Weekly Planner Layout for February 2024 in the Inkwell Press / Blue Sky Planners Spiral-Bound Planner

Amy Solovay's Weekly Planner Layout for the Week of February 4, 2024, Before the Pen

Amy Solovay’s Weekly Planner Layout for rhe Week of February 4, 2024, Before the Pen

Pictured here is my weekly planner layout from last week. Those of you who pay attention to planner details are probably surprised to see that I’m using a spiral-bound planner and not a discbound planner right now.

I used Happy Planners in 2022 – 2023 and was about 75% satisfied with the experience. There are things I love about Happy Planner. However, there is one thing that drives me bonkers about the way Happy Planners are laid out: Each month’s main overview page that comes stock with the planner is always on the wrong side of that month’s tab.

That one page isn’t ever enough to actually get my monthly goal setting and habit tracking done, so I routinely add a few other habit tracker and goal-setting pages to that lone, stock monthly overview page. The most logical place to put them is right beside the stock overview page, so these added pages also end up being on the wrong side of that month’s tab. There is no other way that I can see to add them before the monthly calendar spread. I’d rather have them come AFTER the monthly calendar spread, but there is no practical way to do that, because the way Happy Planners are laid out, the page after that is half of a weekly spread. So I’d rather have those monthly overview pages come before the monthly calendar rather than stuck somewhere in the middle of weekly layouts. But I’d much rather have them come AFTER the calendar spread, BEFORE the weekly layouts, and on the correct side of that month’s tab.

Two years in, I never fully got used to this. It is still counter-intuitive to the way I want to have my planner laid out, and there is no fixing it. I have repeatedly tried to make it work, and failed. When I look back at these pages from the past 2 years, I can see that I often set them up and then forgot to use them, because I suffer from out of sight / out of mind syndrome, and these pages, being on the wrong side of the tab, were always out of sight.

This is not what I want.

Despite all the other things I love about Happy Planner, I felt frustrated enough with that situation that it warranted looking around at alternatives. I knew far in advance in 2023 that I was planning a change in 2024. However, finding that magical alternative hasn’t been so easy.
I have temporarily reverted back to using a spiral-bound planner because this planner’s layout is EXACTLY, precisely what I want. I couldn’t believe my good luck to find this planner design. So far, I have been totally thrilled with it!!

This is a collaboration between Inkwell Press and Blue Sky Planners. I have used Blue Sky Planners in the past, back in the days when I was a habitual spiral-bound planner user.

The pictured planner is really a temporary solution because it’s a student planner that ends in June 2024. So, in another few months, I am going to need a new planner again.

I originally started using discbound planners because I loved the idea of being able to add pages to my planner wherever I need them. So I thought it would drive me bonkers to revert back to using a spiral-bound planner and not being able to add pages. However, this has largely become a non-issue because I haven’t needed to add pages. This planner design has all the pages I need it to have, and they are all in exactly the right place where I need them to be. So overall, this planner is working a lot better for me than my previous Happy Planners did.

This leaves me with bunches of questions:

  • Is the collaboration between Inkwell Press and Blue Sky an ongoing thing? Will I be able to get another one of these planners in the future?
  • If they’ll continue to be available, should I continue down that road? Or should I make the switch to the discbound version of Inkwell Press?
  • Could I use Inkwell Press inserts with the Happy Planner covers and metal discs I already bought? Or do I need to start over from scratch and get all new covers, all new discs, all new folders, all new dashboards, stencils, punches, etc??
  • I have 2 discbound edge punches; one is the Happy Planner 9-hole punch, and the other is the We R Makers Crop-A-Dile disc punch. Are either of those compatible with the Inkwell Press discs?

The floor is open for comments, so if you have insights to share, I invite you to post! Thanks so much!
And, thanks for dropping by my blog today. I appreciate your interest!
XOXOXOXO,
Amy

A New Phase in My Life: From Journaler to Writer to Video Content Creator

Nautical Pocket Page Scrapbooking Layouts for 6x8 Album

Nautical Pocket Page Scrapbooking Layouts for 6×8 Album

Updated 2-17-2024: I originally shared this blog post a few months ago with the intention of also posting the photos to go along with it at Instagram. However, my life around that time got crazy, and I never actually posted the pics on Instagram. So I am sharing them today and bumping this up to the top of my blog in case any of my Instagram friends want to check out the video link. Thanks so much for visiting!


