Out On A Whim Wednesday: Painted Tile Baby Sign

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  The primary benefit of practicing art, whether well or badly, is that it enables one's soul to grow." -Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
I'm not sure if you have had this experience, but I find that when people walk into my craft room they inevitably end up asking me what I am doing with all of the things I create - specifically if I'm going to sell them.  It's an interesting question and one that is also a little curious to me at the same time.  I get the impression that if my response was that I have absolutely no plans for my creations those same people would wonder why I'm bothering in the first place.  I mean, why would you make something if you don't have a specific plan for it - a plan to make money on it or give it away or decorate your home?  For those of us that make art, the secret lies so much deeper than the product of our efforts.  We realize the truth in Kurt Vonnegut Jr's words - that the primary benefit of practicing art isn't about financial gain or home decorating - the primary benefit is that it enables our souls to grow.  With each creative act you engage in, you are nurturing and growing your soul.  Whatever you eventually choose to do with your art, know this - you are doing exactly what you need to do just by creating it.
I went out on a whim again with my tile paint!  This time I chose to make a baby gift for a friend.  Here's the process I went through to create the tile.  I began with a blank tile and printed the baby's name on the computer.  I used tracing paper to get the outline of the letters onto the tile:

Next I used special paint that you can bake in your oven to outline and fill in the letters and add circles to the tile:

Then I used the same special paint to paint some of the circles:

The tile was then left for 24 hours to dry before being baked in the oven.  Once the tile had cooled, I drilled holes into the tile and created the hanging wire with beads and wire.  I hope you like it :)  If you do, you will definitely want to check back on Friday since I will share with you a similar sign I created using my Stampin' Up! supplies! :)

Foam Fortune Cookie With Stamped Fortune & Video!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Are You Listening To What They Are Trying To Sell You?

I'm not sure why I was paying attention - usually I tune out during commercials when I'm watching tv.  But for some reason, I was paying attention to the two commercials that came on the other day.  The first was for Campbell's Soup.  And do you know what that commercial said?!  Let me quote, "Nothing brings you together like chicken noodle soup from Campbell's!"  Really?!?!  Are we supposed to believe that!  That there is nothing that can bring a family together like that product?????  It got better - next came the commercial for Overstock.com.  (and I actually have to admit to having purchased something from O.co prior to seeing this commercial).  I started laughing when I heard what that commercial said.  Let me quote again, "You'll find everything you need for a healthier, happier year!"  Really?!?!  Everything I need for a healthier, happier year!!!!  Hmmm - let me see what would be on my list - health for my family, peace in the world - or at least a tolerance for one another, regular exercise, a positive attitude toward what life will bring me in the coming year...do they really sell that on Overstock.com?!  I don't think so!  So how have commercials become so ridiculous?  Or maybe we have become a bit ridiculous by believing that a product, whatever it is, can bring us together like nothing else or can be everything we need for a healthier, happier year.  As long as you're listening, here's what I'm selling...I'm selling the belief that our connection, health and happiness is not achieved through something we can buy on-line or in a store.  It is found, instead, within ourselves and in our relationship with others.  (ps.  I want to thank you Doris for your amazing comment yesterday - it means so much to me and really supports today's lesson - I so appreciate the relationship you are sharing with me - it is a part of what is creating my healthy, happy year!).
Here is a video to show you how I created this foam fortune cookie with a stamped fortune!  They look good enough to eat! (but please don't...how's that for a legal disclaimer :)  Enjoy!!!!

Just Because Gift Tag

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Cut It Out, Don't Cut It Down!

