Years ago when I worked in corporate America as an HR professional, I was required to attend what my colleagues liked to call “happy camp”. Each year new employees (and those who needed a dose of “happy”) were sent to Fredericksburg, TX for three days of motivational speaking and self-realization exercises with world renown motivational speaker Ed Forman. There isn’t much that I remember from that trip, however I did manage to take away one very important piece of advice:

“Never begin your day by watching the news.” Mr. Forman advised. “You should get up, stretch, brush your teeth, wash your face, exercise, and eat a healthy breakfast. Watching the news first thing in the morning will do nothing but bring you down and ruin your spirits!”

Years later I would come to appreciate his sage advice!

When I started scrapbooking, I would have never guessed how much the simple act of planning a layout, gluing precious photos on gorgeous paper, and embellishing could be so therapeutic. If I was lucky, I got to spend hours and hours focused on creative play. I would emerge from my scrap desk completely satisfied, fulfilled and creatively spent.

Recently, the news has been filled with one heart breaking story after another. As I wrote in a post on the Victoria Marie Facebook Group a few weeks ago, I just need time to breath – time away from the world, the news, and all that is bad and to just be still. And in moments of despair and utter helplessness, I retreat to my passions – reading, traveling, and scrapbooking.

I am not running away; I’m an adult…I certainly know that I have to face issues head on. But sometimes, you just need a break from it all. I took to my craft studio, turned on my favorite music, and started to create.

Creating is productive – it takes my mind off of the things I cannot control, it allows me to refocus. I remember that all is well with the world. I tell myself that while there are a lot of awful things to be worried about, life is amazing, full of promise and hope.

We must all believe this, right?

I like to open my art journal and let my feeling pour out on a clean piece of mixed media paper. I let the colors take me on journey, my heart decides the design.

I pull out my unfinished scrapbooks, print pictures, and begin the work of putting a layout together. I take a moment to reflect on the story I am documenting. I stare at my photos – I smile and laugh, some bring me to tears. My creative play goes on well into the wee hours of the morning.

Crafting is my therapy.

When I make things, I’m in control. No one is there to remind me of what’s going on in the world.  No one is there to dictate my next step or tell me to worry, I just go with the flow.

I took Mr. Forman’s advice…I don’t wake up to the news anymore. I don’t have cable. I’ve unsubscribed and stopped following my favorite news outlets. I don’t read the newspaper. When I want to consume news, I know where to go – it’s always there…24/7.

Instead, I escape to my creative place…my private retreat. My home away from the harshness of the world. I am safe and happy in this place.

 

 

Holiday Sale! 50% Off ALL Victoria Marie Online Classes!

Just use coupon code Holiday50 when purchasing a class!!!

Sale ends on Monday, December 26, 2016!

Course Site: https://victoria-marie.thinkific.com/

GIVEAWAY!!!

And…when you purchase a 2016 Victoria Marie Online Class, you will be entered to win one of five (5) FREE course enrollments toward any 2017 VM Online Class!

Here’s the tentative class line up for 2017:

Spring:
Layering Like a Boss 2 – Impactful Embellishments
How to Become a Scrappy YouTuber

Summer:
Stash Busters 1.0
Creative Pocket Scrapbooking

Fall:
Fall Into Gratitude – A Month of Mindful Scrapbooking

Gift a Class!

And guess what? It’s easy to spread the love! You can even purchase a class for a loved one!

Check out the VM Gift Vouchers now available on the Victoria Marie Class Site!

Here’s wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Victoria Marie Designs!!!

December marks my sixth month of solopreneurship and let’s just say I’ve been through a few ups and downs. Now, don’t get me wrong…I love working for myself. There is nothing I would rather do than being my own boss. But, being a small business owner isn’t for the faint at heart. You have to take the good with the bad, know when to let things go, and kick yourself in the rear when you feel like giving up.

I’ll start with my successes:

First – I’ve been in business for 6 months! I told myself that I would give this business a shot for  one year. However, there have been times when I felt like closing shop and finding a full time job. It is hard guys…really!!! Sometimes you feel like you are swimming up stream without a paddle. And other days you are literally on cloud nine! I am committed to giving myself a chance. I never want to regret not seeing this business through…if I go down it won’t be for a lack of trying!

