Amy Tangerine's Blog, page 11

Embracing Your Emotions with Randy Taran

Exciting news! For my most recent episode of the podcast, I was joined by Randy Taran, Founder and CEO of Project Happiness, an organization dedicated to reaching at least 10 million people with their message of kindness, happiness and empathy. Randy’s entire business and career are centered around one of the most vital ingredients for a fulfilling life: happiness. Randy and I chat about embracing emotions, how it can help your creativity and learning to honor and move past negative emotions. We also discuss her new book, Emotional Advantage and her favorite part about writing it. Best of all, her book just launched today!

Please feel free take a listen to the episode when you get a chance. In the meantime, here are three highlights from the conversation:

Let yourself feel emotions – even the bad ones. I recently watched the Pixar movie, Inside Out with Jack on a plane ride. I know I’m a little late to the game but it was incredibly powerful to watch a young girl come to terms with the fact that we experience a full spectrum of emotions in life, both good and bad, and that’s okay. Randy and I talked about the same thing, but with fewer magical creatures and imaginary friends.

Avoid getting bogged down in replaying a bad experience or feeling. Randy provided several strategies to help a person move forward after fully experiencing a feeling. So often, we fall in the trap of not feeling fully present to what it is in front of us. Our minds can take us on a wild ride. The unknown is scary for people and we’d rather not confront that. Let yourself feel a thing (bad or good) and then move on.

If you are stuck on a feeling, here are some solutions! Randy explained that often the remedy to getting over bad feelings is to move them into the body. Take the time to breath! Do a little yoga or even go for a short walk outside. As we feel more grounded and aware of where we are physically, it can help put our emotions in perspective.

I had an incredible time talking with Randy and reading her book. I think there’s a lot to be gleaned from our conversation and her writing. You can even find out how she got the Dalai Lama to write the foreword to Emotional Advantage. So amazing!!

And if you’d be so kind to write a review on iTunes, we would be so appreciative!

Connect with Randy:

Website | Project Happiness | Facebook | Instagram

Links:

Emotional Advantage
Loving What Is by Byron Katie
Insight Timer App
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert

I would love to hear from you! Connect with me on Facebook, Instagram or on my website. If you enjoyed this podcast and you haven’t already, I’d like to encourage you to subscribe that way you won’t miss a single update. Craft a Life You Love by taking a small step toward turning happiness and fulfillment by embracing and understanding all of your feelings, even the negative ones.

3 Highlights from the Erin Condren Workshop

Find out what you love to do and where your heart sings. Make it a part of your every day. Last month, I had the opportunity to head down to the beautiful state of Texas to teach a stamping workshop at the Erin Condren Flagship store in Austin. It was an amazing time! I got to play fun products from our collaboration and interact with some awesome crafters.

Here are three highlights from the workshop:

1. The awesome space. If you haven’t had the opportunity to go to an Erin Condren store, you should. It’s colorful, inspiring, and an ideal space for stamping and crafting to happen. After all, it’s hard not to smile when you’re on a rainbow staircase with an amazing group of crafty women!

2. The incredible sense of community and positivity. We spent Saturday morning sharing the joy of stamping, planning and getting creative. We used the stamps in my collaboration with Erin, of course. In a world, where competition is so dominant, it’s an amazing feeling to come into a space where everyone gets to express themselves, there are no wrong answers or bad ideas– it’s just people putting themselves out there, trying new things and seeing what happens. It’s one of my favorite things to see how people inspire and encourage each other.

3.  Getting to see products being put to good use and all the amazing different ways people use them to make their own crafts! Also I’m seriously considering putting together a creative retreat so let me know in the comments where you’d want it to be held! I’ve also created an interest form you can fill out here.

So many people reach out to me and say they aren’t sure where to start or what to focus on in their creative journeys. If you’re looking for more great ways to craft a life you love, the only signed copies of my book are available at Erin’s flagship store in Austin.

