Out On A Whim Wednesday: Snow Painting

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  All The World Is A Stage...And A Canvas!!!!!

It was right in front of me.  Day after day.  Walk after walk.  The snow covered the ground around me and I saw it only as snow.  Pretty, white, pure....just snow.  Until yesterday.  I was walking Buddy and suddenly I began to see all of that snow as one big canvas!!!!  All of that empty white space - so beautiful on its own....and yet so open to possibility!  I began to think about what I might do that would be environmentally friendly...and this is what I came up with.  I went out on a whim :)  I hope you enjoy it!  Remember - all the world is not only a stage...it is also a canvas!

Designer Series Paper Glass Gem Magnets

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  I Have To Smile When My Actions Turn Into The Ridiculous

Okay...I'm going to admit it.  I was sitting here today with my laptop, went to google and actually typed into the search box "how to stop surfing the internet!"  The minute I did it I actually laughed out loud!  Oh the irony!  The search led me to an article about a guy who was so addicted to the internet he was spending 16 hours a day on-line and becoming incredibly depressed.  16 hours a day!  I can't even imagine spending that much time on my computer.  But that doesn't mean that the time I do spend on the computer doesn't feel overly excessive or unproductive to me!  Do I dare admit what I check when I get online?  Okay, here goes....there are a few sites where I take a quick look at news or get my daily affirmation from Louise Hay.  But where I often find myself heading is to my own blog and my own YouTube channel.  There, I said it.  But why am I going there?  What am I looking for?  I look to see if anyone has left a comment or if someone new has subscribed to my channel or blog.  The real question I need to be asking myself is why I feel the need to check as often as I do?  Maybe at some level I'm trying to figure out if I am making a difference.  In some of the work I do I am able to see the impact of what I am doing pretty immediately.  However, when I place a post on a blog or upload a video on a website, it is difficult to figure out if you are having any impact.  I guess like any other human being, I want to know that I am making a difference - have confirmation or validation of that.  Maybe I need to shift my focus and realize that just by following my heart I am making a difference in my life and the lives of others - whether or not I see a comment or a new subscriber.  That by being true to what I feel I am here to do I am providing myself with all the confirmation I need.  Of course, another explanation is that I'm just procrastinating....but that's an issue for another day (oh the irony!) :)
For today's project I used the Flirtatious designer series paper to make these quick & easy magnets!  Here is a video to show you how!

Builder Wheel Pennant Parade Birthday Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Use Your Own Life For Your Own Lessons

When it comes to writing my lessons from the craft room, I often find myself turning to thoughts of other people's lives and experiences and then I remind myself that hidden in the events of my own life there are so many lessons to be found.  In order to see those lessons, though, I need to be willing to really look at my own life - to examine it and study it and consider it.  At times that's not the easiest thing to do because not only does that study allow me to look at what I feel I am accomplishing, it also forces me to look at what I am wasting.  How easy it is to just la-la-la the day away.  What do I mean by "la-la-la" the day away?  Well, to procrastinate - to avoid sitting down and really doing what speaks to my heart.  To turn on the tv in the craft room and spend more time paying attention to the episode on the screen than the episode of my life that I can create.  To get up, sit down, get up, sit down - rather than just sit and face whatever it is that is in front of me.  So today I will look to my own life for my own lessons - and today's lesson is really a question - what episode do I want to create?  How much am I really willing to waste?
I had a ton of fun using Builder Wheels to make today's card!  I combined the Happy Bday, Pennant, and Striped Builder Wheels on the spindle for my jumbo Stampin' Around handle.  I used Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise and Old Olive in the triple cell cartridge.  I ran the wheel over the Whisper White card base three times.  I then stamped the image from Pennant Parade and punched it out with the Petite Pennants Builder punch.  The greeting from the set was stamped and punched with a circle punch.  A hand-cut triangle and some adhesive rhinestones finish the card :)  I hope you like it!

Four Ways Friday #79 - Petite Pairs

This week's Four Ways Friday shows you four fun ways to use your Petite Pairs stamp set!

I love to stamp sentiment stamps over and over, letting the ink lighten as I stamp.  Here I stamped the sentiment (with the help of my stamp-a-ma-jig) using Not Quite Navy ink.  I started at the bottom with the ink and full strength and then worked my way up, stamping at 1/2 strength and 1/3 strength.  The raccoon is from the Furry Folks stamp set.  I stamped him with Staz-On onto Crumb Cake card stock and cut him out.  I then used my aqua painter and some Early Espresso ink to add some darker color to his stomach and tail.  The Petite Pairs stamp set has sentiments that go together, so on the inside of this card, I stamped the companion sentiment...

You might also choose to stamp your sentiment and the companion sentiment on the front of the card.  That is what I did to make this incredibly simple card.

