1. More is Not always better: I love cards. Any cards. ESPECIALLY those with lots of layers and lots of embellishments. And that was usually the type of card I made. However, this past year I tried something new. I made cards that were SIMPLE (insert large gasp here!). I never thought of simple cards as something to make. To me, the more difficult, the better the paper crafter I was. Then, I found myself overwhelmed, and in a funk, and generally uninspired. So, I made a single layer card. Then I made a card with one stamp. And, before I knew it, I had fell in love with this "simple" way of crafting. Call it clean and simple, call it KISS (keep it simple sweetie), call it what you will, but I will definitely continue to use and love this new found (to me!) style of card making.
2. Variety is the Spice of Life: This year was really an exploratory year for me in crafting. I found myself drawn to things that I hadn't done before. And things that we out of my comfort zone. And guess what... I LOVED it!! I tried cards that were pretty, cards that were fun, cards that were masculine, and cards that were simple (see #1). So, my new found lesson is VARIETY! Try a mix of styles, designs, and embellishments that maybe you wouldn't normally use.
3. Sketches are a Girl's Best Friend: As I stated in lesson #1, I found myself in a big funk this year. So, I turned to blog surfing and came across some AMAZING challenges. There are challenges out there for every type of paper crafter. Sketches are a popular one... and this particular challenge really got my creativeness going. Other challenges are color challenges, embellishment challenges, and theme challenges. Here are a few of my favs:
Moxie Fab World does a fun Trigger Tuesday Challenge
Retro Sketches does a unique Sketch Challenge
Colour Q has a great Color Challenge
4. It's OK to be in a Funk: Let's face it... no one... and I mean NO ONE.. is creative every single day of the year!! Even the best of them fall into a funk every now and then. And that is exactly what happened to me this year. I was a card making machine, posting on the blog almost every day, doing lots of classes... then BOOM! I couldn't make a card to save my life. I hated everything that was coming from my desk. So, I took a couple weeks (give or take) and started surfing the web (see #3). I started trying new styles and using new things, and before I knew it, I was back on a roll. I CASED some stuff along the way (thank you to all the fabulous paper crafters out there), made some bad projects, found I didn't like using certain things. But, all in all, being in a funk was a really good experience for me (in hind sight!)
5. Go Digital: Stampin' Up! really reved up the digital crafting this year with MDS2 and I decided to give it a try. And what can I say... It really tickles my fancy!!! I love digital design. I can make scrapbook pages in a flash, try new things without ruining a bunch of product, and easily print out my stuff when I'm done. I'm hooked... like truly, madly, obsessed kind of hooked.... and I know you will love it to! Give it a try!!
So, I hope you liked my list of what I learned this year. It was a big year for my crafting. Did you learn anything this year about the style of things you like? Or, maybe something you didn't like? Leave me a comment and let me know!!
good！
Posted by: sheer demi unlined bra | 2013.01.11 at 06:23 PM