Inspiring...

Hello everyone! I'm back!
I want to first start by thanking everyone for all the comments, Facebook messages, and  e-mails in response to my last post. I really appreciate all your support, and all you shared with me in your messages. From many, I also got questions, and I'm going to address one here today.
It seems like many have gone through what I'm going through at the moment, but considering how hard the whole process is, many have just given up, and not really known how to start the whole de-cluterring of craft supplies, as letting go of stuff we once loved so much, seems to be such a hard thing to do.
Well, let me introduce you to something that I think really helped me start, and follow through with my current de-cluterring/organizing process in my craft room. I randomly picked up this book a few weeks back, curious to see what perspective the book would give me. I'm an organized person as is, but I just couldn't figure out what to do to help my craft room/office be what I wanted it to be. Maybe, this book would give me some insight on something I'd never done before? I didn't hesitate, and ordered it. Got it the next day, and started reading right away.

I read the whole book pretty quickly, and got really intrigued by what the author's method of "tidying up" was... I definitely recommend the book. Some things seem quite extreme, but in my opinion a lot of things do make sense, and have really helped me in my process of choosing what tot get rid of, and what to keep, while at the same time feeling happy with the whole process. I don't want to elaborate too much on it, as reading the book in it's entirety will give you a better idea of how everything works.

I'm no way near done with what I want to accomplish in my workspace (I'm so picky it's insane!), but I can honestly say, lots has been done, and so far I have no regrets!

So, to answer the questions: How do you get started? How do you approach it? How do you decide what to keep, how to organize? Read this book. It will definitely help you rationalize, and facilitate the process. It sure helped me. 

Have a great week!

Seriously....

I've been hoping to sit down and update this blog for literally over a month and a half now. Seriously! The end of last year and beginning of this year, have definitely been super duper busy for me, as you might have noticed from my lack of posts and projects. Let's just say it's been crazy, but I'm still standing, and I thank God for that!
I apologize for the lack of posts, but not only have I been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off in the last few months, but I've also suffered from lack of mojo. Don't know if it's related to my crazy busy life at the moment, but I'm really tired of it, and have been wanting to create for quite some time, yet haven't managed to do so.
Every time I've tried to sit down and make something, there has ALWAYS been something that has interrupted me, and or, the fact that I've had no inspiration whatsoever makes me take such a long time to think of anything to make, that by the time I've figured something out, something comes up and I can't even start it!
It's been quite frustrating, and one day it just hit me. I went in my office/studio/craft-room/ whatever you want to call it, and looked all around. I felt overwhelmed. It's no mystery that we as crafters (at least the majority of us), buy a lot more, and faster than we create. There's always something new coming out we just have to have, yet we still have not even touched what we bought a month ago. Can you relate? Over time, things accumulate, and new projects get put on the " I'm going to use that for such and such a project one day," and that day usually never comes, as the cycle continues.

I've been really into creating since 2008, so you can just imagine all the stuff I've accumulated over the years. Yes, a lot of things have brought me a ton of joy, but a lot of things I've learned that I will never be using, because either it's no longer my style, or I have too many other things that are very similar to it. I have done what we call "detashes" of some product in the past, but as I looked at my room filled to the rims with supplies, I realized I needed to do a huge purge of products, and just maybe, that would help me get out of the craft rut I'm in, and allow me to be happy in the space I use to create.

We moved into this house over a year ago, and though I've spent quite a bit of time unpacking, organizing, setting things up, I've never been totally happy with the way it looks, and also of the way some of my 'storage solutions' work for me.  So I've started a journey----going through my stuff and hoping to get some of them to a new home, where they will actually get used.  I posted my first destash video in the middle of February sometime, then a second one last week. I'm currently getting ready to finish filming and releasing a new video with more stuff to sell, and let me tell you, the struggle has been real...even though I have managed to put a lot of stuff in the "sell"pile, there's still a ton of stuff I can't seem to let go off. It's hard, I'm working on it. Just like I'm working on getting creatively active on this platform once again.  Many have seen my 'destash' videos, and emailed me asking if I was not going to create anymore. I am. I'm not stopping. I'm just helping myself get back to it.