I created the smiley face with some Daffodil Delight card stock and my 1" circle punch.  The mouth was punched using the 3/4" circle punch and some Basic Black card stock - you could hand cut this piece as well.  The eyes were just hole punches from a small office hole punch.  I stamped the sentiments on the front of the card with Jet Black Staz-On with the help of my stamp-a-ma-jig.  The smiley face was added onto the card with a dimensional.  So simple and so cute :)

Whenever you look at a sentiment stamp, remember that you don't have to stamp all of the words.  The "happy birthday" came from a "happy birthday wishes" stamp set that is in the Petite Pairs set.  I used my Pacific Point marker to ink up the part of the stamp that I wanted and stamped it onto Crumb Cake card stock.  I did the same with greetings from Short & Sweet and Bring On The Cake.  I then hand cut the pieces into banners.  I also created banners using the brights stack patterned paper in Pacific Point.  The little stars were stamped using the Itty Bitty Bits stamp set and punched out with the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack.  I glued the pieces to 1/2" punched Pear Pizazz circles and then attached them to the patterned paper banners with dimensionals.  I adhered all of the banners to the Soft Suede card base - the sentiment banners were adhered with dimensionals and the patterned paper banners with glue.  Next I die cut a piece of Pear Pizzazz card stock using the Simply Adorned edgelits and embossed with the coordinating Adorning Accents embossing folder.  I adhered the strip to the card with glue and then embellished it with die cut Pacific Point stars.  The final touch was to add some adhesive rhinestones for some bling :)

Talk about a perfect sentiment for some Valentine's chocolates!!!!  This little box is a variation on a small box that was demonstrated during Stampin' Up!s Leadership convention.  I altered the box to make the ends a little shorter to look more like a small basket and added a handle and some white waffle paper....now all it needs are a bunch of Hershey's kisses! :)  Here is a video to show you how to make this modified version of this little box.

I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!!!!  Wishing you a wonderful, creative and love-filled weekend!!!!!

More Design Team Creations For Paper Crafter's Library!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sometimes Your Art Is Just An Opportunity To Share Your Inner Thoughts

I've realized something about this blog and what it means to me.  Sometimes I think that creating and sharing my projects serves as a "front" for the ability to share my inner thoughts.  Maybe it feels safer to do so within the context of sharing a piece of art.  Inside I feel that a big part of living is sharing the experience of life with one another.  I haven't quite decided where a line needs to be drawn yet - although I guess I have drawn one - between what I share and what I don't.  What I do know is that sharing what's going on inside of me makes me feel more real, more alive and just plain true.  I say "sharing" and the truth is I don't really even know if you read what I write here (except for the few of you that take the time to comment every once in awhile).  Please know that I appreciate when you share your thoughts with me - it allows me to listen to your inner thoughts and share in an exchange.  I hope the art I share with you continues to create opportunities for you to share your thoughts with me :)
As promised, here are two more projects that I created for my first installment as a Design Team member for Paper Crafter's Library!  For both projects I used the Twitterpated Suite in the Stampin' Up! Occassions Mini Catalog!  Can you tell I'm in love with these patterns and colors! :)  The first project is a fabric bookmark using the Twitterpated designer fabric, pleated satin ribbon and Twitterpated buttons.  I also did a bit of stamping on Whisper White satin ribbon using the Elements of Style stamp set.

The adorable Twitterpated designer series paper provided a great excuse to make these small tile magnets!  I'm already imagining the altered tin I can create to house these magnets for gift giving!!!!  I combined the paper with the Twitterpated buttons and the large adhesive pearls.  If you think my craft room and fridge are covered with these magnets, you are absolutely right! :)  If you are a Paper Crafter's Library member, I created exclusive videos and pdf handouts to show you how to make these projects yourself!  If you are interested in learning more about Paper Crafter's Library, feel free to check out the site HERE.  Next month I will be sharing my next set of projects for Paper Crafter's Library...can you say Blossom Punch???? (hint, hint :)

First Paper Crafter's Library Design Team Project!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  It Is Energizing To Begin A New Journey!!!!!

Today I am so excited to share with you my first project as a Design Team member for Paper Crafter's Library!!!!!  Since books can be used to document a journey, I decided to begin my journey with Paper Crafter's Library by created a mini book to capture my thoughts about this experience!  I turned to the Twitterpated Suite for my color palette, paper and accessories.  I love the spring feel of the Twitterpated designer series paper!  I even used the paperboard that comes with the designer series paper (to protect the paper from bending) to create sturdier pages for this mini book.  I was also very excited to use Stampin' Up!s new Adorning Accents edgelit dies and the framelits dies!  You can use them to cut through card stock, paper, and thin paperboard.  I dressed up the cover of the book with some pleated satin ribbon, baker's twine, a mini pin, a die cut (Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die), punched flowers and adhesive pearls.  Ooh - and I can't forget that adorable Twitterpated button :)  The stamped image is from the Outlined Occassions stamp set - one of the wonderful Sale-a-bration stamp sets that you can select for free with a $50 product purchase during Sale-a-bration!  If you are a Paper Crafter's member, you can log on to the member area of the site to view the video I created showing you how I made this book!  An instructional pdf is also available to members on the site.  Feel free to check back here tomorrow.  I'll be sharing two of the other projects I created for Paper Crafter's Library using supplies from the Twitterpated Suite! :)

