Four Ways Friday #81 - Movers & Shapers

This week's Four Ways Friday focuses on the Movers & Shapers dies!

The Movers & Shapers Curly Label die does a great job of cutting windows in your cards!  The die also coordinates perfectly with the Curly Label punch!  Here I die cut a piece of Very Vanilla card stock and added some spritzing with an Always Artichoke marker and the color spritzer tool.  I stamped a few flourishes from the Established Elegance stamp set and knotted a piece of Always Artichoke seam binding around the card and through the window.  I stamped a scrap piece of Very Vanilla card stock with images from Established Elegance and the greeting from Kindness Matters (a set that is available for free with your Sale-a-Bration $50 purchase!).  I then punched out the stamping using my Curly Label punch and added it to the inside of the card using dimensionals.

This card began with the "waste" from the first card!  When I die cut the first card, I was left with a die cut label in Very Vanilla.  The Curly Label die cut is ever so slightly larger than the Curly Label punch, so it makes a wonderful layer!!!!!  Here I once again stamped with images from Established Elegance and Kindness Matters using Always Artichoke ink on Always Artichoke card stock.  I then punched the stamping out with the Curly Label punch and layered it on top of the Very Vanilla label with glue.  I added an adhesive pearl to the label.  I stamped the card base and then added a piece of Victoria crochet trim.  Next, I stamped a Mini Vintage Tag with an image from Tiny Tags and added it to the card with a safety pin from Vintage Trinkets.  A spritz with Always Artichoke ink and the color spritzer tool finishes the card!

There are many different dies available for your Movers & Shapers die base and the shapes make beautiful additions to your cards!  Here I die cut the bird using First Edition Specialty designer series paper and the bird from the Holiday Windows Movers & Shapers (a set that comes with 4 small dies to use with your Magnetic Movers & Shapers die base).  I sponged the edges with Chocolate Chip ink and then added it to a card I had made using my Framelits Labels Collection.  The greeting and flourish are from the Elementary Elegance stamp set - another set that is available for free with your $50 Sale-A-Bration purchase!!!! :)

You can also die cut double windows with your Movers & Shapers!!!!!  Here I ran the card through the Big Shot with the heart die from the Punch Windows Movers & Shapers (a set that comes with four magnetic Movers & Shapers dies - a heart, star, modern label, and scallop oval).  I then moved the magnetic die so that the next heart would overlap the first and ran it through the Big Shot again to create the overlapping hearts.  The die coordinates beautifully with the large heart punch, so I punched a few hearts and embellished them and added them to the inside of the card.  Some pleated satin ribbon and a piece of card stock punched with the eyelet border punch finish the look!
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!!!  Have fun with your Movers & Shapers dies!!!!!  I hope you have a beautiful, peaceful and creative weekend!!!!!

Bring On The Cake Birthday Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Push Reset

After a power outage in the house everything electronic seems to be blinking at me!  The clock on the microwave, the lights on the cable box - you name it, it's blinking.  So you either have to power off the item and then turn it back on or press that nifty little reset button.  What causes the power outages?  It could be a sudden surge of energy or a lightening strike.  It could be some faulty wiring or an accident somewhere on the power grid.  Whatever the cause, sometimes you just need to push reset.  The same is true with us.  I had a huge power surge over the past few days, creating until my fingers and brain were sore.  So I've taken some time to power down and push my reset button - putting on soothing music in the craft room and methodically cleaning up the huge pile of mess that I had created during my power surge!  That seems to be how I push my reset button - clear my space so that it is neat again; maybe a walk outside; or looking out the window to watch the birds and squirrels.  Your reset button may be a little different than mine.  When was the last time you pushed it?
Today's card is a great one for a guy's birthday!  I always love coming up with a "man card" that I like :)  I began with a Neutrals Ivory card base and spritzed it with Early Espresso ink.  Next I rolled the card with the awning builder wheel and Early Espresso ink.  The hand and greeting were stamped onto Crumb Cake card stock with Early Espresso ink and both were cut out.  A die cut (Circles #2 die) circle of Old Olive card stock serves as the backdrop for the cut out pieces.  A vintage trinket was added to the hand as a cuff link :)  I hope you like it!

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Paper Bead

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  What If We Treated Our Words Like Our Favorite Stashed Items?

