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CARDS Magazine March 2012 – Easter Card

April 6, 2012 8:00 am , 2 Comments , paperislove

Hey there! We've made it to Friday once again! Nothing could make me happier. I had a little bit of a rough day at work and followed it up with a rough 4-mile run after the rough day – lots of roughness. And it made me realize that a day can be as perfectly mundane and uneventful as any other, and your running route can be the same old 4 mile loop you've been running on for weeks now and yet some days it's just going to be harder to get through. And that's okay. I didn't let it consume me and I didn't dwell on it. I'm just glad it's over, so I can get to some nice, un-rough days ahead. 🙂

With Easter approaching this weekend, I've got a cheerful and springy Easter card to share. I had this one published in the March 2012 issue of CARDS magazine:

Definitely head on over to the Northridge Publishing site and grab the digital copy of the March 2012 issue for only $6.95! Their photography never ceases to amaze me and really lets you see the projects up close and personal.

I kept this card pretty simple with some BasicGrey stickers, October Afternoon gingham paper and Papertrey Ink stamp, buttons and ribbon. But you can get the full supply list and instructions in the issue.

If you celebrate Easter, I wish you a very very happy one!

Posted in: Uncategorized , Tagged: basicgrey, buttons, card maker magazine, cardmaking magazine, cards 2012, cards magazine, cards magazine march 2012, cards march issue, craft magazine, easter card, easter lily card, kalyn kepner, lily card, march 2012 issue, northridge publishing, october afternoon, paper, paper is love, paperislove, papertrey ink, ribbon, stamp, stamps

Girly Make a Wish Card

March 26, 2012 8:00 am , 4 Comments , paperislove

Hey there! So apparently it's Monday again and I have no idea where last weekend went. I had one of those "what did I DO all day?" kind of weekends. The answer, when looking back is that I did a little crafting, a fair amount of running (in the rain and on a trail – two firsts for me!) and read quite a bit. So, all in all it was great; it just went by far too quickly.

Anyhoo, today's project is a girly birthday card using lots of papers from My Mind's Eye's "Alphabet Soup" collection (one of my favorites).

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper

Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye

Ticket: Jenni Bowlin

Stamp: Papertrey Ink

Chipboard/die cut flowers: My Mind's Eye

Mixing patterns is one of my favorite ways to create interest and texture on a project. I love finding just the right color scheme or pattern size to fit when I'm looking for. For this card, it was pretty easy because this paper collection all coordinates and looks great together no matter which patterns you choose to mix.

That's it for today! Here's hoping the week goes by just as quickly as the weekend did! 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by!

Posted in: Uncategorized , Tagged: alphabet soup collection, birthday card, buttons, cardstock, chipboard, die cuts, girly birthday card, greeting card, handmade card, jenni bowlin, make a wish card, mixing patterns, mixing prints, my mind's eye, patterned paper, stamps, ticket

Berry Sweet Friend Card

February 10, 2012 8:30 am , 7 Comments , paperislove

Hey there and Happy Friday! I've actually thought it was Friday since Tuesday of this week, so I'm quite ready for it to actually be Friday. I'll be celebrating 3 of my friends' birthdays this Saturday out and about in our local city, so that will be a great way to unwind. Plus, I have some serious plans to get my craft room organized and make some projects!

Today I'm sharing a card I made a little while ago that features a handmade embellishment. I cut this little strawberry out of felt and stitched tiny beads to make seeds.

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper

Font: Dafont.com

Buttons: Papertrey Ink

If I were to do it again, I bet I could have hot glued those beads on rather than stitch them. But hot glue can be tempermental (especially on felt), so I took the safe (but time consuming) route and went with stitching. I also created the sentiment in Adobe Photoshop using the "Lauren Script" font from Dafont.com.

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? Or just some nice relaxation time? I hope you have a great one and I'll see you back here on Monday! Thanks for stopping by.

