I started playing around with this blog months ago (I’m embarrassed to say just how many!), but just felt so overwhelmed that I backed away from the keyboard. I already had a blog that is tied to my Stampin’ UP! website and I taught myself how to use that. I’ll tell you, it wasn’t easy. I’d stumble, fall down and pick myself up and try again. And I finally felt fairly comfortable using the blog feature, so much so that I offered training for some of my demonstrator friends. I was pretty happy that I had figured out how to use it and could share that skill with others who were struggling with it. And wouldn’t you know it, just as I started to get ready to roll out some structured training, we found out that Stampin’ UP! is going to do away with the blogging feature of our website. I immediately went into panic mode!! We knew that things were going to be updated but since so many demonstrators had already decided to use different blogging platforms, SU! didn’t feel that the effort it would take to overhaul our existing format was time and money well spent. They encouraged us to find a platform that was more user-friendly. And since the existing blog will be going away in a few short weeks, it was the push I needed to figure out how to use my Word Press blog.
So, that brings me to where I am now…learning a new blogging tool. I used to do software training when I worked in the corporate world and I really did enjoy it. I liked learning how to use all the features and then showing others how to use them. Don’t get me wrong, there were lots of challenges involved but there was great satisfaction in finally feeling comfortable using a new tool. So that’s what I’ll be doing over the new few weeks, learning how to use the tools with this new platform. And to be honest, it hasn’t been terrible so far. I think I’ve got the basics down, I just need to delve into the more complex options to make sure I’m using this blog to it’s fullest capacity. I have duplicated all the posts from my Stampin’ UP! blog over to this blog, you’ll see them listed in the Archive section. Take a look and catch up!
I do think it’s important to learn something new every day, and it doesn’t have to be something major. Little things count too. I think this is one of the things I enjoy about crafting is that I do continually learn new things. My main interest is paper crafting but I like doing other things. The first craft I ever learned was how to do embroidery and I was taught by my maternal grandmother. She embroidered a lot of things, pillow cases, table covers, chair arm covers (remember those??). And she loved to crochet and tried to teach me but I was never able to get the hang of it back then. I’ve also learned to cross stitch, sew (made a lot of my own clothes while in High School), decorated cakes, t-shirt painting, knitting and I did finally tackle crocheting again although I’m still very much a beginner. But paper crafting and card making have been a staple for me. I love giving hand made cards. I can personalize them to the recipient based on their likes. And the feedback that I get reminds me that people do still like to get mail! Let’s face it, we all get tired of bills and advertisements every day. A hand made card breaks the monotony and hopefully puts a smile on their faces.
So, getting back to the topic at hand, you are never too old to learn something new. If you’ve never tried creating a card from scratch, you are missing out! I would love to help you experience it. I hold monthly classes at my home and I’d love to show you how easy it is to create a beautiful handmade card. You have nothing to lose and might find that you enjoy this craft as much as I do! There’s a minimal monthly fee to attend which covers materials and project preparation. You can find my schedule by clicking on the Upcoming Events option at the top of this blog. For those who are not local, do not despair! I am planning on starting to do some online sessions as well, probably through Facebook Live and also doing video segments that I hope to be posting to YouTube sometime soon. I hope you’ll join me there as well.
Thanks for visiting me in this new “home” for my blog. I would love for you to subscribe so that you don’t miss any future posts. You’ll find that option on the sidebar. And remember to always keep learning!
