Four Ways Friday #92 - Language Of Friendship

For this week's Four Ways Friday I decided to play around with the Language Of Friendship stamp set.  This is a set that I received for free during Sale-a-bration and it is also in the new catalog (I LOVE when that happens!).  It was about time I gave this stamp some ink!

Let's start simple :)  This stamp set coordinates beautifully with the 2-step bird punch.  I began with a Pool Party card base and ran it through the Big Shot with the framed tulips embossing folder.  I stamped the bird and two wings onto Bashful Blue card stock and punched it out with the punch.  The greeting was stamped with the help of the stamp-a-ma-jig and some Always Artichoke seam binding was added.  I love how you can stamp multiple wings and give this bird some flight!

Don't forget that you don't have to stick to card stock for your stamping!  Here I stamped the image onto a piece of First Edition specialty designer series paper and punched it out with the 2-step bird punch.  Next I sponged the pieces with Old Olive and Bashful Blue ink.  I adhered the bird and branch to the watercolor paper mini card (3x3) with glue.  The greeting from Loving Thoughts finishes the card.

One the First Edition specialty designer series paper was out, I couldn't put it away :)  I love this paper!  This stamp set is also a wonderful set for decorating a small gift holder - the images are the perfect size!  I cut a 6x6 square of the paper and curled it into a cone.  The cone was adhered with sticky strip.  Next I attached a trim of Baja Breeze card stock that I ran through the scallop border punch.  Flowers from the stamp set were stamped with black ink onto Pink Pirouette card stock and then punched with the Boho Blossoms punch.  I LOVE that this stamp set coordinates with two different punches!  Of course, if you don't have the punches, you can always hand cut the images - I did that with the bird this time since I added the stamped feet with the help of the stamp-a-ma-jig.  I stamped the sentiment onto Pink Pirouette card stock and then ran it through the Big Shot with the oval shaped designer frames folder.  I then hand cut around the oval.  I added a piece of Victoria crochet trim before adding the other cut pieces to the cone.  Next, with the help of the crop-a-dile, I added some small eyelets to the top sides of the cone and threaded them with wire.  I stuffed the cone with some pink tissue paper and some thin strips of designer series paper that I had crunched and crimped.  Adhesive pearls added a final touch :)  I can't wait to place a small gift in this cone (maybe jewelry or a sweet treat...or maybe seeds for a garden...we'll see!).

I am so crazy about birds that I decided I needed to create a home decor item with this set for my craft room table!  I started with some floral foam in a small terra cotta planter.  I added the Always Artichoke seam binding with a few touches of hot glue so that it wouldn't slide around.  I stamped the flowers using black ink onto Pumpkin Pie, Pink Pirouette and Rose Red card stock.  I then punched them out with the Boho Blossoms punch and began adhering them to toothpicks with glue.  I adhered plain punched Boho Blossoms flowers on the backside of the toothpicks so that the flowers had a bit more dimension.  I added a touch of dazzling diamonds to the flowers and stuck them into the floral foam.  Next I stamped the bird onto two colors of card stock and punched the birds out with the 2-step bird punch.  I then cut up the Basic Grey bird and adhered the head to the Crumb Cake punched bird.  I also used the Basic Grey wing.  All of the bird pieces were sponged with Soft Suede ink.  I also punched a plain piece of Crumb Cake and stamped it with a few of the branch leaves for some decoration - this piece serves as the back side of the bird (which you can't see in the photo).  I then adhered the bird to a wooden skewer (so it would be taller than the toothpick flowers) using a combination of glue and glue dots.  Next, I stamped the sentiment from a retired stamp set (Charming) and created a small flag to glue onto the skewer before placing the bird into the floral foam.  Finally I took a bunch of kraft colored tissue paper and tore it up and began to hot glue it into the pot.  I love how this little guy looks sitting on my craft table :)
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday and I hope you have found some inspiration to get you creating over the weekend!!!!!  Have a wonderful weekend!!!!!  Thanks for stopping by!!!!!

Comfort Cafe Labels Collection Framelits Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Encourage Rest

It's been getting hot, hot, hot here in Denver!  We have had quite a few days where the temperature has exceeded 100 degrees!  For us, that's hot!  Even this squirrel would agree!

I have been trying to walk Buddy earlier and earlier so that we can enjoy a bit of cooler air before the oppressive heat.  Our walks tend to be long though, so usually the sun beats us back home.  Buddy has black fur so he heats up quickly.  We have found a wonderful tree along our walking route where we take refuge from the sun for a little while and try to cool off in the shade and grass.  The other morning, we were sitting under our tree when a man went walking by with his two dogs - they were both white Great Pyrenees - a large breed with lots of fur.  He looked at us and commented that our resting area looked great.  I told him it was tough in the heat for Buddy with all that black fur.  He said that one of his dogs is getting older and has trouble with her hips and that he had never really thought about stopping along the way on their walks.  As he walked away he said, "You have encouraged me to rest."  It struck me as odd that resting had not been on his mind prior to seeing us sitting there.  Then I remembered the society in which we live (and my post about productivity yesterday).  It seems we are encouraged to keep going, keep striving, keep moving.  What if we looked at our rest as being as important as our continuing to push forward?  I have a feeling the man will enjoy the rest as much as his dogs :)
I am loving the Comfort Cafe designer series paper and the combination of Cajun Craze and Soft Suede is not a usual one for me.  I love that this paper forces me outside of my usual color palette (even if I did sneak in some Crumb Cake :)  I adhered the paper to the Crumb Cake card base with glue and then did a little machine stitching on the edges.  The Soft Suede card stock was die cut with a labels framelit and then embossed with the Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder.  Next I stamped the image and greeting from Apothecary Art using a combination of Soft Suede and Cajun Craze ink.  I die cut the image with another framelit and hand cut the greeting into a banner.  I hand cut an additional banner in Cajun Craze and then layered everything together with glue and dimensionals.  Some Victoria crochet trim and some adhesive pearls finish off the card.  I hope you like it!

