So you want to make your own christmas cards?

I know we all love to save money on things we think we can do our selves. I sure do. So this year I made my own Christmas card.

Now I am a advanced Photoshop user so don’t expect to be as good as me first try. But to help you out I will give you no fail tips on how to do a great layout for your christmas card.

Tip #

1. You need professional photos- Yes this cost money however you wont regret it. Ever. This is an investment, one that you will have for the rest of your lives, its memory’s. Aren’t those worth some of your cash? (In Utah? Check out my photographer Andrea Hanks!)

a. Best way to find a great photographer is friends, Facebook, and google. Everyone knows a photographer now-a-days, heck everyone thinks they are photographers.

b. Going to a portrait studio it is harder to get a photo release. You may have to pay so much for it that it may not be worth the price, just have them make them for you if this is the case. If its cheaper and you like what they can do, go for it. It will save you time anyway.

2. You need a photo editing program. I use Photoshop. You can download a free trial of it, my tutorial will be for this program. Go to Adobe’s website to download for free. If you use another program find a Tutorial for that one please.

3. You will need the ability to follow instructions. Yes I do need to put this here. I dont want 10,000 comments about how you couldn’t install the brush set or the pattern I gave you the link for. Or that you just cant seem to install Photoshop. If you can’t use a computer dont expect to be able to do this.

Lets Start!

Read More

.This link goes to my tumblr it is not a crazy link to something scary. I just dont want to double post it. Tutorial is all there!

Christmas Card Tutorial, How to make your own Christmas card with Photoshop. Layout Design, Christmas card Ideas

I have been so busy what with the dog the kids and school I start next week I think and the kids start next week as well.

I did fond a really great website for my dog though they have everything I need. and more.

You all know how much i love my puppy (not really a puppy anymore) he is the cutest thing.. lol but crazy well I need a few things to train him like treats and rewards I found a great site to get them for better prices then here at the stores..

20% off Wholesome Hide rawhides with code WHOLESOMEHIDE20>

Coupons for my friends for Cherrybrook.com I love % off!

uuugg kids are on my case to take them and the dog to the park again. Now that the dog is better trained I can take him to the park with out having to worry about him running off to sniff everything he see's.

Off to the Park.

My trip

So much fun on the east coast!!

did all the things I wanted to and stayed in a room with a view of the Empire state building. Went to the top of the rock and ate pizza in little Italy as well as played games at a street carnival in little Italy.

had the best duck on planet in a Chinese place and had a Beef on weck in Buffalo as well as the wings at the original inventors place for the buffalo wing.

We had a blast in Toronto at the Science museum place natural history placey ma bob. It was super cool. so much fun was had by my self and my kids. the City of Toronto is CRAZY with the trafic OMG took so long to get from one place to another and I have never had to pay so many times for parking and so much EVERYWHERE charges for parking.

The food on the trip was super.

The trip was just hot and sticky but man was it fun I want to move to the east coast if only the could get weather like the Pacific northwest.

pictures still need to be taken care of but I havnt posted them anywhere so dont feel bad.

Road Trippin'

This is anouther help post. this one is more ergent.

Going on a trip to the East coast doing NYC, NY, Hartford, CT, and Toronto, ON. all in one trip.

here is our route.

So where should we eat. What should we do in these places.

First stop New York City. we are staying at the Hotel Penn. right across from Penn Station, and Madison Square Garden. we have tickets to the statue of librity and a play. but we have 3 days in NYC. where should we eat what should we do?

Next we Take the train to CT where we get a rental car (my idea I knew it would be crazy to rent a car in the city so told Jason to see about taking the train up CT and getting a rental car there. so much cheaper)

Now we are in Hartford, CT where Jason will be graduating the day after we arrive. We plan on having Steamed Hamburgers while here (a must from what i read) but where else should we go?

What should we do?

Right after Jason's graduation we are heading right to Albany. Here we have NO TIME. so no info needed. one night then gone.

here we need help. We are leaving early the next morning for:

But the plan is to stop for a Beef on Weck and some Buffalo wings in Buffalo.

But where? We stay in Niagara for one night at a nice Hotel on the Canada side. then off to Toronto:

Here we are staying at a nice Westin (sort of its by the air port)

We have NO CLUE what to do here I just wanted to go to Canada and so did the kids. lol. so Zoo? or....?

after we leave Toranto its back to Buffalo to hop on a plane and head home.. man this is going to be fun!

HELP ME PEOPLE OF THE INTERNET YOUR MY ONLY HOPE.

re doing my daughters room I need Idea's

This is her room before we moved in now it is pink and green and white striped. however she likes to destroy things so her walls are filled with stains and gashes. (I had just spent oh 7 hours fixing all the stains and gashes she got from her dads poor choice in headboards) She took a small screwdriver and gashed holes in the wall right next to her closet. right where the designs meet and I am just not in the mood to re-tape it all and fix the paint job its a huge deal. so I am thinking I will just do her walls different. (we used a flat paint the first time round and I really really regret it.).

This gives me a chance to Paint it right use a gloss and a primer. Maybe do a mural not sure.. I can paint I just dont usually have the energy to do things or stuff..

Ok now I need idea's.

Things I like-

here are some pictures

I love the colors on this one but the wall is not really what I was thinking for a soon to be 5 year old girl...

this is just way to cute! But its paper.. I love that quilt though.

hmm it seems I like the rooms with the plain walls and the bright things. I just don't have the money for the things but could pull off a new paint job on the wall.

I love this one because it is just so girly and cute again the walls are plain and the colors around the room are the showy thing.. hmm. I think its time to work on a girly quilt for her room.. but I need colors first.

