Little Paper Creations
  • Blog
  • About
  • Portfolio
  • Etsy Store
  • Quest for Kisses

Thinking of You Bold Blues Card

8/4/2015

0 Comments

 
I'm not very good about sending out cards.
Ironic, I know.
I've made a resolution to at least send cards when someone is sick, recovering from surgery, or experiences a loss. I think those are the times when a handmade card is most appreciated.

Several of my friends had surgeries this summer (I already talked about one here), and I made some cards to wish them a speedy recovery.
Picture
This card went to a co-worker who had knee surgery in June.
She is also a card maker, so I felt a little pressure while making this card. I'm very pleased at how it came out - I was experimenting with techniques and colors and it all came together! I love it when that happens!
Picture
I used my newest background stamp with white embossing powder to create the background, then I took out some distress inks to color it in. I wet the paper first, then used a brush to pick up some ink and drop it onto the paper. I let the color go where it wanted to, adding more color and water as I went. It looked muddy while I was making it, but it dried beautifully! I love distress inks!
Picture
The friend I made this card for is also a card-maker, so there was a little bit of pressure to make this card a good one. I know she appreciated it, but I always like to present my best work.

Have you sent out any cards this summer? If not, you should! It feels great to drop a card in the mail and know that you will soon brighten another person's day.

What? You don't have any cards on hand to send? You can grab some of mine at my Etsy shop! (Remember, if you are local, contact me for a code for free shipping - I will hand-deliver your order!)

Happy Crafting!
0 Comments

Thinking of You (Inspired by a Shoe!)

7/14/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned it here or not, but I Jazzercise. It's so much fun, and an excellent form of exercise. I've made good friends and lost some lbs all while having a blast dancing and sweating away.

One of my Jazz friends had shoulder surgery recently, so I wanted to make her a get well card. I wasn't sure what colors she liked, but I know we have matching shoes at Jazzercise, so that's where I drew inspiration from when I made her card.
I love the bright, fun colors! I used the smooshing technique that I wrote about a few weeks ago, but instead of putting the ink colors down in a grid pattern, I put them down in blocks of color. The result was less busy looking that my normal smooshing backgrounds, which let the background stamp really show well. I also used 2 of the new sentiments on the card. "Thinking of You" on the outside, and "Get Well Soon" on the inside.
The geometric background and the sentiment are embossed with black embossing powder. The background is matted on black cardstock and mounted onto a black card base using foam adhesive. The sentiment flag is also mounded using foam adhesive.

I wish my Jazz friend a speedy recovery and hope she returns to full Jazz strength soon!

Happy Crafting!
Picture
0 Comments

A Step in a New 'Die'-rection

2/10/2015

0 Comments

 
Have you ever seen a tool or a piece of clothing or a decor item that you really like, you really wanted, but you were too afraid to commit to?
"Will I really use it as much as I say I will?"
"Will it just end up collecting dust like that other tool/skirt/lamp?"
"Is this just a fad that I'm going to forget about in a few months?"
"What if I can't use/wear/display it right and I hate it?"

Yeah, I'm sure you've been there.

Most recently for me (because let's face it, I do this ALL THE TIME!), it was the Big Shot die-cutting machine. I've been watching a lot of videos of card-makers lately and all of them seem to use their die-cut machines almost constantly. I wanted one. But did I need it? Would I really use it as much as they did? Was die-cutting really my style? I researched brands and styles and all the millions of dies. I found more videos on different techniques that did seem more my style. And when Thanksgiving rolled around and it was time to send my family my Christmas wish list, I bit the bullet and put down "Big Shot die-cutting machine" and a whole list of dies from different websites.

