Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Let the Well Replenish

I was supposed to leave on a trip today, but Mother Nature had other plans in mind for me. This is the view out my window earlier today. The amount of white in backyard just increased as the day went on. One might think that today was a perfect day to stay inside and head into the craft room to create. Yet I found myself without the urge to create. Instead my inner well seemed to just want to rest and replenish itself. Maybe it was the peaceful snowfall, or the contemplation of leaving on a trip...whatever reason, I chose to respect my need to rest and replenish. So today I share with you a picture of peace and hope that it provides you a moment to stop and rest and replenish.

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Something Simple Can Say So Much!

Most of the people I work with on a day-to-day basis do not sit beside me. They are located in Boston, MA and we do most of our communicating by email. I had to send a FedEx package with some documents to the Boston office the other day and I thought it provided me a wonderful opportunity to create a card and send a heartfelt thanks to everyone who is working so hard on this particular project. I put the card together very quickly (since I had to run out to get the package to FedEx on time). It was simple...but the emails I received once the card arrived in Boston were amazing! Something simple can really say so much and make someone's day!

This journal is a birthday present for my sister-in-law. I used micro beads on the monogram (they are hard to see since they are so tiny). I hope she likes it!!!

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Challenge Yourself To Finish What You Started

Believe it or not, this card started about 12 hours ago! No, it didn't take me 12 hours to make, I just kept getting distracted by work, errands, chores...It got to a point where I thought I would never get myself back into the craft room to finish what I started. So I challenged myself. I told myself that after the dog was walked and the dishes put away, I needed to get myself back into the craft room to finish what I started. Here's the result (along with a healthy dose of a feeling of accomplishment - something you can't see in the picture :)

I ran the whisper white through a cb embossing folder. The letters were made by running some designer series paper (Urban Garden) through the Big Shot with my billboard alphabet die. I really like this color combo (pretty in pink, baja breeze, and kiwi kiss)!

So the next time you find yourself starting something and walking away, challenge yourself to finish what you started. You may be surprised by both the result and the wonderful feeling you get when you complete something!

Thought I would share another book I made today by using the following ingredients: felt, Big Shot (and dies), computer greeting, CuttleBug embossing folder, punches, bind-it-all. I made this one bold and bright since it's such a beautiful Spring day here in Denver! :)

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Try Some New Ingredients!

Michael and I went to a soft-service ice cream place awhile ago. I had grown quite fond of caramel mixed with Heath bar (yummy) and was trying to decide if I should go for the same ol' same ol' or try something new. So, Michael went first and he said, "I'll have caramel, Heath and banana." WHAT??!!! screamed the voice inside my head. BANANA with Heath and caramel??!!! How GROSS! Well, that little voice was SOOOO wrong! Caramel, Heath and Banana is AMAZING!!! (If you're thinking it sounds gross, I encourage you to try it...I think you'll be surprised! I was!).

So, as I sat in my craft room pondering today's project (a birthday gift for my niece) I decided to mix up some new ingredients. To run some felt through my Big Shot and to play around with fonts on my computer and to combine my new love for the bind-it-all....and vioila!!!! A bright pink and black diary was born :) If you haven't tried running felt (stiff or regular) or fun foam through your Big Shot, give it a try - it adds a lot of dimension and fun to projects! A whole new horizon for crafting recipes has just been opened for me!!!!! Yummmy!!!!!

I'm busy in the craft room tonight! I decided to make cards for the rest of the birthdays coming up in March. This cupcake was made by using the scallop circle punch for the top and cutting a brown piece of paper and running it through the crimper for the bottom. The candle is a thin piece of white card stock that I ran through the crimper as well. The flame is a tiny piece of summer sun card stock. I took out the Stickles to make the candle and frosting glittery :) Enjoy!

I'm playing with my Man's Best Friend stamp set...this set makes me smile :)

For the top card I ran kraft card stock through the Big Shot with a texturz impressions plate and then rubbed my Close to Cocoa ink pad over the raised impression.

The bottom card is just plain old stamping :) Sometimes it's fun to go back to the basics.

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Celebrate Love!!!!

I made this card today for my aunt and uncle. They are celebrating their wedding anniversary this week. I used the new Manahttan Flower texture impressions folder (pretty, isn't it?).

Today I am struck by how important it is to take some time out of our day-to-day to celebrate love! I am surrounding by love - the love of Michael, my family, my friends, my 4-legged house mates...I even think the birds and the squirrels in the backyard love us for all the peanuts, seeds and water we put out back :) Sometimes it can be easy to forget to celebrate all the love that we have - so today, take a minute to CELEBRATE (and if you want to put on a party hat and bake a cake for the occasion, go right ahead!!!!) :)

Last Night's Lesson from the Craft Room: Give It A Second Chance!

The first time I tried out the Stampin' Up! texture plates I have to admit that I wasn't really a fan. It could have been that I was used to the cb embossing folders. Or maybe it was because we didn't have the silicone pad and were improvising. However, last night I gave them a second chance and now I'm a HUGE fan!!!! My friend came over last night and we were trying them out (she just purchased them and decided to bring them with her last night so we could play). A new world opened up to me when she said, "I wonder what it would look like if we put ink over it." And that's when I fell in love :)

I ran kraft card stock through the Big Shot with the large dot texturz plate and then used close to cocoa ink. It made me think of luggage and travel...so this journey diary was born :)

So the next time you think you don't like something, be open to giving it a second chance...you never know what might happen!

