List of challenges
 

S2S13A Challenge.............Fashion, ballet, opera post #50
S2S13B Challenge.............Faux cloisonn�. Post#109
S2S13C Challenge.............Boats Post #150
S2S13D Challenge..............Victorian post #168
S2S13E Challenge.........National Geographic Photos of Australia post #201
S2S13F Challenge......Circles, coins Post #221
S2S13G Challenge.......Faux Patina Post #254
S2S13H Challenge.......Butterflies Post #278
S2S13I Challenge.......Denim Post #288
S2S13J Challenge.......Africa post #302
S2S13K Challenge.........Poem by Pauline Johnson. Post #318
S2S13L Challenge.......'The Magic of Spring' post #328
S2S13M Challenge......'Easter' post #340
S2S13N Challenge........'April Fish' post #355
S2S13O Challenge...... 'Florida' post #366
S2S13P Challenge........ 'Rain' post #371
S2S13Q Challenge ...... 'Earth Day' post #394
S2S13R Challenge ........'Orange' post # 412
S2S13S Challenge ........'Artist inspiration' post #425
S2S13T Challenge .......'Take your bike to work' post 430
S2S13U Challenge ....... 'Rainbows' post #432
S2S13V Challenge ........ Straw blowing technique post #433
S2S13W Challenge .......'Sunshine' Post #435
S2S13X Challenge ........'Ancient History' post 439
S2S13Y Challenge ........'Soar' post #441
S2S13Z Challenge .......'Finish it!' Post #444

The second half of the year. All the challenges will have double letters.
S2S13AA ......... Red and White post #452
S2S13BB ........Technique "Bargello' post #458
S2S13CC ........Birthday card using turquoise post #461
S2S13DD ........'Rats!' post #468
S2S13EE ........'Summer' post #474
S2S13FF ........'Tall and skinny' post #478
S2S13GG .......'One layer card' post # 482
S2S13GG .......'Aviation' post #484
S2S13HH .......'Newsprint' with French word' post #488
S2S13II .........'Labour' or job Post #499
S2S13JJ ......'International literacy day poster.
S2S13KK .........'Stitching'
S2S13LL ..........'Tourism and Water'
S2S13MM .......... 'Coffee' Post # 515
S2S13NN ........ "Stickles' post # 520
S2S13OO ......... 'Pastor appreciation' Post #524
S2S13PP ...........'Apples' Post #530
S2S13QQ .........'Special folds post #531
S2S13RR ...........'Silhouette, old stamp' post # 533
S2S13SS ...........Photo inspiration (Remembrance Day) post #541
S2S13TT ...........'Using a photo' post # 550
S2S13UU ...........'St. Andrew's Day' post # 553
S2S13VV .........Focus on the Sentiment Post # 556
S2S13WW .........Christmas card with a star post #569

I didn't spend much on crafts last year, probably an all-time low. So, I hope to see you gals on the All Occasion card challenge. It's a good way to use up your product!

I would love to join this challenge. I am so overwhelmed by retired stuff that I can't use in my workshops but still want to create with it, use it up and not just hoard it..I am guessing that it is acceptable for this challenge?
I am finding that being a small-time SU demo seems to cost me more than the discount saves me... :-) and after nine years the rapidly increasing turnover of what is "current" has just about done me in.

Ina... I'm reading this on page one... I think its how you have your settings to display posts..

ETA: the way you see or change your's is you click on your name at the top of the screen where it is in orange... then on the left side scroll down till you see edit options... then scroll way down that page to forum posts there is a drop down box in the how many posts will show on a page the highest is 50...

I'd like to give this a try.

I don't know how successful I'll be but I guess it doesn't hurt to try.

This looks like a support group I need! Last year I lost my interest in crafting for about 6 months and neither made many cards nor spent much money. The buzz returned in early December so I was able to make a few Christmas cards plus birthday cards for the month (wonder why there are so many birthdays in December???) but unfortunately that has also meant I've ordered a lot of goodies online and am eagerly awaiting their arrival. I do have the money to pay for them so that isn't a worry but I think from January 1 I need to buy less and use more! As someone said, here in the UK we don't have multiple craft shops so I mostly buy at shows - I go to 5 a year so perhaps I'll restrict my buying to those AND think carefully before doing so.

The past two month I was in a bit of a crafting slump, so I started making and counting things right away. I have a montly kit habit that is about $100 a month and I'm working to earn my kits. I'm generous with my points and included +1 for using a never been inked item, and +1 for posting items or sets. I look forward to seeing my numbers grow. :p

Welcome, Mary, Fiona, and Debby! This is the second year I have done this and have ended the year in the red each year, but I have become much more aware of what I am spending and am making more cards. I think I may actually get into the black in 2013. This is a great forum for encouraging each other.

