What am I learning through the 100 Day Project?

Last year, I joined the 100 Day Project on Instagram and it changed my connection to creating. I learned so much through the process and am so thankful to @elleluna for putting this challenge out! So what did I learn?

I must build a creative discipline in the chaotic everyday. My everyday as a working mommy of two means there is a level of uncertainty everyday and I am operating rather exhaustedly. Finding a balance to ensure that I stick to making time to practice calligraphy or pick up a paint brush is a discipline that I value no matter how chaotic the day.

I must find time to create every day and every week. If you're a busy mum too and don't think you can find the time to make something, you can! On some days I wake up an extra 30 minutes earlier than my babe. Other days, I give my daughter crayons and her own book to draw and color. We sit together at the kitchen table and create together. Another option is to give her a few table toys she hasn't played with for some time and have her rediscover them while I spend a few minutes sketching something.

As shared on my Instagram feed on June 27, 2016, this was my kitchen table aka workspace over the weekend, when my daughter and I drew and colored together. Most days I wake up very early before work to write or draw #pearls100daymomproject2016 in my sketchbook, other times we use our right brains together side by side! Inspired by @etsy seller @ruth_oosterman to share what it's like to find time as a creative mum. My workspace is minimal and I don't have all the tools but I do what I can to have 20-30 mins to use my fine motor skills.

I nourished my soul through creative expression using my hands. While my brain is often filled with what's next with my family and work, being able to switch gears to study colors or practice calligraphy is incredibly nourishing for my soul. Creating something is an incredibly therapeutic process and helps clear my mind for a new kind of discovery each time I open the sketch book. It's also a really nice way to use my fine motor skills besides typing on the keyboard. :)

I enjoyed documenting everyday moments whether it be Project Life or #pearls100daymomproject2016. Since having the chance to create every day, I wanted to more of it. I've been extending my everyday creativity challenge into a weekly routine.

My other favorite part about art journaling was my exploration of color interactions. In addition to capturing everyday moments which is very natural for a scrapbooker like me, I really enjoyed the process of learning more about the science of my inks, paints, and tools. I have so many different types of dyes, pigments, and mediums, I just want to see how they all dance together.

I loved shopping my stash! If you're like me, you've built up tons of supplies. Every time I want to try something new, I love shopping my own stash of supplies and learning how I can stretch them into different kinds of techniques. Art journaling allows me to test and trial with no pressure of having a finished or polished piece. Love!

As shared on my Instagram feed of July 2, 2016, this was a 30-minute color study I had completed the night before.

See more of my creative mommy journey by following me on Instagram!

An Elegant & Minimalist Baby Shower

Co-hosting is a great way to divide and conquer the sheer amount of work behind an event. Recently, a couple of friends and I hosted a baby shower for a wonderful mama-to-be. Her personal style and mantra is all about minimalism, clean lines, and simplicity. We kept her style in the design of the event.

Things came together when we found this gem on Paperless Post:

We secured Sarabeth's Tribeca as the perfect backdrop for brunch. Then the creating began. I am the banner lady* and I pretty much make banners for every event I host. One of my co-hosts made a gorgeous diaper cake while our other co-host brought delicious cupcakes. Both banners and cupcake toppers were made with the handy dandy Silhouette Cameo.

"Yay Baby" Minimalist Baby Shower Party: Banner, diaper cake, and cupcake toppers.

Borrowing the same font from the invitation, the banner and gold hearts were a perfect match and just the right light minimalist touch to pull the details together. The gold hearts became the theme and common thread. It is especially fitting because the baby is due on none other than Valentine's Day! Seriously couldn't have done it without the Silhouette Cameo!

Of course, no baby shower is complete without a guestbook, or in this case a Project Life scrapbook. Didn't catch a photo of the final book, but here's a look at some of its foundation.

"Yay Baby" Minimalist Baby Shower Party: Guestbook Project Life scrapbook.