When I was walking Buddy the other day, the song Colors Of The Wind from the Disney movie Pocahontas came rushing into my head.  Don't ask why, but they did.  (And I apologize if my mentioning it now means that you will have the song running through your head all day :)  Anyway, there is a line in the song that goes like this, "How high does the sycamore grow?  If you cut it down then you'll never know."  These words kept playing over and over in my head as I walked.  Then I realized why they were nagging at me - it was a very clear message to myself.  I know I have told you this before and here I am telling you this again - I have self-talk that is not always the most supportive or helpful.  I have a tendency to cut myself down quite a bit.  Somehow I'm not good enough or creative enough or _________ enough and my internal self-talk likes to harp on that and I am, well, sick of it!!!!!  So these lyrics came to me as a message - to remind me that if I keep cutting myself down I will never know how high I can grow!  If I can cut it out and stop cutting myself down, then I will be able to realize my potential.  So that's today's lesson from the craft room:  Cut it out; Don't cut it down!!!!  (ps  It is kind of embarrassing to share that I have yucky self-talk.  Somehow I think that I'm the only one who might be walking around the planet like that...but I think I might be wrong.  If you have similar negative chatter in your mind, just think of how much you could grow if you would release that chatter!).
Today's tag accompanied a recent gift to a friend.  I began with a vintage tag that I added some torn pieces of dictionary too.  Then I sprayed and stenciled and stamped the tag.  Then I gessoed it to tone-down some of the writing and sprayed and stenciled and stamped some more!  I created the flower using ribbon and some muslin.  (I'll show you how I made the muslin part in a video tomorrow!).  I sprayed the ribbon flower with a mixture of water and ink so that it would match the tag.  The seam binding ribbon used at the top of the tag was also sprayed.  The large oval from Notably Ornate was stamped (I only inked up part of the image so that I didn't get the words or the lines that are on the stamp).  I punched it out using the large oval punch and adhered it over some seam binding ribbon that I had sewn to the tag using gold metallic thread.  I then added a "banner" of sponged card stock that I had stamped with the greeting from Notably Ornate.

Here is a look at the back of the tag (this may ruin the surprise to the person I just sent this too - oops!  I edited out her name just in case she hasn't received it yet)!  I decorated the back of the tag as I had the front.  The only addition is that I took a piece of transparency/window sheet and cut it to fit most of the back of the tag and then I adhered it to the tag in 2 of the corners using mini glue dots - they are pretty invisible!  I was then able to use a Sharpie marker to write on the transparency.  I love that this allows the collage underneath to show through!  I'm also not too disappointed by my sloppy sewing (my sewing machine got stuck and being the unskilled sewing machine operator that I am, this was the best I could do :).  I like how you can see the bunches of threads.  Playing with tags has really been a lot of fun for me - a nice change from standard cards.  I hope you like it!

Four Ways Friday #75 - Petite Pennants Builder Punch (& Video!!!!)

Welcome to Four Ways Friday (and happy Friday the 13th)!  Today I'd like to share four ways to use your Petite Pennants Builder Punch!

Let's start simple!  The plain triangle makes a perfect flag/banner!  Here I punched a piece of Real Red card stock for the flag.  I stamped a "1" using Calendar Alphabet & Numbers and punched it out and popped it up on the flag.  I adhered a piece of Garden Green card stock to the Whisper White card base and then added a small punched oval of Crumb Cake card stock with glue.  The greeting from On Your Birthday was stamped with the stamp-a-ma-jig and Jet Black Staz-On.  I then cut a thin strip of Early Espresso card stock and adhered it to the card with glue.  The flag was then adhered to the end of the strip with glue.  Finally, I punched a small circle from Whisper White card stock and used my embossing tool to press into the circle so that it would become "raised."  I then used a very small piece of a dimensional to adhere it to the card.  So simple!

Why stop at one triangle when you can use many?! :)  Here I punched a bunch of plain triangles from Cajun Craze card stock.  I then glued them down, one by one, onto a Crumb Cake card base.  I trimmed the excess from the ends once the glue had dried.  Next I took the (SNEAK PEEK) Sale-a-bration Everyday Enchantment Lucky Limeade organdy ribbon and wrapped it twice around the card and knotted it.  I then cut out one of the doilies from the Flirtatious specialty designer series paper and adhered it to the card with glue.  I then stamped the tag from Tagtastic using Chocolate Chip ink onto Very Vanilla card stock.  I punched out the tag using the decorative label punch, sponged the edges with Chocolate Chip ink and then spritzed the card and the tag with the spritzer tool and a Chocolate Chip marker.  I added a (SNEAK PEEK) Sale-a-bration Everyday Enchantment brad using my piercing tool and then adhered the tag to the card with dimensionals.

Stegosaurus!!!!!!!  I'm laughing even as I am typing this!  How did I come up with this one?  Well, I had punched a bunch of the triangles out and had started playing with curling them and gluing them together and somehow those glued pieces looked like the scales/spines on a stegosaurus!  (are they even called scales/spines?)  I cut one of the scalloped triangles in half and glued the halves together for the head.  I added a googley eye (you can use punched circles just as easily).  The card body was made with the Clear Circle die.  I cut a piece of Basic Grey card stock and folded it in half and the made sure to line up the card stock just inside the outline of the circle die so that the top of the card would remain intact.  I then cut off the bottom of the circle.  Next I used the oval punch to cut the legs.  I then ran the card and the legs through the Big Shot with the Distressed texturz plate (it is a bit hard to see the texture in the photo).  I then punched out eight of the plain triangles.  I cut three of them in half to make the straight spines and I curled and glued five of them to make the curled spines.  I found that the curled spines stayed together much better when I glued them with Crystal Effects!  I then sponged all of the pieces with Basic Black ink and adhered them to the card with Crystal Effects.  Finally, the greeting from Just Believe was stamped and torn out of Whisper White card stock and adhered to the card with dimensionals.  I hope this one makes you smile :)  And, if it didn't, maybe this last one will!!!!! :)

