Wednesday Inspiration-The Art of Three

Card making doesn’t have to be hard or difficult. Maybe you are new to this craft and still trying to wrap your brain around it all.  Maybe you are overwhelmed with card sketches, Copic markers and pigment ink verse dye inks. For now, just remember one thing, the rule of three.  This simple, basic but powerful rule will serve you well.  Like lots of other things in life, the basics are the basics for a reason.  They work.

Today’s inspiration card was found on Pinterest and is by The Paperlicious blog  and I picked it because of its simplicity. You don’t have to stamp a masterpiece if you don’t feel like it, or ever! This card works because of simple clean colors were paired with a pleasing graphic, the stamped dot circles.  But to create more interest the artist has created a subtle theme of three.  I’m not sure why or how but three images makes us happy.  It is balanced without being boring or busy. Three gives your eye a place to go and it’s happy when it returns.

 How many sets of three do you see?  Look closely. Yep, four sets of three, the larger stamped dots in lilac, smaller set in light pink the smallest in blue and lastly the three flowers under “friends”.  A bit more interest was added with the tied fiber and charm but this card would look great without the fiber too. It’s a personal call to use the fiber but I like it.

Also notice this card is a top fold and just the lower corners have been rounded, simple touches that make this card visually pleasing. It doesn’t need another thing. The rule of three has served it well.  Try reproducing this card of threes and see what you come up with!

Vicki Bridges

Worth Reading

Finding Your Voice

In my never ending search to be a better artist and teacher I read a lot of stuff, mostly online blogs. What a marvelous and free (I like that word) resource.  One of the blogs in my reader is Ali Edwards and I get her weekly newsletter.  Even though she’s not a big stamper and she is more into memory keeping (the new word for scrapbooking) but the point is, she is an artist. Just like us!  

Recently I was struck by one of her newsletters and thought I just had to share it with you. You can find the newsletter here and Ali’s blog here.  The article talks about finding your voice. And that’s an important thing.  Not just stamping a card like someone online or even me. But really jumping in with both feet and making the creation your own. Scary?  Yea, a little. But think of when you started school and looked at those alphabets above the blackboard. That was a little scary too but you did it right?

Go find your creative voice.  Now.  No, I mean right now, don't bookmark this and say you will get back to it.   Do. It. Now. 

One Line A Day Journal

Recently I was reading Ali Edwards blog where she mentioned “One Line a Day Journal”.  A what?  She’s so efficient that she provide a link that took me to Amazon.  Being Amazon there were pictures and reviews about this compact yet hefty 5 year (yes I said five years!) journal. So tell me where have I been that I don’t know anything about this journal?  Under a rock?  Sniffing ink fumes? 

For you that were distracted like me and this journal is new too you let me will explain.  The journal has a page for each day for a year. You write one sentence about your day and at the end of the year the book is full. Then you start over at the beginning on the next line for the New Year and continue through the journal again.  What a concept!  I wish I had known about this earlier and started on January 1 but I didn’t start my Project 365 on January 1 so it’s no big deal. And isn’t getting the memories recorded the whole idea?  For me it is.

So maybe you don’t have time to write lengthy journals with insightful dialogue, but you can write a sentence a day. I know you can! 

Links to Learning

I think we can all agree that education is a good thing. And when it comes to computers, web sites and all that entails, we all need educating.  I have written two How-to sheets and posted them in the Links section of this blog. Yep, just over there in the right hand column. See? 

One is “How to Post a Picture on Facebook”. Several people wanted to share pictures in the Mizbizibee’s Little Bees Facebook group and were unsure how to do so. This instruction sheet has screen shots (pictures) of the step by step directions to post pictures or videos on Facebook. It’s easy so give it a try.

The following is “How to Set Up an Email Subscription”.  This will work for most blogs that have email subscription features and mine does. The reason I like this feature is if you only read few blogs, it’s simple to have them come to your email inbox instead of remembering to check the blogs weekly.  We all forget and I don’t want you to miss out.  Every time I update the blog, within 24 hours it will appear in your inbox. So easy! You will thank yourself, it only takes 2 minutes to set up. I promise.

I hope these instructions help you to have a better online experience and if you have other ideas to make this blog or the Facebook group better, just let me know.

Explaining Yourself

Happy Wednesday Little Bees

Recently Graphic 45 asked on Facebook how you would describe paper crafting to someone who isn’t a crafter. Gosh that reminds me of many a conversation trying to explain what I do to the “unconverted”. They look at me like I have a screw loose.  While I know what they don’t and if they can’t see it or don’t even want to try, it’s their loss.  I’m always baffled that they wouldn’t want to least dip their toes in the water.

I think most of the puzzlement comes from thinking that they need to be artistic to do what we do. I admit being an artist is a strong advantage when doing rubber stamping and paper arts. But just wanting a hobby can be enough.  On a side note, I’m always somewhat skeptical of people who don’t have any hobbies. (I don’t consider the television a hobby)  Everyone needs a mental vacation from life, just my humble opinion.

I think one of the biggest reasons we stampers enjoy card making is it is a way to have fun, relax and express our creativity. Then stick a stamp on it to make someone’s day. Lift a sad heart, celebrate a milestone and tell that person “you are valuable to me”. What hobby can do that?

Yes, we are artists who enjoy our craft, but we are also people that enjoy giving.  It works out great of us and the people around us.  The next time you need to explain your creatively activities to someone tell them that you “create small works of art to enrich the lives of those that you love”. Watch ‘em try to figure that one out!  Oh yes, you want to say this with your nose in the air! How do explain your love of paper and rubber?