Helpful Tips (Revised)

When I started this blog 2 years ago, I never knew I would be led to start a small business. It is amazing how God directs us to ways we don't even think about. My second post two years ago was about some tips I was given which have helped me to this day. After reading that post, I decided to revise it and re-post it. Here it is.

1. Don't buy stickers, or any material just because they look cute, or are on sale. You will be spending a lot of money on things you won't use.
2. Start slow and simple. There are so many choices out there on what to use on a scrapbook page or to make cards, and that can be a bit overwhelming. So, before you start buying, and buying, and buying... make a list to see what you need. Look for clearance, sales, and COUPONS!!! 
3. Sign up to receive craft stores emails. They will send you coupons. Why pay $120.oo for a cutting/embossing machine, when you can pay half of that? Why not buy two embossing folders for the price of one?
4. Always check your craft store sales first. DO NOT buy anything on Ebay or Amazon unless the price is much better, and  the seller's feedback is at least 99.8 POSITIVE.
5. Stock up what you know you WILL USE more than once.
6. Look for items in your home. You will be amazed with the amount of different material you can use that you ALREADY HAVE! Such items can be well-used dryer sheets, grocery- store paper bags, fabric, ribbons, laces, etc.
7. Remember, creating something to give to that special someone is about doing what you like, enjoying the process, thinking of another human being, and having fun.

I hope these tips were helpful to you as much as they have been to me.
Feel free to ask any questions.

Thank you so much for stopping by. 
God bless you,

Vanías Reed  

Cute Christmas Card

Hi, what do you do when you feel you are out of inspiration? Your creativity is pretty much 'stuck'?  Have you ever felt like that? I have. Many times. First time I felt like that, I thought I wouldn't ever be able to create anything again. But then I realized that there is so much around me that can inspire my creativity. A good walk in a nature preserve helps a lot, but when I stop and 'smell the coffee' - as my husband tells me to (smile), I notice God's awesome creativity in everything: a child's laugh, an elderly lady, flowers, even coffee itself. There is so much color and beauty out there. Sometimes I find my inspiration just by going through things that I have at home. You would be amazed by the number of items we collect and forget about. Another way that helps me to get 'unstuck' is to take a look at other people's ideas. There are so many ladies who are very creative, and willing to share their ideas on the internet. The idea for the card I'm posting today came from one of the moments when I got 'unstuck' by watching a video about embossing diffusers, and finding a sheet of cute stickers that I have had for the longest time, and completely forgot about it.

Supplies used
Paper: Light blue and white cardstock
Tools: Cutting/ embossing machine, snowflakes embossing folder (the Paper Studios), oval embossing diffuser (Tim Holtz), oval frame embossing folder (Sizzix Textured Impressions), computer, printer, banner die.
Embellishments: clear gemstones, black tiny pearls, Christmas stickers, banner with printed sentiment

It is raining hard right now, which made me have an idea for a "Get Well" card for someone "under the weather". As you can see, you can get inspiration from pretty much anything, anywhere, or anyone.

Thank you for stopping by. God bless you, 

Vanías Reed   

One Card - Two Versions

Hello, how's your summer going? Hopefully full of fun and family time. Of course, if you are in the southern hemisphere, you are enjoying - or not- winter. Either way, we are celebrating Christmas in July, and I'm posting as many Christmas cards ideas as possible, so you can get ahead of the game. Today I'm posting two versions of the 'same' card. The reason why I do that sometimes is because I mail cards to friends and relatives, and, in order to do that, I have to have a kind of assembly line. But I don't like to send the exact same card to everyone, so I change things up a little, and... voila :)  high speed production without loosing quality. Let's see those cards, shall we?

Supplies used
Paper: White, blue, glitter silver (1st card), red, gold (2nd card) cardstock paper
Tools: Cutting/embossing machine, Christmas tree embossing folder (Darice), small star punch
Embellishments: blue and clear gemstones in different sizes, and "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" sentiment sticker, silver star (1st card)
colorful gemstones (same size), golden star, and gift stickers (second card)

Neither of these cards is difficult to make, and yet, they look cute and can me mailed without too much trouble. 

Thank you for checking my 'Christmas in July' ideas. 

God bless you,  

Vanías Reed