Getting on Design Teams

Today I’m sharing information about Getting on Design Teams. This is a question that has been asked a few times recently by my followers. I’m sure that there are others that would like to know more. Thought it would be easier if I did a video and blog to share the information. And it is a good example of what to do on your blog and a video.

The Story Time by Linda Getting on Design Teams video.

The following was information I thought would be helpful for those wanting to get on a design team.

Do you have a blog? If not, create a blog. The blog should be clean and simple. Sure it is cool that you have badges from all those challenges, but those are distracting from your blog post. Also pick a good name, one that represents you and what you want to share. If you are not doing scrapbooking then a blog with a scrapbooking name won’t work.

Write at least 300 words about your project on your blog. There are some design teams that require 500 words on their blog. It is good to be in practice now and learn how to fill the space. Write at least one blog post a week. It is good practice as some design teams want you to write a blog post a week.

Take quality photos. Make sure that you represent the product the best way you can. Use the best light to take photos of your project. Show the details. Make the photos large enough on your blog so that these can be seen. If you have bad photos it turns people off and they will leave your blog.

Some Design Teams require that you have step out photos. What that means is they are wanting photos of each important step for the project. I found that I could do a video and then while editing the video I can capture photos of each key step. It is a good idea to slow down when doing your video to help get those good photos to capture.

YouTube is a big help in getting your projects seen. Videos are a great way to explain how you made an item and backing it up with a blog helps to fill in all the holes. Make sure that when you do videos that you are on the project. Be careful in your videos that you are at a good angle. Recently there was a lady that was showing a tutorial but the angle of her camera was pointed at her cleavage. The paper arts community isn’t the place to share a video of your cleavage.

Short videos or long videos work. The key is to edit your video of the portions you can speed through. If you have a video that is 30 minutes long and half of that is you applying glue to paper, you can speed up the video through the gluing. If you are lucky you can then shorten that 30 minute video down to 15 minutes or less.

What is the Dream Design Team where you want to be a member? Make projects that represent the style you want to make. If you are a stamper that colors images, and that is what you want to do for design teams, then produce those items on your blog. If you are wanting to feature digital junk journals, then show how you use them on your blog.

Most design team applications request you show them your top three blog posts, videos or photos of projects that fit their theme. You want quality content now so that you are ready to share with them.

Get involved on social media. Pick your favorite platforms. I use Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Tumblr, Facebook and YouTube the most. Share your projects with good hashtags on your social media. It also helps if you do searches with the same tags on those social media outlets and like, leave comments and make friends on others posts.

Search for calls to join design teams. You can do this by going directly to the blog or website of the company you want to design for or you can search in groups. There are several Design Team Calls groups on Facebook. My suggestion is if this is your first design team, get on one that you know you will love and only one at first. If you don’t love the products then it is hard to create projects.

Building up your portfolio takes work. But Getting on Design Teams is so much fun. It is a great way to see new products. To challenge yourself to try new things. And you will make a lot of lifetime friends because of Getting on Design Teams.

Go forth and create. Getting on Design Teams can be done and I hope you get on the design team of your dreams. Have more questions? Feel free to ask and I’ll answer to the best of my abilities.

Make sure to check out the Friendly Junk Journal People Facebook group. Of course, you are welcome to join the Friendly Junk Journal People Facebook group. The group is growing daily and we are a friendly group willing to help each other and encourage each other.

Interested in any of the journals I created? Please feel free to contact me through my Facebook Page. Here is my shop, I have a lot of items uploaded and add more weekly.

My hope is that I have inspired you to look at those papers in your stash and make your own junk journal.

Keep updated on my posts by following me. Follow my blog with Bloglovin. Or Follow my Facebook Page or on Instagram for updates that may not be shared on my blog.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today to learn about Getting on Design Teams.

Categories: Just SharingStory Time With Linda

Tags: Design TeamLinda IsraellindaisraelPaper Artpapercraft

Just Sharing

Press On Nails

This blog post is information about how I create my own Press On Nails. I thought it might be handy for others who want to create their own. I’ve included affiliate links to Amazon in this blog post.