I had learned most people have trouble putting a scrapbook page together at a party or shower because the social setting isn't typically conducive to creative thinking. The end product is sometimes empty pages. So I tested out a simple formula at this shower and it turned out great. Each guest pulled out a single page protector once they settled in. Each page protector has 6 modules made up of 3 pockets x 2 pages (front and back). I walked around to chat with each brunch table to give some instructions. Each pocket played a part:

• Front top left: With my favorite party tool, the Fujifilm Instax camera and film, we asked each guest to take a picture with the mama-to-be and slipped it in this pocket.
• Front top right: Simple creative design with a sentiment, flair, chipboard sticker, or just the original Project Life card design.
• Front bottom: We asked each guest to write a brief congratulatory message to the mama-to-be.
• Back top left: We asked each guest to finish the sentence "my best parenting advice for mama-to-be is _______."
• Back top right: We asked each guest to sign their name and date the card which happens to be the back of the card that the photo is adhered to.
• Back bottom: We asked each guest to number the card 1 to 5 in list form. Then asked them 5 questions.

1. Will the baby be born with hair or no hair?
2. Will the baby be born with the mom's eyes or dad's eyes?
3. Will the baby be born with the mom's nose or dad's nose?
4. Will the baby be born with the mom's lips or dad's lips?
5. Will the baby be born with the mom's ears or dad's ears?

It took some of the creativity out of the guest scrapbooking process, but it really helped everyone just enjoy their conversation, jot a few quick things down, and at the end of the event, we were able to deliver a complete scrapbook to our guest of honor.

I sure hope mama enjoyed being showered with all our love!

*Tangent: My father was a talented calligrapher and skilled craftsman who created signs for over 20 years. During my formative years, I spent summers watching him paint and make with his own two hands. Probably explains a lot about my hobby and my profession. :)

A New Year, A New Blog

Hello 2015 and welcome to my new blog!

I was previously blogging as krafty Pearl, sharing many of my scrapbooking and card-making projects. Then I started on the biggest project of my life and made a baby! Needless to say, my life changed and the me that would stay up through the wee hours of the night to finish paper projects after a long day at work became a mommy.

What does this mean? Welp, if I even have a single "free" moment, I would much rather sleep and the only thing I'm up doing in the wee hours of the night is trying to put my dear daughter back to sleep. These are also some of the most precious moments of my everyday... watching the little one sleep.

Being a new mom has not only redefined my daily schedule but it has also redefined me as a human being. Hence, the move from krafty Pearl to "mommy" Pearl here. I'm looking to have a cleaner and simpler look to focus more on the content. This brings me to the next subject: what will I be sharing on this blog? I don't have a plan, but I really enjoyed looking at my old blog posts as a collection of my creative endeavors, so that's where I'll start. I'll share the things I make, whether it be a paper project or baby food.

I took a year long hiatus from blogging and crafting, but I've decided to come back with some record-keeping and crafting goals:

• I will post 52 times this year. Come December 2015, I want to reflect upon the things I made - my maker's diary, if you will.
• I will participate in Becky Higgin's Project 52. Every little moment in 2014 was captured in my noggin, but none of which, my daughter will find in a book or simple digestible format. So 2015 will be a year of catching up and recording the new year.
• I will take a photo a day. My husband and I took a photo a week of our daughter during her first year so that we can reflect on how much she grew in a year. I loved that and I wish I would have done the same daily to record our own growth as parents. I will do it this year with the Becky Higgins Project Life app.
• And last but not least, I will give myself permission to skip days or weeks, if need be. Life happens quickly and while I'm committed to restarting my blog and my hobbies, my priority will always be my family. To avoid any sort of self-disappointment, this is a note-to-self that goals change and that's OK.

With that, here's a little more about me: I'm a full-time working mommy living in a tiny outer borough New York City apartment with my husband and daughter. I have tired feet from working all day and frequent baby-wearing, so I proudly rock my comfy shoes to keep my feet supported and spine straight; no dainty shoes for this mommy. Ever since we welcomed our baby girl to the world, I haven't done much paper-crafting or jewelry-making but I have plans of returning from "vacation" to my Etsy shops, Pearl's Pen Pals and Quinfetti. For full disclosure, I also work full time at Etsy as an employee and all opinions expressed on this blog are mine, and mine only.

That's it for now. Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you again soon!

Happy 2015!
Pearl