Dream Journal

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Donate Something!

It's easy to collect things for yourself and focus on sharing your precious time with those who are closest to you.  At the same time, it can be incredibly rewarding to donate something to others.  That "something" can be money, a thing, or your time.  Somehow, by donating something to others, we make room for something else to come into our lives.  For years I have donated time by reading newspapers for the visually impaired.  Today's technology allows me to record these readings at home and transfer the file to the Audio Information Network of Colorado where the reading can then be "published" to thousands of visually impaired individuals.  If you love crafting (and I have to assume you do, or else you probably wouldn't be at this blog!), maybe you can think of ways to donate your time or some craft supplies to a Boys and Girls Club in your area or another organization that helps bring the arts to children.  Even a quick trip to the Goodwill with some clothes you haven't worn in the past year can make a huge impact for someone else.  What can you donate today?  You'll be amazed at what you get in return!

This small journal was a donation for an environmental organization that my friend is working with.  They are having an auction on Earth Day, so I made this journal to accompany the "DREAM" sign that I posted last week.  Hopefully the auction will generate a lot of donations!  I used the Dreams du Jour stamp set and stamped with Jet Black Staz-On and colored with markers.  The flower was made from a flower die cut from fabric and a touch of Sweet Pea felt.  I hope you like it!

Four Ways Friday #3 - Baroque Motifs

Welcome to another Four Ways Friday, where I show you how to use one stamp set (and sometimes just one stamp) in four different ways!  This week's Four Ways Friday uses the Baroque Motifs stamp set.  This is an all-time favorite of mine!  The first card is a reminder that simple stamping can have a huge impact!

This is a small 3x3 card that was incredibly quick and simple to make.  Just stamp the flourish with Old Olive and then stamp the flower image and the greeting with Rose Red.  These 3x3 cards are great for accompanying gifts or for hiding in small places for your loved ones to find :)

This next card uses a few techniques.

 I began by stamping the flourish onto Whisper White card stock with VersaMark ink and then used clear embossing powder and my heat tool to emboss the flourish.  I then inked my brayer with Bashful Blue ink and brayered over the embossed stamping.  I sponged the edges of the panel with Chocolate Chip ink.  I then took a smaller Bashful Blue card stock panel and crumpled it up in my hand.  I flattened it back out and sponged the outer edges and used my sponge to gently go over all of the raised creases to give this panel an aged look.  The flower was made like the one from the last Four Ways Friday - just 4 or 5 scallop circle punches that were sponged with Basic Black ink and the crumpled until they were just right.  They were all connected using a rhinestone brad.  The greeting was stamped on a small piece of Whisper White card stock, sponged and made into a "flag."

This third card was made with the chalkboard technique.  I stamped the flower image multiple times with VersaMark onto the black card stock.  Then I took a sponge dauber with my Pumpkin Pie pastel pounced all over the VersaMark images.  I used the pastel eraser to clean up the edges and sprayed this panel with a fixative to eliminate any chance that the chalk dust would rub off the card stock.  The larger graphic image was stamped in Basic Black on Pumpkin Pie card stock and a brad was put in the middle.  I seem to be enjoying making flags these days, so I stamped the greeting onto Very Vanilla card stock and created a flag with sponged edges.  The black panel was mounted onto a Pumpkin Pie panel and then adhered to a Very Vanilla card base.

This final project is a reminder that your stamps are for a lot more than just cards!  I used a plain old paper lunch bag and stamped the flourish on both sides using Chocolate Chip ink (you could stamp the side panels too if you'd like!).  I then folded down the top a number of times and punched a whole in the center of the folds with my Crop-a-dile.  I used 5/8" grosgrain ribbon in Chocolate Chip to tie a knot as the closure.  I punched out a 1 3/4" circle and sponged the edges with Chocolate Chip ink and then used my spritzer tool to add a little "splatter."  I stamped the flourish at half strength onto the circle and used the Crop-a-dile to punch a whole in the top of the circle.  The greeting was stamped in full strength.  I attached the tag to the bag using gold elastic.

Let me know if you have any questions.  Also, if there is a set or stamp you would like to see featured in a future Four Ways Friday - just let me know!  I always love your input!

The New Color Collections - Coming In July!!!!!

Our Color Renovation happens in July!!!!!  I wanted to share the new color collections with you!  Here they are!  Let me know what you think!

Another Sweet Pea Birthday Card

I had to make another birthday card using the same design as the card I made earlier today!  I am really loving the Sweet Pea designer paper with Taken With Teal and Chocolate Chip - great for a masculine card.  I hope you like it!  Remember, Taken With Teal will be leaving come July 1st - stock up on this great color now!  Click HERE to shop :)

Loads of Sponging!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Take A Holiday From Complaining

In his book, The Book of Jewish Values, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin shares that he and his wife try to periodically engage in a "complaining fast."  For a week at a time they try to refrain from "all whining and complaining."  By taking a holiday from complaining, we are guided to think more about what we are grateful for rather than focus on what we lack.  I began my holiday today...and I am already grateful!

