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Artist Profile – Amanda Loverseed

Amanda Loverseed

Just as Phoenix Trading were always looking for new artists to add to the fabulous range of Phoenix cards that they produced, so too are Flamingo Paperie. I thought it might be helpful to share some information about Amanda Loverseed. Amanda is one of the artists that design Flamingo Paperie cards, stationery and gifts.

One of her current designs is the Reindeer Stable Christmas Card. You can see a video of a slightly different way of displaying it here.

Reindeer Stable

Amanda Loverseed’s designs

Amanda Loverseed is probably one of our most well-known and perhaps most recognisable artists. That is to say her artwork is easily recognisable as it is very distinctive!

She works mostly in pen and ink and watercolour, making her work very detailed and very bright. She likes working in a variety of styles and on different subjects, one day drawing black Skull and Crossbones and the next Blue Butterflies. And yet her work always has that distinctive ‘Amanda’ look and most of her work has a signature snail too!

What Amanda said about herself:

‘I have always worked as an illustrator. I studied illustration at Cambridge College of Arts and Technology and immediately, after leaving college, had my first two children’s books accepted. It is particularly interesting to work on designs that require research such as the ‘Kings and Queens’ poster.

I live up a track in the middle of a field with my husband and two cats, Millie and Spinach. I have a wonderful view of the South Downs from my studio window and, whenever I get tired with drawing, I walk along the track and the two cats come with me. If I am out and about I am always looking for inspiration, such as a quirky building or car that will make its way into a ‘Cut Thru’ design or an idea for Christmas cards seen in the spring.

I love illustrating for Phoenix and the creative freedom it allows me and enjoy working with people who care passionately about the quality and integrity of their products. I am delighted that a chance meeting with a Phoenix Trader at a Christmas fair in 1999 should have led me to work with such a friendly and dedicated company.’

I’m glad that meeting happened in 1999 as it’s a privilege and joy selling her designs!

Choosing our artists

Everyone who is a Flamingo Paperie Partner gets to vote on which designs get through to each new product launch. This means that 1000’s of people could be voting on your design. Not as subjective as you think is it?

Alongside her cards her designs are often made in to cross-stitch kits, most notably by Bothy Threads. In particular her cut-thru designs that have also often appeared as Phoenix cards too. Some of these have been made in to giant posters and jigsaws. One of my favourites was her cut-thru spaceship!

Find out more about how to become a Flamingo artist. Go on – give it a try – and I look forward to seeing your work in the next Trader survey!

And if you’d like to know how you could have the privilege and joy of selling her work too then ask me for more information about becoming an Flamingo Paperie Partner today.

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The Gift Bag

I’ve seen lots of different ways to make a gift bag but this is the most simple but effective one I’ve found.Christmas gift bag wrapping craft

Making it also holds the basis for wrapping a standard gift parcel and making it look just that little bit neater than usual.

Gift Bag Guide

  1. Lay out your gift wrap and box
  2. Fold over the leading edge by 1cm
  3. Fold the leading edge to align with the far corner of the box
  4. Crease the fold along the near corner edge
  5. Fold in the second side and crease
  6. Apply double sided tape to the leading edge and seal
  7. Fold down top edge and fold in the sides
  8. Turn in the bottom edge to match the diagonal folds
  9. Apply double sided tape and seal up
  10. Press all edges along the box, to give firm creases
  11. Gently remove the box
  12. Carefully pinch the edges to form the sides of the bag
  13. Fold over the top by 3cm and then fold again
  14. Place the ribbon around the bag, keeping the ribbon straight
  15. Tie a bow at the top, and rearrange the bow to the front

 

It does make a big difference if you use quality wrapping paper, please don’t buy the cheap stuff as it will just rip!

If you’d like to know more about wrapping ideas do get in touch. I do gift wrapping workshops all year round.

Download this gift bag guide now.

You might like these 5 steps to gift wrapping.

Follow my Youtube channel for more gift wrapping ideas.

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Paper Chain Hearts

Christmas Paper chain hearts garland decoration craft activity

Remember making paper chains when you were little? Endless cutting up of newspaper, or old wrapping paper to make the strips, then glue or staples as you linked them together?