For those of you that don't know, Paper Crafter's Library is an online educational and reference resource for paper crafters.  It is their mission to help their readers and their members discover and develop their creativity through paper crafting by providing both inspiration AND instruction.  Currently featuring a library of over 700 video tutorials, pdf downloads and exclusive templates, Paper Crafter's Library's online education program offers detailed product information & how-to’s, multiple techniques as well as projects for all skills and levels of paper crafting.  There are two components to Paper Crafter’s Library – the public blog and a membership site.  It is their goal for the site to be a place of inspiration and education for everyone – regardless of level of membership.  I was honored to be selected as one of the members of their first Design Team!!!!!

Valentine's Chocolate Bar Belly Band & Video!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Maybe Your Dream Is Telling You You Are Finding Your Voice

The other night I woke up screaming...literally.  I woke both Michael and myself up when I screamed very loudly, "Help Me!!!!"  I remember the dream vividly - 2 men breaking into the house, my asking my mom to go downstairs and get the gun, shooting the men and running out of the house, grabbing the dog and trying to scream to the people down the street - they were so far away and I was trying to yell, "help me," but my voice just wouldn't come out of my throat....until it finally did - at the top of my lungs - and it woke us up.  As you can imagine - I had a hard time falling back to sleep - I was afraid to - afraid of my dream.  I was scared the dream was telling me that I needed help - that I was in danger.  Then I thought about it some more.  I have had dreams like this in the past...but have never been able to shout in my dream, let alone wake myself up shouting.  I realized that in this dream I actually found my voice - I had the ability to call out and use my voice to express myself.  And that led to a smile.  Maybe this dream isn't telling me I need help at all.  Maybe what it's really telling me is that I am finding my voice.
Today's project is a perfect way to dress up your chocolate bars for Valentine's Day!  Here is a video to show you how I made this fun belly band!  Enjoy!!!!

Artistic Etchings Tri-Fold Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Stop Waiting For Permission Outside Of Yourself.  You Are All The Permission You Need.

As I am writing this post for the coming week, I am sitting and turning frequently to look out the window.  Since yesterday (2/1) the news has been talking about a very large snowstorm that is headed our way.  So all day today I have been checking out the window, checking the news, trying to anticipate when it will start and how much snow we will get and what will it be like when it gets here.  It reminds me of that great ketchup commercial when I was young.  The one for Heinz 57 ketchup?  Anticipation....anticipation is making me wait.  Do you remember it?  You had to wait and wait for that ketchup to make its way to the opening of the bottle (unless you learned the little secret of hitting the bottle right on the "57."  Of course now they've put ketchup in plastic bottles and you don't need to anticipate, you just need to squeeze).  Anyway, I digress.  So I've been anticipating this storm - looking forward to it actually - and now, as I sit here, I'm a bit concerned that it might not come and that makes me sad.  So what is it that I'm really anticipating and worried about not experiencing?  A part of it is the snow itself - the peaceful white - the blanket it creates over everything.  Underneath that though, is what I really want - a day where you really can't go anywhere - a day where you need to just be indoors and enjoy your surroundings.  A day when places are closed and events are canceled and you are left to surround yourself with your loved ones - or just cuddle up on the couch and relax.  A day that gives you "permission" to do what you want or to just slow down.  So what the heck am I waiting for????  Why do I feel I need a snowstorm to make that happen - to give me permission?!  I can actually create for myself what I'm wanting this snowstorm to create for me.  I am all the permission that I need!  (Update:  The snowstorm did arrive and it brought a TON of snow...just in case you were wondering!).  Here are a few photos from the backyard.  The first one is a picture of the lawn chairs on Friday night.  The second picture is a measure of the snow Saturday morning :)  I had to use my large deckle edge ruler...the regular ruler wasn't long enough!!!!

For today's project I decided to make a tri-fold card that closes with a belly band.  I used the Flirtatious designer series paper with the new Framelits to create the belly band.  The stamped images are all from Artistic Etchings.  To create the tri-fold card I began with a piece of 4 1/4" x 11" piece of Melon Mambo and scored the card stock at 2 3/4" and 8 1/4".  I hope you like it!  Here is a close up of the belly band:

Four Ways Friday #78 - I Love Love Jumbo Wheel

In this week's Four Ways Friday I am sharing four different ways you can use your I Love Love jumbo wheel.  Each of these projects would be perfect for Valentine's Day!

