Crafty Ass Female (Kristin Tweedale)

In this episode, A + K talk about scrapbooking as an amazing tool for personal growth since it causes you to be reflective, and how the craft of memory keeping blends the past, present, and future all at once. The girls discuss supplies and not treating them so preciously. Also, A + K make a point that choosing supplies is not the only choice you need to make for a project. Crafters don’t realize that choosing the approach is equally if not more important. How to extrapolate EASE and JOY in scrapbooking is what the girls are goaling to get across in the episode, and also suggest focusing on using all FIVE SENSES to pay attention to the little details of your life.

We couldn't agree more that ‘tis the season for thankfulness & gratitude. 100% !!! …but there is also a lot that we crafty ass females need to be resourceful about around the holidays. Along with the turkey, the mash potatoes, and the stuffing comes…well…‘STUFF’ that also gets passed around, not all of it tasty + welcomed. On this Monday before Thanksgiving, A + K decided to release an episode that talks about ‘navigating’ the holidays: a time of the year when anxieties might rise, family dysfunction might become front & center, and the pressure of what your holiday or personal life ‘should’ look like might cause some distress. Welcome to episode 50: The Thanksgiving Episode, that really is a ‘getting-together-with-family-anytime-of-the-year’ episode. We hope it encourages you to set boundaries, reaffirm your values, and know - despite what any family member makes you feel like around a table full of food - that you’re doing great, girlfriend. We see you. xoxo

Elise Joy starts off by jumping right into her first book Big Dreams, Daily Joys and tells A + K how the idea for it came about. She also talks about a bit about her blog, and why Instagram is her main jam now. Elise goes into how she prioritizes her multiple business and creative ventures, and how she defines HAVING SUCCESS WITH HOBBIES. We also hear Elise talk about goal-setting in such a pragmatic way!

In this intro episode you'll hear Amanda + Kristin talk about how this podcast came to be, and what they hope comes of it. They also share the inspiration behind the title + their thoughts on the booty-ful logo. Subscribe to the show on iTunes or your favorite podcasting service! Show Notes

• Amanda's job w/ The Happy Planner®
• that workshop where A + K met
• Kelly Purkey
• 30 Days of Lists
• Kristin's Awesome Ladies Project

In this episode, Ali discusses details about how she got started in the paper crafting industry, the inspiration behind her new Story Planner line, and her Week in the Life™ project - taking place next week, starting Monday, May 7th through May 13th. The ladies also chat about social media in their Patreon exclusive ‘After Chatter’ show, where you can sign up to watch a video of them three chat it up!

Austin Kleon is the New York Times bestselling author of three illustrated books: Steal Like An Artist, Newspaper Blackout, and Show Your Work! His next book is Keep Going, a guide to staying creative in good times and bad. His books have over a million copies in print and have been translated into over two dozen languages. He speaks about creativity in the digital age for organizations such as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, and The Economist. In previous lives, he worked as a librarian, a web designer, and an advertising copywriter. He grew up in the cornfields of Ohio, but now he lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and sons.

Megan Auman starts off by telling A + K her creative backstory and how she came into metalsmithing. She talks about diving in head first exhibiting at her first trade show with no experience, with only two months to prepare for it, and repeating everything she heard in the next booth over. She says, “If you wait ‘till you’re ready, you’re never gonna be ready. Sometimes you have to jump in.” Plus, Megan talks about the big ‘P’ WORD in running your own business: PRICING. She brings up the term 'artificial pricing’ for the first time on the podcast, and how ‘dream jobs’ are still JOBS and ‘work we love’ is still WORK! Megan makes a case for what her jewelry has that big box stores don’t: a story, a REAL person behind it, and a connection. She finishes the conversation talking about the hashtag #endstudioshame, to end the anxiety + shame about how messy & un-Pinterest worthy the creative process in your physical space can get.

Amanda + Kristin chat about clutter-busting, organizing their space, cleaning the eff up, & how it all contributes to a better state of mind + your craftiest self! Cheers to that! A + K CALL YOU TO THINK ABOUT: • What do you display VS. what do you hide? • STORAGE STORAGE STORAGE! • Tossing what you haven't 'touched' in 6-months • What belongs where? • How you can alleviate environmental 'roadblocks' • Thinking 'outside the box' for creative storage • Repurposing cardboard boxes for storage

Sara McNally gives us her creative backstory from going to school for graphic design, designing greeting cards from home, working “terrible ad-agency jobs”, doing a letterpress printing internship, to ‘falling ass-backwards’ into owning her business. She talks about trying to figure out how to blend her love of making things, working with her hands, and writing. Sara feels like her superpower is brevity + efficiency, and talks about the complexity of her designs is in their simplicity. Brilliant! She also talks about the abundance mindset vs. the scarcity mindset, ‘pruning back’ different aspects of her business, needing to learn how to delegate tasks to her team, + standing behind her business decisions.

Today we have Katie Smith on the podcast. Katie is an artist + crafter located in Washington, USA. She loves anything + everything crafty – from sketching and painting to scrapbooking and art journaling, and even crochet and quilting. If it’s creative, she loves it! Her artwork focuses mainly on women, galaxies, and nature.  Katie shares all of her creative pursuits as well as creative tips and tutorials on her blog, www.studiokatie.com. Katie is a published artist in multiple magazines and books, including Creating Keepsakes, Stitch Craft Create, and Brush Mag.

In this episode of the Crafty Ass Female Podcast, Kristin talks to this season's first December Daily Roundtable, with four amazing guests, and we're talking all about December stories. Megan Anderson talks about her hybrid approach to memory keeping, her document now & make later plan, and how she's using photo books and 1 second everyday videos. Kasha Gage discusses her work as a photographer and family historian. Steph Grimes talks about her return to weekly Project Life and her plans to try new things next year. Jeanne Williams talks about how she has been a lifelong storyteller and got back into scrapbooking about ten years ago. She also talks about how she does a weekly Project Life and a 6x8 story album every year. The conversation centers around how to approach December Daily storytelling, with the perspective that everyone has different lives, with different stories, and all of those stories matter. There is no right or wrong way to approach this project – and the best way forward is whatever works for you. We talk about how we all generally go into December knowing that there are some specific stories we want to tell. Some of us try to focus on prompts or story ideas related to the date or what we're feeling in the moment and others rely more on going back and reflecting a little bit later on. The conversation discusses the process of photojournalism and how that is a big part of the December storytelling process, especially when it can be a harder time to take photos. We also get into the different ways that we are tracking our stories throughout December. There are some really great ideas from using the Notes app on your phone, to using a Travelers Notebook to free write and get ideas down, to using index cards to help keep track of ideas, and more. About Our Guests Megan Kiekel Anderson is a nerdy, queer, neruodivergent horror and speculative fiction writer. While she’s taken her memory keeping private in recent years, she loves documenting life through weekly round-up spreads and daily one second videos. She lives in Kansas City with her chaotic family, including too many cats, chickens, and foster kittens. https://megankiekelanderson.com/ https://www.instagram.com/megannerdnest/ https://twitter.com/MeganNerdNest Steph Grimes is a lifelong storytelling and memory keeper. She made her first scrapbook from a kit when she was 21 and has been making scrapbooks for over 20 years. She lives in Maryland with her husband and dog, Ruby. She enjoys documenting all types of stories, from day-to-day life to the grandest adventures, but travel albums are her favorite projects. Steph currently serves as an Ali Edwards Ambassador and has previously served on the Elle’s Studio Design Team. Website: createdbysteph.com Instagram: Instragram.com/createdbysteph YouTube: Youtube.com/@createdbysteph Jeanne Williams is a lifelong storyteller and writer who lives in Arlington, Virginia. She has been married for 31 years to her college sweetheart and is mother to two amazing young adult daughters. She loves telling her stories through Project Life, story albums and various mini books and travelers’ notebooks. This will be her 8th year creating a December Daily album, a favorite project each holiday season. In addition to her creative pursuits, Jeanne loves the beach, reading, travel, coffee and happy hour on the porch.    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeannemwill/ Kasha Gage currently lives in Huntington Beach, CA with her husband and cute puppy. She is a lifestyle photographer who loves capturing her everyday via photos + words. Memory keeping allows her to blend her passions for photography, design and storytelling. IG: https://www.instagram.com/kashakgage YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/kashagage

