4 Steps to Create a Vision Board

This is that time of year that I'm setting goals for the year ahead. I know I should do it earlier but better late than never right? Anyway...I'm very good at setting goals but not so good at actually making them happen. So this year I decided to create a vision board. A vision board is a visual representation of whatever goals, ideas, inspiration you have and for me it's easier to see my goals visually rather than just written on paper. It’s hard to run and hide from your goals and ignore what you really want when there’s such a strong visual reminder staring you in the face!

Since a vision board is a personal thing I will not share mine (plus it's not ready yet) but I will share everything else you need to know about it!

Step 1: Set your goals
Your vision board can represent the dreams for your future life, or it may focus on just one area. Understand what you want to achieve and highlight the specifics. Be selective as you begin to craft your vision, avoiding clutter and chaos by moving forward with a sense of clarity.

Step 2: Collect your supplies

To create a vision board, first gather up a few supplies. Here’s what you’ll need:

First decide where you will hang your vision board, and then get a board sized to fit that area. You can use a bulletin board, old frame, poster or any other surface you can cover and then hang on a wall.

Then comes the fun part...images of your vision, goals and dreams. With your goals and dreams in mind, look through magazines and catalogs, looking for pictures, photographs and even words, that visually describe your hearts’ desires. If you can’t find the words you’re looking for, create some using your computer or handwrite it on paper. You can also use things like bumper stickers, fabric swatches and business cards. Your visuals don’t have to be direct representations of your goals. As long as you know why an item is there and what it represents to you, it will work!

Step 3: Hang it up
Hang it somewhere you'll be able to see it daily so it'll be a reminder of your dreams and goals!

Step 4: Let it evolve over time

As you complete a goal, remove the image. You can put it on a victory board or scrapbook. As you find new goals or new images that represent existing goals and visions, add them to your vision board. If you use a pin-board for your vision board it'll be really easy to change, move and edit images as you’re inspired to do so.

Most of all, take time to look at your board as much as possible, and really envision yourself living the beautiful life displayed there! Feel good about where you’re heading and you’ll get there faster than you think.

Have you created your vision board? Share your experience in the comments.

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Have fun creating!

Year of Inspiration: 52 Art Journal Ideas

A new year is here and this is a great time to start new things! If you wanted to start art journaling but have been putting it off or making excuses...this is the time to start. If you are an art journal veteran then a new year is perfect for starting a new journal. No matter where you are in regards to your art journaling here are 52 ideas to fill your entire year with inspiration!

These ideas are meant to jumpstart your creativity, give you an idea on what to create a page about. You can use any material, medium or technique you like or take a chance and experiment with new thing.

1. It's all about me: things you like, or don't like.
2. Small things that make you happy.
3.What are you thankful for.
4. Your favorite quote right now.
5. What are you scared of.
6. Someone who inspires you.
7. The place you live in.
8. Your favorite childhood memory.
9. The best thing that happened to you this week.
10. Something you want to change about yourself.
11. Your favorite season.
12. Happiness is...
13. One thing you want to learn.
14. Something you could do right now to get you closer to where you want to be in life.
15. Someone you love.
16. Your favorite song.
17. I wish I was...
18. A word that actually describes your life or a word you wish described your life.
19. What you like the most about your art.
20. A challenge you've overcome.
21. What do you love about yourself.
22. Your favorite bible verse.
23. The last time you broke the rules.
24. Something to let go of.
25. What was the last new thing you tried.
26. The worst idea you've had.
27. Your bucket list.
28. The one dream you have that you just can't stop thinking about.
29. Write a letter to your younger self.
30. What do you say only to yourself.
31. What cheers you up.
32. The happiest moment in your week so far.
33. I feel...
34. The last bad day you had.
35. What is holding you back.
36. Your dream vacation.
37. What are you most proud of.
38. One thing you want to improve in yourself.
39. The best decision you ever made.
40. I need to tell myself that...
41. A list of your favorite books and why you love them.
42. Your bad habits.
43. Something you're really good at.
44. The hardest thing you ever did.
45. What do you miss the most.
46. Something you're stressed about.
47. Favorite color.
48. Words you can't say.
49. What I'm angry about.
50. Favorite shape.
51. I'm currently thinking/wanting/doing...
52. My goal for this/next year.

If that won't get you started I'll personally come to your house to put some sense into your head...