I began with a card :)  The I Love Love jumbo wheel can create a simple and easy design for your card base.  Here I cut a piece of Baja Breeze card stock and scored it twice.  I then ran the card through the Big Shot twice with the heart border for the Adorning Accents embossing folders.  I then glued the inside flap down to create a pocket and made a small Whisper White card to fit inside.  I stamped the card with an image from Short & Sweet.  To hold the small card closed I created a band using the Everyday Enchantment (Sale-a-bration) designer series paper.  I wrapped the band around the card and adhered it together with glue.  Then I began to add onto the band - first I wrapped it with sticky strip and pleated Pear Pizzazz ribbon.  Next came a punched and sponged Whisper White circle with a punched and sponged heart on top.  The Short & Sweet "love you" mini banner came next.  Finally I added some buttons and an adhesive rhinestone.  This card is perfect for holding a message and a gift card or coupon for Valentine's Day!

Candy and Valentine's Day seem to go hand-in-hand, so what better way to use your I Love Love jumbo wheel than to create a candy holder :)  Here I started with a plain old brown paper lunch bag.  I cut off the top and used the jumbo wheel with Cherry Cobbler ink to roll all four sides of the bag.  Next I added strips of Cherry Cobbler card stock to the top of the bag - I created the scallop edge with the scallop circle punch.  Notice how I used the extra little strip of Cherry Cobbler on the bottom of the bag - this is the strip that is "waste" when you use the scallop edge punch.  I then added some mini clothespins to hold the bag of sweets closed.  I stamped the heart from I Heart Hearts and punched it out with the heart circle punch.  Next I added a bit of Early Espresso baker's twine and a mini banner stamped with the Teeny Tiny Wishes "happy valentine's day."  I couldn't stop there :)  I added a large oval and another heart along with punching out a greeting I had stamped from Sweet Season.  I love how this jumbo wheel can jazz up a simple brown paper bag and make it something special!

 

The I Love Love jumbo wheel is also great for creating backgrounds for your scrapbook pages!  Here I repeatedly rolled the wheel over and over using Rose Red ink.  I didn't use a cartridge in the wheel, I just inked the wheel up on an ink pad and then kept rolling as the ink got lighter and lighter.  I even rolled right over where I had previously rolled.  This became a great backdrop for this 6x6 scrapbook page.  And yes, if you're wondering, that's me and my dad :)

This jumbo wheel is also wonderful to use for making banners!!!!!  I began with rectangular pieces of Crumb Cake card stock and rolled the wheel across the bottoms using Crumb Cake ink.  Next I cut out the triangles to create the banners.  I used the framelits to create the backgrounds for the letters which were die cut using the Alphabet Simple Letters dies and Melon Mambo card stock.  I punched some hearts using the Heart to Heart punch and sponged the edges with Soft Suede ink before adhering them to the banner.  You probably can't tell from the photo, but those little rosettes were made from the leftover brown paper lunch bag that I used for the second project I shared with you!  I just cut 1/2" strips of the brown paper bag and then scored every 1/4" of an inch before adhering the ends together and hot gluing the rosette in place.  I added an extra large adhesive pearl to the rosette centers for some added bling.  Finally I glued some pieces of drinking straws to the back of each of the banners and thread a piece of 1/4" grosgrain ribbon through the straws.  I then finished off the look with a couple of Crumb Cake seam binding knots!

I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!  I hope it inspires you to use your I Love Love jumbo wheel to create some fun projects to express your love!  I wish you a peaceful, inspired and creative weekend!!!!

Elementary Elegance Love Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  You Never Know What You Don't Know
Just over a year ago I shared with you the news that a man I knew from the park (he used to bring his dogs there) had committed suicide.  Our interactions were always enjoyable and I never got a sense that underneath those perfectly simple and happy interactions there was so much pain he was experiencing.  I believed, or at least tried to convince myself, that if I knew him better I would have known something was wrong.  Well, I am continually reminded that that is not the case.  That we never know what we don't know.  Today a friend shared some information with me about illness in her family that she had known about for over 2 years.  I am still in a bit of shock about the news.  This is someone I know very well - someone I interact with a lot and share quite a bit with.  I interact almost as frequently with her family member who has been dealing with this for the past 2 years.  And yet, even in this case, I did not know what I didn't know.  Learning this information from my friend changes how I have viewed the last few years - thoughts I had about why she and her family did or did not do certain things (another lesson that continues to pop up in my life - how we jump to conclusions or judgments so quickly and feel so right and that what we really need to do is to recognize our conclusions are based on very limited information).  So the next time you find yourself making a judgment or thinking you know it all - recognize that you only know what you know...and what you know can never be everything that is going on for someone else.
It's February (can you believe it?!), so Valentine's Day is right around the corner!  Get ready for a series of cards and items that can be created to express your love for those special people in your life! :)  Today's card began with a piece of Pear Pizzazz card stock.  I took a small strip of River Rock card stock and used some metal stamps to deboss the word "love" multiple times.  I sponged the edges with Chocolate Chip ink and adhered the strip to the card base.  The focal image from the beautiful Elementary Elegance Sale-a-bration stamp set was stamped onto River Rock using Early Espresso ink.  I then cut the image out with my paper snips.  I then used my curly label punch to punch out another piece of River Rock card stock and sponged the edges.  I stamped the label with the greeting from Three Little Words and the little images (key, crown & butterfly) from Elementary Elegance).  The label was popped up using dimesionals and the whole piece was attached to the card with dimensionals.  Finally I added a bow made from Crumb Cake seam binding.  It was attached with two mini glue dots.

