FOCUS FRIDAY: FROND

FROND.

The epitome of

AUGUST.

Fern life

waning.

Still

BEAUTIFUL.

Still

VIVID.

Still

ALIVE.

But not for long.

Autumn beckons.

The foliage has been losing its freshness 

through the month of August, 

and here and there a yellow leaf shows itself 

like the first gray hair amidst the locks of a beauty 

who has seen one season too many.

- Oliver Wendell Holmes -

MY INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT

Beckoning

Smiles.

CELEBRATING THREE YEARS OF BLOGGING!

I am thrilled to be able to announce that I am celebrating

MY THIRD BLOGIVERSARY!

I published my very first blog post on September 5, 2012! I just re-read it, and found it to be quite interesting and fairly entertaining. 

Looking ahead to three years later, I have definitely adhered to my original intent. There have been a few changes along the way. But, for the most part, I am still diligently trying to plant those little CREATIVE PAPER SEEDLINGS. 

It was a slow start in the beginning. My MDS-created quote pieces, for the most part, fell flat with my readers. So, I eventually gave up on them.

Now, however, I have picked up on the quotes once again with my Focus Fridays. For each of my weekly Focus Fridays, I share one of my Instagram photos, as well as a few words <of  wisdom> about my feelings on the subject matter. I end the post with a quote that complements the week's theme. 

I have been receiving many wonderful comments on my Focus Friday posts. So many, and so wonderful, in fact, that I'm wondering if I should just give up on the papercrafting altogether. 

Nope. Can't do that. Photography is one of my passions. But, papercrafting and my love of sharing and planting Paper Seedlings is my favorite and most motivating passion. I truly love how just committing to publishing a papercrafting post every Sunday and Wednesday keeps me so active creatively. It is truly cathartic for me. 

Speaking of comments -- and feedback -- I didn't hear from anyone until I had been blogging for almost a month. Nor did I get many views. I wondered if I was reaching ANYONE!

Long about September 27, I posted a lovely card that got TONS of attention though. In fact, I smile every time I STILL see it re-pinned more than occasionally on Pinterest. This particular post, Autumn Splendor Emboss Resist, has received an astonishing -- to me, at least! -- 4,962 views. 

However, the post, White Wedding, is the one that has received the most pageviews for me. It boasts a total of 7,953 views! I hope the recipients of this card have saved it!

The post, . . . and She Said, "Be My Guest." was my second-most-viewed post, dating from May 3, 2013, with a whopping 5,464 pageviews. I was honored to have been asked to do a guest blog post on someone else's blog. A tutorial, complete with a plethora of step-by-step photos, is included in this guest post.

Even though I think my work and ideas have been improving all along, I feel like I am stagnating a bit.

I'm not sure what has happened since the beginning of 2015. These past months, I am lucky if I have a post that receives a paltry 300 pageviews. And those are usually photos from my Focus Friday posts. Hmmm. Any opinions to share on this unwelcome phenomenon?

When I first started blogging, one of my goals was to -- as I had noted in my very first blog post -- extend my reach beyond sharing with just those in the area who attend my monthly workshops. In saying this, I had hoped to not only reach more papercrafters with my ideas, but to maybe pick up some new Stampin' Up! customers. This hasn't happened. I haven't let this deter me (not overly much anyway) and have kept plugging away with my inspirational posts. 

It always pleases me when I receive a comment from one of my readers about how, with a particular post, I have inspired them to . . . 

I love to be your inspiration! If you think of any other ways I can change or improve my blog offerings, I would dearly love to hear from you. I want to continue to extend my creative outreach, and if I'm not hitting the nail exactly on the head, I need to hear ways I can do my job better. OK?

I abhor the fact that I am not more technically proficient to keep my blog looking and running its best. 

In fact, as I was writing this blog post, I'd wanted to access my Pinterest stats. I just wished to get some more detailed information about how many times my Autumn Splendor Emboss Resist post has been repinned on Pinterest. 

According to what I read regarding Pinterest Analytics, I needed to upgrade my account to a Business Account. Willing to do this, I proceeded as I was directed, only to become tangled up in the html coding. I wasted an inordinately exorbitant amount of time trying to work this out, only to give up in frustration. 

My daughter, Emily, has mentioned to me on occasion that my blog header in itself is woefully outdated (my words, not hers exactly). In taking a close, nonobjective look at my carefully-crafted-in-MDS Paper Seedlings header, I am forced to agree. 

Now, with the dawning of my fourth year of blogging, I am about to set out on a new adventure of reworking my header. Emily told me that my existing header does not adequately represent what my blog is all about. She continued to suggest that I actually "handcraft" my header, similar to how I create a card.

After giving the possibility some thought, I have decided that (once again) she is right! And what a fun project that could prove to be! 

I have become quite psyched about this project, and have been planning it all out in my brain. So far, I love the (imagined) results! And I can't wait to get to work on it. 

