Happiness For You Note Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  You Will Be In Exactly The Right Place At The Right Time

Yesterday was a reminder to me of how we end up exactly where we need to be at exactly the right moment.  Two particular incidents stick out in my mind from yesterday.  The first was when I was in the craft room, doing my own thing, when Buddy started going bonkers.  Turned out one of our dog-walking friends was at the front door to say hello.  I invited her out onto the back porch and we sat and chatted and caught up on what had been going on for each of us.  Being on the back porch had not been a part of plan, and I'm so glad it was where I was...because along came a hummingbird!!!!  That is a very rare happening for us - we have seen two since we have lived here.  Had I not been outside at that precise moment, I would not have seen the fleeting bird.  Later in the day I was in the exact right place again.  We were walking Buddy and came across another dog-walking friend.  We began chatting about bike riding and ended up exchanging numbers so we can plan a ride together this weekend!  These unplanned meetings - with nature and friends - remind me yet again that I will always be in exactly the place I need to be at exactly the right time - whether I plan it or not :)
Today's 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" little card will be accompanying a gift that I will be giving to a friend this week.  I will share the little gift with you tomorrow :)  The colors I used are Pink Pirouette, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip and Early Espresso.  I love using the stamps from Fabulous Phrases to create my own greetings.  Here I stamped the words on two separate decorate label punches, cut them in half and then adhered them under the ribbon on the card.  I did a lot of sponging on this card - no surface was safe :)  I also used the delicate floral stamp from Tiny Tags to add some flowers to the tag.  I ran a scrap of Bashful Blue card stock through the Big Shot with the Framed Tulips embossing folder and then sewed it to the card with my sewing machine and gold metallic thread.  I used a piece of retired Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon - I still love it :)  Finally, I added a few tiny adhesive pearls.  Hope you like it :)

Nature Walk Birthday Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Face The Big Hills!

Yesterday I went for a bike ride and I faced the biggest hill yet on my exploration into the sport of road biking.  It's funny - I had ridden down the hill at the beginning of the ride and it felt so simple :)  I had forgotten about it when, about an hour and ten minutes later, there it was, staring me down.  I decided I had to face it and up I went.  Push by push; pedal by pedal - trying to keep some kind of rhythm.  I have to admit that I had a tinge of disappointed when I realized I was in my easiest gear possible and still had hill to climb.  But I decided then and there that I wasn't going to give up - I was going to face that big hill - just keep going my own pace - riding my own ride - up, up, up...I stayed seated the whole time - not wanting to expend the extra energy it would take to stomp on those pedals standing up.  I sat and...I made it!!!!!  What an amazing feeling - to face the big hill and make it up and over!  The next hill I came to actually felt like a downhill!  I had slayed the dragon and everything else was less frightening :)  I hope I can approach my life with this same determination - face the big hills and recognize that once I get over them, everything else will feel like a breeze :)
Today's card was inspired by bits and pieces on the craft table.  I spent time this weekend working on submissions for a magazine (I am keeping my hopes up!) and as I was putting things away, off of the craft table, I decided to put these items together to make a card.  The Very Vanilla card base is 5: x 5: square.  I added a strip of Marina Mist card stock and a piece of Victoria Lace ribbon, tied with a piece of hemp twine.  The bee from Nature Walk was stamped with Basic Black ink and cut out and then colored in using stampin' pastels.  I attached it to the card with dimensionals.  Finally I stamped the greeting from Sincere Salutations using Basic Black ink.  I hope you like it!  Now go face that big hill!

Four Ways Friday #61 - Batty For You (And Halloween!)

This week's Four Ways Friday has Halloween on it's mind :)  Join me as I share four ways to use the Batty For You stamp set!

It's easy to think that the images in Batty For You are only for punching out with the 1 1/2" circle punch.  Well sure, you can do that - as I did here with Frankenstein...but you can also stamp like crazy to make adorable background papers!  Here I stamped the different images on a Whisper White card base using Peach Parfait, Pear Pizazz, Concord Crush and Basic Black ink.  I added a strip of Concord Crush card stock, an extra large Pear Pizazz oval, a 1 3/4" basic black circle punch, and a modern label punched Full Calendar stamped image.  The letters are from the Timeless Type Alphabet sizzlits.  The "happy" is from one of the stamps in the On Your Birthday stamp set.

