We are starting the last week of the A to Z 10th Anniversary Challenge! It has really gone by quickly this year I think, don’t you? During the challenge I’ve been showcasing the crafty things I do and I hope you’ve been enjoying them.
In my Etsy shop I offer Special Orders for people who want a unique item. I love connecting with people to make something special just for them. I have done many personalized School Days Paper Bag albums and Baby’s First Year albums, but here are a couple of the more interesting Special Orders I’ve had.
I got a message from a fellow who wanted to know if I could make two of the CD case mini’s for his wife. He said it was their anniversary and he wanted one mini that had a beach theme and one that was music themed. He said he was giving her tickets to see Bruno Mars (lucky girl!) This is what I came up with.
I immediately thought of the Beach Boys for the beach themed one so I printed the album cover from their greatest hits and used that for the cover of the CD case.
Inside I made room for pictures and writing.
And put some fun papers to decorate it.
I used the song list for the back cover.
I did the same thing with the Bruno Mars CD, using the front and back cover of his Doo-Wops and Hooligans album.
I used quotes and papers that would go with a music theme. I have a lot of that for my concert albums.
I loved the black and yellow colors together. The guitar is something I made with my Slice machine, a tool that makes cut outs.
There was a pocket inside that he could use to put the tickets in or a note about them.
Here’s the back cover. I used some music washi tape because the bottom was kind of plain. I think that this man’s wife is very lucky to have him. Not all husbands would do something like this!
One of the most challenging special orders I got was from a friend of ours who was the officiate at a wedding. He wanted to put the program from the ceremony in an album. He wanted it to be simple and elegant.
The colors were red and black. The white patches are where the program went.
The challenging part is that I am used to using a lot of detail and embellishments so to just have “plain” pages was hard for me. There were no pictures in it except for the cover page. I really had to stop myself from adding more to the layout.
I did use some punches to make borders. He was pleased with the result and when he gave it to the couple, they were very touched.
Another fun special order was from a friend of my son’s who was getting married. She had a box full of her old school drawings and a few pictures of her as a child that she wanted made into a scrapbook for her mother. She was going to give it to her at the rehearsal dinner before the wedding. Here is what I made for her.
This was a picture of her whole family. I colored in the background flowers.
It was such fun looking at her kindergarten and grammar school drawings.
It was slightly challenging because some of the pictures were longer than the album pages so I had to improvise.
Of course I made sure it was okay before I altered any of the artwork.
I added some appropriate quotes and colored in this page too.
She even had some of her old Christmas letters to Santa!
I think it came out great and she told me her mother cried when she saw it. That is the kind of response I’m looking for when I make my Special Orders.
If you were paying attention, I might have dropped a hint about what the letter “T” will be. Come back tomorrow to see if you are right!
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Janet's Smiles 
Cute idea for a mom gift. How clever!
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Thanks Ally. The mom of the bride made a point to come and talk to me at the reception, telling me how much she loved it. That made me feel good.
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Oh wow! This is really pretty. Thanks for sharing your hard work.
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Thanks! I’m glad you liked it.
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Wow! These are just gorgeous! I especially love the Beach Boys one. I guess I am giving away my age! 🙂
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Thanks Laurie. I thought that one came out good too. I wonder if he was taking her to Hawaii since he wanted the beach theme. I didn’t ask.
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Does you creative brain ever sleep? 🙂 Love all of the colors!
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LOL, Jill. I would say some of these ideas come when I’m dreaming but I don’t dream when I sleep that I know of.
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Aw, Janet, you’re so talented and creative! I love how each one is so specialized to the person – you listen well to their desires and wishes for the gift. Hearing you brought them tears of joy when receiving the gift, must bring you much joy, too!
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Thanks Shelley. I do get quite a bit of satisfaction knowing that people like what I do.
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🙂 You should!!
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You have been doing great on this years AtoZ! I am doing my own version which seems perfectly paced for myself. Hope your business is doing well!
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Thanks Jacqui! I’ve missed your regular posting with us but know how busy it can get. Of course I didn’t get the million orders I wanted but at least I am getting myself out there a little more.
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This is such a creative idea with the CD cases!!
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Thanks Sam. I was particularly pleased with the how the music one came out.
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Yes! Plus It’s a great way to pay tribute to your favorite music!
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