Medallion

January 23, 2010

Ever since I saw KWerner use the Medallion stamp on her card, I fell in love with it.

It's such a beautiful stamp, so large and elegant. I knew I had to get it.


Side note for those of you without a brayer: I ended up using the smaller stamp to "iron" out the card on top of the card to ensure that all the ink had transferred to the card. I thought this might give me a more even image than if I used my fingers.

I love how the image takes up so much of the card. It's the star of the show. But now I'm stuck! I can't seem to cover up the beautiful thing.


I need some inspiration. How can I add more to the card without taking away from the elegance of this image?

Sparkle and Shine

January 21, 2010

When you're living off of one income, you have to come to terms with the fact that you can't get everything you want. I would love to buy every single paper-crafting tool and product that makes my heart skip a beat, but let's face it, that just really isn't going to happen.

So when you're in a situation like mine, you just have to use what you have.

I've been wanting to colour in many of my stamped images lately. But little things like blender pens always get bumped down on my list of things to buy. I have a couple markers but sometimes the colour comes out too strong. So what did I do? I dug around in my crafting area and found a box of pens from my childhood.

I've been collecting and hoarding these pens ever since I discovered them. I'm pretty sure just about every Asian girl knows about these gel pens. I loved them. The colours. The variety. I had to have them all. One of each colour, in every style. Had to get the Tiara ones. Had to get the Souffle ones. Had to get the Aqualip ones. And sometimes, I'd get doubles {just in case} I ran out of one colour.

It was a little overboard, but now I'm really glad I have them because it gives me some options when I don't have what all the other crafters are using.

So if you're strapped for cash, try digging around your stash to see what treasures your past has to offer.

Fresh Eyes

January 18, 2010

I was inspired by a template use in Paper Craft Magazine's recent call for submission.

When I first looked at the templates, I thought, Can I make something using those templates? And my answer was no. I had no clue what to do with those templates and what kind of cards could come out of them but I figured they weren't my style.

It's been a month since I clipped that template to my board, but when I sat down this morning and looked at it, I got some ideas. I was in need of baby cards and I thought it might be cute to cut some circles out again.

I love being able to come back to an idea I gave up on to find that there was something I missed the first time around.

Re-Take

January 14, 2010

Ever since we got our new camera, I've been meaning to take new pictures of my cards for my Etsy shop. My pictures were a little dim, but since I work during the day, I've been coming home just after the sun sets.

So when I got a day off today, the first thing I wanted to do was get some pictures taken. Apparently, it's quite possibly to lose all your photography skills. And, it's also possible that your pictures will get worse and worse as you go. But I think it takes a certain amount of talent to achieve that feat.

Anyway, I managed to take a couple shots that I was happy with. I'm not one to Photoshop my pictures - I don't have that kind of time on my hands. Not to mention my lack of skills in general.

Here's the Before and After of some of the cards.


Things just look better with a bit of sunlight, don't you think?

Organizing Cards

January 9, 2010

I want to start the new year with a cleaner, more organized craft space. One of the things I need to organize are the cards I make that haven't made its way out of my home yet.

To organize these, I got a little plastic container and made dividers for them to sit between. It's really simple, but it keeps things neat and tidy.


I made the dividers with some cardstock leftover from my wedding (And boy there is lots of it. Purple as far as the eye can see!) and the little labels with random scraps that co-ordinated with the occasion or category.


It was so rewarding to finally completely a project in one sitting, and have it turn out exactly the way I wanted.

Too Simple

January 4, 2010

Is it possible for a design to be too simple?

I've been noticing that my cards have been getting simpler and simpler. It's gotten to the point where I'm almost wondering whether it's even worth it - the cost of materials, the effort of gathering the materials and cleaning them afterwards - to even make some of the cards I make.


It seems like a waste. Like painting a $100 canvas completely black.

Is it a waste? Or is it art? And if it's art, is it worth it?

Maybe I just need to get out of my own head and get back my crafting desk.

Noel

December 22, 2009

Every since Andrew and I got married, each Christmas, I have it upon my heart to choose someone (could be a person, a couple, a family, etc.) to bless. I'm not sure where this whole idea came from, but I was just moved to share some of our "wealth".

Now, I'm not saying we're well off, because we're by no means rich. In fact, we're living on a single income that isn't always so steady. But we still have more than we really need so sharing some of it is the least we can do.


Anyway, this year Andrew decided that instead of receiving a gift as part of my family's Secret Santa, he'd use the money that the person would have spent to buy grocery gift cards to give away. I had made a really simple card, but I didn't want to leave the gift cards in the sleeves they came in.


They were okay, but I didn't want it to look like we just threw it together in a hurry. So I made a little pocket to stick to the inside of the card. It makes the card a little bulkier but it does the trick!