I Had a Vision...

You know that feeling you get when you finally finish that project you've been working on for months?  You know the one…it’s been sitting there on your work table, and you’ll glance at it occasionally, and you might even work on it a bit from time to time, but you can never seem to find the time to just sit down and finish it.  And then, when you finally do, it’s like this huge weight has lifted off your shoulders and you have this amazing sense of accomplishment.  It doesn’t matter if the project is work or play, that feeling is the same no matter what.  And that’s exactly how I feel right now!

Some time in January, I decided that I needed to create a vision board to set my focus and intention for the coming year.  It was my hope that looking at this vision board every day would help me grow my business, be more organized, lose some weight, spend more time with family, save more money, and add a bit more adventure and travel to my life.  I wanted to share the idea with my other crafty friends, so I formed a class and we worked diligently all afternoon cutting out words and images from magazines and really thinking about what areas of our lives we wanted to improve.  But Rome wasn’t built in a day, and apparently, Vision Boards, aren’t either. I’ve been working on it steadily since then, but somehow, I could never find the time to finish my vision board.

Until today.

Thursdays are the day I host my regular Mother’s Day Out crop (most of us are retired grandmothers, but we’ve kept the moniker just the same).  I set out to make a serious dent in my vision board project because I feel like I’m missing out on the good vibes all those positive messages would be sending me, and I was afraid I wasn’t going to get to work on it at all because a bunch of work popped up at the last minute, and I spent more than half the day working on that instead of breaking out the scissors and paste.  But eventually I finished up my work and got to start back on my project and then, about 6 o’clock, I suddenly realized I was nearly done!  I just had a few empty spots to fill and a handful of cut out words and images I needed to add to my poster.  Before I knew it, the vision board was done and I had to share with my daughter, Christen, and a few select friends.

Of course, I couldn’t leave it at that.  I like to share my projects, and I especially like to share projects that I’m particularly happy with.  So that’s why I thought I’d share it to my blog today.  So here it is, at long last, my Vision Board.

I do offer this project as a class, complete with poster board, glue, and lots of magazines, so if you’re in the Dallas, Texas area and you want to make one, give me a shout!  I’ll set up a class!  Until then, keep crafting!

Cindy

Celebrate Life!

The theme for our 2015 cruise was Celebrate Life!, and our cruise instructors designed many fabulous projects to express that theme.  Here’s is a picture of the door decorations we made for all the participants. 

The decorations help make it very easy to find your room on these huge cruise ships!

One of our first classes on the cruise was a Basic Copic markers class taught by Debby Worthington.  Debby shared some basic insights on working with Copic markers and then everyone completed these cute cards and a 2-page layout using the techniques we learned:

 

If you'd like to know more about Debby, you can read all about her on our Instructor page of the Cruise FAQs website

Five Reasons to Join a Stamp Club

Where do you go to learn new techniques?  Are you a YouTube watcher, surfing the internet all day looking for new ways to do creative things?  Do you find yourself on Pinterest, madly pinning ideas for cards you’d like to make or sharing fabulous crafts for your home?  Do you take classes at your local craft store or subscribe to crafting magazines?

There are as many different sources of great ideas as there are scrapbookers.  We are all looking for something different, and we all have something different to share.  I for one, used to like to take classes at my local scrapbook store, but alas, they closed quite a while back.  There are other stores in the area, but I’ve noticed an alarming trend in the prices of even just the simplest classes – they’re going UP!  I’m much too frugal to spend $80 - $100 on a scrapbooking or craft class…I don’t care WHO is teaching it!  YouTube videos are fun, but some of those videos are horrible.  They’re too long, the quality is bad, and sometimes they are hard to understand.  That’s one of the many reasons I like to participate in a stamp club.

Stamp clubs, also known as card club or hostess club, are a great way to get that classroom experience without the hassle and overhead costs of a traditional workshop.  Here’s five reasons why you should join one near you:

1.  Cheaper than classes at a store:  Most clubs operate on either a low monthly fee or else a minimum purchase from the product demonstrator/instructor.  Since the money you are paying for the class comes back to you in equivalent product, it’s really a win-win situation.  In a store setting, classes are usually marked up above what it costs to pay the instructor so that the store makes a profit as well.  The profit margin can sometimes be as high as $50+ per student.