Making creative punch art from punches is always a ton of fun!  I played with the scalloped triangle shapes and came up with this poodle!  Here is a video to show you how you can make one!

I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!  I hope these projects inspire you to look at your Petite Pennants Builder punch in a new way!!!!!  Wishing you a wonderfully peaceful and creative weekend!!!!!

Here's Looking At You Kid! Owl Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Help Spark Someone's Creativity!!!!!

One of my friends was sharing with me that she was out of touch with her creative side.  She and her husband are struggling a bit financially right now and she has also been dealing with some chronic pain in her hips and back.  It seemed to me like the perfect time to try to help spark her creativity since I know, first-hand, how therapeutic creativity can be!  So I decided to put together a basket of creativity for her!  I kept walking around my craft room pulling things off shelves and out of drawers and placing things into small plastic bags or directly into this recycled basket!  It was fun putting the mix of card stock, canvas, fibers, bottle caps, lace, fabric, ribbon, punched shapes, beads, rhinestones, etc together!!!!  It even inspired my own creativity in the process!!!!!  Here's the basket:

 Michael delivered the basket for me and I immediately received a text from my friend saying, "WOW!  You are a beautiful gift to me.  Thank you ever so for this thoughtful and lovely surprise.  I'm gonna have so much fun!  Xoxo...love and kisses."  Sounds to me like she has been sparked!!!!! :)  How can you help spark someone's creativity????  And don't forget...that someone could be you :)
Today's card was inspired by Humphrey Bogart's character Rick in the movie Casablanca :)  I'm not sure why this quote popped into my head, but it did, and it needed a card :)  I stamped the quote onto a small 3x3 card using the Calendar Alphabet & Numbers stamp set.  I paper pieced the exclamation point.  I punched the owl using the 2-step owl punch from Chocolate Chip card stock and the decided he needed some wings.  I punched a small oval and then cut the edges to use as the wings.  The body was adhered to the card with dimensionals and the wings were then adhered beneath it with glue.  The nose was cut from a scrap of Pumpkin Pie card stock.  Finally, I punched the heart from a scrap of designer series paper and then adhered it to the owl and covered it with Crystal Effects.  What quote can inspire you to make a card????  I would love to hear your quotes :)

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Painted Ceramic Tiles

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Challenge Yourself To Figure Out How To Make It With The Supplies That You Have!

If you have been following/reading my blog, you know that I recently have been playing around with both porcelain and glass paint!  I've been having a ton of fun searching for different surfaces to paint - things that can then be placed in the oven here at home and heated so that the items are both dishwasher and microwave safe.  Well, it didn't take me long to move from the idea of painting food service items to the idea of painting tiles that can be used in so many different ways around the house and on home decor items!!!!!  So I pulled out some 2"x 2" white and black tiles that I happened to have in the house and I began to paint and experiment.  As you can see, I became obsessed with creating these grid patterns!  I used a gold outliner to create the lines and then just filled in the little boxes with paint - it is so therapeutic!!!!  It looks like faux cloisonne to me - very enamel-like.  You are probably now seeing how I became inspired to make the tile magnets I shared with you yesterday :)  After painting quite a few of these tiles I began to wonder how I might be able to make something similar (although not dishwasher/microwave safe) using my Stampin' Up! materials.  The heat embossed tile magnets using gold embossing powder and Crystal Effects was the result of that thinking!  How can you challenge yourself to figure out how to make something you really like using the supplies that you already have on hand?????  You might amaze yourself by what you come up with!!!!

Heat Embossed Tile Magnets & Video!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  There Is So Much Going On On The Inside That You Can't See From The Outside!

