Please let me hear from you!

This blog is for sharing a love of paper crafting. You can also check out my Pintrest pages. If you find the ideas here to be helpful, I'd love to hear from you. It is what helps make the time I put into this blog feel worthwhile, and always brightens my day. I love hearing your ideas too!

(To leave a comment, scroll to the bottom of the post. You will see how many comments there are for that particular post. Click on the number of comments and the comment window will open. Also, if you want to add a link to something, follow the instructions at the bottom of this post.)

NOTE: If you click a link from the menu (below left) and are told the page does not exist, chances are good that it's a prepared post that will post at some point in the future, so be sure to check back!

You can also click this Pinterest Button to pin pictures in the blog posts.


Wednesday, November 20, 2024

HD Christmas Classics (2016) - Cosy Christmas

 
Today I have another Hunkydory Christmas set of cards.  This set was the last from Hunkydory Christmas Classics 2016 - called Cosy Christmas.  It was back from before I understood about using sets together, so was missing a focal die cut.  Here's the set as it was when I started today:
 

There were two sheets of AS (Adoreable Scoreable printed card stock) and a partial sheet of die cuts.  I added stuff from my stash to complete my cards.  I made 6 cards:
 

I've learned that it works best to decide how I want to cut the AS for the different cards, destribute focal die cuts among those as needed, and see if I need something else to finish my cards - either background paper or focals or embellishments.  Below is a quick look at the individual cards.

Card #1:

This card started with a piece of one AS sheet, and a die cut frame that I used to highlight the printed picture on the AS.  To this, I added a sentiment from my stash (HD Essential Christmas Sentiments), but it needed more.  I went searching through my stash and found a cute little dog (sticker from my stash) to add under the tree, and a couple of stockings (Karen Burniston cutting die set called Holiday Charms) to hang from the top of the frame.  Much better!

Card #2:

These cards are definitely not in the order I made them.  This card made use of the leftover pieces of both AS sheets - and then I added a darker green paper that I had in my stash.  I added the ribbon around the yellow patterned part, then added my focal (a download freebie from Debbi Moore).  Finally I added my sentiment (another from HD Essential Book of Christmas Sentiments) and a little ribbon bow.  I forgot to take a picture of the insides of these cards.  Most of these cards just use scraps from the card front on the inside, but this one also has a little penguin - die cut from my Temu dies and colored with my Scroll and Brush markers.

Card #3:

This one started with a piece of the AS.  To this I added the die cut border strip top and bottom.  I turned the frame on point and backed it with green vellum before adding the focal.  I found another sentiment in the Essentials book to complete this card.

Card #4:

This card was just a piece of the AS for background, with a die cut focal and a die cut sentiment (both from the set).  I DID add the sentiment with foam tape for a bit of dimension.  Then I added red Jewel Dazzles from my stash to complete the card.

Card #5:

The frame used on this card was bigger than would fit on a 5 x 7 card, so I did "surgery" on it - cutting the corners and a diagonal and shortening the sides to fit on the card the way I wanted.  I then found some gold vellum that I used to back this frame before adding a trimmed HD Little Book page and a sentiment from the set (added with foam tape).

Card #6:


I still had a beautiful piece of AS to make another card, but had to search for a focal.  I found another Debbi Moore download and glued it in place.  I added a few die cuts from my stash to fill in the lower right corner and called it done.  
 
YAY! Another kit completely used up!

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Another Special Book

Today I made another squash book - made like the others I've made in the past - instructions here.  Since it is made with three 12 x 12 pieces of card stock like the others I've made, the pages are 6 x 6 - with several half pages (due to the folds).  The covers are 6 1/4" squares.  It's interesting that when made this size, if you cut 8 x 8 papers in half diagonally, and then each of those halves in half from the point to the center of the long side, you end up with four pieces that fit the half pages beautifully with a small edge around them.  

You can see the cover in the picture above.  I covered the cover with vinyl wallpaper.  The mat is also wallpaper.  The gold borders and corners are stickers from HOTP.  The ribbon is from my stash and allows one to tie the book closed.

Below is a picture of the squash book opened up.

