Flirtatious DSP Birthday Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  As The Year Comes To A Close, Be Grateful For All That You Have Experienced And Welcome What Is To Come
It's been quite a year - marked by laughter and tears; love and pain.  As the year comes to a close I want to appreciate what I have experienced - all of it - because this, all of this, is life.  I don't always like it.  Sometimes I love it.  Sometimes it angers me.  Sometimes it pains me.  Yet I always appreciate that I am alive.  That I am being blessed every minute by the ability to breathe and walk in this world.  May I welcome whatever will unfold before me.  I am happy to say that whatever unfolds will be shared with a new 4-legged friend.  We welcomed a little gray tabby boy into our home over the weekend.  It has already been an adventure!  Pictures to come :)  May your year come to a beautiful close and may the year before you unfold in health, happiness, fulfillment and creativity!
Today's card was a custom card requested by a friend.  I combined die cut letters and numbers with Flirtatious designer paper.  The stamped sentiments are from Curly Cute and Wacky Wishes.  I hope you like it! :)  Happy New Year!!!!!

Bordering on Romance Blender Pen & Crayons Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  It's Nice To Know You Can Steer In The Midst Of Overwhelm :)
I was contemplated the word "overwhelm" today.  Okay, I was doing more than contemplating it...I was feeling it!  As the year begins to wind down, I look around and still see my piles and stacks and unfinished projects...and projects yet to be started.  And well, yes, I can easily feel overwhelmed.  But as I contemplated the word, I realized that it contains hope!  After all, the word "overwhelm" ends with the word "helm!"  As a noun, helm means the equipment for steering a boat.  As a verb it means "to steer."  I can helm my life!!!!  I am at the helm no matter what is staring at me or coming at me!  It is up to me to steer in the direction I want to head.  In the midst of feeling overwhelmed I can choose where I want my life to head - in which direction I choose to steer.  I'm heading toward more peaceful waters :)
Today's card was an exploration with Watercolor Wonder crayons :)  I stamped the image from Bordering on Romance using Staz-On on Whisper White card stock.  I then colored with the Brights collection of Watercolor Wonders crayons and blended using my blender pen.  I would allow one layer of color to dry before adding more.  Once the whole piece was dry, I added a dash of dazzling diamonds glitter with a 2-way glue pen.  The sentiment is from Apothecary Art - stamped in Old Olive and then punched out with the large oval punch.  I then layered it onto the modern label punch piece and a decorative label punched piece.  The Old Olive background was put through the Big Shot with the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder and then all the pieces were adhered to a Rich Razzleberry card base.  I hope you like it and I hope you have a peaceful and creative weekend!!!!!  Remember, you are at the helm!!!!!

Orchard Harvest Fabric Inspiration Journal

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Learn By Experimenting
I have always enjoyed watching Donna Downey's Inspiration Wednesdays videos.  I love to watch how she goes about creating and experimenting - she just tries something out and sees what happens!  I have also always admired the books that she does her creating in and I discovered that she makes them herself!  You can purchase them on her website and she also has a tutorial you can purchase for how to make them yourself.  I am not confident in my sewing skills, but decided I would purchase the tutorial and try creating one with the Orchard Harvest fabric.  So, here it is...my first self-made Inspiration Journal :)  I am quite proud of it...in all of its imperfection :)  The instructions left me with a few questions so I did a bit of experimenting.  I have already created a second journal (which I will share later) where I decided to alter a few things - the measurements, the hole size for the inside pages - and I really like how it turned out).  Learning is a process of experimentation - the ability to dive in and tell yourself that it is absolutely fine however it turns out - you are, after all, a student :)  Michael has a quote by Shunryu Suzuki hanging above his desk about Zen practice that I always love to read - it says: In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.  Allowing yourself to always be a beginner enables you to approach learning through experimentation.
Here is what the inside of the book looks like:

And here is what my learning and experimenting led me to do on the first pages of the book :)

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Christmas Tree Wine Bottle

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  I Need A New Productivity Equation
Why do I feel the need to measure my productivity every day?  And how the heck do you measure "productivity" when you are a "creative?"  When I do other types of work it can be easy to see what I have accomplished.  If you cook a meal - you can see and eat the finished meal and you have that sense of accomplishment.  When you check things off your "to-do" list; you can breathe a little easier - paid bills - check!  Did blog post - check!  Wrote out thank you card - check!  The more risk-taking I do in the craft room though, the harder it becomes to just check things off a list.  Some of my projects are in progress for a long time.  Some I decide not to finish or just set aside.  Some take a lot longer than one would guess.  So I can walk out of the craft room feeling very satisfied from a creative perspective and then my logical mind (or maybe it's better described as my inner critic) shows up and says something like, "so, what did you really DO today????"  And I feel a bit let down - and begin asking myself, "What did you really accomplish today Michelle?!"  I definitely need a new productivity measure for tracking my success so that I can confidently respond to that logical side and say something like "I took three risks today!" or "I tried a new technique today" or "I engaged the creative gifts that I have been given."  Any of these measures would make each and every day in the craft room equate to an incredibly productive experience!!!!!!!  Yes, I don't need to change my practice - I just need to change how I measure it!
We have friends who invite us to dinner on a pretty frequent basis and our job is to bring a bottle of wine and the salad.  We also get to bring Buddy since they have a dog who is one of Buddy's best friends :)  I have gotten into the habit of decorating the wine bottles we bring and this last one was no exception :)  For this week's Out On A Whim Wednesday I began with bright green felt.  I had two large rectangles of the felt and I just sewed two diagonal lines down the felt to make a tree shape and then trimmed off the excess felt.  You could just cut the felt down and glue the pieces together.  I then die cut a star from sparkly white felt and glued it to the tree top.  Next came the addition of pom-poms and rhinestones - so simple to add with hot glue or a quick dry glue.  Finally, I stamped a piece of ribbon using Staz-On and adhered it with glue.  So simple!  I hope you like it!  (You could also attach an elastic strap to the bottom and then it could turn into a Christmas tree hat :)  Have a beautiful day!!!!!

