My 2022 Spending Moratorium on Craft Supplies

Welcome to Paper Crafting With Rebecca! I am so happy you stopped into my little blog. I hope you find the information here fun, informative, and inspirational. I am not selling anything. I am not sponsored by (nor an affiliate of) any of the products used or companies mentioned in my blog or videos. I simply create this blog (and videos) because I love meeting new people and connecting with others in the paper crafting community.

If you watched the above video then you might already know what I am going to do for 2022! But here it is in more detail...

Like many other crafters in 2020, I went nuts buying supplies during the pandemic and then this frenzy carried over into all of 2021! So many crafty sales, so much time sequestered at home... it was the perfect storm for shopping online.

Recently I looked around my craft room and realized I have supplies I haven't opened or tried out yet! This is what made me decide to join in on the 2022 Crafty Spending Freeze. I need to use and enjoy what I already own despite all the amazing new goodies still coming out in the crafting world every single day.

How am I planning on getting through this coming year without buying crafting supplies? What will you see on my YouTube channel this year?

Here's my plan... I am going to focus each month on a particular crafting medium. For instance, this month, January, my main medium is glitter! I will be creating cards, scrapbook pages, art journal projects, and more with the focus being on glittery products such as glitter inks, glitter paper, glitter glues, etc. Then moving into February my focus will be on different watercoloring techniques. I will be watercoloring using inks, traditional watercolors, watercolor pencils, water based markers... again creating cards, scrapbook layouts, art journal pages, home decor, etc.

This allows for 12 (a year's worth) of different paper crafting topics to focus on each month. Although I will be focusing on a specific medium or technique each month, I will continue to incorporate my stamps, dies, embossing folders and other tools I already own to create my projects.

Here is my complete list for the year in case you want to look ahead...

• January... Glitter! Glitter! Everywhere!
• Tips with glitter inks, glitter papers, glitter glues, etc.
• February... Watercolor February Series!
• Using traditional watercoloring, marker watercoloring, watercolor pencils, etc.
• March... March Madness of Mixed Media!
• Mix of many mediums for that mixed media look made easy.
• April... Alcohol Inks Bringing Spring to Life!
• Alcohol ink tips and project ideas.
• May... "May" I Create Some Embellishment Flowers?
• Different styles of flowers made with items you "may" already own.
• June... Bring on the Summer with Stencils!
• Stenciling ideas made with both store bought stencils and homemade stencils.
• July... Christmas in July: Patterned Papers!
• Get a jump on your holiday projects using patterned papers store bought or handmade.
• August... If You Can't Beat the Heat, Use It!
• Heat embossing tips and ideas for various projects.
• September... Colors are Changing!
• Mixing and layering colors for a whole new look on your projects!
• October... Boo! Time to Put On That Mask!
• Using various masking techniques with different crafting mediums.
• November... I'm Thankful for Embellishments!
• Tips for creating and using embellishment for your paper crafting projects.
• December... Let's Create With Snow!
• Snowy themes using punches, dies, ink blending, snow-like paste products, etc.

Now... I want to clarify something... my spending freeze has nothing to do with boycotting, political statements, or anything like that. I simply need to spend some time shopping from my own stash and using what I already have.

Lastly, I need to point out, I have two exceptions to my year long spending moratorium.

1. I am now down to one crafting subscription that I am not canceling... it is my "Crafter's Inspiration" subscription from Crafter's Companion. I am not sponsored by, nor an affiliate of, any products or company, so when I say that I love my Crafter's Companion subscription I am saying it purely as a happy customer. I will still do an unboxing video of each issues I receive on my YouTube channel so you can see what papers and other supplies they include in each issue they mail out. These videos will not be in place of my regular Friday videos, but rather an occasional bonus video (most often on random Tuesdays).
2. My other exception is that I will buy white cardstock, black cardstock, and adhesives during the year if I need them. I have a pretty healthy supply heading into this 2022 challenge, however, as I create my own card bases, and many of my own background papers, I may need to restock any or all of those three basics.

So that is what my plans are for 2022! I look forward to your comments, encouragement, and suggestions for this year in the comment section of my YouTube channel or here on my blog. Ana, Emily, Yvette, and I will create an "update" video in July to let you know how we are doing halfway through this challenge. In the meantime, be sure see how it goes as I "shop my stash" for the year and create using what I already have here in the house!

Please leave me encouragement, ideas, and other comments below! I need all the support I can get going into an entire year of not buying new crafting supplies!!

Happy Paper Crafting,

Rebecca

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