And lo-and-behold, on Christmas Eve, there under the tree was a rather large, Big-Shot-shaped box! My sister had come through for me! It was mine!
Picture
But wait, no one got me dies!? So I've spent the last few weeks buying and trying dies and techniques. Because I want to get good at this. I want to use it. I don't want it to collect dust or be forgotten. And most of all, I don't want it to be a waste of money!
Picture
I've made a few thing with my new dies. Nothing fancy, just playing around. They have glue marks and small rips and off-centered designs and inking gone wrong. But they are a start. A very fun start!
Picture
So a big thank you to my sister for taking the leap and buying me a new toy to play with. Your next birthday card is going to be very fancy. :-)

Happy Crafting!
0 Comments

A Long-Overdue Gift

8/3/2012

1 Comment

 
Picture
On December 20, 2008, one of my very best friends, Amy, got married. And for her wedding gift, I promised to make her a scrapbook - all she had to do was send me her photos. But, as it always does, life got in the way. Amy had a child, then another. I moved and got very busy with school.

We both just kind of forgot.

For 4 years...

We saw each other on and off through the years, but as Amy lives in Missouri and I'm in Minnesota, it was difficult to get together on a regular basis. So when Amy contacted me a few weeks ago with the news that she would be in Minneapolis for a day and did I want to get together, I knew that I had to finally fulfill my promise.

I had 9 days notice to create her book.

I finally got the photos printed, I stocked up on paper and embellishments at Michaels, and I dove in head first! 

Picture
After working on Project Life for so long, I was in the mindset of 'simple is better'. Which worked well for this book. The pictures were the important part, not the 'scrapping'. And for the first time in 2 years - I made a scrapbook page. And another, and another, until I had worked my way through the whole 20-page book!

So, without further ado - here are some of my favorite pages:
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
So there you have it! I had a lot of fun not only making the pages, but remembering back 4 1/2 years ago to Amy's wonderful wedding. 

And Amy loved it when I gave it to her - her daughter even looked through it with her, naming all her family members! 

Now I just have to do my own wedding album... it's only been 5 years... hehehe!

So, how are your wedding photos displayed? Do you have an album from your photographer? A scrapbook? Photos on your wall? Or *gasp* nothing at all!?!?
1 Comment

Box of Cards Christmas Gift

5/22/2010

0 Comments

 
One of my most recent big projects was 4 boxes of all-occasion cards I made for Christmas for my mom, my mother-in-law, my grandma, and my aunt.
Picture
I had a lot of fun making these boxes because it was a little different than my normal way of making cards.
Usually, I will set out to make anywhere from 10 to 100 cards of the same design. It takes a lot of planning and preparation. I have to gather all the materials, make a demo, measure out all the pieces, cut everything, ink everything, put it all together, etc. But with this, I only had to make 4 of each card. And they didn't have to be the same! It was very freeing and it allowed me to revisit some old sets of paper that I had stayed away from before because I didn't have enough to complete a whole set.
So without further ado, here are some of the cards:
Picture
Baby Girl
Picture
Baby Boy
Picture
Wedding/ Engagement
Picture
Celebration/ Congratulations
Picture
Valentines/ Love
I ended up making a total of 15 cards for each box. Most of them were generic, like the colorful rainbow one above, and some of them had specific purposes, like the baby ones.
I think what I liked most about this project was that I knew who the cards were going to and I knew they would like them. So often when I make cards and put them up on Etsy, I feel like they just sort of disappear into the aether of the internet.
I'm hoping this website makes things disappear a little less. :-)
0 Comments

    RSS Feed

    Blogs I read:

    Becky Higgins
    Bits & Pieces
    KWerner Designs
    Jennifer McGuire Ink
    I Could Make That
    Linny's Vault
    Pintester


    Categories

    All
    #30DaysofCreativity
    Baby
    Baby Shower
    Binder
    Calendar
    Cards
    Christmas
    Coupons
    Craft
    Distress Ink
    Etsy
    Fabric
    Family
    Feedbackplease
    Field Trip
    Flashback Friday
    Food
    Gift
    Haul
    Home
    Inspiration
    Internet
    Invites
    Magnets
    Organization
    Paint
    Photos
    Planner
    Project
    Project Life
    School
    Scrapbook
    Special Order
    Special Order
    Storage Solutions
    Thinking Of You
    Tips And Tricks
    Top5friday
    Tutorial
    Wedding


    Archives

    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    September 2014
    August 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    August 2013
    July 2013
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.