Q&A: Managing time and money for your artistic expression

Back in May, I asked if you had any burning craft-related questions. Today the discussion is on the time and money spent on artistic expression...based on questions posed by Anupuma Choudary, Tone-Lill and Helen Tilbury.

It is definitely hard to strike a balance between time and money. Having some guidelines for yourself can help...

1. Buy local where possible.

I am lucky to have scrapbooking and craft supplies stores locally. They might not offer really good deals but they allow me to buy what I need. And to replenish them when the supplies run out. 

It does limit the quantity I can ideally own....but it forces me to buy what I really LOVE instead of what I like.  

I don't spend a lot of time surfing the web to find the "best deals". I rarely buy online unless there's free shipping OR if it's a tool I can't get locally. I try to buy stuff I can't get locally when I travel.

2. Stop buying the pre-made embellishments.

Unless they are on offer and are too cheap to pass up like 50cent embellishments [Hello Kaisercraft outlet store! *LOL*].

Part of the artistic expression is doing it yourself so ready-made embellishments are sort of like cheating right? [Okay, they are pricey for me locally and I don't like my projects to be matchy matchy]. 

That said, whenever I get them for free [winning a challenge, RAK or design team stuff], I'm like, "Yay! What a time-saver!"

3. Look beyond a craft store for supplies.

Cast your net a little wider for creative ways to stretch your cash...

Hardware store. Kitchen supplies. Stationery store. They are way cheaper and add more character to your projects. And of course, upcycle where possible.

4. Don't skimp on essentials.

If there's anything to spend good money on, it's tools.

You don't need every fancy tool there is in the market. Do your research, ask friends and buy tools that would suit your crafting style. For instance, if you are technologically challenged, maybe use a conventional die-cutting machine instead of a digital cutting machine. Trust me. The white elephant takes up a lot of space and just sits there, mocking at you.

5. Decide on quality versus quantity.


 You don't NEED every single colour. Not cardstock. Not ink. Not ribbon. Not anything. You are an artist...you can improvise! I like to buy neutrals.

Buy the quantity you need, not because it's cheaper to buy more. Unless it's a staple. Because you will get bored with an item and it's only cheap if you use the item, not if it sits there and collects dust. 

Always go for the best quality you are willing to spend. Artist-grade acrylics are pricey but the pigments are so rich, you end up using less. And the smaller packaging helps with the storage issue as well.

6. Organize and re-organize your supplies regularly.

As an artist honing your craft, you will evolve. And so will the way you use supplies. Storing them the way you use them saves you time from searching for what you need and leaves the precious time for creating art! 

7. Work on multiple projects at a time.

Working on several projects at a time saves you time from taking out your supplies and cleanup.

Layouts: I tend to create 5 - 6 backgrounds at a time. Since they tend to be mixed media, I can quickly work on another while one is drying. 

Cards/tags: I rarely use new sheets of patterned paper or supplies for these...just with the scraps left over from layouts.

Altered projects: Same as layouts...I work on several at a time because mediums take time to dry. I have about 5 - 6 projects in varying different stages. When I get stuck on one, I work on another. When I have less time to craft, I choose a project that is 3/4 done and try to "make it work!". 

I try to do the best possible work given the time and supply constraint. It's okay to shoot for an A instead of an A+ all the time. The average is still an A right? *winks*

8. Make use of little snippets of time. 


Weekdays: I craft for about 2 hours in the evenings 3 days a week before bedtime...I sleep at 10pm. I consider organizing my supplies as crafting too...*winks*  6 hours

I wake up at about 5am to reply emails, work on online DT commitments and comment on blogs till about 7am. 10 hours

Saturday: Housework in the morning.  The niece and nephews come over at lunchtime. They would play with their toys until they get bored....then they come to my room to see what "entertainment" I have for them. We would usually watch a DVD movie [I get 2 hours of fussy-cutting time]...the two older boys have tablets to play with when the 2 younger ones nap for 3 hours [apparently I own a magical bed...]. Then if the weather permits, we would go to the playground or visit the fish farm and then come back home for dinner.  5 hours

Sunday: Craft till 6pm unless there's some family outing. Get projects photographed before the sun sets. Edit photos. If possible, get Monday's blog post pre-scheduled.  8 hours

Monday morning: Get rest of the week's posts pre-scheduled. My blog posts are generally very short. Return comments left over the weekend.

9. Use a calendar and plan your schedule.

I use Google calendar. It syncs with my phone so I don't miss any deadlines. 

I only aim to post on weekdays even though I can definitely do quick projects and post over the weekends too. Instead, I keep them as "spare" projects for times when I don't have time to craft. And I also want my regular commenters to "rest" over the weekend. 

I usually get my DT work done by the end of the prior month so I get a chance to play with online challenges if I can.  If I have to travel, I have to "work harder" to get more projects done. For instance, I went on a 2-week vacation with my family back in March. I started working on my March projects in January. 

It does seem like it's a lot of work but once you establish a workable routine, you become very efficient.

