A new blog design!
Aloha, all!
The dragonfly is a universal symbol of change, transformation and self-realization. With the introduction of my new blog design, I hope that I’m successfully beginning that process for Robin’s Craft Room. There are so many parts of this redesign. Some are right out front, with the new logo and graphics. Others are sitting in the background ready to be introduced soon. And yet others are in the background and only I, as I struggle to learn how to make the best of us them, have to deal with them. But now for the introduction!
My New Outlook On Card-Making
I probably could write an entire essay about how my outlook on my card-making and my writing about it has changed over the last dozen or so years. In fact, I started down that path as I started this paragraph. But I shall spare you that. Instead, I’ll tell you that, during the past year my outlook on so much has changed. The result was that, this past fall, I decided that I wanted the format of my blog to better reflect a change in the way I view creating card designs.
Stampin’ Up! provides us – me and you – with so much beauty in its stamps and papers, that I wanted to focus more on how to show off that beauty. Rather than saying, “I want to make a birthday card,” I’d say to myself, “What can I make to show off this stamp or this paper – or both!” And I’d go looking for just the right fold or layout or technique to do just that. Then I’d look at the card and think, “What do I want this card to say?”
My New Outlook on My Tutorials
With that thought driving my designing, I decided to share how I used Stampin’ Up!’s products to make stunning cards out of those designs. Over the past several months, I’ve worked hard to pair patterned papers or stamps – or both! – with designs that I’ve used in the past to make cards. In fact, I even developed a few new takes on some of my favorite designs.
With all the work I’ve put into these, I’ve chosen once again to put my design tutorials into booklets for sale. As I write this, I’m still not sure how it works, but you can see the booklets that I have for sale here. The tutorials for sale at this point are all fancy folds. But the one I’m working on right now is a card layout booklet. Let me tell you, I’m having a great time with it! I can hardly wait to do more.
Today’s project is one that I used to illustrate one of the tutorials in my Diamond Fold Tutorial Booklet. It features the Dragonfly Garden Stamp Set and the Dandy Garden Designer Series Paper set. I love making this fold – and it folds so nicely that it fits in an A2-sized envelope
My New Logo
With all the work that I’ve been doing to get to this point, I feel that I’ve personally changed a bit. I feel that I’ve changed from being a “rah-rah-rah, oh this is fun, you just have to join me in this fun” type of stamper/blogger. I now feel more like a person who truly enjoys the artistic side of card-making, but in a calm, structured way. I truly admire those who can joyfully slap stuff together into a montage of multi-media art that makes you say, “Wow!” But that’s not me. Calm and structured. That’s who I am, and I’m pleased with the way that my new logo portrays that part of me.
And There’s More
And it’s still a work in progress! Heck, I’m still a work in progress! A few things here and there will change over the next month or two. As I become sufficiently used to my new site, I’ll know better how I wish everything to look and work. As I educate myself about my new site, I hope that you’ll continue to enjoy my posts about what I’m doing.
While I’m exploring my new site, I have a request for you. Would you please explore it, too? And let me know if there’s something that doesn’t seem quite right. By all means, let me know if you have suggestions! Five people get a pack of Stampin’ Dimensionals for responding – random selection!
I can hardly wait for this to become my new normal – and yours, as well!
Happy Stamping!
