It's The Thought...More Crabs!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Find Your Island In Time

The craft room is more than a place for me.  It is magic - when I create, time stands still.  Worries seem to fade from my mind.  My heartbeat calms and my body relaxes.  Just writing about it makes me breathe more deeply.  For each of us, there is a place of "magic" - do you know where your "magic" lives?  Maybe it's in a warm bath, or on a mountaintop, or on a golf course.  Maybe it's watching your child sleep or taking your dog for a walk.  Wherever it is, it is your own special island - the place you can go to wind down and reconnect with yourself.  If you haven't been there in awhile, now is a wonderful time to visit!

I just can't get enough of this adorable crab!  He makes me smile every time I stamp him (especially when I don't ink up his frown and give him a smile instead) :)  I stamped the Pink Pirouette background with the Itty Bitty Backgrounds stamp in Pink Pirouette ink.  The greeting was stamped in Rose Red and the crabs were stamped by inking the parts of the stamp I wanted with Basic Black and then hand drawing the smiles :)  I used my 2-way glue pen with some dazzling diamonds for some bling!  The ribbon was attached with a bit of snail and I added a brad for a quick embellishment.  I hope you like it!

Four Ways Friday #9 - Contempo Alphabet

Thanks for your patience in awaiting this week's Four Ways Friday!  This Four Ways Friday focuses on how to use your alphabet sets!  It was hard to not turn this into an Eight Ways Friday since there are so many ways to use your letters!  I used the Contempo Alphabet set, but you could use these ideas for any alphabet set that you have.

Alphabet sets lend themselves perfectly to making anything with a monogram!  For this first project I decided to make a monogrammed card.  I first stamped the floral image from the Charming stamp set at 1/3 strength in Ruby Red ink onto Very Vanilla card stock and followed that by stamping the "M" in full strength right over it.  I punched it out and layered it onto the scallop circle punch and a larger circle that I cut from my Big Shot and the Circles #2 die.  Of course, I sponged the edges of both the circle and the card.  I stamped the floral image on the card at both 1/3 and 1/2 strength to create the floral background.  The Very Vanilla satin ribbon finishes the look.

You can also use your alphabet letters to create great backgrounds for your cards and paper projects.  Who doesn't love receiving hugs and kisses?! :)  I stamped the "x" and "o" stamp numerous times in Pink Pirouette all over the card.  The edges were sponged with Chocolate Chip.  I sponged the chipboard frame with Chocolate Chip ink as well.  The heart was punched using the Full Heart punch.  I punched both a piece of card stock and a piece of sticky sheet.  I sprinkled chunky glitter and fine glitter over the heart to make it sparkly!  Using the Sticky Sheets is a great way to adhere glitter without making a huge glue mess!  I adhered a piece of sticky strip directly to the card and ruffled the organza ribbon by adhering it down to the sticky strip.  Finally the tag was made using the Tiny Tag punch along with the Tiny Tags stamp set and attaching it with linen thread.

This clean and oh-so-simple card is another demonstration of an easy way to use your alphabet letters to spell words.  If you look closely you'll notice I used the Contempo Alphabet set to spell "oops" and also used the Rough Type set to spell "belated!"  This card is simply stamp, paper and ink...with a few punched shapes and dimensionals thrown in!  I LOVE the Happy Everything stamp set and am sad that it will be retiring at the end of the month :(  Don't forget to get the set for yourself or a friend while supplies last!

As you know, I've been traveling quite a bit lately, so I decided to make my last project something I can use on the road!  A great way to use your alphabet sets is to incorporate them into other word/greeting stamps.  I took the journey image from the In A Word stamp set and decided to highlight the "J" by using the "j" from the Contempo Alphabet stamp set, punching it out and adhering it to the beginning of the word.  The Kraft card stock was stamped with images from the Sentimental Journey stamp set, using Soft Suede ink at 1/3 strength (I stamped the image twice on a scrap piece of paper before stamping it onto my tag).  I also cut out words from an old book - I thought they worked really well with this theme.  On the back of the tag I stamped the compass image a number of times and then used the Soft Suede marker to write my contact information.  I ran the tag through a laminating machine.

I hope you like these fun projects!  How else can you use your alphabet sets?  I already have more ideas...maybe we'll have to revisit alphabets in a future Four Ways Friday! :)

Four Ways Friday...still on its way!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sometimes You've Gotta Do What You've Gotta Do!

I remember a little notepad I had when I was younger.  I don't remember where I got it, but I definitely remember the image and the saying at the top.  There was a little cartoon guy who was being squeezed and squished by a clamp/vice that was around him - both on his head and his feet.  His expression was priceless - his face all mushed and sweat coming off his forehead.  And then the saying, "Oy the pressure!!!!"  Too funny...and sometimes it is exactly how we feel.  This blog can make me feel that way sometimes - I so want to connect with all of you even if sometimes I don't even know if you are there.  I feel a responsibility to you and to your creativity.  I also feel a responsibility to myself and sometimes those 2 things come into conflict with one another.  Maybe "conflict" is a strong word - sometimes I so want to get my posts done and my samples posted and, at the same time, sometimes all I want to do is sit in the yard and stare at the seedlings that are starting to sprout in the garden...especially when I have been traveling and am worn out.  Ahh, the ultimate question - how to take care of yourself, while at the same time taking care of and looking after others.  The best answer I've been able to find so far is "sometimes you've gotta do what you've gotta do" to take care of yourself - if not, you can't be there for others and, even worse, you start to resent them even though the choices are yours to make.  So, this morning, I have done what I had to do - I rested, went for a run and decided to write to you to let you know that Four Ways Friday is going to be here later today.  However, this morning, I just had to do what I had to do :)  Hope to see you later today!

Four Ways Friday...coming later today!

I'll be back a little later today with Four Ways Friday!  See you soon!