As I look out my office window I can see the bare branches of the lilac bush that lives just on the other side of the window.  I see mostly brown branches...but if I look very closely I see something else as well...tiny little buds at the ends of the branches!  Here we are in the midst of winter and this bush is reminding me that there is so much more going on on the inside of it!  From far away it may look like it is resting - taking a long winter's nap.  But really it has so much going on on the inside and the buds are one small sign of that!  It excites me to know that I can watch this plant and wonder about the potential it has stored inside.  I can't wait for it to show me what it can do in the Spring!!!!  The same is true for each of us - there is so much going on on the inside that others may not be able to see from the outside - so much potential we have stored inside that is waiting for the chance to burst through!!!!
I know I have shared one magnet video with you already - now let's build on that idea!!!  I have to admit that this is actually the first magnet I made.  It was inspired by some tile painting that I did and that I will share with you tomorrow.  I wondered how I could recreate the painted tile look with my Stampin' Up! supplies and this is what resulted from that thinking!  The beaded tile I shared with you last week was the second tile design.  And yes, there will likely be a third, fourth, fifth.... :)
Here is the first heat embossed tile magnet I made along with the second one that I added additional beads to:

Here is a video to show you how I made the tiles using embossing powder and Crystal Effects!  I hope it inspires you to make some of your own!!!

Love & Tulle Mini Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Oh How I Love Windows!

Michael decided he needed to make some changes in his office to better accommodate his working style.  What this usually means is that I too begin to examine how I have my home office set up and I get the itch to move things around too!  I have to admit that I have avoided my home office a lot.  It just felt cramped and cluttered (not to mention a bit of a mess).  But the motivation I needed to make a change came in the form of Michael deciding to mix things up in his space.  As a result, I took out 2 pieces of furniture in my office, moved things around, and brought in another desk surface that Michael was moving out of his office.  Now I find myself in a space that I love and it's not even cleaned up yet!!!!!  The biggest difference is that instead of working on my computer on a desk with a big hutch, I have moved my computer down to the desktop that is now in front of my corner windows.  Ahhhhhhhh - what a difference a change makes!!!!!!  I love the light that comes in the windows and I love being able to look out the windows as I gather my thoughts.  I just took this photo of my desk space as I am writing this post...sorry about the lighting - the sun has already gone down here so the colors are a bit "off"...but hopefully you'll see what I'm loving about my new space!

Today's card is simple 3x3 card - perfect for a Valentine's Day gift :)  I cut a small strip of tulle and wrapped it and knotted it on the front of the card.  I cut the ends so that it looks like a bow.  Next I stamped the tag from Tiny Tags and punched it out using the jewelry tag punch.  I then pierced a small hole in the tag and attached it to the tulle knot using crochet thread.  I added a small piece of a dimensional to the back of the tag so that I could keep the tag in place.  Finally I punched a small hear using the Heart to Heart punch.  I hope you like it!

Four Ways Friday #74 - Elizabeth

In this week's Four Ways Friday I show you four ways to use the gorgeous Elizabeth stamp!

The Elizabeth stamp looks wonderful on its own or with a little embellishment.  Don't forget you can use only part of a stamp image by stamping off the edge of your surface.  Here I stamped the stamp off-center onto a 3x3 Whisper White card base using Soft Suede ink.  I used 2-way glue to add a bit of dazzling diamonds.  Next I stamped the greeting from Element of Style onto Very Vanilla card stock and punched it out with a 1" circle punch.  I then used my hot glue gun to create a ruffle of gold waffle paper behind the punch and adhered the piece to the card using dimensionals.  A single adhesive rhinestone finishes the look!

 

This image lends itself well to being heat embossed!  I began by stamping the image onto a scrap of white chipboard (the backing that comes with Stampin' Up! designer series paper) using Versamark ink.  I covered it with gold embossing powder, heat embossed, and then cut out the image using scissors.  Next I stamped the greeting from Short & Sweet into the center using Elegant Eggplant ink.  The tag was stenciled, sprayed, stamped and sponged - notice the little flourishes along the edge?  I just stamped a small portion of the Elizabeth tag along the edge of the tag using Elegant Eggplant ink.  Here is a close up:

I created a few folded paper roses that I embellished with dazzling diamonds.  The small flowers were punched using the Itty Bitty Shapes punch.  I then painted them with Champagne Mist shimmer paint and added the adhesive pearls before adhering them to the tag with glue.  The cheesecloth was cut in strips and sprayed with ink (Tempting Turquoise and Perfect Plum) and added to the tag.

