Friday, December 03, 2010

Four Ways Friday #29 - Solid Stripes

This week's Four Ways Friday uses the single stamp Solid Stripes.
For this first card I used the Solid Stripes stamp as a background element for the greeting.  I stamped the stripes at half strength using Crumb Cake ink onto Very Vanilla card stock.
For this second card I decided to use more of the stripes and do a tone-on-tone effect.  I stamped the stripes onto Real Red card stock using Real Red ink.  This piece formed the perfect backdrop for the butterfly and pansy.
For this thank you card I punched out a circle from scrap paper and used it to mask off a portion of the base card before stamping with the Solid Stripes stamp in River Rock ink.  I then stamped the greeting into the center and surrounded the greeting with punched flowers.
This final card is 6 inches in length.  I masked most of the card and stamped along the edge using Basic Gray ink.  I stamped repeatedly to stripe the entire edge of the card.  I hope you've enjoyed seeing a few different ways to play with the Solid Stripes stamp.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!!!!

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Create With The Time You Do Have!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Create With The Time You Do Have!
It can be so easy to come up with every excuse in the book for why you can't create - I don't have the right supplies; I'm not talented enough; My muse has left the room...and, one of my all time favorites...I don't have time!  Well I'm here to tell you you DO have time.  In the time it has taken you to read these few sentences, you could have engaged in a creative act!  I got home tonight and I was ready for bed - tired, no motivation.  Yet I had not created today and so my day felt unfinished.  I knew I didn't want to stay up late so I went into the craft room with very low expectations.  Now I'm not saying that what I created is worthy of a second glance.  What I am saying is that I did it!  I left the excuses behind and I did what I need to do every day - engage in an act of creation - no matter what the outcome.  Creating fulfills me.  It is who I am.  Create with the time you DO have rather than focus on what it is you don't have.
Today's card is the collision of card stock, smooch ink, black satin ribbon, rhinestone jewels, Three Little Words, Season of Joy and Thank You Kindly.  It is the collision of my need to create with the limit of time before bed.  Now I can sleep....

2-Step Owl Punch Thank U Card!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Give Someone A Helping Hand
Our close friend Matt recently received an amazing helping hand from one of his longtime friends.  His friend donated one of his kidneys to him!  I am humbled by this act of unconditional love and kindness.  We each may not be in a position to help someone in this way.  Yet we are each capable of lending someone a helping hand in our own way.  For now, we have been helping Matt and his family by walking their amazing dog.  It's a small gesture on our part and they can't stop saying thank you.  For us it is such a small thing since we walk Buddy anyway - so our walk is just extended by a few extra blocks to pick up and drop off their dog.  The impact for them, however, seems to be huge and we all end up feeling great as a result.  What can you do today to give someone a helping hand?
Today's card was a thank you card to one of my friends and customers :)  I love, love, love the 2-Step Owl punch and this card was so much fun to make - I just want to keep piling these owls on top of each other!  Wouldn't 3 look cute together? :)  (ooh - I wonder if I could make an adorable growth chart just by stacking these owls one on top of the other???  That would be toooooo cute!).  The greeting is from Cute By The Inch, stamped in Peach Parfait.  Just a few little touches give the card a personal touch - the googley eyes on the top owl and the little button and crochet thread in the corner.  I hope you like it!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Cake Pops!!!!!

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Sometimes The Kitchen Can Be Your Craft Room!!!!
I am not responsible if you go to Bakerella's website and decide you have to go racing into the kitchen to make cake pops!  Really, it's not my fault!  Or maybe I should just provide a warning...Warning!  If you visit Bakerella's website you will be overcome with an immediate urge to run into the kitchen and make cake pops!  Proceed at your own risk! :)  I had a ton of fun making these...well, maybe the first batch wasn't a ton of fun...they came out VERY sweet!  The recipe calls for a full container of frosting and for the 2nd batch I decided that 1/2 of a container was quite enough.  Today, recognize that your creativity is not confined to one room or one media.  You ARE creativity and your creative urge goes with you into all aspects of your life...even into the kitchen!  Enjoy! :)