Slide Jewelry - Side 2

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sit And Eat

It is far too easy to eat on the run these days.  You look at the car next to you and the person driving is munching on some fast food snack.  You walk through an airport and people are walking, eating and talking all at the same time!  Today, as I sat outside on the patio and ate breakfast with friends and family, I realized how pleasant it is to sit down and eat.  To stop all other activity and focus on nourishing your body and giving your mind a rest.  If you're eating while reading this, that doesn't count!  Turn away from the computer and head for the kitchen, dining room or patio table, and enjoy the taste of what you are eating.  I'll be here when you get back :)

Today I wanted to share side 2 of my soldered slide jewelry.  My mind is racing with all of the collage ideas I can make with this technique!  If you aren't into soldering that is GREAT - you can create the same effect with Stampin' Up's! wonderful Simply Adorned jewelry line!  You can create a small collage to wear for every day of the week!  To see the line and purchase some of these great jewelry items, shop HERE now! :)

Soldering Slide Jewelry

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Patience Is Definitely A Virtue! :)

I have been reading an incredibly inspiring craft book by Giuseppina Cirincione called Collage Lost and Found.  She is so talented and provides step-by-step instructions for making some great projects.  Of course I fell in love with a project that involved having to solder - something I hadn't done before.  What did I learn?  That patience is definitely a virtue!  Trying to solder something well on my first try was a bit optimistic...although the good thing is that solder melts when heated, so you can go back over mistakes and try to correct them.  I thought I would share with you the first soldered creation I made - this is one side of the pendant.  I'll show you the other side tomorrow :)  I hope you like it - I used a variety of stamps, papers, ephemera, fibers...see if you can tell which Stampin' Up! products I used :)

Four Ways Friday #8 - It's The Thought

Today's Four Ways Friday uses the adorable crab stamp from the It's The Thought hostess stamp set in the Summer Mini Catalog.  I'm in love with this cute little crab!!!!

This first card uses the stamp and a 1 1/2" circle punch to create the letter "O" in the word "sorry."  I stamped the crab in Jet Black Staz-On onto Whisper White card stock and colored him using markers and a blender pen.  The letters were cut from Real Red card stock using the simple alphabet dies and the Big Shot.  Notice the net pattern on the Blush Blossom background?  I wrapped rubberbands around my brayer and brayered the background with Blush Blossom ink.  The sand dunes were torn from Sahara Sand card stock.  I used my 2-Way glue pen to attach some sand that I had dyed with Close to Cocoa reinker (check out my video on how to dye sand - it's a lot of fun)!

For this second card I stamped the YoYo Yellow card with the "hello" stamp from the Hello Again stamp set.  I used the spritzer tool to add some interest to the background.  The black card stock was punched using the spiral punch to make it look like a film strip.  The Whisper White card stock was stamped with the crab image and then punched out using my 1 1/4" square punch.  I colored the crabs using my blender pen and ink from my stamp pads.  Isn't this crab adorable?!  Did you notice that he's smiling instead of frowning?  In order to do that, I used my marker to ink up the stamp and did not ink the frown.  Instead, I stamped the crab without a mouth and drew in the smiley face afterwards :)

For the third card I decided to stamp the crab onto Real Red card stock and cut him out using a hobby blade.  I punched a heart from the Heart To Heart punch and was able to put it into the crab's claw by creating a small slit with the hobby blade.  The sand dunes were torn from Sahara Sand card stock and I sponged the edges slightly with Chocolate Chip ink.  The greeting is from the Whimsical Words stamp set and was stamped onto designer series paper (from Sale-a-bration) and then punched out with a circle punch.  I sponged the edges of the circle lightly to add some dimension.  Have I mentioned how much I love this cute little crab?!

Last but not least, this fourth card uses a mirror image technique.  I stamped the crab once and then rotated the paper upside down and stamped the crab again.  Instead of making a mirror image I overlapped the claws a tiny bit so it looked like the crabs were holding "hands."  I used the 2-Way glue pen to add dazzling diamonds to the crabs and once again drew in smiles in place of the frowns.  The greeting is from the Happy Everything stamp set.  I hope you like it!!!!!  If you want to place an order to earn this wonderful hostess stamp set, feel free to shop HERE now!

Summer Mini Stamp-a-Stack Card #4: Elements Of Style

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Plant A Seed And Watch It Grow!

We finally planted seeds in the garden last Friday.  Of course, since then, I have been running out to the garden every day to check out the dirt and to try to catch a glimpse of the slightest hint of green!  What an amazing feeling to see those first tiny green leaves pop out of the brown dirt!!!!!  It's amazing!!!!  Yes, I know it's just a tiny sprout, but it's our sprout!!!!!  :)  I don't think I will ever stop being amazed by the miracle of gardening!  If you have never planted a seed, today would be a great day to give it a try.  Who knows what will grow! :)

This was the fourth card for my Summer Mini stamp-a-stack.  I stamped the floral image from Elements of Style onto Very Vanilla card stock in Soft Suede.  I used the Soft Suede marker in the spritzer tool to add the faint dots to the background and to the focal image.  The central image is from the Vintage Vogue stamp set.  The floral image was also stamped in Rose Red onto the Rose Red card stock and the edges of the Rose Red panel were inked as well.  A touch of Very Vanilla satin ribbon with a modern label punch and a brad finish the look.  I hope you like it!  Now go plant a seed :)

A Twist On A Card: Sweet Scoops

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Try It With A Twist!

No, it's not Groundhog Day and you are not seeing double :)  I had to share today's card as it was a real revelation to me!  The card I shared yesterday was one of my stamp-a-stack cards.  One of my attendees was a young girl named Kelsey.  Kelsey likes to use the stamp-a-stack card as inspiration and then let her creativity add to the card.  I had to smile when I saw her take this Sweet Scoops card and turn it on its side and then place the greeting at an angle!  I immediately asked her permission to copy what she had done (and I added to it by putting dazzling diamonds on the sprinkles and crystal effects on the cherries).  Thanks Kelsey! :)  This was such an eye-opening card for me - an inspiration to get away from my straight lines and symmetrical cards and play around with my layouts.  Sometimes you just need to try it with a twist! :)

Last Chance Lists!

