Today's Lessons from the Craft Room: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again AND Bring your dreams to life!!!!

Today I woke up having dreamed about a card concept. It's funny how ideas come to you in the place between being asleep and being awake - the place where your mind is open and not critical. So, of course, I had to run into the craft room (after walking the dog and doing morning chores) and try to bring the dream vision to life. And I LOVE what came to life in front of my eyes! (I now am deciding what to do with the creation. I think I'd like to submit it for some type of contest so I'm going to hold off posting it here...I will keep you posted though).

What I can share is a card I submitted for Stampin' Up's monthly contest. I was sad that it didn't win a prize, however my cousin emailed me today to tell me it was on the Stampin' Up! website in the Stamper's Showcase so I got excited all over again! I can share this card with you since it is no longer "in the running." Hope you like it.

So today my two lessons live alongside one another. Bring your dreams to life AND, if at first you don't succeed, try try again...I'm bound to win one of these contest if I just keep trying!!!!! :)

Hi! I'm bananas for you!!!! My mom created me today - she was leafing through a Crafts 'N Things magazine and saw a pillow with a sock monkey on it and she got all excited and ran like a crazy woman into the craft room to try to put me together. I'm so glad she did!

Once she put me together with punches and a bit of paper piecing for my hat (she made my fringe by cutting a strip of card stock and then making little cuts into the strip...then she sprayed it lightly with water and scrunched, scrunched, scrunched it), she couldn't find an appropriate greeting for my card so she carried me (again, running like a crazy woman) into the office to get on the computer and make a greeting. I suggested she type "let's monkey around," but she said that that would limit who she could send the card to :)

Hope you like me as much as I like me :) And don't forget, I'm bananas for YOU!!!!!

Today's Lesson to the Craft Room: Stick with it!

Yesterday I decided I needed to start reorganizing the craft room...of course the hallway now looks like it has been struck by a tornado! Yes, I'm still working on it and am making slow and steady progress. So today's card is my congratulations for when I'm done! :) (which will hopefully be in the very near future!)

I was inspired by the utensil holder/bucket here http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/fo...d=123579265 3.

I scored 3 lines on the bottom of the card. I punched the stars from glossy card stock. The greeting is also stamped on glossy card stock with Staz-On ink. Whatever it is you are doing today, stick with it. If you do, congratulations are definitely in order!!!!!

Today I tried a new technique! I had never frayed ribbon before and once I frayed it I decided it might look very cool to cut up the frayed ribbon and glue it down to a piece of card stock. It makes the paper look handmade! I was really pleased with the finished product.

I used mono adhesive to coat the card stock and then applied the cut pieces of frayed ribbon. I used was paper to push the ribbon down into the glue (which will save you from getting incredibly sticky fingers if you decide to give this a try!). Let me know if you try it and how you like it!!!!

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: All You Have is All You Need

Today was a great day to be reminded of the lesson that all I have is all I need. The challenge on SCS was to be frugal - to use something we already had to create a card. I used the acetate box from one of my Sizzix dies and ran it through the Big Shot with the Circle Die and made acetate circles. I stamped them with white craft ink and then made the same circles out of card stock and attached them to the acetate with brads.

I also cut out 3x3 and a 3.5x3.5 squares of card stock and used those to dry emboss the "frame" on the card. I paper pierced around the frame.

I hope to always be reminded of this lesson since I seem to forget it sometimes (particularly when it comes to art supplies!). All I have is really all I need.

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Follow Your Own Rhythm!

Today I really noticed how my energy ebbs and flows throughout the day. At times I am focused and energized. At other times, distracted and dragging. So I tried something a bit new today. I worked when I was energized and did household chores when I felt I was dragging and here I am at 9 p.m. feeling like I accomplished a lot by following my own rhythm - rather than letting the time on the clock rule my day.

