Happy Valentine's Day

 

Happy Valentine's Day! On a day about love, I thought I'd chat a little bit about what I've loved lately. 

One thing I've been enjoying a lot is a daily cup of tea. I make a cup of tea at the start of my lunch break at work and enjoy it shortly after. I was lucky enough to receive a large selection box of teas for Christmas from my sister-in-law a little while ago, so I have many delicious options to try.

Another thing I've loved lately is journaling. I try to journal daily, as I really enjoy the feeling of writing by hand. Throughout 2020, I'd invested in some stationery supplies and I filled out several journals completely. I'm happy to continue journaling regularly this year, as well.

And, of course, I've rediscovered my love for stamping and coloring. It took time to get back on track, but I am doing much better and making great use of my supplies. That makes me very happy.

Made for each other

 

We are getting close to Valentine's Day! I haven't made very many love-themed cards yet this year, but I may do so throughout the year as I am with Christmas cards. I find that one can never share enough love, so love cards usually get made a lot in my crafty space.

 I have gone through and reorganized some of my supplies a little. I like to periodically look through my stash - even when it's been organized in a way that works for me. I can pull out seasonal supplies or supplies I would like to use in the near future and remind myself of goodies I might have forgotten.

Since I'm not actively bringing in any new supplies, it's much easier to go through things in small batches and come up with ideas on how to use them. It's a very satisfying feeling to know I have everything I already need right at hand and work within the constraints of my current stash.

Hello Sunshine

 

I've limited my use of social media, but I still do occasionally watch a few card-making videos. One of my favorite video types to watch is when many cards are made out of a single paper pad. There's something so satisfying about seeing all the paper used up and a whole load of completed cards at the end.

I've tried making multiple cards using the same supplies, and it's just not something that I'm good at. I can (and have) done assembly-style cards when making a set, but that's a little different than making just a couple of the same card. 

One of the things that also intrigues me about that type of video is use of card sketches. I love sketches in theory, but struggle following them too closely - especially when they feature a lot of layers. Still, it is something I would like to work on in the future, as I feel it would make card-making easier on days my creative mojo is dormant but I still want to create.

Pixie Hello

 

Watercolor has always been something that I've been drawn to, but I've got a long way to go before I master it. The most challenging part is always getting a specific result out of watercolor. Watercolor does what it wants and it's fabulous for completely random surprise effects. It's a lot more challenging when you want control over a specific end result.

I'm sure a lot of it is my inexperience and a need for practice, but it does keep me frustrated when I don't get the kind of look I was aiming for. And that's where watercolor patterned paper is perfect. I can get the specific look I'm going for, but also dress it up with stamps or splatters to make it look unique.

Thank You Cookies

 

I have been into cooking and baking lately. I love baking- it's something I've enjoyed for years. But I always find myself with too little time or too little energy to bake regularly. A few years ago, I bought a cookbook with recipes I really wanted to try, but it's been sitting on a shelf since then. My plan when I bought it was to make every single recipe in the book (just like Julie and Julia!), and then life got in the way.

As I'm - in general - trying to make more time for things that I want to do, I am thinking of pulling out that cookbook and making some recipes. Not all of them and no more than a new recipe per month, but a small goal sounds like fun. And who knows, maybe I'll discover a few new recipes to add to my Christmas cookie list.

Kindness and appreciation

 

Today is another card practice day - keeping things simple and testing out some pattern and color combinations. I'm a visual person and the first thing that I'm drawn to is color. I prefer colors that are vivid and saturated, or warm and rich. I like pastels quite a bit too. I think I'm at my happiest and most inspired when I see photos and images with interesting color combinations.

Sometimes this visual inspiration translates into a card. Sometimes it just becomes an image in my head that inspires creative writing or even a creative solution to a problem I might be facing. The way our minds work is mysterious, but I'm always on the lookout for something new that will push me to keep trying.

Birthday Bear

 

Today is my brother's birthday, so I thought I'd share a birthday card. Birthday cards are the type of card I make the most, and yet I still never have enough of them. If I do decide to focus on a theme one of these months, I think it will be a Birthday theme. I certainly could use a bigger selection of birthday cards, not to mention completely cute and snuggly critters are perfectly at home on a birthday card - even when it's a card for a grown up.

I feel like I'm getting closer to putting up some personal challenges again, but I am trying to take it slow. I like the focus that I get from taking on a challenge, as it can make me more productive. The downside is that it does create some pressure and I really need to take things slow and easy, still. I may do some brainstorming and see what I can come up with.

Pink Winter Thanks

 

With this card, I'm wrapping up the month of January. It's been an interesting month in terms of creativity. I seem to have made things in bursts - producing a bunch at once, then taking a step back and making nothing for a while. It feels random and chaotic, but it still yielded results. I've got enough cards to take me well into February.

I think I would prefer something a little more constant. A couple of cards per week instead of 15 on the weekend... I'm still figuring out my schedule and working out how to get it all done. It's not easy most days, but I'm a big believer in making time to do things instead of waiting for inspiration to strike and hoping I won't be doing anything else when it does. Because, let's face it... I'm always doing something else when the inspiration strikes...

Ice-Cream Dreams

 

And from winter, we jump straight into summer! It's cold, but I wanted to do something bright and summery. Thankfully, I had these elements all set and ready to go in my "to-be-used" stash, so it led to some quick card-making. It still felt a little odd to make a summer card when it's so chilly outside, but it did brighten up my day - and that's the best one could hope for.

I am currently bouncing back between wanting to do completely new and innovative things and wanting to go to what's tried-and true. There is a certain comfort you can only get when you're doing something familiar - it's like your body and mind are moving by themselves and you're free to just enjoy the uninterrupted flow of getting things done.

I'll probably be doing that a lot, moving from what I know to what I've never tried before -but I choose to see it as a dance and I intend to master every step.

Christmas Deer

 

I had mentioned in a previous post that I wanted to make at least one Christmas card every month, in hopes it will help build up my stash through the year. In previous years, I've found it really difficult to make cards off-season. It felt odd to make a winter card when it's a hundred degrees outside. But if there's one thing I've learned in 2020 is that it's important to be flexible and to let go of getting it ALL done at once. 

My goal of one Christmas card per month is not big- after all, it will only give me 12 cards at the end of the year, but that's plenty to tide me over if I end up not crafting at all during this year's holiday season. Most of my efforts for the year will be to be more gentle with myself and to strike a balance between my ambitions of what I want done and what I realistically can do given my current state. 

I am training myself to think smaller - a small goal that's achieved and even surpassed is a lot more satisfying than an ambitious goal that has to be dropped because it's too stressful.