Gorgeous Grunge Card Set by Amanda Corbet

Amanda has done it again!  Have you been wondering how you can use the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set? Not sure what exactly to do with it? Well then this project is for you! This fun grungy box includes five different card designs and five envelopes all using the Gorgeous Grunge and Chalk Talk stamp sets! It’s time to put your Gorgeous Grunge stamp set to use to make this bright and fun cards and box set!  Learn more about Amanda and her amazing creations on her blog HERE.  You can get full step-by-step instructions for this great set by heading over to Craft Project Central and subscribing to the month of September!

Bleached Pleasant Poppies Thank You Card

 

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  I Need A Ritual To Let Me Know I Am Entering My Creative Zone

Scatter here.  Scatter there.  Scatter scatter everywhere.  This seems to be the state of my mind so often and I would like to put some of the responsibility on the computer and other electronic devices.  We can dart around from page to page; message to message; picture to picture - so quickly - skip, skip, skip...move, move, move.  And it seems the more often we do it, the more our mind becomes accustomed to operating in this "blip" mode.  Because of this, I am extra grateful for the gift of art making.  It makes me slow down and focus - get lost in the colors, shapes, textures and process.  And yet, sometimes I find myself blipping in and out of the craft room - distracted by thoughts or noises or activity in another room.  What I would like to create is a ritual to let me know that I am entering my creative zone.  A ritual that will signal to my brain that it is time to focus on color, shape, texture and process - time to get lost in the moment.  I'm not sure yet what that ritual will be - maybe a sign that I read to myself - a sign that hangs on the doorway to my craft space - maybe a commitment that I voice as I enter the space.  Or it could be a certain piece of music.  Or maybe a scent.  I guess my mind will "blip around" for now - trying to figure out what my ritual might be.  Do you have any special rituals you use?  If so, I would love to hear what works for you....maybe I could adopt it too!

Today's card was the result of having fun with bleach and a paintbrush!  I stamped and heat embossed the Pleasant Poppies image and then painted with bleach to take the color away from the Blushing Bride card stock.  The sentiment is from Postage Collection.  I hope you like it!

Accordion Memory Keeper Gift Set by Gayle Smith

This project is a perfect gift for a friend or loved one. It consists of an Accordion Memory Keeper,  that you can personalize with messages and/or add photos, four thank you note cards, and a one - of - a - kind flower pen.  This beautiful set was created by Gayle Smith.  You can learn more about Gayle on her blog HERE.  Head on over to Craft Project Central and subscribe to the month of September to get step-by-step instructions for how to make this gorgeous set

Happy 50th Birthday Card!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Remember, You Can Always Close The Door
This past weekend I had a friend come to visit from London (yippeee!)!  I had a very long list of things I wanted to get done before she arrived, not the least of which was to try to get my office and craft room looking a bit more presentable.  And, it was causing me quite a bit of stress as the time was ticking away and the rooms weren't looking any better because I was also trying to get videos filmed and work done.  Finally, on Friday, at my dentist appointment, the receptionist and I were chatting and I mentioned my stress.  Her response?  Remember, you can always just close the door!  What a relief!  She was right.  It's not that I gave up on the idea of straightening.  I just put it all into perspective - recognizing that yes, I could close the door and we wouldn't have to look at the piles of paper and scattered art supplies.  I also remembered that my friend wasn't coming to see neat and tidy offices!  She was coming to be with us.  And that is the most important thing of all! :)  Remember, you can always close the door and enjoy the neat, clean and uncluttered door :)
Today I am sharing the card I made for my brother for his 50th birthday!!!!!!  It is such a significant milestone for so many people and it has particular meaning for us since my father passed away just one month shy of his 50th birthday.  It's hard to imagine that my brother is now older than my dad had the opportunity of being.  I am so blessed to have shared this time with my brother and I am hoping for many more beautiful years to come!  The card began with a Midnight Muse card base.  I stamped Soft Sky at full and half strength onto Whisper White card stock using a stamp from Gorgeous Grunge.  The edges were then sponged with Midnight Muse.  Next I took the numbers from ABC-123 Sketch Alphabet & Numbers and stamped them on the background with Midnight Muse ink.  A 2 1/2" circle was punched and then stamped with the Gorgeous Grunge stamp as well.  I then mounted the circle onto a piece of Midnight Muse card stock that was die cut with the framelits Window Frames Collection.  I added some brads in the corners with a paper piercing tool.  Finally, I adhered the numbers that were die cut using the Typeset Alphabet Bigz dies.  I hope you like it!