You can totally change the look of a stamp just by changing its orientation!  Here, with the help of my stamp-a-ma-jig, I stamped the image using Soft Suede ink onto Whisper White card stock - but I did so vertically.  I then stamped the image onto scrap paper and cut it out to create a mask.  I covered the first image with the mask and stamped the second image onto the card stock.  I repeated this process until I had all four images stamped.  Next I used the stamp-a-ma-jig and the Lovely Letters Alphabet to stamp the letters into the ovals.  The final touch was adding some dazzling diamonds and some adhesive pearls.  The piece was mounted onto a Crumb Cake card stock base.

Not only can you play with the orientation of your stamped image, you can also play with the length...you just have to be creative with how you cover the gap :)  Here I began with a Confetti card stock base.  I used the stamp-a-ma-jig and inked up half of the Elizabeth stamp with Always Artichoke ink.  I stamped the half image once and then rotated the card before stamping the half image again.  I made sure to leave a gap in between the stamped images so I could lengthen the image.  I covered the gap with a tag I had die cut using Always Artichoke card stock and the Lots Of Tags sizzlits with the Big Shot.  I then stamped the greeting from Elements of Style and punched it out with the 1" circle punch.  I added a small piece of satin ribbon to the tag before adhering the greeting over it with dimensionals.
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!!!!  Wishing you a wonderful, relaxing and creative weekend!!!!

Ink Drip Glossy 4U Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Your Inspiration Is Waiting For You; You Just Have To See It!

I would guess that many of you come to my blog looking for inspiration for your cardmaking and papercrafting - at least that's what some of you have told me :)  Of course, I don't always post cards since I like to dabble in mixed media and chase my muse wherever she takes me :)  So how can I give you what you need, while at the same time entertaining my muse?  Who ever said that card inspiration had to come from a card?  Wasn't me :)  I actually wonder how many times a day I miss my inspiration because I don't see it - because I am moving so quickly or don't believe I am going to find it in that particular place?  So today I challenged myself.  I looked at my post from yesterday - the champagne flutes - and asked myself what inspiration there might be for a card...And yes, there it was - my card inspiration waiting for me - I just had to see it :)  I hope that no matter what you come here searching for you are able to find it.  If you don't see it at first glance, hang out a little longer.  It's here...you just have to see it :)
This card began with some ink and a piece of glossy card stock.  I took various colors of ink (Pink Pirouette, Tangerine Tango, Rose Red, and Daffodil Delight) and, holding the card stock upright, I dripped ink on the top edge and let it flow down the card stock.  The tough part with this card was giving the ink sufficient time to dry.  You end up with a bit of a pool of ink at the bottom and even if you move the card stock to another scrap piece of paper and add a bit of drying with your heat tool, it still takes time (I know - I tried to quicken the process :)  Once the panel was dry I glued it to a Daffodil Delight panel and then tied the Cherry Cobbler seam binding ribbon around the panel.  I then adhered the entire panel to a Whisper White card base (the finished card size is 6 1/2" x 3 1/4").  I stamped the greeting from Tiny Tags using Cherry Cobbler ink and punched it out using a 1/2" circle punch.  I then adhered it to a 3/4" punched circle of Daffodil Delight.  I paper pierced the circle and added it to the card using crochet thread and a dimensional.  I hope you like it!

I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

I am sooooo happy to share with you that I have been selected to be one of the members of the first ever Design Team for Paper Crafter's Library!!!!!!!!  I am honored and humbled by the opportunity and can't wait to see what the next 3 months will bring!!!!!  Thank you all for your support!!!!  Your thoughts and comments mean the world to me!!!!!!  Congrats as well to my fellow Design Team members - Ezlie J. Perez, Keren Baker, and Kristin Wilson!!!!  I am so looking forward to working with each and every one of you and seeing your amazing creations!!!!!

Out On A Whim - Painted Champagne Flutes

Welcome to my first "Out On A Whim" Wednesday!!!!  I decided that for the new year I needed to do something a little bit different - at least one day of the week :)  As you may have noticed, I enjoy dabbling in all kinds of art materials - not just my Stampin' Up! supplies.  So, I've decided to give myself the freedom on this blog to go "out on a whim" every Wednesday and share with you something that is not Stampin' Up! related!  Sometimes I will share projects, sometimes inspiration, sometimes just something that has caught my attention.  While I may incorporate a Stampin' Up! product in a project that I share, I am not putting that limitation on myself!  I hope you enjoy "Out On A Whim" Wednesdays!  Would love your feedback about what you think or what you would like to see!