Out On A Whim: Stamped & Embossed Fabric Postcard

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Send Your Art Out Into The Universe

Let me be the first to admit that it is difficult for me to let go of things - especially things that I create for the first time and am pleased with the outcome.  That happened to me with this fabric postcard that I am sharing with you today as part of Out On A Whim Wednesday.  I saw a reader's challenge in Cloth Paper Scissors magazine (if you haven't ever seen the magazine and you like mixed media, you may want to check it out!).  The challenge was to create a fabric postcard and mail it to the magazine.  I had never mailed something made of fabric (have you?) and just wondering how to attach a stamp to such a marvel really got me intrigued :)  So I let the magazine sit for days...no, make that weeks...and finally sat down to create.  I had wanted to incorporate one of the birds that comes to the backyard so one day I sat and watched as the crows arrived.  I then pulled out my camera inside the house and took a bunch of photos through the kitchen window.  The crow that I have included on the postcard was sitting on top of one of the shepherd's hooks that holds a bird feeder.  I printed the photo on my computer and then outlined the shape of the bird.  I cut it out and then placed it on a piece of chipboard and cut out a chipboard template that I can now use over and over.  I used the template to cut a piece of velvet and then I embossed the velvet using the Bella Toile background stamp.  The postcard itself began as a piece of muslin that I stamped and stenciled and heat embossed with a combination of current and retired stamps, sequin waste, gold embossing powder - I just kept going :)  I pulled out some Crumb Cake seam binding and did some stamping with my Calendar Alphabet & Numbers stamp set and Staz-On ink.  All the pieces were sewn to the muslin either by hand or with the machine.  I then added some little gold sequin stars.  The whole piece was then layered - a piece of thick iron-on adhesive interfacing in between the front and the back of the postcard.  I then ironed it all together and sewed the edges with metallic thread.  And then I smiled.  I feel like there is a special part of me in this postcard - particularly since the bird is a part of life in the backyard.  I didn't want to send it out - I wanted to keep it.  And that's what makes this even more special - just as the birds fly away from the back yard and I can't "keep" them, so too, I let go of this postcard and placed it in the mail to be sent off to the magazine.  No, I didn't keep the physical piece, but what I absolutely kept was the experience of creating this piece of myself.  I know it is difficult to let go.  At the same time, if we are not willing to let it go...did we ever really, truly have it in the first place?  If we really "have it," nothing can ever really take it away from us - it will be there forever.

Die Cut Acetate Stencil Background & Video!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  What does it mean to be "epic?"

I really should stop watching tv altogether!  There are times when I take television "vacations," and turn instead to books.  Now may be one of those times.  I am just frustrated by what I've been hearing lately on commercials!  Ugh!  The other night there was a Visa ad and do you know what it said?  "The Superbowl.  The most epic day in America."  REALLY???????  Are you kidding me??????  So I looked up the word "epic" - wondering if somehow I had never understood the word in the first place and here is what I found for the definition of "epic" as an adjective:  "of, relating to, or characteristic of an epic or epics."  Okay, that's not really helpful since the word is used to describe the word....so then I looked at "epic" as a noun and came up with this, "a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation."  So how is the Superbowl the most epic day in America??????  These are the most heroic and legendary figures we have???????  I can't even continue with this!  How ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!  Yes, I need a television holiday!
For today's card I created die cut acetate stencils to make the background.  Here is a video to show you how....it's epic! :)

Nature Walk Dream Sign

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  For Every Action, There Is An Equal And Opposite Reaction

