Thursday, September 06, 2012

Established Elegance Canvas Stamping

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  We must remember that everything is ordinary and extraordinary.  It is our minds that either open or close.  - Natalie Goldberg
I have been reading an amazing book that I let sit on my shelf for too long...or maybe until the exact right moment since I seem to be gobbling it up right now!  The book is Writing Down The Bones:  Freeing The Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg.  As I am reading it I am finding it equally applicable to any creative endeavor.  All of her advice and wisdom around writing is so true for those of us who try to make creativity a part of our daily practice - no matter what medium we use.  Goldberg goes on to say that if we see others lives and festivals and experiences as fantastic and our lives as ordinary, we come to writing with a sense of poverty.  The same is true for us as we show up at our card stock - our stamps at the ready - our ink poised.  If we see what others make as fantastic and what we make as ordinary, we come to creativity with a sense of poverty.  We show up defeated before we have even begun.  Remember, it is our minds that either open or close.  It is your choice.  Which do you choose?  Ordinary?  Or Extraordinary?
For today's card I decided to stamp the crown from Established Elegance using Staz-On on a piece of canvas.  I then used the element as a layer on top of a piece of vellum that I had run through the Big Shot with the Lacy Brocade embossing folder.  Next came a piece of crochet trim.  Finally I added the greeting from Itty Bitty Banners.  Oh, and in case you can't tell, the card base is Crumb Cake.  I hope you like it!  I think it's extraordinary :)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree...absolutely extraordinary. Your projects are always so tactile! Love the mix of textures and subtle details. Wish I could reach through the computer screen and touch them.--Doris

sonny peterson said...

loved your card it is so different. I read the book you spoke of many years ago. It is very inspiring and made me want to write something ...anything...just do it ..Have you ever read any of Sarks books? She is such fun and so free...Everything she does is so colorful that it appeals to the artsy part but in a playful way . She had me writing my journals in colored markers! Check her stuff out at Barnes And Nobles or maybe Amazon. You can`t help but love her stuff. Not quite as intense as the bones but she will get you thinking also.