Please share your art journal ideas in the comments. I'm sure there so many I haven't thought about.

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Have fun creating!

6 Tips for getting Inspired

Inspiration is unpredictable, you never know when it'll appear and sometimes it's not when you need it. However as creative people inspiration is a key ingredient in our lives and for some of us an essential ingredient in making a living. So How do we get inspired and stay that way?

I think an important part of inspiration lies within each of us, but sometimes it's hidden or masked by other things and we simply can't see it. Maybe we are preoccupied, hungry, sad, depressed or simply too busy to find our inspiration so first of all...

Take Care of Yourself
Make sure to get a good night sleep, drink enough water and eat healthy food. This might seem stupid and you might think it has nothing to do with creativity but I know that if I'm tired or hungry I can't concentrate and my brain is busy with keeping my eyes open and my stomach growling instead of producing ideas.

Keep a Tidy Craft Space
Regardless if you are a tidy person or not when your desk is a mess so is your brain. If you don't have an inviting, comfortable space to work in there is no way you can be creative. I know when my desk is a mess I don't go into my studio because all I can think of is all the mess I need to organize and tidy...

Focus on What You Love
When you're in a good mood then there is a better chance your inspiration will flow. So in order to be in a good mood focus on what makes you happy. Set aside time to relax and do what you love like going on a hike or even watch your favorite TV show.

Once you've done all that you've put your foot in the door of inspiration. Now all you need is to open the door wide open and let it in!

Watch and Learn
The internet is an amazing source of inspiration (and sometimes for copying unfortunately). Be on websites like Pinterest and Instagram and follow crafters and artists you like. Try to follow as many people you can so your pool of inspiration resources will grow. Watch tutorials on Youtube and take classes.

Create
When your inspiration is really low this is the time to create! It might sounds counter intuitive but this is what will get your brain started. After all creativity is a bunch of neurons firing so sometimes we need to give our brain a jump start.

Challenge Yourself
Create small challenges like creating a project with limited number of supplies or only two colors. Learn a new craft or a new technique you've always wanted to try.

Read my blog post on how to overcome a crafter's block and get some more advice. Share in the comments how do you get inspired!

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Have fun creating!

Why Do We Need/Use/Love Quotes?

Most of us are active on social networks. For those who regularly use Facebook or Pinterest inspirational quotes are everywhere. Have you ever wondered why is that? What is it about inspirational or funny quotes that touches us so?

As we get lost in our fast paced lives, we need things in packages. Small, easy to digest and instant packages. Motivation and inspiration are no different. We need our quick pill of the day. A pick me up. We are surrounded by so many negativeness in our lives, so we seek an escape or some means to help us better cope. Words of wisdom surely help in such times.

A good quote by a famous person or a celebrity gives you the feeling that we all share the same issues and if they could do it so can you.

I also love how quotes capture what I feel or how things work in the world
with one or two sentences. They're a great way to deliver a message in a cool, concise, well articulated and sometimes funny way.

I use quotes in all my crafts and art projects. I add them to a scrapbook layout, a mixed media canvas, a mini album and art journal pages. They are so versatile that anyone can find a quote they like!

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Have fun creating!

Ins(paper)ation: Home of inspiration

DT project {Susan K. Weckesser}
One of my favorite Susan weckesser's stamps is this cute adorable house (LOVE stamp). So I decided to use this stamp and create a project that can be an inspiration for yo all.

I started with stamping the house on different Susan Weckesser's patterned papers and cutting the parts of the house like the window, door or roof. Then I played around with the parts so each house got a different color of window, roof or door.

I embellished the houses to fit the sentence I wanted to add.
"The house does not rest on the ground it rests on a mother": I stamped the Motherhood is a verb stamp and cutout the image. I added lace, some cut flowers and the sentence.
" Fill a home with love and it will fill your life with color": I added some colorful buttons on the house's roof and added the sentence.

"Home is where the heart is": I cut hearts in different sizes and shapes and adhered them on the roof. I added the sentence replacing the word heart with a shaped heart.

"Home is an inspiration for memories": I embellished the house with parts of clocks which to me represent time and memories. I added the sentence and wrote the word memories in a circle shape to compliment the clocks' shapes.

These four cute houses can be a mini album, a banner or even be placed on a frame. You can keep on creating houses and add more inspiration!

