My lovely new addition to my craft room

My sewing machine sadly bit the dust a few months ago, but happily, I found a replacement machine via Craigslist.

<— See my lovely new inspiration!

So, of course I’m super inspired to begin creating new sewing projects and have discovered an incredible new book to fuel ideas:

Stay tuned, as I will certainly share the inspiration and results of the projects.

What’s your craft inspiration this year?

Supply list:
• serrated tracing wheel
• gel pen, markers, pens
• soft surface (mouse pad, etc)

Step 1: Create Holes Using tracing wheel, create your holes where you want your stitching to be. Suggestion: trace around the border of your paper.

A clear 6 inch ruler works well as a guide. Be sure to press hard enough to create the holes. This is why a cutting matt will not work, you need a softer surface to create the holes.

Step 2: Faux Stitch Using gel pen or marker of your choice, “connect the dots”. Keep the ruler in place and simply draw a line.

Close up of “stitches”

Viola! Super simple, yet effective!

Origami Dress Card

Card made with dress design from a Klutz Origami kit and general card stock.

Origami Shirt Card

Rather than spending oodles of dinero to purchase three-dimensional embellishments for your card crafts, consider making your own with a few simple origami folds. You can use thin scrapbook paper and find instructions online to begin, or create origami shapes using a kit. Whatever you choose, the results will be one-of-a-kind fabulous!

The shirt pictured is made using a Klutz Origami kit, Mrs. Grossman’s stickers, card stock, and sequins.

Vellum Poem Note Card

Poetry lovers everywhere are celebrating National Poem in Your Pocket Day today, Thursday, April 29, 2010.

The idea is simple: select a poem you love during National Poetry Month then carry it with you to share with co-workers, family, and friends. (aka it’s a great day to share your paper craft skills, too!)

To celebrate, I crafted simple Vellum Poem Note Cards (pictured) to share with family and friends. A few brads, card stock, vellum paper, stickers, and an ink jet printer = viola! Easy card craft way to share your love of poems.

If you are looking for more ideas on how to celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day, visit http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/406

http://simplystated.realsimple.com/simplystated/2010/03/organize-with-handmade-bins.html

Take a day for poetry in April and join the Academy of American Poets in celebrating the third national Poem in Your Pocket Day, during National Poetry Month.

The idea is simple: you select a poem, pocket it, carry it, and then share it with family, friends, and coworkers throughout the day.

Here’s where we can get super-crafty… wouldn’t it be cool to create poetry cards for our friends to share too? Ooh… the ideas are flowing! I’m thinking of using the printer to create a vellum paper rendition of a favorite poem, then simply attaching it to a nice cardstock with brads or ribbon.

What are your ideas?

If you don’t want to go the “craft” route, you can still easily partake in this fun day by printing or emailing poems from a selection on Poets.org

For more ideas and pocket poems, visit poets.org/pocket

Rose Stamp and Rolled Corrugated Cardboard Stamp

Continuing my quest to find uses for corrugated cardboard in my paper crafts, I rolled up a piece of cardboard (to achieve a “floral” effect) and pulled out a stamp pad and flower stamp (pictured.)

After dabbling on scrap paper for a bit, I finally settled on a pattern and carried it out on cardstock (as pictured.) Not my all-time best design, but a pleasing effect for a spring-like notecard.

And since I still have plenty of corrugated cardboard to play with, I cut out a small piece and attached it upper center of the card with double-sided tape. I then used the rose stamp to create a single impression, cut it out, and attached it with double-sided tape to the cardboard. Viola!- instant pop out!

Flower Stamp and Corrugated Cardboard Stamp Design

All together, the project took minutes to complete and the corrugated cardboard stamp truly mimicked the rose stamp effect. I really think this style would work very well in jazzing up a brown paper gift bag. Add a little ribbon tie and you’ll have a very eye-catching design.

I’m continuing with card creations for now, though, and next week will see what I can come up with just using the corrugated cardboard and craft paper. Join me for some more cardboard recycling fun!

Make flower impressions on paper crafts with curragated cardboard and paint.

Join me on a journey this week fellow paper crafters as I test out ways to use corrugated cardboard for paper crafts.

Got a lovely corrugated cardboard envelope in the mail this week (containing a great read btw, “Corked” by Kathryn Borel) and instead of recycling in the paper pile, I’ve decided to challenge myself to find a way to use this box in creative ways for paper crafts.

Starting with today’s experiment… corrugated cardboard flower impressions. This technique for embelishment has probably been around for eons, but it’s new to me, so, here we go!

Corrugated cardboard flower impressions are uber easy. All you need is a rolled piece of currugated cardboard (pictured) and a little paint. I used a pearl pink fabric paint to start to add a little texture to the flower.

Use rolled corrugated cardboard to create a flower impression.

As you can see in the picture, it makes a pretty neat impression. I’m still testing the technique on scrap paper, but I’ll return to show you the results of a finished product (I’m thinking card or gift bag.) If you are inspired to try this technique out, too (and I hope that you are) send a link to your creations, I’d love to see them!

Also stay tuned for more experimentation with currogated cardboard paper craft embelishments. If you have any suggestions or ideas, please post them in the COMMENTS section and I see about giving them a go!

Stickers, Ric-Rac, and a little imagination make a heart-felt Valentines Day card.

Valentines Day is quickly approaching and you may not have time to complete a card for every one on your list… or so you think! Before you run to the store for a stash of pre-printed stock cards, check out your stash of paper craft supplies and use simple items to craft a quick, and “pretty” Valentines Day card.

It only takes a few minutes and a little creativity to arrange a few stickers, add a little ric-rac (or ribbon) trim, and create a hand-crafted card that looks like you put a lot of time and thought to it.

In the pictured example, pink linen card stock, a floral vase sticker, a series of heart shaped stickers with complimentary colors to the vase, a clear “sayings” sticker, and a white ric-rac trim glued on to the top and bottom with an inserted bow to finish the topping… create a very simply, yet elegant Valentines Day card suitable for a friend or significant other (just change the “sayings” sticker to reflect your sentiments!)

Make a matching envelope… or, dress up a plain white card envelopes to match. TIP: Keep a box of white card envelopes on hand always. They work with any card color and are great to turn to in a pinch when time is short and you don’t have the luxury of crafting a matching envelope or have a pre-cut card set on hand.

Put your “creativity” cap on, grab your paper supplies, and challenge yourself to create a Valentines Day card in 10 minutes or less! You’ll be surprised by the beautiful creations that come together quickly and you’ll have plenty of time to get your Valentines in the mail or hand deliver them on Valentines Day.