A New Leaf

Hello Everyone!!

WOW! I've been back in Augusta almost a full five months and that has brought about some changes. I've decided that Snips of Time really needs to be a serious focus for me, as a business. I've always said this is what I want to do for a living. I want to create and teach others they can create too. So....THAT'S WHAT I'M DOING!!

I still have my "day job," but I am on a leave of absence to help my mother (who has some serious health concerns.) Every cloud has a silver lining (at least in my world) so I'm using some of this time off of my "real job" to explore what I can do to make Snips of Time a success. I'm really excited about it, but at the same time scare. But, scared or not: HERE I GO!!

I've been pretty busy in the studio. I just finished an order that will go in a fundraiser auction basket, that included 10 thank you cards, a sample mini album and a gift certificate for a mini album. I also just finished 12 Easter cards for a neighbor. I'm also recently finished an amazing project that was for two adopted boys (brothers.) It was a scrapbook for each of them to give them a time line of sorts, a where they came from to where they are today. It was such an honor to be asked to work on their albums. I really believe that this was my  most important project yet :)

My next project is to get those two sweet boys' albums current...their mom and dad are sending more pictures!! I can't wait. I'm still working on the usual birthday and anniversary cards and whatever little projects pop up.

You can see examples of my work on my facebook page http://facebook.com/leighann.rebillard , please look for my Snips of Time Scrapbooking and Cards page and "like" it. When I hit 100 likes, I'm doing a drawing for a free set of five cards!!

Feel free to comment on here as well. Maybe if I get enough people commenting I'll do a give away on here as well!

Have a creative life!!
LeighAnn

Hello 2013

Well hello 2013!! At least half of the first month of the new year hasn't gone before I got around to saying hello!! And I do have a lot to tell you!

Snips of Time, as well as myself, has moved once again...and hopefully for the LAST time. 2012 was a tough year for me personally as I lost my GA dad and my GA mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer. That's what prompted my move. I have moved back to my hometown of Augusta GA and have been working on getting my studio put back together down here. My husband is still in IN, finishing some things up there and will be joining me hopefully shortly. I'm living with my mother, right now just being some emotional support as her physical health is still holding on...as I pray it continues to do so.

Snips of Time didn't take much of a break. In the first two months of me being down here I made over 50 cards and worked on some scrapbooking at well. I've kept my "day" job with CVS and transferred to a store near my home here in Augusta and am the "Engagement Ambassador" for my current store, like I was for my previous store. I am incredibly blessed by walking into another store and feeling like part of the CVS family immediately.

My studio is a work in progress here, but it works and I'm still making progress on all my projects LOL.

So, 2013 is here. It will bring happier times and it might bring some sadness too. We'll have to wait and see what it brings. But I will bring a positive attitude and some creativity to the year!!

I have a ton of "goals" that in reality, I need to sit down and really give some thought to. I'd like to accomplish some things this year...and to do that I really need to have more focus. So, focusing is what I'm going to do.

Now, off to the studio to work for a bit before I have to go to my day job:)

Scrapbooking on a shoe string

So often I hear people talk about how expensive it is to scrapbook. Like anything, it CAN be, but it doesn't HAVE to be. In reality, there are only a few necessities that you have to spend money on.

• You have to have a way to crop your photos and cut your paper
• You have to have a way to adhere your pictures to your pages and in essence build your pages
• You have to have some kind of pretty paper
• You have to have something to write  your journaling with, even it all you journal is names, dates and places

Lets break these "necessities" down.

• Something to crop your photos and cut your paper

You can use a pair of scissors for any and all of that. You can buy any multitude of of paper trimmers and the price tag shouldn't necessarily be the deciding factor. I have three pairs of (straight edge) scissors and at least five paper trimmers. Because I scrapbook and make cards a lot, it made sense for me to invest in a trimmer that doesn't dull with frequent use. I bought a Purple Cow combination trimmer that has a rotary trimmer and a guillotine trimmer for around $60. I worked my way up from the very basic trimmers and found myself having to replace the blades too often. Not having to constantly replace blades off set the overall cost of the trimmer very quickly for me. I found the same with scissors. My CutterBee's weren't cheap, but I've had them for probably 10 years.

• A way to adhere your photos to the pages and to build your pages

Adhesives can be looked at the same way. I was buying tape runners at WalMart (which I still do on occasion) and they are relatively inexpensive.  However, when you  are using them as much as I do, it seems every time you turn around you need a refill. So, I invested in a Scotch 3M ATG (adhesive transfer gun) and after the initial investment (I think it was about $25) the refills are quite reasonable online. I still use liquid adhesive for some applications and usually use Arlene's Tacky Glue. It's inexpensive, easy to find and made for paper crafts. It adheres really well too, once you let it dry.

