A CreafTEA Project

It’s been a while since I felt inspired to craft, thank goodness I have my vegetable garden to keep my mind busy and my body in motion. Gardening gives me the opportunity to retreave to a happy place in my head just like creafing often does. Last week was the first time that inspiration hit me while I was in my craft room. There was a tea bag on my desk from a happy mail that I received a while back. The art work and the colors where so pretty I didn’t want to throw it away so I kept it. This little bag inspired me to create a larger version and add a quote inside becuase quotes are always a good thing.

I liked this project so much that I decided to create a template of the bag and share it here with you. I also went as far as designing the pattern on the bag. I hope you like it. I have included 2 tags that will serve as the “tea bag” this is where you can add a quote or a message if you would like to use these as a gift tags. I think it would make a cute decoration to a pretty package.

This is the one that I made. I love it! Now you can make your own. Decorate the bag with the butterfly I am including in the freebie. Maybe print your quote, which is what I should have done.

tea-bag-copy-3Download

The dotted lines are where you fold the paper. you won’t be able to see those once the bag is folded. You can pring the file on the white side of the single sided pattern paper if you would like the inside of the bag have a pattern Just like mine. I had to glue 2 pieces of the same paper to achive the look. You can also print the file twice and glue both pieces back to back and have the same pattern inside as well. I hope this made sense.

One last suggestion. You can use the print as a template and trace the design onto a pretty pattern paper and cut out the pattern. Have fun with this project any way you choose to create it.

Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you tag me if you share this project on your social media. @whitesugardesings

Have a lovely weekend.

Fall/Halloween Freebie

today

Wow! how longs has it been? life has been just a little wacky lately and well, I haven’t had much time to craft and to be honest, my mojo has also gone to sleep and I can’t wake it up! Today after several weeks of working on some artwork that I could turn into a freebie, I have finally finished and can share it with you.
I hope you enjoy these and can use them in some fun Fall projects! Don’t forget to tag me if you share on IG. @whitesugardesigns

free-fall-halloween-tags-3Download

One Question A Day/November

Seeing the good around us. These are hard times we are living in and I feel the news are only “BAD” news. I for one can’t take it. My mind gets stuck in the negative and I have a hard time snapping out of it. For this reason I have decided to make the theme this month “Seeing the Good”

Seeing the good is something we have to train our minds to do. Why is it so easy to go to the negative thought instead of the positive one?. I hope this month you will practice to focus on the good that exists in the world. We still need to know what is happening and keep ourselves informed but I think it will help us all to think about the good that still happens all around us

November-Download

October One Question A Day

Hello! I said good bye to summer with a tear in my eye. But welcomed Fall with a bright smile. The month of October is special not just because of Halloween but also because it’s my birthday month. In this awful year of 2020 I turn the big 50. I am bummed not because I turned 50 but because I couldn’t celebrate the way I wanted. My husband also turned 50 and so we wanted too through a hug Halloween, dress up party to celebrate this mile stone. But 2020 said no. We are allowing ourselves to stay 50 an extra year and have a proper celebration in 2021.

The reason why I had to tell you about my birthday it’s because the questions for this month are based on a realization that I need to start thinking and planning for the next phase in my life. After all I am middle age now. These questions are based on some of the thoughts that have recently been kicking around in my head, maybe some of you have been thinking about such things as well. You might have to do some research to answer some of the questions, after all that’s what this writing exercise is about; to get us to think deep and search our own souls.

P.S. I am so sorry for my delay in getting these to you. I have been beyond busy with family matters, a little traveling and birthday celebrating too.

october-small-sheetDownload

One Question A Day/September

I must admit, it is getting harder to find questions that are fun, engaging and most importantly, not repeated. This month I decided to take on the “Would you rather” approach and just have fun with the questions and also the journaling. Don’t take them seriously, but take the time to write reasons and stories that might go with the answers. And definitely don’t feel like you have to pick one or the other, maybe you want to pick both or none.

If you have any suggestions or ideas for next month’s theme send me a note. My email is here and you can also reach me on Instagram or Facebook, after all, they are one and the same.

SeptemberDownload

A little freebie for you

If you follow me on IG, you know how obsessed I am with the Humming Birds around my house. I have two feeders protected by a fierce male humming bird. My morning routine includes 10 minutes of watching the pair of little birds feed and fly around while I drink my cup of tea in my back yard.

