Handmade Cards: Love Birds and Layered Hearts

I love making my own cards.  Whenever there is a special occasion coming up, I usually sit down and make several so that I have some choose from.  But maybe my favorite thing to do is make Just Because cards.  These are a couple of 'Just Because I Love You' cards that I like to keep around for my hubby.

The layered heart card has bright colors and would make any loved one happy!  You can easily achieve this look by choosing two solid papers and a coordinating printed paper. 

1.  Choose one of the solids as your base card.  Remember to double the length of the card so that you can fold it in half. 
2.  Cut the other to pieces slightly smaller that your card face. 
3.  To make the layered hearts, fold the patterned paper in half with the print to the inside.  Draw half a heart on the fold and cut out just like in elementary school.
4.  Do the same thing to the solid paper, but cut the heart slightly smaller.
5.  Layer the printed paper over the solid and glue down to the card.

Now you have a card to treat your special someone as soon as he does that thing you like just right (like hanging is wet towel after a shower or rinsing the dishes before he puts them in the dishwasher) ;-)

The next card is great to have on hand to invite your man on a date or remind him of the anniversary of your first kiss.  This card makes great use of your paper scraps.  The more striking the contrast between the papers, the more modern it looks.  Less contrast creates a softer feel.

You can download a pdf template for the birds here.  Layer these birds on a circle background to draw attention to their loving gaze.  Draw their sprightly legs with your favorite pen and ruler.

Never waste time looking for just the right card in the drug store again.  Show your love with a handmade design and a sentiment straight from your heart.

 

Craft Fair

I woke up this morning to find a lovely note in my Etsy mail box. The art teacher at Elzie Patton Elementary in Mt. Juliet, TN found my little Etsy store and asked if I would be a part of their annual Art Expo in October. I've never participated in any type of craft fair, but I'm seriously considering this one.

I went to elementary through high school in Mt. Juliet, which Ms. Ruble had no way of knowing since I don't live there anymore. The proceeds of the event go to help the school purchase special leadership curriculum for the kids. For me, the greatest selling point is that it's all indoors. That will make it easy for me to get in and out if I have to use a wheelchair.

So, any advice for a craft fair newbie?

Happy Birthday!

It's my birthday and I'm here sick. Covered up, coughing, fever, nauseated sick. Happy birthday to me. I've been icky since Monday, so I don't have any new projects to show you, but I do have an inspirational word to share from Rick Warren.


Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts. Proverbs 4:23 (GNT)

The Bible says our thoughts influence our lives. For instance --

My interpretation influences my situation -- It's not what happens to me that matters as much as how I choose to see it. The way I react will determine whether the circumstance makes me better or bitter. I can view everything as an obstacle or an opportunity for growth - a stumbling block or a stepping stone.

My beliefs influence my behavior -- We always act according to our beliefs, even when those ideas are false. For instance, as a child, if you believed a shadow in your bedroom at night was a monster, your body reacted in fear (adrenaline and jitters) even though it wasn't true. That's why it's so important to make sure you are operating on true information! Your convictions about yourself, about life, and about God influence your conduct.

My self-talk influences my self-esteem - We constantly talk to ourselves. Do you run yourself down with your self-talk? Stop doing that: "As he thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV).

God always know what I need to hear. This is how I know that I serve a living God and he cares for me.

Have a great day everyone!

Adoption Scrapbook: Worth the Wait

Happy weekend, everyone.  I know that I've been quiet this week, but for good reason.  I've had my head down and my scissors flying this week finishing a scrapbook album for my newest neighbor, Miss Riley Grace Campbell. 

Riley was adopted from China by my neighbors, David and Deanna.  She is a beautiful and vibrant little girl.  The Campbell's kept a blog during their adoption process and loaded it with personal stories and great pictures.  I couldn't pass up the chance to surprise Deanna with a scrapbook for her long-awaited family addition.

I posted the first couple of pages during my Stash Busting series a couple of weeks ago.  You can revisit that post to find out how I hid journaling spots throughout the book so that the Campbell's could tell their own story for Riley.

So, here is one of my favorite layouts.  You can view them all in the photobucket slideshow below.

I'm linking to these parties:

Finding Inspiration

Do you remember being a kid, laying on the grass and looking up at the sky trying to find familiar shapes in the clouds or stars?

Face in the clouds over Hawaii

Well, I had a similar experience as an adult. I was 24 when I flew on a plan for the first time. As we started our descent into Nassau, Bahamas, I looked through the break in the clouds and could see straight through the clear water to the "face" on the ocean floor. Do you see it?

That trip was 7 years ago. I hadn't thought much about that picture until I saw this beautiful agate pendant listed by one of my favorite suppliers. As soon as I laid eyes on it, all of the memories of that trip and that monumental moment of breaking through the clouds and seeing that beautiful ocean came flooding back.

I have tried several compositions to reflect the beauty of this piece, but none of them have been successful. Even stringing it by itself doesn't work. I can't seem to find a suitable stringing material. I welcome your ideas.

If I use your idea, I will give you 50% off of the finished piece.

Just because I think it's cool, here's another "face" picture for you from another trip to the amazing Atlantis hotel in Paradise Island, Bahamas.  I saw this "face" in rocks that bordered a waterfall at the hotel.