These stamps have great images to cut out and add onto cards!  Here I die cut the letters for "BOO" using the Serif Essentials dies and Basic Black, Pear Pizazz, and Perfect Plum card stock.  I then ran the letters through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice embossing folder.  The letters were then adhered to the Whisper White card stock base using a combination of glue and dimensionals.  I stamped the cat image by coloring the image on the stamp with Basic Black marker and then stamping onto Whisper White card stock.  I then cut out the cat and added it to the card with a dimensional.  So simple...although it makes a big statement :)  Hope I didn't scare you :)

If you enjoy using your paper snips, then this is the card for you! :)  The finished card is 5"x6".  I stamped the Bingo background using Early Espresso ink on a Crumb Cake card base.  I then stamped the Batty For You images with different colored inks and cut them all out.  Most of the images were popped up on the card front with dimensionals.  I added a piece of 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon and tied it off with a bit of linen thread.  I then layered a decorative label punch of Always Artichoke, a designer label punch of Concord Crush and one of the cut out images.  The greeting is from Teeny Tiny Wishes - stamped with Concord Crush, cut in half and then sponged with Early Espresso ink.

Paper quilling seems to be all the rage these days so I decided to incorporate quilling into this spider card!  I stamped the spider multiple times using Basic Black ink on a Pear Pizazz card base.  I then cut very thin strips of Basic Black card stock and curled two main bodies for the spiders.  I then curled legs and adhered them to the main bodies using glue.  Some googley eyes were added to the spooky spiders and then I added a rub-on greeting to finish the card.
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday - hard to believe I'm starting to think about Halloween!  I hope you have a wonderfully creative and peaceful weekend!!!!

Island Floral Flower Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Focus On What You Can Do, Not On What You Can't!

To say my mom is an active person is an understatement!  She spends about 3 hours at the gym, 5 days a week!  Her normal routine involves the treadmill, swimming and the recumbent bike.  A few months ago she began experiencing knee pain and it was impacting her ability to be as active as she was accustomed.  She went to the doctor and learned that she had a pretty bad medial meniscus tear and surgery was being recommended.  She was not happy about the news, but instead of focusing on what she wasn't able to do, she took the doctor's advice, scheduled the surgery (with a bit of reluctance) and focused on what she could do.  Swimming and the recumbent bike were still doable and not objectionable to the doctor, so do them she did!  I am happy to say that she had her surgery yesterday and is beginning her road to recovery.  My sense is that because she is in such great shape, she will have a swift recovery.  That treadmill better watch out!  Thank you mom for teaching me to focus on what I can do, not on what I can't!
Today's card was an opportunity to play with die cuts, punches and sewing :)  I die cut two of the flowers from the Island Floral Bigz die using Very Vanilla card stock.  I then sponged the larger flower with a mixture of Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry ink.  I crinkled the flower a little.  The smaller flower was sprayed/sponged with some Melon Mambo ink and then I used glue to attach a multitude of sequins that I had in the craft room.  A button was then added to the center after threading it with a touch of hemp twine.  I attached it using Crystal Effects.  I then die cut a flower using the Daisies #2 die and River Rock card stock.  I cut the flower every 3 petals which gave me four 3-petal pieces and one 4-petal piece.  I then adhered the sequin center to the large flower using dimensionals and then used glue to insert the flower pieces.  I curled the petals for some dimension.  Before adhering the flower to the River Rock card base I sewed a stem and the petals using gold metallic thread in the sewing machine.  The petals were cut from the 5-Petal Flower punch and Old Olive card stock.  Finally, I adhered the flower using glue.  I felt this card didn't need a greeting - the flower speaks for itself :)  I hope you like it!

Tiny Teacup Tea Bag Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Your Progress Will Become Apparent To You!

I went to the gym yesterday and, as always, I decided to warm up a bit on the recumbent bicycle.  I hadn't been to the gym in waaaaayyyyy too long, so my expectations weren't very high regarding what my body would be able to do.  And yet, when I got on that bike, I found that my usual level of 2 was way too easy, so I pushed it up to level 7 to warm up.  It felt great!  What I realize is that the time I've been spending on my bike has really been helping me make progress both on a muscular and cardiovascular level!  I was pretty surprised since the only exercise I had been doing lately was going on bike rides and taking Buddy for walks.  It's amazing how progress can sneak up on you and show itself when you least expect it!  My weight workout went well too - my stamina was a lot better than I imagined it would be!  I'm actually looking forward to my next trip to the gym...and yes, I'm going to make that happen this week!  So whatever exercise you are doing, keep doing it!  It's making a difference whether you're aware of it or not!
Today's card was inspired by a handmade book by Alisa Golden, shared in her book Making Handmade Books.  I saw her book and thought that it would be fun to make a tea bag shaped card to hold a tea bag gift!  I began with a piece of Confetti card stock and cut it to 4 1/4" x 11".  I then scored it in the center and folded it in half.  I cut off 1" from one of the ends and I scored the other end at 1" to create an inside "pocket" for the tea bag.  Here is what the inside looks like:

