Studio Friday : Tools

Ah, Simplicity. Such a wonderful message of focus.
Have a lovely weekend,
Jen

ahhh...simplicity....AMEN sista!

I hear you! I have so much in my studio, I feel over-whelmed. It is all beautifully organized. Just too much, and stuff that I will (most likely) never use!

Completely agree! I have always been an 'all or nothing' person, and still have those tendencies, but am finding I benefit *so very much* from taking stock on a more routine, regular basis. Makes whatever I'm doing (going through pounds and pounds of patterned paper this morning) easier, simpler, better. And I have so much more creativity and energy when I have *less* stuff around, give myself fewer options to work with. Finding out that I can do more with less is such a cool, rewarding experience!
Thanks, as ever, for your inspiring and wonderfully r-e-a-l blog, Ali!

simplicity... that sounds so peaceful!! As my life gets more busy or actually it's when we are at a time of transition I find myself needing to pare down. It's like an instinct. I start cleaning things out (pantry, closet, that junk drawer, under my bathroom sink). And I can feel it in any scrapping I've done this week. Back to school and new routines call for a back to basics revolution.
I love the glimpse of your supplies. The tight shots. The details. That's where life lives. I'll be posting my Studio Friday when I get the big one off to school and the little one down for a nap. :-) Peace.

Just feel the same! Not just with the scrap stuff but with my whole household. Have been sorting out tuff lately a whole lot and it makes me feel real good. Still sometimes I feel I have to buy fun scrap stuff - which might never be used!!!

Okay, Ali. This is where I have to disagree. I go to that simple place in my brain part of the time too, when I begin to think that the Amish have it all figured out. That's stess talking. Eventually you'll come back to thinking: that Fastenator is so cool; man, the Crop-a-Dile cuts through chip board like butter; gotta have every single piece of Scrapbook Walls paper just in case, etc. More is More! Of course, stress will eventually rear its ugly head once again, your Puritanical streak will exert itself, you'll purge, and the whole cycle will start again. It's the Scrapbooking Circle of Life...
And according to this great book I recently read, you might want to consider adding patterned paper to your list of must-haves. :)

Hi Ali. I'm always trying to achieve "simple" and the more I do, the more frustrated I get with all the "stuff" I have! It feels like a never-ending process. Some day I'll hopefully get there!

Thanks to meeting you in March..I have since been purging my scrapbook 'stuff'. Going through the things I had to have that I don't use of need. I have a huge stack of magazines that I will be donating to a womens shelter that one of my friends had to stay at and a stack of idea books that I hope to some how creatively rid myself of.
It feels great! Oh ..and the new space I'm creating doesn't hurt either since we're looking at getting a dog this wknd that is 150lbs!!! hA.... Can't wait to see you again Ali...thanks for keepin' it real!

Hi, to funny just today I was thinking about tools. I am in the process of deciding on which circle cutter I want most. I know you use circles all the time on your pages. Any good recommendations? I think I have it narrowed down, but can't decide between Creative Memories or Coluzzle circle cutter. What do you use? Thanks for the tips!

Feeling the same lately...especially with fall just around the corner. Don't you just love that Crop-o-dile?!

I went to a crop with some friends last night and, thinking ahead to the unpacking part, only took a few essentials. I simplified. It was so liberating! I had just what I needed and felt more focused and had a better time. I wasn't searching through 50 pieces of paper, 100's of brads, etc. Simple really IS ok.

Hi Ali, I agree about the tools - my are simple too. It's a great way to generally live, there is a great artist called Sandy Gingras - I just love her work and I think you would too. She has a collection named Simplicity - I just love it.
http://www.how-to-live.com/index.html
Thank you for being so inspiring.

I've just about finished organizing an embarrassingly lavish amount of scrapbooking and sewing supplies in my studio -- it's overwhelming to see how much stuff is there. I wonder some days where it all came from -- and then I remember those moments of weakness... moments when I just couldn't say no... and now I am wondering why such a little word is so hard to execute sometimes! I just finished making a mini-book for my goddaughter as she goes off to college and you know what's funny? All that's in there is cardstock, a bit of velum, and photos... and I love it. Here's to simplicity -- and perhaps some growing self restraint? :-)

amen!! i'm with you there!!

I knew your tools would be fabulous! Thanks for sharing! Here's to simplicity! Cheers!

I agree. I think sometimes as scrapbook artists we get caught up in the next "thing". I have found that many of my most meaningful pages are the ones that include a picture and a story. I also find that I often feel more creative when the thinking isn't done for me (as in pre-made products) and I have to take that find from a year ago and make it work with the page I'm creating today. I think that the art we create should give us room to create, not just cut and paste.

Ali, thank your for your story and for the pictures. They gave me the idea what I was looking for for a Circle Journal about my 'scrap place'. Thank you for the inspiration (once more!).

I feel the same way. I don't need a lot of fancy tools and such to tell my stories. I like it simple. Simple and basic. I don't need to get it all complicated...

I would love to purge more stuff, but I am having sad feelings :)
I love the idea of simplicity though!!