One day I decided that I wanted to paint my own nails. So my first purchase was Beetles Gel Nail Polish Kit with 48W U V LED Nail Lamp that came a few other items.

Once I got the hang of using the gel polish I started looking at press on nails. There are so many options out there. After reading a bunch of reviews on Amazon I finally decided on the Makartt Squoval Nails 500Pcs Press on Nail Tips – Full Cover Nail.

After getting those nails I quickly discovered that I needed the MelodySusie Acrylic Nail Clippers. It makes it so much easier to cut the nails down to the length that I like.

When I first started doing my nails I would glue them directly to my nail. That meant I would have to soak the nails off when it was time to change them so I used these Nail Clips to hold the cotton balls soaked in acetone.

It would take me so long to soak them off that I did some research and found this Nail Drill and that helped speed up the process.

Since I was getting better at doing my nails it was time to buy new colors of Polish. The Beetles Brand had some good reviews and since I got the initial set from them, I decided to buy another set of their polishes. The Fantasyland colors appealed to me.

Glitter is so pretty and I wanted something gold so I found the VENALISA Gel Nail Polish and decided I must have it! I love how gold the glitter is in this polish.

After watching a ton of tutorials I decided that I needed to get some nail stands to hold the nails so I could paint them a lot easier! This became a game changer for me. Before I would have to spend hours cleaning off my nails. Then I would glue a new set and shape them and then paint them. Now I can cut the nail down, press on the stand and paint a set. This nail stand set came with the putty.

After using the stands, I found that the stands kept falling over so I glued a piece of chipboard to the bottom and that made it work better for me.

Now that I had the stand and could make sets of nails up in advance I decided to research what adhesive to use with press on nails. After reading a bunch of reviews I decided on these adhesive tabs. Using these tabs allowed me the ability to change out my nails quickly as these are temporary adhesive! For me the tabs last about one week, with the amount of hand washing that I do.

To keep the nails on for a week I use the Beetles Base Coat gel polish. First I’ll clean and shape my real nail, cleaning up the cuticle is important. Then wipe down my real nail with alcohol to remove any oil. Paint one coat of the Beetles base coat gel polish and cure. Wipe the nails again with alcohol. Choose the correct size tab for each nail. Using a stylist (or dotting tool) I’ll lift the tab from the backer and position on my nail. Then using the stylist I’ll press the adhesive tab to my finger nail. Remove the tab from the top and then press the nail for 20 to 30 seconds. Don’t wash your hands for a couple of hours after putting on a new set. If possible put them on before you go to bed so that tabs have all night to set.

I forgot to mention that I use the Beetles Base coat and Top coat.

I didn’t take photos of all the nails I’ve made, but I did get photos of a few sets.

I’m learning so much while having fun creating my own press on nails. As I learn new things I’ll create another blog post. If you are interested in tutorials, please feel to leave a comment or contact me and I’ll see what I can do!

Thanks for checking out my blog today and I hope you are inspired to create your own press on nails.

Calico Collage

Cut & Create Ephemera Books By Calico Collage

Have you seen the Cut & Create Ephemera Books By Calico Collage? These are awesome books filled with beautiful images by theme. In this blog post I share a video flip through and my thoughts about these beautiful Cut and Create Ephemera Books.

Cut & Create Ephemera Books By Calico Collage Flip Through Video.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXSW1mSwKFA?feature=oembed&w=750&h=422]

List of Cut & Create Ephemera Books By Calico Collage.

These Cut & Create Ephemera Books are perfect if you don’t have a printer, or if you like having all the images in one place. This collection of books is a great gift for someone who loves to create with paper.

The first Cut & Create Ephemera Book is Fairy Garden. This book features soft pink/peach and vintage colors showcasing Victorian fairies. Lots of beautiful smaller images that can be used to create journal cards, tuck spots and embellishments.

For ideas using the Fairy Garden collection check out my blog posts showing how to create a junk journal.

The second Cut & Create Ephemera Book is One Fine Day. This book features beautiful flowers and birds in bright colors. Included in this set are bingo cards, flash cards, post cards and more. So many beautiful images to cut and create with in this book.

