This listing is for 16 6″x6″ sheets of decorative, double-sided, papers in bold, eclectic, distressed and/or aged looking colors and patterns. There are 6 unique designs included in the set, including a polka-dot pattern on one side and another pattern on the other.

The papers are hand-cut, so some slight variations in size may occur, but I am careful to be as precise as possible. The papers you receive may vary slightly from the detail images shown. Please remember that due to differences in computer monitors, the colors may look somewhat different in person.

These papers are acid and lignin free – perfect for scrapbooking and paper crafts of all kinds! All items in my store come to you from a clean, smoke-free, pet-free home. They will be packaged in a bubble mailer with a cardboard insert to reduce bending.

These papers are fun and sassy, they’re sure to add loads of character to your crafty endeavors!

Please convo me with any questions, I’m here to help .

This listing is for 18 6″x6″ sheets of decorative, one-sided, papers in soft, distressed or aged looking colors and patterns. There are 6 unique designs included in the set, with elements ranging from musical notes and handwriting to botanical patterns.

The papers are hand-cut, so some slight variations in size may occur, but I am careful to be as precise as possible. The papers you receive may vary slightly from the detail images shown. Please remember that due to differences in computer monitors, the colors may look somewhat different in person.

These papers are acid and lignin free – perfect for scrapbooking and paper crafts of all kinds! All items in my store come to you from a clean, smoke-free, pet-free home. They will be packaged in a bubble mailer with a cardboard insert to reduce bending.

These papers are truly lovely, and will add a sweet, romantic feel to any project!

Please contact me with any questions, I’m here to help .

This listing is for 24 4″x6″, single-sided sheets of decorative papers in muted and neutral colors. There is a mix of several unique designs included in the set, some repeating. The papers are hand-cut, so some slight variations in size may occur, but I am careful to be as precise as possible. Please remember that due to differences in computer monitors, the colors may look somewhat different in person.

These papers are acid and lignin free – perfect for scrapbooking and paper crafts of all kinds! All items in my store come to you from a clean, smoke-free, pet-free home. They will be packaged in a bubble mailer with a cardboard insert to reduce bending.

This set has a nice mix of blues and greens, plus brown and muted pastels on the botanical postcard images. In addition to the floral theme, you will see plenty of quotes and words throughout this set.

Please contact me with any questions, I’m here to help .

This listing is for 15 6″x6″ sheets of decorative, one-sided, “Old-Time” style papers in neutral colors. There are 9 unique designs included in the set, some repeating. The papers you receive may vary slightly from the detail images shown. Please remember that due to differences in computer monitors, the colors may look somewhat different in person.

These papers are acid and lignin free – perfect for scrapbooking and paper crafts of all kinds!  All items in my store come to you from a clean, smoke-free, pet-free home. They will be packaged in a bubble mailer with a cardboard insert to reduce bending.

These papers have lots of character: old handwriting, ledger sheets, stamps, buttons, quotes and antique ads, adding a time-worn feel to all types of paper crafts!

Please contact me with any questions, I’m here to help .

This listing is for eight (8) 6″x6″ sheets of decorative, textured paper with a soft, velvety, raised flocked design. There are four (4) unique designs included in the set. The papers you receive may vary slightly from the detail images shown. The papers are hand-cut, so some slight variations in size may occur, but I am careful to be as precise as possible. Please remember that due to differences in computer  monitors, the colors may look somewhat different in person.

All items in my store come to you from a clean, smoke-free, pet-free home. They will be packaged in a bubble mailer with a cardboard insert to reduce bending.

These papers are so pretty – I know you will love them as much as I do! They will be perfect for adding an elegant touch to your extra special projects .

Please contact me with any questions, I’m here to help .

This listing is for eight (8) 4″x6″, single-sided sheets of decorative, textured paper with a soft, velvety, raised flocked design. There are four (4) unique designs included in the set. The papers you receive may vary slightly from the detail images shown. The papers are hand-cut, so some slight variations in size may occur, but I am careful to be as precise as possible. Please remember that due to differences in computer monitors, the colors may look somewhat different in person.

These papers come to you from a clean, smoke-free, pet-free home. They will be packaged in a bubble mailer with a cardboard insert to reduce bending.

These papers are so pretty – I know you will love them as much as I do! They will be perfect for adding an elegant touch to your extra special projects .

Please contact me with any questions, I’m here to help .

