I work in a bagel shop, and I have thought about creating small cards for people to take if they need some encouragement for the day. I could make hundreds of different cards with my supplies, so regulars wouldn’t get the exact card twice, lol. I just need to go for it!
When I worked in the large chain coffee shop I would make small items out of paper at holidays and hand them out to our regular customers. They loved that I took the time to make something from scratch for them.
I need to use my printed paper and I’m so happy I found your channel. Although this video is older, it truly reflects the journey that I’ve been on in crafting more and getting more out of the enjoyment of the process. I work on a team of 13 people in a building with hundreds. I cleaned out all the cards I hadn’t given over the years-100’s. I just put them in the break room, gone within a week! Now I can make 40 from the same pad, and know if I put them in the break room somebody will need them. Thank you for sharing.
A few more that help me: -I pre-cut A2 size panels of every color and keep a huge rainbow-organized chunk of them on my craft desk. Cardmaking goes more quickly/smoothly when I can just easily grab 1-4 of them to match my project and they're also easy to grab when I want to throw together a project to do away from home. -I made peace with the idea that organizing supplies and prepping half-made cards are both unique hobbies and I get to enjoy them for themselves! I have a drawer for half-made cards and unused elements so there's no pressure to make myself finish a project when I want to move on. If the drawer gets full then I can use, organize, or toss some of them. I often focus better away from home. Often I'll just take a pattern paper pad, some card bases, various colors of cardstock trimmed to A2, glue bottle, and my mini-trimmer. So many card sketches are mainly just rectangles so very few supplies are needed to make those on the go. Sentiments go on later. - when I make 4+ of the same card, I'll usually leave the sentiment off 2 of them. I organize my finished cards by occasion/topic, but it's also great to have a nice big "finished except sentiment" section for even more flexibility.
Love this ❤one thing I have started doing is batch make sentiments - stamp / die cut / heat emboss / hot foil a bunch of them at once. I usually do this for all sentiments on a set that I think I will use. For instance if it’s a floral stamp set with a bunch of sentiments for different occasions, I will stamp or heat emboss all of them 2-3 times when I get a chance. Then I will store them in a small pull out drawer or binder on my desk 😊 works best with heat embossing or hot foiling especially because between runs no need to reheat the tools 😊 hope this tips helps someone.
I'm with you on leaving things out if you're not done with the project! Total waste of valuable crafting time IMHO LOL! My 1st time watching you, and I LOVED this video!
I have found making kits works for me. I put paper, card bases, and embellishments in a large plastic bag. When I have time to craft everything I need is there and I am not wasting time looking for things. It also makes clean up easier. Thanks for the video, great topic!
I love you video- Jess. So much important information and helpful tips. Instead of sticky mats when I want to stencil or glitter paste I will us a cricut mat from the Dollar tree and use that with my card and stencil.
Love this video! You hit the nail on the head with many of my frustrations. I often have difficulty getting motivated to craft, feel guilty about not using ALL of my craft supplies, and often find myself organizing my supplies instead of making cards. I also love your suggestion to use matching products, like embellishments that match paper pads, or using kits so the colors and themes match. It eliminates spending time trying to think of which of your supplies to use together for the best look on your card or scrapbook page. Your suggestions are easing my pain, especially when you said that crafting should just be about HAVING FUN and not about volume of cards made, etc. Your love for crafting and suggestions on how to enjoy it more is a great help to us! Thank you Jess!
Love this video! I have freed up time and money by changing my pre card making planning. I grab the ephemera I want to use and find the paper to coordinate. I grab one of your templates or anyone’s templates and set everything in piles. (Use to grab paper first and not find anything to coordinate. Not anymore!!) I made 40 cards yesterday with ease and the happy meter was pegging! 😊 I also give myself permission to toss small scraps. I used to keep every scrap and it was overwhelming. I keep some for the neighbor kids to craft, and they know what drawers to pull from. A win win!
Like you, I clean up after I’ve finished a project. However, I do neaten up placing things in neat piles where possible a each craft session. I don’t need a totally cleaned off work surface every time I enter my craft space. But, what I do need is some sense of order and not piles of clutter.
I do the same. I make piles and sometimes put things in bags or envelopes so I don't lose them. I just have to be careful not to let the piles grow more piles and actually finish things.
From the comments you really resonated with people here! I feel this was about foiling, I don't need to buy another gadget to keep in my space. But another pad of paper, that's a different story! Thanks for your ideas.
Thank you for so many wonderful ideas to help me spend more time crafting. I do tend very easily to feel like things are too much work and end up deciding not to craft or spending (for me) too much time just making choices and not near as much actually crafting.
Thanks for sharing these great tips for an easier way to actually get some crafting done. I'm overwhelmed by all of the techniques I see and then end up not doing anything. My desk is currently covered with things I want to do but when I look at it I end up walking away because it feels like to much. Like someone else said "this may be my favorite video ever"
Great video! I really enjoy coloring, so when I get a new stamp set, I make lots of impressions with it. Some in regular ink, some I heat emboss. That way when I feel like coloring, I have a whole stack of different stamped images to choose from. When I've colored an image, I add it to my stack of colored images. Eventually I die cut them and turn them into cards, but there's no rush. As you say, crafting is about happiness. Not productivity.
Hi Jess. Great crafting tips. I put the extra cards away in bins with labels : "birthday", thank You", etc. Then when someone comes to town and visits, invites me to a party, someone I want to give a gift to: I make them up a package of 10 cards. Mostly I save and use old boxes that kits come in and decorate them up. The people that I give them to are thrilled and often call me to say they sent so and so a birthday card that I made and called me, loved it, and wanted to know if I made it. My family extended family it so spoiled, and they love it.
W hen I did a project I leave the table as is (being tired). Then when I start crafting again, I put everything away (everything has it's own place) seeing my stash gives me inspiration. I know it sounds strange but it works for me.
@Grijsduif I do the same thing. I have bits and pieces on my desk or in little containers that I see and use. Can’t tell you how many times this has given me inspiration!!!
I’m with you about the cleaning, Jess. But if I haven’t finished a project by the end of whatever time if have for that day, I will at least tidy the area by stacking my papers and putting ephemera into a container, etc. so when I return it’s more appealing to get going again. I’m that person who hates to go into my kitchen in the morning if I didn’t wash up the night before! I need a clean counter to get going in the morning🤭. Love all your advice, templates, and what you do to help us on our card making journeys.