It’s hard to not smile when you’re on a rainbow staircase with an amazing group of crafty women! It was such an amazing morning sharing the joy of stamping, planning and getting creative. There’s nothing like connecting in person so hopefully you can join on the Plannerland in Paradise Cruise in March 2020 that I’m excited to be a part of. Have you gone to a live event? Aren’t they the best? You can always see where I will be for events listed on the sidebar of the blog.

Photos courtesy of Thao Lou.

Major News!

I’m so excited to tell you this and I’ve hinted at it for months. Today I’m dropping the first episode for my brand new podcast, Craft A Life You Love. This project has been on my heart for such a long time. I’m so excited for you to hear it.

Here’s the official description:

Craft A Life You Love is a podcast dedicated to empowering you to create space and intention for your own personal hobbies, happiness, and harmony. Some weeks it will just be me sharing my perspective, ideas and inspiration to living your best creative life. On other episodes I’ll talk with someone remarkable as they bring juicy wisdom and the freshest takes on how to shine your brightest and squeeze the most out of this wonderful life.

I can’t wait for you to hear it. Please take a listen to the podcast trailer. Let me know what you think! Be sure to tell me who you’d like to hear me interview. If you enjoy the show, please be sure to subscribe (it’s on iTunes and Google Play) so you never miss an episode!

Zinia's DIY Minibooks

Hello everyone! It’s Zinia here and today I’m back with a really fun project to share with you.

I don’t know about you, but when I scrapbook, I tend to pick pattern papers with simple designs like stripes and dots. Although I love more complicated and busy patterns, from time to time, I feel intimidated to use them. I know I’m not alone in this so if you feel the same, I have a really cute project that’s perfect to use all those gorgeous patterns that are a bit more challenging to use on scrapbook layouts.

I won’t keep you wondering any longer, the project I’m talking about is DIY notebooks! They are perfect for journaling, planning or keeping notes about all sorts of things. You can also take them a step further and fill them with photos and memorabilia turning them into little minibooks/smashbooks. 

For my minibooks I picked some patterns from the Stay Sweet 6x8 paper pad. One sheet of paper folds into a perfect 6x4 sized notebook! You pick any patterns you like no matter how simple or colorful. 

For the inside pages of my notebooks, I used printer paper but if you plan to turn them into minibooks or art journals, make sure to use the paper you will need.

There are millions of ways to bind a notebook but I went for a simple saddle stitch cause I really love the way it looks. Using the WeR Memory Keepers book binding tool, I poked the holes on my cover and pages and stitched along the spine following the instructions of the tool’s booklet. 

You don’t have to own the bookbinding tool to create this minibook but it definitely makes the process much faster and easier.

To finish my notebooks, I picked some sticker quotes and added the at the front size of the cover. Alternatively, you can a title or date of what’s inside using your favorite thickers or letter stickers.

It really makes me so happy and motivated to see these beautiful notebooks on my desk when I start my day. They also look incredibly pretty when they sit next to each other on a shelf.

See more of Zinia’s work: Abstract Inspiration Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

PRODUCTS: WRMK Bookbinding Tool, 351198 Stay Sweet 6X8 PAD, 351207 Stay Sweet THICKERS Roll With It, 351208 Stay Sweet STICKER BOOK

Thanks so much for sharing this adorable layout, Zinia! Other Design Team member posts can be found here. Shop STAY SWEET now! Check your local retailer and online at Simon Says Stamp and Scrapbook.com

5 Tips for Giving Your Backyard the Perfect Summer Makeover

Chances are, you need more sunshine in your life. I know I do! The possibilities for getting in that Vitamin D are endless (just don’t forget to lather on the sunscreen. This one is my favorite). But before you start checking flights to the nearest tropical destination, pause and look no further than your own porch or backyard.