These are easy to make yourself! See the product list below and if you aren’t feeling adventerous you can purchase them over on Scarlet Design’s website at $15.00 for a set of 12!

Whimsy Cupcake Sticks

Crumb Cake Paper 8 1/2″ x 11″
Crumb Cake Classic Ink
Chocolate Chip Classic Ink
Sweetly Said Stamp Set
Fine Flourish Stamp Set
Beau Chateau Designer Paper
Lots of Tags Sizzlits Die Set
Pink Pirouette 3/8″ Taffeta Ribbon
Big Shot

Lollipop sticks are from Wilton and are available in 4″ or 6″ lengths.

I felt like I hit the mother lode of quick and inexpensive decor when I decided to make a paper garland for our ceremony trees.

dots 'n dots 'n dots 'n dots

All it took was about 13 sheets of fancy paper (which were in an inexpensive by-the-pound mixed ream), a craft punch (that I borrowed from my mother), a sewing machine and in a couple of hours I was able to churn out about 90 feet of garland.

However, for those of you that don’t have the time or the desire, this lovely lady makes them so you don’t have to!

It’s a striking, eco-luxe, wrapping paper. With whimsical names like Eon, Em and Poliwog, the attention to detail is carried throughout the entire design of the products. The creator, Elissa Brown Barbieri, is influenced by nature and architecture resulting in intricate, hand-drawn patterns and paintings with a subtle palette and lush sensibility. You can see true evidence of the hand in her abstract designs.

Her paper even inspired my recent line of handmade notebooks for my Book Meat shop on Etsy. Loop’s designs are clean, detailed and unique; a real find amongst decorative papers.

For some strange reason, I love making Halloween themed cards. I suppose it’s not even really a very “carded” holiday. But there’s something about the whole oranges, blacks, greens, purples, etc. that fascinate me. The witches, ghosts and goblins call out to that five year-old boy that still lives somewhere inside my cluttered mind.

Today’s card uses a great background paper from Teresa Collin’s “Haunted Hallows” designer paper collection. (Notice the subversive skulls that are hidden among the classic damask pattern. I also used Papertrey Ink’s “Friendship Jar” and “Friendship Jar Fall Fillers” acrylic stamps (and the corresponding steel dies) to create the artwork on the card front. I used my Stampin’ Write markers to handcolor the artwork. The “Trick or Treatment” sentiment and the inside journaling block is paper from Echo Park’s “Apothecary Emporium” collection”. The skull stamp on the inside is from the Stampin’ Up! set “Spooky Bingo Bits”. I also used four caviar Kaiser Craft Sparklets stones to highlight the punched corners of the card mat.

Even though I am SO over the heat, humidity and weather identity crisis (and ultra-ready for Fall and beyond)–there is something about a great flower that always reminds you of the good things that come from Summer. The front of this card has a great flower (if I may be so bold as to say to).

The flower on this “get well” themed card was created with one Papertrey Ink’s fantastic steel dies. I have many of the dies they have created and this one, “Bloom Builders #3″ (released in the August 2011 collection) is one of my very favorites. The die cuts five layers of petals in one pass through a standard die-cutting machine. Three layers will have the centers removed (to avoid the build-up of paper bulk in the center of a flower) and two will have solid centers. I used Papertrey Ink’s cardstock in “Spring Moss” and cut the five layers twice–for a total of ten layers to create the flower.

As you layer the same size flower to one another, simply rotate the petals to create the maximum effect of as many petals showing as possible. I used a Zig two-way glue pen to adhere my layers together. To add a bit of pop to the flower (and card), I used a Kaiser Craft Sparklets stone (love these!).

For the card base, I used some mica cardstock in an A2 size. The mat is a 4″ x 5″ piece of Papertrey Ink Stamper’s Select White cardstock. I used the Martha Stewart French Scoll corner punch on two corners of the mat. The vine image was stamped twice in reverse directions. It is from a Kaiser Craft clear acrylic stamp set called “Blae & Ivy”. I stamped the image using Tsukineko Brilliance pigment ink in Pearlescent Thyme. The paper for the inside journaling block is from Webster’s Pages.

Well, I hope wherever this crazy weather finds you that you and yours are safe and sound. Be watching for a Giveaway coming up very soon…

Stock up this month with a special offer – buy three and get one free on all Stampin’ Up! Designer Series Paper.  Each package includes 12 sheets (2 each of 6 different designs) and are double-sided with beautiful patterns!  To see more designs check our website!