The Last Chance Lists are here!  Now through June 30th you can purchase these retiring stamp sets!  Discontinued accessories are on a first come, first served basis!  Hurry while supplies last!  To download the lists, click HERE and click on "promotions."  Happy shopping!  If you have an interest in joining my team, there is a wonderful $99 mini start kit available this month!  Feel free to contact me for details!  This is a great opportunity to get the new colors early along with the opportunity to purchase sneak peek stamp sets!

Summer Mini Stamp-a-Stack Card #3: Sweet Scoops

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Detours Can Hold Surprises!

I was recently in Amsterdam...well, at least I was supposed to be landing in Amsterdam, but due to volcanic ash, we had to land in Brussels instead.  The detour made me a bit nervous since I was traveling alone and did not have a good sense of European geography!  However, once we landed I was able to get my bearings and hopped a train...make that 3 trains, to get to my destination in The Netherlands.  The detour was wonderful!  First I met a lovely man from Los Angeles who was on his way to Eindhoven to visit his sick mother.  He had no idea how to navigate the train system, so I ended up helping him!  Second, the scenery was just gorgeous!  The highlight was passing by a large brown field...in the middle was a blue recliner chair with a man napping in it and a dog splayed out at his feet!  Yes, in the middle of a field!  Amazing!  Sometimes detours can hold wonderful surprises!

I cannot take credit for today's card.  At the same time, I am not sure who to give credit to!  My cousin shared this card with me and said that she had gotten it from somewhere else!  So, if this card looks like your creation, please let me know!  I would love to give you credit!  I used the Sweet Scoops stamp set and YoYo Yellow, Orchid Opulence and Pink Passion ink.  I covered the sprinkles with some dazzling diamonds.  Hope you like it!  Speaking of surprises, the retiring list comes out today!  I will try to be sure to post it for you so you can start shopping HERE! :)

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Just a quick post to apologize for not having a card to share with you today.  I will also likely not be able to post Four Ways Friday as I have family visiting and have been quite distracted!  I plan to be back in full swing by Monday...maybe sooner...  Hope you have a fabulous weekend wherever you are!

Summer Mini Stamp-a-Stack Card #2: Pretties Kit

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Some Lessons You Just Need To Keep Learning!

Take a time out.  Enjoy some down time.  Pause and breathe.  This lesson seems to be one I need to keep learning over and over again.  I enjoy my quiet time and I realize when I don't nourish my soul with downtime I begin to feel frazzled, distressed, scattered and down right yucky!  I need to make my solo time (maybe that should be spelled "soul-o" time) a priority each and every day in order to maintain the level of peace I wish to have on my journey.  Some lessons you just need to keep learning...hopefully this one will become a natural part of my daily life soon.

This card is the second card for my upcoming Summer Mini Stamp-a-Stack.  I used the largest flower from the pretties kit and some Staz-on ink and stamped an image from the Elements of Style stamp set onto the flower.  Some silver card stock punched with the 1 1/4" circle punch and a 1" circle punch of the greeting decorate the center of the flower.  I also stamped the greeting in Staz-on so that I could cover it with Crystal Effects :)  The embossed background was created by running the Baja Breeze card stock through the Big Shot with the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder.  I hope you like it!

Summer Mini Stamp-a-Stack - Card #1: Motorcycle Journey

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Nature Has A Funny Way Of Breaking What Does Not Bend

Today's lesson comes from lyrics by the singer/songwriter Jewel.  I reflect on these particular lyrics a lot.  Today there was incredible wind here in Colorado and a number of trees came down due to the strong force of the wind.  It always amazes me how many trees are able to withstand the force - the push and pull.  They remain standing because they can sway - because they are flexible in the face of all of that force.  We can learn from those trees - to bend a bit when life is pushing us in a direction and we don't want to go; to stretch and flex when we exercise hard; to sway so as not to take the brunt of what someone is throwing at us.  Today I wish you flexibility - the ability to bend, not break, under pressure.

Today's card is for my upcoming Summer Mini Stamp-a-Stack.  I love the motorcycle stamp - it is incredibly versatile and a great image for making both masculine and feminine cards.  The Sentimental Journey stamp set is a great compliment.  This card could be used for a birthday, father's day, or wishing someone a successful journey as they embark on a trip, a new job, or pursuit of their passion.  I sprayed the Kraft card stock with a mixture of alcohol and Chocolate Chip reinker that I keep in a small spray bottle.  I also stippled a bit of Chocolate Chip ink on the background using a stencil brush.  The motorcycle image was stamped with Versamark and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.  I tore the edges of the Night Of Navy card stock.  The Red Riding Hood panel was stamped with words from the Sentimental Journey stamp set in Riding Hood Red ink.  The compass was stamped in Close To Cocoa and punched out with the 1" circle punch.  Finally, the greeting flag was created by stamping "journey" in Chocolate Chip ink on Very Vanilla card stock and sponging the edges.   I hope you like it!

Four Ways Friday #7 - Rub Ons!

Ahh the best laid plans!  Sorry it has taken me a few more days than expected to post last week's Four Ways Friday...hopefully you'll feel it was worth the wait! :)

This week's Four Ways Friday features Rub Ons!!!!  How many ways can you use your rub ons?  Here are Four Ways I used mine!

For this first project I decided to use rub ons on glass!  They work great (although you don't want to wash the jar once the rub ons are in place).  If you make a mistake when you are putting on the rub ons, no problem!  You can always scrape them off and apply a new one!  I also love to cut up my rub ons so that I can use specific words as opposed to the entire phrase or greeting.  I took the word "sweet" from a "sweet new baby" greeting.

