Crafty Ass Female

WE WOULD SAY “We’re back!” BUT IN THIS SEASON’S CASE, WE NEVER LEFT! Haa haa! But anyway…CHEERS! We’re TENURE AS A PODCAST! Season 4, let’s do this! The theme for this season of Crafty Ass Female is GROWTH - because you don’t release almost 70 episodes of a hit podcast, have THEE best conversations with some of THEE best people, and NOT pick up a few things along the way!

Megan Anderson has come back on the podcast to update us on what’s going on with her these days and different ways she has lived out our Season 3 motto which was WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER. Amanda + Kristin also talk with Megan about how she plans and making lists, what she did with the GET TO WORK BOOK® to ‘work smarter, not harder’, what it was like when she used to have her etsy shop & how it helped her learn about sunk cost. Megan also generously chats with the girls about the relationship with her husband Jake and her perception of how they are doing as a married couple and where they might go in the future!

Cathy Zielske (pronounced simply as Zil-ski) gives us the backstory of how she got to where she is today, from her job as an assistant editor for a magazine to having a baby and freelancing to her foray into scrapbooking and how she ‘got hooked’. Amanda + Kristin also talk with Cathy about finding your ‘thing’ and staying afloat in the creative industry by pivoting when needed and always evaluating when you need to make a tweak. Cathy also gives the girls the low-down about FIT: her online class all about documenting self-care. The class aims for its participants to to answer: Can you connect to what you need?

As the host of the Raise Your Hand Say Yes podcast (now in its fifth year with over 1.2 million downloads!), Tiffany is most interested in telling the truth about a life of chasing your dreams—tangles and all. She's been featured by Inc.com, salon.com, and Flow Magazine and has delivered keynotes both domestically and abroad. With a penchant for keeping it real, her work focuses on how women can stop over-performing for the sake of the life that somebody else dictates for them and instead start saying yes to themselves. Throughout her life, Tiffany has said yes to smart things, big things, and seemingly-impossible things (hello sobriety, starting a business, and having twins!), and along the way, she's learned that the road to a fulfilled life that feels like freedom is paved with bold moves made from deep within our discomfort zones, a vast understanding of ourselves, and a communion with our core values. Tiffany lives in Northern Colorado with her husband and twin daughters and starts as many dance parties

Constellation & Co uses the power of words and the magic of snail mail to connect people and make us all feel less alone. Our line of cards and gifts are inspired by the events and occasions in life that are made sweet by close, honest relationships. Our work as Constellation & Co. is built for sharing joy and holding our loved ones close in the middle of pain. Constellation & Co has been featured on a variety of publications such as Oh So Beautiful Paper, Creative Mornings, The Paper Chronicles, and more. Sara has been interviewed on podcasts such as Proof to Product, Let’s Talk About It, and The Postcardist talking about business, mental health, and her love of postcards. When Sara’s not working at the shop, she’s sending snail mail to her loved ones, buying copious amounts of fountain pens, and spending time with her husband and son.

Today we have Gretchen Klobucar on the show. Gretchen is a New Orleans native + recovering perfectionist living in the Memphis area with her husband Adam and her two beautiful children, Nora (6) and Hunter (2.5). She works full time as the Director of Institutional Advancement at Bodine School, an elementary independent school for students with dyslexia in grades 1-6. She oversees marketing and communication and is solely responsible for raising a quarter of a million dollars each year. In addition to her passion for nonprofit work, she loves papercrafting—especially all things planning. She encourages inclusion + innovation as a Happy Planner®️ SQUAD member. She also serves as a brand ambassador for Chalkfulloflove (Handlettering books, drinkware, and other home goods). You can often find her unapologetically quoting Brené Brown, the Bible, and the latest hip hop hits all in one day.

This episode is the continuation of last week’s Break-Up Episode and addresses the topic of ‘NEXT STEPS’ in relationships. Both Amanda + Kristin are at very different points in their life with their personal relationship ‘next steps’ and it’s interesting to self-examine where you are & where solo-you or you-with-a-partner want to be.

Amanda + Kristin talk about past break-ups and reflect on the term ambiguous loss when it comes to relationships. The girls also talk about healthy decision-making and how the people closest to you will have plenty to say (surprise, surprise). Amanda relates how all she’s learned about her OCD makes her think it might have effected past relationships, and Kristin talks about how she feels she’s been in a break-up of sorts with her hometown in New Jersey.

…aaannnddd WE’RE BACK from our holiday hiatus with the second half of Season 3 and our 60th (!!!) episode. We titled this episode “WorkING Smarter, Not Harder” because the theme is no longer a concept we’re merely just discussing or brainstorming about; WE’RE LIVING IT the best we can, like, presently…right now.

