Treetop Frame for Baby Viv

I was excited to show you some of the finished items from the Tag Sale - items that have since been personalized! But... I know many (if not all) of the items to be personalized were going to be given as GIFTS. And I'm not one to ruin a surprise (unless it's my own)... so I'll just wait a bit.

However, I have one item I can show you that has already been given as a gift... there was a baby born last week, 2 nights before the Tag Sale. Her mommy was so disappointed to come home from the hospital on Friday & see that the cREaTe Tag Sale items she would have purchased already were bought. (How funny is that? 1st day home & you've got a Tag Sale on your mind...) Luckily, 1 of the items was bought by her best friend who snatched it up to give as a gift. Here it is... just perfect for this green & brown nature themed room that was just waiting to add a splash of PINK or BLUE depending on their surprise. :) And for a family with 2 boys ... I was so glad it was a splash of pink. Welcome to the world, Viviana!

*THANK YOU*

Thank you so much to our family, friends, new customers & old customers! I had a great time doing this Tag Sale... I'm so glad that some of my stuff will be displayed in your homes & given as gifts. :)

I'll be busy this week finishing up orders (some needed to be personalized, ribbons added, etc.), getting everything packaged up & cleaning things up around here.

I also am entering back into the world of ETSY. Dana at Plum Tree Studio has a page there & has made me want to give it another whirl. So you can check out my Etsy site here... I might be slow to add my things, since I'll be busy this week... but soon I'll be selling things there in addition to my site. Possibly more ready-made things, and my site will be used for custom & commissioned pieces? Hmm... not sure. Still figuring things out.

Thanks, too, to Dana at Plum Tree Studio for taking a chance on a new, random idea I had {the Tag Sale}, where I was really just flying by the seat of my pants. :) ha It was so much more fun having you to do it with!

But I hope to see you all again soon... either on my site, my blog, or on Etsy. :) It was a GREAT time and Plum Tree Studio & cREaTe are already talking about doing another one... hopefully in Spring 2009!

Bookmark us & we'll see you around! :)

More 9x12 Quote Canvases ...

I realize these are late entries... but whatever doesn't sell will be put on Etsy or my site. So if you like it...snag it at its TAG SALE price! You won't see prices like this again 'til TAG SALE 2009. ;)

* Come shop our TAG SALE *

The cREaTe & Plum Tree Studio TAG SALE has begun!

A few things to tell you...

1) Don't forget to sign up for the Robin Canvas giveaway, if you're interested. {Update 8/23: NOW CLOSED}

2) I am offering FREE SHIPPING on these items this weekend. Yep - the price you see, is the price you pay for it to show up at your door all cute-like. (USA customers... anyone else - contact me!)

3) To show my gratitude for stopping by & supporting cREaTe, I am offering a COUPON, good for 30% off one regular price cREaTe item... good August 25 - December 31, 2008. If you're interested, leave a comment on this post saying hi (with your e-mail address if you're Anonymous or if your profile doesn't lead me to you). And if you've already visited the Tag Sale, let me know your favorite thing you saw. :) I will e-mail you with a coupon code you can use starting Monday.

Happy Shopping! Thanks for Stopping! :)

To visit the cREaTe Tag Sale, click here.

To visit Plum Tree Studio's Tag Sale, click here.

P.S. Dana @ Plum Tree Studios has her own GIVEAWAY going on! Make sure to leave a comment on her blog, after visiting her FUN TAG SALE! Don't be afraid if you're an "early number"... just check back! [like I'm about to do now! ha!]

If any problems arise or if you have any questions at all, please feel free to
e-mail me: rachel [at] createbyret [dot] com !

No More Peeking...

No more peeking 'til tomorrow. :) But you can see some sneak peeks in my past Tag Sale posts.
We'll see you bright & early at 8/7AM central. Lots of fun stuff still in the works [long night ahead of me]. Can't wait to show you!

Don't forget to sign up for my giveaway! This little robin is looking for a home!

Tag Sale - Robin Canvas Giveaway

{NOW CLOSED...thanks for participating! The winner is KATIE POTTER!}
This is my giveaway. I have always loved this quote.
I think it's inspirational, a great example of faith & I've always loved the visual I've had when I read the words. I love quotes & have been doing Quote Canvases for almost 3 years now.

Lately, I've been thinking about some of my favorite things I've done with cREaTe & using that more as a theme & direction for my artwork & business. I love things that make one happy, inspired & hopeful. Some of my favorite pieces of artwork are the ones I talked about below, that I did for the Pediatric Therapy Clinic so it got me thinking I wanted to do more like them. {click here if you're reading a "label" & it's not below}

This also includes all the Quote Canvases I've done. So I paired the two & this was the result.
One of my favorite quotes by Victor Hugo paired with a little robin redbreast. I hope you like it.