Happy Holidays To You!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Enjoy the holiday, the day off, or just the day :)
For those of you celebrating the Christmas holiday, I wish you a very merry Christmas!  For those of you not celebrating Christmas, I wish you a beautiful day :)  Wherever you are, whatever you celebrate, I hope that this week is filled with love, laughter, happiness, health and peace...and, of course, a dose of creativity :)  I am going to take a few days off to enjoy the quiet that seems to take over the streets during this time of year here in Denver.  We might actually get some snow this evening too!  This squirrel definitely has the right idea (and kind of looks like me after I eat too big of a meal and can't move!)!!!!  I'll be back later this week with more crazy crafting....I've been a busy girl in the craft room (and will confess yet again that my piles and stacks have actually gotten larger v. smaller!  Yes, I know...inch by inch....I can do it!!!!!).  Have a beautiful day!!!!!!

Red & White Christmas Cards

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Inch By Inch; Pile By Pile
I confess, I have been overwhelmed by piles of paper, stacks of supplies, and an out of the ordinary number of thoughts telling me I have become a slob!  I guess I have a few ways to deal with it.  One is to listen to those slobby thoughts and just leave well enough alone and keep adding to the stacks and piles.  But no, that doesn't seem like it will put me in a place that is supportive and peaceful!  So I'm choosing another route...even if I take is slowly...inch by inch.  I'm going to dive into those piles and stacks and send those slobby thoughts on vacation :)  Yup, inch by inch, pile by pile...that's how I'm going to close out my year!!!!!
Today I wanted to share two quick Christmas cards with you.  The first was made by stamping flowers from the Mixed Bunch stamp set in Real Red on Whisper White card stock.  I chose a retired sentiment since I really liked the modern font, but you can use whatever sentiment stamp you'd like!  For the second card I decided to take the Lovely As A Tree tree image and take out the silver embossing powder and Cherry Cobbler dazzling details.  The sentiment was stamped with Whisper White craft ink and an alphabet set.  The snowflake-like image is from Pennant Parade.  And, if you are unfamiliar with Spanish - the greeting says Merry Christmas :)  Wishing you a wonderful weekend filled with light, love and laughter!  I'll be working on my inches and piles :)

Lovely As A Tree Brayered Background Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Journal Through It!
I have been doing my best to keep a journaling commitment to myself.  Three handwritten pages every morning.  Just stream of consciousness writing - sometimes I just write "I really don't have anything to write right now" and go from there.  The practice first was introduced to me by Julia Cameron in her book The Artist's Way.  I used to begin my day by waking up and immediately checking email/news and then going for a walk with Buddy.  I found that on my walks I would often feel unsettled.  Now, by making journaling my priority (and getting up a little earlier), I find that I am able to journal through my thoughts and moods and really relax into my morning walk.  A cup of tea is a nice accompaniment to the journaling - and watching the day go from dark to light also sets a wonderful mood.  I find that the 3 pages take me 30 minutes.  It is a very worthwhile investment for me.  I share the practice because maybe you would find it helpful too.  If it peaks your interest, give it a try and see what you can journal through :)
Today's card was a part of my holiday stamping workshop.  It began with a piece of Wild Wasabi card stock that was run through the Big Shot with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder.  I then inked up a brayer with Chocolate Chip ink and lightly rolled it, in every direction, over the embossed areas.  You can add more or less ink depending on the look you are going for.  I also find this works better than trying to sponge the raised areas - much more efficient :)  The tree is from Lovely As A Tree and was stamped with Versamark and then heat embossed with gold embossing powder.  I used rhinestones and Cherry Cobbler dazzling details to decorate the tree.  The sentiment is from Petite Pairs and I used the pinecone image from Lovely As A Tree to accent the edges of the punched sentiment.  I also sponged the edges of the sentiment with Chocolate Chip ink.  I hope you like it!!!!!  (I also want to send a special thank you and huge hug of appreciation to Doris, Helen, Peggy, Sharri and Lorraine!  I appreciate you so much and am so grateful to have come to know you through this wonderful virtual world!!!!!!  Thank you for all of your wonderful comments, emails and support!  You are incredibly creative spirits and I am honored to know you!!!!!  You amaze me!!!!!!!)

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Wine Dreidel :)

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Why Put Your Gift Of Wine In A Bag When You Can Decorate It?????
We were invited over to a friend's house for a Chanukah celebration with potato pancakes (called latkes) and we decided to bring a bottle of wine with us.  Of course, I could not resist the urge to make a statement with the decoration of the wine bottle and I decided to turn it into a dreidel - the spinning top toy that is played with during the holiday of Chanukah.  I used a toilet paper roll for the top and covered it with foam and a bit of silver piping.  I then cut out a chipboard template and used the template to cut different colors of blue and white foam.  I even cut Hebrew letters from black foam.  I added some silver piping to the top edges to try to cover some of the glue (I used a quick drying glue that worked pretty well on the foam...If I had a bit more time I might have been a bit neater ;)  Finally, I tied a piece of silvery ribbon to the top of the top :)  The cool thing?  You can actually spin this dreidel while it covers the wine bottle!  I wish I could take credit for it being a working dreidel, but it actually was a happy accident :)  Why put your gift in a wine bag when you can decorate it???? :)  How can you decorate your wine bottles for the holidays?  I'm thinking a tree, Santa, a nutcracker or a reindeer would be absolutely adorable!!!!!

I'll be back soon!

I had a Handmade Gifts workshop in my home last night and was busy, busy, busy!  I will try to get a post up later today...but if not, you can expect I'll be back on Wednesday!!!!  Hope you are having a wonderful week!!!!!

Four Seasons Merry Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Learning is not a spectator sport.  -Anonymous
Today's quote makes me smile.  I can find myself watching videos on-line and looking at blogs...for many minutes (okay...sometimes maybe even an hour or two).  It's a pretty passive sport - sitting there and watching or reading.  It is not until I venture into the craft room and actually start to "do" that the learning really begins.  Sometimes I discover that a technique that looked so easy in that darn video is really a lot more complex when you try to do it yourself.  Or I might have been inspired by a stuffed toy and decide to try to make one myself...only to realize that my sewing could use a lot of help and that I don't know the first thing about how to stuff tight corners on soft toys!  It's easy to sit back and observe others creating and think - oh yeah - no problem - I could do something like that.  It's a lot harder to actually challenge yourself to give it a try.  That is where the true learning is.  It is also where additional inspiration will find you :)  No, learning is not a spectator sport....so stop reading this and go make something!!!!!! :)
Today's card was made using the Four Seasons stamp set and the sentiment is from a retired SU! background stamp that I cut into small pieces so that I could use the individual words :)  I used a Marina Mist marker to ink up the snowflake portion of the stamp and stamped that onto Marina Mist card stock.  Then I used different markers to ink up the bird and the snow and branch details and stamped that onto Very Vanilla card stock and punched it out.  Dazzling Details was added for some glitter :)  I sponged the edges of the Marina Mist piece after punching it out with a 2 3/8" scallop circle punch.  Snowflakes were stamped onto the Natural Ivory card base using Crumb Cake ink.  A piece of Riding Hood Red seam binding was knotted around the card before the stamped pieces were added with dimensionals.  I hope you like it!  Here is a close up :)  Now really...stop reading this and go make something!!!!