Summer Silhouettes Thank You Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  It Can Be Right In Front Of You And You Don't Even See It!
Buddy and I tend to travel some of the same routes on our morning walks.  Mind you, Buddy has been with us for over 10 years, so that's a lot of traveling the same streets and sidewalks over the years.  This morning, though, we were at a corner we are often at and I noticed the amazing way that the rust was patterned on the side of a telephone pole.  Just incredible!  And, inspiring!  I took a quick photo to inspire a card or art project in the future and then I just wondered over the thought that we pass that pole all the time and yet I had never truly SEEN it!  I know this must happen in every aspect of my life - filtering out that which is right in front of me - missing what could be incredible and inspiring.  So today I am opening my eyes and my awareness a little wider - wondering what is right there in front of me that I may not be seeing.
Today's card began with playing around with the new decorative blades for the Stampin' Trimmer rotary addition.  I cut some Rich Razzleberry card stock with the tiny wave blade and then decided I needed to make the pieces into a card!  So, I adhered the pieces to a Whisper White card base and then began stamping a flower from Summer Silhouettes all over the card using Rich Razzleberry ink at full and half strength.  The card started to look like a hot mess to me, but I kept going, ignoring my inner critic...and I'm glad I did!  Next came a punched white circle and a white heat embossed sentiment from Petite Pairs that I punched out with the Bracket Label Punch.  A few adhesive rhinestones and some organza ribbon added a touch of elegance.  I hope you like it!

Harvest Party Decor by Jen Arkfeld

Jen Arkfeld loves decorating her home with Fall Décor!  She loves all of the rich, warm colors.  This month she created some simple, new ways to jazz up her home, and yours, for a Harvest Party.  A festive banner can hang from your mantel or window; refresh your cake stands with some die cut leaves; create gratitude and treat jars, and give those pumpkins a facelift with glitter. You’ll be ready in no time to celebrate the Harvest Season.  To learn more about Jen, check out her blog HERE.  To get all the instructions for this wonderful project, subscribe to the month of September over at Craft Project Central!

Altered Journal

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  The Tension Doesn't Help You Progress
I have been enjoying swimming lately.  I have taken some private lessons and now I participate in a group swim session when I am in town.  This week while I was swimming my coach offered me a piece of advice, "Relax your hands.  You can move through the water just as effectively if you just relax."  I hadn't even realized how tightly I was cupping my hands as I swam, pulling through the water.  When I relaxed my hands I became aware of how much of that tension hadn't stopped with my hands.  Holding my hands so tightly had caused me to tense my shoulders and my arms.  It felt so freeing to just let it all relax.  Such a simple piece of advice with such a huge impact.  The same is true with our art.  Our tension of not knowing how to start or what to make or whether or not it will be good enough can hold us back.  Relax the tension and allow yourself to progress.
I seem to be developing a habit of stopping in a store called Mosaic at the Denver Airport when I travel for work.  The habit is to purchase some type of creative book - my gift to myself for going on the road :)  On my last trip I purchased the book Creative Awakenings by Sheri Gaynor.  I'm not through the entire book yet, but I was intrigued by a project she shares at the beginning of the book - a Book of Dreams journal.  What I was most intrigued by were the instructions for how to alter the spiral bound book.  Lucky for me I often come across free spiral-bound notebooks that are presented to participants at conferences.  Books that would otherwise be thrown away if there are more books than participants.  How fortuitous that on the same trip that I bought the book, I was also able to pick up a blank journal!  Or maybe not fortuitous at all...just the Universe working its magic :)  So I decided to try altering the journal and here is the result!  I'm quite pleased with it for my first try - a mix of painting, alcohol inks, metal embossing, trial and error and fun :)  Now the only question is what will I fill it with????