I have some craft items that I have stashed away and am waiting to use for a very special time and place.  Just a few of my favorite things that I'm keeping hidden away until the exact right piece of art comes along (I might be waiting a very long time...we'll see!).  There can be a tendency to do this - hold onto something because we don't want to let it go - feeling that it is too precious to just be casually put out there.  Some people say to just go ahead and use it and enjoy it now since you never know what tomorrow will bring.  I'm not so sure yet.  Today I began to wonder what it would be like if we treated our words the same way?  If we actually considered our words to be precious and in short supply and to only be used at the exact right moment.  If we actually thought of ourselves as having a limited number of words.  How might that impact what we say and when we say it and if we choose to say whatever it is at all?  I guess in one sense we all have a limited number of words to speak or write.  It seems, though, that we don't really consider this.  Or, we just blather on and on (as I might be accused of doing right now), and just use as many words as we can in the time that we have - feeling like we have a limitless supply as long as we are breathing.  Today I'm going to begin to consider my words like precious treasures that exist in limited supply.  When and where and how will I choose to use them?
I went out on a whim today - inspired by a necklace I had made a few years ago with lava rock and some paper beads that had been made by a group of women in Africa (a friend had purchased the beads for me as a gift).  I found the necklace in my jewelry drawer today and wondered how I might be able to make paper beads with the strips of designer series paper sitting on my craft table.  Here is a photo of the necklace that inspired me:

The photo at the top of this post is of my first-ever designer series paper bead :)  I cut a thin triangle of paper and then rolled it on a skewer, adding small amounts of glue as I went.  Once I was done rolling and gluing, I rolled the bead on my VersaMark ink pad and then in the clear embossing powder and heat embossed.  I have a feeling this might lead to other beads in my near future :)

Kindness Matters Embossed Framelit Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Right Now I Am A Woman Of Few Words

I am exhausted as I type this (is this becoming a theme?!).  I just spent the entire day working on the videos, pictures and instruction sheets for my next round of Design Team projects...and I'm pooped!  So I will allow myself to be a woman of few words tonight and just share a quick card with you before heading off to bed (it's Monday night as I'm typing this).
I created this card by stamping the card base with the Apothecary Art image and adding the greeting from Kindness Matters.  I then ran the card through the Big Shot with one of the labels from the Framelits Labels Collection to emboss the stamped image.  I stamped the butterfly from Kindness Matters onto a piece of Whisper White card stock and cut it out with my paper snips.  I then added it to the card with part of a dimensional.  A piece of 1/4" grosgrain ribbon in Rose Red was added to the bottom of the card and adorned with an adhesive pearl.  The final touch was to add some Dazzling Details to the butterfly and flowers.  I hope you like it!!!!!

Artistic Etchings Stamped Tile

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  It Takes A Heap Of Loafing To Write A Book.  - Gertrude Stein
I didn't even think I was going to be able to write this post tonight.  It is Sunday evening as I am typing this and I am thoroughly exhausted.  I wasn't really sure why I was so exhausted until I came upon this quote by Gertrude Stein and it made absolute sense.  Not only does it take a heap of effort to write a book or engage fully in the act of creativity.  It also takes a heap of loafing.  Today, I realize, I spent a lot of time on the "heap of effort" side of things as I have been working hard to make my next set of projects for the design team that I am on and, at the same time, I have been trying to come up with ideas for projects I want to create as soon as I'm done with this set of projects!  All of that creating really takes a lot of my energy...and while it doesn't always look like I am doing a ton, my wheels are always turning inside my head and that zaps my energy.  So now it is time to enjoy a heap of loafing!!!!!  I'll make this post short and say that I may decide to take a break tomorrow...we'll see if loafing a bit tonight restores some of my energy.  Just remember both the yin and yang of creating - as much as you need the effort, you need the loaf :)
Today's project is a stamped tile I made into a home decor item to hang in the house.  I stamped the tile with Staz-On ink and an image from Artistic Etchings and the sentiment from Elements Of Style.  I attached a few brads, after clipping off the prongs with my craft & rubber scissors, with Crystal Effects.  The whole piece was then adhered to a piece of masonite that I covered with black card stock using decoupage medium.  A picture hangar was then adhered to the back.  Finally, I sprayed the entire piece with acrylic sealer (next time I'll use glossy, as opposed to matte, acrylic sealer - the matte sealer dulled some of the shine of the tile).  Ahhhh....it's now time to go and loaf...sweet dreams :)