I had a blast painting these champagne flutes for New Year's!  Michael was at IKEA and these flutes, which are normally about $1 each, were on sale that day for 4/$1!!!!!  Wow!!!!  For that price I could afford to experiment all day with my glass paint!  I used a paint that can be painted on and then baked in your home oven.  After baking, the paints are dishwasher and microwave safe!  To make these glasses I put some paint into small squeeze bottles and then added some thinner to the paints (the thinner is made specifically for use with the paints).  I then squeezed the paint onto the glasses and let it drip down (I had the glasses upside down so that I could paint from the base of the glass to the lip).  For a final touch I added some pearl outliner (also made by the same company) to add some dots to the base of each glass.  I also signed my initials with a glass marker.  Now that I have played around with these glasses, I am on the lookout for anything glass!  I have a feeling that nothing is going to be safe in the house! (except maybe for our windows since I can't fit them in the oven ;)

Crystal Effects Beaded Tile Magnet & Video!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  When You Play With Your Materials, Your Materials Will Begin To Play With You!

The idea for these magnets came to me in the shower!  Showering seems to be one of my most successful idea-generating activities :)  I'm not sure why.  Maybe it is because I am relaxed and away from everything else, including my craft room.  What I realize is that the time I spend playing in the craft room stays with me wherever I go - even in the shower!  I retain the memories of the materials I have used and the ways in which I manipulated them.  Then, as I start to think about a new material, the new material literally acts as a magnet - it attracts the memories of all of the "play time" I have stored in my head.  My mind begins to burst with new ideas since I already demonstrated a willingness to engage in play with my materials!  It's a match made in heaven!!!!  So when I began thinking about tiles, my mind took over and brought Crystal Effects to the table!  Then the thought of "magnets!" came to me!  Beads and ink weren't too far behind!!!!  I continue to encourage you to just show up in your art space and play with the materials you have on hand.  The more you play with them, the more you might find that when you least expect it (like when you are in the shower!), your materials will begin to play with you!
Here is another magnet I created along with a video to show you how to make them on your own!!!!

Key To My Heart Mini Bottle

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Go On An Afternoon Adventure With Some Friends

It all began at a friend's house for a birthday dinner.  Emily was celebrating her birthday and her parents invited us to join in the festivities.  When we arrived there were some adorable decorations set up!  One was a glittery blue star-like pinata-like "Happy Birthday" hanging thing (that's the best way I can describe it - next time I'll try to remember to take my camera with me :).  When it came time for Emily to open her gifts there were a few "serious" gifts and a few fun and fabulous items.  I asked her father where he found some of the items and he replied "At the Mercado dollar store!!!!"  Well, we didn't have to hear more since in the next moment Emily, her mom and I were discussing when we could get together for an afternoon adventure to the Mercado dollar store!!!!  Well, that day was last week and we had a blast!  I loved walking up and down the aisles looking at all of the fun and fabulous and tacky and cheap items!  Amidst it all I found a package of 4 of these very small glass bottles.  At the time I had no idea what I was going to do with them, but that didn't stop me!  I grabbed 2 packages of them (after all, each package was only $1) and I brought them home.  When I looked at them sitting on the craft table the idea of a "message in a bottle" came to me.  Since I had been working with transparencies/window sheets lately, it wasn't a far leap to combine the two ideas!  I love that the afternoon adventure created inspiration for today's project!  When was the last time you went on an afternoon adventure with some friends???
I began by stamping the key from Artistic Etchings onto window sheet using Jet Black Staz-On.  I then curled the window sheet to get it into the little bottle.  Next I created the faux metal heart.  I took a piece of chipboard (actually the white cardboard backing that comes with Stampin' Up!'s designer series paper) and I applied Versamark ink and then heat embossed with silver embossing powder.  I  added more embossing powder and heated again and repeated these steps until I had 4 layers of melted embossing powder.  On the last layer, as soon as I turned off the heat tool, I pressed the "love" stamp from Pennant Parade into the embossing powder and held it there for a few seconds before lifting it off.  Next I took my Heart to Heart punch and used the middle-sized heart to punch out the heart.  I then added a small eyelet using the crop-a-dile.  I attached the faux metal tag to the bottle using hemp twine.  Finally, I added an antique brad to the top of the cork with Crystal Effects (I cut off the prongs before adhering the brad down) and then placed a tiny adhesive pearl on the top of the brad (and added a dot of Crystal Effects to adhere it down so that it will stay in place)!  Here is a close up of the top of the bottle.  I hope you like it!!!!

ps  Happy 2012!!!!!!!  Wishing each and every one of you a wonderful and creative new year!!!!!!

