Sometimes the joy is in the process...

Sometimes the joy is in the process or the making of something and sometimes it is in the finishing.

At the Dirt, Denim and Diamonds conference, I learned a new stamping or scrapbooking technique and I was inspired to use it to make use of some of my paper scraps.  It was so simple, yet brilliant!  The flag or banner graphic element has been showing up in a lot of publications lately and I always thought to use it in crafting would be a test of patience to try to make perfect scissor cuts or to somehow fold and un-crease paper...?  I know...I feel really silly now that I know the much easier way.

Almost immediately after the conference, I pulled out several piles of my paper scraps.  I have this thing about keeping all of my paper scraps because it would be wasteful to throw away even a small square of beautifully printed paper when it could be used on some project.  I have baskets and baskets of scrap paper.

Now that I had some inspiration from Pinterest, a new technique, and of course, loads and loads of paper, I wanted to make some cards.

Card making might be a little ambitious given the time I have available during the late part of August and the fall in general.  But, who am I to ever be realistic about what I can do in a given time.

So, I set out all of the supplies.

I experimented with the new technique.  Do you see how easy this is?  A square punch makes the cut - no folding, no lining up the scissor cuts.  There is some element of getting things "square," but it is not that complicated.

Now, I had a cute way to use some of my paper scraps. Oh, the ideas!

I had my three paper ribbons or banners ready to go.  And, this is where the project sat for roughly two weeks.  I decided that over the Labor Day weekend, I would finish it (and maybe make some more cards).  I did (finish the one card).  In full disclosure, it took all three days to do maybe a combined five minutes of hands-on work.  I would do a little bit and then be distracted by another priority and then a little bit more and finally, the ONE card was finished.

The mess is still on my studio table and all sorts of items are piling up around it.  But, I am so excited to have finished one card that I might just try to start another.  As silly as it sounds, even two minutes of creative work, even knowing I needed to run out the door in just another second, doing something creative helped reenergize me.