A quick Father's Day card for Michael to send to his dad in time for Father's Day. This Branch Out set is so versatile - I love it!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Some Lessons Are Hard To Learn

It seems I keep repeating certain patterns over and over. Not in my cards (although probably there too), but in my life. I know someone out there once said that you will keep repeating the same patterns as long as there is a lesson that you have yet to learn. So here I am, trying to be as good a student as possible, hoping that this time I will learn my lesson so that I can graduate from this pattern :)

I kept today's card clean and simple. I made the hole for the ribbon using the crop-a-dile and stamped some ruby red card stock with the background dot stamp from the Branch Out stamp set. The layers were sponged around the edges. The hearts were punched using the heart to heart punch. You can't really tell from the photo, but the baja breeze layer and 3 of the hearts are popped up with dimensionals. Hope you like it!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Do What You Want :)

Today I took the day off from work. It was so nice to have a day to do whatever I wanted...and I did my best to not fill the day with all the "oughts" and "shoulds" and "coulds" that seem to always be on my to do list! I even checked out the challenge on SCS and decided not to do the challenge, but rather to do what I was inspired to do, which was to keep working on this series of cards using the Branch Out stamp set. There is something about the pure simplicity of these cards that is really making me smile right now. So today, or tomorrow, or whenever, feel free to do what you want :)

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Do Nothing :)

Today I finally decided to do nothing! It may sound strange, but I really can't remember the last time I actually did nothing. Usually if I'm not working, I'm reading a book or creating or walking the dog...always something. But today...nothing. I took a blanket and laid it down in the backyard and then I sat on it and eventually sprawled out on it and listened to the birds and the thunder that was far away. Buddy decided doing nothing was a great idea and he sprawled out next to me. I had my shoes off and could, at times, feel the grass tickling my toes. It was a wonderful way to spend part of my day. Our time outside ended when the thunder got closer and the rain started to fall...although it might have been fun to have done nothing in the rain too :)

Today's card is part of a series I've been working on. The first card was made yesterday and now I can't seem to stop working with this theme or with this Branch Out stamp set! The possibilities are endless! Hope you enjoy the splash of color on this card. And if you have a few minutes...do nothing :)

I made this card based on my desire to try stamping on designer series paper. I started small since I hadn't done it before and didn't want to mess up a big piece of paper if I didn't like how it turned out :) I tried it and I really like the effect you get stamping on designer paper - I plan to do a lot more of this! After making this card I realized that I could have made it with an image of a boy with the same sentiment and given it to Michael. He has taken such great care of me since I returned home from my crazy travels and I am a firm believer that nice truly does matter!

I'm having fun in the craft room today! These two quick birthday cards are for my sister-in-law and niece. I have gotten too far behind in sending out birthday greetings and gifts so I'm happy to be making progress today.

The brown and sage shadow card was stamped with the baroque background stamp using chocolate chip ink. The pixie pink and white card was stamped with an image from Kindred Spirits in pixie pink. The greeting was stamped with Whisper White craft ink.

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Positive or Negative? It's A Choice.

In art we sometimes notice the positive space and sometimes the negative space. In life it seems that for so many it is much easier to notice the negative space. I have been thinking about making some changes in my life lately. I mentioned this to my neighbor today and I heard in response a list of reasons why that would be the most insane thing to do right now...everything negative.

Where is the neighbor who will bombard me with all of the amazing reasons why now is the perfect time to pursue my dreams and follow the path that is beckoning me? Maybe that's what sites like SCS and this blog are like when it comes to creativity. A place where we can support and encourage one another to do that which we love. Thank you for providing this sense of community!

Today's inspiration challenge on SCS was to make a card inspired by lovely packaging at www.lovelypackage.com. This card was inspired by this packaging: http://lovelypackage.com/kanella-gift-chocolates/. I love the simplicity and elegance of the design. Of course, I had to add a little "glitz!' The card size is 3x3. The Branch Out images (tree and butterflies) were stamped in Going Gray ink and the greeting (Short & Sweet) was stamped using my Stamp-a-ma-jig in Basic Black. I added a bit of 2-way Glue to hold down some Dazzling Diamonds glitter. Hope you like it!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Look Up!

