Organization....

So, I must confess: I did something decidedly brave (foolish?) last night...I re-organized my craft bins. Not, however, in a way one might think of as organized! I separated out three bins which previously contained: 1)stickers, 2)embellishments, and 3)chipboard/vellum/etc. I decided, per the inspiration I gained from Shimelle Laine, to re-organize in a way that makes sense for my crafting process, so that I will get more out of my supplies. Here is what I came up with: 1)sticker/vellum bin, 2)journaling card/die cuts bin-note, there are some stickers here, as they fit into the journaling/labeling category,as well as homemade 2D embellishments which can be used as journaling/die cut pieces, and 3)3D embellishments, such as gems, mini clothespins, unique brads and charms, etc. I must say that it took a certain element of bravery to put together the journaling card/die cut bin. It meant taking all of the little die cuts out of the packages from which they came-the same packages which were hindering my use of them-however, once I poured the first one out and felt the liberation, I was on a roll. It feels so good to be able to sift through them, to see and touch each one. And, it sure feels like I have a lot more than I could have conceived of when they were all packaged up. I even pulled each tag from the journaling tag booklet I had. It is fantastic! I am excited to get back into the creation station and play after work!

Have a great Thursday! Thanks so much for stopping by! :)

Happy Friday! :)

Good morning! Hope your week has been a great one! Just finishing up the Hero Arts Hostess Blog hop here...It was such a fantastic and inspiring experience! You can check it out here: http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/

Also heard back from ablognamedhero last night...did not make the team this time, but will try again later in the year. It was my first design team application. I am a little disappointed, but know it was a hard choice for them. There are so many talented women out there! Now I can't wait to see who will be joining the team. I am excited to see what they share!

Lastly, I just wanted to thank all of you for your encouragement and inspiration. You're the best! It is all of your love and support that reminds me how important it is to do the things I love and to always be grateful for the wonderful people in my life....that is the driving force behind all of the creations, as they are an expression of my love for friends and family. You give me determination (that's why I had to share that wonderful sentiment above!) Have a great weekend! I will be back to post more tomorrow. {I picked up some really cute stuff at a local store here and want to show it off! :)} Plus, I want to share some of the summer trip photos with you that I meant to put on here a million years ago. Here is a preview!

Happy Friday!

Hero Arts Hostess Blog Hop Day Four

Good morning! :) Happy Thursday, everyone! Just wanted to say hello. It has been a pretty busy morning already...including watering the plants. Have I mentioned that I love plants? I will have to tell you more in a confession about them and share some pictures with you. In the meantime, I am excited to join the gals over at the Hero Arts Hostess Blog Hop for Day Four! You are invited to come along. You can find them here: http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/

See you there!!

Hello (Hoppin') Wednesday!

Good morning, Everyone! Just wanted to say hello and thank everyone over at Hero Arts for a wonderful blog hop so far! The girls over there have done such a wonderful job putting everything together...and the hostesses? Wow! What beautiful work! If you have not already checked it out, you can start the blog hop here: http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/

Day Two Of The Hop

Good morning! Just finished Day Two of the Hero Arts Hostess Blog Hop while enjoying a cup of hot cocoa with mini peppermint marshmallows, yum! There are some extremely talented ladies on the hop; you should check it out! Here is the site. http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/ Can't wait to see what tomorrow's blogs will bring! I am super excited about the new Hero Arts releases! Can't wait to get my hands on the "Leafy Vines" and "Pinstripe" background stamp! Happy New Year!! :)

Hop Along With Me!

Happy Monday! Just wanted to check in and remind you all of the Hostess Blog Hop over at the Hero Arts Club Blog. You can start the hop here: http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/ I hope you'll join me! :) Oh! And if you follow along and leave some blog love for the hostesses, you may win a big gift prize from the Hero Arts Catalog! Check it out! They have lots of fun stuff to create with this year! See you there...

Hero Arts Blog Hop...And My First Challenge! :)

Good morning everyone! Happy Monday! Today I wanted to share with you the blog hop that I will be hop, hop, hopping on...it is sponsored by Hero Arts and runs today, January 14, through Friday, January 18, 2013. You can find more at the Hero Art Blog.

Note: This is the banner, but not an active link. You'll find more details here: http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/ Check out the Hero Arts blog for more info! Also, I will be working on my first challenge project! I am excited. I will post my project as soon as it is complete, just to see what you think. You can check out the contest here: http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/january-2013-contest-details/

Have a great day everyone! Enjoy the blog hop! Hope to see you there!! :)

A New Journey

So I have given it a lot of thought and have decided that when it comes to cardmaking, I am in love. In regards to selling my cards, I am thinking I should give it a go. Here are some of the cards I have in mind, though I also intend to make more complicated, layered ones, too. I thought simple would be the way to start, just to see how it goes. We will see!

All of the cards are blank inside, but with a themed tree on the front, to represent a season of trees...I love trees and thought it would be a cute way to express one's affection anytime of year. :) The first one would be fitting for St.Patrick's Day, Spring, or for a friend who is Irish/Celtic.