Happy Chanukah Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Growth is always a voyage into the unknown.  -Anonymous
Every time you risk starting a new piece of art you are allowing yourself to grow.  When you select your card stock, your color, your inks, paints or images, you are spreading your roots and beginning to shoot toward the surface - giving yourself new life!  Growth is always a voyage into the unknown and so much growth happens when you take a voyage into your art!!!!!  Enjoy the journey!

Today's card uses a retired SU! stamp set called L'Chayim.  I also created a computer-generated greeting since I didn't have a Happy Chanukah stamp :)  I just ran Whisper White card stock through my laser printer and cut out the greetings in a banner shape.  The image was stamped with Midnight Muse and colored in using a blender pen and Midnight Muse and Marina Mist ink.  I used silver Dazzling Details for the candles and some plain Dazzling Details for the wicks.  This card really sparkles!  Wishing those of you who celebrate Chanukah a beautiful holiday filled with light, family and latkes!!!!!

Christmas Wishes Simple Santa Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  The arts are a way to bring order out of chaos - the chaotic feelings and impulses within and the bewildering mass of impressions from without.  The arts are a means to discover both the self and the world - and to establish a relationship between the two. -Dr. Elinor Ulman

My time in the craft room is priceless for me.  And no matter how chaotic things are in the craft room, it still feels like a safe haven from the "chaotic feelings and impulses within and the bewildering mass of impressions from without."  Going into the craft room immediately gives me permission to let my art flow.  That doesn't always mean the flow is effortless :)  What it does mean is that I have created a place where I can bring order out of the chaos.  A place where I can take bits and pieces from here and there and imagination from within and express whatever needs to come out in that moment.  I am still trying to learn how to take that same feeling with me when I leave the craft room and venture far and wide in the world.  I have begun traveling with a sketchbook and pencils as well as a journal for writing in.  These things together are beginning to provide me with a place to process all that I encounter on the road.  Now if I can just figure out how to fit my craft room in a suitcase?!?! :)
Today's card is simple, simple, simple!  It was one of the cards made for my Holiday Stamp-a-Stack.  Just color in the Santa hat on the rubber stamp from Christmas Wishes with a Real Red marker and use a Basic Black marker for the outline of the face and facial features.  Stamp onto Whisper White card stock and then add some dazzling diamonds with a 2-way glue pen!  A few dimensionals to adhere and a knot of white organza ribbon finishes the card!

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Jeans Bookmarks!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  To imagine is everything.  -Albert Einstein
It's been a busy few days for me and I am finally catching up with my blog!  I apologize for disappearing for a few days, but trust me...I was busy in the craft room :)  Michael brought an old pair of jeans into the craft room and asked if I might be able to use them.  I smiled and said, "But of course!!!!"  I immediately imagined those jeans turning into 30 bookmarks!  Why I had the number 30 in my head I don't know, but that is the exact number I was able to cut from the jeans (leaving a very skimpy pair of Daisy Duke shorts behind...will have to figure out what to do with those!).  I cut the fabric and then did a bunch of monoprinting (using a GelliArts plate), painting, stenciling and stitching and these are a sampling of what I came up with!  They were a great way to pull out some old Stampin' Up! ribbon :)  I also made a few foam rubber stamps of my own and used those to add some paint.  Needless to say, the craft room was in quite a state for a few days - there was not a clean surface to be found! :)  Next time an old pair of jeans walks into your craft space, use your imagination!  After all, to imagine is everything :)

Friday Folds: Christmas Cracker

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  When I compare the state of the weather to our state of mind and our circumstances, subject to change and fluctuation like the weather, then I still have some hope that things may get better.  - Vincent van Gogh
 How is it that words written 130 years ago by Vincent van Gogh can feel the same as the words a good friend would share with me sitting next to me?  I am so grateful that van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo were preserved and published because I am finding a friend in van Gogh's words...let alone his drawings and paintings.  Yes, when I am feeling down I need to remember that, like the weather, my mood will likely fluctuate.  Or, as my mom likes to say, "This too shall pass."  I've actually been feeling pretty good lately - content in my life - grateful for all that I have (except for the piles of papers cluttering my work spaces ;)  And I am so grateful to have found such a special friend in van Gogh :)
I am so excited about today's project for Friday Folds!  I found out how to make this Christmas cracker as a member of Paper Crafter's Library!  During the Christmas season you can sign up for free for the 12 weeks of Christmas program!  (you can still sign up for the final week)!  Projects are sent to you once a week and you can access videos and pdf files of the projects for one week.  After that time, the projects remain available only if you are a member of Paper Crafter's Library.  This Christmas cracker begins with a toilet paper roll!!!!!  You adhered folded (that's why this project is shared as part of Friday Folds) and fringed tissue paper to the ends and you can fill it with whatever you like (mine has 6 mini candy canes inside!).  You can then decorate as you wish!  Here I used Festival of Prints designer paper along with stamps from Priority Mail and No Peeking.  A bit of stitched Gumball Green ribbon finishes the cracker!  I hope you like it!  A special thank you to Andrea Walford and Paper Crafter's Library for sharing this adorable idea!!!!

Be Of Good Cheer Gift Tag

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Better to say but a few words, but filled with meaning, than to speak many that are but idle sounds as easy to utter as they are useless.  - Vincent van Gogh
I guess I would be best to leave Vincent's few words that are filled with meaning to stand alone for today's lesson from the craft room :)
When it comes time for holiday stamping, I confess to gathering my stamps, both old and new, for the task!  This tag uses an old favorite, Block Party (retired), that I stamped onto Naturals Ivory card stock with Always Artichoke ink.  You could EASILY recreate a similar look with the Jolly Jingles wheel or by taking the sentiment stamps from any Christmas set and, with the help of a stamp-a-ma-jig, stamp the sentiments and images one on top of the other :)  Next, I cut a tag from Always Artichoke card stock and stamped it with the small star from Pennant Parade.  I then added a piece of Be Of Good Cheer designer paper across the bottom.  After adhering the stamped image with dimensionals, I cut a thin strip of designer paper and wrapped it around a candy cane that I had tied with hemp twine.  I put a dab of glue on the candy cane wrapper to help it stay in place.  A punched small star from the Festival of Prints designer series paper was added, along with some twine in the punched hole.  I hope you like it!

