All Paper Arts

Getting Ready for Bikini Season?

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:34:22 +0000

Okay. I am no where near ready for bikini season. Even prior to having my newest baby girl it had been a while since I would wear a true bikini. But (no pun intended) if my butt looked this good I would be more than happy to wear a bikini. My friend Lori saw cards like these at splitcoaststampers.com and forwarded me the page. It seems that they were a card challenge with some catchy title of “Put Your Big Girl Panties On”. There is even a template you can download for free. I decided they needed some embellishments so that is why i have the “button” on them. The button is actually a fabric covered brad I found in the scrapbook section of the craft store. I put the brad through a transparent silk flower before adding it to the bikini. I thought they were so cute I made a leopard print one for my honey for Valentine’s Day. Actually, I thought they were so cute that I made them for this past Sunday’s card party. The one I made for my Valentine was a two sided card. On the front was the bikini bottoms on the back was the bikini top. I would download it but it seems it is still in his briefcase. So instead I’ll just show you this one. I got smart and stopped cutting the “lace” out of paper, instead I used wavy rickrack. Whether you call them bikini bottoms or thongs they are still just too cute. I love using a little heart stamp and stamping the bottom right cheek with a “tattoo”. By the way if you want to be a little bit more demure you can make Granny Panties or bloomers instead. Just make the panty legs a little lower.

all paper arts, card making, rickrack, scrapbooking, splitcoaststampers.com

Unusual Invitations

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 19:32:56 +0000

Look what I found while I was actually working on one of my goals. That would be the goal to get my craft area organized. Okay, the craft room is not organized….yet. However, I must have dug a little bit in the abyss that is the paper arts area. How else would I have found this cute little invite that is from my now 7 1/2 year olds 5th birthday party?

Once you pull the smiley face out pops the flower with the tag and the flower pot. This let the guests know that it was a garden theme party. On the other side of the tag I had written that the kids would be planting flowers. The parents appreciated this because they knew not to let their kiddos get dressed up.

At the beginning of the party the children decorated their own little flower pots then after the pots were dry they planted flowers in the pots and took them home as favors. Instead of cake and ice cream I made a dirt cake and had it in a beach pail. It was a great little party.

dirt cake, handmade party invitations, card making, scrapbooking, all paper arts, childrens birthday parties

Happy New Year

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 16:55:11 +0000

! Happy New Year! I am not one for making resolutions. To be honest I don’t really keep them. It’s not that I don’t keep them as I just tend to forget about them. Instead I try to make a few goals to complete. So here are a few of mine for the year.
1. Start posting on this blog daily again. I have let down everybody by not doing so.
2. Get my craft room organized again and keep it that way.
3. Actually put stuff on my personal website so people can buy some of my stuff or contract my services.
4. Start a book for not only the baby but for my 6 year old. Somehow I never managed to buy her a baby book. I am pretty sure it was because I was going to scrapbook and paper arts one for her.
5. Go back for another semester of college. This one is pretty easy; I have already registered and paid.
6. Get all my thank yous out. The ones for baby gifts, people who brought dinners, my kids thank yous for Christmas presents, and so on. Don’t worry my children will be making their own thank yous. So I should actually say getting the thank yous in the mail.

There is much more I could write down. Like now that I am smaller than I was before I was pregnant to work at getting toned. Or to finally figure out how to keep my house in order and stay that way. Instead I will leave it at a short list. I am sure you have your own list going through your head.

She is Here!

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 04:13:48 +0000

So here is my number one reason for not posting in awhile. Isn’t she beautiful? Another great reason to scrapbook. She arrived last Friday. What a good baby she is. Although she was due on Thursday she let her mommy get through finals first. Little did I know on Friday morning when I was beyond sick that I was in labor. The nurse on call told me there was a virus going around and that I would only feel worst. Luckily, there were plenty of wonderful moms at my daughter’s school that realized it was more then a virus. I have already thought of dozen of things I want to make and post. Needless to say I have some great inspiration. Oh and by the way if you are wondering I passed all my exams and all my classes with A’s and B’s not bad for someone who hasn’t gone to college in over 15 years.

Are You Still There?

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 00:23:36 +0000

Wow! Here it is December 6th and I have not made a post in awhile. Sorry, friends I have not forgotten you. However, I have forgotten my manners and my brains. I have had so many things I have wanted to do. So many projects I have wanted to show. So may ideas I wanted to share. Fear not I plan on getting my stuff together again. So no baby yet. Let’s hope she keeps holding out. If you remember my due date is the same day as my last final exam, December 13th. We all think I am going to make it (crossing my fingers). Then after that I will be ready, well as ready as I can be. Until I can get to some serious blogging done I am going to post some handmade holiday cards.

Here is the first. I made this Victorian inspired card for a Christmas Card Swap Party last month. I made several of this style but with different background papers. This one was not my favorite I think it is too plain. This is probably why I ended up making about 5 other versions that I will be posting the next few days. The Santa is actually embossed. I used a white pigment ink pad and then used a cranberry embossing powder. Also the green paper was a plain hunter green but I used a green glitter spray to make it sparkle.