Here's a closer look at each section:



And here's a look at the reverse side (with the covers in place the way they fold out):

And here's a closer look:



Wednesday, November 13, 2024

HD Christmas Classics - Santa Claus is Coming to Town


Today I have a set of cards made from Hunkydory's Card Kit called Christmas Classics - the set called Santa Claus is Coming to Town.  Here's what the set looked like:

This consisted of a sheet of die cuts and two sheets of coordinating Adoreable Scoreable card stock (AS).  I DID add a couple of coordinating Little Book (LB) pages, along with bits from my stash to complete the following cards and tags:


As you can see, I made 6 cards and 3 tags.  Below is a closer look at each.

Card #1:

This slimline card uses some of one of the pieces of AS.  I cut 3 pieces: one serves as backdrop to the matted focal (focal from set), one serves as border with ribbon from my stash, and one serves as backdrop to the matted sentiment (from set).

Card #2:

This card starts with a piece of AS for backdrop.  I used a gold Sharpie to edge this before gluing it in place.  Then I added the frame with foam tape before gluing the focal in place (frame and focal both from the set).  I finished the card with a foiled greeting made with Spellbinders Merry Glimmer Sentiments hot foil and die set.

Card #3:

This time I created the background from a piece of blue glimmer paper in my stash.  The focal itself is a LB page, that I framed with a frame from the die cut sheet.  I matted all of this on white before adding it to the blue background.  The focal is another foiled greeting using another foil stamp & die cut set - this one from Gemini - called All the Happiness.  I used a gold Sharpie to edge this greeting before matting it on the blue glimmer paper and adding it with foam tape.

Card #4:

Here I used a piece of AS for the backdrop and then added a trimmed LB page for the focal - edging it with gold Border Dazzles.  The greeting is another from Spellbinders Merry Glimmer Sentiments.

Card #5:

This card was made using pieces from both of the AS sheets.  I added a gold border Dazzle sticker to cover the join.  Then I simply created the sentiment using a piece of green foiled tag board cut with a die from Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles Two and a printed sentiment (a digital download from Debbi Moore).

Card #6:

Last, but not least, I made this side step card.  I started with a 5 x 7 card blank and cut/scored the steps (1", 2", 3.5", 5", and 7.5").  I cut pieces of AS (used some of both) to cover it leaving white card for a mat. Then I added elements from the set - gluing the green frame in place, then adding the focal with foam tape.  The sentiment was also added with foam tape, while the poetry piece was another die cut from the set.

Tags:

I used some of the leftovers to create 3 tags - first is a square of AS with border added and corner hole punched with ribbon added.  The focal was from my stash.  The 2nd tag is a die cut.  I just punched a hole near the top and added ribbon.  The third is two scraps glued together with hole cut near the top and ribbon added.  Quick and simple.

There is only 1 more set to use in this kit.


Monday, November 11, 2024

HD 2014-15 Remainders

 
A friend set a challenge to finish up older Hunkydory collections.  I had a set of concept cards from Season's Greetings - A Window to the Heart collection from 2015, as well as leftovers from Warmest Wishes - A Window to the Heart from 2014.  I decided to use these pieces and see what I could make from there.  I made several cards and tags.  Here's a look at each.

Card #1:

Here's the first of the 4 concept cards.  There's not much to say about them as they're all made the same way - as per the concept card directions.  I really do like the way the acetate is folded the opposite way as the card itself and the way the frames glued to the outer sides of the acetate are then added with foam tape behind them to connect the acetate to the card itself.

Card #2:

 Card #3:

Card #4:

Tags Set One:

These were leftover pieces from the concept cards - die cuts from the inside of the frames.  I simply punched a hole near the top and added a ribbon to complete each tag.

The rest of these were made from various scraps leftover from other pieces in the collection.

Card #5:

This focal was created from a set of 3 punch outs and a gold frame.  I cut a piece of AS for a background, and added a gold rectangular frame from my stash.  Finally, I added a border of gold scrap and red ribbon - along with a sentiment piece from the set.  A ribbon bow from my stash completed the card.

Card #6:

After embossing the card front with a Darice folder called Damask, I cut two circle frames in half and added them to the center of each edge.  Then I added the other layered focal that I had left.  After positioning it in the upper left corner, I added a strip of AS for a border on the other side - and a sentiment piece to complete the card.

Card #7:

The background paper was from a HD idea book and went well with the focal and sentiment - which I added with foam tape.

Card #8:

This card is very similar - just the focal and sentiment pieces are different.

Card #9:

This card was made in a similar way with a different background paper and a gold mat for the background paper.

Card #10:

This time I used a Sharpie to ink the edges of the background paper.  As you can see, I also added a red card stock mat this time.

