Furry Folk Welcome Sign

I am taking a break from Four Ways Friday today.  I just got back from a trip last night and I am officially exhausted.  So today I am going to enjoy a leisurely day and hopefully a lot of time outdoors since the past 24 hours were mostly spent in airports, on airplanes, in hotels and meeting rooms.  I need some fresh air and sun!!!!! :)
I wanted to share a quick project.  This is a welcome sign that I created using a piece of masonite and some very thin cork sheeting.  I adhered the cork to the masonite and then grabbed some twigs from the backyard and adhered them as a frame and hanger using hot glue.  I stamped and embossed animals from Furry Folk, cut them out and adhered them to the sign using hot glue.  Next, I heat embossed a sheet of card stock after stamping it with the Woodgrain background stamp.  I then die cut the pieces using the Timeless Type sizzlits and the Big Shot.  I had submitted this sign to a magazine in the hopes of getting it published, but since it wasn't accepted I decided to share it with you :)  I hope you like it!  I also hope you have a wonderful weekend!  If you are celebrating Passover, Good Friday or Easter, I hope you have a beautiful holiday filled with love!!!!

Papercrafter's Library April Design Team Projects - Part 3

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  You Don't Need A Ticket To Win Your Own Lottery Every Day!

I don't know about you, but I have to confess that I got caught up in the Mega Millions lottery drawing last week.  For those of you that don't know, here in the United States there was a lottery prize that was up to $640 million!!!!  It became a huge news story and it had people lining up to buy lottery tickets all over the U.S.  And yes, although it is a very rare occasion for me to play the lottery, I made an exception.  No, we didn't win...we actually only matched 1 number.  But what I realized is that I had won my own lottery without even knowing it!  I woke up on Saturday morning and it was a gorgeous day!  The birds were singing, the dog smiling, the flowers blooming.  Yes, I was absolutely a winner...and I didn't need a ticket to win my own special lottery :)
Today I wanted to share the last two projects I created for April for Papercrafter's Library as a Design Team member.  First is this tri-fold card using the Attic Boutique designer series paper and the Rue De Fleur stamp set.  Here is a look at the inside:

After making the card I was inspired to make a small Thank You gift box.  I took out my Fancy Favor die and the Big Shot and went to work!  Here is what I came up with:

I hope you like the card and the box and I hope you wake up tomorrow and realize that, once again, you have won your own personal lottery :)

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Bok Choy Stamped Roses & Video!!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  I Love Your Comments!!!!

I have to say that I don't believe today's project and video would have been created if it weren't for a comment posted to my blog last week by Lorraine!  Last Wednesday I had posted a picture of a bowl that sits in our second sink.  We use the bowl to collect vegetable peelings, coffee grounds and other "waste" that we then take outside and place in our compost bin.  I was commenting on how gorgeous the ends of the bok choy looked as they stared up at me from the compost bowl.  Lorraine's comments was "I bet you could stamp a beautiful rose out of that bok choy."  I decided to take her up on her idea and this project and video are the result!  Thank you so much Lorraine for taking the time to comment on my blog!  I know I can always count on you and Doris to leave me inspiring and motivating comments - not to mention the comments feel like great big virtual hugs...and I love it!!!! :)  Thank you!!!!
Here is a video to show you how I turned Lorraine's idea into reality!  I hope it inspires you too!!!!

Papercrafter's Library April Design Team Projects - Part 2

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Find Inspiration And Insight In The Words Of Others

I have been enjoying a wonderful book about the life of Georgia O'Keeffe entitled Portrait Of An Artist by Laurie Lisle.  I stopped in my tracks (figuratively of course...I was not walking and reading at the same time) when I came across a quote by O'Keeffe.  She was talking about all the things she did in her life, in addition to her painting - you know, the daily things like taking the dog to the vet, spending a day with a friend, doing the shopping for your home.  She then said, "The painting is like a thread that runs through all the reasons for all the other things that make one's life."  For her, her art was the thing that kept her going - kept her doing those things that she didn't really want to do, but felt she needed to do in order to be able to live the painting life that she wanted to lead.  And yes, that stopped me dead in my tracks.  Because it resonated with me - it gave me insight into my own life.  The feeling that everything I do I do to enable me to have time to create and explore the art that lives inside of me.
Today I am sharing the second project I created for Papercrafter's Library for my April Design Team projects.  Since I am so inspired by the words of other women, I decided to make a mini book out of altered CDs to capture some of those words that inspire me.  Here is the inside of the book:

What words inspire you?  How might you incorporate them into your next creation?