I precut my card stock and make my envelopes ahead of time. I spend a day doing that once a month. When I start a project I have two lined baskets approx the size of sweater boxes. I go around my craft room and put in the one basket what I need for the project. I put that basket to my left on my craft table and the empty one to my right. When I am totally finished with the item I put it in the right basket. If I will use later on the project I put it back in the left. I don’t put anything away until the project is done. The only thing that is on my table is the project and the two baskets and it looks very neat.
I Cut ABUNCH ALSO and I Use ALOT Of Papers😊I Run The WHOLE SHEET of Patterned Paper Thru My ZYRON (Not Always) But Then I Dont Need As Much taperunner etc
Hello from Canada. I get inspiration from YT videos! Recently, I bought a lot of art supplies from Temu. I'm also planning projects like small books for my daily planner, and more collage pieces using my Temu supplies. PS I have some blending brushes, not to use with distress inks but with gelatos. I also bought a set of the Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Pencils, and I use my brushes to apply the color to my atcs.
I use a shallow tray (plastic from the dollar store) to keep the mess contained between sessions. Keeps all the parts together and ready to use again while keeping the "mess" to a minimum, and if I need to move it out of sight I can just move the tray to a drawer or shelf in a second.
Great tips! I clean when I’ve completed projects too but I’m not the fastest at completing them soooo My crafty space rarely looks tidy. I go from one project to the next🌻
I agree with you about trying to keep up with all the trends. First. Its expensive, second I have to find a way to store everything. Like you… I want to play with all the pretty paper!
I too have found it difficult finding time to craft as I put too much pressure on myself to create special cards all from scratch including colouring images and backgrounds and I too have started buying papers and toppers to match and I have managed to make nice cards in a fraction of the time., thanks for your inspiration in this video
Hi. Thank you for sharing all your ideas, thoughts and information. I've found it quite enlightening as I often find that I'm overwhelmed with ideas but can't find what I need when I need it, not to mention my indecisive nature throwing up hurdles in every direction.😂 Thanks again and have a lovely weekend.😊
I book an evening or a Sunday afternoon in my calendar in advance and keep it free so that I can get to crafting. Sometimes I check the weather first (if the date is not too long ahead), so that I know that I will not feel like going out instead.
Well said. I sometimes forget it's about me and crafting. I stress to much over making the cards and don't always get a card made. thanks for the tips.
'Don't clean up after your crafting session' - YES! I leave everything on my desk until I finish a project, and just stack items (eg the card kit I'm using,or even the next card kit I want to use, still all neat and tidy in its box) right on top of them. Otherwise I forget what I'm intending to use!!
Great ideas. I liked the idea of not needing to learn the latest technique all the time. It can get confusing and overwhelming trying to decide what to do. Also the templates are fabulous. Thank you for sharing. 🎉
Yessss to not keeping up with all the newest techniques! I LOVE techniques and that’s what made me fall in love with paper crafting years ago… but I’ve recently found the newer videos (even from some of the same crafters) just make me feel left behind, like it’s moving too fast for me to keep up. And it left me hungry for those old videos to revisit and simplify what I do when I walk into my craft room. It also leaves me feeling the urge to buy instead of make, and full set syndrome is a real thing for many of us, which goes hand in hand with all the new that’s out there. Here’s to simplicity, and getting back to why we first did it! Simplifying the products we use helps, too. I love all the stuff!… but it’s often stifling. So I like Kristina’s capsule concept - limiting yourself to a few items for a while and trading them out. I think that keeps our process fresh! Thanks for a great video! Oh-have you seen the cart with project trays? I think that’s appealing bc I’m like you about cleaning up after a project instead of a session. Pretty sure I need one of those! 😂
Thanks, Jess! Great video! I don’t chase trends and I just do a reset/tidy so I’m set up to continue crafting when I leave…like a reminder of what I wanted to do next. 😊💙💙💙
Thanks for this video Jess! It hit quite a number of pain points for me. I like the idea of using the ephemera pack with coordinating paper, but I've sometimes felt that using this simplified method, which makes perfect sense, or using card kits makes my cards feel less "homemade." Have you ever felt that? Regarding keeping up with trends.. I used to buy so much on trend stuff, and a few years and many supplies later, I've found that old things - design, methods and products - will become new again. I have a lot of supplies that I never got a chance to use "the first time round" but now I'm right on trend! The flip through method has definitely helped me a lot. I spent a ton of time this past winter organizing my craft room and my stash and it's so much easier now to create because I am not spending tons of time looking through all my stuff to start! Lastly, I clean up when I feel like it! :P Thanks again for this video. So on point!!
Great tips! I dont have the energy for keeping up with the newest techniques. Theres so much that i dont buy or try to do. Being new to this i became so overwhelmed with the products available. Just learning the basics is alot! I love that you have made templates and share them, thank you for that!
OMG, Jess! You nailed this video! I love your energy, and feel we’re like minded! I, too, clean up after a project. I sometimes straighten things up a bit on my table because right now I craft on our dining room table and don’t want my furbaby sticking her nose up to check out what’s on my table 🤣🐾. I’m working on moving into a new craft room!!
Great habits Jess, thanks for sharing. One habit that I have is I use a lot of MFT, Lawn Fawn and Hello Bluebird stamps so I stamp up sheets and sheets of images and cut them with my Scan N Cut and bag them up and label them that way when I just want to Copic Color, the stamping and cutting are already done. Another time saving habit I have is I break up all of my paper pads and I organize the sheets by color so when I'm planning a project and I need pink patterned paper I go to my 6 x 6 pink and 12 x 12 pink and looked for the sheets I want to use. I do realize that this won't work for everyone but it has been a game changer for me to use the paper instead of hoarding it.
I am struggling at times, I’m a perfectionist and I try to let that go and be creative which I am in other areas of art. I love your templates and I use them often.thank you! I also love patterned papers. I just de stashed a bunch of stamps and dies I had purchased so much and got ahead of myself. I donated them and I’ll de stash again.
You sound like me! I started buying supplies during COVID, and I didn’t stop, lol. Now that I know my style and what I enjoy, I need to move the rest on to someone else. And I used to take FOREVER to make one card due to perfectionism. But over time I started to realize that people don’t see the little oopses that are glaring to me, and they always love the cards. So, I have learned to let it go.
