Magazine Mania
Hey there!
Several of you have asked me how I get my project ideas. Not only am I cranking out 3 projects for my blog each week, I'm also crafting and creating personal projects throughout the week. YouTube is of course, a big part of my crafting creativity. I see other people making things and I want to do the same thing. But, when I am looking at card ideas or paper crafting, I pull out my magazines.
I keep crafting magazines forever. If you've seen these magazines at the big box craft stores, then you know that they can get pretty expensive. They run about $5.95 to $19.95. The ones with the good crafts are closer to the $12 or more price point. You do not read those and throw them away. You keep those bad boys until the pages fall apart. The you pop them in page protectors!
One of my favorite magazines of all times is Where Women Create (I also like Where Women Cook). Where Women Create is fantastic magazine that shows you the crafting space of creators. At first glance you might think it's just pretty pictures of crafting spaces but it's much more than that! There are interviews about the crafters -- what their inspiration is, how their space makes them feel, and some of the things they have created in their space.
Stampers' Sampler is one of my favorite card making magazines. Being able to flip through this magazine has really upped my card game as well as scrapbook layouts and mini album covers. The tagline of the magazine is "The art of rubber stamping" but the book is more than, "this is a rubber stamp -- use it". You get tips, tricks and ideas for your next project. I can flip through an older magazine and come up with 3 or 4 project ideas!
I'll be honest. I have never made a purchase from Stampin' Up or Close To My Heart that wasn't from a craft show or scrapbook store consignment sale. But, I have purchased and requested their magazines. The reason is because the card ideas are fantastic! I'd never think of making half of the projects that they come up with. And, when you buy a magazine or request a magazine you make a friend. I like to make sure to grab something from that friend when a sale is happening.
I also pick up other magazines. Scrapbooking is a good one. Even though there are a lot of ads, the ads show me products that I've been eyeballing anyway. The layout ideas in this magazine are pretty good. There are others that I pickup at Barnes and Noble or JoAnn too.
Like I said, I get many ideas from YouTube and online websites but magazines have great ideas that are timeless. Sometimes when I am at a loss for ideas, I pick a random magazine, flip through and I usually end up with so many great project plans. Go ahead. Invest in just 1 good magazine. I bet you end up with several new projects too!