Papercrafter's Library April Design Team Projects - Part 1

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sometimes You Need To Be Reminded

I went for my morning walk with Buddy the other day and when a woman passed us jogging, she said, "Good morning!  Bless you!"  It immediately put a smile on my face since it served as a reminder that I truly am blessed.  The reminders didn't stop there.  Buddy and I turned the corner and came upon a man who was holding his little dog in his arms.  The man smiled at us and said, "This is the life, isn't it?!"  Yes!  It definitely is!  To be able to walk my dog on a gorgeous morning and appreciate the crisp air and the huge blue sky.  To be able to use my two legs to walk unencumbered.  To be able to breathe freely and notice the buds on the branches and the early Spring flowers.  Yes, sometimes you need to be reminded how blessed you truly are.  This is your reminder :)
Today I am sharing my first April Design Team project that I created for Papercrafter's Library!  (Can you believe it's already April?!).  I was asked to play around with the Attic Boutique suite in the Occasions Mini catalog to create my April projects.  It's funny...I don't think I would have intuitively chosen that selection of products to purchase (I'm not sure why - they just didn't initially trigger my creative juices).  But since I was asked to create using the Suite, I decided to dive right in!  I was surprised to find that I actually grew to love the products I worked with!  The Attic Boutique paper, the Side Notes, the Rue De Fleur stamp set...I am loving them all right now :)  Funny how that can happen with a touch of creativity :)  Here I upcycled a CD to create this Home Sweet Home door hanging.  I punched through the CD with my crop-a-dile to add a whole bunch of ribbon.  The large paper doily is also the perfect size for a CD!  Who knew?!  I have a feeling I'm going to be making quite a few upcycled CD projects in the near future ;)  I hope you like it!

Summer Smooches Promotion Begins Today!

The Summer Smooches promotion begins today and runs through April 30, 2012.  Some of the products in the Summer Smooches suite will once again be available when the new 2012-2013 catalog is released.  Some of the products, like those adorable fabric brads, will only be available through April 30th.  Click HERE to order today!

125495	Bright Blossoms Wood-Mount Set	$16.95
125497	Bright Blossoms Clear-Mount Set	$12.95
125409	Summer Smooches Designer Paper	$10.95
125583	Daffodil Delight 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon	$10.95
125411	Summer Smooches  Fabric	$9.95
125589	Summer Smooches Fabric Brads*	$6.95
125626	Summer Smooches Décor Stencil*	$7.95
125606	Petite Purse Bigz L Die	$32.95
129919	Summer Smooches Photobook Template	$17.95
129601	Summer Smooches Digital Kit	$9.95

*the Summer Smooches Fabric Brads and the Decor Stencil will only be available through April 30th and will NOT be available in the new 2012-2013 catalog.

Four Ways Friday #84: Decorative Label Punch

F'or this week's Four Ways Friday I decided to play with the Decorative Label Punch!  This punch is one of my all-time favorites and it was fun to discover a few new ways to use it!  Enjoy!

I began with a traditional use for the punch.  I stamped images from Rue Des Fleur and Established Elegance onto Baja Breeze card stock using VersaMark and then heat embossed with vanilla scented embossing powder (yum!).  I then punched it out using the decorative label punch.  I also punched another label out of Naturals Ivory card stock and used it to create a layer underneath the first punch (you can see how I did this in the video below).  I used VersaMark, Crumb Cake ink and vanilla scented embossing powder to stamp the Young Vermilion bird and then cut him out.  I punched a bunch of Crumb Cake 1" circles and glued them to the Crumb Cake card base.  Next I tied a piece of Baja Breeze seam binding around the card and added the stamped pieces using dimensionals.

You can use your decorative label punch to create great brackets for your cards and scrapbook pages!  Here is a video to show you how I created the brackets with the punch!

Spring is definitely in the air here in Denver, so I decided I had to make a card with flowers!  For this card I punched out a decorative label from Pool Party card stock.  Next I cut it in half and then ran the half through the Big Shot with the Elegant Lines embossing folder.  I stamped the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes onto the Whisper White card base and then added the "vase" with dimensionals.  Next I punched a bunch of branches/leaves using my 2-step bird punch and adhered them to the card using glue.  Finally, I punched some Melon Mambo flowers using my Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack and adhered them to the card with glue.  Adhesive pearls were added for the flower centers.

My final card was inspired by this card by fellow SU! demonstrator Lisa Young (thanks Lisa!).  I made quite a few modifications, but the idea to use the decorative label punch to make little train cars was put in my head after seeing her card!  I punched the labels from designer series paper and then cut them down to train car size :)  I added 1/2" circles with brads as the wheels.  The animals are all from Furry Folk.  It's hard to believe that Sale-a-Bration ends tomorrow!  If you haven't gotten ahold of the Outlined Occasions stamp set (the set I used for the sentiments on this card), now is your last chance!  You can get this set for free through March 31st with a $50 product purchase.  Click HERE to shop now!
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!!!!  I hope these ideas inspire you to play around with your Decorative Label punch to see what you can come up with!!!!  Wishing you a wonderfully creative and peaceful weekend!!!!

