Love Banner Frame, Love Notes & Bonus by Sharon Burkert

Valentine’s Day is near and a perfect time to showcase the ones you love.  This Love Banner frame by Sharon Burkert is perfect to display pictures of those special people in your life.  Also included are a quick and easy holder for some little love notes and a couple of little cards to put in your holder.  There is an added little bonus project that will come in handy when you want to pretty up a gift card.  This would be a fun project to do in a class and it would make a wonderful gift.  For all of the step-by-step instructions for this adorable project, head on over to Craft Project Central and subscribe to the month of January!

A Venture Into Figure Drawing

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: If drawing had value even when practised by those with no talent, it was, Ruskin believed, because it could teach us to see - that is, to notice rather than merely look.  In the process of re-creating with our own hands what lies before our eyes, we seem naturally to evolve from observing beauty in a loose way to possessing a deep understanding of its constituent parts and hence more secure memories of it.  -Alain de Botton in The Art of Travel
I just finished Alain de Botton's book The Art of Travel and loved it!  At the same time, and quite fortuitously, I was in the process of watching Bill Buchman's dvd entitled Art is an Attitude:  The Art of Drawing the Figure.  So it's no accident that I found myself trying to venture into drawings of the human figure and doing so without any expectation of what might occur.  Buchman's dvd includes many different exercises that focus on different ways of seeing the figure.  I have a long way to go, but I'm so glad I've begun the journey...and I'm looking forward to learning how to see :)  Have a beautiful weekend!

Branching Out With Different Media

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Branch Out!
The idea to branch out snuck up on me :)  I randomly came across some videos by a few artists and the gears started to turn.  Then I found a few dvd's by Bill Buchman and watched mesmerized as he drew with pastels and painted with watercolors!  So much inspiration!  I couldn't help myself!  So, I decided to start to play with some media that I am not used to - something different from my usual "go to" ink and paper.  And I'm having a lot of fun experimenting!  (By the way...hard pastels are very messy!!!!!).  So maybe my first lesson for 2014 is to branch out.  To try something new - something that intrigues or inspires me.  Who knows where it will lead!

Enjoy Some Good Fortune by Julie Beltramo

This fun project by Julie Beltramo is an ideal way to share a gift card (maybe for a meal at a Chinese food restaurant) and a few little treats in the Clasp Envelope Gift Box. Then add some special messages inside the fortune cookies, and complete the gift of good fortune with the Simple Stems card.
Interested in getting all of the instructions for how to make this great set?  If so, head on over to Craft Project Central and subscribe to the month of January!  Happy New Year!!!!!

Personalized Note Cards

I don't have a lesson from the craft room today.  What I do have is a wish.  A wish for you.  For a healthy, happy, peaceful, creative, prosperous and fulfilling New Year!!!!!  Wishing you all the best in 2014!!!!!!  Looking forward to sharing it with you!!!!!!
Today's note cards were a quick gift I put together for my swimming coach.  She has shared her passion for swimming with me and that passion is contagious!!!!!  I thought it would be nice to share a bit of my creative passion with her :)  The triangle punch created little flags that reminded me of the flags at the ends of the pool.  Hopefully she'll like them :)  I know I'm looking forward to spending many more laps in the pool in 2014!
(ps  Do you like the designer series paper I used?  If so, you can order it from the Occasions catalog starting on January 3rd!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

Tag a Bag Mini Album & Card by Laurie Zoellmer

Capture your memories with this Tag a Bag Mini Album & Card created by Laurie Zoellmer as this month's bonus project over at Craft Project Central!  This project was made using the Tag a Bag Bundle.  This mini album is perfect for adding photos from just about any occasion, birthdays, vacations, retirement, etc.  Included are ten pages you can add photos to, plus three decorated panels that tuck into the open pages.  You can journal or add more pictures to the panels.  The possibilities are endless!  Pair this darling album up with a coordinating greeting card, and it makes the perfect gift!
You can obtain all the instructions for this bonus project by subscribing to two or more months in a row at Craft Project Central; putting the Craft Project Central badge on your blog; or by referring a friend and when that friend subscribes, letting Craft Project Central know.  To learn more about this bonus project and all the other December projects at Craft Project Central, head on over to Craft Project Central!