here's my card...

I haven't gotten a chance to sit down lately and do any blogging because I have been taking an entrepreneurship class and have had so much HOMEWORK! It has been 5 years since I've had to even think about homework. The class is really condensed into a fast-track program, so we're in class from 9-4, two days a week. But it has been really great and has given me a deepened perspective of everything I need to think about in making my hobby into a true business.

Something I have taken the time to work on is one version of my business cards. I have enjoyed brainstorming ways to create a card that really reinforces the ideas behind Verabelle, something that is not just a card but is a thoughtful, tactile object. For this batch, I started out by printing my logo and information onto colored paper. I included everything from my Etsy site to a blog link. Paul and I have been saving cereal, granola bar, and pasta boxes for awhile so that I could reuse them for tags or cards. I cut a few of these and pasted on the paper cards to give them a stiffer backing. (Eventually, I'll be able to just stamp the rest of these boxes with all of the information that goes on my card, instead of using the extra paper.) The last step was coloring in the tree with watercolor - the most fun step! I used a variety of colors and mixed a few together so that each card is slightly different. So far I've given out a lot of these, and people really take the time to look it over in more detail than usual, flipping it front to back and inspecting the watercolor. Everyone seems to like to cereal box idea! I think they're perfect - inexpensive, creative, and a way to reuse something that would have ended up in the trash!

I also took a little time last weekend to make a business card holder that would give people a little preview to what my designs are like. I used Blanche the Buffalo as my inspiration for the style and colors and finished it off by adding a replication of my painting. People seem to like the "pink, curly-headed buffalo!"

Does anyone have any other great business card ideas?