After multiple episodes on Mental Health, A + K talk about another aspect of health in this episode: PHYSICAL HEALTH. They start with NUTRITION & Kristin relates how figuring out what foods makes her feel the best has been the best thing for her body. Amanda brings up MOTIVATION and how the anger + grief of her breakup a few months ago was the HARD RESET that allowed for her to snap back into eating well and going g to gym regularly. The EXERCISE aspect of physical health is opened up and while Amanda finds a combination of aerobic + strength training works best for her, while Kristin has found out that exercise tends to exacerbate her. physical pain. The girls then dive into the importance of getting enough REST + slowing down enough to focus on taking care of ourselves.

This week we are continuing our Week in the Life series with our second roundtable episode. On today's show Kristin is talking to Shu-Wen of Choux Puff Creations, Kirsten Heal and Steph Grimes all about the best ideas for capturing photos and words during Week in the Life. What is Week in the Life? From Ali Edwards.com: A seven-day documentary project, Week In The Life™ began in 2005 as an annual opportunity to capture the simple everyday details of life with photos and words. The albums I've created are some of my most treasured in that they are wonderfully true representations of my family's life at a particular point in time. From the mundane to the profound, it's those simple little everyday moments that I treasure most. Very Special Guests: Shu-Wen Hello! My name is Shu-Wen (Choux Puff Creations) and I'm a baker / crafter / music maker from Canada! I've been making cards for many years, but only recently started scrapbooking in 2020, and I've loved every moment of my creative journey! You can find my work through my Instagram or YouTube channels, as well as through my design team work for Citrus Twist Kits, Color Cast Designs, Layered Life, and on the Ali Edwards Brand Ambassador Team! Kirsten Heal Hi, I’m Kirsten and I live in beautiful North Vancouver, BC where I take every opportunity to enjoy the mountains and the oceans. I’ve always had a love for crafts and photography, and when I found scrapbooking was like a really thing, I was hooked. That was 20 years ago. I live with my husband (who wonders when this phase may stop, yet buys me crafty stuff), my almost grown kids (19 & 17), two dogs (9&7) and two cats (12 & 1). Steph Grimes I’m Steph Grimes and I’m a lifelong storyteller and memory keeper. I made my first scrapbook from a kit bought at Michael’s when I was 21 and have been making scrapbooks ever since, for over 20 years now. I live in Maryland with my amazing husband and our little red pup, Ruby. I enjoy documenting all types of stories from our day-to-day life to our grandest adventures, but travel albums are my favorite! This is my 6th year participating in the Week in the Life project and it is one of the highlights of my year each year. Best advice for capturing photos for Week in the Life The best stories can come from photos that are just captured in the moment What is a Wednesday? Remote control or Apple Watch Makes people feel more at ease Helps you take really cool pictures Use portrait mode Invite others to take photos Be specific Sometimes scrapbooking and documenting our lives can feel a little extra This is the time to do all the extra This is the time to set up the cool photos What do you WANT to capture? Spend 10% of your photo energy on taking interesting photos 0.5 wide-angle lens is your friend Look for different perspectives Best advice for capturing words throughout the Week The advice I start with is never the advice I finish with It’s okay not to have a lot of words Use lenses to help narrow down the stories you’re telling Use a kit to create your lens Look at each day through a different lens Currently List has seven prompts There is a Thursday slump — here are some solutions Ask somebody else to tell you a story It’s okay to have less photos or words than the rest of your pages Just do your Thursday3 Write Notes Set up a notes template Use whatever works for you Journal Post-its App

Today's episode is brought to you by She Podcasts Live 2022 (https://www.shepodcasts.com/she-podcasts-live-2022/)! She Podcasts LIVE will be taking place in Washington, D.C. from October 11-14, 2022 at the MGM National Harbor. This event is the world’s largest gathering of women podcasters and is perfect for audio content creators, storytellers, and more. Attendees can expect to learn from exclusively female-identifying podcast editors, social media marketers, authors, podcast hosts, and others during this four-day event, where at least 50% of speakers will be women of color, LGBTQIA+ or both. Register now and join us in D.C. this October! shepodcastslive.com (https://www.shepodcasts.com/she-podcasts-live-2022/) Save $50 on registration with discount code CAF! In this episode, Kristin talks to Laura Wonsik about how scrapbooking (for us) is so much more than a hobby; it's a lifestyle. In this episode Laura Wonsik and I talk about: 1. Scrapbooking is a huge part of our lives, but it has a high barrier to entry. So what are some ways in which we make things more accessible? 2. Stamps –both using them and designing them. We talk about why we love stamping and the imperfection of stamping, and how that intersects with your own self-worth. I ask Laura what she's been creating recently, and also what her favorite stamp set is. 3. We also talk about the BFF Sticker Club and stickers as a really easy entry point into the scrapbooking and documenting your life world! About our Guest Laura Wonsik is a therapist-by-day and scrapper-by-night based in Oxford, OH. She designs stamps for Ali Edwards and also runs the BFF Sticker Club with her childhood best friend, Annie. Her daughters, Ellie and Isla, are the main subjects of her memory keeping. Show Notes Laura's Instagram: laura_wonsik (https://www.instagram.com/laura_wonsik/?hl=en) BFF Sticker Club Instagram: thebffstickerclub (https://www.instagram.com/thebffstickerclub/?hl=en) BFF Sticker Club Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/thebffstickerclub The Paradox of Choice: https://amzn.to/3PdpFlf Misti Stamping Platform: https://amzn.to/3zGtvh9

In this episode you'll hear A + K: express gratitude to you listeners discuss typing an idea vs. talking it out relate how podcasting has helped them find their voices talk about podcasting as a medium SPILL THE BEANS on next week's show w/ our very first interviewee (IT'S BIG!!!) explain about our Patreon page + how you can get access to exclusive content

In today’s episode, Kristin talks to Kasha Gage about the reasons why we scrapbook, her love of photography, and the ways in which we love to celebrate stories throughout the memory-keeping community. In this episode, Kasha and I talk about: The reasons why scrapbooking is essential to our lives The importance scrapbooking our stories is to our lives and to mental health Kasha's photo journey -- and love of photography throughout her life Plans for Week in the Life 2022 How having supportive partners makes memory-keeping that much more fun! Her brand new photo-story class coming out at Big Picture Classes in August 2022! So much more About Kasha Gage: Kasha Gage currently lives in Huntington Beach, CA with her husband and new puppy. She loves capturing her everyday via photos + words. Memory keeping allows her to blend her passions for photography, design and storytelling. IG: https://www.instagram.com/kashakgage/?hl=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/kashagage

Heather Kell starts off talking to Amanda + Kristin about how she got into planning in 2015 and why she decided to start her @kellofplan account. She discusses how she was able to quit her day job and make planning and creating her full time gig! Heather explains how not getting asked to return to The Happy Planner® Squad was a blow to her identity in a way - but absolutely kicked her business as Kell of a Plan into a new gear! Heather gives us an idea of what a week in her life is like, talks to A + K about how YouTube works to bring in revenue, shares her view on what her role is in the planner community, and discusses how she handles negative feedback.

