Hello crafty friends!
I started a project recently to help myself with future projects. Yes, you read that correctly. We can all use a little help from time to time with coming up with ideas and even when we do have an idea it doesn't always carry us to the very end. I have found myself staring at a sheet of paper to make a card while not having a clue where to start. I've also had those moments when there just seems to be something missing and this can help with that too.
A crafty friend shared this video
and I just love it! The video is from +Claudia Rossi and she talks about a challenge her and her friend is doing/did with what she is calling "Inspiration Sticks". Under that video is a link to how to make them and she provides a link to a list of what to write on your sticks to get you started. Claudia's list idea is for art journaling, but can be easily carried over to other types of projects. My list will consist of things that I do specifically for cardmaking and therefore be different, so what it comes down to is, YOUR list can be for anything you want. When I've completed my list I will be sure to share it right here.
UPDATE: List for card-making
Scroll down for another project using this idea, "Spontaneity Sticks".
Here are some of the sticks I've made so far. I haven't decided yet how I want to store my sticks or if I want to further embellish them.
To make mine I used large tongue depressors that I coated with pastel chalk ink by VersaMagic. Then I used rubber and clear stamps with Rubber Stampede ink in the color Wheat to make designs on them.
Once the ink was dry I used a fine tipped, black, permanent marker to write with. I had a little trouble with bleeding, but unless I were to use a magnifying glass or hold it close to my face the bleeding is really not noticeable. I would suggest experimenting with what you have and see what works best for you.
The great thing about the idea of "Inspiration Sticks" is that they can be used for anything, even outside of crafting. How often do we skip over all the sightseeing opportunities, museums, etc. in our own towns or regions. You could write down all the places to visit on sticks and then randomly pick one on a nice day. Maybe in this case you might call them "Spontaneity Sticks" and as you accomplish each one, you might frame, or place in a scrapbook, your stick as your title with the photos you took. The possibilities are endless :)
I hope you're all enjoying your summer. I'm leaving for a two week camping trip this weekend with my family and friends and can't wait! This will be a much needed break after my craft room makeover, trying to clean out our shed and organizing my main living spaces. I'm always amazed at how much "stuff" my family accumulates.
This week I decided to make some sketches for future projects. I had certain borders and flowers in mind, but after making the sketches I realized that many different looks can be created from them.
If you decide to use a sketch or more than one I would love to see your interpretation when I return from vacation. I welcome you to place the number(s) of the sketch you used and the URL to your project in the comment section as a reply to "Links". There is an example below. Have fun!
1) Scrapbook Layout Sketch
2) Scrapbook Layout Sketch
with rolled corners and border punched edges
3) Greeting Card Sketch
4)
Greeting Card Sketch
5) Greeting Card Sketch
Example for sharing your project in comments
Happy Crafting!