I think tomorrow I am going to make my self clean the house #1 then get that desk I have to finish painting done so I can pressure my husband into helping me paint Gwyn's room.

So people a little help with Ideas?

Ok so I finally started sewing that dress... but i bought the wrong thread for a sewing machine and ended up with quilting tread. GAAAH!

So now I have to go to the fabric store again.. this is never a good thing.. who knows what i will find.

lol.

I have coupons!

been a busy bee.

Yet have nothing to show for it. "But levity" You say "its been weeks haven't you finished anything?" why yes I have finished a pint of Ben and Jerry's. It was yummy too.

I may or may not have started playing a online game that sucks you in and never lets you go. Yes people I have started playing WoW (thats World of Warcraft to the non gamers out there). Server is down now so off to sew i go.

Today is the day. My house is clean I have some Swiss Muesli in the fridge for my lunch later. I have the pattern I am going to use ready for tracing. I have my tracing fabric ready to go, and I have everything I need to make this dress. (I am going to skip the ribbon though I never like the way it looks when I do ribbon on things)

So off to Make this dress I go This is my first time using my new ottobre patters and its a test to make sure I have the right size picked out it was very hard to figure out, (freaking metric system in Europe).

I have to say the fabric I picked out for this is super cute. and it was on sale. I just hope it looks as cute once made as I think it will.

New layouts

Finding just the right layout is not easy and it is made harder when your computer freezes and wont work right when you are looking at free blogger layouts. I think I might really like this one for now. mind you I had also been woking in photoshop to make my own background for my own layout but that got lost as well in the big freeze up of '10.

Things are BREAKING all over my house. My computer where I do most of my work went "pphth" then Monday I am sick just vegging watching a bad movie when my T.V goes "phhhthhh hahahaha" and the screen goes black.

Today I am feeling better but not 100% I keep waking up super early cause I cant breath I woke before my alarm today that is just sad. My kids are driving me crazy and i have not eaten more then a few bites in days. I am feeling weak. So I will work on the few things I can while I am sick and get my patterns ready for sewing.

Inspiration

Why Hello internet, How have you been?

Gross and full of junk you say.. well that is the way of things it seems.

So why do I post again after so long you ask. Because I am going to start blogging about my sewing again that's why. You see I took a very long time off from sewing because sewing for etsy just took all the joy out of it for me.

I have my Joy back because I have inspiration from Ottobre the best design/pattern Magazine in the world (at least that I know but I only read English)

lots coming from me soon!

New bib I just finished i finished 2 of them my daughter says she wants them but when I tried to put them on her she changed her mind.

What do you do with a cute puppy?

Make him even cuter with clothing

So I know I know long time no post Andrea.. where have you been?

I have been a vegetable that is where I have been.
But today I made a few things. I got a order for a bib made taht really fast then had to work on something for the dog.



This coat is lined with this nice green fleece-


He looked so cute in that I had to make him one out of my skull and cross bone fabric.

Lined with a black fleece-

boy were these fun!
And the puppy looks SUPER CUTE!

Artist of Etsy Exposed

You HAVE to check out this way cool new treasury I got

its a treasury featuring some Lovly ladys from my Utah steet team.
These girls are brave enough to show there faces on etsy for YOU the reader and you the etsy buyer.
so check it out make a comment about how hot they all are, and support one of my favorite teams.

What do you do when no one will model for you?

Myspace angle and timer setting..

I had to get some shots of these on so I did my hair put on about 3 pounds of the makeup (gots to cover those spots) set the timer on my camara and this is what I ended up with.

now the My space angle didnt work out as well for me.


I look old.

those are some crazy roots I have going.. I am going natural but I think after seeing this photo my natural color is.. well, ugly.

I was on the News KSL

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

I didnt speak but I am there the one with the 4 chins.
Also there was-
Kristin: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5712607
Kara: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5521381
Jen: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5752488
and me Andrea: http://www.levityinbrevity.etsy.com

New dress,

After a long long time of not being motivated. I have finished something that i am proud of.




Description:
This handmade dress was made using my own design. Its a very classic design Full skirt dress with petticoat. and a cute puff sleeve. This dress comes with the black ribbon pictured. It is not sewn into the dress so that you can use it to cinch the waist.

Don't you just love the black, pink, red & beige color combo on this dress?

This dress is made with a stretch cotton fabric with the flower print on one side.

This dress had a petticoat sewn into the inside with a soft slip closest to the child's skin for comfort. NO itch.

This dress would be great for events such as birthday parties, weddings, church services, and special occasions.

Buy handmade

Soo its that time of year again time to BUY HANDMADE for the holidays.

game

Homemade for the Holidays

PDF Instructions to make your own sewn Marry Christmas Garland

This super cute Garland can be made with scrap fabric or nice cheap holiday fat quarters.

Gumdrop Wreath Alicia from Posie Gets Cozy (have you fallen in love with her new book?!– Wonderful!) shares a Gumdrop Wreath Tutorial, hosted on Kiddley.

Woodland Ornaments Meg from elsie marley (and our board) created this Woodland Ornament Tutorial (pine cones, mushrooms & a sprig of holly) series with a PDF pattern download just for you! We’re already planning the fabrics we’ll use for our pine cones.

SALE sale sale

25% off sale at my shop.
Already marked down for the ease of the buyer.
So if you have been looking at my items for a while and thinking "hmm that is soo cute I really wish it was just 25% less and i would buy it" NOW is the time.

Tutorials and links on the way.
I will be making a tutorial to make a jumper soon.
also the easy way to applique.
Tree pattern and all.