6x8 Sailing Themed Pocket Page Scrapbooking Layout Featuring Supplies by Graphic 45, Altenew, Pinkfresh Studio, Simple Stories and Tim Holtz for Ranger Industries

6×8 Sailing Themed Pocket Page Scrapbooking Layout Featuring Supplies by Graphic 45, Altenew, Pinkfresh Studio, Simple Stories and Tim Holtz for Ranger Industries

I have been a journaler and writer for almost as long as I can remember. I started daily journaling when I was around 11 or 12 years old; I don’t remember my age at the time, exactly. I tore up my earliest journals, so I don’t have a record of the exact date when I started; my oldest intact journals are from when I was a teenager.


The precise timeframe doesn’t matter. The point is, I’ve been at it for a long time.


I continued with daily journaling until the time I graduated from high school. When I started college, I stuck with journaling but couldn’t manage to do it daily; I usually made a few entries every week, but the pace of my journaling definitely slowed.


After Mike and I met and I started working full-time in the textile industry, my journaling became even more sporadic and basically stopped, although I have several random entries per year from those years.


Then when I discovered scrapbooking around 2006, I decided that my journaling and scrapbooking should be merged. I wish this idea had occurred to me earlier than it did. I am still in the process of going back through old scrapbooks and merging my journaling with my photos. This project is not my highest priority, so it is taking a long time. It might take the rest of my life to finish, and I am at peace with that understanding.


And I am now working as a freelance writer, although most of my writing now takes the form of digital marketing for paying clients.


All this to say that being a writer is a central component of my identity. I see myself as being a journaler and writer. I have held other jobs in my life: restaurant server, theatre costume assistant, retail store sales associate, assistant store manager, textile designer, director of design, digital marketer and then, finally, freelance writer. In hindsight, I realize that ALL those other roles have been essential to my success as a writer, because writers need solid, real-world experiences to draw from, or they have nothing to write about.


Through every role change, I have never ceased to think of myself as a writer…


…until this past month when I was doing my planning for the months ahead, and I had a startling realization.


In the long term, writing does not appear to be the smartest path forward for my personal projects as a content creator — and, in particular, for my crochet patterns and other craft projects.


I believe I am an exceptional writer; I have devoted a sizable portion of my life to improving my proficiency at the craft of writing. I really don’t want to stop being a writer, and I don’t plan to give up writing. I am blessed (and sincerely grateful!) to have an amazing lineup of freelance writing clients who still value human writers in general; in particular, they value the life experience and insights I bring to the table as a writer.


But considering that robots are now able to write passably well, it seems inevitable that my skills will need to evolve if I hope to stay relevant as a content creator in the long term.


Up until now, I have not really thought of myself as being a videographer. However, I have all the skills required to excel at videography, so there is no earthly reason that I shouldn’t think of myself as being a videographer.


That’s because Mike, my husband and the love of my life, is an exceptionally talented videographer, and he has been super generous about teaching me how to film, edit, and attend to all the little details that successful videography requires. He used to work in the Hollywood film industry and was involved with the filming of many impressive productions; he also founded and managed a local TV channel. I picked up the basics of videography along the way by helping him make the videos he needs for his businesses, which are heavily reliant on audio-visuals.


One of the first things Mike taught me about videography: A video will only be as successful as the script it is based on. Outstanding script => Outstanding video. Mediocre script => Mediocre video. Terrible script => Terrible video.


I am excited and hopeful at this thought, because, if this is really true, there will be a time in the future when I will be able to call myself an exceptional videographer. I am not there yet, but my script writing skills are solid (I know this because I write some of the video scripts for Mike’s productions).


So I basically just need to make a shift in mindset and also a shift in my day-to-day habits; from here on out, I plan to start incorporating videography into my usual, daily content creation process.


I am announcing this intention to the world now: You can all now start thinking of me as being both a writer and a video content creator.


So let’s get this party started with a brand new video, shall we? It’s a video I made about the sailing-themed pocket page scrapbooking layout pictured above. You can find more pics plus the video and supply list posted at my craft website. I hope you will be forgiving enough to overlook the mistakes in this video, which are numerous. I learned a thousand things from making this, and I promise you, it will only get better from here.


Thanks so much for checking out this post and spending a portion of your day with me. I appreciate your interest in this project!