It seems I walk around with my head down a lot. I realize that by doing this, I'm missing at least 1/2 of the world! So today, when I was sitting down for lunch at California Pizza Kitchen, I looked up...and there, on the wall, were some pizza boxes that had been painted by artists. One of them had a lot of eggplants on it and I loved what the artist had done. The artist had left the eggplant images on the box black and white, except for the center section where the artist used color - it was as if the picture came to life in the middle. This is what inspired this card.

So if you find yourself walking around with your head down, look up...you never know what you might see!

These pictures show you how I made the card. I first stamped the image multiple times in basic gray on the front of the card. Then I took a 3"x3" piece of chipboard and adhered it to the inside of the front of the card using removable adhesive. I turned the card back over so that I was looking at the front and I used my embossing stylus to emboss around the square (which was directly underneath the front of the card). I removed the chipboard square from the inside of the card and then began coloring the leaves that were inside the embossed square with watercolor pencils. I used the aqua painter to blend the colors. The gold button is a faux button - I punched a 1/2" circle out of gold card stock and then used another punch to punch the 2 small holes. Hope you like it!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Creating Cures Jet Lag Blues!!!!!

I knew it! Creating does cure jet lag blues...at least that's my theory and I'm sticking to it! It has been waaaaaay too long since I created. I was on an around-the-world work trip and while I saw so many things, I missed creating a lot! Today was my first day back in the craft room and these distressed flowers are HAPPY!!!! :)

I have a feeling creating can cure a lot more than just jet lag blues - I'm wondering if it can cure almost any type of blues... :)

I sprayed the card stock and paper with a little bit of water and then crumpled them up. I sanded the designer paper. I used pastels to shade the yellow flowers and cut some fringe "petals" with scissors. Hope you enjoy it!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: There's No Place Like Home!!!!!

I finally arrived back home late last night after a very long trip. 2 weeks around-the-world...it is still hard to believe. This picture was taken at the Great Wall in China. It seems fitting to me for this entry - a wall, built to try and protect that which is important - our "home." There is nothing like the feeling of coming back home - hugging Michael, petting Willow, loving on Buddy, seeing how much each of the plants in the garden had grown. I did not make my way into the craft room today - I think my body is trying to rest from all work - whether that work be the work of my day-to-day job or the work of creation. Today was a true day of rest. And tomorrow I depart again - this time for a quick trip to Houston, Texas and I am already anticipating my return and time to sit and create in the craft room. Maybe there's a chance I'll make it in there first thing tomorrow morning before I leave, but I don't want to pressure myself - I need all the relaxing I can get right now!

So tonight, enjoy your home - the place where your heart is - the place where those you love are - the place where you are. It really is the most special place in the world.

Today's Lesson Around The World From The Craft Room: Appreciate Your Freedoms

I am sorry it has been so long since I posted to my blog. I have been on my around the world trip and I traveled from Amsterdam to Beijing, China. An interesting thing happened when I arrived in China...well, many interesting things happened...but the one I want to mention here is that I tried to log on to my blog when I connected to the internet and the blog was blocked. As a matter of fact, any blog I tried to go to was blocked. As was YouTube. It wasn't until this moment that I had even considered that in some places, the freedoms we take for granted do not exist. I mean, what harm could there be in blogs and YouTube? Freedom. Freedom to discuss whatever you want to discuss. Freedom to be exposed to whatever you choose to be exposed to. Something I know I take for granted everyday.

So now I am in Kobe, Japan and my blog and YouTube are accessible once again and I wanted to take a moment to appreciate the freedom that is once again a part of my life.

The photo above was taken when I landed at the airport in Osaka, Japan. As I'm sure you already know, I can't wait to get to the craft room to make a card inspired by this photo!!!!! I will be here until Sunday and I finished my work last night so now I will spend a few days taking in as much as I can!!!! I will be meeting my friends today and am really looking forward to presenting them with the small notebooks I created for them. I'll try to take lots of great photos - especially of origami and handmade papers! I know inspiration will be everywhere as I enjoy my freedom :)

Today's Lesson From A Long Way Away From The Craft Room: Appreciate The Art Around You

Not having the craft room while I'm on the road can be a bit challenging for me. At the same time, it gives me time to get inspired by the art that surrounds me. On my walk yesterday, these flowers literally stunned me with their beauty. The more I look at the flowers, the more colors I see in them. Of course I can't wait to get back to the craft room to make a card inspired by these colors. In the meantime, I will appreciate them and their incredible beauty. What art do you see around you? It's a question that will create a pause in your day and a peaceful moment of reflection...something we can all use :)