In this episode, A + K start by talking a bit about the last 6 months of 2020 and how NOBODY thought it would look like this. They discuss where we are all at with the pandemic and how everything we’ve been through has affected how we’re framing our summer plans. Amanda talks about how her INSPIRED SUMMER PLANS are revolving around the removal of accumulated clutter, both in her exterior (apartment) and interior (body) home. Kristin talks about how she was INSPIRED to postpone this summer’s Awesome Ladies Live to next year, do an online Book of Me Bootcamp that same weekend instead, & a week-long summit the week of August 17th. (Stay tuned for details on that!)

A + K started this season back in March QUARANTINED. We were all at home, things were rapidly changing, and we have all been doing our best. With over half a million downloads under our belt - RESILIENCE was the lens through which season 6 was viewed through…and IT. WAS. SPECIAL.

Want to hear even more? This season A + K are bringing you behind-the-scenes after every episode with their brand new AFTER CHATTER show exclusively available to Patreon supporters. This is a fun way for us to give back to our closest fans and subscribers. When you support the show, you're helping us build this community from the ground up into a place that we all want to hang out! Head to our Patreon page to start hanging out backstage with A + K as they discuss what went down after this week's episode. It feels just like we're besties casually hanging out. xoxo

Want to document what you’re currently doing in your life, but get blocked by the blank page? The Currently List weekly journaling challenge will help you document what’s happening in your right now life in a simple, easy, and accessible way. This fun and inclusive project uses the same seven one-word prompts each week and can be used on it’s own or in conjunction with your favorite memory-keeping project.

Caytlyn Cole starts off by recounting her creative backstory to A + K and how she always knew she was going g to have a creative career. She also talks about how she got started in memory keeping & the creation, break from, evolution, and relaunch of Push Print Studio! YAY! Amanda gushes about how good Cay’s designs are, and feels like Push Print Studio is a digital print shop where each card is like the favorite card you’d pick out of a whole collection!

In this episode you'll hear Amanda + Kristin share what 5 must-have tools/supplies they need by their side when crafting, and how the items they choose would have been different if they chose years ago,

As the host of the Raise Your Hand Say Yes podcast (now in its fifth year with over 1.2 million downloads!), Tiffany is most interested in telling the truth about a life of chasing your dreams—tangles and all. She's been featured by Inc.com, salon.com, and Flow Magazine and has delivered keynotes both domestically and abroad. With a penchant for keeping it real, her work focuses on how women can stop over-performing for the sake of the life that somebody else dictates for them and instead start saying yes to themselves. Throughout her life, Tiffany has said yes to smart things, big things, and seemingly-impossible things (hello sobriety, starting a business, and having twins!), and along the way, she's learned that the road to a fulfilled life that feels like freedom is paved with bold moves made from deep within our discomfort zones, a vast understanding of ourselves, and a communion with our core values. Tiffany lives in Northern Colorado with her husband and twin daughters and starts as many dance parties as possible in her spare time (ha!).

In this episode, it's Kristin's turn to talk about her creative journey thus far. Kristin takes more of a categorical approach in conveying her story, labeling parts of her life such as scrapbooking, college, the internet, and her health story, that have had an important impact. Click to visit https://www.craftyassfemale.com/episodes/03/kristin-story (https://www.craftyassfemale.com/episodes/03/kristin-story) for the full show notes with links!

We talked about a buttload of social media stuff in this episode, but toward the end we called you to action by posing the #2017bestnine VS. #mytrue2017bestnine challenge! Find the full show notes with extensive linkage at https://craftyassfemale.com/episodes/06/2017-goals

find out more at craftyassfemale.com

In this episode, France GETS REAL! She talks about how she got started in graphic design, and how she's been a part of the memory keeping community since the late 90s, but did not put her creativity out there right away. The girls then fast forward to present day and talk about Traveler's Notebooks & designing for the industry in 2018.  France also brings up how modern day society is a 'quick dismissal' society, and doesn't give artists enough credit or time or money to evolve their art.  She also gives us crafty ass females a unique perspective on the realities of Design Teams and what's going on when you're on them. Oh yeah. We go there. 

This week we are concluding our Week in the Life series with our third and final roundtable episode. On today's show Kristin is talking to Shu-Wen of Choux Puff Creations, Amber Dawson, Nolanna Lynch, Jeanne Williams, and Steph Grimes to talk all about the best ideas for putting together your Week in the Life album. What is Week in the Life? From Ali Edwards.com: A seven-day documentary project, Week In The Life™ began in 2005 as an annual opportunity to capture the simple everyday details of life with photos and words. The albums I've created are some of my most treasured in that they are wonderfully true representations of my family's life at a particular point in time. From the mundane to the profound, it's those simple little everyday moments that I treasure most. Very Special Guests: Shu-Wen Hello! My name is Shu-Wen (Choux Puff Creations) and I'm a baker / crafter / music maker from Canada! I've been making cards for many years, but only recently started scrapbooking in 2020, and I've loved every moment of my creative journey! You can find my work through my Instagram or YouTube channels, as well as through my design team work for Citrus Twist Kits, Color Cast Designs, Layered Life, and on the Ali Edwards Brand Ambassador Team! Steph Grimes I’m Steph Grimes and I’m a lifelong storyteller and memory keeper. I made my first scrapbook from a kit bought at Michael’s when I was 21 and have been making scrapbooks ever since, for over 20 years now. I live in Maryland with my amazing husband and our little red pup, Ruby. I enjoy documenting all types of stories from our day-to-day life to our grandest adventures, but travel albums are my favorite! This is my 6th year participating in the Week in the Life project and it is one of the highlights of my year each year. Amber Dawson is 38, and has been scrapbooking in some form or another since she was about 15 years old. She live in PA with her boyfriend and his three kids who are with them part-time. Therefore, a lot of her documenting is of her and her partner, their 2 kitties, and the kids when they visit. She's done WITL albums for the last 2 years and has really enjoyed the process of digging deeper into their lives. Jeanne Williams is a lifelong storyteller and writer who lives in Arlington, Virginia. She has been married 31 years to her college sweetheart and is mother to two amazing young adult daughters. She loves telling her stories through Project Life, story albums and various mini books and travelers’ notebooks. This will be her 8th year participating in Week in the Life, one of her favorite everyday documenting projects. In addition to her creative pursuits, she loves the beach, reading, travel, coffee and happy hour on the porch. Nolanna Lynch Best advice for Putting Together Your Week in the Life Album It doesn't matter what format you're using Don't try to use everything you've captured Be flexible with the plan you've created

In this episode, A + K talk about Kristin’s upcoming six-week storytelling workshop entitled FIND YOUR VOICE starting next Monday, May 25th. Amanda + Kristin talks about what was Kristin’s inspiration behind the workshop, the format and pacing, the six different modules the class is broken up into, and why NOW is the perfect time to spend time finding and reflecting on your voice.

In this episode, A + K check-in with each other about where they’re at via Kristin’s super fun, low-impact little currently list that has been out in the world since 2012. Check out craftyassfemale.com for the full show notes with links!