Flirtatious Designer Fabric Bookmark

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Quality Makes A Difference

Have you ever bought matches at a store?  We keep matches around the house for emergencies, to light candles, and also to mask unpleasant odors in the air (a pack of matches can always be found in the bathroom...that might be too much information to be sharing :)  Anyway, I had bought our last matches on a trip to the dollar store.  For $1 I got two large boxes of kitchen matches.  I thought that was a pretty great deal...until I started trying to light them!  They would not "catch" when I tried to light them.  Most of the time, the match would just break in half!  I thought maybe it was me - I mean I haven't spent a lot of time working on my match striking technique.  But after weeks of trying, the outcome was no different.  So, on a recent trip to another store - not of the "dollar" variety - we decided to splurge and actually paid almost $3 for two boxes of matches that were the same size as the ones we had gotten at the dollar store.  The matches, however, were a different brand.  These were by Diamond.  Well let me tell you, it was definitely not my technique!!!!!  These matches are outstanding!!!!!  The minute I strike them they light!  It doesn't even take much pressure!  And I have yet to break a match in half!!!!!  Did you ever think someone could be so happy about matches?!?!  Well, I am!  And when I think about the price, I realize that the "expensive" matches really aren't costing more because I have wasted so many of the cheap ones just trying to get them to light (not to mention my frustration!).  So this consumer has learned, yet again, that quality really does make a difference! :)
Speaking of quality, have you tried Stampin' Up!s Whisper White card stock?  If not, I strongly encourage you to give it a try!  I LOVE it...and believe me, I went through a lot of different card stock before recognizing that quality makes a huge difference in my cards and paper craft projects!  (I love our other card stock as well, but I have a particular special love for Whisper White and Very Vanilla - they are so smooth!!!)
Have you gotten your free Flirtatious designer fabric yet?????  Sale-a-bration ends on at the end of March so there are just a few more days to take advantage of getting a free item with every $50 product purchase you make!  I used my free Flirtatious designer fabric to create this fabric bookmark.  I began by stamping the greeting from Loving Thoughts using Staz-On ink onto Whisper White satin ribbon.  I machine-sewed the greeting to the front of the bookmark and then hand-sewed the buttons.  Next came the Pear Pizzazz pleated satin ribbon.  Once all the sewing was done on the front of the bookmark, I sewed the back piece of fabric to the front piece of fabric.  Next came the crop-a-dile to add some large eyelets.  Finally I added some fabric strips to the eyelet and frayed the edges of the ribbon!  I hope you like it :)

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Compost Collage

Today's Question From The Craft Room:  Where Is The Beauty Around You?

We have a double sink in the kitchen.  In the left-hand side of the sink we keep a stainless steel bowl.  Whenever we have vegetable scrapings, coffee grounds, tea bags, even used napkins, they find their way into the stainless steel bowl.  It is our compost bowl.  Every day we walk the bowl out to the backyard and place the contents into one of our compost bins.  We began composting a few years ago and now it is one of my favorite things!  To watch what would have otherwise been put in a garbage can and eventually into a landfill actually turn into rich dark earth is an amazing thing!  Every year in the Spring we use our amazingly rich compost dirt to add soil to our vegetable garden and the process begins all over again.  It really is the circle of life...right in our own backyard!
On this particular day, as I went to grab the compost bowl out of the sink, the contents struck me as being amazingly beautiful!  I had to grab my camera and take a picture of the collage that was staring up at me!  Yes, you are looking at my compost bowl - coffee grounds, the base of bok choy, water and all :)  And what I see is beauty :)  Where is the beauty around you?
If you're interested, here is a quick video of what the compost looks like after it has been left to sit over the winter months...

Blossom Punch "Love" Altered CD

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: You Can't "Win" Unless You Are Willing To Enter
Today's project is one that I sent in to Stampin' Up! for one of the monthly contests in the Stampin' Success magazine.  I am always a bit jittery about sending my creations out there into the world to be "judged."  I have sent in submissions to this contest a number of times.  One time I received an honorable mention (and a free stamp set!) and another time, after not hearing anything, I actually saw my creation on one of the boards at the yearly convention (it was a nice surprise!).  I also have a bit of a hard time entering this contest because, unlike some of the other magazine contests where you only have to send in photos of your creations to determine if you then need to send in the actual item, for this one you need to actually send the item in to enter (and sometimes I get a bit attached to the things I create :)  So, with my reluctance and with a lot of love, I sent this creation in.  It did not win anything...other than my knowing that I tried.  I have to say that "I tried" is a reward in and of itself.  You can't "win" unless you are willing to enter.  I may not have won the recognition or the 3 stamp sets that come with winning this contest.  What I did "win" is the knowledge that I'm willing to take risks.  The knowledge that I am willing to let go, even when it's not easy.  The knowledge that I put myself out there and was willing to see what would happen.  Now if I can take those lessons into the rest of my life I know a lot of personal growth will happen!!!!!
I love altering CDs.  In the job that I do I often have CDs to store back-up presentations (just in case my computer gets stolen/damaged when I travel).  After the event, the CD is no longer of use to me...at least not for work outside of the craft room! :)  I love to cover CDs with designer series paper and embellishments to create door hangings, wall hangings, mini books...the sky is the limit!  Here I used Flirtatious designer series paper and my blossom punch to create a bouquet of flowers for both the front and back of this CD.  I used the crop-a-dile to add an eyelet at the top of the CD so that I could thread my striped ribbon through.  The paper doily adds a bit more interest to the CD.  The letters were stamped and embossed using the Lovely Letters Alphabet, Melon Mambo ink, VersaMark and clear embossing powder.