Second – I launched 4 classes in less than 6 months! OMG! That sounds like a lot because it FREAKIN’ IS!!! Admittedly, I should have paced myself. It takes a lot of time to create and produce high quality classes. I felt like I was on a class making roll – I couldn’t stop!

Third – I hosted my first ever professional scrapbook retreat! To say I had a blast is an understatement! This retreat was amazing and it felt good to connect with a group of awesome scrappers, many who have been with me since day one. The retreat was held at the Covered Bridge Inn in Weatherford, TX. The venue was gorgeous and the owners were incredibly accommodating. We created, and talked, and ate to our hearts content. The 2017 fall retreat is sold out and I have plans for more retreats as well…stay tuned for details!

Fourth – I am LOVING all of the flexibility I have in my life right now!  There are so many things that I get to do simply because I have the time to do it – take and pick up my kiddo from school, go on lunch dates with my sweetie, work from Starbucks, hang with my mom (she’s retired)…the list goes on and on. I like being completely in charge of my schedule!

Fifth – I am learning so much! Everything I do comes with a learning curve, some steeper than others. From advanced video editing, understanding copyright and licensing laws for stock photos and audio files, to creating an editorial calendar…there is so much to learn. I’m on a continual hunt for resources!

Now, with the good comes the bad…I’ve had some challenges as well:

First Challenge – I am not entirely comfortable with our financial situation. We’ve experienced some setbacks recently that we were not prepared for. While my class sales have been somewhat strong, I fully understand the struggle of having inconsistent income. At this point, I am considering finding a part-time gig to supplement until my income from my business is more consistent or at least until I can pay down some unexpected expenses. If you are considering working for yourself, I highly recommend that you save at least 3-6 months worth of income before going into business full time. Always expect that the unexpected will happen…because it does! I am confident that things will pick up, but man it’s been a bit rough.

Second Challenge – Remember when I said that I love all of the flexibility I have now that I work for myself? Well, it’s actually a double-edge sword. All of this flexibility has made me a bit unproductive at times. As someone who worked outside of the home for years, I found that I NEED an 8-5 type schedule to keep me on task. Of course, I still command my own time, but I needed to create a bit of structure within my day so I can be more productive. I have a lot of projects that I want to launch in 2017 and those projects will not get done if I do not create a more structured environment.

Third Challenge – I want to do all the things!! I have so many ideas in my head and I want to do them all. But, I’ve come to the realization that I can’t do all the things. I remember when I worked in corporate America, an executive with a company I worked for once said, “Let’s focus on doing 3 things really well instead of doing 10 things really bad.” I’ve carried that with me throughout my professional life. Now, I just need to apply that same advice to my business ventures.

Fourth Challenge – One of my classes didn’t do as well as expected. To be honest, this was a complete shock to me. I poured so much into this particular course so it was upsetting to see it not perform as well as my other classes. However, it is to be expected – there are some projects that will be amazing and yield high profits and there are other projects that will fall flat. I have learned to reevaluate my strategy and to be realistic with my projections. Each project allows me the opportunity to learn and grow.

So there you have it…the good and the bad. Overall, I am really enjoying this journey and wouldn’t give it up for the world! Granted, there are days when I want to retreat to the old and familiar, but I am committed to seeing this first year through!

Next week I will share my exciting plans for 2017…onward and upward!!!

I’m back with the second story in my Holiday Project album. This story is called Coming Home. This layout was created using materials from my holiday stash. To see what I am using this year, check out these two videos on the Victoria Marie YouTube Channel: The Holiday Project Getting Ready and Hip Kit Club Kit Share.

My older brother Love Majors (yes, he’s name is Love…it was the 60s :)) proudly served in the U.S. Air Force as a firefighter. In his early years of serving, it was uncertain if he would be able to come home for the holidays. He was single with no children at the time so often was the case that military personnel with families were sent home during the holiday season while singletons remained on post. As I child I didn’t get to see him much – we are 15 years apart and he spend most of his younger adult years stationed overseas. Any opportunity for him to come home was truly exciting! I adored my big brother…still do!