You can fit 2 tea bags in the card.  I secured the bottom flap with a bit of glue on the ends.  For the outside I stamped the tiny teacup repeatedly using Cherry Cobbler ink onto Very Vanilla card stock.  I backed it with a piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock before adhered it to the card.  The greeting is from Bring On The Cake, stamped with Cherry Cobbler ink and then punched out with the 1 1/4" circle punch and backed with a 1 1/2" Cherry Cobbler circle.  I adhered the greeting to the card with dimensionals.  Next, I made a small slit in the top of the card and ran a piece of Early Espresso ribbon through the slit.  I secured one end of the ribbon with glue on the inside of the card.  Finally, I created a tea tag with a small piece of Very Vanilla card stock that I scored in half and then made a small slit on top for the ribbon.  I stapled the top of the tea tag and then stamped "tea time" using the Calendar Alphabet & Numbers stamp set and Cherry Cobbler ink.  I hope you like it! :)

Box #2 Hanukkah Gift Box

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Some Days It Is Perfectly Clear; Other Days Quite Hazy

When I walk Buddy in the morning we usually pass by a number of places where we can get clear views of the mountains.  Yesterday, the mountains were crystal clear and I could see for miles.  On other days, I may find myself wondering where the mountains have gone since the air is hazy or the clouds have covered them and they are nowhere to be seen.  I realize that my life can feel like these mountains sometimes.  Some days my life and my purpose are perfectly clear to me - I am headed in exactly the right direction for myself.  On other days, things are really hazy - I wonder if I am doing the right thing or if I am just lost and floundering.  What I need to remember is that on those hazy days there is one thing that I can sure of - things will become crystal clear again if I am just patient.  Those mountains never really disappear - they are still there - just waiting for the right conditions to show themselves again.
Today's project is a box I made quite awhile ago to submit to a magazine with the hope of getting it published.  This box didn't get accepted, however another project I made did...I'll share that with you once it gets published!  This box was made using the Box #2 die and Brushed Silver card stock.  I heat embossed the flourish from the Season of Joy stamp set using silver embossing powder.  I added a few adhesive rhinestone jewels for some bling.  The Star of David was made by paper piecing 2 triangles and I added the dime since the dreidel game during Hanukkah is often played using coins.  I created the greeting on the computer and printed it onto Whisper White card stock.  The handle was attached with brads and then I added paper chain links to the handle with glue and gave them some rhinestone bling!  I hope you like it!

Friends 24-7 Scrap Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Ride Your Own Ride

I have been road biking quite a bit lately...and getting quite addicted to it!  I just love the feel of the wind in my face and the ability to cover more ground than when I was running.  It just feels "free!"  I have gone riding a number of times with friends/loved ones and I find myself getting all stressed at times - with those darn negative messages running through my head:  "Why can't you keep up with them?," "Why are you so slow?," "Go faster!  Pedal stronger!," "What would Lance Armstrong say?!"  These negative nellies inside my head leave me alone when I am riding alone.  It is just when I am riding with someone else, or if I try to follow someone I don't know who is in front of me on the bike path and moving fast, that I begin to give myself a hard time.  The one mantra I have begun telling myself when I become aware of these messages is "Ride Your Own Ride."  I am riding for myself - for the joy it makes me feel - for the exercise it is giving my body - for the pure freedom.  I just need a reminder so I don't fall prey to that lovely critic who likes to hang out in my head and wait for the perfect moment to pounce!  Ride your own ride - whatever it is that you are doing.  Do it for yourself - because it brings you joy - no matter what is going on around you.
Today's card is another one of my favorite card making rituals - to use scraps that I keep in a container - leftovers from cards I have made - pieces that I thought I was going to use and then chose not to.  For today's card I reached into that container and played with arranging the different pieces.  It was like putting a puzzle together!  I didn't do any stamping - just arranging and crumpling and I'm really pleased with the result.  The pieces are a piece of Naturals Ivory card stock stamped with the bird from Friends 24-7 in basic black ink; a large scallop circle punched from Sahara Sand card stock; a modern label punched from designer series paper; a tiny tag punched with the jewelry tag after having stamped a greeting from Tiny Tags onto Crumb Cake card stock with Chocolate Chip ink and adding a piece of linen thread; and finally a small piece of Very Vanilla seam binding that I frayed a bit after cutting an edge off of the ribbon.  I hope you like it!  Now go ride your own ride!  I'm going to :)

