It's real in these crafting streets...Design Teams or the Hunger Games?

I'm an avid crafter, there, I said it, or typed it. I do projects for people and I also design, draw, and create for myself and companies. However, wrapped up in all of this is the desire to have my own stamp line and my own designs. The issue is how to get your designs in front of the right people. One thing you need is exposure and unfortunately with so many print craft magazines going out of business and LSS (Local Scrapbooking Stores) going under, a lot of visibility opportunities were lost.  This leaves the obvious choice of the Internet, but even that requires the ability to not only choose the correct platform (blogging or social media), but to drive traffic to your profile/site.  I have been pretty fortunate with a few hundred followers on IG and my site, but that was really some luck and a nice shout out on the Quick Quotes blog.  Without that, I'm not sure what my audience would look like.  This brings up the subject of design teams, I currently belong to one and I'm looking to join 1 or 2 more next year, but even that is an uphill battle.  I personally only apply for design teams I genuinely want to belong to and support.  This is great for keeping your skills sharp and keeping you on task as most DTs have a calendar for your projects.  It's also wonderful to keep you in touch with other like minded creators.  If you've applied for a team or a dozen and you were not selected, please don't give up, it can take a while to find your footing and your style.  Take each application as an opportunity to improve your skills and show what you've learned, you'll be surprised at how quickly you improve. The good thing is that many teams have 6 month memberships so that gives you 2 opportunities per year. I would also suggest going for a team you're passionate about, even if it's one of the major companies because they will see through fake enthusiasm if you don't really enjoy the products.  Last bit of advice is to be yourself in your designs, copying the latest trend won't work and it won't help you stand out from everyone else, offer the team leader something unique, you. That's about all I have for now, but I just wanted to offer a quick pick-me-up to anyone that is struggling with their crafting right now.  It's an extremely competitive space with a lot of talented people, don't get discouraged and remember that the whole point of this is to make things and have fun! Until next time, happy crafting!

Alphabet Punch Board Review

Hi everyone, here today with a review on the We R Memory Keepers Alphabet Punch Board. I saw that this was out, but I hadn't seen it in stores yet, so I ordered from HSN (they have a really great price right now) and then filmed a video of how it works.  I am a big fan of We R Memory Keepers products, I have a Fuse, the 1-2-3 Punch Board, the Flower Punch Board and I used Pinwheels in my wedding! This one is the first one I bought without watching a demo first, so my reaction and use is "fresh". I have to say I really like it, it's perfect for banners or wall decor and figuring it out only takes s few minutes, watch the video below for the full review and see the punch board in action.

Like I said in the video, the only thing I would like to see added is the ability to have smaller letters, maybe half size. Other than that I was extremely pleased with the cut quality and the speed.  You can complete a banner in a few minutes and precutting the paper to 3" x 5" rectangles will help speed things up too! If you're only doing a few letters or numbers, you can use the board to cut your paper down to size.  I hope this video was helpful, happy crafting. 

QuickQuotes - March Club Q

Hello everyone, Gabriela here showcasing this month's Club Q and before I get into my project, let me talk about the greatness of this kit. I received a nice variety of papers and embellishments as well as a package of Petaloo flowers. There was even a set of full instructions for making an Altered project, just a really robust kit with some nice ideas and it was nice to see the paper collections paired in ways I might not have thought of on my own. One of the things I couldn't wait to use was the blinged butterflies, they were wonderful on their own, but I decided to add a little chalking ink to them to make them more visible.

I used chalking inks to color the butterflies and then added glossy accents to "seal" the color in, this requires allowing it to dry overnight, but I think the results were worth the wait. Next I decided to go with a theme of "Love Blooms" for a double page layout.

I proceeded to build my page around my butterflies and flowers and even created a few additional paper flowers to help fill out the pages. I also did some edge punches with the paper to create borders for both sides of the layout.

The finished layout will have pictures from a Botanic Garden tour on the white spaces but you could really put any photos you like in the layout. I hope you have as much fun with your Club Q as I did and happy crafting!

Quick Quotes Products Used
March Club Q
Powder Puff Chalking Inks - Pixie Pink, Seabrook, Aqua, Lemon Sorbet, and Mahogany
Anchors Away - 106