how do you find time?
 

i use to be able to sit and make cards or altered projects regularly i use to take about 1hr of just "me time" a day and actually get stuff created and my room not a disaster lately i haven't had my "me time" or any "mojo" to get any projects done not that i have a lack in that area. lol and my room- forget that one lol I see all these lovely items on here and was wondering how you ladies manage to find the time with out making it seem like a chore to do it. thanks to all that respond

Now that I am subbing, I find I don't have the time to sit and do a whole card usually. I'm in awe of those women who work full time and still manage to craft often! I now stamp an image and figure out my papers, then I may sit and color it in later, eventually I get out my ATG gun and stick it all together, and finally I add some element like a button, ribbon or bling! That may get done in one day or take two. That's how I manage to keep on chugging along. Good luck! :)

I have the time. But don't make cards during the day. I wait till I get with other friends and then I make them.

But I need to sit and make cards like I use too.

This weekend I will be getting together with one of my friends. We are having a play date.

It's long over due..We need to do this.

It's clich�, but I make time.

I stopped watching TV. I frequently stay up past my bedtime to get projects completed. I often choose to craft instead of folding laundry or sweeping the house. I also keep copious notes for those times when I can't get into my craft room to inspire me when I actually can. And I let my toddler wreak havoc with my supplies while I photograph cards in the morning sunshine.

It helps that I'm content to wear wrinkly clothes, live in a less-than-spotless house, and drink a little more coffee to make up for late nights. It works for me because I need it to. Making creative time a priority in my life, and making sure the people around me understand how important it is to my health and happiness, has made it easier to get into my craft room.

What a great thread! To: Sara, you go girl!! I work (as most of us do!) I have 2 kids, 14 & 10. Both play sports so I'm usually on the go! By the time dinner is done and the dinner dishes done I'm ready to call it a night and put my feet up! Not to mention by this time of evening not much mojo left!! With summer around the corner (hopefully!!) I spend most of my time outdoors with gardening, enjoying my pool and the beach! I'm still in the process of un mounting and I hope to do some stamping out in my back yard this summer.

Most of my cards get done only because I keep putting myself into situations where I have no choice. I sign up for swaps or schedule a workshop or something. When I have committed to something then I feel obligated to follow through otherwise I don't get much of anything done.

Right now I'm suffering from major depression symptoms because of losing my job and my kitty has been sick and she crossed over last night. I just don't feel like doing anything and I'm not sure how to get my mojo back.

I do work full-time and have two little kids. I found three things made a difference for me.
1) Craft with friends. I have both scrapbooking and stamping friends. I meet with each at least once a month.
2) I belong to a design team. Now crafting becomes a priority because I'm doing it for a deadline. This works for my A personality.
3) I have a blog. This means I need something to put on my blog. It helps me to make time for myself at least once a week.

I admit that like Sarah, I don't watch TV, my house is not immaculate and yes, I sometimes get to bed late and enjoy a good cup of coffee.

KalaKitty,

So sorry to hear about your kitty. Pets are often like family.

Okay I am the same way....this is what I do and hope it helps you. If you fold and cut your own cards do plenty in an hour...all colors.......then next time put all stamps in a plastic bag so you don't have to look. My room is a mess and this really helps me. Then another time put punches together...and buttons or whatever for decoration. I love to emboss and put out three colors to use. By the time you have done all this your cards themselves can go together fairly fast..............good luck.

Oh dear just re read this and so very sorry for the loss of your kitty...we just lost our border collie after 13 years. I have been so sad and can't get anything done...so take care and know we are so blessed to have had their love....many hugs to you.

She's a younger version of me.

*hugs* to KalaKitty.

I REALLY don't know how other people do it. My energy level is really low and my laziness level is quite high. I couldn't do it if I had kids, pets, or plants. Fortunately, I realized how totally lazy I am early in life and so did not get any kids, pets, or plants. I also have tried to make all other areas of my life as low-maintenance as possible. I live in a small house, and have a great Dyson vacuum and awesome micro-fibre cloths to making cleaning a faster chore. My filth tolerance is high though, so I don't clean often. None of my clothes need ironing (um, according to me). I also don't really care if what I eat tastes good, so I'm content with quick meals (cereal, cup of noodles, one microwaved potato, etc.). Those are the big ways that I save time. I also don't have TV, but that doesn't save me much time, since I have replaced TV time with SCS time (haha! Yes, staying away from SCS would save me TONS of time actually).