It is known as Newton's 3rd Law and it came to my attention when I decided to watch an episode of Oprah's Lifeclass while eating lunch the other day.  I hadn't even heard of the show, so I'm not sure what led me to watch it, but I'm glad that I did.  It's a lesson that I need to be reminded of every so often - that what we put out, comes back to us.  That the energy and emotion we release into the universe has a way of finding its way back to us.  I wonder how this impacts the things that I create.  If I get frustrated and angry as I'm creating, it is likely the piece will resist me as well.  It makes me pause to consider the energy I take into the craft room - trying to ensure that as I pass through the threshold and into the room, I take with me the intention to express my soul - to share the love for creativity that pulses through my veins.  This does not mean that every piece I create will be "beautiful" by everyone's standards or that I cannot express difficult emotions in my work.  What it does mean is that I just need to show up and be honest in my creating and the honesty I put out will bring honesty in return from the piece.  If you do not like the reaction you are receiving from the universe, ask yourself, "What am I putting out that is encouraging this to come back to me?"
I made this sign as a gift for my niece.  Butterflies hold a very special place for her and I and I try to incorporate them as a message to her in the gifts I make for her.  Here I began with a piece of clay-coated masonite.  I stamped the letters from a retired SU alphabet set.  The butterfly also came from a retired set - the letters and the butterfly just seemed to be the perfect size for the sign.  The flowers are from the Nature Walk stamp set.  All the images were stamped with Staz-On (although that's not necessary when working with this clay surface).  I sponged around the edges and into the center with ink.  I then wound some q-tip cotton on the end of a small skewer to create a tool to apply ink with to the very small spaces on the images.  I would dab the end of the skewer onto an ink pad and then dab the skewer onto the image.  It worked perfectly!  I added some crystal effects and dazzling diamonds to the flowers and some gold smooch ink to the butterfly.  I made the holes in the board with my crop-a-dile and then added a wire with beads as the hanger.  My last step was to spray seal the piece with a matte acrylic sealer.  I hope you like it! :)  Here is a close up of the flowers and butterfly:

Four Ways Friday #77 - Designer Frames Embossing Folders

This week's Four Ways Friday is all about how you can use the Designer Frames textured impressions embossing folders.

The Designer Frames embossing folders are great for creating focal points for your cards.  Here I stamped the greeting from Tagtastic onto Confetti card stock with Cherry Cobbler ink.  I then ran the piece through the Big Shot with the embossing folder.  Next, I cut around the embossed image.  Notice that you can use the embossing folders to emboss or deboss, depending on which side you choose to have facing up when you run it through the Big Shot.  The mini card is a Pear Pizzazz base with a piece of designer series paper layered on top.  The embossed piece was adhered with dimensionals.  A tiny pin and some Early Espresso baker's twine finishes the look.

If you're not in the mood to cut, you can tear!  Here I stamped the owl from Fox & Friends in Chocolate Chip on a piece of Whisper White card stock.  I then ran the piece through the Big Shot with the embossing folder - notice how this time the central image is debossed v. embossed.  I then tore the edges and adhered the piece with glue to a 3x3 Whisper White card base.  The greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes was hand cut into a banner, a brad was added and then it was adhered to the card with dimensionals.

I also love using these embossing folders to create a frame for another focal piece.  Here I ran the embossing folder through the Big Shot with a 3x3 Perfect Plum card base.  I then stamped the tag from Tagtastic onto Sahara Sand card stock with Chocolate Chip ink.  I punched it out with the decorative label punch.  I then added a neutrals brad with a rhinestone adhered to the center.  The entire focal piece was added to the card with dimensionals.

For this final card I decided to use the embossing folder multiple times.  First I cut a piece of Crumb Cake card stock and ran the folder through the Big Shot two different times with just part of the embossing folder sandwiching the edge of the piece of card stock.  I then sponged the piece with Soft Suede ink and spritzed it with my Soft Suede marker and the color spritzer tool  Next I ran a scrap piece of Crumb Cake card stock through the Big Shot with the embossing folder and then cut out the frame.  I sponged the edges and spritzed it as well.  I then adhered the larger Crumb Cake panel to a Baja Breeze card base.  The smaller Crumb Cake panel was then added with dimensionals to the center of the card.  I then adhered a piece of pleated Baja Breeze ribbon using Sticky Strip.  I stamped the frame from Four Frames with Crumb Cake ink and punched it out with the decorative label punch and added it to the card with dimensionals.  Next came the stamped and cut out greeting from Notably Ornate.  I stamped the Young Vermillion stamp in Early Espresso and cut him out as well before popping it up on the card with dimensionals.  Finally, I created a bow with Crumb Cake seam binding and added it to the card with a few mini glue dots.
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!  I wish you a peaceful, love & laughter-filled, and creative weekend!

Artistic Etchings Painted Tag

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Don't Cry Over Spilled Paint

I got into quite the groove while I was creating this tag!  I began with a blank vintage tag and started stenciling and spraying and stamping and dripping.  It was incredibly meditative and thoughtful.  Then I had the great idea to add some Frost White shimmer paint to give the card an interesting sheen.  Well, it was a great idea...until my attention was diverted for a second and the next thing I knew I had knocked over the little jar of precious paint and it was running all over the craft table, my tag and me!  I don't know if you've seen the movie Goldfinger?  The old James Bond flick where one of the bond girls is covered in gold spray paint?  Well, I wasn't that covered, but my hands were!  I looked like Frost White shimmer girl! :)  I will confess to having had a few expletives erupt from my lips, but in a few seconds I had calmed myself down and began trying to push and scrape the precious paint back into the little jar.  I also began smearing my fingers all over the tag - which smeared and smudged the ink I had just stamped.  I kept smearing and smudging until I got most of the paint off of my craft table and hands and then I went and washed the remainder off of my hands.  When I got back to the tag I was actually struck by how interesting the surface now looked.  Of course it was nothing like I had planned...but it was perfect :)  It took awhile for all that paint to dry and, once it did, I began adding on top of this new shimmer surface.  I heat embossed and inked and dripped and once again found myself back in my meditative place.  I am actually quite pleased with how this tag turned out.  I was able to incorporate that yummy Blushing Bride pleated ribbon and a bit of the specialty paper from the Flirtatious designer series paper.  I even added a touch of pearls and lace and a scalloped edge made with the new Adorning Accents edgelits dies.  What I really learned though is to not cry over spilled paint...just go with it and enjoy the ride :)
Here is a close up of part of the tag:

