Four Ways Friday #19 - Animal Stories Stamp Set

Welcome to another Four Ways Friday!  Today's Four Ways Friday focuses on the Animal Stories stamp set - soooo cute!

For this first card, I stamped the whale with Going Gray (retired) ink and cut the image out.  I added a bit of dazzling diamonds to his spout.  The waves were created with torn Marina Mist card stock adhered to Bashful Blue.  The whale was popped up in between the waves.  The crests of the waves were given a bit of dazzling diamonds sparkle.  The greeting was stamped in Night Of Navy from the Sincere Salutations stamp set.

This adorable tag began with a tag from the Two Tags die that I ran through the Big Shot with Pretty In Pink card stock.  A piece of Whisper White card stock was stamped with the A to Z stamp in Versamark and then I used the poppin' pastels technique to bring the letters into view.  I used Chocolate Chip and Pretty In Pink chalk with my sponge daubers.  The edges were sponged with Chocolate Chip ink.  The adorable elephant was stamped with Chocolate Chip ink and cut out with a hobby knife.  The greeting is from the Elements of Style stamp set and seemed to fit perfectly for this tag!  The scalloped oval punch in Pretty In Pink creates a wonderful background for the greeting.  I used a piece of sticky strip to adhere the Pretty In Pink taffeta ribbon to the tag and finished the ribbon off with a rhinestone brad.

This little 3x3 Marina Mist card is the perfect gift card.  I used the reverse masking technique and cut a circle template and then stamped the Dot, Dot, Dot stamp in Marina Mist inside the circular mask.  I removed the mask and stamped the greeting from the Sincere Salutations stamp set in Night of Navy.  The cute little owl was stamped with More Mustard and then punched out using the 1 1/4" circle punch and then layered on a 1 1/2" circle of More Mustard card stock.  A dash of dazzling diamonds and a button with linen thread finish the look.

For this last card I decided to stamp on acetate with white Staz-On ink.  The acetate was actually from the packaging from a man's razor - what a bonus!  I adhered 2 pieces of designer paper onto the card to create a fun background.  I then punched a piece of Tempting Turquoise with the round label punch and added the word "baby" from the Tiny Tags stamp set.  The label was adhered to the acetate using snail.  I then placed the buttons onto the acetate using mini glue dots.  Finally, I used dimensionals - hidden underneath the round tab and the lower right-hand corner button, to pop the acetate up onto the Rose Red card.  I hope you are inspired by these four ways to use the Animal Stories stamp set.  If you would love to own the stamp set, or any of the other products I've highlighted here, feel free to shop HERE now!

Friends Fur-ever Balloon Birthday!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Focus On What You Can Do, Rather Than What You Can't

I have to admit to being a bit punky the past few days.  My left knee started bothering me - not from running, but from sitting on planes and traveling and carrying a backpack with a laptop in it...my body is not happy!  So I have not been able to run and it's been driving me crazy since I have been so focused on my marathon goal and I have a very specific running schedule that I've been following.  Today I decided to stop focusing on what I can't do and instead got on the recumbent bike at the gym and rode.  It didn't pound my knee at all and at least I got some exercise.  I've been icing and taking anti-inflammatories...hopefully I'll be back on the pavement soon!  In the meantime, I'll keep focusing on what I can do and let my body heal!

For today's card I pulled out the Friends Fur-ever set again!  I LOVE this stamp set!!!!!  It is way too cute!  I also pulled out one of my favorite greeting sets that is now retired, Happy Everything.  How can you not like a stamp set called Happy Everything?!  The striped background was created using a reinker technique on glossy card stock...might have to film a video to show you how later this week!  The balloons are super simple to make - just a 1" circle punch and some white gel pen.  I jazzed them up with a bit of twisted wire that I adhered with Tombo mono multi-adhesive.  I hope you like it!  If you can't live another moment without this adorable Friends Forever stamp set and need to adopt these wonderful dog stamps, please feel free to shop HERE now!

Extreme Elements & Bird Punch Halloween Card!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Check Your Assumptions

I heard an interesting story the other day - the kind of story that really makes you stop and consider your own actions.  A woman in her 20's had driven her grandmother to a grocery store.  She dropped her grandmother off in front of the store and went to park in a handicap parking space - her grandmother had a handicap tag due to her frail condition.  While her grandmother was shopping in the store, the granddaughter told her grandmother that she would run out to the car and return her grandmother's rented videos to a store in the same shopping center to save her grandmother the additional trip.  Out she ran to the car, grabbed the videos, returned them to the store and then went back into the grocery store to finish helping her grandmother with the shopping.  When they got back out to the car, there was a note slipped under the windshield wiper.  To hear her describe it, the note was the nastiest, meanest note the granddaughter had ever seen.  The note berated her for being young and able-bodied and taking up a handicap space in a parking lot and accused her of being a liar and inconsiderate!  The person who wrote that note made assumptions based on the limited information in front of them - a young woman running to a video store.  I wonder how the note-writer would feel if they were reading this post right now...The next time you are tempted to jump to a conclusion, take a pause and check your assumptions - there might be something important that you're missing.

Today's card is an early Halloween card!  Can you believe it's already mid-August?!  I used the Extreme Elements stamp set and Perfect Plum and Elegant Eggplant ink to create the background.  The "spooky" banner was created using the points from the large star punch with the Rough Type stamp set.  I dyed the linen thread black by running it across my black ink pad.  The "boo" is from the Tiny Tags stamp set.  I punched the 2-Step Bird out of Basic Black card stock and used my scissors to create feathers on the wing.  The bow and some dazzling diamonds finishes the look.  I hope you like it!

Artistic Etchings Birthday Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Try A Variation On A Theme

It can be easy to get stuck in the same old rut.  The same routine.  The same clothes.  The same entree on the menu at the same restaurant.  Why not try a variation on a theme?  Maybe pair a funky new top with those favorite pants.  Try a new side dish with that favorite entree.  Throw a new ingredient into that favorite recipe.  You may discover that variety truly is the spice of life!

Today I tried a variation on a theme of a card I shared with you back on August 9th.  I switched up the greeting and turned it into a birthday card.  I also took a mini card and made it into a standard size card and added some Soft Suede ink to the background of the Sahara Sand card with the spritzer tool.  It's a subtle variation...maybe next I'll try to do something bold!  If you can't live without Artistic Etchings, feel free to shop HERE now!  I would love to be of service to you!

Scallop Sunflower Mini Card - Card Play Video!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Stop and Share!

This weekend seemed to be a weekend filled with sharing - a neighbor sharing the apples from his apple tree; sharing tomatoes from our garden; sharing time in the park with friends and four-legged loved ones.  I forget sometimes how good it feels to share and to have someone share with me.  What can you share today?

I decided to share a video with you today!  You may have seen this card in my last Four Ways Friday and I thought it would be fun to share with you how I made it!  I hope you like the video!