Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Changes and Challenges


Yes - you have arrived in the right place.  At long last I am doing some blog housekeeping and making the changes I have been thinking about for a long time.  Please bear with me as I get things sorted out.  I will be moving and changing things and also adding more pages and graphics along the way.  I am determined to make all of my own elements so my blog will be unique!

For the past few weeks, I have been working on a system for the labels on my posts.  After a couple of years of blogging it was getting tricky for me to find some of my own posts, especially if I was not sure about the approximate date.  I have a new code system to try to make it easier.  I work on relabeling items whenever I get a chance but it is a slow process.  If you are just starting a blog, take a word of advice and figure out your labels with a consistent system that will grow with you!

The "code" I am using is meant to cluster the labels in groups.  For instance, I had been using just the name of the Cricut cartridge that I used for a design or project.  The labels end up in straight alphabetical order so the cartridges were intermingled with other labels and that made it harder to focus on finding the cartridges.

The "Key" for the clusters is

 "B" for other blogs
"Blog" for items about this blog
"C" for Cricut cartridges
"D" for Designers
"H" for Holidays
"O" for Other Topics (some that are not "crafty")
"P" for Projects (Cards are further subdivided by type)
"PC" for Provo Craft products
"PR" for Products
"T" for Technique

These categories will probably evolve a bit more as I find categories that fit everything and continue changing and adding labels.  For now you may have to check in two parts of the list to find what you are looking for.  (For example, there are still 55 Plantin Schoolbook posts to relabel).

So, enough housekeeping - let's have some fun!


If you "like" the new Capadia Designs Facebook page (they used to say if you are a "fan") you know about the challenge I posted on the page.  Here is a LINK if you'd like to join us there.

The Challenge -

I originally got my Cricut to help with scrapbooking - I wasn't really a cardmaker. Now I find that I do far fewer layouts than before - too busy with cards and other projects!

So - the challenge is to make a scrapbook page. I have posted a sketch that I did last year - you can use it if you'd like. ...If you have something else in mind that's fine. The only requirements are that you have to have at least three Cricut cuts on the page (easy since there are several circles in the sketch!) and that you weld your own title using Design Studio (or the Gypsy). If you don't have Design Studio or Gypsy - we need to talk!




Here is the digital page I did with this sketch.  We are doing paper pages, this is just for a bit of inspiration. 

The deadline is midnight on Wednesday, May 12.  (But that is just to give you a goal - if it takes a little longer please go ahead and post your page).  You can post a photo on the Facebook page, or leave a comment on this post that gives a link to another place you have posted the page.

So let's get scrapping!

17 comments:

  1. Thanks for going through all that trouble to organize your blog page. I don't "blog" but can just imagine how much work goes into what you are doing.
    I did the same thing you did, Cricut for scrapbooking. Hmm, doesn't seem to get used for that - lol.

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  2. Great idea on organizing your labels.

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  3. I love the look of the blog, am sure that it has taken alot of thought and work to get to this point. I like the layout and will work on doing one myself, my trouble is when I see one page I'm not sure how to design the 2nd page opposite of it. Any suggestion??

    Donna C.
    goCricutgo

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  4. I don't have a blog, but can understand how difficult it is to find older items. You have good ideas on how to label, so I'm sure that will make this round go better. Thanks!

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  5. Hi Donna,

    Thanks for the compliment on the new blog look - it is more work than I anticipated to change things around!

    Sometimes I take a layout and flip or rotate it for the opposite page. I'll take a look at this one and see if I can come up with a sketch for the facing page.

    I'll post here and/or on Facebook when I get something together.

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  6. Wow, the blue grabs you when your blog opens. Pretty new page. I don't blog, but I read yours every day. Your challenge would have been too short a deadline to try since it only arrived on my computer on the 12th at 4:14AM.

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  7. I love pansys, so I'll come to the site just to enjoy visually! Thanks for the clear explanations.

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  8. Hey Diane,

    Love the look of your blog so far. Are the flowers your own pictures? Look forward to seeing what else you add.

    Carmen L

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  9. Love the new site colors and how you have organized it. The scrapbook page layout is great. I too was a scrapbooker and since I started making cards I make more cards than pages. I need to divide my time to finish my scrapbooks I have started.
    Thank you
    Linda in Stanwood

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  10. Hi Mary Ann,

    I hope it isn't too blue - monitors are calibrated for color a bit differently (I know my Mac and my PC show colors with a slight variation).

    Sorry for any confusion about "midnight" on Wednesday - I mean 11:59 p.m. so very late tonight if that makes any difference. It is really a deadline set just to motivate us to do something sooner rather than later!

    Play along if you can - or wait for the next time.

    Take care.

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  11. Hi Sharon and Carmen,

    Pansies are one of my all time favorite flowers.

    These are digital elements made from photos of pansies in our garden. There are more floral bits and pieces to come as I get things sorted out.

    I just was so tired of looking at the original colors and thought this was a nice fresh change of pace! I also really needed to get things better organized.

    I am glad you like it.

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  12. Are u going to keep the menu up, I know I will never be able to remember it and later wonder what all the letteres are for?
    Love your work and love your blog

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  13. That's a good idea - I will add the "Key" to one of the pages at the top of the blog - I am working on an FAQ page now.

    I hope it makes things easier once I get all of the relabeling done.

    Thanks for the compliment and for being one of my regular visitors!

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  14. Your site looks beautiful! I can't even imagine all the work to re-lable andrefile everything. I have only been bloggin since November and I have been trying to place my signature on my posts and that is taking forever. Thanks for making it easy to move around so we can find all your beautiful posts.

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  15. Love the new look!

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  16. I also love the pansies and blue - I go for the "cooler" colors anyway! I continue to be in awe of all your amazing creations. Thanks again for sharing.

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  17. Like what you are doing to your blog. I am going to try my hand at creating one, after my wedding at the end of the month. I certainly won't have a lot to post at the beginning, but thanks for the tip on labels!

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Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I love to hear from the people who read my blog. I moderate all comments to keep spam off the blog without making you decode the squiggly letters so your comment may not appear immediately.