Today's sketch challenge on SCS really inspired me!  I needed a belated birthday card for my cousin David and the sketch was a perfect beginning!  I sponged the Taken With Teal card with Chocolate Chip ink...and did the same with the Sweet Pea designer paper panels.  I die cut the letters for "belated" from Very Vanilla with the Big Shot and the Simple Letters Alphabet.  These letters got a sponge job too!  I stamped the "happy" (from Teeny Tiny Wishes) and "birthday" (from Upsy Daisy) in chocolate chip on Taken With Teal and yes, you guessed it, the sponge got them too!  I hope you like it!

ps  If you love Taken With Teal as much as I do, you'll want to stock up soon!  This is one of the colors that will be retiring with the Color Renovation beginning July 1!  Don't delay, stock up HERE now!

Color Renovation: Some Favorites Are Returning!

As part of Stampin' Up's! Color Renovation, some of your past IN COLOR favorites will be returning or sticking around as core colors in the new color collections.  Look who's coming back/sticking around:

• Melon Mambo
• Pacific Point
• Tangerine Tango
• River Rock
• Soft Suede
• Riding Hood Red
• Rich Razzleberry
• Wild Wasabi
• Pink Pirouette
• Baja Breeze

The other adorable thing is that Kraft is getting a new name...Crumb Cake!  How yummy is that?!  Along with the new name will come new products in the Crumb Cake color - including a stamp pad, marker, pastel and watercolor wonder crayon.  I can't wait for July!!!!!

IN COLORS will also be sticking around for 2 years starting in July!  While we will still get 5 new IN COLORS every year, they will now stay around for an extra year!!!!  Yeah!!!!  Let me know if you have any questions!

New Colors Are Coming!!!!

Wow!  What an exciting new announcement from Stampin' Up!  We are undergoing a Color Renovation!  Our new color collections will be available beginning with our July Idea Book & Catalog!  I'll be posting more information soon and I'll also be posting some card samples using the new colors.  You're going to love them!!!!!  We will also be saying a fond farewell to some of the colors we have had around for awhile.  If you are in love with some of these colors you'll want to snatch them up before July 1!  Here is the list of the retiring colors:

Heat Embossed Background Stamp - Bella Toile

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Change Your View

We moved a birdbath in the backyard and, by chance, I can now see the birdbath out of my office window when I am sitting at my computer (I'm watching it right now, as I type!).  It's not that I didn't look out my window before.  But now I am finding a whole new world to look at!  Yesterday the robins decided to have a celebration!  It was an amazing site to see!  How can you change your view today?

Today's color challenge on SCS was a lot of fun - soft suede, certainly celery, tempting turquoise and a neutral of choice...with the added challenge to use some crimping!  I had no idea how I was going to mix in the turquoise!  I stamped the Bella Toile in certainly celery craft ink and then heat embossed with my heat tool and clear embossing powder.  Then I used a sponge and sponged soft suede all over the embossed image and on the areas that were not embossed.  I ran the tempting turquoise through the crimper to make it look a bit like ribbon and then "gathered it" using glue dots to create the folds.  I even sponged a bit of soft suede to give it an aged/vintage look.  Finally, I used some gold alcohol ink to change the color of my silver rimmed tag.  The greeting was stamped and a little linen thread added for the finishing touch!  I hope you like it!

p.s.  Stampin' Up! is making a new product announcement at noon today!  Can't wait to hear what it is!!

Sitting and Staring...

Today's Lesson From The Office Next To The Craft Room:  Take A Break From Doing Taxes And Go Explore Outside!

No time in the craft room yet today...just sitting here in the office trying to get my taxes done.  Yes, I am a procrastinator when it comes to doing my taxes.  Not sure where I developed my dislike for doing them - maybe because it is the farthest thing from creating art! :)  So, I gave myself a break and went outside and explored a bit with the camera.  This little guy decided to watch me :)  There was also a small party at one of the bird baths...I wasn't invited...but I showed up anyway :)

Hopefully I'll be back in the craft room tomorrow...I'm still buried in papers and receipts and I have a date with Keifer Sutherland tonight...not really...just watching 24 :)  Have a great night!

Die Cut Fabric Sign #2

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  You Have More Endurance Than You Know!

I began my "wogging" adventure at the beginning of March and today I ran 5.3 miles!!!!  It is amazing to me how you can do something that you firmly believe you are not capable of!  Had you asked me a month ago if I would be running 5 miles in a month I would have told you you were nuts!  Now I know better :)  What do you believe you can't do today?  How can you use the next 30 days to get closer to that goal?  You really do have more endurance than you know!

I have been playing around a lot with fabric and interfacing (I didn't even know what interfacing was a couple of days ago!) and my Big Shot.  This project is 100% no sewing involved!  Can you believe it?!  This sign is getting donated to a friend's non-profit organization for a fund-raising auction.  Let's hope someone at the auction likes it!  (And, if I'm being honest, I actually made yesterday's sign for the auction...but I can't part with it since it was my first fabric sign :)  I am going to hang it in the craft room...or the bedroom - can't decide yet.  Shhhh, it will be our secret :)