Wednesday, September 1, 2021

It's been a rollercoaster of a year...

Hello, Stamping Friends! Is anyone still out there? It's only been well over a year since I posted, heck, since I've crafted regularly. My desk is literally buried in half completed projects, cards, wall hoops, and command strip velcro pieces. If you want to know more about my personal journey, I'll add some details below. It's clear enough that I lost my crafting mojo, and even getting supplies out to craft was no guarantee I'd make anything. When I was asked if I wanted to try out Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge again, my brain lit up! Yes, that's what I need...a committment, a goal, something to DO. I felt so adrift this last year, never knowing what to do or even how to plan for anything. I cannot even express how good it felt to shove a clear spot into my mega mess of a desk and just make a card last night. 
I apologize for the image quality. I need to figure out what I did with my shot box. I literally didn't even know where my laptop was to write this post. I haven't put away any of the craft supplies I've gotten for months. So I sat down and used what was closest and able to be reached easily. The grid paper is from an old holiday paper collection, but I'm loving all the diagonal plaids you see in the newest lines lately. Collecting craft supplies and using craft supplies are two very different hobbies. I softened the pull of the black and white background with some vellum. I stamped that vellum with a sentiment in versamark (You brighten my day), and powdered it with some irridescent barely there powder that photographed very blue. 

I was aiming for a black, white, and gold color combo for the Color Dare Triple Play Challenge, and I swear that butterfly is black and iridescent. I used the leaves, sentiments, and butterflies from Smiles from the Garden. I do have the adorable matching die cuts, but for this I trimmed them out by hand, very close along the stamped edge. Then I detailed the butterflies with gold gel pen, gold shimmer brush, and iridescent powder. I added lots of little sparkles from my stash, which is organized by colors. I love the little black and gold flower sequins (which I think I got from here.) There's plenty of gold stickles daubed about, too. I love the simple elegance of the color combo, plus it's fun to see the slimline cards back! I so appreciate Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge for having me back, and I hope you'll come out and play with us again, too! I'm making plans to stick to my crafting schedule again finally, because it's not just fun but it is so, so good for my mental health and wellness. 

I'd love to read your pandemic stories as well, friends, if you want to share them in the comments below. Sending hugs to y'all!  

MY PANDEMIC "HIGHLIGHTS"....I guess we can call it that?! 
Since February of last year I know we've all been on a rollercoaster of unprecedented events. On my personal rollercoaster we've discovered that my family was only gluten intolerant (not celiac!!) and that our protocols had finally healed us enough to allow us to eat gluten again. We were almost a month into our gluten challenge when the lockdown. aAt first we were all like "oh, sure, just a couple of weeks". I gave my youngest permission to wear nothing but jammies until it was over...and it was over a year before real clothes touched that child again. My dear MIL went into hospice shortly after we started to feel like we could handle that first round of distance learning. We were lucky enough to be able to keep her at home, so she was surrounded by people who loved her for her last days. I only wish we'd been able to help her sooner, because it was such a shock to lose her so soon. 

After a summer spent indoors at home, we did an online academy for the boys for the whole of last school year. I love my children dearly, but sitting at our table trying to help them through 9th, 7th, and 5th grade was not something I ever anticipated as a mother. In a previous career life I was a music teacher, and I've always been an excellent student. That experience in no way prepared me for the whirlwind of teens forced to sit at home with no where to go, no breaks from their siblings, and no rest from the endless school assignments (and the mother who couldn't figure out how to let it coast). We all learned a lot of lessons last year, and thank goodness for online counseling, xboxes, and coffee, because most of our important findings had nothing to do with school.  

My goal shifted from "we are gonna ace these lessons" to "we are gonna come out of this stronger as a family". We got a dog...which is now permanently attached to my hip like velcro. I gardened successfully for the first time in my life. I rescued plants, grew them from seed, and even managed to grow some veggies that were edible this year. I worked on my mental health, adding new tools (medication and tapping) and letting go of old crutches like my need to DO ALL THE THINGS!!! Most projects were started and abandoned each day - so many half done crafty things, home projects, even a garden path. I stopped to play with the boys, to cuddle, to watch a movie, to take a nap. Ahhhh, naps. Seriously, I never used to be able to nap. My brain simply COULD NOT STOP. Naps are amazing.  I played Folklore on endless repeat. I joined a meal kit service, which is now one of my favorite things ever. I'm still trying to get over the deep seated shame I have over not getting all the things done, but most of the time I'm too busy cuddling/walking the dog/reading/napping to let the anxiety rule me like it once did. Plus halfway done is so much better than can't start unless I can make it perfect. 

So that's me right now. I made a card. I shared it here. The photography isn't quite right. The butterflies made me heart happy. Writing this blog post makes me feel less alone. I'm excited to make something else, and working towards a clean studio space. 