We Have A Winner!

Thank you to Doris and Cindy for leaving comments on my project over at Craft Project Central!  Doris, you are the winner for the free subscription to the month of September!  Congratulations!!!!  I will be reaching out to you directly to provide more information on how to claim your prize!  Cindy, feel free to head on over the Craft Project Central and join in the Sketch Challenge for this month for another chance to win.  You can also visit my blog again next month for a chance to win a free subscription to the month of October!  Thanks for participating!!!!!

Best of Halloween Treats by Regina Andari

Soon it will be time to create treats for those special little goblins in your life and, surely, one of these will suffice.  You might just need a festive card or a small test tube, but the decked out bag or box in this ensemble will hold plenty of goodies!  You’ll love the fact that any or all of these festive packages will leave you with plenty of time to select the perfect treats to put in them!  These adorable treats were created by Regina Andari.  You can find out more about Regina on her blog HERE!  To get full instructions for these great treats, head on over to Craft Project Central and subscribe to the month of September! 

Mixed Media Stitched Square

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  At Least I Try

Today I am sharing a mixed media stitched square that I created for a reader challenge in Cloth Paper Scissors magazine.  It is the second thing I've submitted to the magazine and I'm still trying to one day see one of my pieces of art in the magazine.  I'm not sure why I have set getting published in that magazine as a goal, but somewhere along the line I thought it would be kind of cool since I've been reading the magazine for years.  When the finalists for this challenge were posted on Monday, I was disappointed that my name was not on the list.  It is disappointing when you put your heart and soul into a piece of art and it doesn't get the recognition that you would like.  I imagine this is a tiny insight into what some amazing artists have experienced - not being able to really reach or communicate to others what you are trying to express.  Yes, just a very small taste of that experience.  And, I could let it get me down...BUT I'M NOT GOING TO! :)  I figure I can reach out and share it with all of you (or one of you...depending on who ends up reading this post :)  And, I can at least take comfort in knowing that at least I try.  At least I am trying to express what is inside of me and put it out there in the hopes that it will touch someone else.

This project began with a photo of a dahlia that was growing in our backyard this year.  I then took the photo and created a hand-cut stencil from it.  I used photosensitive paints and sun printed the muslin fabric.  Next, I used the same stencil as a template to cut dictionary definitions that focused on the idea of growth.  The pieces were adhered to the fabric and then I machine stitched, hand stitched, beaded and added pencil lines before adding backing fabric and sewed it all together.  I put a lot of love into it and I hope you can feel that :)  I hope in some way this piece helps you grow as it did me.

L'Chayim Bar Mitzvah Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  I Need A Community
The group at the park.  Our neighbors.  My friends that I've met from far and wide on the internet.  What I realize is that I need a community - the ability to feel a part of something greater than myself.  I do enjoy my alone time - probably more than the average person.  I seem to be most at home in the quiet, surrounded by nature and the amazing creatures that are sharing their lives with me.  And yet, even in the midst of my greatest peace, I recognize the need to connect with others.  As Colorado deals with the incredible flooding that has befallen the state in the past week, I am also amazed at the power of community - the ability of people to work together to get through whatever they encounter.  Yes, I need a community.
Today's card was in response to a request to make a Bar Mitzvah card.  I turned to a great stand-by retired stamp set, L'Chayim, to create the card.  The torah image was stamped onto Pacific Point card stock with VersaMark and then heat embossed using silver embossing powder.  The sentiment was stamped using Pacific Point ink onto Whisper White card stock.  The card was created by layering Pacific Point, Smoky Slate and Whisper White.  Did you notice the Square Lattice embossing folder that I used to emboss the background piece of Pacific Point card stock?  I love the added texture! :)  I hope you like it! :)

