Four Ways Friday #36 - Four Ways To Decorate!

I've been busy preparing decorations for my niece's 13th birthday, so this week's Four Ways Friday is all about Four Ways To Decorate!!!!

Different shades of purple (Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum, and Concord Crush) and Green Galore (retired) are the focus of these medallion centerpieces.  These are on 18" dowels and will be placed into glass vases with styrofoam and other decorations.  I am loving the Big Shot!  I am using it to die cut card stock and self-adhesive glittery fun foam!  I used the Itty Bitty Bits stamp set for the white embossed flowers and a retired background stamp for the large polka dots.  The lengths of feather boa are hot-glued in between the scallop circle card stock die cuts.  Here is a close up...

We are also going to use the medallions to hold the balloon ribbons together.  The medallions are just slightly different...

Here I used another retired background stamp to do some clear embossing (the color was very hard to photograph, but you get the idea :)

I also played around with the pennant die and some pom poms :)  This would look great on a cake or could be placed in styrofoam as a centerpiece on a table!  You could even create a garland with loads of pennants to string on the walls or hang from the ceiling.  Here I have them hot glued to wire, but you could easily use ribbon or even sew them together on a sewing machine to make one long strand.

With Valentine's Day around the corner, don't forget that you can use your Big Shot and fabric to create wonderful decorations for the holiday!  Here I used the scallop square die and the Serif Essentials alphabet.  This project involved a bit of sewing, but you can easily do this without a sewing machine.  Just get some iron-on adhesive for the letters and interfacing that has adhesive on both sides for the scallop squares.  Hot glue can be used for the felt embellishments and for attaching the squares to the ribbon.  If you don't sew, you don't have any excuse to not do this project :)  Hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!  I hope you have a wonderful and love-filled weekend!

Stamped Jeans Bookmark

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Feed Someone

We have developed a wonderful food relationship with one of our neighbors.  In a very impromptu way, we will invite one another over for dinner.  It has become one of our most favorite things - having them come here or us going there to try out new dishes or enjoy some old favorites.  There is something special about breaking bread with others - about sharing what you cook - it's another way to share your love with someone.  There are so many ways to reach out and feed others - whether it is by inviting them over for dinner or purchasing a meal for someone who is down on their luck.  You can donate or volunteer at a local food bank or participate in helping deliver meals to those who are unable to leave their homes.  How can you feed someone today?
Here is another project that brought life to my favorite old jeans!  I made this bookmark for my friend Elizabeth.  I stamped the jeans with the 24-7 stamp set image using Staz-On ink.  I stamped the twill with Staz-On too - using the Itty Bitty Bits bird and the letters from the Calendar Alphabet & Numbers stamp set.  A bit of Pretty In Pink 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon finishes the bookmark!  I hope you like it!

Scallop Square Fabric Love Sign

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Find A New Way To Love An Old Favorite

I don't know about you, but it can be really tough for me to get rid of an old favorite pair of jeans.  I remember the days when I used to wear bicycle shorts under my old torn favorites, just to avoid having to say good bye!  Well, those days of waiting long past the right time are gone!  I have found a new way to love my old favorite jeans...run them through the Big Shot!!!!!! :)  Just look at how pretty my jeans look now...

 I ran a piece of the jeans through the Big Shot with the Fun Flowers die and they were brought back to life!  I also used the same jeans to create the letters on the sign using the Serif Essential alphabet...

It just makes me smile knowing that my jeans will continue to be loved for years to come :)  How can you turn an old favorite into something new to love?

Burlap Sewn & Stamped Banner

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Reset

I should have taken a photo of my craft room today.  It was disguised as an explosion!  It looked like a creative mad genius had run into the room and pulled everything possible off of shelves and piled things EVERYWHERE... onto the floor, table, sewing machine...no space was safe!!!!  Okay, I admit it...that mad creative was me :)  I take full responsibility for creating the disaster area...and I also take full responsibility for the "reset" after the explosion took place.  When I am in the midst of a creative project, cleaning up is the last thing on my mind.  I just grab what I need and keep going, shoving things out of my way as I go...even dropping things on the floor (unbreakables that is).  When I come out of one of these creative trances I know that the way to get to my next creative project is to reset - to put everything back in its place - to sweep the floor - to clean the stamps and brushes.  It is during this reset process that my creative muse finds herself and is ready to do it all over again!
I made this banner as a birthday gift for a dear friend who is an amazing artist!  It is always a bit scary for me to create for someone who is so gifted...but I did it and I did it from my heart :)  I brought out the fabric, stamps, sewing machine, card stock, Big Shot, embossing folders, buttons, ribbons, thread...it was a blast!  I even tried a new photo printing technique...did you know you can iron freezer paper onto many different types of fabric to create your own ink jet printer fabric?  It took a little trial and error, but it was well worth it (and the printer seems to have survived).  Here is a close up of one of the other panels and a picture of the completed banner.  I hope you like it! :)

Broadsheet Tags For Treat Bags

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Dance With Your Art

I have been working on a birthday present and I find myself working on the present and then stepping away...and then coming back and doing a little bit more and then getting stuck and then walking away...and then stepping back in.  It feels like a dance to me - first this way, then that - almost like a waltz (although not with defined steps).  Sometimes it seems that creating feels more like the twist than the waltz, but either way I'm dancing with my art :)  (Hopefully I'll be able to share the finished creation in tomorrow's post...)
I made these small tags to attach to bags of popcorn wrapped in cello and tied with ribbons.  They are for my niece's birthday party.  So far I've made the peach jelly bean treat bags, these tags, medallions and tags for the gift bags and belly bands for the water bottles...phew, I'm tired just listing them all out :)  For these tags I used a die to cut the tags and then stamped them with a harlequin stamp from Looks Like Spring (retired) and the "j" from the Broadsheet Alphabet.  I added a bit of bling and did some sponging.  I hope you like them! :)

Walking In A Winter Wonderland!

I just had to share this photo with you!  I decided to take my camera with me on my morning walk with Buddy.  Our walk was just like walking in a winter wonderland!  The snow from last night was the perfect snow for sticking to trees and making the world look so peaceful.  Here is a view from our walk.  And here's Buddy, nosing in the snow :)  His nickname is "Snowdog!"