I wish all of you peace, happiness, crafts, and a nice nap. 


Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Coffee Loves You Card

I love my life. I love my family. However...sometimes it feels like I need an extra day between each and every day to fit in anything I'd like to do as opposed to whatever is ON FIRE that day. Can days become 48 hours long? Or perhaps I could find an inter-dimensional pocket where time has no meaning...though I have to admit the first thing I'd do there is probably nap. No matter.... I will continue my quest to find both crafting time and blogging time. Coffee helps.
I just got the new Oh My Heart kit, and combined with this week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge and one of my favorite sets ever, Perk Up (which is totally on sale for a screaming good deal right now, just sayin') could this BEEEEE any cuter? Like seriously, folks, adding wiggly eyes to anything is just adorable. Fred Meyer has these little plants in plain ol' terracotta pots right now but someone stuck wiggly eyes on all the pots and I'm super tempted every time I grocery shop, which is like 7 times a week.  I added some cute XOXO washi tape from my stash, and added a lot of sequins, glitter, and sparkles like this cutie is throwing up a handful of confetti. I have a feeling that little stitch stamp might be living on my desk for the foreseeable future.
After I pieced together the coffee cup and added the little arms (hooray!!) then I attached it to some white cardstock and fussy cut the whole shebang to help it stand out from the bold background. There's a pastel heart print in the packet that I'm currently hoarding because I love it more than anything...but I'm hoping to get some time to cut into it soon. I'm linking this project to the Heart 2 Heart Celebrate Good Times challenge, because what is more worth of celebration than Love and Coffee?

Coffee loves you TTHHIISS much, Stampin' Friends, and so do I. Hope you'll pop over to Atlantic Hearts and give this week's sketch a try! 

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Hey! Listen! Legend of Zelda Card

Happy New Year, Stampin' Friends! My youngest kiddo is a New Year's baby. He was a c-section, so the doctor wanted to know if we wanted to try for first baby of the year, but heavily pregnant and barely able to walk me was all OMG NO JUST GET ON WITH IT! Thus was born Max, lover of costumes and fancy clothes, supa sarcastic, and deeply invested in one fandom at a time. 
Currently his deep obssession love is Legend of Zelda. So of course, he wants a Zelda themed birthday party, and he had a lot of say in how this invitation was made. I did start with this week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge, but instead of florals and sentiments I was instructed to make triforces and to quote Navi, Link's fairy friend.  
I used my Cricut to cut the card fronts, adding text to create the Navi quote, which I backed with blue paper, because apparently she's usually blue. We added rows of "bushes" to whack, and I created a triforce with the Shapes tool in design space.
Navi herself is just some vellum butterfly wings with a blue cardstock body. I painted it with the new Lagoon shimmer crush and finger painted on some blue stickles glitter gel. Inside we had the party details and some additional fairies. I wanted to do more, but Max was happy with his vision so off the invites went to his friends. We are having a sword training adventure class at his Martial Arts School, and he is so excited! I'm up to my elbows in treasure chests and cupcake toppers. Welcome to 2020! 

Monday, December 23, 2019

Snowman Joy Card

Holiday greetings, Stampin' Friends! I'm poppin' by to share with you this cute shaker card I whipped up for this week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge
Shaker cards are so much easier with CTMH's Shaker card supplies - foam tape and acetate circles, and Thin Cuts dies to match. I started with the Multi Circle Windows Thin Cuts die for my background, trimmed to size and mounted on a white cardstock base. I stamped a little snowflake in each window, then I created my shaker piece using the precut foam. I added sequins, glitter gems, and some adorably tiny snowflake nail art pieces to the shaker before topping it with the acetate.
Before adding the acetate topper I stamped the JOY sentiment in black ink and traced over it with Stickles glitter gel. I added my little snowman and some white glitter hearts to finish off this adorable Atlantic Hearts sketch challenge card. I hope you and yours enjoy this season of joy!

Monday, December 9, 2019

Tis the Season for Coffee Card

Hello, again! As much as I truly want to be crafting every day,  I dug into my pile of unused newer goodies and came out with one of my biggest loves...COFFEE! I cannot believe I hadn't cracked open the Perk Up stamps yet, but I definitely caff'd up for this week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge.

I used the snowflake print from the Holly Jolly papers, adding some stamped coffee swirls to the upper strip of paper. I embossed the background with the Snowflake embossing folder, and layered some (retired) striped vellum over the center. I cut the coffee cup pieces out using the coordinating dies, stamping and adding shimmer pen to the details. 
I cut the sentiment and heart accents from White Glitter paper, and my fine tip Liquid Glass applicator came in handy to attach the detailed cuts. I added a small pocket on the inside to hold a coffee gift card too!  I hope you'll grab a cup of coffee and pop over to check out the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge too. 

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...