Chatty Sunday: September Stash Kit Review

Now that all the cards I've created with September's Stash Kit have been shared, I wanted to take a minute to review how the process went and what I learned from it.

Total cards made: 13
Materials used:
- 8 patterned papers with minimal scraps, scraps will be used to create some die-cut shapes.
- One enamel dot package that was already used a little prior to the challene
- 13 card bases + cardstock for matting some panels
- 1 adhesive refill and 2 sheets of foam dimensionals
Notable materials pulled from stash:
- Embellishments like flowers, vellum tags and Nuvo crystal drops
- Neutral cardstock and sparkly silver cardstock
- Dies and die-cuts

Overall, I think it was a great success! With the amount of material in the kit, I didn't feel too constrained - something that was an issue with single stamp kits for me. I found that photopolymer stamps were easiest to use on multiple cards, whereas single rubber stamps were a bit more complicated. In the future, I may stamp out a rubber stamp only for one card - especially with more complex designs.

Working with one paper pad went well, but I may pull a larger selection of paper in future kits. I was worried that I used the same tones throughout the kit and that it would make the cards seem too similar. So, I might focus on a larger variety after October's kit.

Though September's kit was great, it still wasn't entirely portable because I used so many dies/die-cuts and embellishments out of my stash. If I need to make a kit more inclusive in the future, I will include an embellishment bag and some die-cuts that are cut in advance. Since I will have the paper chosen at the same time, I will be able to cut out a nice set of panels and shapes in appropriate cardstock or paper colors.

Lastly, I want to note that I did not feel too pressured or too overwhelmed by the card creation. The step that took up the most time was blogging about each card. So, I may have to tweak the blogging portion a little in the future. I did, however, appreciate having a daily card to share for September. I'd like to continue that trend in the future, too.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Stash Kit: October

We're inching toward the end of September, so I thought I would share my stash kit for October. The kit is themed for Halloween, as I'd like to create a gift set of Halloween cards for a friend who throws a pretty major spooky bash party every year.

Rubber Stamps:
Kraftin' Kimmie - My Best Friends Are Witches

Kraftin' Kimmie - Batty and Catty

C.C. Designs - Broom Ride (Roberto's Rascals)

Patterned Paper:
Doodlebug - Ghouls & Goodies 6x6

Photopolymer Stamps:
Mama Elephant - Meowlloween Extras

 My Favorite Things - (Birdie Brown) Witch Way is the Candy?

Lawn Fawn - Spooktacular

Embellishments:
Nuvo Crystal Drops in Crushed Grape

 
Simon Says Stamp - Witches' Brew Sequins

 Doodlebug - Ghouls & Goodies Enamel Shapes

As with last time, I've added a combination of older and newer stamps. Some things are retired, others are available for purchase (I've added a link to those that are still available).

I will also be supplementing these with cardstock and dies from my stash.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Chatty Sunday: September chit-chat and plans

I may have mentioned this before, but autumn is my favorite season. I love the cooler weather - with no bugs, no pollen and with rainy days. I love the way the leaves change color, and how they become brilliant yellow, red and earthy brown. And I love all the activities - from visiting the apple orchards and pumpkin patches to jumping into leaf piles and taking walks in the crisp air. I always feel like it's a celebration of nature, as if there's a royal ball coming up.

Plus, the cooler weather makes it perfect to go back to baking delicious goodies - like cakes, cookies and yummy loafs of bread. I'm going to be trying to bake once or twice per week from September on. Not only do I love to bake, but I've got quite a few ingredients sitting in the pantry, waiting to be used up. I'm especially looking forward to making a bacon and cheese quiche, and trying bierocks.

So, what's on the docket for the rest of September?

Well, next week is Some Odd Girl digi release- which means you will be treated to an entire week of fun and exciting projects. There's a lot of fabulous new stamps in the release, and I helped pitch a few of the ideas - so, I'm even more excited to share the inspiration with you. And having caught a little peek at how amazing the rest of the creations from my fellow designers are... Let me just say, it will be a truly fun event.

I'm still working on my stash kit cards. I've actually got quite a few of them completed, using up supplies and really letting the stamps shine. I've still got a few images to color, but I'm confident that I will be hitting my 12-card goal before the end of the month. I'm already more than half-way there, and I will continue to work on things as I get some free time.

Speaking of free time... It feels like it's a rare commodity nowadays. I find myself in that zone where I suddenly have a free moment, but there's so much I want to do that I can't decide and I just end up watching random Youtube videos. And while it's entertaining and I've learned some awesome new card-making techniques, it's not exactly productive. So, I'm going to try putting myself on a schedule of some sort. Maybe having an evening dedicated to crafting or an evening dedicated to art will help me stay focused better.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Stash Kit Project

 Stash Kit Project is a personal challenge created to help me focus on my existing stash and to make use of supplies I've purchased but did not use (or did not use enough). The idea behind this challenge is very simple: create a kit of coordinating stamps, paper and embellishments and make several cards throughout a month with it.

