WOYWW #751 and Catching Up!

 Good morning, Crafty friends!

September and October got completely away from me!

I spent a long weekend in Springfield, including a day with my sister. 

The following week I was back in Springfield for a planner getaway and two days with my daughter. We'd not had the opportunity to just visit and do stuff together in TEN YEARS!  We spent one day at the Wonders of Wildlife Museum then the next day at the Japanese Botanical Gardens.  Here are a couple of pictures.

Wonders of Wildlife:

Japanese Botanical Gardens:

Hard to believe my baby girl is 40!

I spent the first eleven days of October setting up videos for a MemoryDex  October Daily series on my youtube channel. I was going to be gone from the 12th - 17th at a writer's conference in Eureka Springs AR.  I have been attending that conference for 27 years. I missed one year in that stretch the weekend my youngest granddaughter was born. Abby turned 12 this year. 

If you'd like to see why my desk looks like this:

then I invite you to check out my #31DaysofHalloween playlist on YouTube... You can also find them on my IG account... https://www.instagram.com/kellyscreativedreams/

I'm a few days behind on IG but getting the pictures caught up.

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

#TAGTUESDAY - Week 13 & #31DaysofHalloween Day 2

 Good morning, everyone!

I am really battling sinus' today so not here for long. 

Here is the Day 2 of #31DaysofHalloween Memory Dex:

REMEMBER: You can always check out my channel for all the videos.

I used digitals from Heather A. Hudson at My Artistic Adventures on Etsy. Here is her LINK. She has some nice vintage-styled digitals. I bought three of her Halloween themed and will be buying more.

Here's the video for this week's tag:

Creative Blessings

~Kelly

MAKE IT- MAIL IT MONDAY & #31DaysofOctober #OctoberDaily #MemoryDex

 Good morning, crafty friends!

I'm flying in on my trusty broom with LOTS of Treats for you this month!

First off, a quick apology. September turned into an 'unplanned' busy month. I spent two weekends back to back in Springfield. One for a sister day and planner weekend and another for a long 2-day visit with my daughter. We had not sat down and really visited in almost 10 years!!! We were way overdue and had a good time. Come back Wednesday for WOYWW and I'll share pics!

While October is going to be just as busy, with my HB90 planner and my Kanban board set up, I'm ready! I can conquer the world when I plan for it! LOL

Here is today's card:

You're going to see Halloween cards every week this month. I have lots of witchy goodness to share with friends!

This is a bridge card. I learned this super simple technique in the SACs Academy. What is SACs Academy? I'll link that video down below. Trust me... if you like to learn new things and play with products from all over the world - or just be inspired to use your own stash - SACs Academy is the place you want to be. There are lots of other perks, too. 

You can see a video with all the information about SACs Academy HERE

The original class used an embossed panel for the center backdrop. After doing the sample, I pulled out my Midnight Tales from Graphic 45 and went to work. I upped the game by fussy cutting a second witch (I have 2 complete kits of this retired series) and popped her up on a wobble.. when I shake the card, she flies! This was also one of two entries I did for the G45 community FB group. They choose a random winner to receive $150 GC!!! Boy, I could spend that in a heart beat, couldn't you?

Today kicked off the #31 Days of Halloween on my YouTube Channel. Every afternoon around 5 p.m. EST, there will be a short video showcasing that day's Memory Dex card. While you're welcome to check out Day 1 Video, here is the Memory Dex card for today:

I was inspired by THIS pinterest item by Haley Marble of Marbles 3D Printshop

Day 2:

This TAG by becreativejs inspired today's card.

That's it for me today. I have lots to do tomorrow. I'm FINALLY getting stuff put in my Etsy shop! I'll let you know when things go live!

Creative Blessings!

~Kelly

CREATOR'S CORNER - Justine Hovey

 Good morning, crafty friends!

I have a special treat today. I've watched this young lady on YouTube for several years. When I saw her recent accomplishment,  I knew I had to invite her to join us.

Justine Hovey is another artist I've featured who has worked her way up the ranks to create her own stamp line. She sells through Craft Stash.

Here's a bit about, Justine:

My name is Justine Hovey and I have been a cardmaker in the papercrafting industry for over 15 years. As a content creator, crafter and teacher, I love combining my passion for creating with my passion for teaching. Over the years I have been on many design teams and moved into creating papercrafting courses that solve all the common crafter needs. I love showing new techniques over on YouTube and creating beautiful cards using my favorite techniques: embossing and foiling. Additionally, I am one of the founders of the Paper Crafters Get Organized Summit and the Stress Free Cardmaking Summit. In my free time, I enjoy taking my dog for walks, reading, travelling and spending time with my family.

Let's take a look inside Justine's studio:

Beautifully organized Scrapbox!

What got you started on the creative path?

My cousin showed me a scrapbook she was making when her baby was born and that sparked my interest in the papercrafting world. It was such an amazing moment to realize there are ways of being creative without possessing fine art skills. This was exactly what I was looking for.

How has your creativity evolved?

I started with scrapbooking and tried and learned every technique I could possibly find. Scrapbooks take a very long time to create though so cardmaking naturally took over and I eventually settled on a clean and simple style.

What do you enjoy most about your creative path?

I love how much I can learn. I love finding as many ways as possible to use supplies and challenging myself to create with what I have. My creativity has also been able to grow as a content creator in video editing, photography, graphic design, marketing and event planning. It’s been quite a journey!

What inspires you?

My supplies inspire me. I don’t search the internet often for ideas on what to make, I usually pick up a supply from my stash and take it from there.

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

I think a business aspect has always been a part of the journey since I signed up really early to be a Close to my Heart consultant. I did this mainly for the discount because I didn’t have access to supplies in my hometown. I started blogging and making videos around 2013, design teams followed shortly, course creation and much more. I’ve always enjoyed collaborating with other crafters as well and trying to give them opportunities I wish I had when I first started.

