Pick of the Week: Crossword Puzzle Cards from MyGrandpasPen

Never underestimate the power of a funny idea. That “funny idea” may just turn into something great. That’s how the idea came about for this week’s Pick of the Week.

Etsy seller MyGrandpasPen’s Crossword Christmas and Birthday Cards are this week’s Pick of the Week. Jeanine (AKA MyGrandpasPen) said that the inspiration for the cards was that “funny” idea that ended up growing and growing.

“It was one of those funny ideas that popped into my head and evolved from there,” she said.

The Crossword Christmas and Birthday Cards feature a recycled crossword puzzle as their main attraction, along with a collage of differently-styled and well-coordinated graphics in their greeting. Stamped designs adorn the squares within the puzzle, as well--Christmas tree and present designs for the holiday cards and a birthday cake design for the birthday cards.

The crossword puzzles that are on the cards are the real deal, too. Jeanine said they come from her very own puzzle books.

“I love crossword puzzles and you would think I would finish all the puzzles in a book, but I usually don’t,” she said. “The puzzles are recycled from puzzle books I own. I have some puzzle scrapbook paper too, but it just doesn’t feel the same,”

The cards have blank insides for custom messages, and are available at MyGrandpasPen’s Etsy shop at http://mygrandpaspen.etsy.com. The Crossword Christmas Cards ship in a set of six cards (custom amounts are also available).

MyGrandpasPen AKA, Jeanine, hails from Calgary in Alberta, Canada, and has been selling on Etsy since June of 2008. Her Etsy moniker and shop name came from childhood memories of her grandfather.

“My Grandpa would always give us a pen at Christmas, and that along with all the other craft supplies that were around really inspired me to create and play with my imagination,” Jeanine said.

She also has an Artfire studio (http://mygrandpaspen.artfire.com), and said she loves crafting because she loves the process of creating. Her favorite kinds of crafts are scrapbooking and sewing.

“I really enjoy the process,” she said. “I was an engineer (electrical\computer engineering), so it’s great to do something completely different,”

Her 13-year-old daughter Taylor is also a big influence on her crafting.

“She is such a help—if I tell her an idea, she’ll give me so many different ways to take it even further,” Jeanine said.

MyGrandpasPen’s future plans include taking her love of scrapbooking even further. She would like to start designing her own embellishments with her die cutting machine, among other ideas that are “on the back burner just waiting for the right day to try them.”


Crossword Christmas Cards: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16934910

Crossword Happy Birthday Card:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24941526

MyGrandpasPen’s Etsy Shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MyGrandpasPen