P.S. Did you notice that there’s a lot of space devoted to journaling in this scrapbooking layout? By now, you’ve probably deduced that it’s not a coincidence. 😀 The photos and video show you how the journaling blocks look “before the pen.” I will have to transfer the actual journaling I have from this trip onto the page at some point in the future, because right now, my old journals are packed up in moving boxes and not easily accessible.

Want a Crochet Heart Pattern for Valentine’s Day?

Free Crochet Heart Patterns by Amy Solovay

Free Crochet Heart Patterns by Amy Solovay

I’m working on organizing my pages of Valentine’s Day crafts over at KnittingCrochetCrafts.com. When I started the page, it was mostly just a list of crochet heart patterns. It has now grown way beyond that, but heart patterns are still one of the most popular mainstays on the list. Pictured above are a few options from the list, but there are bunches of others.

Happy Valentine’s Day, and happy crafting!



XOXOXOXO,

Amy Solovay

Floral Slimline Thank You Card Making Idea + Vintage Handmade Linens

Slimline Floral Thank You Card + Vintage Crocheted and Embroidered Linen

Slimline Floral Thank You Card + Vintage Crocheted and Embroidered Linen

If you’re here for the cardmaking idea, you can find a supply list at the end of this post. If you’re here because you enjoy vintage crochet or embroidery, I invite you to check out my pages about vintage crochet or embroidery at my craft website. If you’re here for the story, keep reading! Thanks so much for your visit!

I used to own a website about vintage crochet. I also used to collect vintage crochet-related things – vintage crochet books, vintage linens with crocheted edgings, vintage crochet supplies. The collection provided content for the website, and the website was the excuse I needed to justify the collection. The website did earn a micro-income, but it was mostly just a good excuse for me to have fun messing around with pretty crocheted things.

I thought I had sold off or given away all my vintage crochet stuff before I moved aboard a sailboat and went cruising. But, apparently, I didn’t get rid of it all. I recently moved, and I am now unpacking stuff that has been stored in boxes since around 2009-ish. It’s like opening a time capsule. I was delighted to find that the vintage linen pictured in the background of this photo is still somehow in my possession.

My old vintage crochet website turned out to be a stepping stone that helped me land one of my first two enterprise-level freelance writing clients. Some of y’all know me from the days I was writing that website and also writing about crochet for About.com’s (now TheSpruceCrafts.com’s) hobbies channel. If you’re still with me from those days, thanks for following along with my adventures; I am really grateful we’re still in touch.

Although I retired that vintage crochet website years ago, I’ve been slowly working on reposting its contents at my newest craft site, KnittingCrochetCrafts.com. I decided that, instead of having a bunch of different small, niche craft sites, I’d rather devote my efforts to maintaining one authority craft website. So that’s how it is that we have a current handmade card and vintage crochet / embroidery coexisting in today’s photograph.

If you’d like to make a thank-you card or other card similar to the one pictured here, you’ll need the following craft supplies:

Tools and Supplies Needed for Making This Greeting Card:

  • Paper: I used patterned Papers made by Pinkfresh Studio from their “Best Day” Collection Paper Pack and their “Some Days” Collection Paper Pack. You could successfully replicate this project idea using different papers, so feel free to use any similar papers you might already happen to have handy in your craft supplies stash.


  • Embellishments: There are zillions of different approaches you could take to embellishing a handmade greeting card. If you’re hoping to replicate this project idea exactly, you’ll need a die cutter and Pinkfresh Studio’s Mini Slimline Stitched Scalloped Rectangles die and also their Curvy Leaves Die Set. However, there are lots of places you could get a die-cut frame and some die-cut leaves; you can buy ready-made embellishments similar to these, or you could cut out your own frame and leaves. It’s also possible to use frame and leaf stickers. So you have other options beyond the exact ones I’ve used if you aren’t already set up with a die cutter and dies.


  • A Card Sentiment: The “Thank You” sentiment I used to make this card is from the “Life Is Good” stamp set, which was a collaboration between Scrapbook.com and Pinkfresh Studio. I don’t think the set is currently available, but that isn’t a problem because you can get “thank you” stamps lots of places. Or you can use letter stickers, or brush letter your sentiment.


  • Adhesive — You can use any paper-friendly adhesive to create a card design like this one.

Thank you so much for checking out my project. I hope you enjoyed it!!

Find More Card Making Ideas HERE!