This butterfly card uses rub ons in their traditional manner.  I placed the rub on on a piece of Almost Amethyst card stock and created a flag to attach to the card.  I made this small butterfly card with the butterfly die in my Big Shot - just crease a piece of Whisper White card stock and be sure to place the crease just inside of the edge of the die cut outline in order to create the card v. cutting out the full shape.  I used black craft ink and clear embossing powder to emboss the background from the Charming stamp set.  I outlined the edge of the card with my versamark marker and then embossed the edge with gold embossing powder.  The butterfly was colored with ink and sponge daubers.  The center of the butterfly was made with a piece of wire and gold beads along with some of the crystals from the Pretties Kit.

For this third project I satisfied my curiosity of wondering what would happen if I put Crystal Effects over a rub on!  It works!  You can make great embellishments this way!  I punched out a piece of Pumpkin Pie card stock with my Modern Label punch and then added the rub on and covered the whole piece with Crystal Effects.  It is popped up on the card with dimensionals.  The background is an image from the Short & Sweet stamp set stamped in Versamark.  The little boy is from the Very Thankful stamp set.  I stamped him twice and cut out the heart from one of the images.  I colored him and the heart with markers and popped the heart up on a dimensional and covered it with Crystal Effects.  The finished card size is 3x3.

For this fourth and final project I decided to use rub ons on a window sheet/transparency.  Once again I made a uniquely-shaped card by creasing a piece of Kraft card stock and running it through the Big Shot with my Scallop Square die.  I placed the crease about half-way up the die to create the card and also die cut the piece of window sheet at the same time.  I stamped the motorcycle on the underside of the transparency using black Staz-on ink (this is why the motorcycle is facing toward the left) and then applied the rub on to the front side of the window sheet.  I stamped the Kraft card stock with an Itty Bitty Background stamp in Soft Suede ink.  The eyelets were used to attach the window sheet to the Kraft card.  A piece of Whisper White card stock was attached underneath the window sheet to create some interest and to highlight the rub on.  Finally a small tag was created using the Tiny Tags stamp set and the tag punch and attached with a small piece of linen thread.

What other ways do you use your rub ons?  I'd love to hear your ideas!  See you later this week for another Four Ways Friday! :)

Four Ways Friday...coming later today!

Hi everyone!  I hope you are having a wonderful Friday!  I just arrived back home from Amsterdam last night and, although I had hoped to have been awake enough to work on Four Ways Friday...I was wrong :(  So, my plan is to work on it today and post it for you later today - please check back later and thanks for your visit!!!!!

Emboss Resist - Of The Earth

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Round And Round She Goes...Where She Stops, Nobody Knows!

This card was definitely created in stages!  I almost abandoned it numerous times, but I decided to keep going - to allow the process to unfold - all the while hoping that where I would end up would be a place I could smile about :)  And so it is :)  Sometimes you just have to go round and round with it and see where you stop!

I'm not sure I can even recount all of the steps I took to get to this card...it went something like this...stamped A to Z on Very Vanilla card stock; stamped bird image in Versamark and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.  Took multiple sponges and colors and went wild sponging over everything!  Then I stamped the greeting in black on the background.  Then came the flowers stamped in Versamark and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.  Then the butterfly image - more Versamark and white embossing powder...and then a bit more sponging.  Then the greeting stamped on a piece of Very Vanilla card stock and cut into bite-size pieces and adhered to the card.  The 2-Step Bird Punch was next - sponged with Rich Razzleberry, of course :)  And then some distressing of the edges before putting the entire card together.  Phew!  Quite the journey :)  I hope you enjoyed the trip! :)  Speaking of trips, I will likely not be posting tomorrow (Thursday), but my hope is to be back in time for Four Ways Friday...see you then!

Smootch Spritz and Stencils

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Our Education In Creation Is Never-Ending

I sometimes volunteer at a Boys & Girls Club, helping children experience creating art!  It is a joy and an energizer for me!  As I watch the children create and reflect on my own experiences with creating art, I realize that our personal school of art is never-ending.  Every day you sit down to create or think about creating you are moving further into your birthright as a creative being.  There are new thoughts to express and new ways to express them.  Dig deep, there is still so much to learn!

For today's card I combined the Mostly Vintage decor stencil with some Vanilla Shimmer smooch spritz.  If you look closely you can see the outline of the stencil!  It is wonderfully sparkly in person!  I then stamped some of the flowers from Vintage Vogue around the edges in Whisper White craft ink.  And yes, I used my heat tool to dry things since I am a bit impatient ;)  I built the flower with elements from the Pretties Kit...but look closely...I also embossed on some white grosgrain ribbon.  I stamped the floral image in Versamark onto the ribbon and then embossed using silver embossing powder!  I stamped the greeting on Whisper White card stock and added some dazzling diamonds along the edges.  A few half-pearls finish the look.  I hope you like it!

Book Frame #2 - Stampin' Up! Style!

 

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  The thoughts we choose to think are the tools we use to paint the canvas of our lives. - Louise Hay

As artists we have a lot of tools at our disposal - paint and brushes, ink and stamps.  Sometimes we forget that one of the most powerful tools we have are our thoughts.  As Louise Hay points out in her book The Power Is Within You, the thoughts we choose to think are the tools we use to paint the canvas of our lives.  What type of painting are you creating with your thoughts today?  Become aware of your internal babble.  Listen for that self-criticism that creeps into your inner voice.  Today, try to replace that criticism with praise.  Affirm who you are and the place you hold in your life today.  Choose to paint a beautiful picture on the canvas of your life!

