{Thoughts} One Year Today.

Yahoo! One year ago today I started this blog. My creativity, craftsmanship and design have improved tremendously through my participation in challenges, guest design spots and swaps over the last year.


{Reflecting}
Since last summer, I have started teaching workshops for both scrap booking and card making. I have taught demonstrations at crops and home gatherings on techniques. I have started a club for my stamping friends so that we can swap cards once a month.

This blog has encouraged me to move my creative space out of the corner (nobody puts baby in the corner!) and I have literally taken over the spare bedroom as my studio. By following other crafters and reading about their daily crafting experiences I think about creating something every day. Generally, I don't actually make something daily...but weekly...and if I am lucky, I get to spend several hours in the creative zone every week.


{Close to My Heart}
Being a personal consultant for Close to My Heart has changed my life. Last summer my amazing upline encouraged me to start this blog. The company is so supportive of consultants and the training academy is incredible. Through the training academy, I found personal, business and creative development. Jeanette Lynton is a creative genius. I am proud to be part of such an amazing organization. I love sharing the art of stamping with people. My favorite part of being a consultant is when I am teaching a workshop and people have that aha-moment and I can tell that they have learned how to do something they had never imagined before. Having a successful business has supported my ever-growing collection of tools and supplies and I can justify buying new paper, stamps and embellishments because I really do need them!

{Photography}
I have gotten back into photography as a serious hobby since last summer. I bought a couple of new cameras and I appreciate the art of taking pictures.



{People}
Having a place where my cards, layouts and designs are appreciated makes everything I do worthwhile. I am truly inspired to make things that make me feel good and having a sincere audience is a driving force behind my motivation. Knowing that my readers are wondering 'where I am' is enough motivation to get me into the studio to produce quality creations.

Having said that, I must delve into the argument of creativity and criticism. In my life I meet lots of women that are self-labeled 'not creative' and I get quite a bit of opposition and jealous attitudes because of my talents. I do not try to rub it in or brag that I create art, but the snide comments about the fact that I 'made' something do hurt. I don't know if people are as harsh towards knitters or quilters...but whenever I complete a painting or mini-book I always note the hint of disdain in comments that follow "Oh, you made that...." Usually, the comments are sweet enough, but the jealous and annoyed undertones are definitely present.

The thing I don't think they GET is...I NEED to make stuff. I HAVE to paint. I HAVE to make collages. I HAVE to do it...I don't get a break from creativity. I can't turn it off. Just like an athlete who has to train and work out, it is ingrained into my very being. (Speaking of athletics, I must admit that I reflect a jealous attitude towards the naturally gifted and athletic women that I meet so I am guilty too!) But as far as creativity, I have chosen a career that lets me flex my creative energy every day and I hope that I am always able to be creative in my hobbies and career.

{Paper Crafting as a career}
Seriously stepping into the world of paper crafting and following different companies, designers and editors has changed my perspective on the hobby. I read a variety of blogs, and I love seeing the behind the scenes stuff that goes into great design. I don't know a lot about graphic design or photoshop...but I really wish I had a background in that (I NEVER thought I would say that in my life...we always made fun of the graphic designers in college because they weren't 'real' artists!) Some days, while I am teaching about color mixing (AGAIN!), I just wish I could be at home making a card or writing or learning. I love kids and being in the classroom, but this blog has encouraged me to think beyond education and keep my possibilities open.

I have several goals including getting published, (I submitted a bunch of stuff this month to paper craft magazine) being on a design team, (still searching for the perfect thing....) maintaining my Etsy store (I posted my first 5 items this week!), and signing up new consultants who love doing what I do as much as I do (anyone interested?).


{This little blog of mine}
This little blog of mine has changed the way I view the world around me. I spot layouts, color combinations and patterns everywhere. This blog has encouraged me to embrace the artistic experience in a way I never thought I could after my college art classes. By no means has it turned me into a perfectionist...but it has changed my perception of my work and elevated my opinion and ability to recognize what is good and what is crap. My style is always evolving and changing and I appreciate the talents and efforts of those gifted artists that I follow every day.

This little blog of mine has helped me to be a more reflective artist and I enjoy that aspect of the creative process almost as much as actually finishing something.


Thanks for reading!
I will post the winner of my blog candy tomorrow morning!