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Inspired By Cathy Taylor

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  I Allow Myself To Measure My Productivity In MSO, NPR and MICR

Outputs.  Inputs.  Blah, Blah, Blah!  I have decided it is time for me to adopt measures of productivity that fit who I am :)  So, here are the measures I came up with:  MSO, NPR and MICR.  Let me help you decipher the acronyms in case you'd like to adopt similar productivity measures for yourself.  MSO = Minutes Spent Outdoors; NPR = Number of Pages Read; and MICR = Minutes In Craft Room :)  I know these aren't the measures written about in the pages of business magazines, but I'm not written about in the pages of business magazines either :)  I'm tired of trying to measure my "productivity" on the basis of some formula ingrained in me by some societal norm I picked up somewhere in the hallowed halls of universities and the cubicles of corporate America.  These new measures are much more about me and what I value as a meaningful use of my time on this planet.  Watch out world!  I'm going to be the most productive person you've ever seen!!!!! :)
I went out on an incredibly enjoyable whim for this week's project (and definitely logged amazing amounts of MICR productivity!).  This project was actually inspired by productivity in the NPR area - I opened up my new issue of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine and was immediately intrigued by an article called The Workshop:  Rethink Alcohol Ink featuring some techniques by Cathy Taylor.  I already had alcohol inks on hand and made a quick run to a local art store to buy some Yupo paper (it is a totally synthetic "paper" with a slippery surface being used by watercolor artists) and some Tar Gel (I think you might be able to use Crystal Effects in place of the Tar Gel...I might have to give that a try at some point).  I found painting with the alcohol inks on this surface to be totally mesmerizing and meditative!  I also kept moving forward when I reached points where I was criticizing my work or displeased with what was happening.  I just plowed through it!  I think I could have kept going and going and going (good thing I have some more tar gel and Yupo paper!).  I am anticipating a very high MICR count as I continue to explore this amazing whim!!!!!

Betsy's Blossoms Punch Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  What people somehow (inadvertently, I'm sure) forgot to mention when we were children was that we need to make messes in order to find out who we are and why we are here... - Anne Lamott

I recently finished reading the book Bird By Bird:  Some Instructions On Writing And Life by Anne Lamott.  Whether you are a writer or not, this book is wonderful!  I know I will be sharing many lessons I picked up while enjoying her pages.  When I read this sentence I had to smile.  Smile at the memories of making messes as a kid - mud pies, kitchen disasters, melting crayons.  What I was also smiling about is that I believe the need to make messes still exists for us as adults!  We are always searching to figure out who we are and why we are here (at least I am) and making messes in the craft room helps me on my way.  So if you came to this blog looking for permission to make a mess in your creative space....you got it!!!!!!  You have my permission, blessing, encouragement and support to make a big mess in your craft space on your journey to discovering who you are and why you are here :)  Enjoy!!!!
Today's card was created by allowing myself to make a bit of a mess at my cousin's house (thanks for letting me make a mess in your space Brenda!).  I began by inking up the large flower in Betsy's Blossoms with three colors of ink - from light to dark - Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose and Rich Razzleberry - and stamping it on the card base.  I then used a scrap piece of paper to stamp the same flower twice except that before stamping the image, I spritzed it.  I had wanted to spritz with water, but since there was none immediately handy, I just grabbed the Stampin' Mist bottle and sprayed with that!  I think it contributed to turning things a bit murky in color - so I might suggest using water instead.  But if you want to go ahead and make a mess using your Stampin' Mist - you have my permission, remember?! :)  I then punched two of the flowers out using the Blossom punch and then began scrunching and smooshing and rolling until I had the flowers pretty textured.  The flowers were layered and glued on top of one another.  I then hand cut a few leaves and gave them veins with a bone folder.  I sponged the edges for some added dimension before adhering them to the card.  A button with some linen thread finishes the flower.  The sentiment is from Delightful Dozen (it is a set that I am now going to buy since I used it so much at my cousin's and really enjoyed it!).  I hope you like it...now go make a mess!!!!

Toilet Paper Roll Gift Holder: Video!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sit On The Porch And Watch The World Go By

At some point in the afternoon last Thursday, Michael and I decided to go for a walk around the neighborhood with Buddy.  On our way back to the house we were passing by our neighbor's home and we decided to stop by to say hello.  We have become really great friends with these neighbors and they have the most inviting porch on the front of their home.  They were both home so we all ended up parking ourselves in their comfy chairs on the front porch and chatted for awhile.  It was such a simple thing to do - to just lounge on the front porch and watch the world go by - and it was so enjoyable.  When was the last time you sat on a porch and watched the world go by?  Maybe today would be the perfect day to give it a try :)
This great upcycle project was inspired by some ideas on Pinterest and a wonderful post I saw on Jan Hennings' blog.  I am always looking for ways to utilize things that we traditionally would throw away or recycle and this turned out to be a perfect project for me!  Here is a two-part video to show you how to make some upcycled gift holders of your own!  Enjoy!!!!

Four Ways Friday #91 - Betsy's Blossoms

This week's Four Ways Friday was created during my visit with my cousin last week :)  I played with her Betsy's Blossoms stamp set and some of the new In Colors, and here is what I came up with!

I began with some one-layer stamping - just card stock, stamps and ink.  Here I layered the images, one on top of the other.  The flower was stamped using Summer Starfruit at half strength.  The bird was stamped with Primrose Petal and the greeting, from Friendly Phrases, in Gumball Green.

For the second card I did a bit of stamping and layering with punches.  The flower was stamped in Primrose Petal at half strength.  The smaller flower was stamped onto a scrap of Whisper White card stock using the same ink at full strength.  It was then punched out with the 1 1/4" circle punch.  I punched a scallop circle out of Wild Wasabi card stock and layered the punched pieces with dimensionals.  The greeting, from Perfectly Penned, was stamped with Midnight Muse.  Here is a picture of the same card, created by my cousin, using a similar color palette on Crumb Cake card stock:

For the next card I decided to do some simple stamping and cutting.

The flower stem was created by just inking the stem part of the leaf image from the stamp set with a Gumball Green marker.  I then stamped the leaves and the small flower onto a scrap piece of paper and cut them out.  The leaves were adhered with glue and the flower with dimensionals.  Finally, I stamped the sentiment from Delightful Dozen with Midnight Muse.

For this last card, I decided to use the small three-flower stamp to create a background.  I stamped with Crumb Cake ink onto Crumb Cake card stock.  Next I stamped the leaves and cut them out.  The flower was then inked up - first with Bashful Blue ink and then I tapped the Marina Mist ink pad onto the surface of the stamp before stamping the image onto Whisper White card stock.  I love the variegated look this creates!  I punched the flower out using the 2 3/8" scallop circle punch.  The flower and leaves were adhered to the card with a combo of dimensionals and glue.  A piece of taffeta ribbon (retired) was tied around the card (I created a small slit along the edge of the card with my paper snips) and knotted.  I then added the small punched tag with a greeting from Tiny Tags.
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!  Wishing you a wonderfully creative weekend!!!!!!

Elements Of Style Mini Book

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  A Storage Container Is Not The Answer To All Of My Problems!