The color challenge on SCS today was also energizing! What great colors (summer sun, kiwi kiss and pumpkin pie)! I stamped the polka dot punch stamp in white craft ink on the summer sun paper. I also used white embossing powder for the heart image (also from the Polka Dot Punch stamp set). The "heart to heart" panel is attached using dimensionals so I could "tuck" the larger yellow panel underneath. Hope you like it!

Tonight's Lesson from the Craft Room speaks for itself...CREATE!!!! I made this sign using the clear flower Big Shot die and the Naturally Serif alphabet dies along with some of the free designer series paper from Sale-a-bration. I've included a photo with some up close detail since it was hard to get a great photo of the entire banner (need to work on my photography skills).

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Take a break!

Today's challenge on SCS was a lot of fun! We had to make a card by stamping with rubber bands wrapped around a stamp block...a ton of fun...as long as you don't snap yourself with the rubber bands (yes, I did it twice...ouch!).

I started the morning with a 7 a.m. conference call and by lunch time I was sooooo ready for a break. I thought...where better to take a break than the craft room?! So off I went to tackle the challenge and I had a ton of fun!!!! Sometimes you just need to take a little break from whatever you are doing...it can change everything :)

I used my sizzix clear flower die for the large blush blossom flower and sponged the edges with blush blossom ink. I punched ovals from sahara sand and then sprayed them with a little water and "crunched" them and then sponged the edges with sahara sand ink. The background was made by wrapping rubber bands around a block and inking it up with versamark and then embossing the image with clear embossing powder once it was stamped. Hope you enjoy...and thanks for taking a break with me :)

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Lose yourself in what you love!!!!

I am back home and I was sooooo happy to have some time today to lose myself in what I love!!!! Hello craft room!!!! Today the Virtual Stamp Night started at SCS - we are having folks over for dinner, so I could only do 2 of the challenges...but I'm planning on trying to catch up tomorrow. The first challenge was "Sketch a Little Love" - we were given a sketch and the only parameter was to stamp what you love...no surprise that my dog made it onto that card! The second challenge was a color challenge - I chose the combination of chocolate chip, apricot appeal and cameo coral. I was also soooo happy to unpack my SU! boxes and use some of my new stamp sets.

So, if you get a moment today - or any day - try to lose yourself in what you love!!!!

Today's Lesson from the Road: There's no place like home!!!

Today I'm on the road in Ohio and look at the picture Michael emailed me!!!!! When is the next flight???? OK, so maybe I went a little crazy on this last order...but I'm sure I'll make lots of cool stuff to share with you :) I'll be headed home tomorrow and I have to say that there's no place like home! Can't wait to start creating for you!!! :)

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Express Who You Are!

I have to travel today, so I decided to share a favorite card with you. I created this card for my amazing Aunt Marsha. She is an artist and a dancer and an incredible positive influence in my life. When she received the card from me she emailed me to let me know how special the card was to her and that she was putting it in her purse to carry it with her every day.

So, on this day that I have to travel, I offer you this quote from Martha Graham - to carry with you everyday. There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all time this expression is unique.

Have a wonderful day and express who you are - you are truly unique!

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Laugh Out Loud!!!!

So I have to admit that I can't even look at this little guy without laughing out loud! I had sooooo much fun putting him together for today's round box challenge on SCS! For some reason, the minute I saw the box shape, Humpty Dumpty came to mind. I paper pieced him together after sponging and "bricking" the box (I made the brick lines with an SU marker)...laughing all the way :) Hope he makes you smile and laugh out loud!!!!

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Color Your World :)

Today's challenge on SCS was a featured stamper challenge. The featured stamper was Julie M Lacey and the inspiration card I chose had a cupcake and a beautiful ribbon and greeting. The challenge requires you to change at least 2 things about the card. I changed the image, the color, the greeting, the layering and the ribbon.

