My Crafty Life

Some Mother's Day Cards

Since Mother's Day is quickly approaching, I thought I'd share some ideas for quick Mother's Day cards.  I used Twinkling H2Os to color in the images on these cards.

 

 

For the  butterfly card, I painted directly on the solid butterfly stamp.  (This is a 2-step stamp set from Stampin' Up.)  Then I embossed the outline butterfly stamp with black glitter embossing powder.  For the greeting, I again painted directly on the Hero Arts background stamp, but this time I used Staz On for the greeting.  I added a few butterfly eyelets, and that was it!  I was very happy with the watercolor effect on this one.

The second card was easy to do also.  I stamped the image (Great Impressions) with Staz On and painted it in with the H2Os.  I added glitter to all the dots by using a Sakura glue pen and then sprinkling  translucent prisma glitter onto the dots.  I did the greeting the same way that I did the butterfly greeting.  A quick final border in yellow with the H2Os, and I was done.

Happy Mother's Day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paper Crafting Tip #31: Try Some Scallops! They're good for you!

No, not the kind you eat!  I mean the kind you create with punches, die cut machines, and scissors.  Scalloped edges are all the rage right now; and, while I don't consider myself a very trendy person, once in a while, something comes along (or is revived) that really catches my eye and inspires me to try something new.  Whether I'm using my new Threading Water punch by Fiskars or creating embellishments and borders with my Cricut Design Studio, I just can't resist scallops. 

I made this card for a 3-year-old girl's birthday. The dot stamps are by Hero Arts, the sundress stamp is by Impression Obsession, and the Happy Birthday is TAC. The ribbon is by May Arts.  I used my Threading Water punch to make the scallops.

I'd love to see what you create!  Post a comment AND send me a scan/photo of your scalloped creation, and I will enter your name in a drawing for a little surprise gift from me.  Remember, you must post a comment AND send me a jpeg of your creation in order to be eligible for the prize.  Have fun, and HAPPY CRAFTING!

*All entries must be received by May 31 (2008!).

Come and Craft Some Cool Creations!

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since my last post!  I guess that's because I've been so busy getting ready for next week's Workshop.  I'll be teaching 2 fabulous projects:  a cute Keyring Mini Scrapbook and an adorable Cow Birthday Card, wrapped in an envelope made from a circle!

I still have 2 spots left, and no experience is necessary.  There will be crafters of all experience levels, and I provide individual attention and instruction.

Here are the details:

On April 26, from 1-4, I will be teaching a Mini Book TAC Workshop.  If you have the new Spring/Summer Supplement, you will notice that there are mini book projects at the bottom of every page.  We'll be making a few of those at the Workshop.  If you don't have the Supplement yet, you can pick one up at the workshop.  Trust me; the mini books are adorable!  We'll be using different materials, but the designs will be the same.

The fee is $10, which includes all materials and snacks.  Please bring the following (if you have them): Paper trimmer, scoring tool/bone folder, adhesive.  Photos are optional.  Please email me at jeanettemg@yahoo.com if you are interested in attending this fun, fabulous workshop! 

I'm planning a Cricut class for June; so, if you're interested, let me know what dates work for you.

I hope to see you there!  Happy crafting!
Jeanette

Paper Crafting Tip #30: Try something different!

I'm not really into digital scrapbooking.  I've used some digital elements, such as titles and journaling, and I've printed out some patterned papers.  But I simply love the actual hands-on approach to scrapbooking and card making so much that I could never go totally digital.  That's not to say that I haven't done an occasional all-digital layout, though.  I did one for a New Year's Challenge back in January, and I did one last night.  This layout, created last night, is the first layout that Haley and I have designed together.  We used a pre-made design in Photoshop Elements, and we adjusted the colors and photo positioning.  Then we added a title and journaling.  We had such a great time together that now Haley wants to try one on her own!  So this week, why not try something new?

Paper Crafting Tip # 29: Journal around a layout.

This week's Try It Tuesday challenge is to journal around the perimeter of your layout.  Another option is to journal around individual photos.  This is a great way to fit more photos on a layout.  Tip:  A white gel or Souffle pen works great on dark paper.  TRY IT!

Paper Crafting Tip # 27: Make Faux Chipboard

Hi there!  This week's Try It Tuesday Challenge is to make faux chipboard.  It's so easy!  Just punch/die cut a shape or letter out of cardstock 3 or 4 times.  Use the heaviest cardstock your punch/die cut machine will take.  Glue the shapes together, and you will have a "chipboard" accent or letter.  For these circles,  I stamped the images with Palette Noir Black ink and colored the images with watercolor pencils.  Then I punched them out with my circle punch. After that, I punched circles out of heavy cardstock and glued 2 of these under the circle images.  You can't tell the difference, even in real life!  TRY IT!

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Paper Crafting Tip # 26: Cut out your stamped images.

With all the great stamps that are available now, it's sometimes hard to decide just what to do with them.  Here's an oldie but a goodie.  Try cutting out the stamped image and then attaching it to a card/layout.  If you pop them up with a little foam tape, they really stand out. 

On the card below, I used stamps by Hero Arts, pigment inks, a dye ink for the background, and velvet paper for the stems and leaves.  The leaves were made with heart punches cut in half.

TRY IT!

Remember, you can email me if you want some suggestions for TAC stamps that work great with this technique!

Paper Crafting Tip # 25: Make a Greeting Card Holder

Try making a Gift Card Holder.  This will accommodate up to 4 standard A2 (Invitation) size cards that measure 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches when folded.  Since I need to keep the original dimensions of the template, I will email the template to anyone who wants to give it a try.  It's really easy!  TRY IT!

Paper Crafting Tip # 24: Make a Mini Gift Card

Here is this week's Try It Tuesday Challenge that I have going on at Scrapbook Queens

Wondering what to do with those scraps that you have left over from a layout or regular card?  You know, the ones that are too big to throw away but too small to make standard size card?  Try making a mini card.  These are so quick and easy, you'll be searching your scraps to make them. 

Cut a piece of cardstock to 3" x 6".  Fold in half so that it is 3" x 3". Cut or punch a scrap of patterned paper to 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" (or whatever size you'd like, as long as it's a square).  Layer on top of card. Adhere a flower or other embellishment. Add some finishing touches. You're done!    TRY IT!

Please post your comments and projects.  I'd love to see what you come up with!  Happy crafting!

Paper Crafting Tip # 23: Using a Glue Pad

Check out the full directions in my weekly challenge on Scrapbook Queens .