Delicate Die-cut Wedding Lanterns

Because I love my Mother-in-law very much (she is a really great lady), I offered to make 50 paper lanterns for her wedding this past May.  I knew she was going for a “festive and handmade” look, and I had spied this gorgeous and delicate die from Taylored Expressions a few months back.

Since the design had a frame surrounding it, I thought it would be perfect for creating something three-dimensional.

You might be wondering how I went from die to lantern…Well, I had previously made some striking Halloween lanterns (here is my version), from directions found here. I figured I could apply the same idea to make table decorations in royal blue and white, my Mother-in-law’s wedding colors.

So once the bride-to-be had told me the number of tables at the reception (25), and the number of lanterns she wanted per table (two), I realized that 50 lanterns would mean making 150 panels! Of a very intricate die-cut, on card stock substantial enough to hold its structure.  Oh boy!

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Mini Easter Bunny Boxes

I was inspired by an amazing diorama on Kittie Kraft to make these sweet little treats for Easter. As I was mass-producing and mailing these, I made my scenes a little simpler but you can go as detailed as you like.

I die-cut a small gable box as my base (specifically the Sizzix Carry-all Bigz XL, but Papertrey Ink, Clear & Simple Stamps and I sure other companies have similar dies), but the Treat Bag or the Candy Box from Lawn Fawn would look totally cute decorated in this way as well.

I cut out and assembled my boxes before decorating, using different pastel shades of 12 x 12″ Bazzil paper. I found that Sookwang tape (aka Scor-Tape) was the best adhesive for assembling these boxes: no mess and holds tight!

Next, I got to die cutting: bunnies, grass, flowers, eggs, butterflies and birds.  I used dies from Impression Obsession, Lawn Fawn, and a tiny EK success punch for the eggs.

Glitter paper made for sparkly chocolate bunnies. Patterened paper became already-decorated easter eggs.

I glued the components of each scene onto the sides of the boxes, and trimmed any overhanging grass or leaves.  I found that Glossy Accents held well, and even the tiny flowers stayed on through the mail. For tiny pieces, I applied the glue with a toothpick.

The large tags were cut from the Lawn Fawn Tag You’re It die, and attached with vintage seam binding. The stamp is from my LSS Paper Tales.

Dies Used:
Impression Obsession: Rabbit set, Stems & leaves, Tiny flowers, Small bird set, Butterfly set, Grass border, Hollyhocks, Tall grass
Lawn Fawn: Grassy border

30 Day Coloring Challenge

From March 4 to April 2, I’m participating in The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge (details here). Every day, I’m coloring *something*, even if it’s just for 5 minutes, and I intend to have a few works in-progress throughout the challenge.

You can follow along on Instagram via #thedailymarker30day, and you can find my efforts there under my username saffronkingfisher .

If you want to get coloring, it’s never too late to jump in!

 

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT Challenge

I’m down to the wire, but here is my entry for Power Poppy’s THE SKY IS THE LIMIT challenge.

Here is my inspiration photo, taken by me, with an iPhone, no filters. I live in SoCal, and winter is when we get spectacular sunsets. Sometimes the sky is lavender, and sometimes it is neon with the last glow of the sun.

I decided to go bold with my entry, showing off the amazing hues of my sunset.  I haven’t seen the sky go green yet, but I think it sets off those pink, oranges and purples so well. I stamped multiple images from the Orchids Rock set, to create a sort of pattern.  This card is another step away from a realistic style of coloring, but I really like playing with these images in new ways.

One technique I used a lot of this time was tip-to-tip blending. For both the background and the flowers, I either needed a marker I didn’t have, or needed to “invent” a new color. I’m definitely still learning, but I’m glad for the practice.

The sentiment is from the same set–I figured that anyone who receives this unconventional card will appreciate the inspiration. 🙂

COPICS Used:
BV0000, BV000, BV00, BV04
YG0000, YG00, YG03
YR0000, YR000, YR02
RV0000, RV000, RV00, RV02, RV25

3×4 Card Cinch Notebooks

Note: We R Memory Keepers posted about scrapbooking-card notebooks today as well. Great minds think alike! 😀

I don’t do pocket scrapbooking, but I do really like those 3″ x 4” cards. I don’t know if it’s the size or the themed colors. or the words and designs on some of them, but I bought a few small sets and then wondered what to do with all of those cards I’d collected.