Saying Farewell To 2011

I'm sorry if you arrived here expecting a traditional Four Ways Friday post.  I feel it's necessary to somehow mark the end of the year - the conclusion of 2011.  To stay with the Four Ways theme, today's post is about Four Ways to bid farewell to 2011.

1.  Reflect:  As this year draws to a close, it is a perfect time to reflect back on where it began.  As I stamped my 2012 calendar I realized that my 2011 calendar could be put to good use.  I am going to take some time prior to midnight on Saturday to reflect back on each month and do a bit of journaling.  I am going to take those 4 3/4" x 4 3/4" calendar months and write on the back of them - things I was grateful for that month; significant events in my life; lessons learned.  I keep a daily gratitude journal so I will be able to look back at my daily entries to reflect on those moments that stand out and write them on the calendar months.  One way to bid farewell is to reminisce about what you have experienced.

2.  Bid Farewell With Gratitude:  If you are reading this post, you have been given the gift of being alive for the year 2011.  You have been able to breathe every day - breathe in and breathe out.  You have experienced the gift of life - with all of its ups, downs, sideways and reverses!  Be grateful.  What an amazing gift it is!

3.  Bid Farewell Surrounded By Those You Love:  Whether you sit on the couch, find yourself in a large crowd, or experience your own personal ritual ringing in the New Year, surround yourself with those you love.  For some of us, we will actually physically be with those we love.  For others of us, we will need to connect with them via phone or on-line chat, or email.  Most of us also surround ourselves with those we love by turning our attention, our thoughts, to them - whether they are still with us or have passed.  Surrounding ourselves with those we love makes us appreciate the opportunity to live this life with love.

4.  Welcome 2012 And All Its Possibilities With Open Arms!  I drink tea by a company called Yogi and on each of their teabags there is a message.  The one I opened tonight had this to say "When you are in tune with the unknown, the known is peaceful."  This seems very apt as we see the wide open unknown of the year ahead.  Know that you don't know what lies ahead in the coming year - it is a mystery.  If you can be in tune with the unknown - if you can accept it is unwritten, that it will unfold as it will - then the now - the moment that you are in at this very time - is a place of peace.  What a perfect way to bid farewell to 2011 - to bid farewell from a place of peace.

I wish you and your loved ones a 2012 filled with infinite possibilities.  May you find peace in all of your moments!  Thank you for sharing moments of your 2011 with me - it has been an honor.  I hope to see you again in 2012! :)

Every Little Bit 2012 Jewel Case Calendar

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Time Is The New Currency

Every once in awhile I channel surf on the television and come upon a show or a scene that makes me stop and think.  That happened the other day when I landed upon a show about people who take couponing to the extreme.  They collect newspapers - maybe even go diving into garbages for them - and then spend hour upon hour upon hour categorizing their coupons and planning their shopping trips.  Then they go on these crazy shopping trips where they buy tons of grocery items at the supermarket and save a ton of money.  I was struck by one of the husbands who was commenting that this was going to be his wife's last shopping trip for awhile since she had been eating, sleeping, and breathing coupons and coupon cutting and had little time for anything else.  And that's what made me stop and think.  What we see on the show is the cash register total going up and up and up as these individuals shop and then watch as the total begins to go lower and lower as the coupons get redeemed.  The impression we are left with is that these individuals are saving a ton of money...and maybe they are.  What we don't see and what I really question is what is that savings worth?  Aside from the fact that it seems these shopping trips involve buying items that I can't image will ever get used (take for example the 30 boxes of artificial sweetener packets), what I am really struck by is what people are willing to trade the precious minutes of their life for.  And it makes me question that about myself as well.  How much is saving $500 at the grocery store worth to you?  The week or more that it will take to cut coupons and sort them and shop?  If that takes you 40 hours, does that mean you are willing to trade an hour of your life for $12.50 in savings?  Maybe you are and maybe you aren't.  What seems important is that we focus not just on what we appear to be saving, but also on what we are sacrificing to do it.  I would gladly trade the $12.50 of savings for an extra hour of walking with Buddy out in nature.  That to me is worth trading the currency of time for.  I guess for each of us, what we are willing to "sell" our time for will differ.  As we come upon 2012, I wish that we all will consider what our time is really worth and what we are willing to "sell" our time for.  My hope is that we think of our time as the new currency - the new wealth - and that we use it well.
Today's project is a calendar that I have made in the past - at least the "body" of the calendar is the same.  The pages are 4 3/4" by 4 3/4" and fit perfectly into a CD jewel case that can be placed on your desktop.  The twist is that I wanted to try to decorate the entire calendar using just one stamp set, Every Little Bit.  I succeeded but for one month where I incorporated a few letters from the Calendar Alphabet & Numbers stamp set.  Here are photos of each of the months...I hope you enjoy them!!!!

