Faux Nesties/Die Cuts

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Habits Are Die Hard!

All of those old Bruce Willis Die Hard movies were fun to watch and part of the fun was that no matter what came at Bruce he kept on going!  I'm in the process of trying to change some habits - habits that I feel aren't assisting me in my creative journey.  One of the things I'm trying to change is how I start my day.  Rather than jump on line and look at the devastation that has taken place in the world over night, I am trying to sit down and write in my journal.  I will get going pretty well for a few days and then, oops, there comes that old habit again!  Today I triumphed - my journal came first...we'll hope for the best tomorrow!

Today's card is for 2 challenges on SCS; the clean and simple challenge - to make a square card, and the new technique challenge - to make faux nesties.  I used my modern label punch to create the "nesties" feel.  I cut out squares of card stock and then placed the punch half-way into the square and punched all 4 sides.  I also used the end of the punch to punch the corners of the confetti card stock.  I hope you like it!

stamps: Elements of Style (coming soon in the Summer mini catalog)
card stock:  Bravo Burgundy, Confetti
ink:  bravo burgundy
accessories:  modern label punch, 1 1/4" and 1 1/2" circle punches, dimensionals

Versamark and Soot

Tonight I decided to try something new!  I had been wanting to try stamping with glossy paper and soot from a candle...and here are the results!  I was pretty pleased since it was my first time...not sure what I was more pleased with...the fact that I like how the card came out, or the fact that I managed to not light anything on fire while I was trying this technique!!!!  I think a video may be in order...as soon as I get all this black soot off my fingers and the craft table!

Four Square Birthday

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Don't Be So Straight!

I had a stamp-a-stack at my house today and one of the cards that we were doing was this one (although we were making it in blue instead of chocolate chip):

 

 The larger photo is what one of the 12-year-old attendees created when she stamped the dot, dot, dot stamp and saw that it was a bit crooked.  I LOVE what she did!!!!  I immediately took a picture and recognized that allowing yourself to not be so straight can yield beautiful results!  (I'm not suggesting we all be a little crooked...just not so straight :)  I hope you like it!

Quilled Flamingo

Today's Lesson From My Make-Shift Craft Room (aka my mom's couch):  Listen To The Sounds Of The Wind And The Rain

It was windy and rainy last night and the windows were cracked open.  I am always awed by the power and majesty of Mother Nature.  From the inside, the sounds were comforting - at times invigorating.  From the outside, I image it was a bit nerve wracking!  Listening to the sounds of nature seems to create a rhythm within me.  It's like my heart starts beating in tune with nature - much like my fingers will start tapping to the beat of music.  Sometimes we need a bit of nature to get ourselves back in tune.

Today's flamingo was a tiny bit more challenging than yesterday's frog :)  I will keep working on my quilling skills...they seem to still be in their infancy :)  At least I've got room to grow :)  Hopefully this little guy will also find his way onto a card...any thoughts on what the sentiment should be????

Quilled Frog

Today's Lesson From A Make-Shift Craft Room:  Grow Where You're Planted

I'm visiting my mom right now and, as always, I seem to whither a bit when I am away from my craft room and the tools for creativity are not at my beck and call.  So, I did what any creative person would do, I went to find some tools to create!!!!  A quick trip to the craft store landed me a Klutz book entitled Twirled Paper that came complete with a book and the tools necessary to make some quilled animals!  yeah!  Sometimes you just need to grow where you're planted...even if you'll be transplanted again soon :)

This little quilled frog came together quite quickly - even though I hadn't quilled for awhile.  Once he finds his way back to the craft room, you and I both know he's going to end up on a card!  I hope you like him :)  Now wherever you are....go and grow! :)

Quick and Simple

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Use The Time That You Have

I didn't think I'd have time to do a card this morning, but I decided rather than fret about the time that I didn't have I should use the time that I did have...which was about 5 minutes!

So here is my 5 minute card!  Popped the heart up on a dimensional - that was the most technical part :)  I hope you like it!

Featured Stamper JovialJudi

The featured stamper on SCS today was my wonderful friend Judi!!!!!  Yeah!!!!!  We were to find inspiration in her amazing work.  I chose this card for my inspiration!  Feel free to check out Judi's amazing talent on her blog - I know you'll be glad you did!

Round Tab Punch Purse

The idea for this card came from a swap I received at least a year ago from Betty Saccocia (thanks Betty!).  I used the sneak peek set, Elements of Style, for stamping the background.  The purse is 1/2 of the round tab punch, which I then coated in tombo mono multi adhesive and chunky silver glitter.  The handle was made from the small oval and oval punches.  I hope you like it!  This one is going to my cousin for her birthday on March 1st!

Monogrammed Stationery

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Create Something For Someone You Love!

I'll be visiting my mom soon and decided I didn't want to go empty-handed.  I've made her a few gifts and this monogrammed stationery is one of them.  It is a wonderful feeling to be able to make something for someone you love!  These cards were quick and easy.  I stamped the "E" from the Lovely Letters stamp set in Always Artichoke.  The Always Artichoke card stock was run through the Big Shot in the Finnial Press embossing folder.  I hope you like it...and I hope my mom does too!

Video: Styrofoam Frosting

Learn how to make this great, economical "frosting" for your cards and paper crafting projects!  Let me know if you have any questions!  Thanks to Holly Young for this wonderful idea!  You can visit her blog here!

Paper Piecing - Lark Inspiration

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Make It Up As You Go Along

I made spinach lasagna for dinner last night.  It's not like me to go "off recipe," but I thought a little spinach might be nice...and maybe some extra cheese...ooh, and throw some additional sauce on top just for the heck of it!  I was very pleased when it came out of the oven and turned out great!  Sometimes we need to make it up as we go along.  Sometimes we will love the result, sometimes we won't, but at least we'll have fun doing it!

Today's inspiration came from this tea towel from Lark.  I paper pieced the tree and then used white embossing powder for the leaves, stars and the grass.  Those adorable owls are from the Love Bandits set - I colored the stamp with a ballet blue marker so that I could hand draw the eyes so they could be looking at each other :)  I hope you like it!