In this episode Amanda + Kristin discuss the Instagram phenomenon referred to as 'best nine' + offer an alternative way to think about it. Also on their minds going into the new year is the toxicity of posturing - on the internet, in crafting, and in life. NOTE FROM AMANDA: We express some strong opinions in this episode, but we hope you know it's just to make you think...to bring awareness to the weirdness that is wrapped up in using social media. Nothing more. The core message we hope comes through is this: YOUR VALUE IS INHERENT + not determined by the number of 'likes' or what a website calculates is important content. xoxo

In this episode, A + K talk about scrapbooking as an amazing tool for personal growth since it causes you to be reflective, and how the craft of memory keeping blends the past, present, and future all at once. The girls discuss supplies and not treating them so preciously. Also, A + K make a point that choosing supplies is not the only choice you need to make for a project. Crafters don’t realize that choosing the approach is equally if not more important. How to extrapolate EASE and JOY in scrapbooking is what the girls are goaling to get across in the episode, and also suggest focusing on using all FIVE SENSES to pay attention to the little details of your life.

Em Randall is a painter, illustrator, and designer who works from a constantly messy desk in Northern Michigan. Inspired by whimsical nostalgia and magical verity, her work often features strong women in a combination of both authentic and impossible realities. When she’s not working on a new project, you can usually find Em in the kitchen trying out another biscuit recipe, or lounging on the couch with her husband and cat.

WE WOULD SAY “We’re back!” BUT IN THIS SEASON’S CASE, WE NEVER LEFT! Haa haa! But anyway…CHEERS! We’re TENURE AS A PODCAST! Season 4, let’s do this! The theme for this season of Crafty Ass Female is GROWTH - because you don’t release almost 70 episodes of a hit podcast, have THEE best conversations with some of THEE best people, and NOT pick up a few things along the way!

Lisa Congdon starts off by telling A + K about her “early mid-life crisis” and what her really intense desire to be creative manifested into. Lisa then goes into the greatest lesson writing her first book Art, Inc. taught her. Teaching is also a big part of Lisa Congdon’s creative life. She goes into what she loves about teaching and letting go of the preciousness of her work when teaching students how to “art” using her techniques. Lisa and the girls discuss copying vs. ‘being influenced by’, and how to embrace your own voice, ideas, and “wonkiness”. Amanda + Kristin pick Lisa’s brain about being personal & political, and using her voice/platform to talk about topics she cares about. The girls discuss putting out messages of self-love, worthiness, self-care and being an influencer vs. being an impacter.

Amanda + Kristin talk about past break-ups and reflect on the term ambiguous loss when it comes to relationships. The girls also talk about healthy decision-making and how the people closest to you will have plenty to say (surprise, surprise). Amanda relates how all she’s learned about her OCD makes her think it might have effected past relationships, and Kristin talks about how she feels she’s been in a break-up of sorts with her hometown in New Jersey.

More about this week's show: Scissors are so important as a scrapbooker! Here's a rundown of the scissors we talked about on today's show and the things they are best at. Everyday/all-around scissors: Grey/Yellow -- Westcott 8" Titanium Bonded Scissors (https://amzn.to/2R7Zqok) These are my everyday go-to scissors. I cut everything with these. I use them for Daily Pages, stickers, washi tape, whatever I need on a regular basis. These scissors definitely get the most use. Cutting straight lines: Purple -- Westcott Extreme Edge Titanium 9” (https://amzn.to/3npoao5) For cutting straight lines, the most important thing is a long blade with a 'bent' edge. I use these scissors for cutting straight lines on paper when my trimmer isn’t an option. Like when I need to cut paper that’s less than an inch wide, or when the paper is super small. Or when I don’t want to bring the trimmer with me on a trip. Another pair of Westcott Titanium scissors. These are my paper-only scissors. I don’t let the blades go near anything sticky, gummy, or something too hard for them to cut. Heavy-duty: Red -- Tonic Studios Tim Holtz Non-Stick Micro Serrated Snips, 7" (https://amzn.to/3nyaDdN) It can be hard to find these Tim Holtz micro-serrated scissors with the classic red handles these days, but black is just as good. These are my heavy-duty scissors. I use these to cut bits of metal, chipboard, or anything else that might be extra tough. These scissors will go through some of the more annoying embellishments -- plastic, coated paper, any of the weird stuff. Detail work: Orange -- Fiskars Micro-Tip Scissors, 5” (https://amzn.to/3xxbrEy) These are my detail scissors. I use these Fiskars scissors to cut out anything small. Whether I want to hand-cut the letters of the alphabet and create my own title, or I want to fussy cut something from a patterned paper; these are my go-to scissors. The small blade is easy to maneuver in tight spaces, and the sharp tip will make clean detailed cuts to keep tiny images looking as crisp as you can make them. Scissor FAQ You can get by with cheap scissors. This is not necessarily the first place that you have to invest, but when you do, your money will go far. If you're in the USA you can take scissors in your carry on with up to 4" blades. This is from the pivot point (or screw) to the tip. But TSA has the discretion to take whatever they want, so don't take your favorite scissors. You can clean scissors with soap and water. Don't get water into the area with the screw and make sure you dry them thoroughly. I personally like to use a microfiber cloth and rubbing alcohol to get any of the sticky stuff off.

find out more at craftyassfemale.com

According to Ali Edwards, the creator of the annual one little word® project, a single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting, or rich and soft and slow. In this episode you'll hear Amanda + Kristin reflect on this past year with each of their words & how they showed up for them. The girls also talk about their experiences leading up to choosing their words for 2021.

In this episode, Kristin talks to Amanda about how Daily Pages came to be. The show touches upon alignment and the feeling of landing on a project that’s aligned to your message and purpose. They girls also discuss the difference between creating vs. creating under pressure, and how ACCESSIBLE Kristin’s Daily Pages are - whether you’re a seasoned scrapbooker or a beginner - with very little supplies needed to complete it.

Vanessa Oliver-Lloyd shares with Amanda & Kristin how she ended up in Shanghai, got back into art journaling with '“nothing books”, and finally embraced the word ‘artist’ while creating a second career as one out of necessity. The girls also discuss how women’s art has been seen as pastimes and perceived with some degree of condescension - as “just hobbies” and therefore without much value. Vanessa reveals how the medium & technique she chooses for her art is very intuitive. Her advice for when her inner critic is triggered or imposter syndrome flares up is LISTEN, ACKNOWLEDGE, and KEEP GOING.

Nicole Stevenson is a multi-passionate creative, middle-aged first-time mama, impostor syndrome warrior, cake and Korean BBQ connoisseur, confessional journaler, second-hand shop scavenger, deep dive conversationalist and the CEO and creative director at Dear Handmade Life. She can't recall a time in her life when she wasn't making something. At 24, she turned my passion into my profession when she started selling Random Nicole, her handcrafted clothing line at flea markets and backyard craft fairs, which she grew into a thriving retail and wholesale six-figure business that was carried at over 250 shops around the world. Nicole's desire to help other creatives pursue their dream business and discover the joy of making led her away from her own handmade business and into teaching, consulting, running her own workshop studio and eventually co-founding Dear Handmade Life in 2007. Now, she connects, educates and shortens the learning curve for other creatives by sharing what she's learned through the Dear Handmade Life events, blog and podcast. She has a BA and an MA in English from San Francisco State University and a dual “PhD” in crafting to keep your sanity and badass business skills from the School of Life. When she takes off her Dear Handmade Life “boss hat”, you’ll find her squeezing in time to write or draw, trying her damndest to make her baby laugh or hold still long enough for her to change his diaper, devouring one of the dozens of self-help books on her nightstand, trying to find something interesting to take a photo of on her morning walk in her mundane suburban neighborhood, watching Below Deck and eating the best sausage and orecchiette courtesy of her husband or dreaming of living a stone’s throw from the beach. You can find her at https://dearhandmadelife.com/

This time on Crafty Ass Female, Brandi and Kristin dive deep into a topic that absolutely everyone feels. First we figure out the different forms of loneliness we feel, and how they manifest in our lives, especially creatively. We talk about the different ways we end up feeling about loneliness, and tactics to cope. Brandi explores how she feels loneliness for others, and much, much more.

