National Scrapbook Day 2015 | blog hop with Kellie Stamps

1 May 2015

Welcome to the National Scrapbook Day Kellie Stamps blog hop and stamp challenge!

Scrapbooking is such a huge part of my life and I love that it gets an entire day to itself (:

To celebrate National Scrapbook Day this weekend, Kellie and the Kellie Stamps Design Team, together with Jessica from Color Cast Designs is having a blog hop where we’re sharing fun stamping techniques with you all. Best of all, we’re having a bunch of stamp giveaways!

EXCITING NEWS : Today, Kellie is starting a pre-order for the May stamp releases, Today and Outline It. There is more – for this weekend ONLY you can use the code : NSDAY2015 for 10% OFF your order, until Monday 4 May at midnight, AEST.

WANT TO WIN A STAMP SET? We are giving you three chances to try winning a stamp set for yourself!

Here’s how:

Take part in the blog hop. To do this, hop along to each blog on the list below, leave a comment on each Kellie Stamps National Scrapbook Day blog post.
Join our challenges by copying one of the stamping techniques shared by a design team member. Projects must be NEW, no linking to old blog projects. Once your projects are complete, add your link to the linky at the end of the blog post. Links can be to blog posts or images from instagram.
ALL of the above.

You have till midnight AEST on Monday 4 May to take part in both the blog hop and the challenge.

Today, I’m sharing these fun stamped cards using the new Today and Outline stamp sets from May (Don’t forget to pre-order!).

I’ve always loved stamping. And I naturally gravitate towards just stamping with black ink. But recently, I’ve fallen in love with colored inks. So I decided to combine my love for stamping and colored inks to create these cards.

For the thank you card, I used the alphas in the Outline stamp set and highlighted Thank You with a different color. The Hello card uses arrows from the Today stamp set to create a muted pattern that can be used as a background.

I picked my favorite dye ink colors for the Love card and just stamped repeatedly. I did the same thing for the Today card and just switched up the colors.

YOUR CHALLENGE: Use colored inks (any color but black) + a repeated image to create a stamped pattern that can be used on its own or as a background.

Now, here’s the fun part! Check out all the ladies taking part in the blog hop here :

Happy National Scrapbook Day! I can’t wait to see what you create.

An InLinkz Link-up

Let’s look at April

30 April 2015

The month of April seemed to slip right by for me, as I tried to keep up with the deluge of assignments and deadlines that accompanied this past month. Which also means that things on the blog front ended up being quieter than I would have liked it to be.

That said, I’m looking forward to writing more in May and getting on top of my blogging game. But in the meantime, here’s a short and sweet recap of what happened in April!

I had the fun opportunity to write a guest post for the Life Documented Manila blog at the beginning of April.

I also started the 100 Day Project – exciting and scary at the same time!

Still working on Project Life with details of week 19.

Shared my experience of serendipitously marking all as read on my bloglovin’ feed.

My 10 tips for surviving and thriving when life gets super busy.

I created a bunch of cards for my first post as part of the One Little Bird Design Team, which also went live in April.

Lots of favorites on Friday (no. 063 / no. 064 / no. 065).

I can’t believe how quickly we’re approaching the middle of the year, but I’m ready to take on May! Let’s do this.

Friday Favorites no. 065 | links from the week

24 April 2015

Are you ready for Mother’s Day yet?
Fun way to stay organized.
This is too cute.
Matcha everything, yummm.
Planning to listen to this podcast soon.

It’s been a pretty tough week so I am more than happy to welcome the weekend! Looking forward to brunch this weekend, and the chance to work on some projects.

Ah, weekend bliss. Leggo!

Hope you guys have a super fab one, xx.

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Life is often full and busy. But I like to take time to enjoy some of my favorite things. So Friday Favorites is a weekly series where I share my favorite(s) for the week. Check out my other Friday Favorites here.

Fun + versatile celebration cards

22 April 2015

I’m happy to share that my very first post as part of the One Little Bird team went up on the blog yesterday.

I loved playing with the One Little Bird products and had so much fun putting these cards together.

Hop over to the blog to see all the details of these cards here. Enjoy!

Friday Favorites no. 064 | links from the week

17 April 2015

So fun discovering personality types.
Too bad this doesn’t make junk food good for you.
The cutest grocery list.
IKEA does it again. Plus the aesthetic is so good.
Intrigued by how this tastes. Guess I’ll have to make it to find out!
So much talent on this blog (look at those beautiful photos!).
Cute and easy DIYs like this are my favorite.

I actually have plans this weekend which I’ve looked forward to for quite a few weeks now, so I’m excited that it’s finally here! Maybe I’ll even get to sneak in some crafting time too.

Yay for Friday! Have a super good weekend xx.

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How to thrive and survive when life gets busy

16 April 2015

Here’s what I’ve been feeling like lately all the time – busy.

And truthfully, I’ve also been feeling rather overwhelmed. It feels like things have been a little out of control around here with endless lists, deadlines and readings. And I feel like all I’m doing is just trying to catch up, keep up, and not fall behind.

So I’ve been thinking of how to step back and regroup so I can really embrace each moment of the day instead of constantly feeling stressed out and feeling like I’m just trying to keep up with everything.

10 tips for thriving and surviving when life gets busy

1. Spend less time online.

Whether reading blogs, or scrolling through Instagram or Twitter, I sometimes spend way more time online than I realize, or even dare to admit. Cutting out this time helps me to have more time to tackle what I need to complete.

