Paper Trees

Every time I go shopping, I am always on the lookout for anything that I can cover in designer paper, or alter in any way. The last time I was at Michael's I saw this tree on sale and thought it wouldn't be too hard to cover and "spruce up".



Unfortunately, it was more difficult than I imagined. I had trouble getting the curves on the inside of the tree to cut cleanly, and I tired to sand the edges, but it didn't seem to help much. Despite the rough edges, I think it turned out okay.

I used the Certainly Celery Prints Designer paper. I chose the swirl pattern even though it has flowers and butterflies on it. I think it adds some movement to the tree, and a Holiday Whimsy feel.

I decorated the tree with mini ornaments and buttons from the dollar store and Michael's. I think it still needs some decorating, but I am not sure what right now.



The second tree I did isn't quite finished either. I followed the tutorial on SCS to make this tree using a green foam cone, and the Holiday Harmony paper. It still needs a tree topper, but I am waiting on my latest order before I can add a bow using the luscious Purely Pomegranate satin ribbon.



This ribbon is on sale buy one, get one free until December 15th (as supplies last). Contact me to place your order.

Christmas Countdown

My sister Heather *LOVES* those cheap Christmas countdown calendars with the little chocolates behind the cardboard doors. So, this year, because of the tutorial provided by Beate on SCS I decided to make a re-usable Advent Calendar.



I used a 11 1/2 x 11 1/2 magnetic white board and glued magnets (using Crystal Effects) from the dollar store to the back of the 48mm metal containers bought at Lee Valley.

The squares behind the watchmaker's tins are 2 x 2 squares cut from the Dashing Paper. I used the Scallop Circle punch to cut Real Red, Old Olive, and River Rock paper to put on the inside of the lids. then I used the 13/8 punch to cut more of the Dashing paper and adhered it to the outside of the lids. this was covered with cardstock that had been stamped with the dates, punched with the 1 1/2 punch, and distressed. All of the numbers were traced with Atyou Glitter Pens (available at All That Scraps). These are Fantastic glitter pens. They flow like regular pens and are really glittery.



The title is in French because Heather teaches at a French Immersion school, and she can choose to use this in her classroom, or at home. I used sticky foam letters from the dollar store, the Big on Christmas stamp set, and embellishments from Michael's. The green foam letters were too bright, so I darkened them somewhat with the old olive ink. The Real Red, Old Olive, and River Rock cardstock are all distressed using the distressing tool, and each layer is up on pop dots to add some dimension.

Holiday Organizer

Thanks to the inspiration provided in this post by Julie B (fabulous stamper, check her out) and the arrival of my Bind-it-all, I was able to make a holiday organizer for Heather (my sister).







I inked the edges of my 4x4 coasters in old olive ink. Then I covered them in Double sided paper cut to 4x4, and rounded at the corners using the corner rounder punch to create the covers. The pages were made of Old Olive, Real Red, and River Rock papers cut down to 3 3/4 x 3 3/4 then I used the corner rounder to create a similar feel to the coaster covers.

The inside of the front cover is decorated using the It's Snow Time set and the tag punches.

Here is the list of pages included:
To Do
Family Gifts
Receipts
Friend Gifts
Receipts
Dates to Remember
Baking
Cards
and then, 3 blank pages

It is bound with red wires using the Bind It All. I LOVE this new tool!!!

Go Riders Go!

After a LONG wait of 18 years, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have won the Grey Cup!! I went to a house party to watch the game with about 20 people or so, and I made this card to thank the hosts.


I used Wild Wasabi paper for the card base. I printed off 6 copies of the Rider logo (I only needed 4) to do the masks.

First, I cut all around the whole logo, and sponged Wild Wasabi ink on the cardstock using this mask.

Then, I cut out the S, and used this mask to sponge Whisper White craft ink onto the card.

I used white embossing powder over the S to make it really stand out, and to blend with the other embossing I would be doing.

I cut out the green sections of the logo, then used my VersaMark stamp pad to stamp in the holes, and I embossed with clear powder to make the wild wasabi really stand out.


The last mask had the silver parts removed, and although I did use it with the Versa Mark pad, I had to go back and fill in some spots with the VersaMarker, so it probably would have been easier to just use the VersaMarker from the start. I then embossed with silver powder.


I finished the card by using my Blender Pens, and the Pastels to colour in the black lines, and black sides of the logo. If I had the markers, or if I could find my sharpies, I probably would have used those, but the pastels worked okay. I had originally thought I would then go back and draw in the white accents on the sides with a white gel pen, but I think it looks okay without them, and I was scared I would wreck the card if I messed up the accents.

Why start a blog now?

I have wanted to start a blog for a few months now, but there never seems to be enough time. At the beginning, I didn't think my cards and projects were good enough, then I was really busy with work and volunteering and other commitments. I have recently been let go from my job (due to the recent change in the provincial government) and I am going to take a month or two to relax and craft before I stress about finding another job. Once things are up and running, I think it will be easier to maintain the routine when I go back to work. Also, now I have a huge backlog of cards I can post, so if I can't stamp one day, I will still have something to post :)

How I got started

These are two of the first 3 cards I ever made. The other one I gave away before I took a photo of it.

I have always considered myself to be a crafty person, but I have always dabbled in a bit of everything. In early 2006, a friend was working at a scrapbook store in town and convinced me to attend a card making class. All three cards we made were rubber stamped, and I was hooked.


Unfortunately, that scrapbook store was focussed on scrapbooking, not card making, and there were very few stamps available. Every time I went to the big box crafting store I looked at the stamps and supplies, but it was extremely overwhelming.

Then, in February of 2007 I attended my first Stampin Up! home workshop. I had a great time, spent lots of money, and came home and went right to ebay to try and buy more stamps and accessories. Some of what I got was good, some was less than good. I hosted my first party in April of 2007, and signed up to become a demonstrator right after that workshop. Since that time, things have kind of exploded. I have bought lots, and lots of product from Stampin Up!, but I have also expanded my stamp stash to include sets from Hanna Stamps, Stamping Bella, Gina K, and Papertrey Ink.

I am still learning, and experimenting, but thanks to the blogs I read daily (check the sidebar) and the online community of Split Coast Stampers (SCS) I have improved my paper crafting and stamping exponentially in the past 8 months. Thanks to the entire stamping community for the ideas, inspiration and support.

This blog is an opportunity for me to showcase some of my projects and share my love for stamping and paper crafting. I hope you are inspired, and you come back and visit again.