Posted in: Uncategorized , Tagged: bazzill basics paper, berry sweet friend card, buttons, cardstock, friendship card, handmade embellishment, handmade friend card, handmade friendship card, papertrey ink buttons, strawberry embellishment, sweet friend card

Happy Harvest Card

November 16, 2011 8:00 am , 3 Comments , paperislove

Hi there! It's been a blur of a week so far already. I swear it's not Wednesday, but the calendar says it is, so I'll go with it. Yesterday brought some great news – I was a Trigger Target on the Moxie Fab World! A total surprise until I got e-mails from sweet crafty friends! So, thanks Moxie Fab World and to everyone who said something sweet on that post. It made my day! And congrats to the other Trigger Targets!

Today, I'm sharing a fall harvest card that I made using one of my favorite Hambly Screen Prints vellum sheets and a few leaves that I actually bought for my Halloween costume last year!

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper

Patterned paper: Kaisercraft, Hambly Screen Prints

Ribbon, buttons: Papertrey Ink

Lace: JoAnn's

Well that's it for today! I'm really in the Thanksgiving spirit lately (still clinging onto Fall here!), so if you see a few more fall-themed projects than usual that's why. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you back here on Friday!

Posted in: Uncategorized , Tagged: buttons, cardstock, hambly screen prints, handmade card, handmade thanksgiving card, happy harvest card, kaisercraft, leaves card, papertrey ink, patterned paper, ribbon, thanksgiving card

Pastel Love Card

September 14, 2011 8:00 am , 4 Comments , paperislove

Hi friends! I hope this middle of the week finds you well. I'm busy getting ready for a 9-day trip to Spain this coming Saturday – lots of odds and ends to get in place before we fly out. I'm so excited! Speaking of excited, if you saw the results of Monday night's US Open, my favorite, Novak Djokovic won! I was so incredibly happy for him (and not at all surprised that he won). So, to show my love for Djokovic, how about a love-themed card? 🙂

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper

Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye, Cosmo Cricket

Clear stamps: Studio G, Papertrey Ink

Buttons: Papertrey Ink

I stamped the "love" 3 times in a row on the polka dot paper then trimmed the ends with small scalloped scissors to give the ticket effect. I'm a big fan of using tickets as elements on just about everything lately, so I love using this stamp.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a great rest of the week!

Posted in: Uncategorized , Tagged: buttons, cosmo cricket paper, greeting card, handmade card, handmade greeting card, handmade love card, handmade valentine, i love you card, love card, my mind's eye paper, papertrey ink stamps, pastel card, studio g stamp, ticket strip, tickets, valentine

Cards, Videos, Earthquakes – Oh My!

August 24, 2011 8:00 am , 5 Comments , paperislove

Hi there! Did any of you feel the earthquake yesterday? I live on the East Coast and I've never experienced one before, so it was definitely an unusual day. I was actually starting to get prettttty sleepy at my desk at work when I felt an odd vibration ("hmm maybe my cubicle neighbor is tapping her leg annoyingly" my sleepy self thought). Then it got faster and quake-ier and all of the filing cabinets started rattling. Then we knew something was up. A bunch of us left our cubicles and tried to figure out what was going on – wind, a train, an accident in our warehouse…we didn't know. Earthquake was definitely not first on the list, but sure enough the earth shook us yesterday afternoon. I'm so glad that it wasn't anything destructive or too scary – it was just enough to be a little freaky. It really made me realize how unusual and scary even the idea of an earthquake can be. I mean, with all of the inconsistent, unexpected events that happen in our lives, we pretty much rely on the ground to stay put. So learning today that even the earth can move beneath our feet was a pretty humbling lesson. Sorry to go off on a huge tangent there. But, please indulge me for a minute more (or skip below to the crafty business). A few funny earthquake stories: My poor Dad had to get a root canal yesterday. I briefly thought to myself, "I hope he was out of the dentist when the quake happened." Nope. He was in the dentist's chair getting drilled when the earthquake hit. I'd say of all the safe places you could be during an earthquake, a dentist's chair would be one of the worst. I asked my 87-year-old Grandma if she felt it and she said, "You know, I had no idea what it was. I thought there was a freakin' animal underneath my couch!" Oh Grandma. She then turned on the news, found out it was an earthquake and called her other 80-year-old neighbor to see if she felt it. Her neighbor said, "Thank you for telling me! I took a new medication today and thought I was having a seizure!" Like I said, we are not used to having earthquakes here. I'm just glad everyone is all right. :)

Now how about a card? I made this one for my Guest Designer spot at Layers of Color. You can check out their post from yesterday here.