Eyelet Paper Lace

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sometimes What You Don't Want, Is Exactly What You Need!

I woke up to snow this morning.  I was comfy in the house and was having those cranky "I don't want to go outside and walk the dog in the cold" kind of thoughts.  So I dawdled as much as possible until I finally put on my boots, hat, coat, gloves, ski pants...all the appropriate layers, and out we went.  As the walk went on, I began to feel calm, peaceful...dare I say, "joyous?!"  This walk was just what I needed to start my day off on the right foot (no pun intended) :)  Sometimes what you don't want, is exactly what you need!

Today's limited supply challenge on SCS was to use ribbon and borders.  I broke out the eyelet border punch and punched a piece of very vanilla card stock and then ran that through the crimper about 1 million times...okay, maybe not a million, but a bunch :)  I used a piece of cottage wall designer paper and then cut a small slit on the spine of the card so that I could thread through my satin ribbon.  I hope you like it!

stamps:  Sincere Salutations
card stock:  Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Cottage Wall designer series paper
ink:  rich razzleberry
accessories:  eyelet border punch, crimper, very vanilla satin 5/8" ribbon

Clean and Simple Congratulations

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Things Happen In Their Own Time

In my post on Tuesday I mentioned that I had a heavy heart.  One of the reasons was a high school friend was losing his father yesterday (although I still believe that you can't really lose someone once you have found them - they will always be in your heart).  His family had made the difficult decision to remove their dad from his ventilator.  The amazing thing, however, is that their dad decided not to wait for them!  They had scheduled the removal of the ventilator at 1:30 p.m., but at 10 a.m. they received a call that their dad wasn't waiting for them.  The family arrived at the hospital between 10:30 and 10:50 and at 10:55 a.m. my friend's father passed.  Things happen in their own time - and sometimes it is quite clear the blessing that brings.

Today's card came together super fast!  The challenge on SCS was to use the color orange.  I used this design for a birthday card and thought it would make a cute congrats card too!  I stamped the dotted background in half-strength pumpkin pie.  The greeting was stamped in full strength pumpkin pie and then I stamped it a second time with ballet blue so that I could cut out the star and pop it up on dimensionals.  Hope you like it!

stamps:  Dot, Dot, Dot; Four Square
card stock:  Whisper White, Apricot Appeal, Ballet Blue
ink:  pumpkin pie, ballet blue
accessories:  1 1/4" square punch, dimensionals

Sneak Peek - Elements Of Style

Tonight's Lesson From The Craft Room:  There Will Be Peace

My heart is heavy this evening.  Tomorrow my brother will say goodbye to his first fur friend, Murphy.  I know it will be a difficult day and a difficult journey from sadness to peace.  A high school friend will also be at a hospital as his father is taken off of a ventilator - I cannot imagine the difficulty the day will bring.  And yet, in all of this, I know that peace will come.  It may be days, weeks, or years, but at some point I am confident there will be peace.

Tonight's card was made for the sketch challenge on SCS and I've included a sneak peek set, Elements of Style, that was given to us at Leadership this year.  It will come out in the May mini catalog!  I felt the sentiment fit perfectly into my life right now.  I stamped one of the background images on the largest layer of very vanilla card stock.  A few of the other images in the set found their way onto the smaller very vanilla panels.  I ran the smaller black panel through the Big Shot with the Finnial Press embossing folder.  I hope you like it and I hope you are at peace.

Paper Pieced Birthday Card

I am playing around in the craft room today - making my final card preparations for this week's stamp-a-stack.  This is a paper-pieced card that will be including in the stamp-a-stack.  So simple and fun to make!  The frosting is my new secret :)  I'll have to make a video to show you how it's done!

Bitty Birthday and Faux Designer Paper

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  It's OK To Not Know

Lately I've been contemplating some of the "big" questions - Why am I here?  What is my purpose?  I keep thinking that a lightening bolt will strike and I'll have all the answers.  As I walked Buddy this morning, my head spinning with the question of why I am here, I realized that it's okay to not have all the answers.  What's important is that I keep asking the question and that I keep searching for the purpose I am here to fulfill.  I hope your journey is going well!

I was very excited by today's color challenge on SCS - pale plum, perfect plum, soft suede and neutrals of your choice - what a great mix of colors that I would never, in a million years, have put together!  I created some "faux" designer paper by stamping the itty bitty background and then the circle on some whisper white card stock.  The cake was stamped on whisper white with black staz-on and then colored in with markers.  I added a bit of glitz on the frosting and also tiny dots of glitz on the "faux" paper.  I hope you like it!

stamps:  Bitty Birthday, Circle Circus, Short & Sweet, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
card stock:  Whisper White, Soft Suede, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum
ink:  black staz-on, perfect plum, pale plum, soft suede, yoyo yellow
accessories:  tag punch, large tag punch, dazzling diamonds, white organza ribbon, scallop border punch

Two-Step Bird Punch Birthday Card

Today's card is a copy I made of a swap I received from Kay Smith at Leadership (Thanks Kay!!!).  I thought this card was just gorgeous and I know my Stamp-A-Stack participants are going to love it!  I just changed a few tiny things (changed the greeting and subtracted a large oval punch).  I hope you like it as much as I do!

Beyond Description!

Tonight's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Some Things Are Beyond Description!

I know you won't believe me, but this card started out with the thought of spring for this week's Clean and Simple challenge on SCS and a blank very vanilla piece of card stock!  Then I added some score lines and a mask over the center of the card and picked up a flower from the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set.  I stamped the flower in pastel colors - blue, pink, yellow...really, I mean it!  If you look closely enough you may actually be able to detect those flowers :)  And then my body seemed to take over and all heck broke loose in the craft room!  There were sponges, ink pads and stamp sets flying!  I crossed color family boundaries and went through at least 5 stamp sets...so much for clean and simple!  But I figure the design itself is clean and simple - only stamps, paper and ink...is that okay? :)  Some things are just beyond description - I really wish I could tell you how this card came about...all I know is that I went a little nuts and somehow this popped out!  I hope you like it :)

Chickadee Two-Step Bird Punch

I fell in love with this little chickadee that Ann Fitzgerald created with the two-step bird punch!  She even has directions for how to make it on her blog here!  Thanks Ann!  I followed Ann's instructions and added some scoring and a greeting to the very vanilla card.  Hope you like it!