Out On A Whim Wednesday: An Unexpected Bird!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  See The Extraordinary In The Ordinary!
I recently purchased Carla Sonheim's book Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals.  I am fascinated by Carla's creative process for drawing her animals - finding inspiration in sidewalk cracks, oil blots on the pavement, the bark of a tree.  I took my camera out on a walk with me the other day and started photographing asphalt cracks that I have likely walked by and over hundreds of times over the past few years.  Now that I am reading her book, I saw these cracks in totally different ways!  Right before my eyes were fantastical horses and mysterious birds!  I saw outlines of mystical frogs and magical cats!  What was once ordinary had become extraordinary!  This mindset came with me as I began to brush together fallen blooms from my Christmas cactus plant.  Once I had the fallen flowers and pollen in a pile and I was about to scoop them up to compost them, all of a sudden I noticed a beautiful winged creature - a bird of pink and orange with diaphanous wings!  I grabbed my camera and snapped a photo before escorting this lovely bird to the compost bin :)  I know that it will inspire a drawing or a mixed media piece!  Where can you find the extraordinary in the ordinary????

Two Ways Tuesday: No Peeking!

I've been busy preparing for my upcoming Holiday Cards & Tags Stamp-a-Stack so I've been putting the No Peeking stamp set to a lot of good use!  Here are two of the holiday tags I've created using the set.

This stamp set really doesn't need special techniques to create simply adorable projects!  Here I die cut a large circle with the Clear Circle Bigz die (you can use a large circle punch as well).  I stamped the reindeer using Chocolate Chip ink and then used an office hole punch to punch a Real Red circle.  I then glued the circle to the middle of the reindeer's face and covered it with Crystal Effects :)  The sentiment was stamped with Real Red ink and the trees with Bashful Blue ink.  It's hard to tell in the photo, but the card stock is Pool Party.  I then used the crop-a-dile to punch a hole at the top and added retired Real Red satin ribbon (I miss having current "thicker" ribbon - so happy to see some 1 1/4" two-tone ribbon in the new Spring catalog!!!!).  On the back of the tag I stamped more trees and added the "Jolly Christmas" sentiment with Real Red ink.

For this second tag I decided to bring out the Holiday Stocking Bigz die :)  I inked up the snowman stamp with markers - Cherry Cobber and Basic Black and stamped him on the main part of the sock (cutting him out of a separate piece of card stock and then putting him on the stocking would be adorable...I just know that my workshop attendees would roll their eyes at me if I made them do too much fussy cutting :)  On the Cherry Cobbler parts of the stocking I stamped Whisper White craft ink using an image from Pennant Parade.  I confess, the sentiment is from a retired SU! set - I tend to bring out retired Christmas sets every once in awhile in order to use different greetings :)
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Two Ways Tuesday and I hope it inspires you to use whatever stamps you have to make adorable tags for your holiday gift-giving!!!!

Scrappy Tree Holiday Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  I cannot tell you how happy I am that I have taken up drawing again.  I had been thinking about it for a long time, but always considered it impossible & beyond my abilities.  - Vincent van Gogh
I have been reading The Letters of Vincent van Gogh and have come to feel that if Vincent and I had met one another we would have become friends :)  I have been connecting with his words so much and will be sharing quite a few of his thoughts with you as I continue to read his letters to his brother Theo.  I was struck by the above quote!  Even Vincent thought drawing was impossible and beyond him!!!!!  How cool is that?!  What he didn't do was surrender!  He just let that thought come and go and then kept at it - practicing drawing, over and over, until, as he described it, "what seemed utterly impossible to me before is gradually becoming possible now."  What do you feel is impossible?  I have to agree with Vincent that drawing has always felt beyond my reach.  So what am I going to do about it?  I'm going to take Vincent's approach - practice and let the thought of doubt come and go.  Maybe I to can make the impossible become possible!  How about you????
Today's card came at the request of a neighbor.  She needed 25 Christmas cards and I told her I could whip some up for her :)  I know, I know - the supplies are mostly retired now, but since I had them leftover I decided to use them versus purchasing something new.  Of course, a very similar card could be created with current stamps and designer paper, so I thought it was worth sharing with you!  I ended up tearing strips of 12x12 paper and then gluing them together to form about a 12x6 pieced together section of torn strips.  I then created a triangle template using chipboard and traced the triangle out on the backside of my pieced strips and then cut them out.  Next I used 2-way glue and dazzling diamonds glitter to give the trees some sparkle :)  A small rectangle of Chocolate Chip card stock was glued to the Crumb Cake card base and the greeting from Sincere Salutations (retired) was stamped with Chocolate Chip ink.  I then added the tree with dimensionals.  So easy and so fun and festive!  I hope you like it!!!!  And yes, I am covered in glitter from creating all the trees ;)

A Day Away...Wishing You White Blooms...

I went to see the Van Gogh exhibit in Denver yesterday and I am still processing all that I saw and read.  Just incredible.  I was in tears by the end of the exhibit.  I have decided to take a day off - rather than pressure myself to post something more extensive here.  I will leave you with some of Van Gogh's own words.  In writing to his brother about practicing drawing and studying anatomy and perspective he said, "So you see that I am working away hard, though for the moment it is not yielding particularly gratifying results.  But I have every hope that these thorns will bear white blooms in due course & that these apparently fruitless struggles are nothing but labour pains.  First the pain, then the joy."