2. Say ‘No’ to some things.

The truth is that I can’t do everything. And I won’t. So I’m saying no to some things in order to say yes to others. The hard part is just deciding what to say yes to.

3. Delegate.

This doesn’t mean avoiding responsibility. It just means being willing to let go of being in control of every single aspect of things.

4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Totally goes hand-in-hand with point 3. Asking for help also means being willing to partner with others and work alongside them.

5. Prioritize.

Like point 2, choosing what is important helps to eliminate the distractions and less important tasks.

6. Use pockets of time to get things done.

Whether it’s waiting for the train or the bus, use those in-between moments to get things done if possible. Because every little bit counts!

7. Make a list.

I love lists because they give me a visual picture of what needs to be done, instead of feeling like I have one million things floating around in my brain. Lists help things to be less overwhelming, because I now have a concrete action plan of what I need to do.

8. Slow down.

Instead of rushing around like crazy trying to get things done, sometimes I like to slow down and take time to relax, breathe, take a break, and do something I enjoy amidst the busyness. This gives me a moment to regroup and think things through logically. It also gives me a chance to be refreshed before tackling everything that needs to be done.

9. Stop worrying.

Worrying doesn’t help because it doesn’t change anything. So I try to remember to stop worrying and get to work instead.

10. Stay focused.

Sometimes, being distracted by social media or less important things contributes to the sense of being overwhelmed because it disrupts my workflow, making my time less productive and efficient. So shut off distractions and stay focused.

More than anything else, this is a list of reminders for myself because life is a work in progress. I’m constantly looking for ways to apply these tips to my life, especially during overwhelming seasons like now.

What tips do you have for not just surviving, but thriving when life gets busy or overwhelming? Let me know in the comments!

Mark all as read

15 April 2015

One evening, I accidentally hit “mark all as read” on all 183 unread blog posts in my bloglovin’ feed.

After I realized what had happened, I had a little panic moment as I wondered how I would find and catch up on all those unread blog posts.

Once the “shock” of the moment had passed, I actually realized it was rather freeing realizing that I didn’t have to go back and “catch up” on all 183 unread blog posts. I could always just go and catch up on my favorite blogs if/when I wanted to – no strings attached. I could just read the blog posts that interested me and caught my eye; I didn’t have to feel guilty or obligated to read every single post.

It’s crazy how something so fun as reading blogs can become a chore if you let it.

Since that day, I’ve found myself skipping and skimming over more posts so I can truly maximize my time online and read whatever is most relevant to me. After all, there is so much information available and it’s really up to you how you process everything and take it all in.

So actually, I’m pretty glad I ended up accidentally hitting that “mark all as read” button after all.

This is one of those things that ended up being a blessing in disguise.

Because sometimes, it’s good to reset and start from zero. Sometimes, it’s good to spend less time online so you can do more offline.

Friday Favorites no. 063 | links from the week

10 April 2015

Sounds delicious, yummm.
Time to recharge during downtime.
Fueling my wanderlust with cheap flights.
Love night skylines and so glad we have such a good one.
These are too cute.
No, totally.

Sometimes, I don’t make weekend plans and end up just going with the flow. That’s probably what’s going to happen this week and I’m all ready for it.

Happy Fridayyyy! xx.

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Project Life 2014 | week 19

9 April 2015

Week of: 5 May to 11 May, 2014

What happened this week: Not much happened during the week, but we celebrated Mother’s Day and had a steak dinner over the weekend. That was definitely a good way to end the week.

Left-hand side

Used some MAMBI cards, stamps from Kelly Purkey and my friend Kellie (can you spot something from her upcoming April release?), and included a sticker from Shimelle’s first line.

Right-hand side

More MAMBI cards and stickers. Plus enamel dots and gold chipboard from Studio Calico.

Techniques used: Super simple this week – stamping, tiny attach everything and stickers! And I love it when I get to include memorabilia too, like that name card from a café we visited.

Thoughts: This is one of those spreads where the yellow and red color scheme didn’t really feel like my “style”, since I picked up those colors from the photos. Maybe I was just having a hard time with the color tone of the photos in general. But I worked with what I had and made the most of it by adding all my favorites (like gold and stamping on photos).

This spread is one of those weeks that I don’t super love but that’s okay because I’m embracing it anyway. Who knows, this spread just might grow on me in the end.

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Project Life is a memory-keeping system created by Becky Higgins. I’m embarking on this year-long project to document all my memories in 2014. You can see my other Project Life posts here.

Starting | #The100DayProject

7 April 2015

So earlier this week, on a whim and at the very last minute, I signed up for #The100DayProject.

I stumbled across this as I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and thought that 100 days was the perfect length of time to do a project.

Although I can’t commit to #365craftingtime, I can at least intentionally strive for 100 days of making something, anything. Whether I make memories, cards, art journal pages, or Project Life spreads, I want to just show up and make something for the next hundred days.

Life has been so busy, and I realize that unless I choose to, I hardly have time to make things anymore. Now, I’m working on getting my act together so I still get to be creative and breathe amidst all the busyness.

I’m excited and nervous about this all at the same time.

The first few days have come and gone, and I’m loving the push and motivation of just making something, no matter how small, at least once a day.

I’m sharing my process and journey on Instagram (#100daysofmakingbyAmelia) so follow me there for regular updates. It will be fun to see how things go from now until July 14th – I can’t wait!

What about you? Are you doing any new projects this month?