2022 Reflections and 2023 Goals

 I am not a fan of New Year Resolutions but I do like to spend time at the end of the year reflecting on the good, the bad and the ugly from the current year and then identify some things that I want to get done in the next year.  So here is my Crafty highlights and goals.  

2022 Highlights:

1. I tried new things! I am taking Mixed Media classes which are really growing on me, I am branching out and trying new to me products, and trying new techniques.  I attended new classes and a few virtual retreats.

2. There has been SOME progress on getting my craft area organized. Ok, this has a ways to go but it is better than it was!  

3. I started working on my UFO (unfinished object) list. Woohoo.  I will admit that I also added to the UFO list but more came off the list then went on.

4. I started as a design team member on There's A Stamp for That! The whole goal is to use my stamps and make some fun cards and this team is helping me do this.  I stepped out of my comfort zone and applied to be a guest designer for Kraftin' Kimmie.  It is going to happen in January and I am very excited.

5. I made lots of cards and had a great time in my craft room!

2023 Crafty Goals:

1, Organization

•  Finish going through my stamps and get them inventoried.  I really want to know what I have so I can remove duplicates and ones I won't use. 
• Go through my dies and organize them.  I want to try and use them all and see if I like them and would use them.  If not, into the sale pile they need to go!
• Clean up my digital products.  
• Photos - there are thousands of photos to be organized and cleaned up.  So, the question is how many years can I organize?? I will have to think about this I need to set a goal, right!?
• Sewing area - while I did organize this area at the beginning of 2022 it has become a mess as I organized the rest of the room! Time to get it back in shape.

2. Papercrafting

• Guest Designer at Kraftin' Kimmie.  Is this something I would like to do on a regular basis?  
• Create for the TASFT group.  Identify 1 other group to post my creations in like a Christmas card group since I make a lot of those. Maybe a clean and simple card group as this style would be a great learning experience for me.
• Investigate what to do with all the cards I produce - gift, sell, donate.  Create a viable plan to have the cards rotating through.
• Create a project that used the techniques from my mixed media class on a card.

3. Sewing

• Clean up (see organization item) so I can comfortably get to my sewing machine.
• Finish 2 UFOs by the end of March. (Yes, there is a sewing UFO list too!)
• Create a project that incorporates both sewing and papercrafting.  I see many people making cards with sewing on them and I like this idea so let's try it out.

Ok, that is it! Now all I have to do is DO IT!

Happy Crafting

 

Wow, where has the time gone?

 I can't believe it has been over 2 weeks since I posted!

I actually had a virus before Christmas that took me out of commission for a bit and then there was family time for Christmas.  

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are getting in some crafting time.

These last few days I have been busy in my craft room BUT it is all top secret! I am going to be a guest designer in the Kraftin' Kimmie group in January! I am very excited about this opportunity.  I have been creating up a storm to prepare for January but can't share until then.  :) :)  I have been trying out new to me ideas and colours.  I even got out my pencils and did some colouring with them.  Stay tuned for January posts where I will share all the Kraftin' Kimmie goodness.  

Speaking of Kraftin' Kimmie, there is a sale on right now...awesome stamps, stencils and inks! Go check it out here.

My next goal is to work on some cards with some new products and to finish up some classes that I haven't finished up from the September Crop & Create (yeah, September!)  and the fall Kraftin' Kimmie retreat! I am trying to get my UFO (unfinished objects) list shortened a bit!  But before I can do this I really need to do some cleaning and straightening up in my craft room.  It looks like a cyclone has gone through it. The floor is littered with little paper pieces, the desks are covered in markers, projects, scraps - you name it, it seems to be on my desk.  All signs that I have been having a wonderful crafting time!

Here is a peak at 1 of my 2 desks! The other one is actually worse I think as I have been colouring wih my markers and I have a ton that I need to put away.   

One day last week, my hubby came down while I was crafting and I got distracted helping him with something. When I went back to my project, I couldn't find my stamp.  I looked everywhere! I was so mad at myself and ok, my hubby as well.  I started cleaning up as I searched.  After 30 minutes, I called my hubby to come and help since he was the cause of the situation (my view) and finally we found it.  We have a running joke about his visits to the craft room.  I can be upstairs for hours but as soon as I enter my craft room he has something to discuss with me.  

Time to get moving on the cleaning up!