Today, I want to get your creative juices flowing right here at home. Okay, maybe at this exact moment your space doesn’t necessarily look like your ideal paradise. In fact, it might need a little sweeping, dusting and, well, spring cleaning. For now, though, look past the cobwebs. This is where the creativity comes into play. Maybe you need some outdoor journaling time or the perfect space to have girlfriends over for lemonade or perhaps you’re thinking ahead to hosting the neighborhood’s most fantastic 4th of July BBQ. Whatever your dream for the space is, now is the best time to start thinking about how to style your backyard to suit all your summer needs.

Set the Scene. No matter what you’re doing – whether it’s a solo activity or family time– it’s important to have the right types of spaces. Look for chairs, sofas and loveseats and try to come up with a nice combination of the different types. Create intimate spaces by adding accent rugs (we love this one and this one) and tapestries. The tapestries cover up any cracks or marks in your walls that your’d rather not look at and they can really tie a look together. I felt especially excited about this one because it reminded me a little bit of the mural I did at SCCM. And because I can never get enough sunshine, I picked up this tapestry, too. We really just purchased items that made us feel happy and fit in with the colors we love to surround ourselves with.

Pair with coffee tables, planters, and colorful accent pillows. Our house is in Southern California, so we have a lot of cacti and succulents in our yard. The kind of plants you use will vary depending on weather/climate where you live. I’ve talked about our interior design before (minimal with bright pops of color) and the same is true for our yard. We like clean designs and bold accents. The Yardbird Luna Set fits in with the vibe perfectly. It’s clean, minimal, and neutral. The pops of color come in the form of our accent pillows. Having pillows can make the space feel more bright, comfortable, and colorful. Just make sure to pick up ones that are designed to be outside like this one or this one.

Invest in Quality Products and the right tools to protect them. There’s nothing worse than dusty old outdoor furniture when you want a relaxing space. Sun, wind, and weather have worn them down and now they’re rickety and more than a little dusty. It’s not a good look. Take the time to find beautiful pieces that will hold up over time. But you don’t have to spend a ton of money, either. Yardbird works directly with manufacturers. You don’t pay for the middlemen– just the perfect furniture sets. The Luna set was attractive to us because it’s modern and resistant to all the things the great outdoors might throw at it including: mold, stains, fading, etc. Yardbird also makes furniture covers to protect them – just in case!

Keep it stress-free. The whole point of having a friendly, enjoyable space is to sit back and relax. Enjoy it! You won’t have as much fun with it, if you associate the process with stress. Getting our Luna set was easy and simple. It was delivered to the house and if we’d needed it, Yardbird provides in-house design consultations. The furniture itself is quite durable but it’s also very light and easy to move around. That made styling it a breeze. One way to build that stress-free atmosphere is to encourage certain kinds of wildlife. For example, we have a hummingbird feeder right next to the main seating area. You could also bring in certain plants, like milkweed, if you’d like to attract monarch butterflies.

Be kind to the Earth. Mother nature is a beautiful thing, so as you take a look at what would work best for your yard, keep in mind that it’s important to buy things that are recycled and made responsibly. Not sure where to start? Yardbird’s products are created using some materials (including plastics) that have been taken out of the ocean and off our beaches. They also offset 100% of their carbon footprint.

One of the best things about having my backyard set up is that I can spend time outdoors and experience a connection with the natural world from the comfort of my own home. Even though the studio is an amazing place to be, it’s always good to be able to get outside, especially when I have to work with certain projects. When working with alcohol inks (which is my latest obsession), it’s advised that the area is well ventilated. Well, what’s better than sitting outside and getting creative? Having a space that’s ready-to-go is wonderful. I’ve even filmed outside, using my favorite desktop tripod. I know Jack loves being able to sit with me and work on his own projects. Right now, he’s really excited about watching and catching bugs and my favorite thing is journaling while the hummingbirds drink from the feeder. (To each their own, right?)

Would love to hear from you - Have you ever gotten creative outside?