In this episode, A + K talk about how September is the new January when it comes to setting goals and getting things done. Even historically, the autumn months were the time to work hard and harvest a.k.a. ‘get things done’ season. Kristin is planning an upcoming program tied to her Book of Me and a rebrand of The Awesome Ladies Project, while Amanda has been prepping for all the extra stuff through her autumn Bucket List and thinking wayyyyy too much about 2020’s December Daily.

Austin Kleon is the New York Times bestselling author of three illustrated books: Steal Like An Artist, Newspaper Blackout, and Show Your Work! His next book is Keep Going, a guide to staying creative in good times and bad. His books have over a million copies in print and have been translated into over two dozen languages. He speaks about creativity in the digital age for organizations such as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, and The Economist. In previous lives, he worked as a librarian, a web designer, and an advertising copywriter. He grew up in the cornfields of Ohio, but now he lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and sons.

find out more at craftyassfemale.com

Tracey Fox starts off by telling A + K the origin story of how @scrappylikeafox came to be - including the time before smart phones when she used to carry around a point-and-shoot camera. (Been there. Done that.) The girls then go into what it means to be on the cusp of the millennial generation and Tracey then shares her thoughts and approach to scrapbooking and why 12x12 pages are her JAM! She talks about her TREND WATCH series and celebrating other’s creative content.

It’s that time of year again, crafty ass females! Time to choose a guiding word for the upcoming new year based on some aspect of your existence you want to explore. It’s been a whole year since our first one little word® episode went live (our fourth episode of the whole podcast!) and in today’s show, we’re diving deeper! // Listen to Ali’s one little word® interview with us here (https://www.craftyassfemale.com/episodes/46/ali-edwards).

Head to craftyassfemale.com to participate!!!

Today we have Jennie McGarvey on the show. Jennie is a SAH turned work-from-home mom of 3 school-aged boys, who has been scrapbooking since 2001 and involved online since 2011.  Jennie added a paper planner to my line-up in 2014 and has never looked back!  She’s been published in print magazines & a member of many design teams since getting involved.  Currently, Jennie is am a member of The Happy Planner® Squad, Doodlebug Designs Design Team and Citrus Twist Kit Club design team. In addition, she loves teaching, educating + meeting other paper-crafting and planner enthusiasts.

Join me as I talk to Carol Anne and Carrie about how and why they got started scrapping, and as we share some of our 60+ years of combined experience with you! Topics we cover include: * How to kickstart your own scrapbooking by seeking out inspiration from others * After the basics, what are some of your essential extras when you go to create? * Figuring out what kind of scrapbooker you want to be Annie's Kit Clubs! a HUGE thank you to Annie's Kit Clubs for sponsoring today's episode and the launch of season 10 of Crafty Ass Female! I've been loving the fabric they sent, so make sure to check them out at https://annieskitclubs.com/ and use code CRAFTY50 Whether you like crocheting, quilting, knitting or other crafts, Annie's has a club for you. Get a new shipment every month with supplies and instructions to make something beautiful. Try today for 50% off your first kit by using code: CRAFTY50 Find out more about Awesome Ladies Live at awesomeladieslive.com (https://awesomeladieslive.com) Our guests: Carrie is an avid paper lover, obsessed with books, a foodie but not snobby, an ADHD survivor, and a ragey intersectional feminist that is hopeful feminism can save the world. Carol Anne is a long-time multi-format scrapbooker and cardmaker, who enjoys adding humor, honesty, and song lyrics to her layouts. Despite her quiet affect, she has been known to express an opinion or three when asked.

Hear Amanda + Kristin talk about their years of experience participating in Ali's one little word® project, and share what their words are for 2018. Visit https://www.craftyassfemale.com/episodes/04/one-little-word-2017 (https://www.craftyassfemale.com/episodes/04/one-little-word-2017) for the full show notes with links!

Cecily Moore starts with her background as a Girl Scout, scrapbooking since she was 9, her crafty mom’s influence, having a Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design, switching to become a graphic designer, and then starting The Paper Curator. The girls also talk about losing your ‘craft mojo’ and getting it back, digital scrapbooking vs. manual, and realizing your niche. Cecily reveals her 5-year plan for The Paper Curator, and the process of making a collection!

This episode is the continuation of last week’s Break-Up Episode and addresses the topic of ‘NEXT STEPS’ in relationships. Both Amanda + Kristin are at very different points in their life with their personal relationship ‘next steps’ and it’s interesting to self-examine where you are & where solo-you or you-with-a-partner want to be.

In today’s episode, Kristin talks about the upcoming ALP Virtual Scrapbook Festival happening at the Awesome Ladies Project from August 16th through the 21st. You can join in on the fun at theawesomeladiesproject.com/festival. In this episode I talk about: Why crafting around a community of like-minded women is so amazing How I put together this festival to that no matter what your life looks like, or how you like to hang out, you feel excited to attend this event The different types of sessions we have going on throughout the week, including self-paced, live, games, crops, and more. The LIVE podcast recording happening during the festival, and a coupon code to make sure you can be there!

Lauren Hooper starts off talking to Amanda + Kristin about her early years of creativity, what her first creative business was, and how once she hosted her first art retreat, she was hooked! Lauren talks about the trying times we’re living in right now, and how her full-time travel based business was effected by it. Lauren answers the question WHY ART JOURNALLING? in the grand scheme of her business and creative practice. She also discusses her favorite mediums, and a bit about the process. Lauren talks to A + K about how she diversifies, The Flight of the Hummingbird, the Marco Polo app, and how RESILIENCE - this season’s theme - is a core life value of hers!

You guys!!! The podcast launched one year ago on December 15th, 2017 (with episodes 1, 2, & 3) and what a learning experience creating this show for you has been! This is our 1 year Anniversary Episode, and whether you’ve listened to us from the beginning or just stumbled upon us today, we’re happy you’re here and we hope you’ve found value in A + K’s crafty conversations! Happy Birthday, podcast! We love you!

Amanda + Kristin explore why they + we as crafty ass females scrapbook / document / memory keep our life. They talk about how their memory keeping has evolved, and discuss documenting hard things. A + K also explain that although they are ALL ABOUT paper + memories, you won't find them spending every waking moment posing + taking pictures for 'the scrapbook.' Life events are meant to be lived The art part comes later.

Today we have Joanna Alberti on the podcast. Joanna is an illustrator, product designer, and small shop owner located in Rochester, NY. She is the creator of philoSophies™ (pronounced fill-ahs-SO-fees) which is a greeting card + product line featuring the main character Sophie, her philosophies on different occasions, and inspirations on friendship, love, and confidence.

One more vault episode before new Crafty Ass Female, and we're bringing you all the way back to episode 20. This was the first time we ran the 100 Day project, and we talk about the history of it, and why it is so popular and meaningful.

Bonus! Listen to this episode to learn how to get a free Crafty Ass Female sticker using code podcast200 AND learn more about Awesome Ladies Live 2023!!! In the 200th!!!!!! episode of the Crafty Ass Female Podcast, Kristin talks to Ali Edwards, and they discuss their love of television and how it helps them tell their stories. They talk about their favorite shows, both past and present, and how they connect to scrapbooking. You'll hear about the shows we loved this year, why we loved them, and the shows we think are great recommendations for others (and a few that we thought were just okay). Television is a great way to explore different story beats, take deeper looks at different characters, and how they can be used to enhance a scrapbooking project. We also see how food TV shows have influenced our cooking and our lives, and it's been great to see their evolution from the days of 2am Food TV to everything available now. We discuss how some of these shows are more focused on competition and drama, while others are more focused on the process of cooking and being kind to one another. This conversation was so epic that we had to break it into two episodes! The second half of this awesome conversation is coming up next week.

