a card a day: june daily challenge

I have loved doing the photo a day: in may challenge this past month (will share the final few photos later today :)). I love that I was completing a fairly easy challenge to capture one moment per day. For me, it was a good start to getting used to an everyday challenge.

So for June: I have decided to create a small card each day. 

The cards are 3"x4" and I cut them from white cardstock (only takes 5 sheets - 6 cards per sheet), and I decided to round the corners. Random challenge, you say? :) I used to have a cute little scrapbook calendar that had a "layout a day" every day of the year. I knew there was no way I could possibly do a huge 12"x12" (or even 8.5"x11") layout per day (I've also seen creating a "greeting card" a day! Fun!). So I started thinking on a smaller level. I like the idea of creating a mini-layout each day. The 3"x4" parameter will be challenging, but also good to have the constraint. I also mainly chose this size so that they could fit in my Project Life album. Or possibly into a little mini album. However, I'm not sure how I will put them all together yet.

What will each card be like? At this point, I have thought of a couple ideas and themes - I plan to do each color in the rainbow. And also like the idea of creating cards around one word, like vintage, or paper, or washi tape, or map, or a thought or emotion: happy, excited, think, discover. Things like that. I will also do a lot of randomness, I'm sure - whatever I'm feeling like creating that particular day :) I will use bits and pieces I have around my workspace - bits of paper, maybe pictures or words from a magazine, washi tape, sewing, anything really! I'm thinking this will also be a good way to use up some scraps :)

So, would you like to join in? Whether you are able to complete a card every day, every other day, etc., the point is to flex your creative muscles by creating. Creating a simple and small card. I'd love to see what you create! I've set up a flickr group here. Feel free to post pictures of your cards, or take a look at others. Alright, June begins tomorrow. Let's get started! :)

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workspaces: Xenia of saturdayAMvintage

Today's workspace is that of Xenia Feere, owner of etsy shop saturdayAMvintage and blogger at saturdayAMvintage. I came across Xenia's shop awhile back and instantly fell in love with all of the vintage paper and odds and ends she finds. I order her scrap paper packs every now and then and it is always a fun treat to receive in the mail :)

1. Tell us about yourself and your creativity - ie. what you make or do, what you blog about, your history behind your creativity, etc. My name is Xenia, and I run a little shop and blog named Saturday Morning Vintage.  My shop is filled with vintage finds with a strong emphasis on vintage ephemera � old tags, flashcards, labels, and other paper. In addition, I offer handmade journals made from a variety of new, vintage, and found papers � scrapbook paper, vintage sheet music, office paper, pages from old books, and more.  My blog also has a big focus on vintage ephemera and other paper.  I share projects of my own, along with highlighting other small businesses through my weekly "Affordable Finds" feature and periodic interviews.  I've been collecting paper in some form since I was a little girl and don't anticipate it stopping any time soon.  It started with stickers and has evolved to vintage paper for the time being.

2. Tell us about your workspace.

Much of my free time is spent scouring flea markets, estate sales, and thrift stores for vintage paper and other interesting things.  Thankfully I have a separate office to house all of my finds and provide some creative space.  It's a small room, but fits a lot.  I couldn't find a simple desk I was happy with, so I purchased an unfinished tabletop from IKEA, stained it a dark shade, and attached some legs.  I like to do most of my work on the floor so I only needed room for my laptop, cup of coffee, and some basic office supplies.  The rest of the room is filled with a bookshelf lined with old books, a wall of IKEA cubes containing craft supplies and shop inventory, and a metal cabinet that holds my shipping supplies.  The room has an itty bitty closet, but an open area above the closet that runs the length of the room.  All of my extra inventory is stored up here in 14 crates that are organized by category and labeled with hanging tags.  

3. What is your favorite thing about your workspace?

From a visual point of view, the vintage pull down map is my favorite.  I found it in an antique shop in Ohio while my fiance was temporarily working out of state and I came to visit.  I fell in love with the colors and the price was unbelievable.  Unfortunately I didn't have any way to get it home with me to California.  However, a few months later it was waiting for me under the Christmas tree!  My fiance went back to the antique shop and bought the map, and then shipped it to California without me knowing.  The best part is that he couldn't find a shipping tube that was large enough so he pieced together his own with lots of shorter tubes and lots and lots of tape.  Clearly a lot of love has gone into bringing this map into my office.

From a practical point of view, the shipping station is my favorite.  It holds all of the wrapping and shipping supplies for my shop - boxes, bubble mailers, tape, scissors, twine, and even mini paper packs I like to include with orders.  I can wrap, package, and weigh an order using just supplies housed in this old metal cabinet.  It is very convenient and saves me a lot of time.

4. What is one thing you can't live without in your workspace? I can't live without color!  Even though I really love seeing others decorate their space with mainly neutrals, I'm always drawn to colorful pieces for myself.  When my vintage book collection grew too large and I had to buy a bookshelf, I picked this one from IKEA because I loved the bright red.  The crates above my closet that hold extra inventory are olive green, and the boxes and baskets holding craft supplies in my cubes are various shades of orange.  The vintage map pulls together all of these colors - another reason it's my favorite!

Thank you, Xenia, for sharing about yourself and your fabulous workspace!

*All images are by Xenia Feere. 

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starting on the quilt.

One of my goals this year is to make a quilt. I decided it'd be fun to make a quilt for our little one (who will be here in a couple months!). I've been collecting little girl clothes from consignment shops, Goodwill, thrift stores, etc. to put into the quilt. Gently used clothes, fabric pieces, etc. that are too worn in some places, or have a stain here or there, but still perfectly great for using the rest of the fabric.

I've made a  few quilts in the past (including this one for my hubby when we were then dating :)), but am by no means an expert, or expert sewer for that matter. So basically I'm just cutting out rectangular strips -- some 3" wide, some 4" wide, but all are varying lengths. It definitely takes awhile to cut the pieces apart, to work around buttons, seams and such, so I'm doing a little at a time, here and there. We'll see how long it takes :) 

Any tips or ideas from any expert sewers out there? Any recommendations for super sharp scissors? I'm using a Fiskars rotary blade which is working well for the majority of the cutting into pieces. But as for using scissors to take the clothes apart - I'm using Fiskars scissors, and they are definitely not made for lots of fabric cutting. As I'm not sewing a whole lot, I don't want to make a huge investment in cutting tools, but it would be nice to know of some well priced options for where I am at with my sewing :) Any advice is well appreciated! :)

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memorial day.

a very heartfelt thank you to all of the service members and their families today as we think about those who are serving and remember those who are no longer with us. we are grateful for you, your families and your sacrifice for our country. thank you so, so much.

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photo a day: update

I haven't posted an update of my photo a day: in may progress in awhile, so here are the past couple weeks (go here to see the first part of the month). I believe I've only missed 2 days out of the whole month, and plan to include journaling on those days instead. I've really enjoyed capturing a picture each day - of the random events (hanging out in the hammock, shoveling mulch, etc) to the not-so-random events (graduation, Mother's Day, etc). I think it's really neat how a picture can bring back memories surrounding that snapshot in time - be it a mundane event or a big memorable event. Just looking at the picture of my hubby shoveling mulch from the wheelbarrow brought back the memory of a funny conversation we were having as he was shoveling. Love that! :)

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June is almost here! Are you interested in advertising your blog or business on my sidebar for the month of June? Go here for more details and feel free to email me at: thecreativeplace (at) gmail (dot) com :)

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