Biking at Catalina Island: Madman on a Folding Bike 6×8 Scrapbooking Layout

Biking at Catalina Island: Madman on a Folding Bike 6x8 Scrapbooking Layout by Amy Solovay

Biking at Catalina Island: Madman on a Folding Bike 6×8 Scrapbooking Layout by Amy Solovay

When it comes to sailing, my husband Mike and I are mostly a couple of goofballs. We pass for capable sailors because we’ve completed impressive ocean crossings, but that could just as easily have been from dumb luck as it was from any kind of real proficiency. It takes a lifetime to truly master sailing, and we’ve only invested about five years’ worth of full-time effort in learning the sport.

Mountain biking is a different story, though. Mike is a skilled mountain biker. He can keep up with most guys ten years younger than him. A guy who’s out of shape and ten years younger than him, Mike will blow past that guy on the trail like he’s standing still.

Not long before we moved aboard a sailboat to go cruising, Mike told me he was selling his mountain bike and buying us folding bikes. I had a hard time wrapping my head around that, because Mike without a mountain bike is like a cat without its purr. But he made the decision to do that because our sailboat, Typhoon, was only 24’ (7 meters.) There wasn’t any easy way to store a couple of mountain bikes aboard the boat.

There were bunches of times we sailed out to Catalina Island and found that real mountain bikes would have been super useful to have. We’d be anchored, with bow and stern anchors set, and we didn’t want to pull them up or give up our spot in the anchorage to go get mail or groceries or whatever. So Mike, being Mike, decided he’d ride his bike from wherever we were to wherever it was we needed him to go — never mind that the terrain in between Two Harbors and Avalon is gnarly.

If you were to ride a bike across Catalina Island, you’d want it to be a mountain bike, not a crappy folding bike. But Mike didn’t let that stop him. He is the guy who rode a folding bike from Two Harbors to Avalon and back bunches of times. And frequently, he then rode back to our anchorage with a backpack full of groceries on his back. Once when he was in transit, he even got chased by an angry bison.

I usually stayed aboard the boat and crocheted while Mike went on those solo adventures. I don’t remember taking these photos of him, but I guess there must have been at least one time I went ashore with him AND the bike AND the camera. It might not seem like a big deal, but rowing anything ashore in those days was a pain in the neck. Looking back at these photos, I marvel that there was a day when we motivated to get both a bike and a camera ashore at the same time in our 5’ sailing dinghy. I am glad we did, because now I am working on scrapbooking our adventures.

Thanks so much for taking a look at my project. I appreciate your interest!

Wedding Card Making Ideas Featuring Sentiment Dies by Emily Moore Designs and Patterned Papers from Graphic 45’s PS I Love You Collection

Want to Make DIY Wedding Cards to Use for Sending Well Wishes to a Happy Couple or Giving Them a Gift They Can Use as They Embark on Married Life Together? Read on to Find 3 Wedding Card Making Ideas.

Handmade Wedding Cards

Handmade Wedding Cards

Amy Solovay, Guest Designer at Emily Moore Designs

Amy Solovay, Guest Designer at Emily Moore Designs


Hello, friends! I’m guest designing for my ultra talented friend, Emily Moore. You might already “know” Emily, too; her work is stunning, and you’ve probably seen it posted around the internet at places like A Cherry on Top Craft Shop, where Emily is a design team member.


What you might not know about Emily: She recently decided to launch her own collection of paper craft supplies, branded with her own name, Emily Moore Designs. Emily’s product offerings thus far include stamps, dies, papers, and even a Card Maker’s Essential Bundle where you can get your hands on her most popular items all at once.


Emily invited me to guest design for her website, and the projects I’m sharing here are ones I’ve made using her dies. I hope you’ll love them!

“Congratulations” A2-Sized Wedding Card With a Gift Card Holder Inside

Wedding Card Made With a Stamped Image by Hero Arts, Card Sentiment Dies by Emily Moore Designs, and Patterned Papers From Graphic 45's PS I Love You Collection

Wedding Card Made With a Stamped Image by Hero Arts, Card Sentiment Dies by Emily Moore Designs, and Patterned Papers From Graphic 45’s PS I Love You Collection


Here’s What the Inside of This Card Looks Like: Notice the Addition of the Easy-to-Make Gift Card Holder:


The inside of this wedding card features a gift card holder you can make using a die by Emily Moore Designs.

The inside of this wedding card features a gift card holder you can make using a die by Emily Moore Designs.

