'm sorry I took so long to get these officially "blogged" - I had no idea how many applications I would get! I want to thank each and every one of you who applied and assure you that I had the hardest time deciding and I am keeping some applications on file for anything that may come up in the future.

I was so happy reading the emails - it seems a lot of you are lurkers here and I really felt like I finally got to know who my audience is! :)

So, I have hired three people for the paper*cakes team! They will be working with me PT to help me grow my business, and allow me to spend a bit more time with my family (and my housework, boooourns lol).

Keira: Keira is a mommy to 2 little girls and lives in Manitoba, Canada. She has a digital scrapbooking blog and is going to be helping with record keeping, document design, and processing. She is a long time paper*cakes reader!

Nicole: Nicole is from Portland, Indiana and she is a student. She will be in charge of Media Relations/PR and will be helping to maintain the paper*cakes flickr group, myspace page, and paper*cakes finds twitter account. She will be posting comments, answering some questions, and chatting/sharing with people. Nicole likes photography and scrapbooking! Check out nicole's flickr photos.

Aimee: Aimee is from PEI and will be working with me locally to help me ship packages, prep and photograph merchandise, and list items on etsy, and model in photos. Aimee likes photography, music, and she is super fun :) Visit her blog and flickr.

Another post will be made soon with official bios and pictures of each new team member! :)

xo

As a closing bonus, I would like to offer everyone who applies a 20% off discount to the shop and a free gift with any purchases over $10 - today and tomorrow only - please use the code: PCAKESJOBS

Prom Makeups!

Yesterday, I did prom makeup for four girls! :) One being my friend Aimee's little sister (the gorgeous red head!). Aimee took these photos of the makeup and has allowed me to share them - to see more of her photography check out her flickr stream here







I'm doing makeup for a few more events this summer, weddings and whatnot :) I'm excited to be getting back into makeup and especially excited that I get to do it on my own terms and don't have the pressure of the beauty industry to deal with.

If you live in PEI and have a special event coming up, I would LOVE to do your makeup! I have 9 years experience, am professionally trained, and I have worked for lines such as MAC, Lancome, Stila, Guerlain, Elizabeth Arden, Red Earth, Shiseido, Clinique, and more :) I've done magazines, billboard ads, tv spots and all of that so you would be in good hands! I have a very extensive professional kit filled with great products in all colors too. I have experience with women of all skin types and colors.

If you are interested, please get in touch with me by email @ spikernub@hotmail.com.

Paper*Cakes Summer Design Team Application Call

Calling all paper crafters! Paper*Cakes is looking for 5 people to join our NEW Summer Design team! If you think you might be interested... please read below for more info and an application form :)

Requirements:

- Design team members will be required to complete 4 projects per month - 1 / week. The projects you make will be up to you, but they must use the paper*cakes products that will be sent to you. I am thinking cards, scrapbook layouts, altered art kinds of things! I am looking for people who will make things in line with the paper*cakes style and philosophy of recycling and re-using.

- Design team members will be required to share and blog about their projects if they blog, and tutorials would be nice (but are not required) every so often.

- I would like it if you have a year + experience with paper crafting, but if you are good experience won't matter!

Perks:

- a 20% off discount to the paper*cakes store!
- a free monthly kit for your designing!
- lots of promo, as your projects will be featured here on this blog and possibly in other places like my etsy shop, flickr photostream, etc

Application:

Name:
Websites: (flickr, blog, any online galleries you may have, etc)
Why you want to join the team:
Can you meet the weekly/monthly requirements:
How internet savvy are you:
Your favorite paper crafts to make:

You may also attach a photo or two of your projects if you like :) Please email this completed form to spikernub@hotmail.com. The application process will close on Thursday, June 25th.

Paper*Cakes is Hiring!

Yay! Paper*cakes is growing... and we (I) need help! This busy mamma can no longer maintain a growing business alone!

I will be hiring 1-3 people, depending on applicants and the time they can devote. I am looking for:

- Someone to maintain our myspace account. Uploading photos, responding to comments, posting bulletins, adding people to friends, things like that.

- Someone to contact people when they are featured on the paper*cakes finds blog. This would require checking the blog daily and sending out etsy convos (from a paper*cakes account) to those sellers or contributors who are featured.

- Someone to moderate the paper*cakes finds flickr group

- Someone to make posts on the blog while I am gone or cover for me if necessary. I would always leave assigned topics, you would have to input the data and make the posts

Now, onto the requirements:

- I want someone dedicated, someone kind and courteous, professional, and with a good knowledge of the internet, blogging, etsy, basic html, etc. I need someone with a bit of experience, or a quick learner. Someone who can type and spell correctly. It would be a bonus if you have the capabilities to use MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Photoshop, etc.

- This will be probably 1-2 hours each day. Things do not have to be done in a scheduled manner, as long as the daily tasks outlined are completed. This means that these positions will have a lot of flexibility.

The Perks:

- You will get a 30% employee discount on any paper*cakes merchandise.

- There will be a paid wage, paid by paypal, weekly. Wage will depend on experience and knowledge but I am thinking around $10/ hr. You can also choose to take part of your wages as merchandise credit if you like, as often as you like!

- You will be listed on the paper*cakes blog as a team member, and get to tell your friends about the cool company you work for!! LOL :) but in all seriousness, if you own your own blog or etsy shop this would be a great way to get yourself some exposure!

- You get to stay home and play on the internet (I mean, work) :)

The Application Process:

- I will be taking applications until the end of this week - Friday the 19th. Please fill out and submit the following form to me BY EMAIL: (you can also submit a resume, but I don't need all your personal address info or dates of employment and all that, it's up to you!)

Name:
Location:
Email:
Related experience and skills:
A bit about you:
Links to your website: (blog, etsy shop, flickr, twitter, etc. Anything you have online that you can share with me so I can take a look at what you can do!)
How many hours you want/time you can devote:
Your future goals:
Why you want to work for Paper*Cakes:

and that's it! :) xo my email is spikernub@hotmail.com. You can also email me or get into contact with me elsewhere if you have any questions regarding these positions!

Positions will be announced on Monday, June 22nd.