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

My space at the moment isn’t ideal. Since home office took over, my space moved to the hallway and I got the Brand Box. I do love it but I don’t feel that my space is very personal like it used to be when I picked all my furniture, had inspirational decoration and used a lot of wall space. I love that everything has a place and if I could change anything, I would love to have a little bit more space. I love that the small space challenges me though, makes me really think about what I buy and forces me to clean up when I’m done.

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

It’s important to get furniture and storage that fits your supplies! I’ve had about 7 craft spaces since I move a lot and I always pre-plan. What will go where, what will fit in which organizer. Things you use most should be closest to you. Make your space your own and personalize it. Add your artwork to the walls, invest in things that make it pretty and make your space unique and special to you.

What is your best organization tip?

It’s a pretty specific one but I love my ink refill storage. The issue with refills is you don’t need them often and they are often stored upright in a box so you can’t see the labels. I numbered the bottoms of my ink pads and I numbered the tops of the refill bottles with the same number as the matching ink pad. I can find them easily when I need them. 

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

There are a lot of cardmaking and craft businesses out there but YOU are unique. What are you bringing to the table that’s different – a technique you’re an expert on? A way of explaining things? A bubbly personality? Whatever it is, hone in on that and stay true to it. I also spent years watching channels and bloggers that were larger than me and I tried to follow their journey. Turns out the majority of us are just experimenting and winging it and what you think makes them successful might not work for you. Enjoy the process, not the end goal. Stay consistent. Believe in yourself and your ability. And don’t be afraid to take courses and invest in yourself professionally.

Thank you for joining us in the studio today, Justine. Let's share how everyone can find you!

WEBSITE    YOUTUBE   INSTAGRAM   

I'll be back tomorrow with a photo-loaded post and a video catch up! Be sure to join me on my YouTube Channel at 11:30 a.m. EST for a premiere video where we can chat!

Creative Blessings!

~ Kelly

 

 

WOYWW #746

 Good morning, crafty friends!

Thanks for stopping in. I should be able to visit everyone this week. Bob is off to his brother's in OK this weekend then could possibly head back to work on Tuesday. 

I have a lot to catch up on so let me show you a rather tidy desk this morning. 

Before I do that, I have this picture I took for Elizabeth from Elizabeth & Bluebeard

I saw this rocking horse in a consignment shop a few weeks ago. I immediately took my phone out and snapped the picture to show her. For those of you who don't know, Elizabeth collects rocking horses. I'd love to have taken this to her but a photo will have to do. 

Okay, the desk:

Not super exciting as I was actually crafting on the dining room table last night while I visited with Bob.

These are junk mail envelopes (right) and tags for them (left).

As is the challenge for this week on my YouTube channel to use pattern paper (so  much easier than printing off, I imagine, Miss Julia. ;-) I decided to cover all five of the envelopes with the pattern paper. I'll need to decorate at least one on my video for tomorrow. I hope to have the other four done before I have to film this afternoon.

The tags are made from the scrapbook paper pack from Stampin' Up! that I'm using for this kit. I've cut each one to size and glued an aged piece of spiral notebook paper to the back for journaling. I still need to decorate the inside of the envelope for what you'll see through the window when the tag is removed. Still thinking on that one. To the far left you'll see scraps from the retired paper pad, Painted Autumn. I'm really trying to work through my stash!

I hope you all stopped in to see our very own Tracy Easson on the blog last month. Tomorrow, I'll be featuring cardmaker, Justine Hovey. Justine shared excited news a couple of months ago and I knew I needed to bring her on board to let all of you know what she's up to.

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 IT - MAIL IT MONDAY - It's Been A Week!

Good morning, everyone.

I'll try to get caught up in here tomorrow or Wednesday. 

Bob came home on Wednesday, then we decided I'd spend the weekend in Springfield for a 'sister weekend' with my sole surviving sissy, Dona from Crazy Lady Creations. That meant getting videos through tomorrow recorded - six in total.  

We met up with one of the crafty ladies from our junk journal group then spent the rest of the day in Springfield doing a little shopping, visiting an Antique Mall and enjoying an enormous dinner at the Smokin' Crab. The place is a bit expensive because the seafood is based on current market prices. For Bob and I it was a treat. My sister and I both love seafood and I knew no one in her family would ever take her so it was our day. We were on the go for twelve hours but it was an awesome day we'll both remember.

I have pictures on my phone to share with you guys, but don't have time to resize/ edit them this morning.  Probably a long post on Wednesday. I only have a couple of hours left at the hotel before I have to check out and need to finish up a planner project so the next of this quarter and all of the final quarter of 2023 run relatively smoothly. 

I'll leave you with video links for now if you want to catch up:

Tag Tuesday - another tag for the journal - https://youtu.be/BpZnXkDRuYw

Color Challenge - Guest Checks - https://youtu.be/R-I4YQOaZL4

Finish It Friday - More Guest Checks - https://youtu.be/olRISTfmdBY

SACs Saturday - Wobblers! - https://youtu.be/U-UIYMPw0z0

I'll have a post tomorrow but probably mid-afternoon. 

In the mean time, here is today's Make It Mail It video:

Creative Blessings!

~ Kelly

MEMORY DEX MONDAY

Good morning, friends!

Initially, today's card was supposed to be All About the Sparkle but my brain went to fall and setting up for October - which I have a special announcement about in today's PREMIERE video (11:30 a.m. est if you see this in time - otherwise replay will be available)

Here is today's Memory Dex:

As you'll see in the video, this is actually a file folder using a die set from Heidi Swapp. Spectrum Art Creations no longer has the set I used, but this one would work just as well - Spectrum Art Creations Etsy -