Warning: Frugal Artist at Large
Debbie Ward, from over at Lucky Girls Paper Arts, has identified herself as a frugal artist. She recently realised that continually buying new scrapbooking papers, embellishments and ephemera doesn't always make her more creative. By going through the supplies she already has accumulated and purchased over the many years Debbie have been crafting, it provides an opportunity to "make do" and create lovely cards.
Whether it's paper you have stashed away, rubber art stamps you haven't used in a while or a pile of cardboard that is just gathering dust, turing your hand to craft recycling can help to focus your attention. It also goes a long way to creating real value with your artwork and scrapbooking by using what you already have. It also makes it much easier to use materials you already have, rather than trying to find a new home for it!
So how do I get started?
Getting started is very simple - you don't need to go out and buy anything new. We just need to set aside some time to go through all of our drawers and boxes. To start with, don't try to force any ideas. Just have a look at what you have. Put like items together. Throw out or recycle any obviously ruined materials or tools that no longer work properly.
After a while, the ideas will start to flow. You will find things you had forgotten buying. Or papers that you only used one sheet and the resto of the pack is still waiting to be used. Then the ideas will begin to flow. You can then decide to jump into a new project or, if you don't want to get distracted from your sorting process, make a few notes and sketches in your art journal or sketch book. Also note what materials you want to use and where you have put them so you can find them when you do jump into a new project.
If you would like to read more to determine if you are becoming a Frugal Artist, come over and visit.
