How stamping saved me this past month

I’ve been thinking a lot the past few days about this post by Sarah Bush: Is Art Your Sactuary?. Sarah has really fantastic insights about creativity…how to find it, keep it going, and rediscover it if you’ve lost your mojo.

Sarah’s post about art being a sanctuary really hit home for me, because I’ve been on a creative tear all month. I’ve posted a lot on this blog…and that is only the tip of the iceburg of projects I’ve got going now. What I realized after reading Sarah’s post is the extent to which I’ve been using stamping as a stress reliever.

My full-time job has been very hectic and stressful. I work in the solar industry – business is booming and we are doing at least 2-3x the amount of business as previous years. Fantastic right? Well, yeah, but we are doing it with the same number of people, and I’m feeling a bit worse for wear.

What has saved me is going home, pulling out some stamps and paper and playing around. Or getting some wood, fabric, and a staple gun and creating a cool side table for the living room. Or putting together a new storage unit for my burgeoning stamp collection. All of these have kept me from getting stuck in my own head and stewing about the stresses of work.

One of the things Sarah talks about is appreciating yourself. Here are my self-appreciations for this month:

1. I appreciate that I was able to keep a calm head at work by focusing on crafting at home.
2. I appreciate that crafting on a daily basis has made me more creative in all aspects of my life
3. I appreciate that I found the time to finish and submit a fab project for one of the monthly SU! Demo art contests.
4. I appreciate how being an SU! Demo has allowed me to stay close to two of my good friends from college who live far away (my uplines Jess and Amy).
5. I appreciate how crafting connected me to an online community that is vibrant and supportive.

Wishing you lots of creative mojo!

Craft Area Organization

My crafting area, while organized, is far from ideal. First, it is in my dining room. Right now I do most of my stamping in my living room on the coffee table, and this keeps the supplies close. Second, it is split into three distinct areas…an old dresser, an old media center, and on top of some old speakers. A girl’s got to work with what she has, right?

Now, thanks to Andrea Walford, I’m dreaming of bigger and better things…products from The Original Scrapbox. She is hosting a blog give away for the EZ View Desktop:

The Scrap Box EZ View Desktop

Isn’t that fantastic? I checked out the website and have added the EZ View Craft Desk to my wishlist. They have other great organizational tools as well, so check them out. I also love The ScrapMaBob. It keeps my wet drink away from my project AND hold trash? Jackpot!

Interested in entering the give away? Check out the details on Andrea Walford’s blog.

Gift Basket

I think this turned out well. It has a Simply Sent Card Elements Kit, a Stamp Set, SNAIL, Stampin’ Spot, extra paper, and a pack of homemade cards. You can see the coupon book/mini album in the lower right corner.

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog! Here I’m going to focus on my creative endeavors…my inspirations, my successes and my failures. Most posts will be about paper crafts (cards, scrapbooks, etc) but who knows, if I’m particularly proud of something I’ve photographed or cooked or built…that may show up too.

At the top you’ll see a link “Art Gallery”. This is where you’ll find photos of my “work” (ha ha…doesn’t that make me sound like an artist?). On the left are links to my Stampin’ Up! demonstrator website – in case you are interested in ordering, hosting a workshop, or attending one of my Stampin’ Up! events. There are allso some website that I go to when I need inspiration.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you come back often!