Don’t Let Life Get in the Way of Cardmaking

What if you had time to work on your crafty things like cardmaking? How would that make you feel? Here are some ideas for how to get it done.

I can’t tell you how many people have said to me, “I used to do crafts and loved it, but I just don’t have time to do it anymore” Don’t let that be you. I’ll give you some tips to help you find ways to squeeze crafting into your schedule in this post. And look for “Quickies” in all my posts. Quickies are tips that I will provide to help you find more time to do your crafting. …Let’s get started.

Become a “Crafty Believer”

The fact that you’re reading this post is a good first step. Now keep going! Convince yourself that the things that you like to do are just as important as all the other things that you have to do. Think about how crafting makes you feel, how it relaxes you, and at the same time that it energizes you…and then there’s how you feel when you give someone your homemade card, and they light up. You have to believe that you need to do crafting if you’re going to make this work.

Establish a Dedicated Crafting Space

Where is all your crafty stash? Is it crammed into a box or boxes and stuck in your closet or under the bed? That’s where mine was… in both. And guess what? You don’t even look at it, do you? Or, if you’re like me, you’ve forgotten that you had half of the stuff that’s in there. It would help if you found a place to put your things where you can see them and use them to work on your crafts. Look for a spot that you can call your own to do your crafting in. It doesn’t have to be huge. You need a surface to work on, a chair, and some space to store your tools and supplies. While searching through the internet, you will find cardmakers that use a corner of their dining room, a place in their basement, a spare bedroom, or even their own bedroom. Mine is in a shed out in the backyard. Take charge and claim your space.

Get Organized

Go through your stash. Throw out anything that is damaged or doesn’t work anymore. Separate it into things that are alike. For example, put all your stamps in one box and all your markers in another, and all your adhesives in a third. If you’re like me, you have a stash for more than one type of craft. Separate them so that you can see what you’ve got. If you’ve got a lot of crafty stuff, this may take you several days. When you’ve got it all separated into piles or boxes, now decide if there is anything that you aren’t interested in anymore and set that aside to give away or dispose of it. Now think of ways that you can store your piles in your new dedicated space so that they can remain separated and you can see what you have. I will have several posts on the topic of organization in the future. In fact, I have a whole category on organization, so please keep an eye out there for new organizational posts.

For more ideas on organization, check out the articles in our Organization Category.

Use a Planner To Find Time For Cardmaking

If you’re going to squeeze time into your busy schedule to make your cards or do your crafting, you have to know when and where you’re going to be able to do it. I don’t know about you, but I’ve tried a digital calendar. It works for my job mostly because it just manages when my meetings are, but a planner works better for everything outside of work for me. Jot down all the things you have to do, all the appointments you have, and then look for when you can squeeze in some crafting and write them down. Then when it comes to that day and time, you know that you have that time set aside just for you and your crafting. I plan to do a whole post on how to use planners. It will be in the Organization category.

My favorite planners come from Plum Paper. They are awesome because you can customize them and get them for 18 months.

Break Projects Down into Smaller Tasks

You don’t have the time that you used to have to do crafting and card making. So, as you plan your projects in your planner, think about how you can break them down into manageable chunks of work. Then when you go to work on them, you won’t put off working on the project because there is too much to do in the amount of time you have to work on crafting. And, you can decide what to do based on the amount of time you have to craft.

Prepare a Cardmaking Take-It Kit

Have you ever thought about what you could be doing with your time if you weren’t waiting on the bus to come or sitting waiting for a game to start? Those are perfect times to do a little bit of crafting. But to do so, you need to be prepared. Look through your planner and see if you can find some of those times when you could sneak in a little crafting. Then take a look at the projects that you plan to create and decide on what you would be able to do on the go. Select the supplies you will need and put them in a bag or pocket that you can easily take. That way, it’s ready for you whenever you go anywhere. I have a series of Take-It Kits. I have one for when we go on extended trips in the RV. Then I have one or two that have supplies in them for specific projects that I can work on when I’m not at home. Then I have one that Jennifer McGuire gave me the idea for, and it includes finished cards, envelopes, addresses, stamps, and pens with a little hard surface so that I can address the envelopes, put the stamps on and get the cards all ready to mail. Look for future posts in the Tools & Supplies category for posts on Travel Take-It Kits and favorite supplies to take on the go.

Get Your Family Involved in Cardmaking

What kid doesn’t like to make things? Making cards and crafting is something that you can do together, and they will enjoy it as much as you do. It will help you to plan out what they can do with you and have supplies ready for them at your planned times for working together. Getting your partner involved may be a bit more tricky. If making crafty things isn’t their thing, try creating an environment where they can be there with you but don’t have to participate. For example, I have a nice comfy recliner and installed a tv in my crafting shed. That way, we can be together while I am crafting.

Make Multiples

Make a couple of extras of whatever you are doing to have them available when you need them. When you’re stamping an image, stamp it on 2 or 3 more card panels. Or, when you’re making a card base for your card, make a couple of extras. Eventually, you will get to the point where all you need to do is assemble a card or project. Which is much quicker than having to start from scratch.

Put Things Away

This one is huge! As soon as you finish your project, put everything away. That means all of the tools, scraps, supplies, and extra versions of what you made. I have a folder to collect all the scraps that I have leftover. Jennifer McGuire suggests using little containers to keep everything in while you work on the project. And then you can take them to where your supplies belong when you’re ready to put them away. Maybe this is huge to me because I struggle with this one. Take the time to put things away while you’re still in “your working on your project mode”. As a result, your crafty paradise will be all ready for you to work on your next project.

Pat Yourself on the Back

Celebrate that you’ve made this decision to enhance your life with crafting. You will be glad that you did!