Busy in the craft room today - making thank you cards and birthday gifts...this notebook is for Michael's sister Allison since tomorrow is her birthday :) The finished book size is 6"x6". The rust-colored mat board is "sueded" - my Aunt who owns a wonderful little frame shop call Glen Roc Gallery in Trenton, NJ, gifted me some pieces of mat board she had in her shop and I am having a blast!!!! The inside of the book is filled with blank white paper. Hope you like it!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Live Fully

This card is a thank you card for one of my aunts - I had to fly unexpectedly to Boston last Monday as my cousin Myles, 44 years old, suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. It's hard for me to even know what to write right now - so many lessons are tied up in his life and his death. Myles was a person who lived his own way - he did what he was drawn to do and touched so many people along the way. One of my other cousins told a story at the house, after the funeral, about Myles going to visit a college president when he was 18 years old. He was considering the school and the president turned to Myles and asked, "What would you like to be in 20 years?" And Miles looked at him and answered, "38." I smile just thinking about the exchange :) I also realize there is so much I don't know about my cousin - so many things I could have learned - so many opportunities I could have tried to create to get to know him more...and now, I will have to do so through others since he is no longer here. We never know when our time will be. All we do know is that each day we get closer to the time when we, and those we love, will no longer be here - at least not in the way we are now. So today, and every day, live fully - take it all in - this is a beautiful experience we are blessed to have.

Today's Lesson From A Craft Room: Go Play With A Friend :)

Today I went to spend some time with my friend Elizabeth. Her 2 children were sleeping when I arrived and we decided to play with some of her latest SU! arrivals! It was a ton of fun - I hadn't had a play date in a while :) It's amazing how taking some time out to go play with a friend can really lift your spirits! We were also quite productive in making the above thank you notes for her daughter's birthday party (notice the new SU! In Colors!). These cards were so simple. Just a piece of colored card stock cut to 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches. Then a piece of white card stock cut to 4 x 5 1/4 inches. We stamped the white card stock and then used the crop-a-dile to create two large holes at the top (through both pieces of cardstock) and then tied the ribbon through the holes...no adhesive required! So simple and so cute! I need to go play with a friend more often :)

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Some Things Are Beyond Reason...

Have you ever found yourself staying in a job that is killing you just so you have health insurance? Or maybe you've listened to a boss tell their staff that they have always aspired to be a part of a team like this when you know the team is unhappy, undervalued, and ready to leave? Today I'm realizing...not for the first or last time...that some things in life are beyond reason. They just don't make sense...as a matter of fact, they make non-sense! And it does become almost laughable. So today, I will choose to laugh :)

Today's card was made for a friend to give to his wife for her birthday. The greeting inside says "bark, bark, bark" and underneath that it says "happy birthday." I started with kraft card stock and then used the lace border punch on a piece of certainly celery card stock and attached that. Next I took some designer card stock that I had bought about eight million years ago at Hobby Lobby and cut it into strips and attached the strips to the card stock. The dogs were stamped, cut out and popped up on dimensionals. (They are from the SU set Man's Best Friend...which will still be available...it's just on the dormant list so it's not in the new catalog). The circles were punched using the 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 circle punches. I hope it makes you smile :)

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: A Little Walk Can Soothe Your Soul

Today, like so many days lately, was a stressful one at work. I finally decided to shut off the email and end my day. I wanted to do some creating, but I just felt all out of sorts. So I decided the best thing to do was to go and visit with Mother Nature. Buddy and I took a walk up to the park - watched a little boy playing t-ball in the park - he was adamantly saying to his brother "You need to listen to me or I will not do this anymore forever!" Oh how I wish that I as an adult could just say those words at work! How fun would that be?! :) Anyway, the visit to the park - the slow afternoon walk - really put me back together again and gave me the change of pace I needed to be able to walk back home and into the craft room.