A minor way that I save time is I cut watercolour paper down to scene sizes (for me, it's 3.75" x 5") so whenever an idea strikes, I can stamp it right away. I cut about ten of these at a time, whenever I'm running low. I also cut normal cardstock (if I want to Copic-colour instead of watercolour) down to these sizes. Usually when I start stamping a scene, I get inundated with ideas for other scenes (because most of my images are in sets, so the other images make me think of more scenes), so I keep stamping and stamping. Then I colour them en masse. I colour ALL the reds on all ten (or however many) scenes, so this saves time 'cause I don't have to keep washing the watercolour brush in a jar. And then I go on to the next colour, etc.

edited to add: I also save time on clothes... all my socks are the same so I don't bother pairing them up. Also, I just hang up all my clothes straight from the washer so they don't shrink in the dryer. I have so few clothes that my closet IS the bar above the hamper in the laundry room.
edited again to add: Also, all my bills are on autopay. No messing with filling out checks or addressing envelopes.

Oh! And on envelopes to my niece and nephews - I send them cards so often (they get 95% of my cards) - I had custom address photopolymer stamps made for each of them. I stamp envelopes en masse for them too. This saves me tons of time. Before, I would laboriously stamp each envelope as I made each card. It took me lots of time to rummage around for an envelope, get the address stamps out, etc. etc.

If only I could add two hours to the day I'd be all set.

I work full time outside the home AND have an 18 month old daughter so my crafting time is very limited. What I do is multitask.....so while I'm watching TV with hubby I will colour some images.

Then I *make* time to work on cards. Usually never more than a hour a time. I'm lucky that I have a dedicated craft space so I can leave my stuff out and pop in when I get a few minutes here and there. I find that helps a lot bc with pre coloured images I can in theory whip up a card in 10 minutes or less.

I also think about crafts and blog surf while I'm at work (shhhh!!) so it's sort of like planning what I'd like to get done at my next sit down. If you keep a notebook and jot down ideas or sketches it saves time.

So I guess bottom line I'm saying that I
1. plan, plan, plan (allows me to maximize my time)
2. *make* time (whether it be during naps or after my daughter is in bed)
3. having a neat and organized dedicated craft space (which my space is NEVER neat LOL!) makes it quicker to find and get what you need.

I have a full time job and four kids in sports and activities, so it's hard to make time for this hobby. For me and my morale, though, it's well worth it. I would rather have time for my hobby than elaborate meals or a spotless house.

One thing that helps me is to have my dining room set up almost permanently for stamping. It's ready to go when I am. There's no pressure to clean after every card, and if I'm interrupted, I can pick up the next day.

I agree with Sarah... I don't watch tv, I'd rather craft. Whenever my club members tell me they don't have time to scrapbook, I always ask them how much tv they watch. (In this day and age, we all have resources like vcrs, dvrs, tivo, etc.) And I only have 24 hours a day, just like everyone else, so I truly believe that you have to put it in your schedule. Dr's appointments, hair cuts, they all get specific time in your calendar, and crafting should too. Lots of great ideas in this thread, thanks ladies!

Anne

I too work full time and never seem to have enough time to craft. My stamping space is the dining room table, but fortunately we usually eat dinner on tv trays (I know - shocking!) If I have any energy left after dinner I sometimes stamp AND watch tv. But my best stamping time is early in the morning before anyone else gets up. For me that is usually 6:00 a.m. DH gets up at 7:00 so I have at least an hour to myself.

I struggle with this a lot lately, too. I work full time, go to graduate school, have a dog, 4yo, 10mo and husband not to mention other activities going on as well. My tv viewing is very minimal. I don't get to create every day by any means...sometimes not at all in a week...sometimes that is what makes the moments that I have to create even sweeter and more productive. I have shortcuts for a lot my housework. We eat leftovers for dinner, I set a timer on household chores to see how quickly I can get them done, I pick up things as I walk by to elimiate having to go back later and do it when it is out of control, always try to put the dishes directly in the dishwasher or wash them out right away...little things like that. I often times lay out a project on the table in my room to have it there when I have a few minutes to work. I try to have something crafty for my son to do. He loves my Cricut...all I have to do it make him cars and he'll color and paste.

