I’m still taking it easy with craft things, especially since I’m gearing up to start a new job in about a week’s time. But I have been doing a few little things here and there.

Last week, two of my friends celebrated birthdays, so I made a square collage postcard for one and a set of wrapped postcards for the other.

I liked playing with the combination of brown and blue color combination, after having tried it out for a swap last month.

However, I think the monkey cards were a much bigger hit, though the recipient had requested that we all not bring gifts to her party. I figured this might be an ok exception though, since it was a small gift and a handmade one at that. Besides, she likes monkeys and it seems like that monkey stamp is everyone’s favorite (it’s made by Rubber Soul, for what it’s worth).

When in doubt, return to what you know.

I’ve not had much luck with the various projects I was trying to start, so I’ve set them aside and focused on making envelopes in the meantime. The process is so ingrained in my brain, that I don’t have to think about much more than what paper to use and what size or style of envelope to make.

There’s a soothing quality to it as well, especially when I work on small batches at a time, like I tend to. Pick a few sheets of paper, cut out and make the envelopes, and then repeat until I feel like doing something else. My envelope stash is definitely growing again.

While working on a few more batches last night though, I was thinking about ways to make them more interesting. I usually just have piles of envelopes and fill them with whatever I want, but I thought about making cards that correspond with the envelopes somehow. My first try was in using scraps of the paper that actually made the envelope, and adhering those to white flat cards.

I’m still trying to decide which version I like the best. I like the “thumb tab” look, though it’s not as clean-looking as the lovely striped versions. Oh, and the sad-looking card in the upper right of the photo was a failed attempt at arranging a few squares and rectangles into the corner. I couldn’t quite get the look I wanted, so I might have to work on that arrangement before I give up on it. I also plan on trying out different colors of cardstock for the actual card.

I think I’ll try making up some sets of these card and envelope combinations, and perhaps list some on my Etsy store. We’ll see though. I’m just glad to have something crafty to work on to break up all the job search intensity I’m in the middle of. Things aren’t going so badly in that area (my portfolio is pretty much done and I have at least one interview scheduled so far!), but I definitely recognize my need for some time away from the serious stuff.

The cross-stitch demo I gave last week at the South Bay Craft Group meeting went all right. It’s a bit hard to show something that is so small, so I used a piece of plastic canvas and some yarn to demonstrate how to do the stitches. After a bit of explanation, everyone went at it and asked me questions when they ran into trouble.

I have to admit that I was feeling a bit bored with cross-stitch that night, most likely brought on from looking through so many bland patterns in preparation for the class. We used some free starter kits that I got from DMC, all with simple, but somewhat boring flower designs to them. Their site offers a few others, but there isn’t much variety. I think if I give this demonstration again sometime, I’ll make sure to use more interesting designs, like these abstract art patterns.

I guess I’m feeling a bit stuck in the crafting area overall lately, partly due to my recently begun job search. I think it’s about time to get back into the workforce, so I’ve been busy fixing up my resume and putting together a web portfolio, as well as talking to a few headhunters and HR people. All of this takes quite a bit of energy, and I don’t feel like doing much creative afterwards. I’m sure it’ll only be more of a struggle once I’m working again, so this is quite frustrating.

I will say that I’ve still been looking for new project ideas though. Last week I was searching online for hours to find Japanese sites about carving stamps, and found so many good resources, none of which I can read. I started with some new Japanese books on the subject, and eventually figured out the phrase for carving stamps (it refers to using rubber erasers as the carving base). I ended up with lots of good bookmarks, but never carved any of my own stamps after that.

And then last night, I started browsing Etsy for things I might like to buy, but it turned into gathering ideas for my own projects. I went from wanting to learn how to make mosaics to thinking about creating my own jewelry (which I don’t really even wear), and then ended up feeling like painting. And yet I didn’t make very much when I was through, and everything I’ve tried today just didn’t seem to be quite right. Maybe I just need to do something else for a little bit, and a new project will come to me. Sometimes the things you look for the most come out of nowhere when you stop actively looking for them.

Yesterday marked the first full year that this blog has been in existence. Unfortunately, I missed posting then due to access problems at home, but I was definitely thinking about it!

I don’t really have anything prepared to celebrate it, other than to note that it happened and say that I continue to keep Being Crafty going beyond this point. I think this might be the longest I’ve kept an online journal or blog without deciding to change it in some way, either in format or design, but I think things are working pretty well as they are.

Anyway, here’s a link back to my first entry. Short, but sweet.