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Post by joblackford on Jul 17, 2024 23:28:25 GMT
This is a really great deal, especially if you're spending more than $100. The shipping discount is greater than the 10% off they offer at times. I just happened to be loading my cart with Xmas things on the first day of this promo, a little annoyed that I had squandered the discount codes from the previous days, and then I saw that free shipping saved me $23! And yes, that was far more than 10% of what I ordered, and most of the stuff I got was also very slightly marked down, as per usual with them. Bonus points for the delivery expected tomorrow. That's almost amazon fast.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 17, 2024 20:02:54 GMT
I feel like starting over/big changes is something VM really enjoys and does regularly so I'm not surprised she has decided to completely overhaul her scrapping system. If I'm remembering correctly, she was working outside the home, then she worked for herself and ran VM Designs, then started working PT (at her daughter's school, maybe?), and then started working full-time outside the home again. She's "reset" her scrapping YT channel a few times, too, with new series or lives or what-have-you that last for awhile and then are taken over by her next big idea. None of that is bad; it just seems to be the way she enjoys operating. Yes, I think she is energized by these resets!
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Post by joblackford on Jul 17, 2024 19:58:10 GMT
Please don't take the start of this thread as anything but or conversation. I have enjoyed reading everyone's tours and where they are or how they changed. I find VM easy to follow because I her voice and she has always been good about sharing what is in her mind. I have certainly walked away with new ideas and thoughts for sure. While certainly not for me, I will follow on YT as I find this idea very intriguing. I'm definitely glad you started this thread I find it fascinating how divisive this idea is! I think Victoria is going to have a lot of content come out of this because if we're having this discussion you can bet she's getting all kinds of DMs 😬 Lots to talk about! And yeah, like someone said, she's not giving up scrapbooking, she's probably just enjoying some creative freedom. And her daughter is getting to the age where she probably doesn't want her mom scrapping her every move, so this gives her a way to keep working on pages and looking back at the younger years as her kiddo starts moving towards being her own adult self.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 17, 2024 19:46:19 GMT
I've done two layouts this afternoon and I have one more layout worth of photos to finish up Jan of this year in the family album. UPS just dropped off four packages of photo prints (nearly 900 photos total) though that I need to sort and label. I think I'm going to try and get that layout done and then hopefully tackle at least one package of photos. Wowzers! That's a lot of photos!!
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Post by joblackford on Jul 17, 2024 16:20:36 GMT
I tried to answer yesterday’s question but my internet ate my work, so I will cut the rambling and say, no, I'm not good at schedules. I loosely zone my time but I tend to rebel against what I should be doing and time disappears alarmingly when I'm online. Perfect conditions? Not sweltering, not freezing, nothing really difficult hanging over me (like a phone call or appointment upcoming). I generally need a YT video or a project that I'm already in the swing of to get my butt firmly planted in my chair, and having a coffee/cold drink on my desk helps too (I get up for snack breaks a lot when I'm not in the flow). Getting started is the hard part for me but having a little routine of grabbing my iPad and coffee and sitting at my desk after lunch seems to work. Usually after lunch I don't feel like I should be doing something more important. 9:20 am here - I better go do something from my to do list now!