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Lesson From The Bathroom

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room...or Bathroom to be more exact:  Walls Can Be Built And Taken Down

OK, I'm going far out on a whim today - something I can do on Out-On-A-Whim Wednesdays :)  There are some walls I have constructed in my life - walls built to protect me; walls built to create boundaries; walls built to provide me with solitude.  Our walls can serve us well and some of mine have.  Our walls may also be built for reasons that may separate us or alienate us from others and we may find that they serve their time and purpose and need to come down, for if we don't allow them to come down, we may not allow fresh air and love in.
What you are seeing in this photo is a wall in our bathroom.  We decided this wall had served its purpose and we wanted to open it up and allow access into the bedroom and closet on the other side.  It took less than a day (and in case you're wondering, we did not do the work ourselves - sometimes you need the help of others to take down your walls :) ...

It was always curious to me that this glass block window lived in a closet and how, when the wall came down, it allowed the light to flood into the room :)  So now this bathroom is much like a blank piece of card stock to me!  What do I mean by that?  Well, there are now infinite possibilities as to what we can do with the space!!!!!  It's amazing how when you take down one wall, you open up a world of possibilities.  I have a feeling this bathroom has a lot more to teach me...it will be interesting to see where we end up!

Distressed Faux Leather Flower & Video!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.  -- from "Leisure," by W.H. Davies
For today's lesson from the craft room, I'd like to offer you an article.  It is an article that was written in The Washington Post back in 2007.  I just learned about it...and it has moved me deeply.  It will take you a bit to read, but I promise, if you do, you will be hard pressed to move forward with your day without being impacted in some way.  If you choose to read the article, you can find it here.  I would love to hear your thoughts...

Today I want to share with you how to make these flowers.  In person they have a very leather-like quality to them!  On this card I paired the flower with the greeting from Curly Cute and some hand-cut leaves.  On the original flower on the card I used Soft Suede ink and did not use my paper crimper to soften up the card stock.  In the video I used Chocolate Chip ink and the paper crimper.  I like both looks and will leave it up to you to decide which look you like :)  I hope you enjoy the video!  Don't forget, SALE-A-BRATION starts today and runs through March 31st!!!!!  Get free products for every $50 in merchandise you purchase!!!!!  Click HERE to shop or to view the sale-a-bration brochure!!!!! :)

Stamped & Embossed Key Chains

Today's Question From The Craft Room:  Are We Becoming Numb?

I was in the checkout line at a store and the woman in front of me decided to make a call on her cell phone.  As we neared the checkout stand, she kept chatting to her companion on the phone.  Then it was her turn at the counter and the woman behind the counter greeted her and asked how she was doing.  The woman on the phone said nothing and instead, kept chatting on her phone.  Ugh - I was not happy!  Of course, I could hear every word she was saying to whoever she was talking to on the phone and it wasn't a conversation about a dire medical emergency or any such thing.  But on and on she went with her call, totally ignoring the person completing her transaction for her.  Can you tell this is a pet peeve of mine!  When I got up to the counter I apologized to the woman on behalf of the cell phone-talking customer.  Her response to me was, "You're sweet.  Actually I don't even notice anymore."  And that's what made me sad.  Have we gotten to a point where it doesn't even bother us anymore when someone doesn't even acknowledge us?  Have we become so numb?  Has this become the norm?  It makes me sad if this is our new norm.  What I do know, though, is that it will never be the norm for me.  How 'bout you?
Today's project are a set of key chains I made for my nieces :)  I began with the same clay-covered masonite pieces that I have been playing with lately.  I was able to punch holes in them using my crop-a-dile.  Next I stamped to my heart's content!  I used black Staz-On and also good ol' classic SU ink.  I used the Dot, Dot, Dot stamp on Jordan's keychain and a retired SU stamp set called Groovy for Avery (she LOVES peace signs and everything groovy :)  I was also able to scratch into the clay surface, so I outlined the letters in Avery's name and also created a border on Jordan's tag that I then applied ink to.  I allowed the ink a bit of time to dry and then covered the tags with VersaMark ink and clear embossing powder.  I heat embossed the tags and then repeated the embossing steps (adding powder and heating) a few more times and then, before the powder cooled, I sprinkled a little dazzling diamonds over the tags.  Once the tags were cooled I painted the back with metallic paint and added the key chain hardware.  I hope you like them :)

Four Ways Friday #76 - Furry Folk

For this week's Four Ways Friday I decided to play with the adorable Furry Folk stamp set!