I also prefer cleaning up after a project! It is hard to clean up after each session and get it all out again. It's better by the project. I really love your sketches for using up paper!! I have donated before and hope to donate more in the future! Great video!
I am in the process of changing my paper crafting routine. I watched the Organisation Summit and took away so many ideas, one being having supplies in front of me rather than in boxes. I painted another narrow timber shelf above a wider one and I have my ribbons and inks stacked there, not in a box on the top shelf. I've also purchased better pockets for my dies and papers. I found, in KMart a letter rack which is perfect to store my trimmers so they don't continually fall over. I'm hoping all of this helps me back to my small space and create more scrapbook pages and maybe even some cards. I've also decided not to purchase any paper for the near future but concentrate on tools etc to help improve techniques. I am in Australia so am not as spoilt for choice as those of you in the US, the postage from US is extremely expensive for a start. Thank you for sharing your ideas.
I cut panels and bases and envelopes I have several panels dif sizes ect I also put them in cello bags with the size on the bag as well. With scraps I use my shape punch’s and cut out shapes and I have a set of draws I made for the shapes I also cut banners and keep some strips for sentiments
I LOVE this video!! You expressed my feelings of making cards and crafts for the joy of the process, the beauty of making art. I am just getting to where I feel comfortable in my space, and it has freed up my creativity and time so much. I used to craft in the dining room, but then I had to clean up if we had people over (my dad at least once a week). I took over one of our spare bedrooms (people eat but don’t stay, lol) and had my husband hang a 6 ft. shelf and a 2 ft square peg board. He wouldn’t let me get rid of the bedroom furniture for cabinets (🤷🏼♀️), so my supplies are in dresser and armoire shelves/drawers and small bookshelf. I put our bar height, hallway tall table where the bed was and the printer on a nightstand. He put the dresser vanity mirror in the basement and I made inking, scoring, and embossing stations across the top. It took over two years to convince my husband I needed this space, but now I am crafting with less stress. 😁
I learned so much from this video, I donate cards thanks to you. My two elderly Aunts who passed in the last year were my favorite people to make and send cards to all year long. So now I can donate instead. I love lawn fawn and hello blue bird, just recently purchased Spanish stamps.
Yes I agree w leaving supplies out until project is done. In the past I have made greeting cards for benefits. They raffle the set off which yields them more $$. 💜 Thank you.
I like to keep my area somewhat organized so I can easily find things, so I "tidy-up"; putting glues where they belong, rulers back in place, scissors in their bin & place all the off-cuts in one of two places (tiny bits to use for clusters, and larger ones to use as ephumra pieces.) I sorta stack similiar things I'm using so they are "there" when I return. One thing that helped me was not using a large trash can. Too much arm movement! Instead, I have a plastic 2 pound coffee can sitting on the side of my work area and that is where I put the bits & pieces of unusable stuff I'm throwing out. When it gets full of junk, I empty it about once a week.
Yes I also prep die-cut gnome bases and gnome face,noses,hands,feet, and hair in advance so when I am making gnomes for my cards. And I like to stamp out things and color in advance sooooo many embellishments I make in advance.
Great tips and habits Jess 🥰 I love my flip through organizing, I do it with pattern papers, die-set, cardstock etc it works for me ❤️ thanks for sharing and happy crafting Hugs xx
Good morning Jess ☀️ This video is just what I needed. My craft space is so filled with things I don’t use and probably never will. I need to focus on de-stashing (and quit buying 🤪)!! I’m going to focus on this for the next few weeks, call around and see who may want stamps, inks…. I think the flip through system will work for me too. I love your sketches, use them frequently. Thank you for all you share with us
I love this video!! Such great ideas as usual! I always clean up my desk after I make a card...but I contain all of the items such as the paper scraps I just made and all the stamps I took out to create with I will put in a basket and set it off to the side. Then whenever I'm ready to keep crafting with those items I just bring the basket back to my desk. After I am completely done with the group of items I will put all the stamps back and all the papers I pulled out. I have been doing Kendra's card challenges for a while now so I pick a theme for each set. I get to make 15 birthday cards or my least favorite to make is sympathy cards. Using these challenges has been a way to make a bunch of the same kind of card. I haven't donated any cards to groups yet but I think I will start! Thank you so much for sharing your ideas with us! I appreciate all of the time you put into your videos!!
Thank you very much for sharing these ideas. Like you, I tidy up after I’m done my project. Otherwise, I find that I want to start something else and I don’t finish that first project - I get distracted by shiny things. 😂 TFS! By the way, I love the paper you used in your ATG gun. So cute!
I've been donating cards for a while. Also making thank you cards for the people that never got thanked during the pandemic. (Pharmacy workers, grocery store and gas station attendents) etc. I like your ideas about the templates and will use some of them in the future. I need to destash my stamps and dies, so will also do that soon. Thank you for this video. 😊
AWESOME TUTORIAL!!! Such great ideas and like yourself I need to leave my supplies out until the project is done otherwise my time is spent getting out & and putting away, not creating!!!
Jess, thank you for all these hints. It's nice to know that crafting is an ongoing struggle to craft. I personally love to know how others craft. What works or doesn't and why. Helps me learn to assess my own crafting processes. Thank you 🤗
Hi Jess Great ideas! Love all your suggestions! So helpful! I don't clean up until my projects are complete either. However I purchased a $5 12x12 plastic storage case from Michaels and just put everything in it. I've lost a few small ephemera pieces....so this helps with that😃 TFS💕 Wishing you a wonderful weekend! Happy Memorial day 🇺🇲🤗💖
Hi I have to clean up at the end of the day, I put everything away, I am revamping my set up now, stamps, dies etc I am lucky I have a junk journal separate room because my kids left home. I use your templates frequently I’m very Thankful.😁 and a while back I made 10 background templates and use these too. I love my pretty pattern paper. I have struggled with cards but now I’m revamping I think it will be fine.😁💜
Thank you so much for this video. You have identified so many of my struggles, particularly how to cut up a paper pad. I love preprinted paper and I seem to horde it. I'm so grateful for your downloads.