I hope you like it...and if you don't, that's okay...this piece has given me the lessons that I need :)

Top Note Bunny Box

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  A Change Is Gonna Do You Good!

It felt great to take a break from blogging last week!  And it is also good to be back :)  I haven't yet made up my mind about how I want to change my blogging habit, but I know I do want to change it and have it not feel like such a "must do."  I may move to blogging 2 to 3 times per week.  As soon as I figure out which days I'll be blogging and which days I'll be taking "off," I'll let you know :)  Of course, if you have a preference or some thoughts about what you would like to see, I would love to hear from you!  I haven't made up my mind yet and your thoughts would definitely be part of my consideration!!!!!  What would you prefer to see?  2 times a week?  3 times a week?  What days work best for you?  I would love your feedback!  Whatever we decide, I definitely know, a change is gonna do me good :)
A friend came over last week and wanted to make some Easter gift boxes for her nieces and nephews.  I didn't have anything planned in advance, but I knew she loved the top note boxes we had made for Halloween last year.  So, we jumped on the computer and googled "top note bunny" and "top note rabbit," and the ideas came pouring in!  A lot of times I like to do things from "scratch," without looking at other ideas, but this time since we had a limited amount of time to get her boxes done, we decided to look for inspiration from our fellow crafters.  And needles to say, they definitely delivered!!!!!  There are a TON of ideas out there!!!  We particularly liked the bunny that Dee had put together (thanks for the inspiration Dee!).  We made some changes to the bunny - adding pipe cleaner whiskers and a pom-pom tail as well as a greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  Here is a side view of the box that we created (I'm not sure how others have made the box, but we found this to work perfectly.  You may be wondering why the inside box is black...they were leftover boxes from my Halloween Treat workshop!!!! :)

Here is the photo of what happens when you leave two bunny boxes alone in the craft room:

Taking A Break

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Give Yourself A Break :)

It's been awhile since I took a break from posting every day on this blog and I've decided that I am quite in need of a respite :)  I take this break with a bit of fear - I hope it won't stop you from visiting when I return.  Right now I'm feeling like I need to not have my blog posts on my "to do" list for this week (I'm feeling like a one-week break should be enough to rejuvenate me...I'll definitely let you know if I decide to extend the break).
What I really want to do is take a break and go into the craft room and play with whatever I want to play with and make whatever I want to make, without the goal of creating a post out of it.  I allowed myself a day of free play last week and was incredibly pleased with how it felt to just "go with it" and grab whatever supplies caught my eye.  It was also wonderful to just allow myself to be "in the process."  At one point I showed the project to Michael and he articulated what I was feeling about the piece..."It's kind of a mess."  He was right - it was what I was feeling inside - but I definitely did not let that stop me.  (and let me say that it is a rare thing for Michael to say anything that isn't 100% supportive with my art-making...this time, I'm really glad he said what he was feeling - it was wonderful to watch what I did with the feedback!).  I took that mess and kept going with it and it is a piece of art that I am now incredibly proud of - it is actually sitting in front of me as I am typing this :)  I am not ready to share it because I'm not sure what the future of the piece will be.  It may be one in a series and I may want to think about submitting it (or the series) at some point - so for now, it will remain hidden from the blog.  What I can tell you is that the comment that it was "a mess" actually inspired the direction of the piece - it is about allowing messes and experiments and mistakes and risks and getting to a place of unlimited possibilities :)  So maybe that's what this break is really about - a time where I can make all the messes I want; experiment to my heart's content; and leap willingly into the unknown of the craft room :)  When was the last time you gave yourself a break from your should's and to do's?  Maybe the perfect time is now :)
ps  I am very excited to let you know that last Friday I was contacted by Paper Crafts Magazine and they accepted another one of my pieces for publication!!!!!  Yeah!!!!  The piece will be published in the Sept/Oct 2012 issue!!!!! :)

Four Ways Friday #83 - Paper Doily Large Sizzlit

For this week's Four Ways Friday I decided to play around with the Paper Doily Large Sizzlits Die.  I hope you enjoy these ideas!

