Eye Candy

Creativity Hiatus

My summer was full of loads of creative projects and so for now, papercrafting is taking a backseat for school. But maybe just maybe I'll get some pics up of past cards with all their amazing texture.

We'll see.

Stampin' Up! Independent Demo changes

1-Well since I've NEVER been a fan this does not change my opinion of the company in question, however, it changes all my favorite blog stops as I will no longer be viewing random SU! on blog hops.But I've never been a fan, believing that their stamps just don't have the 'Angie pizazz', rather I have avidly searched out happy stamping companies. Companies that allow people to be on more than one design team.

In fact I feel a lot of other craft companies encourage their products to be compared to others because they do not worry about inefficiency or lack of quality.

I am not a matchy matchy cute person, I like texture and freedom, to put on a 'mad scientist' hat to quote Tim Holtz and go to town. To create something that is unique to me, not like card parties with everything precut. Yes I am always the one who looks at it and says "well what if you did it different?" while others around me look at me like I broke a nice china plate.

So it is with a heavy heart that I see a hobby I love so much under attack for many fellow hobbyists. You see, this limiting of items is the very reason why I swore against crafting for years. It was not until I found reaffirment through Unity Stamps, Tim Holtz, Heidi Swapp and many many others that I realized that this craft is for creating, for making, in whatever form we want. With so many innovative tools with suggested use ideas, its clear the sky is the limit.

And for me, there are bits and pieces I like about different companies. However, stamp mogul, Stampin' Up! has decided that demo's that post projects listing other companies projects are no longer welcome.

One monumental hurdle for me is still submitting for publications under the new IDA; you cannot list using other products on items you submit for publication and if you do under section 20-b [I will be responsible for any and all legal fees or costs incurred by the Company to collect such debt, regardless of whether suit has been filed, includingfees in any mediation, arbitration, trial court, or any appeal.]they can in turn make you pay for legal fees if you advertise for other companies. How bad will this hurt other company's design teams and designers?

Other sources for people who are dumbstruck by this new Independent Demonstrator Agreement should check out Craft Critique who is documenting reactions as well as what Stampin! Up has to say.

A very eloquent Demonstrator's response by Cynthia is found here.

Changes For the Good

I added some delightful links on the side!

You should check them out. I love all the stylish ladies blogs and one even inspired me to go through my closet and organize everything.

So a trip to ikea later, 3 days later, 2 bags of clothes unworn for at least a year, and voila!

An organized closet with clothes I actually wear.

There were moments of utter frustration, anger, denial, pain, bargaining, reflection, the upward turn, thoughts of reconstruction and new organization, with new acceptance and hoe.

Thats right I fully grieved for my closet.

And once in this new found purge mode, I couldn't stop.

I argue it was to prep myself for my last year on my undergrad, but I don't know if thats wholy true.

MSH is quite the struggle for me at times. Of course I love the price and location, but living in under 500 sq feet in a fully FUNCTIONAL home is quite the task at times.

But among my favorite Ikea new organizers are the laundry hanging rack and the hanging closet organizers.

Truly amazing and it has just saved me at least $2.00 a month on taking my clothes down to the dryer.

Next on the ikea organizing list is the problematic computer desk. Things just get thrown there, its awkward and built into the apartment.

Does anyone have any suggestions or advice on what they do to keep problem areas clutter free?

I Love My Life!

So on the 4th of July, my sil told me she had free paper for me to go through! Its like Christmas in July! Anywho, so I went through it and the paper is divine. The deal: My sil's aunt works at a paper recycling place and they get loads of unused dp thats yet to be released to stores because there is something wrong with the packaging! The paper however is as beautiful as ever and so so lovely.

With upcoming CHA I'm fairly certain they are new papers that are unreleased to the public (that's how it was last Jan.). So I'm going to be careful not to put pics up of my paper until after CHA with projects. However, I have to say the papers are so so fun and quite divine.

Firsts

So this card has a lot of firsts for me. It's the first time I have cut out a stamped item for a card. I really liked the result, so me thinks that there will be some paper piecing in my future. It the first time I have threaded through a button. First project after the big clean sweep of my craft area. So really just a lot of firsts. And its the first time sewing on paper! I know, kind of kidish of me, but I couldn't not use my hand held sewer that was found at a rummage sale when I was in Wisconsin. It was only a dollar and its very very small and portable. Mary would even be hard pressed to tell me it was a stupid expenditure.



And its the first card picture I've taken during a nice sunny day. I was home for lunch and thought I'd take some pics before I send it on its merry way.

Hurray for a whole new lot of firsts.

Paper: Bazzill Cardstock, DP Basic Grey 'Wisteria'
Supplies: Vintage Button, Twine, Handheld Sewer, Cuttlebug Textiles folder
Ink: Colorbox Winter White, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Black Soot

Organized Space

My sister helped me review my craft closet this last weekend.

It.
Was.
Frightening.

And she took a few hours out of her last Saturdays in the US to bring order and control to my space.

What followed after many comments of "How can one person have so much paper" and "Do you actually use this?" and a garbage bag full of paper scraps and a donation bag was a lovely organized OCD eat your heart out space.

Luckily we forgot to take before pics.

But here are the Beautiful after pics!

I got the magnetic embellishment tin idea from my very talented cousin Erica!
An empty container perfect for crops and craft days elsewhere!
Hanging tools
Ribbon and more tools
Unity unmounted stamps
Paper organized into neutrals, warms and cools
Check out all that light and I can move it to just where I need it!

Ta-Da!

Mary really is awesome when it comes to organization, and I owe her so much.

Thanks Mar!