Do You Struggle With Crafter's Block?

Picture this; you've been working hard to finish a big paper craft project that's taken you several days! You've shopped, designed, glued and now you finally finished it. What a blast that was! You want to start another project right away, but unfortunately your creativity seems to have disappeared. Have you ever wondered what to do when you have crafter's block?

If you've ever been in this situation, you're in luck! Design Team Member Kate @katedeignancards is back to share how she gets through crafter's block and is able to stay creative long term.

Do you ever struggle to find inspiration? Can't seem to find a card you want to make? I just spent several days struggling to be crafty and thought I'd share a few tips that helped me come out of my creative slump!

My Top 4 Tips To Get Out Of A Creative Slump

TIP # 1 - Use social media for inspiration

Christmas is over, Valentine and Easter cards are made, and it's too early for Mother's Day cards, so what do I do? First, I find my self gravitating towards spending half an hour on Instagram or Pinterest to solve my dilemma. Spend time looking at things that inspire you! Do you like lots of color or use a lot of printed paper? Look through social media for project ideas in the areas that interest you.

TIP # 2 - Reorganize your workspace

Recently I found myself going days without any interest in crafting, inspiration, or ideas. For me, if looking through social media doesn't work, I turn to organizing or re-organizing. You could try labeling some stamp sets or craft organizers, move around a few drawers, or even throw out some of those mistake crafts you thought you could salvage. If this doesn't work it's time to try tip number three.

Though this still didn't get my creativity going, I found some pretty paper and an older butterfly die I wanted to use. 

TIP # 3 - When in doubt, add a rainbow 

I now had a pile of cardstock set aside, but wasn't sure which colors to use. Working with color can be challenging. However, I feel like a rainbow is not something you have to think about too much: it's just ROYGBIV. When you aren't sure what colors to use, use them all and create a rainbow.

I used an older butterfly die that I found while reorganizing and cut it from all seven colors. I used my favorite neutral (Fig Swirl) as the base and glued down all the butterflies. The card was nice but needed something else. 

TIP # 4 - Take time to decide what's lacking

When you can't decide what else to add to your project, let your design sit out on your desk until the next day. Different lighting and a different perspective may tell you what to add. Space away creates opportunities to clear your mind and come back refreshed.

Once I took some time away from the card, I had an idea! I decided to add some smaller butterflies cut from rainbow holographic cardstock to give it some depth and interest apart from the other butterflies.

Isn't that so much better? I loved the way this turned out and enjoyed the process. Here is a close up of the final product after getting out of my crafter's block!

12x12 Cardstock Shop Supplies:

• Bazzill Smoothies in Cerise Pink, Hyacinth, Quench, Fruit Punch, Lime Crush, Starfruit Bliss (discontinued), Tangerine Blast, Fig Swirl
• Bazzill Card Shoppe in Butter Mints
• Encore Rainbow Holographic
• Die from PaperTreyInk
• Sentiment from Hero Arts

I hope you got some ideas to help you get back into the crafting mindset and know more ways to stay creative consistently. I know I'm back, baby! 

-Kate
@katedeignancards

Now that you know how to use color why not try using new colors of Encore Glitter Cardstock?