Four Ways Friday #51 - Broadsheet Alphabet

This week's Four Ways Friday shows you four ways to use the Broadsheet Alphabet!  I love the versatility of alphabet stamp sets and this one is no exception!

Alphabet stamp sets are perfect for making monogram notes!  Here I stamped the "M" in Elegant Eggplant onto a piece of First Edition designer series paper and then punched it out with a 1 1/2" circle punch.  The Natural Ivory panel was stamped with the flower from the Charming stamp set and then a corner knot was added with Very Vanilla satin ribbon.  This panel was layered onto an Elegant Eggplant panel with dimensionals and then adhered to a Perfect Plum card base stamped with the Wonderfully Worn background stamp using Elegant Eggplant ink.

This little 3x3 Whisper White card was quick and easy to make.  I scalloped a piece of a page out of an old book using the horizontal slot punch (retired).  I then stamped the "B" using Crumb Cake ink and adhered the paper to the card base.  The greeting from Define Your Life (I can't believe this stamp set is retiring!  I love it!!!) was stamped on the card using Jet Black Staz-On ink.  The bird from Friends 24-7 (also retiring at the end of the month) was stamped onto Naturals Ivory card stock, cut out and adhered to the card with dimensionals.  Finally, I added a button with some waxed twine and rounded two of the corners of the card.

With alphabet sets, you can spell out whatever word you want!  Here I used my markers to color the letters - half in Pacific Point and half in Pear Pizazz.  I then sewed them onto the cover of this handmade journal.  The journal was stamped using bubble wrap and dazzling diamonds was added for some bling!  The word "take" was stamped using the Calendar Alphabet & Numbers set (I told you I love alphabet sets!).  The Large Stipple Butterfly (retired) was heat embossed on vellum using black embossing powder and then colored in with markers and shimmer powder.  The journal was bound with various threads/yarns and twine.

For this final card I used the Broadsheet Alphabet in two distinct ways.  First I stamped the card base with Cherry Cobbler ink and the "X" and "O" multiple times.  The Whisper White panel was then stamped, with the help of the stamp-a-ma-jig!  The panel was adhered to the card with dimensionals and then I used crystal effects to adhere Baja Breeze glass glitter around the edges of the panel.  The word "you" was stamped onto a round tab punched piece of Baja Breeze card stock using Early Espresso ink.  Finally, I added a thin piece of Marina Mist ribbon.  The finished card size is 4x4.
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!  It's hard to believe that next week will be Four Ways Friday #52!  That's a whole year of Four Ways Fridays!  Time sure does fly!!!!!  I hope you have a wonderful and abundantly creative weekend!

Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder Wax Resist Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  "Art is a way to sidestep time and feel timeless for awhile." - Theo Ellsworth

You know the feeling.  You are in the craft room, or at whatever space you use to create, and you get so focused and absorbed in what you are doing that time no longer exists.  When you finally do happen to notice the time you are amazed by how much time has passed and how you didn't even notice.  This is one of the most enjoyable experiences for me when I create - the ability to enjoy every single moment - time does not even come into the equation.  As Theo Ellsworth says - it is a way to feel timeless for awhile.
For today's card I used the wax resist technique that I shared with you a little while ago.  You can watch a video of the technique HERE.  I stamped over the embossed resist panel with the En Francais stamp set.  I punched out a label using the decorative label punch and then stamped the greeting with my Calendar Alphabet & Numbers stamp set.  The bird was also created using emboss resist and then punched out using the 2-step bird punch.  I hope you like it! :)

Animal Stories Hello Baby Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sometimes The Message We Intend To Send Is Not The One That Gets Received!

No, this card is not intended to tell the recipient that their baby looks like a whale!  Yet, once I completed this card that was all I could think about...I mean, what if I sent this to someone who had a new baby and, in their post-pregnancy haze, they thought I was calling their child a whale!?!  Yikes!  That would not be a good thing!  Sometimes the messages we intend to send are not the ones that get received!  I guess it's just important for us to think about not just what we are trying to say, but also how they might hear it.  This card may have to remain in my "box of experiments" - unless someone knows someone who recently had a baby and named them Whale?
I had a lot of fun creating this card (even if it may never get sent!).  I began with a small piece of Whisper White card stock and a piece of freezer paper.  I rubbed some Tempting Turquoise ink onto the freezer paper and then sprayed it with a bit of water and then a quick spritz of champagne shimmer paint mixed with alcohol.  Then I took the small piece of card stock and pressed it onto the ink mix and lifted it up!  I then waited impatiently for it to dry :)  The words were stamped using Basic Gray ink and the Calendar Alphabet & Numbers stamp set.  The die cut letters were ones I had saved from past project scraps.  I have a little hardware box where I keep all my leftover letters for just this type of occasion!  The whale from Animal Stories was stamped and cut out and a touch of dazzling diamonds was added to his spout.  I tore the bottom of the panel and then sponged the edges and mounted it to the card base with dimensionals.  Finally,  I stamped the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  I hope you like it :)

Every Little Bit Happiness Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sharing Your Love Can Be So Simple!

Who knew that love would show up in the form of a large coffee tin can?  Well, that's how it showed up for me the other day!  I had been working on recycling small tin cans and Michael mentioned that he thought it would be cool for me to alter/decorate a large tin can.  I agreed!  Only problem...no large tin can.  At least until 2 days later!  He came home from an estate sale and presented me with a large coffee tin that used to hold coffee and now just holds possibility!!!!!  Sharing your love can be so simple...as simple as bringing home an empty tin can :) (I'll have to share the completed can with you once it goes through its transformation!).
Today's card is all about sharing your love in a simple way too!  I stamped the dog and heart from the Every Little Bit stamp set and then colored them in with markers.  I then coated the heart with Crystal Effects (difficult to see in the photo) to give it some shine and added the little wag marks around the dog's tail.  The sentiment was stamped using the Word By Word background stamp (retired) and Pacific Point ink.  I hope you like it :)

Just Believe White Craft Ink & Colored Pencils Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Reflect On The Gift Of Your Life

It's amazing how suddenly life can change.  A friend of Michael's was just moved to hospice today (Sunday).  It's hard to even take in.  Just a short time ago, this friend, an amazingly talented artist, was going about his life.  He started to experience some back pain, which was not too odd for him since he had had some trouble with his back before.  Well, a few weeks later, as they tried to figure out what was causing the back pain, they realized that the back pain was just a symptom for a much more serious illness.  Our friend had contracted Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a form of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs).  TSEs are a group of rare degenerative brain disorders characterized by tiny holes that basically give the brain a "spongy" appearance.  I am writing this and still cannot believe what I am writing.  I know that we will all die.  Yet I still find difficulty grappling with the realities of how and when each of us will pass.  I know that in our passing each of us lives on in the hearts of others.  That even when we die, we remain close to those we love.  I just reflect on this story and am reminded of the fragility of each and every moment we have - how precious the gift of our life is - how important it is to live our moments in ways that express love and our unique contribution to this gorgeous planet.  Please, reflect on the gift of your life - you are so precious and you have so much to give.
Today's card was made using a fun coloring technique.  I stamped the Just Believe floral image onto Marina Mist card stock using Whisper White Craft ink.  I then sped up the drying process with my heat tool.  I then colored over the white craft ink using colored pencils.  You can get very vibrant colors using this technique!  I then added a few tiny white dots using my white gel pen.  The greeting, from Vintage Labels (retired), was stamped with Rich Razzleberry and then punched using the small oval punch.  The card base was run through the Big Shot with the Elegant Lines embossing folder to create some fun texture.  I hope you like it!