I do everything you do except destash I hate parting with anything especially those stamps I haven’t used yet- such potential I haven’t been able to work in my craft room since November last year due to smashing my arm - therefore I use very minimal supplies and have to clean up after every session This video was amazing thanks for just confirming that I’m doing ok
Thanks for the good tips. I think people that clean up after each sessions are mostly those that don't have a room designated to just crafting. Meaning they are using the dining room table or other shared space. But having a craft room it makes more sense to clean up after each project. I'm a flipper too.😊♥️
I don't have a designated craft room, so I do everything on my kitchen table . . . but I don't put everything away after each session. That would be too much work, spending time pulling things out and then putting them away every time until a project is finished. I usually gather things up into a neat pile or two so that everything is right on hand when I get back to it. We usually don't eat at the table unless we have company. 😂
I used to feel that I had to make all of my own embellishments. Last year I bought an ecotank printer. Buying digital printables and either fussy cutting or using my scan n cut has been wonderful for me! I have very rarely used up an entire pad of patterned paper. Printing 8.5x11 as needed is a much better option for me. Having times when I just stamp or die cut, and having those pieces easily accessible helps me a lot.
My big thing has been organizing my stamps figured out I like to flip threw things so I've bought heavy duty page protectors & found an app to keep track of my stuff love my color my life app
I usually make cards in batches so I use the clean as you go method. I will do all my card bases and tidy that up. Then I do the paper cutting and stack it with the card base then add sentiments. As I complete a step in the process I put away the things I am finished with. I definitely don’t clean up after each session or I would never finish the project.
This kind of video is So helpful! Hoping to see lots of comments with other ideas. One from me is that I have a "destash drawer"--basically stuff I know I'm not using. Since I know it'll still be there it's easier to let stuff go. Then like once a year I go through the drawer and it's much easier to decide what to throw away and what I might enjoy again.
If I'm in the middle of a project and have to put it up, say I'm working on my DR table, I just put it up in a little tray or bin depending on size. That way not only can I pick up where I left off, but most of my go to's will also be in that bin and I can pull them out if I have to do something else 1st. Problem is, I have so many of these bins sitting around my craft room...Lol.
I now often use paper cases, envelopes, etc to house project items together. I bought the paper and matching embellishments to use together, why was i filing them away? Just to forget about it when I came across the paper later? I am fortunate to have an empty shelf. I file kits I bought and kits I “made” in that spot. Very easy to grab one and not start from scratch with each craft session. I too tidy when I’m done for now but only put it all away when I’m finished. I also happen to work in a building with about 200 people. I put two shoeboxes of cards in the break room. Took two weeks for them to be entirely gone. People told me they only wanted to take one at first because they wanted to leave some for others. So when I made my Mother’s Day cards, I put the extra out. Gone. I love to make cards but will never use them all.
Hi! New subscriber here. Loved your video as I am trying to get my craft room under control so I can find things! And Thankyou for your comment about every technique and idea that comes along. It’s all great and exciting but so much is overwhelming that sometimes I don’t know where to start. I love quick and easy but delightful. I want to get set up well so I can enjoy crafting (not so much cleanup!)
Very helpful tips! I have a couple to add, plus one frustration that maybe you could address in a future video... I decided to only use white A2 card bases. I make A2 card fronts separately from whatever colors I want, and then adhere the whole panel onto the card base when finished. I only make top-folding card bases, both vertically and horizontally, because they stand up better for photographing and for displaying on tables, counters, etc. I do like patterned paper scraps, because I use them for stamped paper piecing and for diecutting embellishments. I work from one paper collection at a time. I can certainly stop and switch to another at any time, but I don't mix them. For the frustration I have, I struggle with keeping my stamped and colored images organized. A flip-through system would help me, I think. Sometimes I just want to color! And having the images ready to go makes the process so much easier. But what should I keep them in? How to store and organize effectively?
Like another of your viewers I have preparation sessions cutting everything ready and keeping in a plastic sleeve. Then I can sit in front of the TV while assembling at my leisure.
I do clean up after making cards, but I toss my current project in a basket if it isn't finished. My workspace is clean and the project will be sitting right there for me to finish next crafting session.
Are we all giggling as we get REAL with how we ALL do things :) No, I never clean up until the card/cards I am working on are complete. My big problem is the pile of paper "pieces". I finally DO put them away. But then re-using them is my issue. I store by color & size (to a degree). Have forced myself to have sessions of just using scraps to do up cards. But I now junk journal too and this helps to use up a lot of those scraps etc. Truly, I am not necessarily "messy" that is just "creativeness" lying about 🤣🙃
![Diggy Graves - Red Vineyard [Official Lyric Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8Ro085T0mnQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I work in a bagel shop, and I have thought about creating small cards for people to take if they need some encouragement for the day. I could make hundreds of different cards with my supplies, so regulars wouldn’t get the exact card twice, lol. I just need to go for it!
That is such a nice idea.
@@paulaolson8956 thanks!
When I worked in the large chain coffee shop I would make small items out of paper at holidays and hand them out to our regular customers. They loved that I took the time to make something from scratch for them.
@@JCruz1054 thanks for sharing!
I need to use my printed paper and I’m so happy I found your channel. Although this video is older, it truly reflects the journey that I’ve been on in crafting more and getting more out of the enjoyment of the process. I work on a team of 13 people in a building with hundreds. I cleaned out all the cards I hadn’t given over the years-100’s. I just put them in the break room, gone within a week! Now I can make 40 from the same pad, and know if I put them in the break room somebody will need them. Thank you for sharing.
A few more that help me:
-I pre-cut A2 size panels of every color and keep a huge rainbow-organized chunk of them on my craft desk. Cardmaking goes more quickly/smoothly when I can just easily grab 1-4 of them to match my project and they're also easy to grab when I want to throw together a project to do away from home.
-I made peace with the idea that organizing supplies and prepping half-made cards are both unique hobbies and I get to enjoy them for themselves! I have a drawer for half-made cards and unused elements so there's no pressure to make myself finish a project when I want to move on. If the drawer gets full then I can use, organize, or toss some of them.
I often focus better away from home. Often I'll just take a pattern paper pad, some card bases, various colors of cardstock trimmed to A2, glue bottle, and my mini-trimmer. So many card sketches are mainly just rectangles so very few supplies are needed to make those on the go. Sentiments go on later.
- when I make 4+ of the same card, I'll usually leave the sentiment off 2 of them. I organize my finished cards by occasion/topic, but it's also great to have a nice big "finished except sentiment" section for even more flexibility.