Have fun creating!
Einat

Ins(paper)ation: New Year Cards

Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!
William Arthur Ward

This is the season for sending Happy New Year cards for the Jewish New Year. Here are a few cards I made to give you inspiration!

It is tradition to eat an apple dipped in honey in the new year. The apple symbolizes our wish for a whole, smooth year and the honey is for the year to be sweet.

Flowers are always a good theme for any card especially a card for the new year with bright and happy wishes!

 

have a wonderful year!

 

Einat

 



Ins(paper)ation: Old memories Young hopes

“We must always have old memories and young hopes” Houssaye

 
What a beautiful and true phrase that inspired me to create this mixed media tag with a vintage feel to it.

I started with misting the tag with Glimmer mist. Then I adhered a doily to the tag and covered it with Gesso. I stamped the tag with a really cool type writer stamp by Prima and embossed it. I stamped it again with some staz-on black ink. I added a butterfly created with resist technique and a crumbled paper. Finally I added the Title partly written and partly with Prima Alphabet.

Have fun creating!

Einat

Ins(paper)ation - Trees

"Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come". Chinese Proverb

My inspiration for this page was the paper itself. When I saw it I knew just the right photo to use. A photo I have been saving for a long time for the right paper. I just didn't find the right kind of paper for it until I came across this beautiful wood print.

This is another DT layout for My Punch's Kit of the Month Club. I've added a transparent frame on the photo and created another "frame" from pieces of distressed papers that were placed under the photo. I've added the flags and buttons to insert a little bit of childish atmosphere to the layout.

Don't forget to enter your summer project to the Summer Contest!!

Have fun creating!

Einat

Ins(paper)ation: Patterned Paper

"Our happiness will always be found within a narrow compass, and in the middle of the objects more immediately within our reach." Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

This layout was inspired by a patterned paper I had. It has a compass pattern on it and I couldn't decide what to do with it. My initial idea was to scrap something related to travel but I didn't have the right photos. Then I had an idea to use the compass theme in the title and build my LO around it.

To create my scene I cut the rainbow out of a Fancy Pants paper and added a sticker as the sun.  I added more Jenny Bowlin stickers and the title.

Have fun creating!

Einat

Ins(paper)ation: memory layout

Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. Kevin Arnold

Time is the greatest inspiration of all. It teaches us things that we didn't know, it helps us forget what we don't need and it gives us a wonderful present: memories. Today I want to share with you a nostalgic layout. This layout is with a photo of my grandma and mom when they were both much younger. This is one of my favorite photos to scrap and I have made a few layouts with it already.

The photo was an inspiration as well, not only in the sense of the colors and theme of the lo, but also in the main feature of the lo: the crochet. Crochet has always reminded me of my grandma and mom. I remember the crochets in my grandma's leaving room and I remember my mom sitting on the couch making them.

I love making crochets myself. I can sit for hours making up patterns. I really love the combination of paper and crochet in my lo.

A few challenges:

One stitch at a time # 103: Reuse or Recycle - I reused old crochet yarn.
Sunday sketch & stamp: sketch #96
Cupcake Craft challenge: #182 Yellow and red
Incy Wincy Designs: #136 something old - crochet yarn, something new - paper  
Papertake weekly challenge: Anything goes
My time to craft #174: Circle Circus
Penny's paper-crafty #74: inspiration photo
Flourishes: #159: 3 colors
Divas by Design #25: Favorite things - I used a favorite photo.
Gingersnap Creations: Granny's photo album
Moving along with the times: sketch
C.R.A.F.T: #144 Mother's Day
Craft your days away #40: Mother's Day
Sketch Saturday: #197 sketch

Have fun creating!

Einat

Ins(paper)ation: a tribute to Grandma

“Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.”

Mark Twain
This week my grandmother will celebrate her 85^th birthday. She is a remarkable woman who has inspired not only me and our family, but generations of students through the years. My grandma is a holocaust survivor who endured the horrors of the war in concentration camps, labor camps and a death march. After the war she got married and had two daughters, twins: my mom and my aunt. This is a DT layout for My Punch's Kit of the Month Club with a photo of them.

She became a high school history teacher and for 30 years she has instilled in her students the love of past events. During the years she wrote teaching plans for the holocaust and instructed many teachers. She wrote several books on that period culminating in her PhD and awards she received for her continuous holocaust education in the national level.