Halloween Party Ensemble by Amanda Corbet

This spooky Halloween Party Ensemble was created by Amanda Corbet.  You can find out more about Amanda on her blog HERE!  Get ready for a spooky Halloween party with this fun set! Complete with invitation, food labels for your treats table, party favor bag, luminary, and a decorated jar full of treats. You will be all set to surprise and scare your guests! Also, you’ll learn fun new ways to use the Card Base Pop’n Cuts die to make these projects!  To get full instructions for this fun project, head on over to Craft Project Central and subscribe to the month of September!  Or, you still have time to head on over the Craft Project Central and comment on my Book Worm Set Project from earlier this month to be entered for a chance to win a free subscription to the month of September!

We Are OK

Thanks to those of you who have reached out to ask if we are doing okay with all of the flooding in Colorado.  We are doing fine, although there are many people here who aren't as fortunate. Please send your thoughts and prayers their way!  Buddy has been quite soggy for the past few days!

Patchwork Denim Bookmark

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sometimes In The Process Of Cleaning You Find Yourself Creating!
I admit that my favorite activity in the craft room is not cleaning.  I am, however, learning to rethink this since I am finding that cleaning often leads me to creating.  That was the case with this bookmark.  You may remember the hot pads that I shared with you last week?  Well, there were quite a few scraps of denim fabric scattered around the craft room and I finally decided it was time to clean them up.  So I got down on the floor (yes, that is where the scraps were - I had set up my fabric cutting station in one little area on the floor) and I started to pile up the scraps.  Well, as I was piling them I began to notice how pretty they all seemed to look together.  Then I came across some errant threads that had been pulled from the edge of one of the denim pieces.  I balled up the thread and wondered, "Can I use fusible web to adhere this clump together and then adhere it to another piece of fabric?"  All it took was the one question and those scraps looking so pretty together and the cleaning stopped and the creating began!  Here is the result - actually the result was two-fold.  The bookmark is now being used in the latest novel I am reading and the scraps are off the floor due to the creative session :)  Sometimes in the process of cleaning you find yourself creating!  I hope you have a wonderfully creative weekend!  For those of you celebrating the holiday of Yom Kippur, I wish you a safe and easy fast!  May you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for a wonderful New Year!

Give Thanks Wreath by Lauri Ingram

Fall is in the air and this Give Thanks Wreath created by Lauri Ingram is a wonderful way to bring in the season!  You can learn more about Lauri on her blog HERE!  This wreath is fun to make, uses re-cycled materials and can be customized to any color scheme!  Highlighting the wonderful Sweater Weather Designer Series Paper, it is a mix of naturals, subtle and bright colors, perfect for the autumn season.  Want all the instructions for how to make this great project?  If so, head on over to Craft Project Central and subscribe to the month of September!  Or, to win a FREE subscription to the month of September, you can head on over to Craft Project Central and post a comment on my project for the month - the Book Worm Set.  Comments can be made through September 18th and I will choose the winner on September 19th!

Signs Inspired By Lisa Engelbrecht

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Everyday Is A Good Day For A Walk
I was walking with Buddy the other morning and we passed by a gentleman carrying a ladder in a driveway.  We said good morning and he replied, "Great day for a walk, isn't it?!"  We responded that it was and as we kept walking I began to think about how every day is really a good day for a walk!  Each and every day brings it's own light, it's own temperature, it's own scent, it's own discoveries.  Hopefully I will remember this on those days when it is below zero and the snow is coming down in blankets!  At least I have a little while to prepare myself :)  Yes, everyday is a good day for a walk!
Today I wanted to share a few signs with you.  A project by Lisa Engelbrecht in the book Art Saves inspired me to create these signs.  Playing with paint, ink, colored pencils and wire was a lot of fun!  One of these signs went to my niece when I surprised her on her birthday :)  The other one was made for a friend who is dealing with rectal cancer.  She is doing amazingly well and is almost through her chemotherapy.  Please send loving and healing thoughts her way!