In December 1986, we learned that he would be coming home for Christmas! The week’s leading up to his arrival were too much for me to bear! I would get so excited about everything – riding to the airport, greeting him at the terminal (I miss being able to do that), jumping into his arms, talking his ear off on the ride home…

Finally the day came! To the airport we went to pick him up…and yes, I jumped in his arms and wouldn’t let go. My mom would cry and hold him tight, as moms do when their children have been away for awhile. Christmas was always special when Love Buggy was home!

When we arrived home, my mom would busy herself in the kitchen preparing dinner. Love would put on a Michael Jackson record and the two of us would dance and play around in the living room – typical older brother/young sister antics (there was body slamming, pillow throwing, moonwalk competitions). On Christmas day I would wake everyone up at the crack of dawn to open presents. It was so awesome to have Love home – we didn’t spend many Christmas together but when we did it was amazing!

The overall design of this layout is very simple. I cut circles from several pattern papers from the Crate Paper Snow and Cocoa Collection along with a piece of pattern paper from the November Hip Kit Club kit as well as velum. I also used a large circle punch to cut out my photo. To the circles I added an ornament and house die cut from the Snow and Cocoa Collection along with a wood veneer ampersand from my stash. The title was created using the “Doll” font by Thickers and a smaller black letter font from the BasicGrey Highline Collection.

I love the clean simplicity of this layout!

To view the process video for this layout, visit the Victoria Marie YouTube channel! More to come…stay tuned!

The time has finally come! The students who are enrolled in The Holiday Project – 12 Stories 1 Album are getting ready to put their holiday albums together. As I stated in the promo video for The Holiday Project class, I will be sharing my entire scrapbook process and holiday album on the Victoria Marie YouTube channel starting this Sunday! If you want to learn more about The Holiday Project, visit the “Classes” section of this blog. The class is still available so come join us if you are looking for a simple holiday project.

Now, let me share a little bit about my album and first layout!

Here is the album I am using for this project. I purchased this album at Hobby Lobby.

Since The Holiday Project is all about robust storytelling, I decided to use a 8.5 x 11 album. I wanted enough space to create pocket and traditional layouts as well as having plenty of room for journaling. Most of the elements that I am using to embellish my layouts have black and white accents so I thought this black and white album would coordinate perfectly with my supplies. I kept the cover super simple, using an old Christmas photo that was taken when I was about 5 years old and a few die cut pieces to accent the photo. “THP” stands for The Holiday Project (that probably goes without saying :)).

In The Holiday Project class, I talk a lot about establishing a theme for this project. The theme is very flexible, leaving lots of opportunities to tell a variety of stories – past, present, or future. For my album, I am focusing on childhood memories. There are so many stories that I have yet to document in my scrapbook albums. I want to give these stories room to breathe and exist in my storytelling journey.

So, let’s begin with the first story, “Believe in Santa and Mrs. Claus“. This story is by far one of my favorites! Sadly, I do not have a photo of the actual occasion, so I used a photo of myself as a child and a stock photo of Santa and Mrs. Claus that I downloaded from Google Images. TIP: Never let the absence of photos derail your storytelling plans! Use a photo substitute or symbol to represent your story.

Believe in Santa and Mrs. Claus

In 1989 my mother was going through the process of divorcing my father. This was an incredibly difficult time as my father was abusive and an alcoholic. Prior to the divorce, my mother and I fled our hometown of Del City, OK and moved to Dallas, TX to stay with my aunt and her two daughters. My mother felt that it would be safer to get out of Oklahoma for a while. When it was safe to return to Del City, we moved back and my mom took a job as a secretary for the VA Medical Center.  Needless to say, things were really tight financially and my mother didn’t know how she was going to pay for groceries let alone Christmas gifts.

She confided in a co-worker about her struggles. Little did she know that the a bit of Christmas magic as about to happen. One night in December, my mom told me that we were expecting visitors. I heard a knock at the door along with the ringing sound of jingle bells. “Answer the door Vicki!” my mom said with a smile on her face. Upon opening the door I saw Santa and Mrs. Claus, their arms full of bags and presents!