S2S13A Challenge
 

I promised to give a challenge this week, and this is the end of the week. This will be for the first week of January.
January 1,1913 was the birth date of Irina Roudakoff Belotelkin......you will all look bewildered! She came from Ukraine to New York and became a fashion designer and was an artist and champion fencer...even teaching fencing lessons to Amelia Earhart. She was a society hostess and enjoyed ballet and the opera. She was wellk read and cultured....a true renaissance woman! She died in 2009.
Our challenge is to make a card featuring fashion, ballet, or the opera! Don't forget to use the S2S13A when you upload your card.

I'm In
 

Happy New Year (almost) ! I spent the last week doing a MAJOR Purge/Re-Org on my Stamp/Scrap/Office. I sold, gave, PIF'd and threw out a ton of stuff and now feel much more inspired.

I'm like many of you, I read the "cold turkey" thread and it was just like the word "diet" for me. The more I tried not to spend anything the worse I was. I think Balance or Moderation works much better. We did have a thread about budgeting and tracking and it went very well up until about August and then all interest was lost ... LOL! Probably something in the research on why people don't keep their New Year's Resolutions?

I kept track of spending last year, put all my craft purchase receipts in one box which really made me think carefully about spending. This year I'd like to take it a step further and if I buy something new, I want to move out something old so I don't get overwhelmed again.

I'll go back and read how you "credit" the items as I think that will really help too. I was inspired by the thread about not buying just to get free shipping or some free item, sad to say but I think that will save me money as well.

All good, I'm in for 2013 :eek:

I read a study once that talked about people's spending habits. A financial officer of JC Penney's was quoted as saying something like, "People will make a change to their spending habits for approximately six weeks. Then they will resume their previous spending patterns whether or not their financial situation has changed."

So... I try to keep that in mind when I'm trying to learn new spending habits because it helps to know the natural progression people have. :D

Good advice, Chautona.

After seeing how much I spent in 2012, I was shocked. The little stuff really adds up. I could have had half of a big medical bill paid off. This time around if I'm tempted to buy something I don't need, I'm going to put that money right into my savings account. Hopefully, that will last longer than a month or two.

Hello Ladies! Wow so many new people to welcome, I was counting but lost track! How exciting!

Yes, any new tips on how not to spend ( on anything for that matter! ) is always handy! I must admit the less time I have to "cruise" the web, the less I want to spend. It mostly restricts me to what I see before me in my SU catty! I and I try not to order until I can get hostess benefits, or there is a sale on.....yeah, that means I have just admitted to committing one of those sins!!! LOL.

I use to sell my cards so I would get ACTUAL money back to spend, now as i am not itis all virtual, -ie I don't really have it! -so I find that helps as after all,the bills really need to come first! In 2011 I made a lot of cards -for me-and while I have not made many in 2012 for many reasons, I find that making so many that year means that I can go into my space and whip one up fairly quickly. I don't know if you would really call it crafting, but it is using my stash and saving us money on the day. And of course DH loves that!

I think one of my goals for this year coming will be to use up all my kiwi kiss! After all the ink w ill go dry soon! I loved it so much I bought extra paper, wondered how i Could ever live without it. Of course pear pizzaz came out and I can't live without That! So I gotta dig all those old combination of colours out and use it up! Anyways, I think 6 greens is getting a bit much, at least for me. I am a sucker for greens and blues!

All for now, lovely to have time to drop in. DH went back to Canberra today so I am on my own with DS at MIL's place. Will be more to do and more therapy to do too. But DH helping has given me a partial break, which I totally needed.

How is your tidying coming along Ina?
Cheers to all, S.

Welcome Lela!
Last year I kept a diary of running costs and credits, but that didn't really tell me in the end how much I had actually spent....so this year I am getting a small ledger book. so that I can keep account in columns.
Stephanie, I have taken your advice and am setting my timer for 15 minutes and working at clearing away things. I'm still working on the dining room table, so haven't gotten too far yet, but I think it will work.

Ina,

I am such a clutter bug that I have always paid myself a tiny amount for every 15 minutes I clean up. I don't know if it has helped me, as I am in the throws of a craft room overhaul. I guess we'll see how it works after my craft room is all put back together and reorganized. Maybe it will be better since I have been able to finally get my spending under control.

Toni

Hi! I am excited to do this! I always want to get new stuff, but I need to temper that with the reality of how much time and space I have. :)

So, you've seen the Spring catalog and the SAB for Stampin' Up, right?
:-D The have 2 new fabrics plus papers I gotta have. LOL

Go you! Start cruising the studio gallery, pinterest and if you have questions, just give me a shout. I've been through them all LOL

I hope we get to see pics!

Since I have a 3-day weekend with no other plans (my favorite kind of weekend), I am giving my office/craft room a thorough cleaning today. I really do have to get it done before bedtime since I'm putting stuff on my bed to make room for me to work. I can't believe the stuff I have stashed on just one corner of the room. I will definitely pay myself for my time; I just haven't decided how much yet. Maybe enough to get me out of the red for this year. So it's time to turn the computer off and get back to work. I better move it into another room so I'm not tempted to let myself get distracted.