Want to do it again?!

I love making paper chains with my children but I confess I take the easy way out now and use pre-gummed paper chains.

However, recently I’ve been busy trying other ideas Paper chain hearts kids Christmas craft for children with the paper strips, like these heart decorations. Really simple to do and my 9 year old discovered if you turn them upside-down they look like Christmas trees.

I did make a video of how to make these hearts for Valentines Day.

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10 Reasons to send Christmas cards

10 Reasons to send Christmas cards handwritten Christmas cards

We keep hearing that no one does send Christmas cards anymore. Depending on which survey you read you might think sales of Christmas cards are on the increase or they’re doomed. Well I’m not sure what to believe there but I do believe that sending cards is a great thing to do at any time of the year and Christmas is a good time to do it.

Why send Christmas Cards?

A survey by Traidcraft found that people do still send Christmas cards and there are lots of good reasons why.

Traidcraft drew up the cartoon strip below after their survey in 2015. The 2016 showed that even more people (84% compared to 77%) in that year said they preferred to receive a hand written Christmas card.

10 Reasons to send handwritten Christmas cards

What Traidcraft and Dr John Sentamu had to say about sending cards

“What is even better is that when you buy a charity Christmas card, the benefit is multiplied. You’re not only showing friends and family you care, but you’re also supporting organisations such as Traidcraft to continue their life-changing work. It’s heartening to see that even in this social media age, charity Christmas cards are a win-win way of spreading festive cheer.”

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, a keen social media user, is lending his support to the organisation’s call for people to put pen to paper and send personal, handwritten charity cards to their friends and family this Christmas, rather than relying on social media messaging.

Dr Sentamu said: “Perhaps more than any other time of the year, Christmas is a time when everyone should feel connected, loved and enjoy a sense of belonging.

“While social media and text messaging are great and convenient ways to stay in touch with friends and family, handwritten Christmas cards really are the best way to show someone that you’ve taken the time to think of them at this special time of year.

“Sending a Christmas card is a simple act, but it really shows you care, bringing a feeling of goodwill perfect for the season to all who receive them.”

What more do I need to say?!

Buy yours now! (and they’re all charity cards)

Increase Your Business By Sending Business Greeting Cards

Do you send 250?

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Music, science and stars

Love music image Phoenix Trading cards

While looking for an interesting ‘on this day’ fact for today I discovered that it would have been William Herschel’s birthday.

Love music image Phoenix Trading cards

Born in Germany in 1738, he fled to England to avoid serving in the war. He worked as a music teacher and composer then became interested in the link between music and mathematics. Later on in life he became interested in astronomy, built his own telescopes, and discovered Uranus, just one amongst many stellar discoveries.

It was this link between music and science that grabbed my attention. As an amateur musician myself, and a mother, and an engineer, I have long believed in the importance of the arts in general as crucial to our children’s holistic development. I am constantly saddened and disturbed by the continual reduction in funding within our education system for music, art, drama etc.

Einstein himself said ,

“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.”

He said that music was the driving force behind his intuition.

What also strikes me about so many well known scientists is their determination. Often being the first to come up with a new scientific discovery or theory they must have faced ridicule from those who didn’t understand or didn’t want to be challenged in their way of thinking but their theories have prevailed* through their persistence and self-belief.

*Though not all – they did seem to get it wrong on occasion, Herschel thought there must be life both on the moon and on the sun!

So look to the stars, reach for the stars and don’t stop. Let your imagination run wild, be creative whether in art, music or whatever platform inspires you. Keep looking up for that is the only way, as Herschel himself said, “The undevout astronomer must be mad.”

Artists Wanted!