Clean and Simple Masculine Birthday

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Find Your Bliss!

It snowed last night.  Buddy was sooooo excited to go outside!  We went for a beautiful, peaceful walk and then stopped in the park and sat in the snow and watched the neighborhood children sled down the hill.  Well, Buddy watched the children and I watched Buddy.  I could tell this was his perfect place - a beautiful dog lying in the snow watching the distance.  He found his bliss.  I find my bliss when I am in the craft room creating - it's that perfect place - a perfect sense of "rightness."  What's your bliss?  If you're not sure, keep searching - you will definitely know when you find it!

Today's card came together very quickly - it actually came into my mind when I woke up this morning.  I stamped the dot, dot, dot stamp as a background in chocolate chip (I stamped off the chocolate chip once on a piece of scrap paper before stamping onto the card).  The Four Square birthday greeting is also stamped in chocolate chip.  I punched it out with a 1 1/4" square punch and adhered it to a 2"x2" square of chocolate chip card stock.  I popped up the greeting/chocolate chip squares on dimensionals and adhered it to the card.  So simple, yet it packs a graphic punch!  I hope you like it!

stamps:  Four Square, Dot, Dot, Dot
card stock:  Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip
ink:  chocolate chip
accessories:  1 1/4" square punch, dimensionals

Featured Stamper Inspiration

The featured stamper in tonight's featured stamper challenge on SCS was HamiltonGal and I chose this card as my inspiration.  For the challenge we are required to change at least 2 things about the card.  I changed the greeting, ribbon color, type of bow, butterfly color and embellishments. This card was so simple to make - I fell in love with the inspiration piece the minute I saw it! This 2-layer faux bow is really easy to make and it mails easily too. You can check out the video for how to make a single-layer faux bow on an earlier post in my blog or on my YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/mwecksler.  I hope you like the card!  Thanks HamiltonGal!

stamps:  Well Scripted
card stock:  Very Vanilla, Basic Black
ink:  basic black
accessories: beautiful wings embosslit, big shot, scor-it board, 5/8" black satin ribbon, metal gems

Bitty Box Valentine

We have friends coming over for dinner tonight to share Valentine's Day with us.  I thought it would be sweet to prepare a treat for each one of them and the Bitty Box die was the perfect solution!  You can make this little box with just half a sheet of standard 8 1/2 x 11 paper - something that I love about this die since so many of them use odd sizes of paper.  I added a 2x2 square of Sweet Pea designer paper and a few punches (scallop circle, 1 1/4" and 1" circle punches).  The ribbon is our yummy Pretty In Pink satin ribbon.  The cute owl is from the Love Bandits stamp set - I'm in love with this little guy :)  Now I just need to decide what to fill the boxes with...candy hearts, pink M&M's...The bigger challenge will be to not eat what I end up putting inside of them :)  Happy Valentine's Day to you and the ones you love!!!  (P.S.  This box was inspired by a swap I received from Chi Nguyen at Leadership - thanks Chi!!!)

Houses In A Grid

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Say "Hello!"

I walk Buddy every day and I am now making a conscious effort to greet everyone that we pass.  It can be so easy to keep my head down, watch my feet, and just walk by.  What if our "hello" made someone's day?  What if our "hello" was the only sense of connection that person felt all day?  What if our "hello" made us smile inside?  I find that saying "hello" to the people (and furry friends) that I pass, puts a smile on my face.  It also lets someone else know that you acknowledge them.  Hello! :)

Today's inspiration challenge was to find inspiration in the work of Geninne D. Zlatkis.  What a talented woman!  This was my inspiration piece .  I used the Little Shapes set to create the background squares and then stamped the images from Good Neighbors.  I attached a piece of linen thread to the center square by piercing 2 holes and running the thread through.  I hope you like it! :)

stamps:  Good Neighbors (Sale-A-Bration set), Tiny Tags, Little Shapes (retired)
card stock:  Whisper White
ink:  basic black, pumpkin pie, summer sun, creamy caramel, ruby red, cameo coral, so saffron, old olive, garden green, really rust, not quite navy
accessories: linen thread, tiny tag punch

Negative/Positive

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Appreciate The Struggle

I sure had a hard time in the craft room today.  Nothing was coming easily and nothing looked right.  But I kept going...I know there is something to take away from today's struggle - that I need to appreciate it and recognize it is part of the creative process and that I will get through it and have another easy time soon!  Sometimes you just need to appreciate the struggle and recognize it is only temporary.  As my mother has told me, "This too shall pass."

Today's challenge on SCS was to be inspired by the presidents.  Anything from cherry trees to dollars :)  This card was brought about by the thought of change and the idea that each new president believes that they will make a difference - that change will come.  I thought that using the negative/positive image would reflect this theme of change.  I hope you like it!  The flowers were just circle punched pieces of whisper white card stock that I snipped and then "fluffed!"  So easy to make and they add quite a bit of dimension to a card.

So Sweet!

I woke up this morning to a message from my friend, fellow blogger and amazing crafter, Judi!  She had passed along a blog award to me (you can see the cupcake in the left-hand column)!!!!  This is my first blog award ever!  Thank you Judi!!!!!  You can stop by Judi's blog HERE.  I am to list 10 of my favorite things and then share this award with 2 other people.  Here are my favorite things...it's hard to just list 10!

1.  Sharing my life with Michael
2.  Sharing my life with my amazing four-legged family members!
3.  Waking up to such sweet surprises as this morning
4.  Being given the gift of a new day
5.  Have such precious and amazing friends
6.  The opportunity and gift of creativity
7.  Balsamic vinegar from O&C...along with other favorite foods
8.  Watching the birds, squirrels and fox in the backyard
9.  The beauty of nature
10.  The sound of silence

I'll be back later today to let you know who I'm passing the award on to!  Hope you have a sweet day!