After visiting my cousin last week and seeing her amazingly organized craft space (take a look at these pics of one of the closets in her craft room)

I cannot look at my own craft space with the same eyes.  Instead, I want my space to magically organize itself to look like her gorgeous closet.  So instead of cleaning up the mess on my craft table and the piles that are growing on the floors of my craft room (which, of course, must be due to tectonic plate shifts that are taking place beneath the subfloor of my craft room), I found myself on-line searching for paper storage units.  This was no lighthearted search mind you.  This was a search akin to the hunt for the Holy Grail!  Oh, if I could just find the perfect paper storage unit (which, I discovered, is also referred to as a mail sorter or a literature organizer...depending on where your search for the Holy Grail takes you).  I spent about 20 minutes on my quest until my logical, rational, parental side of my brain kicked in and said, "A storage container is not the answer to all of your problems!"  I hate it when that voice talks sense!  But, I had to listen.  Because deep down inside I know that a literature sorter is not the fix for all that ails me.  It is just a distraction from actually dealing with what ails me.  So, like any true artist, I decided to take myself and my ailment and head back into the mess of a craft room to create :)  This little booklet is what came out - a booklet to remind me that life is a matter of moments.  Moments of questing for the Holy Grail.  Moments of truth that a $70 purchase won't fix my life.  Moments of recognizing that me and my craft room mess can still collaborate and create some pretty special adventures all of our own :)

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Mini Book Mania!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Even Tiny Ideas Need A Place Of Their Own :)

It's hard to tell from this photo, but this mini book is about 2 3/4" wide and only about 1" high!  At first I thought it was a bit silly to try to make such a mini book, but then I decided that tiny ideas need a place of their own too :)  Maybe this will end up being a book of just one inspiring word per page.  Or maybe I will be encouraged to create very short "to do" lists since the paper can only hold so much :)  I love that these little papers did not find their way into a recycling bin and instead that I went out on a whim and helped them become a tiny book for tiny writing :)  What would you write in this little book????

Sunflower Mini Book & Matching Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  My Nose Is Not Like Samantha's Nose On Bewitched
And, truth be told, I don't have Jeannie's gift of being able to cross my arms and nod my head and change the world like Barbara Eden did in I Dream Of Jeannie.  That didn't stop me from trying today - I wiggled by nose back and forth and crossed my arms and nodded my head - all in the hopes that in a blink, I could change everything in my house!  Coming back from a trip after being away is always happy and sad for me.  Happy that I am back with my family.  Sad since I walk into the house and see every home improvement project I've ever wanted to do, waiting for me, all at once!  I see the clutter in my craft room, the papers in my office, the piles I've made on the table in the kitchen nook.  Like a dandelion whose seeds have blown in the wind, my seeds find their way into the nooks and crannies of our house and seem to root there.  They become difficult to remove.  Maybe the finished porch is making it all too noticeable for me right now.  The porch is so beautiful - so peaceful - so clutter free.  Rising in me is the desire to figure out how to bring that same feeling into the spaces in our home and suddenly it keeps rising and makes me want to throw up!  Okay, maybe that's a bit extreme...I just get overwhelmed and paralyzed.  Maybe I need to look at the inside of the house as I did the porch - one post at a time, one section of paint at a time.  Little by little it will get done...unless I can figure out Samantha's trick!
Today's set is great for gift giving!  I used the Sunflower Background stamp (LOVE it!!!!) and stamped it onto the Whisper White card base.  I added the greeting from Pennant Parade with a flourish from Established Elegance.  The mini book was created by stamping the image onto Whisper White card stock and then adhering it to a white coaster.  I used a hobby blade to trim the edges and then sanded the edges to keep them from lifting up.  I then ran the cover through the Movers & Shapers die (retired) on the Big Shot to create the window.  I cut a stack of printer paper along with one piece of Whisper White card stock and added another coaster for the back of the book.  All the binding holes were made with my Bind-It-All.  Once I had the book together I stamped the sentiment from Office Accoutrement (retired).  I hope you like it :)

Punched Envelope

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Don't Underestimate The Power Of Your Choice!

Ahhhh...back in Denver.  It is really nice to be home.  This last week my trip was part business and part pleasure, so being away definitely had its perks too!  I flew to Connecticut to do some work and then drove to see my cousin in Southbury, CT.  My cousin Brenda is who got me involved in Stampin' Up! and it is always amazingly fun to get to hang out with her in person!!!!  And yes, we did spend some time in her craft room...more of that in a moment.  But back to today's lesson.  I flew home yesterday and we found ourselves sitting on the tarmac at the Hartford Airport after already experiencing a delay in the terminal.  The reason behind the delay?  Weather in Chicago (thunderstorms have a particular affinity for the Windy City this time of year).  What originally was to be a leisurely layover in Chicago started to turn into a bit of a tight connection.  Once we finally took off, it looked like we would make the connection...until we landed at O'Hare.  Instead of heading to a gate, we ended up being sent to a "parking lot" - the place they stick planes where there are no empty gates.  The minutes began to tick away and the man next to me began to get very antsy.  Turns out he was also trying to make the connecting flight to Denver.  I had already made a conscious choice in my mind that I was going to go with the flow.  A choice that whatever happened, it was out of my control and I was just going to go with it and continue to enjoy reading the book I had brought with me on the trip.  The man next to me had obviously made a different choice.  I could feel his blood pressure rising as the minutes ticked away!  He even called the airline as we were sitting there to see what they could do (no surprise...they could do nothing).  It was such a contrast - me in my happy little book world; him in his stressed out, blood pressure rising cage.  When we did finally get parked at a gate I ran right behind him through the terminal to see if we could still manage to catch our plane...it was 8:13 pm and our plane was departing at 8:15 pm.  When we got to the gate, guess what???  The plane had just started boarding!  Since so many flights had been delayed, they decided to board a bit late and then actually held the plane even longer so that other incoming passengers could make the flight since it was the last flight to Denver last night (Yeah United!!!!  A+ for caring for your customers).  So, once I am reminded not to underestimate the power of your choice in the moment.  You can choose to throw a tantrum, or you can choose to cozy up with a book and enjoy the ride.  The choice is yours...as is the impact.

