For the Love of Reading

The colours that come to mind when I think of love are a combination of pink, red and white... just like Valentine's Day. So it seemed to me that since I love reading so much, they would make the perfect palette for a book-themed card!

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Best Wishes

The large flower stem from the cherry blossom set is perfect for creating pretty borders. I used my guillotine to cut the stem up the middle, then secured each half to a strip of gold mirror board topped with some white card cardstock. The two pieces then became the top and bottom frame for my card.

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Layout - "Her Smile"

When creating layouts, I try to coordinate the papers, cardstock and embellishments with the colours in the photo... not always an easy task! Fortunately, I found a lovely photo containing reds, pinks and greens that coordinate nicely with the Cherry Blossom product range.

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Tutorial - Corner Tuck Fold Cards

A basic card with a fun pocket closure that can be adapted to almost any size and shape. You can move the pocket to either corner and you can orient your card horizontally or vertically depending on your overall design.

1. Start with an A5 tent-fold card blank (or 4" x 6" if you prefer).

2. Cut the front of the card in half. The part you cut off becomes the front panel of your card.

3. You'll also need a triangle of cardstock for the pocket. I started with a 21/4" square of cardstock, and cut it in half on the diagonal. (You don't have to make it quite as large as I did, but you must ensure the corner of your front panel can tuck inside the pocket.)

4. Cut several pieces of patterned paper for the different pieces of cardstock. I keep mine slightly smaller than my cardstock so I'll have a narrow border around all the edges. You can choose coordinating pieces or use the same design on all sections if you prefer.

5. Place glue on the back of the panel, ensuring it only covers half the area. Secure it to the front of your card making sure none of the adhesive has drifted over to the right side - you don't want to glue your card closed!

6. Apply glue on the 90 degree angle of the triangle piece, leaving the long edge clear. I've added pencil marks so you can see the correct placement for the glue. The triangle will form the little pocket to hold your card closed.

7. Decide on the placement of your pocket. I've positioned mine at the top, right-hand side of the card, securing it to the inside edges of the card. Allow the pocket to dry fully before opening and closing.

8. Now decorate! I used an image from the Old Books set of stamps as well as one of the sentiments.

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Dimension and Texture

You can add dimension to your cards by building up layers with foam tape and by adding embellishments that are three dimensional, like little pearls, buttons and wooden elements. Texture comes from adding different surfaces and finishes, such as dry embossing, fabric and torn edges. 

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Rainbow of Pugs

Don't feel like colouring but want a happy, colourful card?

Grab your ink pads or markers and stamp multiples of the same image all over your cardstock.

Decorate with a ribbon bow, some rhinestones and a fun sentiment.

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You're A Classic

Paper piecing is a great way to get some colour onto your stamped images without worrying about pencils and markers. It also guarantees that you'll have perfectly coordinating papers for the background. Some gold details and a shadow at the base of the image, as well as a white embossed sentiment finished my card nicely.

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Holiday Hound

A line of black ink, some shiny rhinestones, and a Christmas sentiment will transform almost any image into a holiday masterpiece!

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Remember When...

When I first started paper-crafting, embossing on plain cardstock was just gaining popularity (yes, it was that long ago!) In those days, I didn't have a heat gun and would anxiously wave my cardstock back and forth over the toaster. Needless to say, there was a lot of scorching and a great deal of unpleasant odours coming from the kitchen! Thankfully, times have changed and we have lots of great tools and products to help us get the results we want without the smell of burned paper.

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Just For You

Keeping it simple with some die cut patterned papers, pretty flowers, and a versatile sentiment.

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Tutorial - Pug Party

Today I want to show you, or perhaps remind you of, an old stamping technique that's making a bit of a comeback - masking. Whether it's with masking fluid, post-it-notes or low tack adhesive paper, the technique is versatile and relatively easy to do.

1. First, we need to create our mask. I'm using a large post-it-notebook that has a wide adhesive strip along the top edge. Choose something that's relatively low tack so you can remove it without tearing the cardstock.

2. Stamp your image making sure you include some of the adhesive section (if you're using a post-it-note). Use a pair of small, sharp scissors to cut around the image, directly over the stamped line. Cutting very close will ensure you don't end up with a gap (or halo) around your first image.

3. Stamp the front-most image on your cardstock. This is the dog that is sitting at the front of the completed picture.

4. Position the mask over the top of the stamped image. Line it up as perfectly as you can so that you don't end up with gaps or over stamping.

5. Stamp a second and third image on either side of the mask, reinking between impressions.

6. If you wish to position an image behind two others, you'll need to create another mask and layer it over the area you wish to protect. In my case, I want another pug to sit behind the first and third.

7. Carefully remove the mask from the dog on the right hand side and place it over the image on the left. Stamp again. Because the mask is relatively low-tack, you can use it over and over again.

8. Remove the masks and add some colour.

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