However, something has me mystified. Something that I will have to pursue further to get the answers I need. And I know I will be experiencing some technical frustration on that front. I am anxious to get going on the hands-on creating of the new header. But I do not know what size to work in so that it fits at the top of my blog like a header should. 

As I previously stated, my original header was created in My Digital Studio (which is now defunct). So it was easy to digitally get the finished piece to be the right size for Blogger.

So, while I am planning more and more cute components for my new and improved header, I am at a standstill until I can figure out that sizing problem.

I apologize that this post has become fairly lengthy. But I wanted to do something of an overview of my first three years as a blogger. I also wished to let you know that I hope to make some improvements in my blog in the coming months -- if I am able to figure it all out! If you are willing to help me out with some ideas, logistics or simple suggestions, as I've previously noted, I would love to hear from you!

So, with that all said, 

HAPPY THIRD BLOGIVERSARY TO ME!

Bloggy

Smiles.

PATCHWORK PIZZAZZ

In desperate need of some Creative Therapy the other day, I turned to quilting for solace and comfort. Paper patchwork quilting, that is.

I had come across a darling pattern for a paper quilt a long time ago, and, like so many other things, I hung onto it for future use. Well, it turned out that THE FUTURE IS NOW -- or at least, it was the other day.

This little work of art was so much fun to do. In fact, as soon as I have a little spare time, I am going to make another one -- but in brighter more disparate colors. 

The squares of this quilt are created easily with the 3/4" Square Punch. What a godsend these various punches are! They make creating so so simple.

Looking at the pattern a little more closely, you will discover that some of the squares are cut in half diagonally and pieced together to form a two-patterned square.

I really feel that the simple bow made from Stampin' Up!'s Venetian Lace and topped off with a fancy little button with Baker's Twine sets the piece off perfectly. It also gives it an added homey touch. 

Of course, a card such as this one could be used for virtually ANY occasion. Maybe a guy wouldn't appreciate it as much. But, even so, I think it would make a good get well card for anyone, male or female, who needs a little care and comfort. Kinda like a good wholesome bowl of chicken soup.

When you are in the need for some Creative Therapy, what exactly do you turn to? Do you go the papercrafting route like I do? Knitting? Crocheting? Zentangling? Or do you never require the comforting and settling-down that Creative Therapy can bring?

Patchwork

Smiles.

FOCUS FRIDAY: STAGES

I named this photo

STAGES.

Obviously the flowers

of this plant 

are in 

varying

STAGES.

Of opening,

that is.

Like

LIFE.

We all go through various

STAGES.

As with the flowering plant,

after going through these

STAGES, 

we 

DIE.

Only to be

RESURRECTED??

In three words I can sum up everything I know about life.

IT GOES ON.

- Robert Frost -

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE

Please visit My Instagram Account. Help me exceed 100 followers?

Staged

Smiles.

INTO THE WOODS THANKS

On Sunday, I was lucky enough to be able to attend a little stamping session -- where someone else did the designing and prep. What a treat! 

I was given a little mini kit to do with as I wished. Within the kit were Rich Razzleberry card bases, some Mossy Meadow cardstock and a few pieces of a cute Rich Razzleberry/Mossy Meadow/Whisper White DSP called Into the Woods (page 43 in the new Holiday catalog). 

I decided to take advantage of this freebie and design a card of my own, Besides using the papers I already mentioned, the "star" of my creation was to be the medallion.

Where did that elegant medallion come from, you ask?

One of the cards we made at the stamping event featured one of the new Spider Web Doilies (page 47 of the new Holiday catalog):

We were instructed to snip out the very center of one of the Spider Web Doilies for three reasons: 1) The very center of the doily was going to be covered with the sentiment (BOO!), 2) the little center is REALLY COOL for another project! and 3) it is WHITE on the back -- which opens it to all sorts of (non-Halloween) possibilities. 

Hey, I was all for a little snipping!

For  my card, I elected to keep it the center white so it just looks like a lacy little non-seasonal doily in its own right. For the center, I used one of the Antique Brads (page 160 of the big catalog). They are so incredibly elegant, and I hoard them for special occasions and projects only. (I only have three of them left now. Sad.)

The white, mounted against Rich Razzleberry and surrounded by Mossy Meadow, complements the background DSP nicely.

I wanted to make this a Thank You card. To do so, I reached for another of the new offerings in the Holiday catalog, the Thankful Forest Friends set, found on page 43. I liked the stamp with the "thanks" on it, but as such, it was meant more for a Thanksgiving Card. 

To rectify that situation, I grabbed my Rich Razzleberry and Mossy Meadow Stampin' Write Markers and colored just the bottom section of the stamp, huffed on it, and stamped it onto a scrap of Whisper White cardstock. I then cut it out with the smallest Ovals Collection Framelits (page 173 of the big catalog). 

Do you often use only part of a stamp? What is your preferred method of inking up in a situation like that?

Woodsy

Smiles.