Now, back to the visit with Brenda!  She decided to invite the ladies from her scrapbooking club over to meet me and to play in the craft room!  Totally fun!!!!  We ended up watching a video I had created on how to emboss and cut with framelits and then we played with the new In Colors and a few new stamp sets.  I also had a lot of fun exploring Brenda's craft space and came across an envelope that had been punched and stamped.  I decided to take the idea and share it with you!  I used the 1 1/4" circle punch to take a bite out of the envelope flap and then stamped the space with an image from Established Elegance using Always Artichoke ink.  Why hadn't I ever thought to do this before????  Now none of my envelopes will be safe! :)

Our Newly Painted Porch

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sometimes Your Priorities Need To Shift

I've been having a bit of an issue keeping on top of my blog posts lately.  I've had quite a bit of travel on the calendar (and quite a bit more to still experience) and I find that when I have limited time at home I need to shift my priorities.  Creating is always a priority for me and usually that creating takes place in the craft room.  However, for months I have been dreaming about getting our porch painted and I decided that needed to be first on the list this past weekend and yesterday.  So it is with a very warm heart that I share this video with you of our newly painted porch (as well as a peek at the backyard garden).  Of course, because this was my focus and due to my upcoming schedule, I unfortunately will not have additional posts for you for the rest of this week.  I know I don't know most of you who stop by my blog and yet I still feel like I am letting you down :(  I so appreciate your stopping by and spending some of your precious time with me.  My hope is that I will be up and running next week.  Now that the porch is done my priorities are likely to shift back to creating in the craft room (and taking breaks to enjoy the porch!).  I hope you have a gorgeous rest of your week and weekend!!!!

Established Elegance Inspire Card With Sprayed Background

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Put Love In Your Home

Sorry for today's late post - my yesterday was very full.  Full of faux that is! :)  Michael finished painting the second base coat early yesterday morning and then it was my turn to spend the rest of the day doing the remaining faux wood treatment on all of the cross beams.  It was definitely a labor of love and we are sooooo happy with the results!  I'll try to take a picture later today so I can share it with you :)  It feels so good to put some love into the house.  Doing any type of home improvement project - be it painting, cleaning, or a larger do-it-yourself renovation - is so fulfilling.  It's like putting a piece of you into your living space and it pays back every single day :)  What love can you put into your home?
Today's card combines a Timeless Type sprayed background with the gorgeous typewriter from Established Elegance and a greeting from Loving Thoughts.  To create the sprayed background, just die cut or punch the images of your choice and then scatter them on a piece of Whisper White card stock.  Next, spray over the card stock and scattered pieces with ink and water that you have mixed in a small spray bottle.  Remove the scattered pieces and let the card stock dry!  You can then use the background for your card and save the sprayed pieces for another project!  I added a touch of machine stitching around the outside edge to add a bit of texture.  I hope you like it :)

Punches & Your Hobby Blade: A Winning Combination!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Go Faux It! :)

Guess what I've been up to this weekend?  Faux painting!!!!  We have been painting the outside of our house (well...maybe Michael has been doing much more of it since I've been on the road a lot...that's why I was so pooped last week and had to take a break - I was off on another trip and returned home Thursday night).  We finally started on the back porch and our vision was to make our 4x4 posts look like grained wood.  I had purchased a tool that you can use to create the look of grain and practiced a little and off I went!  I have been going faux it all weekend long!  There is still a lot of painting to do since we decided to faux the cross beams on the porch too, but we are definitely making headway!  I will be sure to share the after photos with you once we are done.  Here is a peek at what the painting looks like on one of the posts...

 

Today's card was inspired by some paper cutting I have been playing around with lately.  There was a punched out piece of card stock lying on the craft table and my hobby blade was nearby.  Why not combine the two!  I punched out flowers from Whisper White card stock with the Blossom punch and the Boho Blossoms punch.  I then used the hobby blade to cut out different shapes from the petals.  I used a Japanese screw punch to punch out the holes in the center of the large flower.  You can use your crop-a-dile as well.  I hope you like it and I hope it inspires you to try the winning combination of your hobby blade and punches or die cuts!

Taking A Few Days Off...

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Every once in awhile I find myself feeling a little overwhelmed.  To address the feeling, I have decided to take a few days off from blogging.  I plan to be back next Monday with a full week of projects and lessons :)  I hope you have a wonderfully creative week and I look forward to seeing you next week!

Dryer Sheet Abstract Art Pieces

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Your New Supplies Are Waiting For You!

It is so exciting when the new catalog comes out!  The impulse to buy everything on every page is a familiar one for me :)  I start making wish lists and then adding things and crossing things out.  It is a fun and time consuming process - like a kid in a candy store with only so much to spend!  How do I choose which things I want?! :)  It is at times like this that I remind myself that my new supplies are waiting for me...right in my own house!  I start to look at my household items and ask myself, "If you didn't have a penny to spend on new catalog supplies right now, what new supplies can you find in your house?"  This card was inspired by that thought :)
This is a card I created for a video for Paper Crafters Library.  I took a used dryer sheet from my laundry basket and lightly ironed it out to make it flat again.  Next I cut it in half and sprayed the halves with different colors of ink mixed with water in little spray bottles.  Once the sheets were dry, I cut smaller pieces and then took them outside and heated them with the heat tool until they started to shrivel up.  CAUTION, if you are going to do this technique, please, please, please do it outside!!!!  The dryer sheets like to smoke when you heat them and, other than being toxic, they can catch on fire or just set of your smoke detectors (ask me how I know :).  I then took the shriveled pieces and used matte gel medium to attach them to the card after stamping the greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  What new supplies are waiting for you in your house?????

New Catalog & Dog Tired :)

Today begins the first day of the new Stampin' Up! catalog!  You can view the catalog here and I will be putting up a quick link on the left side of the blog shortly.
 It's been a long travel week and after a delayed flight last night I am a bit tired today, so my plan is to give myself the day off from Four Ways Friday.  Hopefully I'll spend some time in the craft room over the next few days and post some fun projects for you for next week! :)  Have a beautiful weekend - a weekend filled with love, laughter, hugs and creativity!!!!

Die Cut Dryer Sheet Flower

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Give Your Mailman A Treat :)
We don't always have the same person delivering our mail, but more often than not, it is Al, our mailman, that we find at the door with our mail in hand.  There are some days that the mail arrives in the slot and we are not by the door to answer (although Buddy is always on high alert - barking like a crazy man!).  However, if we happen to be home and we see that it is Al, we try to open the door and say hello.  Buddy and Al have become quite good friends (Al sometimes has bones to share with Buddy).  We also have grown to really like Al and to appreciate the hard work that he does.  On hot days we like to offer him water and one day, when Michael had just returned from the store, we offered Al a popsicle!  You should have seen the look on his face :)  It's the same look I get when I see a popsicle :)  It felt nice to provide Al with a smile and a cool treat on such a hot day and he really appreciated it!  When was the last time you gave your mailman a treat for the hard work he/she does??? :)
This is another card I created for Paper Crafter's Library using repurposed dryer sheets...I just can't stop myself!  For this card I colored the dryer sheets with a variety of inks and paints.  I then die cut the sheets with the Bigz L Fun Flowers die.  The greeting is from Curly Cute.  I hope you like it! :)  I just can't throw away a used dryer sheet :)

