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!

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!

Babycakes Framed Layout

Back again with another baby-themed project for you!  If you missed my post about baby cards, check it out here.  This layout uses the same color palette and patterned paper packet...Babycakes from CTMH...as the baby cards.  Love the grays and yellows with this one--very "on trend."  I used chocolate cardstock for the page, and then used various patterned papers and zip strips from the paper packet to compose the page. Then, I used butterfly punched embellishments (Martha Stewart) decorated with some bitty sparkles (CTMH) along the butterfly body and popped them up with glue dots.  Lastly, colonial white cardstock makes for a great photo mat.  I placed this layout in a black metal 12 x 12 scrapbook frame (Michaels) and gave it to a friend who just welcomed her 3rd baby!  Congrats Anna!  It will be a great keepsake for her to use with her favorite baby picture.  Scrapbooking and cardmaking is a GREAT way to give memorable and affordable gifts!  Try your hand at it next time you need to give a gift from the heart!  Blessings!

Babycakes Card Box and Notebook

Hello, my friend!  I have a few new projects to post...most recently this adorable little gift set that I made with the Babycakes CTMH paper packet.  It is really a baby-themed paper pack, but has a wonderfully neutral color palette with gray and brown and a bit of yellow and orange (trendy, too) that makes great year-round gifts and home decor projects!  For this project, I used the CTMH card box and covered it with the polka dot pattern from the Babycakes paper packet.

 I added sunset baker's twine (CTMH), Cork letters (CTMH clearance), and punched a monarch butterfly (Martha Stewart) which I popped up with glue dots and blinged up with some bitty adhesive gems (CTMH).

 Then, I covered this kraft notebook (Walmart) with the polka dot paper, twine and cork letters, too, and placed it inside the box.

 Here's a few detail shots of the butterfly, showing you some of the dimension of the butterfly wings and how intricate the punch is....just beautiful!

This little gift set will go to a friend and Bible study leader of mine who is battling cancer.  I have been encouraging her with cards throughout her journey, and now she will have a special place to put all the cards she receives from myself and others!  In addition, she can keep a gratitude journal or just log the items for which she needs to thank others for since I know the body of Christ has been ministering to her and her family's needs during this difficult trial.  I hope this gift set puts a smile on her face and encourages her in the home stretch of her chemo treatments!

Butterfly Journal

Back again with another canvas journal--I think I mentioned that I scored these for a mere $2.25 from CTMH's clearance website a few weeks ago!  I bought some teal spray ink and a mask at Michaels from Heidi Swapp, and then bought some adhesive gem flourishes.  The end result was this and it took 5 minutes at MOST!  Plan to tuck this away for a teacher gift.  Thanks for stopping by today--have a creative day!

Timeless Portrait Display Tray

Wow, I have had the crafting bug lately!  Can't wait to share with you some new projects and cards I have made recently!

 

I was so super stoked when I found this display tray at Hobby Lobby over the holidays for $7--score!  I immediately set it aside for MYSELF--I usually gift so many of the things I make these days--but I knew the exact paper I wanted to use for this tray--another great steal!  I have stalked this paper collection from Stampin Up, Timeless Portrait, which features these amazing sillouette faces, but then, totally missed out on them before they retired!  I contacted my SU consultant Heather Howe who assured me that, in time, I MIGHT find it in the clearance section of her website one day.  Well...to my delight...it DID appear in the clearance section over the holidays for $4--yippee!!

 

I used most of the patterned papers featured in this paper pack for each little box of the display tray.  Here is a full shot of the display tray--it is roughly 12x12 in size.

 

 

Check out that rosette!  Lisa Stenz has a great video tutorial on how to make these beauties here.  I used the Fiskars border punch, Martha Stewart scoring board, a circle punch or two, and a button and red baker's twine.

