CREATOR'S CORNER - Ardyth

 Good morning, everyone!

I've been inspired by today's guest for a couple of years now.  I love how she offers a tip in each of her videos. She is also the reason I got inspired by the stencil wheel from Penguin Palace. Check out their videos on their YouTube Channel. 

Here's a bit about Ardyth:

Ardyth is a cardmaker from Toronto, Canada. She loves clean design and bold colours, and especially enjoys getting more from all her crafty supplies by using them in unexpected ways to create something completely different!

Let's step inside her studio before we learn more about Ardyth.

Notice all the essential tools at her finger tips and that natural light!

What got you started on the creative path?

I started card making at a Stampin’ Up! Party in 2006. I love the idea of a small project that makes me happy, and can be shared to bring happiness to someone else! 

How has your creativity evolved?

When I started, I wanted to try it all! Over time, I’ve figured out what my style is, and I’m more selective in what I buy. I notice that I’ve moved from cards that were primarily stamping/colouring to messier background techniques (stencil, gel plate etc) with die-cut sentiments. Maybe that will change again….

What do you enjoy most about your creative path?

I love that feeling I get when a project turns out even better than my expectations. I love that there’s always something new to learn, whether it’s new products or skills. And of course, I love all the crafty friends I’ve made through the years.

What inspires you?

I get my inspiration pretty much anywhere. I love to work with bold colours and geometrics, and while I love lots of white space, I’m pretty happy to use messy techniques as well.Rather than rushing to purchase new products, I love to 'get the look' of any inspiration, using products I already have. I developed a simple, 5-step LIMES method to help analyze an inspiration piece and then translate it into something completely unique. It's easy to remember, easy to use and easy to create something that is beautifully your own!

When did you move from hobby to business and what initiated the transition?

For me the transition was very slow and organic. I was more focused on expanding my skills when I started my YouTube channel in 2017, and that’s grown to become a revenue generator, as well as a good resume, for anyone who is looking to work with me.

What do you love most about your space and would you change anything?

I’m lucky to have a small ‘extra’ bedroom as my craft space. Over the years it has changed as the products I needed to store changed (remember wooden stamps?!) or different functionality (I do all my card photography and YouTube video editing in it as well!) and I love how adaptable it has been with minimal changes in furnishing. The only thing I would change is better air conditioning in the summer!

What 3 things do you feel are important when planning a space?

This is a hard one for me - I’ve been in my room for so long and it’s evolved slowly over the years - most of what I have is ‘leftover’ furniture from other areas of the house, with a desk, and a couple of extra pieces specifically purchased for a crafty space.

* Know what you’ve got, and what you use most.

* Keep containers/furniture flexible when you can, so that they can serve multiple uses and last as trends change. 

* Invest in the basic tools that you’ll use for years - ‘trendy’ tools like stencils, stamps and dies will come and go, but trimmers, stamp positioners, die cutting machines are things you only want to have to purchase once so quality is key.

What is your best organization tip?

Know what works for you - some of us like things to be visible, some like them put away and out of sight, some don’t need to be organized at all, they just ‘know’ where everything is.

I’m someone who likes to have a place for everything, but I also like it to be visible, so I have lots of open shelves and cubbies. If I can’t see it, I’ll forget to use it. But if it’s not put away, I start to feel claustrophobic and not at all creative.

What is your best tip for anyone wanting to turn their craft into a business?

Be yourself in this industry, you are the brand you’re trying to sell and if you’re authentic, you’ll find your customers.

Don’t be afraid to invest in the learning you need to do it well - there are so many resources available to coach you in designing and producing a product or service, marketing and delivering those products, and also the back-end - including the financial part of running a business. Finding help can reduce frustration and shorten the time to success!

Great tips and advice, Ardyth. Thank you so much for joining me this month. It's been a pleasure sharing your talent with my followers. 

Hey folks, be sure to check out Ardyth's links down below and LIKE/ FOLLOW. 

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   YouTube   IG   

FREE RESOURCES

Creative Blessings!

~Kelly

WOYWW # 738 & A Reminder!

 Hi everyone!

Welcome to my world this week.  Not so much a desk though I do have a surprise in a moment.

I failed to come in and let you know I'm taking the rest of this month off.  I will be back in full form on Monday August 7th. 

I took the time off to do a serious office dig out. While I don't have everything where I want the items belong. I do have everything sorted and in various areas around the parameter of the room. I've also sorted through the 'piles' in the corner of the living room. 

MY brother-in-law and sister-in-law will be here tomorrow and spending the weekend. My biggest issue was clearing off the work table and the sofa. The worktable has to be moved back and room for my SIL (Rhonda) to create. She likes the peace she has here to work on items for her Stampin' Up! business. Her house is an almost stream of kids/ grandkids in her house as well as her special needs daughter. She gets peace and quiet here to really get into a project and stay in the flow.

The other big thing was the sofa. It's a sofa bed and they need somewhere to sleep LOL. 

On the up-side, the studio will now be more workable for ME so I can get items in the Etsy shop. 

Here is what the desk looked like before I started: 

(Keep in mind, my work desk is 8' x 4' - 4' is with both side leaves up. Only one is shown in the picture:

Here's my work desk this morning:

Just a few items left to put away, drop the ironing platform (direct front) then I can move the desk back out of the way. Most items on that platform are coffee dyed/ related items I just need to file. 

Remember -

Ardyth will be our guest in the Creator's Corner tomorrow. She is sharing lots of pictures of her studio and her thoughts on being a professional creative. I hope you'll join us!