Today's Lesson From Quite Far From The Craft Room (somewhere in the Netherlands, 2 trains and a taxi away from Amsterdam): Let The Road Unfold In Front Of You

As I began my trip today...I mean last night (my clock is already confused :), I realized that I have a tendency to keep thinking about the day I will return home. I think ahead when I'm on the plane to what it will be like when I get off the plane (and sometimes that makes me quite nervous). I worry whether I will find my way to the train; whether I will find my colleague at the train station...trying to anticipate what might happen - what will happen. I went for a walk on the grounds of the conference center where I am staying (somewhere 2 train rides and a cab ride away from Amsterdam) and this photo (and the experience of the walk) remind me to let the road unfold in front of me. To just let it happen as it will. To live in the moment I am in. I will continue to try...this is a lesson I need to learn.

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: When Life Gives You Lemonade, Don't Make Sour Lemons

Yes, strange lesson, I know. It seems we usually hear the reverse - when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. However, I find myself needing the reverse advice. I find myself getting into very depressed moods when it comes time to travel. And today, as I prepare to embark on a 2-week work trip, I am trying my best to keep upbeat and positive about the experience and not turn it into sour lemons. The thoughts of leaving home, leaving my family, leaving the garden and craft room behind all seem to pull at my heart strings. And yet, I need to remember, that what I am about to experience is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and for this I need to be grateful and excited! Where am I headed? I leave tonight for Amsterdam and will take a train to a smaller town in the Netherlands to work for a few days. Then, I will leave Amsterdam and travel to Beijing to work for another few day (although I will have the entire weekend to do some exploring) and then I will head to Osaka and Kobe, Japan - also to work and then end the trip in Osaka with a family that my family knows there. They have invited me to stay with them for the weekend and the notebooks above are the gifts I will be bringing with me to give to them.

So, I will focus on the lemonade that life has given me and will do my best to not let my feelings of sadness cloud the amazing opportunity that this trip represents. An opportunity to discover new places, meet new people and literally travel around the world. I will do my best to keep my blog running during this time - most likely with photos of art, craft and sites from where I find myself. And I will look forward to my return to the craft room! Happy Memorial Day Weekend! May we all recognize how blessed we truly are.

Today's Lesson From The Hotel Room...Still Too Far Away From The Craft Room: Identify What You Know To Be True About Yourself

I feel like I've been having a bit of an identity crisis lately. I seem to have forgotten who I am and what I stand for. I have once again gotten lost in the sea of Gold Medallion and 1K status. I seem to be defining myself as a Starwood Preferred Guest and a Hilton Honors VIP. Oh how lost I have become. And I know that finding my way back to who I am is about beginning to identify, once again, what I know to be true about myself. Some of what I know to be true is what this card pictures - that I love my dog; that I love to be outside, and that I do not like heels (even if the girl on the card appears to be walking her dog in them!). I am on a quest to find my way back home - my way back to the person I seem to have lost on my journey into the corporate world these past 2 years. I know that the woman I am - the woman I want to free again - is waiting for me to find her. And I will - one truth at a time.

Today's Lesson From A Hotel Room...Much Too Far Away From The Craft Room: You Never Know Where Wisdom Will Come From

I was on my way to Dubuque, Iowa with a stop in Chicago's O'Hare Airport. I stopped in a small store - I think it was called Ciba Express - to try to pick up something to eat. I went with a cheese sandwich, some waldorf salad and an Honest Ade Orange and Mango drink (I usually go with water, but this called to me...). I used to drink Honest Tea whenever I stopped at Whole Foods and I loved that they always had a quote or saying printed on the inside of the lid. When I removed the plastic lid from my Honest Ade I was disappointed to find no message in the lid. So I began to drink (it's pretty good if you want to try it) and as the level of liquid went down in the bottle, I saw a message starting to appear on the inside of the label - I could see it through the clear plastic of the bottle. And there, looking right at me was the following quote from Gandhi: "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are all in harmony." You never know where wisdom will come from!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: It's All A Matter Of Perspective