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Repurposed Dryer Sheet Barrette

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Be A Good Neighbor

We had our neighbors over for dinner last Wednesday night.  We had originally planned to eat outdoors, but the threat of rain drove us inside - although the grilling still happened outside :)  Our neighbors have two little dogs that are very close friends with Buddy.  Usually we all walk to the park together.  However, on Wednesday night, because it was a bit cooler and because their little dogs aren't too happy with rain, they decided to not go on the walk.  They returned home and we headed out on our walk.  Well, halfway through the walk the rain decided to pour and to mix things up with some hail too!  The lightening seemed to be getting closer by the minute and we were getting drenched (although Buddy seemed perfectly content with all of it...and so were we).  As we turned back onto our street, a car pulled up beside us.  It was our neighbor Ann.  She had been at home and noticed that the weather turned a bit more insistent, so she figured she would get in her car and find us on our walk to see if we wanted a ride home :)  Talk about an amazing neighbor!!!!!!  We are so very fortunate to know Ann and her husband.  People who think well beyond themselves and consider the needs of others.  We are blessed.  We turned down the ride home - we were almost back to our driveway and were actually enjoying the rain.  We thanked her and we all headed for home.  What can we each do to be a good neighbor?
This is a project I created as a Designer/Educator for Paper Crafter's Library.  It is a floral barrette.  I created the flower from a used dryer sheet!  I love recycling!!!! :)  If you start to play around with repurposing dryer sheets, please remember to work in a well-ventilated are or outside when you apply heat to them!  I set off all of the smoke detectors in my house and it is not something you want to do!!!!

Inked Dryer Sheet Background

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Admire A Garden

Have you ever just stopped and taken in the beauty of a garden?  The garden may be a small pot with a few flowers, or acres covered in plants and blooms.  Whatever garden you see before you, stop and take in the beauty.  I am always amazed by how many shapes, sizes and colors nature offers up to us.  There are two gardens that really touch me every time Buddy and I walk by.  One is on a very large lot - it is filled with many different types of irises.  We often stop at the chain link fence and look beyond at the flowers - each section has a little sign indicated what type of iris is planted there.  They bloom at different times and are so outstandingly gorgeous!  Some days we walk by and there will be piles of debris from the garden waiting to be picked up on garbage/compost day.  In all the times we've walked by, we have never seen the person or people that tend this gorgeous garden.  I'm beginning to think it's tended by tiny fairies that come out at night when no one can see :)  The other garden is on a street that Buddy and I frequent.  It's in the front yard of a house and the garden is filled with so many different flowers.  It is so easy to see the love of the gardener in this landscape!  The other day Buddy and I had the pleasure of seeing the man who tends this lovely garden.  We stopped and told him how much we love his garden and that it captures our attention every time we walk by.  We thanked him for creating such a beautiful setting for our morning walk :)  When was the last time you admired a garden?  Maybe the perfect time is now :)
I have been having a lot of fun repurposing dryer sheets for a series I am creating for Paper Crafter's Library!  I created the background on this card using a direct-to-dryer sheet ink technique and added some dazzling diamonds for sparkle!  I hope you like it! :)

Punched Star Congratulations Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Walk In The Rain
There are things about growing up that we have all wrong.  When did we go from stomping in puddles to being worried about bad hair days????  When I was young, the rain was something that was welcomed - a chance to jump in puddles, see worms, watch for lightening and listen to thunder.  I used to love looking up at the clouds and sticking my tongue out to see how many raindrops would land on my tongue.  Now, when it rains, many of us worry what it will do to our hair, our shoes, our clothes.  We complain about driving in it, stepping in it or feeling it.  The child in me had it right and that was confirmed last Wednesday night.  Our dedication to Buddy's evening walk took us out into the rain after dark.  To a wonderful world of puddles and worms, lightening, thunder and hail.  A walk in the rain does a body good!
Today's card is a simple card made with a star punch, some Wild Wasabi card stock, a strip of Bashful Blue card stock and a greeting from Curly Cute stamped onto Whisper White card stock.  I added one brad and a simple button with linen twine to finish it off!  I hope you like it!

Four Ways Friday #90 - Bring On The Cake

This week's Four Ways Friday is all about the Bring On The Cake stamp set.  This is a great birthday greeting stamp set...plus a little bit more :)

You don't need to do much to create a great birthday card using this stamp set!  I stamped the greeting in Melon Mambo on a Whisper White card base.  I then cut strips into banner pieces from the Flirtatious designer series paper and First Edition Specialty designer paper.  I temporarily adhered the banners with temporary adhesive and used some pink thread in the sewing machine to sew the banner down.  For a final touch I added some adhesive rhinestones.

This set also lends itself really well to creating gift tags!  Or, if you're like me, you make the tag and then decide it would look really cute as a focal image on a card :)  I began with a piece of Crumb Cake card stock that I hand cut to look like a tag.  I then ran the tag through the Big Shot with the stripes embossing folder.  Next I added a piece of the new Comfort Cafe designer series paper (love it!!!!) across the bottom and punched a piece of the designer series paper to surround the hole in the tag.  I sponged the edges with both Chocolate Chip and Night of Navy ink.  I stamped the greeting onto Very Vanilla with Night of Navy ink and punched it out with the 1 1/4" circle punch.  It was layered onto a 1 1/2" circle of Night of Navy card stock and added to the tag with dimensionals.  Linen thread was wrapped around the tag numerous times and then tied in a bow.  I used the Stars die and the Big Shot to die cut the stars and added brads in the centers before adhering them to the card with dimensionals.  I then used the color spritzer tool and a Chocolate Chip marker to spritz the tag.  As a final touch, I took a torn piece of denim (from an old pair of jeans) and sponged it with Night of Navy ink and threaded it through the tag.  The tag was added to the Very Vanilla card base with dimensionals.

You can use this set to create cute background paper too :)  I used the word "cake" from one of the stamps and, with the help of my stamp-a-ma-jig, I stamped "cake" over and over until I had a cute background piece!  I layered it onto a piece of card stock and then stamped another one of the Bring On The Cake images onto Whisper White card stock with Staz-On ink.  I punched out the image and used some watercolor wonder crayons with my aqua painter to give the image some color.  I also added a touch of dazzling details to the candles and some Crystal Effects to the cake plate.  The image was then layered onto a circle of Melon Mambo that I die cut with the Circles #2 die.