Stenciling With Folk Flowers

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Have Fun With Something New!

I had my Folk Flowers stencils still in their packaging - it's been over a month!  So today I decided to open them up for today's SCS challenge - to use an odd number of things.  It was a lot of fun trying something new :)  What "something new" did you try today????

I used my daubers to sponge the stencil with both pretty in pink and soft suede ink.  I spritzed some soft suede with the spritzer tool and then sponged the edge of the very vanilla card stock with soft suede.  I sponged my 1 (odd number) pretty in pink corduroy button with a little soft suede too (seems like nothing is safe from sponging today!).  I adhered the 3 (odd number) pearls.  Finally I stamped my vintage label frame - I actually inked it up with pretty in pink and then used my soft suede sponge dauber to dab a little soft suede so that I would get a variegated look.  I punched it out with the large oval punch and yes, you guessed it, sponged the edges!  Hope you like it!

Rub-Ons and Accessories - A Quick Card!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sometimes Your Energy Will Find You!

I had an exhausting day yesterday.  I woke up early in a hotel and then proceeded to do 5 iterations of a 90-minute training program, then went to the airport, boarded a plane and flew home.  I'm tired just recounting the day!  Today I had planned to go to the gym and I must admit it was on my "last places I want to go today" list when I woke up!  However, I got in the car and drove myself there and somehow, once I started working out, my energy found me.  I have no idea where that energy came from, but I left the gym after an hour and I felt great (although I seem to be ready to fall asleep now and it's the middle of the afternoon)!  Sometimes you just never know when your energy will find you!

Today's card came together quickly - and no ink or stamping!  I pulled out the rub-ons, the designer paper, the hodgepodge hardware and the pretties kit!  I was the accessory queen :)  Hope you like it!

Companion

Today's Lesson From Far Away From The Craft Room:  Sometimes It Is Nice To Have A Companion

I left Denver and flew to San Diego today for work.  I have to admit it was nice to leave the snow and come to the palm trees :)  So far though, the highlight of my trip was my dining companion this afternoon :)  I stopped at a small Greek cafe to grab some lunch.  The weather was so nice out that I decided to sit outside and this little guy decided that I looked lonely :)  He made himself my dining companion and I have to say we really connected :)  Sometimes it's just nice to have a companion!  It was also great to watch how many people stopped to laugh and smile at the odd couple we were :)  Looking forward to being back in the craft room on Wednesday morning!  Happy creating until then!

Wow!!! I'm So Excited!!!!

I was just about to go to bed and checked my email and WOW!!!!  I just found out that I was one of the winners of the challenge on Shelli's blog!!!  Yippppeeeeeeee!!!!!!  You can check out all the contest winners here!  What amazing news to end my wonderful day!!!!!!  Thank you!!!! :)

Tri-Shutter Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Try A New Technique!

This weekend I've done a bit of exploring.  On Friday night I tried a new chocolate cake technique - baking a mug of chocolate cake in the microwave!  It was crazy and yummy :)  (Here's the link if you want to give it a try)!  I also decided to try a new technique in the craft room: the Tri-Shutter card...here's the result!  This card was a ton of fun to create and really not that complicated at all.  I found the directions at SCS, got out my supplies and went to town!  What do you think?  Here is a picture of the card when it is closed...

I think I need to head back into the craft room to make a second one!  I may even have to put together a video so you can see how easy this card is to make!  Is there a new technique you have tried that you'd like to share?  Please leave me a note in the comments - I'd love to hear about it!

stamps:  Cheep Talk, Happy Everything, Whimsical Words
card stock:  Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Welcome Neighbor dsp
ink:  Dusty Durango, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry
accessories: xacto blade, scallop circle punch, 1 1/2", 1 1/4", 1", 1/2" circle punches, dazzling diamonds

Erte - Paper Cutting

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sometimes The Greatest Gift The Craft Room Offers Is A Little Peace And Quiet

We had a friend visiting us in the house this week.  We really enjoyed sharing time together and, at the same time, I could tell that I was missing time of quiet and solitude.  When I walked into the craft room today to create, I was struck by the surprising gift of peace and quiet this special room offered!  I always think of the craft room as a place to explore the gift of creativity.  Today I am grateful for the other gifts it brings :)

Today's card was inspired by Erte - this particular piece of art.  I used an xacto blade to cut out the black card stock in the shape of a butterfly.  (I used a butterfly from the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die as a template for the outline and drew it on the back side of the card stock and then cut around it with the xacto knife).  I stamped a whisper white piece of paper with the bella toile background stamp and colored the image with my aqua painter and various ink colors.  The tiny butterflies on the greeting are from the Beautiful Wings embosslit.  Hope you like it!

stamps:  Of The Earth (hostess), Bella Toile
card stock:  Whisper White, Basic Black, Orchid Opulence, Green Galore
ink:  Orchid Opulence, Green Galore, Brilliant Blue, Only Orange, Going Gray
accessories: xacto blade, Big Shot, Bigz Beautiful Butterflies die, Beautiful Wings embosslit

Video: Colorful Corduroy Button Flower

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Inspiring Others Towards Happiness Brings You Happiness!

These words were written on the tab of my tea bag this afternoon and they seemed just perfect to me!  Yesterday I had the honor of teaching stamping at a Boys & Girls Club and it was amazing to watch how happy the kids were with their new-found talent!  It really did make me happy!  Who can you inspire toward happiness today?  (I hope today's video inspires you to create and, as a result, brings you loads of happiness!  Let me know if you have any questions!).

I'll Be Back Friday - Boys & Girls Club Was Calling!

