Guest Post: Spring Papercrafting with MaryEllen

Hello friend!  Today we have a guest blogger, my sister, MaryEllen Kiser, who will share with us some beautiful spring-themed papercrafting artwork she has made to brighten and bless her home and family!  I will let her take it away from here to explain how she made these beauties!...

"For the Spring Sign I purchased the wooden sentiment from Oriental Trading Company. I chose patterned paper to use from my stash. I made sure that I used a variety of paper like a stripe, one that would read more as a solid, a large, bright floral, an argyle, polka dots, and a feminine floral. After selecting the paper, I found acrylic paint that would match the background of each piece of paper and I painted all the edges of the wooden Spring sentiment.  After letting that dry, I traced each letter onto the patterned paper and then used Modge Podge with a sponge brush to attach each pattern paper piece to the letter. After I let the Modge Podge dry I used some spring themed embellishments that I already had like sentiments and tags.  I made one of the flowers using a scalloped punch and attached it with foam onto a newsprint flower. I made another flower by stacking two different sized silk flowers together and attaching them with a yellow brad. The rest of the flowers that I used were premade. I messed up on the "P" and had a space showing between the letters so I used small premade flowers that had some "bling" already attached to them and I think it turned out really cute. Love that in crafting mistakes can make your piece look even better than you had originally anticipated! This project was super easy, inexpensive and fun! It shows up really well on my mantel and really cheers up my den!"

Here is another beautiful project that also serves her family around the dinner table...

"I have a pitcher that I love to display on my kitchen table and as much as I love to fill it with flowers, I just can't justify that expense on a regular basis. I was looking at it one day and realized that I could merge my idea of having meal conversation starters handy on the table and cute flowers! I went online and hunted for different kinds of dinner conversation starters and typed a list of the ones I liked. Some of them have spiritual significance and some are more simple opinions. Being a former middle school teacher, I saw kids on a regular basis who could not take part in a simple conversation and it is important to me that my children understand and practice this important skill. After coming up with all the conversation starters that I liked and some that I had made up myself,  I printed them out and cut them up into small strips. I hand made two different flower templates. One has more rounded flower petals and the other has longer, more narrow flower petals. I thought the two different shapes would make the bouquet more interesting. Once again I chose paper from my stash that goes with my décor--lots of earthy reds and yellows--paper that just makes me happy! I traced my flower templates and made sure that I was using a nice variety of paper. I didn't want to use more of one design and over power the entire bouquet.

To build the flowers, I punched out a center using different sized scallop punches (1" and 1 1/2")  that I have and rotated between a red center and a Kraft center. I then used adhesive to attach the sentiments to the flower. I tried to attach the sentiments off center to make the flowers look more interesting. I attached a green pipe cleaner to the back of each bud using basic tape. They were simple and fun to make and more importantly my girls enjoy choosing different flowers to talk about while we eat."

Wow!  Thanks MaryEllen!  Such a beautiful way to ring in Spring in your home AND to serve a wonderful purpose for your family around the dinner table!

Ariana Display Card

 This weekend I had the pleasure of creating this beautiful display card using Christine Adams' kit (inspired by Brenda Rose).  It showcases the beautiful Ariana, Balloon Ride, and a bit of Skylark patterened papers from CTMH.  Wow--what a show stopper!!  I feel so blessed to have been taught how to make this beautiful card using 2 sheets of Slate cardstock and some precut papers; the pattern was included in the kit, so I plan to try it out with different patterned papers in the future!  This card is basically a gift in and of itself!  As always, feel free to click on each picture to see it larger and in more detail!

Here is the card closed up and tied with a slate baker's twine bow...

 

Then you open the card up to see all sorts of various panels pop through!  All the embellishments used are from CTMH and include the Ariana dimensional elements, Ariana assortment (bows), slate twist ties, sparkle flourishes, and various Cricut die-cut shapes embossed with the damask embossing folder.

Here is a closer look at each panel...

 Closer look at the front two covers...

 LOVE this sentiment about life being like a camera!!  It says: "Life is like a camera…FOCUS on what's important, CAPTURE the good things, DEVELOP from the negative, And if things don't work out, TAKE ANOTHER SHOT.

 And another close up of that gorgeous camera--it even has a glass circle cover on the "lens" and a baker's twine "strap"! 

I plan to give this display card to a sweet family member of ours who is recovering from a broken hip!  I hope it brings a smile to her face and beautifies her room!  She can also adhere a picture on the back panel of her family or herself if she wishes!  Thanks again Christine for such a great kit!