Love this ❤one thing I have started doing is batch make sentiments - stamp / die cut / heat emboss / hot foil a bunch of them at once. I usually do this for all sentiments on a set that I think I will use. For instance if it’s a floral stamp set with a bunch of sentiments for different occasions, I will stamp or heat emboss all of them 2-3 times when I get a chance. Then I will store them in a small pull out drawer or binder on my desk 😊 works best with heat embossing or hot foiling especially because between runs no need to reheat the tools 😊 hope this tips helps someone.
I'm with you on leaving things out if you're not done with the project! Total waste of valuable crafting time IMHO LOL! My 1st time watching you, and I LOVED this video!
Great tips! I enjoy making a box of mothers & fathers day cards each year & donating them to my local primary school for the kids to take home.
Nice idea. There are so many cute Mothers day stamps, and I don't have a mother any more!
What a fabulous idea! Thanks for sharing and watching!
I have found making kits works for me. I put paper, card bases, and embellishments in a large plastic bag. When I have time to craft everything I need is there and I am not wasting time looking for things. It also makes clean up easier.
Thanks for the video, great topic!
Me, too! So much easier to craft when I only have a little bit of time.
I was thinking of doing the same with a basket. So I can shop in my closet and if not done, keeping the stuff together 😊
I love you video- Jess. So much important information and helpful tips. Instead of sticky mats when I want to stencil or glitter paste I will us a cricut mat from the Dollar tree and use that with my card and stencil.
What a great idea. I have some that are well used, but still a little sticky.
Love this video! You hit the nail on the head with many of my frustrations. I often have difficulty getting motivated to craft, feel guilty about not using ALL of my craft supplies, and often find myself organizing my supplies instead of making cards. I also love your suggestion to use matching products, like embellishments that match paper pads, or using kits so the colors and themes match. It eliminates spending time trying to think of which of your supplies to use together for the best look on your card or scrapbook page. Your suggestions are easing my pain, especially when you said that crafting should just be about HAVING FUN and not about volume of cards made, etc. Your love for crafting and suggestions on how to enjoy it more is a great help to us! Thank you Jess!
I needed this video! Thank you so much! 😊
Love this video! I have freed up time and money by changing my pre card making planning. I grab the ephemera I want to use and find the paper to coordinate. I grab one of your templates or anyone’s templates and set everything in piles. (Use to grab paper first and not find anything to coordinate. Not anymore!!)
I made 40 cards yesterday with ease and the happy meter was pegging! 😊
I also give myself permission to toss small scraps. I used to keep every scrap and it was overwhelming. I keep some for the neighbor kids to craft, and they know what drawers to pull from. A win win!
Like you, I clean up after I’ve finished a project. However, I do neaten up placing things in neat piles where possible a each craft session. I don’t need a totally cleaned off work surface every time I enter my craft space. But, what I do need is some sense of order and not piles of clutter.
I do the same. I make piles and sometimes put things in bags or envelopes so I don't lose them. I just have to be careful not to let the piles grow more piles and actually finish things.
From the comments you really resonated with people here! I feel this was about foiling, I don't need to buy another gadget to keep in my space. But another pad of paper, that's a different story! Thanks for your ideas.
Thank you for so many wonderful ideas to help me spend more time crafting. I do tend very easily to feel like things are too much work and end up deciding not to craft or spending (for me) too much time just making choices and not near as much actually crafting.
I only clean up when my project is bonafide finished. Saves trying to find material when you realize an omission. Great tips. (Mary)🇨🇦
Thanks for sharing these great tips for an easier way to actually get some crafting done. I'm overwhelmed by all of the techniques I see and then end up not doing anything. My desk is currently covered with things I want to do but when I look at it I end up walking away because it feels like to much.
Like someone else said "this may be my favorite video ever"
Great video! I really enjoy coloring, so when I get a new stamp set, I make lots of impressions with it. Some in regular ink, some I heat emboss. That way when I feel like coloring, I have a whole stack of different stamped images to choose from. When I've colored an image, I add it to my stack of colored images. Eventually I die cut them and turn them into cards, but there's no rush. As you say, crafting is about happiness. Not productivity.
Hi Jess. Great crafting tips. I put the extra cards away in bins with labels : "birthday", thank You", etc. Then when someone comes to town and visits, invites me to a party, someone I want to give a gift to: I make them up a package of 10 cards. Mostly I save and use old boxes that kits come in and decorate them up. The people that I give them to are thrilled and often call me to say they sent so and so a birthday card that I made and called me, loved it, and wanted to know if I made it. My family extended family it so spoiled, and they love it.
What an amazing way to share your talent, love it! Thanks for watching!
W hen I did a project I leave the table as is (being tired). Then when I start crafting again, I put everything away (everything has it's own place) seeing my stash gives me inspiration. I know it sounds strange but it works for me.
@Grijsduif I do the same thing. I have bits and pieces on my desk or in little containers that I see and use. Can’t tell you how many times this has given me inspiration!!!
I’m with you about the cleaning, Jess. But if I haven’t finished a project by the end of whatever time if have for that day, I will at least tidy the area by stacking my papers and putting ephemera into a container, etc. so when I return it’s more appealing to get going again. I’m that person who hates to go into my kitchen in the morning if I didn’t wash up the night before! I need a clean counter to get going in the morning🤭. Love all your advice, templates, and what you do to help us on our card making journeys.
I precut my card stock and make my envelopes ahead of time. I spend a day doing that once a month. When I start a project I have two lined baskets approx the size of sweater boxes. I go around my craft room and put in the one basket what I need for the project. I put that basket to my left on my craft table and the empty one to my right. When I am totally finished with the item I put it in the right basket. If I will use later on the project I put it back in the left. I don’t put anything away until the project is done. The only thing that is on my table is the project and the two baskets and it looks very neat.
This sounds like an excellent system!
I Cut ABUNCH ALSO and I Use ALOT Of Papers😊I Run The WHOLE SHEET of Patterned Paper Thru My ZYRON (Not Always) But Then I Dont Need As Much taperunner etc
Right there with you on cleaning. I do it when I am done working on the project
Lots of great ideas. Thank you for sharing 😊🤗
Hello from Canada. I get inspiration from YT videos! Recently, I bought a lot of art supplies from Temu. I'm also planning projects like small books for my daily planner, and more collage pieces using my Temu supplies.
