As I sit here at the table looking out my window, I am consumed by an incredible sadness. Even the Twins have felt my sorrow.


Muffy:  What’s wrong, Momma? Why are you so sad?

Me:  I don’t know, Muffy.  Maybe it is the fact that trees are losing the last of their beautiful leaves, and I know that winter will soon be here.

 

Muffy:  Are the trees crying, Momma? Are their leaves their tears?

 

Me:  I think they are, Muffy.  And in their tears, we can learn many lessons.  Beauty does not last forever, but will change in form.  After the last leaf falls, we will see that the beauty of the tree lies not in its external glory, but in the strength of its trunk and branches…strong enough to uphold the snow and ice of winter and resilient enough to leaf again in the spring.
Muffy: Is there any way we can capture the leaves and preserve their memories, Momma?
Me:  Maybe we can, Twin.  Maybe we can capture not only their beauty, but share it with others as well.  Thank you, sweet Muffin, for helping me to see how I can turn my sadness into a gift…

And so you have the background as to how today’s From Me to You transpired.  Today’s creation is not a card, but something that you can create in a few minutes to give as a gift from the heart…

The size of this completed coaster is:  4″ x 4″.   The tiles which I used were on clearance at a home improvement store for thirteen cents each, making the cost of this project minimal.

1.  Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.  Select a tile which is relatively smooth, and make certain it is dust free.  If you rinse the tile, it must be completely dry before proceeding.
2.  Randomly stamp the leaves from French Foliage with CRAFT inks.  I used Cherry Cobbler, Cajun Craze, and Always Artichoke.  The Waterspot image was inked with Soft Suede Craft ink.  If you are not confident in your random stamping skills, draw out a 4″ x 4″ square on scrap paper and practice!  I did!
3.  Bake for 30 minutes to set the ink.  Allow to cool completely.  (Some people bake at 300 degrees, but I have not experienced any problems with 250 degrees.)
4.  Add felt or cork circles to the bottom of the coaster.  I happened to have cork on hand, so I adhered a little square of Sticky Sheet to a small square of Cork, and zipped it through the Big Shot with the Circles #2 die.  But if you don’t have this die, don’t despair.  Just cut out a little squares of felt and adhere them with Tombow Adhesive or Sticky Strip.  

5.  As a final optional step, you can spray your coasters with a matte finish.  All that is left now is to bundle them up with a fabulous bow and add a tag.  They truly are a gift from the heart.

I hope that you enjoyed this break from a card.  Not only are coasters a quick gift to create, they are economical, too.  If you do not have a variety of Craft Inks, there are many, many images that would look equally lovely stamped in Jet Black StazOn.


Brody:  Are you feeling happier now, Mom?
Me:  A little, Brody.  I always feel better when I am able to share what I love…like stamping!
Brody:  Good, because I had a little accident in the back yard.
Me:  What did you do Brody?
Brody:  Well, you know that stuffed buffalo you bought me?  I killed it while you and Muffy were making coasters!

All the blurry white you see  is “buffalo stuffing”!

I hope that you enjoyed today’s From Me to You.  I know I was scared to try to make coasters, but on a retired teacher’s budget, I knew I needed to create some inexpensive gifts.  I hope that you will try them, too.  As always, your kind comments mean so very much to me, so won’t you please let me know what you think of today’s project?  And as always, if you ever have any questions about the projects I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away.  Now I have to go out to the back yard and clean up Buffalo stuffing.  Until next time…

Stamp Set:  French Foliage (W 120845, C 121166);  Inks:  Regal Craft Stampin’ Spots (119717), Neutral Craft Stampin’ Spots (119719); Optional:  Big Shot (113439), Sticky Sheets (114300), Cork Sheets (119819), Circles #2 Originals Die (114526);  Other:  4″ x 4″ tiles, scraps of felt, Tombow Adhesive

Once again this week I was able to create a challenge card for a challenge other than Pals Paper Arts and The Paper Players.  This card was designed for a fun, new challenge,  Freshly Made Sketches.  Rita Wright created this wonderful sketch, which I will be using again and again. At Freshly Made Sketches, they are looking for clean-lined creations, but unlike Clean and Simple challenges, they encourage lots of details and embellishments.  They like to avoid distressing and torn edges.  So…I locked up my Color Spritzer, my Seven-Sided tool, and Sponge Daubers and decided to give this delightful sketch a go!  Out came the “Snow Sweetie” from Greeting Card Kids. And tell me…doesn’t Silver, Baja Breeze, and Whisper White look fresh and clean?  Let’s hope the ladies over at Freshly Made Sketches think so too!

