An Anniversary Surprise - Keepsake Album

Thanks to the wonders of the Interwebz, I was recently reunited with a friend from - shall we say - "back in the day".  Actually, we should say WAY back in the day, but I'm in denial so its all good ;-)

Anyways, after incessantly spamming all my poor facebook friends with my blog posts, my newly-refound friend approached me about creating "something special" for his lovely wife for their milestone 10 year anniversary, and let me tell you, I was absolutely ecstatic for the opportunity!

The plan was to build a handmade keepsake album around a BEEEAUTFUL pair of diamond earrings he had chosen which would all be presented in a coordinating altered cigar box (more on that box in a future post - this article is long enough as is, lol).

So, with my 6x6 Origins paper pad from Basic Grey in hand, I started upon a mini-album with little pocket surprises.

The idea behind this album was to give each family member a 2-page spread plus a little pull-out card that would allow them to add their own heartfelt thoughts and sentiments to.  The entire album was comprised of pages for the happy husband, their beautiful daughter and charming son, and the very last page would be built around the pair of earrings.

The album itself measures approximately 6" x 5" and is constructed of painted chipboard covers.  The interior pages are #10 envelopes (4 1/8" x 9 1/2") that have been cut to size and left with an open edge to form pockets for the card tags to slip inside.

Cover:

The butterfly embellishment thingamajig is from Michaels and the background has been handstamped with swirly flourishes.  Velvet leaves are from 7 Gypsies.

Inside cover and first page: 

Note the ribbon on the right edge... this is the pullout tag piece that can be personalized.

Pull-out card Detail:

The girly Pages:

The Boy-ey Pages:

Last page and back cover detail: Note the scalloped flower on the left - this is where the earrings will be inserted.

And now for some closeups of each page:

The word "Family" is framed using a colored slide mount and decorated with rhinestones and Jo-Lee's boutique layered flower embellishment.

The hand-assembled mulberry flower is colored using Glimmer Mist and secured with a Stampin' Up Brad in the center.  Velvet leaves from 7 Gypsies.

Butterfly and swirl rub-ons from My Minds Eye, ribbon trim from my Etsy Store.

Prima flowers, PTI Buttons, ticket stub and mini paperclip from Tim Holtz.  More ribbon from my shop.

Wooden business card decorated with rub-ons from My Minds Eye. Background paper from DCWV.

More DCWV paper along with buttons, tickets, n stuff!

Prima pearl flourish and ribbon trim from my store.

I had never ever done a project like this, and once the initial intimidation wore off, it was sooooo fun!  I have to give a shout-out to my gal pal Christina for the idea of using envelopes for the pages... it saved a ton of measuring and I got a great deal on some invitation-quality #10 envelopes from Paper Source, which jived perfectly with the Origins paper.

Tony and Ellie, thank you so much for the opportunity to be a part of your special milestone and I wish you both continued happiness and prosperity!

Simply Elegant - An Easy-Peasy Birthday Card

I've been woefully slacking in my cardmakingly duties as of late, but a fun evening of Cosmos & Crafts was just the kick in the pants inspiration I needed!  My gal pals Kerry, Gayle, and Christina gathered for an evening of storytelling, haul sharing, and cosmo drinking, and the next morning, I woke up and cranked this out in record time.

This birthday card came together in no time flat using a brand new Embossing Folder from Stampin up!  I swear, this baby practically made itself.  I LUUUURVE these embossing folders because they leave quite an impression - literally and figuratively.

I topped off the embossed flourish with a mulberry paper flower and blingy rhinestone, The stamped frame and sentiment are from Papertrey ink, and cardstock is from Stampin' Up! and PTI.  The silk ribbon banding was an afterthought but appropriate. I mean, who makes cards without ribbon nowadays?!?

So this post is dedicated to my partners in crime: Kerry, Gayle, and Christina.  (Oh, and Hunter the Maine Coon who occasionally graced us with his fuzzley presence ;-)

Flowers from the Third Dimension

Have you ever gotten an idea in your head, a mental picture of sorts, and it just won't leave you alone until you do something with it?  I've been plagued by 3-D flowers - not just using them, but assembling them.  I blame Tim Holtz!

