Four Ways Friday #57 - Make A Monster!

This week's Four Ways Friday is all about the adorable Make a Monster stamp set!  This set is a ton of fun.  It also lends itself well for stamping with children and creating coloring books for kids to color.  I hope you enjoy the following four cards!

This first 6"x 3" card is so simple to make!  I stamped the monsters using different eyes and mouths and then punched them out with a 1 1/2" circle punch.  I glued them to black circles punched with a 1 3/4" circle punch.  The greetings are from the On Your Birthday stamp set.  Of course, you could color the monsters if you wanted, or give the card to a child to color for their birthday :)  I really liked the black & white look.

It doesn't take long to be overcome by the urge to color these adorable monsters!  Here I simply stamped the monster using Staz-on onto a Whisper White card base.  I colored in the monster using markers and then stamped the greeting from Bring On The Cake using the stamp-a-ma-jig.  Finally, I took some crystal effects and added it to the monster's eyes and teeth and the word "cake."

Remember that you can use your monster parts in non-traditional ways!  Here I used the monster "hair" stamp to create grass!  I stamped the image multiple times using Wild Wasabi ink and then sponged over it with Certainly Celery ink.  I then sponged the background with So Saffron ink and stamped the dot stamp at half-strength using More Mustard ink.  The monster was stamped onto a piece of Whisper White card stock with Staz-on.  I then colored in the monster with a Bashful Blue marker and cut it out.  I added crystal effects to the monster eyes.  The greeting is from the Pennant Parade stamp set and was stamped with Staz-on with the stamp-a-ma-jig.  I mounted the panel onto a Perfect Plum card base that I had stamped with Basic Gray ink and the Wonderfully Worn background stamp.

This card began with a black card base.  The eyes were stamped with Versamark and the heat embossed with white embossing powder.  The word bubble was drawn freehand with black marker and then cut out.  I used the Calendar Alphabet & Numbers stamp set to stamp the letters.  The bubble is popped up on the card front using dimensionals.  Of course, this card makes no sense until you get to see the inside! :)

It makes me smile even as I'm typing this :)  I stamped the different monsters with black Staz-on and then colored them in with markers.  A few of them were then covered with dazzling diamonds by using a 2-way glue pen.  The message was stamped with the Calendar Alphabet & Numbers stamp set (the exclamation points were hand drawn).
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!  May you have a relaxing, inspiring and creative weekend!!!!!

Paper Pieced Sailboat Birthday Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  If You Are Passionate About It, Do It!

I was following the news on Diana Nyad's swim from Cuba to Florida with rapt attention!  When I saw that she had been swimming for over 20 hours I was amazed!  Here was a woman, 61 years old, following her passion...without a shark cage!  I was sad for her when I learned that she had to abandon her swim after 29 hours - suffering from shoulder issues, asthma and nausea.  I know how much she would have loved to have made it to Florida.  Regardless of whether she reached her destination, her journey - her process - is an incredibly inspiring one!  To go after that which you are passionate about.  To put your whole self - body, mind and spirit - into pursuing your passion...now that takes courage!  Although she did not reach the shores of Florida under her own power, she definitely found her way to the shores of my soul!  Thank you Diana Nyad for showing us what it means to do that which you are passionate about!!!!!!
Today's card may look slightly familiar :)  Do you see the direct-to-paper background from yesterday's card?  I had one left over and decided it needed to be made into a card :)  The card was also inspired by a retired stamp set called Nursery Necessities.  I never owned the stamp set, but the image of the sailboat from the catalog has always stuck with me.  It was from this imagination that I began to build this paper-pieced boat by cutting pieces of Crumb Cake and Not Quite Navy card stock.  I popped them up onto the background using dimensionals after sponging all the pieces and the background panel with Chocolate Chip ink.  I then mounted the panel on a piece of Whisper White card stock and sponged the edges as well.  The greeting from Sincere Salutations was stamped using the stamp-a-ma-jig and Chocolate Chip ink.  I then added the brad from the antique brad set before mounting the panel, using dimensionals, on a Crumb Cake card base.  The brad reminds me of a compass and it seemed perfect for this card!  I hope you like it!

