Yeah!!!!! A Submission Was Accepted!!!!

I was jumping up and down like a pogo stick yesterday afternoon when I learned that PaperCrafts Magazine accepted one of my submissions for publication in their Holiday Cards & More: Volume 6 edition!!!!  Take that inner critic!  The first acceptance wasn't just a fluke and I am going to keep on submitting no matter what negative messages you have in store for me! (I'm writing to my inner critic here...just in case you were thinking I was talking to you :)  Have you ever wanted to submit your work for publication?  PaperCrafts Magazine has a call for submissions going on right now...why not give it a try?! :)

Four Ways Friday # 47 - Three Little Words Stamp Set

For this week's Four Ways Friday I decided to play around with the Three Little Words stamp set!

For the first two cards I decided to only use the Three Little Words stamp set.  Here I stamped the flower tops on a scrap piece of Whisper White card stock and cut them out with a hobby blade.  I stamped them in various shades of pink and red, colored with my markers.  I then stamped the stems, in Old Olive ink, onto the Whisper White panel and attached the flower tops using dimensionals.  I added a touch of dazzling diamonds to the flowers.  The panel was mounted onto a Rose Red panel and then onto a Sahara Sand card base.  The greeting was stamped in Rose Red with the help of the stamp-a-ma-jig to keep it straight :)

I kept the same color scheme for this second card.  The greeting was stamped repeatedly in Sahara Sand onto a 2"x 2" square of Whisper White card stock.  The stamp-a-ma-jig was a big help :)  I also spritzed a bit with the spritzer tool to add some interest.  The flower was colored using markers and then stamped onto a scrap piece of Whisper White card stock.  I cut out the flower using a hobby blade and then attached it to the card with a dimensional.  A touch of dazzling diamonds finishes this simple look.  Here is a close-up of the flower panel:

I have been playing around lately with old photographs and transparencies and this next card is a part of that play! 

I took a vintage image and printed it out onto the transparency with my laser printer.  I then did a touch of coloring on the back of the transparency and sewed it to a piece of Very Vanilla card stock.  The greeting was stamped in Chocolate Chip ink onto Very Vanilla card stock and then punched out with the XL decorative label punch.  I sponged the edges and stamped a bit with Crumb Cake ink using one of the stamps from the Vintage Vogue stamp set.  The label was attached to the back of the transparency panel and then mounted onto the Natural Ivory card base.  Here is a close up of the center image:

Well, I kept playing with the whole transparency thing...and here is what popped out!

I decided not to make this into a standard card, but rather into a small postcard that I can give to a loved one.  You could also incorporate a piece like this into a larger collage or just add a string and hang it.  I printed out the vintage photo onto a transparency using my laser printer and then colored the back of the transparency with some watercolor pencils (paint would probably have worked better, but I was too lazy to get out the paints and water!).  I then stamped the words, using Staz-on Jet Black ink, onto the front of the transparency.  You have to use a steady hand when stamping on window sheets or transparencies since they are quite slick!  I sewed the transparency to a piece of Sahara Sand card stock and then adhered it to a piece of Basic Black card stock.  Here is what the back of the piece looks like:

The post card stamp is from a retired stamp set - I believe it was called Vintage Postcard.  I added a touch of black spritzing with the spritzer tool.
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!  I hope my incorporating some fun new techniques, like printed on transparencies, inspires you to try something new!  Have a wonderfully creative weekend!!!!!

Always Journal Art

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Boldly Go Where You Have Never Gone Before!

I was doing some random internet surfing the other day and came across an amazing artist and art journaler, Teesha Moore!  I have a feeling there was nothing "random" about my surfing!  I was meant to find her!  I then discovered that Teesha had made some videos about her art-making process and I was hooked!  I watched the videos (check them out HERE - click on "Teesha" and then "techniques") and had to play!  Of course, I wanted to incorporate Stampin' Up! products, so I took out some glossy card stock, ink, markers, my designer paper sampler from last year, some retired designer series paper, and the Always stamp set and went to town!  This piece is not a card - I decided to make it a stand-alone piece of art - I think I'm going to frame it and put it on the wall.  As Capt. Kirk always knew - it's an adventure to boldly go where you haven't gone before!  Where might you boldly go today?????

It's The Little Things That Make Me Happy!!!!!

