2015 Goals and Resolutions

I didn't have this blog active last New Year's so this is my first big goals and resolutions post.  Let's dive in:

1. Get crafting classes up and running -- A fellow mom friend and I currently have a Meetup group, but we're not getting much business.  I want to focus on getting people to classes and coming back for more. I'm not as concerned about direct orders, but would love to have people attend classes.
2. Shop from my stash -- I did a huge destash before our move, but I need to focus on using more of my stash instead of buying new all the time. I want to make it a priority to always shop from my stash first...
3. Participate in card making challenges -- I get all the blog posts about weekly card challenges, but they always seem to just languish in my blog roll.  I want to participate in at least one challenge a week.
4. Keep up with my 2015 Project Life albums -- I did very well at keeping up with PL in 2014 until we moved in November.  I'm hoping my new PL strategies will help keep me on track even more.
5. Make gifts monthly -- I love the idea of giving homemade gifts, but the rush of the holiday season usually makes this impossible.  I want to make gifts each month so I have an inventory by Christmas.  Alternatively, these can be used for birthday or just because gifts.
6. Branch out with new styles, technology, and products -- I need to explore more new this year...
7. Fully organize my new craft space -- I have a brand new craft area and haven't even begun to unpack. Of course that's because I'm still in Indiana.  But I want to have a nice organized space by the end of January.  Then my goal is to keep it organized and neat.
8. Make at least 50 Pinterest inspired crafts -- I pin a lot.  I need to make more of those pins.
9. Plan Arthur's 2nd birthday party during the summer -- I went down to the wire with his 1st birthday party.  I want this done in summer this coming year.
10. Create a play area with crafty elements -- I have big plans for the front living room.  I want to turn it into a play room with some of the cute decorative elements I've pinned.

Blogging Break

It's the Monday before Christmas so that mean's it time for my annual blogging break.  I like to take the two weeks around Christmas to recharge away from the blog.  I'll be back after the New Year with my 2014 wrap-up posts and new content.

A to Z Me

As I don't have a technique post for today, I thought I would tell you a little about myself...

A. Age: 32
B. Bed size: Queen. I need my space! And occasionally a squirmy baby joins us for an hour or two.
C. Chore that you hate: Cleaning the bathrooms. The absolute worst!
D. Dogs: Love them. However, our apartment is way too small for a dog. BTW J believes that a dog must be at least 60 pounds, hence the issue.
E. Essential start to your day: Coffee and baby snuggles
F. Favorite color: Purple, all shades.  Actually thinking about radically changing my wardrobe to feature purple.
G. Gold or Silver: Silver, but gold is growing on me
I. Instruments you play: None. I took choir in school and then theater
J. Job title: Mom, blogger, reader, organizer
K. Kids: Three -- 11 month old baby boy and 11 year old twin boys
L. Live: Sunny northern California... but have also spent time living in St. Petersburg FL and Omaha NE and grew up in Fort Wayne IN
M. Mother’s name: Rebecca
N. Nicknames: T-Frances, Tobekins
O. Overnight hospital stays: Two. A few days spent for each of my children's births.
P. Pet peeves: My biggest pet peeve -- late and/or flaky people!  So incredibly annoying.
Q. Quote from a movie: "What's with today, today?" -- Empire Records
R. Right or left handed: Lefty, but I do most sports related activities with my right hand. S. Siblings: One half-brother, one half-sister, two stepbrothers.
U. Underwear: Comfy cotton ones. Yep, I'm old.
V. Vegetable you hate: Cooked spinach, although I do like raw spinach in salads and sandwiches.
W. What makes you run late: J... not the baby, J
X. X-Rays you’ve had: A few chest x-rays for respiratory infections in childhood.
Y. Yummy food that you make: Brownies and wacky cake.  I've gotten lots of compliments.  They are my go to dishes for get together and potlucks.
Z. Zoo animal: Polar bears, sea turtles, otters, and other large sea mammals.  Fascinating to watch.

5 on 5

On the 5th of each month I'll be highlighting five pictures of crafty projects, inspiration pieces, or fun products.  I wanted to add some great pictures and give everyone a bit of insight into my creative process.

1. The state of my craft half-room... Yeah. I have some major cleaning to do.

2. Prepping the birthday presents for next weekend. All set!

3. Finally figured out where to put my SU markers.  I removed some PL card sets and placed the current colors in the first drawer and the retired colors in the second drawer. Now I can easily grab them and they are being stored horizontally as they should be.

4. Still trying to figure out what to do with my destash pile.  I need to try and sell some of this on my FB group and possibly a fall garage sale.  Other stuff I'm thinking of sending off as RAKs.  Need to sort and decide.

5. Put the finishing touches on my first Project Life album (Oct. 2013 - July 2014).  Excited to start on the second volume of 2014.

