New Merch!

It’s that time again – new merch for the shop! I have three new items from my Fall Welly Bookmark Collection releasing today. It’s such a perfect day to release them in the shop because it is a rainy fall day and all I want to do is grab my books and blanket and read!

I made three designs for this bookmark collection because let’s face it, you can never have too many different color welly boots in your wardrobe so why not add them to your books.

These bookmarks were super fun to color with my Copics and there were endless color choices however I decided to limit it to three for this first release.

Be sure to stop by my Etsy shop if you would like to own one of them for your next book.

Have a wonderful day!

New Product Release – Bookmarks!

I love being in my craft room playing with different products and trying out new craft mediums. I’ve been making cards for so many years and truly enjoy creating them. But another obsession of mine is my love for reading books. I have my mother to thank for introducing me to books and the public library. I cherished each trip to the library and having access to all those books each time was so magical for me. Fast-forward to now, and I have taken reading and the acquisition of books to a whole new level. I own several bookcases filled with books in my home. I enjoy watching videos and reading posts about books. So I don’t know why it has taken me so long to design my own bookmarks to sell in my Etsy shop.

Today I am releasing two new products – two Halloween-themed bookmarks. Be sure to stop by my Etsy shop (link above) to see more photos of these absolutely adorable Halloween witches! It is very important for me to challenge myself creatively from time to time. Designing on a smaller surface to create bookmarks has been my latest challenge and I have to say, I am really enjoying it. Coming up with images and sentiments and rummaging through my patterned paper stash to put together a small piece of art has been a lot of fun and just what I need to get me out of my creative slump.

I will be releasing more bookmarks for my fall collection in the coming days and hope that people will choose to purchase them to mark their place in their latest read!

Have a wonderful day!

Happy Monday: Work in Progress

Good Monday Morning! I think I have tried to keep it real with you all when sharing on this blog. It is my intent to connect with you and provide sneak peeks “behind the curtain” of Belinda’s Crafts from time to time. It is also my hope to eventually feature new products and announce specials for new products going into my shop. But in addition to that, I want you, as reader and customers to understand more about my business through this blog by learning more about me and my interests as well as share the ups and downs of running my own business. That said, I would like to share my recent challenges and possible solutions.

Every business has ups and downs for that is the nature of building a business and the sooner this is fully grasped, then that is when the real magic may occur. Because it is really how business owners handle the lows that set good business owners from great ones. The ability to balance life with family, creative drive, confidence and the actual work have been major factors in my experience and I have not always handled them well. What I have noticed lately, is I have been procrastinating putting in the time even when I do have time and making excuses when confronted whether by a friend or myself as to where I am at.Here’s what I know doesn’t work for me:

  • Winging it. Just creating when I have a serious desire.
  • Only working when I have large chunks of time.
  • Not setting aside time to plan my monthly and weekly goals.
  • Not planning my week’s schedule the Saturday before.
  • Not providing specific deadlines.
  • Looking on Instagram

Here’s what I believe works for me:

  • Using my planner to schedule my weekly tasks and sticking to it.
  • Working even on days I am not inspired.
  • Staying off Instagram because although there is inspiration there are also factors that lead to daggers in my confidence.
  • Not comparing myself to others and having confidence that I was created with a unique gift to offer the world as we all are and to focus on my abilities, not others. Envy is draining and quite frankly a waste of time.
  • Setting deadlines and stick to them. If I miss one or two, not to let that keep me from moving forward.

So the funny thing is that I was lost without the use of my planner to guide me along my journey. I had been using it faithfully and then all of the sudden I just stopped and so did any progress I was making. So this past Saturday, I cleaned my desk and sat with my planner and scheduled my weeks’ work. I can’t tell you how much of a burden that has lifted. I woke with so much joy and pep in my step this morning knowing that I planned my path and all I need to do is sit down and work little by little towards my deadlines. I really am looking forward to my journey this week. I will not allow past setback weigh on my mind while I move forward.

I hope you all have a blessed Monday and thanks for taking the time to visit!

Belinda

2016 Autumn Collection – Sneak Peek

autumn2016sneakpeekHello! How are you today? It’s cold and sunny outside in my neck of the woods. But nice and comfy inside. I have my cup of Chai and I am ready to wrap up work on my fall collection of cards. I had taken a long time off from production for my online store and focused on offline custom items and continuing to explore new techniques in my craft. So I have to shake off the cobwebs and get down to the business of making some products for my online store.

I based this Autumn Collection on one color palette. I have never done this before and it sort of just happened that I liked the palette I was using on one card and thought hmm, that might look nice on this other card. So I created the next one with it and then the light bulb moment occurred to create my collection around this palette.

I took teaser photos and included them of some of the products that will be released next week in the photo above. I am wrapping up a few and then on to the photography phase to make them ready for my Etsy shop. I am going away this weekend so I had to push my final launch date out into next week.  This time of year, it’s very difficult to push deadlines out so I am going to have to hustle onward to meet the next set of deadlines.  I will announce the final release date here so stay tuned.

I hope you all are having a blessed day and keeping warm if you are in the colder regions.

Belinda

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