Tags Set Two:

I just had a few pieces left that I decided to use to make tags.

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Christmas Aglow Leftovers

 
Because my Christmas Aglow papers included cut outs which I used to help decorate my cards, I did not have a full set of six 6 x 6 papers to cut another KCC.  I made 3 KCC's: KCC10, KCC2, and KCC1.  I only had 1 full sheet of paper and misc little pieces left (besides the sentiment cutouts which can be saved for other cards).  I DO feel I've been learning from doing KCC's, and I decided to use what I'd learned to make cards with the leftovers.  I got 6 cards:

Here's a closer look at each:

Card #1:

I started with a piece of paper cut just smaller than the card front.  I inked the edges and glued it in place.  Next, I embossed a strip of glimmer paper using Spellbinders 3D Cane Weave embossing folder.  This created a border to which I added a leftover strip of another paper and a matted sentiment.  The card still felt too plain, so I cut and matted a cut out from another paper and added it to the lower right.

Card #2:

Now I had scraps of the previous paper, and a larger scrap from another.  I decided to use them to create a center step card, as you can see.  I added a matted cut out to the center on foam tape, then die cut a Sassy's LLC greeting to just fit inside the wreath.  I decorated the edges further with greenery from Karen Burniston's Holiday Charms die set.  I finished the card by adding a few Jewel Dazzle "holly berries".

Card #3:

This card was what Bob Ross would call a "happy little accident".  I was working on this layout and had the 3 narrow strips laid out horizontally when I bumped them and they skewed something like you see above.  I decided I liked the way it looked so glued them that way.  The background paper is a red glimmer paper.  The striped paper is actually two cut outs that I taped back together & used the back side.  A matted white strip forms the perfect border to anchor my circle element - again, the back side of a cut out.  I matted it on a white piece die cut using Spellbinders Splendid Circles set.  As you can see, I added some Jewel dazzles - small ones to the circular element, and larger ones where the 3 small strips come together and in the lower left corner.

Card #4:

This layout was quick and easy.  I embossed the card front, the added my two pieces of matted patterned paper as you see here.  I added a matted Sassy's sentiment (Spellbinders Splendid Circles die set, and Nellie Snellen's Multi-Frame Flower die set).  I added a cut out bird from my stash, and finished with a little baker's twine bow.

Card #5:

 
At this point, I didn't have much left besides several cut outs that could be saved for other things.  I had a matted strip I had thought to use on a different card and changed my mind, a few really tiny nibblets that I figured I'd just toss, and several cut outs.  I decided to flip one of the cut outs so I had the candy striped square to help create a focal.  I started my focal with a Sassy's LLC sentiment.  I matted this with a punched scalloped circle cut from glimmer paper and glued it to my candy striped square.  I cut a decorative square using Spellbinders Fleur De Lis Squares die set.  I cut red mats for both this focal and the matted strip and embossed both mats using Spellbinders 3D Celtic Weave embossing folder.  I found this cut-out bird in my stash, but he clearly needed something to sit on.  I decided on a couple of small evergreen branches (die cut from Spellbinders Holiday Blooms).  They were too long, so I trimmed them to size and added them with glue so I could glue my bird in place.  I used the two pieces I had cut off to make a little embellishment below the sentiment - completing it with a Jewel Dazzle "berry".

Card #6:

I really thought that last card WAS the last of these, but as I started working with the scraps to make tags, I decided to make one more.  It's pretty simple.  The background was embossed using s Spellbinders 3D folder called European Tapestry.  The focal was created using a couple of Spellbinders dies from Fancy Tags Two and a cut out from the paper set.

Then I made a few tags.

Tag #1:


I punched a strip of card stock at one end to  create the tag shape & hole for ribbon.  Then I added scraps and a cut out to complete the tag.

Tag #2:

This time I started with a piece of gold glimmer paper and used the punch at the top.  Then I added some scrap papers and cut outs as you see.  A couple of ribbons at the top, and this tag was finished.

Tag #3:

A burgundy card stock forms the base of this tag (again punched at the top).  I added leftover pieces - gluing them in place - then added ribbon.  Finally, I added some gold stickers to bring a little more interest to the tag.

---------------------------------------------------------

So, that's all of that paper.  I threw away a few tiny nibblets, and kept a few cut outs for future projects.  I got 51 cards and 3 tags from this set of twenty-four 6 x 6 papers.