2016 Holiday Series #9

Hi!

 I come to you today with card #9 which is turning out to be one of my favorites but it was incredibly easy to put together! I truly enjoy coloring images and sometimes I get so wrapped up in the stamps I want to use and color that I forget what adorable cards can be created without ever stamping an image. Which is exactly how this card was created.

Doodlebug Design is one of my favorite companies, I rarely find myself not wanting every single thing they release. Everything on this card is by Doodlebug Design from the paper I used to the doodle pop deer, snowflakes, heart and even the sentiment came from Doodlebug.

I chose the different patterned papers because even though they are different they all complement each other. I cut a circle out of plain white paper so that the deer would be seen more easily. I also stood them at the same level as the diagonal striped paper to ground them, I didn't want them to look like they were floating in the white ball. Inside the 6x6 paper pad I used (which I know was from last year because it was in my stash it might even be from the year before) there are little squares with sentiments on them and when I saw the above sentiment it was perfect.

This is a very simple finish to the inside of the card but it is just enough to pull the whole card together and give enough room for a sentiment inside if I want and/or a personal message. I tend to do both for Christmas cards because writing out Merry Christmas brings on hand cramps rather quickly! 

This card was simple and sweet to make and a fun change from my norm. All my supplies were purchased from Scrapping For Less and if you love Doodlebug Design as much as I do I suggest you head to FaceBook to join the pre-order group and also take a look at scrappingforless.com because there are some really great Doodlebug items currently available on the website.

Also don't forget to check out Fresh and Renewed for more Holiday inspiration! 

Thank you so much for spending some time with me and I hope your come back to visit again very soon!!

Wishing you sunshine and smiles,
Kim :) 

2016 Holiday Card Series: #4

 

Well Helloooo! 

So here we are moving right along to card #4, another image from Stamping Bella (told you I love them). I was concerned about cutting this one out but I really didn't want to do a scene or mask anything off I wanted to use the fun paper and have the sentiment on the outside so I focused on cutting her out with a small white space around her. I definitely had to take my time but I find "fussy cutting" (where you cut something out by hand) to be relaxing. My mind tends to wonder as I move my paper this way and that so that I get the cut I want.

Used Stamping Bella "Uptown Girl Posh has a Present", colored the image with my Copic Markers.

 The little label I put the sentiment on is a punch I have in my stash and thought it was the perfect size and nicely filled in some of the empty space on the front of the card.

I really liked the way the inside of the card looks with the sentiment stamped in the lower right hand corner. This way there is still a well wish on the inside but also plenty of room to write a personal message as well.

This stamp that I used today is from a while back however Stamping Bella did have a new release this year full of Holiday stamps that are just begging to be colored! Go check them out over at the Scrapping for Less FaceBook Group and there are still great products to be had if you are making your cards or if you just up and decide that you want to make something over at the website scrappingforless.com. With the items shipping out next day you are still in plenty of time to get creative whether you want to make cards or work on a project!

Additional inspiration is just a click away at Teresa's blog Fresh and Renewed where she is joining me in creating a Holiday card series on her blog too!

Thank you so much for joining me as I share my cards with you and a few thoughts. Please feel free to leave a comment below I would LOVE to hear from you!!!

Wishing you sunshine and smiles,
Kim :)

Getting My Cards Up on FaceBook

Hello Everybody!

Ever find yourself intending to do something and you keep telling yourself that you will do it soon and then soon becomes later, later and later. That is the predicament I have found myself in recently. I tend to make more cards than I send and my stash keeps growing and growing. I have been meaning to put my cards on my FaceBook page for quite some time and I finally took the time to do it!


Here are a couple of the cards that I am adding to my FaceBook Page:

If you or anyone you know is looking for a card come take a look, you may find a card you are looking for or you may find inspiration, either way you are welcome to stop by! :)


Wishing you sunshine and smiles,
Kim :)

In the Mood? A Card Maker's Dilemma!

Hi again!

I don't mean anything naughty by my post title, hope you aren't disappointed (cheeky grin). Any way what I'm talking about is being in the mood to create. When it comes to card making, crocheting, scrap booking, whatever the hobby may be I seem to have to wait for the mood to strike me. I am always curious to find out how the creativity of others works. Whether you are into baking, cooking, card marking, quilting, whatever it is you may like to do. Does it require that you feel like doing it?

One of the reasons this presents such a dilemma for me is because I want to do things that require consistency. Such as blogging for example or making YouTube videos, even being on a design team. All of these things are time sensitive and require working on a schedule with deadlines. I am striving to learn how to be creative not just when I feel like it but because I have set aside the time to do so.