Hi!  I just wanted to let you know I haven't disappeared!  I will be back tomorrow with a new post - I've missed blogging!  Where was I?  I had my head down in the craft room for the past few days preparing for tonight - I went with a friend to volunteer at a local Boys & Girls Club and we taught the kids how to stamp (they made Valentine's cards)!  It was an amazing experience!!!!!  To watch their creativity go wild with those punches, stamps, paper, crimper...it was fabulous!  I highly recommend sharing your love of stamping with someone who may never have stamped before - it is incredibly rewarding!  Hope you have a great night!  Looking forward to being back in the craft room and back here tomorrow!

Wow Flowers Birthday Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Ride The Wave Of Inspiration!

I went to bed after checking what colors were in today's color challenge on SCS - basic gray, bravo burgundy, crushed curry and neutrals...with the extra challenge of adding text, other than a greeting, somewhere on your card.  I woke up knowing that I needed to use Wow Flowers.  I almost ran into the craft room to get started!  Half-way through I though "Wow!  This is sure ugly!"  But I kept going and I am so glad I did!  I am really pleased with the result.  How 'bout you?  Sometimes you just need to ride the wave of inspiration and see where it leads!

I began by stamping the "birthday wishes" greeting in basic gray on the basic gray card stock.  Then I went crazy stamping the geometric flower in crushed curry on very vanilla and then continued with the same stamp in bravo burgundy.  That panel and the center crushed curry circle are popped up on dimensionals.  I love that this card only uses one stamp set!  I hope you like it!  I got this stamp set as a FREEBIE with Sale-a-Bration!  Spend $50 in a product purchase and you can get it too!  Shop HERE now!

stamps:  Wow Flowers
card stock:  Very Vanilla, Basic Gray, Crushed Curry, Bravo Burgundy
ink:  Crushed Curry, Bravo Burgundy, Basic Gray
accessories: rhinestone brad, 1 3/4", 1 1/2", 1 1/4" circle punches

Scallop Circle Punch Flowers

Tonight's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Creativity Doesn't Punch A Clock!

I have noticed that the past few nights my creativity seems to get into full gear later and later in the evening.  Mind you, 9 p.m. is late in the evening for me...I've been known to be tucked in bed by then! :)  I can sit here and wish all I want that my creative juices would start flowing when I say so, but that just isn't how it works.  Your creativity doesn't punch a clock.  The muse will strike when it is ready - we just need to be listening.   We also need to continue to feed our muse - show her the beauty that surrounds us; make sure she is comfortable in her surroundings.  The more we take care of, as opposed to try to force our creative muse, the more she will visit us with her gifts!

This card began as a scallop circle punch experiment!  I punched some scallop circles out of designer paper (Sweet Pea and Welcome Neighbor designer paper).  I then cut into the scallops with my paper snips.  For the flower layer I cut in every 2 scallops and for the center I cut in on every scallop.  I then crumpled the circles and sponged them with Pretty In Pink classic ink.  I scrunched the centers a lot more that the outside petals - almost folding them in on one another.  I secured the centers to the flowers using a mini glue dot and adhered the flowers to the card using a combination of mini glue dots and dimensionals.  I hope you like them!

stamps:  Whimsical Words
card stock:  Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Sweet Pea and Welcome Neighbor designer paper
ink:  Bermuda Bay, Pretty In Pink
accessories: Big Shot, perfect polka dots embossing folder, pretties kit (half pearls), sponge

Inking Your Wheels!

OK, I admit it, I'm wheel crazy (and I don't mean that in the Elmer Fudd kind of way :)!  I am loving my I {Love} Love jumbo wheel!  It is so easy to use and looks fabulous!  This picture is of a bunch of candy dish bands that I made to give the ladies at my bank to put around their candy dishes!  There is a piece of Sticky Strip on the back of one end of the band so that they can wrap the band around the dish and adhere.  This also allows them to slip the band off after Valentine's Day and hold onto it for next year (if they want).  I used the jumbo wheel with Chocolate Chip ink to start and then distressed the edges of the paper with my distressing tool.  I then sponged Chocolate Chip ink on the edges.  I used one of my favorite Itty Bitty Background stamps to add more textured "dots" with Close To Cocoa ink.  The hearts were made by using heat and stick powder on a piece of kraft card stock.  I glittered a long piece of the paper and then punched out the hearts with 3 different heart punches.  The paper "curls" were made by twisting 1/4" wide pieces of kraft card stock around the handle of a paint brush.  Hope you like them!

TIP:  How To Ink Your Wheels

There are a few different ways you can ink your wheels.  You can purchase the cartridges for the wheel in a variety of colors.  Or, if the color you want does not come in a pre-inked cartridge, you can buy a "blank" cartridge and use reinkers to ink the cartridge and you are good to go.  My favorite technique for inking the wheels right now, however, is not bothering with a cartridge at all!  I just snap the wheel into the handle and then roll the wheel back and forth on the ink pad of my choice.  I roll it a number of times to ink it up and then roll onto paper.  Of course, I have to reink if I want to wheel again, but I don't mind this extra step!  If you are choosing to wheel a paper tablecloth or a long piece of paper you may want to use a cartridge so you don't have to keep reinking.  Shop HERE, 24/7 for ink, cartridges and wheels :)

Bucket Purse Challenge!

The "Try A New Technique" challenge on SCS was to make a bucket purse using this wonderful template from Mel McCarthy (thanks Mel!!!!).  I just had to stay awake to try this! I cut the template out of Kraft card stock and then wheeled it with the I {Love} Love jumbo wheel in Chocolate Chip. I punched the handles using my 1 1/2" circle punch.  I added some stamping with an Itty Bitty Background stamp to give this a vintage feel and then sponged a bunch of Chocolate Chip ink on every edge and nook and cranny! The heart was punched from Kraft card stock and then covered in red glitter (of course the glitter is now all over the craft room, the cat, the dog, and me!)! I filled the inside with crimped Rose Red and Real Red paper strips. Now I just need to fill it with candy! Hope you like it!

stamps:  I {Love} Love wheel, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
card stock:  Kraft, Real Red, Rose Red
ink:  Chocolate Chip
accessories: red ultrafine glitter, full heart punch, crimper, sponge, heat & stick powder, heat tool, 1 1/2" circle punch

Fox & Friends CAS Card

Tonight's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Reflect

I was speaking to a group of women last week and one of the topics we discussed was "self care."  One woman mentioned that on her drive home from work she asks herself the following questions:  "What did you do well today?"; "What did you learn today?"; "What are you grateful for?"; and "How can I be a great _____?"  I was impressed by the time she carved out every day to reflect on how she spent her day and how she might improve tomorrow.  When was the last time you stopped to reflect?  Now is a great time to start!