LOVE A2-Sized Wedding Card With Gift Card Holder Inside

Black and White Wedding or Anniversary Card Featuring Patterned Papers From Graphic 45's PS I Love You Collection Plus Die Cut Tags Made Using Card Sentiment Dies by Emily Moore Designs

Black and White Wedding or Anniversary Card Featuring Patterned Papers From Graphic 45’s PS I Love You Collection Plus Die Cut Tags Made Using Card Sentiment Dies by Emily Moore Designs


Handmade Wedding Card With Gift Card Holder and Gift Card Inside

Handmade Wedding Card With Gift Card Holder and Gift Card Inside

Slimline Wedding Card Featuring Die Cut Shapes From Emily Moore’s Card Sentiment Die Set

Slimline Wedding Card Making Idea Featuring Dies by Emily Moore Designs

Slimline Wedding Card Making Idea Featuring Dies by Emily Moore Designs

Supplies Card Makers Will Need for Creating Wedding Cards Like These

Patterned Papers, Dies and Other Craft Supplies You'll Need for Making Your Own Wedding Cards Like the Ones Pictured Here

Patterned Papers, Dies and Other Craft Supplies You’ll Need for Making Your Own Wedding Cards Like the Ones Pictured Here

I recommend the following craft supplies for making these cards:

Get Free Instructions for Making These Wedding Cards!

Tomorrow, 12-21-2023, I will be updating this post to add a link to the free step-by-step tutorial for making the slimline wedding card, so please check back soon!

Learn More About the Card Sentiment Dies by Emily Moore Designs


Card Sentiment Dies by Emily Moore Designs

Card Sentiment Dies by Emily Moore Designs

Emily Moore’s Card Sentiment dies are versatile and practical. If you already own other card making supplies like stamps and patterned papers, you’re likely to find that these dies are the perfect sizes for helping you make the most of your existing craft supply stash.


I used one of the dies from this set to cut out a stamped sentiment image that says “Congratulations” to use on the front of the tan, black and white wedding card. Hero Arts is the manufacturer of the stamp; it’s part of the “Togetherness” stamp set that also includes a stunning flower bouquet and a variety of other sentiments, some of which can also be cut out with Emily Moore’s Card Sentiment dies.


The day I received this die set in the mail, I sat down with these dies and my die cutter, and I cut and stamped my way through a massive pile of scraps that had accumulated in my stash. I stamped and die cut more than 100 sentiments, some of which are ones where that the manufacturer never originally made coordinating dies for. (For example, I don’t think the birthday gift stamp has a corresponding die; although many of the others that found their way into this picture do have coordinating dies, I don’t happen to own any of them).


Stamped and Die Cut Card Sentiments Made Using the Card Sentiment Die Set by Emily Moore Designs

Stamped and Die Cut Card Sentiments Made Using the Card Sentiment Die Set by Emily Moore Designs


If you’ve been paper crafting for awhile, and you have stamp sets that were made before the widespread popularization of die cutters, I think this die set is really going to be a useful purchase for you. It will allow you to get a LOT more use out of stamps that are probably just collecting dust in your stash if your current creative process now focuses more on die cutting rather than fussy cutting out your stamped images. And this versatile die set will also expand your options for using many of your current existing stamp sets, even if you already have the matching dies. I am finding new ways to use my stamps to make cute tags, banners, and scrapbooking page titles cut out using Emily Moore’s Card Sentiment Dies.


Just to give you a clearer idea of what is possible: I was able to use these dies to cut out a variety of sentiment stamps and image stamps by Gina K Designs, Lawn Fawn, Pinkfresh Studio and Simon Says Stamp. You’re likely to find many other compatible matches if you pull out your sentiment stamps from virtually any manufacturer, past or present, and pair them up with these dies.

Gift Card Holder Die by Emily Moore Designs

The inside of this wedding card features a gift card holder you can make using a die by Emily Moore Designs.

The inside of this wedding card features a gift card holder you can make using a die by Emily Moore Designs.

Of course, you’re already aware that when you’ve been invited to a wedding, it’s customary to give the bride and groom-to-be a wedding gift. If they’ve created a gift registry at a popular department store, it’s easy enough to choose a gift from the registry that they’re sure to use.


