CRAFT YOU.

SEEK YOUR CREATIVE SPACE WITH TENCRAFTYFINGERS

****RAK CLOSED****Love Me Do (And Love You Too!) February 21, 2010

Filed under: Altered Projects,Cardmaking,Just a Thought,Scrapbooking — tencraftyfingers @ 12:57 PM
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Alright…alright.  I can reel in the mushy stuff but only long enough to tell you that this blog post is all about you!  My readers, subscribers, and anyone else that has spent any part of their time reading what I have said and viewing what I have created.

As I noted in a few previous Twitter posts, I have prepared a giveaway this week.  Here is a photo of what the lucky person will receive:

  • 1 chipboard album
  • Over 40 sheets of 6 x 6 designer papers
  • 1 Stampin’ Up stamp set (4 stamps included)
  • 1 set of Heidi Swapp photo corners (60 included)
  • 2 Laundry Line clear acrylic stamps
  • 1 set of designer chipboard alpha letters
  • Various chipboard elements (Stampin’ Up’s Top Note, K & Co, Sizzix’s Tickets, Butterfly #3, Stem Leaves, Stitched Frame, Dogwood Flower w/Stem, etc.)
  • Various die cuts (from Sizzix and Making Memories)
  • 1 Tim Holtz keyhole
  • 1 Tim Holtz word key
  • 1 Heidi Swapp bird mirror
  • Various embellishments (Including a Making Memories key and other Vintage Findings items:  stamp, fabric leaf, hat pins, sequins, antique button, as well as half back pearls from Basic Grey and a blinged-out paperclip from K and Co)

Fun stuff, huh?  I had so much fun, I repeat, SO MUCH fun completing that last mini album, that I’d like to share my experience with you.  This RAK giveaway contains enough supplies to make your own mini album or you could use the pieces separately to accent all those wonderful upcoming spring pages–your choice!

Here’s all you need to do for your chance to win:

Opportunity #1:  Comment directly at the end of this blog post.

Opportunity #2:  Subscribe to my channel and comment on my corresponding YouTube video.  CLICK RIGHT HERE.   

If you’ve understood the rules correctly, you have up to 2 chances to win, so give it a shot.  The winner will be picked at random on Saturday night (giveaway closes at 8pm ET) and announced here next Sunday, so you’ve got a few days to enter.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions. I can’t wait to give all of these goodies a good home!

 

Gettin’ It Done February 8, 2010

Filed under: Altered Projects,Tips, Tricks and Techniques — tencraftyfingers @ 1:55 PM
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It’s still relatively early in 2010 and while I don’t usually make resolutions, I’ve decided to try to get a handle on accomplishing those things that are always on my to-do list. 

While I would love to say that list encompasses things like my daily workout and finally cleaning out all the closets, it actually has fun stuff on it like working on my mini album and blog hopping. 

Sometimes life gets in the way and just like us folks that are trying to dig out from this recent blizzard, you can’t always always know what to expect.  But, you do have to find your way back on track and forgive yourself if you go off course sometimes.  We’re human.  It happens.

To help keep myself on track, I’ve organized my tasks into a schedule of sorts:  Mondays, I usually check in with the blogs I read (although I check back in throughout the week).  On Tuesdays, I tackle a one time goal like finally creating an inventory of all my Stampin’ Up! stamps.  I’ve dedicated Friday nights to working on my son’s scrapbook, which you’ve been reading a lot about lately.  And so on and so forth…

If I happen to miss a day’s work, I don’t stress it too much.  I just attempt to complete the day’s “assignment” and continue working on my goals.  It helps me to not feel overwhelmed, but more than that, I don’t feel like I’m neglecting any of my projects. 

Pictured above:  my Master List Keeper, as I’m calling it.  I’m a person that likes to keep different lists together.  So, the left side note pad (second photo) I would use for my grocery shopping, while the one on the bottom right might be used to give a quick reminder to someone else.  The top right one would be one for myself, or a place to jot down some project inspiration I’ve come across and don’t want to forget. 

The great thing is that you can adapt this idea to fit your needs.  Say you prefer two sets of “grocery-style” notepads or you want every type of post-it pad known to man at your fingertips. Done!

I’ll be uploading a video to my YouTube channel soon and I’ll give you some tips on how to change it up to better meet you needs.  Stay tuned!

 

A Tsk List, A Task List December 27, 2009

Filed under: Scrapbooking,Tips, Tricks and Techniques — tencraftyfingers @ 3:35 PM
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While I don’t know what a tisket or a tasket really is, I do know what it means to have a tsk list or task list.  Most folks are already mentally in this mode just by the changes that occur only around this time of year.  As I age I recognize that the holidays only seem to get quicker with time and before you know it, they’re over.  You never seem to have as much time as you think you do and all of the things that you had hoped to accomplish only get pushed back a few more weeks.

