Paper crafting is works of heart

Paper crafting is works of heart!

Monday, March 28, 2011

paper crafting topic: inking edges of papers and cards

A basic 101 technique to add dimension and also helps to highlight or contrast a paper (however it is used: tag or label, mounting background, journaling, embellishment creation) is to ink the edges. There are lots of different products and ways to do this (ink spray mists, brush on paint or ink, sponge on ink from a stamp pad, etc).

Here are 3 different ways I have used stamp pad ink this weekend:

card-making topic: stamping sentiments

Up until this last month, I didn't have many wooden stamps and no clear stamps. Well that has changed. So I've been trying to find ways to include more stamping.

Here are some weekend attempts:

Sunday, March 27, 2011

first attempt at technique of iris-folding

Sorry for bragging, but I just love how this card turned out. The focal piece is the 4 patterned papers that have been done in 7-8 times around. I used approx 2 1/2" x 1" strips folded lengthwise. This card took about 4-5 hours to create from absolute start to finish. The time included making a template for the "iris" strips (in case I ever want to do this again!) and a template for the flower/sunburst window frame.

The cut-out sunburst flower was used as a stencil to create one of the layered floral embellishments on the inside layout. The small one was used a small scalloped circle punch. (Thanks to HOTP papers from different sets that coordinated well for this card project. Other PW/HOTP items include: basic white greeting card and envelope, ruby red brads, pink vellum and white lace/lattice border stickers, foam square adhesives, coral color paper rose.)

My other blogs: Becca's Heart for Child Development and Becca's Heart for HEarts

Check out my other blogs if you are:
interested or know someone who is a ECE day care provider/preschool teacher or lower elem teacher (or college students pursuing education degrees) or interested or know someone who has a Home Economics degree or FACS teaching emphasis.

ECE topics:

FACS/Home Economics topics:

If you have a favorite classroom activity to share, email me and I will share it in an upcoming post.

Friday, March 25, 2011

card making topic: different folds or cuts for cards

Check a post or two about 2 weeks back when I tried a gate-fold version and an off-set/overlap type fold. Then a few days ago I tried a variation where the front was folded-in and then I used two fabric brads that look like buttons. This was done on an anniversary card and there's a photo of it posted on the top right side of my blog page.

In the past 2 days, I've tried a decorative cut edge (vertical right side) with a fun way to embellish the edging and a scalloped cut edge (horizontal bottom edge) for Easter theme cards. I'll post photos showing cards closed and open.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

stenciling lettering for different look to stickers

My crafting supplies and work area is jammed packed into a 2 1/2 ft deep by 6 ft area. This is the main or bulk of it. I've had some old crafting and teaching-related crafting supplies still stored in the garage and am gradually going through that stuff. In the most recent storage check, I found some of my shape and lettering stencils and I used one of the lettering stencil templates for the inside message of a card. Here's how it turned out:

Friday, March 18, 2011

Friday Freebies

Friday Freebies

scrapbooking topic= modifying digital layouts

During mid-January to mid-February, my husband was busy updating one of our trucks. He wanted me to take photos for each step of the painting process and then some of the heavy-duty front bumper as well as the memory decal we had made.

(My mother-in-law was a twin. Her oldest daughter had twin sons with one surviving and one dying at birth. The surviving son married a twin! This surviving nephew loved to do mechanical work with his Uncle Joey, my husband. Because of their close bond, before this nephew died of lung cancer on Dec 29, 2010, he put in his will that it was his desire for Joe to get his pickup.)

There are more digital layouts but I will only show three. I modified the layouts from my Kodak printer software to fit the 'manly' art of truck restoration.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

paper crafting topic= Easter wall art

Starting this week I got my first few Easter items made. They were for one of the two swaps I signed up for through Paper Wishes message board for March.

The featured piece is 6.75" square. My favorite colors are purples and pinks so I really wished I could have kept this for myself. But I just loved how the elements came together. I'm also super-thrilled with the very inexpensive doilies I found (so I do have more that I can be creative with!).

Throughout the rest of March and April, I will probably be featuring more creations using the doilies (pink flower, creamy white egg, yellow flower).

The process to create this was several days. It took me about 30 minutes to brush on the gold glitter paint because of keeping some areas un-painted and having to reapply paint in several areas to get a more gold look not just shiny lacquer look. I let the doily dry for 2 days. (I could have probably let it dry only 1 day, but was hoping to avoid potential problems. I had no problems when applying the gold metallic paint pen. After this stage of the process, I let that dry 1 day. Then the rest was mostly coordinating, cutting paper and cardstock, and assembling.

card making topic: using items received in swaps

I've been very blessed in the past few months with the generosity of fellow crafters at Paper Wishes message board

So while the items are fairly fresh on my mind and also not for them to get buried under layers of 'stuff', I'm trying to use these great freebies.

In this birthday card, I received the little metallic birthday expressions from one crafter and the tiny floral print paper with metallic lt blue and lavendar paper hearts and heart sign from another.

Most of the other items shown on the card cover and inside were products that I had purchased from PW. I think it all coordinated really well!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

topics: bookmarks using related papers and re-use/recycle

Giving to charity organizations in recent years has led to an onslaught of address labels, memo pads, stickers, and such. Being a teacher by profession and raised with a rural farming resourceful mentality, I don't like to see anything wasted.

So imagine my surprise the other day opening mail and getting these interesting 'seeing through a glass door' graphics on shopping list-type memo pad. I just had to use them! See the results:

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

topic: gate-folded card variation

Recently on Paper Wishes Message Board, the Swaps Team has issued 2 challenges (techniques of scoring and gate-folds or windows). I decided to create a birthday card for my best friend using the 2 techniques as well as some recent supply purchases (thanks to warehouse sale at PW)!

I didn't want the front 'folds'/sides to meet in the middle, so I off-set that as well as did a decorative edge for the front flap (traced and scored the edging from a template then lightly sanded and inked after cutting away the excess cardstock).

I also aligned the front flaps 'medallion' placement so that when closed you don't see the 'medallion' of the other flap.

The very inside center was kept simple. I used a HOTP Paper Pizazz card. I cut the cover to fit the size of this card. Since it had lots of repeating colors and the HB text, I didn't add anything else. (The front 2 flaps have the busy-ness--inked score lines, stamping, medallions, & flowers.)