I'm So Square

More and more, lately, I find myself turning to square-shaped cards.  I don't know why this is. 

This latest one for my little niece, Sierra, was an accident.  I was working with leftover pieces this morning, including a rectangular card base that had already been cut and scored.  I adhered a contrast piece and ribbon, fastened the flowers with a brad,...and then discovered that my card did not fit the envelope.  It measured a fourth of an inch too tall. 

Hmmmmm.  My square envelopes fit 5 1/2-inch cards.  How about lopping off the sides of this one to match? 

A couple of swift slices, and voila!  I suddenly liked this card.  It looked more fun and playful for a little girl. 

Maybe that's the charm of square cards.   They're unexpected.  They catch us off guard.   They make us smile.  And isn't that what cardmaking is all about?

Happy 3rd Birthday, Sierra Lynn!

 

Supplies:

 

patterned cardstock and inside sentiment die-cut (My Mind's Eye)

white cardstock and pink brad (The Paper Studio)

flowers (miscellaneous scraps!)

yellow polka dot ribbon (American Crafts)

edge punch (EKSuccess)

 

 

 

**I'd love to hear from you! Please leave your comments and questions.**

 

 

 



For the Hero Arts Challenge

Monday was one of those days.  I had a list of things to do, as usual, but I was also worried about someone I love very much, so I turned up the cd of my Uncle Bud and cousins Kenny and Denny and programmed it to play over and over again as I set about making this simple card for the http://www.heroarts.com/ Challenge.

 When I started I knew I just wanted something with polka dots and flowers.

Supplies:

  "Blooming Meadow" from Hero Arts

"Petals From Scratch" set from Fiskars

moss green stamp pad from Clearsnap

corner-rounder punch from EKSuccess

grass green and white cardstock from The Paper Studio

 

 

The green cardbase was leftover from an earlier project.  When I had finished this, I was so pleased I was ready to make more in different colors!


**I'd love to hear from you! Please leave your comments and questions.**






Leftovers

I used to have a scrap envelope.  If you love making cards, you probably know what I mean.  It was a manila envelope stuffed with bits and pieces leftover from earlier projects, all too precious to throw away.  I always thought, "Some day I'll need this or that."

A couple of years ago, I graduated to a scrap drawer.  It had its own place of honor, sandwiched in between a drawer of stickers and another with my templates and cutting mats.   Small pieces--ovals cut and un-used, images I'd practised stamping, torn bits of paper perfect for masking--needed their own box befoe they got lost.

Suddenly my scrap drawer was threatening to overflow!  It wouldn't hold one more cutting--not one more piece for that "next card."

What's a cardmaker to do?

I decided it was time to put some of these gems to use.   I needed two cards (quickly, of course) and challenged myself to make them without cutting any new pieces.  No fair adding anything new to the scrap drawer!    Even the card bases I had already cut and scored before and simply not used.

My first was a sympathy card.   

 

 

The kraft card base I'd made for my cousin's birthday card and then rejected.  "Textured Blue" patterned paper was leftover from another sympathy card.  I simply stamped my favorite coneflower in Espresso ink from Memento, trimmed one edge of that piece with deckle scissors and edged that whole piece with a gold leafing pen.  The sentiment I wrote with a Chocolate Zig calligraphy pen.

Voila!  One card done.

 

The next card was for a First Hold Communion.  This was for a little boy, so although I couldn't use images of Bigfoot or aliens (his favorites!), neither could I use the typical delicate flowers.  I'd already made an earlier card for him using a cross, so this time I decided to go with the symbol of wheat.

 

I often have a couple of white cards already cut and scored lying around, and this was true that day.  I found a piece of textured light blue, trimmed all the edges with deckle scissors (What would I do without these?), scored two lines starting 1/4-inch in to give a little more interest, then stamped and heat embossed the wheat image with white embossing powder.  J.T. seemed pleased with all his cards yesterday.

 

Of course, as you might guess, I've barely made a dent in the scrap drawer.  There are still plenty of leftovers.  I'll have to do this again!

 

 

**I'd love to hear from you! Please leave your comments and questions.**

 

Inspirations

They come in the middle of the night, at 3a.m., when I can't get back to sleep.  Or maybe it will be when I'm out walking, beneath an early morning pale blue sky, or past a bend in the road yellow and scarlet with autumn glory.

Inspirations are everywhere.  In a smile.  In a laugh.  In a conversation with my nine-year-old niece.

Flipping through magazines full of card designs, I rarely, if ever, want to copy one completely.  Rather, a combination of colors will catch my eye.  Or one single image may jump out.  I see a new dress in the store--for me or for a little girl--and I don't want to just buy it.  I want to make it.  I want to make it my own. 

So it was when I discovered
https://www.etsy.com/listing/109409543/custom-wedding-map-calligraphy-and?ref=shop_home_active
 on Etsy.com.  I'm not searching for any wedding gifts (thank goodness!), but her custom wedding map calligraphy grabbed me.  Immediately, I smiled.  My eyes were open again.  I was ready to get out my paints, pull out a practice pad and try new lettering styles again, like I did years ago.  The old ones have become habit.  I'm ready to be fresh and new. 

Maybe the result will be someone else's inspiration.

**I'd love to hear from you! Please leave your comments and questions.**