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper

Clear stamps: Layers of Color

Buttons: Papertrey Ink

Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye

In other news, I had a card featured on the CARDS Magazine video channel for a card I have in the August issue! Take a look at their video here. I was and still am so excited about it. Although I think my little Bon Voyage card is going to be quite the diva when she arrives back home. She's probably going to want her own dressing room now that she's used to the star treatment. Sheesh. 🙂

Thanks so much for stopping by! See you on Friday!

Posted in: Uncategorized , Tagged: acrylic stamps, beloved card, butterfly card, buttons, cards magazine august 2011, cards magazine video, clear stamps, earthquake 2011, earthquakes, guest designer, handmade card, layers of color, layers of color stamps, northridge publishing video, paper crafting, patterned paper, stamped card, stamping

Fun & Funky Congrats Card

July 29, 2011 8:00 am , 2 Comments , paperislove

Hi friends! Yay for Friday! This week flew by – maybe because I had a fabulous birthday smack dab in the middle of it. 🙂 A huge thank you to everyone who made my day so sweet and for your lovely comments on my last blog post. Each one really makes me smile and I just feel so lucky to have such good blog friends. 🙂 So, thanks!

Today I'm sharing another congrats card (I know there have been a lot of them lately, but it seems to be an occasion I create for quite a bit). I really enjoyed making this one because I used two of my favorite products on it – American Crafts Thickers (hello – who doesn't love these?) and some really colorful ribbon from Hobby Lobby. Throw in a little turquoise and buttons for good measure and I'm a happy crafter.

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics, American Crafts

Patterned paper (green): American Crafts

Thickers: American Crafts

Ribbon: Hobby Lobby

Buttons: Papertrey Ink

Twine: The Twinery

Edge punch: Fiskars

I think this card could be great for a teenager's graduation or just for a cheerful friend who made it through another work week! Hehe

Design-wise, I kept this card simple since I knew I wanted the focal points to be the patterned ribbon and the sentiment. I decided to round the bottom right corner to add a bit of Flair and draw the eye down toward the scalloped border and the button cluster. Single rounded corners used to really annoy me, but lately I've taken quite a liking to them. I think they can add a playfulness to a design or create an asymmetrical look when you need to off-center your design. Plus, they're just fun. Why not round a corner here and there? Go wild. 🙂

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fantastic weekend! I'm going to be playing with my new DSLR! I'm finally graduating to a big-girl camera. 🙂

Posted in: Uncategorized , Tagged: american crafts, bazzill, buttons, colorful card, congrats card, congratulations card, greeting card, handmade congrats card, handmade congratulations card, handmade greeting card, homemade card, papertrey ink, ribbon, rounding corners, stickers, The Twinery, thickers, twine

Peek of the Week 7/27/11 – Hip Hip Hooray Card

July 27, 2011 8:00 am , 5 Comments , paperislove

Hi friends! I'm really excited to be posting today because it's actually my birthday! Yay! Sure, it's just another day and it's the middle of the week and I have to work, but I'm going to keep getting excited about my birthday for as long as I can. For me, it's not just another day, but the start to another chapter of my story. It's also the last time I'll be in my "early twenties" so I'm soaking it up. 🙂 And to top it all off, I'm lucky enough to have some fabulous friends who I'll be dining with tonight.

I'm also blessed to have a super sweet friend who shares my birthday, so a huge Happy Birthday to Rachel (who is also a brand-new mommy this week)! So, since today is going to be a day of celebration for me, I'm sharing one of my recent favorite celebration cards.

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper

Patterned paper, die cut: My Mind's Eye

Clear stamp, ribbon, buttons: Papertrey Ink

Tab die: QuicKutz

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today and for taking part in my little birthday celebration. My blog has been a huge source of joy for me this year and I feel like it's really grown – and it's because of you, my crafty friends. So thank you!

