More Easter Cards

Hi Everyone!

Well, this weekend certainly flew by.  It was a busy one for sure.  We made a variety of boxes and bags for Easter treats in yesterday's craft class.  I worked on Easter, Spring, and Mother's Day cards today.

I was given a copy of the Spring 2012 issue of Scrapbooks & Cards Today when Janet and I were shopping at Absolutely Everything last week.  I found some wonderfully inspiring ideas in that issue as I do in each issue of the magazine.  Be sure to check out their blog at http://www.scrapbookandcards.com/  Every week I create a variety of original cards, but today I only slightly altered two of the cards in that issue.  The first was made by Kim Hughes and is on page 36. 

I used the chick and text stamp from The Stamps of Life "Eggs4Easter2" clear stamp set on my card along with some die cut eggs and a die cut sun.   I used my new Fiskars "grass" punch to cut the grass. 

I also loved Roree Rumph's card on page 47.  I used an AccuCut whole egg die to cut eggs and some stickers from my stash to mimic her card.

Robbie asked me to make a birthday card for him to give to Marie.  I found some stickers in my stash and used one of them for the card.

I ran some patterned paper from Lawn Fawn's "Bright Side" paper collection through a Cuttlebug birthday embossing folder and sanded it.  I adhered the cupcake I stamped and fussy cut to the card with foam tape.

I have a question that I hope some of you who read my posts will answer for me.  Like me I am sure you find inspiration for your cards and crafts in a variety of magazines.  How do you keep track of those ideas?  Do you keep every copy of every issue of every magazine?  Did you cut and file ideas from magazines?  If you file them how do you file them?  I would appreciate some feedback because I need to weed through a stack of magazines. 

Have a great night!
Carol

Card for Marie

Hi Everyone!

I thought I'd share a card before I headed off to work.  Every year Jeanne takes Marie for a day of shopping.  They spend the entire day shopping for a head to toe outfit for Marie.  When I saw this card  (scroll down her blog a little to see it) on Loll Thompson's "Stamping with Loll" blog, I knew it would be the perfect card for Jeanne to give to Marie.

My shopping bags are 1.5" wide and 1.75" tall.  I added tiny eyelets to the handles and used thin ribbon for the handles.  I wish I had thought to adhere the bags to the layering paper with foam tape, but I didn't and the card still "works". 

Have a great day!
Carol

Hippity Hoppity Easter's on its Way

Hi Everyone!

I took pictures of some of my Easter cards earlier today and just realized I haven't posted them.  It's been a busy, productive, fun day.  I made at least a dozen Easter cards, an altered frame, and a birthday card for Jeanne to give Marie.  In the middle of the day I went to Absolutely Everything with Janet and when I got home I used some of my new "toys" right away.  Will need to take more pictures tomorrow when the light is better.  

I love the "Dancing Chicks" wooden stamp from Hero Arts. I stamped them onto a paper from Lawn Fawn's Bright Side collection.  

I used my Martha Stewart fringing scissors to cut the grass for this card.  The idea for the card is from Paper Source.

"Hoppy" from A Muse Artstamps has had quite a workout this year.  It's so easy to fussy cut her. 

Here's Hoppy again!  I saw the idea for this card on the Paper Source web site at this link.  This is my favorite Easter card. 

I've been using my Martha Stewart basket and eggs punch a lot this year too.

Okay, it's late and I need to get some sleep!

Carol

Teri Anderson

Hi Everyone!

One of the blogs I read regularly is Teri Anderson's "A Bit of This.  A Bit of That."  Over and over again Teri's creations have inspired me to create many of the cards and gifts I give my friends and family. 

Before I share the link to one of Teri's recent posts I need to explain why it excited me.  From the time she could walk and talk Marie has been obsessed with paper and pens.  She'd walk around with a little gift bag that was filled with paper and pens and would suddenly stop, take out some paper and a pen and would say, "Write somesin (something) down."  Then she'd scribble on the paper and put it back in her bag. 

Marie will turn 25 on April 3.  One of her desk drawers is filled with the pads of Post-Its she has acquired over the years.  She owns more pens than the local office supply store and stilll loves to get one that's a little "different".  She's in graduate school and uses binders for the notes from her classes.  She loves all things pretty. 