Will you join me? Will you stick around while all these things take place, and things fall back into place? Have you felt this way at any time before? How did you handle it? What worked for you? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. I always love hearing from you. I know it will take time, but I'm positive I'll get there. I want to get there. I hope you stick around, and that you are still there :)

IAR "End of the Year" Blog Hop

Welcome to the I Am Roses “End of the Year” Blog Hop!
If you are following along the hop line, you should be coming from Kate's blog. If not, and you've just joined us, please feel free to check out the rest of the line up listed at the end of this post, and remember to leave comments on each stop to increase your chance of winning a great prize! 

For this hop I created some paper ornaments which are great to add to your Christmas tree, and/or  to add to presents as an extra embellishment.  It's a little something special that is handmade and is very simple to do. 

I used several different I Am Roses products to create each of the ones below, and they are:

-Turquoise Blue Small Paper Flower (R19-266)

- Red Small Gardenia Flower (GB3-79)

-White Mulberry Paper Flowers (R8-15)

- Small Crochet White Flower (JC3-79)

- Maple Leaves ( (L21-836) 

- Foam head white Stamen ( ST1-151) 

I used Tim Holt's Rosette Alteration die (the original version), as the base of the ornament, and decorated with flowers, leaves, stamens and some ribbon. The handmade products by I Am Roses make them look so pretty, and make the process of making these super fast, so you could easily make a whole bunch of them rather quickly, and decorate your whole tree without having to buy a single ornament! By using different designer paper, ribbons, and colored flowers, you could create a variety of different ornaments, with any theme in mind. The possibilities are endless!

 

Here’s the how to, for your chance to win:

• Hop along to each of the Designers’ blogs and be sure to comment on their individual "End of the Year” Blog Post
• There are 2 HIDDEN BLOG CANDY PRIZES up for grabs in TWO of our hoppers’ blogs!
• Be sure to Subscribe/Follow the I Am Roses Challenge Blog (http://iamroses-challenge.blogspot.com/).
• Commenting along the way highly increases your chance of winning the prize package.
• Comments will be CLOSED on 11:59pm PST on SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21st
• We will be randomly selecting 2 winners from the comments on two of the blogs and will announce the winners on the I Am Roses Challenge Blog. 

In case you get lost along the way, here is a list of the I Am Roses Design Team hopping today:

Jo: http://www.paperdrama.blogspot.com/

Tamara: http://handmadebytamara.blogspot.com/

Ivett: http://ivettcarrillo.blogspot.com/

Marisa: http://maribellscrapsportugal.blogspot.com/

Aliscia: http://iscraphappy1.blogspot.com/

Kate: http://scrapyardthe.wordpress.com/

Sharon: http://smscrapperdesigns.blogspot.com/

Good Luck!

Happy Late-Thanksgiving?!!?!

Hello there and Happy Late -Thanksgiving!

Believe it or not, I've had this Thanksgiving post set up for weeks before it's scheduled post date of Nov. 27th, and for some unknown reason, my blog did not post it, as it usually does when I schedule posts for publication on specific dates! On top of that, I did not check to see if the post actually went live the day it was supposed to, as I usually do as well! So yeah, basically my thanksgiving post never got published on this blog. Ugh!

Well, like I always say, better late than never, and I've just decided to post it anyways today, which is when I noticed it on my blog's dashboard, marked as "draft" just when I came here to draft a blog post that will be up in the next few days (yeah can you tell I haven't even seen my blog dashboard in a while?! It's been a crazy end of the year for me).

Anyways, here's the original post that should have gone up on Thanksgiving day for you guys. It is very ironic it did not go public when it was supposed to, and you'll see what I mean when you read what I discussed in it. Remarkable! I apologize for it's delay, and I hope you enjoy it.

__________________________________

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and it's a sad thing that commercialism has made it so you barely hear about it, as Christmas seems to be "what's up" from now until the end of the year!

I cannot believe the amount of Halloween, and every other holiday decor, hype etc, yet when it comes to Thanksgiving, we barely get to see anything at all, as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, as well as all the preparation for Christmas decorating takes over all the stores, schools etc etc.