Paper Crafter’s Library Design Team Submission

Today's post is a special one!  I have decided to try to become a part of the Paper Crafter's Library Design Team!!!!  What a fun way to challenge myself to create new projects and videos while receiving some great new products and supplies at the same time! :)
It has been an interesting journey trying to put this post together.  The submission guidelines require me to share pictures of 3 projects as well as a project video.  So, I started looking over past projects and videos and it was like a journey through time!  It is interesting to look back at your own work and see how you have grown (or gotten stuck!).  As interesting was stopping to read some of my posts and look at some of the day-to-day photos I have shared with you.  This chronicle of my life has definitely been a work of love and passion!  Thank you for sharing the journey with me!
So, here are the 3 projects and the 1 video I have decided to submit.  They are pieces that represent the variety of items you can create with your stamping supplies and they are all pieces that make me smile:

Stamping provides a wonderful way to say "I love you" to those special people in your life!  This little accordion book provides little pockets as opportunities to share special messages, photos or coupons for the one you love :)  You can watch a video for how to create this adorable book here!

Tags add such a special touch to your gift giving!  They can also be saved, included in scrapbook layouts or reused by the recipient.  To learn more about how I made this tag, you can check out this post or this video (of a similar project).

This final piece I am especially proud of since it was the first piece I ever had published in a magazine!!!  This piece was published in the 2011 special issue of PaperCrafts Magazine entitled 350 Cards & Gifts :)  It was quite a milestone for me!

Finally, the project video I would like to share is how to create this shaker card using transparencies/window sheets, your sewing machine, and some glitter!  Enjoy!!!!

I want to thank PaperCrafter's Library for their consideration of my submission!  I will let you all know how things turn out!!!! :)
p.s.  If this opportunity sounds interesting to you, why not apply????  You can find out more info here!  Good luck!

Chalkboard Mug

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  I Am Drawn To Handmade Things

I guess today's lesson might not be a surprise to you, although I have to admit that it is a bit of a surprise to me.  I have traditionally been a fan of big box stores - stores like IKEA and others, where you can affordably furnish your home.  Lately we have been thinking about making some changes to the inside of our house and have done a bit of browsing in some of these big box stores and I'm just not feeling it.  Today we started looking at websites of artists and artisans who do woodwork and millwork and couldn't stop ourselves from saying "OOH!" and "AAH!" at every turn!  Now we are thinking about making change more slowly - bringing things into the house with intention - things that are instilled with the spirit of the person who made the object and that approach just feels right.  It may not happen in the same amount of time - the handmade items will cost more and therefore won't be purchased at once.  Regardless, the thought of having a few handmade things v. filling a room with store-bought fixtures really speaks to my heart (as I sit here at my laminated desk and look at my $20 bookcases from the big box store down the street!).  I guess each thing has its place and time.  As I live in the now, I know that handmade things are what appeal to me most.
Speaking of handmade things, I have been enjoying the kitchen turned craft room :)  I haven't put the extra table away yet!  Instead, I have added to my glass painting and have started painting on ceramics!  Again, I am using paints that can be painted, then air-dried, and then baked in the oven to make them dishwasher and microwave safe!  How awesome is that?!  I purchased some mugs at Crate & Barrel and have been experimenting with ideas.  On this mug I painted a rectangle of chalkboard paint and added the handwritten message "I want you to know..."  I made two of these mugs to give as gifts to a friend and her boyfriend.  The mugs will gifted along with a pieces of chalk attached to the handles with a pieces of string/ribbon.  That way, every day, they can write messages one another when they make their morning tea/coffee/hot cocoa.  I also made one for Michael :)  I figure that I can leave it on the counter for him in the morning with a new message everyday :)  (I am already imagining that some days the message will be "I love you" and other days the message might be "we need more apples!" :)  I love that this mug can be "recreated" every day with a new message :)  I hope you like it!  Tomorrow I plan to be back with a project you can make using some of your Stampin' Up! supplies (with a few other household items thrown in!).  Thanks for joining me as I took a break to play with some new materials :)
I also wanted to share this picture with you...looks like peace to me :)