Wishes & Wonder |

Hello Friends!

Just wondering how many of you out there are the Keep It Simple (KIS) type of crafter, versus “I’m going to put a little bit of everything I have in my crafting supply” type of crafter? I tend to be the latter, and often have to remind myself that “it doesn’t all have to go on ONE card!”.

It’s a tendency I’ve always had, I think. I tend to over-complicate things, and over-think things. Sometimes it takes a gentle nudge from family or friends to remind me that sometimes simple is better! Be it preparing for the holidays, i.e. I’ve got to decorate every room in the house, have all matching dishes, silverware, tablecloths, centerpieces, for every table (our family has gotten quite large over the years!), the exact same number of presents for everyone under the tree; to I want to know all there is to know about a certain subject and won’t rest until I feel I’ve studied it to death; to did he/she really mean what he/she said, or is there more to the story? – and come up with all sorts of scenarios in my head.

I’ve heard the exasperation in others’ voices many times in my life – “You’re making it too complicated, you’re overthinking it – QUIT!” And, it’s true; I do have that tendency and I know it. And, it carries over into my crafting as well.

So, today I decided I would start simple, and gradually add to my creation. I’ve been paper crafting for decades now and have a, ah-hmmm, “very comprehensive collection of supplies”. However, I know that isn’t necessarily the case for all of you, so I wanted to scale back, starting simple if you’re a crafter with minimal supplies, and step it up gradually.

I often have a hard time knowing where to stop when I’m working on a project, and by the time I’m done, I’ve thrown “a little bit of everything” onto it and for the most part, am generally happy with the results.

But today, in dialing things back and then comparing all three cards – simple, moderate, more complicated – I learned something. I actually like the more moderate card (middle) the best. While I’m overall pleased with the final result (more complicated), in comparison of the cards, I don’t really think it needed the extra supplies, time and effort.

Here are the three versions below. Let me know in the comments which one you like best. I actually went ahead and submitted the second one to the CASology card challenge this week; the theme is “stag”. Of course, CAS stands for Clean And Simple, hopefully the the second one is clean and simple enough!