PS I have some blending brushes, not to use with distress inks but with gelatos. I also bought a set of the Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Pencils, and I use my brushes to apply the color to my atcs.
I use a shallow tray (plastic from the dollar store) to keep the mess contained between sessions. Keeps all the parts together and ready to use again while keeping the "mess" to a minimum, and if I need to move it out of sight I can just move the tray to a drawer or shelf in a second.
Great tips! I clean when I’ve completed projects too but I’m not the fastest at completing them soooo My crafty space rarely looks tidy. I go from one project to the next🌻
My craft room is also often in an in progress state. Thanks for watching!
I agree with you about trying to keep up with all the trends. First. Its expensive, second I have to find a way to store everything. Like you… I want to play with all the pretty paper!
I actually loved this video. Thank you so much for the share. Take care.
Hi Deborah! Glad you liked it and thanks for watching!
I too have found it difficult finding time to craft as I put too much pressure on myself to create special cards all from scratch including colouring images and backgrounds and I too have started buying papers and toppers to match and I have managed to make nice cards in a fraction of the time., thanks for your inspiration in this video
Hi. Thank you for sharing all your ideas, thoughts and information. I've found it quite enlightening as I often find that I'm overwhelmed with ideas but can't find what I need when I need it, not to mention my indecisive nature throwing up hurdles in every direction.😂 Thanks again and have a lovely weekend.😊
I book an evening or a Sunday afternoon in my calendar in advance and keep it free so that I can get to crafting. Sometimes I check the weather first (if the date is not too long ahead), so that I know that I will not feel like going out instead.
I love you channel’s whole LIFE
Thanks so much Lisa!
Well said. I sometimes forget it's about me and crafting. I stress to much over making the cards and don't always get a card made. thanks for the tips.
Glad it was helpful! Happy crafting!
'Don't clean up after your crafting session' - YES! I leave everything on my desk until I finish a project, and just stack items (eg the card kit I'm using,or even the next card kit I want to use, still all neat and tidy in its box) right on top of them. Otherwise I forget what I'm intending to use!!
Just discovered you on RUclips
Can’t wait until I start using your templates
Great ideas. I liked the idea of not needing to learn the latest technique all the time. It can get confusing and overwhelming trying to decide what to do. Also the templates are fabulous. Thank you for sharing. 🎉
I do the same when working on project & I also am a flip thru style
This may be my favorite video ever! ❤
So sweet! Thanks for watching!
Yessss to not keeping up with all the newest techniques! I LOVE techniques and that’s what made me fall in love with paper crafting years ago… but I’ve recently found the newer videos (even from some of the same crafters) just make me feel left behind, like it’s moving too fast for me to keep up. And it left me hungry for those old videos to revisit and simplify what I do when I walk into my craft room. It also leaves me feeling the urge to buy instead of make, and full set syndrome is a real thing for many of us, which goes hand in hand with all the new that’s out there. Here’s to simplicity, and getting back to why we first did it!
Simplifying the products we use helps, too. I love all the stuff!… but it’s often stifling. So I like Kristina’s capsule concept - limiting yourself to a few items for a while and trading them out. I think that keeps our process fresh!
Thanks for a great video!
Oh-have you seen the cart with project trays? I think that’s appealing bc I’m like you about cleaning up after a project instead of a session. Pretty sure I need one of those! 😂
Thanks, Jess! Great video! I don’t chase trends and I just do a reset/tidy so I’m set up to continue crafting when I leave…like a reminder of what I wanted to do next. 😊💙💙💙
LOVE THIS!
Yes, yes, yes!!! Such great tips.
These are great tips! Thank you for sharing ❤
Great video. Thank you and a special thanks for all the printable jokes on your blog. They are fantastic!
Thanks for this video Jess! It hit quite a number of pain points for me. I like the idea of using the ephemera pack with coordinating paper, but I've sometimes felt that using this simplified method, which makes perfect sense, or using card kits makes my cards feel less "homemade." Have you ever felt that? Regarding keeping up with trends.. I used to buy so much on trend stuff, and a few years and many supplies later, I've found that old things - design, methods and products - will become new again. I have a lot of supplies that I never got a chance to use "the first time round" but now I'm right on trend! The flip through method has definitely helped me a lot. I spent a ton of time this past winter organizing my craft room and my stash and it's so much easier now to create because I am not spending tons of time looking through all my stuff to start! Lastly, I clean up when I feel like it! :P Thanks again for this video. So on point!!
Great tips! I dont have the energy for keeping up with the newest techniques. Theres so much that i dont buy or try to do. Being new to this i became so overwhelmed with the products available. Just learning the basics is alot! I love that you have made templates and share them, thank you for that!
OMG, Jess! You nailed this video! I love your energy, and feel we’re like minded! I, too, clean up after a project. I sometimes straighten things up a bit on my table because right now I craft on our dining room table and don’t want my furbaby sticking her nose up to check out what’s on my table 🤣🐾. I’m working on moving into a new craft room!!
Great habits Jess, thanks for sharing. One habit that I have is I use a lot of MFT, Lawn Fawn and Hello Bluebird stamps so I stamp up sheets and sheets of images and cut them with my Scan N Cut and bag them up and label them that way when I just want to Copic Color, the stamping and cutting are already done.
Another time saving habit I have is I break up all of my paper pads and I organize the sheets by color so when I'm planning a project and I need pink patterned paper I go to my 6 x 6 pink and 12 x 12 pink and looked for the sheets I want to use. I do realize that this won't work for everyone but it has been a game changer for me to use the paper instead of hoarding it.
I knew you weren’t decluttering those stamps! They’re critters! 🤣
😂 Critters stamps are definitely one of my weaknesses!
This was so helpful! Thank you!
I am struggling at times, I’m a perfectionist and I try to let that go and be creative which I am in other areas of art. I love your templates and I use them often.thank you! I also love patterned papers. I just de stashed a bunch of stamps and dies I had purchased so much and got ahead of myself. I donated them and I’ll de stash again.
You sound like me! I started buying supplies during COVID, and I didn’t stop, lol. Now that I know my style and what I enjoy, I need to move the rest on to someone else.
And I used to take FOREVER to make one card due to perfectionism. But over time I started to realize that people don’t see the little oopses that are glaring to me, and they always love the cards. So, I have learned to let it go.