Thank you to Yardbird for allowing me to share all these tips and tricks with you.

Zinia's Rainbow Handlettering Layout

Hello scrappy friends! It’s Zinia here and today I’m back with a super colorful layout idea using Amy’s new watercolor set from Stay Sweet!

The idea for this layout came from Amy’s beautiful watercolor lettering so I decided to use my journaling as the centerpiece of my layout I write it down using rainbow shades of watercolors.

I started by writing down my journaling on a large strip of paper. I used almost all the colors from the watercolor set and went from yellow to orange to red, pink, purple, blue and green.

I decided to add some mixed media on my background as well so I pulled out a sheet of mixed media cardstock and created a watercolor rainbow following the same color order.

I just went all out adding a lot of color and water and letting them do their thing. I left my background to air-dry for a while before I continued with the rest of the page.

Once the background was dry, I placed the journaling strip in the middle and added a few additional embellishments. I added some enamel hearts all around the page, in matching colors of the rainbow and also a couple clear phrase stickers to serve as a title on the page.

I really wanted to focus on the bright colors and the beautiful watercolor effect on this page so I didn’t want to go overboard with the embellishments. So I just added a little magnetic bookmark on my photo and then I picked a yellow suede flower and unrolled it into a strip. I adhered the suede strip next to my photo like a border piece to help it stand out.

The process of creating this page is really so fun and relaxing. You don’t need any special artsy skills as this watercolor set is super easy to use. The colors spread and blend on their own without any struggle.

See more of Zinia’s work: Abstract Inspiration Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

PRODUCTS: Stay Sweet Collection: 351212 EPOXY HEART STICKERS, 351211 SUEDE FLOWER STICKERS, 351213 TINY MAGNETIC BOOKMARKS, 351199 WATERCOLOR SET, 351208 STICKER BOOK

Thanks so much for sharing this adorable layout, Zinia! Other Design Team member posts can be found here. Shop Stay Sweet now! Check your local retailer and online at Simon Says Stamp and Scrapbook.com

4 Highlights from Pop Up Disney!

We all know Disney is a magical place. Dreams come true. Animals can talk and wonder is around every corner. And of course, who could forget the mouse who started it all? That’s why it was so exciting to have the magic come a little closer to us. Recently, Jack and I got to preview Pop-Up Disney! in Downtown Disney with one of his friends, Heidi, and her mom. It opened today and you gotta see it for yourself. It’s the perfect place to capture fun shots to post on Instagram, or just to take in all the Mickey and friends magic. You can watch our whole adventure here and book your own tickets here.

We got to stop at the LEGO Store!  LEGOs are a huge thing at our house. Jack loves taking the time to assemble new creations and most of the time, he can follow the directions without any help. While we were there, we had the chance to see all kinds of amazing LEGO Creations– including a beautiful Disney Castle and a full-sized Hulk LEGO sculpture of truly epic proportions. That guy was almost as tall as me!

Rainbow Room. Sometimes, you bring the rainbow vibes with you. Sometimes, it’s already there and in this case, it was a little bit of both. The rainbow room matched Jack’s shirt (a happy coincidence we didn’t plan) and it was really fun to see.

Interactive Displays. The one that stood out to Jack the most was probably the entire wall made of tiny Mickey Mouse figurines. I enjoyed the wall of hearts. If you stood close to it, it looked like you were blowing kisses!

Hidden Minnies. It was a big day for us and it was nice for Jack to have something to focus on as we explored the pop-up. The hidden Minnies were so fun for him– especially when he spied two in a row before I even found one.

It was a wonderful way to spend the morning. I wish I had brought a better camera for taking photos (although my iPhone and Canon G7X did just fine), but I will on the next visit. Do you plan on going to Pop-Up Disney?