Thanksgiving is SO IMPORTANT, but I see how every year, it all gets diminished to a meal interrupted by super sales. Come on! Have we forgotten the importance of Thanksgiving? I think we have kind of "let it happen", and it seems to have gotten to the point of no return. So sad.

Well, I refuse to let it go by unnoticed, and I made this card using the Lindy's Stamp Gang Color Challenge Palette for the month of November.

I used several different colors of Magicals ( Golden Sleigh Bells, Red Hot Poker Orange, Autumn Maple Crimson, Canna Lily Burnt Orange, Cattail Copper Brown, Tibetan Poppy Teal, Sweet violet Purple Teal) to create the color gradation on the leaves, which were cut by the Tim Holtz Alterations Autumn Gatherings die. Once the leaves has color, I added a bit of embossing powder in Angel Wings Gold. I stamped the sentiment using a Stamping' up stamp set called Tags 4 You, using Chestnut brown chalk Ink and Twilight Bronze Slate embossing powder.

I hope you like this card, and take some time to join the Lindy's Stamp Gang Color Challenge. This month's challenge is almost coming to an end, so hurry on up there to find out the rules, and what to do to enter. You can win a $50 gift card! Thanks for stopping by. I'm thankful for you!

"Very Merry" Gift Tag

Hello friends!
Today I want to share a gift card I created using some I Am Roses products, as well as some Stamping up, Sizzix and more!
It's fun to make tags for your gift giving, and that's what I did for this post. I made a super cute tag (if I do say so myself!) that can be easily duplicated and mass produced!

I used beautiful Cherry Blossoms from I am Roses, as well as some white stamens from the site. They sure add some more pizzaz to that American Crafts Wood Veneer Reindeer, which I embossed all over using Lindy's Stamp Gang's Twilight Bronze Slate embossing powder. I just love the color and texture he ended up being! He is truly handsome, don't you think? Haha!

I added some texture using a doily in the background, yet I kept it all crispy white to make it a little more "elegant-cute", instead of "kiddy-cute", know what I mean? Some Martha Stewart punches (holly leaf and branch punch) were used, as well as Stampin' up embossing folder (Striking Stripes), some ribbon, and the "Short and Sweet "stamp set by Stampin' up.

Love how it came out. Do you?
Make sure you join the I am Roses Challenge this month for your chance to win some awesome goodies!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner!!!

Hello friends!

Today I wanted to share with you a fun tutorial, on how to create cute place card holders, as well as treat holders for your Thanksgiving table. The adults and the kids will love getting these at their place in the table. It looks like it's complicated to make, but it's really not!

Used some I Am Roses Flowers ( G1-426) (L21) (L20), as well as some Stampin up Sweet Treat cups, paper from the Ambrosia Collection by Basic Grey, some googly eyes, and some lightweight chipboard.

These are super cute and easy to mass produce, so no matter if you have 4,6,12 or even 24 people coming over for dinner on Thanksgiving Day, you'll have no trouble getting these done. Hope you enjoy the tutorial below!

"Cutie" Scrapbook Layout

Hello everyone! Today I want to share with you how I created my layout for the Lindy's Stamp Gang October Color Challenge reveal day. You'll get to see some close up shots, as well as enjoy a quick video tutorial on what I did to create it!
If you've followed me on my YouTube Channel for quite a while, you know very well the love affair I have with Lindy's Stamp Gang embossing powders. I just think they are so unique, and give any project such an awesome look. In this layout, I used several of them, in different ways, I love the two toned effect on the different areas of my layout. In the close up shots, you'll be able to tell the awesomeness of these powders. Take a closer look:       

This is the finished layout in its entirety, and the video tutorial for you enjoyment. Hope you like it!

Products used:
- Hibiscus Rose Orange Embossing Powder
- Desert Moon Copper Teal Embossing Powder
- Black Orchid Purple Startburst Stain
- Stampendous Embossing Ink
- The Crafter's Workshop Mini Tile Texture template
- Dylusions Luscious leaves Stencil
- Petaloo Flowers
- Hobby Lobby Flowers
- Petaloo butterflies
- White doilies
- MME chipboard Sticker
- Prima Wood venner border
- Paper swirls from my stash
- Chipboard alpha from my stash
- Guesso and Soft Matte Gel Medium by Golden

Altered Paper Bag Tutorial

Hi there, and happy fall!

