by Sharon | May 2, 2016
Are they still popular?
Do people even do them?
Or have they become scrap books or mini-albums?
I remember having many of them — through junior high and high school. Yes, I am that old!! We had junior high — not middle school.
As amazing as it seems, I do remember being that young — full of dreams . . .
Everything was a major event — going to the beach, movies, dances — saving ticket stubs and everything else that would go into the memory book — lots of pressed flowers . . . even bottle caps . . . gum wrappers . . . all those insignificant things . . .
Just think of all the things you’ve thrown out that would be interesting to put in a memory book you could share with your child . . . It could be a memory book of “firsts” — the first time you went to Starbucks . . . or took a plane ride . . . went to a play . . . a movie . . . and the crazy things you collected . . . as well as the ticket to different amusement parks . . . plus all the pictures . . .
I don’t remember many of the names of the people in the pictures. Maybe it was because we moved around a lot. But it did give me new opportunities to make new memory books . . .
Maybe that’s why I’m still looking for something new . . . exciting . . . different . . . And why none of my memory books have been completed . . .
And . . . what happens when a memory book is completed . . .
Is it a good thing?
Does it allow you to move on to new things?
Or are memory books open-ended?
I guess, if you decide to create one . . . you’ll decide how many editions you’ll create . . .
An easy way to begin for your children is having a memory book for each school year. Maybe you would like to have one for each year in your life. Starting in January and ending it at the end of December. The school and the annual ones could be quite large . . .
I think it’s great to see the growth one has made in their life when it comes to decisions and direction . . . I like the idea of combining pictures and memorabilia with journaling . . . giving you insight in later years to tell your story of what was going on and how you felt about various things.
Life is a great journey . . . enjoy every twist and turn and the bumps along the way . . . The bonus is the people you meet . . . and the influences they have on your life as well . . .
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
by Sharon | Apr 13, 2016
Something you make is much more meaningful than anything you could buy.
That may be an exaggeration, but it’s about being sentimental. Sure the cards you buy are special, but something you make is definitely from your heart.
Moms and Grandmoms are always fixing up good things to eat. Or they found a great deli and bakery.
I think a day out with Mom during the week of Mother’s Day would be a wonderful way to spend quality time with your mother. I know Mother’s Day is special for many and you have everything planned out . . . but for others it seems to be just something one has to do.
It can be a bit awkward. It can be very special.
I think making a mini-album for Mom would be another way of expressing the love you have for your mother. It can show pictures going way back.
I remember finding old pictures of my mom and making them into an album was truly the highlight of her Mother’s Day. It was a gift she couldn’t stop looking at . . . she kept it close by throughout the year.
Being a mother is special . . . and remembering . . . and being told . . . and shown through pictures of how special she is . . . is truly priceless.
Just something to think about.
Flowers and candy are nice, but they’re flowers and candy . . . give something from your heart.
Sharon
by Sharon | Apr 6, 2016
I’ve learned quite a lot about paper crafting from various YouTube videos.
Several years ago I started seriously getting into paper crafts.
I wasn’t thinking in terms of scrapbooks, but in making boxes for hostess gifts and also making my own 3-D houses for centerpieces and a village for various holidays.
There are so many generous people showing how they make various items with die cutting machines, punches, stamps, designer papers and the list goes on and on.
Most paper crafters use various products from various sources. They buy their tools from local craft stores as well as from Amazon. But there is one company that requires their demonstrators to use their products exclusively.
Stampin’ Up Demonstrators have taken YouTube by storm.
For some time now, I’ve found the videos I’ve been turning to have been from Stampin’ Up Demonstrators.
My favorites have been from the UK. They seem to show me how to make different boxes for different holidays. Yes, they have some great punches and lovely papers and use the Sizzix Big Shot for embossing and die cuts. They have their own line of stamps that work right along with their punches.
From listening and later talking with various paper crafters, I’ve learned that you do need to have numerous finished products for your on-line store and you need a variety of tools, papers, punches, accessories, etc. in order to have the materials at hand for what you want to make.
Stampin’ Up seems to do that for their demonstrators . . . but at a price. There is value added in there. For example if you purchase $100. let’s say, you may receive $130. in product value. My numbers may be inaccurate, but you receive value for what you pay. You may be able to select a “free” item or two.
