For Love of Paper

Kids need more than medicine, lend a hand at Cards for a Cause

How many of you remember being a kid and actually getting mail? Do you remember how excited you were? Now imagine your a kid with a serious illness. You'd be even more excited to receive mail just for you.

Lend a hand this Tuesday, March 9th by making inspiring cards for kids with serious, life threatening illnesses at Cards for a Cause.

Here's how it works:

• You pay $5
• You make 5 cards like the one above
• You keep one card
• Four of the cards you made go to Love Letters

If you can lend a hand and help make cards for these kids please click the button below.

Whatever Wednesday: Masculine Valentine

Creating a masculine Valentine is extra difficult because Valentine's is all about non-masculine things like hearts and pink. Thinking a little outside the box I remembered the Totally Tool stamp set and viola, a masculine Valentine was born. This stamp set allowed me to capture the feeling of Valentine's Day without the traditional fru-fru stuff.

Supply List:

Stamps: Totally Tool and Love You Much

Inks: Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Going Gray and Pretty in Pink

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Taken with Teal and Sweet Pea DSP

Other: Tearing Edge Ruler, 1/4" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon and a Stamping Sponge

Cutting:

• Chocolate Chip Card Base 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4"
• Sweet Pea DSP 3" x 5 1/2", tear 1/2" off
• Taken with Teal 2 7/8" x 2 1/4"
• Whisper White 2 5/8" x 2" and 5 1/4" x 4" (card liner)

If you're always in need of masculine cards check out the Totally Tool stamp set.

Totally Tool (113256) $25.95 

Click the online ordering button at the top right of this page or contact me via phone 512-259-5575 or email chris@forloveofpaper.com to order this awesome stamp set today!

Also be sure to stop back tomorrow and I'll show you a way to get even more use from this terrific stamp set.

Make a difference, sign up for Cards for a Cause

Every now and then someone asks me if we can make cards for a particular charity or organization. Recently I was contacted by a local Girl Scout troop that wanted to make cards for Love Letters.

Love Letters is a non-profit that takes hand made cards to children who are struggling with life-threatening illnesses. Their goal is to provide cards with positive and inspirational messages.

I decided it would be great to create cards with the Girl Scouts and also with my customers. The Girls Scouts will be making the card below at the end of March. I invite you to join me on Tuesday, March 9th to make the card above. I will pass them on to the Girl Scouts who will take them, along with the ones they create, to Love Letters.

Here's how it works:

• Sign up using the Paypal link below.
• Come to class on Tuesday, March 9th from 7 to 9 pm
• Create five cards total. You get to take one home and the other four go to Love Letters.

    Cost $5

To find out more about Love Letters please visit their website at www.loveletterscares.com

Make Over Monday: Masculine Masking

The card I chose to make over this week was created by staffers over at Hero Arts. The used a large background stamp and added the rust leaf over top.

I don't have a background stamp like this so I made my own. Rather I figured out how to get the same look but instead of stamping it I created the look with masking.

Masking is one of the best secrets in any stampers bag of tricks. I started with four strips of notebook paper, each about 2" by the width of the paper. Then I used a Grid Sheet and my Tearing Edge Ruler to give one side of each strip a deckled edge. Then I taped the four strips together to form an open rectangle, which was my mask. Next I adhered the mask onto my card with temporary adhesive. Last I sponged Sahara Sand Classic Ink inside the mask (Tip: work from the outside in so your ink doesn't get under the mask) and stamped the feather from Nature's Nest in Dusty Durango.

I thought about adding a definition from the Define Your Life stamp set but decided the simplicity of the card really made a statement on its own. You could add any sentiment to the inside and you've got a great masculine card or tie a set of these up with some twine or raffia and you've got yourself a terrific little gift.

If you'd like to learn masking be sure to sign up for the March Technique Club Class on Saturday, March 6th from 9 am to Noon. Not only will you learn masking but three different types of masking while creating three cards; all for only $15. (For more information visit my calendar page by clicking the link on the right and scroll down to March 6th.)

