Happy New Year

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!

The Best of 2014 on SALE now @ Cricut

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The Best of 2014 on SALE now @ Cricut
Is your new years resolution to be more crafty? Lucky for you, you can ring in the New Year right with the Best of 2014 sale at Cricut! Right now, you can save on their top selling products in 2014, cartridges, supplies, digital sets, and more through January 6th and you can get Free shipping @ Cricut use code: FREESHIPDECEMBER

Cricut is the #1 brand of electronic cutting machines in the world. You can unleash your creative side by using their hundreds of ready-to-make projects. Grab this deal now and make 2015 a great year!

Have you ever been Craft Project Stuck?

2014 is starting to become a distant memory. In one month, we will be ushering in 2015, and it is time to put away the old and start with the new. Have you accomplished everything that you need to do in 2014? I know I haven’t for I would not be writing this post on being stuck. I will not tell you my problems, but the problems I had this year, were enough to make me stuck in my craft making. I had ideas on making certain cards, certain scrapbooks, and other projects, but when I had to put them aside for other things in my life, I forgot all about them. That is when I realize the importance of doing the following preparations, in order to not feel stuck for 2015. They are as follows:

·        ·         Forget about what you needed to do in 2014. Experts have found that once a person does not get to a project, they will never be completed. If you really want to complete that particular project, scheduled it in 2015, but treat it as a new project. That brings me to another subject...

·         Plan all projects. When you plan your project, you know exactly what materials you need, how long you plan on creating the project (start date, end date), and any layouts for templates you plan on using with the project. This is your time to think about the project, tweak the project before you get started, and to see what kind of finances you need.

·         Work on one project at a time. Once you start the project, do not stop until completed. This is self-explanatory, but it helps you to focus if you are working on one project at a time.

Ideas

If you have a project you would like to work on, but have no idea of where to start, here are some places for you to look.

o   Pinterest – this is the perfect social media to check out any projects that you think you might want to work on. Use Pinterest for scrapbook layout ideas, mini book ideas, card ideas, and other DIY projects.

o   Blogs – craft blogs often show a project that the blogger has worked on, or is currently working on. They will often show the materials used, and any difficulties they ran into along the way.

o   The library – yes, there are still libraries, and they are free to use. You do not have to go to a bookstore, all you need to do is to go to the craft section of the library, and find a book on scrapbooking.

o   E-books and audio-books – I put them in the same category because Amazon has a new program, where you can read an e-book to their Kindle system, and if it comes with audio, you can also get the audio version through Audible, which is part of the Amazon family. 

As mentioned before, the best way to getting all of your project done in a timely manner is to plan and do one project at a time.  Create folders will help with the organization. You can do this by day, weekly, or monthly, depending on the type of project you are doing.

So in closing, don’t worry about 2014, but embrace 2015 with the idea that you will finally get all of your craft projects done for all to enjoy.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals at Cricut

Just in time for your holiday crafts, Cricut is hosting amazing sales on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and on Cyber Monday. See all the details below:

Thanksgiving and Black Friday:
Valid: 11/27-11/28
Thanksgiving & Black Friday Sale: Cricut Explore $219 + $30 off all Explore Bundles

Cyber Monday:
Valid: 12/1 Only
Cyber Monday Sale: Cricut Explore just $229 & $20 off all Explore Bundles

Additional Coupons:

Valid: 11/21-12/1
$5 Off Orders $50+ with code: CRICUTBF5

Valid: 11/1-11/30
Get free shipping to the U.S. all month with code FREESHIPNOV

Happy crafting!

What’s Trending in Scrapbooking: Keepsake Boxes

I wonder what memories this box held?

It has been a long time since I have written a post for P.Lynne Designs. In fact, I can recall that the last post was in August, and it is now November. I do want to apologize for not posting in such a long time. Okay, with that in out of the way, I shall move forward. I am going to start by introducing a new segment in my blog called What’s Trending and Scrapbooking.

In this segment, date to be determined when I post on this subject, I will show you that you do not have to always use paper in order to keep a memory. This should be fascinating. Today’s subject is something that I found while searching through my emails. Today’s subject is called keepsake boxes.

