August 20, 2018
11 Comments
Elaineabella here, wondering how we ended up on Monday again!
Before I get into today’s topic, I want to thank you all for your responses to last week’s topic – Marker Geek Monday Approaching Colouring. It is fascinating to hear from you, and get some differing opinions and ideas, as well as to hear some similarities. I hope you will join me again today, and let me know your thoughts on another key issue we all seem to face from time to time.
I’ve mentioned a few times recently that my mojo has gone wandering. Where exactly it has gone wandering to, I have no idea. I also have no clue as to when it plans to return. This happens sometimes, and it is often linked to my general mood and things going on in daily life. Creativity can be such a sensitive, flighty, creature. It is also the case that the creative spark can be present, but the motivation to do the work has gone on strike. It would be fair to say that I mostly tend to experience the latter. The ideas are there, the focus to settle down to work and the energy to see it through have gone AWOL. An abundance of ideas seems to exacerbate the problem and create a sense of complete overwhelm.
What often works for me is to take the pressure off. This can be tricky, with commitments that need to be met, and lots of behind the scenes work in need of completion. I find that allowing myself to let some of the less urgent, non-priority work and creative ideas slide for a while often helps. I’ve seen it referred to as “refilling the well” – taking some time to relax and do other things we enjoy, allowing the inspiration and motivation to come back naturally. I make notes of ideas that come to me during this time, and act on them when the spark returns.
Another approach is to push through, to show up and do the thing, whatever it may be. I have found less success with this approach, and it possibly depends on what the underlying reason for the lack of motivation/creative spark is.
Taking a wander through past creations can help, remembering the feeling of enjoyment experienced when working on them. Looking at other people’s work can help to inspire, although I find it can also have the opposite effect, so it is a case of knowing yourself and finding a balance.
Something that does help me significantly during these times is to reorganise my craft-room – going through, finding stamps and supplies that have been languishing under piles of other “stuff” and sitting untouched in boxes for months. The act of tidying up and removing clutter also tends to help me, as I get quite overwhelmed by mess when I’m trying to work and create. It doesn’t always work, but it is a useful approach to try!
What do you think? Do you often experience this problem? How do you deal with it? Do you find it stressful, or do you just go with the flow? Have you found that there are specific triggers for it?
I’m interested to hear your thoughts and experiences whether you craft purely for pleasure, have design team commitments and pressures, sell your cards etc.
Until next week!
Elaineabella
August 19, 2018 2 Comments
Hey everyone! Elaineabella here with another SPOTTED ON SUNDAY treat for you.
This week’s Spotted on Sunday star is:
Love this card! Such fun colour choices.
Stamping Bella Stamp Sets Used: Oddball Gamer
Thank you for sharing, Rosa!
We love to see what you’ve all been up to with your Stamping Bella stamps, and there are lots of ways to share with us.
If you want to be “Spotted On Sunday” make sure you tag us with #SpotThisStampingBella so we know you give permission for your makes to be shared here on the blog! We will be featuring things we’ve spotted from all over the place, but by using the hashtag you’ll make it much easier for us to know you don’t mind us sharing.
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Stamping Bella Facebook Group: Stamping Bella Sistahood Chat Group
August 17, 2018 3 Comments
And I have been quiet like a mouse.. ya know why???? Because I have finally figured out our RELEASE DATE! WOOHOOO.. SO MANY IMAGES.. SO LITTLE TIME! Our sneak peek will begin on August 29th.. Mark your planners! If you subscribe to our blog, our newsletter and follow us on all Social Media I will make sure you don’t miss a thing 🙂 You won’t wanna .
Ok let’s start with our Bellarific Friday post
JennyDIXabella used our TINY TOWNIE ANNIE the Angel RUBBER STAMP and CUT IT OUT DIE
and our brand new CELEBRATE SENTIMENT SET “CUT IT OUT” DIE
August 16, 2018 10 Comments
DT Thursday time! Sandie has a fab project for us to follow along with today!
August 13, 2018 8 Comments
Elaineabella here, in a sort of contemplative mood! I’m still in a bit of a funk, pulling together my samples and other behind the scenes stuff for the next Stamping Bella release, and trying to do a little creative jumpstarting on myself in-between it all. It just so happens that colouring can be a very good activity both to help keep your creative toe in the water, and to give your hands something to do while your brain picks over everything. I can recommend it!
Today I thought I’d open up a discussion with you about how we approach colouring. As with so many things, there is no one right or wrong way, and it very much depends on the individual, our preferences and also on what we’re hoping to achieve as an end result.
I’ve always been envious of card-makers that have the ability to mix and match patterned papers to create a perfectly coordinated yet still home-spun effect. Even more of the card-makers out there that manage to create a perfectly coordinated coloured image to go with the papers. It gives me a warm, cosy feeling looking at the photos of their cards and projects. Let’s not get started on the card-makers that also manage to create perfectly staged photographs to show off their cards. The green-eyed monster may break free! Just kidding – I love seeing their creations, and their beautiful photographs, and I’ve accepted that it just isn’t me.
I’m an impatient, fidgety creator that has an abundance of ideas and nowhere near enough energy to execute even a fraction of them. I get an itch to colour something, and want to sit and colour it, not sit and plan the perfect card. I grab my stuff, go with colours that come to me as I look at the image, and then work out the details later. I used to regret this every time I sat down to make a card with my coloured images, resolving to take a different approach next time, to be “better”. Sometimes I would actually try, only to find that the process sucked all of the joy out of it for me. Now, instead of trying to force myself to be someone else, I go with it. I don’t buy endless pads of pretty papers that make me feel bad when none of them match my colouring (I have a small collection of paper pads, and allow myself to feel like the planets have aligned when they match). Instead I keep things simple, and use neutrals, or use my Copics or Distress Ink/Distress Oxide collection to create coordinating coloured layers.
Over the weekend I felt the itch to colour one of my favourite Tiny Townies – Tiny Townie Hattie loves Halloween. I stamped her up, grabbed my coloured pencils and headed for the dining table for some relaxing colouring fun.
Hattie was stamped on hot pressed watercolour paper, then coloured using Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils with Winsor & Newton Sansodor blending solution.
Little Hattie is such a cute witch. She may have turned out a little Hermione Grainger-ish, because I’m currently listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks while colouring (again). Not that Hermione would be found riding a broom…
In fact, this isn’t the first time I’ve coloured Hattie using pencils. Here’s one from last year, equally unplanned, just an experiment playing with pencils on toned tan paper.
Both versions of Hattie will make it on to a card soon, in spite of the fact that I had no plan when colouring her, no papers in mind. Just me, flying by the seat of my pants as always, and that’s okay!
Now, I’d love to hear from you! How do you approach colouring? Do you get stuck in, with no plan, or are you more meticulous? How do you feel about it?
~Elaineabella
August 10, 2018 3 Comments
WOOHOO! It’s FRI-YAY sistahs! and can you BELIEVE my son started school yesterday??? He goes to a sports school here and I believe they like to enjoy the summer outside so it ruins everyone’s summer LOL… and CAN YOU BELIEVE HE STARTED GRADE 11? Wasn’t he 4 a minute ago? I can’t get myself started or I will cry.. and it’s FRI-YAY and I can’t cry on FRI-YAY so I am going to start this post. LOL.
On a lighter note.. I am hoping that our winter release will be posted by the end of the month so sign up for our newsletter, blog, facebook, instagram and you will find out when our sneak peeks begin!
Let’s see what our amazing BABEROONIS came up with shall we?
IngeBella used our TALE OF TWO ROSIES STAMP and CUT IT OUT DIE