Four Ways Friday #60 - All In The Family

This week's Four Ways Friday is all about All In The Family!  This adorable stamp set lends itself well to cards, scrapbook pages, frames and tags.  Here are four ways to use it:

Just stamping and coloring these adorable kids is a ton of fun!  Here I stamped the bodies, arms, and heads using basic black ink on a Whisper White card base.  I then colored each of the kids in using markers.  A touch of dazzling diamonds adds a bit of sparkle.  The greeting is from Friends 24-7 and I stamped it with basic black ink and positioned it using the stamp-a-ma-jig.  Notice that you can easily color over lines, like the hair, to add additional color to these images.

For this second card I decided to make a family thank you card.  The images were stamped using a variety of ink colors and colored in using markers.  I combined the All In The Family set with the letters from the Broadsheet Alphabet stamp set.  This same idea could easily be used for an adorable scrapbook page or picture frame.  I sponged the card stock with Not Quite Navy ink and then spritzed the card stock with the Soft Suede marker using the color spritzer tool.  The edges were distressed with my fingernail.  I crunched the panel and then mounted it to a Soft Suede card base that had been spritzed with Soft Suede ink.  Finally, I took Very Vanilla seam binding and made a "bow" and then tied a piece of twine around the center before attaching it to the card with a glue dot.

The images in the All In The Family stamp set can create adorable backgrounds!  Here I stamped the dog multiple times using Always Artichoke ink on an Always Artichoke card base.  I then stamped the dog on a piece of Ivory Naturals card stock and cut it out.  A Confetti panel was cut and then a smaller Soft Suede panel was run through the paper crimper before attaching it to the Confetti panel with glue.  The dog was attached to the panel using a dimensional and then I covered the dog with Crystal Effects.  The greetings are from a combination of On Your Birthday and Friends Fur-ever.  They were cut out and added to the panel with glue and then the entire panel was attached to the card with dimensionals.

Don't forget that you can use the heads and legs without the bodies and you can use the clothes on their own too!  For this card I began by stamping the head and the arms, as well as the clothes, using basic black ink.  I then added color using markers and a bit of dazzling diamonds and cut out all of the images.  Next, I stamped the legs onto the Whisper White card base.  I cut a piece of white cotton batting to act as a towel and attached it to the card using glue.  The arms were added with glue and the head with a dimensional.  Next I made tiny wire hangers using wire, round nose pliers and wire snips.  I then "hung" the clothes on the hangers using glue and added a brad (after I cut off the prongs) using glue.  The clothes were then added to the card using either glue dots, glue or dimensionals.  Finally, I added the words using the Calendar Alphabet & Numbers stamp set (and a black marker for the dots and the exclamation mark).  I love how you can use alphabet stamp sets to create any sentiment you want!
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!  I hope these cards will inspire you to pull out this oldie but goodie stamp set and get creative this weekend!  Have a wonderfully creative and peaceful weekend and, if you live in the United States, enjoy the Labor Day weekend!

Trio Punch Flower Gift Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  I Still Like To Be Validated
There is a bookstore not far from where I live.  There is a parking garage where the store is located and, if you take your parking ticket in the store with you, they will validate the parking for you so you can park for free.  When I was there awhile back and walked up to the register and asked to be validated, the person at the register said, "You are a beautiful human being!" and then stamped my parking ticket!  Talk about validation!!!!!  Although I have tried to convince myself that other people's opinions don't matter at all, I realize that I'm a bit full of it!  It still feels good to be validated - here on the blog - or when I receive evaluations after I've conducted a training session (something that I do quite frequently as part of my work life).  I guess Maslow was right when he said that as human beings we all have a need for recognition - to be acknowledged for our contribution.  It truly does feel good!  Thank you to those of you that leave comments for me (Lorraine and Doris I really appreciate your words - they make me feel AWESOME!!!).  I really appreciate your validation!!!!!
Today's card was one that I put together quickly to leave on Michael's pillow before heading out on my last work trip.  I took a 3" x 6" piece of River Rock card stock and folded it in half.  I then adhered a little rectangle of Whisper White card stock with glue.  The greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes was stamped in Basic Black ink with the help of the stamp-a-ma-jig.  I then punched three little flowers using the flower punch from the trio punch out of Basic Black card stock.  I adhered them to the card and then placed a self-adhesive rhinestone jewel in the center of each flower!  I hope you like it

Check out the new HOLIDAY MINI CATALOG!!!  You can click on the picture in the upper right-hand corner of my blog to see inside the catalog for our new products & ideas!  Enjoy!!!!

