Since finally having a real space to be able to create I have been much more productive. No, the space is not beautiful or professionally decorated. Yes, there is panelling on the walls and the furniture is a mix of functional pieces and cast offs from other parts of the house, but I LOVE having a space that is MINE. That said, I hate to clean and pick up, so I try to keep up with it. A mess overwhelms me to the point of avoidance!
When Laurel, Scotia9338, posted the challenge on YouTube I was intrigued…but I needed a mess. So I created one! And it turned out to be a pretty productive MESS. 🙂
April brought a thoughtful Ustream winning and a small RAK from web friend, Mitzi. Of course, a RAK and a card are required for proper reciprocation. 🙂 ArteDar also has a bit of a RAK and a card on it’s way, for her generosity of hosting the altered CD swap. These ladies are a constant source of inspiration!
Images are from The Greeting Farm, paper by Studio Calico, chipboard from Maya Road and coloring from Lindy’s Stamp Gang, Maya Road and Copic.
January started with the intention of doing One Little Word with Ali Edwards. My word: Balance. One simple word…I won’t lie it hasn’t gone as well as I thought it would. Working full time, being a wife, raising two kids, leaves little time for me or for balance. When I take the time for me then other things fall out of balance and 2011 has had it’s share of struggles at home and at work. Needless to say I am a bit behind with One Little Word. What was to be a reflective project to help with my bring my life into balance has fallen a bit by the wayside. I will get back to it…I promise. It just may take me a bit longer. Let’s face it, stress isn’t conducive to balance.
But there is an upside for the artistic side of me in 2011. I have found the inspiration, with the help of some terrific online artists and crafters, to spread my wings a bit. Every month this year has held some artistic, crafty firsts for me.
Trying my hand at zendoodle. Couldn't resist adding color.
Love is...
February – Brought my first attempt at a ATC card and ATC swap. I simply decided to approach it like a small card and I was happy with the results. Thanks Lily for sharing our swap on YouTube! 🙂
I started being interested in scrapbooking in 1999 and had exposure to the usual sources for scrappers at the time…Creative Memories and Stampin’ Up. Back then scrapbooking had rules and a definite look and stampers weren’t a part of the scrapbooking world. They were two different genres. I was active at creating scrapbook pages for about 2 years and then it started to dwindle. I created sporadic pages and cards and gifts for others, but mostly I was a collector. In the past three years I have come back to being a more serious papercrafter, with the help of the internet. There are so many inspiring scrapbookers, stampers, paper artists, cardmakers, and art journalers on YouTube, Ustream and with wonderful blogs. It is difficult to not be inspired.
Studio Calico has become my go to source for my scrapbooking since January 2009. Everything about these kits are my style. In fact I need to be very careful of buying product that catches my eye; it often ends up in a kit and I end up with doubles. Here are some recent examples I shared on YouTube.
I was trying to create a unique layout for a cat with a unique and quirky personality. I think it worked!
Sometimes the eyes say it all. I love this layout about my little man, the spunky little guy that he was.
Caramel is a soft, girly cat for sure. Sweet through and through...I was looking to recreate this feeling on her layout.
My little girl, not so little any more. Freshman homecoming was simply preview for what is yet to come.
Okay…I consider myself a pretty savvy computer user, but posting to YouTube was probably one of the most time consuming things I have done in a long time. After about 7 hours of work, I have 3 subpar videos to show for it. Now, to be fair some of the problem was not possessing the exact proper technology. First off we are NOT a video family; sure, we have short clips of the kids here or there, but I remember viewing hours and hours of torturous home videos as a child enough to know that video is not the primary way I would like to preserve family memories. That being said, my only recording options are my Canon Sure Shot or my iphone…I chose the iphone. Next was the video orientation. You can see the results. That’s all I have to say about that. Then one of my videos was over 15 minutes, presenting yet another problem. The list goes on and on. But I did push forward and although they are nowhere near perfect, I do have my first 3 YouTube gems. Time will tell whether I decide to become a serious YouTuber or if the work outweighs the benefits…
This is my first attempt to create a blog site for myself. My goal is to blog at least once a week. The subjects could be diverse…family, events, destinations, reflections, crafting, and more: a low-pressure way to express myself. We’ll see how it goes…
Beth Snyder 