Erte - Paper Cutting

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sometimes The Greatest Gift The Craft Room Offers Is A Little Peace And Quiet

We had a friend visiting us in the house this week.  We really enjoyed sharing time together and, at the same time, I could tell that I was missing time of quiet and solitude.  When I walked into the craft room today to create, I was struck by the surprising gift of peace and quiet this special room offered!  I always think of the craft room as a place to explore the gift of creativity.  Today I am grateful for the other gifts it brings :)

Today's card was inspired by Erte - this particular piece of art.  I used an xacto blade to cut out the black card stock in the shape of a butterfly.  (I used a butterfly from the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die as a template for the outline and drew it on the back side of the card stock and then cut around it with the xacto knife).  I stamped a whisper white piece of paper with the bella toile background stamp and colored the image with my aqua painter and various ink colors.  The tiny butterflies on the greeting are from the Beautiful Wings embosslit.  Hope you like it!

stamps:  Of The Earth (hostess), Bella Toile
card stock:  Whisper White, Basic Black, Orchid Opulence, Green Galore
ink:  Orchid Opulence, Green Galore, Brilliant Blue, Only Orange, Going Gray
accessories: xacto blade, Big Shot, Bigz Beautiful Butterflies die, Beautiful Wings embosslit

Video: Colorful Corduroy Button Flower

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Inspiring Others Towards Happiness Brings You Happiness!

These words were written on the tab of my tea bag this afternoon and they seemed just perfect to me!  Yesterday I had the honor of teaching stamping at a Boys & Girls Club and it was amazing to watch how happy the kids were with their new-found talent!  It really did make me happy!  Who can you inspire toward happiness today?  (I hope today's video inspires you to create and, as a result, brings you loads of happiness!  Let me know if you have any questions!).

I'll Be Back Friday - Boys & Girls Club Was Calling!

Hi!  I just wanted to let you know I haven't disappeared!  I will be back tomorrow with a new post - I've missed blogging!  Where was I?  I had my head down in the craft room for the past few days preparing for tonight - I went with a friend to volunteer at a local Boys & Girls Club and we taught the kids how to stamp (they made Valentine's cards)!  It was an amazing experience!!!!!  To watch their creativity go wild with those punches, stamps, paper, crimper...it was fabulous!  I highly recommend sharing your love of stamping with someone who may never have stamped before - it is incredibly rewarding!  Hope you have a great night!  Looking forward to being back in the craft room and back here tomorrow!

Wow Flowers Birthday Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Ride The Wave Of Inspiration!

I went to bed after checking what colors were in today's color challenge on SCS - basic gray, bravo burgundy, crushed curry and neutrals...with the extra challenge of adding text, other than a greeting, somewhere on your card.  I woke up knowing that I needed to use Wow Flowers.  I almost ran into the craft room to get started!  Half-way through I though "Wow!  This is sure ugly!"  But I kept going and I am so glad I did!  I am really pleased with the result.  How 'bout you?  Sometimes you just need to ride the wave of inspiration and see where it leads!

I began by stamping the "birthday wishes" greeting in basic gray on the basic gray card stock.  Then I went crazy stamping the geometric flower in crushed curry on very vanilla and then continued with the same stamp in bravo burgundy.  That panel and the center crushed curry circle are popped up on dimensionals.  I love that this card only uses one stamp set!  I hope you like it!  I got this stamp set as a FREEBIE with Sale-a-Bration!  Spend $50 in a product purchase and you can get it too!  Shop HERE now!

stamps:  Wow Flowers
card stock:  Very Vanilla, Basic Gray, Crushed Curry, Bravo Burgundy
ink:  Crushed Curry, Bravo Burgundy, Basic Gray
accessories: rhinestone brad, 1 3/4", 1 1/2", 1 1/4" circle punches

Scallop Circle Punch Flowers

Tonight's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Creativity Doesn't Punch A Clock!

I have noticed that the past few nights my creativity seems to get into full gear later and later in the evening.  Mind you, 9 p.m. is late in the evening for me...I've been known to be tucked in bed by then! :)  I can sit here and wish all I want that my creative juices would start flowing when I say so, but that just isn't how it works.  Your creativity doesn't punch a clock.  The muse will strike when it is ready - we just need to be listening.   We also need to continue to feed our muse - show her the beauty that surrounds us; make sure she is comfortable in her surroundings.  The more we take care of, as opposed to try to force our creative muse, the more she will visit us with her gifts!

This card began as a scallop circle punch experiment!  I punched some scallop circles out of designer paper (Sweet Pea and Welcome Neighbor designer paper).  I then cut into the scallops with my paper snips.  For the flower layer I cut in every 2 scallops and for the center I cut in on every scallop.  I then crumpled the circles and sponged them with Pretty In Pink classic ink.  I scrunched the centers a lot more that the outside petals - almost folding them in on one another.  I secured the centers to the flowers using a mini glue dot and adhered the flowers to the card using a combination of mini glue dots and dimensionals.  I hope you like them!

stamps:  Whimsical Words
card stock:  Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Sweet Pea and Welcome Neighbor designer paper
ink:  Bermuda Bay, Pretty In Pink
accessories: Big Shot, perfect polka dots embossing folder, pretties kit (half pearls), sponge

Inking Your Wheels!