Since part of scrapbooking is journaling, the cards are designed to be written on, and I am constantly making notes. Sometimes it’s mundane lists, but other times I’m looking to write down an idea, record an ephany or log a bit of inspiration. After finding myself grabbing a card to use as scratch paper for a list, I thought about collecting a bunch of cards into a little notebook.

I like that some of the cards have calendar pages, while others are blank for free-form notes.

I used some solid-colored cards as section dividers.

My WRMK Cinch came in handy to bind these little notebooks. I made one with the spiral at the top and one with the spiral at the side.

For the front and back, I adhered 2 cards together for sturdiness. I also used stickers and washi tape for a bit of decoration. You could get more elaborate with the adornment for sure!

I think they are a perfect size to stick into a bag or backpack. I’ll be bringing the tropical-themed notebook (“Paradiso” by KaiserCraft) on my next cruise!

I’d love to hear what other clever things you’ve done with pocket scrapbooking cards!

Countryside Bouquet Accordion Birthday Card

My mom is an artsy lady who likes to paint with watercolors.  When her birthday comes around, I always try to make her something pretty and creative, or perhaps show her a new technique I’ve learned.

I think these accordion card dies from Karen Burniston are so cool! They’re easy to put together, and the finished card looks so impressive.  You can learn more about the dies and assembling the cards from Karen Burniston herself in this video.

For this years birthday, I used the Countryside Bouquet digital stamp from Power Poppy.  For each of the three main panels, I colored just the Coreopsis, or just the California poppy, or just the Salvia in the bouquet.

On the back of the of one of the panels, I included a small version of the bouquet, with all three flowers colored.

I wanted to add some trim pieces around the edges, and I chose flourish edges from the Frame Edges die set.  I cut 16 of these edges to go around the panels of my card. A tip for cutting out these pieces: run strips of paper through your xyron before cutting, and you will get a perfectly cut, perfectly sticky trim piece, with no extra adhesive clinging to the edges, and no trying to glue down tiny swirls of paper!

After I got the trim pieces placed on my card, I ran a clean brayer over them to make sure they were stuck down securely.

I used a combination of dies from the accordion card set and other circle dies to cut out my colored images and backgrounds.

I once I assembled the panels, I added some additions to the back, such as a sentiment (not shown) and this sweet quote, stamped on some Basic Grey Fresh Cut Paper.

I also made a custom envelope, using more Fresh Cut paper and my WRMK envelope punch board.

You can see the finished card in motion on my Instagram.

Shaker Valentines with My Favorite Things

I made a bunch of shaker-card valentines, using a new die from My Favorite Things. As soon as I saw Love Centerpieces from MFT, I knew that I had to have it, and that I wanted to dig out my stash of sequins and make some fun cards. Usually, when I make shaker cards, I use foam tape for the center layer.  This time, I tried something new by running the die through with some fun foam, and then used scissors to expand the spaces a bit for more bling room. This let me keep each letter separated, without having to build structure with foam tape. I just used Scrappy Glue to adhere the layers together. I wandered through my local paper crafting store to find patterned paper that would coordinate with the different solid colors I chose. I have quite an accumulation of sequins from Doodle Bug, Papertrey Ink, Lawn Fawn, but I have to give a shout out to the Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear sequins. They add such a nice silvery shimmer, without being too distracting, especially if you have other colors in your mix! Here’s what the back of the cards look like: FYI: I made custom square envelopes for these cards (5″ a side), which meant extra USPS First Class postage ($0.70 to $0.91). I’ve pinned a reference sheet on First Class Postage here, but I have had good luck using two “Forever” stamps for my shaker cards and/or square envelopes. Supplies not mentioned in the post:

Solid Paper: Paper Source and Bazzill

Patterned Paper: Doodlebug, Authentique, Crate Paper

Clear Plastic: Dura-Lar .005

What are you making for Valentines Day?