“I heard that you have been a very special little girl this year.” said Santa as he walked into  our apartment. I was giggling nervously in their presence! My mother had tears in her eyes. She knew to expect visitors but she had no idea that they were bringing presents and groceries. I later learned that Santa and Mrs.Claus were two of her co-workers who volunteered to dress up for the occasion.  When they left, my mom and I poured through the bags of food and she let me open one present. She began to cry – completely taken back by the generosity of her co-workers.

On that day I learned two valuable lessons. One, no matter where you are in life, never be too proud to speak out and accept help. And two, always give back to those who are less fortunate or who simply need a helping hand. My mother and I are forever grateful to her former co-workers who so generously provided so that we could have a wonderful Christmas.

And a wonderful Christmas it was indeed. 🙂

Go to the Victoria Marie YouTube Channel to view the process video for this layout. And click HERE to learn more about The Holiday Project!

Stay tuned…there will be more videos to come!

Have you lost your creative mojo? Finding it hard to get back into the groove? My fellow scrappy YouTubers Christy’s Beautiful Life, Katty Miranda, Crafty Meggy, and Hannah Lemieux are hosting an awesome 5 week mini series challenge that will help you bust through your creative slump!

Check out Mojo Busters!

These beautiful ladies asked me to be the Surprise Guest Designer for this week’s challenge. And of course I had to play along! My challenge is to use a piece of pattern paper that I’ve been hoarding.

Challenge accepted!

And you know what’s awesome? As part of this week’s challenge, I am offering a FREE Victoria Marie Online Class, “Make the Kit – A Mini Course”!!! All you have to do is watch the YouTube process video for this layout and in the YouTube comments section tell me what is the one scrappy item that you’ve been hoarding. A winner will be announced on Monday, December 5, 2016 on these channels:

• Christy’s Beautiful Life
• Katty Miranda
• Crafty Meggy
• Hannah Lemieux

Be sure to check one of the above channels to see if you are a winner!

Here’s the layout I made for this challenge:

I first started with white card stock as the base and created a band of pattern paper from the Pink Fresh Studio “Felicity” Collection on the right side of the layout. I’ve hoarded these papers for weeks so I am glad that I finally used them!!!

Next, I mounted my photo on a piece of white card stock as well. To the top of the photo I created a cluster of embellishments – chipboard pieces from the Maggie Holmes “Confetti” Collection, a white tag, and a doily.  To the bottom right of the photo, I used a chipboard frame from the Maggie Holmes “Confetti” Collection and mounted it on a piece of velum paper. I wanted to mute the gray pattern paper just a bit. To the frame I added a chipboard bow and a number “two” from the same Maggie Holmes collection.

To the bottom of the layout, under the journaling, I created a cluster using a chipboard bird, a rubber charm from the “Life Noted” Collection by Pink Fresh Studio, and a doily. The title “Awesome Together” was created using an acetate die cut and a studio puff from the “Life Noted” Collection by Pink Fresh Studio. To finish the layout, I positioned three foam glitter stickers on each cluster and stamped the date using a Heidi Swapp roller date stamp and Versa Fine black ink.

Check out the process video for this layout on the Victoria Marie YouTube Channel! And don’t forget to check the following YouTube channels to see if you the winner of a FREE Victoria Marie Online Class!!! Good luck and enjoy!

• Christy’s Beautiful Life
• Katty Miranda
• Crafty Meggy
• Hannah Lemieux

I finally got around to finishing up a couple of Halloween layouts. Admittedly, I don’t do a lot of Halloween themed layouts, but I had to document my sweet little girl who dressed up as Poison Ivy, a DC Comic superhero. She is really into superheroes lately which is incredibly awesome!

All of the elements featured on this layout are from my stash – a mix of goodies from Michaels and an old Scraptastic Kit Club Halloween kit. I tried really hard to use up the items that I had on hand and stretch my supplies as much as possible before buying new stuff next year.