Today's project is a belated gift I made for my mom for Mother's Day.  Why is it I can't make a gift on time?! :)  I used my jumbo wheel to decorate this book.  The pages are sealed together with gel medium.  I sprayed some smootch spritz on the blue cover of the book - if you look closely you can see it sparkling!  The letters were cut from different thicknesses of chipboard with dies and the Big Shot.  The letters were "colored" with classic ink and then covered with Crystal Effects for that glossy look!  A rub on (see it?  it's the word "your") and some buttons adorn the spine.  Finally, I stamped "love" and a flower image from the Tiny Tags set on a piece of Very Vanilla card stock and placed it in a Hodgepodge Hardware frame.  I hope you like it and I hope my mom does too :)

Four Ways Friday #6 - Circle Circus

Today's Four Ways Friday uses the Circle Circus stamp set.  I tried to introduce a few new techniques and a video!  I hope you like it!

 For this first card I decided to pull out my PearlEx powders and go to town!  I had never tried this technique before.  I had the powders stored away from a time when I played with polymer clay.  So today, powders met paper and this is the result!  I stamped images from the Circle Circus stamp set in Versamark onto Brocade Blue card stock.  I then used various PearlEx powders and pounced them onto the Versamark images with a stencil brush.  I sprayed a fast-drying fixative to the card stock to keep the powders from rubbing off.  Once the fixative was dry, I added sponging around the edges and into the center and stamped images from the Elements of Style stamp set in Basic Black and Brocade Blue classic ink.  Of course, I couldn't stop before adding some dazzling diamonds to the flowers :)  I matted the stamped panel onto Brushed Gold card stock and then to a Ballet Blue card base.  I realize that I used more than the Circle Circus stamp set for this card.  I was hoping it would give you ideas for how you can use the stamp set to create gorgeous backgrounds for other images!

This second card uses a fun technique - stamping in fun foam!  Rather than explain how I did it, I thought I'd make a quick video for you to watch.

What can you do with your stamps and fun foam?

For this third card I used Versamark to stamp the small Circle Circus image onto Dusty Durango card stock.  I also stamped the same image in Dusty Durango on Whisper White card stock.  Another image from the stamp set joined it :)  The card was finished with some torn strips of Tempting Turquoise and Crushed Curry, a length of Crushed Curry dotted ribbon with a faux bow, and a greeting from Short & Sweet.  The Circle Circus stamp set lends itself well to creating fun and unique backgrounds!

For my fourth and final project I decided to honor my mom and National Scrapbooking Month!  This is a 6x6 scrapbook page and the punched circles are a great way to frame a photo!  Some of the circles were adhered directly to the base card stock and others were popped up on Dimensionals.  I also used the new Rough Type stamp set from the summer mini catalog and the Introducing stamp set to add the place and date.  I hope you like it!  How else can you use your Circle Circus stamp set?  I'd love to hear about your creations!

Ways to Use Your Die Cut Letters

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Place Your Hand Over Your Chest And Feel Your Heartbeat

Today's lesson comes from a small book with a big message.  The book is called The Meaning Of Life by Bradley Trevor Grieve.  Two pages really stand out for me and here is what they say, "Place your hand over your chest and feel your heartbeat.  This is actually your life clock ticking, counting down the moments you have left.  One day it will stop.  That is 100 percent guaranteed, and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it.  So you can't afford to throw away a single precious second.  Go after your dreams with energy and passion, or you may as well stand back and watch them wash down the drain."  If that's not a big lesson, I don't know what is!

I decided to pull out all my extra die cut letters and have a bit of fun today.  I keep my extra die cut letters and numbers in this small hardware storage bin.

Big and small, plain or glittered, somehow letters will work together if you just give them a chance.  Don't throw those extra letters away - hold onto them for a day when you are inspired to play and then go for it!  I added a few buttons for a final embellishment.  I hope this inspires you to see what you can do with your extra letters!

So Sweet! Blog Award!

What a thoughtful and wonderful surprise to receive this Blog Award from my friend Judi Rose!  Thanks so much Judi - you made my day!!!!  Judi is an amazing person, artist and papercrafter.  You should definitely stop by her blog if you get a chance - I'm sure you'll be inspired!

As an award recipient, I am supposed to share with you a few things about myself...hmmm...what might be interesting to share...what about some of my favorite foods (can you tell it's close to dinner time?!).  I LOVE the balsamic vinegar from O&CO.  I warn you though, this stuff is totally addictive!  I am also a huge fan of Cadbury's Double Decker chocolate bars.  The lower deck of the candy bar is a crispy cereal and the upper deck is a chewy nougat; all wrapped in milk chocolate.  They used to carry them at World Market, but I haven't been able to find them there in a long time.  Guess I'll have to wait for a trip to London to get my fix!  To stick with the sweet theme, I have also been craving Horchata by Westsoy.  I am sure I could make a more delicious version, but they make it so easy since you just have to put the carton in the fridge and drink up when you're ready.  If you haven't tried horchata, it is rice milk with cinnamon and vanilla - mmmm, mmm good!  Thanks again Judi for the wonderful award! :)  I am passing this award on to another beautiful person and crafter, Brenda MacKellar.  You can check out her blog here.  She doesn't blog a lot, so I think we need to stop by her blog and encourage her to post some more!  She always inspires me!!!!  Thanks Brenda!!!!

Motorcycle Stamp - Summer Mini Catalog

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Send It...Even If They Are Better By The Time It Arrives!

