Paper Salutations New Direction

Hello, my friends.  Most of you know that my life has changed substantially over the past year which means that Paper Salutations has taken a new direction. With sadness, I said goodbye to my Close to my Heart business in order to build my new company, Paralegal Bridge.  I've begun working from home in order to be more available for my family.  Having said that, I still have a strong creative drive and want to share my love of paper crafting with you.

Very soon, I will be offering special occasions handmade items for sale.  These will include birthday, anniversary and other celebratory events on an ongoing basis as well as holiday cards for adults and children.  Please stay tuned for new updates!  

April's Workshop

We will be making these fun cards in our workshop in April.  

Watercolor Wonder

I wanted to do something different with embossing folders and decided to use the Quatrefoil embossing folder to create some watercolor magic.  I swirled three colors of ink with daubers onto the raised surface (the side with the logo) of the folder. Then I spritzed it with water and then gently applied my cardstock carefully rubbing to collect the watery ink.

I sped up the drying process with a heat gun and after stamping the sentiment adhered the artwork to an embossed piece of cocoa cardstock topping it off with some adhesive gold sequins.

Love is in the Air!

Thought I would share a representative sampling of the Valentine cards

 I made for the grands this year.

We have lots of grandchildren and I have to admit that in years past I haven't been good about sending cards on Valentine's Day.  But, I found myself with a little extra time this year and lots of Cricut Explore options, so I made it my mission to surprise them this year with cards specific to their character and ages (boy tweens and teens are a challenge!)

I used CTMH cardstock and background and texture papers.  Most of the cut files are from Miss Kate's Cuttables.  

Enjoy!

Ooo Lala!

I'm seeing a common thread in the cards we're making in our card class this month - Juniper, Glacier, Lagoon and Crystal Blue.  

Can you tell that my favorite colors are in the "cool" family? 

A Pack of Penguins

I had no idea how very much I would enjoy using my new Cricut Explore!  Every day I'm learning some new skill or trick of what this nifty machine can do.

I created these cute little penguin belly boxes as a wintery treat for my co-workers after seeing a post from a fellow crafter.  

A great way to use up some of my stash!

Be A Blessing

I thought I would share all three cards the New Life Paper Salutations small group is making for the skilled nursing facility where my Mom is right now.

I see lots of folks there with no one visiting and so we are hoping to share some love with them.

Cricut Explore and CTMH

I should confess that I went five years barely using my Cricut.  I had lots of cartridges that I fully intended to use, but I always felt sort of overwhelmed.  That is, until CTMH partnered with Provocraft and began selling it's own branded cartridges.  Now I use my Cricut in almost every project I make!  

I had been thinking about getting a die cut machine that can cut SVG and digital files, but again, felt overwhelmed.  So, I decided to investigate, watch a ton of YouTube videos and finally decided to jump in and bought the Cricut Explore. WOW WOW WOW!

I've been using it to design three cards the Paper Salutations Small Group will be making to deliver to a nearby skilled nursing facility, and I'm amazed at every new thing I learn!  

I hope you enjoy this picture of my very first creation, Nativity Moon.  I wish I could have captured how beautifully the circle sparkle paper shimmers - 

it looks like stars!

Cricut: Explore

Cartridge:  Artfully Sent (I welded the nativity images together as I liked them)

Paper: Black, Creme Brulee, Colonial White, Slate, Circle Sparkle Paper (Michaels)

Ink: Black

  

Look at These New Colors!

I had a roll of medical tape and wondered what would happen if I used it instead of the ever-popular masking tape on a card.  So, I decided to give it a try and think it gives a much chalkier impression.  I just love it!  This card features all five of our new colors, the new thistle ribbon and Confetti Wishes background and texture (B&T) paper.  I used 1" wide easy-to-remove CTMH washi tape to mask the card as I laid down the medical tape/ink for each strip.  Cool, huh?

Supplies:
Ink: Thistle, Canary, Glacier, Pixie, Flaxen
CTMH 1" wide Washi Tape
Paper: Confetti Wishes
Stamp Set: Perfect Fit Birthday - B1417
Misc - Medical tape

Confetti Wishes and What a Hoot!

Here's a little sneak peek into what's coming in August.  I created this card using the August Stamp of the Month and one of new paper packs called Confetti Wishes.  I fussy cut the various shapes in Miss Owl because I love the way it highlights our Background and Texture paper!  The new product debuts on August 1st. 

Paper: Confetti Wishes
Cardstock - Daisy White, Canary, Thistle
Ink: Black
Stamps:  August Stamp of the Month - What a Hoot!, Card Chatter - Birthdays
Non-stick Microtip Scissors
Scallop Border Punch