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Post by joblackford on Jul 17, 2024 16:10:58 GMT
I hope she explains what "robust story" means to her. I'm certain she will discuss that in great detail I think for a start she's going to jettison the pages that are just a cute photo and a "love you, kid" sentiment. That's probably a lot! But some of it is probably how she gut-feels about the page when she looks at it and reads it, which is something we can all judge for our own pages/albums in our own ways.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 17, 2024 16:07:54 GMT
It just sounds like so much wasted time when new pages can be made. I understand the need to downsize but cutting all of them down? I have no idea how that would work- it would ruin the whole balance of the design so you'd have to rip it apart and start over. Too much work and stuff is bound to get ruined in the process. She is only doing it to layouts that are centered and can be cut down. All others will be thrown out or redone. Yes, it sounds like only a small number will actually be trimmed, and others will be redone from scratch. And she's very clear that she's got all the photos safely backed up and shared. It will be interesting to see her process and maybe some people will understand it more once they see how she's doing it. Especially what she means by core stories or highlights. I know what people mean about the joy in finding small details that may have seemed unimportant, the same way we love seeing the "messy" backgrounds of our childhood homes in old photos. But I think about how some people here despise Project Life type pages and only document big events. Some people find the minutiae dull and never take photos of their lunch or their work desk. That's just their preference. Her daughter will still have 1000x more photos and layouts/stories about her childhood than any of us pre-digital folks have!! And we're fine.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 16, 2024 23:42:49 GMT
I am having the week from hell at work, and I am so tired that I can't even keep my eyes open to type this, let alone think of an interesting question to ask! All I can think of is how much I wish I could retire right now! Which kind of leads on to my QOTD: If you are retired, do you schedule time for your hobbies, or do you just do them whenever you feel like it?
I think that if I was able to retire now, I would still have to set myself a schedule, otherwise I would 'waste' the whole day scrapping and internet surfing! Ugh, I hope your week gets better. I think in retirement most people find that they’re about as busy as they were before, just doing different things. I have never been one for scheduling myself - I simply do not follow through most of the time - but I find it helps to have a couple of concrete things on the calendar each week. I try to think in terms of blocks of about 3-4 hours but I don’t stress (too much) about my brain dragging me off in a different direction some days. I do struggle to find/make time to do the things I don’t want to do, but that’s always been true! Finding time to craft is easy as long as I have something in progress and I sit down after lunch and start. Today I’m out of routine and just time wasting!
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Post by joblackford on Jul 16, 2024 23:30:23 GMT
Oh, and I should note that I do this with everything! I have digitized and photographed and scanned and dictated journals to put into different forms too. It’s like a composting process.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 16, 2024 23:26:58 GMT
I have been following along with this and I’m looking forward to her sharing more about the process! She’s going to be making content about what she’s doing and why, and taking us all along on the journey.
Some of it is the contract/DT projects and for sure most of that is going into the bin. That stuff was probably never intended to be kept long term.
But I think some of us just have a part of our brains that push us to re-work things, and some people do not. I follow a few people who have converted their PL albums into digital photo books. And there’s also that minimalist lady Susie Fish who rips apart her pages and reuses them over and over. She is extremely process focused. Shimelle has also talked about one day getting to a point where the container concept is going to kick in and she’ll remove less loved pages to make space for more loved ones.
I have reworked multiple albums over the years. The original albums went in the bin, or got disassembled. I’ve kept photos in some cases, trashed them in other cases. I’ve rearranged 2 volume PL albums and tossed out the stuff that makes me cringe or that’s meaningless to make them fit in one volume. (Don’t worry, my family doesn’t really care about what happened on NCIS or New Girl in 2013, and not all traces of my interest in TV shows has been erased 😆 nothing important has been lost).
I think of it as first drafts, no harm in refining them and creating something better from them if that’s going to make you happier. I also have major space issues, and no one was/is looking at the old albums. Not even me! So what’s the point in keeping them as they are? I’d rather rework them to be easier to store, and in the process I can adjust some things, add some perspective, tell better stories, and toss out the stuff that doesn’t speak to me any more.