Every Little Bit Hello Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Do We All Feel Inside Like We Are A Fake And That Someone Is Going To Figure That Out?

I had dinner with a beautiful friend tonight and somewhere along the way in our conversation we began to talk about how there are times in our lives when we feel like we are fakes and that someone is going to discover our masquerade and realize that we are just us after all.  I was actually relieved to hear that I'm not the only one who walks around this planet concerned that somehow I will be found out - that people will realize I really don't know what I'm talking about - that underneath it all I am still that little geek who went through my younger years feeling pretty small and irrelevant and somehow a part of that has stuck with me.  So rather than wait to see if you figure out that I'm just a fake and that underneath it all I am a sensitive little girl with a squishy underbelly wanting to be loved, let me just tell you - I am.  I cry when I am sad.  I hurt when I see others hurting (or when I watch Hallmark commercials!).  I want to protect those that I love and the underdogs.  I pick up worms that find their way into puddles in the rain and sidewalks in the sun.  I have curly hair most days and straighten my hair when I travel for work - it is part of the "costume" I wear.  I get tired after conducting training courses and rejuvenate best by being in a quiet space or watching the birds in the backyard - away from electronic devices and mechanical noise.  I worry about my stomach (more affectionately known as my "pooch") and find it easy to criticize myself when I look in the mirror.  I get scared that when I am conducting a training session everyone will just stand up and walk out on me.  So there you have it.  Now that you know, you can decide whether to visit with me again.  I hope you will :)
Today's card was simple - just like me :)  I punched a hole into the front of the Rich Razzleberry card stock using the 1 1/2" circle punch.  I then punched a hole in a piece of River Rock card stock and then punched again with the scallop circle punch to make the "frame" for the hole.  I adhered it with glue.  Next I stamped the "hello" from Pennant Parade using the stamp-a-ma-jig and basic black ink.  The cat from Every Little Bit was stamped onto a piece of Whisper White card stock, punched out with the 1 3/4" circle punch, adhered to the inside of the card, and then colored in with markers.  Finally, I covered the cat with Crystal Effects for a bit of shine.  I hope you like it!!!!

Circle Circus Birthday Greetings

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Surround Yourself With Supportive Voices

When we decide to make changes in our lives - to pursue that which we feel is best for us - we need to surround ourselves with those voices that are supportive of us, as opposed to those that will try to throw up obstacles or fears.  Sometimes we can't find a friend or relative who can be that support.  Don't you worry!  There are plenty of supportive voices out there - you just need to find them!  You can find those voices in books, from on-line friends, from songs - if you look for the supportive voices you will find them and they will speak to your heart.  And don't forget, you are your own best support system!!!! :)
Today's card began with stamping the image from Circle Circus onto the River Rock card base using VersaMark ink.  I then crumpled a piece of Early Espresso card stock, tore a couple of the edges, and sewed it to the card with my sewing machine and gold metallic thread.  I punched a decorative label out of Naturals Ivory card stock and stamped the same background image using River Rock ink at 1/2 strength.  I sponged the edges with Early Espresso ink.  I then adhered the greeting from On Your Birthday which I stamped in Early Espresso onto Naturals Ivory card stock, punched out with the modern label punch and then sponged with Early Espresso ink.  Next I adhered a very small piece of seam binding ribbon and added an antique brad on top of it.  This entire piece was then adhered to the card front using dimensionals.  I hope you like it!