Embossing for the BOSS

 Back today with a few more cards, intended to be given to the men in your life!  I used strong, bold primary colors like black and red and my new love, the Cuttlebug machine, to dry emboss and then sand the white-core cardstock using the polka dot, chevron, and damask embossing folders (CTMH).  I stamped the images using Versafine black ink--the above card uses the sentiment from the Cloud Nine stamp set (CTMH, retired) and promotional kit die-cuts, while the card below uses the February SOTM Wild Thing stamp set images and sentiment (CTMH, retired).

Additional supplies used (all CTMH unless otherwise noted): 4" doily (Michaels), Ruby chevron ribbon, red baker's twine, black baker's twine, red glitter button, ruby ink (used to ink up the raised polka dots), assorted white-core cardstock, fine-gauge sanding block, glue dots, Tombow adhesive

Thanks for stopping by, my friend!  Hope you have a creative one!

Ivy Lane Purse and Card Kit

Hello friend!  I recently had the pleasure of putting this beautiful card kit together, thanks to the wonderfully talented Lisa Stenz.  It uses the Ivy Lane paper pack (CTMH) and a gorgeous stamp, Joyful Wishes.  I really love how it all came together!  Lisa's kit included all the Cricut-cut shapes and the purse form--I simply had to fold up the purse and adhere it using red line adhesive tape (my favorite for 3-D objects because it is such a great hold--can purchase from SU or Michael's).  The purse kit also included the Ivy Lane complement stickers and the assorted fabric and plastic flowers that I used to embellish the purse.  

Here is an up-close view of the purse decorated with the stickers and flowers.  Love that front pocket!  The purse closes with a little adhesive velcro dot.

The cards themselves were easy to stamp.  The Joyful Wishes stamp set contains ONE stamp with all the words and images in it, so it makes into a beautiful and EASY card front.  I stamped the image with chocolate ink and I colored in the flowers and leaves with watercolor pencils and added pink glitter gems (all from CTMH).  Lisa's kit came with those great bracket shapes using white and hollyhock cardstock--perhaps someday I will be able to cut these using my own Cricut cutter!

And another view of the card and purse set all set out...

This will make up into a beautiful gift (like for a teacher or Mother's day)...and then the recipient can reuse the purse as a gorgeous gift bag!  How fun!  Thanks again, Lisa!

Embossed Beauties

Hello friend!  Back again today with some more fun creations made with my new Cuttlebug machine and embossing folders!  I ordered a few folders from CTMH and they arrived the other day--YIPPEE!  I was excited to run some of CTMH's white-core cardstock through the Cuttlebug and sand down the embossed designs to get some neat effects and texture on my card fronts.   As you can see, I used virtually NO patterned paper--that is HUGE for me!  I have NEVER made a card with JUST cardstock before, but as you can see, there is a lot of visual interest and PUNCH with these embossed designs, you really don't miss it!  I also used CTMH's April stamp of the month, Balloon Talk--I can already tell I am going to LOVE this set and use it a lot!  Isn't it fun?

The card below uses the quatrefoil (pink--cotton candy cardstock) and damask (green--pear cardstock) embossing folders from CTMH.  I also used pear ink to stamp the "hello" word bubble.  I finished it off with some green baker's twine (local scrapbook store) and some Flamingo dots (CTMH).  The cloud die-cut shape is a left over I had from making these cards with the January promotional card kit.

 This card is similar, but uses the chevron embossing folder (cotton candy cardstock) and the quatrefoil folder (pear cardstock) and then I stamped a few more word bubbles using pear and blush ink and just fussy cut them out...

 The background with this card is the polka dot folder (Cuttlebug brand) and the chevron design is on top...and few more of those clouds and dots...

 I used a teeny bit of patterned paper to use up some scraps from the Lollydoodle paper pack (CTMH) and backed it with cotton candy cardstock...

Well, as you can see, you get a LOT of POP by sanding the embossed designs with fine gauge sand paper--love how that white cord shines through!  Each large word bubble I also popped up with some 3D foam tape for even more POP!

Stop by next time to see an inking technique with the embossed designs!  And be sure to have a creative one, my friend!

Jubilee Teacher Cards

 I had a fun time piecing together these cards using CTMH's Jubilee paper pack yesterday.  It is a summer-themed paper pack that I used to scrapbook a few County Fair pictures...and I had a few scraps left over for some cards.  I decided to make my kids' teacher cards using the scraps, so they are sort of "thank you" themed, but in a "county fair" sort of way!  Also, no stamping was required, making them quick and easy!  I just used images and sentiments from one of the patterned papers in the pack or the zipstrips.  Love that!
Here is one for the kids' teachers stating "Best in Show"...