My kits will be similar to card kits you can get from Simon Says Stamp, but I will be adding several stamp sets instead of just one. I'm keeping the first kit pretty simple, just to give myself some time to get used to the process and to go over some other things I may need in future kits. I'm also going to keep track of everything I use with the kits, so I can make them portable for traveling or crafting on the go.

Want to play along with me?
Here's the basic rules:
1) As the goal of this project is to make use of supplies, you should only use what exists in your stash - no shopping for new products allowed!
2) Give yourself some choices, pick products that you've used before and loved, then mix them with products you've never used.
3)  Retired products are good! I encourage you to pick retired goodies as long as they inspire you to create something awesome. Tip: You can google the name of the product and find the product sheet to link to so your readers can see what it looks like before you've played with it.
4) Think small - fewer kit elements mean you have a better chance of completing your goal. You can always add extra items if you run out of everything, but you don't want to be stuck with half a kit to use up as the month winds down.
5) Pick a goal. How many cards will you make? This will both give you something to work toward and help you decide how big your kit needs to be.
6) Have fun! Simplest rule, but the most important one. If you're not enjoying the process and you're forcing yourself to make things, don't be afraid to take a step back. Treat it as a learning experience that will help you construct a better kit next month.

I also thought I'd share how my kits will be stored.
I purchased a set of A4 zipper bags from Amazon, and they're the perfect storage bags. I can add several stamps, a paper pad, some cardstock and embellishments. And since the set comes with 12 bags, I can set up the kits a month or two in advance if I need to.

If you decide to take part in the Stash Kit project, do let me know! I'd love to check out your blog/site and send some extra support your way. :)

Find a follow-up and more information in Part 2.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Edit: I've added a picture for easy post pinning!

Chatty Sunday: Plans for 2016

In my last post, I mentioned that I wanted to make a chatty post about my plans for the new year, and I figured today was the best time to do so. The rest of December is jam-packed with holiday prep and events, work and trying to make sure I haven't forgotten anything major. I'm also looking forward to spending some quiet moments with the family, once the holiday celebrations are out of the way.

You may recall my super excited post last year, where I talked about my One Hundred Cards challenge... Sadly, I did not complete that challenge (boo). After some thought, I'd come to the conclusion that it's because it was just too ambitious. 100 cards is a lot - even in a year. While I definitely want to take up this challenge again, I don't think I can make it into a yearly resolution. Instead, it will be an ongoing project - maybe one I can finish in 3 years or 10!

So... For the upcoming year, I decided to scale back quite a bit and make a more reasonable goal. It might sound like a bit of a boring goal, but I'm personally really excited and inspired by it.

In 2016, my goal is to spend the first half of the year just using up my existing supplies. I'm planning on keeping close track of how often I use up my consumables such as adhesives, patterned paper, cardstock and embellishments. At the same time, I plan to also make use of all the stamps and dies I own -- especially those that I've owned for a while. In doing so, I'd like to see if I have any stamp/die themes where I need more variety or areas that are getting too large to use effectively. I'm also thinking about posting my reviews of the products I used up. I know I love reading reviews, as they help me make a better decision about what to buy (or not to buy!), so hopefully all of you out there enjoy them too.

One of my recent big challenges has been finding room for all the supplies I own. A big part of that is my tendency to be prepared, so I stock up on things like extra adhesive, extra cardstock, extra embellishments, ink refills etc etc. However, without a clear idea of how many materials I use up on a regular basis, this can quickly (and easily!) lead to being overstocked. I think I probably have enough re-inkers for my hybrid inks to last me for years, for example. Since all of those things take up valuable stash space, I definitely want to make sure they're being used up. This is especially important because newer and better supplies continue to come out, and I don't want to end up throwing out hundreds of dollars worth of things years from now because they're just not useful.

The only thing I did not stock up for is Copic refills. I'm sure there are a few of them I could really use refills for, but I'm going to try to hold out and either use the palette that still works or switch around to other methods of coloring (pencils, watercolor, etc). I've been meaning to branch out and use all kinds of coloring techniques, so that works out very nicely for me.

For the second half of the year, I'm going to continue using up supplies while making a few small purchases to replenish my consumables and grab those can't-live-without supplies (spoiler: it will be a lot of new Lawn Fawn and Birdie Brown stamps). I'm hoping that those first 6 months will help me make much more informed purchases and help me focus on getting things I really truly need instead of things I'm afraid of running out.

In preparation for this, I've been working on some extra organization in between finishing up my holiday projects/prep. I've made some mini-kits for papers and embellishments, as well as pulled out a few stamps I feel especially inspired to use. As geeky as it might seem, I've really enjoyed planning this out and I'm looking forward to what the new year will bring!

Thanks for reading through my rambly chat.
~Elle~