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Bring back the pen – Virgin.com

Bring back the pen By Richard Branson @richardbranson 10 November 2015

Business Opportunity, cards, stationery, request a brochure

Shocked to read that half of today’s 13 to 19-year-olds have never written a thank you letter – and even more concerning, one in 10 do not own a pen. These worrying statistics are, in part, due to rise of online messaging. Just like the advent of the iPod put many of our Virgin Megastores out of business, the texting teenager is determining the fate of the pen. Image from Virgin.com While yours truly has embraced technology – communicating and blogging on the go via mobile phone and iPad – I still love to write down my thoughts and feelings. I carry a notebook with me wherever I go, and author letters whenever I get the chance. There’s something so romantically resolute about putting pen to paper. It holds more meaning, more intention and more substance than digital text. Image from Virgin.com I found it astounding that around 83 per cent of teens surveyed have not written a love letter. What a shame! As a young lad, one of my favourite past times was writing poetry and letters to my sisters and the objects of my affection . While I was by no means a Casanova, it allowed me to express, and come to terms with, my feelings. Read my first poem, Lacking Love. Image from Virgin.com Teenagers should be encouraged to write letters. Letter writing is not only a good emotional outlet, but it also helps build key life skills like hand writing, spelling and grammar. Sadly, critics believe that texting will see the art of handwriting eventually disappear, and two thirds of teenagers admit that using their smartphones and social media is detrimental to their writing. It’s time to bring back the pen. I urge everyone, and not just teenagers, to write a letter to someone today. Or to get even more practice, do what I do, keep a notebook with you and write down your thoughts, ideas and dreams as they come to you.

Source: Bring back the pen – Virgin.com

Take up the challenge and write a letter, or send some thank you cards today!

Are you mad enough to send a card?

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Lime and Courgette Cake

Courgette cake with lemon and lime marmalade

I took this to a coffee and cards and told everyone it was a lime cake, not a courgette cake, it was very strongly lime flavoured. It makes a lovely moist sponge and with the lime was quite ‘refreshing’ according to one taster. Courgette/zucchini cake with lemon and lime marmalade

The original recipe for this lime and courgette cake comes from Nigella Lawson’s book ‘How to be a Domestic Goddess’…but as usual I modified it quite a bit!

There are reasons why I modified it but they all hinged around making this a dairy free cake. That meant I didn’t try and do a cream cheese icing on top (dairy free cream cheese is, in my opinion, just yuk, though with plenty lime it might have been ok I didn’t want to risk it). Then there was supposed to be a lime or lemon curd filling and as I didn’t have the time or energy to make my own I shop bought one, only to realise seconds before putting it on that it contained butter, if I had made my own I could have made it dairy-free.

So here is my version:

Ingredients

250g courgettes (2 large ones – zucchini if you’re across the pond)
2 large eggs
125ml vegetable oil
150g golden caster sugar
225g plain flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda

2 x 20cm sandwich tins, greased and lined (I only lined the bottom but it is definitely easier if you line the whole tin!)

Filling
1 jar lemon and lime marmalade (in my case a last minute decision, and a home made marmalade found hiding at the back of the cupboard!)

Icing
300 g icing sugar, sieved
100g dairy free spread (I use ‘Pure)
juice of 1 lime

To decorate
2-3 tablespoons of chopped pistachio nuts
lime zest curls

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C

Wipe the courgettes, don’t peel them and grate but not too finely as they can go a bit soggy. I squeezed out some of the excess juice before I added them but you can decide how squishy they are.

Put the eggs, oil and sugar together in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until creamy. Sieve in the flour, baking powder and soda and beat again until well combined. Stir in the courgette, pour mixture into tins and bake for 30 minutes. They should be slightly golden and firm to the touch. Leave in tins for about 10 minutes then cool on a rack.

To make the icing, beat the icing sugar and dairy-free spread with a hand whisk and add the lime juice. Add more icing sugar if necessary to thicken it. (To be honest I guessed the quantities above, I just made it up when I did it!)

Spread the marmalade over the bottom layer. Stack the second layer on top and cover with the dairy-free ‘buttercream’ icing.

Sprinkle with lime zest curls and pistachios just before serving (best to allow the buttercream to set a little first).

