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| Front view --> I used a pre-decorated card base from my stash...also, the happy circle was from the very old embellie sheets. |
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| Back view --> Used my SU label punch and a Coluzzle oval shape to add the handmade signature... |
I read all the time how other scrappers' advice is to begin with the paper, and I have always followed that advice. That's been the de facto process in books and scrapping communities. Starting with the paper is excellent advice if you have managed to not accumulate the equivalent of a small country's economy in supplies. But I recently decided that I need a more effective game plan for my specific needs, so I'm going to try operating by these rules for the next few months and see if it makes any difference:
My Scrapping Game Plan for the Next 3 Months:
1. Start with the one or more embellies that I am trying to use up, then pick out everything else. Frankly, my paper supply is plenty varied enough to handle it, I think. And this keeps my focus on the embellie so I make sure I use it.
2. Make different sizes of cards, more square, half-sheets and #10's, and cover every surface I can with paper, not just the front. Making this change not only will help me use up more paper, it will provide me more variety in my creativity. I sometimes get really frustrated with the small surface on an A-2 card size.
3. Keep my stamping to a minimum during this time. Last year, one of my goals was to stamp more, and I did, but now I need to concentrate on scrapping supplies and I have so many alphabet stickers and rub-ons and sentiment phrases to use. I'll still be stamping plenty, though. I just need to narrow it down to sentiments that compliment the ready-made ones I need to use. I can also print out whatever extra I need, too.
4. New products moratorium! I don't really know how well I will follow this one, as I am very weak-willed about some things. But aside from replenishing my dry adhesives, I definitely don't need another thing. And I need to try hard to do is to quit buying stamps. Digital stamps are perfectly okay and are really the direction I should be going from now on when I need anything in particular.
5. Quit being solely deadline-driven. I've analyzed this closely as it affects me, and I am both addicted to and allergic to deadlines. My prior healthy life addicted me, and now my current chronically-ill life tolerates deadline pressure badly. I recently made and submitted a couple of cards using current sketches and it was enough for me to remember that I shouldn't do that. It negatively affects my entire enjoyment in creating. Didn't used to, but it does now. I've got to be vigilent in not joining challenges and any deadline-driven things in general. A few will be necessary and even worth it, but only if I choose carefully. This is really hard for me to remember, so it will take work. Right now, I'm about a month ahead in my card-making inventory. I have a rather large family that I make cards for, but with some dedication early on I may be able to get the entire year's worth of cards for them knocked out early on. So that's part of my plan.
6. I want to try and have a weekly card-making day for these cards and for other kinds of cards that I do not have an immediate use or need for. I've found myself wishing I could just make cards for no reason other than just to make them. So, I'm gonna try to try it out.
7. Work ahead! I'd also love to be making 4th of July and Fall cards right now, and at the very least, Easter cards. I'm jealous of other bloggers who are managing to make one Christmas card per week.
Well, enough for now. Laterz...til then....