5 on 5

I'm starting a new series today: 5 on 5.  On the 5th of each month I'll be highlighting five pictures of crafty projects, inspiration pieces, or fun products.  I wanted to add some great pictures and give everyone a bit of insight into my creative process.

1. I really need to update my current DSP, inks, and inks wanted lists.  Yeah, I love my lists...

2. Trying to pull some ink color combos for this week's card challenges.

3. Finishing up my new catalog swaps.  That notepad is a leftover from my teaching days.  That's four years ago.  I really need to clean that box out (use it or lose it).

4. Dying to try out my new decorative masks.  Maybe with this week's card challenges...

5. Another pack of retired DSP to use this week.  I loved these patterns but I need to just stop hoarding and actually use it.

Getting to Know You...

Did anyone else sing that title of this blog post?  I know I do everytime I read it.  The King and I isn't even one of my favorite musicals.  Rent, Wicked, Phantom, Joseph, and Aida are my favorite musicals.  And that's the first little random fact about me that I'm sharing today...

• Name: Tobe Frances
• Current Location: Sunnyvale, CA
• Birthday: March 5th
• Single or Taken: Taken
• Piercings or Tattoos: 4 Tattoos (ankh, triple Goddess, Pisces sign, the twins' initials), I'm working on on for Arthur
• Right Handed or Left Handed: Left handed
• Fave Color: Purple
• Fave Holiday: Christmas, I love the entire Christmas season
• Fave Pizza Toppings: Black olives and mushrooms
• Fictional Crush: Captain Wentworth from Jane Austen's Persuasion
• Fave Article of Clothing: Olive green cargo capris... so comfy!
• Fave Song to Rock Out When Driving: Anything by The Offspring
• Last Concert Attended: The Killers, M83, Grouplove, Tegan and Sara
• Last Book Purchased: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
• Dream Job: Teaching, without all the politics
• Guilty Pleasure TV Show: Reign, I know so ridiculous, but I love it
• Fave Store to Shop: Target, I'm there at least once a week
• Biggest Pet Peeve: People interrupting me
• Last Impulse Buy: Matching striped tank top and shorts for Arthur
• Name Five Things Nearest to You: Pop can, cell phone, lotion, baby bottle, pen
• Fave Food: Chocolate chip cookies
• Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate all the way
• Pepsi or Coke: Pepsi
• Singing in the Shower: Love it!
• Chore You Hate: Cleaning the bathrooms
• Morning or Night Person: Night person, but find myself always awake in the wee mornings because of the baby
• Ninjas or Pirates: Pirates

Welcome to The Craft Sea

Welcome everyone to The Craft Sea! I've been wading through the craft sea for a few years now (since ~2006) and would love to share my adventures with you.  I am a scrapbooker both traditional and Project Life style, card maker, and random crafter.  I stick mostly to paper crafts, but that doesn't mean that I won't ever try something different.  I lean towards simple and clean designs in all my crafts.  I've been expanding my repertoire of techniques and favorite designs these past few months and hope to share some with you.  And as of this year, I have become a Stampin' Up Demonstrator.  Hopefully this new venture will allow me to share my love of crafting with even more people.

On the personal side, I am a SAHM of three boys (twins March 2003, singleton October 2013).  I love reading, crafting (of course), and playing with my kids.  I am a lifelong learner who hopes to go back to school for a new degree in the near future.  I was previously a high school social studies teacher (focus on U.S. History) and then a project manager for an educational technology company.  We moved from Indiana by way of Nebraska to sunny northern California (San Fran Bay Area) in 2012 and couldn't be happier.  My life here has been a big change.  Being without family and friends, I had to find a whole new social group.  Thankfully, I've met some great crafting ladies and a mom's group through Meetup.  Definitely check out Meetup; it's a great way to meet new people with shared interests.  I also write a more general life blog at Wading Through the Ocean of Life.  There I share kid updates, book reviews, music, movies, fashion, and random thoughts. Come check me out!

Programming Notes:  My goal is to have a post a day.  Lofty, but still attainable.  To help myself out, I have created a weekly schedule of features.  Here's the types of posts you can expect to see each day of the week:

• Monday -- Highlighted craft (greeting card, traditional scrapbook layout, journal, etc)
• Tuesday -- Alternating Essential Products / Basic Technique
• Wednesday -- Stampin' Up News
• Thursday -- New Discoveries (new fave products, sites, ideas, techniques, etc)
• Friday -- Project Life (weekly spread, new products, helpful hints, etc)
• Saturday -- Highlighted craft (greeting card, traditional scrapbook layout, journal, etc)
• Sunday -- Sunday Haul (post about my weekly crafting purchases)

tobe.buffenbarger@gmail.com