Recently Tanya Fox, editor of CardMaker Magazine, suggested I include some of my own card creations in the newsletter. I had to admit that I haven't made cards in quite a while, but then I had to wonder, why not? Why had I not taken a snippet of time to do something I enjoy that also could brighten someone's day?

Hmm. Too busy? Not really any busier than my usual frantic pace. Too distracted? No, most of the crazy-making situations I've encountered in the last year have passed. I finally had to admit that I just hadn't been feeling too creative lately. Ouch. That hurt.

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Honestly, when you're a creative person who doesn't "feel" creative, it means you're stuck in a rut, and you need to shake things up. So, I did. I took a few dozen photos in a lovely garden near my workplace. I cleared off the work table in my craft room, which had been left in disarray by some unknown crafter (who could it have been?), and I paged through the newest issue of CardMaker and my favorite art magazines. Soon, I was gleefully rummaging through drawers and containers, looking for vaguely remembered supplies. While some of the projects were, well, less than wonderful (I'm an editor, not a professional designer!), I did end up with a few that were worthy enough to send. I'll show them to you in a future newsletter.

What do you do when the well runs dry? Do you look through magazines or books? Surf the Internet or visit your favorite craft shop? Touch all the paper in your stash? We've all gone through times when the only ideas we have are bad ones. I'd love to hear about the strategies you use to go around, over and through your creative blocks. Use my feedback form below, and I'll share your ideas in a future newsletter.

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Free project
This fun Halloween project comes from talented card designer Mary Ayres. I love how she's used unusual shapes and colors in this project.

Bewitching Design by Mary Ayres Materials Printed papers: orange polka dots, brown, gray, yellow, lavender, red White business-size envelope Swirls v.2 clear acrylic stamps Dye ink pads: black, brown Hemp cord: natural, red Small feathers: red, yellow Black fine-tip permanent marker 3/16-inch hole punch 3/16-inch round copper eyelet and eyelet setter Instant-dry paper glue Computer and printer (optional) Form a 3 3/4 x 9-inch side-folded card from orange polka dots paper with polka dots inside. Open card and mark a small dot along top edge 7/8 inch from fold and along bottom edge 3 inches from fold. Align dots with a ruler and cut off portion of card front to reveal printed inside. Adhere gray paper to card front; trim to fit. Cut a 3/8 x 5-inch strip from brown paper for broom handle; use provided pattern to cut straw from yellow paper. Ink edges of handle and straw with brown ink; stamp swirls on both with black ink. Adhere handle to straw. Wrap red cord around straw three times and knot on left side; trim and unravel ends. Hand-print, or use a computer to generate, "Wishing you a bewitching Halloween" on red paper; cut a 2 7/8 x 1-inch rectangle around words. Referring to photo, form a tag, set eyelet through left end. Use natural hemp cord to tie tag onto broom handle. Adhere broom to card front. Draw short lines along right edge of broom to signify movement. Ink edges of envelope with brown ink. Adhere a 2 x 4 1/8-inch piece of polka dots paper to left edge of envelope. Use provided pattern to cut a witch's hat from lavender paper; ink edges and stamp swirls with black ink. Wrap red cord around hat; knot, trim and unravel ends as before. Adhere feathers to left side of hat, and hat to envelope. Sources: Printed papers from My Mind's Eye and BasicGrey; acrylic stamps by Rhonna Farrer for Autumn Leaves; paper glue from Beacon Adhesives Inc. Copyright © August 2007 CardMaker magazine. All rights reserved. Back to top Click here for printer friendly page.

Reader Letters

I think I've said it before, my favorite part of this job is reading the letters from our family of card makers. Here are a few.

Deb writes, via e-mail:

"I just love your magazine and can't wait for it to come in the mail. I look through it, mark the cards that I want to make and start making them one by one. Where do I find the time? My husband leaves for work at 5 a.m., and that is the time I get up. I don't have to leave for work until 8 a.m., so this gives me time in the morning to work on cards for an hour. Sometimes at work I think of a sketch or see a card online I like, and I can't wait until the next morning to work on my idea. I have a stock of cards, and I don't know what to do with them all. Sure, I send out my birthday and anniversary cards, but I have many left over. Any ideas of where I can sell them?"