2.  Learn something new every month:  Clubs generally learn two or three small projects each month.  This can vary of course.  Some clubs may do only one big project per month, while others might vary the number of projects each time.  Either way, with a small minimum purchase, you still learn a lot.

3.  Use products that you might not have tried:  We’re all guilty of it – a new product comes out, we see it, and we wonder what all the fuss is about.  Then you see someone use it, and voila!  Now you see the potential and you just have to go buy it NOW!  This is one of the things I love most about stamp club, because sometimes the patterned papers just don’t look all that cute in the catalog, but the minute I see it in person, I fall in love.  And it’s always nice to get to try a new tool before you buy it.

4.  Learn to use your old products in new ways:  I’ve been scrapbooking a long time.  I think I know my way around the products pretty well – well enough to teach others.  Yet I still learn new tips and techniques on a regular basis.

5.  Make new friends:  I’ve made a lot of scrapbooking friends over the years, many through stamp club.  It’s also a great excuse to get together with old friends.  And what’s even better is that many stamp clubs meet in a home setting, so it’s relaxed, comfortable, and, of course, friendly.

Did I mention that you get all kinds of new product?  I love shopping the catalog for the latest stamps or the prettiest new papers.  Generally speaking, the minimum orders for a stamp club member are pretty small, but the benefits are big!  And once each cycle, you get to be the hostess ,which means lots of extra free goodies.  It’s a great way to build up credits to buy some of the more expensive items that are on your wish list.

Hmmm….that looks like six good reasons to join a stamp club!  If you live in the Dallas area, we would love to have you join our 3^rd Wednesday Stamp Club.  We meet every (yes) 3^rd Wednesday right here at Crafty Neighbor Studios, and we have a great time.  If you aren’t close enough to join us, I encourage you to find one in your area.  Stamp clubs are a great source of inspiration and a good excuse to make new friends!

I {Heart} Stamp Club!

Have I ever mentioned my stamp club?  I am so lucky that I get to play hostess to a group of ladies every month for a Stampin’ Up card/stamp club taught by the one and only Sharon Armstrong.  I love getting together with a lot of crafty people and learning new crafty things!  We have a card swap each month, using a pre-set theme, and then we make cards or other projects that Sharon brings us.  Here’s a few of the cards we swapped this month.

I just love seeing everyone else’s interpretation of the theme, which, if you couldn't tell, was "Invitations".  These are some really crafty ladies!  And in case you didn't notice, that last one is actually made from a coaster!  Our very own Christen made that.  Isn't it just too cute?!

Another thing I love about stamp club is that I learn something new just about every time we get together.  This week, we learned a little about Stampin’ Up’s new ink pads.  They’re made out of a new felt-type material, so they are really juicy and you don’t have to tap your stamp into them as hard as you did with the older pads.  Here are the cards we made tonight.

Before all the stamp club ladies got here today, I was going through some emails.  One of my discussion groups has been sharing photos of their work spaces and I shared a link to my blog where I had posted some pictures of the crop room a while back.  But as I typed up my reply, I took a look around my room and was kind of shocked and ashamed at what a mess my room was.  Of course, I had to clean it all up before the stamp club ladies got here.  So I guess one of the things I really like about having stamp club here every month is that at least I know my room will get cleaned up before hand! 

Seriously, though, if you haven’t joined a scrapbooking or cardmaking group, you are really missing out.  Everything I know about scrapbooking I learned from other scrapbookers, and if you are crafting alone, then how will you ever learn anything new?  I encourage all scrapbookers and cardmakers to get out there and find a group where you can socialize, try new products, and learn how to create all kinds of things.  Organized crops and events are a great way to learn new ways to use your old supplies.  Some groups have swaps, and many even trade supplies!  Meetup.com is a great place to look for groups in your area, or check your local scrapbook store or in-home consultants like Creative Memories, Stampin’ Up! And Close to My Heart.

If you live in the Dallas area, don’t forget to come out for our scrapbook garage sale!  We’ll be at the Girl Scout office at 6001 Summerside Drive, Dallas from 9:00 AM until 3 PM, Saturday, July 7.  All our seller spaces are full, so that means there is going to be a ton of stuff for you to buy at dirt cheap garage sale prices!

Also, registration is now open for our Pam’s Pals benefit crop to fight breast cancer.  Come on out and spend the whole day with us raising money for this great cause.  For more information, check out our website at:  http://www.craftyneighbor.com/retreats/2012/pamspals12/2012pink.html