Circle Circus Thinking Of You Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Learn What Centers You

This past weekend I seemed to be totally out of whack.  I had somehow gotten myself into a funk and felt like I was totally out of sorts.  Physically I felt exhausted and mentally my internal voice was filled with all kinds of negative yuckiness (that's a technical term :)  I realized I was very much off center and had to figure out what would center me.  I turned to a few of the things that I can rely on to bring me back to a state of calm - walking Buddy, stamping in the craft room, sitting outside and watching the birds.  I know that any and all of these activities have the power to help me find myself again.  Do you know what centers you?  Keep that list in your journal or in the forefront of your mind.  If you don't know what centers you, consider when you feel the most calm.  Where are you?  Who is around you?  What are you doing or not doing?  If you know what centers you, you have the power to bring yourself back to a safe space when your life tries to turn you upside down.
Today's card was all about simplicity.  I stamped the image from Circle Circus in a variety of ink colors:  Perfect Plum, Early Espresso, Rich Razzleberry, and River Rock.  I then added a touch of dazzling diamonds to the circles.  The greeting from Sincere Salutations was stamped with Basic Black ink using the stamp-a-ma-jig.  I hope you like it!

Look Where I Was Today!!!!

The USA Pro Cycling Challenge was happening in Denver today!  It was the final stage of the race - Stage 6.  The stage began in Golden, Colorado and came right into Denver!  We biked down to watch the action first hand and we found a perfect spot on a corner that was part of a lap that the racers rode 6 times!!!!!  This was the last pass around and Levi Leipheimer, the ultimate winner of the overall race, came by and I snapped this lucky picture!!!!  Yeah Levi!!!!!  It was amazing to watch these racers - they truly ride like a swarm of bees!  So close together and moving as one!  I hope they come back next year!!!!

Four Ways Friday #59 - Dot, Dot, Dot

This week's Four Ways Friday is all about the Dot, Dot, Dot stamp!  I combined the stamp with a few other stamp sets to give you some ideas for how versatile the Dot, Dot, Dot stamp is!

The Dot, Dot, Dot stamp serves as a great background stamp for your cards!  Here I stamped the dots using River Rock ink.  I stamped the greeting from Vintage Vogue in Chocolate Chip ink with the help of my stamp-a-ma-jig.  I then used a rock & roll technique to stamp the flowers from Vintage Vogue onto scraps of Whisper White card stock.  I cut the flowers out and then adhered them to the card front using either glue or dimensionals.  Adding the buttons to the flower centers with glue dots was the final touch!

Don't forget that you don't have to stamp the entire dotted image!  Here I used sticky notes as masks to mask off a rectangular area in the middle of the card and then stamped over the masked area with the Dot, Dot, Dot stamp and Tempting Turquoise ink.  I stamped the greeting from Short & Sweet with Basic Black ink and then added the cut out dog from Friends Fur-ever (one of my favorite stamp sets!).  The Melon Mambo punched heart was the final addition - adhered with glue.

I created this tag using the Dot, Dot, Dot stamp in a couple of ways...can you see them?  Here I die cut the tag from Very Vanilla card stock using the Two Tags die.  I then stamped the front flap of the tag with the dot stamp and Crumb Cake ink.  I stamped the back of the tag with Crumb Cake ink at 1/2 strength.  The greeting is a combination of stamps from Define Your Life and Upsy Daisy.  I used the modern label punch to punch out the word "birthday" and sponged the edges with Early Espresso ink.  Crystal Effects was used to adhere the champagne glass glitter to the greeting.  Can you see where else I used the Dot, Dot, Dot stamp?  I took a piece of Very Vanilla seam binding and stamped the seam binding (front and back) with the Dot, Dot, Dot stamp and Crumb Cake ink!  I love dressing up ribbon/seam binding this way!  I tied the ribbon with a small piece of linen thread.  The cut out bird from Friends 24-7 peeks out from the inside of the tag :)

Don't be afraid to stamp the same image over and over on top of itself!  Here I kept stamping the Dot, Dot, Dot stamp, using different ink colors, onto a piece of Whisper White card stock.  I then punched out the card stock using the ornament punch.  It's hard to see, but I added a whole bunch of dazzling diamonds with 2-way glue to make the ornament sparkle!  I sponged the edges of the ornament with Tempting Turquoise and then tied a small piece of gold elastic to the top of the ornament.  A piece of grosgrain ribbon acts as the ornament hanger and was glued to the Very Vanilla panel before adding the ornament with dimensionals.  I sponged the edges with Old Olive ink and then adhered the panel to a Real Red panel.  The large eyelet was added using the crop-a-dile.  I finished off the tag with red satin ribbon.
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!  I hope you have a very creative and peaceful weekend and for those of you who live in the United States and are in the path of Hurricane Irene, I wish you a very safe weekend as well!

Short & Sweet Best Wishes Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  How Easily Is Our Attention Diverted?