I pulled out an old SU! stamp that I had picked up at a flea market - it's called Romantic Rose. Seemed to be the perfect image for aging. I stamped it in close to cocoa on very vanilla card stock and used the tearing edge to rough up the edges. Then I began my sponging with creamy caramel first, then close to cocoa, then chocolate chip, then basic black...and finally a little more chocolate chip for good luck :) This was a really fun technique! The ribbon and the greeting were the easy part. I hope you like it.

This is frame makeover #2! Everything used to decorate this frame, except for the small piece of ribbon and the adhesive, came from the same Simply Scrappin' kit as the frame below and I still have TONS of card stock, paper and sticky die cuts to use for a lot of other projects! Hope you like it!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: It's Time For A Makeover!

I bought the above Merry Christmas frame after Christmas last year at Hobby Lobby. It was 50% off and cost me about $1.50 and I knew that although it looked quite sad, with a little time and attention I could make it into something beautiful! As a matter of fact, I felt a bit like Stacey and Clinton of the show What Not To Wear when I looked at this frame. I mean the poor thing...kind of dumpy, kind of dreary...but what great bone structure! This frame just needed a little TLC :) So today it was time for a makeover!

I used a retired Simply Scrappin' Kit that I had sitting unopened in the craft room (this was my first time actually using one of these kits and I am now addicted! It comes with card stock, matching designer paper and a huge number of sticky die cuts all for $19.95 and it is great for cards, scrapbook pages or makeovers :) The only thing I added was the one small piece of ribbon and mono adhesive to attach the paper to the frame and a few pop-up glue dots to adhere the flowers...and voila!!!

So if you're feeling drab or dreary or are just in the mood for a change...maybe it's time for a makeover! Today is the perfect day!

I'm having fun in the craft room this afternoon and this card came together so quickly! I used Bravo Burgundy and Always Artichoke ink and card stock. The flowers are from the Cheep Talk stamp set and the small green centers are from the new Circle Circus stamp set. The greeting is from the new Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set (I'm going to be using this set A LOT!). Hope you like it!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Don't Ask Why

Today's lesson seems quite odd without an explanation because I think the question "Why?" can be an important question to ask a lot of the time. However, today, it was important for me to not ask my intuition why it was drawn to pink pirouette or why it was trying to stamp a little bird in gray for a baby card. Instead I gently asked my internal voice to shhhhh, and just followed what my intuition was saying. This card is the end result. It is in moments like these when I am truly in awe at what can come forth - what you can't imagine - that just pops into being if you follow and trust what your intuition is calling you to do. Now might be the perfect time to ask you internal voice to shhhh and to not ask why and to just follow where you are being led.

The pink background was run through the cuttlebug swiss dot embossing folder on the Big Shot. I used the Cheep Talk stamp set from SU! and stamped the branch in certainly celery - I stamped off once and then stamped the image. The little bird was stamped in going gray. The greeting is from the brand new Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set (finally, a stamp set that has a greeting for just about every occassion!!! yeah!!! You can order it beginning July 1st at my site www.m.stampinup.net). The greeting was stamped in going gray and punched out using the word window punch. I punched the little flower using the trio flower punch with barely banana card stock. I added the pearl center and popped the flower and the greeting up on dimensionals. I hope you like it!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Acknowledge Your Contribution

It's funny how it can be so easy to blame others for whatever situation we are in or for whatever we are upset about. We say things to ourselves like "I can't believe she is making me do this! What a (insert your choice of word here)!" The more difficult thing to do is to step away from blame and acknowledge our contribution - what have we done or not done that has brought us to this place. I realize one of the things I'm really good at NOT doing is saying "no" and by not saying "no" I can find myself in situations that I am angry about and begin to blame everyone. What I need to do is recognize my contribution - it's not about blame - and ask myself if I want to keep contributing in this way. I'm going to work on saying "no" a bit more often :)

Today's card looked fun in my mind, but maybe a bit goofier in reality :) The limited supply challenge was to make a masculine card with limited supplies that we could select from a take-out style menu - quite fun! I used the color spritzer tool with a basic black marker to make the background and punched holes in the whisper white paper with my crop-o-dile and my 1 1/2" circle punch. The boy got a mohawk with a marker :) Hope you like it...and if you don't, it's okay, I think you rock anyway :)

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Start Your Day Your Way

It can be so easy to wake up and get right into the grind of the day. It seems that how we start our day can really set the mood for the rest of our day. So today I decided to start my day by creating rather then getting caught up in work. It feels good to honor myself first and then move into the rest of my day.