I totally understand why this approach is not for everyone. Sometimes I ask myself why I’m wasting time reworking old stuff instead of doing something new. But in the end it feels right to me, for me and my family.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 16, 2024 16:35:33 GMT
So, I have "signed on the dotted line"...except it was just checking a little box next to "agree" and hitting an "OK" or "Accept" or something like button. Very anticlimactic. Oh man. I read part of a book heathbrothers.com/the-power-of-moments/ that talked about how big events should have rituals and specialness around them, something I have always been very resistant to. But I feel like you need to have something more than clicking accept... Oh well, hopefully you can celebrate in your own way.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 16, 2024 5:03:13 GMT
Checking in now that we're halfway through July. I've made 35 christmas cards thus far. I really want to make a couple DD type mini albums, but when I tried last week I had a hard time getting started. So I put the supplies away and went back to making cards. joblackford the WF christmas release is a great one. I want those stencils you mentioned above, and the retro christmas tree die & stencils. oh and the whole postage stuff, too. Trying to resist though, because I don't need more new things, especially not holiday new things. Good luck on your santa search! caspad I'm so glad you shared those "currently" tabs. I love your idea and I'm absolutely going to copy it. Nice work! I have the tree set on my wishlist too. I have an idea to combine that with another element that could be really cute… but I’m going to wait a while. I ordered some Paper Rose papers and die cuts this afternoon. They should keep me busy for the next month or so.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 16, 2024 0:35:15 GMT
QOTD: What is your best time to craft: weekends or week days? Why?The best time for me to craft is in the evening. I'm more of a night person, the house is quiet and I generally don't feel like I should be doing something else. I love how different we all are. I think I must've been raised to think that family time meant being together in front of the TV in the evenings! I feel like I'm ignoring my husband if I go off to do crafting after dinner. That's why I crochet in the evenings, so I can sit with him even if I don't care for what he's watching.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 16, 2024 0:32:31 GMT
I'm guessing the YouTuber you're referring to is Cass from Clutterbug. I watch her a lot I watch a lot of different YT channels about cleaning and organizing and minimalism and it's fascinating to me to watch how people treat their stuff. I cringe at one lady who drags things across her nice floors and chucks and tosses things instead of setting them down, even as she's explaining why this item is precious to her and she can't declutter it. And she wonders why her kids leave chaos everywhere they go Admittedly I think the whole family has some ADHD, which can make it so you really don't notice how you've put something down on the desk with glue oozing and stuff underneath getting ruined. In comparison I have watched some Japanese people on TV doing their work/craft with such amazing precision, gentleness and care, like an airport baggage handler who turned each bag to the right direction and laid them on the carousel softly as if they were breakable. (NHK had a documentary about airport workers and it was stunningly different from what you would see at US airports!) I think part of it is how we are raised - whether everyone around us throws their bikes or toys aside without a second thought or whether we're expected to treat things almost as if they have feelings, at least as if they have value. Japanese Shinto beliefs recognize everything as having a kind of spirit and inherent value, deserving of care and gratitude (like KonMari thanking her old socks before throwing them away). I have no idea whether it's nature or nurture, probably both. But anyway, a 5 minute pickup at the end of a crafting session can do wonders! Taking a few minutes in the middle to look around and see if anything can be put away to make space helps me a lot too.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 16, 2024 0:12:03 GMT
I used a sample size pack of paper from Waffle Flower to make a batch of cards. It was gift from the round robin I hosted. I added to my stash though because I bought a die set to use with it. DOH!
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Post by joblackford on Jul 16, 2024 0:02:17 GMT
I used to have too much washi but between gifting, natural attrition (if it shreds or doesn't stick it gets binned) and using it to hold dies and on the backs of envelopes I've used a decent portion and feel OK with how much I have. It fits in its container with plenty of room to spare.
I do have too many sequins - only one spice jar full, but since I almost never use them that's probably too many. I'm glad you asked though because I checked the jar and found some small clear baubles I forgot about. I'm going to move them over to my enamel dot storage container since that's where I would look first for small embellishments.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 15, 2024 18:43:24 GMT
It is now an official verbal offer! The talent acquisition lady was able to get me the additional salary, the boss and I both had the same start date in mind -- a week from today (gulp!). Technically, I'm not supposed to use more than 3 days vacation in my first 90 days, but she said everyone hired this time of year has planned vacation and things are worked out. Plus, my boss has a vacation planned at the same time as mine or close to it. That's why we both preferred the earlier start date!