10. Accept that you can't be everywhere and do everything. 

Can I do more? Sure...but it would mean less sleep and less of a social/family life. As much as I want people to see my work and grow my following, there are limits to what I can and what I am willing to do. I still want to have a social life! *winks* 

I don't post my work on galleries except for DT work because it would mean I need to leave comments on galleries too. Likewise I don't post a lot on Facebook too.  The blog post links are automated. If I do post, it's because I'm waiting for someone who's late or I'm travelling and get excited over free wifi access! *LOL* I created a Facebook Fan Page only because I can pre-schedule posts for up to 6 months in advance and it's a way to share with online friends who have fallen off the blogging bandwagon.

I turn off almost all notifications on social media sites so I minimize the number of emails I get.  You know how overwhelming emails can get.

These days, I hardly submit to calls that require "never-been-seen" projects unless it's a specific request by a publication. It takes a lot of time and effort to create specifically for a call. And it also takes time to pack and ship projects. That said, I'm hoping to be in every major publication at least once though...*winks*

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What about you? What are your time and money-saving tips?


P/s: If this post has been informative for you, please share it with your friends. Thanks! :)

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Q&A: All about misting...

Back in May, I asked if you had any burning craft-related questions. I'm slowly working on my responses....you asked some tough questions. *winks* Here's the first question...by Julie Tucker-Wolek.

I use a variety of mediums to create the "misted" look on my layouts, depending on how much "control" I want. Here are some of the mediums I like to use...:)

1. Bottled mists from Maya Road, Tattered Angels and Mister Huey.

These are the 3 brands I use because I can get them locally from my LSS. 

Maya Road is my fave go-to mist bottle brand. The colours are rich and vibrant and a little goes a long way. 

Mister Huey has a lovely colour range but it's more pricey for me because I tend to use a little more of it.

I only use Tattered Angels when I want a subtle effect. They have more shimmer in them and take a little longer to dry. They work better if you apply thin coats and wait for each coat to dry before adding more colour. 

Neon card

This look was achieved using Maya mists and an Artistcellar stencil.

2. Faber Castell Gelatos.

These can be used as both a dry medium [apply a little and rub with finger] and as a wet medium [mash it up into a paste and add water to a mist bottle]. Add more colour for a vibrant look OR more water for a muted finish. It is a super versatile medium and comes in very pretty colours. The coolest thing about this medium is that it can be used on a variety of surfaces including wood. Plus it works well with the other mediums in the Faber Castell mixed media family.

Gang wood album

The base colours of this wood album were coloured with gelatos and water. No need for a layer of gesso! What a time-saver!

3. Ranger Distress Stains.

The colours are light and great for creating soft washes of colours over large areas. The key really is to add the secret ingredient - Ranger Distress Stain in Picket Fence. This particular stain is a white opaque formulation...[like adding milk to tea] that gives a little more "life" to the rest of the Ranger Distress Stain family. And when you mist water to blend the colours...that's when the real magic happens...you get really cool mottled effects. 

Canvas memo board

The effect on the canvas was created with wrapping tissue and Ranger Distress Stains.

4. Derwent Intense Blocks/Pencils.

The colours are super vibrant because they are ink-based. Colour your surface, then mist with water and let it drip. Not enough colour? Just add more. You can work it when it's wet OR dry. For more precision, use the pencils instead of the blocks.

Journal page

The background of this journal page was created with Derwent Inktense Blocks and blended with water.

5. Daler-Rowney Liquid Acrylics/inks

I love these because the rich pigments  in them make the colours very vibrant even though they are very fluid. The pearlescent ones are shimmering bottles of goodness. Drip a few colours over raised surfaces [created with masks and fiber paste] and watch the colours blend...mist some water...you never know what you get..:)

Cupcake tag

The background on this tag was created with a stencil, fiber paste and Daler-Rowney Pearlescent Inks.

6. Daler-Rowney watercolours

These are very light and great for creating subtle backgrounds especially if you are playing with pastel colours. Probably the easiest medium to control with a brush and water. the soft effects are very pretty. For best effect, blend your colours before applying them to paper.

Birthday wishes card

The background was created using an Artistcellar stencil and Daler-Rowney watercolours.

7. Caran d'Ache Neocolor II Artists' Crayons

My latest "toy"...*winks* I love the soft look when I mist water on the coloured areas.  It's easy to colour with it because it is softer than a pencil but harder than a pastel so there is a certain degree of control. It is awesome for building layers on mixed media projects. :)

A moment in time

The background of this layout was created with the negative print of a stencil, Neocolor II and misted water.

I like to do a few backgrounds at a time because I don't like to waste mists or have to take out my "misting" box..*winks* so probably a couple of minutes for each background. It doesn't need to be precise. People choose patterned papers to work with when they start a project....I choose from my ready-made custom backgrounds! *LOL* 

There are really many ways to create interesting backgrounds using bottled mists or mediums misted with water. My suggestion is to buy a few colours in each medium to try out...see what you like. There is no need to buy ALL the colours. I tend to buy complementary colours so that I mix the mediums to achieve different effects.

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