I'm linking to these parties:
         

Blog Hop

I'm participating in this blog hop.  Add your project here and it will show on all the participating blogs.

Folded Shirt Card Featured on Scrappy Gifts!

It's my first feature! Thanks to Maryanne at Scrappy Gifts for featuring my Folded Shirt Card tutorial. Scrappy Gifts is a wonderful papercrafting blog. You'll find great ideas on scrapbook page layouts as well as other memory arts projects.

Thanks, Maryanne for the great honor. I'm shouting it from the mountain tops!

Topsy Turvy Birthday Cake

My birthday is coming up and I usually have an awesome party. I love hosting parties and really get into the planning, decorating, and cooking. However, this year has been let's say challenging. Since I don't have the energy to plan a big party or can even guarantee that I will feel like attending it if it was planned for me, I've decided to forego the shindig this year.

Still, it is my birthday. My bff, Allison, and I are going to take a topsy turvy cake class on my birthday weekend. Allison and I have been decorating cakes together for about three years (girl, time goes by so fast!). If you are in the Nashville area and would like to learn to decorate cakes, I highly recommend Sweet Wise. 

The cake we will make in class will be a two-tier topsy turvy cake.  We usually decorate the cake in class using her suggestions.  However, I plan to go another way.  I'm going to make myself a birthday cake.  Here are a couple of sketches that I have:

This one is a sophisticated take on a whimsical cake design.  Each cake layer will be covered in white fondant and each will have a different fondant ribbon detail.  The top will be a gathered green ribbon with a royal icing blue brooch in the center.  The bottom tier will have a green ribbon and large two loop bow with a royal icing blue monogram in the center.

This one keeps with the playful theme of the cake shapes.  The same blue and green colors are used.  The bottom tier is covered in white fondant and is embellished with white circle cutouts in alternating colors.  The top tier is covered in marbeled green and white fondant.  For the topper, I have my monogram and fun fondant balls.

So, what's the verdict?  Which do you like best?

The plan is for the bottom tier to be chocolate cake with my famous Baileys Irish Creme buttercream filling.  I'm thinking that the top tier will be french vanilla cake but I'm not sure what the filling should be.  Any suggestions?

I'm linking to these parties:

Inspiration and Truth: A Royal Adoption

I have always wanted this to be more than a craft blog. I want this to be the place my readers run to for inspiration, a pick-me-up, and a good dose of confidence that you can accomplish anything. So, today's post is about what God has been teaching me.

1 Peter 1:18-19 tells us that we were purchased by the precious blood of God's son and that made us heirs with Christ to the kingdom of heaven, adopted into God's family.

I have been sick for a year, and I don't have a firm diagnosis. My illness has changed my entire life. Everything revolves around it. Over the last year, the person who I thought I was-smart, successful, energetic-has been stripped away and I have been left with what I thought was a shell of who I was and wanted to be.

The truth is that my identity is not based on my physical existence, but in my relationship with Christ. I am an heir with him to the the kingdom of God. I have been bought with royal blood and given access to the power of God.

No matter how weak I feel or how much my body lets me down, I am still a child of God--strong, beautiful, and confident.

Thank you, Jesus!

Etsy Shop Now Open!

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. Some of you, like me, are still enjoying it. One productive thing that I did get done this weekend is opening my new Etsy shop. I have been addicted to Etsy for some time now and it's great to be a part of the handmade movement.

So, come on over and visit my shop, Dandelion Designs. Anyone who makes a purchase in the month of July and puts "Seeds" in the notes to seller section will receive a 20% discount. To receive the discount, please wait for a revised invoice from me before paying by Paypal.

Here is a small preview:

Stash Busting: A Journaling Journal

A lot of people have trouble when it comes to journaling on their scrapbook pages.  If you're like me, sometimes you can't seem to capture the emotion of the photo or what you were feeling when you took it when it comes time to journal. Other times, I set down to scrapbook but need some inspiration.  So, I created a journal to record my feelings, notes about events, and just funny things said.

This is a great stash busting project.  For this journal, I started with a spiral notebook, but any type of book with blank pages will do.  Next, I covered it with a piece of scrap Basic Grey patterned paper from my scrap folder.  You can see a little cutout on the right side where the cover of the notebook shows through.  The purpose?  None.  The scrap paper was just cut that way and I didn't mind it.

Then, I added some letters.  Some were stickers.  At least one was a chipboard letter that I didn't even cover.  I liked the neutral color against the patterned paper.

 

Leaving it this way would be fine if you had a notebook that was already sectioned off like one of those 3 or 5-subject notebooks.  This one was not, so I decided to embellish a little with some tabs of my own.  You can see them peeking out of the top.

I used some little chipboard embellishments.  I think they came from a Scrapaganza kit that a friend gave me for my birthday.  Some of them were meant to be tags and already had holes punched, but some of them weren't, so I used a paper punch to punch holes to add brads.

The tags were a little heavy for the notebook paper, so I added a small piece of cardstock to the paper and then attached the tags. 

I keep this journal in my studio for moments of inspiration, but I think a pocket-sized one would be great to keep with you always to jot down funny things the kids say or your sentiments when taking a photo. 

Happy journaling everyone!