When serving you can decide what to call the cake. I started calling it lime cakeinstead of courgette cake and I did own up to the courgette after they’d eaten it!…and as for the lemon curd, well my husband loves the stuff and was delighted to be told he’s got a whole jar that’s been opened and needs to be eaten!no

Update August 2018, I can now get an Oatly dairy free creme fraiche which I think could be used to make an alternative topping with lime juice and some icing sugar. Haven’t tried it yet but confident it would work.

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ALL our Christmas Cards are charity cards!

reindeer stable christmas cards are charity

Charity Christmas CardsYou may not know this but most wholesalers don’t give a percentage of their profits from the Christmas cards they make to charities. Flamingo Paperie are different. For every Christmas card sold the Phoenix International Charity donates 1p to charity. They have so far donated over £1.8m to good causes. Our Christmas cards are charity cards.

Every single one of Flamingo Paperie’s Christmas cards are charity cards.

Just to clarify – this is the donation from the wholesaler, not the donation from the retailer. When you look at the back of Christmas card packs you’ll usually see the donation made by the retailer. In the case of the cards I sell, I am the retailer!

So do I make a donation to charity?

Yes! Nearly every event I attend is a charity event. Whether it’s the stall fee or a raffle prize there is nearly always a charitable donation made (this is for any event, not just Christmas ones). I also do loads of fundraising events for local charities. For example a gift wrapping evening for a local church women’s group. At an event like this I donate a minimum of 10% of all sales (not just Christmas cards) to their charity of choice.

Businesses who wish to buy cards for sending corporately this Christmas can choose which charity they would like their 10% to go to. I can do this through justgiving.com so I can link your company to the donation.

Individuals who wish to hold an individual event, like a coffee and cards, can choose to donate 10% of the total sales to a charity of their choice.

Hopefully this helps to explain a little how Flamingo Paperie Christmas cards don’t just look good, but do good!

If you are from the Western Isles you will be interested to know that the wholesale charity donation from all UK sales of Phoenix’s Christmas cards in 2016 benefitted local charity Hebrides Project Alpha. I successfully nominated them as one of the chosen charities for Christmas 2016. They received £150 from the Phoenix International Charity.

I nominated local Beavers and Cubs from Laxdale to receive a donation from Flamingo Paperie’s 2017 Christmas Cards.

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You don’t have to be crazy!

Why would you think we’re crazy anyway?! Join Phoenix today and you’ll find out that we are all different and all doing our business our way.Phoenix Trading training and support provided

What is a Phoenix Trader?

OK, so we wrap presents with matching tags and ribbons. We see our Christmas products in June and we love cake. Can you handle that?

Seriously though, we are all self-employed, independent Phoenix Traders running a business or a hobby whichever way suits us. You don’t need to have any experience just enthusiasm and a love of beautiful cards or a stationery addiction helps!

For anything else you need to know there is full training and support available when you join Phoenix.

Phoenix Trading offer a 90 day email getting started support programme and online webinars. I try and have regular face to face meetings with my team (with cake!) and if that’s not possible due to geography then I’m available for phonecalls, emails or whatever suits you best. We have regular online meetings via Facebook and some of my team like to Skype. Phoenix Trading hold roadshows twice a year in Jan/Feb and June/July (where we see the Christmas things!). Phoenix will send you monthly newsletters to keep you up to date with the latest developments.

No one will force you to attend any meetings, if you’re not on Facebook, it’s not compulsory but the support is there if you want it. However, it’s your business and it’s up to you how much you tune in to the support available. I do find that my team members who listen and share most with me and their fellow team are the most successful but it’s your choice.

This month I also have a special Golden Ticket! The first person to join my team between now and the end of the month will receive extra products free in their start up stock pack.

You will get a basic free website when you join Phoenix. You can choose to upgrade this to an ecommerce website for a one-off fee of £15.

However, join Phoenix in January 2017 and you’ll get this upgrade for free. This means people can buy direct from your website and you don’t even need to handle any stock.

Contact me now for more information, or join here.

STATUTORY NOTICE

It is illegal for a promoter or participant in a trading scheme to persuade anyone to make a payment by promising benefits for getting others to join a scheme. Do not be misled by claims that high earnings are easily achieved.

Flexible, work from home, Phoenix cards