The challenges of a crafting life

As you know, my blog has been "spotty" at best! I had high hopes when I started, but life has a way of getting in the way. However, this is something I want to do, so I am making the time for it. Other things have to change though for this to work and since I can't quit my job, my crafting priorities are shifting. I love the Paper Wishes Message Board, especially their swaps, but I haven't participated in a couple of months and I don't know when I will be back to swapping. Papercrafting is one of my joys in life, but when it begins to feel like a chore, its time to re-examine what I am doing. I've also joined the Crafters Digital Arts Center and Paper Craft Planet as well as designing for Inspired Designs. Never mind the rest of my life needing some attention (Nugget, my dog, is very demanding; she lets me play or be on the computer for only so long before she lets me know she needs attention!).

So, I will still join the wonderful community on the Paper Wishes Message Board, I won't be committing to swaps. Instead I hope to keep my blog active and just enjoy my papercrafting. After all, isn't that why we all started doing this in the first place?

Inspired Designs (designs)

I have been pretty busy for Cheryl the owner of Inspired Designs. She has been getting new stock in which means I get to play!

The thanks card above and the Happy Birthday card both use a product called FoilGlitterFlock A La Card by We R Memory Keepers. I love to use glitter and flock on my projects, but I hate the mess. This line has rub-on designs for many occasions and the colors of the foils, glitter and flock are amazing! The card above uses Hot Off The Press papers and a Nestibilities die.
This is a cut away card - the Celebrate is actually on the inside of the card. Again papers and image of the car is from HOTP.





This card also has the glitter rub ons and a technique of faux cross stitch with a stencil. Spellbinders has a screen you can lay over a stencil for a completely different look! Here I used a sponge to dab the color into each section. It is a very quick and easy project but looks like you labored for hours (I won't tell if you don't!).


If you have any questions about the products or techniques, you can leave me a comment, click on Cheryl's link at the beginning of the post or give her a call at 207-576-8610 and ask to be placed on her mailing list. The sad part is most of you don't live near Auburn, ME to take advantage of her free classes, but she does do mail order and don't forget to ask about her Copic Club! Tell her I sent you!

My next post I want to show off some of the scenic stamping I've been doing - terrific stuff!

Digi Creations

Second post in a day!










I applied for the digi design team at Firecracker Designs by Pamela a few weeks ago. They have chosen not to have a DT, but to have guest designers. I will be doing that in October and am looking forward to it. Here are a few of the designs I completed as part of my entry. The card above was done using watercolor pencils and ribbon from my stash.

This one is my favorite, I needed to combine a regular stamp with a digi stamp. I decided to give the card some attitude!







This last one is sweet. I colored with Copics except for the background which is colored pencil. The letter tiles have been in my stash forever, but I do remember I got them at Joanne's.


There is a new site for digi stamp enthusiasts: The Crafters Digital Arts Center is just starting out and they are having their first challenge which is anything goes. There are lots of freebie images to get everyone started - have a look and join the fun!

I seem to have fallen off the planet!

Not only that, I "lost" my whole post - so I'm starting over...

Life has been challenging me lately and I've been focusing on putting one foot in front of another and not tripping myself with my cane (I'm a wee bit clumsy - my kids say it is a thing of "grace and beauty" to watch me at times :)). My various chronic illnesses have had me struggling mightily for the last six months and I've let a lot of things slide (my blog, housework, crafting, did I mention - housework). I'm down to 18 hours a week and I'm finally feeling like I can breathe a bit.

I have continued to take classes at my LSS, Inspired Designs . Cheryl has an amazing store and is incredibly talented - she has really pushed me out of my comfort zone and I have resisted at times, but I really enjoy the new things I am doing. One of them is scenic stamping which is an art form all its own. I've also caught the Copic craze and am slowly increasing my stash of colors as well as venturing into digi stamps. Again, thanks to Cheryl and her "Copic Club", I've found she has the best prices on markers and she keeps track of what we have. I was able to avoid the usual Copic newbie trap of buying a set of markers on-line and then not being able to shade, etc. because I don't have a color family. I'm now designing for her store and it has been an incredible boost to my creative confidence.

I've also sold my first cards! They were custom orders and I discovered I won't be doing that again - it was way too stressful. I'd be happy to sell cards I have already made though - means more cash for new stash!

My last post was before Christmas 2009 and now it is Summer 2010! Hopefully it won't be another 6 months...