I'm like Nancy. I love to stamp and make cards with friends. Several of us will get together during the week, because some of us do not work outside of our homes. So we make play dates, and work on cards. I usually get at least 1 card made, and sometimes 2. But I do occasionally stamp on my own. But my craft table needs a good cleaning to clear the clutter!!

I have a similar approach, except for the toddler part - my kids are now 14 & 18, so they can amuse themselves (and the 18 year old can drive herself around). I am not a very good housekeeper, but adhere to my late mom's philosophy: as long as the toilet and the kitchen and bathroom floors are clean, the whole house is clean! Works for me!

I work PT, go to school PT and raise a 6-year-old on my own... I'm also a clean freak so I can't create if the rest of my house is not spotless... I stamp/read/study late at night after everything's done for the day AND make more than one card at a time...

This is me exactly! Simple meals, same socks, auto-pay bills, high clutter tolerance. I was just thinking this morning that I should be doing dishes instead of being on the computer. I don't have a fancy vacuum cleaner but I'm not much of a house keeper either. I watch a lot of Netflix (no TV) which I really need to cut back on. Sometimes though I think I have it on just to keep me company since I live alone. I'm always on the computer while watching my shows. Sometimes I will work on a project while watching TV but I'd rather play on the computer. ;)

I know when I go back to work I'm going to be looking back at this time thinking I should have gotten more done when I had the time to do it instead of wasting so much time on the computer.

Sorry to hear about your job and your cat. Being a cat lover myself, I definitely understand. Hope things get better for you and your cat gets well!

I work full time and am in my fifties. I come home from work and I am usually too beat to even think about making cards. I do stamp on the weekend though and make up about 10 cards at a time to use later, i.e. birthday, sympathy. No, I don't make 10 cards every weekend. Just some weekends. Anyway, I don't always get them completed, but sometimes work on them during the week. I have all the pieces cut out by then so just have to assemble the ones I didn't get done over the weekend.

It's hard and I definitely don't stamp/craft every day. I work full time, have 3 kids, and all the other responsibilities everyone else does as well :-) I find that I go in spurts when I do make cards and generally make a few at a time. I rarely just make one card unless it's for a specific purpose.

But anyway, like everyone else--my house isn't spotless, my clothes aren't neatly put away, bills are paid automatically, and dh does the bulk of the cooking. My latest is getting my 12yo to wash and dry the kids' clothes and all three of them help fold and put them away. He's very proud of being "allowed" to operate the washer and dryer and hasn't seen through my evil plan yet.

Kathy

I have a friend coming over later so I decided I'd better get up and do something. It took me 50 minutes to empty the dishwasher and reload and start it and wipe off the counters and stove. I emptied the kitty boxes and took out the trash, I broke down some boxes for recycle, I vacuumed the living room and hallway and swept the bathroom floor. I picked up a lot of the clutter in my living room. So basically I got a whole lot done in very little time so why do I have to battle with myself in order to get up and get some house work done?

Wow, I am normal, lol. After reading all these replies, I feel much better. I'm a stay at home mom to a 4 year old and a 13 month old. I also have a hubby and a bassett hound. I've been downing myself about not having a "perfect" house, thinking that no one else has clutter. I seem to always have at least 3 toys on the living room floor, a cup that needs washed- and now I realize I'm not alone. Thank you for helping me feel normal. :) I try to craft during naps or after bedtime, sometimes I only get an hour in a day, but it gives me some peace. I just wish I had someone who scrapped to have a playdate with.

Because like me you hate doing it! I have that battle all the time, like today! I vacuumed the carpets and swept the kitchen floor today. Also washed a load of towels. Now am off to visit my DD at college who is going through some rough times. Need to do some more cleaning when I get home. Ugh!
Have a good afternoon all
P.S My BFF loves to clean and you could eat off her kitchen floor. I personally don't understand it! LOL

Sometimes you have to realize that you are important too. I pop into my craft room periodically during the day. I may only spend 10-15 mins putzing but I feel calmer and more relaxed. I have no goal...just "me" time. Like others have said, I may cut cards or color a stamped image, perhaps put parts of a card together but the important thing is I took time for me. Enjoy a "time-out" once in a while and a card gets made-LOL