 



Stamped sentiment is from the Michaels $1 bin--love it!  I matted it with black cardstock and popped it up on foam dots for some dimension.  Hard to tell in the picture, but I trimmed out the sillouttes and then popped them up on foam squares to add some extra dimension, as well.  I plan to add some CTMH bitty sparkles on the butterflies at a later date (when I replenish my stash next order)

 



 

Black skeleton keys are from Michaels (Recollections) and stamped words popped up on foam squares are from the Love Blooms stamp set (CTMH) stamped in black ink

 

Monarch double punch from Martha Stewart (black), Martha Stewarrt butterfly punch (red and blue)

 

 

Frame cut out from the patterned paper--got the idea from my Avonlea Display tray here.

 



 

Black striped grosgrain ribbon from CTMH finishes off the handle--thanks for the advance, Lisa!! And finally a row of white rosette ribbon from the Tim Holtz collection (Michaels).

 

There you have it---busy, yes...but it was a blast to create and makes for a very interesting, multidimentional, textural, and timeless work of art.  Such sweet memories and faces--what a treasure!  Thanks for stopping by!

Butterfly Sympathy Card

This card is a very basic one that I made for a family member when my Uncle Jim died.  I liked the muted, sophisticated tones of the brown, gray, and cream found in the Bliss paper pack (CTMH, retired).  I paired it with a punched butterfly from my MS punch placed in a pin clip, and then stamped using CTMH's Card Chatter--sympathy stamp set (love this set!!) with chocolate ink.  Simple, understated, and elegant.

Butterfly Birthday Card

 

 

In keeping with the butterfly theme (see last post), I will post this cheery little birthday card.  I used CTMH's Dotty for You paper pack (promo, retired) which is double sided--it has the polka dot pattern and the butterfly pattern on either side.  I matted the butterfly patterned paper with some kraft cardstock, then embellished the card with two pin clips, a paradise paper flower, an adhesive gem, and hollyhock rick-rack ribbon.  Lastly, I adhered the sentiment stamped with Party Pennants (both sentiment and frame are in this set) popped up on foam squares. (Note: all products are CTMH).  Super cute and fun!  Have a blessed day and thanks for stopping by, as always, friend!

Butterfly Wall Decor

 

 

 

Hello and welcome!  Today I wanted to post one of my favorite home decor projects to date.  It is this butterfly picture made with two Martha Stewart punches and a recessed matted frame from Michaels.  Now, butterflies are one of my FAVORITE things--I have to resist from buying more butterfly themed craft items at times!  In addition to these two butterfly punches used here, I also have Martha's big monarch butterfly double punch--so gorgeous!  The reason I LOVE butterflies is two fold--first they are beautiful in their own right, but secondly, and more significiantly, butterflies symbolize a powerful spiritual truth.  You see, when we know Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior and repent of our sin and believe in Him, our very beings are permanently transformed.  Like a butterfly, who starts out as a fat and ugly caterpillar, emerges forever changed from his crystalis, so we as believers, are forever and beautifully changed!  We have this promise in 2 Corinthians 5:17:

 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

 

Praise God!  Bet you didn't think I'd get all theological on you in a craft blog, did ya?

 

Well, let me move on to how I created this picture.  It is truly quite simple.  All I did was find a magazine page that had a gradation of colors on it--a picture that from top to bottom, moved into one color scheme into the next, into the next.  Then, I punched butterflies out using my two MS punches, which created three sizes of butterflies.  Next, I arranged them according to their color in sort of a "swoop" pattern on white cardstock.  When I liked the arrangement, I simply adhered some flat on the page, and others I just popped up on foam dots for some dimension.   Lastly, I handwrote a sentiment with a fine tipped black pen at the bottom.

 

 

Upclose: (handwritten sentiment states "change is possible")

 

 

Since the mat has a recessed component, I was able to fold up some of the butterfly wings and really appreciate the various heights of the butterflies.  (As always, you can click on the picture for a larger view--sorry it is a bit blurry)

 

Well, I hope you are not only inspired but encouraged today!  Hope to see you again soon!