Happy Crafting.

Another Tag! KK Challenge and TASFT inspiration

 You can never have enough tags, right!? I have to confess that I typically do not work on Christmas cards/tags in December as I am one of those annoying (?) people who create Christmas cards from January through November.  I then send out my cards in the first 2 weeks of December and then move on to other Christmas endeavors for the rest of the month like baking and decorating and the hardest activity - trying to figure out what to get for the hubby!  

Today is my day to post inspiration on the TASFT Facebook group and I really wanted to play with this stamp set.  I decided to pull out my pencils as I haven't used them in a long time.  I put on Christmas tunes and coloured away!  I love using the colour blends from Alyce at Kit and Clowder to help me.

I coloured up the poinsettias and leaves with the colours listed below and then cut them out on my ScanNCut and mounted the stamps on a tag base that was stencilled using Lawn Fawn glitter paste. I then added a little glitter and the sentiment. 

Stamp Set: Kraftin' Kimmie Perfect Poinsetias!

Prisma Pencils Used:

Greens: spring green, apple green, grass green, dark green

Reds: crimson red, crimson lake, black raspberry

Stencil: Spellbinders Diamond Dots

Ribbon: Stampin' Up retired white and gold ribbon

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

This is my pencil blends that I create from Alyce's colour focus weekly blends.  I create a tag that I write the pencils on and then I colour in the circle on pencil friendly paper and punch it out and mount on the tag.  They are all sorted by colour and mounted on a ring.  Both the red and the greens were from these blends.  You can check them out here: https://www.kitandclowder.com/colour-focus

Christmas Preparation

 In December my crafting slows down and my preparation for Christmas takes over. Since I create Christmas cards all year round, there is no last minute Christmas card rush for me.  My issue is that I am pretty good at making cards but really suck at sending them...just ask my family.  They may (or may not) receive birthday cards waaaaayyyy after the fact.  Hoping I get better at this next year!

This weeks prep consists of getting my Christmas cards sent! I print out my address labels and then go through my Christmas card stash and try and pick a card that I think the receiver would like.  Then the next and longest task is to go through all the cards and write personal messages. Since I have a habit of adding embellishments to my cards and creating cards of different shapes, I have to watch to see how I would send the card. I have a few that I will need to make some special envelops for!

There is a width and weight limit on size for cards so any that I think are too thick I have to measure to see if they will fit through the "Canada Post slot". If they don't, they need extra postage to get to the recipient.  Nothing sucks like sending a card only to get it back much later because it didn't have enough postage.  

Once all my cards are ready to go I typically head off to the post office with my bag of cards.  You should see the faces of people standing behind in the line you when you have a bag of cards to mail!   I always ask for the slot checker and step to the side to check them so I don't hold up the line and then get back in  line to pay for those that need extra postage much to the relief of those behind me.

This year, my hubby created me this handy dandy measuring tool  so I don't have to stand in the post office line and check the size of all my cards! Woohoo, I can get them all ready at home this year. When you send over 50 cards this is so great as I will know ahead of time which cards will need extra postage and the rest I can just put in the mailbox!

This card doesn't fit so will need extra postage. 

I also have a scale in my craft room that I use to weigh the cards to make sure all will arrive versus coming back to me!

A month worth of Tags

 During November I took part in the Tag a Day Challenge.  I wasn't very good at doing the tags each day but I did do a few "catch up" days and managed to make 30 days worth of tags. Here they all are!  If you are interested in the details about any of them, feel free to leave a comment and I will provide details.

Day 1: 

Day 2:

Day 3:

Day 4:

Day 5:

 

Day 6:

 

Day 7:

Day 8:

 

Day 9:

  

While doing these ones, I finished up a bunch from this UFO kit I have had for ages! BONUS!! 

Day 10:

 

Day 11:

 

Day 12: 

Day 13: 

Day 14: 

Day 15:

Day 16:

Day 17:

Day 18:

Day 19:

Day 20:

Day 21:

Day 22 trees and Day 23 candy canes:

Day 24:

Day 25:

Day 26:

Day 27:

 

Day 28:

Day 29:

Day 30:

 

Kraftin' Kimmie Virtual Holiday Retreat - November 2022

 Where did November go!? I can't believe it went so fast and I fell behind on my posting.  I did a lot of crafting in November so will create a few summary posts to show what I did and the products used.