I decided to make some bright cupcakes for today's challenge. I am really loving the new The More The Merrier hostess set! It is incredibly versatile - you can color it, paper piece it, use just parts of the images...soooo much fun!!!!! Anyway, I'm trying not to eat sweets right now, so I think these cupcakes were my way of trying to get sweets out of my system for the day :) I paper pieced the cupcakes and put some of the pieces up on dimensionals. The white background was run through a texturz plate. The greeting is a combination of 2 different greetings in the stamp set - I took the "so" from one stamp and the word "sweet" from another - I just colored the words I wanted on the stamp with my basic black marker and stamped away! Hope you like it!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: When You Are At The End Of Your Rope, Trust There Is A Net And Jump!!!!

It is so nice to be back in the craft room after more planes, trains and automobiles! And yes, I have been feeling lately like I'm at the end of my rope with all of this travel so I am just about ready to jump and to trust that a net will catch me! I know it will be there - the Universe has always provided - all I need is to have faith. I'll let you know if it's a soft landing :)

I kept today's card clean and simple. The background was stamped with the heart image from the More the Merrier. Punched hearts were popped up on dimensionals as were the cut out birds' wings and hearts in the center image. The images were painted in with my aqua painter. Hope you like it.

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: Sometimes It's More Fun To NOT Wait For A Rainy Day!

It's that time for SU!'s new in colors...and so I tend to look at last year's outgoing in colors as precious...I mean, what's a girl to do when she can't purchase anymore kiwi kiss or baja breeze card stock?! When I saw this pair of shoes on Bugaloo http://www.bugalookids.com/PhotoGallery.asp?ProductCode=doggy I knew my Baja Breeze needed to be a part of the challenge. And so today's lesson - rather than save the limited supply of baja breeze for a rainy day that may never come - I decided it was more fun to not wait for that rainy day and use it today instead :)

I paper pieced the dog and used a greeting from Best Yet that I cut into smaller pieces. I have what I think is called a perforating wheel that I used to perforate the edges. Hope you like it!

Today's Lesson From Boston and Not The Craft Room: Feed Your Need For Creativity Wherever You Are!

Yes, I'm back on the road again...this time one of the flight attendants recognized me from having been on the Denver to Boston flight a few weeks ago - How pathetic is that?! When flight attendants start recognizing you, you know you've been spending too much time on airplanes!

So tonight I went to dinner and noticed a bookstore right next door so I wandered right to the Graphic Design and Craft Section and started feeding my creative need, as opposed to my stomach! What an amazing amount of creative food there was! I could have sat there for hours devouring all kinds of books and images! I ended up buying one book (I have yet to discover the secret of how to walk into a bookstore and leave empty-handed) - it's called Caffeine for the Creative Mind: 250 Exercises to Wake Up Your Brain. I figured it had to be as good as a Starbuck's Vanilla Latte with a name like that! It is chock full of amazing activities to stimulate your creativity. For example, on p. 225 the challenge is to create a postage stamp design by choosing among a few different scenarios...I particularly liked the scenarios of "Gerbils have overrun the White House" and "Peanut Butter and Jelly was elected National Sandwich!" The stamp can be any shape or size, but must include a denomination. Seems like us stampers could have a lot of fun with a challenge like this...does anyone have a Gerbil stamp????

So even here, in a hotel room far away from the craft room, there are still ways to keep the creative juices flowing! Feed your need for creativity wherever you are! And if you decide to take the postage stamp challenge, please email me your creation at michelle@figmentsofmyimagination.com - maybe I'll post it on this blog! :)

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 :)