Deb, please see Connie's letter below. She has a great idea for making use of your excess inventory!

Connie writes, via e-mail:

"Thanks for sharing the organizing tips from readers! I make several assorted cards when the spirit hits, so I always have some on hand. When I get a brainstorm for a special card for someone, I make it and put it in my organizer at work, including the right day to mail it. I keep several cards for different occasions at work. Not a week passes that a frazzled coworker will come to me to purchase a 'gosh, I forgot' card or a sympathy card that they need right away. Having cards on hand has gotten me many orders for special cards. I had orders for about 50 cards for Valentine's Day this year at work alone! I have already started getting orders for sets of Christmas cards."

Connie, the "gosh, I forgot" stash you keep in your desk at work is a stroke of genius! What a great marketing tool for someone who wants to start selling the cards they make. People who don't make cards or who have never received a handmade card don't realize how truly special it is to receive one. And, you make it so easy for them to buy one!

Linda writes, via e-mail:

"I love your magazine and wish it was a monthly! I make cards in spurts by looking ahead at the month and making a list of what kinds of cards I need. I sometimes can make two similar cards if the recipients do not know each other. I also create a few birthday and get-well cards by covering them in the appropriate paper; I can always add a cake or candles embellishment on top of the birthday paper or a thermometer on top of the get-well paper."

Linda, keeping a few almost-done cards is a fantastic way to get a head start on card-making for special occasions. Assembly-line card-making is one of my favorite methods to finish a lot of cards quickly.

Caroline writes, via e-mail:

"My scrapbooking space is housed in our home office, which is shared space for the entire family. Since space is limited, I have developed a method of "inventory" to keep up with my supplies. I have set up a notebook with labeled tabs such as Projects, Stickers, Embellishments, Stamps, Books, Stencils, etc. Behind each tab I have a list of what I have and where it is located, so that when I get ready to produce a project, I can check my list to see if I have what I need. It also helps me remember what I've purchased since I have a habit of purchasing things just because I like them!

"In the Projects section of my book, I keep a list of ongoing projects as well as completed projects. My ongoing projects, particularly page layouts, are kept in plastic project envelopes along with stickers and/or embellishments for the page. My completed projects section has a photograph of the completed project as well as a list of everything I used for the project and where I purchased the supplies. That way, if I want to produce a similar project or share the information with a friend, I have an easy reference system."

Well, Caroline, I have to say, you are far more organized that I will ever be! I think it's awesome, though, that you keep a "completed projects section" so you can share information with a friend. Even if they don't re-create the project exactly as you made it, they still have a great resource when they're looking for supplies.

Mary writes, via e-mail:

"I have everything in my craft room at my fingertips! My hubby helped me put together several letter-size file boxes, and there is a place on the outside to write what is in the box. I have these under my worktable, where I put envelopes and cardstock. We brought in a five-drawer chest, and I have all my stamps, cardstock and embellishments in them. I love my room, as my computer, desk and everything are within arm's reach. My hubby also got me an eight-foot-long table which is so nice and has plenty of room. Guess what? He is buying me a Cuttlebug for my birthday tomorrow. I love making cards. Have a good day!"

Happy birthday, Mary! Enjoy your Cuttlebug and your craft room (and hubby, too!).

Connie writes, via e-mail:

"The Dutch have a nice way to remember birthdays. It's called a 'verjaardaag calendar' or birthday calendar, and they are readily available throughout Holland. Basically, they have the year in months, with space to write people's names on their birth dates. These traditionally hang in the washroom, where they are visible first thing in the morning! I have three different versions of this handy reminder. Someone should introduce this to the North American market. Card makers would probably appreciate these tremendously."

Pauline writes, via e-mail:

"Do you know if there is a special technique for applying colored metal eyelets on cards?"

Pauline, my all-time favorite eyelet-setter has to be the Crop-a-Dile™, made by We R Memory Keepers. It's just so easy, even for people who have small hands or who may be hindered by arthritis.

Angie writes, via e-mail:

"My daughter is a card-making enthusiast and is trying to get me involved. Does anyone know of any knitting or crochet patterns to make things to decorate cards?"

Angie, check out Annie's Attic. They have an amazing assortment of knitting and crochet projects. I'll bet you'll be able to find something that will inspire you and still be small enough to fit on the front of a card.

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