Tonight's card came together very quickly.  The clean and simple challenge on SCS was inspired by a simple sketch.  I have to admit that I laughed out loud when I stamped this card :)  Something about the "you, you, you" and those 3 owls tickled my funny bone :)  I actually used a 1 1/2" circle punch to cut a guide for stamping the 3 owls in a row (since I didn't trust myself to free-hand it).  The owls were stamped in 3 complimentary colors.  I created a faux bow for easy mailing.  (You can see my video on how to make this faux bow HERE!).  I had to add a little sparkle to the owls with dazzling diamonds.  I rounded two of the corners with my corner rounder.  Hope you like it :)

stamps:  Three Little Words, Fox & Friends
card stock:  Very Vanilla
ink:  Taken With Teal, Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery, Basic Black
accessories: dazzling diamonds, certainly celery 5/8" satin ribbon, corner rounder, stamp-a-ma-jig (1 1/2" circle punch for template)

Tiny Tag Flower

This card was very quick and easy!  The flower was made by stamping one of the floral branch images over and over in a circular pattern.  I just made sure that the end of the branch was in the middle every time I stamped so that the flowers were radiating out from the center.  I stamped the image with Pink Passion ink at full strength and half strength and then cut out the completed flower.  I then sponged the edges with Pink Passion ink.  Don't you just love that new Scallop Trim corner punch?!  It really adds an elegant touch!  I'm also wild about the corduroy buttons!  Hope you like it!

stamps:  Whimsical Words (Sale-a-Bration set), Tiny Tags
card stock:  Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Pink Passion
ink:  Pink Passion
accessories:  Scallop Trim border punch, corduroy button, sponge

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  As long as the candle is burning, it is still possible to mend

In the book "The Book of Jewish Values," Rabbi Joseph Telushkin tells a story of a sage, Rabbi Israel Salanter, who was spending the night at a shoemaker's home.  Late at night the rabbi went over to the man and said, "Look how late it is; your candle is about to go out.  Why are you still working?"  The shoemaker replied, "As long as the candle is burning, it is still possible to mend."  What will you mend today?  A relationship, your attitude, your daily work?  I just returned from a trip where I saw family that I had not seen in a very long time.  I am beginning to mend my family.

Today's inspiration challenge on SCS was to find inspiration at Espe.  This card was inspired by the following wallet on Espe .  It is the third one down on the left-hand side.  I stamped the image from Eastern Blooms in Ruby Red and cut it out.  I then added flowers from the trio punch and finished the flowers with some crystal effects.  I punched some flowers from the 5-petal flower and Boho Blossoms punch to build the "clasp."  I added a little "spritz" with the spritzer tool and some faux stitching with the paper piercing tool  Hope you like it!

stamps:  Eastern Blooms, Tiny Tags
card stock:  Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand, Ruby Red
ink:  Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip
accessories:  Crystal Effects, 5-petal flower punch, Trio flower punch, white gel pen, Boho Blossoms punch, spritzer tool, paper piercing tool

Words and Sword - So Powerful!

Today's Lesson From Far Away From The Craft Room:  Don't Use Your Words As Weapons

I realized today that "words" and "sword" use the exact same letters - just arranged in a different way.  I don't think this is a coincidence.  The power of words never ceases to amaze me.  It is incredible how a combination of seemingly innocent letters can cause such pleasure and such pain.  Be careful of your words.  Treat them with respect for they hold a lot of power.  I was blessed with words of support from my friend Judi today - her words encouraged and calmed me.  How can you use your words to comfort and heal today?  The words you speak to yourself are just as powerful.  What can you tell yourself, before you go to sleep tonight, that will serve to provide you with a peaceful night's sleep?  I wish you sweet dreams!

On The Road Again!

Today's Lesson From A Long Distance From The Craft Room (aka Ohio):  Speak From Your Heart

I am on the road again and will be doing a presentation tomorrow.  I really enjoy being in front of people (kind of funny since I am a bit of an introvert), but I still get a bit of the jitters and get concerned about whether or not people will enjoy the presentation and be able to take something away with them.  I'm always so conscious that people are sharing the precious minutes of their lives with me and are willing to spend some of those minutes listening to what I'm sharing (as you are now).  What a precious gift!  I am learning to realize that I don't need bells & whistles or gimmicks - what I need is to speak from my heart.  Tomorrow's talk is about managing transitions at work (which, of course, is equally applicable to our personal lives) and I am going to speak from my heart.  As all of us, I have gone through a lot of change - a lot of transition - and I imagine more is on the way...as it always is!  My hope is that by sharing my stories and my heart, I will connect with those who are sharing their time with me.  Wish me luck! :)

Ooh- and don't forget about the Blog Candy that Judi has on her blog!  Click HERE to sign up for her candy!

Shimmer Mist

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  "The only death you die is the one you die every day by not living."

This quote comes from the adventurer Norman Vaughan.  He became part of history as the chief dog driver on the first Byrd Antarctic Expedition in 1928-30.  To honor Norman for his contributions as chief dog driver, Admiral Byrd named a mountain after him. On December 16, 1994, three days shy of his 89th birthday, Norman fulfilled a lifelong dream. He climbed his namesake, Mount Vaughan, a 10,302' Antarctic peak. Now he plans on going back to celebrate his 100th birthday at the top!  If that's not living, I don't know what is!!!!  You can learn more about Norman Vaughan HERE.  What will you do today to live your life?