So is Pinky her real name? (The girls get to that right away.) Also in this episode, Pinky talks about going to Parsons School of Art & Design, how Brooklyn and living in New York influences her work, and being a woman in the street art community. Pinky also discusses her cheeky, cheerful style and her desire to make the world more fun. The girls discuss understanding the inspiration behind everyday inanimate objects + giving them personality. Other gems in this episode: Pinky's approach to her booth at the NSS trade show, whether or not she reached her goals for NSS, her feelings on licensing her work, advice to artists who are just starting to make art, and what she had hired help actually help her do. 

Promise Tangeman starts off by telling A + K the origin story of how @scrappylikeafox came to be - including the time before smart phones when she used to carry around a point-and-shoot camera. (Been there. Done that.) The girls then go into what it means to be on the cusp of the millennial generation and Tracey then shares her thoughts and approach to scrapbooking and why 12x12 pages are her JAM! She talks about her TREND WATCH series and celebrating other’s creative content.

After some introductions, Laura and Kristin talk about how they met, and discuss their history with scrapbooking and memory keeping. Kristin introduces her longtime scrapbook friend and Awesome Ladies All Access Club member Laura Kaplan. Laura is a teacher from the Chicago suburbs with an amazing family that she's been scrapbooking for 20 years. Kristin and Laura talk about * how they both got into scrapbook * the journeys they've taken through their scrapbooking lives * things that have stayed the same for each of them throughout the last twenty years * the different things that have evolved over the years

On this Monday before Halloween, we decided to release this episode on the spookiest topic we could imagine: POLITICS…and voting…and the election. EEK! Welcome to episode 47: The Election Episode, one which A + K think is super important in this day and age, as electing representatives to address our needs, issues, and values is yet another thing we women have to be resourceful about, and let’s be honest: is downright confusing! This episode reveals how the relationship + conversation between informed women voters like Kristin, and uninformed women who want to be voters like Amanda, needs to develop + grow.

Picking up right where Season 5 left off, SEASON 6 is HERE and the theme for this season of Crafty Ass Female is RESILIENCE - something we could all use right now.

What was June on this podcast? Haa haa! If you just started listening to us this month, then know the show is not always filled with such heavy topics, as the last few were...Haa haa! ...but in truth, being a 'crafty ass female' means navigating issues such as how social media affects everything we do and how to maintain good mental health and how to be resourceful in a society that still upholds certain sexist social constructs.

In this episode, Melody Hansen talks about all the different ways she expresses her creativity, beginning with the time she spent on neopets! The ladies also chat about Melody's evolution to becoming the modern day artist she is today, how she feels a lot of her work has been hand-in-hand with the internet, and art authenticity vs. popularity.

Today we have Gretchen Klobucar on the show. Gretchen is a New Orleans native + recovering perfectionist living in the Memphis area with her husband Adam and her two beautiful children, Nora (6) and Hunter (2.5). She works full time as the Director of Institutional Advancement at Bodine School, an elementary independent school for students with dyslexia in grades 1-6. She oversees marketing and communication and is solely responsible for raising a quarter of a million dollars each year. In addition to her passion for nonprofit work, she loves papercrafting—especially all things planning. She encourages inclusion + innovation as a Happy Planner®️ SQUAD member. She also serves as a brand ambassador for Chalkfulloflove (Handlettering books, drinkware, and other home goods). You can often find her unapologetically quoting Brené Brown, the Bible, and the latest hip hop hits all in one day.

find out more at craftyassfemale.com

In this episode, Danielle Spurge shares how she 'just started' craft business, said 'YES' to everything, and leveraged Etsy to open herself to opportunities. She also talks about how that lead to her branching off into the craft business consultant she is today, teaching other makers how to make a profit off of their crafty tendencies. Danielle also explains the idea behind 'leveraging' and 'optimizing' your visibility + presence, figuring out what the unique opportunities are on each platform, and goes into the difference between the audience on Instagram vs. the audience on Etsy.

Caylee Grey starts off by explaining where her title ‘Fairy Art Mother’ came from, and tells A + K how Get Messy kind of “fell from the heavens” into her life and how she turned it into a business. In a world that focuses so much energy beautifully curated images and moments, Caylee makes ‘MESS’ a word to strive for and celebrate! Getting messy, says Caylee, is dancing naked in perfectionism’s face! The girls chat a bit about depression and Caylee shares the small steps she took to get out of it. Amanda talks about how breathing is sometimes all you have for the day, and that blends into a conversation about what a NonZero Day is.

THE CRAFTY ASS FEMALE PODCAST IS NOW MADE UP OF 100 EPISODES! Amanda & Kristin are thrilled to bring you the 100th episode of the podcast, and whether you’ve been around for all 100 or just stumbled upon the show, we’re thrilled you’re here and we couldn’t thank you enough!

In this episode, you'll hear Amanda + Kristin talk about their mental health history, what they've learned along the way, & different things that have helped.

Welcome to another fantastic December Daily roundtable, where I am joined by four absolutely excellent ladies to break down how their process for December Daily works (or sometimes doesn't work!). Our roundtable participants discuss the different ways they approach their December Daily album each year, sharing what works well for them and what they anticipate their process looking like this year. We talk about what sizes work and why, as well as finding ways to innovate inside of a project we all know so well. About Our Guests Amber is from southeast Pennsylvania, where she lives with her partner Jarett, his three kiddos, and their two sweet kitties. She has been scrapbooking over over 20 years and loves to share her projects on her YouTube channel. The major projects that she participates in every year are Project Life, Week in the Life, Day in the Life, numerous travel albums, and of course, December Daily! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBloFAPH3e0z7h2OsSDskzQ (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBloFAPH3e0z7h2OsSDskzQ) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adawson816/ (https://www.instagram.com/adawson816/) Kaitlyn Fritsch is a Canadian quilt pattern designer living in New Jersey. With a passion for story and bold, contemporary design, Kaitlyn relies on memory keeping for her personal creative practice. When not creating, she loves hiking, baking, and reading, but can most often be found making memories with her husband, son, and poodle. You can find Kaitlyn online at her website or follow along on Instagram @fritschinstitches to see what she's creating right now. Website: www.fritschinstitches.com (www.fritschinstitches.com) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fritschinstitches/ (https://www.instagram.com/fritschinstitches/) Shu-Wen is a baker / crafter / music maker from Canada. She's been making cards for many years, but only recently started scrapbooking in 2020, and she's loved every moment of my creative journey. Her scrapbooking style has been described as whimsical, colorful, and interactive. She first participated in December Daily in 2020, drawn in by the challenge of documenting the joys of December with as many interactive pages as she could fit in an album (or 3!). Since then, she's enjoyed sharing her yearly "12 Days of Interactive December Dailies" Video Series on YouTube for those who love interactive pages as much as she does! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chouxpuffcreations/ (https://www.instagram.com/chouxpuffcreations/) YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/ChouxPuffCreations (https://youtube.com/c/ChouxPuffCreations) Kirsten is from North Vancouver, BC and has been doing December Daily for over a decade now. She works in the ski industry, so busy Decembers are par for the course for her, making it even more important to have a process and plan going into it. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirstenh/ (https://www.instagram.com/kirstenh/)

In this episode you'll hear Amanda's twisty-turny story about her creative journey thus far. She tells it linearly - relating how she was as a kid in elementary school, her experience as a classroom teacher, the career change she made into graphic design, and the first jobs she had in the craft & hobby industry. Click to visit https://www.craftyassfemale.com/episodes/02/amanda-story (https://www.craftyassfemale.com/episodes/02/amanda-story) for the full show notes.