• Here's a big one PAPER

Oh all the pretty papers!! I've learned to discipline myself to buy the DCWV (Die Cuts With a View) paper stacks from JoAnn's when they go on sale for 40%-50% off or when I have a coupon. I only buy paper by the "sheet" when I need something very specific. I also buy my white and black cardstock at WalMart  as that seems to be the most cost effective route and I use a lot of both. If I need a lot one color (say for making Christmas cards) I typically go to discountcardstock.com and buy it in bulk. I also "force" myself to use what I already have. I don't take my pictures into Archivers with me to match papers with themes or colors, because I'm sure I already have something that will work in my stash or at the very least I can MAKE work. (It also stretches your creativity if you make yourself use what you have.

• What to write with

What you write with is important too. If you do all your journaling on the computer you need to make sure the ink you are using is acid free. If you hand write your journaling or do a combination, you still need to make sure whatever you are writing with is acid free. You don't need to have a pen in every color. Yes, it's fun and pretty, but a black acid free pen will still get the job done.

The point of all of this is that you can spend as much or as little as you want. I have a Cricut Expressions electronic die cutting machine ($300 when they first came out) and more cartridges than I'd like to admit, but I card making and scrapbooking are my PASSION. Rarely a day goes by that I'm not working on some project.

Basically, before you buy the newest and coolest anything, you have to decide how often you ware going to use it. Just like that pair of shoes that your REALLY like, you have to think about when and how often you are really going to wear them.

Yes, I have A LOT of scrapbooking stuff. But I've been collecting all of it since 2001. I didn't go out and buy it all in one shot. I bought stuff on clearance, on sale, with gift cards...you get the point.

Please feel free to comment and/or ask any questions. I would love all my blog posts to be interactive. And as always, you can email me at snipsoftime@yahoo.com

Monday, Monday

Oh how I would like to crawl back under the sheets for a few more hours as it's so grey and rainy!! I'll be honest, sunshine is a HUGE motivator for me and well as creative inspiration. I seem to be more creative when I can see the sun!! BUT...the show must go on!

So, I'm writing this post, and then heading to the studio to get somethings done before it's time to get ready to go to work. What I really wanted to share with you was the first thing I did in the new studio start to finish...

This was for our dear friend Danielle's new little baby. The picture doesn't really show how the colors pop, but at least you can see it.

Now off to go be creative...it makes my day brighter!!

Find your THING, it will ROCK your WORLD!

WOW!! Lots going on and not a lot of time to sit down and blog about it. But I'm trying!! LOL

The biggest bit of news for Snips of Time is that I've (and therefore the studio) has moved! As is typical of, it was just a move of a few miles...but the studio now has it's own room and since I started working on unpacking it and putting stuff away just Monday, it's coming along nicely. My goal is to be able to be able to work in it come Friday evening at the latest. It's been KILLING me not to be able to create these past few weeks.

This lack of time (and place) for creativity has really brought me to what I want to blog about today. I have really learned what a huge part of being creative means to my life. There are a lot of people in my life who say things to me like "it's so nice that you scrapbook" or "isn't that sweet that you make your own greeting cards." I can almost hear in their voices "why would you waste your time cutting up bits of paper?!" But here's the deal people...I NEED to do it. There are so many parts of myself (as is really true for everyone) that can't be expressed at work, or in my "day-to-day" life, so to speak. My paper crafting, my "hobby" is what allows me to express what I need to express. My husband will attest to this...without my scrapbooking, or at the very least creating SOMETHING I am not a happy person.

Here is something that's interesting, just to think about. I suffer from depression and take Prozac for it. Do I think the Prozac helps? Absolutely...I wouldn't take it every day if I didn't. HOWEVER, Prozac alone does not make me feel "good." I had to find my positive thing. When I say that I mean I suppose there are negative things that could make me feel good, IE drugs, alcohol, whatever. But my creativity, or expressing it really is my POSITIVE thing. I have emotional issues without my Prozac, things get very hard for me to do, getting out of bed is a struggle and so on. Without my creativity it's like another world. It's a world I can function in, but I'm not happy in. 

Here's something else to think about and it was something else I had to learn. You can live to make others happy...and don't get me wrong, I'm a pleaser and struggle repeatedly with how it effects me when those I love aren't happy; but what if you CAN'T make them happy, or if they move away, grow up, leave you...whatever?! Then what does that do to your "happiness?" I've learned that your happiness has to come from inside yourself.  Not from what society has said you need to be happy, not what your best friend said you should do to be happy, not what I say, your mother says, or even a therapist tells you. If they aren't telling you to find it inside yourself...good luck is all I have to say. There HAS  to be something in your life, inside of you, that no one can take  away from you, that is not dependant on anyone else, that is about you alone that you can find happiness in. That my friends, is what my creativity is about.

Am I saying you have to be "creative" to be happy? NO, I'm saying you have to find that something that does it for you. Something that you can look forward to on a bad day, that something you know is always there for YOU. I have been through some tough stuff in my short life people...and my creativity has carried me through. It has managed to give me a sense of accomplishment when I couldn't find it anywhere else. It has allowed me to find like minded friends, make lots of new friends, and even have (albeit small) a second income.

So go out there and find your thing people. It will rock your world!! I promise!!

Brave Mothers and Daughters (and Fathers)

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