Four Ways Friday #23 - Texturz Plates (Harlequin)

Hi!  Welcome to this week's Four Ways Friday!  Today I'm focusing on the Harlequin Texturz Plate (part of the Backgrounds 1 set of Texturz Plates).

For this first 3x3 card, I applied Rose Red ink directly to the texturz plate using my ink pad.  I then sprayed the plate with water and placed a piece of watercolor paper on top.  I ran the plate and paper through the Big Shot (with the silicone rubber pad and impressions pad) and this is the result!  It's difficult to see the embossed and debossed areas in the photo - this card has lots of texture!

This 3x3 card using the texturz plate in a very traditional way.  I just ran Sahara Sand card stock through the Big Shot with the plate.  When you use lighter colored card stock, it is very easy to see the great embossed effect the texturz plate gives you.  (For a deeper impression, you can add a layer of scrap card stock - sometimes referred to as a "shim" on top of the impressions plate when you run your "sandwich" through the Big Shot).

This card also used the texturz plate in a traditional way.  However, instead of using card stock, I ran vellum through the Big Shot with the texturz plate.  I love the look the plate gives the vellum!

You can have a lot of fun creating your own textured designer paper with the texturz plates!  I began by stamping multiple images from the Circle Circus stamp set onto a piece of Pumpkin Pie card stock.  I then ran the card stock through the Big Shot with the Harlequin texturz plate.  Once the piece was embossed, I took my More Mustard ink pad and dragged it across the textured card stock.  If you don't push too hard, the ink pad will only ink the raised portion of the harlequin design and give you this great look!
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!  Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful and creative weekend!

Finally Friday Will Be Here Later Today!

Finally Friday is still sleeping...well, maybe it's me that's still sleeping and not Finally Friday :)  Either way, Finally Friday and I will be back a bit later today.  Please stop back by :)  Thanks for visiting!

Die Cutting Your Fun Foam - Simple Alphabet

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Capture Those Waking Thoughts!

As I begin to come back into awareness in the morning, my mind seems to flood with all kinds of thoughts and ideas.  If I don't take note of them - either by repeating them in my mind or writing them down on a piece of paper - I can lose them.  So I do my best to try to capture the thoughts and create them if they are art related.  What thoughts float through your mind when you are awakening?  How can you make some of those thoughts realities - especially those that encourage you to create?

Today's idea, of die cutting felt and fun foam, came to me in these waking thoughts.  I tried out the fun foam first :)  I used the Simple Alphabet dies in the Big Shot to cut out the letters and the cute flower and then adhered them to the Whisper White card stock using Tombo Mono Multi Adhesive (that is sticky stuff!).  The finished card size is 3" x 3" and I love all of that dimension!  So simple with high impact! :)  I hope you like it!

Timeless Type Love Card!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Some Things Influence Us In Interesting Ways!

Yes - it's obvious...I was typing way too much today and all of that typing followed me into the craft room!  I had no idea when I walked into the sanctuary of the craft room that my mind would still be thinking email addresses and websites!  And no, I have no idea if this is an actual email address (and please don't try it to find out - I don't want to make anyone mad or have us directing spam in someone's direction...or back in your direction! :)  Some things really can influence us in interesting ways!

This card was so simple to put together!  I love that you can spell anything with the Timeless Type Sizzlits and your Big Shot!  It took me a long time to buy this sizzlit set and I am so glad that I did!  I added an adorable retired brad from last Valentine's day.  I also used my 3/4" circle punch to create the scallops down the side of the card.  The finished card size is 4 3/4" x 4 3/4."  I hope you like it! :)

Cute by The Inch Thank U

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Helping A Friend Can Make You Forget Your Own Worries For Awhile!

Monday was a yucky migraine day :(  I went for a run and it was hot and my head decided to complain in the form of a migraine headache :(  As I type this I am feeling better and hoping to feel 100% soon!  When my headache began I received a call from a close friend who is trying to figure out making changes in her life.  As I put my energy toward listening to her and trying to help her, I forgot about my head for awhile.  I thanked her for calling me since it helped me connect with her and disconnect from my aching head!  It's nice when helping a friend can make you forget your own worries for awhile!

Today's card was so simple!  I stamped the image from Cute By The Inch in Basic Black ink onto multiple colors of card stock and then punched them out using a 1" square punch.  I popped up all the squares with dimensionals and used dazzling diamonds to highlight the "U" in the middle.  I hope you like it!

Greetings, Earthling! Birthday Card!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Even After You Stop Drinking It, The Process Of That Wine Hasn't Stopped

This sentence, spoken by my friend Dr. David Sanders, really struck me today.  I know it is out of context and, yet, I am hopeful, it will strike you too.  The thought that once we consume something it is not "gone."  It stays with us - alive - in some way - like the wine we have tasted.  It stays with you - in your body; in the experience.  Oh how true of so many things in life.  That even though you click to the next website; begin the next book; move on to the next art project - none of these experiences are "done."  Rather, they become a part of you and continue to live and influence you, and others, in so many (sometimes unconscious) ways.  As I consider this, I realize that some things I "put into" my body, may not be things I want to have continue living inside of me and influencing me.  I feel this way, a lot, about news.  I have a terrible habit of clicking on websites that broadcast news, only to click away feeling down about something I read.  That negative energy then lives within me.  And for as much as I can tell - it doesn't seem to be doing me any good.  As you consider the choices you make - even with things as simple as visiting a website - recognize that whatever you encounter will continue to live inside of you.  Maybe this realization will impact our choices on what we decide to allow in :)

We had dinner with friends tonight to celebrate a dear friend's birthday.  For some reason aliens came to mind :)  Probably because this friend is out of this world! :)  I used the greeting from the Afterthoughts hostess set (I'm loving these stamps!) and the alien from Greetings, Earthling!  It's hard to tell in the photo, but this little guy is covered in dazzling diamonds! :)  I only had about 5 minutes to make the card (poor planning on my part!) and yet, even in 5 minutes, it's amazing what you can make!  I hope you like it! :)