I'm really excited for where this next year of my life is going and I can't wait to share more about what's ahead for me. I'm definitely taking some inspiration from one of my crafting idols, Kelly Purkey and making a "24 before 25" list and creating a layout to document it. I can't wait! 23, I'll miss you, but I think 24 and I are going to have a lot of fun.

Posted in: Uncategorized , Tagged: birthday, birthday card, buttons, card making, cardmaking, celebration card, congrats card, congratulations card, handmade card, hip hip hooary card, homemade card, kelly purkey, my mind's eye, paper crafting, paper crafts, papertrey ink, ribbon, scrapbooking, stamp

CARDS Magazine June 2011

July 25, 2011 8:00 am , 2 Comments , paperislove

Hi there! I hope your weekend was fun and not too hot (it was a bit sticky and uncomfortable here on the East Coast). Even though it's been kind of unbearable outside the last few days, I'll still take this over winter any day. If only I could bottle up summer and save it for February.

Anyhoo, enough about the weather. I'm excited to share two cards with you today – both from the June 2011 issue of CARDS Magazine. One thing that I always love about seeing my work in CARDS is the stunning photography. Sometimes (a lot of times), when I'm photographing a project, I just can't get the photo to do it justice and translate the textures or saturation correctly. So when I get to page through CARDS magazine, I'm awe-struck at how they make the work look as if it's sitting right in front of you – it's amazing, really. So, definitely check out this issue if you can see it in person.

And here's what I had in this issue:

This card was in the July 4th section. I made the star embellishment from two felt pieces stitched together and then added a cardstock die cut and threaded button to the center. DIY embellishments are so much fun because you can truly customize them to create something no one's ever seen before.

For this card, I did something unusual (for me) and didn't include a sentiment. For some reason I just wanted to create a piece that really embodied the look and feel of the beach and I focused more on creating textures than creating a project with a specific occasion in mind. While I'm still a sentiment-lover at heart, every now and then it's fun to make a card without feeling obligated to put a label on your little creation. :)

You can find CARDS magazine at your local bookstore or craft store or order your own copy online (or download the digital version!) here.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a great week! I'll be back on Wednesday (which also happens to be my birthday – whoo hoo!).

Posted in: Uncategorized , Tagged: 4th of july, 4th of july card, beach card, buttons, card maker, card making, cardmaking, cards june, CARDS June 2011, cards mag, cards magazine, CARDS Magazine June 2011, felt, fourth of july, greeting card, handmade card, handmade embellishments, homemade beach card, homemade card, july 4th, july fourth card, paper crafted card, paper crafting, seashell card, stars, summer card

Scrapbook Trends June 2011 – Dad Card

July 8, 2011 8:00 am , 2 Comments , paperislove

Hi friends! Happy, happy Friday to you! I'm looking forward to enjoying some more serious sleep this weekend and getting myself healthy again. I think I had forgotten what 8 hours of sleep felt like – it's pretty magnificent.

Today, I thought I'd share a card I recently had published in the June 2011 issue of Scrapbook Trends (one of the sister publications to CARDS magazine). It was in the Father's Day Cards section, but with this sentiment, you could really use it for a Dad's birthday or just to say "I love you."

I used lots of Cosmo Cricket goodies on this card – the chipboard foxes, and green patterned paper are from the Togetherness line. The letter stickers are also Cosmo Cricket and the woodgrain stamp is from All Night Media. 🙂 You can find the full supply list and instructions on page 80 of the June issue.

I just adore Cosmo Cricket and the chipboard elements really inspired me. I also love anything woodgrain, so this background stamp is one of my faves. It's a large rubber stamp, so I usually ink it up, then place the paper over top and use a brayer to apply the ink. If it doesn't stamp perfectly, I use colored pencils to fill in. Colored pencils are definitely my secret stamping tool. No one stamps perfectly every time, let's be real.

Do you have a favorite non-traditional (or secret) tool that you use when paper crafting? I'd love to hear it (of course, if you're willing to spill it in a comment). Thanks so much for stopping by and have a fabulous, crafty weekend!