One of the big events I took part in was the Holiday Virtual Retreat by Kraftin' Kimmie.  These events are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!  Here is how it works:  Kim advertises a kit and it is shipped out to you. You join a special facebook group just for those who are taking part in the event.  Once your kit arrives, you can peek or wait until the unveiling event.  I am so TEAM PEAK! The box didn't even make it to my craft room before I opened it! The kit comes with KK stamps, KK stencil and then Kim curates a kit with different embellishments and papers.  You provide your own ink, cardstock and adhesives. Then there is a 3 day long event where classes are held! Samples of the projects along with preparation instructions are posted in the group before the weekend so you can prepare for the classes.  There were 15 separate classes in this weekend!! The great thing is that you can craft along at the class time or you can do them later as the videos are available in the FB group after.  I did well getting a bunch done on the weekend but still have others to do.    Here is what I have gotten done so far! I have to say that the design team does an incredible job on the classes!  

I am one of those people who prep for the event before and then craft along with the presenters as much as I can. Sometimes the classes overlap so I will go back and do the others after.  There is so much to learn in these classes - different card styles, different colouring techniques - pencils, watercolours and markers, etc.  There are also other fun things happening like a draw, bingo for prizes and we even go a discount code to go shopping in the KK store. 

Stamp Sets Used:  Cozy Christmas Kid, Pawsome Holiday

Stencil Used:  Gifts Galore Layering Stencil

Friday Classes:

Watercolour - still to do! I like to do this type class on its own on a quiet day as watercolouring is something I need more time to do. Will post once I am done!

Flash Pop Up Card -  When you open this card there are 2 side panels that pop out and surprise the receiver! As you see in my picture below I had to do a little "Surgery" to get this to work. It is really cool but I cut one of my papers the wrong length and so had to do some adjusting! 

                                                 

Inside Pop Up Card - when you open this one up the puppies pop up!

                                               

Copic Christmas Indoor Scene: we coloured this fun scene with our Copic markers and then put the card together.

                                             

Copic Earth Tones with Puppies - this class was all about learning about the different colours of "browns" (earth tone) Copic markers.   

                                   

After these classes it was off to bed to rest for Day 2.  I was up bright and early to have my coffee 

Saturday Classes:

Still to be done: Travellers Notebook pages

Fun Fold Pocket Card - this card opens up and contains a pocket so you can insert a message card or a gift card.

                                           

Scandinavian Star Ornament  - a cool ornament made with the paper in the kit and then we coloured up the pup to go on it! 

                                              

During our lunch break, I used one of the design team's BONUS ideas to create these 2 ornaments:

                                     

Gift Card Holders - these 2 cards are gift card holders! The first has a pop up in the middle while the 2nd has a side flap for the gift card.

                                     

                                     

Copic Colouring on Kraft paper - in this class we learned how to colour with Copics on a different type and colour of paper.  We learned how the properties of the paper affect the blending and how the colours look different on kraft coloured paper.

                                           

5x7 Dutch Door Card - this one I did after the fact as I have to admit I was tired! The card on the right below is the one for this class while the one of the left was done on Sunday.

                                      

Sunday and the awesome classes continued:

Still to do: Album class.  One of the design team created an awesome album class which I have done a few pages of but need to go back and finish it up. 

Concertina Fold Card  - this one is a WOW card! It has a whole set of steps inside that we added embellishments and coloured stamps on!

The outside with this cutie peaking out!

                                                   ...and then the inside :

                                                

Cards and Tags - since the card above took a bit of extra time, I went back and did this class after the fact so that I could spend time and enjoy the process.  We made 2 cards and 2 tags in this class.  It was great fun. I love when the design team members show us how to use different components of the kit.  The tags were created with "scraps" from the cards.

                                            

The final class was a Second Dutch Door card in a different size/format.  It is in the pic above with the other one.  

As part of the tag a day challenge in November, I also made this tag from our kit from one of the BONUS projects the design team provided:

Phew! So many cards and fun projects! I love that I can go back and reference any of the classes anytime I want for colouring and project ideas.  I had a great time and hope to finish up all these projects in the next few weeks.  I am really trying to reduce my UFOs (unfinished objects) in my craft room!  

If you haven't taken part in an online virtual event, I highly recommend trying one out. I love crafting in my craft room with others online.