So when I read Teri's recent post on "Page Dividers" I squealed with delight because I knew they were something that Marie will totally LOVE.  I read that post fairly late on Friday night, but still managed to create 2 sets of 6 page dividers before I went to bed!

I used some papers from Echo Park's "Dots & Stripes" collection to make my page dividers.  The papers fit perfectly into the polka dot theme I am putting together for Marie's birthday.  I followed Teri's instructions, but went a step further.  I added a diagonal or half page pocket to each divider.  The tabs I used are from Martha Stewart's office supplies collection.

The dividers were so easy to create.  I will NEVER buy those boring white ones that the stores sell again.  Neither will Marie.  I'm sure I'll be making her many more sets. 

Have a great day!
Carol

Dotty Creations

Hi Everyone!

This is my second post for today.  Marie's birthday is Tuesday, April 3 and Easter is Sunday, April 8.  I decided that a polka dot theme would work for both occasions so I ordered a variety of papers from Echo Park's "Dots & Stripes" collection and have been using those papers to create many of the projects I have already shared with you and others that I plan to share with you.

Here's the Easter garland that I strung across the mantle.

I used an AccuCut egg die to cut the eggs.  Used a paper punch that punches a tiny hole to punch 2 holes through each egg and then strung them onto some baby white ric rac.

I've decorated a dozen note pads, but still need to decorate 11 pens.

I used the  "Around Town" template from PaperTrey Ink to create this gift bag.  The paper is from the Recollections Pastel Collection at Michaels.  I used a Sizzix die to create the flowers.

The photograph makes this tiny favor bag from PaperTrey Ink's "Do Me a Favor" template look much larger than it actually is.  The flower is a Martha Stewart sticker. 

Hope you're getting inspired to do some creating of your own!
Carol

Where Flowers Bloom

Good Morning Everyone!

And it really is a good morning.  The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and I have a day all to myself to work on my paper crafts.  I have taken lots of pictures this morning and plan to write about them and post them today. 

Marie has been asking me to create "something cool" for her bedroom walls.  I have asked her again and again what she has in mind and her only response has been, "Something cool."  So I stopped by HomeGoods yesterday to check out their frames and found a few that I totally loved.  Normally I am not a big fan of the distressed look, but there was a collection of distressed frames in the yummiest shades of pink, blue, yellow, and green that caught my eye.  I selected an 8" x 10" green one and an 8" x 10" blue one. 

I had an idea in mind and it all came together quite nicely.  I browsed through the quotes at this link, http://www.scrapbook.com/quotes.php and found a quote that I could use.  I created a document and used the CK Quick Stitch font to type, "Where flowers bloom, so does hope." 

I used 2 dies from PaperTrey Ink's Bloom builders #1 die set and cut 2 flowers.  I used a Sizzix die to cut my leaves, but free cut the stems.  Here's my frame.

I love the way it turned out and think Marie will too.

The stats on blogger show that I average between 50 and 100 hits a day so I know that there are people reading my blog.  I'd love some comments to hear what you think about my creations and what else you'd like to see because I don't post all of my creations. 

Have a wonderful day!  Expect some more posts today. 
Carol

Carrot boxes for Easter

Hi Everyone!

Gloomy raw day out there today, but it's bright and cheery inside.  I've been working on so many projects that my house is overdecorated for Easter.  We're looking forward to having my cousin, Linda, and her husband, Tom, and my sister, Jeanne, to dinner today. 

When I was younger my Nana Riley used to call me "Carrots" because my favorite vegetable back then was carrots.  Now my brother, Bobby, is the only one who ever addresses me that way.  My love of carrots lives on in papercrafting.

I found a great selection of carrot making videos and blog posts on the Internet. 

http://chelemom.blogspot.com/2012/03/easter-carrots-and-tutorial.html

http://www.debbieseyer.com/my_weblog/2011/02/a-bucket-full-of-carrots.html

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/templates-f143/triangle-box-template-t192686.html

http://creativetryals.blogspot.com/2011/04/easter-favor-carrot-box-tutorial.html

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/templates-f143/carrot-box-long-lean-t328273.html

I used their ideas to create my own carrots boxes.

Hope you have a fun-filled day!
Carol