It happens so often that I now laugh about it. I mention my next work trip to someone who asks me what I do and they say "Wow! That's really exciting! You get to go to some wonderful places!" I have to laugh because I realize that from the outside looking in, it does sound exciting - heading off to Kuala Lumpur and places like Barcelona, Amsterdam, Osaka, London...and yet, as I live the experience it is often exhausting and I also frequently see nothing of the location I am at except for the inside of a hotel, an office building and an airport. So "exciting" is not really the word I would use to describe it. Exciting for me is spending a day in the craft room!!!! But I realize, it is all a matter of perspective. My grandmother used to say "One person's hangnail is another person's amputation." I'm finally understanding what that means. That what seems devastating to one person, seems to be just a bit of a "glitch" to another. It really is a matter of perspective.

I hope I can take some of the energy and excitement from the person who looks at my travel and concludes it is a wonderful adventure and try to make it a bit of an adventure for myself. After all, I am the one living it and the more I continue to think "there's no place like home" when I head out the door on my next trip, the more difficult it becomes to get on those planes and enjoy whatever I might experience on the trip.

This card was made using the black magic technique with a twist of white - I learned the technique on Karen Barber's blog at www.karenbarberstamps.blogspot.com (Thanks Karen!). It's a lot of fun to stamp with white craft ink and then color the stamped images with color pencils. The white gel pen is a great finishing touch - it makes everything pop! Give it a try - you might become addicted :)

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Squirrels Like Lettuce!

OK - call me naive. I figured that since we feed the birds (and therefore the squirrels) nuts, nuts and more nuts in the morning that they would leave the lettuce plants alone...WRONG! I got back from the dog walk this morning to find that while the radish plants are just starting to grow, the lettuce is shrinking! The squirrels have figured out that salad is a great appetizer before the nuts. So it looks like part of the weekend will be spent building a cage/walled fortress/moat to keep the squirrels off the lettuce...wish me luck!

This card for today's Inspiration Challenge was inspired by the pompom pillow on the chair in this room http://www.countryliving.com/homes/m...-makeover-0109. This card was simple, but I love how fun it is...I have a feeling this is a card that will not work well with an envelope :) (fyi, the finished size is 3.5"x3.5") Hope you like it!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Transitions Always Begin With Endings

I have been reading the book "Transitions" by William Bridges - what a wonderful book for anyone who is going through transitions in their life. The book discusses how every transition begins with an ending - In order to have a new beginning, you first need to let go of where you currently are - you have to first begin with an ending. I realize that endings are not very easy for me - I'm not the kind of person who just let's go and moves fearlessly into the future...except when I create! I can easily let go of the vision I had for a card and let it create itself. I hope that the ease with which I can navigate endings in the craft room will help me more successfully allow for endings in my life so that I can move forward into new beginnings!

This card began with creating an embossed square border by cutting out a 4"x4" square and temporarily adhering it to the front of this 5"x5" card. I then used my embossing stylus to emboss around the square and then removed the 4"x4" square from the center. The "waves" and "sky" were torn by hand and the starfish came from the sea :) Hope you like it!

(ps. sorry to have disappeared for a few days, I had a work trip to Boston and got home last night - it's good to be back in the craft room...at least for a little while until my next work trips...wait 'til you hear where I'm headed next...a camera is definitely coming along with me!)

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: All You Have Is All You Need

It seems so easy to get into a mindset that focuses on all that you lack - on all that you still want - on everything that, if you had it, could make your life better. Sometimes what we really need to do is take a step back and recognize that all we have is really all that we need. As I planted the garden with Michael on Sunday morning and felt the dirt in my hands, I realized that all I have is really all I need - a warm place to sleep, food to fill my tummy, surrounded by the people and creatures that I love and who love me. What a wonderful place to be :)

I made this card set awhile back but I don't think I ever posted it. The 4 cards fit inside the card holder. The holder is just a piece of 8.5x11 card stock that is scored and folded. This makes a simple gift for so many occasions! The stamp set I used is Embrace Life by Stampin' UP! I think I might have snuck in a greeting set too - short & sweet. Hope you like it!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Learn Something New Every Day!