I've spent a bit of time on Pinterest as I have sloped ceiling on two sides of the room. The only wall with the full height (and I'm not real sure about that) is in a little alcove where I currently have shelving. The shelving is coming down because it is suspect, but will probably go back up but done properly this time. There isn't good light there, so it might be a good spot for storage, maybe paper. Other than that, I am dredging everything out right now, so I can get exact dimensions and then see how I can best use the furniture I have right now.

This sounds like fun! I didnt hardly spend at all last year but only because i didnt craft. Now that i'm trying to get back into it, i know i'll want to spend. How much do you guys normally pay yourself for different items and tasks? I dont want to overpay myself just so i have an excuse to shop, lol.

Oohhh
 

Thanks! It was shocking for me to add up the receipts I put in the box... beware ... it adds up quickly. Like someone else said, it's all the little stuff.

I just want to make better choices! Looking forward to 2013 and lots of fun Scrap Pages and Cards :D

I have to re-shoot the jar /wall shelves... I shot them, then I touched up the paint... :rolleyes:

yesterday we went by an furniture store that is closing and got a loveseat and a coffee table so hubs and watch the news when he gets home if I am finishing a card. ( because I usually beat him home by an hour every day)

this is a finished room over the garage that's 500 square feet and I moved all my stuff from where you see the tv on the wall to the other side/corner of the room and gained a larger closet too.

ETA you will notice I did not shoot the other end of the room which is where hubs hobbies hide. ;)
this is a shared space. :lol:

What a great space Stacy! Thank you for sharing pictures. I love the canning jars of buttons.

The button jars are AWESOME!!!

I'm jealous, Stacy. Wonder if I could talk DH into building me aroom over the garage. I rather doubt it.

I finally got my room cleaned and reorganized. Hopefully, I'll be able to find where I put everything. It only took me 11.5 hours in the past 2 days to get it done. I paid myself nicely for doing it. It helped me end 2012 in the black. Starting with a clean slate for 2013. I have a spreadsheet on my laptop just so I can compare each year (also to remind me how much I spent last year).

Happy New Year!
May your 2013 be your Most Creative year yet!

Happy New Year!!

We're starting the new year with lots of snow and it's still coming down. Looks pretty outside. My dogs love to just stand in it. Timber lifts his face to the snow.

Happy New Year to all! It's a cold, but wonderfully sunny day here in southwestern Ontario. The snow is so pretty. I'm determined to go skiing this week sometime. I guess today would have been a good day, but I am going out for a New Year's dinner at a friend's place and it's at 4 p.m.

Yay!
 

Happy New Year! The snow stopped here so it's just cold. It's my last day of holiday vacation and I'm already in my Stamp/Scrap/Office scrapping. It will be crazy at work in a couple weeks so relaxing now is a good thing :D

Great space Stacy! So fun to have a dedicated craft space. I love mine. Yours looks super organized, which really helps when you are crafting.
Enjoy your space in 2013!
:)
Sharon

I finally made a card today. It took me forever to get the pieces the way I wanted them, but once I made up my mind it took only 5 min. to put it together. And I put everything away before getting on the computer. After spending 2 days cleaning and reorganizing, I'm determined to keep ahead of the mess. Of course, this is only day one. I'm paying myself to clean up after every project so that should be a good incentive.

It might help to add a link to the card:)

http:////www.splitcoaststampers.com/...0&ppuser=19777

I have dusted this image more than once in the last 6 months... its an old first trying to get serious about coloring skin tones image... so, the hair is eh, but its cute so I didnt toss it and it became a card today because of Ina's challenge.

so. what's it worth? lol ( its going into the booth sale pile )

S2S13A ~Diva Shopper by JBgreendawn - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers

Stacy, I left love! As for what it's worth..........I pay my self $1.00 per card, + a dollar for a challenge met, +50 cents if I actually send it. If I sell a card, I pay myself the actual amount it sold for. This was probably a rhetorical question, as I'm sure you have set your amounts already. Thanks for stepping up to the challenge. I still have to make my card for this one.

Left love on your cards, ladies. Very nice start to the new year!
I'll have to catch this challenge later. I'll post pics tomorrow of my studio as is and you'll understand why LOL

Stacy, I LOVE your chars for organization. Great way to use vintage jars or recycle food jars. Will have to keep that in mind when we redo my shelving this spring.

nope I haven't set any money yet.. (but, I also have not spent any money this year yet, and the year is young still ) ;)

I have to figure that out later the siggy thing.

If your studio looked anything like my room did, I understand completely. I was chastising myself the whole time I was cleaning. How could I let everything get out of control? I would love to add another 10 feet or so to my room.

I just figured out my totals from last year and am setting up this year's spreadsheet. I am so proud of myself. I spent less than $15.00 a month last year, on average.