OK, I admit it, I'm wheel crazy (and I don't mean that in the Elmer Fudd kind of way :)!  I am loving my I {Love} Love jumbo wheel!  It is so easy to use and looks fabulous!  This picture is of a bunch of candy dish bands that I made to give the ladies at my bank to put around their candy dishes!  There is a piece of Sticky Strip on the back of one end of the band so that they can wrap the band around the dish and adhere.  This also allows them to slip the band off after Valentine's Day and hold onto it for next year (if they want).  I used the jumbo wheel with Chocolate Chip ink to start and then distressed the edges of the paper with my distressing tool.  I then sponged Chocolate Chip ink on the edges.  I used one of my favorite Itty Bitty Background stamps to add more textured "dots" with Close To Cocoa ink.  The hearts were made by using heat and stick powder on a piece of kraft card stock.  I glittered a long piece of the paper and then punched out the hearts with 3 different heart punches.  The paper "curls" were made by twisting 1/4" wide pieces of kraft card stock around the handle of a paint brush.  Hope you like them!

TIP:  How To Ink Your Wheels

There are a few different ways you can ink your wheels.  You can purchase the cartridges for the wheel in a variety of colors.  Or, if the color you want does not come in a pre-inked cartridge, you can buy a "blank" cartridge and use reinkers to ink the cartridge and you are good to go.  My favorite technique for inking the wheels right now, however, is not bothering with a cartridge at all!  I just snap the wheel into the handle and then roll the wheel back and forth on the ink pad of my choice.  I roll it a number of times to ink it up and then roll onto paper.  Of course, I have to reink if I want to wheel again, but I don't mind this extra step!  If you are choosing to wheel a paper tablecloth or a long piece of paper you may want to use a cartridge so you don't have to keep reinking.  Shop HERE, 24/7 for ink, cartridges and wheels :)

Bucket Purse Challenge!

The "Try A New Technique" challenge on SCS was to make a bucket purse using this wonderful template from Mel McCarthy (thanks Mel!!!!).  I just had to stay awake to try this! I cut the template out of Kraft card stock and then wheeled it with the I {Love} Love jumbo wheel in Chocolate Chip. I punched the handles using my 1 1/2" circle punch.  I added some stamping with an Itty Bitty Background stamp to give this a vintage feel and then sponged a bunch of Chocolate Chip ink on every edge and nook and cranny! The heart was punched from Kraft card stock and then covered in red glitter (of course the glitter is now all over the craft room, the cat, the dog, and me!)! I filled the inside with crimped Rose Red and Real Red paper strips. Now I just need to fill it with candy! Hope you like it!

stamps:  I {Love} Love wheel, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
card stock:  Kraft, Real Red, Rose Red
ink:  Chocolate Chip
accessories: red ultrafine glitter, full heart punch, crimper, sponge, heat & stick powder, heat tool, 1 1/2" circle punch

Fox & Friends CAS Card

Tonight's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Reflect

I was speaking to a group of women last week and one of the topics we discussed was "self care."  One woman mentioned that on her drive home from work she asks herself the following questions:  "What did you do well today?"; "What did you learn today?"; "What are you grateful for?"; and "How can I be a great _____?"  I was impressed by the time she carved out every day to reflect on how she spent her day and how she might improve tomorrow.  When was the last time you stopped to reflect?  Now is a great time to start!

Tonight's card came together very quickly.  The clean and simple challenge on SCS was inspired by a simple sketch.  I have to admit that I laughed out loud when I stamped this card :)  Something about the "you, you, you" and those 3 owls tickled my funny bone :)  I actually used a 1 1/2" circle punch to cut a guide for stamping the 3 owls in a row (since I didn't trust myself to free-hand it).  The owls were stamped in 3 complimentary colors.  I created a faux bow for easy mailing.  (You can see my video on how to make this faux bow HERE!).  I had to add a little sparkle to the owls with dazzling diamonds.  I rounded two of the corners with my corner rounder.  Hope you like it :)

stamps:  Three Little Words, Fox & Friends
card stock:  Very Vanilla
ink:  Taken With Teal, Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery, Basic Black
accessories: dazzling diamonds, certainly celery 5/8" satin ribbon, corner rounder, stamp-a-ma-jig (1 1/2" circle punch for template)

Tiny Tag Flower

This card was very quick and easy!  The flower was made by stamping one of the floral branch images over and over in a circular pattern.  I just made sure that the end of the branch was in the middle every time I stamped so that the flowers were radiating out from the center.  I stamped the image with Pink Passion ink at full strength and half strength and then cut out the completed flower.  I then sponged the edges with Pink Passion ink.  Don't you just love that new Scallop Trim corner punch?!  It really adds an elegant touch!  I'm also wild about the corduroy buttons!  Hope you like it!

stamps:  Whimsical Words (Sale-a-Bration set), Tiny Tags
card stock:  Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Pink Passion
ink:  Pink Passion
accessories:  Scallop Trim border punch, corduroy button, sponge