Happy Memorial Day!

Just a simple paper cutout design: there's a white lining to hide the message inside from peeking thru the cutouts.

Computer Guy

Integrates a purchased sticker into the design

Chalk guidelines

A quick tip for getting those slots in just the right spot: use a chalk pencil! It wipes clean when your done. Simply chalk the fold line, then close the card. Rub gently, and the chalk will be right where you need to cut the slot. No ruler needed!

Outfished!

Dad is outfished by his son for this Father's Day pop-up.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Just the latest in my self-guided cake decorating escapade. The lesson here was how to work with piping gel to get that stained glass look. This one - my first ever piping gel attempt - took me 5 hours just to do the flower design!

Garden Gate and Dandelions

My yard will be blooming soon!

Vote for my Little Guy!

I've entered him in the "Green is Universal" reuse contest because he's made from plastic security packaging and leftover Christmas wrapping paper. (In his previous life he was wrapped around the HP ink cartridges at Costco.)

So please vote for him, and at the very least click on him to find a semi-tutorial for how to make the plastic part :)

The link: http://www.greenisuniversal-reuse.com/sweepstakes , and you'll find him under 'toys, games, and gadgets'. An extra bonus - your vote will enter you to win a $500 shopping spree at Etsy!

For the Future Oscar Winner

Not showing well in this pic was the shine on the statue. I used metallic gold cardstock, and hand-inked the shadows, but the paper did not have enough shine to it. So the paper statue was coated in clear gloss acrylic finish.

Progress Halted!

Because I can't decide what words to add to the cover! This will eventually be the cover of my daughter's wedding guestbook, but indecision has had me staring at it for the last hour.
Don't look too close yet - I still have to add more 'depth' to the woodburned picture.

Coordinating Mother's and Father Day Accordian Cards

These two are paired up for the Etsygreetings Team Design challenge, which was to somehow coordinate Mother's and Father's Day cards. To see the rest of the challenge entries: http://etsygreetings.blogspot.com/2011/04/mothers-dayfathers-day-challenge-voting.html

Silhouettes and String

Most of the elements of this card were custom requested (mandolin, banjolele, guitar, keyboard, family members, pop-up). The challenge was to find a way to get them all on the card without making it look too crowded! The conclusion was a two-color palette, with lots of layers, scoring, and string.

Envelope Book

The quest here was to find a way to use my larger prints, other than scrapbooking or collage. I tend to buy the slabs of paper, but only use the smaller background prints for my cards. This was a great way to make a dent in my paper stash, and now I can buy more, lol.

Firefly

Two of my impulse buys are put to use here for the first time - the jar stamp and the bug punch! Stamp on the back side of the acetate so that the ink won't smear with handling.

Cake Notes

This one's for my use - I needed a way to organize all my cake decorating info. But it really was just an excuse to buy the Bind-It-All. This was my first attempt with wire binding, and I think I added too many pages to make it work as well as I'd like. I also crimped the wires too tight. Lessons learned!