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Post by joblackford on Jul 15, 2024 17:25:55 GMT
Thanks for the love on Flickr grammadee I'll answer your questions here, if that's OK, since it's easier to link the products. The sampler paper pack with the birds and letters is this one: waffleflower.com/products/special-delivery-samplerI bought the die set that is sized to cut out the postage stamp elements to layer on the other papers. I didn't get the matching stamp set which also has the birds and envelope. The post box is from Hero Arts - an affordable small set with no fussy extra bits: heroarts.com/products/di773-us-mailbox-fancy-die-c?_pos=5&_sid=214e4f6fc&_ss=r but I'd also be happy to send you a few mailboxes and envelopes if you'd like some. I tend to cut them in bulk when I have some good colors in my scrap bin.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 15, 2024 15:49:08 GMT
Shakti I’m glad you have some good job news at last, but I can understand the hesitation until things are all settled. So fun that you were able to go see some of the trolls! I’ve settled into a sort of retirement schedule where I do things I need to or “should” do in the mornings and things I want to do after lunch (making cards!) Scrolling and crochet and TV in the evenings, mostly. And I try to spend weekends on reading and other hobbies that get shortchanged during the week, including digital scrapping. I’m extremely lucky to make my own schedule almost every day, but I can be a pretty sucky boss. I struggle with executive dysfunction
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Post by joblackford on Jul 15, 2024 15:37:48 GMT
I can't think of anything I would bring back except the Lifetime Moments store and message board. Not much to report here - we went to lunch and looked at sofas. My husband is not fully on board with getting a new one but I appreciate that he looked. I even broke it to him that I'd like to replace the rug and paint too. Ideally this would all happen after Labor Day so he has time to warm up to the idea. I did get to scrapbook last night which was fun. But I realized how much I need to organize my pictures and finished projects which is on deck for this week. angel97701 - continued good thoughts for your husband. joblackford - it was nice of you to take on this project but I get the "teach a person to fish..." mood. AussieMeg - so weird you watched 90210 and then to learn Shannon Doherty passed away today. I loved that show when it was on and thought it was kind of cringey back then I can't imagine watching it with 2024 eyes. Here's a layout where I used a ton of those prima flowers - it didn't even put a dent in the bottle. haha!! Ireland Cover by Christine C68, on Flickr WOW! I’ve heard all about the Prima flowers over the years here but besides seeing some pictures of the bottles I don’t think I’ve ever seen them. That’s a LOT of flowers! If that didn’t make a dent in the bottle I guess they probably weren’t a great money maker for the company unless they kept bringing out new limited edition colors for the full setters. Is that how it went?
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Post by joblackford on Jul 15, 2024 1:39:50 GMT
I’ve been obsessing about Christmas cards for the past few days. And of course I was thinking about totally different things than what I said above! As I’ve mentioned in a couple of other threads I have been watching too many videos of new releases that are VERY cool but not suitable for making for 40-60 people. Too many steps and too much stenciling, which hurts my hands. So I’m telling you here (to hold myself accountable) that I’m going to buy some Paper Rose Christmas collections. Using Sheetloads, die cuts and cut-aparts is far more realistic for me. Bonus points for not having to worry about repeats, although the downside is my overthinking brain trying to decide which card I give to which person. I’m excited to use some pretty Australian Christmas supplies for my summer Christmas family and friends. Look how pretty: www.scrapbook.com/store/pr-31172.html
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Post by joblackford on Jul 14, 2024 17:14:55 GMT
I am obsessing about my Christmas card design this weekend! One side of my brain is screaming “too early!” And the other side is trying to fool me into making dozens of stenciled and layered die cut cards. AS IF. The rational part of my brain is telling me to buy some really nice Paper Rose Christmas collections and focus on what I love to do for mass production - cut and paste patterned paper. I’m also hoping to find a really good Santa that speaks to me. I’ve been saving some to a wishlist but I’m surprised how few there are. For the obsessing, I blame Waffle Flower and their postage collage sets. And Jennifer McGuire. I might “need” this word stencil/die/stamp set. It looks very versatile - change up the colors, combine different words together, you can make a tree out of some of the words too. waffleflower.com/products/overlapping-christmas-words-stencil-trio
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Post by joblackford on Jul 14, 2024 17:02:42 GMT
I have no answer for the question today, and I can’t really think of a good answer for yesterday either. So, just checking in. I’m obsessing about Christmas card designs and I blame the peas! Or maybe the industry for bringing out so many cute products for the holidays in July.
