Tip-toeing Back to the Blog

Maybe I can sneak back without making a ruckus!

Recap

My last blog post was in July last year.  I can't believe it's been so long!  To bring you up to speed, I retired from designing my digital scrapbook kits because I had been throwing myself into my work for so long that my health was suffering.  Those 16 hour days in front of the computer, trying to achieve perfection for my wonderful clients to preserve their memories with, had caught up with me and I ended up in the Emergency Room.  That was my wake-up call to slow things down and take some time away.

A Quick Synopsis of the Last 6 Months

Six months later, I'm still taking it slower.  Between July and now, I made a few blank miniature scrapbooks** that I intend to sell eventually.  Some are about 6" x 6" and some are about 8" x 8".  They are beautiful and I'm proud of them, but they are certainly quite a change from digital scrapping!  Here's a couple (very bad!) photos of some of them while I was making them:

A page from my Christmas themed album

A couple pages from my beachy themed album

A few more pages from my flowery summery feminine themed album

I can't pick a favourite!  I've made a few other books too, but don't have any photos of them.  I haven't put them on sale yet just because I'm not quite ready to get back into the "rat race".  It's been nice to be able to work on them on my own schedule and be really fussy to keep them up to my high standards.

**I purchased tutorials from a lovely lady (SoMuchScrap) on Etsy to learn how to make the albums.  Her albums sell for as much as $250 each, plus shipping!  

Do Fairies Get Cabin Fever?

Changing gears...  I think that it's probably safe to say that pretty much the entire continent of North America has cabin fever and is tired of Winter.  I am no different.  I've been dreaming of starting a little miniature garden.  I have an old aquarium that I think will be a lovely habitat for some little fairy creatures.  My biggest problem is figuring out where the best place to put it because it will have to be indoors and once I set it up, that's where it's going to stay because of its size.  I'm quite excited to start making cute little houses and accessories to enhance the small plants I'm dreaming of planting.  Once the weather gets a bit nicer (ie. above -10C), I plan to go on a little (get it?  "little"... cuz it's miniature....  ah, I crack myself up) shopping spree for some tiny plants and a few small craft items I don't have so I can get started!

Right now I'm saving bread clips, thinking I could shingle a house with them.  Empty soup cans will make punched tin shutters.  I have a small flower pot full of bottle caps that will become a patio or path. Once the snow melts and I can find some twigs in the forest behind my house, I hope to make some tiny benches and fences.  I have so many other crafting supplies that I'm sure I will be able to cram my little garden full if I'm not careful!  It sounds like so much fun!