Today's card technique (brayered roses) came from Patty Bennett. I saw her video and had to give it a try! They are even more pretty in person! You need the textured impressions manhattan flower die and the big shot. I ran glossy white card stock through the die and then brayered the roses with rose red and summer sun. Finally I cut out the roses. This was a new technique and a lot of fun! I encourage you to learn something new every day! You'll be amazed at the results!!!! If you want to check out Patty's video go to http://pattystamps.com/pattys_stamping_spot/2009/04/brayered-roses-technique-and-video.html. Enjoy!

Playing around in the craft room this evening :) I used the "negative" cut out from the decorative accents die to sponge the basic gray background on the sky blue card stock. I am still loving my Pocket Silhouettes stamp set - especially when you add a little bling (dazzling diamonds glitter)! Hope you like it!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Make Friends With Something That Scares You!

Who knew that May 19th was Circus Day?!? Who comes up with these "official" days anyway? Well, when I saw it was Circus Day I immediately thought "clown!" I have to admit...I have a strong dislike for clowns. They scare me! I don't know why I dislike them. I can't remember any close encounters of the frightening kind with any clowns when I was little. But somehow, someway, I developed a strong clown aversion. So today I decided to try to make friends with something that scares me and I created this punch art clown. And believe me, he doesn't have a mean bone in his punch art body :) Sometimes you just have to stare fear in the face :)

His hair was made with a square scallop punch (I cut the square in half). His bow is 2 hearts with a circle in the middle. His hat is a combination of the key tag punch and a small oval punch. I brightened his nose with crystal effects. I think everything else is self-explanatory. Let me know if you have any questions :) Hope you like him...and I hope he doesn't scare you :)

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Too Much Of A Good Thing Is Sometimes A Good Thing!

Yes, it's daisies again! I seem to be in love with this Big Shot die! Or maybe I'm just in love with the fact that it's Spring and everything is blooming. Maybe feeling cheerful is something I can't get enough of right now. Maybe too much of a good thing is a good thing right now :) There are just some things that fit into the good thing category right now and I just can't get enough - daisies, sunshine, love, time with the people and animals I care about, creating, laughter, breezes, breathing...I know the saying goes "everything in moderation"...but for today I'm all about excess!!! :)

This card was a lot of fun to make. I used the clear circle die in my big shot to make the circle card. The daisies were made with the daisies die in the Big Shot. I embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder. I hope you like it!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Everything Happens In Its Own Time

This is a difficult time of year for me. You would think the joy would overtake the sadness - everything is in bloom - the sky is bright blue. And yet, as it gets closer to May 9th, the anniversary of my father's death, I find myself getting a bit melancholy. One of Michael's friends is also in the hospital right now - everyone is waiting to see what will happen - to see if he will rally or if now is his time. I realize that everything happens in its own right time - whether it is life or death or a creation we are making. We try to manipulate when and how things happen, but ultimately, everything finds its own right time - a time that is perfect and right.

This card had its own right time too. Had I not walked by the Cheerios box this morning I would not have been captivated by the bright yellow, red and black on the box and this card would not have come into being today (or maybe any other day).

So today recognize that all is well. All is happening in its own right time. We can sit back and take a deep breath and exhale....

Mother's Day is almost here. A special day to celebrate the women who birthed us and raised us. It also marks the time when we can begin planting in the garden here in Denver without fear of a deep freeze! Yeah! I made this card this morning for my mom. I love the combination of baja breeze and kiwi kiss. Hope you like it!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: You Never Know Where Something Has Been

This lesson sounds like something my mom used to tell me when I would pick something up off the ground and want to keep it! But I digress...Have you seen the movie The Red Violin? It is a wonderful movie about an antique violin. The movie traces the story of the violin - where it has been over time, who has "owned the violin" - a peek into the past of an inanimate object. So often in life, however, we do not know where something has been, and instead, we base our judgments on what we see - we make assumptions without knowing the history behind what we see...