This one is obviously modeled for Easter, but would also make a great "Happy Spring" card. :)

This one is simple, but my favorite. It would be a great fit for "Just Because," "I love you," Valentine's Day, Anniversary, or even an "I'm Sorry" card.

This final one has little gift packages with bows on it. I thought it would be a great idea for Birthday, "Happy Holidays," or "Thinking of you" (when you find a special little gift that makes you think of someone you care about, but there is no holiday). Just some of what is on my mind for ideas. I would love to hear your ideas or opinions. What do you think? Do you think they are buyer friendly? They would be customizable color-wise, so the backgrounds and embellishment colors could be chosen by the buyer. I was thinking of selling them individually, as well as in a pack with a discounted sale price. Your thoughts? I will post more as I come up with cards for my Etsy shop, which I am in the process of setting up. When it is all set up I will post the shop address so you can check it out. I am also planning to put the cards up on a pinterest page to gain exposure...I am interested to see how this goes. In the meantime, I am working on a little more organization to make my creation station a little more user friendly. The goal is to be organized, but with easy access and visibility. Here is a little box I made last week to hold my washi tape. I'm in love!

This box is an altered Christmas tree light set box which I covered with craft paper, decorated with washi tape, and am also using to store my binder clips, which, strangely, look quite nice on the edges. I love it! Before I go I just want to add a couple random, but important thoughts. Thank you to all of you who have been kind, thoughtful, and encouraging to me regarding my craft hobby. I appreciate all the comments and the positivity that you have brought to something which is so important to me. I try to express my gratefulness as often as possible, but always feel there is much more to express than words can say. I would not be here without you, nor would I be posting on a blog, nor have the courage to apply for a design team position with a company as amazing and inspiring as Hero Arts. I cannot say it enough: Thank you. And, if you have not had a chance to check it out, you can check out the Hero Arts blog at http://ablognamedhero.blogspot.mx/. Happy Sunday!

Giveaway By Bellaidea

Today I am posting a special giveaway from Bellaideascrapology. She is a wonderful artist and I am very inspired by her layouts. They are colorful, layered, and complex, with beautiful photos and journaling, yet do not leave my eyes feeling overwhelmed. I am simply stunned everytime I see a new page she has made. Thank you for your inspiration, Bella! And, for those of you who would like to see more, or to sign up for her giveaway, you will find a link to her page on my side bar under "Inspiration." Or, you can also go to her giveaway link at http://bellaideascrapology.blogspot.com/2012/11/giveaway-by-bellaidea.html#links Hope you are having a great Sunday and enjoyed an extra hour of sleep...or crafting! :)

Cloud Atlas

From IMDb: "An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution. " So if you know me, you know that I watch movies as a background to other tasks-mostly crafting. :) But, this weekend I saw a movie that was so profound that it reminded me of the hopeful child that lives inside of me. Saturday night we saw the movie Cloud Atlas. With the exception of two other movies in the past couple years (Inception and The Hunger Games), I have not seen any movies I would consider exceptional. This, of course, is a measure of how much emotion and thought the movie illicits within me, as well as the acting and filming. Cloud Atlas was far and beyond any movie I have ever seen. It is based upon a novel that it has been said is unfilmable, but the producers did an amazing job. I am looking forward to reading the book. And, I am looking forward to living each day with the hope I recall from my childhood, because hope should not be merely nostalgia, but something we nurture within ourselves and spread to others. Hope is what keeps the human race alive...it is what reminds us that we are not merely part of the machine, but truly alive. Live each day as if it will be your last. Love without reserve. Jump head first. Enjoy the ride. We are not here very long.

I am falling in love with letters....

I have recently realized that I absolutely love letters! I love their shape...straight lines, curvy lines, loops, angles...all of it! I love chipboard letters. I love glittery letters. I love polk-a-dot letters. I love textured letters. I love patterned letters. I love letter stickers. And, I love handwritten letters, expecially those which are written by people who really know calligraphy or other techniques. Here is one of my favorites, Kristina Werner. She has such beautiful handwriting! I love to watch her handwrite the greetings on her cards. It is an art in itself! You can watch her blog here:

http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/?p=6990

Or, if you are patient enough to watch her make a card, you will get to see her in action, writing a gorgeous greeting here:

This Is Why I Scrapbook

Here is another video that I found inspiring...Shimelle Laine says things the way that I so often think of them and I find that we have many ideas in common. The difference? She communicates them with others on a much broader basis. This is definitely a skill I could stand to improve? increase? I don't know. All I know is that I will practice it with this blog. :)

Hope you enjoy!

Shimelle Laine: She sets my creative spirit free

I just wanted to share one of my biggest inspirations right now. Shimelle Laine has inspired me to be more free spirited with my layouts-less worrying about alignment and more focus on the "flow" of the page...how the eye is drawn across it...and making the layout fit the pictures, mood, and personal style of the artist. Plus, she reminds me that everyday is spectacular and beautiful...worth remembering. Of course I know this already, but reminders don't hurt, especially when we get caught up in the seemingly mundane details of our daily routines. Hope you enjoy the video and that it inspires you to create something a little more out of your comfort zone! :)