Sunday, March 31, 2013

Realization 1.0

Happy Easter!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

Went to a fabulous church service today.  Made me realize just how much God impacts my life.  I get a lot of questions about stress, and why I do not seem to be stressed even in situations that warrant it.  I went to Trinity Western University, which would mean I have quite a bit of debt.  I have not consistently used the degree I earned, due to not being able to find a teaching job right out of school.  I settled for a job at Old Navy in British Columbia, which I really ended up liking...surprisingly.  I got into a management program through an interview and presentation.  One year into the program I was forced to move back home because my work permit expired.  I have also applied for permanent residency, and am about 8 months into it with an approximate estimate of 13 months.  All of this should lead to MEGA stress!   I thought for a long time that it was my personality, because I am very laid back and easy going.  But today in church, I realized that it is the Holy Spirit that God has given us that keeps me calm and patient.  Without God, who knows where I would be...maybe a puddle of crying mess?   I know God is in control and whatever He wants to happen will transpire.

That being said, God has also given me a creative knack that helps get my mind off any troubles that may come my way.  Sometimes the process is very stressful, but the result makes it worth it.  :)

These are the first cards I made myself.  I used the Big Shot for all the details (snowflakes, snowman, tree, embossing folder on back of snowman card).  I stamped and embossed the wording.  I used flocking powder on the branches of the tree to make it look snowy.  These cards took me about 6-8 hours, so stressful indeed but for first cards they turned out alright! 

Saturday, March 23, 2013

The Punny Crafter Begins

My name is Lindsey and I am 27 (almost 27.5) years old.  I currently reside in the Seattle area and hope to live in the Great Northwest for the rest of my life.  I have been dabbling in crafts, never accomplishing much, since the age of 5ish.  My family has seen and supported it all...pottery on the plastic pottery wheel, calligraphy, paint by numbers, knitting, sewing, quilting, cross stitch, beading, painting, fountain building,  puffy painting, tie dyeing, crocheting, scrapbooking photos and postcards (from my vast collection), which has all brought me full circle to my current pursuits in creating and making cards.

Card making is definitely something I see myself doing for a while.  My other pursuits never amounted to much and often took too long for my will power to see it through to the finished product.  With cards I can sit down for a couple hours, make a huge mess in the process, and see the final outcome in my hands in a matter of hours.  It's instant gratification at it's best!

I have been inspired through many crafters on pinterest and magazine, which have aided me in creating designs and layouts for cards.  I am so grateful for the inspiration they have provided and it's awesome to see all the different styles there are out there!  I do not have any clue what the fancy terms for card styles or sizes, paper types or treatments.  So in the spirit of honesty, you shall receive the dumbed down version of how to create cards with fairly limited resources. :)  Hope you find some ideas and inspiration for your future craftivities!

Photo credit: John Kim