{ F.A.Q. 8/19/12 }

I get asked a lot of questions regarding LCL – some from friends IRL that are curious, and a lot of emails from blog readers. I think it’s about time I answered them in the blog too! Here they are, in no particular order:

1. How do you have time?! This is the most asked and is the one that always leaves me dumbfounded, lol. I’m a stay-at-home-mom. How do I not have time to play with her? Crafting is part of our routine! A printable craft takes us about 20 minutes, tops. Usually less now that she’s older. We also have a pretty good system down. Blogging takes me 10-15 minutes. I don’t ramble a lot on most posts and I keep my picture editing very basic. As for making the printables, I do most of the actual designing on the weekend. I was joking with a friend recently about how I couldn’t believe my Friday and Saturday nights have become my printable-making and blog maintenance nights.
2. Why do you do so many crafts, and does Lorelai actually enjoy doing them? She absolutely LOVES crafting. She also loves cooking and cleaning. She’s totally going to be the next Martha Stewart when she gets older! Minus the jail time – momma’s raising her right! Hehe. Seriously though, she really looks forward to crafting and is usually the one to initiate craft time. I can’t tell you how many times she has gone into our “printable folder” and picked out a craft, got the paints ready, brought my camera to the table (really!) and then got me to supervise. That’s why we do so many crafts… it’s the number one activity in our household.  Plus, making fun printables is one of MY many creative escapes! =)
3. Do you sell adspace? No, nope, NEVER! I also don’t do ads in the blog posts. Please don’t even ask. Oops, look at me eating crow! 12/30/12
4. You should charge for your crafts! Why don’t you? My husband says this to me all.the.time. The thing is, I love making printables for Lorelai, and I enjoy watching her enjoy them. I also love to blog. This isn’t “work” for me- not in the least. If I didn’t have LearnCreateLove, we would still be doing the same crafts. Sharing them and knowing that a little child out there gets to enjoy them as well makes it worth it to me. On another note, I do have a “Donate” button at the bottom of the sidebar (on the right) for those who want to say thank you that way. We have received a few small donations that have gone towards craft supplies and web hosting. I so appreciate that! <3
5. Will you make me a _________ craft by __DATE__? Honestly, it depends. If it’s something that’s relevant to a 4-almost-5 year-old and I know she will like it, I will definitely put it on our list. If not, then sorry, but no. I keep a list of all requests and I do go back through to see if it’s something she would like to do. As for the date part, I can’t promise that anything will get done by the date you might need it. It all depends on what we have coming up and how busy we are.
6. May I use a printable for a party/group project/school event? ABSOLUTELY! You don’t even have to ask! The only thing I ask about my printables is that they don’t get redistributed online (the PDF file), and that if you blog about them, link back to the original blog post and not the printable itself.  It is never okay to re-upload the PDF file to your website. It all stays fair that way!
7. What age can my child start crafting?All kids are different! Lorelai was coloring at 14 months (right after she stopped putting everything in her mouth) and was holding a paintbrush at 18 months. The main thing is to just let them get messy and be creative – it’s the process, not the end product! For younger toddlers, you could let them finger paint with colored pudding or yogurt on their high chair tray.
8. Are you a photographer? I am! Though don’t judge me by my LCL photos. These are usually just snapshots. Our apartment has no natural lighting and I can never get my WB correct inside. I do family & child natural light, lifestyle photography in our area. =)
9. How do you come up with craft ideas? Lorelai, my husband, and I have brainstorming sessions. We actually just had one last night! We filled an entire page in my notebook with craft ideas. I just counted – 55! Lorelai also looked through her animal encyclopedia again and we got some from there. Some are just fun, classic crafts, and some are out-there mythical creatures. If we get an idea from another blog, I always link back to their post! Pinterest is also great inspiration.
10. How do you organize all of your craft materials? I’m actually planning out a blog post for that, so stay tuned!

So there are the currently most-asked questions. Feel free to ask more in the comments!