I remember that as a child I had the ability to sit and play or read for hours.  I remember coloring those geometric patterns in my Altair Design coloring books for long periods at a time (did you color in those coloring books?).  Today, the ability to approach things with that type of focus is what I crave.  It seems that the slightest thought or distraction can totally set me off in a new direction - I might be reading and then I see a reference to another book or author and I am immediately up and out of my chair, headed for the computer, to go and look up the reference.  Or I will start to tell a story to a friend as we walk toward the park and their attention will be grabbed by a person up the street and we will never come back to my story.  So I'm sensing I'm not the only one suffering from this condition - I won't call it attention deficit disorder - although the name seems to fit.  Where has our ability to provide our undivided attention to our tasks or to others gone?  I miss it.  I feel more scattered these days - like I am a bouncing ball who never comes to a state of rest.  I appreciate the craft room as one of those places where, if I am protective and vigilant, I can allow myself to remain in a state of focused attention.  (It's so funny - as I was typing my last sentence, my attention was just taken away by the finish of Stage 2 of the US Pro Cycling Challenge on tv and Willow meowing at the top of her lungs :)  A reminder that I still have some work to do on focusing my attention :)
Today's card began with a Melon Mambo card base that I ran through the Big Shot with the Tulip Frame embossing folder.  I then stamped the floral image from Tiny Tags at half strength using Chocolate Chip ink.  I then took a piece of Confetti card stock and scored it in half and then 3/4" from one end.  I tore the end of the scored 3/4" piece and used a piece of twine to hold this little "pocket" together.  I stamped the pocket with the floral image from Tiny Tags using River Rock ink and then stamped the other decorative image using Melon Mambo.  An adhesive pearl adds a bit of elegance.  Finally, I created a small River Rock insert for the "pocket" and stamped the top with a greeting from Short & Sweet with Chocolate Chip ink.  The pocket was then adhered to the front of the card using dimensionals.  I hope you like it!

Vegging Out

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sometimes You Just Need To Veg Out!

I think Willow has it right :)  She climbed into this oak barrel where we grow tomatoes and decided it was the perfect place to take a nap!  I am following her lead today and I am going to veg out as well (although not in the oak barrel...not enough room for the two of us!) :)  I will be back tomorrow.  Hope you have a great day...maybe you'll get a chance to veg out too :)

Retired Stamp Set Note Cards

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sometimes We Fret About Things For More Time Than It Actually Takes Us To Do Those Things

I'm guilty!  Sometimes I get myself so worked up about my "to-do" lists - all the things I need to get done by a certain day.  I think if I counted all of the minutes I worry about getting those things done, they would far surpass the amount of time the tasks actually take to get done.  So why am I bothering to allow myself to worry about them?!  Case in point.  On Friday I had a list of things I needed to get done by Monday and I had anticipated working on them all weekend.  I think I had started worrying about the list beginning on about Wednesday of last week!  So, what happened?  On Saturday I decided to take a 2 1/2 hour hike rather than sit and do work (yeah!).  In my mind I began to realize that the work would likely, in reality, not take me much time.  And then on Sunday I ended up on a 4-hour biking adventure to a gorgeous park!  And here I sit (I am writing this on Sunday night) and guess what?  I was able to get the tasks done in about 2 hours of focused time!  I am so glad that I decided to stop all the fretting and do those things I really wanted to do.  I know I still need to work on minimizing the fretting - at least I'm headed in the right direction!
Today's cards were made using a retired stamp set from a number of years back.  I LOVE the quotes!  I stamped the images with Jet Black Staz-On and then colored the images in with colored pencils.  I added a dash of Crystal Effects and a bit of dazzling diamonds for some added texture and bling.  I really like the simplicity of these cards since the quotes are truly the focal point.  These are headed to a family member as a birthday gift.  I hope she likes them! :)

Friends 24-7 Scrap Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: You Can Miss Beauty So Easily

I was out of town for a few days last week.  The drive to the airport turned out to be a learning experience for me.  I was driven to the airport and rode in the back seat of the car.  Once I was inside the airport I realized that I hadn't even looked up while I was in the backseat and so I totally missed one of the favorite things I enjoy about the drive to the airport - the amazing vista of the mountains to my left.  I couldn't believe I hadn't even caught a glimpse of the mountains!  Usually it is the one thing I anticipate on the drive!  I was fortunate when it turned out that the gate for my flight was at the end of a terminal.  And there, at the end of the terminal was a full wall of windows looking out onto those gorgeous mountains!  This time I got lucky.  What it made me realize is that you can miss beauty so easily if you don't pick your head up and look around you.  I know this is true when I walk with my head down on the sidewalk.  Now I know it is true when I am traveling in the backseat of a car.  From here on out I'm going to do all I can to keep my eyes open and take in the beauty around me!!!!
Today's little 3x3 card is a card that I put together using scraps on the craft table!  This is becoming one of my favorite things to do since I usually end up with a piece that I would never have created if I had set out with intent!  I used bits and pieces from die cuts and a cut out of the bird from Friends 24-7.  The greeting is from Elements of Style.  Life truly is a matter of moments - moments that we will miss if we don't open our eyes!