Let's begin with a clean and simple card!  I love that you can create little scenes with this stamp set!  Here I stamped the trees onto the Whisper White card stock using Always Artichoke ink.  Prior to stamping, I colored the trunks of the trees on the rubber stamp with my Chocolate Chip marker.  I stamped the bear in Early Espresso, with a Basic Black nose, onto a scrap of Whisper White card stock and cut him out.  Next I stamped the greeting from Petite Pairs onto the card with Jet Black Staz-On and then popped the bear up on a couple of dimensionals.

A number of the stamps in this set are the perfect size for making adorable little tile magnets!  Here is a video to show you how to make some magnets of your own!

Why stop at a small tile when you can make a bigger one!

I thought these adorable little guys would look great on a welcome sign!  To create the sign I began by stamping the letters from the Contempo Alphabet (retired) using Jet Black Staz-On onto a white tile.  Next I stamped each of the critters, also using Staz-On.  The last stamped image was the Woodgrain background stamp for the bottom of the tile, also stamped with Staz-On.  I then began adding small drops of ink to a little bit of Crystal Effects and painted each of the critters and the woodgrain.  Once all of the Crystal Effects was dry, I sprayed the entire tile with an acrylic sealer, just to ensure the Staz-On would not come off.  Finally, I drilled two holes into the tile and added the wire, beads and the touch of ribbon!

I decided to try heat embossing on glass with the adorable owl in this stamp set.  This was my first attempt at heat embossing on glass and I got better the more I practiced!  You can see some of the stray grains of embossing powder that got heated to the glass - if you use enough powder from your embossing buddy, you can prevent these stray grains from sticking to the glass!  I sandwiched a piece of Flirtatious designer series paper in between two pieces of glass.  I collaged a few words from a book to the designer paper before sandwiching it between the glass and soldering the pieces together.  This is what the back of the necklace looks like:

Here is a video to show you how to heat emboss on the glass!

I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!  I hope it inspires you to play with your Furry Folks stamp set or to try stamping on tiles with VersaMark or heat embossing on glass!  I hope you have a wonderfully peaceful and creative weekend!!!

Stamped & Embossed Necklace

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  You Can Turn Your Day Around!

It began as a good day - at least it felt that way.  I got up and did some journaling and then took Buddy for a walk.  I've been pretty determined to not start my day in front of my computer and journal instead.  I got home and ate breakfast and then began doing some creating until I ran into a bit of an issue with something I was making.  So I took a lunch break and it was while I was eating that a migraine decided to start to visit.  My migraines historically are pretty classic.  They begin with a visual aura - where I see spots/holes in whatever I am looking at.  Next comes the numbness in one of my hands that then travels up to my face and mouth.  Just writing about it makes me nauseous!  And yes, the nausea and head pain then shows up.  This time I didn't have much head pain (so grateful for that!).  What I did have were thoughts about what a wash the day was going to be.  I started feeling angry at my body - angry that I wasn't going to have the day I envisioned.  My internal chatter began to call the day a waste - a total wash.  And then I started to consider that.  Why was I giving up on the entire day when it wasn't even mid-afternoon?  Why was I resigned to throw away the rest of my day?  So I took a few aspirin and rested a bit and then, when I felt a little bit better, I made my way back into the craft room.  It was slow-going, but at least I wasn't sitting on the couch resigned to let the day slip by.  I went on our evening walk with Buddy - figuring that the fresh air might help - and it did.  By the time I got back from the walk, my head felt better and so did my disposition.  I realized that I had plenty of time to enjoy of my day so I headed back into the craft room before dinner and made some progress.  This day serves as an example to me - proof that you can turn your day around.  Don't give up on your day early - don't call an entire day a "wash."  Recognize that each day is lived moment by moment and while one moment may feel a bit of a waste, the next moment could be the moment you've been waiting for! :)
I wanted to share with you the project that I was working on during the day I described above.  I wanted to make a necklace for my niece Avery using my stamps.  I worked on a piece of clay-covered masonite as my base - I almost worked on a piece of card stock and a Scrabble piece instead, but went with the masonite.  I painted the surface with a shimmery watercolor paint and then stamped the letter from a retired SU! set (the letter was the perfect size) using Jet Black Staz-On.  Next I stamped the floral image from the Tiny Tags stamp set and added some color by dabbing on ink (Old Olive and Rich Razzleberry).  I sanded the edges and ran the tile over the Rich Razzleberry stamp pad.  Once everything was dry, I covered the masonite tile with VersaMark ink and clear embossing powder and heat embossed.  I repeated this step 2 more times to get a nice coating of embossing powder.  Before the embossing fully cooled, I pressed in a few tiny crystal rhinestones.  To make the tile into a necklace I added a bail with crystal effects and then strung it on ribbon.  I hope you like it! :)