For ideas using the One Fine Day collection check out my blog posts showing how to create a junk journal and more.

The third Cut & Create Ephemera Book is Dragonfly Delight. This book features whimsical ladies with dragonflies in their hair, dragonfly ephemera, hearts and flowers. The images in this book are a soft colorful collection. Make it vintage by adding, coffee dyed papers and soft browns. Or kick up the color by using bright bold colors that match the images.

For ideas using the Dragonfly Delight collection check out my blog posts showing how to create a junk journal.

Visit the Friendly Junk Journal People Facebook group. Of course, you are welcome to join the Friendly Junk Journal People Facebook group. The group is growing daily and we are a friendly group willing to help each other and encourage each other.

Interested in any of the projects Linda has created? Please feel free to contact her through her website. Here is her shop, a lot of items featured and more added weekly.

Keep updated on her posts by following the blog by creating an account. Follow Linda on her Facebook Page or on Instagram for updates that may not be shared on the blog.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today to see the Cut & Create Ephemera Books By Calico Collage.

BLine Designs

Recap of 12 Days of Junk Journal Gift Ideas

Sharing a recap of 12 Days of Junk Journal Gift Ideas 2020. In this blog post we will review the projects created over the past 12 days. Hopefully these ideas will give you a starting point in creating wonderful gift items.

Day 1 of the 12 Days Linda created a Snowflake Specimen Card showing how to us with book pages, chipboard snowflakes.

Day 2 of the 12 Days was Pockets, Linda shows how to take your rubber stamps, and paper scraps to create a unique pocket for journal cards. It could be used to stand alone gift for someone or adhered to a junk journal page.

Day 3 of 12 Days of Junk Journal Gift Ideas was to create embellished Envelope and journal card as a gift for a friend. Using rubber stamps, digital images by Calico Collage and a simple book page is all that was needed to create!

Day 4 of 12 Days of Junk Journal Ideas 2020 Shaker Card. You can use a book page, transparency film, digital images. Add some sequins with beads for a fun item to give to a friend!

Day 5 of the 12 Days of Junk Journal Gift Ideas 2020 was to create Trifold Envelopes. A fun gift idea, Linda used uses envelopes to make a trifold booklet that you can add journal cards and notes to.

Day 6 of 12 Days of Junk Journal Gift Ideas creating a Notepad. A notepad makes a great gift. By using a few supplies you just might have on hand you can make up several that your friends or family might enjoy using!

Day 7 of 12 Days of Junk Journal Gift Ideas 2020 – Repurpose. Use up your Left over wrapping paper and some items that you might otherwise just throw in the trash and create a festive Christmas Tag.

Day 8 of 12 Days of Junk Journal Gift Ideas Winter Popup Card. In this tutorial you will learn how you can create a super cute Winter Themed Popup card to send to your friends and family.

Day 9 of of 12 Days of Junk Journal Gift Ideas 2020 – Corner Tuck. A corner protector or tuck spot is a great way to use up scraps and create a cute gift. In this tutorial showing how you can use scraps, digital images and your rubber stamps to create a corner tuck spot element.

Day 10 of 12 Days of Junk Journal Gift Ideas 2020 – Card and Envelope. Create a Christmas Card with a matching envelope to mail to friends and family. If you are needing to get rid of your scraps give this project a try!

Day 11 of 12 Days of Junk Journal Gift Ideas 2020 – Gift Card Holder. Tis’ the season for gift card giving. Use scraps, a book page and your sewing machine to create yours!

Day 12 of 12 Days of Junk Journal Gift Ideas 2020 ~ Folio Journal. Time sure went by fast for this crafting series. Create this Folio Journal to hold all the elements that were made for the 12 days of Junk Journal Gift Ideas.

Creating handmade gifts for friends and family means giving a part of you. Which Day was your favorite?

Robin Fennessy

Make sure to check out the Friendly Junk Journal People Facebook group. Of course, you are welcome to join the Friendly Junk Journal People Facebook group.The group is growing daily and we are a friendly group willing to help each other and encourage each other.