Artsy Inkers

Stamping => Share Your Stamping Accomplishments in Your Creative Journey => Topic started by: Far North on January 02, 2016, 10:52:51 AM

Title: Celebrating 2015 and thoughts for 2016
Post by: Far North on January 02, 2016, 10:52:51 AM
No matter how much time you had for stamping in 2015 I bet you enjoyed some fun moments learning new skills and now is a great time to also think what kind of things you would like to do in 2016. Please post about your great times!

On this board you will also find a similar thread several of us posted on last year…it might be fun to see what our thoughts were a year ago.


…Jan
Title: Re: Celebrating 2015 and thoughts for 2016
Post by: howdyheidi on January 02, 2016, 12:41:27 PM
I did find it interesting to read the post from last year. I am surprised that I felt I was making progress on coloring even a year ago.  I am enjoying it more and more through the year.  I also was happy to have made plenty of Christmas cards last year.  SO many that I did not even use them all this year and have about 10 leftover. 

I also did meet my goal of setting up my reading list for blogs in blogger.  I am happy with that system for now. 

I don't have many specific goals for crafting this year.  I do want to use new items from Christmas gifts and some stamps I just haven't gotten around to using yet. 

I do want to still offer one or two more design challenges. 

I do want to make more card sets to give as gifts. 

Other than that, I do also want to work on crochet a bit more, and finish a sewing project I have half done, but that is not stamping related.  So I guess I could say I want to have a balance between stamping (which is my main craft) and other crafting pursuits. 
Title: Re: Celebrating 2015 and thoughts for 2016
Post by: Craft Nerd on January 03, 2016, 11:57:18 AM
Crafty highlights from 2015 were definitely the fests here at AI.  I learned lots of new techniques.

And in 2015, I started playing with mixed media canvases.  Which is becoming a new obsession. 

The alcohol ink challenge, that Jan hosted at the beginning of the year was amazing.  I learned so much and had so much fun with it.

It is definitely nice to reflect on last years craftiness before starting a new year of craftiness.

Before I saw this thread, I did start one in General Stamping for posting goals for 2016.
Title: Re: Celebrating 2015 and thoughts for 2016
Post by: lovepug2 on January 05, 2016, 04:37:34 PM
The fests were really fun, even though I missed one!  Learning new techniques and getting better/more comfortable with some was a good highlight.

I made a ton of Christmas cards last year and really enjoyed the process. I made close to 130 for my Grandmother and one of  her friends to send out. Plus some for friends and family and some to take to the assisted living center here. I plan to keep it up this year and add more tags and ornaments to the mix.

I want to try some brush lettering at some point. I dabbled a little in it some last year and it was fun to practice.
Title: Re: Celebrating 2015 and thoughts for 2016
Post by: howdyheidi on January 05, 2016, 07:00:15 PM
That is an impressive number of cards, LeighAnn!

I am glad Craft Nerd mentioned the AI challenge.  I enjoyed that for the educational value, and also the watercolor class I took on Craftsy for the education about different water coloring techniques.  Although the teacher there did not share my style, I still learned a lot and think back to it often.  I would like to do another class this year, but not sure what yet. 

The fests here are also a wonderful thing to think back to an anticipate! I have already started planning my challenge for Winterfest.
Title: Re: Celebrating 2015 and thoughts for 2016
Post by: stampwilly on January 06, 2016, 10:31:47 AM
Last year I did not reply to the year post, but I did learn a lot last year and had fun crafting. The AI fests are always a highlight for me and I do learn a lot even if it is a twist on something I have done before.

I did learn a lot with the alcohol ink challenges, Jan. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into that. I bought the Color Bursts last year and had a lot of fun plying with those in different ways. Playing with my stencils was another biggie last year.