From My Heart Anniversary Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  When Will I Learn That Practice, Not Product Purchase, Makes Me An Artist?
One step forward, two steps back.  That's my progress, or lack thereof, when it comes to trying to teach myself that it is practicing my art and not purchasing more and more art supplies that makes me an artist.  On my work trip this week I took along a sketchbook and a pencil as well as the book Mixed Media Girls by Suzi Blu.  I have been wanting to teach myself how to draw faces and I felt a bit overwhelmed about where to begin.  I am grateful that Suzi Blu created this book because she gave me a start!  I sketched each day that I was away - even if only for a few minutes.  Just putting pencil to paper - one line at a time.  It is the practice that will help me learn how to draw faces, not the purchase of some fancy pen or pencil or paint.  But alas, I have not learned yet, because although I did practice my art while I was traveling, I am also guilty of taking advantage of holiday sales and purchasing pretty new pencils and a special marker or two.  If I can combine the practice with the purchase, maybe I am beginning to form some type of balance.  If all I do is purchase, I will never realize my potential as an artist.  Maybe that's my new mantra for this holiday season full of sales...practice, don't purchase!  Wish me luck!!!!
Today's card began with a brayer technique!  I embossed the Very Vanilla card stock with the Lacy Brocade embossing folder and then inked up my brayer with Sahara Sand ink and lightly ran the brayer over the raised areas of the embossing.  The panel was then adhered to a Sahara Sand card base with glue.  Next came a faux bow (I have a video on how to make faux bows - you can find it in the list on the left-hand side of my blog) made from organza ribbon.  I then stamped the sentiment from From My Heart with Early Espresso ink and punched it out with the Decorative Label punch.  I added the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes with Sahara Sand  ink.  I die cut a piece of Sahara Sand card stock using the Window Frames framelits and sponged the edges of this and the punched piece with Sahara Sand ink.  These pieces were layered onto the card.  As a final embellishment I took a couple of chip board hearts and layered them on top of one another and sprayed them with a combination of Gold Glow and Silver Foil Smooch Spritz (I allowed one to dry before spraying with the other).  The heart was then added with glue.  Here is a close up:

I hope you like it :)

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Finished Tumbler

Just a quick post today to share my finished glass tumbler with you!  It wasn't easy for me to take an attractive picture of the glass, but hopefully you get the idea of how it turned out!  I really enjoyed giving glass blowing a try - the blowing part actually felt like trying to breathe air into a cement wall!  Nothing like trying to blow a bubble with bubble gum :)  Anyway, I just got back from a trip last night and will try to get creative today so that I have something to share with you tomorrow :) 

Don't forget, today is the last day for Online Extravaganza!!!!!
There is a 24-hour doorbuster available today only for the Clear Block Bundle, Clear Block Storage Caddy and Stack & Store Caddy!  Here are the details!

Wednesday, November 28, midnight - 11:50 PM (MT)

Page	Item	Description	Retail Price	24-Hour Sale Price
7	118941	Clear Block Bundle (Blocks A-I)	$66.95	$53.56
7	120279	Clear Block Storage Caddy	$16.95	$13.56
175	109127	Stack & Store Caddy	$34.95	$27.96

Click HERE to shop now! :)

Two Ways Tuesday: Pursuit of Happiness

For this week's Two Ways Tuesday I decided to just use the gratitude stamp from Pursuit of Happiness and show you two ways to use it :)
This first way is one of my favorite ways to use stamps - to stamp them on fabric.  You can stamp the greeting with Staz-On ink or you can stamp it with a mixture of Versamark and dye ink and then heat emboss the greeting on the fabric.  My sewing skills aren't quite where I'd like them to be, but since a bookmark doesn't have to "fit" just so and since I love to read, bookmarks are a favorite sewing project for me!  I stamped the greeting with Staz-On onto muslin fabric.  I then cut out two rectangles of Orchard Harvest designer fabric and a piece of Gumball Green stitched ribbon.  I first sewed the muslin greeting onto the top fabric and then layered the fabric, wrong sides together, with a piece of batting and the ribbon in between.  I confess, that because my sewing isn't the greatest, I added a piece of gold rick-rack to cover up some boo-boo stitching :)

 Of course, you can stamp just as easily onto card stock :)  This thank you card was created using some pieces that were sitting on my craft room table.  I began with a Sahara Sand card base.  Next I used a retired Musical Note wheel and wheeled over First Edition Specialty designer series paper.  The piece was then torn and glued down to the card base.  Next came a torn piece of Basic Black card stock and finally I sewed on a piece of layered tea bag paper.  The greeting from Pursuit of Happiness was stamped onto Very Vanilla card stock using a combination of Basic Black ink and Versamark ink.  I then heat embossed with clear embossing powder before punching it out using my decorative label punch.  I added the punched piece to the card with dimensionals.  Finally, I threaded a Basic Black button with linen thread and added it to the card with a combination of dimensionals and glue dots.  I hope you've enjoyed this week's Two Ways Tuesday and I hope I've inspired you to try something new!

ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA IS HERE!!!!!!
Our biggest online sale of the year, Online Extravaganza, is going on now and ends TOMORROW, Wednesday, November 28. We've got a fantastic selection of stamp sets, accessories, and tools that will be discounted up to 50 percent!  Log in to my Online Store NOW to take advantage of these savings including oodles of popular products discounted up to 50 percent!

Thoughts & Prayers Pet Sympathy Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  What You Need To Hear Will Sometimes Arrive In Your Inbox 
I received a thank you email from Ornament Magazine in my inbox last week.  Here is how the email began:
"A seventeenth-century philosopher advised that each day we ask ourselves three questions: "Who or what inspired me today? What brought me happiness today? What brought me comfort and deep peace today?" In this contemplative practice, we find ways to bring more meaning and joy into our lives. Our individual actions should be transformative ones that honor the best in our humanity and promote peace and well-being on planet Earth."
Sometimes what you need to hear will just arrive in your inbox :)
Our neighbors had to say goodbye to their very special kitty, Ripley, last week.  Ripley lived a long and happy life and she had the most special, caring parents in the world!  I know how much your cards and emails brought me comfort when I lost Willow (and continue to bring me comfort every day) and I knew I had to make a special card for Ripley's parents.  I began with a Baja Breeze card base and stamped it with the Distressed Dots background stamp with Whisper White craft ink.  I used my heat tool to dry the ink (since I don't have a lot of patience when I'm stamping :)  Next I stamped the kitty image from Every Little Bit onto Soft Suede card stock and cut it out.  I then stamped the sentiment and the tree from Thoughts & Prayers onto Whisper White card stock.  I inked up the tree using markers - Crumb Cake and Certainly Celery to keep the image soft.  Then I added the little kitty with dimensionals and added the panel to the card.  I hope you like it!  Here is a close up of the tree and kitty:

ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA IS HERE!!!!!!
Our biggest online sale of the year, Online Extravaganza, is going on now and ends on Wednesday, November 28. We've got a fantastic selection of stamp sets, accessories, and tools that will be discounted up to 50 percent!  Log in to my Online Store NOW to take advantage of these savings including oodles of popular products discounted up to 50 percent!