Today's card is for my friend Judi's husband, Danny.  (shhh Judi, don't tell Danny :)  He hasn't been feeling well and I thought a little card might provide a pick-me-up.  Of course, since they live far away from Denver, it's possible that by the time this card arrives Danny will be feeling 100% - I can only hope!  I'm going to send the card anyway - hoping and praying that by the time he gets it he really won't need the get well wishes anymore :)  I think this is a great rule to have with cards - send them - even if the event will have passed by the time the card arrives.  As the saying goes, it's the thought that counts :)

The UPS man arrived at my door today with a Stampin' Up! package and I couldn't wait to break out this motorcycle stamp!  What a great all-purpose image to use - especially for masculine cards...although I'd be the first one to admit that motorcycles are as much for women as they are for men!  Except in Atlanta...I owned a motorcycle there and I think my mom added quite a few gray hairs to her beautiful head when she used to see me riding down her street and away from her house.  Motorcycles and crazy drivers in Atlanta are not a good combination...anyway, I digress...so, I used the faux wood technique for the background panel - I'll have to do a video - it's a super simple technique and it creates a great effect.  I used my bone folder to break down the fibers in the corners of the Very Vanilla panel and peeled back a layer of the card stock to give the corners a sueded look.  I did a ton of sponging (on the card stock and on my fingers)!  I hope you like it!  If you can't wait another minute to own this great motorcycle stamp, feel free to shop HERE now :)

Faux Wood Technique and Video!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. - Will Rogers

In his book How To Get Ideas, Jack Foster says "The truth is:  There is no difference between (a) having an idea and not doing anything with it and (b) not having an idea at all."  I think about this as I watch people create and as I create - the only way the idea that is in our heads will ever get into this world is to actually do something with the idea!  That image of a butterfly that is in your head will never see the light of day unless you screw up the courage to put a pencil/pen in your hand and actually draw it!  What a gift you can give the world every day, by allowing your creations to come forth!  What idea can you bring to life today?

For today's card I pulled out a few of my new items from the Stampin' Up! summer mini catalog.  The Rough Type letters are great for creating your own words and embellishments.  And how cute is that owl?!  He is from the It's The Thought level 1 hostess set in the mini.  Too cute!  This card also uses a faux wood technique for the background.  I've created this video for you to learn how to do this simple technique!  Enjoy!

Decorated Book Frame

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Pay Tribute To Someone You Love!

Yesterday, May 9th, was the anniversary of my father's death.  I found it a fitting day to finally decorate this vintage book frame that I had posted about a week ago.  I knew the right day would find me :)  I felt like I was honoring my father by putting together this piece.  This creation is a tribute to him!  I love you Dad!!!!

I used hodgepodge hardware and rub-ons for the top of the book frame.  The Alphabet Simple Letters dies and the Big Shot were used to create the word "girl."  I die cut the letters in chipboard and To The Nines specialty paper.  The edges were sponged with Soft Suede and then I sprayed the letters with smootch spritz (which is difficult to see in this photo).  I used a rub-on for the word "little."  I just cut up one of the chit-chat rub-on greetings - it's amazing how many perfect words you can find!  I couldn't wait for my new rough type stamp set (it is arriving tomorrow) since I wanted to complete this project today...so, I used a non-SU! alphabet set for the word "daddy's."  I stamped the letters in Staz-On in Timber Brown and used my 3/4" hole punch to punch 4 additional layers of Very Vanilla card stock.  I stacked the layers, like you would to make a faux button, and then finished the tops of the letters off with Crystal Effects.  I hope you like it...if you knew my dad, you'd love it :)

If you'd like to shop for any of the products in today's post, feel free to click HERE!

Square Lattice Embossing Folder

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Take A Moment To Say Thank You!

We encounter so many opportunities each and every day to say "thank you."  The mailman delivers the mail - "thank you!"  The cashier at the grocery store hands us our change - "thank you!"  A friend spends time on the phone with us - "thank you!"  A stranger holds the door open for us - "thank you!"  It can be easy to miss these opportunities to say thank you due to distractions, cell phones, hectic schedules.  Today, stop and take notice of these opportunities...and let me say to you, "thank you" for stopping by to visit!

For today's card I opened the new Square Lattice embossing folder from the Summer Mini catalog!  I love it!  It provides a great POP of texture with minimal effort using your Big Shot!  The flower center was made by punching some tissue paper with my Boho Blossoms punch and crunching and fluffing until I was satisfied.  I sponged on a bit of Orchid Opulence and a touch of dazzling diamonds with the 2-Way Glue pen.  The Razzleberry Lemonade designer paper was punched using the Extra Large Fancy Flower punch and the edges sponged with Orchid Opulence.  The stem and leaves were made from gingham and chocolate chip ribbon.  The greeting, from Thank You Kindly, was colored on the stamp with Orchid Opulence and Pixie Pink markers before being stamped onto the card - I love the two-tone effect!  I hope you like it!  If you want to have some of these products to call your very own, feel free to shop HERE!  Last, but not least, a very big THANK YOU to my mom for being so wonderful!!!!  Happy Mother's Day!

Four Ways Friday #5 - Season of Friendship

Today's Four Ways Friday focuses on the tree stamp in the Season of Friendship stamp set!  I turned the stamp around and around in my hand and came up with a few ideas that might surprise you!

This first card uses the tree stamp in a traditional way.  I stamped the tree in Soft Suede and added flowers that I punched using the Trio Flowers punch.  A touch of dazzling diamonds and white gel pen finishes the look.

For this second card, I used my Stampin' Write markers in Sage Shadow, Mellow Moss and Old Olive to color only certain branches of the tree and stamped them repeatedly at the bottom of the Very Vanilla card stock to make them look like grass!  I knew the Flight of the Butterfly stamp set would be a perfect match so I stamped the greeting and the butterfly from that set.  The butterfly was cut out and popped up on a dimensional...and, of course, I added a bit of dazzling diamonds (can you tell I am in love with dazzling diamonds?!).

For the third card, I decided to take advantage of the great geometric styling of the tree and stamped parts of the tree on top of one another to create this modern-looking background paper.  I stamped the tree in Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo and Crushed Curry.  The greeting comes from the Whimsical Words stamp set and was stamped in Rich Razzleberry.

This card is the surprise! :)  As I turned the stamp around and around in my hand, suddenly I saw fish heads!!!! (I know...my mind works in funny ways :)  I used my Stampin' Write markers to color the portion of the stamp that I wanted and then stamped onto the Very Vanilla card stock.  Add a few googley eyes and ta-da!  Fish heads! :)  I thought this sentiment from the Three Little Words stamp set fit these fish perfectly - they look like they belong together.