On the surface, this seems to be a good deal . . . and if people buy from you, that is less you’re obligated to buy.
But, if you want to buy products at a discount from Stampin’ Up and you don’t care about the business end of it, this is an excellent way of building an inventory of craft supplies and tools in a relatively short time.
Many Stampin’ Up demonstrators are busy making YouTube videos plus holding craft parties where they may have a make and take type of class . . . they may make sales . . . or not . . . they may get others to sign-up . . . or not . . .
I did some research in my local area.
I found that they’re basically into their own hobby.
They have no website, no videos . . . some will set up a live demonstration in my house if I could gather a number of people together . . .
Well, I have to agree with many of these ladies. My crafts are my crafts. It is a solitary thing. I wouldn’t mind doing how to videos, but being obligated to live demonstrations on even a monthly basis isn’t something I want to do.
I’ve been burned in the past . . . not by any company in particular, but in joining with others at a senior center . . . basically, they don’t spend money . . . they want what they can get for nothing . . . and leave you with a mess to clean up. Yes, that may be extreme, but that seems to have been my experience.
It may be my location . . . or I stink as a demonstrator . . . or so many other factors I haven’t even tried to figure out.
I’m just saying, it isn’t as easy as it seems . . . or as others would like you to believe.
So, nothing against Stampin’ Up, but I think I’ll continue on my own . . . doing my own thing . . . maybe make a video or two . . . build up my inventory of holiday products to sell . . . and have fun crafting . . .
Any hobby does cost money . . . and to get into it to make money isn’t the proper approach, in my humble opinion. It’s important for you to know what you want, how you want to spend your time . . . is your personality one in which you want to work alone or with others in a hands on teaching and learning situation.
Can you show others how to make a product? Do you want to supply the paper, tools, etc.?
I suppose you could set things up so that each person has to pay upfront . . . There have been some YouTube demonstrators who have close to 100 videos, receive little feedback and no contacts to buy their products . . . or people even interested in their challenges or giveaways.
This is truly sad . . . but I could see this happening . . . if you don’t have a lot of friends and people who love what you do.
I believe you need to be involved with those who share your “hobby” and spend time in those venues on-line. They may be curious enough to visit your website or watch your videos . . . it is a beginning. It does take time . . . goodness, I can’t tell you how many videos are uploaded to YouTube daily . . . but it is a large number . . . Then, in your area . . . there is a lot of competition. There are many who have been at it for years . . . they know their stuff and they are comfortable in their videos and with themselves.
As with anything, you need to do what you can . . . knowing it will take time . . . And your comfort in making videos will improve as will your videos. So, I’ve been told . . .
I love it when someone turns on their camera, does their greeting and gets to work . . . they’re relaxed and have everything in place . . . they speak naturally about what they’re showing you . . . some give you some insight into who they are and what they’re doing. It’s fun to be able to blend the two . . . people want to know you are a real person and what you have to say or what you have to show is worthwhile.
I don’t follow a lot of people on YouTube, but I do follow a few . . .
I do look forward to their videos.
And, some for different reasons. Some for the chatter . . . some for what they can teach me. Some, because they seem like nice people.
I don’t know if I’ll ever feel comfortable when the camera is on . . . I’m in the privacy of my own home office . . . I know what I want to say and show . . . I don’t have to upload it . . . I’m not doing it live with millions of people watching . . . I find it strange . . . and then disappointing when no one can find my latest video . . .
Well, when I get into this crafting thing and have a video worth watching, I’ll let you know right here. I may be better with blogging . . . I’m comfortable, relaxed . . . I can stop and think . . . I can take a break . . .
I wonder if blogging was initially as frightening for me . . .
Enough of this . . . thank you for stopping by. I do hope this was informative for you. There are lots of crafts for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, wedding favors . . . maybe even for the 4th of July . . . and, of course, for Halloween and Christmas . . . and Easter, if you want to get a jump on next year . . .
Until next time,
Sharon
by Sharon | Mar 19, 2016
It doesn’t matter the holiday or occasion, creating your own village of original houses is an excellent idea for the whole family.