She has inspired many people including me to overcome difficulties, be excellent in what you do and share your passion and knowledge. I hope each and every one of you has someone like that in your life.

Have fun creating!

Einat

Ins(paper)ation: a layout for my inspiration

"He has the spirit of the sun, the moods of the moon, and the will of the wind."  Julie Perkins Centrell.

My first born is a constant inspiration for me. From the day he was born, he was special. Little did I know how true that would be. Years later he was diagnosed with PDD and we began a special, challenging and sometimes difficult journey. This journey has taught me so much about life, about love, about patients and about joy. This (not so little) guy has inspired me in so many ways and gave me strength to get up and WALK a journey of my own.

Sometimes a story can be told in only a few words. This layout has the same logic. A simple layout for you my son, that tells a huge story. I wanted to make it a simple layout so the center of it will be you. No big embellishments or title, just an image of you walking, walking on the path of life. Keep on walking tall, smart, happy and loved!

Have fun creating!

Einat

Ins(paper)ation: Home is where the heart is 3D frame

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “thank you?”
William Arthur Ward

In spite the fact that I don't celebrate Thanksgiving (since I don't live in North America) I think it's a great tradition to appreciate the things you are grateful for. Life has a different meaning if you stop and take stock of all the things you are thankful for. This wonderful tradition has inspired me to create something for and about my family. I created a 3D frame with a family photo, layers, embellishments and one of my favorite quotes: "Home is where the heart is". I first colored the frame with a white acrylic paint. After it was was dry I painted it with brown color. I created the distressed look by sanding the brown layer up to the point where the white color was showing.

I built the book shelf from a few scraps of wood. I painted it with brown acrylic paint and added a distress look with a little bit of white paint. I created the mini books by folding a piece of white paper and wrapping it with a "cover" made from cardstock.

The flower pots and vase including the flowers are created with quilling techniques.

The small grass bed is also built from scraps of wood. It is filled with plain white paper and covered with green flower soft to create the look of grass. The letters are hels by pins stuck to the "grass".

Don't forget to stop for a minute and be thankful for what you have!

Have fun creating!

Einat

Ins(paper)ation

“Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant, they are a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.”

Johann Gottfried Von Herder

Sometimes you are lucky and you get inspiration a double dose. This is the story with this LO. I was driving my car and the radio was playing the Beatles song "Baby you can drive my car". I immediately thought about my dear husband who doesn't like me driving his car. He will let me drive the car, sure, but if something will happen to it…I'm in big trouble, so I would rather not. Then I thought…wouldn't it be really funny to do a LO about it? So I did! Another "My Punch" DT LO and a funny one too!

I showed it to my hubby…he really liked it!

Capturing Humor in your scrapbook LO's is not only fun it's life!

Einat

Ins(paper)ation: Beginnings

"Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working" Pablo Picasso

We will be celebrating the Jewish New Year in about a month. This time of year always gets me in a special beginning mood. I get the motivation to start new projects, make changes around the house, make resolutions for the new year ahead and make plans for my life, my business and myself. This layout was inspired by this mode of new fresh things. I was thinking of all the new things this coming year will bring and I remembered I had an old photo of the best beginning ever…a new baby! This is the ultimate beginning of them all, a new person, a start of a new life. This photo is of my best friend's daughter, a daughter she has been waiting for a long time and that has brought her new happiness and love.

 
 
 

 


















In this layout I've used felt shapes to give it a soft, gentle, baby feel. I also added lace and tulle that emphasized that soft cuddly feeling. I cut the photo into a flower shape to match the title and embellishments.

 

Have great beginnings!

Einat

Ins(paper)ation: family

"Risk is essential. There is no growth of inspiration in staying within what is safe and comfortable. Once you find out what you do best, why not try something else?" Alex Noble

I decided to take a risk, to go out of my comfort zone and try something else. One of my favorite techniques is interactive design, a design with moving parts, what is also known as paper engineering. I love creating layouts with moving surprises in them that make the layout really fun to look at. Recently we've been having a lot of family time together, that inspired me to create a layout with a new and different never tried before moving mechanism. I call it "open and shut".

When you open the little tab you discover three shutters that open to a row of small photos. I kept the design simple and left the stage to the moving parts.

You should try to create something that moves on your next project. It makes any project fun and surprising!

Einat