The second annual Awesome Ladies Live Feminist Scrapbooking Retreat hosted by our very own Kristin 'rukristin' Tweedale took place in her home town of East Lansing, Michigan the weekend from August 17-19. It was AWESOME! There were LADIES! ...and we crafted together LIVE! What was also LIVE during the retreat was the recording of today's episode: the finale of what's been a HELL of a Season 2! A + K discussed the theme of this year's retreat which was Self-Care Through Storytelling.

According to The Hill: On Wednesday, Governor Kay Ivey signed H.B. 314 — a near-total ban on abortion — into law. With her signature, Governor Ivey made Alabama the fifth state — after Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia and Ohio — to ban abortion just this year. ENTER: Ep. 76 of the podcast, and in light of the recent ruling, A + K felt the need to contribute to the conversation about womanhood and our female bodies and minds and how we can be resourceful considering where we are at as women in America.

Kelly Purkey starts off by talking about her backstory a bit, strolling down memory lane referencing the workshop she hosted where A & K met, and why she decided to pay the women on her design team. The girls chat about Kelly’s new products for December and how she always strives to create something new every year and create products for those documenters that don’t have photo-heavy holidays.

Welcome to Crafty Ass Female's 'Summer of Special Guests' : our second series of amazing, inspiring interviews with a badass bunch of creative & resourceful women that Amanda + Kristin can't wait to share with you! Today we're talking to Brandi Kincaid, one of Kristin's artistic inspirations. Brandi is an illustrator and paper crafter who makes and records memories with her husband Andrew, and puppy Augie Roo, in Bellingham, Washington. She spends all her free moments listening closely, playing with paper and glue, and drawing a version of the world around her. A few days a week you can find her helping guests and giving tours at her local art and history museum, which is, in her not so humble opinion, the best place to practice some of that listening she loves so much. When she isn't making a mess or dreaming up new designs, she's spending time at one of her favorite neighborhood bookshops, thrifting treasures, or watching episodes of Murder She Wrote, because nothing beats J.B. Fletcher.

In this episode of the Crafty Ass Female Podcast, Kristin talks to this season's third and final December Daily Roundtable with four amazing guests: Tracey Fox, Nolana Lynch, Shannan Manton, and Juli Whetstone; and we're talking all about the tips and tricks we have for our December projects. Throughout the episode, we discuss how we document their lives through the holidays, including Ali Edwards' December Daily project. Tracy, Shannon, Nolana, Juli, and Kristin are all excited about scrapbooking the December season and chatting about their different approaches to the project. Nolana and Tracy are traditional scrappers, Shannon is a minimalist digital scrapbooker, and Juli loves mini-books. They all enjoy the different ways that they can document their December memories. Our conversation revolves around making the project work for your life, how to make it fun and exciting, and how to make it unique to you. Tracy discusses how she prefers to work on her December Daily album after the holidays are over, in a process she calls scrappy Christmas in July. This allows her to have more perspective on the stories she wants to tell and also batch-processes the photos and journaling. Other crafters in Ali Edwards' community have also been touting the idea of "Done by December", which is working on the project throughout the year so you don't feel pressure to work on it every day in December. List of our favorite tips & tricks: 1. Work on this project whenever it makes sense for you. Day or night, every day or spread it out, finish it in December, work on it in January, or finish it throughout the year. 2. Give yourself boundaries so that you're not trying to do everything and comparing yourself to everyone else in the process. Your project can't be everything, it can only be what you create. 3. Foundation pages can be a great way to get ahead if you like working in advance. 4. It can be fun and helpful to do things that help you get into the holiday season (playing music, getting out decorations, etc). 5. Even if you're not preparing foundation pages, it can be helpful to prepare parts of this project in advance. Organize your supplies, think about what stories you might want to tell, etc. 6. Make some things personal to you and your stories. If you're not a Starbucks person, don't feel like you need to go out and create a Starbucks cup page just because lots of people have one. 7. You can create this project in any size that you want. It can be the same size you usually work it, it can be bigger, it can be smaller. There are no size restrictions. 8. Your pages can all be different from one another. There is no need to tie everything together because you're already tying it all together with the month itself. 9. Create some stock photography on days where the lighting is good, the house is clean, and you've got your camera out. 10. Plan things out early, map out a few pages that you want to use for special days (or not special days). 11. Don't stress about the parts you find tedious. If you don't like those parts, skip them and move on to something else. Just because certain things are prominent in other people's books, doesn't mean they need to be prominent in yours. 12. Let this album be in your style. Use the things you like. Create in ways that you find fun. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing, unless you love their style too. Tracey Fox is a self-proclaimed “scrapbookin’, feminist nerd” living in central Ohio with her husband, three cats, and no kids. She is a director of data analytics by day and a scrapbooker by night (and on weekends), and she documents her introverted adventures with bright colors and lots of photos on every page. Traditional layouts are her jam, but she has been known to dabble in other projects to keep up with all the fun in the scrappy community. Tracey has taught classes and contributed content for Get it Scrapped, Scrap Happy, and The Awesome Ladies Project, and she has served on design teams for Elle's Studio, Paper Issues, Freckled Fawn, Feed Your Craft, and Color Cast Designs. These days, Tracey spends most of her crafty time stashbusting and enjoying annual projects like #scrappychristmasinjuly. Blog: traceyfox.com (traceyfox.com) Instagram: instagram.com/scrappylikeafox (instagram.com/scrappylikeafox) Nolana Lynch is a researcher, scrapbooker, social entrepreneur and more. She lives in Brisbane, Australia with her husband Aidan and son, Preston. She loves all things crafty - they bring her so much fun! When she is not working on her next crafty project, you can find her outdoors, enjoying the coastal air, the sound of the waves, hikes and the smell of the fresh Eucalyptus trees. Nolana has a rich past in social justice and environmental issues and is currently doing research on the capacity of Indigenous communities for sustainable livelihoods through native foods. Instagram: Instagram.com/nehlan.has.a.plan (Instagram.com/nehlan.has.a.plan) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nolanalynch (https://www.youtube.com/@nolanalynch) Shannan Manton is a digital scrapbooker and designer with a minimalist style. She lives in Sydney Australia with her husband and two teenage kids. Juli Whetstone is a recovering perfectionist obsessed with purple. You can usually find her scrapbooking, reading, or taking care of her many plants. Through the ALP community she’s learned “my story matters”—even when you’re single & don’t have kids.

Amanda + Kristin talk about the creative listing challenge entitled 30 Days of Lists. They touch on prepping your #30lists album, how the challenge works, how they've participated in the past, and the benefits of these type of low-impact projects with an established community backing.

Merry Christmas + Happy New Year, you crafty ass females! Welcome to the mid-season finale of our beloved Season 3 of the show! It’s sort of holiday-themed, being released on Christmas Eve, but it’s also filled with plenty of recent happenings from A + K’s December that hopefully provide some gems you could reflect on and take with you into the new year. The girls talk crafts, life, mental health, growth…you know the deal. ;)

find out more at craftyassfemale.com

How is it that time of year again, crafty ass females?! It’s time to choose a guiding word for the upcoming new year based on some aspect of your existence you want to explore. We’ve had this awesome conversation last year & the year before, and it’s fun to see how A & K have grown! // Listen to Ali’s one little word® interview with us here.