Direct-To-Paper Technique Baby Card & Video!!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  A Whole World Of Possibilities Await You!!!!

Why do I love being in the craft room?  The list is a long one, but I would have to say that one of my favorite reasons is that a whole world of possibilities await me every time I walk into the room!  Oh that I could look at my entire life with this same zest and excitement!  I passed a woman walking an adorable Golden Retriever puppy this morning and the puppy got so excited!  The woman turned to me and, trying to sound like her puppy speaking, she said, "Oh!  The world is just so exciting!"  I replied, "Oh that we could all walk around the world with that feeling!"  So that will be my challenge for myself - to continue to push myself to see every moment as presenting me with a whole world of possibilities!  Each moment holds that potential - the excitement of experiencing something new or experiencing something familiar in a new way!  Wish me luck :)
Today's card came out of the world of possibilities that were waiting for me in the craft room today!  Here is a video to show you how I made it!  Enjoy!

Pennant Parade Pocket Birthday Card & Video!!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  You Are Safe And Secure In This Very Moment!

If you are reading this post right now, that says to me that you are safe and secure in this very moment.  And this very moment is what matters!  I can get very caught up in fear - particularly when it comes to my safety.  I don't like to watch scary movies because I don't want to put those images in my head.  The reality, however, is that I do a fine job all on my own putting those terrible images into my head!  I can especially drive myself crazy if I happen to be home alone at night.  I can keep myself awake just imagining all the bad things that might happen!  I'm sure it doesn't help that I have a tendency to have the tv on in the craft room and it always seems to be tuned in to an episode of Law & Order or NCIS - both shows about crime and craziness.  So now I try to repeat the mantra, "you are safe and secure in this very moment."  This reminds me that I have a choice - I can let the fear take over or I can recognize that the images only exist in my mind and the reality is that I am perfectly safe in the moment.  Whether I am in a hotel room, home alone one evening, or on a plane what matters is that I release the fears and live in this very moment.  I am safe and secure right now :)
Today's card is a fun and easy card to make and it is a nice change from a traditional folded card.  Here is a video to show you how it's done!  Enjoy!!!!

Groovy Penguins - Every Little Bit Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Watch For Moments Of Serendipity!

I am a firm believer that life works in mysterious way.  That somehow, beneath the chaos that appears to be our lives there is a deeper sense of order that is sending us signs if we take notice.  If you have ever experienced "coincidence," these are the moments I'm talking about.  I don't believe they are coincidences at all - that these moments have deep meaning for us.  I had one of these "serendipitous" moments this weekend.  I decided to go out for a bike ride and headed out the door intending to head east on the bike trail.  Before I made it out of my neighborhood I ran into one of my neighbors who commented that on the weekend she tends to not head east toward downtown since the trail gets really crowded.  She made a suggestion that I head west, toward the reservoir, instead.  So, when I arrived at the trail, I turned west.  I haven't been riding a lot and it was a hot day so after riding for awhile I stopped my bike and thought about turning around.  It was at that EXACT moment that a bike passed me on the left and I looked up and it was another one of my neighbors!  I called out her name and she stopped her bike and we talked and decided to continue riding together.  My ride ended up being 3 times as long as I thought it would be...and 3 times as long as I ever thought I was capable of.  So what is the meaning in this moment of serendipity?  I feel it has everything to do about moving forward when we are tempted to "turn around" so that we can discover our strengths- how capable we really are!  When I create, I can sometimes get discouraged - I can get the urge to "turn around."  Not gonna happen!  I'm going to keep moving forward - trusting in my creative strength! :)
Today's card began with the word "groovy" which I stamped using the Calendar Alphabet & Numbers stamp set and Old Olive ink.  I had originally stamped the word thinking I would use it for one of last week's cards, but I decided I didn't like how it came together.  So, I didn't "turn around," I found something else that I liked with the word :)  Here I stamped the penguin from Every Little Bit with Staz-On onto a Whisper White card base.  I then colored in the feet and beaks with Tangerine Tango marker.  Finally I added a strip of Melon Mambo pom-pom trim.  I hope you like it! :)