Monday, January 16, 2017

Benefits of a Paper Pumpkin Subscription

I'm impatiently waiting for this month's Paper Pumpkin to arrive! I thought I would share with you today how I recently used a PAST kit. This is one of my favorite benefits of being a current Paper Pumpkin Subscriber. There are several past kits available EXCLUSIVELY to current subscribers.

One of my ALL TIME favorite kits is the Chalk it Up To Love Kit from August 2015. It's so French looking! I knew those boxes & cards would be PERFECT for chocolate gifts I brought back from Belgium! I made a few of these up very quickly for some beautiful packaging! It's all about the presentation. ;)


 Well, ALMOST all about the presentation. That chocolate is WORTH gaining pounds over!


They are also the perfect size for macarons, which I plan on learning how to make this year. If you don't have a small gift, don't worry, the cards in this kit are EQUALLY as cute! Anything with gold foil is a win in my book!


If you aren't yet a Paper Pumpkin Subscriber, sign up here!

Saturday, January 14, 2017

How to Create Perfect Family Photos

Oh the New Year. I love setting goals and planning out what I'm going to accomplish, but sometimes I think I might overdo it a little and slightly overwhelm myself. Either that or I distract myself with other projects! I always have half-finished projects that I plan on finishing...someday. Do you? Or am I the only one? I still have our family scrapbook from 2014 waiting for me to finish, as well as TONS of photos from our recent trip I need to get in a book! I know that's not too bad, but I want to stay on top of it all! I need to make it a priority and SCHEDULE time everyday to work on it until it's done. How do you keep on top of it all?

Speaking of that 2014 family scrapbook... I made a tutorial a couple years ago for a trick to get a perfect family portrait. Even though MDS has been phased out, it will still work with other programs. I totally forgot about it & it could have saved me a little stress over the holidays! ALL I wanted for Christmas this year was a family photo with EVERYONE looking. (I mean, we WERE in PARIS! My wildest dreams came true anyway!!!) Luckily, I did get one photo...


Not too shabby right? I should have taken my hat off, but at least we're all smiling. Anyway, when I got home from our trip and talked with my AWESOME business coach Brenda, she asked me about this tutorial. Honestly, I had completely forgotten about it!!! Or it was just in the back of my mind since MDS doesn't exist anymore. Well, DUH!!! It will still work with other programs! Oh happy day!!! I'm going to go back through our pictures and work my magic! So if I end up looking like Amy Adams or Emma Stone in my scrapbooks...you'll know why! *wink wink*

So here's the tutorial, and an apology for being MIA for a few days. I'm putting the finishing touches on this month's newsletter and you will NOT want to miss it!!! Make sure you are signed up for the "Red Hot Release" by entering your email in the box on the top right of this blog! Thanks again for stopping by!


Monday, January 2, 2017

New Year Motivation

Is anyone else having a hard time getting back into the swing of things? We returned Friday night from our AMAZING vacation, and all I can think about is either crawling into bed or packing up and moving to Paris!!! It was SO AMAZING! Sophie keeps telling everyone how the Eiffel Tower sparkles. <3 We definitely made some memories to last a lifetime!


While we're happy to be back home, sleeping in our own beds, "playing with our own toys", we're all pretty sluggish - partly due to jet lag, but also partly due to the post vacation blues. The only way to combat this sluggishness is to get to work and FIND your motivation!

I am an avid goal setter, so I've spent today reflecting on my ideas for 2017. Today I'm going to share some suggestions that may help you get back into the groove! (And a project to display in your home to remind you of this motivation!)

Every year, instead of setting New Year's Resolutions, I choose a theme for the upcoming year. This year is Get Creative. While that obviously means practicing creativity everyday, I also want to use it as a reminder to explore all the options. Instead of running out and buying a new whatever, can I do without it? Is there something else that can work in it's place that I already have? It reminds me of a saying I've heard my entire life:

Use it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
or do without! 

What does that have to do with stamping? Well, there's a box sitting by my desk full of fun new product. Is it going to collect dust and be sold in new condition once it retires? Or is it going to be put to use creating lots of beautiful cards to send to friends and family to celebrate a special occasion or brighten a gloomy day? My GOAL is to put it to use! Use it up and make room for more! 

I've also discovered that a creative brain needs more than just one focus, so with my yearly theme, I then use the following list of words to prompt me with specific things to focus on.

Start
Plan
Read
Achieve
Remember
Recognize
Become
Go
Improve
Less
More
Practice
Learn

Just fill in the blank after each word to find some motivation for the year/month/week/day! (For example you could say START a garden, PLAN your meals, etc.) From THESE focuses you can set "SMART" goals. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely)

Of course, while thinking about these goals is fun and fulfilling, making a cute reminder to hang up on the wall is even better! Use the Large Numbers Framelits Dies to cut out 2017 from your choice of glimmer paper. Adhere that to the top of your choice of cardstock, then stamp the above list of words down the side of the page. Another option would be to type it up in a pretty font or just use your own handwriting in your favorite stampin' write markers! 

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