Loving Thoughts Mini Book

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Turn Your Regular Routine Into A Vacation Moment!
On Tuesday I asked Michael if he wanted to join me for a morning walk with Buddy.  Every once in awhile he will come along, rather than focus on doing his side of the morning chores.  He said he would come along, but rather than travel one of our usual routes, we decided to head down to a shopping district that is about a mile and a half from our house.  This was a detour from our usual routine and the minute we crossed over one of the main streets and began to walk in less familiar territory, we began to feel like we were on an adventure!  We walked down into the shopping district - lots of streets with outdoor stores and restaurants - and we found a little coffee shop with outdoor seating.  I sat outside in comfy chairs with Buddy by my side while Michael went in and bought a cup of tea and a cup of coffee.  We then sat there, in the sun in the comfy chairs and sipped our drinks and watched people come and go.  At one point Michael turned to me and said, "It feels like we're on vacation!"  And it absolutely did!  It's funny to have lived here for so many years and to never have taken such a vacation moment in the midst of our regular routine.  I have a feeling we'll be going on this vacation again in the not-too-distant future :)  How can you turn your regular routine into a vacation moment????
Today's small journal was inspired by an instructional dvd I watched highlighting Beryl Taylor and her amazing mixed media techniques.  I used some paper cloth I had created and stenciled and sewed on it.  I then did some random free-motion stitching on a folded piece of 6 1/2" x 9 1/2" card stock.  Next I sewed the paper cloth to the card stock.  The next layer is actually a few dried out tea bags glued together and then stenciled and trimmed down.  I stamped that piece with a stamp from Loving Thoughts using Versamark ink and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  Next, I sewed that piece to the journal cover.  A button was then sewn on with some embroidery thread.  I create these easy little books with recycled printer paper as the pages.  I usually add a small bit of stamping on the inside to hide any printing that doesn't get trimmed off.  I hope you like it!  Here is a close up of the embossing on the tea bag paper:

ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA IS HERE!!!!!!
Our biggest online sale of the year, Online Extravaganza, is going on now and ends on Wednesday, November 28. We've got a fantastic selection of stamp sets, accessories, and tools that will be discounted up to 50 percent!  Log in to my Online Store NOW to take advantage of these savings including oodles of popular products discounted up to 50 percent!

Happy Thanksgiving Owl Ocassions Card

I know, I know...this card looks remarkably similar to a card I shared with you a week ago :)  But I just couldn't resist making this little guy into a Happy Thanksgiving card and it shows you how versatile a set like Owl Occasions can be since you just need to combine the owl with a banner with any sentiment you want!  Here I used a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes and just inked up the straight line from the balloon stamp that comes with the Owl Occasions stamp set to create the "stick" for my banner.  I added a bit of dazzle to the owl with some adhesive rhinestones.
So, what lesson do I have for you today?  To just enjoy friends and family today - whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving or just enjoying another Thursday of your very special life :)  Thank you for sharing some of the moments of your life with me and for supporting me in my creativity.  I can't thank you enough!!!!!!!


ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA IS HERE!!!!!!
Our biggest online sale of the year, Online Extravaganza, is going on now and ends on Wednesday, November 28. We've got a fantastic selection of stamp sets, accessories, and tools that will be discounted up to 50 percent!  Log in to my Online Store NOW to take advantage of these savings including oodles of popular products discounted up to 50 percent!

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Angel #8

 Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Get It Checked Out
I had a temporary crown put in last week and I have been in a bit of pain ever since.  I knew there would likely be sensitivity to cold/hot before I get the permanent crown put in, but I was not prepared for my gums to be so unhappy :(  I tried taking ibruprofen - which did help a bit, but the pain kept coming back and my gums looked, well, yucky!  I am scheduled to go back in a few days for the crown, but decided that I wouldn't wait and that I would get it checked out instead - for my piece of mind.  I am relieved to find out that what is happening to my gums is a bit of a reaction to the medication used during the initial procedure and that it is something that will heal on it's own in time.  Each day should feel a bit better.  I have to say that the peace of mind that comes with getting it checked out has already got me feeling better.  If you have questions about something you are experiencing, better to get it checked out and put your mind at ease or, if your mind does not get put at ease by what you discover, at least you have more information and can determine a path forward.
Today I'm sharing angel #8 :)  I have been collecting old clock parts (it's nice to have a significant other who is an antique dealer - he turns up some of the oddest and interesting things!).  I wasn't sure what I was collecting the clock parts for, but this challenge made me look at the parts differently.  Here is a close up of her face:

I hot glued Cherry Cobbler sweater trim (129938) to the rim of the clock face and left the front and back exposed.  I used smaller clock parts to create her facial features.  I used a selection of seam binding in different colors to create her skirt and then added a wrapped wire belt with hung clock parts.  Here is a close up of the skirt:

I have no idea what angel #9 will bring, but angel #8 has been a very fun adventure! :)  For those of you celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday filled with thoughts of all you have to be grateful for!!!!!!

ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA IS HERE!!!!!!
Our biggest online sale of the year, Online Extravaganza, is going on now and ends on Wednesday, November 28. We've got a fantastic selection of stamp sets, accessories, and tools that will be discounted up to 50 percent!  Log in to my Online Store NOW to take advantage of these savings including oodles of popular products discounted up to 50 percent! 