Don't forget that you can alter images by inking up the parts of the stamp you want with a marker or by inking up the entire stamp and then removing ink with a blender pen.  Here I inked just the hand and not the "wish big" greeting that comes with the image.  I stamped the hand and cut it out and then added the greeting from Tiny Tags with the help of my stamp-a-ma-jig.  The hand was then adhered to a piece of Comfort Cafe paper with dimensionals.  The whole panel was adhered to a layer of Basic Black card stock and a piece of Crumb Cake taffeta was knotted around the panel before the whole thing was adhered to the card base with dimensionals.
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday and I hope it inspires you to use this, or any other greeting set that you have, in new and fun ways!!!!  Wishing you a wonderful weekend filled with creativity, exploration, laughter and love!!!!!

Whisper White Happiness Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Try A Different Time Of Day

Have you ever noticed how different your neighborhood looks and feels at different times of the day?  Just a difference of one hour in the morning can determine whether Buddy and I will encounter the whir of activity (cars going by, children in the school playground, workmen banging away at houses) or the peace of silence.  One morning we went for such an early walk that we encountered coyotes - we never see them since they mysteriously disappear as people become more active and the day begins.  It can be fun to play around with timing in your life.  If you are used to awakening at a certain hour, try getting up a little bit earlier and see how different the world appears.  If you have a certain time that you create, what would it be like to try creating at a different time of day?  I know as a kid I always liked Backwards Day at school or camp.  It was a day where everything was backwards - you put your clothes on backwards; you ate lunch food at breakfast and breakfast food at lunch; you went to your classes backwards; you walked backwards.  It really mixed things up and added a different energy to the day.  What if you mixed things up a bit and had a Backwards Day all your own?  Looks like I might be eating pancakes for dinner tonight ;)
Today's card was inspired by the thought that I just wanted to play with the color white.  I began with a Whisper White card base that I ran through the Big Shot with the Framed Tulips embossing folder.  Next, I ran a piece of vellum through the Big Shot with the oval frame from the Designer Frames embossing folders.  I stamped the vellum using Versamark ink and a word from the Loving Thoughts stamp set.  I then heat embossed using white embossing powder.  Next, I knotted a piece of organza ribbon around the card and used small pieces of dimensionals to attach the sentiment to the card.  To cover up the adhesive (since it does show through the vellum), I used the Boho Blossoms punch to punch some vellum and then ran the flowers through the Big Shot with the Elegant Lines embossing folder to give them texture.  I adhered the flowers to the card with glue and added some dazzling details to the centers of the flowers.  This card is so bright and elegant in person!  I hope you like it!

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Papercut Yei Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Garbage In, Garbage Out

On my recent trip to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, I purchased two books that jumped out at me in the museum gift shop.  The first I told you about yesterday (still LOVING that book every single minute!!!!).  The second book I bought I devoured on the plane ride home from Houston.  It is called Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon.  For anyone who does anything creative, personally or professionally (ie all of us), I totally recommend this wonderful little book!  One of the chapters in the book is entitled Garbage In, Garbage Out.  Kleon reflects back on how his mom used to say this to him and it would drive him nuts!  Now, however, the phrase really sticks...and it does for me too!  As he says, you are only going to be as good as the stuff you surround yourself with.  Think about that.  I started thinking about all the "stuff" that gets consumed by my mind when I watch inane tv or web surf on popular news websites.  If what I'm taking in is garbage, it is no wonder that there is no fodder for my creative self to draw from!  So I'm trying to be more conscious of what I let in (mind you, I'm trying...I am not succeeding as much as I would like yet, but I am making progress :).  Instead of turning on the tv the other day, I turned the pages of an art book and took in the images on the pages.  Instead of having Law & Order reruns playing in the background in the craft room, I turned the tv to a jazz music station and let the music inspire me in the background.  Maybe it's time to stop analyzing what is coming out of your creative process and ask yourself instead, "What am I putting into it?"
Today's Out On A Whim card is a continued exploration of papercutting in the craft room.  Michael is infatuated with Native American art - particularly older pieces - and he reads and researches about the topic constantly.  There is always an American Indian Art magazine somewhere nearby.  I was flipping through one the other day and was stuck by the Yei figures woven into some of the Native American weavings.  The image combined with my recent exploration of papercutting and I decided to create a card for him using a Yei-like image and my card stock :)  As a first attempt, I was pretty pleased with the outcome...and he is already inquiring if I can make a whole set for him :)  Hobby knife, here I come :)

Pennant Parade Papercut Birthday Card & Video!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Check Out The Museum Gift Shop!

I was in Houston last week for work.  I had two workshops to conduct and a day off in between them, so I decided to head to the Houston Museum Of Fine Arts.  I loved it!  Going to an art museum provides nutrients for my creativity :)  I can easily get overwhelmed by all of the beauty and expression and I come home with a fullness that feels so good!  On this trip I decided to stop in the gift shop - not something I often do (but it might become a museum habit for me now)!  There, on one of the bookshelves, was a book called Paper Works by Ginkgo Press.  What a gorgeous book!  I thought about just writing down the title and ordering the book once I got home so I wouldn't have to carry it home.  But once I opened the book, I was a goner :)  I bought it and it has been feeding me every time I open it!  The book inspired all kinds of thoughts about papercutting and sculpting with paper.  This card would never have been created if it weren't for that book inspiring me to think about how I might manipulate card stock a bit differently than I traditionally have.  The next time you make it to a museum, make it a point to check out the gift shop!  A book might be waiting to jump off the shelf and into your creative heart!
Here is a video to show you how I made today's card.  It's amazing how a hobby blade/Xacto knife can open up a whole new world!

Paper Doily Sizzlit Birthday Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Just Go Sit

Yesterday I reached a point during the day when I felt like I had so much I could do and I just wasn't motivated to do it.  It's funny - when I am away I am not looking directly at all of the projects that I could be doing around the house.  Then, when I get home, projects are staring at me from every corner!  Clean the craft room.  Pick up in the office.  Do some laundry.  Weed the garden.  It's as if there is no direction to turn where a project isn't there to greet me!  When I get to a place where I begin to feel overwhelmed one strategy that seems to work well for me is to just go and sit.  Not in front of the tv.  Just sit.  Yesterday I chose to sit outside and just stare out into the backyard.  I listened to the birds chirping and the squirrels chattering.  At some point I did actually start to pull some grass from the vegetable bed and I do so in a calm and soothing kind of way.  It was really peaceful.  Then it began to drizzle lightly - as if the weather came to gently rinse my cares away.  Just going somewhere to sit can cure those overwhelm blues :)
Today's card was inspired by the desire to layer, layer, layer using the Paper Doily sizzlit.  I chose Crumb Cake and Regal Rose card stock.  A few punched flowers from the Boho Blossoms punch with a button made a perfect flower center.  I added the greeting from Apothecary Art and split the words into two pieces to embellish the doily flower.  I hope you like it!

