2015, new affiliates, and a new shop (and a Layout too)

Snow Day picture used in the layout
Snow Day  (c) P. Lynne Designs

Hello, and again, happy 2015.  I want to start out by say that I am so glad that 2014 is over with.  I will not say why, except to say it was not a good year for P.Lynne Designs.  I let a plot of person items get in the way, and I was not make very many things, except playing with Cricut Design Studio, which is amazing.  I cannot wait to begin cutting them out.  Also, I have just been reviewing and promoting Cricut all year. (Due to the burnout I experienced in my life.)

It is a very cold day here in Columbus, where I live.  So cold that bible study was cancelled.  Yesterday, my niece and nephew had an unexpected snow day, which was unusual for the one of the major school systems to close its door due to snow, but the night before, it was really coming down hard.  Winter has really reared its ugly little head, and then some, but not like last year.  I remember last February spinning my wheels just trying to fit my car into the garage, without hitting a wall.  I went to my parent’s house upset, and my dad, just went back to my house, rolled over the spot a few times with his bigger car, and I was able to get in the garage.  I pray that I do not have to go through that experience this year.

Snow Day:

So to commemorate the snow season and the Polar Vortex of 2014, I decided that I was going to do my first scrapbook layout of the year.  There were several reason behind it.  First of all, I have not done one in over a year (yikes).  Sometimes as crafters, we get into a funk, and I commend anyone who crafts during their funk period.  In case you are wondering what a funk period is, it is a time when you just do not feel like crafting anything, altering anything, the ideas just stop coming, or get too busy doing other things.  In my case, it also put a serious damper on my Etsy shop.  I have had the same 5 journal notebooks sitting in my shop for the past 6 or so months. I get traffic, and followers, I am sure they are wondering when I am putting up something new and fresh for them to look at.

The second reason is I had this picture of my niece Nine’na sitting in my phone for over a year.  The moment my sister took and sent it to me, I had to scrapbook it, no doubt about it.  Third is I was commissioned by a lady at my church to make a scrapbook album for her 105-year old mother around August (her mother’s birthday month), and the only thing I did was the monogram for the cover.   I needed the motivation to get started and do what I always tell people, who are contemplating about starting something, JUST DO IT!  I guess I was just fretting over it, because I want the album to be just as good as the last one I made, when she turned 100 years old.

The Layout itself:

I did not buy anything new.  Unless it paper, or something that I cannot make with my Cricut or emboss with my Cuttlebug or my new Sizzix machine (which I had to get because of the letter

Snow Day (c) 2015 P.Lynne Designs

press option a few weeks ago).  Everything on the layout was in my stash.  I love the minimalist look of scrapbooking pages now, and that was the concept of this page, except the more blank spots I saw, the more I had to fill up, LOL. So typical of me.  Anyway, I decided that I was going to pull out the blues in this layout, and I have 4 different types of paper (2 blues, a putty grey, and a teal paper that looks like a bookkeeper’s pad). I ended up using a 3^rd blue for the lettering of “Snow days” and a tag (which you cannot see the snow flake cutouts on the tag, but the reverse of them you can see on the layout.) Those I cut out with my Cricut Explore, as well as the boots and mittens on the page. 

I saw a trick On You Tube that another crafter used on one of her layouts, and for this you really need removable adhesive for this trick (which I did not have).  You use one little piece of tape and stick it where you think you are going to place it permanently.  That way, you can move it around, tuck elements under it, and when you are happy with the outcome, you put more permanent tape down to hold it in place.  I place the photo and one element in place, then started tucking, and I know I am going to love this tucking method.  It creates this temporary pocket, and I just love how the bigger snowflake (which was a sample from a die cut machine I did not buy) is peeking out.

Comments

I loved how this layout turned out.  There are a few more things that I needed to add, but I will add over time (I will sometimes go back and update a layout).  But it is good for now.

Zazzle Affiliation and Shopify

Last year, I fell in love with the different sites that allow a person to custom make their own t-shirts, binders, phone cases, even pillows and deck of cards.  You can even make a business out these sites by just designing your own t-shirts and placing the link on your website.   It is super easy, once you get the hang of it. 

I do three of them, and it is Zazzle that I have an affiliation with.  So check out the site, and if there is there is anything you want me to have, just let me know.

I also opened up a Shopify store in addition to having the Etsy shop.  It is still called P.Lynne Designs (Plynne-designs), and right now, I have only one design from Zazzle that I created on there.  In addition to my designs like on my Etsy Shop, I will also include some retired Longaberger products that I no longer want, but would be happy to send to a new home.  As you may not know, I am also an Independent Longaberger Home Consultant, where I sell baskets, pottery, wrought iron, and their accessories. Most of these products are samples that I bought for that month, and that product has gone into the retirement stage (no longer selling).  I am also placing anything from my Shoplocket shop on there as well, and will eventually close down that account.  

Well, that is it with this long post.  Sorry for the MIA, but it was so worth it now that I am back into the swing of things to come.

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.