Did you know that I am the queen of lists?  I have lists all over the place, written on everything from post its to my paint-covered grid paper, to that recycled small scrap of nothing that could easily (and most likely will) be trashed.  Although a good portion of my lists are in my head and not written down as they should be, they all attempt to do one thing–get me organized.  What is it about starting a new year that makes everything so urgent? Starting a diet, donating old clothes to charity, organizing your scrap space….wait.  Organizing your scrap space?  Why of course!  That has a permanent address on my tsk list, I mean, task list.

I’ve done a really good job monitoring what is going out and coming in.  I’ve even sold some stuff, attempted to sell other stuff that I will most likely donate, and I’ve purged continuously.  However, while I could talk about the fact that there have been some once-in-a-lifetime deals out there that I simply had to take advantage of, I will only say that there is really only one rule when it comes to getting your crafting organized:  If you don’t see it, you won’t use it.  Many paper crafters struggle with the balance of having everything at arm’s length, but not have everything out in the open. 

The product that I review in the video, the Clip It Up, helps to solve this problem.  This first video shows you how to assemble it as well as some tips on how best to use the product.  Let me know if you have any questions (and please comment if you are so inclined).  I will have a follow-up video of the Clip It Up in action soon.  Stay tuned!

 

To Market, To Market (Or, How to Price your Crafts) November 15, 2009

Filed under: Tips, Tricks and Techniques — tencraftyfingers @ 1:00 PM
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For the last couple of weeks I’ve been extremely busy getting ready for my first official craft fair.  So, in addition to my full-time job and being a full-time mom, I’ve turned my hobby into a full part-time job. 

I didn’t really have a game plan in mind, you see.  As a matter of fact, I didn’t even “price” my wares until I began setting up.  That part I had planned to do beforehand; however, I ran out of time and was much more concerned with having enough product and a variety of product to sell.  If I didn’t have anything good to sell, who would care about the price anyway, right?

I’ve done a few quick online searches to see how people determine their price points.  I even looked at tips people have posted about selling at flea markets and the like.  Needless to say, I’ve didn’t come across any really useful information.  So what does a crafty person do when something doesn’t exist?  They make it up!  And that is exactly what I did.  As I began laying items out, I took into consideration the approximate cost it took to make, multiplied by my time and effort, minus what it took to secure the table (a 20% total donation), adding my “profit” and you get….a very confusing process.

My original plan was to treat each item as one large summation of a lot of small costs.  I was going to rely on what I had learned as a budding chef (oh yeah, I did that too once) and break each item down by the pound and ounce.  Or in this case, that would be foot and inch.  For example, a 12×12 inch sheet of paper that costs me $1.44 equals 1 cent per  inch.  If I create a card that is 6×6 inches, then I have spent 72 cents because the card is actually 12 x 6 inches in size. 

While this is a very elementary example, you get the point.  The same would go for inches of ribbon and embellishments.  If a have spent $3 on 30 eyelets, I know that I have spent 10 cents per eyelet.  And so, I would transfer the costs into the price of the card.  That’s the easy part.  The hard part is accounting for my time and effort.  What is my time worth?  Only you can decipher that one.  However, when it all comes down to it, your customers want a good price.  And based on how much I sold and the fact that no one raised their eyebrows at me, I think I estimated well, especially for the first try. I was very humbled and very encouraged.

Take a look and be sure to tell me what you think.  I’ve signed myself up for another fair in a couple of weeks.  Wish me luck!

 

Scrapbooking, Where Art Thou? September 27, 2009

Filed under: Scrapbooking — tencraftyfingers @ 9:39 PM
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It occurred to me today just how long it’s been since I’ve scrapbooked.  Don’t get me wrong; I’m always doing something creative.  As a matter of fact, I was commissioned not too long ago to create a scrapbook for a friend as a wedding gift.  It took me relatively a short amount of time (about 4 weeks or so) to complete 20 original, fully embellished, 12 x 12 pages.  I surprised myself.  Quite obviously, this is a very good friend or maybe…I’m just that talented. (HA!)

In that case, there was a motivating factor and a deadline.  My problem is that I like to do a little of everything.  I like cards because they’re quick and easy, although most of my cards are more involved than I’d like to admit.  I like 3D projects and altered art because I like the challenge of transforming something into something else.  Mini albums are my new obsession. But scrapbooking, the very thing that got me hooked, is the thing that I do the least often. Oh the horror!

The subject that I scrapbook, almost solely in fact, is my son.  I take pictures and videos of him all the time.  That kid is an addicting fellow and as a result, I have tons of material.  That’s the easy part.  Buying supplies for the layout that I have all sketched out in my brain (or on paper) is even easier.  I can even find the time, believe it or not.  I just have so many things that I’m working on simultaneously.  However, since scrapbooking my legacy is the most important thing to me, I must find a way to fall back in love with it again.  

To help me along, I’ve decided on one deadline and one deadline only–when he turns a year, I must have a year’s worth of photos, memories, and milestones completed.  The debut of his new book runs concurrently with his birthday celebration.  And that’s that.  If it takes me longer than it should to get some pages done, then the guilt will weigh heavily enough and I will adapt my work accordingly. So what’s stopping you from doing something that you love to do?  And more importantly, what is your plan for getting back on track with it?  What are you waiting for?

Time’s ticking.

 

 
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