Yesterday I got all my craft points doing crochet instead of cards. I wound all my leftover yarn into neat little balls, very satisfying. Then I started a project I should’ve declined, a favor to a coworker of my SIL’s. I’m making her a cell phone pouch to wear at work, like I made for my SIL, but this time following an actual pattern (which I thought would be easier than winging it). It shouldn’t be a hard project but let’s just say there was a lot of starting over (6 tries to get the foundation piece right!) and a lot of swearing involved.
I’m reminding myself that this is my choice, and that I’m earning points and learning new skills. Maybe the most important skill is saying “no, but I’d be happy to link you to a DIY tutorial or Etsy shop” !!
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Post by joblackford on Jul 13, 2024 2:47:33 GMT
My QOTD today is: What are your favourite embellishments to use on masculine pages? I feel that choices for embellishments are really limited for masculine pages. There are only so many stars and gears that one can use! I would love to hear your thoughts on what you like to use on pages featuring the boys and men in your life. None of my pages are really masculine or feminine, or embellished. For cards for guys I think I use geometries and arrows, stars. I don’t think I have any new ideas to offer!
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Post by joblackford on Jul 12, 2024 1:48:49 GMT
Well the last 24 hour as been interesting. DH's pain is now about an 8/10. Doctor friend advised me to take him to ER last night as the drugs on board yesterday evening hadn't even touched the pain. ER from 7 pm-midnight. Four rounds of top of the line pain meds, doubles on dilaudid, oxycodone, and valium and still 9.5/10. The goal was to get the pain so he could stand on his own. Lots of texts to daughter and Doctor friend. Apparently my husband is immune to all pain meds. Took him home (option two was stay over night at the hospital . . . um NOPE!) Thankfully I got him home and into bed by 1:30, drive is 30 minutes and I needed to get him to eat. Moving like a sloth is all he can do. Up at 4:30 for more meds and a rest stop . . . took 30 minutes. This morning was horrific, he was close to passing out and had sweat dripping off him by the time I got him up and to the bathroom. Took 70 minutes to get him to the recliner and get him to eat. Ran errands--borrowed a walker from the church and picked up the enteric coated Advil. By this afternoon we both needed a nap.
So obviously no crafting for me. But a nice nap. No water time today either. DH is first on the list right now. Maybe in the morning?
Oh my goodness! That sounds like a nightmare! I hope he can get some kind of relief soon. I’m sure you’re both exhausted.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 12, 2024 1:43:57 GMT
I’m glad more companies are giving people the option to stencil instead of color. It’s not just about skill or cost of markers but might also make their products more accessible to people who have vision or hand issues. I haven’t seen these ones yet but I’m having trouble imagining how small the openings must be!
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Post by joblackford on Jul 12, 2024 1:37:59 GMT
Oh darn! That’s a pain.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 12, 2024 1:29:57 GMT
The first thing was probably the tape runner (I like the pink Tombow dotted one). I mostly use glue now that I make tons of cards but the tape runner was what got me started. I feel bad for people (non-crafters) who have never discovered how easy it makes sticking stuff to other stuff.
For a long time I didn't think I really needed a die cutting machine but now I can’t imagine making cards without one. I would give up all of my stamps before I gave up dies and a die cutter.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 12, 2024 0:20:12 GMT
If you do decide to donate some or all I would give the place a call first. Many thrift shops are not accepting magazines any more and will just end up recycling them, or worse, will send you back home with them.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 12, 2024 0:18:02 GMT
Awhile ago, I flipped through my CK, Simple Scrapbooks, and other magazines, tore out the pages I wanted to save ( many of them already marked with sticky notes), and got rid of the magazines. Put the pages I extricated away…. And haven’t looked at them since LOLThat’s usually how it goes… but if it helps you let go of the bulk, no harm done.
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