For the background I used two solid pieces of cardstock. The black cardstock is trimmed and mounted on the orange cardstock – I wanted just a bit of the orange to peak through. Next, I positioned the photos in the middle of the layout. All of the photos were printed at 4×6. I am really trying to make a concerted effort to incorporate more photos on my layouts!

Next, I created a title using two Thickers fonts and a studio puff sticker from Pinkfresh Studio. I love glitter font stickers – so pretty!

To finish the layout I created three clusters of embellishments using die cuts and enamel dots from the Something Wicked Collection by My Mind’s Eye, die cut stickers by Authentique, a velum bat from Scraptastic Kit Club, and a gold glitter pumpkin and stars by Thickers. I think this is probably one of the best Halloween layouts I’ve made in a long time!

Supplies:

• Orange cardstock – My Colors Cardstock
• Black cardstock – Recollections
• Pattern Paper (Cream/black stars) – “Something Wicked” Collection by My Mind’s Eye
• Die Cuts – “Something Wicked” Collection by My Mind’s Eye
• Enamel Dots/Shapes -“Something Wicked” Collection by My Mind’s Eye
• Puffy Shapes – Studio Puffs by Pink Fresh Studio
• Die Cut Stickers – “Moonlit” by Authentique
• Velum Bat – Scraptastic Kit Club Exclusive
• Title – gold font “Spooky” by Thickers; orange font “Boo” by Thickers; “EEK!” Studio Puff by Pink Fresh Studio

Check out the process video for this layout on the Victoria Marie YouTube Channel! Have a great scappy day!

Can I just say, I LOVE Felicity Jane kits! The the latest kit is no exception! I present to you the November “Oh, Deer!” Collection! I love the mix of black and white elements along with traditional colors like red, green, and blue – so very pretty! Check out my latest kit share on the Victoria Marie YouTube Channel and be sure to stop by the Felicity Jane website for more information!

 

 

Want a chance to win a gift certificate from Freckled Fawn? I was recently contacted by the good folks at Freckled Fawn and was sent this awesome little embellishment kit. Isn’t this great?!

Freckled Fawn is a scrapbooking company that designs and sells embellishment kits and other scrappy goodies. They offer a subscription option as well. You can visit the Freckled Fawn website at http://www.freckledfawn.com.

Giveaway Info:

To play along, head on over to the Victoria Marie YouTube Channel and watch this process video. In the comment section, answer the following question: “What is your favorite embellishment?”

You have until Monday, December 5, 2016 to post your response. I will draw and announce a winner by Wednesday, December 7th on the Victoria Marie YouTube Channel and blog. The winner will receive a gift certificate to Freckled Fawn!

Here’s the fun layout that I made with my Freckled Fawn October Kit.

Every fall my family and I attend a local pumpkin patch. We enjoy all of the sights and sounds, music, tasty treats, and of course, picking out a few pumpkins. It has been unseasonably warm in Texas so attending the pumpkin patch this year was more like attending a summer fair!

I decided to create what I like call a “hybrid two-page layout”. On the left is a traditional 12×12 layout and on the right is a 6×12 pocket layout. I like to create hybrid two-page layouts from time to time – this affords me the opportunity to scrapbook multiple photos.

For the base of this layout, I used a piece of craft cardstock from My Colors Cardstock. To that I added strips of pattern paper (all from my stash) to create a “shelf” for my photos. Next, I created clusters of embellishments as well as the title “Pumpkin Patch” with the elements from the Freckled Fawn kit.

For the pocket layout, I used two journaling cards from an old Scraptastic Club kit (no longer available) as well as embellishments from the Freckled Fawn kit. Overall, I really love how I was able to pair the embellishments from the kit with papers from my stash!

Check out my kit share and process video on the Victoria Marie YouTube Channel! And don’t forget to play along with this awesome giveaway!

Hello Scrappers!

Just wanted to pop over quickly to let you know about a new Scrappy Chat, now available on the Victoria Marie YouTube Channel!

This week I am talking about my creative slump, family stuff, scrappy updates, and more!

Check it out!!!

New YouTube content is coming next week! Stay tuned!