This is an excellent family project. I believe it is a good skill to teach your children. Once they get started, you never know what they’ll come up with next.
This could be quite motivating for you, too. Wouldn’t it be fun to keep your various attempts throughout the years and see the improvement you’ve all made.
With more practice and trial and error you may be able to create something quite fantastic when all is said and done.
I turn to YouTube for instruction and inspiration. There are many who make houses out of card stock or chip board. Some show how to make the siding of the house and even the roof shingles . . . different windows . . . doors . . . The biggest reward is saying, “I made it myself!!!”
If you need a template to get you started, just click the image and you’ll be taken to a PDF file to print out. You may want to resize the template . . . enlarge it or reduce it with a copy machine once you print it out.
You can always go into the archives here for some buildings you may like to put together. This is a wonderful place to begin, if you’re not comfortable creating your own designs.
I think you may find in time, you’ll want to give it a try, but you’ll have several samples from which to choose. Once you put your mind to this, I’m sure you’ll amaze yourself with what you can do.
Have fun and see what you can create right along with your family and friends.
For some, crafting is a group endeavor and for others a solitary one. It’s up to you what you may want to make for the holiday or special occasion of your choice. Just be sure to give yourself plenty of time . . . and don’t push yourself too hard. Try to relax and have some fun.
It may be worthwhile to keep a journal of your attempts and write notes to remind you of what went wrong and what worked out. Take pictures. Make a video. This is your learning process. And also take notes from the instructional videos you’ve watched. And also of the various PDF files you’ve printed out and put together. You may want to incorporate some of those pieces into your own creations. You may want to put several pieces from various files together as an experiment . . . I enjoy the haunted houses because they are to look a bit off kilter if you happen to assemble it wrong, no one will know.
Remember, this is a learning process. Perhaps with crafts, you’re always learning and trying out new things . . . Everyday can be a wonderful journey and adventure.
And don’t be afraid to buy crafting supplies and templates. Two cutting machines I find helpful are:
They can get to be expensive, but whatever hobby you have is expensive . . . unless you make things to sell . . . and that is all the more reason for you to come up with original designs of your own . . . then the cutting tools will definitely be worthwhile for mass production, but please don’t lose the essential human element only you can apply to your creations.
You can use the same templates and die cuts and get a completely different look using different papers and embellishments.
Just as a personal note, I’d like to say that I did purchase the Silhouette Cameo II plus the designer edition upgrade. I thought this could do it all for me . . . and it can, but sometimes we like to make life a bit easier and I found that having a Big Shot was a definite time saver for me in the long run. You see, you can buy die cuts and thinlits and save yourself a lot of time and effort . . . and then you may want to resize them which you can do within the Silhouette Cameo software. I believe the two go together nicely in saving you time and giving you an excellent place to begin when creating cards, 3D projects, scrapbook layouts and whatever you decide to create for home, profit, family and friends.
I don’t know about you, but from watching so many videos about paper crafts, I found there were a lot of people using the Big Shot . . . people I thought were making their own designs and templates. But, they started with the die cut and made variations. They were also using the Silhouette Cameo once they made their altered die cut image so if a customer wanted the same thing in a mini album or centerpiece, you can bring it from your library and get working on it for that person. You won’t have to begin from square one.
Maybe if I was a bit more creative, I’d be able to make it work with just the Silhouette Cameo, but I do like the Big Shot and the magnetic board for holding thinlits in place is a definite “must have.” So many companies are making those thin die cuts that can be used with your Big Shot for making boxes, flowers and beautiful embellishments you may want to add to your paper craft creation.
So, this isn’t to pressure you into buying these machines, it’s just what I do here . . . report on my observations and what I found to be necessary for me to make the things I want to make. And for now, I won’t get started on stamps and punches, papers . . . oh my goodness! You can find out what you need from watching the videos on YouTube.
I do hope you found this helpful and informative.
Until next time,
Sharon
by Sharon | Feb 24, 2016
I’ve been watching a lot of “how to” YouTube Videos lately.
They are quite motivating.
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I’ve even thought of making some of my own. I love doing Christmas crafts throughout the year and I also like having some fun with Halloween. I do love the vintage feel of these holidays.