However, there are many good reasons to skip the gift registry and give them a gift card instead:

  • The couple is likely to need lots of assorted little things like food, cleaning supplies, tape and picture hanging hardware that aren’t necessarily available or worth requesting via a department store gift registry. Your gift card purchase could help to defray the costs of these items, making their transition to married life much easier.
  • If you’ve waited until the last minute to select the gift you’ll give them, their other friends might have already purchased all their gift registry selections — or left only gift registry items that are either beyond your budget or too large and awkward to be easily transported to the wedding.
  • It’s also possible that the couple’s preferred department store doesn’t offer a location that’s within easy driving distance of where you live.
  • If you’re really well acquainted with the couple, you might be aware of needs they have that their department store gift registry doesn’t address. A gift card will allow them to purchase items they might need, but may have been reluctant to request via their gift registry.

So if you’re onboard with giving gift cards, and you’re also a card maker, you can see that this Gift Card Holder Die by Emily Moore Designs could be a really fantastic addition to your craft supplies stash.

Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a card maker, Emily Moore’s Gift Card Holder die could be a worthwhile investment for you if you own a die cutter and frequently give gift cards to other people. Once you own a die cutter plus this die, all it takes is some cardstock or cardstock-weight paper plus paper-friendly adhesive to transform any A2-sized greeting card into a professional-looking, attractive gift card holder that will impress your friends with its beauty and functionality. When you properly attach one of these die cuts to the inside of a greeting card and then place a gift card inside the holder, the gift card will stay safely secured in the greeting card until the recipient is ready to remove it and place it in their wallet or purse.


I think this gift card holder die is really a genius invention. One of the best things about it: You can reuse it as many times as you want to. Whether you need to make one gift card holder, dozens of them, hundreds of them, or even more than that, this die will help you crank out perfectly-cut, elegant looking gift card holders.

So there you have it: wedding card making ideas you can use for making useful wedding or anniversary cards you can present to your loved ones, whether or not you want to include a gift card along with your greeting card. Thanks so much for your interest in these projects! I hope you enjoyed checking out these ideas, and that you’ll be inspired to create some lovely new cards for the people in your inner circle.

Where to Find Emily Moore Online

  • Emily’s products are all available for sale at her website, HERE. Buying from her directly is the very best way you can support her work. Although Emily’s business is relatively new, she has already completely sold out of her dies and restocked them, so you will be in good company if you place an order with her! Her website is also the only place I’m aware of that you can get her Card Maker’s Essentials Bundle. You can also sign up for her newsletter through her website.
  • Get the Gift Card Holder Die HERE.
  • Get the Card Sentiment Dies HERE.
  • A Cherry on Top Craft Shop stocks Emily’s dies, papers and stamps; you can find her collection HERE. This is a fantastic option to consider if you also need to pick up other art or craft items; A Cherry on Top stocks a huge selection of art and craft supplies beyond just paper crafting items, and they have super reasonable shipping rates, which is handy at times when you need to load your cart with project materials. I spend a bundle with them and highly recommend them.
  • You can find Emily Moore on Instagram, HERE.

Thanks for dropping by my blog today. I appreciate your presence here and also your interest in these projects!

More Paper Craft Projects Featuring Craft Supplies by Graphic 45:

Posted by: Amy Solovay


This page was last updated on 12-21-2023.

Classic Happy Planner Layout for October

Classic Happy Planner Layout for October

Classic Happy Planner Layout for October

October is a lovely month for crafting. When the leaves turn red, golden, orange and brown, there’s fresh craft inspiration everywhere you look. At this time of year, I’m always reminded of how much I love the color orange. I didn’t always love orange, but it has really grown on me.


Pictured above is an orange and black planner dashboard I made for the month of October. I’m using a Classic Horizontal Happy Planner, but a layout like this would work fine with most other discbound planners, too.


These patterned papers are almost all from Graphic45’s “Time to Flourish” collection. I used the 8″x8″ pad, but that is now really hard to find. However, you still might be able to find the 12″x12″ Collectors Edition (Check HERE, too.) The die-cut flower centers are from a Graphic 45 flower assortment. I die cut embellishments for the page using multiple dies including the
Lacey Edgers Dies by Pinkfresh Studio, the Scalloped Rectangle Frame Mini Slimline Dies by Pinkfresh Studio, Happy Day Labels by Echo Park and the Sweet Blooms Die Set by Altenew.


I used Distress Inks and Distress Oxides on some of the elements to add depth and dimension.