Celebrating 8 Years of Craftcation

Craftcation is always an incredible time. It truly is the crossroads of creativity + crafting + community + connection. The whole city of Ventura gets to feel the energy of creatives coming together to celebrate what they love to do. I get to teach classes, spend time with other creators, and build community with old friends (plus make new ones along the way). I didn’t realize this until I started putting the blog post together this time around, but I’ve been documenting Craftcation on this blog since 2013.

This year I got to teach three workshops including ones on how to make your own mini vision board and improve your hand lettering. I also had the incredible honor of giving the closing keynote on the last day of the conference. I’ve put together a two-part video (here’s Part 1) on the experience. Plus, if you have a little extra time and feel like venturing down memory lane, take a look at the highlights from past Craftcations. They’re all linked here below!

Craftcation 2019 Video

Craftcation 2018 Video

Craftcation 2017 Video & Blog Post

Craftcation 2016 Video

Craftcation 2015 Blog Post & Panel Post

Craftcation 2014 Blog Post

Craftcation 2013 Blog Post

I say this a lot, but one of the best things about crafting is the incredible community and the sense of togetherness I feel whenever I have the opportunity to go to one of these awesome events. Will you make it out to Craftcation in 2020? Or have you been to any of the ones in the past 8 years?

Dreambox Walkthrough + $1500 Giveaway Announcement

As many of you know, the Dream Box from The Original Scrapbox has totally transformed the studio and the way I organize my supplies. It’s truly changed my life, and I don’t mean that lightly. Believe it or not, I didn’t buy any additional supplies or items for the DreamBox, I already had everything that you see scattered throughout the studio.

So many of you have asked so, here it is in all its rainbow order glory – a video where you can see it all! You’ll even get to see some close-up shots of the box and some of my favorite supplies that are front and center.

Now it’s all in one place and has really created room for discovery, doing cool things, and crafting a life I love. It’s so well thought out and completely customizable. I share a closer look and give you a thorough tour inside the drawers and compartments in the latest video on Youtube . It’s completely transformed the energy of the studio and given me the creative boost I’ve needed to not only make stuff but also to make stuff happen.

This isn’t even the best part! There’s even an opportunity for you to win a $1500 gift card from The Original Scrapbox so you can get closer to having one of your own! Of course you can also still use the code AMYTANGERINE for $100 off any furniture at The Original Scrapbox so you can have this amazingness in your own home too! Head on over to the video on Youtube and this post on Instagram to see all the giveaway entry instructions!

5 Highlights from My Conversation on The Brava Podcast

The best thing about being part of a community with other amazing, creative women is seeing the way we all manage to lift each other up– focusing on celebrating one another’s success. That’s why I really enjoyed taking part in the most recent episode of The Brava Podcast.

The word “Brava” actually means “to applaud women” and it was incredible to take part in a podcast that focuses on celebrating women’s successes. If you’re all about that, definitely check out the full conversation I had with the lovely Stephanie, who hosts the podcast. There are plenty of other inspiring episodes, and I wanted to share 5 highlights from our conversation here on the blog.

Make your dreams a reality! It doesn’t matter how many ideas you have, it matters how many ideas you make happen. Don’t abandon the things you love because they seem impractical. Chase after them.

Reject the “B-word” – aka stop being “busy” all the time. I don’t believe in being busy all the time because it can equate to feeling rushed and overwhelmed and glorifying the trend of the “hustle.” I really do have enough time for all the things I want to do.

If you read my blog or follow me on social media, you won’t be surprised to hear me say how important it is to give yourself permission to create.

Give yourself grace. Personally, it’s easy for me to give grace to other people and see the best in them. I have a much more difficult time doing that for myself and I know I’m not the only one. I’m working to be as kind to myself as I try to be to others.

Let go of perfectionism and embrace your own abilities. You don’t have to do more to be more. Each of us is already more than enough.

I love all of these tips but the conversation on the podcast episode is loaded with even more juicy inspiration! Please take some time to check out the Brava Podcast and spend some time applauding yourself and all the other crafty awesome women in this world!