Japanese Geishas

This is an older card, but they are soon to be Christmas gifts for the Young Women's president and other YW counsellor at Church, along with some other flower-themed cards. The image is watercolored and then the edges are inked black for greater contrast. Working on a black card base adds so much drama to the image! And who doesn't love writing with a silver gel pen inside? :)

Wise Men Still Seek Him...

The Christmas story was true then. It is still true today even with all the noise and distractions of daily life. And because it is true, we have hope and joy in the gospel message and redemption brought to mankind by Jesus Christ.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Glitter Trees

If there's one thing that makes me feel super extravagant, it's glitter! It doesn't matter how simple the design really is; glitter always feels like an indulgent splurge!

...That is, until it comes time for cleanup...and I think, never doing that again...but of course, when another card just screams, glitter me!...well, you know...

But I've found the perfect solution to the stubborn sticky glitter problem. My old cookie pan was so scored and scoured that I was about to have to throw it out, until I realized it would be perfect for keeping glitter and embossing powder a little more under control than just a sheet of scrap paper under my projects.

So, that retired cookie tray is now part of my crafting arsenal. It's also good for piling everything together for easy table clean-up at dinner time.

It's been so long since I've worked on a pure white base that the clean, open feeling is so refreshing. The gray ink used for the inside sentiments was from a $1 pigment pad at JoAnns. Stamps from...you guessed it...clearance aisles...

The edge punch is from the Martha Stewart line of easy-line-up edge punches. The arches and snowflakes are just gorgeous, and you can reuse the little stars that punch out of the snowflake one in other cards, as I did with the Night Sky Wisemen card (see post of that name).

Christmas Cards

Here's a Christmas card recently come down the production line.

This Peppermint tree card was very quick to make. The stamp was a clearance aisle find at Hobby Lobby (you all know me...I never pay full price for anything...), embossed with red powder. The textured red card base was also a clearance find.

"merry christmas" along the edge is hand-written with an embossing marker, and then I used fine-grained black powder. For the first time in AGES I got out my border scissors!

Fall-Theme Cards

If I had to pick one craft item that I love the most, it would have to be decorative paper. I wait until it is 50% off at Hobby Lobby and then I stock up. I loved this pattern because it was so inspiring...and it works great with the ribbon, fall silk flowers also the buttons. Love it!

Usually I'll cut up one or two 12x12 sheets of my chosen paper and make a "set" with the same theme. It saves time and keeps me within a limited color palette. Also with a narrower range of embellishments to choose from, I work faster...and tend to not go too far overboard. I like to leave some un-adorned areas so that the beauty of the paper is not overpowered.

The vellum quotes are from some great $1 sets from JoAnn's. Lots of great quotes from writers and artists, which I love. The "Happy Heart" woven tag sticker is from BigLots.

The paper didn't come with any metallic accent; that's just my own doodling with a cheapie WalMart sparkle gel pen. So fun...the one thing that makes me feel like I'm being really extravagant is using glitter. And the pens make virtually no mess, as opposed to regular loose glitter.

The orange mulberry paper is from a BigLots find a long time ago; I think the ribbon came from a Micheals' bargain bin.

I apologize for the poor focus of some of the pictures...that camera shake readjustment function isn't quite all it's cracked up to be...