Four Ways Friday #58 - Sincere Salutations (& Video!!!!)

For this week's Four Ways Friday I decided to use the Sincere Salutations stamp set in four simple ways!  For each of these cards, I only used the Sincere Salutations stamps and no other stamp sets!  I have to admit that this is one of my favorite stamp sets and I use it again and again and again!

This first card is so simple to make!  Here is a video to show you how to use your punches and die cuts as stencils to create this card:

Talk about simple!  For this second card I die cut a piece of chipboard using the Serif Essentials dies and then coated the letter with Crystal Effects and silver glass glitter!  I stamped the greeting with the stamp-a-ma-jig and Basic Black ink and then adhered the letter with glue.  So simple and quite dazzling!

I love the look you get when you repeatedly stamp a greeting!  Here I stamped the "get well soon" greeting three times using the stamp-a-ma-jig.  First I stamped it in Regal Rose, then Melon Mambo, and finally Rich Razzleberry.  I then punched flowers from card stock of those same three colors using the Boho Blossoms punch and the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack.  I adhered them to the card with a mix of glue and dimensionals, just to create some dimension on the card.  Finally, I added some rhinestones and pearls.

This final card is all about repeat stamping as well!  Here I began by stamping the "holiday greetings" stamp onto a scrap of Whisper White card stock using Cherry Cobbler ink.  I then went back and stamped over it using the same stamp and Always Artichoke ink.  I then cut out the two triangles and sponged the edges with Always Artichoke ink to create the trees.  The trunks are just rectangles cut from Soft Suede card stock.  I then sponged the edges of the trunks with Soft Suede ink.  The trunks were adhered to the Very Vanilla card panel with glue and then the greeting was stamped on the card, with the help of the stamp-a-ma-jig, using Cherry Cobbler ink.  I then adhered the larger tree to the card with dimensionals and the smaller one with glue.  The final touch was to add some rhinestone brads (with glue dots) as ornaments on the larger tree before adhering the panel to an Always Artichoke card base with glue.
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!  I hope you have an amazingly peaceful and creative weekend!!!!!  Enjoy!!!!!

Notably Ornate Birthday Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  No Matter How Pretty The Flowers Are Somewhere Else; The Flowers Are Always Prettiest In Your Own Backyard :)

Michael went on a business trip and when he got home I asked him to help me come up with a lesson from the craft room for today.  Today's lesson is what he shared :)  There were flowers outside of the small house where he stayed on his trip and he would sit and watch them in the late afternoons.  He loved watching the small bees and bugs flying around; watching all the colors change in the light.  And yet, the flowers that grow here, in his own back yard, feel special in a different way.  I wonder if these flowers reflect back to him the love he has shared with them.  That somehow they know what care he has provided to them and that shows in the way they bloom and radiate in the back yard.  When you pour your love into something - when you help something grow - it truly does become the prettiest thing around! :)
Today's card began with a desire to bring the kitchen into the craft room!  I hadn't played with salt in my art work in a long time and this card provided the perfect opportunity!  I began with a piece of glossy white card stock and sprayed it with Perfect Plum ink (that I had mixed with water in a little spray bottle) and So Saffron ink and then sprinkled the piece with two different kinds of salt (finely ground and coarse) and then let it dry.  Once it dried, I brushed off the salt and then stamped the piece with black Staz-On and images from the Notably Ornate stamp set.  I then sponged the edges with Perfect Plum and Basic Black ink.  Next I punched a decorative label from Perfect Plum card stock and sponged the edges with Basic Black ink.  I then stamped the greeting from On Your Birthday with Basic Black ink on Very Vanilla card stock, punched it out with the modern label punch and sponged the edges with Basic Black ink.  The greeting was adhered to the decorative label with glue and then the piece was adhered to the salted and stamped panel.  I then poked the antique brad through the layers before adhering the entire panel to the Very Vanilla card with dimensionals.  I hope you like it!