This year I am going through my dies to see how to alter them into something else. I am doing a series on my personal blog every 1st and 2nd Thursday showing how I altered dies to make something else. If you want to drop by, here is the link. A preview is already up and the first one will go up tomorrow.

http://stampwillydesigns.blogspot.com/

I have been wanting to do more shabby chic type cards, but never really get there, so I hope to be concentrating more on that style this year.

April :smile:
Title: Re: Celebrating 2015 and thoughts for 2016
Post by: CarefreeSadie on January 06, 2016, 11:24:25 AM
2015 was a big purchase year for me.....I bought a lot of new tools and product to use those tools.  It seemed like I ADD in  the crafting tools department last year.  I got something new, tried it until I could work it, and then repeat.  Life was good to us last year in that we each expanded our hobbies, because after all the bills and savings there was actual money left to do and buy things. 

In 2015 I learned how to use alcohol inks (thank you Far North), and I of course increased the amount of alcohol inks I owned along with the knowledge of how to use them.  In 2015 I learned how to foil anything that doesn't run off.  I played with that darn cricut imagine more than I ever had before, I still dislike it but was determined to use it.  I still hate provo craft with a passion especially their online software which only works occasionally with the imagine.  In 2015 I acquired all sorts of mediums, watercolors, colored pencils of all sorts, paints, and distress product.  I had a lot of fun trying each and everyone of them and now know when, where, and how to use what I acquired.  I should purchase stock in the youtubes because I spent a lot of time there in 2015.  I didn't realize it until I started thinking about this thread but I learned a heck of a lot watching other people craft. 

Ok, so in 2016 I would like to be more consistent with my crafting and open in my thinking about my crafting.  I do a lot of crafting that never sees the light of day.  I would be ashamed to show my art journals to anyone because the work looks like a 2nd grader invaded my craft area.  Most of the finished pages have notes of what medium I used to make the finished mess so that is useful but most just look like scribbles and stripes with words and saying thrown on top.  I need to decide that this is part of my process instead of feeling ashamed to have finished work that looks like a 2nd grader got turned loose in my craft space.  That is where the youtubes are bad for me, the work people do in their videos seems pretty darn finished for a "I decided to try this technique today". 

I am not sure if there are techniques that I want to explore this year, I just want to expand......my thinking, my crafting, and the way I craft.     
Title: Re: Celebrating 2015 and thoughts for 2016
Post by: Far North on January 11, 2016, 11:58:07 AM
2015 was another great year of stamping and other related inking activities.  Memories fill my mind with fun AI events challenges and activities, LeighAnn’s ATC swaps, andHeidi’s design challenges.  I really enjoyed hosting the alcohol inks challenge series and having the opportunity to explore and share the newest techniques. 

I enjoyed an online water color class at Craftsy and spent several weeks following the classes and trying to implement the information.  I feel I learned more useful information than from my previous WC classes. I also joined the local book arts guild in which I  learned some book making techniques and art for decorating them.  I attended special workshops to learn about botanical prints, making silk paper and printing on a letterpress.  Additionally I completed my Mixed Media Card design team term through July. 

In 2016, I want to continue exploring and learning about watercolors and design principals.  I am happy Tim is changing up his tag challenges to remix and combine older challenges. I hope to play in them this year. I will be seriously downsizing my supplies to make better access to the things I currently use and enjoy. I have begun participating in Wunderlust, a year long series of classes with emphasis on Art Journaling and Mixed Media.  I hope to learn a lot by experimenting with the activities presented in the weekly videos from leading designers from around the world. 

...Jan
Title: Re: Celebrating 2015 and thoughts for 2016
Post by: Yankee on January 18, 2016, 10:08:47 AM
Last year was a year of lots of utube on crafts.  I got my gelli pad, love it, so much fun.  I did lots of trades and cards last year.  This year I am going to work more on more crafts other than paper.  I have a stamped cross stitch baby quilt I am working on ( shower in the spring) I need it done by than.  I am working on it now, slow going.I have some pillow cases I want to get done too.  But I still love paper crafting the most of all.  I need to get some scrap booking done for my grandsons, too.