madeit :: BUY & SELL AUSTRALIAN HANDMADE

I've recently come across a great new community of Australian based artists at madeit. It's a similar idea to Etsy but focuses on Australian artists only. As Esty shows all prices in US $, I've decided to open a Buttercup Ink shop on madeit too to make it easier for all my local customers. I've only just registered so you'll see my paper delights being listed over the next few weeks.

V xx

Photographs of babysitter notepad

I couldn't wait to get my babysitter notepads listed on Etsy this morning so I took shot some quick photos but just wasn't happy with them. I had a bit of a re-think and decided to shoot them on my desk with some props (my Mac, pen and coffee!). I'm really happy with how they turned out and think the photos are much more interesting to look at rather than just a plain black background. Plus, it forced me to tidy my desk! I had to do a little re-touching in Photoshop to lighten them but nothing to major. What do you think?

Happy Friday!

V xx

First attempt


Reshoot straight from camera


Reshoot after Photoshop

Notepads and custom quote prints

I received my notepad adhesive in the mail this morning - very exciting! So keep and eye out for my notepads and planners appearing on Etsy over the next few days!

I know lots of you have your own favourite quotes that are special to you so I've decided to added a CUSTOM DESIGN listing in my Etsy shop. I've also created a colour chart to allow each person to select what colour they would like their quotation marks and source text to be to ensure it works perfectly in their home.

V xx

Re-usable coffee cup

I was in my local cafe this morning and came across these fab re-usable coffee cups by Melbourne based company HOOKturn Industries. Not only are you helping to save the planet, but your coffee stays warm and you look pretty cool too! They sell via their website and ship worldwide. A great present for your coffee-addicted friends!

V xx

My first order

Today I got my first order on Etsy! I was so excited to see that wee email pop up saying 'Etsy Transaction'! I hope you enjoy your print, Annette.

All customers who place an order in May are receiving a free gift of a selection of 4 postcards from the prints available in the Art Poster section of my shop. I really like them at that size - either as a note card or to put in a frame. Before packaging Annette's postcards up I took a quick photo.

Think I might offer these as note card sets...

V xx

Buttercup Ink now on Etsy!

Life never goes as planned when you have a baby! I had great intentions of siting down and getting ALL my products listed on Etsy yesterday - dad and baby were going for their weekly trip to the pool - but it didn't quite work out that way. Gabriel decided that there was just too much crawling and exploring to do around the house and refused to go for his morning nap. Then... the internet decided that it wanted a Sunday off too! Thankfully my whiz of a husband solved our technical problems while I resorted to kids TV (I swore I'd never do that!) to amuse Gabe. Needless to say, I didn't get much done in the afternoon but got a few hours in after dinner and again early this morning.

I'm so excited to see my products up there and got such a buzz this morning to see that people have actually looked at them! And not just friends and family! I think I'm going to be addicted to Google Analytics for a while - watching the hits from across the globe!

More products will be listed over the next few days. Remember, as a thank you to all my first customers, every order placed in May will come with a free gift. Just my way of saying thank you for your support!

V xx

Adorable messenger bags for kids

I came across Mee a Bee while doing my daily morning read of the blogs and have fallen in love with the beautiful handmade bags! The fabrics are just amazing. Only problem is that I'm in limbo... my 11 month old isn't quite ready to carry his own accessories just yet and I think I'm a little to old to carry a spacemen bag!

Happy Friday!

V xx

Buttercup Ink business cards

My beautiful son slept for 14hrs last night which gave me time to design and print my new business cards this morning before breakfast! There is no such thing as a 9-5 while running your own business with an 11 month old baby!

V xx

Perfect baby gift

With a lot of friends having babies as the moment, I was trying to think of unique gift ideas. I created a custom 8 x 10 art print that will look fab in the babies room! This design and some others will be available in my Etsy store. Only 6 days to go! Better get back to photographing!

V xx

Envelopes have arrived!

So my beautiful envelopes arrived this morning and they look great! I've struggled to find the colours I want with the V shape flat on the back but Tanya at SocialPrinting.com.au helped me out. Thanks Tanya!

All note cards will be available with your choice of envelope colour for that added personal touch.

V xx

Sneak Peek

I've spend the day organising my images for my art posters that will be for sale shortly in my Etsy shop. I'm so excited about them and feeling very inspired so just wanted to share some with you!

Enjoy!

V xx

Special Launch Offer!

For everyone who gets in early, I'm offering a free gift on ALL orders placed in the month of May. There's no minimum spend - just my way of saying thank you for your order and helping me launch Buttercup Ink!

Welcome to my first post for Buttercup Ink!

Welcome to the blog for Buttercup Ink - the ready-to-order 'little sister' of Vari Longmuir Design, specialising in personalised stationery, art prints and more.

I'm currently busy shooting my products and writing descriptions for my online Etsy shop which will go live on 24th May 2010. I'll be adding more designs over the coming months and will also be accepting custom requests.

I've been overwhelmed by the support and advice I've found on Etsy - it's so encouraging to find people out there willing to share their do's and don't when it comes to small online business.

I'll be announcing some special launch offers here over the next few weeks and also on my Facebook fan page so be sure and check back.

Happy Mothers Day to all the mums out there!

V xx

Vari Longmuir Design
Buttercup Ink