That's it for my desk (and story) this week. Who's Miss Julia and why am I here?  When you are done visiting me in the Ozarks, please hop on over to Stamping Ground for all the details. Miss Julia has a long list of other studios you can peek into. No standing on an up-turned milk pail to look in the window. We open the doors wide and welcome you.  Please leave your number and you'll be among the first on my list.

 Creative Blessings!

~ Kelly

CHRISTMAS IN JULY - Let's Get Dotty!

 Good morning, everyone!

Coming off a busy weekend at an on-line writer's conference. Great convention and was nice to enjoy everything from the comfort of my home. With Bob's schedule, I have a difficult time paying for in-person conferences in advance. Most don't offer refunds. At least via zoom, I can plan ahead and enjoy.

This week, I played with the embossing dabber I purchased from Spectrum Art Creations. This is a super simple card that requires the dabber and your choice of embossing powders. I used Gold, Silver, as well as Red and Green glitter embossing powder.

All of the purchase links are available in the description box of my video.

Here's the cards I made:

Simply apply the embossing ink with the dabber, giving you the dot, then add your embossing powder and heat. You need to do one color at a time, otherwise when you dump the excess powder off, they'll all run together. 

Card Base - 4.25" x 5.5"

Embossed mat - 4" x 5.25"

The embossed mat is added with dimensionals, as is the sentiment. 

Here's the video:

Creative Blessings!

~ Kelly

#KCDJulyJJ23 - Inspired by Ardyth!

 Good morning, everyone!

I'm fresh off of a two-day migraine thanks to weather changes and trying to catch up. I also have a writer's conference on line starting today so busy busy busy... as always LOL

If I've not told you before, my guest artist this month is Ardyth. I so love her simplistic style with basic tools. 

For today's video, I followed her 2-minute cards idea using a stencil. I hope you enjoy!

Dimensions for the card:

4.25" x 5.5" white card base

4" x 5.25" patterned paper for mat

3.75" x 5" white cardstock

You'll also need:

1.75" x 1.5" piece of the patterned paper 

1.5" x 1.25" white cardstock

Links for products (if available) can be found in the description box of the video:

Creative Blessings!

~ Kelly

WOYWW #735 - ATCs have arrived!

 Good morning, everyone!

Whew! It's been a busy couple of weeks with Bob home. Not used to him being gone, then home, only 2 weeks. He was supposed to leave this morning then got a schedule change last minute yesterday... so he's home for another week. I think his retirement is getting closer. 

I'm not showing my desk this week because the surface has been recently cleared for a full day of crafting/ video production. However, I'm not coming empty handed.

For starters, I'm featuring Christmas in July projects all month long across my social media. I'm doing themed videos 6 days a week. aka very early morning hours/ long days.

Here's the tag I created for Week 4 of Tag Tuesday, yesterday:

You can see the video HERE where I linked the inspiration from Pinterst in the description box.

Monday's are all about Christmas cards. Keep in mind, card fronts make great journaling cards, tuck spots and pockets in junk journals.  The blog post is HERE, which includes the video link.

Okay... now, let's show off the beautiful ATCs I've received. (Susan, yours is going in the mail tomorrow now that I have an address.) This was our 14th year of blog hopping and making friends (though I've not been with the group the whole time)

Like card fronts, ATCs can serve dual purpose. Here, Susan applied a ATC clear pocket to the front of the card then added the ATC. Great dual journaling spot!

Susan

Our fearless leader, Miss Julia, created this one. She even made a pin for us! Thank you, dear friend.

Miss Julia

Jan made this lovely card & pocket. No project from Jan would be complete without fabric included!

LJJ

Nicely folded multi-pocket configuration. Angela also included a couple of patterned paper for me to use. I think I'll be learning this pocket fold, reminiscent of the wallet pocket.

Angela

This adorable ATC came from Tracy. She is an amazing artist and has her own line of stamps. I'll be featuring her all month long in August on my  YouTube channel and on August 31st, we'll take a tour of where she creates these fun pieces!  I am waiting anxiously for my stamps to arrive.

Tracy

This last one has me stumped. I can't read the signature on the back and there was no return address. If you see this, please let me know who you are. I love the art work! 

unknown

Finally, this is the ATC I created and shared. I still have a couple left. If you would like one, just email me. My email address is in the description box of all my videos or ask Miss Julia for it.

Mine

That's it for my desk (and story) this week. Who's Miss Julia and why am I here?  When you are done visiting me in the Ozarks, please hop on over to Stamping Ground for all the details. Miss Julia has a long list of other studios you can peek into. No standing on an up-turned milk pail to look in the window. We open the doors wide and welcome you.  Please leave your number and you'll be among the first on my list.

 Creative Blessings!

~ Kelly

MAKE A CARD MONDAY - Christmas in July!

Good morning, crafty friends!

I started a new series on my YouTube channel. I'm featuring Christmas the entire month of July.  This is our first official Christmas card of the month.

I've heard some questions from junk journalers that didn't start as card makers. They have no clue where to start. I tried to take some of the mystery out of this puzzle in today's video... linked below.

I started with an 8x8 paper pad called This Miracle Night from Craft O' Clock (now retired) that I'd purchased from a Spectrum Art Creations Live Sale then added Stampin' Up! items from my stash.

You'll notice a touch of gray in the background foliage and ribbon so I used Smokey Slate cardstock for my base and matted the image cut from the paper on a piece of Cherry Cobbler. The Baker's Twine was from Stampin' Up! and the charm from Hobby Lobby.

Here's the quick instructional vide:

I'll be back tomorrow to make a couple of tags from this same collection.

Creative Blessings!

~ Kelly