Christmas Paper Dilemma

I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed I am with my local scrapbooking store.  I was out this past weekend looking for Christmas paper stacks so I could start on my Christmas cards.  I didn’t think it was too early to look seeing as how I see new stacks on the internet and am getting emails from www.blitzy.com and www.scrapbook.com with Christmas stacks advertised.  My problem is I wanted to see them in person.  I wanted to see the colors up-close.  I wanted to feel the paper.  You know what I mean.  I also wanted to be able to start my cards right away.  No such luck.

I looked at the old Christmas stack I used last year and I just didn’t want to face it again.  After 50 or more cards the paper gets old fast.  I just couldn’t stomach it again this year.

Last night I scoured blitzy and a couple other sites.  I ended up on scrapbook.com where I did end up ordering four Christmas stacks of 6x6 that I think will work well with the cards I want to make.  They are also paper brands that I have never used before.  I’m not worried.  I am curious to see what this paper will be like.  Will it feel ok?  Will it work for what I need it for?  Will the colors be vibrant?  I took a chance and there’s no turning back. 

Hopefully I will have the paper by the end of the week.  Once it gets here, let the carding begin!

"Can" - do!

This past weekend as I was trying to decide what type of card I was going to make my brother I stumbled across a small empty can of tomato paste.  Stumbled is an exaggeration.  I used it the other night in sloppy Joe’s – our go-to dinner meal when we’ve forgotten to take anything out of the freezer.  Plus it’s super easy and after a day of taping and painting the living room they hit the spot.

The can.  Yes, I was getting to that.  Me in my crafty mind-set decided that a toilet paper roll cut in half would work to hold my mascara and eyeliner together for me on my dresser.  I was wrong.  It doesn’t work, it just falls over all the time.  I needed something small that could hold both without the annoying tip-over.  While I was making the sloppy Joe’s I realized I had found my tool!  I washed it out, dried it up and ran to my studio!

Within minutes I had found the paper I wanted to use and hot glued it on to the can. Looking at it I realized I needed to add a bit more to my plain little masterpiece.  I grabbed some ribbon I pulled off a wreath before composting it last year and cut a piece off.  Then I cut it in half and wrapped it around the top and bottom, securing it once again with the aforementioned hot glue gun.  I stood back and gazed at my little wonder.  It was still missing something!

At that point I had an a-ha moment (thanks Oprah!) and opted for a length of white ribbon.  I tied it into a pretty bow and secured that with a drop of hot glue too!  Done!  It is sitting on my dresser – not tipping – and holding my beauty regimen as pretty as can be!

I just realized that maybe a strand of itty-bitty baby pearls would look pretty good on this too.  Maybe my next one, after I get tired of this color scheme…

Birthday Card For My Bro

Yesterday I made a birthday card for my brother.  It wasn’t his birthday, but we were celebrating it at my mom’s apartment.  I looked to Pinterest for my card making inspiration.  I knew I wanted to do a fold-in card - possibly called a tri-fold.  I can never remember as I am not big on making cards.  I like doing them, but my first love is scrapbooking.  You can imagine my delight when I came across a tri-fold that looked like a good “man” card! 

I have an 8.5”x11” Colorbok stack that has only blue and brown patterned paper and I just love it but the only time I use it is for “man” or sympathy cards, so I was really glad to take it out and use it.

I put little banners on the front – two on one side, one on the other – and they keep the card closed!  I stamped “Happy Birthday” on the middle banner with a Fiskars stamp and dropped a silver star on it for some “pop”.  I made an envelope using my Cricut and the card was good to go!

My brother loved it and actually asked me if I made it!  Yeah bro – I did!  Let me know what you think!

DCWV November Challenge

          I am so excited to get in on the challenge this month!  I chose to do the card layout because the scrapbook pages I am doing this year are in a different format.  Basically in picture pages instead of straight 12” x 12”.  Another post on that later…

For the challenge I decided to use the “Hey Sailor” stack that I coveted for so long.  It took forever to get to my Joanne’s store that I ended up ordering it on-line!  It is a simple 4x6 card on Kraft paper, inked around the edges.  I decided to do a “standing” card instead of the usual side fold, something I rarely do and feel I should do more often!  I used a fabric flag and glued it to some twine to create a rope, keeping with a sea-worthy theme, and added some silver star bling.  On the inside is a note to my cousin who recently had knee surgery, hence the Arggh! On the front of the card!  I hope you like it!