They’re a time of memories and just having some fun. You remember how it was when you were a kid. It was all so magical.
I like my crafts to reflect that magic and fill me with joy . . . if it’s making an album or scrap book page, it’s all about having fun and creating something out of paper and chip board that will be delight you and those who see it.
I am amazed by what can be created from paper.
I’ve given you many links of paper crafts you can print out and make . . . some you can fill with goodies or just set up as a decoration.
As with all crafts, they can be expensive, but essentially, they are a fun way to pass the time either alone or with others.
I was surprised to learn that I could use my camera to make videos. It’s just all a matter of setting up my camera on a tripod and gathering up my materials to make a tutorial. I think it will be fun . . . it’s just getting to it.
I was watching a video a woman had made 3 years ago. It was a windy day and she was distracted by the wind and the bangs and booms she was hearing outside. She moved the camera from her tutorial to show us what was going on outside her house. Yes, the wind was blowing and trash barrels were rolling around making such a racket.
She even had her husband break out in song downstairs.
I think it is absolutely delightful to record a video and make a comment about what is going around while you’re recording. Yes, not everything is ideal. We do drop things and our pets or children come running through . . . the doorbell may ring . . . it could rain or snow . . . or be windy . . .
We can avoid some noise by not doing our filming during noisy times of the day, but not everything is ideal.
Some people may not like the distractions. They “tuned in” to see how to do a project and they don’t care about the weather conditions. But I found it interesting. It made the woman real . . . just like us.
We do have distractions in our lives. Most of them are unexpected. I find it interesting how others react to them. I would be just like the woman and show you what is going on outside. I find it better than getting annoyed.
Maybe that’s what makes vlogging so popular.
I’m really not one who would record my grocery shopping or running errands.
But many people do and they’re surprisingly popular. Some focus around the activities of their kids. Others include their friends. There are those who take you with them to fix breakfast or dinner. Or go out to a restaurant or fast food place.
I haven’t seen too many vlogging out and about, but maybe I haven’t been looking that closely. I’m usually tuned in to what I’m doing. But, it could be helpful when you’re looking for a new printer or laptop or whatever you’re thinking of purchasing. Or you’re just looking and gathering information before you buy.
You’d be amazed by what people want to buy. And sometimes, you find yourself interested in that, too.
Maybe it’s the power of suggesting . . . or an impulse buy . . . then the thought comes, “Where am going to put it?”
I was talking with my brother last fall . . .
He told me he was shopping at Lowes.
I don’t recall what he was shopping for, but he was startled when he went by an automated witch who cackled at him. Yes, he was initially startled, but later he had great fun watching others who were startled when the witch “came to life.”
Yes, people watching is a favorite past-time of many. That may be why vlogging is so popular. Allowing others a glimpse into their lives.
It does seem a bit creepy to realize that we are being recorded wherever we go. There are cameras in stores and on the streets and parking lots. And, of course, people may be doing their own recordings, too.
Someone sitting on a bench or walking through a store. You never know what you’ll find.
I think I’d feel a bit self-conscious about doing it . . . but after awhile, it would feel “normal.”
Just as doing my own video tutorials at home.
I do need to figure out how to set us my camera. I don’t want to attach it to the wall or build some contraption . . . but maybe I’ll need to. The most important thing is not to break my camera in the process.
I know there is a simple way of doing it.
There usually is after exhausting other ways. I may be straddling the tripod or have it set up over my work space. I don’t have a flip out monitor on my camera . . . some have used a mirror . . . other do a hit or miss process . . . and do learn along the way where the camera is focused.
I’m going to do a lot of trial and error. It will be interesting to see how this works for me. But, first I need to decide on a project . . . and it doesn’t hurt to plan ahead instead of doing it on the fly . . . but that could be interesting, too.
When I think about it, I do like it when people are prepared. I can follow along. But, then there are always things that do go wrong . . . especially with crafts . . . the glue sticks and won’t come out . . . or a glue gun that doesn’t work . . . or a piece that doesn’t fit right . . .
I do have some interesting adventure ahead.
Let me know your suggesting when it comes to vlogging or making tutorials.
Thanks for stopping by!
Sharon
