Wedding Fun

Hey everyone!

So seeing as how I'm in my early/mid 20s, I guess I'm getting to the point in my life where people are going to be getting married...a lot. My good friends Nicole and Andrew were numero uno on the list of people-I-know-and-care-about-and-who-invite-me-to-their-wedding, and I was so excited about everything that I volunteered to help with some bits and pieces, some of which fell into the crafting department, so I thought I'd share here!


Overall, I helped with menus...



...table numbers...


...and--my favorite!--the programs.



I don't use my Cricut as much as I thought I would, but this was one project that would have been next to impossible without it. It just so happened that one of the cartridges that came with my Cricut has a very very similar little branch to the motif on Nicole and Andrew's invitations. From there, we worked with their teal and brown color scheme to incorporate subtle amounts of brightness, sophistication, and a touch of fun to both the ceremony and the reception.

It ended up being a lot of work (and a fair amount of stress until I got the settings just right on the Cricut and learned how to angle and space things properly), but it was totally worth it! I particularly love the programs with the little pop dots underneath the square to give a little dimension. So fun, and, if I do say so myself, professional.


Yay for Nicole and Andrew!


- mLe

Father's Day Love

Ok, ok, this post is way super old. Sorry! But I thought it was worth sharing anyway :)

In honor of one of the many important holidays throughout the year, I made my dad an extra special card. Jennifer McGuire was featured on the Hero Arts Blog for a week earlier this month, and she focused on resist, so I decided to give it a try! Very easy and very fun, with great results, if I do say so myself (and I do)! I tried to keep it as masculine as possible considering it was for father's day, but I don't own much in the line of manly stamps...nature (minus flowers) seems to be a relatively safe bet when it comes to members of the opposite sex. Green and blue are typically Ok as well, but....mixed together with tealy blending ends up being rather feminine. Woopsies. Sorry Dad :)

Supplies: Cardstocks by Recollections, White Embossing Powder by Stamp'n'Stuff, Distress Inks by Ranger (applied using the Blending Tool), Greeting by Hero Arts, and Branch Clear Stamp by Inkadinkado

I love the addition of the cute little banner with the greeting. (I forgot to take a pic up close from a side angle--sorry! Trust me, it's 3-d!) The card looked so naked without it, and I had seen a quick tutorial by Julie Ebersole (from Amuse) on how to do them. Very quick and simple, and such a fun addition that really rounded it all out with simple contrast and a nice weight in the corner. Yay :)

I did a small bit of matting and distress-inking on the inside where I hand-wrote my message. I love inside matting; it gives a card such a finished, crisp feel.

One thing I did learn from this project was to keep in mind the size of the card and thus, the needed envelope. I measured the width and then totally forgot about the height on this bad boy...had to get rather creative with the end-result envelope. This is also something to keep in mind when it comes to cost/postage. As learned on earlier cards, foam dots add enough thickness that they can bump you up in class. Heh :)

- mLe

Free Silhouette SD giveaway!

Super quick post!

I know...it's too good to be true, right? Wrong!

Check it out here!

Butterfly Card

It’s finally here: my first card (well, anything) post — joy!

I’ve been working hard and trying to create some fun spring cards. These happen to be thank-you notes, but they could really bear any message you wanted. These butterflies are just so darn cute–they could say anything! I got the dimensional idea to make the wings stand up from Jennifer McGuire (she’s where most of my ideas come from, including my blog name. Check her out here. You’ll fall instantly in love with her style!). I have to admit, I used my Cricut for this card, but you could certainly get away making these without one — just be creative in your shape-cutting!

For this project, I used:

• Paper Products
  • Textured notecards by DCWV, from their “Box of Cards” in what I like to call “Dusty White” and “Bright Sky” (they are otherwise nameless)
  • Cardstock by Recollections, from the “Neutrals” pack in what I like to call “Chocolate,” “Silver Lining,” and “Snow White” (again, otherwise nameless)
  • Paper by My Mind’s Eye, from the Bohemia stack
• Tools
  • Butterfly Punch by Martha Stewart Crafts
  • Cricut Cartridge: Accent Essentials
    • Accents 48, 11, and 6
  • Mini Mister by Ranger
  • 1/4 inch square foam adhesives…lost the paperwork for this one!
• Stamps, Ink, and Other Visuals
  • Antique Linen Distress Ink by Ranger
  • Black ink by Color Box
  • Aqua ink by Color Box
  • Block Stamps 1 by Autumn Leaves
  • Dots and Flowers stamp by Hero Arts
  • Thank You stamp from Expressions Set by Hero Arts
  • Perfect Pearls in Perfect Pearl by Ranger (used in the Mini Mister)

I don’t think my blog will ever be used to provide step-by-step directions, but with the list of products, I hope you can all figure it out on your own, if you are so inclined. Plus, it’s way more fun to be inspired by people and then add your own twist. Your work will be much more “you” that way. And we all want our work to scream “me me meee!!!” : )

As I mentioned earlier, I was very inspired by Ms. McGuire to make these; I just LOVE her work. It’s always so clean, simple, and cheerful. As far as I’m concerned, things don’t need to be fancy to be fun or cute, which is my goal when I make cards. (That, and of course enjoying myself while I make them!)

I hope these have inspired you to usher in spring by sending someone a card of some kind. Snail mail may be slow, and it may cost more than e-mail, but let me tell you — nothing beats seeing a pretty envelope with a hand-written address in your mailbox!

Happy spring!

Here Goes Nothin'!

Getting used to this bad boy!
Trying some different things out as far as spacing.

and other things.

Now I need to try and figure out how to make a new page...

- mLe