Mail Box & Greeting Card by Monika Davis

I love this adorable Mail Box and Greeting Card by Monika Davis!  Make this adorable treat box for your sweetheart for Valentine's Day! Fill it with some yummy treats and some special notes. This little mail box will look great on any desk.  Great for a stamp camp, or as a class project.  Get all the instructions by subscribing to the month of February over at Craft Project Central!

Journal Away Your Fear #1

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.  You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.  - Eleanor Roosevelt
I have been creating videos of art journaling pages for Paper Crafter's Library over the past few weeks and I am realizing what an act of courage it takes to show up to the blank page and begin doing something!  I used to think things like changing careers, facing illness, or bungie jumping were the things that would drive fear straight to the forefront of my life.  How curious it is to discover that it doesn't take a major life event to make me fearful - all it takes is a blank page and fear is staring me right in the face!  So I've decided to spend more time facing the fear that arises when I approach making art.  These pages are from an art journal of my own - one that isn't being created for "work" purposes.  A journal that I can share with you in a series called "Journal Away Your Fear."  I hope that whatever shows up in the pages of this journal will be inspiring to you and will ignite you to get up, grab a piece of paper (or an art journal) and begin to face your fear of art-making!  I give you permission to make something ugly!  I give you permission to make something you wouldn't send to your worst enemy!  I give you permission to make something that you might actually want to show to someone else!  All you are asked to do is show up and do SOMETHING!  Make a mark.  Spray some paint.  Cut something out of a magazine and glue it to a page.  I don't know what the end product will look like, but I do know that you will gain strength, courage and confidence!!!!!!  Join me on this journey to Journal Away Your Fear!!!!!

Sale-A-Bration Is Here!!!!!

It's Sale-A-Bration!!!!!!!!  Earn FREE, exclusive products during Sale-A-Bration - Stampin' Up!s annual sales event with perks for shopping, hosting a party or joining Stampin' Up!  Take advantage of all Sale-A-Bration has to offer from January 28-March 31!  Click HERE to learn more!!!!  For every $50 you spend (not including tax & shipping) you get a FREE Sale-A-Bration gift!!!!!

Jewelry Box & Necklace Set by Jen Arkfeld

This elegant Jewelry Box & Necklace Set by Jen Arkfeld is this month's Bonus Project over at Craft Project Central!
Valentine's Day is around the corner and here’s a perfect little gift for someone you love!  This project includes a jewelry box and hand stamped necklace.  This project is a great gift project for other special occasions as well and makes for a fun class or camp project!
Bonus projects can be obtained 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!  Head on over to Craft Project Central to learn more!

A Few Snapshots

There was a lot of noise in our house yesterday - the plumbers were here moving things around for our remodel of our second bathroom.  Vibrations, pounding, rumbling, screeching - needless to say I was not in the greatest frame of mind!  But today it is peaceful this morning and since I didn't have artwork to share I decided to share a few snapshots of life.  Loki finding the new light box.  Dry earth on a recent walk with Buddy.  Loki taking a peaceful snooze with his dad :)  May today be a peaceful day for all of us :)

And the winner is...

Helen M!  Thank you to those who commented on my project over at Craft Project Central!  Helen, please reach out to me to claim your free subscription to the month of January!!!!

A Glimpse Inside My Sketchbook

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Take Time Every Day To Prove Yourself Wrong
I'm tired of telling myself that I can't draw.  I spend time looking at art and drawings and all my inner critic has to say about it is, "you could never do that!"  It was enlightening for me to see the Passport To Paris exhibit at the Denver Art Museum last week because there was a drawing room set up that included sketches, sketchbook pages, drawings from artists whose finished paintings are usually all that I see.  When I see a finished painting it is easy to imagine that an artist just stood there and quickly created the masterpiece.  That might be true for some artists - past, present and future.  But for many, getting art out and onto a canvas or page is not that simple.  Seeing that these artists spent time sketching, doodling, practicing their ability to see and then expressing their vision on a page was important to me.  It reminded me that sometimes it just begins with a pen and a piece of paper and some practice.  So this morning I ignored my inner critic (even though it was really LOUD and tried every trick in the book to distract me) and I picked up a pen and a sketchbook and looked at Buddy and decided to draw.  I see Buddy in my sketch - I can feel his spirit in the simple line drawing.  Today I took time to prove myself wrong.  I can draw.  All it takes is a pen and some paper and some time and patience.  And I can keep drawing.  And it will help me see and experience my world on a whole different level.  This morning I see Buddy differently and I am happy to say that I started my day off showing myself how wrong I was.

Sweet Sorbet Card & Box Set by Amanda Corbet

Amanda Corbet has been busy this month!  This Sweet Sorbet Card & Box Set is her second project for Craft Project Central this month!  This lovely envelope style box complete with a pretty flower on the front contains five different card designs with matching envelopes. This project features the new Sweet Sorbet designer series paper and Banners Framelit Dies. It would make a wonderful gift or a great class project!  Get all the instructions for this great set by heading over the Craft Project Central and subscribing to the month of January!