Welcome To My Blog!

Welcome to My Blog!

I’m Kim, and like the name says, I love art.  I’ve loved it since I took my first drawing class in college.  For many years my outlet was drawing and photography but those were put aside as life got busy.  I’m sure you know how it is, raising kids, living on a tight budget, doing everything you can to further your career so that the budget won’t be so tight anymore and so on.  Through it all, I maintained my love of art and desire to create.

In the early 2000s I dabbled a little with scrapbooking, taking in-home and in-store classes.  It never really took hold, but I always had it in the back of my mind to do some sort of creative memory keeping.  In 2018/2019 I saw some really interesting products from a designer named Tim Holtz; his products were totally unique compared to others on the market and I loved the vintage vibe.  I started watching YouTube and saw him demoing products.  I fell in love with the techniques and the possibilities of what could be made.  I purchased some of his stamps, dies, inks and dimensional products, with no idea of what I was going to make, I just wanted to play and see what happened. 

In 2021, there was a Holiday/Christmas card making event at work for a charity called Glamour Gals.  With the pandemic, seniors in assisted living facilities were even more isolated than usual and Glamour Gals was collecting handmade cards to share with these seniors so they wouldn’t feel so alone.   My youngest daughter and I made cards that year, it was fun and the first time I ever made cards.  I didn’t make cards again until December of 2023. 

Holiday / Christmas cards for Glamor Gals

We decided to move from California to Tennessee and were wrapped up in finishing all the home improvement projects so we could sell our house and find a home in Tennessee.  At the same time my husband and I moved to Tennessee, my youngest moved to Utah.  It took a few months, but the empty nest thing took hold, and I was starting to go a little crazy.  I began watching YouTube again and was amazed by the variety of crafting videos, so much had changed in the stamping world.  I remembered how much I enjoyed making the cards for the senior centers and found that there were multiple charities out there not only serving seniors, but children, teens and adults going through tough times, so I started making cards again.

Although I was having a lot of fun creating, I was also becoming more and more isolated.  I wanted to change things up, to push myself outside of my comfort zone.  I decided to start small by attending live online classes and signed up for the live weekly class held on Saturdays by Bridget Casey (Altenew); I have to say it is so much fun to interact with people who love this craft as much as I do.  In February, Altenew, one of my favorite companies, sent an email about their Educator Program and it sounded like just what I was looking for, a way to learn from talented people, push myself to grow and become part of the community.  To take it one step further, I started to participate in card challenges; these are so fun and really do challenge you to think outside the box.  In order to participate in these activities, you have to have a public forum like a blog or Instagram in order to submit your projects.  The whole public Instagram and blog thing is a little scarry but here I am, leaning into the discomfort.  This is where the rest of the journey will start, I hope you’ll join me and have a little fun as well.