Sometimes I fall into a bit of a trap. There are so many beautiful background papers out there (and in my collection), that it gets a bit easy to fall upon a wonderful printed paper for a mat to a card. Now, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with using papers from your favorite collections and/or lines. I certainly love doing it. But sometimes, I forget that I can “make” my own backgrounds by repeating a stamped image.

I’ve previously stated that I love geometric patterns and intricate scroll work. There is something about the Art Deco period that tugs at my soul. Whether it’s jewelry, home furnishings or artwork–there’s something about a repeating pattern that speaks to me. This repeating pattern motif is why I think I drawn mosaics and tile work so much.

This card was inspired by one of the stamps in Papertrey Ink’s “Giga Guidelines” acrylic stamp set. Using the perfectly co-ordinated Guide Lines II grid sheet cardstock, I stamped the image repeatedly in Memento Rich Cocoa ink. After letting the ink dry, I went back in using another stamp–from Papertrey Ink’s “Dot Spot” medallion set–and their Vintage Cream pigment ink to stamp over the centers of each element. I really like the effect achieved by stamping the pigment ink over the Tsukineko ink. It’s not glaring, but creates a semi-gloss look as you move the card around a light source.

The card base was made from some Stampin’ Up! cardstock in Early Espresso. The ribbon with stitched detail is also Stampin’ Up! (in Chocolate Chip). The sentiment was made from a Maya Road Kraft tag and another Papertrey Ink stamp. For the final touch on the cardfront, I used a vintage Velvet Poppy from Creative Charms in a Vintage Brown color. The flower attaches with a pearl center brad, so I used a paper piercer to secure the brad through both the ribbon detail and the card mat.

Because the cardbase cardstock is so dark, I needed to added a place for a note inside. I used a blank library card and Papertrey Ink’s Vintage Touch tea dye to distress the card and stamped a little floral element in the corner.

Today’s card project is a hybrid of some artwork created with my Cricut Imagine and a newly acquired Martha Stewart Punch-Around-The-Page Combo Punch called Ribbon Loop.

Using my Cricut Imagine and the “Lori’s Garden” art cartridge, I cut this kaleidoscope inspired layered image (pg. 18 of the handbook) at 4″. The image consists of five separate layers that I printed and cut on Bazzill textured white cardstock. I used Stampin’ Dimensionals to attach each layer to provide a bit of depth and visual interest to the dimensional effect. The card base is a piece of Stardream So Silk! mica cardstock in Shocking Green. The mat is a 5″ x 5″ piece of Memory Box decorative paper from the “Minuet” collection. I then used the Martha Stewart punch set on the edges. There was a similar Martha Stewart edge punch that did a loop look; However, I really like the offset look of this PATP set.

For the inside journaling block, I used a piece of Fancy Pants decorative paper and cut a zig-zag edging to three sides. The final addition was an acrylic and pearl button from Webster’s Pages to accentuate the center of the kaleidoscope pattern. I purposely left off any type of sentiment, as I thought this would make a nice general purpose/stationery type card.

Today’s card was born out of a strip of punched paper. I’d been chomping at the bit to try a Stampin’ Up! punch that makes its debut in the new 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog. It’s called the “Large Lace Ribbon Border Punch” (#122362, $ 19.95). It’s a very versatile design that can be incorporated into your crafting projects in very different ways. In this particular case, I chose to use it as an alternative to ribbon on the card front and as a decorative element in the inside of the card.

The card base is done in Papertrey Ink’s “Hibiscus Burst” cardstock. The decorative paper is a piece of Stampin’ Up! Designer Series Paper that is now unfortunately retired. The focal floral piece is from a retired Stampin’ Up! set called “Stitched Exotics” and is attached with Stampin’ Dimensionals. The greeting stamp is from Pink Paislee’s “Butterfly Garden” collection.

Continuing with the comic book/collage theme, this card features a sentiment made with my Cricut Imagine and the new Cricut Projects cartridge called “Word Collage”. This cartridge is a really wonderful addition to the collection and spotlights the growing trend of “subway art” in crafting. While many will find this cartridge perfect for vinyl and home decor projects, Imagine users will find this one especially intriguing using the “print only” feature of the Cricut Imagine.