 

• Pink and Blue! The sweet little Snow Girl from Greeting Card Kids was inked in Basic Gray and stamped onto Whisper White card stock.  She was colored with Blender Pens and Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette, Blush Blossom, Soft Suede and Pear Pizzazz inks.  Her fur trim was created by mixing Dazzling Details with Illuminate Top Coat Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink.  It was then sprinkled with Dazzling Diamonds glitter while still wet.  Three little Pearl buttons adorn her coat.

• Snowflakes and Pearls! Basic Pearls accent the centers of Baja Breeze snowflakes, which were stamped using the Snowflake image from Season of Friendship.

• Rhinestones and Glimmer Paper!  Silver Glimmer Snowflakes were cut using the Northern Frost Sizzlits Strip Die and the Big Shot.  The Basic Rhinestone was colored using a permanent marker.

• Tinsel and Lace!  The Lace Ribbon Border Punch was used to create a decorative strip from Baja Breeze card stock.  Silver Tinsel Trim, left-over from last holiday season, was threaded through the openings. Basic Pearls add an elegant touch.

See…I can make a card without spritzing and daubing!  Now if they said “No Pearls Allowed”…that would be a challenge! Your comments are important to me, so won’t you please let me know what you think of today’s card by leaving me a comment? I do read each and every one! And of course, if you have any questions about the cards that I make or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away! Until next time…

 

It’s Sunday…and as we all know by now…it’s time to play with The Paper Players!  This week the talented LeAnne has selected a fabulous trio of colors for Challenge #72.  I know you will want to play along.  So grab your paper, stamps and inks, and join in the fun! As for me, I inked up this cutie patootie from Gift Givers.  I hope you enjoy!

• Dimension and texture!  The “Snow Girl” image from Gift Givers was stamped twice onto Naturals Ivory card stock.  The background image was “painted” with Dazzling Details and sprinkled with Dazzling Diamonds.  The girl on the second stamped image was watercolored with Blender Pens and  Riding Hood Red, Always Artichoke, Blush Blossom, and Pretty in Pink inks.  She was then snipped out with Paper Snips and adhered into position on the background image using Stampin’ Dimensionals.  Basic Pearls were colored with a blue permanent marker and added to the snowy background for contrast.

• Flower power!  Small Riding Hood Red blossoms were punched using the Boho Blossoms Punch, and given Basic Pearl centers.  The Always Artichoke leaves are courtesy of the Bird Builder Punch.  A Tiny Tag provides a perfectly “merry” touch!

• Flag it! The Riding Hood Red strip is given a little pizzazz by adding  River Rock Dotted Scallop Ribbon edges and by “flagging” the end!

Behind the design:  When working with a trio of colors, select one color to be the main color, one to be the secondary color, and one to be an accent color.  For this card, I selected Always Artichoke as the main color, Riding Hood Red as the secondary, and River Rock as the accent!  This way the colors compliment each other rather than compete.  (Or as Muffy has just told me, there is only one alpha in the pack!)

Gift Givers, from the Holiday Mini, is a versatile set to own! Just look at the holidays for which it can be used! And if you love to dabble in different techniques, like I do, there are so many things you can do with it.


I hope you enjoyed today’s card. It is one which can be completed relatively quickly, and it still has sparkle and shine.  And how about this adorable little girl?  Is she not a cutie patootie? Just perfect for saying “hello” on a winter day!  So please, leave me a comment and let me know what you think.  Your comments are important to me, and I do read each and every one of them.  Of course, I LOVE to teach about the cards that I make and the techniques that I use, so if you ever have a question, I am only an email away!  Until next time…

 

Stamp sets:  Gift Givers (W 123772, C 123774), Tiny Tags (W 118091, C 118592);  Inks:  Riding Hood Red (111836), Always Artichoke (105219), Pretty in Pink (101301), More Mustard (103162),  Blush Blossom Stampin’ Write Marker (100037), Basic Brown (retired);  Designer Series Papers:  Regals Collection Designer Series Paper Pack (117154), Letters to Santa (122349);  Card Stock:  River Rock (108640), Riding Hood Red (111348), Always Artichoke (105119), Naturals Ivory (101849); Tools:  Big Shot (113439), Designer Frames Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (123130), Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (119976), 1-3/4″ Scallop Circle Punch (119854), 2-3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch (118874), Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch (119275), Extra Large Oval Punch (119859), Jewelry Tag Punch (117190), Boho Blossoms Punch (119858), Bird Builder Punch (117191), Blender Pens (102845);  Glitz and Glam:  Basic Pearls (119247), Dazzling Details (124117), Dazzling Diamonds (102023), Victoria Crochet Trim (118481)