The paper doily adds a beautiful layer to cards!  Here I die cut Naturals Ivory card stock and then adhered it to the Whisper White card base with glue.  Here I layered a 2 1/2" circle punch, a framelits Labels collection die cut and a smaller circle punch on top of the doily.  All the layers were adhered with dimensionals.  The sentiment is from the Petite Pairs stamp set and the floral images and outline are from the Apothecary Art stamp set.  A piece of ruffled Wisteria Wonder ribbon finishes the card.

 

The paper doily makes a great stencil for sponging too!  Here I used the doily as a stencil to sponge on a Whisper White piece of card stock.  I sponged using a variety of greens and blues (Old Olive, Not Quite Navy...and a few others :)  Next I cut out the sponged image and adhered it to the Very Vanilla card base with glue.  Of course, I had to incorporate the stencil - it looked so pretty with all that color!  So, I cut out the center of the doily (hard to see in the photo) and added the sponged stencil as a layer with glue.  I then took the center that I had cut out and turned it over and painted it with champagne shimmer paint!  once it had dried, I added it to the card with dimensionals (cut into tiny pieces).  For the center I punched some of the waste from all the sponging I had done with the Boho Blossoms punch.  I then used my paper snips to cut in between some of the petals so that I could add some dimension to the flower before gluing the three flowers together.  I added an ice rhinestone brad to the center and ended by stamping the greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes and creating a little banner that was adhered with glue.

Once I started sponging, I couldn't stop!  But you don't have to just sponge with regular ink!  Here I used the doily as a stencil and sponged with VersaMark and then applied different colored Stampin' Pastels using cotton swabs!  I then stamped and punched out some of the images from the Mixed Bunch stamp set.  The image on the left is from the Fresh Vintage Sale-a-bration stamp set.  The greeting is from Petite Pairs.  I mounted the entire panel onto a Lucky Limeade card base and added an adhesive rhinestone to the center of the flower.

Since my stencil was now entirely covered with VersMark ink, I decided it needed some Stampin' Pastels too :)  So, I added a variety of colors and then cut out the central part of the stencil.  I adhered it to a punched 2 1/2" circle of Pacific Point card stock with dimensionals and then added the greeting from Petite Pairs.  The finished card size is 3x3.

I hope you've enjoyed these four cards using the Paper Doily sizzlits die!  The ideas for this die are endless - you can die cut it, use it to embellish an altered CD, create beautiful place settings (I am imagining one of these doilies underneath a cupcake on a small plate)!  Let your imagination run wild!!!!  I hope you have a wonderful and creative weekend!  Happy St. Patrick's Day to all those who are celebrating the holiday!!!!  May you find the gold at the end of the rainbow every time you look for it!!!!! :)

Furry Folk Happiness Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Find Your Haven

It was gorgeous out today (I'm writing this on Wednesday) and I decided to take some time to sit outdoors in the backyard on a lounge chair and read a bit of a book.  It was perfect!  The birds flying right over me to get to the bird feeder that was in the tree behind me.  The branches moving in the breeze.  It was a haven for me in the midst of my day - a place of safety - a refuge.  Today's card represents finding my haven - being with those I love in nature - whether that be in the backyard or on a mountaintop.  I used the Furry Folk stamp set (so cute!) and did some stamping and a bit of heat embossing...and a bunch of cutting :)  I also heat embossed a small rectangle using the Woodgrain background stamp and Soft Suede with VersaMark ink.  The greeting is from Loving Thoughts.  Where is your haven?  You may have more than one...just like my cat Willow :)  She likes the back of the couch, the top of her scratching post....or, as you can see in this photo, the recycle box that lives under my desk :)

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Take Flight!

