The Kim Archer Blog

a little bit of a catch up

It's been a bit of a hectic time around here.

Issue 2 of Etzcetera is looming. We've had Brandt's 21st party. Visitors. School holidays. Parent/Teacher interviews. Ken's golfing trip to the Gold Coast (sore point. I was incredibly envious. Not the golfing bit. Just the holiday part!)

AND I have been redecorating over on the Etzcetera website.

I am loving the new look! It's much fresher, more vibrant, easy to navigate and it is much more workable for me in regard to my plans for Etzcetera down the track.

Blogging.

After much dithering and deliberation which is very typical of me - I do like to think everything through, process and then make a decision - I have decided to have a separate blog just for Etzcetera.

Initially I was going to keep everything here on Typepad BUT I do think it's important to build Etzcetera as a separate enterprise so I will be blogging on the Etzcetera blog linked to the Etzcetera website.

You can visit the Etzcetera blog here.

There's not all that much there yet as I didn't want to add too many posts while I was still working on the site and getting everything to function ok but now that the site is more or less revamped, its time to start blogging!!

I want to add lots of things. Crafty stories. Pinterest finds. Sneak peeks at the magazine. People. Craft. Product and project ideas. I have lots of plans.

OH I will still be blogging here though - family stuff, crafty things, @Home updates etc..I do still want to add in what's happening in our home!

I would love for you to pop on over to Etzcetera and say hello.

today I am knitting

This big ball of colourful texture and my knitting needles are calling my name this weekend. I have had a little idea brewing away in my mind for a week or so and I hope to grab some time today to get started!

I hope you have a crafty kinda weekend too...

yesterday my very first Etzcetera newsletter went out

..and that made me so very happy.

The Etzcetera newsletter will come out every second Friday and will have a few crafty tidbits, a tutorial here and there, some behind the scenes Etzcetera news and the all important news of when each issue is ready for viewing. It's just a little way for me to stay in touch with all our lovely readers in between magazine issues.

I know we had a flurry of newsletter signups AFTER the first newsletter went out yesterday. And you guys will start getting the newsletter from Friday 17 June UNLESS you would like me to forward yesterday's little newsletter to you. Email me if you do want a forwarded copy.

Well it's now JUNE which means that the 1 July is looming fast which means theres SO MUCH going on behind the scenes to get Etzcetera ready to go. I'm so happy with how it's all shaping up. To see an idea go from this little seed of "can I actually do this?" to becoming a reality is well, pretty cool really.

Over this coming week I will introduce you to a couple of lovely people who have come on board regularly to write or curate lovely collections to share or create projects for Etzcetera. They're all wonderfully creative, enthusiastic people and it's been a pleasure to work with them on this first issue and to know they're sticking around for subsequent issues too.

Have a crafty weekend everyone.

a little Friday morning shop, shop, shopping

Just wanted to share with you a lovely little Etsy store called The Greatest View, run by Gail Lindner. It's a store filled with the cutest embellishments...like this

these

and the loveliest little paper banners like these...

and for a splash of colour..how about these

or these..

Find Gail's shop here or learn more about Gail and her craftiness here on her blog..

Happy shopping.

The first Eztcetera newsletter hits inboxes tomorrow (Friday!)

Thanks again for signing up to the Etzcetera Magazine mailing list. I had a little goal in my head to reach a certain number of sign ups in the first day and I doubled my expectations so that was pretty cool. And each morning I dive onto the computer and check how many more subscribers have joined us. I love seeing the numbers climb!

What is the mailing list for?

Well firstly it's for me to be able to let you know when the magazine is ready for viewing. Newsletter subscribers will be the FIRST to know before I announce it on my blog or facebook etc.

But it's also a chance for me to share a mini newsletter every fortnight that is filled with some creative and crafty things. I am planning on releasing a little Etzcetera eNews every second Friday - starting tomorrow. I aim to have some mini tutorials, crafty tidbits and behind the scenes news and photos here at Etzcetera Magazine.

Sooooo, if you haven't signed up..please come and join us...you're all most welcome. And of course you can opt out (and we would understand but be sad to see you go) any time you choose.

Our first newsletter features a quick and easy little button project!!

You can sign up for our newsletter here..

yesterday I made a paperclip

Yesterday I started working on designing a couple of ads for a few of our lovely advertisers who have booked ad space with us in Etzcetera.

And I learnt how to make a little digital paperclip from scratch in Photoshop..which I thought was so cool and so easy and so worth sharing.

You can make them any colour, thick, thin, big or little. Find the tutorial here.

Etzcetera Update

A whirlwind week.

