Merry Christmas to You!

I've only had time for one new design this season, and this is it! Inspired by my Christmas tree which, had lights strings go out on it 3 times already, lol.

Long Time No Post!

Yep, It's that time of year again, and my blog has been suffering from neglect! I've still been crafting, though not so much cards and more stuff for my daughter's wedding. She wants an autumn leaf theme, and I 've been busy making the aisle flowers from coffee filters. The aisle is super long so I'll be making them for awhile :) You can find directions for coffee filter roses on Martha Stewarts' web site, although I changed up her directions quite a bit for the ones pictured here. I have about 80 made, and could use about 80 more!

Have Some Cake!

(It's my birthday. Still needs more candles on this card to be accurate.)

Autumn Tree

Happy Halloween!

Cookies for my teen's party...

Save the Date

Just taking a side trip away from pop-up cards a bit, to make save-the-date flat cards for my daughter's wedding. She wanted colorful, autumn leaf motif. I, of course, can't bring myself to make just one style of card (since she'll need 60). So it looks like a mixed bag of designs, including a few more not pictured here.

Falling for Handmade Craft Fair

It was good to meet all the fellow DC area crafters this past weekend at the first ever Falling for Handmade Craft Fair.

Card Display - Cheap and Easy

Yes, it's the last minute before a craft show and I needed a way to display cards. My requirements: to be able to see over the tabletop display (24" high), reach around the display (18" wide), and be as light as possible (thin particle board). These were made from stuff I had around the house, with the exception of the flashing (under $3 for 10 feet and glued on with E-6000). Even the hinges are upcycled and put on with craft brads, so that I can take them off later. I may add a safety chain towards the bottom of the 'V' but so far the boards are not sliding around at all on the tablecloth.

Arrgh!

Takes a little time to burn all those edges, but it's more authentic to me than using ink. You do have to wipe off any excess carbon. These pages are for 3 pirate-themed photo journals.

Haunted Tombstone

The vellum ghost slides out when you open the card.

Pinecone Branch - Color this time

Last year, I made this design in all white with a green background, and a touch of glitter.

Spider Web

Pinecones and Leaves

Each petal was hand cut for the pinecones, but a punch would probably do the job.

Pool Table

Although I used felt and sphere embellishments for texture, you can easily use green paper and a hole punch for the balls.

Mummy!

I'm just too old to be still using googly eyes on my cards, but there ya go...

Ribbon Scrap

This card was made from the ribbons that tie up fat quarter bundles.

If you live in the DC area, come visit me and about 50 other members of the EtsyCrest Street Team!

Sunflowers

These sunflowers are assembled from cardstock, felt, oil pencil, and acrylic paint. To get the 3-d effect for the centers, under the felt I've added a doughnut-shaped piece of foam.

Pizza Time!

He'll eat practically anything!

Layered Window Card

Each flap of this card holds a layer of the cover design, adding a little depth to it.

Fabric meets Paper

A metallic gold fabric print covers this handbound journal.

The Umbrella

Make your umbrella pop from the page by adding a small piece of scrap chipboard to the back before gluing the umbrella to the card.

Just a Tiny moment to Say how Proud I am of my son!

He was a Parade Magazine/The League All American for Environmental Service, in particular for his projects involving energy and recycling waste at his school. Pictured in this screenshot of the White House vieo are the fourteen other winners from around the country, Secretary of Education Arte Duncan, and Vice President Biden. Way to go, Jake!

Office Decor!

This miniature patriotic bunting is perfect for showing your holiday spirit. I was making a few that say "Happy Birthday" and this one snuck in the mix.

Columbia Arts Festival

I was just a spectator for this event, enjoying a beautiful day! Double-click on pics for better viewing.

the oh-so simple whale of a thank you note

Only 5 minutes to completion!

Moose Mania

The antlers swing up on this card when you open it - lots of motion. Should I make this one again, I'll try for even bigger antlers.

Graduation Time!

No crafting this week - Child #3 of 4 just graduated!

The Last Minute Lacrosse Card

So my teen asks me this morning to make a team card for her lacrosse coach, to give at her end-of-season party tonight. I say, "What party?"

The netting in the sticks is made from a lace tablecloth. Plus I cheated, and used a metal storebought Thank You embellishment, to save time.

Tennis Anyone?

Wire mesh is used for the racquet cut-out, so the inside has to be as finished as the cover. Of course I had to buy a ton to get my 2" scrap, so I guess other wire mesh designs will soon be showing up here!

Copper Sunset

Just letting the metallic papers speak for themselves here.

Dad's Saturday Shirt

The best part about the weekend (according to my husband) is no shirt and tie. So out comes the "Best Dad Ever" t-shirt for this Father's Day themed card.

Wedding Dance

Sometimes 'less is more', and in this case it certainly was true. The design seemed to work better without embellishments. My only major change was to put the groom in silhouette so that there was enough contrast between the bride and groom.

The Challenge: a Swing Dancing Wedding Card!

This request is from my daughter who will be attending a fellow college students' wedding that has a swing dancing theme.

It's been a while since my last wedding card, and the pic above is my first mock-up of the design. Next up is to make any changes before I make the final card. I think I'd like the design to be all about the swirling skirt, which needs to be bigger. I'm thinking nice, upgraded papers, with real lace trim as the petticoat, and tulle for a possible added veil. Stay tuned...

Time Travel

The finished product - finally! The woodburned covers are coptic stiched to parchment pages, and postcard printed paper is added as dividers. This, I think, would make a terrific travel log.

Rising Candle Pop-up

tip: use the print of the paper to express design elements. I could have used solid colors for this cupcake, then scored in the cupcake paper ridges, but why do that when striped paper can imply those ridges? The same point here can be made for the cupcake 'icing' paper choice.

Work in Progress: Woodburned Journal Cover

I've got these clock faces burned in, but still have to sand, paint the edges, and varnish before assembling the guest-book sized journal.

Upcycle your Plastic Packaging

A while back, I bought a stamp centering tool called a Stamp-a-ma-jig. It essentially is a mini t-square with a sheet of clear plastic, and it worked great! As time went on, the plastic sheet started to scratch and turn white, mostly from age and my washing the ink off after each use. You can buy replacement sheets of plastic, but why do that when you can just hit up your recycling bin?

I used the security packaging from printer cartridges. Whatever you use needs to be fairly thick. Using only your ***OLD*** blades and scissors cut out the flat part of the packaging into a rectangle. Voila! You're finished! And the best part: I don't wash my new upcycled sheets: I just make a sheet for every four stamps (You can put one stamp design in each corner), then file them away. Be organized, and put all your birthday designs together, then it's pretty easy to see which stamp will work best for the card you're creating.

Easel Backs

The only requirement for easel backed cards? They must fold flat! Here is a mini collection of different ways to do it. Double-click on the image for better viewing, as they are in a print friendly format.

Changes in Color

new larger flowers, assembled from smaller flower punches. The goal: to use up all my scraps!

Refillable!

I've been making these for a while (without the tray) and it's always bothered me to glue the pads in. With the tray, a new post-it pad can be popped in easily!