In this episode, A + K talk about establishing and creating routines, both in their crafty and personal lives. Kristin talks about some of her challenges and how she adapts her days to them, and Amanda finds ways to make creative time work inside of an increasingly busy life.

Today on the podcast we are excited to bring you Anna Lovind - a writer and editor who believes in women’s creative freedom and the power of our voices and stories. Through her writing, courses and workshops she has guided thousands of creative women to go from dreaming to doing. She is the author of The Creative Doer – A Brave Woman’s Guide from Dreaming to Doing, and co-founder of Write Your Self, a teacher training for people who want to use writing as a tool for healing. Anna lives in the deep forests of Dalarna, Sweden, with her man, their two kids and a dog.

There's never a bad time to discuss some of the most important supplies that we use every time we go to papercraft. Inks form the foundation for stamping, creating color palettes, applying textures and so much more. I've been using Washi tape in more and more interesting ways recently - check out the Daily Pages Bootcamp and the @rukristin instagram to see much more.

Erin Maya starts off by telling A + K what she’s been up to since grammar school (haa haa!) and what was involved in her track to being the musician and artist she is today. Erin also shares her perspective on her past ‘broken’ relationship, how she feels they were both not ready for each other, and how going into massage therapy was the best thing she ever did because it forced her to have new experiences. Erin opens up to Amanda + Kristin about the hardest part of leaving her ex, being rejected by the rebound guy, and singing words she had written in her journal.

A +K discuss their plans and exactly how excited they are for Ali Edwards' Pieces of Us challenge (spoiler alert: it is very excited).

Topics for our show today include: * Why do we think it matters when we include other people’s words in our scrapbooks? * How we incorporate words from people into our lives. * How to get people to get used to the idea of using words in their art. * How to incorporate current events into your scrapbooking * How song lyrics and lyrics can help you tell your story. * Bringing in other people’s perspectives can help when you don’t know what to say, but also add important context. Amazing! Look for a full blog post over on the Awesome Ladies Project later this week, and make sure to check out awesomeladieslive.com before it's too late to join us here in East Lansing next month!!! Our Guests: Christine is a memory keeper and crafter of all types and has been scrapbooking for well over 20 years. She lives in Northern NJ with her husband, daughter and Havanese, Lulu, in the town she grew up in. Professionally Christine is in commercial real estate, primarily investment and asset & property management. She is an art journaler, an avid book lover, a music, theater, movie and tv fan and a hardcore foodie. Christine has been a member of the Awesome Ladies Project since 2018 and a member of the ALP FSS since 2020. She can be found on IG as cpscraps and on the ALP as ChristineP. Megan Kiekel Anderson (she/her) has been a memory keeper for over two decades. A dark fiction writer, she lives in Kansas City with her chaotic family including too many cats, chickens, and foster kittens. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram under the handle @megan_nerdnest or at her website at www.megankiekelanderson.com (www.megankiekelanderson.com)

Topics we cover in the show: * The origins of the BFF Sticker Club * How to use stickers as a way to Tell Your Story * Our favorite stickers and sticker challenges * How to get started with stickers if they're not totally your thing (yet!) * Currently List x2 About Annie and Laura: Laura Wonsik and Annie Simkin are childhood besties who grew up to be mental health therapists, sticker enthusiasts, and adult besties! Together, they formed the BFF Sticker Club- a vibrant Instagram community of “Stickies,” who love to share their passion for stickers, snail mail, and kindness (with a decent dose of sarcasm and lots of laughter). We hope you come and join the fun- it’s the friendliest little corner of the internet. You can find us at Instagram.com/thebffstickerclub BFF Sticker Club on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/thebffstickerclub BFF Sticker Club on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/thebffstickerclub/

HAPPY FIRST MONDAY OF SUMMER 2019! Amanda ‘survived’ her first year back to teaching and she + Kristin reflect on what it means to be in ‘survival mode’ and suggest that even when you are in that mode, good things can happen and you can be thriving. We’d love for you to have a listen!

In this week's episode, Kristin invites one of her favorite people onto the show, Brandi Kincaid, for a special three episode series. This first episode centers around the amazing project, Extravagant Hope, that Brandi has been working on (and Kristin has been hearing about) for years now. Important topics in the conversation: Things that you care about can take so much longer than you think they will. You can get pulled in so many different directions. Things might look totally different or completely the same as you expected when you started out. All of these things are totally normal and completely okay. You can pick up Brandi's Extravagant Hope mailer in her The Shiny Bits shop.

In this episode, A + K talk through about the ways they are planning on documenting 2020. Amanda is planning to continue blasting out her weekly memory keeping pages in her Passion Planner®, and has taken to her website for deep dives and detailed posts. Kristin talks about her plan to jump back into pocket scrapbooking in a 3x8 album to have a chronological account of 2020. YES! She will also continue making art in Daily Pages - which if you are a member of The Awesome Ladies Project - can do so along with her everyday at 12pm! The girls also talk about great resources for COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter from around the interweb to help get those stories into your memory keeping. A + K conclude the episode discussing how to document the GREAT UNKNOWN that is the next six months of this year. As important as it is to document what has happened so far, it is equally as important to document how you feel about not knowing what is yet to come.

In this episode you'll hear Amanda + Kristin talking about selfies + Kristin's #Thursday3 weekly selfie challenge where she calls you to: (1) take + post a photo of yourself, (2) share three 'right now' things, and (3) tag three of your friends to do the same Kristin defends the 'duckface', makes excellent points on why taking a photo of yourself is better than having others take a photos of you, & provides a tip for taking 'mirror' selfies!

In 2015, MIM was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to leave her corporate job. During this time, she got back into using a paper planner and decorating it with stickers as a way to take her mind off things. MIM is now cancer-free and the host of the Planner podcast. Mim started out making stickers for herself and then decided she would give selling them on Etsy a go — and was successful! Her next step was teaching people how to make stickers through a course she created, and now she’s creating her own planner community empire! Mim talks about how the community she's built around stickers has grown over the years. We talk about how amazing it is to have this incredible online community of people who enjoy planning, scrapbooking, and all of our favorite paper crafts! Thhe community is welcoming, supportive, and friendly. Where people of all ages and from all over the world can connect with each other. We get into how the commonality of anxiety is just one of the things that brings people together in both of our communities; and we discuss the different ways of dealing with anxiety and managing our daily lives. We also celebrate the variety in the way that people use planners. We talk about personal favorite planners, how we’re using them, and the different ways that we love seeing other people use them as well! We both love seeing people find new and creative ways to use the stickers and other features to suit their needs. Links: The Planner Craft Pro Summit: https://www.theawesomeladiesproject.com/pcp (https://www.mimjenkinson.com/a/2147513878/aS8fy5Vb) All About Mim: https://www.mimjenkinson.com/ Mim's Secret Sticker Society: https://www.mimjenkinson.com/sss (https://www.mimjenkinson.com/a/2147520934/aS8fy5Vb) Mim's Planner Podcast: https://www.mimjenkinson.com/podcast (https://www.mimjenkinson.com/a/2147505372/aS8fy5Vb)

In this episode, A + K talk about how they both ‘got into’ plants and how you can’t get more ‘off the phone’ than planting and being connected to your garden. The girls discuss going through seasons and season of learning curves, dormant periods, and dispelling the myth of ‘you need to know what you’re doing’.

After 3 successful wedding seasons and the 2020 election on the horizon, MK was itching to chat about her political interests again. In a matter of months during the "off season" for weddings in Chicago, MK created First Hundred Days, a podcast inspired by the 'first 100 days of a presidency' ideology. She speaks with politicians and recent college grads alike and new episodes are out every Tuesday!