October is here and fall is in full swing, and you know what that means, Thanksgiving and Christmas is just around the corner!

Today I wanted to share with you an altered paper bag I created for the I Am Roses challenge for this month on the I Am Roses Challenge blog. This month's theme is to use black and orange and the challenge is to use/create/incorporate a bag.

I altered a kraft lunch bag using one of my Gorjuss Girl stamped images, and my daughter loves it!

I used Teresa Collin's Haunted Hallow's paper, Lil Inker Designs Small Bow Die, Simon Says Stamp "Expressions for you" Set (die and stamps), as well as I Am Roses daisies in black (D1-505), and also a few rose buds in both black and white (T30-274) (T30-151). In addition i added a doily, and some black tule to the back of the bag as my base for everything. Please enjoy the video below so you can see how this came together. To not miss any of my other tutorials, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel here. Thanks for stopping by!

A Fall Hello

Hello friends!

Seems like life has taken over my world, because again I have succumbed to posting fewer times than I would genuinely want to post in a month, ugh! Totally annoying because of course I'm so super hyped about getting a rhythm and then life happens and I'm stuck like chuck lol!

Well, I'm not going to let that pull me down, and we'll just go ahead with the next little project I have to share with you.

Made a fall themed card, as everyone seems to be longing so much for that time of the year which is quickly approaching, and I just had to join in the fun!

Like with most of my projects, I've made a quick video so you can see the process of me making this card. It has a funky background that shimmers in the light thanks to my trusty Lindy's Stamp Gang products. The I Am Roses items I used are the perfect shade for the spray combo I used. This card will be going in a special someone's package I'm taking to the post office hopefully today (or Monday hehe!).

You can enjoy on the video on my channel HERE, and here are the products used:

- I Am Roses SP1 Flower Spray

- I AM Roses  K1-805 Skeleton Leaves

- The Crafter's workshop  Mini Woodgrain Stencil

- Simon Says Stamp Small Hello Die

- Lindy's Stamp Gang Sprays in: Down The Rabbit Hole, Cowabunga Copper, Pineapple Paradise, Ponderosa Pines Olive, My Mojito Green

- Cheese Cloth

- Seam Binding

- Yellow Sequin

- Light Molding Paste by Golden

A Combo Made in Heaven!

Hello friends, and happy September! I'm super excited that September is here, as it is my favorite time of the year because this month is my birthday month yippie!!!

Today I wanted to share with you a project I made for the Lindy's Stamp Gang September Color Challenge, as well as the I Am Roses September Challenge. This month I combined both challenges and created the piece below:

The I Am Rose Challenge this month is Steampunk Themed, and I needed to incorporate butterflies somehow. The Lindy's Color Challenge Palette for this month is the following one:

I thought both challenges were a match made in heaven, and went for it. The Steampunk style is not necessarily my forte, but I liked how this turned out. I made a video tutorial on this piece, which up can find HERE for your enjoyment. I leave you with some close ups of my piece, and at the end a list of the items that I used:

Please go check out both challenges, and enter. Both promise great prizes! Check out Lindy's Challenge HERE, and I Am Roses Challenge HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

Products Used:

- Lindy's Stamp Gang September Limited Edition MEGA set

- Tim Holtz Gadget Gears and heart Wing's Bigz Dies

- I Am Roses R19-826 Mulbery Small Flowers

- I Am Roses R21-826 Mixed Brown and Turquoise Paper Flowers

- I Am Roses White Small Paper Roses R19-15

- Tim Holtz Texture Fade in Gears

- Sizzix Embossing Folder in Cracked Surface

- Tim Holtz Stencil "Dot Fade"

- Golden Light Modeling Paste

- Lindy's Stamp Gang Flat Magicals in Tres Chic

- Tim Holtz Metal Gears

- Martha Stewart Buttlerfly Trio Punch

- Metal Clock from Michael's 

- Technique tuesday Sentiment Stamp "Chronology" Stamp set