This sentiment (“POW!”) is part of a panel featuring comic book related sound effects. I simply printed it to the size I wanted and then cut it out with scissors. It seemed to be the perfect match for the romance collage background. I also like the play on the fact that love sneaks up on you…and “POW!”. My recommendation is to definitely add “Word Collage” to your wish list (if you haven’t already added it to your exploding collection).

I just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very Happy & Safe Fourth of July! Happy Birthday Ms. Liberty…

Should I call this a bumble bee or a sunflower Lotus Flower?

It’s officially summer and I thought I should highlight a Lotus Flower that calls out Summer loud and clear. Bright, cheery and yellow, it makes me think of either a bumble bee or a sunflower.

This Lotus Flower is made of a very soft paper that reminds me of a batik. I have made this in yellow and black with yellow leaves as shown above and in green and black with green leaves. Both are striking. It is so much fun to try out new papers.

I really enjoy making at least one Lotus Flower a day. It makes me find a peaceful spot in my life for an hour or more each day. Life has been hectic for me lately and the slowing down required to make my Lotus Flowers has helped me center and remember that the most important things in life, aren’t things.

This black tie lotus flower is perfect for Father's Day

With Father’s Day coming up, I thought a masculine looking Lotus Flower should be featured. I decided it looked like it would be comfortable in a “black tie” setting, so I titled it the Black Tie Lotus Flower.

The black and gold paper is very thin, yet holds its folds wonderfully. This paper was delightful to work with.

Sometimes the road to a completed card project is a happy accident. Most times, I really don’t “plan” ahead when I’m going to create a card. I’m more of a “go with the flow” kind of crafter. I usually just try different combinations of materials and embellishments to see what looks good (to my eye) and experiment with colors until I find some combination that “works”. Even then, many times I’m not sure what event or recipient I have in mind until I’m done.

However, every now and then, I start rummaging through the mental toolbox in my head of supplies I know have (or just acquired) and start thinking of combinations of things that might work well together. For this particular card, I knew that I wanted the main focal point to be a piece of artwork from the new Teresa Collins Cricut Imagine cartridge “Baby Boutique”. More specifically, a crown. (I’ve written of my love of royal headgear in the past. I think part of my fascination is that I’m a Leo and we usually tend to want to “rule” things. But then again, I’m a sucker for anything that has jewels and sparkles. Oh, fine. I want a tiara…and maybe the prince that goes along with it [if he plays his cards correctly].)

So thinking of this crown image, I knew I had some great caviar cup-set crystals that would look fantastic on it…and I liked the sentiment “You Rule!” to go along with it. The problem was that I wanted the crown to be rather large; I cut it a 4″. When my mind’s eye saw this black and white creation coming together, I remembered I had some American Crafts Thickers chipboard alphabet stickers that might look good on this card. But it quickly became apparent that everything was not going to fit on my standard A2 card format. That’s when it was time to think outside the box.

I started the card with a 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ piece of black cardstock scored at 4 1/4″. After trying to arrange my card front elements, I soon realized I needed to expand my surface area and still keep with the design aesthetic I was going for. So I cut another piece of black cardstock at 5 1/2″ x 4″.

Now the trick was figuring out how to adhere it to my card base and still have it be functional in the design. But first, let’s take a look at the crown art. I used my Cricut Imagine to cut and print the crown. I then used some liquid adhesive to attach my fairly large caviar crystals along the banding of the crown.

The rest of the card front came together easily. I used a piece of Stampin’ Up! Designer Series decorative paper that had a varnished stripe pattern as my card mat (4″ x 5″). A piece of Papertrey Ink polka dot ribbon and some Stampin’ Dimensionals to attach my crown and it was coming together.

The solution to my “flap” problem came by using one of my favorite things–tissue tape. Using some Tim Holtz ticket patterned tissue tape, I attached the extra flap of cardstock with strips on the top and bottom of the splice where the flap met the card base. I love this option because the tissue tape has a nice “give” to it and is flexible enough to withstand repeated opening and closing without being overly bulky or intrusive.

Using the aforementioned Thickers (in a flocked Varsity style), I put my sentiment on the added flap.

Finally, another piece of Teresa Collins artwork in the form of a journaling block completes the inside of the card.

The moral of the story? Don’t let your materials (or your preconceived notions) box you in. Let your creative mind run rampant and find a way to work to bring what you see in your mind to fruition with your hands.