The Joy of Creating and Kindness of Sharing Handmade Cards

Hello. I will be honest – I am not back in the game yet – but I promise I am working on it and trying. Sometimes life just throws those curve balls! But all is good and I really will have more videos soon.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a video here. Many of you have seen it as it has been on my homepage, but I had yet to make it “public” on YouTube.

Soooo… I have had this video for many months and have just been too nervous to really share it. Here’s the story:

I really wanted to create a video sharing why I do what I do. Why I feel God has me doing it and why it is so much more than gluing paper together. I knew I would struggle filming it on my own (the words introvert and anxiety come to mind), so I hired some incredible people (Ipso Creative) to help me. They honestly worked such magic – taking my uncomfortable talking and perfectly editing it into the exact message I wanted to portray. If you only knew how bad I was at getting my words out on camera… it was comical! But they “fixed” it and I am so thankful.

I was thrilled when they presented me with the video. They “got” me. Colin was the first to watch it and he said, “Mom, that video shows how awesome you are and how what you do is awesome.” It made me smile but I was still afraid to share it. (After all, he is my son and has to say that – lol.) I then sent it to a few close friends that I trust. Everyone was encouraging. But I still waited. I quietly put it on my homepage when I launched the new site, but kept the video “unlisted” on YouTube.

A few days I remembered I hadn’t made the video public. I went back and looked at the email responses I got from my friends who I shared it with. One of the responses was from my friend and fellow stamper, Leslie. Leslie passed away on Christmas Day after battling cancer – I was with her along with a few other stampers when she passed. She was an honest and incredibly straight-forward person, and her encouragement on sharing the video was extremely important to me. So when I saw that email this weekend, I knew I need to get over it and share it. Leslie would want me to.

So please don’t laugh at me. 🙂 And please feel free to share this video with anyone in your life who doesn’t “get” what you do and may not understand that cardmaking is a kind way to spend your time.

[To watch the video in HD on YouTube, click HERE.]

By the way, this video shows my craft room. (I really should call it my office since it is for my job.) I get a ton of craft room tour requests and was planning on sharing one soon. (I may still do so – stay tuned.) Please keep in mind that I have this room because this is my job and it is what helps me create, be happy and more than anything – be productive. When this was only hobby for me, I had a folding table in the basement with a few random containers. I was just as happy but couldn’t get as much done in my limited crafting time away from family. This room has changed that and was necessary for me to be productive in the short segments of time I have between being with the kiddos. Also, organization makes me be productive and is my therapy! But please remember to create in whatever environment is best for you. 🙂

Thanks for stopping by… and for the kind words, cards, and emails. Take care.