Happy Easter!

I usually don't post on Sundays, but I had to pop in to wish you all a happy Easter and share a card I created just for the occasion. 

I made this card shape with Fun Stampers Journey Treat Label die and used this tulip stamp from the Hope Rises set for my focal point. Isn't this image gorgeous? 

I colored my flowers with the Fusion Blender solution and re-inkers. 

After the tulips were dry, I fussy cut them and layered them on a doily and pierced ring. All are wrapped in a  pretty gingham ribbon bow...perfect for Easter! Oh, or how about Mother's Day? 

Have a wonderful holiday! 

Fun Stampers Journey Supplies:

Hope Rises SS-0244

Doily DI-0105

Journey Circles DI-0039

Treat Label DI-0037

Punch Handle TO-0031

Tag This TO-0004

Black Licorice IP-0041

Fusion Blender IP-0088

Pumpkin Bread IP-0056

Sweet Pear RI-0053

Lemongrass RI-0025

Pretty Amethyst RI-0023

Oatmeal Cookie RI-0041

Mini Wooden Clothespins AC-0029

Pineapple Smoothie Gingham Ribbon AC-0094

Banana Cream CS-0087

Whip Cream CS-0040

Just Playing

Oh how I love to play with paper...doesn't matter whether its making cards, party decorations or assembling a scrapbook page. I feel so lucky to be able to craft for a living and be a part of some pretty awesome design teams! The thing I need to be careful of, however, is that I make time to create just for me, just because with no boundaries, rules or specific assignments. 

I really enjoy playing with a pretty paper collection from any one of my design teams manufacturer's to create projects to share with you. I remember when I started paper crafting that it was so helpful for me to see what the 'experts' created with the crafting goodies I loved so much. It's how I learned and grew and became a designer. 

With a craft room full of paper, accents, and amazing tools, it's super fun to just play. I love to mix and match product, to be inspired by a pretty piece of patterned paper, to take a project one step at a time and see where it takes me. 

This card is a product of so many great manufacturers...Anna Griffin, Celebrations by Richard Garay, May Arts, My Favorite Things, Pebbles, Pink Paislee, Reverse Confetti, Scraptastic Club and a tiny bouquet of millinery flowers I purchased from Etsy once upon a time. 

(Buy Card Now - $4.99)

Sometimes I feel my best work is created when I make the time to play for the sake of playing. 

Celebrate

You know July Fourth is right around the corner in our neighborhood when you hear the sound of firecrackers each evening. So, it's time to create some patriotic cards to share with you. I made this greeting with Scraptastic Club's June 2015 kit called Can't Go Home. 

This kit was designed for scrapbooking summertime memories and vacations, but I also think it's perfect for the Fourth if you use the red, white and blue patterned papers. 

I hand crafted a few colorful firecrackers for my card since I really like to add layers and dimension to my projects. They're super simple to make. 

I cut some pieces of patterned papers to 1 1/2" by 2" first. Then, starting with the 1 1/2" inch side I rolled it around an old PDA stylus. You could use a bamboo skewer. Once you have your paper completely rolled up, unroll just enough to add a touch of craft glue to seal it. 

I used some blonde jute for the wick and added a dab of glue to the end before inserting it to the core of my firecracker. 

(Buy Card Now - $4.99)

It's so easy to make these adorable little firecrackers! I could make a bunch while I watch something on Netflix and use them as confetti for my July Fourth dinner table. Wouldn't that be fun? 

It's a Celebration

Planning a celebration anytime soon? Whether you have a birthday coming up or graduation party to plan, Richard Garay's Celebrations line is perfect for creating decor pieces, pretty presents, cards and so much more! 

Today I have two projects to share with you using this festive collection. First up is this little gift box that can also double as a party decoration with it's cute and colorful banner. 

The box was made with pattern paper from the Celebrations Prints pack and topped with a handmade bow.

The bow was simple to make by cutting three Fringed Garland pieces using different colors of card stock. Once I had my pieces cut, I  stacked them together, rolled them around a pencil and tied them in the center with Celebrations Linen Thread. 

You can stop with the box and bow or you can take it a step further and create a little banner to hang around the bow. All the dies used to make this banner are included in the Celebrations line and listed below. 

My next project is a matching card using the Celebrate die as a focal point.

The die cut was added to the card base using foam squares to give it dimension. 

To create the circles under the main die cut, I cut them first, then ran them through the die cutter again with the Celebrations die as shown in the photo below.

Once you've cut these circles you can adhere the negative pieces to your card with glue. It's just like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.

This card traveled to California for my father-in-law's birthday. I hope he enjoys it and I hope I've given you a couple fun examples of how to use the Celebrations line. 

Celebrate Gift Box Supplies:

SCD-017 Fringed Garland; SCD-020 Tag Trio; SCD-029 Fun Sentiments; SCD-001 Enhanced Banner; SCP-008 Pixie Play; SCP-001 Sea Spray; SCP-004 Cotton Candy; SCP-013  Whirl White; SCP-003 Captivating Coral; SCP-016 Celebrations Print; SCT-001 Celebrations Linen Thread

Celebrate Greeting Card Supplies:

SCD-024 Pierced Stars; SCD-035 Celebrate; SCD-009 Pierced Circles; SCS-003 Sweet; SCP-013 Whirl White; SCP-004 Cotton Candy; SCP-001 Sea Spray; SCP-007 Luscious Lime; SCP-003 Captivating Coral ; SCI-001 Berry Black; SCL-001 Cool Caribbean

Christmas Card

Hi!

Now that we're in November, the countdown to Christmas begins! It's time to get busy making our holiday cards and gifts. So when I was given the choice to use any Bella Blvd. collection(s) for my cards today, I chose the festive Christmas Wishes collection.

This line includes some adorable penguins that I used for focal points on my cards!

Look at this little guy...he's so colorful and cute! And look at the pretty presents he brought! :)

These Christmas Wishes papers and accents made it quick and easy for me to create these cards!

I thought it would be fun to make little sentiment flags for my penguins. Simple straight pins work perfectly and since I have pop dots underneath the penguin, it was easy to stick them into my card!

Would you like to take a little hop with me over to the Bella Blvd. blog to see what my teammates created and which Bella collections they chose to work with? Let's go! :)