Every year I wait for them - hoping they will return.  About a week ago, one showed up in the yard.  It always makes me a little sad to see one alone - I wonder where his mate is.  But yesterday I looked out the window and look at what I saw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Life is good!!!!! :)

So Cute Faux Frosting Bunny Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  It Can Be Fun To Follow A Request :)

OK, I admit it...I'm not big on taking orders from others :)  I like being left to figure things out on my own - to experiment; to fail; to succeed - not always in that order :)  And, sometimes I find that following a request can be fun - especially when it is framed as a request and not as an order :)  This request came from the daughter of one of my oldest friends.  She wanted a bunny, some bright green grass, no greeting and the rest was up to me!  So this is what I created.  The bunny was stamped from the So Cute stamp set and I used the faux frosting technique (I have a video that you can watch on how to make the faux frosting) to make the fur of the bunny "fluffy."  The Regal Rose background was run through the Big Shot with the Elegant Lines embossing folder to provide interest and texture.  This card could have made an adorable Easter card if the Easter sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes had been added...oh well - maybe next year :)  I hope you like it! :)

Yippeeee! My Cards Are Sending Love To People I Don't Know!

I sell my cards at a local antique store and the progress has been like a dripping faucet.  First, the faucet dripped every once in awhile - like once a month or so.  Then this month, the faucet sprung a leak!!!!!  A few weeks ago about 10 cards sold and today I learned that 14 cards were sold to one person!!!!!!  I am sharing this with you because my hope is to inspire you to get your cards out there!  Sometimes I look at my cards and wonder if anyone else would appreciate them - putting yourself out there can feel risky.  Well heck - everything we do in life has risks...so go for it!!!!!  It's wonderful to know that somewhere out there someone I don't know is going to receive a card I made.  I truly believe we put our hearts into what we create.  This gives me one more way to get my love out there! :)

Shower Curtain Waste Window Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Use Odd Leftovers In Interesting Ways!

We have a claw-foot tub in our bathroom and it has one of those old-fashioned oval curtain rods circling it.  We have to use 2 shower curtain liners to enclose the entire tub/shower.  Of course, our shower curtain rod hangs a bit low, so we are always having to cut off the bottom of the liners so that they will fit properly into the tub...is this too much information, or what?! :)  Anyways, that leaves us with some leftover plastic that usually also has some magnets encased in it to help the liner hang properly in the shower.  We used to throw these odd leftovers in the garbage....not anymore!!!!!  I cut the magnets out of the liner to use on other projects and today I decided to try getting creative with the plastic liner material!  I must say that the sewing machine and the liner were not getting along too well...but they seemed to be willing to work together enough for me to finish this card and have it look presentable :)
I cut out a small square of the liner material and used the sewing machine to sew down three of the four sides (and yes, it liked to crinkle and push itself all over...I'm sure a part of that has to do with operator ignorance when it comes to sewing this type of material...I'll have to keep working on it)!  I then punched out hearts using the heart small punch and the small heart on the heart to heart extra large punch.  I punched them out in Regal Rose and Rose Red card stock.  I then placed them in the liner pocket and sewed up the final edge.  The greeting is a combination of "love" and "you" from the Fabulous Phrases stamp set.  I hope you like it!  What odd leftovers can you incorporate into your cards?????

PaperCrafts Mag Submissions

I've been a busy bee today :)  Midnight tonight is the deadline for the current call for submissions for PaperCrafts magazine.  I decided to create and submit a few things...now I get to wait and see what happens...I'm sending good vibes out into the Universe :)  Wish me luck!!!!  I hope you are having a creative day! :)

One Stamp Wonders #3 - Birthday Greetings Card & Video!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Clean Out The Garage!

Today's lesson may be more of a direct order for myself versus a post for you :)  I am sitting here writing this post and the next thing I am going to do is head out the garage and meet the beast head on!  I knew it was time to clean up when I was looking at art the other day - art that used old wooden thread spools - and I thought to myself how I had to go and find some of those to buy.  Later in the day I went out to the garage to grab my gardening gloves and looked up on a shelf and guess what was looking down at me?  Old wooden thread spools!  Yes, you guessed it - I have no clue what I even have anymore!  I don't know if you're anything like me, but I find myself in this predicament quite a bit.  I buy something that I don't think I have and then days, weeks, or months later I discover that I had it all along.  I am not proud of this - if anything I am a bit ashamed about my consumerism and the urge to constantly purchase more when I don't even know what I have.  So, today I head out to clean out the garage...maybe I'll have to take a few pics to share - public humiliation might be a great motivator for me! :)
Here is my third card in the One Stamp Wonders series!  I warn you - you will never look at your bottle of Crystal Effects in the same way ;)  Enjoy!