A Change In Schedule For February

Hello!  Thanks for stopping by!!!!  I just wanted to let you know that for the month of February things are a bit hectic for me.  As a result, I have decided to just post a few times each week.  Most posts will just be pictures of projects I have made - without my usual lessons from the craft room.  I would love it if some of you might be willing to add some lessons that you are learning from your creating in the comments sections of the posts!  I will look forward to hearing your thoughts!!!!!  Thanks for understanding and I hope you enjoy the posts! :)

Silver Glimmer Heart Mini Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room: The Simplest Things Can Be The Most Enjoyable :)
Our new kitty, Loki, has been teaching me a lot over the past few weeks.  He is obviously here to continually remind me that the simplest things can be the most enjoyable :)  Whether it is an empty Stampin' Up! box, a crinkled piece of packing paper, or a string with a knot tied at the end, Loki can have hours and hours of fun!!!!!  What are some of the simplest things that you find most enjoyable????
Today's card is a mini Valentine's card :)  I began with a 6"x3" piece of Very Vanilla card stock and scored it in half.  I then ran a strip of Core'dinations Primrose Petals card stock through the Big Shot with the honeycomb embossing folder and sanded the top with my sanding block.  I punched a heart from silver glimmer paper using the Full Heart punch.  I then stamped the ticket from the That's The Ticket stamp set using Primrose Petals ink on Crumb Cake card stock and punched it out with the Ticket Duo punch.  The heart and ticket were then layered onto the card with dimensionals.  I hope you like it!

Out On A Whim Wednesday: Fun In A Box!

For today's Out On A Whim Wednesday I wanted to share a video that I posted over the weekend on YouTube.  The lesson I learned from this video was to find joy and laughter in the simple things :)  Enjoy!!!!

p.s.  In case you're wondering, the critter in the box is our new kitty, Loki :)

Sweet Treat Cups Valentine's Card

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Ask A Question And You May Just Find An Answer!
I have had my sweet treat cups sitting around the craft room for awhile and they were starting to gather dust.  I was doing a Valentine's stamping event this past weekend and I knew that one of my friends who would be attending had recently purchased some sweet treat cups as well.  So, I asked myself a question, "How might I use the sweet treat cups for Valentine's Day?"  I hadn't bought any of the accompanying stamp sets, so I just had the cups and my 1 3/4" circle punch.  The more I looked at the cup, the more I pondered...and finally the thought hit me!  It looks like the letter "O!"  Once I had made that discovery, the rest seemed easy!  I knew would create the word "love" and my Typeset Alphabet Bigz dies were just the right size!  So, I die cut the letters from Cherry Cobbler card stock and began figuring out how to fit everything onto a standard card.  This was the result!  Sometimes if you stop to ask a question, you may just find an answer!

Glass-Etched Votive Holders

Today's Lesson From The Craft Room:  Enjoy Watching The Magic When Someone Else Creates!
I had a few women over for a Valentine's Stamp-A-Stack this past weekend.  It was a bit more than just stamping on cards.  One of the projects was actually a glass-etched votive holder.  It was AMAZING to watch the women as each of them decided how they wanted to decorate their votives.  Some chose to mask areas with clear contact paper that had been punched with the large heart punch.  Others decided to just use the Versamarker and write their own messages (which were then temporarily heat embossed so that the areas would be masked to the etching cream).  Some chose to combine punches and words.  What I loved the most was after the etching cream had sat on the glass and needed to be washed off.  One by one the women would go over to the sink to wash off the cream and each one of them would say something like, "I don't think it worked."  The wonderful magic of etching cream is that when you are washing it off, the water makes it look like nothing has happened to the glass.  But once you begin to dry the glass, the etching appears.  I loved watching the magic sparkle come alive in the eyes of these women as they began to see their creation come to life once it was dry!  Yes, I strongly recommend watching the magic that happens when someone else creates - it will definitely inspire you!!!!!
Today I'm sharing two different etched votives with you.  The first was made by Anna B.  She used a Versamarker to draw the symbol onto the glass.  We then heat embossed it with black embossing powder (I like to use black so you can see what you have drawn and decide if you want to proceed or if you want to wipe it all of and start over).  She then used painter's tape to mask off the diamond shape and applied etching cream over the masked off area (including over the black embossed symbol).  Once the etching cream sat for the required time, she washed off the cream and used a tool to scratch off the embossing powder.  We used flameless candles inside the votives.  Here is a picture of the votive without the light:

This second votive was made by Jeanne.

She punched a heart out of a square of clear contact paper and applied the "negative" of the punch to the votive and burnished the edges down.  Next she used the Versamarker to write "I love Chad" and then heat embossed with black embossing powder.  She then brushed on the etching cream within the heart shape and over the embossing.  After she let the cream sit, she washed off the cream and the words came out perfectly!  I love how you can add the personal touch of your own handwriting to glass using a Versamarker - such a special gift!