Four Ways Friday #89 - Every Little Bit

For this week's Four Ways Friday I decided to play with the Every Little Bit stamp set!  This stamp set is adorable and there are a ton of images!  It was hard to choose where to begin :)

Trying to make "masculine" cards always seems to be a challenge to me.  This stamp set provided just the solution with this adorable hammer and nails image :)  I started with a Very Vanilla card base and added some cork letters that I had die cut using the Billboard Alphabet sizzlit die.  Next I stamped the word "birthday" from one of the stamps in the Upsy Daisy stamp set.  The hammer was stamped using Staz-On and then I used my silver Smooch accent ink to color in the hammer head.  A Cajun Craze marker was used for the handle and then I coated the handle with Crystal Effects.  The final touch was to add some score lines using my Simply Scored tool.

Why stamp an image once when you can stamp it 2, 3, 4...even 6 times! :)  The penguin and the present are both from Every Little Bit.  With the help of my stamp-a-ma-jig, I was able to line things up and stamp these images one on top of the other.  I used my Basic Black marker to color in the box part of the image and did not color in the bow for the first 5 boxes.  I used markers to color in the images and then added dazzling details on the dots on the boxes (it's hard to see in the photo).  Finally, I added the greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

These images are also a lot of fun to stamp and cut out!  I stamped both the cat and dog onto colored card stock using Staz-On and then cut them out.  The card base is Whisper White and I added a piece of Wild Wasabi that I cut in a curve to mimic ground.  The animals were added with dimensionals.  The greeting is from Petite Pairs.  A little piece of linen thread finishes this quick and easy card!  The finished card size is 3 1/2" x 3 1/2".

When all else fails, you can also create a HOT MESS with this stamp set!!!!! :)  I started out with a similar base as I had made for the dog and cat card.  Then I decided I needed to combine some of the Every Little Bit images with the Make A Monster stamp set (I'm not sure what possessed me :)  So, I stamped the monster and her eyes and mouth with Staz-On.  Then I took the crown from Every Little Bit and stamped it with Staz-On.  Even though I used my stamp-a-ma-jig for the crown, I was still a little "off," so to cover my gap I decided to draw in some hair with a permanent marker.  Yes, I could have just started over, but I decided you needed to see what happens when I just keep going...scary, isn't it?!?! :)  I stamped the purse next (did a lot better with the stamp-a-ma-jig this time).  Next I did coloring - with markers and with my gold and silver Smooch accent ink.  I even added dazzling details to the body of the monster and to the hearts on the crown and purse.  Finally, I stamped the word "fabulous" from Fabulous Phrases.  This monster is ready to shop! :)
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday.  This stamp set is a great set for creating simple cards.  Kids love this set too since they can color in all of the line images!  Adults who act like kids also love this set 'cuz they get to color too :)  I hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with laughter, creativity and love!!!!!

Wish Big Birthday Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sometimes The Humor Is Right In Front Of You :)

I was playing around with the Bring On The Cake stamp set and just as I was about to put away the hand with the "wish big" sentiment, the pun struck me!  wish BIG!!!!  I have had this set for quite some time and find it funny that humor can be right in front of you and you can miss it...until that one day when your mind is finally awake to the humor and voila!, it inspires you!  I immediately knew I had to make a card with a BIG wish :)
To make the card I began by die cutting some Naturals Ivory card stock with the Serif Essentials dies in the Big Shot.  I adhered the letters to the front of an oversized rectangular card made from Naturals Ivory card stock.  Next I stamped the hand - using my new Basic Black stamp pad.  The Stampin' Up! classic ink pads have been redesigned.  They are now foam and take a much lighter touch to ink up your stamps.  I almost found the pad too juicy!  I'll have to play with it a bit to get the hang of it!  I cut the hand out and added it to the card with dimensionals.  Finally, I stamped the happy birthday from Teeny Tiny Wishes and cut it out to look like a banner.  It was tucked under the "I" and then the banner end was popped up on a dimensional.  I hope you like it :)

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Free Motion Sewing Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Just Try It!

I had placed pink thread in my sewing machine the other day and somehow the thread color started to inspire me to try to make a love card with some free motion sewing.  Mind you, I have not really tried to write with my sewing machine before.  I have a darning foot that can act as a free motion foot for the machine and I had played with that months ago.  But, I was inspired by a recent dress created by Ruth Rae (you can see it here) and I figured I would try to draw with my needle.  I guess the nice thing about being willing to try things out in the craft room is that I have yet to suffer severe consequences when things don't turn out exactly as planned.  It's not like trying to do something that has life & death consequences!  Yes, you may have a little drama with your inner critic, but beyond that it really isn't too painful :)  So I just tried it - and I'm glad I did!  I could actually read the letters once I was done - not a small feat from my perspective :)
Once I had the letters sewn onto a piece of Whisper White card stock I decided to punch out some hearts with the heart to heart punch.  I then scattered them onto the card stock and sprayed the piece with a mixture of water and Melon Mambo ink and then a mixture of alcohol and Champagne Mist shimmer paint.  Once that dried, I adhered the sprayed hearts to the card with dimensionals.  Finally, I took the entire panel and sewed it to the front of the Whisper White card base.  I hope you like it :)  I very glad I decided to go out on a whim and just try it!

Artistic Etchings Wonderful Day Card

Today's Question From The Craft Room:  What's The Point Of Being A Sentient Being If Most Of My Thoughts Are So Trivial?

