To celebrate the near end of the summer, and my 5 years of creating templates, we are having a WONDEROUS release of 10 templates all releasing August 1st!

With that being said, as we await the release, it is with a very heavy heart that I inform you all that August will be our last “official-scheduled” monthly release.

The store will NOT be closing down. It will still be up and running, and when I get the time or inspiration I’ll load something new.

I will get back to crafting for the same reason I started it…For the LOVE of doing it, and the JOY it has brought to so many in my life.

Never did I think my beginning words to the grand opening of my own business would also end up also being my ending words.

This entire venture started with a simple goal: Sharing what I love with the world!!

I began papercrafting in 2004, while pregnant with my third child. I needed something for “me”. Once I inked up that first stamp I fell in LOVE! It has gone from a hobby to a passion. I never would have thought after purchasing my ONE stamp, that it would lead me to where I am today! I felt like I found my niche in the world. I enjoyed being able to create my own cards to match my gifts, or the occasion I was giving them for. Better yet, everyone really enjoyed receiving them! I found a papercrafting community online, and began sharing my creations there. What a thrill to inspire and be inspired by others in the world who shared my passion. I introduced myself to the papercrafting community as “my time”. That is exactly what papercrafting was to me! Something that was all MINE! I wasn’t just a wife, a mom, a nurse, the maid, a cook, taxi driver….or any of the other “hats” I wore daily. It was something I did solely for myself. My sanity. In return, others did benefit, knowing I took the time to create something just for them. It also helped me get through tough days. An outlet of sorts.

I quickly dove into trying my hand at creating gift boxes and bags to match my cards, and present my gifts in. I realized I could dress up the most inexpensive gifts with fancy packaging! A great resource for a one income family! If you think about it, it is the trick of the trade for the marketing industry when selling you their own products!

Through sharing my passion I was fortunate to work for numerous, amazing stamp companies, where I would create cards and gift items using their images. I was in heaven. As time passed I continued sharing what I love with everyone online. One day my love for creating gift packaging was recognized by Papertrey Ink. This was a company I was creating for at the time. In October 2008 I was able to produce a line of printable templates through their company called My Timeless Templates ©.

This was a true dream come true for me. Now all the boxes and items I created could be recreated, easily by others! 

Over time, my dreams expanded and it was time move on, so I could pursue my ultimate dream! That dream was having my own store for all my template creations, with coordinating stamps and papers! I wanted to continue my passion for sharing what I love with the world, and make it easy and affordable, and you know what? I DID!! My Time Made Easy ™ LLC was opened, and started with great success.

Just as I came to a crossroads then, I am at yet another today. My love for paper crafting turned business has been an amazing adventure, but it is far more involved than anyone could ever image. I no longer have the time to blog, craft for “fun” or do much of anything that doesn’t pertain to the business. Unlike many companies I run much of if myself with the help of my web designer, and the occasional stamp/paper designer.

It is an amazing accomplishment to turn an opportunity into a full business, but that doesn’t come without a “cost”. The largest cost is time with family and the ability to truly get a day “off”. Then there are people in the industry continuously feeding off your innovations, people stealing your ideas, and undercutting you at every turn. While I would try to work harder, it just isn’t worth the sacrifices.

Something I have loved and enjoyed for so long has turned into something I HAD to do. It has become a source of anxiety and stress. It has become heart breaking and upsetting, more than rewarding.

I’m sure this won’t be shocking news. The last few months especially have been quite difficult for me. I am at a point where I have NO CHOICE but to let this go, even though I never really wanted to.

While the decision of WHEN to end MTME monthly releases came suddenly, the actuality of it has not been that sudden. It has been something I have struggled with for some time. Talk about dream crushing. I love what I do and I believe in it, but there comes a time when you have to realize the dream is bigger than the reality, or no longer worth the scarifices.

I really cannot tell you how much I have appreciated each of you through my years in business. Many of you have been with me so long in my journey. You are all amazingly talented, and wonderful people! Many of whom I never met, but have become “friends” with, and you’ve supported me along this journey.

The journey isn’t ending, it is just turning down another path.

I wouldn’t have had the joy of seeing such amazing works or art made with my templates/designs had I not taken this journey. I have gained and learned so much through the last 5 years, and done things I never thought I could do. I have gained knowledge, experience, and confidence. Most of all I have had interactions with amazing people I never would have otherwise. You’ve all touched my life in your own way and will be cherished by me for many years to come.

There are no real words to describe everything I feel at a time like this but I hope you know how thankful I am to have had these opportunities, and to each of you for the time and talents you’ve shared with me while using my designs.

I’m sure I am missing saying something, but I truly type this through tears as the reality of my situation comes to light. I wish I knew what to say, and how to end such a post. At the end of the day, as the saying goes “you have to know when to hold em’ and know when to fold em”. Sadly the time has come for me to fold em.

All my thanks to all of my customers, whom I truly value your continued support. Your projects you share is what has driven me this far.

A HUGE thank you to EVERYONE who has ever been part of the My Time Made Easy team! From the past to the present, and everyone in between.

Thank you again to all whom allowed me to share my vision, and dream with the world!

As I embark yet again on more life changes, difficult decisions, and attempting to make the right choices for all of it-these quotes speak to me today, and how I need to proceed with life and how it evolves…

“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.
Delicious Ambiguity.” 
― Gilda Radner

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” 
― Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” 
― Dr. Seuss

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” 
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

“After all, tomorrow is another day.” Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara Butler.

So, with all that being said I hope you will please stay tuned for our August 1st Release.