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

I was so happy to be included in Lorraine's Pigs On Parade event!!!!!  You can read about it HERE.  I saw the original post too late, but not too late to see her post when she happened upon 2 additional pigs that needed to be decorated!  I jumped at the chance.  And then, once my pig arrived, we stared at each other for days on end...and I wasn't so sure I had made the right decision by jumping at the chance!  Seeing that plain pig staring at me brought up all kinds of weird thoughts...What should I do?  What if I ruin him?  What if I do something and it doesn't turn out quite the way I want?  What if everyone thinks my pig is ugly?  Yes...a lot of what if's and should's!  I am happy to say I survived the what if's and should's and jumped in with both feet!  I had never worked with joint compound before, but figured this was a great way to give it a try.  I first wrapped wire around the pig so that once he was decorated I'd be able to hang him up (I already knew I wanted to give him wings to fly!).  Next, I "iced" the pig...that was how it felt as I covered his entire body with joint compound and a small spatula - it was very peaceful.  Once he was covered, and while the joint compound was wet, I decided to mix a bunch of beads together and sprinkle and smoosh them into the compound.  I was definitely boldly going where I hadn't gone before!  Well, it looked great...until it began to dry and I heard "tap," "tap," "bounce," "tap."  Almost every single one of those beads fell off of the pig as it began to dry!  Oh well!  Now what to do with all of that white, dried joint compound????  Color it!  I took out some pink metallic powder and began to brush it over the pig.  It looked okay, but I really missed the look of all of those beads.  So, out came my next approach - gel medium!!!!!  Yeah!!!!  It worked!!!!  I first added the beads and then began adding micro beads and glitter by brushing additional bits of gel medium onto the pig as layers dried.  Yes, my craft room looked quite like the pig when I got done!  Glitter and beads everywhere!  But at least this time they stuck to the pig.  Oh, I forgot about the wings!  I hot glued them to the body before I began adding the joint compound.  They were die cut out of tooling foil.  I started thinking about ways to decorate them and was attracted to some iridescent film that I had purchased a bit ago and hadn't yet used.  I stamped the word "believe" on one of the pieces of film and then began cutting and die cutting the film and adding it to the wings.  It was another experiment and, after playing with layering the film a bit, I decided to end with a layer of the film without any type of medium on top - that way the film kept its shine.  The last step was to create the decorative wire hangar.  I used wire, beads and pieces of Stampbord that I cut and stamped and sponged.  I used a retired SU! set - Collage Alphabet - for the letters.  Yes, this was definitely an adventure and I am happy I boldly went where I had never gone before!  Thank you Lorraine!  I can't wait to see all of the other pigs on March 31st!!!!!

Loving Thoughts and Framelits Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Order Matters

Today's lesson actually came from outside of the craft room.  I had the pleasure of getting a massage today!  It felt great!  I know some people don't like massages, but I happen to be one that does :)  After the massage I was incredibly relaxed and very noodle-like - that's how I describe that loose and limber feeling you get when you are totally relaxed :)  Going home would have been the best idea, but I had committed to doing our Costco shopping after the massage...why I did that I don't know...probably because the massage location and Costco are quite close to one another so I figured I would get both done at once.  The reverse order wouldn't have worked since I was going to be buying some perishables.  Well, to say that order matters is an understatement.  Do not...let me repeat those important words...do not go to Costco after a massage!  That's my big lesson for today!  I went from totally relaxed to lifting boxes of cans and bottles that my body did not want to lift!  I am grateful I didn't injure myself.  What I did do, though, was take myself out of my blissful noodle-like state and crash myself right back into reality.  Yes, order matters.
Today's card combines a sentiment from the Loving Thoughts stamp set with the framelits Labels Collection dies.  I used the framelits in two ways here - to die cut the middle label and to create the decorative edge on the Crumb Cake piece of card stock.  Somehow this color combination - the Crumb Cake with the Daffodil Delight - puts me right back into that place of peace :)  I added some crochet trim, First Edition specialty designer series paper, and a vintage trinket brad for some detail.  There are a few other details as well - the linen thread, the scallop edge punched card stock and a bit of spritz added to the En Francais stamping on the label.  I hope you like it!
p.s.  I sent in photos for 2 different submissions to PaperCrafts magazine last night.  It always makes me equal parts excited and nervous whenever I submit anything to anyone!  I should know by Friday whether either project made it - I'll keep you posted!  On another front, I submitted a project to last month's Stampin' Up! contest.  They say you will hear within 10 days from the close of the contest...and I haven't heard anything :(  I'm keeping my hopes up though...maybe they meant business days and not actual days?! :)  If I don't hear anything in another day or 2 I will share the project with you :)

Attic Boutique Suite Friend Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Dog Knows Best