Today's challenge card on SCS was to find inspiration in the Echo designs.  This card was inspired by this beautiful bath collection.  I stamped the eastern blooms image in sahara sand on the very vanilla cs.  This card is filled with shimmer!  I sprayed the whisper white stamped panel with a mixture of alcohol and champagne shimmer mist paint and let it dry!  It really is fabulous in person!  Here's a close-up of the shimmered panel:

I added the butterflies and the greeting and popped up the panel on dimensionals.  Hope you like it!

stamp sets:  Eastern Blooms, Whimsical Words
card stock:  very vanilla, sahara sand
ink:  sahara sand, basic black
accessories:  alcohol, spray bottle, champagne shimmer mist paint, gold elastic cord, beautiful wings embosslit, big shot

Don't forget about the BLOG CANDY that Judi is giving away!  You can visit her blog HERE.

Palindrome Paper Piecing

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  It is better to remain silent and have people say, "I wonder what he's thinking," than to speak up and have people say, "I wonder why he spoke."

This was the wisdom that Benjamin Disraeli, the nineteenth-century British prime minister shared with a new member of Parliament who had asked for his advice.  What if we only spoke when we had something to say that other people really needed to hear?  I have a feeling I would be much more quiet and my words much more meaningful.  How 'bout you?

The word "toot" immediately came to mind when I saw this palindrome challenge on SCS!  We had to make a card and include a palindrome - a word that is the same when read forward or backward.  I figured it would be better to make a card with a train with the word "toot" than to make one with a large bean and the same word! :)  lol!  I paper pieced the train using various punches and some simple cutting.  See if you can figure out which punches were used for the different parts of the train!  (hint:  I used the round tab punch for the silver "fender" on the front of the train).  The smoke was created by punching the scallop oval circle in a piece of scrap paper and using the hole it created as a stencil to sponge going gray ink.  The letters are rub-ons that I picked up at an office supply store.  The background paper is one of the pages in the Sweet Pea designer paper collection from SU!  Hope you like it!!!!

Cookies and Blog Candy!

I had hoped to bake these cookies yesterday, but I was off by a day!  I made these this morning!  Yummy!  I first saw mention of the recipe on Stephanie Severin's blog.  She found them on The Delicious Life.  The recipe made 38 cookies.  I experimented a little bit and added chocolate chips to 1/2 of the batter.  They are sweeter with the chips - it's like a completely different cookie.  I think I might stick with the original recipe next time...or try some pecans thrown in :)  I used sweetened coconut although I think you can use sweetened or unsweetened.  Talking about sweet, you need to check out the BLOG CANDY that Judi is giving away on her blog.  Here's the LINK so that you can post a comment and try to win!!!!!  I know I'm trying!  Hope your day is sweet!!!!

Video: Making A Faux Bow

Here is a quick video on how to make a faux bow!  These bows are wonderful to use on cards that you will be mailing since they lie flat!  Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions!  FYI, the ribbon I use in the video is Stampin' Up!'s 5/8" satin ribbon in real red.  It's in the Occasions Mini Catalog.  If you'd like to purchase the ribbon, please visit me online HERE.

Two-Step Bird Punch

I couldn't resist the urge to totally copy this wonderful swap that I received from Fran Trischetta at the Leadership Convention!  I didn't have the same designer paper she used, so I pulled out the Razzleberry Lemonade paper I did have and this card came together in a snap!  The wings of the birds are popped up on dimensionals.  Thanks Fran!!!!

stamps:  Well Scripted
card stock:  whisper white, rich razzleberry 
ink:  rich razzleberry
accessories:  two-step bird punch, white organza ribbon

Love Bandit

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Bake Something :)

I have been thinking about baking some coconut cookies for weeks now, but the thought has not turned into action.  Today, that's changing!  I'm headed to the kitchen and I'm going to bake those cookies (and likely eat some too!)!  I can't wait for the smell of those cookies to fill the house!  Instead of opening that package of pre-made baked goods, try your hand at baking something.  You will make the house smell delicious and you will likely make someone's day if you share the fruits of your labor!

I woke up wanting to use the Love Bandit stamp set and this was the perfect challenge for it!  I stamped the adorable raccoon on going gray cs, cut him out, and colored the heart with real red.  Of course I had to add some dazzling diamonds to make the heart sparkle ;)  The tree stump was stamped with chocolate chip onto creamy caramel cs and cut out.  The melon mambo background was run through the big shot with the perfect polka dots embossing folder.  Hope you like it!!!!

stamp set:  Love Bandit
card stock:  whisper white, melon mambo, chocolate chip, creamy caramel
ink:  chocolate chip, basic black, real red (marker)
accessories:  dazzling diamonds, chocolate chip satin ribbon, perfect polka dots embossing folder, big shot

Here is another version of the same card - just a bit simpler!  For this card I didn't do any cutting out.  I just stamped the tree stump and then stamped the owl on top of the stump.  The greeting is from the Tiny Tags stamp set.  I used markers to color the stamp so that I could have a multicolored greeting!  Hope you like it!!!!  I'll let my stamp-a-stack participants choose which version they would like to make.  Some people just cringe when a card involves cutting things out! :)

Occassions Mini Catalog and Sale-A-Bration Card

This card was made for today's sketch challenge on SCS.  I tried to use a bunch of my new supplies/tools from the Occassions mini catalog and my Sale-A-Bration freebies!  The Pretty In Pink card stock was run through the Big Shot with the Finnial Press embossing folder.  The adorable heart paper is from the Sale-A-Bration catalog - Welcome Neighbor.  The greeting is also from Sale-A-Bration - the Whimsical Words stamp set.  I stamped the greeting using basic gray.  I also used the same Welcome Neighbor paper and ran it through the Big Shot with the Beautiful Wings embosslit to create the butterflies - I had to glitz them up a bit with a little dazzling diamonds :)  The felt embellishment is from the Sweet Pea Stitched Felt - so adorable and easy to use!  If you're looking closely, you'll also notice the punched border from the Sale-A-Bration scallop trim border punch...can you tell I like earning free stuff?! :)  Hope you like it!  If you like it a lot and want to shop now for the supplies to make it, feel free to click HERE! :)

Send A Little LOVE Stamp-a-Stack - Sample #2

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  You Can Go From Blah To Ahhh In No Time!