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: When You Feel Overwhelmed and Like You Don't Want To Do Anything, Take Some Action

ok - I admit it - today's lesson sounds a little "down." And I will also admit that for some reason today I've been feeling a bit "down." Might be partly because I didn't spend any time creating. I think all this negativity in the news and about the economy has also impacted me today in a funky way. One of these days maybe I'll learn not to let the turkeys get me down!

So I was sitting here, just me and my funk tonight, and decided I would take some action and still do a post even though I'd really like to just get in bed and pull the covers over my head and wait for tomorrow. I'll do that in a little bit...but first, here's the post :)

This is a card that I submitted for a contest - for which I did not receive the call that said "You won!" I love the card and am hoping to make another one to actually send to my mom for mother's day (since I sent the original in for the contest). Hope you like it! I feel like it's a winner :) (Thanks for listening...I'm feeling better already :)

I had to share this picture with you. My beautiful white cat has decided that her favorite thing to do is to roll around in the dirt in the waiting-to-be-planted vegetable garden. There's nothing like watching a perfectly white, pristine cat decide that rolling in dirt is her favorite past time. She is now a gray cat and loving every minute of it :) Maybe we all need to play in the dirt a bit :)

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance!

This is the second frame I've made with this quote. My friend Caitlin, who is an AMAZING dancer, saw the first and her reaction to it made me realize I needed to make a second one and give it to her as a gift :) I LOVE this quote! Hope you like it too :)

I warned you...I'm addicted to my bind-it-all :) These mini books were made from 4 x 4 coasters that were cut down on one end and then filled with approximately 30 sheets of 3.5 x 3.5 card stock. They are so cute and easy to make!!!! I have a feeling you will be seeing more of these :)

Just a little Easter card that makes me smile and think of Spring :) I made this card about a month ago, but have decided it is time for it to come out of the craft room and onto the blog :) Think Spring!!!!

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Eat Your Dessert Before Your Dinner!

I woke up this morning and decided to change my routine a bit. I usually begin with walking the dog and then sit down to work and I find myself anxious to end the work day so I can finally do what I really want to do...which is to create. Today I decided to start my day a bit different. I walked the dog this morning and rather than hunker down and get to work, I decided to go into the craft room and start my day by creating. I know as a kid, I always wished I could eat dessert before dinner. And now as an adult, I let myself start my day with my dessert :) And no, I don't think I spoiled my appetite :)

For today's "going green" challenge on SCS, I cut the dictionary definition from an old dictionary (reduce, reuse, recycle) and sponged with sahara sand. The flower image is stamped with always artichoke on always artichoke card stock. The greeting is popped up on dimensionals.

Hope you like it!

OK, I admit it...I'm addicted to my bind-it-all! It sat on a shelf for months when I bought it and I finally decided to give it a try and now I'm crazy about it! I think these little books will make wonderful gifts - for myself and others :) If you have no idea what a bind-it-all is, you can check it out at www.binditall.com. They have a video you can watch to learn how the machine works. I have only made these small books so far...but the possibilities seem endless!!!!

(I was asked what paper I use on the inside for the pages. On these small books I use either unruled 3x5 index cards or ruled 3x5 index cards. I try to get the ones that are at least 30% recycled material. You can find them at your local office supply store. I can fit half a package - about 50 cards - in each of these small journals).

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Look at Things in a New Way

When I printed out today's sketch challenge, I flipped it horizontally and immediately saw an envelope! It's amazing how you can look at something in a new way and see something totally different. Sometimes we can shift our perspective by ourselves. Sometimes it takes someone else to come along and share a different perspective - a different way of seeing things - and then new worlds open up to us. It's as if we are seeing things that were always there, but were invisible to us!

I stamped the calendar with Staz-On on a piece of clear plastic (which is actually the packaging from a cb folder that I had purchased a few months ago...I knew it would come it handy!). I figure that once I decide who this birthday card is going to I can "check" the appropriate date boxes on the card.

Today, I hope we all see familiar things in new ways!

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Find Inspiration and Comfort in the Words of Others

Above my computer there is a quote that reads Alas for those who cannot sing, but die with all their music in them. Michael has a quote above his computer that says "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few. -Shunryu Suzuki. For both of us, these quotes provide comfort, guidance and inspiration whenever we take the time to read the words and think about what they mean to us. It continues to amaze me how a sequence of shapes and lines - letters and words - can be so powerful - can move us to inspired action or to tears.

So today I created a space to capture some of my favorite words and quotes. I often jot them down onto small pieces of paper, the back of an index card, or mark them with a piece of torn paper in a book - often they get lost or misplaced. Now I have a place to collect them - to refer back to them and appreciate them.

What's your favorite quote? I'd love to hear what words inspire you...I have a feeling they might find their way into my new place for safekeeping :)

Today's Lesson from the Craft Room: Focus On What You Have To Be Grateful For

I'm not sure when the habit started, but at some point in my life I decided to keep a journal every night. A simple journal where I would right down at least 6 things that I was grateful for that day. I have not always been consistent with the habit. I do find, however, that when I do take the time before I go to sleep to remember what I have to be grateful for, it puts me in a place where I am happy, content, and peaceful.

My last journal began as spiral bound index cards - the kind you find at any office supply store - and you look and wonder why the spiral binding made such simple index cards so expensive! I am on my few final "pages" and decided to save myself a trip to the office store and walk, instead, into the craft room. I have to admit that I had bought a bind-it-all machine quite a number of months ago and I had never taken it out of the box...until today! Now it is staying out of its box because I am thrilled with the ease of putting together my new gratitude journal and feel this project will make a very special gift for many people in my life (who I am very grateful for!).

So tonight, before you drift off to sleep, take a few minutes to reflect on your day and focus on all of those things you have to be grateful for. It may surprise you how long your list actually is.