Happy Summer

Hi Everyone!
Thank you for all of the comments you made on Sammi's card a few days ago.  I am definitely in summer cardmaking mode and decided to create a variety of cards with the Denami Designs castle stamp and some sandpaper. 
I started out by using a sea sponge to dab some acrylic blue and green paints on white tag.  When the tag was dry I cut a piece so it measured 4" x 5.25".
As I did a few days ago I stamped some castle images onto sand paper.  I also tore some strips of sand paper and adhered them to the layering paper. 
Then I fussy cut the sand castles and adhered them to my card. 
I used a DieNamics sun to cut my sun, stamped text onto it with an Amuse Artstamp and added a rhinestone brad to it to make it sparkle.  

When I attended the CK Conference in Manchester, NH I purchased a variety of brads from the Eyelet Outlet booth.  When I attended the Stamp Show in West Springfield, MA a few weeks ago I purchased even more brads from Eyelet Outlet because they are so much fun to use on my cards and gift tags.  
I looked through my brad stash and picked out some of the summery ones and added them to my card.  They add color and additional texture to my card. 
  
Have a great day!
Carol

In My Own Little Corner

Good Morning Everyone!

Do you remember the song "In My Own Little Corner" from Roger and Hammerstein's Cinderella? I often think of that song and of the scene that song was sung in when I sit here working "in my own little corner". I spend more time in the corner of my dining room than I do in any other room in our home. It's in this corner that I plan and prep my early childhood teacher trainings, my afterschool classes for children, and my adult education classes. I sit here when I am planning meals and creating shopping lists. It's in this corner that I dream of and create all of my paper crafts.

As I sit here typing this post my valentine wooden stamps are displayed on the wall directly above me. Rolls of red, pink, and white ribbons are strung on the paper towel rack below my stamp shelves. My heart paper punches are to the right of me along with my valentine and other embossing folders, my clear valentine stamps, and my heart Nestabilities.

I often fidget with the heart shaped buttons that are sitting here next to me in a small red heart shaped bowl. I have a plastic drawer that is filled with valentine papers and some smaller drawers that hold my valentine stickers, brads, and embellishments.

My collection of papercrafting books and magazines are housed on some nearby shelves.


With all of this inspiration within an arm's reach it's easy to come up with ideas for the cards, tags, bags, and boxes that I love to create. As I have said before I am most definitely addicted to paper crafting.

When I glanced up at my shelves last night my "Love Goes Round" stamp from Stampendous caught my eye. I found some musical notes paper in my Sassafras Nerdy Bird Wee bundle and decided it was just what I needed for the card I had sketched. Had some ribbon with tiny hearts on it and musical notes brads in my stash so I grabbed them. I used a few of my Marvy Uchida heart punches to punch some plain and scalloped hearts. After I assembled them I ran them through a Cuttlebug embossing folder. I used red tag for the "lace" on my hearts because I thought it would draw out the red on the musical notes. As I sit here looking at the card right now I am thinking I may have liked white "lace" better so I'll try it that way on a similar card.

While I was pulling out some tiny hearts for my first card I came across a strip of plastic with red puffy letters on it that said "Love" and decided to use them for my second card. Once again I used my heart punches to punch out a plain and a scalloped heart. Paper pierced the white heart to make it look lacy. Stamped a branch from PaperTrey Ink's "Take a Bough" clear stamp set across the hearts to give the "love birds" from A Muse Artstamps a place to sit. Last night I chose to use different colors and sizes of epoxy hearts for the leaves on the branch. Today I am thinking just red ones would look better. I am most definitely my own worst critic.

This chipboard elephant was in my stash.  Wish I could remember where it came from.  MaryBeth, do you know?  Either you gave it to me or I bought it in some set when I was with you. The hearts on the elephant, the ones coming out his trunk, and the ones on the little bird all cried out "valentine" to me. Embossed the layering paper and punched a hole in it after I had adhered it to a blank card. Used a Marvy metal ring to highlight the "Be Mine" text and attached it in the middle of the hole I had punched.  When the card is opened you can still see the text. 

Two very dear friends are coming for dinner tonight so I need to leave my little corner of the world to do some grocery shopping.


Enjoy your day!
Carol

Ice Cream

Hi Everyone!

Mmm...ice cream! What a yummy treat to enjoy during the hot days of summer. Today I drove by an ice cream stand called The Daily Scoop and that reminded me that I had a stamp at home that says, "Here’s the SCOOP!" so I came home and created a couple of ice cream cards.

I used a Martha Stewart ice cream cone paper punch to create the scoops of ice cream and cones for both of my cards. The scoop and the cone punch out separately so I call it a 2 piece punch. I have had a little difficulty punching with some 2 piece punches so I suggest that you ask to give your punch a try before you purchase it.

The "Here’s the SCOOP!" stamp is manufactured by A Muse Artstamps. The ice cream brads are from Eyelet Outlet. They have a great selection of brads and eyelets and also now carry ribbon. I put a pop dot behind each of the scoops on this card to add dimension to the card.

The scalloped edges on this card were created with a Martha Stewart edger punch. The alignment guide on Martha’s edger punches helps you create a continuous pattern.

I had so much fun creating these cards that I think I’ll make others in a little while.

Hope you have a great night!
Carol