I went to dinner last night with my neighbors.  We decided to try a new restaurant in the area and, I'm sorry to say, it was quite the disappointment.  To quote my neighbor about one of the dishes we tried, "That is the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted!"  You get the picture :)  We were going to stay for dessert when I remembered a crepe place that was around the corner.  I had never been there, but had heard great things about it.  So, I made the suggestion and off we went to try to turn our luck around!  Wow!  What an amazing place!!!!  If you are ever in Denver, you must go!  It's called Crepes & Crepes and it is in Cherry Creek.  We sat at the bar and watched them make crepe after crepe - delicious!  I had a crepe called the Heather - inspired by a customer who created the combination - a citron crepe with sugared cream cheese, brown sugar, and strawberries...ahhhhhhhh :)  So remember, if you're experiencing the blahs, don't worry!  You can go from Blah to Ahhhhhh in no time!

Today's card was inspired by a swap I received from Jackie Bultje when I was at Leadership Convention (thanks Jackie!).  I made a few changes and this is the result!  I am in love with our new 5/8" satin ribbon!!!!  Yummy!  I made a "faux bow" so that the card could go through the mail without a problem.  I'll try to post a video on how to make these easy, flat bows.  The greeting is from Happy Everything and the birds are from the hostess set The More The Merrier.  Our Sending Love specialty paper has glitter on one side of every sheet!  It adds just the perfect touch to this card!  I added some dazzling diamonds (as Jackie had done on her card) to the birds using my 2-way glue pen.  This is sample #2 for this weeks Stamp-a-Stack.  Hope you like it!

Send A Little LOVE Stamp-a-Stack - Sample #1

This is one of the cards we'll be making for the upcoming Send A Little Love Stamp-a-Stack.  The finished size is 5"x5".  I am loving the I {Love} Love jumbo wheel.  I forget how quick and easy it is to make a card using these wheels!  I love that you can use a cartridge or just roll the wheel on an ink pad to ink up the wheel.  I rolled the wheel down the right-hand side of the card.  The real red card stock was run through the Big Shot with the Finnial Press embossing folder (so elegant).  The heart is from the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set - I stamped it once on the white card stock and then a second time on another piece of white card stock so that I could cut out the 2nd image and pop it up on top of the first.  The greeting is from one of my favorite sets - Short & Sweet.  Hope you like it!

Three Column Blog...for people like me :)

I searched for a long time trying to find decent directions for how to convert my 2-column blog into a 3-column blog.  There are some instructions out there that didn't work well and I kept coming back to my 2 columns.  Today, however, I followed the instructions at Three Column Blogger and I did it!!!!!  The instructions are very easy to follow and I'm looking forward to learning more and making more updates to my blog!  Just thought I'd share in case you want to give 3 columns a try!  How do you like the new look?

Video: Assembling Your Cling Mount Stamps

I had a fun time assembling my new cling mount stamps and I thought I would share with you how to do it!  One more tip...you can easily slide the cover paper out of the dvd case if you open the case fully.  I slide this paper out and make a copy of it so that I can keep a notebook of all of the stamp sets that I have.  This notebook is an easy way to remember what images you have so you keep using them all!  Hope you enjoy the video.  Let me know if you have any questions!

I Like You More Than Chocolate!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  I Still Have A Lot To Learn :)

When I was in my teens and twenties I thought life was pretty rough.  I kept thinking that when I got "older" - whatever "older" meant to me then - that somehow I would have all the answers.  I figured by the time you were "old" that you wouldn't worry anymore about silly things and that you would spend your time thinking very deep and meaningful thoughts.  Well, I don't know about you, but now that I'm "older" I still have a lot to learn!  I don't have all the answers...at all!  I also worry about silly things and I keep wondering if there is ever an age, or a time, when those silly things will stop bothering me.  If you happen to know the answer to that question, please let me know :)  I hope I continue to learn many lessons on this journey called life! :)

Today's card was made for the Pals Paper Arts Challenge.  The inspiration was a yummy looking piece of chocolate on a red background :)  I used the chocolate stamp and the word "chocolate" from the Things I Love stamp set.  I stamped the chocolate in a few different browns and then covered them with Crystal Effects to make them look yummy enough to eat!  The greeting (other than the word "chocolate") came from the Love Bandits stamp set (such a CUTE set!).  Don't you just love our new epoxy brads!  So adorable!!!!  The real red card stock layer was run through our new polka dot embossing folder.  Hope you like it...and hope you like me more than chocolate...but if you don't, believe me, I understand :)

Cheep Talk - Clean and Simple

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Change and Transition Are Two Different Things

In his book, Transitions, William Bridges talks about the difference between Change and Transitions.  Change is the actual event - for example, getting injured or learning you have an illness.  Change happens in an instant.  Transitions, on the other hand, take time.  Transition means letting go of how things were and coming to terms with how things are now.  For each of us and for each event, we go through our transitions in different ways and in different amounts of time.  Sometimes, it seems, we feel we are supposed to be able to just "adjust" immediately.  Today, give yourself permission to go through your transitions in your own way.  It's not a race.  It is your way of coping with the changes that life constantly brings.

Today's card for the Clean and Simple challenge on SCS came together very quickly.  The only "rule" was that we had to use the color teal.  I seem to be in love with this little bird from the Cheep Talk stamp set...partly because he makes me think of Spring! :)  I stamped the bird in teal and then adhered him to a layer of certainly celery and popped him up on a few more layers with dimensionals.  The greeting was stamped and then hand-cut into a little flag.  (Now is a great time to purchase this adorable stamp set because it's Sale-A-Bration!!!!  Purchase $50 in product and receive a free Sale-A-Bration item!  Click HERE to shop now!)  Hope you have a beautiful day!

Loads Of Love

I had to post this card today!  My friend Meg came over yesterday and made this adorable card for her son's birthday!  I love how she paper-pieced the road - too cute!!!!