I've been aware of my thoughts lately and it has struck me how many of my thoughts are about what I would label as "trivial" things.  It's made me wonder what the point is of being a sentient being if I use my thoughts to think things that are of such little value.  I've been reading the book A Short History Of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson and what has struck me most about the book is how little we actually know (and how much we seem to believe we know).  It's made my thoughts turn to how small my life really is in the grand scheme of life - just a blip on a screen - when it comes to how short a time human beings have actually been in existence.  It's made me wonder why, as human beings, we seem to strive for having meaning in our lives as opposed to just being okay living them.  I wonder how freeing it would be if I could just let go of all the silly thoughts that fill my head and just live.  Maybe some of you already do that.  I just haven't achieved that place yet.  I'm not sure if these thoughts are any more important than my usual trivial ponderings - somehow they seem more significant to me - more worth the efforts of my thinking.
Today's card began with a desire to play with the sewing machine :)  I began with a Crumb Cake card base and sewed on strip of First Edition specialty paper.  Next came a piece of Pool Party patterns stack paper and then the greeting from Bring On The Cake cut into a banner.  Finally, I stamped the image from Artistic Etchings in Crumb Cake and cut it out and popped it up on dimensionals on the card.  I hope you like it :)  Lately, it seems, I have been attracted to more simple cards - graphic and uncluttered.  We'll see how long it lasts ;)

Make A Monster Shaker Cards

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  I have to keep reminding myself that nothing I am doing is wasted time.  -Sue Bender

I just finished reading a book called Plain And Simple:  A Woman's Journey To The Amish by Sue Bender.  I am still processing what I read - trying to figure out what lessons came to me through the book.  This sentence, toward the end of the book, really jumped out at me.  It's easy for me to feel like I am supposed to be doing something "productive" and I mean that word in a very "American" sense.  What do I mean?  It seems to me that here in the United States there is a lot of pressure to be "successful" and how we define "success" is flashed on tv screens and billboards all across the nation.  It's about having money and consuming goods...lots of them.  So I have been brainwashed, in a sense, to believe that any time spent not moving toward making money or procuring something is wasted time.  I am happy to recognize that this definition of "success" is not some value written in stone by every human being on this planet.  It is very biased and culturally driven and I struggle with it.  I actually get mad at the value but find myself trapped in its very web.  So reading the quote in the book really spoke to me - as if it were permission or a voice from a different and equally valid value system.  Nothing I am doing is wasted time.  Wow, my inner critic doesn't even like me typing that!  It's already trying to tell me that is nonsense - that of course things I do are wasted time...oh, shut up inner critic - what do you know!  Everything I do is done because it is what I am meant to do in that moment to lead me to wherever it is I am headed.  I don't know where that is.  As Sue Bender says, "I may not understand or like what is happening...It took me a very long time to discover that I didn't need reasons for doing what I did.  I don't have to explain, or convince, or come up with answers for what happened.  I went on this journey because I had to.  Learning to follow your heart is reason enough."
Today's cards are shaker cards I created when I was making a video for Papercrafter's Library on how to create shaker cards.  I used the Make A Monster stamp set (so cute!) and did some painting on transparencies.  You can watch a video on how to make a similar shaker card here (or you might choose to join Papercrafter's Library to watch me making these particular cards).

Four Ways Friday #88 - Four Ways To Say Happy Mother's Day

This week's Four Ways Friday is a bit different than usual.  Instead of using one stamp set to create four different looks, I decided to share four ways you might say Happy Mother's Day to your mom or a special mom in your life :)

This first Mother's Day card began with a Baja Breeze card base.  I then added a piece of Twitterpated paper and did some machine sewing around the edges.  A label was die cut using the Framelits Labels Collection.  The banner was hand cut after stamping a greeting from a retired SU! stamp set.  The flowers were made with a combination of Twitterpated paper and card stock punched with the Boho Blossoms punch and the flower in the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack.  I did a bit of edge sponging on the flowers and added some adhesive rhinestones.

 

What mom doesn't want to be queen for a day?!  I began with a Whisper White card base and added a piece of Twitterpated paper with some machine sewing around the edges.  Next I heat embossed the crown from Artistic Etchings on a Whisper White piece of card stock.  I added a layer of Basic Black card stock and popped the piece on the card with dimensionals.  I added some adhesive rhinestones at the top of each point of the crown.  The greeting is from a retired SU stamp set.  It was stamped on Whisper White card stock and layered onto Basic Black.  The piece was added to the card with dimensionals and then a few extra adhesive rhinestones were added.

 I decided to stick with one a simple layout for this third card.  I stamped the Sunflower background stamp onto a corner of the Very Vanilla card layer and then colored it in using a combination of ink with my aqua painter, some acrylic paints with a touch of water and a paint brush, and then some dazzling diamonds with a bit of 2-way glue.  This card really sparkles in person!  The greeting was stamped with Jet Black Staz-On and the whole panel was layered onto a piece of Jet Black card stock before being adhered to the Very Vanilla card base.

I decided to pull out the Pennant Parade stamp set for my last card.  I stamped the different pennants in multiple colors (Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive).  I then punched out the pennants with the pennant punch.  Next I drew a white line on the Crumb Cake card base with a white gel pen and then added the pennants with dimensionals.  You could sew the pennants to the card as well.  I stamped the letters for "mom" with the Calendar Alphabet & Numbers stamp set and then punched the letters out with the circle punch from the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack.  Next I punched Daffodil Delight card stock with the 1/2" circle punch and layered the smaller circles on top.  I added the circles to the pennants and added a few adhesive rhinestones.  Finally, I stamped the greeting on the bottom of the card.

I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!!!!  For all of you who are moms, I hope you have a very wonderful mother's day!!!!!!  May you all have a loving, creative and fulfilling weekend!!!!

Nature Walk Bird With Birthday Hat

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Language Is Interesting...

I was going to make today's lesson from the craft room something about losing my senses...and then it struck me...senses, scentses...language is definitely interesting!  I have had a cold for almost 2 weeks now and I have been struck by how much I miss my sense of taste.  Did you know that our sense of smell is actually responsible for about 75 percent of what we typically think of as our sense of taste?  I had no idea until I started doing a bit of researching online.  How funny that our sense of taste is really our scents of taste :)  That smell, our sensitivity to scents, is what gives us most of our ability to taste.  So yes, I miss it.  I actually made a corn soup with a whole bunch of chilies in it.  I usually am not a big fan of spicy food and I was able to eat the soup without a blink since I couldn't taste or smell a thing.  I almost cracked up when Michael took a taste and his whole face turned red! :)  I'm hoping I have some sense soon...or should I say "scents" :)  Language really is interesting :)
Today's card was inspired by a new stamp set that is coming out in the new Stampin' Up! catalog called Papaya Collage.  The stamp set has a bird in it and also an image of a little birthday hat.  When I saw the images I immediately knew I had to use a set that I already had to create a similar look!  I grabbed the Nature Walk stamp set and some Confetti card stock and stamped the bird in black ink.  Next I stamped the greeting from On Your Birthday.  I then cut a small triangle from the First Edition Specialty paper and sponged the edges with black ink.  I then brushed some Stampin' Pastels over the paper to give it the yellow look (I think it was More Mustard pastel).  I cut a thin strip of Baja Breeze card stock, ran it through the paper crimper and glued it to the bottom of the "hat."  I added an adhesive rhinestone to top off the hat and attached the hat to the bird with half of a dimensional.  I also used the pastels to color the bird - a combination of different shades of blue and a little orange and yellow for his beak.  I hope you like it! :)