Well I am back! I met my deadline for my custom project and completed all the cards and shipped them to my client last Friday.  It felt so good when I laid all the cards out on my worktable to see the project in it’s entirety. I almost wanted to keep them for me!! I enjoyed reaching the finish line and seeing the result of all the work.  I used my Silhouette, Copics, digi files, and a array of products to come up with new designs. I was pleased to be able to tie all of these different disciplines together to create the finished cards.  On the last week of work I was in the zone and feeling really happy to know I was meeting my deadline.

I can not reveal the cards I designed just yet because I will be creating many of them for my shop but as I release them, I will be sure to post pictures here on the blog.  This project completely took all of creative time from the shop to complete. I think I managed my time well considering the boy’s and their schedule.  I learned a lot of what I am capable of doing. I think this project was just what I needed to move me forward creatively because I was faced with pushing myself more to please the client verses  creating whatever I feel like for my shop. I also learned what I would like to change moving forward so I think it was a win-win for me in many ways.

Above is a picture of the box I decorated to store the cards for my client.  I often feel conflicted about the amount of paper used in my craft and how I may be impacting the environment. I mean let’s face it, I have more product than I can use.

So when I was planning this project, I found a way to recycle the box used to store the cards.  As you may recall from some of my past posts, I subscribe to a monthly beauty kit club. Each month I receive samples of the latest products from hair, skin to makeup even teas.  They come in these amazing boxes that are sturdy and lined with beautiful paper. I could never throw them away so I just keep them and when I started the planning process I knew my cards had to fit in the box.  So in order to fully repurpose the box, I added a doily and some butterflies and some bling and my card label to mask the kit name (I ended up adding more bling to disguise the clue under the doily – such a perfectionist!).  I then used my shipping box from my monthly Project Life kits to ship the box.  I used washi tape to decorate the top and added a label.

I know this is a small act but I felt happy to reuse these beautiful boxes sent to me.   I am definitely going to use them for future projects as well.

My plans, moving forward, are to work on some new products for my shop and prepare for summer break. I usually take part of July and all of August off from work.  So back to work for me. I will also resume my blogging schedule. So prepare to hear more from me.

I hope you all are well.

Have a blessed day!

Belinda