Keepsake boxes isn't a new trend at all, in fact it is a practice that probably dates back to around the 1700's. It is also called a memory box. In this keepsake or memory box, you keep memories of an event in a person’s life such as a wedding, a birth, or even a death. Some of the most common things kept in a keepsake box are a lock of hair, a baby blanket, information on the baby’s birth and name, foot and hand prints.

The practice sort of went away for a while, but now it is making a comeback. I think one of the reasons is there is also another trend out called a smash book. In a smash book, you can also put memories of importance and it as well. The difference between a smash book and a keepsake box, is a smash book holds items such as ticket stubs, the napkin from a restaurant simply visited, a note, a card from a friend, and anything that is small enough to put in a book. However, a keepsake box keeps larger items like those that I mentioned in the previous paragraph. You can, however, merge the two ideas into one keepsake box.

The other reason why I am covering this subject, is because I ran across an article of a mother, who was creating a keepsake box for each of her three children. In each of the boxes, she started from the time each child was born, and started keeping items such as their special blanket, and she found out that her children were collectors. So things such as seashells they collect on the beach, to little feathers and other things started going into their boxes. Next thing she knew, she was starting her own scrapbooking business. In fact, she had started this business back in college, but had to close it when she got married, only to reopen it when she started the keepsake boxes. The business is called Chronicles.

You do not have to open up a scrapbook business in order to make beautiful memories. If you are not creative enough to start a scrapbook of your memories, try starting a keepsake box. All you have to do is find a wooden box that is big enough to hold your memories. Start by adding things such as ticket stubs, a napkin from your favorite restaurant, all the things that I mentioned that are needed for a smash book. I would also add in things such as fabric from your favorite blouse when it’s worn out, your college yearbook, your diary from when you were 13, or if you’re inclined, anything that your parents saved for you. If you want to go bigger, you can always collect sand from the favorite beach, the first dinner date, or even a favorite blanket. These are just examples of what you can put in a keepsake box. Some people do not have keepsake boxes, they have the biggest of them all called a hope chest.

This is just something for you to think about, that is also trending in scrapbooking.

New changes, new ways of thinking.

I hope you enjoyed last week’s summer Mason jar project.   I will be posting at least once a week on a Tuesday with either a SVG cut out that you can cut on your Cricut Explore, a review of some sort of crafting tool or crafting line, a tip or a project that you can either make yourself, or purchase on my Etsy shop, which is a finished project or a pattern to build from.  It may not happen all at once, but these are my plans at the moment.  Please make a comment on anything that you have tried, liked, hated (be gentle, but I won’t bite J if you think it is the worst project you ever seen), or think I should try.  I am relearning.   I have lots of habits to break, such as consistency of blog posts (taking a lesson from being away for so long).  I have learned a lot from a couple of classes and reading articles on the etiquette of social media.  So I am taking it slowly, and building back my momentum, by first posting once a week, and writing a schedule.

Soon, Blogger will be going away from me slowly, and this blog will be going to a mostly WordPress platform.  I keep saying this, but the true of the matter is I am scared, and I am scared on so many levels right now.  I am scared that in the mist of this move, Google will decide that my blog is no longer good enough for them, and they take it down.  I am scared that while I trying to re-build this blog (and I have 4 others that I have been typing in more than this one), some random hacker(s) will come to steal the very content that I have been writing on this platform since 2009.  But you know what?  I am not worried, because I know someone who is bigger than the universe, and who will protect my integrity, and knows that I will produce good works, and that is God.  I am going to stop right there, because I know I have just offended someone, but I do not care.  This blog was founded on my belief system, and I love doing what I am doing, and believing in who I believe in, because I am a survivor, and I am not going to give up, as the old Destiny’s Child song rings out.

Sorry, I went a little off-topic.

I have been playing with my Cricut Explore, especially the Design Studio, and learned that I can share what I create.  Last week was a preview of what I can do.   This week, it is shipping labels.   We all need them, at least I do.  This one is a little fancy, but Postal ready.   If you are having problems opening this or last week’s file, please let me know.

This is file is formatted for US addresses.

·        Mailing label

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