So let me share a secret...the background on this card was another card! It was my first attempt at today's challenge. An attempt that got me frustrated - I almost posted it with a lesson about "loving ugly!" But then my creative process got the best of me and I tore the card up (you probably can't even see the inspired by nature flower stamp with the white dots all over it and the sponged blue circle with the sponged coral background...). The torn pieces got put back together to be the back of a garden green card...which I then decided didn't look good, but would work better as a background piece on a ballet blue card. And so, what you see in front of you is a finished product that I am quite proud of...and part of my pride is the history behind what you see. The other part of my pride is that I stuck with it and didn't let the "ugly" get me down :)

OK, so I had to play again! After I did the last card, I couldn't get the image of snake skin out of my mind, so I decided to make a punch snake :)

I did the embossed wax paper resist technique and then brayered with green inks. After I brayered, I ran the sheet back through the Big Shot with the texturz plate again. The snake has a tag punch head and a round tab punch body. Hope you like him. He likessssssssss you :)

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Say Thank You And Go In A Different Direction

I've had a few days off in a row and I find that when I start to slow down, my internal voice starts to speed up! I have to say that at times my internal voice really doesn't have anything nice to say - it's like I have my own little internal bully :( Good thing I also have an internal voice that also loves to nurture and that voice is teaching me to say "thank you" to the bully and then head in another direction - a place where I remind myself that I am a beautiful, creative being :) So if you find your internal critic is being a bully...say "thanks, but I'm not headed in your direction!"

It was fun to try the embossed wax paper resist technique on SCS today! It was like magic! I used a texturz plate and brayered with real red ink. The cupcake was made with a series of punches and a bunch of stickles :) Enjoy!

The sky in the park tonight was purple and gray. I had never seen a purple sky before. It was awe inspiring and prompted me to create this card.

This set is sooo cute (Voila by Stampin' Up!) - love it! I thought the image was perfect for a small notebook to use as a grocery list. I broke out the bind-it-all and the stamp set and...voila!

Playing and cleaning in the craft room today! The images for this card are from the Kindred Spirits and Organic Outlines stamp sets by Stampin' Up! The colors are summer sun, old olive and pumpkin pie. Enjoy!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Let It Come To You

I had a dream about making a scallop edged card...how funny that today's featured stamper on SCS had a wonderful scallop card in her gallery to inspire me!

It's funny how some things just come to you when you need them. Today's gallery card gave me the extra little nudge I needed to sit down and make my own scallop card. I took a 10"x5" piece of whisper white card stock, scored it and folded it in half and then used my scallop circle die to make the card. If you line up the fold line just beneath the edge of the scallop circle on the die (inside the scallop circle), the die will not cut through the folded edge and you will have a scallop card! Today's color combination also "just came to me." I was looking at my mess of a craft table and there, in the center, were the new rolls of ribbon that I just got from SU! The tangerine tango ribbon was on top of the baja breeze ribbon and I thought "what a pretty combo!" Sometimes you have to just sit back and let things come to you :)

This evening I began playing with some new toys, including the exclusive SU! Beautiful Butterflies Die for the Big Shot. I die cut the butterflies and then ran them through the Big Shot again in embossing folders. Thought I would share the result of my play time with you :)

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: It May Not Be What You Had Hoped, But It Can Be An Experience You Will Never Forget!

Prom. It is one of those events that seems to have "magic" written all over it...at least that's what we're supposed to believe. I'm sorry to say that my high school prom was not quite the fantasy that I had imagined. The night before the prom I still had no dress, no date and not a pair of shoes to be seen. I won't go into the details, but by the next day my dad had found me a date, the dress had arrived and the shoes were on my feet :) No, it was not the fantasy prom night I might have imagined, and I never did see the guy who took me again...but the night represented a time when my dad tried to make his little girl happy; where my white eyelet dress made me feel like a princess; and where I learned that an event is just an event - the event isn't the magic - it's the people and what you make of it.

The inspiration challenge on SCS today was to find a Faviana dress that inspired you (www.faviana.com). The dress I chose is the one that I have now placed in my inspiration journal that you see in the photo. I loved the color combo of brushed gold, really rust, and more mustard - not a combo I would have put together without the help of the dress :) I gold embossed the images (Kindred Spirit stamp set and Thank You Kindly stamp set - both by Stampin' Up!) and the bookplate die cut. The ribbon was "pleated" by laying down a piece of sticky strip and then slowly "pleating" the ribbon, little by little. Hope you like it!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Find Ways To Warm Your Heart

Today is a drizzly, cold and cloudy day here in Colorado. A perfect day to stay indoors and find ways to warm your heart. Creating, sharing kind words, warming soup on the stove...I love days like this that seem to slow us down and remind us of the comfort a little warmth can bring. So today, find ways to warm your heart and the hearts of others :)