Artistic Etchings Thank You Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Stop And Chat
Sometimes we are in a big hurry.  We say "hello!  how are you?" and keep walking without waiting for a response.  We multitask when we are on the phone so we miss about every third word that is said by the person on the other end of the line.  Yesterday I stopped a few times - I stopped to chat with some neighbors who are trying to manage their thoughts and feelings about their ailing cat.  I also stopped to chat with another neighbor who had the business trip from hell last week.  And we took and evening walk and chatted with one of Buddy's best friends and his human companion about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday :)  My recommendation?  Slow down and stop and chat.  Really give your attention to the person you are speaking with.  You may actually enjoy the pace :)
Today's card was put together as a thank you card to my cousin and his wife who we recently visited.  They both love France so the Eiffel Tower image from Artistic Etchings was perfect!  I heat embossed the image with silver embossing powder.  I stamped the Sahara Sand card stock with Sahara Sand ink and the En Francais background stamp.  The embossed piece was then sewn to the Sahara Sand card stock with metallic thread on my sewing machine.  Next, I stamped the words from three different sets (Kindness Matters, Fabulous Phrases, and Loving Thoughts) using Early Espresso ink on Very Vanilla card stock.  The pieces were adhered with dimensionals.  The whole panel was then glued to a Soft Suede card base and spritzed with the Sahara Sand marker and the color spritzer tool.  I hope you like it!  For those of you following my angel challenge, I hope to share at least one other angel this week...and, I confess, I'm a bit behind with my challenge to make 30 angels in 30 days.  I haven't decided to extend my personal deadline yet...but I am at the stage where I'm willing to admit that an extension might be required...We'll see how things go over the next few days :)

ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA IS HERE!!!!!!
Our biggest online sale of the year, Online Extravaganza, began on Monday and ends on Wednesday, November 28. We've got a fantastic selection of stamp sets, accessories, and tools that will be discounted up to 50 percent!  Log in to my Online Store NOW to take advantage of these savings including oodles of popular products discounted up to 50 percent! 

From My Heart Thank You Card & Online Extravaganza!!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Change Is Something I Need To Get Used To
New neighbors moved in on Friday and change is something I need to get used to...and it's not easy.  It's little things - no drapes on windows where drapes used to be, cars in the shared driveway where no cars used to be, visitors when there weren't any...just differences.  I seem to handle some change quite easily - the change of seasons; changing up the route on my walks with Buddy...hmmm, I just got stuck trying to think of other change that comes easy for me :)  Yup - I guess change is something I definitely need to get used to! :)
Today's card was made during my Thanksgiving Centerpiece and Card Workshop yesterday.  I figured it could be used as a Happy Thanksgiving card or as a general thank you card.  I love this stamp from the From My Heart stamp set.  We just inked it up with Cherry Cobbler ink and then used an Early Espresso marker to go over the words before stamping it onto a Crumb Cake base.  We then spritzed the card with a Crumb Cake marker in the color spritzer tool  A piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock was torn and then we tied a piece of knotted Crumb Cake seam binding around the Cherry Cobbler card stock before gluing it to the front of the card.  A final touch was some Cherry Cobbler dazzling details on the heart and a few of the dots in the image.  Simple and elegant.  I hope you like it!

ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA IS HERE!!!!!!
Our biggest online sale of the year, Online Extravaganza, begins TODAY and ends on Wednesday, November 28. We've got a fantastic selection of stamp sets, accessories, and tools that will be discounted up to 50 percent!
Plus, you won't want to miss the first 24 hours of the sale when the Big Shot, Doctor's Bag, and Simply Scored Diagonal Plate will be 20 percent off retail price!  Log in to my Online Store NOW to take advantage of these 24-hour-only savings, as well as oodles of other popular products discounted up to 50 percent!

Online Extravaganza Begins Monday!!!!!

Our biggest online sale of the year, Online Extravaganza, begins Monday, November 19, and ends on Wednesday, November 28. We've got a fantastic selection of stamp sets, accessories, and tools that will be discounted up to 50 percent!
Plus, you won't want to miss the first 24 hours of the sale when the Big Shot, Doctor's Bag, and Simply Scored Diagonal Plate will be 20 percent off retail price!  Log in to my Online Store on Monday morning to take advantage of these 24-hour-only savings, as well as oodles of other popular products discounted up to 50 percent!

Owl Occasions Thank You Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Get Up And Go!!!!!
I was sitting on the couch the other night watching TV and I decided to give myself a challenge.  Rather than sit there and stare stupidly at the TV during commercials, I decided to Get Up And Go every time a commercial came along!  Rather than have that be wasted time I used the time to wash dishes, go through junk mail to recycle and to make this card :)  What time can you use to Get Up And Go?
I was so excited to ink up these stamps!  The branch and owl are from Owl Occasions - I have a feeling you'll be seeing a lot of this stamp set!  I inked up the owl using markers - More Mustard, Marina Mist, Chocolate Chip and Basic Black.  The branch was inked with Early Espresso.  If you want the owl to sit perfectly on the branch you can always use your stamp-a-ma-jig.  I decided to just wing it (pun intended ;)  The sentiment is from Made For You and I inked it up with Marina Mist ink.  I love making simple, clean graphic cards and this stamp set lends itself so well to this style.  I hope you like it and I hope you have a phenomenal weekend!!!! :)  Get up and go!!!!!! :)

Angel #7: A Face In A Flower

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  It's Nice To Be With Family & Friends Who Go At The Same Pace
We just got back from the most wonderful trip spent with family and friends (and a touch of work thrown in as well).  What we really enjoyed about the trip was spending time with people who seem to operate at the same speed we do - we didn't have to change our rhythm.  Sometimes you go on vacation and you are required to alter your pace - for us that alteration would look like us having to dart from place to place, restaurant to restaurant, at a frantic rate.  That just isn't us.  Instead, this trip was spent lounging around kitchen tables, sitting on sofas and chairs, lingering in restaurants with perfect meals and even more perfect companions.  We walked around art galleries and sculpture gardens.  Sat in homes and played blocks with a little one.  Watched the deer munch grass on the side of the road and in the fields.  Yes, it's nice to be with family and friends who go at the same pace :)
Are you tired of my angels yet???? :)  Hard to believe this one is only angel #7.  I may have to give you a break from posting my angels, but don't worry - I won't take a break from making them - I am definitely on a mission!!!!! :)  Today's angel grew (no pun intended) from the idea to use a flower as a head.  I used silk flower that I had deconstructed and then created a quilted muslin painted face that I hot glued to the center of the flower.  The body was made from paper cloth that I stamped, sewed and stuffed.  Michael came up with the wonderful idea to use the silk leaves to construct the wings!  They are a bit hard to see due to the green tree...but if you look closely you can make them out.  Here is a close up of the paper cloth that I stamped with the mini serif stamp set.  I hope you like it :)