I know how I am when I come across a blog or a YouTuber that I really enjoy and that can only be described as "content hungry". It is so easy to consume a ton of content that has taken the provider time to create. For me if I am following someone who is consistently putting up more content then I am more likely to read, watch, or listen to it. So knowing this about myself I can't help but think that if someone comes upon my blog or YouTube channel enjoys what they see but then realizes that they have no idea when more content is coming they may stop checking back at all. This is the reason that I am determined to find a way to be consistent.

If you struggle with this is well I would love to hear what methods you use to be creative even when you aren't in the mood. Do you do anything to get the creative juices flowing such as listen to music, watch YouTube videos, movies etc. I am employing a multitude of different strategies to find out what works for me. 

I have made this card and even took pictures as I went only to have still not created the blog post to talk about or share it!

Up to this point I have come up with the following plan of action to see if this helps me train myself to be creative when I have time for not just when I feel like it:

• I schedule time with friends via Face Book or Google Hangouts with the purpose to create, we typically pick out a video, a card style (ie pop-out, gate-fold etc), or a technique to do during our time together. This has been MOST beneficial and a great way to develop and nurture those friendships as well.  (BONUS!)
• I take advantage of any writing mojo I may come upon when I am writing up a blog post. I don't know about others but for me once I start writing and get in that mode I often find myself with more ideas about posts I would like to write and in the mood to do so. Therefore I go ahead and write it up thinking that I can always come back and edit, add pictures or whatever else I may need to do that post and that way I can work a little ahead. 
• When I do sit down to create on my own I try to either watch YouTube videos of other people making cards, listen to a podcast, listen to music to get me pumped up, or watch a movie that I have already seen. (Watching movies I have never seen is a bad idea because then I stop creating and focus on the movie but this has also been known to happen when I watch movies I've already seen especially if I am not in the mood to create.) Hmm...I think I just nixed the movie idea

These are a few things I am trying and I will update as time goes on to let you know what I am finding works for me and what doesn't. As for now the jury is still out on the best way to stay motivated and create when I need to and not only when I feel like it. Thanks for "hearing me out" !

Wishing you sunshine and smiles,
Kim :) 

My Favorite FaceBook Store Just Became a WEBSITE!!!

Hi ya!!!

So unbelievably excited to share some wonderful news! If you have read any of my previous posts then you are aware that the Scrapping for Less FaceBook group has been my go to store for ALL things crafty since it opened over four years ago. Now for the BIG NEWS...

INTRODUCING Scrappingforless.com SQUEEEEE!!!  I don't know about you but I am an avid online shopper and to have the option to go look at products that are being provided by my favorite store is just super exciting to me!

Just in case you are new to the Scrapping for Less FaceBook group or are just wondering what the differences between the FB group and the online store might be let me share some info. The FB group is for pre-orders, meaning that when there are brand new products that have just been released you can look through the albums and put in the quantity for what you would like to order, pay your invoice, then the order will be placed and Teresa (the owner and operator) will then ship your items to you when they arrive.

The scrappingforless website is for ITEMS THAT ARE IN STOCK! Meaning that when you go online and see an item you want you will see the quantity of what is available and if you want it you order it, are able to pay online with a credit card or through PayPal and then it is shipped to you!

So if any of you out there share my reality where my budget is not always on the same schedule as some of the releases from FABULOUS companies such as Lawn Fawn, Doodlebug Design, Stamping Bella (one of my faves)...etc. then the website is where you can go take a gander on YOUR time table and see what is still available. I am also finding that it helps out with some items that I may have been on the fence about and then once the pre-order has been placed I am inevitably thinking to myself "I should have ordered one of those". This site is my second chance to grab said item. Whew!

As an example of what I am talking about I have made a couple of cards out of items in my stash that I didn't pre-order but that I did purchase from the "overstock" or "instock" albums for those of you familiar with the FB group and it is the items from those types of albums that are now featured on the website.

The card on the left features and image from La La Land Crafts "Baby Luka" and is currently available at scrappingforless.com , the card on the right features an image from C.C. Designs and the paper pad is from Prima "Coffee Break" 6x6 paper pad, there are other Prima 6x6 paper pads on scrappingforless.com as well!

So do yourself a favor and check out scrappingforless.com to find scrap supplies at less than retail prices you will be so happy that you did! If you are here following along with the blog hop today your next stop is going to be the beautiful Sandy Hentzel so hop on over to her blog and have a terrific day!!! OH, and Happy Shopping! ;)

The prize I am offering for the hop:

The blog hop line up for today is as follows:

Carpe Diem Clips from Simple Stories

Scrapping for Less

Yvonne Morentin 

Stacy Tiedemann

Kimberly Smith

Sandy Hentzel

Teresa Russell

Wishing you sunshine and smiles,
Kim :)

Scrapping For Less Haul! I Went Lawn Fawn Crazy!!! :)

Hi ya!

