Papercrafting: Layered Tulip Mother's Day Cards

 

Even with postage constantly increasing, I still am a "snail mail" girl when it comes to holidays and making and sending handmade cards. I think now more than ever, with everything electronic and AI, it's important to maintain some analog hobbies! Cardmaking remains my first love and my gateway "drug" to all of my other crafts. The Mamas in my life will be getting these in the mail soon! 

Supplies:

• Cutting Machine 
• SVG Image  (Creative Fabrica)
• Coordinating Scrapbook Papers
• Cardstock (110 lb)
• Coordinating Stickers
• Foam Tape
• Gemstone Embellishments

I realize the irony (even the hypocrisy) of talking about an analog hobby while using downloadable files and an electronic cutting machine. I consider them tools, just like a tape gun or paper cutter. 

I found a layered tulip image I liked and downloaded the SVG via my Creative Fabrica subscription. I uploaded it into my Cricut Design Space software and sized to fit my card. I used two different green papers to give my tulips depth, and cut the tops out in pink metallic and white. 

I used a mini glue dot runner (Dollar Tree) to attach the layers as shown. Two green, one pink glitter, then the top in pink foil here, and 

white paper here. 

My standard card size is 5x7, so I cut my 110lb cardstock to 7x10, scored, folded, then my focal panels from my chosen scrapbook papers (Recollections) to 4.75x6.75, and applied with my tape gun.

Once all of my tulip focal pieces were done, they were ready to go on the front of the cards!

I squealed when I found these tulip stickers at Michaels, and I already had the butterfly stickers in my stash (Dollar Tree). I attached one of each to enhance each of the tulips. To finish, I added coordinating pink gemstones (Creatology, Michaels). 

DON'T sleep on the kids' crafts section at Michaels, which is where these gems are fun. More than I'll ever probably use, so for $3.99, they go a LONG way!

 

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Metallic Mother's Day Cards

This week's party continues here.

Not happy w/ the photography here but these cards have been mailed already so...

I always make a few Mother's Day cards for special friends. This year I went with a palette of grey, white, black and gold.  The grey floral paper is actually from a Valentine's collection but works so well here I think. 

The focals for each card are from the DCWV Eclectic Chic stack I picked up at JoAnn's. Each is a panel from a 12x12 page of sentiments. 

There was a sentiment perfect for each of the women I was sending cards to. 

I layered each with gold glitter and white papers and then attached them to a gold and white polka dot panel on top of the grey floral panel. Gotta figure out how to get better at photographing metallics. 

Girlfriend Gifts : Gold Foiled Herb Pots

I don't get together with friends that often, so when I do I like to bring a little something. I think as makers, it's in our nature. 

I had the opportunity to work with some goodies from Oriental Trading Company to make these little Herb Pots. 

OTC Supplies used for these: 

• Unfinished Square Flowerpots 
• Patterned Texture Paper Pack
• Dictionary Tags

Other Supplies: 

• Mona Lisa Brand Gold Foil Simple Leaf and Adhesive
• Misc Craft Paints
• Mod Podge 

I painted the unfinished pots with cream acrylic craft paint. Once dry, I added strips from the patterned paper pack as shown. 

Once the paper strips were dry, I applied the gold foil adhesive to the top and side edges.  The adhesive takes about 20-30 minutes to dry to a tacky state. Once there, I applied the gold leafing randomly. I wanted to match the pattern in the paper so I didn't want complete coverage. I even roughed it up in places. 

I wanted the Dictionary Tags to coordinate with the pots so I applied scraps of the paper I used on the pots along  gold glitter paper and stickers from my stash. 

Since I am not much of a gardener or green thumb ( unless it's green glitter!) I was thrilled to find these all in one herb kits at Target. I included two of these in the pots. 

I wrapped the completed pots with strips of tulle, and finished off with the tags.

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Mothers Day Cards in Pink and Gray

If I could have sent each of my bloggy mom friends a handmade card, I would have. Since I can’t, I’m sharing the ones I made for the moms in my non-bloggy life who have been shocked to see pink coming from me!

I am not known for being a pink person but for some reason I just felt like using pink.Maybe it was the washi tape I found? OK it was the pink washi tape!

I stamped on cream cardstock using a Hampton Arts rose stamp and black pigment ink then embossed with clear embossing ink. Some of the images I colored the area behind the rose with pink chalk ink. For others, I colored in the flower with colored pencil. Trimmed and layered with black and pink papers. I added a drop of pink liquid pearls to the center of each flower. I used  a combination of grey and silver floral papers, pink papers and embellishments including American Crafts glitter tape to finish the cards.

Wishing all the moms out there a very Happy Mother’s Day!

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BFF Open House Link Party #104: Come Share What You've Been Working On!

It's Friday Eve and once again time to party! Thanks so much to you all for making my blogiversary  week celebration so much fun. There will be one final giveaway starting on Saturday.

It's been a busy week around blogland. Lots of inspiring Mother's Day, Teacher Appreciation, Graduation, and Father's Day ideas popping up. 

Ales from anportraits shared this gorgeous kusudama ball made from origami flowers. She has a step by step tutorial to show you how to make these flowers. 

I am forever losing sunglasses or else breaking them because they're not in a case. Jeanie from create and babble has a stylish case makeover at a price that can't be beat. Embellish a case from the Dollar Store! 

While there are no babies anywhere near on my horizon, I adore this yellow and gray nursery shared by Andrea from Arch. The color scheme works for any room. 

Finally, if you're looking for a special dessert perfect for Mother's Day, Aimee from Twigg Studios shared this citrus cake complete with pineapple flowers! So pretty and I know...it's not chocolate ! 

OK on to this week's party! 

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Happy Mother's Day!

My PicMonkey addiction continues.  Wishing all of you creative and amazing  Moms a wonderful  Mother’s Day.

These are some pics I took at Seattle’s Pike Place Market last weekend, and played around with using PicMonkey this weekend. I’d give each of you a bouquet of these if I could! The first pic uses a paint filter to fill in the blank space while maintaining the photo. I added the butterflies and the text.

This one I converted to B&W, added film strip edges and a canvas like texture. 

This one I framed with a Polaroid effect and used a color shot option to make everything but the center black and white. 

And this one, I just cropped , framed with photo corners and added a color mat.

Have fun today whatever you do!

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Recollections "Fashionably Chic Mother's Day Cards

I’ve confessed my paper addiction before. It’s not getting any better. I wasn’t even looking for paper when I walked past the paper stack section at Michaels and Recollections “Fashionably Chic” jumped off the shelf at me. Practically attacked me. It did!

The cover doesn’t do it justice. It repeats the same series of patterns in several colors and within a color family, you can mix the patterns.

I  made several different cards because I always like to recognize the special women in my life on Mother’s Day.

For the first card, I glued the scrapbook paper to a piece of cardstock to give some body, and then cut out the flower, hit it with a spray of adhesive and glittered it.

I used another piece of the same floral paper and a piece with a coordinating damask print for base panel of the card . Used foam dots to adhere the glittered flowers to the card.

For this one, I used a different floral pattern and dotted the inside of the flowers with iridescent Stickles. For the focal flower, I used Tim Holtz Alterations Tattered Floral die and cut the flowers using my Cuttlebug.

I don’t like to waste pretty paper so I use scraps to make embellishments to use in cards and other projects. This double sided tape I got at my local stamp store and is by a company called Sookwang. You can also use this tape to make your own washi tape.

I also played with another color combination from the stack:

I'm telling you. Paper just jumped off the shelf at me. Really.

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