I warned you...I'm addicted to my bind-it-all :) These mini books were made from 4 x 4 coasters that were cut down on one end and then filled with approximately 30 sheets of 3.5 x 3.5 card stock. They are so cute and easy to make!!!! I have a feeling you will be seeing more of these :)

Just a little Easter card that makes me smile and think of Spring :) I made this card about a month ago, but have decided it is time for it to come out of the craft room and onto the blog :) Think Spring!!!!

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Eat Your Dessert Before Your Dinner!

I woke up this morning and decided to change my routine a bit. I usually begin with walking the dog and then sit down to work and I find myself anxious to end the work day so I can finally do what I really want to do...which is to create. Today I decided to start my day a bit different. I walked the dog this morning and rather than hunker down and get to work, I decided to go into the craft room and start my day by creating. I know as a kid, I always wished I could eat dessert before dinner. And now as an adult, I let myself start my day with my dessert :) And no, I don't think I spoiled my appetite :)

For today's "going green" challenge on SCS, I cut the dictionary definition from an old dictionary (reduce, reuse, recycle) and sponged with sahara sand. The flower image is stamped with always artichoke on always artichoke card stock. The greeting is popped up on dimensionals.

Hope you like it!

OK, I admit it...I'm addicted to my bind-it-all! It sat on a shelf for months when I bought it and I finally decided to give it a try and now I'm crazy about it! I think these little books will make wonderful gifts - for myself and others :) If you have no idea what a bind-it-all is, you can check it out at www.binditall.com. They have a video you can watch to learn how the machine works. I have only made these small books so far...but the possibilities seem endless!!!!

(I was asked what paper I use on the inside for the pages. On these small books I use either unruled 3x5 index cards or ruled 3x5 index cards. I try to get the ones that are at least 30% recycled material. You can find them at your local office supply store. I can fit half a package - about 50 cards - in each of these small journals).

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Look at Things in a New Way

When I printed out today's sketch challenge, I flipped it horizontally and immediately saw an envelope! It's amazing how you can look at something in a new way and see something totally different. Sometimes we can shift our perspective by ourselves. Sometimes it takes someone else to come along and share a different perspective - a different way of seeing things - and then new worlds open up to us. It's as if we are seeing things that were always there, but were invisible to us!

I stamped the calendar with Staz-On on a piece of clear plastic (which is actually the packaging from a cb folder that I had purchased a few months ago...I knew it would come it handy!). I figure that once I decide who this birthday card is going to I can "check" the appropriate date boxes on the card.

Today, I hope we all see familiar things in new ways!

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Find Inspiration and Comfort in the Words of Others

Above my computer there is a quote that reads Alas for those who cannot sing, but die with all their music in them. Michael has a quote above his computer that says "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few. -Shunryu Suzuki. For both of us, these quotes provide comfort, guidance and inspiration whenever we take the time to read the words and think about what they mean to us. It continues to amaze me how a sequence of shapes and lines - letters and words - can be so powerful - can move us to inspired action or to tears.

So today I created a space to capture some of my favorite words and quotes. I often jot them down onto small pieces of paper, the back of an index card, or mark them with a piece of torn paper in a book - often they get lost or misplaced. Now I have a place to collect them - to refer back to them and appreciate them.

What's your favorite quote? I'd love to hear what words inspire you...I have a feeling they might find their way into my new place for safekeeping :)

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Focus On What You Have To Be Grateful For

I'm not sure when the habit started, but at some point in my life I decided to keep a journal every night. A simple journal where I would right down at least 6 things that I was grateful for that day. I have not always been consistent with the habit. I do find, however, that when I do take the time before I go to sleep to remember what I have to be grateful for, it puts me in a place where I am happy, content, and peaceful.

My last journal began as spiral bound index cards - the kind you find at any office supply store - and you look and wonder why the spiral binding made such simple index cards so expensive! I am on my few final "pages" and decided to save myself a trip to the office store and walk, instead, into the craft room. I have to admit that I had bought a bind-it-all machine quite a number of months ago and I had never taken it out of the box...until today! Now it is staying out of its box because I am thrilled with the ease of putting together my new gratitude journal and feel this project will make a very special gift for many people in my life (who I am very grateful for!).

So tonight, before you drift off to sleep, take a few minutes to reflect on your day and focus on all of those things you have to be grateful for. It may surprise you how long your list actually is.