I am so excited to share with you all this YouTube video that I made. I learn best by just jumping right in and figuring it out. As my daddy would say "the hard way". Which I have proven to be true but it's the way that works for me. So here I go again jumping into the world of YouTube. Learning the basics of how to get a video up and learning the other things that go with it such as adding an intro, music, lighting etc. 

Here is the first video of some Lawn Fawn stamps and dies that I recently ordered from Scrapping For Less (my one stop shop for all things crafty). It's an online FaceBook group that is owned and operated by my friend Teresa Russell. It's a pre-order site so you are always ordering brand new just released products which is so exciting especially since all these companies out there keep having great releases! Feel free to check out the group all you have to do is ask to join and read the welcome letter and then GO SHOPPING!

I hope you enjoy the video and please feel free to leave me some constructive criticism, I am learning and want to get better and better. Thank you so much for stopping by and spending some time with me!

Wishing you sunshine and smiles,
Kim :)

Sympathy Cards

Hi Again!

The title of this post isn't meant to bring you down but it is a reality for all of us. Which leads me to the entire reason I decided to do this post. Recently a loved one's parent passed and of course I wanted to offer my condolences. This is a stash that we all hope not to have to pull from often but it's certainly part of life.

So far I have found that flowers seem to be perfect for cards in the sympathy category because they are simple and elegant. I like to use muted colors because they lend a softer look to the card and I make sure to keep the embellishments limited and tasteful (think small pearls). I personally like to keep it pretty flat because typically I mail sympathy cards. Memorial services are usually pretty emotional for me whether I knew the person or not, I tend to be like Dolly Parton or Truvy if you've seen the movie, "I have a strict rule that nobody cries alone in my presence." (Thank you, Steel Magnolias.) The thought of handing someone my card that I truly try to write something heartfelt in feels just too uncomfortable (and what if they are holding it all together and then they read your card and it sends them into tears? I do NOT want to be the person that caused that!).

I currently don't own any fitting sentiments to go on the front of a sympathy card but I do have a stamp that I use on the inside, it is nice expresses the feelings I want to convey and is not religious (important to me because I wanted to be able to use it for anyone). I plan on investing in some more sympathy stamps but if you already make your own sympathy cards you might agree with me that they aren't easy to come by. The thing I try to focus on when making this category of cards is that the sentiment you may or may not stamp on the front of it or even the inside for that matter is not as important as the comfort that the recipient will feel when they receive the card and are reminded that someone cares (at least in my experience even when words didn't get through the pain, feelings of people caring did). 

Thank you for stopping by and please feel free to leave any comments I would love to hear what you turn to when you want to comfort a loved one who is going through the death of a loved one or a hard time in general. It has been mentioned to me that in order to leave a comment on this blog you have to have a google account, if you don't but would still like to comment please feel free to visit my FaceBook page here.

Wishing you sunshine and smiles,
Kim :)

Scrapbook Blessings Club Monthly Challenge: April

Hi! Today I am entering a challenge from Scrapbook Blessings Club for April. This type of challenge is a great way to give your creativity a direction especially if you find yourself a little stumped for what to do next. The challenges I have been participating in have truly made an impact on how often I am creating. Sometimes with too many choices I get overwhelmed and then don't do anything but with the help of the challenges I have some direction. I love that the challenge for this month is to make a card or a layout with a BIRTHDAY THEME, you can never have too many birthday cards!

Supplies:

• image is C.C. Designs "Birthday Twila"
• the background paper is Birthday Extravaganza with Glitter from The Paper Studio
• sequins are from my stash
• ribbon is from my stash (which I have had for over three years now-gasp!)
• colored image with Copic Sketch markers
• used Wink of Stella in clear to add some sparkle
• used Glossy Accents on her shoes
• used Signo White Pen to create the polka dots on her bows and dress

This challenge has a bit of a twist as they aren't asking you to link it up to their blog but add it to their FaceBook group which I think is a great idea and a fun way to let friends and family possibly see your creation as well if you choose to share it with them. The challenge doesn't end until the end of the month so you have plenty of time to play along, so go get your creativity on!!! You can click on Scrapbook Blessings Club and you will be taken to their FaceBook group to enter.

Thank you so much for joining me today and I invite you to come back whenever you can!

Wishing you sunshine and smiles,
Kim :)