This card was inspired by a color combination I saw in a home decor magazine (the top photo shows the original picture - a Calvin Klein furniture collection that I have now saved in my inspiration journal). I stamped the flowers for the border and cut out a few and popped them up on dimensionals. I added a bit of "bling" with some glue and dazzling diamonds. The butterfly was stamped and colored in with a blender pen and a bit of going gray ink and finished with a sprinkle of dazzling diamonds. The butterfly and flowers are from the "god's beauty" hostess set from SU! and the greeting is from the "echoes of kindness" hostess set from SU! Enjoy!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: To Thine Own Self Be Kind

Today's lesson comes from the greeting on this card. How appropriate that this is the card I made when I ended work today and began my 4 days off from the hustle and bustle of work and my crazy travel schedule. Ahhhhhhh. It can be so easy to not be kind to ourselves - to run ourselves ragged; to eat on the go; to take care of others without recognizing that in order to take care of them we need to take great care of ourselves. So today, remember to be kind to yourself - take a moment for you - to replenish, renew, regenerate. Treat your body well. Tell yourself how beautiful you are. Do something that makes YOU smile. Today, and every day, is your day to be kind to you.

This card uses the Botanical Blooms Sale-a-bration set. You may notice a small black square stamped image in the background...hello dollar store package of pencils!!!! I bought the pencils and used an Xacto knife to cut the erasers into all different types of shapes (squares, diamonds, half-moons) - it's a cheap and fun way to make a lot of cute stamps! I distressed the edges of the card stock with a distressing tool. The top 2 layers are popped up on dimensionals. Hope you like it!

ps sorry I did not post yesterday - I had a day-trip to San Francisco that kept me out of the craft room...but now I'm back!!!! :)

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: You Don't Have To Wait For A Special Occasion

When I saw today's color challenge it immediately made me think of Christmas. It seems that anytime I see red and green together Christmas comes to mind. Then I realized that we don't have to wait for Christmas to use color combinations like red and green. The lesson expanded for me as I thought about how often we wait for a special day to do certain things - take certain actions; say certain things. Why wait? Today, give thanks even though it is not Thanksgiving; share the gift of your love with friends and family even though it is not a holiday; cook a festive meal, play a fun game, spend time reflecting - today is as much a holiday as any day - you don't need to wait for a special occasion.

I covered the Batch of Blooms chipboard with whisper white cardstock and used real red ink to cover the chipboard hearts. The black cardstock was run through the Big Shot with the distressed Texturz plate.

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Give Yourself The Time You Need

I just returned from a trip that took me through the Mexico City Airport. It was quite the scene, due to the swine flu...so many of us were wearing blue respiratory masks. Underneath that mask I was full of stress and worry. So today - after arriving home at 10:30 last night and having worked the whole weekend I decided to give myself the time I needed to rest, relax and slowly create this card. Somehow rolling the marbles in a dish with a few drops of reinker and then letting the marbles roll across the very vanilla paper (which was temporarily attached to the inside of a box lid) was quite mesmerizing! What a great technique to give yourself the time you need to slow down and recharge! (I'm also planning on taking Friday and Monday off...craft room, here I come!!!!)

The bird is from the On Board So Tweet by SU! I covered it with gesso and then sponged ink on top. The pink part of the bird was embossed with clear embossing powder. Hope you like it!

Today's Lesson From Far Away From The Craft Room: Smile, Even If No One Can See

so you might be wondering why a mummy card at the end of April...let me not leave you in suspense. I am sitting here in the airport in Mexico City, wearing a bright blue respiratory mask (maybe you have been hearing all of the news about the swine flu that is causing all kinds of issues here in Mexico and starting to spread around the world)...so, wearing this mask makes me feel a bit like the mummy in the card - you can see my eyes, but not much else. It is amazing how important our health and safety are to us as human beings. Three days ago, someone coughing or sneezing really did not mean that much to me. Now I hear every cough and every sneeze and begin wanting to get as far away from those sounds as possible!!!!

I have two choices right now - to panic and make myself all worried and crazy....or, to smile and help myself stay in a positive place. My decision is to smile...even if no one can see my smile underneath this crazy blue mask....at least I know it's there :)

fyi, the mummy card is not an original design - i am trying to find the source where i found the instructions - i should have made a note back when i did this in 2008! i will keep looking and when i find it, i will share the source for the instructions and the design with you!