It never ceases to amaze me how well my dog knows what I need.  If I am feeling down, he looks at me with those sad eyes that say, "a walk would be the perfect thing right now."  So, off we go on a little walk and sure enough, I am feeling better.  He also seems to know what's best once we are on our walk.  Over the weekend we took a long morning walk and I was starting to get a little tired and ready to head home.  But instead of going straight - the most direct route to getting back to the house - Buddy indicated, by pulling me a bit to the right, that he felt going right would be the best thing to do.  We walked about a 1/4 of a block when I noticed that there, on the yard to our left, were some gorgeous purple and yellow flowers that had just sprung from the Earth!  We would have missed them had we taken my route.  Once again, Buddy knew best :)  I wonder if it's a special intuition he has for what I am feeling and for what will make me feel better?  Whatever it is, I am learning to really listen to him - he is proving again and again that he knows what is in my best interest :)
For today's card I played with a few items from the Attic Boutique suite of products.  I began with a Soft Suede card base that I scored to create a tri-fold card.  I then cut a 1" x 12" piece of Attic Boutique designer series paper and sponged the edges with Soft Suede ink before wrapping it around the card and securing it with glue.  Next I took one of the embellishments from the Attic Boutique Side Notes and popped it up on the designer paper using dimensionals (after sponging the edges of course :).  I stamped the crown from Established Elegance using Soft Suede ink on Very Vanilla card stock and punched it out and added it to the center of the embellishment using dimensionals.  The greeting is from Tiny Tags.  I stamped the tag and then punched it out with the jewelry tag punch and added a Vintage Trinket brad.  Next came some stamping on the card base - one of the images from the Rue Des Fleurs stamp set.  I then took some scrap from die cutting a decorative box and cut it down to adhere to the card base.  I love the decorative edge waste that the decorative box die creates!  Next came some spritzing with the color spritzer tool and my Soft Suede marker.  For the inside I just stamped a piece of Very Vanilla card stock with another image from Rue Des Fleurs and adhered it to the inside of the card using glue.  I hope you like it!  Here is a pic of what the card looks like when you remove the band:

Four Ways Friday #82 - Established Elegance

This week's Four Ways Friday shows you four ways to put your Established Elegance stamp set to use!  This is one of those stamp sets that can really create gorgeous cards with just simple stamping...or you can jazz things up with a few simple additions.

I know the saying is "save the best for last," but this turned out to be my favorite card and I'm too excited to share it with you!  I stamped the dress form from Established Elegance using Island Indigo onto a Whisper White card base.  The sentiment was then stamped, with the help of the stamp-a-ma-jig, in Lucky Limeade.  Next came the Twitterpated designer fabric (love, love, love it!!!!).  I cut and tore very small strips of the fabric and then adhered them to the card using fabric glue.  I created about 3 layers of fabric strips to give the skirt some dimension.  I used adhesive pearls to form the waist of the skirt.  I will definitely be making a set of these cards and playing dress up with different types of fabric and ribbon! :)

If you don't have fabric or ribbon, don't worry!  This stamp set holds its own with just simple ink and card stock!  I love how you can layer the images in this set to create depth.  Here I combined the two stamps that I used on the first card with one more of the images in the set.  All were stamped onto Naturals Ivory card stock using Early Espresso ink.  I am going to stamp up a bunch of these - they will make a wonderful note card gift set!  (I can already see the cards in a box tied with Chantilly or Victoria crochet trim!).

I always enjoy when a stamp set comes with an image or two that can be stamped multiple times to create a border!  This floral image from Established Elegance is a perfect example!  With the help of my stamp-a-ma-jig, I repeatedly stamped the image using More Mustard ink on Confetti card stock.  I start by stamped the center image first and then work out to the right side and then the left side - just so my stamping is relatively centered.  The sentiment is from Loving Thoughts and was stamped using Cherry Cobbler ink.  The final touch was a piece of crochet thread tied through a Bitty Button.

Of course, you can always stamp and create layers using the gorgeous images in this stamp set.  I love the old fashioned typewriter in this set!  It makes a great focal image!  Here I stamped the image onto Crumb Cake card stock with Early Espresso ink.  I distressed the edges with my fingernail (very high tech! :).  I then spritzed this piece with the color spritzer tool and my Early Espresso marker.  The card base began as a piece of Lucky Limeade card stock and I cut back the front of the card and adhered a strip of In Color patterns stack designer paper using glue.  I then stamped the solid portion of the card front using the Rough Type (retired) stamp set and Lucky Limeade ink and spritzed the card front with Early Espresso ink as well.  Next I used the scallop edge punch to punch a few strips of First Edition specialty designer series paper.  I then layered them - a little askew from one another - and adhered them together and to the back of the typewriter using glue.  A piece of linen thread was wound around the piece and knotted and a little vintage trinket pin was added.  The sentiment from Loving Thoughts was stamped onto Very Vanilla card stock using Early Espresso ink.  I then used the Decorative Label punch to punch out the greeting....I punched it out and then threaded it through the punch again to create this unique label shape.  A few Vintage Trinkets brads were added to the tag before I adhered it to the card using dimensionals.  The whole panel was then attached to the card with dimensionals.
I hope you've enjoyed this week's Four Ways Friday!  I had a lot of fun with this stamp set and I hope these ideas inspire you to use this, or any set that you have, in fun new ways!!!!  Wishing you a wonderful and creative weekend!!!!

