New Catalog & Dog Tired :)

Today begins the first day of the new Stampin' Up! catalog!  You can view the catalog here and I will be putting up a quick link on the left side of the blog shortly.
 It's been a long travel week and after a delayed flight last night I am a bit tired today, so my plan is to give myself the day off from Four Ways Friday.  Hopefully I'll spend some time in the craft room over the next few days and post some fun projects for you for next week! :)  Have a beautiful weekend - a weekend filled with love, laughter, hugs and creativity!!!!

Die Cut Dryer Sheet Flower

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Give Your Mailman A Treat :)
We don't always have the same person delivering our mail, but more often than not, it is Al, our mailman, that we find at the door with our mail in hand.  There are some days that the mail arrives in the slot and we are not by the door to answer (although Buddy is always on high alert - barking like a crazy man!).  However, if we happen to be home and we see that it is Al, we try to open the door and say hello.  Buddy and Al have become quite good friends (Al sometimes has bones to share with Buddy).  We also have grown to really like Al and to appreciate the hard work that he does.  On hot days we like to offer him water and one day, when Michael had just returned from the store, we offered Al a popsicle!  You should have seen the look on his face :)  It's the same look I get when I see a popsicle :)  It felt nice to provide Al with a smile and a cool treat on such a hot day and he really appreciated it!  When was the last time you gave your mailman a treat for the hard work he/she does??? :)
This is another card I created for Paper Crafter's Library using repurposed dryer sheets...I just can't stop myself!  For this card I colored the dryer sheets with a variety of inks and paints.  I then die cut the sheets with the Bigz L Fun Flowers die.  The greeting is from Curly Cute.  I hope you like it! :)  I just can't throw away a used dryer sheet :)

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Repurposed Dryer Sheet Barrette

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Be A Good Neighbor

We had our neighbors over for dinner last Wednesday night.  We had originally planned to eat outdoors, but the threat of rain drove us inside - although the grilling still happened outside :)  Our neighbors have two little dogs that are very close friends with Buddy.  Usually we all walk to the park together.  However, on Wednesday night, because it was a bit cooler and because their little dogs aren't too happy with rain, they decided to not go on the walk.  They returned home and we headed out on our walk.  Well, halfway through the walk the rain decided to pour and to mix things up with some hail too!  The lightening seemed to be getting closer by the minute and we were getting drenched (although Buddy seemed perfectly content with all of it...and so were we).  As we turned back onto our street, a car pulled up beside us.  It was our neighbor Ann.  She had been at home and noticed that the weather turned a bit more insistent, so she figured she would get in her car and find us on our walk to see if we wanted a ride home :)  Talk about an amazing neighbor!!!!!!  We are so very fortunate to know Ann and her husband.  People who think well beyond themselves and consider the needs of others.  We are blessed.  We turned down the ride home - we were almost back to our driveway and were actually enjoying the rain.  We thanked her and we all headed for home.  What can we each do to be a good neighbor?
This is a project I created as a Designer/Educator for Paper Crafter's Library.  It is a floral barrette.  I created the flower from a used dryer sheet!  I love recycling!!!! :)  If you start to play around with repurposing dryer sheets, please remember to work in a well-ventilated are or outside when you apply heat to them!  I set off all of the smoke detectors in my house and it is not something you want to do!!!!

Inked Dryer Sheet Background

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Admire A Garden

Have you ever just stopped and taken in the beauty of a garden?  The garden may be a small pot with a few flowers, or acres covered in plants and blooms.  Whatever garden you see before you, stop and take in the beauty.  I am always amazed by how many shapes, sizes and colors nature offers up to us.  There are two gardens that really touch me every time Buddy and I walk by.  One is on a very large lot - it is filled with many different types of irises.  We often stop at the chain link fence and look beyond at the flowers - each section has a little sign indicated what type of iris is planted there.  They bloom at different times and are so outstandingly gorgeous!  Some days we walk by and there will be piles of debris from the garden waiting to be picked up on garbage/compost day.  In all the times we've walked by, we have never seen the person or people that tend this gorgeous garden.  I'm beginning to think it's tended by tiny fairies that come out at night when no one can see :)  The other garden is on a street that Buddy and I frequent.  It's in the front yard of a house and the garden is filled with so many different flowers.  It is so easy to see the love of the gardener in this landscape!  The other day Buddy and I had the pleasure of seeing the man who tends this lovely garden.  We stopped and told him how much we love his garden and that it captures our attention every time we walk by.  We thanked him for creating such a beautiful setting for our morning walk :)  When was the last time you admired a garden?  Maybe the perfect time is now :)
I have been having a lot of fun repurposing dryer sheets for a series I am creating for Paper Crafter's Library!  I created the background on this card using a direct-to-dryer sheet ink technique and added some dazzling diamonds for sparkle!  I hope you like it! :)

Punched Star Congratulations Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Walk In The Rain
There are things about growing up that we have all wrong.  When did we go from stomping in puddles to being worried about bad hair days????  When I was young, the rain was something that was welcomed - a chance to jump in puddles, see worms, watch for lightening and listen to thunder.  I used to love looking up at the clouds and sticking my tongue out to see how many raindrops would land on my tongue.  Now, when it rains, many of us worry what it will do to our hair, our shoes, our clothes.  We complain about driving in it, stepping in it or feeling it.  The child in me had it right and that was confirmed last Wednesday night.  Our dedication to Buddy's evening walk took us out into the rain after dark.  To a wonderful world of puddles and worms, lightening, thunder and hail.  A walk in the rain does a body good!
Today's card is a simple card made with a star punch, some Wild Wasabi card stock, a strip of Bashful Blue card stock and a greeting from Curly Cute stamped onto Whisper White card stock.  I added one brad and a simple button with linen twine to finish it off!  I hope you like it!