Thanks so much for taking a look at my project; I appreciate your interest.

See Also:

Classic Christmas Crochet Pattern Book: Traditional Danish Holiday Decorations and Gifts, by Heidi B Johannesen and Pia HH Johannesen, Published by Trafalgar Square Books

Classic Christmas Crochet Pattern Book: Traditional Danish Holiday Decorations and Gifts, by Heidi B Johannesen and Pia HH Johannesen, Published by Trafalgar Square Books

Pink, Brown and Beige Craft Projects: Crocheted Blankets and More

Photo Collage / Mood Board Featuring Craft Inspiration and Craft Project Ideas in Shades of Beige, Brown and Pink

Mood Board Featuring Craft Project Ideas in Shades of Beige, Brown and Pink -- Find Free Crochet Patterns and Free Craft Tutorials for Making All of These Projects

Mood Board Featuring Craft Project Ideas in Shades of Beige, Brown and Pink — Find Free Crochet Patterns and Free Craft Tutorials for Making All of These Projects


Welcome, creative friend! I am glad you’re here.


If you’re a crafter, which types of craft projects are you interested in working on right now? If you’re into paper crafts or crocheting, the mood board above includes several project ideas you are welcome to try if you are looking for a new project to get started on. I offer free crochet patterns and tutorials for making the projects pictured. If you have questions, feel free to ask; if I know the answers, I will do my best to help.

Hand-Stamped Slimline Thank You Card With Simple Flower Design

Floral Slimline Thank You Card

Hand-Stamped Slimline Thank You Card With Simple Flower Design

Scrapbooking Layout Documenting My Crochet Projects

Scrapbooking Layout Featuring My Crochet Projects

Scrapbooking Layout Featuring My Crochet Projects

In the scrapbooking layout above, you can see pics of me wearing a couple of my favorite crochet projects. Free crochet patterns are available online for both of these designs. In the photo on the left-hand side of the page, I’m wearing this bead crochet necklace. In the photo on the right-hand side of the page, I’m wearing this crochet infinity scarf. Click or tap either of those links if you’d like to be magically transported to the free crochet patterns for making those projects. Or, tap / click here if you’d rather learn how to make a scrapbooking layout like the one pictured above.

Freeform Crochet Blanket Made in Shades of Beige, Brown, and Peach Yarn

Freeform Crochet Blanket

Freeform Crochet Blanket


Shell Stitch Baby Blanket: Free Crochet Pattern

Shell Stitch Crochet Baby Blanket: Free Crochet Pattern

Shell Stitch Crochet Baby Blanket: Free Crochet Pattern

Earthtone Ombre Kitchen Set: Free Patterns for Crocheting a Matching Set of Variegated Potholders and a Dishcloth

Earthtone Ombre Crochet Potholders and Dishcloth: Free Crochet Patterns

Earthtone Ombre Crochet Potholders and Dishcloth: Free Crochet Patterns

Crochet Lace Dishcloth: Free Pattern

Lacy Treble Shell Crochet Dishcloth -- Free Crochet Pattern

Lacy Treble Shell Crochet Dishcloth — Free Crochet Pattern

Layered Crochet Flower

To make your own flower similar to this one, you crochet two different layers, and then you stitch those layers together. The final step is to finish off your flower with your choice of buttons and / or other embellishments. You can glue a faux crystal onto the button or stick a faux gem sticker onto the button for extra sparkle.


The bottom layer is a one-color flower that’s very easy to crochet. The flower has six petals; it lies mostly flat but has a bit of dimension around the outer edge. You can get the free crochet pattern for it HERE.

Small Crochet Flower With Popcorn Stitch Petals

Small Crochet Flowers With Popcorn Stitch Petals

Small Crochet Flowers With Popcorn Stitch Petals


The top layer is also an easy one-color flower design. I call it the Small Crochet Flower With Popcorn Stitch Petals. A free pattern is available for crocheting that, too. You can also use either layer separately.

Crochet Cupcake Potholders: Free Pattern

Over to You:


The floor is open for comments, if you have any insights you’d like to share or questions you’d like to ask.


Thanks so much for dropping by my craft blog today. I appreciate your interest!


Posted By: Amy Solovay

Fall Garden Journal Pages for September and October, 2023

September Garden Journal Pages for Discbound Planners Like Happy Planner, Arc or Tul

September Garden Journal Pages for Discbound Planners Like Happy Planner, Arc or Tul

Happy Fall, Crafty Friends!