 This one features a calendar of the month of June and a "Good Luck" sentiment for the summer...

 And I thought this sentiment was cute to reflect upon how FAST the school year has flown by!

Supplies used (CTMH):  Jubilee paper pack (features Indian Corn Blue and Cranberry cardstock), ruby Chevron ribbon, red baker's twine, red glitter buttons, 3D foam tape, 1 1/2" scalloped circle punch (Marvy), glue dots (for bows)

My New Papercrafting Heroes

Please meet Isabelle and Katherine Adams, my new papercrafting heroes!  Together, they have raised over $370,000 for clean water wells through one of my favorite organizations, Living Water International, by folding paper ornaments!

Check out their amazing testimony here at this site and scroll down to the bottom to vote for them to receive a prestigious award at The Caring Institute!  Girls, you are an INSPIRATION!!

Look to the Light Ivy Lane Cards

Here's my last post using the beautiful Ivy Lane paper packet from CTMH!  I LOVE these cards and was super excited with how they turned out!  I used CTMH's Look to the Light stamp set (one of my favorites for inspirational sentiments) using Hollyhock ink.  I also used the Avonlea Cardmaking WOTG stamp set (retired) for the flourish and stamped it using Smokey Plum ink.  I popped most of the sentiments up a bit using 3D foam tape.  Lastly, I embellished a few of the cards using Flamingo dots (CTMH).  It seems I can never have enough inspirational and encouraging cards these days, for family and friends going through a LOT right now!

Love, love, love this chevron pattern of course!!...

A little paper-piecing using scraps!

Thanks for stopping by, my friend!  Hope you have a creative one!

Ivy Lane Butterfly Cards

Back again today with a super simple card design to use up little bits and scraps of your favorite patterned paper.  I simply used a Martha Stewart butterfly punch on the patterned paper and cardstock pieces from the Ivy Lane paper pack (CTMH) and then used SU's Modern Label punch for the sentiment at the bottom of the card.  I stamped the Card Chatter--Sympathy (CTMH) stamp set with Smokey Plum ink both inside and out.  Super easy and CUTE!  Thanks for stopping by!

Ivy Lane Cards...No Stamping Required!

These little beauties were EASY to piece together using scraps from CTMH's Ivy Lane paper packet.  The sentiments came from the zip strip atop one of the patterned papers, and a few flamingo dots (CTMH) serve to embellish the one on the right.  Love how this technique uses up little pieces of scrap paper and yet looks neat and clean on a card base!  Easy peesy, lemon squeezy!  Thanks for stopping by!

Monogrammed Ivy Lane Cards

Here's another take on the monogrammed cards I have made a few times over, inspired by Lisa Stenz! Check out these other color schemes I have done here and here.  Love these cards, anytime of year!

Supplies used (CTMH):  Ivy Lane paper pack--chevron paper, green cardstock, R monogram stamp, Smokey plum ink, flamingo dots, Perfect Fit Frames stamp set,  1 1/4" circle punch, 1 1/2" scalloped circle punch, colonial white cardstock, colonial white card bases, 3D foam tape

Embossing Tutorial Video

My CTMH consultant, Lisa, gave me this link to watch a super helpful embossing folder tutorial.  When using CTMH cardstock (or any other white-cored cardstock), finding the grain of the cardstock is really key, especially when using vertical designs like the striped embossing folder.  Thought this might be helpful for you too!  Love how the CTMH folders have a slit so you can emboss long stripes of paper--my Cuttlebug brand (and all other brands) do NOT have this feature!  Enjoy the tutorial--can't wait to get my other embossing folders soon!  I purchased the stripe, damask, quatrefoil, AND the chevron patterns!

Matryoshka Doll Cards

One of my favorite parts of teaching my first grade daughter geography this year was how we were able to "travel" to so many amazing and interesting countries.  Russia was no exception!  When I saw this matryoshka doll stamp set (Happy Place by CTMH), I thought of my daughter and our "trip" to Russia...but also how mothers are like daughters...and how daughters are like grandmothers, and how we all interact as women in both our biological and our spiritual families...sort of like these nesting dolls!

Here's what the entire stamp set looks like--it has cute family-oriented sentiments, too.