As I was playing with this card I thought about quite a few color combinations and it never ceases to amaze me how color can set a mood or create a feeling. This card in red or purple or yellow would create a totally different mood than the green and bright blue - hopefully this combo makes you feel cheerful and bright!!!! Enjoy...and then go color your world! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!
Yes, you're seeing it right - it's a penguin for Valentine's Day! I teach skating on the weekends - I have 2 students right now and one of them is CRAZY about penguins. So, combine ice, penguins and Valentine's Day and this is what happens! I actually copied most of this card from a card by peggy-sue at SCS. It was so adorable, I couldn't resist! (Thanks peggy-sue!!!!). I made the greeting on my computer (something that is very easy to do and gives you a ton of flexibility to say what you want to say :)

May your day be sweet and filled with love!!!!

Today I found instructions for a "tent fold card." You can see the directions at http://paperpatty.blogspot.com/. I had no idea what I was going to do, but the minute I built the tent fold card and stood it up on my craft table I thought it would look very cute as a shark! So, here he is, not-so-scary teeth and all :) Hope he makes you smile :)

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Share your love

A friend's cat died suddenly today and I ran over to her house to provide her comfort. It's hard to know what to write today other than that I realize that in every card we make we are putting something of ourselves in it - we are sharing our love - and it really does make a difference...not only in our own life, but in the lives of others.

The fabric panel was sewn onto the teal card stock (I have no idea what kind of stitch that is...I'm quite new to this whole sewing thing and had thought I had set the machine to do a different stitch and SURPRISE, out came this one :) I stamped the flowers with bravo burgundy on taken with teal and summer sun card stock. Some of the flowers are popped up with dimensionals.

Hope you enjoy!

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Let it go...

It's been an interesting week at work for me and it's only Wednesday. I was letting the stress get to me today and walked into the craft room tonight to take a break and sure enough, I was able to let it go... When you're feeling stressed, take a break...and allow yourself to let it go...

This punch Japanese woman came from seeing a stamp that looks very similar - it inspired me! I punched her out a couple of nights ago and tonight she wanted to be a part of this Embrace Life card :) The black card stock went through a cb folder and the background paper and her kimono are both made from hand-painted paper I made quite awhile ago - it's finally getting put to good use.

Enjoy!!!!

Tonight's Lesson from the Craft Room: It's never too late!

I was going to go to bed without creating today. It was a long work day and I was tired. But somehow my day felt like it would be incomplete without letting my inner artist play a bit. So, I went into the craft room and brought a vision I had yesterday to life in today's card! It came together very quickly and now, once I finish this post, I can go to sleep peacefully - having allowed my inner artist to play :)

So before you decide to head off to bed remember, it's never too late! :)

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Spread the joy!
Today I received a request from a fellow stamper who is interested in making Punch the Magic Dragon in her upcoming punch class. She couldn't figure out from the photo how to make the eye lids for the dragon so she emailed me to ask for some help. This is the beauty of this virtual world - to be able to connect with people you might otherwise not have met. To help one another. To spread the joy! Here are the directions and photos for making Punch the Magic Dragon's eye lids...Enjoy!

Photo 1: Use large oval punch to punch a partial oval at the edge of a sheet of card stock.
Photo 2: This is what your card stock will look like once you punch the partial oval.
Photo 3: Use small oval punch on edge of paper where you just punched the partial oval.
Photo 4: Your card stock will now look like this and you will have one eye lid for Punch the Magic Dragon complete! Repeat process for second eye lid.

FISH BIG!!!! Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: A little humor can brighten your day!

Today's challenge on SCS was to cut out embossed images and incorporate them into a card. I looked through my cb folders and this one popped out since it looked like fish scales to me (OK, so maybe I don't spend a lot of time around fish, but really, it looked like scales to me!) :) I had looked at the gallery first thing this morning and saw Dawn Mercedes' card that used the swirl embossing folder as waves and I was inspired to combine the two! (Thanks Dawn!).

So, this is my rock fish in the waves. I made the hook out of a piece of wire. I had a hard time figuring out an appropriate greeting but my usual standby greeting set, short & sweet inspired me. "Wish big" became "Fish big!" (it's okay, you can smile and giggle :) Hope this silly little humor brightens your day :)