Today I also enjoyed creating a fun drawing of a humming bird that I would like to share with you. I colored it using a new set of markers that I received from Arteza They were gracious to send me a set to try out. These alcohol based markers (Everblend Art Markers) get 5 stars, they are amazing to work with. Take a look at this quick little time lapse vidoe of how I colored my humming bird.

It’s so great to be able to blend the markers as much or as little as you want.

Now for the freebie- You can download this little guy and use it to create a card to send to a dear friend. You can print it and frame it or fussy cut it and add it to your project. I hope you like and use it.

Don’t forget to visit Arteza and check out their Back To School Sale going on right now.

Humming Birding PNGDownload

One Question a Day /August

This month we will be answering Hypotherical questions. What if I had won the lottery? what if I had 3 children instead of two? What if I had stayed in El Salvador? Are hypothetical questions useful? Why should we care about the things that could be, or could have been? The answers may not be real, but they can tell a lot about a person’s personality and emotions.

There are cultures where the concept of “What if?” or “what would it be like?” type of questions do not exist. They are consider a waste of time. Why ponder on things that are not real?

I called these questions, dreams! If I ponder on Hypothetical questions, they are usually fun and positive and the answers are also light hearted.

Remember these are questions for yourself- no one has to read them. I hope you discover something interesting about your mind, your emotions and your logic.

August questionsDownload

July-One Questions a Day

The theme for this month’s questions is ” My personality type”. I recently discovered that I am an Empath- According Dr. Judith Orloff from Phycologytoday.com – The trademark of an empath is feeling and absorbing other people’s emotions and, or, physical symptoms because of their high sensitivities. These people filter the world through their intuition and have a difficult time intellectualizing their feelings.

I found it this fascinating, I thought that the way I felt was the same as everyone else. But that was not the case. I recently read about the characteristics of an empath personality (a questionnaire)- found in Phycologytoday.com- to find out the level of my empathy. The results shocked me, but also made so much sense. I finally understood why my emotions were to the roof with the recent events going on around the world and around my city. My stress level and emotions were overwhelming and they paralyzed me. I didn’t have to watch the news to feel the overpowering fear and sadness that the world was experiencing. I often attributed all these strong emotions of fear and anxiety to my childhood experiences when I lived in El Salvador during the war. I am sure it is a combination of both, my personality and my experiences.

This month’s questions are a guided soul searching. A way for you to learn more about your personality type, what makes you, you. Why you are the way you are. A reflection on your feelings and even some behaviors. Sometimes we go about our day, living our lives not being aware of why we feel the way we feel or act the way we act.

Although these questions could be answered with a “yes” or “no” take the time to think deeper and explore your answers. Why did you answer “yes” or why was your answer “no”, why do you think you answer the way you did? what are the reasons for your answers? are you happy with your responses? did you realize you had that quality or that characteristic, that personality trait? dissect your responses and I hope you will learn something interesting and fascinating about yourself.

There are all types of tests out there you can take to find out more about your personality type. I will add some links below for you to explore. I hope you find them useful.

16 Personalities. https://www.16personalities.com/personality-types

Myers and Briggs https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/

Empath test http://www.empathtest.com

july-questions-copyDownload

preguntas-de-julioDownload

Quote Journal 2019

“Kind people are my kind of people”

My quote journal or words of wisdom, I started this project at the end of 2016 and can I tell you that by 2020 I now have a priceless collection of quotes. Every year I come up with a theme. I found it was a lot easier to concentrate on specific quotes than just randomly quick them as I found them. It also helps me avoid duplicates. The list of themes gets shared here on my blog as a freebie for those of you who like to follow along.

Quote Themes-2019Download

Quote Themes 2019

Every year I change themes and I also change the medium in which I record them. In 2016 started with a handmade journal, in 2017 I used a 3 ring binder, in 2018 I decided to use 2 standard size traveler’s notebooks- this year I decided to give away my quote journals, yes1 give them away. As part of a giveaway on my IG account and for hitting a big milestone I gave away the first 6 months of quotes and I just recently gave the second traveler’s notebook to a dear friend.- For 2019 I am using a personal size planner by Webster’s Pages I love the small size and the fact that I can add as many pages as I need. I did end up using two planner binders to fit all the quotes.