I am over the moon excited about a new purchase I made--a Cuttlebug!  It is an embossing/die-cutting machine that I saved up for and bought with my Michael's coupon yesterday.  Yes!  Yesterday!  It did not take long to crack open that box and give my new dotted embossing folder (another purchase yesterday) a try!  After I ran the cardstock through the machine, I simply sanded down the raised pattern with a fine-gauge sandpaper block (SU) and the white core shows through!  This is true with all CTMH cardstock--it all has a white core (unlike SU's or Michael's cardstock...I like both for different reasons).  Even the kids got involved this morning--my son and daughters all had to give it a try before we started school today!  Very fun!

I must say that the color scheme for these cards and even some of the card patterns were directly inspired/CASE'd from these beauties made by Karen Pedersen.  I had fun paper-piecing many of the matryoshka dolls using patterned paper from the Jubilee paper pack (CTMH) and ruby or Indian corn blue cardstock.  For those I did not paper-piece, I simply colored in using CTMH's coordinating watercolor pencils.  I honestly love how BOTH techniques turned out!

Supplies used: Happy Place stamp set (March SOTM by CTMH), Jubilee paper pack ((CTMH) which includes the Indian Corn Blue cardstock), black ink, scalloped scissors (Michaels), Ruby cardstock (CTMH), ruby chevron ribbon (CTMH), 4" paper doily (Michaels), red baker's twine (SU), random assorted buttons, watercolor pencils (CTMH), dotted embossing folder (Cuttlebug), watercolor pencils (CTMH), fine-tipped scissors, 3D foam tape, red adhesive dots (for cheeks in first card pictured, Michaels)

I will have to post more about how to make these fabulous bows--they are actually not tied like a traditional bow and they always come out looking perfect!  Learned it from Karen Pedersen's blog--I will try to post a link!  In the video (at 3:20), you will see her tie the bow with waxy flax, but I used baker's twine for the same effect and just strung it through a button to tie it off.  Love!

Karen has also posted a wonderful embossing technique tutorial here.  I plan to use the inking technique with my embossing folders soon, and plan to purchase a few more folders from CTMH this month...hello, can we say CHEVRON?!!

If you want to join in the embossing craze, here is a link to a killer deal for a Cuttlebug (I paid just a few bucks more at Michael's with a coupon).

I also put together a "like mother, like daughter" one-page layout using these beautiful matryoshka dolls!  I will post that later when I find the perfect 5x7 picture of me with my girls!

Someone Cares Card

This card came together quickly with left over scraps from the Ivy Lane Paper packet from CTMH.  The sentiment is from a PTI stamp set Everyday Blessings stamped in Smokey Plum ink (CTMH) and the butterflies are punched with Martha Stewart punches.  The designed strip is simply the zipstrip atop one of the patterned papers, and the cardstock is Ivy Lane green that comes with the paper pack.  This card will go to an Aunt of mine who is nearing the 1 year anniversary of her husband's passing to brain cancer.

Here is a side view so you can appreciate the little butterfly wings--they pop up off the card!

I hope you can create something for someone today to let them know they are loved and being thought of and prayed over--what a blessing!

Cloud Nine Cards, Ivy Lane Style

I love how just switching out patterned paper and color, you can achieve a COMPLETELY different look with your papercrafting and cards.  Here I played around with the new Ivy Lane paper packet from CTMH and used Smokey Plum ink to match.  The card on the left is almost identical to the one pictured from this previous blog post here.  The one on the right is simply my attempt to use up some Ivy Lane green cardstock and a square of patterned paper.  The sentiments and die-cut shapes I stamped the sentiments onto are some of the extra ones that came with the Cloud Nine promotional kit back in January.  I also used the gold polka dot washi tape and the durables triangle studs that were left over from the kit.  Love how these turned out!  Thanks for stopping by!

Be Still Ivy Lane Cards

 Back again today to share some z-fold accordion cards using the Be Still stamp set from CTMH (one of my favs!!!) and the beautiful Ivy Lane paper packet (also CTMH).  These cards were directly inspired by these by Lisa Stenz and I've also done them with these papers here--so beautiful, no matter what color scheme you use!  I intend to mail these out to my family for Easter.

 I used Bamboo cardstock and Hollyhock ink, along with the Ivy Lane green cardstock and patterned papers that came in the Ivy Lane pack.

 I believe I used some sweet leaf cardstock for the card base for these two cards (above and below).  The ink color for this one is Smokey Plum.

 Just one more card--it is not a z-fold card, but is simply a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 sized card, but with the crease on the left-hand side, made from bamboo cardstock.  The "ribbon" embellishment is really the zipstrip on top one of the patterned papers!  Love that and it mails FLAT!

Hope you also have a very blessed Easter, my friend, and find some quiet time to reflect upon the wonder and power of Christ's resurrection in a fresh way this year!