How else might you use the tree stamp?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!  If you would like to purchase the Season of Friendship stamp set or any of the other products I featured in this week's Four Ways Friday, feel free to shop HERE now!  Have a great weekend!!!!

Tennis Ball Redux!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Find The Extraordinary In The Ordinary!

Today's creation comes from a little girl named Eliza who lives down the street!  We live close to a tennis court and there are always those great tennis players who hit the balls over the gated courts and leave them for us to gather (the dogs love it!).  Eliza and her friend decided to put the tennis balls to good use!  For a school project they decided to make them into characters.  I received this one as a gift and have named him Dunlop :)  (I have to admit to feeling a bit like Tom Hanks in the movie Cast Away - as you may recall, he named his volleyball Wilson and it became his best friend!).  This tennis ball will sit on my desk as a constant reminder to find the extraordinary in the ordinary!!!!!!  What can you make extraordinary today?

Tissue Paper Boho Blossom

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  You can't be afraid of stepping on toes if you want to go dancing - Lewis Freedman

I found today's quote while reading Kelly Rae Roberts' book Taking Flight (If you like to create, you need to get this book - it's wonderful!).  I wonder what the equivalent quote would be for the craft room?  You can't be afraid of getting inky fingers if you want to go crafting?  You can't be afraid of totally losing track of time if you want to go creating?  There are so many fears we need to be willing to let go of when we walk into the craft room...or if we're not willing to let go, we have to at least be willing to go into the craft room and do that which we fear to do!  As Sequichie Comingdeer, the Cherokee philosopher, so wisely said, The death of fear is in doing what you fear to do!

This card was inspired by the K&Company Forever Yours wedding album that I saw in an ad from Archiver's.  I drew the lines freehand with my Going Gray Stampin' Write marker.  The flowers were punched out of tissue paper using my Boho Blossoms punch (make sure your punch is nice and sharp so you can punch cleanly through the tissue paper - you might want to punch through heavy-duty aluminum foil a few times to sharpen your punch).  I adhered the flowers to the card with a tiny dot of Tombo Mono Multi-Adhesive and then, of course, I had to use my 2-way glue pen to add some Dazzling Diamonds to the center of the flowers!  The modern label punch in brushed silver creates the perfect background for the Teeny Tiny Wishes anniversary greeting which I punched out with my Word Window punch.  I stamped the greeting using Going Gray as well.  I hope you like it!  If you love Going Gray as much as I do, be sure to stock up on the ink/Stampin' Write markers now!  Going Gray will be retiring at the end of June 2010 as part of the color renovation.  Shop HERE to stock up now!

Tissue Paper Flower

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing. - Marc Chagall

When I saw this quote it really spoke to me...and I hope it speaks to you as well.  I can get so stuck in my head when I create - analyzing this and that.  Instead, when I just lead with my heart and create for the sake of creating, everything seems to come together.  I may not always be pleased with the end result, but I am always happy in my heart with the process I took to get there!  May you follow your heart in all that you do!

For today's card I decided to try making a tissue paper flower (I saw the technique on the SCS website) using my Scallop Circles #2 die for the Big Shot and some tissue paper I had lying around the house.  You can fold your tissue paper over and over and run it through the Big Shot once to get a whole pile of scallop circles!  I used about 8 layers for each of the scallop circles.  Stack the large circles together, punch a hole in the center with your Crop-o-dile, place a brad in the center and then crunch, scrunch, and mush (all technical terms :) until you get the look that you want.  Then use some ink and sponge the flower with colors of your choice.  I separately created the smaller layer and sponged it a darker color and then combined the two with a corduroy button brad.  I used my Very Vintage jumbo roller in Sahara Sand ink for the background.  The greeting is from Whimsical Words.  I hope you like it!  Now go try making a tissue paper flower on your own...but don't blame me if you get addicted ;)  If you can't live without the corduroy button brads or a Very Vintage wheel, feel free to shop HERE!

Scrap-Book!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Boldly Go Where You've Never Gone Before!

You Star Trek fans out there will know where today's lesson comes from :)  And for those of you who aren't Star Trek fans...don't worry...I'll fill you in!  At the beginning of Star Trek episodes, a voice informs us that the spaceship Enterprise will "boldly go where no man has gone before" (excuse the "man" part...that was before political correctness was in style!).  Anyway, today I decided to boldly go where I really hadn't ever gone before - into the galaxy of scrapbooking...or should I say scrap-BOOKing!  I am reading an amazing book called Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts and in the book she provides step-by-step directions for how to make these really fun vintage book photo frames.  So, here's the beginning of my project...now all it needs is to be jazzed up with some Stampin' Up! magic!!!!!  I'll be back later to show you the transformation!  Where can you boldly go where you have never gone before????

It's National Scrapbooking Month!

National Scrapbooking Month Promotion

May is National Scrapbooking Month--so Stampin' Up! is offering a special promotion for the month of May: purchase a qualifying scrapbooking stamp set or the My Digital Studio software and receive a FREE package of Designer brads--choose from four designs!