I find this quote journal project so helpful. There are days when I need inspiration, not just creative inspiration but also life inspiration. Words are so powerful, they can hurt you deeply and they can also make you feel like a million bucks. Why not surround yourself the right kind of words

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I decide my vibe

I ofter film my creative process when I am working on this journal (ok, this binder) You can visit my YouTube Channel and browse through my collection of videos. I hope you find spiritual inspiration as well as the creative type.

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My mind is filled with positive thoughts

Here are some powerful words to remember. The past can not be changed, opinions do not define your reality, everyone’s journey is different, judgments are not about you, overthinking will lead to sadness, happiness is found within, your thoughts affect your mood, smiles are contagious, kindness is free, it’s ok to let go and move on, what goes around comes around, things always get better with time.

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If you are wondering where I get my quotes from, the answer is Pinterest. You can visit my page and find the board “Words Of Wisdom” I categorize my quotes according to the themes of each month. You can find tons of quotes and literally get lots in quotes, so proceed with caution.

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One Question A Day-January to May

One question a day is one my most important projects. The response I have received has been amazing and I didn’t want to disappoint anyone. I was so worried about the transitioning of my blog and I did not want to have any time lapse between months. Thank goodness publishing the new blog took no extra time.

To keep this post simple and questions easily accessible, I have decided to add all the questions here in this post. You will be able to download each monthly questions as needed starting with January. I will have a separate post for the questions that have been translated to Spanish by my friend Paola.

Let me know if you have any questions. I hope you enjoy this intentional writing exercise.

January questionsDownload

February questionsDownload

March questionsDownload

April questionsDownload

May QuestionsDownload

Hello and Welcome

My name is Claudia and I started scrapbooking in 1999 when my sister gave me my first Creative Memories album as a wedding gift. I fell in love with this creative form and have been doing it ever since. My first passion was drawing but once I was introduced to paper crafting I was hooked. The love for this creative outlet has led me to meet some amazing people, make some new and wonderful friendships and even become a product designer. I am so excited to be able to share my creative passion with you here in my new blog.

My style of crafting has definitely changed over the years, but not just on how I apply the supplies or what techniques I use, but also what type of projects I work on. My creative journey has evolved into different forms other than just scrapbooking. I now have learned to create and make from scratch junk journals, my new favorite form of documenting special memories such as family vacations. I also discovered mixed media and now I sometimes include this technique in my journals or create canvases that I can display in my home.

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creative minds inspire others

My goal is to share my creative process with you and my hope is to inspire you. Over the years I have learned many things during my creative journey; that we all need to have a creative outlet ( a hobby ), having one can help us release stress, express our deepest emotions, it can turn into a source of income, it can helps us connect with others and to achieve a feeling of being part of community. Creative people speak the same langue therefore braking any and all differences. We all need the sense of belonging and being a part of a creative group can give us that.

There is another very important thing I have learned through the years and that is “Progress over perfection” I have let go off all types of creative rules from the past. Rules like document your memories in chronological order, or that I have to document every single holiday and not pay attention to the little moments of my daily life. I now craft what I want, when I want. I also use the most precious ephemera piece I own or specialty paper I have in the most basic project I want to create. No more hoarding those unique pieces that sit there waiting for the right and special project to arrive. The right project is the one I want to create today.

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Do it for the process

Thank you for stoping by, I hope you found inspiration and some liberation ideas that will help your creative process a much joyful one. Do hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. To see more projects please visit my other social media accounts. You can find all the links in the home page.

Take care and enjoy your creative journey

Claudia

One Question A Day-December

Only 31 days left in 2020, I am happy it will be over soon and hopeful that 2021 will be a better year. I am sure we all feel the same way. Another thing I can’t believe, I am adding the last set of questions for this writing project. I am thrilled that I was able to complete it and proud of those of you who took on this challenge and saw it all the way through. This month’s questions are all about reflecting on the events of 2020 and how it affected us individually and world wide.

I think I mentioned this on another post but I will not be doing this project next year. At the end it proved to be hard to keep the questions from repeating. I am trying to be a finisher next year and complete any project I start. If you follow me on IG you may also know that I will not be doing my quote journal either. This two project are being replaced by a perpetual journal calendar and a memory keeping flip album.

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Memory Keeping Album and Perpetual Journal Calendar

Thank you again for keeping me on my toes with this intentional writing project. 2020 turned out to be the best year for this project because we needed to write down all those emotions that we went through as we experienced a pandemic. Have a blessed holiday season and an even more enjoyable new year.

DecemberDownload