March Blossom Punch PCL Design Team Projects - Part 2

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.  - Indira Gandhi

I thought I would share another quote with you today :)  I have mentioned before that I travel quite a bit for work and at times, being around all of that activity - in hotels, airports, planes, meeting rooms...can, well, make me a bit nuts!  So I continue to try to learn how to be still in the midst of all of that activity - how to quiet my body and mind - which usually involves finding a quiet place to sit down - sometimes even on the floor in a hallway in the airport; or maybe deciding to buy groceries so that I don't have to leave my hotel room in the evenings.  On the plane it usually involves putting on my noise-cancelling headphones and listening to music that centers me - a favorite is Native American flute music by R. Carlos Nakai - so soothing.  I feel like I do a better job of being vibrantly alive in repose :)  Yesterday morning was a perfect example.  I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth and start my day and Willow, our beautiful cat, followed me into the bathroom (why is it that the animals like to follow me into the bathroom?!).  Anyway, she meowed at me so, while brushing my teeth, I sat down on the floor and she proceeding to climb into my lap and curl up into a little ball to be petted :)  And so we sat there, Willow and I, in the middle of the bathroom floor.  I with a toothbrush sticking out of a my mouth.  Her with her eyes closed.  And I pet her...for quite some time.  And during that time I was vibrantly alive - so connected to her - feeling the love and trust flowing between us - the comfort and peace.  Hmmm...I wonder if Willow can come with me on my next trip...although I think she would have issues trying to be still in the midst of all of that activity :)
Today I want to share with you the final two projects I created this month as a Design Team member for Paper Crafter's Library!  I decided to make my first-ever wreath using the Blossom Punch and the beautiful Everyday Enchantment designer series paper, brads and ribbon from Sale-a-Bration!  I covered the styrofoam wreath with strips of unbleached muslin and then attached muslin and ribbon bows and the flowers to the wreath using hot glue.  You can't really see it in the photo, but I lined the back edges of the wreath with Pear Pizzazz pleated satin ribbon.  This wreath is proudly hanging in our home :)

I decided to do a little upcycling for my second project :)  For some reason a pair of old, ripped jeans caught my eye in my fabric box and I decided the pockets would make a perfect holder for a mini book :)  I used the images from the Mixed Bunch stamp set and heat embossed on the fabric with ink and clear embossing powder.  The book was put together with a bamboo skewer binding.  Here is a picture of the inside pages before they were bound into the book:

It's hard to believe that I only have one more month as a Design Team member for Paper Crafter's Library - the time has flown by!  (A hint for next month's projects...I'm using the Attic Boutique Suite from the Occasions Mini Catalog :)  I am happy to report that they have asked me to remain on their team longer term as a Designer/Educator!  I immediately accepted and will continue to make exclusive videos that will be available to Paper Crafter's Library members!  To learn more about Paper Crafter's Library and to view their free blog, click HERE!

March Blossom Punch PCL Design Team Projects - Part 1

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.  - Helen Keller

I was working on my next set of Paper Crafter's Library design team projects the other day and decided I might want to incorporate some quotes into the project.  So I started searching for quotes by women and came across a few that really spoke to me.  This quote from Helen Keller was one of them.  This quote can serve as a mantra for life in general and, I believe, it can serve as a guide for us when it comes to our art making.  How often do you hold yourself back when you feel the impulse to just go nuts with your art?!  Do you hold yourself back because you might make a mistake?  or someone else won't like what you do?  or you don't want to "waste" your favorite paint, ink, paper, whatever?  The risk we accept by not expressing ourselves in the way we want in our art is far greater than the risk involved in wasting a bit of paint or making a boo-boo.  Today, give up creeping with your art - go wherever your impulse wants to take you - follow your impulse to soar!!!!!!
Today I am sharing with you two of the projects I created this month as a Design Team member for Paper Crafter's Library.  For today's projects I focused on using the Blossom Punch.  If you followed my blog last week, you saw the video on how to create flowers using your Blossom Punch.  Here, I used a similar technique to create flowers out of kraft colored tissue paper.  It is a lot easier to punch through tissue paper with your punch if you fold the tissue paper over a few times before punching.  Each layer of the flower was glued in the center to the one on top of it and then I scrunched the flowers and hot glued them to the branches.  The vase was filled with floral foam and covered with strips of First Edition Specialty designer series paper to hide the foam :)  I also used a piece of this designer paper to wrap around the outside of the vase - I adhered it to itself so that I can choose to slide the paper off of the vase if I want to decorate it differently.  Do you see the little bird in the branches?  I die cut some muslin using the Elegant Bird die and then sewed the parts together to create a small stuffed bird that I then hot glued to a branch.

For my second project I created a card to demonstrate how you can paper piece using your Blossom Punch.  Here I punched out a blossom punch flower from a variety of different papers and some silver glimmer paper (love it!).  I then cut the flowers up into smaller pieces and glued the pieces onto a base flower.  I added a greeting from the Elementary Elegance Sale-a-bration stamp set as well as a few extra embellishments.  I hope you've enjoyed these first two projects.  Join me tomorrow to see the second two projects I created! :)  You can learn more about Paper Crafter's Library here!