The start of a quest

I've been a crafter all my life, from flower crowns to walnut and felt animals and on to drawing and photography.  In the past few years I've become fond of card crafting, and as the youngest of six kids there's always someone who needs a card.

But I was generally disappointed in how my cards turned out.  Despite my crafty nature and the time and effort I put into projects they always looked amateurish.  The text (and I practiced - but didn't master - calligraphy) was always off center and slightly crooked.  My cut-outs weren't polished.  My stamped images were blotchy and needed a marker over the lines so it looked properly inked (but the markers bloated the lines and made them look hand drawn).

Finally I turned to the internet, looking for inspiration and guidance.  And boy, did I ever find it.  It was still a long journey (I didn't spend as much time googling things as I did wondering about them at craft sales and stores) but I've made some progress.

My purpose with this blog is to help other new crafters avoid some of the mistakes I made.  Towards that end, I'll have features on the following topics:

• tips and tricks (generally linked to the blogs/videos of where I learned them) 
• crafting on the cheap (let's face it, crafting is EXPENSIVE but there are ways to lessen the blow when you're first starting out and deciding what you want/need)
• things I've done wrong (and, hopefully, how to do them right)
• point out blogs of note
• introduce you to craft companies you may not have heard of
• review card crafting books, magazines and products
• showcase some of my own disasters and successes

I'll be jumping back and forth between projects I did in the past and what I learned from them and cards I've made recently - some good, some not worth sending.

Crafting really is a journey and the quest for excellence is one I've been on for a few years now, and expect to be on for many more.  Join me for the ride.

This is one of my better early cards.  Find out what it was for tomorrow!