Warm Fuzzies

Birthdays are always a great excuse to make some fun cards. December birthdays are no exception...and just because it's wintery doesn't mean they can't be pretty!

Supplies: Kraft cardstock, clear embossing powder, twine, Background Tree, Friend Definition, and Sentiment by Hero Arts, Flowers by Recollections, Paper by Basic Grey (Kioshi 6x6 paper pad), and Distress Inks by Ranger

This is a card I made for my mom's b-day. I had stamped and embossed the tree on a card a while ago, but couldn't figure out how to use the card...until now! Layering the flowers and stamping them with the Friend Definition by Hero Arts gave the card a lot of dimension. The icing on the cake was the old purple button I got from my mom's button box--perfect match! Too bad it shattered in the mail :( The Post Office totally lied when they told me that putting an extra 10c stamp and writing "Fragile" on the envelope would keep my cards safe! Good thing I took a photo first.

Another Butterfly Card...and an oldie!

Hello all!

Yes, yes...I know. I have a butterfly complex. I just love that Martha Stewart punch! And I love how the wings can be bent up to give more dimension, complexity, and even a hint of life to the card. I hope they don't come out all smooshed after going through the mail!


I was very inspired by this card by the lovely Kristina Werner for this project. She is unbelievably talented! Plus she puts out amazing videos TWICE (yes twice!) a week for both Make a Card Monday (MACM) and Finally Friday (for Two Peas). I absolutely love her style!

This card clearly wasn't exactly for a happy occasion. However, I tried to keep it light, and the butterflies fluttering up gave the card a "lifting up" appearance, at least to me. I tried to keep the colors away from being too dark, while simultaneously keeping in mind that the card was for a guy. I know--I know! There's pink and baby blue on it, but it was in remembrance of his mother, so I thought it would be Ok!

Supplies: Cardstock by Recollections, Paper by My Mind's Eye (Bohemia Collection), Punch by Martha Stewart, Greeting by Hero Arts, and Glossy Accents by Inkssentials

I also found this little guy tucked away from some time last semester. The photo is absolutely awful, but I love the card! I did some matting of white cardstock on brown for the interior. The girl I gave it to was shocked that I made it. (This was when I first started making cards to give to others; before that, I had been a scrapbooker only, and I wasn't big on showing my work to other people.) And I still remember this--she said she couldn't believe I had made it; it looked like I had bought it. It was pretty much the best compliment ever, and that's when I decided to keep working on cards to give to others. It was the beginning of showing other people my work! *Sigh* How nostalgic of me.

Supplies: Cardstock by Recollections, Background Stamp by Hero Arts, Butterfly Punch by Martha Stewart, Greeting by Hero Arts, and Perfect Pearls by Ranger

Off for some more school reading...joy.

- mLe

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!