@@dawnmulder3540 exactly…
Thank you, Jess, for the great tips and all of the wonderful resources! ❤️
Hi Julie! Thanks for watching!
Your layout templates and printable jokes are a big help since I donate a Lot of cards. Which gives me the freedom to make whatever I want.
I also prefer cleaning up after a project! It is hard to clean up after each session and get it all out again. It's better by the project. I really love your sketches for using up paper!! I have donated before and hope to donate more in the future! Great video!
I am in the process of changing my paper crafting routine. I watched the Organisation Summit and took away so many ideas, one being having supplies in front of me rather than in boxes. I painted another narrow timber shelf above a wider one and I have my ribbons and inks stacked there, not in a box on the top shelf. I've also purchased better pockets for my dies and papers. I found, in KMart a letter rack which is perfect to store my trimmers so they don't continually fall over. I'm hoping all of this helps me back to my small space and create more scrapbook pages and maybe even some cards. I've also decided not to purchase any paper for the near future but concentrate on tools etc to help improve techniques. I am in Australia so am not as spoilt for choice as those of you in the US, the postage from US is extremely expensive for a start. Thank you for sharing your ideas.
I cut panels and bases and envelopes I have several panels dif sizes ect I also put them in cello bags with the size on the bag as well. With scraps I use my shape punch’s and cut out shapes and I have a set of draws I made for the shapes I also cut banners and keep some strips for sentiments
I LOVE this video!! You expressed my feelings of making cards and crafts for the joy of the process, the beauty of making art. I am just getting to where I feel comfortable in my space, and it has freed up my creativity and time so much.
I used to craft in the dining room, but then I had to clean up if we had people over (my dad at least once a week). I took over one of our spare bedrooms (people eat but don’t stay, lol) and had my husband hang a 6 ft. shelf and a 2 ft square peg board. He wouldn’t let me get rid of the bedroom furniture for cabinets (🤷🏼♀️), so my supplies are in dresser and armoire shelves/drawers and small bookshelf. I put our bar height, hallway tall table where the bed was and the printer on a nightstand. He put the dresser vanity mirror in the basement and I made inking, scoring, and embossing stations across the top. It took over two years to convince my husband I needed this space, but now I am crafting with less stress. 😁
Great video! Love this topic!
Thanks for watching! Glad it resonated!
I learned so much from this video, I donate cards thanks to you. My two elderly Aunts who passed in the last year were my favorite people to make and send cards to all year long. So now I can donate instead. I love lawn fawn and hello blue bird, just recently purchased Spanish stamps.
Yes I agree w leaving supplies out until project is done. In the past I have made greeting cards for benefits. They raffle the set off which yields them more $$. 💜 Thank you.
What a great way to share your talent! Thanks for watching!
I like to keep my area somewhat organized so I can easily find things, so I "tidy-up"; putting glues where they belong, rulers back in place, scissors in their bin & place all the off-cuts in one of two places (tiny bits to use for clusters, and larger ones to use as ephumra pieces.) I sorta stack similiar things I'm using so they are "there" when I return. One thing that helped me was not using a large trash can. Too much arm movement! Instead, I have a plastic 2 pound coffee can sitting on the side of my work area and that is where I put the bits & pieces of unusable stuff I'm throwing out. When it gets full of junk, I empty it about once a week.
Yes I also prep die-cut gnome bases and gnome face,noses,hands,feet, and hair in advance so when I am making gnomes for my cards. And I like to stamp out things and color in advance sooooo many embellishments I make in advance.
Great tips and habits Jess 🥰 I love my flip through organizing, I do it with pattern papers, die-set, cardstock etc it works for me ❤️ thanks for sharing and happy crafting Hugs xx
I agree about trying to keep up with new techniques and card types. I need to make more cards that are similar using different papers.
I love your authenticity and honesty Jess 🥰 you craft for the love of crafting 👏👏👏 it’s why I craft too! Thank you for being so original 🦋🎶🌷
Good morning Jess ☀️ This video is just what I needed. My craft space is so filled with things I don’t use and probably never will. I need to focus on de-stashing (and quit buying 🤪)!! I’m going to focus on this for the next few weeks, call around and see who may want stamps, inks…. I think the flip through system will work for me too. I love your sketches, use them frequently. Thank you for all you share with us
I love this video!! Such great ideas as usual! I always clean up my desk after I make a card...but I contain all of the items such as the paper scraps I just made and all the stamps I took out to create with I will put in a basket and set it off to the side. Then whenever I'm ready to keep crafting with those items I just bring the basket back to my desk. After I am completely done with the group of items I will put all the stamps back and all the papers I pulled out. I have been doing Kendra's card challenges for a while now so I pick a theme for each set. I get to make 15 birthday cards or my least favorite to make is sympathy cards. Using these challenges has been a way to make a bunch of the same kind of card. I haven't donated any cards to groups yet but I think I will start! Thank you so much for sharing your ideas with us! I appreciate all of the time you put into your videos!!
Love the tips. I clean up when done with my project.
Good advice. 9. Enjoy the process.
So true! Thanks for watching!
Really great ideas. Thanks
Hi Tania! Glad it was helpful, thanks for watching!
Thank you very much for sharing these ideas. Like you, I tidy up after I’m done my project. Otherwise, I find that I want to start something else and I don’t finish that first project - I get distracted by shiny things. 😂 TFS! By the way, I love the paper you used in your ATG gun. So cute!
I've been donating cards for a while. Also making thank you cards for the people that never got thanked during the pandemic. (Pharmacy workers, grocery store and gas station attendents) etc. I like your ideas about the templates and will use some of them in the future. I need to destash my stamps and dies, so will also do that soon. Thank you for this video. 😊
I started my template binder yesterday! Thanks for sharing & for inspiration 💕
Yay! Hope it helps you enjoy many crafty hours! Thanks for watching!
AWESOME TUTORIAL!!! Such great ideas and like yourself I need to leave my supplies out until the project is done otherwise my time is spent getting out & and putting away, not creating!!!
NICE! Thank you!
Love this video!
