Ink Smooshing

Another fun technique to try is "Ink Smooshing"!  This one is so much fun and every card turns out just a little bit different!  I love the uniqueness this technique gives to my cards!!

Ink Swiping!

Here's another fun technique, Ink Swiping!  You are literally just "swiping" your stamp across your ink pad to create a fun look!  Thank you for watching!

Eclipse Card

I'm not sure why my last post would not allow me to just embed the video for monochromatic cards, but I was able to upload this one with no problems!  Here is my version of an eclipse card!  Thank you for watching!

Monochromatic Card

I go for months without posting anything on here and then several posts within days!  I'm just not a consistent person with all of the technology available to me.  Once I get into the habit of using a certain technology tool, I'm usually pretty good about staying caught up with it.  So I guess I should get into the habit of posting on here!  It has taken all day for the next videos to upload.  I have 2 more to work on tonight and then I will be caught up with the ones that I want to do.  I am in a card swap with a group that would meet once a month.  We were able to meet mid-March of this year and then everything in Iowa started closing so we have not been able to get together since.  I began doing Facebook Live crops for them in April and showing the card technique for the next month.  Since we were not being held accountable to have our cards ready each month, many of us fell behind, including me.  I had to try to remember which technique I taught each month so I could get them done and remind others.  I decided to make these videos as a tutorial for them to refer to, but I know I am often online looking for ideas and decided to share mine with others as well.  Please enjoy the videos.  Feel free to offer any constructive criticism along the way so I can get better in helping others learn these techniques!  Be sure to follow me on here and you can also follow me on Youtube!  Thank you for watching!

(Still having issues today with uploading videos!  Click on the link below and it will take you to the Youtube video I made on monochromatic cards.)

https://youtu.be/KbIrSmndpw4

Inking Up Embossing Folders

I've spent the morning working on 3 more videos to post.  It's' now almost 4:00 in the afternoon here and only one of my videos has uploaded!  This seems to be a very slow process for me.  I'm not sure if it is my internet uploading speed or if I am not following the correct path to get things uploaded.  Either way, I'm working on patience today 😊.  This video shows the theme that one of my card clubs was required to do for the month of February 2020.  It is inking up your embossing folder to create a textured background for your card.  In making these videos, I am learning to explain all steps, but need to condense some because I end up rambling or losing my train of thought in the middle.  I could go back and edit everything, but that is for another time.  Right now I need to focus on one skill at a time and this one is just learning how to record.  Of course, I also need to work on getting better at uploading and posting!  So, keep coming back to watch my progress improvement with videos and posting!  Be sure to follow me on here!!  Thank you for watching!

Stamp Kissing Technique June 6, 2020

I finally put myself out there and created my first Youtube video!  This is a demonstration of how to make a simple card using the Stamp Kissing Technique!  I will post another video that goes with this one to show how I completed my card! I'll be posting more videos on Youtube and sharing them here as well! Thanks for watching!!

Decluttering Goals for 2020

Happy New Year!

I always start out so good at the beginning of each year and then completely fizzle out by February!  So, I'll do my best, but no guarantees!
 
I'm going to do this blog a little different this year.  I'm going to post what I'm doing with Close to my Heart, but I'm also going to post on life, family, friends, work, and how I'm doing on some 2020 goals that I have set.  So, today's post is about one of those goals!

A friend posted a schedule of decluttering/cleaning/organizing for a month.  Some of the areas worked for me, but a lot did not so I brainstormed a way to make it work for me and I've been successful for the first 6 days of the new year!!

I started thinking that it would be nice to tie in the number 20 somehow, so I came up with the idea to declutter 20 items a day for the year by 3 categories: Throw Away, Recycle, Donate.  So, each day I need to either throw away 20 items, recycle 20 items or give away 20 items.  By the end of the year, I will have decluttered 7,300 items out of my house, garage, and buildings!  At the rate I'm going, it may just be out of my house alone!!

I began with my dresser.  My husband and I share a 4 deep-drawer dresser.  He has 2 drawers and I have 2 drawers.  One drawer is personals (socks, underwear, bras).  I began by dumping the entire drawer on my bed, which was not an easy task as it was packed!!  I sorted every item.  If there was a hole in anything, it went in the garbage pile.  If I didn't wear it (socks only!!) I put it in the donate pile.  I did the same thing with the 2nd drawer, which is my pajama drawer.  I have no idea why that drawer is so full, but I can wear a different pajama set or pajama pants every day for almost a month!  I then "Marie Kondo-ed" everything and WOW, the drawers aren't packed to the overflowing stage anymore!

I realized that trying to throw away, recycle or donate 20 items a day was going to be tricky for me because I don't want to throw away 6 items, recycle 2 items and donate 12 items, so I decided I would put items in those 3 piles and when one was up to 20, I would count that as my "day of (whatever pile it was!)"  By the time I was done with those 2 drawers and my desk, I had the following results:
Wednesday: Throw Away 20 items
Thursday: Recycle 20 items
Friday:  Throw Away 20 items
Saturday: Recycle 20 items
Sunday:  Throw Away 20 items
Monday: Donate 20 items
That's already 120 items leaving my house one way or another!!  Wowzer!!
Tomorrow (Tuesday) I will be gone all day for work, meetings and a basketball game, so I decided to get ahead tonight and find 20 items to get rid of.  I cleaned out a bathroom drawer that holds my curling iron, blow dryer, a bag of make-up that I use daily (I have another bin for a lot of other make-up that I think will be leaving here soon!) and other personal items.  In that drawer alone, I found 20 items to throw away!  That was the easy drawer out of all of them!

It seems like a lot of work at first, but I'm sitting at my desk typing tonight instead of in my recliner because there is no other place to work!  I'm also able to spend time on some other projects I need to get done because I have desk space to work on them!!  And, I'm actually enjoying digging out this stuff, seeing what I've missed and getting rid of so much that I don't use, is damaged or outdated!

Like I said at the beginning, I tend to fizzle out by February, but this is something I can't give up on!
So, here's to 2020 goals!! 
Please share with me some of the goals that you have set for yourself and how you are obtaining them!