Musings
A journey of self discovery
I am a card maker
Years ago when I was working for Viking Sewing Gallery, located inside JoAnn Fabrics, scrapbooking was all the rage. Having already dabbled in stamping and embossing as far back as the early 90’s it seemed like a natural choice to add to my already jack-of-all-trades approach to creativity. Who could resist all of the pretty paper and stickers.
Sale after sale topped with an employee discount, I started to stock up on supplies. I was going to scrapbook everything that was happening and scrapbook my entire archive of photographs. I might even “upgrade” my high school and collage scrapbooks to new colorful artistic layouts.
I was ready to get started on this challenge, right after I got time away from a house, a half-acre of property, three dogs, two jobs, and an active sewing/quilting hobby. Needless to say the scrapbooking did not take off. After all, how many layouts can you do involving three adorable dogs. So after a dozen pages I packed up all of the paper and supplies and left it to collect dust.
About a year and a half ago I got the bright idea that I could use the scrapbooking supplies coupled with my collection of rubber stamps, inks and embossing supplies to make cards. All I needed was some cardstock and glue and I would be good to go.
Boy, was I wrong!
As with any new endeavor, I did what everyone does and jumped on YouTube to find out the basics. Down the rabbit hole I went. I fell into a wonderful world of kind, creative people who openly shared their knowledge and passion.
I’ve learned a lot of things about card making. All paper is not created equal. Lightweight paper, although pretty is not the best for card making. Cardstock that is not the right weight performs poorly when trying to dry emboss. No mater what anyone told you in kindergarten, coloring is a complicated skill. Embossing powder does have a shelf life and apparently it is sometime before 25 years. Most importantly, all hobbies are an investment.
Investing and stockpiling is something I easily get sucked into; remember how this all started with a scrapbook supplies I could not bare to part with. I went from a few bags of supplies and tools to several bookcases and a dedicated paper crafting area. I’ve attended classes and logged countless hours on YouTube. And yes, I’ve make a few cards.
This year is my “stop putting it off year” and my paper crafting obsession is no exception. I’m off to a good start, making several cards already this year. I’m also improving. Yesterday was my first card that I did not have to make multiple times before I got it right.
I’m putting it out into the universe. I am a card maker!
Musings 