Jess, thank you for all these hints. It's nice to know that crafting is an ongoing struggle to craft. I personally love to know how others craft. What works or doesn't and why. Helps me learn to assess my own crafting processes. Thank you 🤗
Hi Jess Great ideas! Love all your suggestions! So helpful! I don't clean up until my projects are complete either. However I purchased a $5 12x12 plastic storage case from Michaels and just put everything in it. I've lost a few small ephemera pieces....so this helps with that😃 TFS💕
Wishing you a wonderful weekend! Happy Memorial day 🇺🇲🤗💖
I agree with the pressure to make embellishments… love the idea of buying them instead ❤
Thank you for all these helpful tips.
So glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching Dorothy!
Hi I have to clean up at the end of the day, I put everything away, I am revamping my set up now, stamps, dies etc I am lucky I have a junk journal separate room because my kids left home. I use your templates frequently I’m very Thankful.😁 and a while back I made 10 background templates and use these too. I love my pretty pattern paper. I have struggled with cards but now I’m revamping I think it will be fine.😁💜
I am so glad I found you. Incredibly helpful in so many ways
Thank you!
Thank you so much for this video. You have identified so many of my struggles, particularly how to cut up a paper pad. I love preprinted paper and I seem to horde it. I'm so grateful for your downloads.
Such helpful ideas. Thank you! I especially like the idea about buying the coordinating embellishments.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
I do everything you do except destash I hate parting with anything especially those stamps I haven’t used yet- such potential
I haven’t been able to work in my craft room since November last year due to smashing my arm - therefore I use very minimal supplies and have to clean up after every session
This video was amazing thanks for just confirming that I’m doing ok
Get well soon. I did the same 5 years ago so have every sympathy. Took me 18 months to get back to crafting x
I'm so sorry that happened! It sounds like such a challenge but I'm glad you're finding a way to make some crafting happen. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the good tips. I think people that clean up after each sessions are mostly those that don't have a room designated to just crafting. Meaning they are using the dining room table or other shared space. But having a craft room it makes more sense to clean up after each project.
I'm a flipper too.😊♥️
I don't have a designated craft room, so I do everything on my kitchen table . . . but I don't put everything away after each session. That would be too much work, spending time pulling things out and then putting them away every time until a project is finished. I usually gather things up into a neat pile or two so that everything is right on hand when I get back to it. We usually don't eat at the table unless we have company. 😂
I used to feel that I had to make all of my own embellishments. Last year I bought an ecotank printer. Buying digital printables and either fussy cutting or using my scan n cut has been wonderful for me!
I have very rarely used up an entire pad of patterned paper. Printing 8.5x11 as needed is a much better option for me.
Having times when I just stamp or die cut, and having those pieces easily accessible helps me a lot.
My big thing has been organizing my stamps figured out I like to flip threw things so I've bought heavy duty page protectors & found an app to keep track of my stuff love my color my life app
I usually make cards in batches so I use the clean as you go method. I will do all my card bases and tidy that up. Then I do the paper cutting and stack it with the card base then add sentiments. As I complete a step in the process I put away the things I am finished with. I definitely don’t clean up after each session or I would never finish the project.
This kind of video is So helpful! Hoping to see lots of comments with other ideas. One from me is that I have a "destash drawer"--basically stuff I know I'm not using. Since I know it'll still be there it's easier to let stuff go. Then like once a year I go through the drawer and it's much easier to decide what to throw away and what I might enjoy again.
If I'm in the middle of a project and have to put it up, say I'm working on my DR table, I just put it up in a little tray or bin depending on size. That way not only can I pick up where I left off, but most of my go to's will also be in that bin and I can pull them out if I have to do something else 1st. Problem is, I have so many of these bins sitting around my craft room...Lol.
Lol! I sometimes put unfinished projects in plastic project envelopes and I too currently have a big stack of them to be addressed.
I now often use paper cases, envelopes, etc to house project items together. I bought the paper and matching embellishments to use together, why was i filing them away? Just to forget about it when I came across the paper later? I am fortunate to have an empty shelf. I file kits I bought and kits I “made” in that spot. Very easy to grab one and not start from scratch with each craft session.
I too tidy when I’m done for now but only put it all away when I’m finished.
I also happen to work in a building with about 200 people. I put two shoeboxes of cards in the break room. Took two weeks for them to be entirely gone. People told me they only wanted to take one at first because they wanted to leave some for others. So when I made my Mother’s Day cards, I put the extra out. Gone. I love to make cards but will never use them all.
Great tips! You are so kind to share your cards with your coworkers. What a great way to spread kindness!
Hi! New subscriber here. Loved your video as I am trying to get my craft room under control so I can find things! And Thankyou for your comment about every technique and idea that comes along. It’s all great and exciting but so much is overwhelming that sometimes I don’t know where to start. I love quick and easy but delightful. I want to get set up well so I can enjoy crafting (not so much cleanup!)
Very helpful tips! I have a couple to add, plus one frustration that maybe you could address in a future video...
I decided to only use white A2 card bases.
I make A2 card fronts separately from whatever colors I want, and then adhere the whole panel onto the card base when finished.
I only make top-folding card bases, both vertically and horizontally, because they stand up better for photographing and for displaying on tables, counters, etc.
I do like patterned paper scraps, because I use them for stamped paper piecing and for diecutting embellishments.
I work from one paper collection at a time. I can certainly stop and switch to another at any time, but I don't mix them.
For the frustration I have, I struggle with keeping my stamped and colored images organized. A flip-through system would help me, I think. Sometimes I just want to color! And having the images ready to go makes the process so much easier. But what should I keep them in? How to store and organize effectively?
Loved this video! Thank you for the helpful tips! ❤️
Like another of your viewers I have preparation sessions cutting everything ready and keeping in a plastic sleeve. Then I can sit in front of the TV while assembling at my leisure.
Just stumbled across your channel. Really enjoyed this video and am a new subscriber.
Thank you! Hope you'll find my videos helpful!
Great video! I have had to limit the stuff I do too, I wasn’t getting anything done…
I do clean up after making cards, but I toss my current project in a basket if it isn't finished. My workspace is clean and the project will be sitting right there for me to finish next crafting session.
Are we all giggling as we get REAL with how we ALL do things :) No, I never clean up until the card/cards I am working on are complete. My big problem is the pile of paper "pieces". I finally DO put them away. But then re-using them is my issue. I store by color & size (to a degree). Have forced myself to have sessions of just using scraps to do up cards. But I now junk journal too and this helps to use up a lot of those scraps etc. Truly, I am not necessarily "messy" that is just "creativeness" lying about 🤣🙃