Creating Pretty Cards - Sketch Challenge #27

Fall is creeping into the air here...cooler mornings, a few leaves beginning to get hints of color.  So, I decided it was time to make a Halloween card :)  This card is for the Creating Pretty Cards - Sketch Challenge #27 over at Craft Project Central.  For every ten cards submitted to the challenge, Craft Project Central, will pick one winner of a free month subscription on Craft Project Central!  The winner(s) will get to select the month of their choice! So take a chance, head on over to Craft Project Central to participate in this month's challenge!
I used the Halloween Hello and Tags 4 You stamp sets to create the card.  Some Witches' Brew washi tape and the honeycomb embossing folder add some interest.  I hope you like it!

Too Kind Card Box and Post-It Note Holder by Laurie Zoellmer

This soft and sweet Too Kind Card Box and Post it Note Holder was created by Laurie Zoellmer for Craft Project Central!  You can learn more about Laurie at her blog www.stampingnut.blogspot.com! 
This darling card box will easily hold 4-6 cards and envelopes.   The card box and coordinating Post it Note Holder make a beautiful set for any desk.  Make several sets to give as gifts this coming holiday season!  This project is also a fun class or camp project!  You can find out all the details by becoming a subscriber to the month of September over at Craft Project Central!

Satellite Coral Reef at Denver Art Museum!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  The hands and eyes can serve as guides to developing the human mind. - The Institute For Figuring
Earlier this week I went to visit the Denver Art Museum!  As usual, I was overwhelmed by the creativity and visual stimulation!  I can visit a museum for about 2-3 hours before I feel like I need to walk away and come back another time because I am "full up!"  One thing I saw that really intrigued me was a satellite Crochet Coral Reef made my artists and visitors to the Denver Art Museum!  The Crochet Coral Reef (CCR) is a project by the Institute For Figuring, a non-profit Los Angeles based organization that pioneers creative new methods for engaging the public about scientific and environmental issues by putting people and communities at the core.  The CCR is one of the largest participatory science + art projects in the world!!!!  Thought you would enjoy a few pictures of some of what I saw while viewing the satellite reef!  Incredible!!!!!  It's amazing what the hands and eyes can do to develop the human mind!!!!  I hope you have a phenomenal weekend!  Happy New Year/Shana Tova to those of you celebrating the Jewish New Year!

Happy New Year! Shana Tova!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  "To us art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can be explored only by those willing to take the risks."  - Mark Rothko and Adolph Gottlieb
To those of you celebrating the Jewish New Year, I wish you a healthy, happy, peaceful, prosperous and creative New Year!!!!  To create my Jewish New Year greetings for this year I decided to take a risk and have an adventure into an unknown world!  Instead of making cards I decided to make postcards.  I began with the idea of carving a stamp with the Hebrew words meaning Happy New Year!  I had some stamp carving materials and tools on-hand and for those of you wanting to explore carving your own stamps, Stampin' Up! has a great new kit called "Undefined" that comes with everything you need!!!!  Here is the stamp I created:

Next I cut watercolor paper to postcard size and stamped each one with the stamp and Jet Black Staz-On ink.  I then took out some liquid watercolors and began to have a ton of fun!  After the pieces dried I added some metallic pen, colored pencil and glimmer sprays.  I sprayed each one with fixative to give the postcards a bit of protection for any moisture they may encounter on their way to their final destinations!  Here are pictures of the rest of the postcards I made!  I hope you like them!