Did you plant a fall garden for 2023? If so, which plants did you include, and how has your harvest been so far? Here’s hoping you’ve enjoyed success and are harvesting a lovely variety of flowers, fruits, vegetables, and / or herbs, depending on what you decided to grow.


October Garden Journal Pages for Discbound Planners Like Happy Planner, Arc or Tul

October Garden Journal Pages for Discbound Planners Like Happy Planner, Arc or Tul

Have you been tracking your successes (and also your failures) in a garden journal? If you haven’t already begun keeping a garden journal, now is the ideal time to create one while all the details are still fresh in your mind. By the time you get around to planting new crops next year, you’re likely to have forgotten bunches of the finer details about what you planted, where you planted it and how well it all grew — or didn’t grow. Perhaps you’ll forget which bugs, birds and other critters made appearances in your garden to help or hinder your efforts, as the case may be. These details are worth remembering so you can build on successes and improve on shortcomings next time around.


Sadly, I wasn’t able to plant a garden this year. 🙁 But when I am actively gardening, I routinely make garden journal pages to keep a record of what I’ve done well (so I can repeat those successes) and about what went wrong (so I can try a different approach the next season). I also like to keep a record of what I planted where, so that I can be sure to rotate crops effectively the next year. My garden journal also incorporates to-do lists that keep me on track on what needs to be done in the future.


If garden journaling is of interest to you, I invite you to check out more of my garden journal pages and read more about my process for making them.


If you maintain a garden journal, I’d love to know more about what you write in it, how you approach the task of putting it together and how it has helped you achieve your gardening goals. What do your garden journal pages look like? The floor is open for comments, so please feel free to ask questions or share insights in the comments area below.


Thanks so much for visiting! I truly appreciate your presence here.


Posted By: Amy Solovay

Fall Craft Ideas

Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice Mini Fall-Themed Scrapbook Album

Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice Mini Fall-Themed Scrapbook Album

Happy fall, y’all!


It’s officially fall…You know what that means. Sweater weather is here! That’s fantastic news for those of us who enjoy crocheting and knitting. It’s also a wonderful time of year for scrapbookers to get out our cameras and take some pics of the family at the pumpkin patch or in the forest as the autumn leaves transition from green to golden, orange, red and brown. Cardmakers enjoy making fall-themed DIY greeting cards to send to friends and family.


Pictured above is a fall scrapbook mini album I made using photos from last autumn.


The thing I love most about this project is how affordable it is. I have been spending a small fortune buying Simple Stories Sn@p! binders and 6″x”8″ page protectors to fill them with. Honestly, I love the look of the scrapbooking albums I make using those binders much more than I love the little hand-bound mini albums I’ve been making. What I don’t love is the total cost for the binders, the pages, and all the supplies to fill them with. Don’t get me wrong, I think they are totally worth the money for what you get (and I’ve bought bunches of them!) But binding your own albums is an easy way to save money, so if you’re a crafter with other financial priorities besides just making the prettiest possible craft projects, I think this is an idea you’re likely to love.


Once you’ve made a small upfront investment in buying the craft supplies needed for binding your own mini albums, then it’s just the cost of photos, cardstock, paper, and whatever embellishments you choose to use for your projects. This will allow you more cash left over for things like retirement savings and buying school supplies for your kiddos — which is totally win-win! This affordability is the reason I’ve been making so many hand-bound mini albums lately. I’ll be sharing more of them soon…


If you’d be interested in learning more about how to bind your own mini scrapbook albums similar to this one, you can find a step-by-step tutorial and a supply list HERE. I hope you’ll give it a try! It’s really easy to do, and once you know how to do it, you can use these ideas to make super affordable but truly amazing gifts for all your friends and family members. Not to mention, you can make bunches of these for yourself to use as junk journals, bullet journals, scrapbooks, notebooks, or whatever.


If that’s not the type of craft project you’re interested in working on right now, maybe you’d rather take a look at some other fall craft ideas. I posted a page at my craft website dedicated to fall crafts; the page features a roundup of many fall-themed projects in a variety of craft techniques including crochet, paper crafts and other crafts. If you like to make lovely craft projects, and you aren’t sure what you want to start working on next, that page is a fantastic spot to find ideas. I hope you’ll find it useful.


Happy crafting!


XOXOXOXO,



Amy