And I thought it was time for an update.

Initially I was going to keep a separate blog just for Etzcetera news BUT I've decided that Etzcetera is an extension of what I already do. SO I've decided to keep this blog rolling along but it will now contain a mix of everything I do - all in the one place.

Some things will stay the same over here and some things will slowly change and evolve as the magazine evolves but I hope to post about

• @Home workshops, sneak peeks and Support Team news
• snippets of our family and home life.
• crafty projects or tutorials I've found online that I want to share with you
• Etzcetera Magazine news, updates, upcoming articles, behind the scenes and tidbits.
• projects I'm working on
• My Pinterest finds. I do LOVE that site and it is loaded with inspiration.
• interesting creative people I stumble across on the net or crafty friends who are doing crafty things!
• and anything else that fits within my little tag line of Craft. Lifestyle. Home. Family. You.

So, I think this blog needs a bit of a facelift and a spruce up to bring it more in line with where I'm headed with everything. If there's anything you would like to see more of on my little blog - let me know:)

I love to read your comments..just click "comments" at the bottom of this post and type in your hello.

Have a great Saturday.

thank you everyone

Thank you.

From the bottom of my heart.

The response to my Etzcetera news has been enormous and overwhelming and I must admit I feel a bit scared now that my long held secret is now out of the bag. 'Cause now it feels really real! Which is both terrifying and thrilling at the same time!

I'll continue to add tidbits of Etzcetera news here on my @Home blog until my new one is set up..

Thanks for signing up to my Etzcetera mailing list too..the confirmation emails have been flooding into my inbox over the past 24 hours!!! Thank you my lovely @Home supporters and to our new names.

Welcome!

crazy for colour

Support Team girl and lovely friend Lisa Pate sent me this gorgeous little embellishment pack the other week from her Etsy shop Crazy For Colour!

 

Source.

And it's been sitting here begging for me to play for several weeks!! Lisa has cleverly created some mini mixed media tags loaded with colour and texture and stamping and a fun litte house and flower. Plus some other bits and pieces!

So I scrapbooked a layout..just for fun. Terrible morning lighting..but you get the idea.

LOVE the little package of goodies you gave me Lisa!! Check out Lisa's ETSY STORE here. She has stocked up on some great new things!!!!

a little tutorial

We gave my mum a magazine subscription for Mother's Day and because the notification arrived by email, we didn't have a little wrapped up present to give her on the day.

So, I spent some time on Mother's Day morning making a pretty fabric flower hanger thingy to hang in her study, by her computer, to make her smile - and it smells pretty good too.

Here's how!

supplies

• fabric scraps
• access to a sewing machine + bright red thread
• tiny buttons
• small scrap of cardstock
• a little bit of wadding or toy fill
• something to scent your flower - I used some fragrant wax chips
• length of ribbon for the "hanger".

how to

1. Choose a FIVE fabrics roughly about 12x14cm. Use all the same fabric, two types fabrics OR a different fabric for each of the five petals. 

2. Fold each piece of fabric in half WRONG sides together.

3. Head over to your sewing machine and stitch a very rough petal shape through both layers, leaving the lower edge free open. Stitch three times around your shape.

I prefer a random, shabby, uneven and imperfect flower SO I didn't make a petal template beforehand. BUT if you prefer a neater finish, by all means, create a petal shaped template on paper first to trace around for uniform shaped petals.

4. Once you have stitched your petal, use scissors to carefully snip around your stithing, leaving a narrow border.

5. Stitch all five petal shapes and snip out ready for assembly.

6. Cut TWO rough circles from fabric for your flower centre.

7. Type up a sentiment strip onto cardstock (or computer journal onto a strip of cardstock)

 

8. Machine stitch each end of your cardstock sentiment strip to your fabric centre.

9. Pin each of your petals, sandwiched between your TWO fabric circles.

10. Head back to the sewing machine and stitch all layers together ONCE, leaving a space for where your LAST petal.

11. Leave the opening where the last petal will go, open for now, so we can softly fill our flower shape with wadding.

12. Softly stuff your flower centre with some wadding/toy fill.

13. I added in a few little scented candle chips from my scented candle mishap. But you could add some lavender seeds or a cotton ball fragranced with a few drops of essential oil.

  
14. Finish off by sandwiching your last petal into place and slip a length of folded ribbon behind your petal, stitch all layers. Continue stitching, adding about three rows of messy stitching.

Trim all your threads and give yourself a BIG CLAP, gift wrap and give to someone special. Hang your little fabric flower from a drawer knob, door knob or add to a wardrobe to lightly scent your clothes.