i am flippin' stressing out!!!!!!!

[party of 3]

ok i have got to chill! i am doing the ak newbie swap and it's my 1st time swapping for homemade items......well i am just flippin' stressing out about it!!!! i think my dh is going to divorce me if i ask him one more time what about this!!!!!! really he has about had it with me! every time he gives his opinion, i shoot him down and say, no that's just ugly like that! i want it to be perfect so the girls will like it!!!! he doesn't get it! i will just die if nobody likes my swap stuff! i'll be like poor Rudolph and you would let me join in anymore swap games!!!!!!
somebody please tell me that you guys went or still go thru this stress when doing it for somebody else!

 

[New England Eeyore]

First of all, don't worry your pretty little head! I can pretty much guarantee everyone is going to like your stuff. Plenty of reindeer games in your future.

Second - I totally went through the same thing with my first swap. I too drove DH nuts making him look at every single thing I did. (And he was such a good sport when I showed him 3 very similar patterned papers and asked him too choose - thinking very seriously about it before choosing when I know inside he was thinking - what's the difference?)

Remember - there's no such thing as perfect and it's supposed to be fun! Don't stress - just make something you'd be happy with and we'll be happy with it too!

 

[hopemax]

I still ask my DH if something looks good!

I was terribly worried about my early swaps. Heck, I still worry after you guys keep hyping me up, "What if people don't think this is up to par for me and are disappointed?"

Really, if you have put a little thought into it (like finding an interesting font, or nice paper/color choice, nice embellishment), have straight cuts/positioning,and no glue boogers you are 90% of the way there. And sometimes those things aren't 100% necessary because by the time you surround it with pictures and under a page protector, you aren't going to notice it's a tiny bit crooked.

Paper choice and pop dotting(making something 3-D) are some of the easiest ways to liven something up. Textured paper vs, untextured, and now Bling vs non-Bling can make such a difference and takes absolutely no more work.

And you can always take a pic and ask any of us and we will reassure you that you are doing just fine.

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

Don't stress!! Like NEE said, it's supposed to be fun!!

That being said, I stress, too, and I always have DH look at it, so I know what you mean. He's good about it, though, he actually helps--I think it's just because if I'm working on swap stuff, he has time to play Halo 3!

No more stressing for you! What you make will be wonderful, and we will all use it!!

 

[lewdyan1]

I stress terribly because after 10 swaps I know mine is never as great as everyone elses. But I have seen my stuff on another person's page so that was super exciting (since it never makes it onto my own pages as I never seem to scrap, just swap). But I guess I have an advantage, I'm the mod.

Seriously, just do it and have fun.

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

I still stress. With ALL my swaps. I've been doing this almost a year and I still haven't let up with all the worrying. And YES I have lost sleep over swaps. Isn't that silly?

My DH is a very good sport too. And he's even learned to say, "Hey, I like that paper."

Feel free to post what you have made. We can tell you if a solid color would work better, or if it just needs some brads or eyelets in corners or some ribbon or fiber added just over there or HEY THAT'S GREAT JUST AS IT IS!!

 

[Lisa]

I, too, stressed on my first swap, but it turned out fine. It is fun to see your element on someone else's layouts with their pictures. The ladies certainly will let you play in future reindeer swapping games. I see a future tag in there somewhere.

Just remember life isn't perfect, why should your scrapping be? Whenever I start putting too much stress on myself over a layout, I think of that motto. Kind of puts things back into prespective for me.

 

[ddavis860]

First... R E L A X!

That being said, I stress too...I really think we all do. I've said it before, sometimes I'm dead on, and love what I did, other times I'm just glad that the element passes the size requirements. I know everyone is really into the Bazzil papers right now (no flaming please), but I'm OK with regular cardstock used in a way that shows thought and effort. Plus, I think the new toys that some people have are adding stress to these swaps for the non toy owners. But toy owners are stressing too. I mean, the way I see it, I have some toys, but so many others have the same toys. How do I make my things different and more creative?

Everyone's style is so different, and when you really try and care so much about not wanting to disappoint the other swappers, it's just natural to stress. It's hard to put yourself out there...and the level of quality on these boards is amazing. The crazy talent of the people here is what makes these swaps so great!!

 

[Faerie]

I still stress but I will say this, I have learned so much from swapping. Techniques I may not have done or tried, combos etc. I love gaining knowledge from the amazing talent of the ladies around here. I was sorting the tag swap last night and was in complete awe of the level of talent around here. Everything is so beautiful!

That said, I bounce ideas off my DBF ALL the time. He has a pretty good eye for design. Colors he's useless - he's color blind

 

[party of 3]

thank you all for your kinds words and the fact that i'm not alone in my stressing makes me feel better. and dh is so good about it, he really is. he just said to me, "holl, it's your 1st time at it. i'm sure they will understand if it's not perfect. but i think they came out great!" so he does love me! i guess i'm gonna keep him!!!!!!
i did post a pic over on the ak newbie swap if you want to take a peek and let me know what you think. i'd love to hear some feedback!

thanks again guys. you're ALL the best!

 

[PrincessNancy96]

Yep, we all stresses...
and have your DH call my DH and he'll tell him what to do when we go on the attack and shoot them down... When I swapped, the kids would take bets on when mom would crack first.. DH usually won...but they made a game out of it and than it was an ice cream run for everyone but mommy.. (They did bring me something back but they went out and had fun together)...
It's all for fun, so relax...don't stress about it.. I'm sure everyone will love what you make..
I'm not swapping right now, so if you need anything PM me... and I'm anxious to see what you make!!!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

..... glue boogers......

OMG.Can't.breathe.