My take on *dramatic pause* "Flowers From the 3rd Dimension" uses Handstamped Fabric Flowers from Etsy, Distress Stickles (for some Sparkle), a mulberry paper flower tinted with Copic Markers to match, and a simple gemmed brad to hold it all together.

In my head, you see, I was picturing a layered flower with shabby vintage charm, dripping with sparkle and texture, but still postage-friendly.  Let's not forget, after all, that cards are for mailing!

I paired my new-found blooming beauty with Botanical Paper and Vellum from PSX, scrolled leaf die-cuts, and ribbons to evoke a feeling of a wrapped present.  

I have to admit, my creative process on this piece was just a bit backwards >.<  I first assembled the fabric flower (it was, you may recall, stuck in my head) and then hunted through my stash to find papers and sentiments that I thought would complement it.  Heck, I didn't even know what kind of card this was going to be until it was mostly assembled.

It's amazing how one embellishment or accent piece can be the driving force behind an entire project. Thank goodness it just so happens that this particular bit of inspiration struck in a color scheme that was well within my comfort zone.  If these flowers had been Neon green, i'd have been in trouble ^.^ 

From Blank to Beautiful: Jewelry for the Papercrafter

I do not, by any means, consider myself a jewelrymaker.  I can barely string together sentences, let alone beads and jewelry bits, but i consider myself kinda crafty and i have a crapton of paper, so ...

Enter stage left: Bracelet Blanks from Etsy, clear dimensional adhesive (I use Diamond Glaze but you can use Glossy Accents, Crystal Effects, etc.) and paper scraps.

Seriously, the most tedious thing about these is cutting out paper to the right size, but thats what we do - we are papercrafters, amirite?  This blue lovely features japanese Chiyogami from my scrap pile... see how it has a luminescent quality to it?  Kinda makes it look like Cloisonné or enamel, dontcha think?

Aside from the paper snipping, the rest is cake.  Not just any old cake, but ice cream cake with the little chocolate doo-jobbers in the middle - know what I'm sayin?

So, how did I do it?

Cut your paper, dab a teeny bit of glue on a blank part of the bracelet, distribute it around with a bamboo skewer, stab your paper with your now-gluey skewer, position it on the blank, add a bit more glue to cover the surface and let dry.  If your paper has any sort of texture to it, you may have to do 2 coats of glue to get a smoother finish (Ask me how i know >.<)

I usually do half the bracelet at once... lay it flat on itself, do the 5 that are facing you, let it dry, flip it over and repeat.

I'll be doing a tutorial on these, but in all honesty, its really not that hard.

Phew, obligatory blog post is done... time fohr cayke!

Welcome to the World! A sweet card for a sweet newborn

So, my dear gal pal just had a darling baby boy, and I thought the occasion warranted a card.

This little Hedgehog cutie is from Penny Black Stamps.  He is hand-colored with Copic markers, (Copics are SOOOO awesome... they make me feel like an artist without actually needing a whole lotta skill - this is only my second time using them ^.^) and although you can't tell, his cheeks are glittered and sparkly, as any self-respecting hedgehog would have it.

Making baby cards is pretty new to me, and boy cards in particular are completely outside my comfort zone, but I like the way this one turned out.

Here is a closeup of the Mica Tag detail.  Its stamped and embossed (yah, the letters are crooked but I.. uhh... did that on purpose!  It works, dontcha think? =)  Like how the ribbon tie matches the water exactly?  Thats because I colored it myself with the same Marker I used to color the water.  Neat-o torpedo!

Kicking Off My Blog with a Father's Day Card

I seem to spend most of my creative time these days trying to incorporate new techniques into my craft, which can actually be pretty frustrating since I set my personal bar so high. This Father's Day card was absolutely no exception.  

I went through my typical phase where I wanted to add more collagey things to it (some old postage stamps, maybe a paperclip or two, i even toyed with dangling a little corked bottle from it somewhere, before I realized that I don't actually have any in my possession >.<)

In the end, "simplicity" won out.  This card is composed to not detract from the beauty of the background, which is the Antique Map stamp from Flourishes, colored with Copic Markers. Lots of distressing going on on this baby - my end goal was to make it look like a map that has been rolled up for many years and has just now been unearthed.

So, this inaugural post is dedicated to my pops - the inspiration behind this project and the man that made me what I am today.  Love ya, Dad!