Victorian Christmas, scrapbooking, handmade cards, card making, rubber stamping, embossing powder, all paper arts

Everyone Loves Handmade Cards

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:38:46 +0000

I always forget how much people appreciate getting something you have made with your own hands. These little hats are no exceptions. Neither are handmade cards. All of the thank you cards I send are lovingly handmade cards. I think people appreciate them as much as I appreciate their gifts. Or at least it seems that way. So next weekend I am going to one of my card party friends house and we are going to make holiday cards. There will be six or seven of us there. Each of us will make 4 cards of each person’s samples. It is very similar to our normal card parties only we are making more cards and we have less people. The goal is to have 28 handmade holiday cards to send out, pass out, or even give as gifts. So somewhere in between doing research and writing my third composition paper I have to figure out what kind of card I am going to design.

I had this big plan that this year I was going to make a lot of holiday gifts. Yeah, I am thinking that might be a big ambition. I still got to go get shopping done sometime before the little one arrives so I don’t have to drag a newborn out to the Christmas shopping crowds. If you are looking for ideas for handmade gifts check out Creative Mom Café. She has really been posting some great ideas.

scrapbooking, cardmaking, creative mom cafe, handmade Christmas cards, handmade thank you cards, all paper arts

No Time For Paper?

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:28:38 +0000

Okay, I’ll admit these past few weeks the only paper I have had time for has had to do with school. Sometimes I wonder what was I thinking going back to school at 30 something years old. Then finding out I was expecting my fourth little one on top of that. Needless to say it has had some overwhelming moments. Not to mention the lack of having time to work on my paper arts. This is sad because my paper arts are my release. However, I have been working on some crafts. On the days I get home from taking my kids to school, going to school myself, picking up the girls from school, and the taking them to choir practice my legs have really had it. I don’t even mind sitting on the couch while my husband watches all of his outdoor shows. As long as it means I can put my feet up and if I can stay awake then I will work on some knitting, using my knifty knitter. I have tons of little baby hats. I have gotten really quick at knitting those up. No, they aren’t all for our baby. Most of them have been for people I have known who have had babies.

I love my knifty knitter. We have three sets here at home and are about to get two of the long loom sets. The girls love them, too. I wish I had the patience and was talented enough to knit and crochet on my own. My grandmother taught me once how to do granny squares but I completely forget. I also took a little class on how to knit but I just don’t seem to be able to get the hang of it. Plus my hands get so cramped up. Yes, I know it is because I am doing it to tight but I’ll just stick with easy projects and the knifty knitter. If you are looking for tips for “real” knitting check out Knitting Passion.

scrapbooking, card making, knifty knitter, provo craft, knitting passion, all paper arts

Cleaning Up or Thinking Ahead?

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:41:03 +0000

So, I am trying to get an area in my bedroom ready to set up our pack-n-play for the baby, once she arrives, to sleep in the first few months. I was really hoping for a bassinet this time around or even a new model pack-n-play but since we still have one from when the girls were little, I really can’t justify buying a new one. The area right now is full of some of my business stuff. Mainly a product I had been a distributor for but there are a few craft fair items mixed in.
I know…I know…it isn’t even Halloween yet why am I posting something for Christmas? Well, it is never to early to start working on something you might want to make a lot of. These are little Reindeer Dust packages I sold at a craft fair last Christmas. I had many people buy them for their children’s classmates. These are really simple. The contents are dry oatmeal, colored sugar, and glitter. Pretty easy huh? This year I am not sure what I will be making for the craft fair. Between my school and the girls school, my homework and the girls homework, the girls golf and choir, and preparing for a baby I don’t have a lot of time. Just ask my husband who keeps wondering when I am going to get things done around the house.

I am not the only one thinking about Christmas right now. Just check out Jummy’s post today.www.gettingcrafty.com

reindeer dust, scrapbooking, card making, all paper arts

Wedding Gift

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 19:08:09 +0000

My friend asked me to make a card for her. She has a friend who has remarried and she wanted to get her something. She thought she’d get her something like gift cards to the movies and dinner. So she asked me to make something to put them in. Here is what I came up with. Unfortunately, the cream paper has sheen to it so scanning or taking a picture doesn’t give it justice. Basically the concept is a card within a card. The smallest card is folded to have two pockets for gift cards. That goes inside of a cream card that then goes in to the large envelope.

Does this card make you think of weddings? Are you planning or know someone who is planning a wedding? check out the wedding tactics site. It is full of ideas for that special day.

card making, handmade wedding cards, scrapbooking, all paper arts

Another Stressed Pumpkin

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 17:04:23 +0000

Here is another distressed pumpkin. This one without the jack a lantern face. Imagine a little group of these all different sizes as a center piece. How much more fun if everyone in the family made one. Then you are sure to have a unique pumpkin patch. A great rainy day project. Of course that is if you are anywhere that is getting any rain. Here it is just hot and humid. So it is more of a too hot to play outside day project. I can’t believe it is October and we are still walking around in tank tops and shorts trying to stay cool. At least I can make all these paper arts for fall and pretend it is nice outside. As a matter of fact I think I might go make some homemade applesauce. The smell of simmering apples, cinnamon, and spices should help. After I finish the apple sauce maybe I will use the recipe Jackie posted for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Mmmm…that sounds good. Since the girls are at home today for a school holiday it might be worth checking out kids dish.

pumpkins, rubber stamping, paper bag crafts, all paper arts, kids dish, pumpkin recipes