In this episode you'll hear Amanda + Kristin talk about the 'rut of the mind' called COMPARISON-ITIS. They touch on a variety of topics including: • looking 'behind the curtain' of Design Teams • tapping into yourself for joy • knowing + setting up boundaries • unfollowing those that don't serve your emotions • the pressure of 'timelines' • having a growth mindset vs. stuck mindset • meditation - different types + how they help

Amanda + Kristin explore why we as crafty ass females scrapbook / document / memory keep our life. They talk about how their memory keeping has evolved, and discuss documenting hard things. A + K also explain that although they are ALL ABOUT paper + memories, you won't find them spending every waking moment posing + taking pictures for 'the scrapbook.' Life events are meant to be lived. The 'art' part comes later.

Guys, THIS is my favorite episode we've recorded so far! This question rules my life + there are so many good nuggets that got me & will get you thinking. There has never been a time in history where there's more opportunity to grow from your 'thing' than now, but at the same time, EVERYBODY'S trying to do that so it makes it more challenging to get it going. Uh! Amen to that, right?! This episode addresses all this and more + I hope it's one of your faves too! xoxo

In this episode Amanda + Kristin discuss the Instagram phenomenon referred to as 'best nine' + offer an alternative way to think about it. Also on their minds going into the new year is the toxicity of posturing - on the internet, in crafting, and in life. NOTE FROM AMANDA: We express some strong opinions in this episode, but we hope you know it's just to make you think...to bring awareness to the weirdness that is wrapped up in using social media. Nothing more. The core message we hope comes through is this: YOUR VALUE IS INHERENT + not determined by the number of 'likes' or what a website calculates is important content. xoxo

Merry Christmas + Happy New Year, you crafty ass females! Welcome to the mid-season finale of our beloved Season 3 of the show! It’s sort of holiday-themed, being released on Christmas Eve, but it’s also filled with plenty of recent happenings from A + K’s December that hopefully provide some gems you could reflect on and take with you into the new year. The girls talk crafts, life, mental health, growth…you know the deal. ;)

You guys!!! The podcast launched one year ago on December 15th, 2017 (with episodes 1, 2, & 3) and what a learning experience creating this show for you has been! This is our 1 year Anniversary Episode, and whether you’ve listened to us from the beginning or just stumbled upon us today, we’re happy you’re here and we hope you’ve found value in A + K’s crafty conversations! Happy Birthday, podcast! We love you!

It’s that time of year again, crafty ass females! Time to choose a guiding word for the upcoming new year based on some aspect of your existence you want to explore. It’s been a whole year since our first one little word® episode went live (our fourth episode of the whole podcast!) and in today’s show, we’re diving deeper! // Listen to Ali’s one little word® interview with us here (https://www.craftyassfemale.com/episodes/46/ali-edwards).

Today on the podcast we are thrilled to share the motivational musings of Eliza Kapitan. She is the creator and host of the podcast, Craft Hangout, which launched in March 2018. She is a seasoned professional accessories designer + artist in NYC. In 2014, she began creating deliciously whimsical and fun jewelry by hand after long days designing on a computer at a corporate office. After her day job, she would work on the fun stuff, handcrafting the cutest pieces with fun colors, sparkle, and a sense of humor. She did it for the love of the craft, and when too many people she didn’t know asked where they could buy Love Eliza jewelry (especially when some of her drinking necklaces were featured on Real Housewives of New York), Love Eliza, LLC was born! Besides podcasting and jewelry design, she loves painting, drawing, marker rendering, customizing sneakers, textile/apparel art, sculpting in air dry clay, making insane toys, and is down for trying any new supply she finds at A.C. Moore. Eliza is proof that you

‘Tis the season for…consumerism? [Deep sigh.] We hope not. Amanda + Kristin wanted to do their part to eliminate some of the stress + anxiety often involved in gift-giving and shopping for the “perfect” gift. SHOP SMARTER, NOT HARDER! With that in mind, this Crafty Ass Gift Guide was born, and in episode 51, A + K list a few of their favorite things, and discuss what could make gift-giving this season a little more pleasurable.

We couldn't agree more that ‘tis the season for thankfulness & gratitude. 100% !!! …but there is also a lot that we crafty ass females need to be resourceful about around the holidays. Along with the turkey, the mash potatoes, and the stuffing comes…well…‘STUFF’ that also gets passed around, not all of it tasty + welcomed. On this Monday before Thanksgiving, A + K decided to release an episode that talks about ‘navigating’ the holidays: a time of the year when anxieties might rise, family dysfunction might become front & center, and the pressure of what your holiday or personal life ‘should’ look like might cause some distress. Welcome to episode 50: The Thanksgiving Episode, that really is a ‘getting-together-with-family-anytime-of-the-year’ episode. We hope it encourages you to set boundaries, reaffirm your values, and know - despite what any family member makes you feel like around a table full of food - that you’re doing great, girlfriend. We see you. xoxo

Nicole Reaves talks to A + K about how she got into scrapbooking 13 years ago, why she started blogging + how it’s evolved. She also discusses her 20 Questions ‘birthday tradition’ books, the backstory behind them, & how they’ve become what they are now! The ladies then chat about Nicole’s choice to leave Instagram, and how her mental health and the passing of her mother contributed to her decision to finally do it. She talks about the value of her newsletter as a creative outlet and upcoming December Daily®. YAY!