Crafting Sanity
As many of you may know, I opened my Etsy shop back in April, and since then my shop has begun to take off! It never occurred to me that a hobby could be turned into a revenue stream. Fortunately, I am now in the process of expanding my product line and brand. It has been such a rewarding experience and has taught me a lot about myself along the way. The one thing I know for sure is that my OCD tendencies and perfectionism must stay outside of my crafting studio. You wouldn't dare want to repeat some of the things I have yelled at my Cricut machines. Here are a couple of tips and tricks I've learned to keep my crafting dojo a peaceful place: 1. Make sure you have all the materials you need before starting a project. Let you tell you firsthand that it blows when you are almost to the finishing line of a project and you realize you don't have the right mod-podge sealer, or you don't have enough vinyl, heaven forbid you bought the wrong color... Before you start your project lay out EVERYTHING! The scissors, the glue, and every item or tool you will need to start your project. Because if you're like me and you craft until unearthly times in the morning and you don't have something Michael's isn't open at 3 am. Trust me I check - every. single. time. If you're extra amazing, you'll write a list of what you need for a whole crafting session and then go to the store! But trust me - you'll forget something anyways, and if you do move to step 5 immediately. 2. Give yourself adequate time and supplies for mistakes. For most of the products that I sell in my shop, I go on autopilot when I'm filling them. So, I know how long each mat takes to cut in the Cricut down to the second. However, there are some days my machine decides it's super hungry and wants to eat all my card stock. Uh - rude much? It's the day I need the order to be shipped and I've gone through 8 sheets of card stock and my machine is still hell-bent on ripping every sheet. This is where I scream obscenities at my machine and my mom comes into the room asking if I'm okay - "Clearly not mom, but you're wonderful and I love you". To avoid the all-night crafting rush give yourself more time and supplies than you think you need for a project. And hey if you end up with extras (time & supplies) pour a glass of wine and make a project for yourself. Cause after all you've earned it! 3. Always keep your scrap projects. I cannot tell you how many times I have been just so unbelievably disappointed in something I made, and a friend comes in and is like "OMG is that the Mona Lisa?". Okay well, maybe not that impressed. But you get my point. Sometimes beauty is not in the eye of the beholder. Cause lord knows there are several craft “Frankensteins” in my closet that I hope never to see the light of day. However, I have found lately that my scraps can usually be repurposed into something different. I have a dedicated scraps organizer in my craft closet that will one day be a part of something I am unbelievably proud of. 4. It's okay to take a break. Some things you just must walk away from. Such as a Cricut with an unquenchable thirst for 80lb card stock. (Yes, I am still not over this.) To me, crafting/creating is something you very much must be in the right mindset to succeed at. Now while I can confirm that sad and grumpy crafting has its therapeutic benefits. It's not best to try something completely new when you aren't in your crafting mood. It's best to just walk away from a project and either start something else - or just walk away from crafting for the day together. And no - you're not giving up; you are simply pressing pause. It'll be there - ready to pick up whenever you are. Unless you have a cat that likes to push things off the table - it might be on the ground. Nevertheless, you deserve to break. Pushing through isn't always the answer. 5. Give yourself grace. You're the crafty one in your family, right? The one everyone comes to and goes "Can you make this?" and you immediately say yes because you will not be bested by a measly Pinterest pin. And then the unthinkable happens - you struggle. Guess what? IT IS OKAY. Different crafts require different skill sets - and you may haven't honed that one yet. We are our own worst enemies in the crafting world. This is crooked, or you can see the glue-stick mark here, it doesn't look perfect. Guess what, yup I'm going to repeat it. IT IS OKAY. You are not going to perfectly make everything the first time. Heck, maybe not the 6th or 7th time. But you shouldn't expect perfection cause hey you're a crafter and the one thing you're amazing at is crafting up a solution. Take a deep breath - YOU'VE GOT THIS! Best Crafting, Ashley
Indoor/Outdoor Entertaining & Relaxation
If you live in the south, you are fully aware that the biggest deterrent to enjoying the outside is the bugs (frogs for me, but that is a story for another day.) One way to combat the pesky bugs is to have a screened-in porch. Up until my parents followed me to Arlington, they always had a screened-in porch. Once they moved to Arlington they bought a house with a front and back porch. They quickly deduced that a screen porch would be needed. After unsuccessfully trying to agree on how to screen in an existing porch, they decided to add a new porch off the kitchen. This had the extra benefit of extending the entertaining space. Unfortunately for them, this idea started during Covid and really was only a paper drawing for a good while. As Covid restrictions eased they decided to go for it. They hit issues finding tradesmen with availability. They started interviewing construction companies, finally settling on one that was more a project manager that brought in the individual contractors through relationships. Fast forward, 6 months, and they finally have a new porch. This porch is an eye-catcher from the street and breathtaking inside with its fireplace and soaring ceiling. The tall screens help the airflow. They are still working on furnishings and landscaping but you can see the space will be a show stopper they will enjoy for years to come. Lessons learned along the way are to actually have an architect draw up the floor plans. Find a contractor to manage the whole process that will be hands-on. Plan on setbacks and delays so that you are not stressed or surprised. Lots of deep breaths. Check out these beautiful photos of the finished product below:
Turning Over New Leaves
Anyone who knows me knows that I cannot even keep a succulent alive. My parents & grandparents both have the green thumbs in this family - and I maybe have a death thumb? I am serious...I kill every plant I touch. However, I have decided to try to start some gardening of my own. The idea came to me when I was making sheet pan fajitas one night and I was cutting up some bell peppers. I thought "There are far too many seeds in these peppers!", then "What would happen if I planted one? Would I actually be able to grow peppers?" I then decided right then and there I was going to start a vegetable garden - well hold on I was going to try and grow a bell pepper. I started by finishing prepping the sheet pan fajitas and popping those in the oven. I made sure I saved the hearts of the peppers. I then went to go search for some small planters and some potting soil. I filled the pots and made a little circle in the middle of the soil with my finger, pushed the seeds in, and then covered them up with soil. I then added just a little bit of water and put them in direct sun. In a couple of days, I started to notice that there were some green sprouts popping up through the soil. I was ecstatic! I was actually growing something! I noticed the pot where I planted the whole heart of the pepper was growing much more rapidly than the other two where I just planted some seeds. They have been planted for about a month now and are making great progress. I'm excited to start seeing some mini peppers popping up here in the next 60 days. I used Almanac's website to get all my tips and trick to growing the perfect pepper. I hope this story inspires you to finally start your own veggie garden! Even if it only has peppera!
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