At the end of September, By Grace Everett and I were talking about all of the product we had purchased and how much stuff we had from previous hauls that we had yet to use.  Then I proposed a no spend October and my bestie was all in.  Before I continue onto what I learned so far, let me state that we've done this before, but this was the first time we had a zero tolerance for buying anything.  Let's talk about what I learned about my crafting self. Take Away #1 - You will use what you have if you stay out of the stores and stop filling shopping carts. Yes, that seems obvious, but I'm talking about the things you bought and tucked in a container and forgot about.  Those enamel dots, wood embellishments, fancy florals, washi tapes, etc.  I've been using up the impulse buys that are stashed in my studio and it feels good.  Take Away #2 - Inspiration will come from other places.  I've recently gotten hooked on using card sketches.  Yes, I'm probab...

If you've just found my blog, I'd encourage you to go back and read Part 1 , Part 2 , and Part 3 before reading this post. In the opening paragraph of this series, I mentioned making my art more sustainable. That may have you wondering what I mean by sustainability. It's quite simple. Sustainability to me means that I would depend less on other artists, think stamps, and dies. While I intend to continue to use what I have in my stash I've already begun to make more sustainable choices. I've started focusing more on the consumables of making, the paper, ink, glue, etc. The industry is propelled by buyers' consumption. New products are designed and the influences are sharing what you can make with the latest release. No one talks about what they do with the older stamps and dies. Which really got me thinking about what I would do with everything if I kept following the pattern of buy, buy, buy. We only have so much space in our studios, craft rooms, clo...

This is part three, of the series. If you missed the first two parts, I suggest you go back and read Part 1 & Part 2 . In part one, I talked about why now and shared a bit of the back story. In part two, I shared a bit about my current struggle. I'm sure you still have questions, as do I if I'm frank about things. What's next, might be one of the biggest questions I think we both have. The honest answer is I really don't know. I'm learning this as I start this journey. Does this mean no more cards? No, at least not right now. Cards are still my preferred "canvas" so to speak. I enjoy their small size and the satisfaction of being able to complete a small "canvas" without weeks of involvement. That said, there will be a slow and gradual evolution in the style and type of cards available. I will be slowly adding my original artwork to the shop, some pieces are already available and more will be coming. My focus is to continue to wo...

Change is hard. Growth is hard. Sometimes listening to your heart is even harder. As of late, I've been having conversations about making my work more sustainable. Why now? Why is this important? Why is this transition starting to come front and center after nearly six years? What do I mean by more sustainable? I'm going to unpack all of those things over the next series of posts. Why now? This is the biggest piece of this journey, and it's simply because I feel very called to create more original artwork. First, let me share a bit of the back story of how we got here. You might want a cup of coffee, this is gonna be a long one. In late 2015, after a brief stint in knitting, I picked my card-making hobby back up. By mid 2016, I started sending "happy mail" packs of cards to friends and family and donating cards to card drives and other causes. In 2016 I made 300 cards; they had to go somewhere. In 2016, I also started working with pen and ink again. ...

March is National Craft Month. In the vain of National Craft Month, I want to talk about the ever-elusive "talent". I wish I had a dime for every talent-related comment tossed my way. "I wasn't born with talent." "You're so talented." "I don't have your talent." and my personal favorite "You create beautiful things, I can't even draw a stick figure." I'd really love to know what drawing a stick figure has to do with being creative, but I digress. I'm gonna cut right to the bone, I loath the word talent. In the world of creativity and makers, it's made out to be some magical power that you're either born with or you aren't. Those who feel they don't have it generally feel they can't get it. I'm gonna be straight up honest with you, it's not magical or elusive, nor is it a gene we're born with. Being "talented" has more to do with passionate curiosity, practice, an...

Let's pull back the curtain and address some of the most frequently asked questions, or in some cases offhanded comments. Everyone is always curious about where I find time to create so many cards, especially while working, running a household, and still finding time for friends and family. It's no secret that I make a crazy amount of cards, but maybe it seems a little secretive about my creative habits and routine.   The most frequently asked question I get is - Where do I find the time? The short answer is - I don't find it, I make it! I don't watch TV. We don't have children. And to be frank, I'll pick card-making over housekeeping any day. Making cards allows me the luxury of escape and the ability to unwind from the everyday craziness. Making and creating is a stress release for me. I dive into a pile of paper and embellishments for a daily swim. Yes, I said daily. It's a rare day if I don't create anything or work on Inked Inspirations in some ...

What's your superpower? Mine? I make cards. Food and cards are my love language and they're how I show the people in my life that I love them. When someone we care about is tossed a big storm in life we generally step in and offer something to let them know we care and that we're there for them. Some take food to the family, others send flowers and notes of love, but I usually make cards. Thank You cards to be more specific. When something unexpected happens in someone's life and the world rushes in to help, there are always thank yous to send after the storm recedes. I create those cards and give them with love, often with the postage to mail them. When I need to make a lot of cards in a short amount of time I always turn to ink blending. I cut a few masks from full stick post-it notes using some dies. The masking creates a simple way to spotlight the stamped sentiment. Using white cardstock for the panels and a variety of stencils makes the ink blended colo...

Last week I left off in the year 2014, where I was building my courage to keep going. I had reopened my Etsy shop and was selling a few things there, as well as by word of mouth. I also started doing some cards for donations, including a really big one for our community in 2017.   As time went on I started working up the courage to put my cards in a local gift shop. I have some great cheerleaders that kept pushing me to keep going. Finally, in 2017 I decided on a name for the business and ordered some business cards. We'll talk about the reason I picked the name later. Then in March of 2019, I bit the big bullet that was way out of my comfort zone and put some cards at Smiling Moose Gifts & Office Supply. I'm not sure anyone realizes what a huge step that was for me, but it was enormous and so worth it. As the quote says "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone" and that couldn't be more true in this case. I was terrified it would be a success and...

So what made me start this crazy venture and why did I decide to start building it into a business? Where do I even start with this story? I've wanted to own my own business ever since I can remember. While most little girls were playing house I was playing office. I made my dog a co-anchor for my own news programs in our yard and even wrote short stories on an electric typewriter I bought with some birthday money. I've been hoarding notebooks and pens since I was in junior high. The desire to have my own business has always been strong within my soul. In my pursuit of owning my own business, I even tried to buy into multi-level marketing. Once upon a time, I was a "beauty consultant" for Mary Kay. Yep, that's right I tried selling cosmetics to win my freedom from a 9 to 5 job. I learned this was not going to be for me, too much focus on recruiting more people for my liking. So I gave up and went back to the 9 to 5 job. Then in 2007 I got married, left a j...

Is there anything more difficult than talking about one's self?  That must be the introvert in me talking. If you haven't read the About Section, then you might not know much about me yet.  I'm Stacy, the SLMPetersen behind Inked Inspirations.  I'm pretty sure I was born creative.  I can't remember a time when I wasn't a maker.   I come from a long line of creative ladies.  My creativity comes from my mom's side of the family.  Crochet and embroidery from the Great Grandmothers and Aunts.  My Grandma was legally blind by the time I came along, but that never stopped her from working on crochet and plastic canvas.  She was also a bit of a seamstress and quite talented as an armature artist.   My Mom is an avid knitter, crocheter, and quilter.  She also dabbles in a bit of painting when no one's looking. It took me a lot of years to become comfortable with calling myself an artist and honestly embracing the title.  I've...