Qualifying products and Designer brads are listed below.  Click HERE to shop now!
Stamp sets

Page	Description	Wood-Mount Item	Wood-Mount Price	Clear-Mount Item	Clear-Mount Price
81	Extreme Elements	115181	$26.95	---	---
119	Framed with Love**	114389	$27.95	---	---
128	Certified**	113706	$27.95	---	---
129	Circle Circus	115778	$28.95	---	---
12*	Elements of Style	118611	$27.95	120045	$19.95
13*	Mementos	119910	$27.95	120105	$19.95
13*	Elements de style	119900	$27.95	120099	$19.95
14*	Rough Type	118659	$26.95	120072	$18.95
22*	Sentimental Journey	118513	$23.95	120075	$17.95
25*	First Day	118521	$23.95	120051	$17.95
25*	Camino a la Escuela	120152	$23.95	120154	$17.95

*From Summer Mini Catalog
**Last Chance stamp set! My Digital Studio software

Page	Description	Item	Price
32*	My Digital Studio	118108	$79.95

*From Summer Mini Catalog

Designer brads

Page	Description	Item	Retail Price	Price with Qualifying Purchase
179	Flower Designer brads	112579	$5.95	FREE
179	Filigree Designer brads	112577	$5.95	FREE
179	Circle Designer brads	112571	$5.95	FREE
179	Star Designer brads	112572	$5.95	FREE

Four Ways Friday #4 - Hemp Twine

Who knew twine could be so exciting?! :)  I thought I would see if I could come up with 4 different ways to use twine in paper craft projects...Let me know what you think!

For this card I used the twine in a pretty traditional way.  I first embossed a clear button with versamark and white embossing powder.  Don't you love that compass?  And the background images?  That's a little sneak peak at the new Sentimental Journey stamp set in the new summer mini catalog!  I used the hemp twine to "tie" the button and also wrapped and knotted some around the greeting layer on the card.

The texture of hemp twine can add a lot of dimension to your cards.  Here, I took the wrapping idea a step further and wrapped the twine around and around a piece of chipboard.  I used sticky strip on the back of the chipboard to hold the twine in place and popped that element up using dimensionals.

Hmmm, "around and around"...why not just go around and around with your twine to form a great center for a flower?!  I punched out a 1 1/4" circle of Kraft card stock and then covered it with sticky strip and then went around and around with the twine.  This card is a little crazy, I must admit, but it was a lot of fun to make :)

For the final project I decided to use the hemp twine to outline an image.  I stamped this adorable heart from the More The Merrier stamp set.  I used Tombo Mono Multi-Adhesive and drew a thin line of glue around the image and then adhered the hemp twine by following around the glued outline.  Of course, now that I had a contained space I needed to fill it with Crystal Effects!  I added some Dazzling Diamonds over the Crystal Effects to give this clean and simple card some bling!

Can you think of more ways to use hemp twine on your cards and scrapbook pages?  I'd love to hear your ideas!

Embrace Life - Behind and In Front

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  If You're There, Be There Mind And Body.  If Not, Consider Just Not Being There

Today's lesson came from a friend's facebook page and the message really resonated with me.  Life is too short for us to engage in activities with half a heart (or mind, or body).  If we aren't really "present" somewhere, then why are we there at all?  What would your life look like if you allowed yourself to say "no" or to walk away from situations where you are not "all there?"  What if we allowed ourselves to spend our precious moments only on those things that engaged our hearts, minds and bodies?  It can be easy, especially today, to do so much without really being there.  With technology it seems, we have grown to believe that we can talk, drive, eat, put on makeup, listen to music all at the same time with our attention divided all over the place.  By doing so, not only do we suffer, but so does the person we are pretending to listen to, the drivers we are half paying attention to, the artist who created the music to touch us...Today, what can you give your full attention to?  Today, if you can't be there mind and body will you consider just not being there?

Today's card was fun to create - just random stamping of the flower from the Embrace Life stamp set to create the background and focal image.  The greeting is from Kind & Caring Thoughts.  I added just a touch of glitter.  I hope you like it!

Simply Stamping...And A Little Bling :)

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  We Don't Need To Dress Up To Shine!

All the commercials on tv may make us feel otherwise, but we really are beautiful just as we are - no makeup, no fancy shoes, no latest trend.  You shine because you are who you are and you are the only you that there is...and that there ever will be!  There is no one else like you.  No one who can create what lives inside of you.  No one who can touch the world in the way that you can.  You aren't one in a million - you are one in infinity.  A special blend that will make a special mark on the world in your own special way.  You are precious.

Today's card is simply stamping...with just a touch of dazzling diamonds.  It can be so easy to get away from the basics and feel like we have to add layer upon layer or embellishment upon embellishment to make our cards special.  However, our cards, just like us, don't need to dress up to shine!  I hope you like it!

Stars Gone Wild!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  No One Is Useless.  Even The Worst Of Us Can Serve As A Poor Example

I can't remember when I first heard today's lesson, however it has stuck with me my entire life!  I think I first heard it when I was in a very depressed time in my life and wasn't quite sure what my purpose was on the planet...at least this quote gave me a purpose for awhile - sad, I know, but true.  I'm happy to say that I am no longer in that place in my life...however I'm not sure I can say the same thing for this card :(  I try not to judge my cards and rather just go with the flow.  I'm just having a really hard time liking this one.  I figure it must have a purpose though - and maybe part of its purpose is to show me what I don't want to do in the future :)

I used my star punches to create the stars and let some designer series paper serve as the background.  Maybe, somehow, this card will inspire you in a way I never thought possible!  Maybe there's hope!  Enjoy!!!! :)

Vintage Vogue Monogram Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Lie Down And Rest

I have to admit that I am not a big nap person.  As a matter of fact, I usually feel all hazy and weird if I take a nap in the middle of the day.  However, just because I'm not a nap person does not mean that I can't lay down and just rest.  I can close my eyes, or not.  Read a book, or not.  Sometimes it just feels good to slow down and allow yourself some moments of "nothing."

Today's card was designed for the 40th birthday of a friend of mine!  I made a whole set of cards and stamped envelopes for her as a gift.  I really love thinking of a person and what they mean to me and then trying to translate that into a stamped gift :)  I used the Vintage Vogue and Lovely Letters stamp sets.  I embossed the monogram letter and punched it out and then adhered it to a 1 1/4" circle punch and the scallop circle punch.  A bit of Bashful Blue satin ribbon finishes the look.  I hope you like it!