And hopefully soon I'll have more to add to this collection. This is just the first of many more to come.

Measures 16x20, canvas wraps around to the back (no staples on the sides).
{Chance to win Giveaway ends Friday 8/22 @ 12 midnight}
{Winner will be e-mailed & announced soon after!}

Tag Sale Sneak Peek, Part II

I am working on some new, fresh designs... and they WILL be offered at the Tag Sale this weekend! I know you probably thought I was just trying to get rid of things I'd already made, but that just haven't sold. Not exactly the case. So far I can't think of any 1 item that hasn't been sanded down & repainted or tweaked & updated. I was so sick of looking at some of this stuff, I couldn't take it anymore. So I've been a little busy. :)

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised come Friday to see some new, fresh things. Just a warning, though... these prices you'll see this weekend are only good this weekend.

Oh & what's going up with that top picture? Remember the "Choose Your Own Adventure Books?" It's sort of like that. :)

Tag Sale Sneak Peek, Part I

I printed some business card sized flyers to hand out! My sister's having a little shindig tonight & I thought I'd pass these out to some of the ladies! Also... I'm rephotographing a lot of my stuff getting it ready for the Tag Sale! So while I'm at it, I'm taking some photos specifically to use as "Sneak Peeks". So here you go...

More to come soon! Have a GREAT WEEKEND!

TAG SALE 2008 - mark your calendars!

We've set the date!  August 22, 23 & 24 will be the weekend for our Online TAG SALE!  So mark your calendars, set your reminders, tie a string your finger - whatever it is you do!

Plum Tree Studio & cREaTe are teaming up to provide some fun discounted shopping.  (In some cases it will be a major discount.)  We're cleaning out our closets, clearing off our shelves, and have fun things for you, your kiddos, or for you to give away as gifts!  Most of my items are ready to go & some are blank with the option of having it personalized before I ship it off! {Lucky!}  

We might be doing some sneak previews & might have a surprise or 2.  So check in with us every now & then for the next post on the TAG SALE!  You can keep up on Plum Tree Studio's blog here.  

:)  'Til then, save the date!

Tag Sale 2008

We're still working on the "when", but there are now at least 2 of us participating! {Plum Tree Studios & Me} How fun! The more the merrier... Contact us if you're interested! And if you're interested in the shopping, just hang tight & we'll fill you in when we get the info. :) I'm excited!

For more info on the story behind it, etc. ... click here.

An idea... anybody in?

While I'm waiting for paint to dry [working on 2 plaques at the moment], I thought I'd tell you my idea. Not that I'm an old & salty blogger or anything (I know I just started in February & didn't really get it going until May) but ever since I became a blogger, I've never seen this done!

WHY: I want to get rid of some of my cREaTe stuff. I used to have some samples at a local store, which has since closed its doors. I gave Etsy a try & gave up. I had a booth at a small church craft fair 2 years ago & made enough $ to cover the cost of the booth & maybe buy myself a soda. :) I was asked to participate in a much larger scale craft fair here in Kansas City... but the booth is $$$$$. And seeing that I made enough to buy a Coke last time... I'm not ready to go that route just yet. Soooo I have a lot of stuff that's been laying around for too too long. I'm sick of looking at it.

WHAT: I haven't thought it all out yet, but I want to have a TAG SALE. I grew up calling them Garage Sales, but after living in an old neighborhood in Florida where people didn't have garages, I started calling them Yard Sales like everyone else! But since this will be online & NOT in a yard or garage, I will be calling this a TAG SALE.

HOW: Here's how I think it'll work... I'll advertise on my website & on my blog ahead of time. You all can advertise it on your blogs if you desire or send out an e-mail to your friends... I'll get ready the night before, just like a real SALE! I'll price it, fluff the stuff, make it all look presentable! I'll publish my post/s with photos & info at 7am central time. You all can come & browse... no purchase necessary. {but of course I'd love to unload some of this (r@p on you all} (Did I say that out loud? Oh.) I might even do a sneak preview before hand... with just some small little teaser pics so you all can see what will be available! I have already taken the time to make some of the things ready for personalization... if there was a name on there, I have since painted over it so that I don't have to look the world over for a "Joey" who is in to frogs. [Been there, done that.] Some of the stuff will still come with the option of having it personalized!

WHERE: It'll be here... at my cREaTe blog. But if any of you fellow crafters or bloggers are interested in participating in my lil' Tag Sale, we can all link up & I can add your blogspot to our flyer. :) I think it'd be fun to have a few more for everyone to peruse... like a multi-family or neighborhood yard sale. Those always attract more people anyway!

WHEN: Not sure. For now I'm just putting my idea out there. Possibly a weekend in August!

Soooooo let me know what you think of my idea & if you have any suggestions or comments! :) Thanks & I'll get back to you on a time & date...