Angel #6: Pinecones and Paint

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  It's Right In Front Of You!
I sat there - not knowing what my next angel would be like.  Okay - I really didn't sit there - I was actually lying in bed thinking about these angels.  I find that when I'm going to sleep and when I wake up my mind seems to be very receptive to creative ideas.  I have been gathering pinecones for awhile - not quite sure what I would do with them.  And, when I was lying in bed about to fall asleep, the pinecone shape appeared and yes, it looked just like the body of an angel!  So I grabbed my journal (I keep one by the bed so I can capture these sleepy thoughts) and in the morning I went through a few pinecones in my stash and chose this one!  I painted most of the pinecone gold and added some sparkle glaze.  The stamping on this one is obvious - just a word from Loving Thoughts on Crumb Cake card stock.  I used ric-rak to create her hair and thin tooling foil for her wings.  Sometimes the idea you need is right in front of you (or on either side of your dreams :)

Angel #5: Tiny Tags

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Take One Idea And Run With It!!!!
I have been having a great time (and sometimes a frustrating time!) running with the idea of creating 30 angels in 30 days!  At times I wonder if I'll be able to figure out what to do next.  At other times, once idea sparks another and off I go!  This angel was actually inspired by the organza in my last angel.  I loved how the organza started to create a skirt for the angel and I decided to take that idea and use muslin to sew together a "skirt" for this angel.  I created a small body "base" and the muslin skirt was handsewn to the base.  I added some wire for hands and stamped a small tag using the Tiny Tags stamp set.  The wings....oh the wings...can you tell what they are made from????  I actually dried out some tea bags from my morning tea and cut them open and composted the dried herbs.  I then glued 3 of the tea bags together and, after they were dry, covered them with a sparkle glaze.  I then cut out the wings and sewed them to the back of the angel.  I hope you like Angel #5...now go find an idea and run with it!!!!!
If you came here expecting Two Ways Tuesday, bare with me!  I'm off on an angel quest!  Two Ways Tuesday will be back once I have succeeded in my quest :)

Angel #4: Wire, Wings and Organza

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Create A Community
We have grown to love our neighborhood.  I think we have Buddy to thank for many of the wonderful people we have met in our neighborhood.  Taking Buddy for walks immediately puts us into contact with other people walking around the neighborhood and over time we learn each other's names and sometimes move from small talk into deeper conversations.  The other day there was an assault in our neighborhood and it took only a short time for the emails to start coming, the phone to start ringing and the conversation at the park to start happening.  Each person reaching out to let another know - to provide information and to make sure we were all on the look-out for anyone or anything suspicious.  It is this sense of community that I cherish.  How can you create a community in your neck of the woods?
Today I am sharing angel #4 with you.  For those of you following my blog, you are aware of my 30 Angels in 30 Days challenge with myself :)  I was inspired to try using wire to create the angel skirt and wings.  Can you see where the stamping is?????  I actually made the structure of the wings from wire and then used my stamped tissue tape (you can watch a similar technique video - embossed tissue tape - HERE) to cover the wire armature of the wings.  I love how the light can shine through the tissue of the wings!  I hope you like Angel #4 :)  Here is a close up of the wing:

Fowl Friday :)

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Go Get A Mammogram!!!!!
I just received word from an incredibly close friend of mine that she has been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.  She found out last week and is undergoing a lumpectomy tomorrow.  She was not due for a mammogram and had not felt any lumps, but something inside of her was telling her to go and get a mammogram.  I am so grateful that she listened to that little voice inside of her!  So today's lesson is a simple one - please, listen to that voice inside of you and if it is telling you to go get a mammogram, go do it!!!!!
I usually share Friday Folds with you on Friday, but today I decided to share Fowl Friday :)  I will be visiting some relatives shortly and one of them loves roosters, so I decided to take a break from angel making to create a rooster ornament for her :)  I created a pattern and then cut the rooster out of muslin.  I then painted some muslin with a mix of paints and dyes.  The twig legs were added with hot glue as were all of the strips of painted muslin for the tail.  Felt was cut for the top of the rooster's head and beak and the painted fabric was cut to create a wing and waddle.  Acrylic paint and gesso was used to paint the eye feature.  I know there isn't any stamping on this rooster, but there is a whole lot of love and creativity poured into him!  I hope he inspires you to try something new - especially to create something for someone you love!  Have a beautiful weekend and please keep my friend in your thoughts!

1,000 YouTube Followers!!!!!

I just wanted to say thank you so much to all of you that subscribe to my YouTube channel!  The number of followers reached 1,000 today!!!!!  I am overdue for posting videos - I am hoping to get back on track later this month and will try to bring you new inspiration!!!! :)  Thank you again!!!!

Angel #3: Bits of Fabulous Phrases

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  The Instinct Strikes You For A Reason
I was sitting on the couch doing a bit of work on Tuesday when I had an instinct to get up and look outside in the backyard.  I have learned to trust those instincts when I have them, so off I went into the kitchen to take a look out the window.  And there he was - the black cat that comes to visit our yard on occasion.  I hadn't seen him for a few days and, with Willow's passing, I have had a yearning for feline contact.  The instinct created an opportunity for that perfect encounter.  This kitty is so sweet.  He meowed at me and let me love on him a bit before going on his way to hunt for mice and terrorize dogs :)  I strongly believe instinct strikes you for a reason.  The question is whether or not you are willing to heed its call and see where it is wanting to take you.
Today's I'm sharing Angel #3 with you.  For those of you following my blog, you know that I have given myself the challenge of creating 30 angels in 30 days.  Because of my schedule the creating will not happen at an even pace.  At times I will need to create multiple angels in a day in order to keep up with the challenge.  My hope is to succeed...I guess we'll know by December 2nd! :)  Today's angel was the one I created for my friend Cynthia - the woman who inspired this challenge in the first place because of her love of angels (and her love of purple!).  I began with a sheet of fabric cloth that I had created (maybe a year ago!) following instructions from a video by Beryl Taylor.  It is a fabulous way to create fabric for mixed media projects using stamping, tissue paper, book pages, paint, candy wrappers....a whole lot of fun!!!!!  I cut out the angel pattern (it is the same pattern that I created for the angel I shared on Tuesday) from the paper fabric and from a piece of muslin.  I sewed the two pieces together - leaving a space for stuffing.  I then added the base wire for the wings and added organza, muslin and fiber pieces to the wings.  The fabric paper was stamped with the Fabulous Phrases stamp set and the face was painted with gesso and then detailed with permanent markers and watercolor crayons.  I covered the whole angel body with a sparkle glaze to create some shine.  I hope you like it....Cynthia did :)