Seating is very limited.

Click the link below to sign up today.

Christmas Pine

When someone says "Stampin' Up!" two stamp sets immediately come to mind, Heartfelt Thanks (now retired) and Lovely As A Tree. Lovely As A Tree has been used in so many ways and yet I still never tire of it. One of the things I love about the set is that it lends itself well to masculine cards (always hard to come up with) and to Christmas Cards and it isn't even a Christmas set. So if you're looking for a stamp set with a lot of versitility I highly recommend Lovely As A Tree (# 115026 pg. 110).

So how did I make this lovely card?

1. Cut the following pieces:

• Very Vanilla Card Base 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4" and 2" x 3 3/4"
• Chocolate Chip 5 1/4" x 4"

2. Run the Chocolate Chip Cardstock through the Sizzix Big Shot with the swirly texture plate from Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I.                                                                    Tip: Spray the cardstock with rubbing alcohol using a misting spray bottle before you run it through the Big Shot. This will make the plate leave a deeper impression on the cardstock.

3. Ink the pine tree stamp using Old Olive and Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Markers. Stamp onto the smaller piece of Very Vanilla.

4. To give the tree warmth using a Sponge Dauber with Old Olive Classic Ink and lightly pounce the dauber over the tree.

5. Sponge the edges of all the cardstock pieces using Chocolate Chip Classic Ink.

6. Assemble the layers and add a Red Gingham knot using a Mini Glue Dot.

Supply List

Stamps: Lovely As A Tree

Inks: Old Olive and Chocolate Chip Classic Inks and Stampin' Write Markers

Paper: Very Vanilla and Chocolate Chip

Other: Sizzix Big Shot with Backgrounds I, Stamping Sponge, Sponge Dauber, Mini Glue Dots and Red Gingham Ribbon

Turn weeds into cattails . . .

I'm really loving the Inspired By Nature Stamp Set.  Not only did we use it for Technique Club this month (Seaside Stairstep Card) but I also used it for teacher gifts at Christmas (hoping to locate photos of those soon). What makes this stamp set so fantastic is its versitility.  Just by adding a little punch out from the Horizontal Slot Punch you can turn weeds into cattails.

 

Here's how:

SUPPLIES

• Inspired By Nature and Winds of Grace Stamp Sets
• Basic Black, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Bravo Burgundy and Chocolate Chip Classic Inks
• Basic Black, Whisper White and Chocolate Chip Cardstock
• Horizontal Slot Punch, Photo Corner Punch and Signo White Gel Pen
• Sponges for each color ink
• Two Way Glue Pen

1. Begin with a 4" x 5.25" piece of Whisper White Cardstock. Sponge the entire piece using More Mustard Classic Ink.

 

2. Sponge over the bottom two thirds of the piece with Pumpkin Pie Classic Ink.

 

3. Sponge Bravo Bugundy Classic Ink over the bottom one third of the piece.

   

4.  Sponge the bottom 1/4" and up the sides a bit with Chocolate Chip Classic Ink.

   

5. Stamp the weeds from the Inspired By Nature Stamp Set using Chocolate Chip Classic Ink 2-3 times.

  

6. Punch about ten punches from Chocolate Chip Cardstock using the Horizontal Slot Punch.

   

7.  Using the Two Way Glue Pen add the punches over the weeds to look like cattails as shown.

 

From here you can add highlights to the weeds using the Signo White Gel Pen or leave it as is.

I added the sentiment from Winds of Grace, which is retiring, so get this while you can, using Basic Black Classic Ink.

Adhere your stamped piece to another piece of Whisper White Cardstock measuring 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".  Then onto a 4.25" x 5.5" piece of Basic Black and finally onto a Whisper White Card.  Punch two small photo corners using the Photo Corner Punch and Chocolate Chip CS, adhere to the top two corners and your finished.

Many of you know my mom, Belinda.  Here is a scrapbook page she created using the cattail trick.  She also used the Seaside stamp set.