Why I started paper crafting....and some of my very first cards!

Things to do tonight:
1. Design one more tag/card for Monday's workshop.
2. Design a photo frame for a tween birthday party/decoration workshop.
3. Get stuff ready for a home gathering tomorrow night.

What am I doing instead? Writing this blog!! And browsing other blogs....I know that it can be a bit counter-productive, but sometimes I find that browsing for ideas will spark an idea. Even just the act of writing and reflecting can be quite inspirational, so I am trying to jump start my creativity before I dig in and get some work done tonight...(Did I mention that I have to get up @5:45 and it is after 9:00 now?!)

I have been totally inspired to write about why I started paper crafting thanks to Sarah over @ Sarah's Paper Tray. (Yes, Sarah we have exactly the same taste...I am thinking we are soul-scrap-sisters or something because we buy all the same stamp sets and papers even non-CTMH!!) Anyway, in one of her most recent posts, she was inspired to write about why she started paper crafting. I recently found a few of my very first cards and I put them in a box of stationary supplies that I am giving to my mom. I am going to be brave and post them here, just like Sarah did! (my mom has lots of old stuff that i've made over the years...I should try to borrow some of it!)


In one of my very first blog posts, I mentioned that I have been 'scrapbooking' for a long time. Stamping is much newer to me. When it comes to stickers, well lets just say I still have my awesome Lisa Frank sticker collection...As a little girl, I used to have a sticker album and I've always loved taking pictures so this hobby is something that I was naturally drawn to. (Luckily I was able to get away from my other 'collections': porcelain dolls, painted ceramic masks, embellished teddy bears, a wooden doll house and various other child-hood hobbies and I can now focus completely on the wonderful world of paper crafting!)



I started out buying supplies at Wal-Mart and I bought a few CM products when I was in high school. In college, I did a little bit of scrapbooking, but since I was an art major...'scrapbooking' was something I did in secret...I didn't want my cool art friends to know about my sticker obsession. I made my own Christmas Cards, Wedding Invitations and various other things before I became a consultant for Close to My Heart.

In December of 2007, I decided to become a consultant. I had gone to a CTMH home gathering while I was in college, but the consultant no longer lived in my area. I sort of signed up blindly because I wanted to get more into stamping and scrapbooking. I also wanted to have a little bit of extra money for my hobbies each month....currently, as a teacher, I only get paid once a month and it can be a tricky balance to keep a decent budget for things that come up mid-month. Selling scrapbooking supplies and teaching classes is the perfect opportunity to feed my growing addiction to stamping.

After being a part-time consultant for a little over a year....wow...my cards, scrapbook layouts and other papercrafting creations have improved dramatically. Blogging has helped me so much! This is one of my very first cards:



I've always loved being an elementary art teacher, but I have come to realize what my dream job would be...it would include writing, photography, teaching and designing...I would love to work from home too. We'll see what happens. For now, I am happy where I am, but I would love to spend more time at home creating. Sometimes I am just too tired to make anything after a day with elementary students (Have I mentioned that I have 11 classes of kindergarten art!??!?!! Not exactly the ideal environment for REAL artistic challenges....I deal with more 'accidents' that are potty related than the 'creative-oops', if you know what I mean!)


The best part about my job is that I get to think about art every day. I get to inspire others and encourage the exceptional artists and push them to do more. Paper crafting allows me to create something nearly every day. Cards and scrapbook pages, believe it or not...are a WHOLE lot cheaper than paint and canvas....I can create in bulk and I can see an idea all the way through without wasting tons of money. If I mess up one card, only pennies go in the trash, not $30 worth of paint that needs to be covered up....Okay, maybe I am just coming up with a justification that makes sense to me, but either way, I really love making cards. I love finding inspiration from movies, ads and color combinations for my cards and layouts. This is a very fun investment.

Paper Crafted Birdhouses

Oh my gosh! I can't believe I haven't posted a blog since February 18th!! Whew! Well, here is a series of birdhouses I made for my school. They turned out so cute! I didn't do too much stamping, mostly just used a circle punch, inked edges, and cut out shapes before piecing the pieces together. This was a fun little project that I did last week. The paper is 70% Recycled, it is from The Green Stack, a Provo craft company. I just love this paper!! Ejoy!