playing with paper

Sunday, November 27, 2011

November Mail Art to Superhero

Mail art to i'm a superhero, with playing card collages in pockets
Includes elements sent to me by superhero, altered and reused
13 November 2011

Mail art to i'm a superhero, reverse of playing card collages
13 November 2011

Mail art to i'm a superhero, Lost Art
My interpretation of:
"I am stone/No wings/No Site/But I can fly"
16 November 2011

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Button Snowflakes: Mojo Monday 216

Instead of joining in the mad rush of holiday shopping, I opted to stay home and craft (in between meeting the needs of children on Thanksgiving break.) I am trying to use some of the current sketches available on the many fabulous card-making blogs I read to get going on some handmade holiday cards.


This card is based on the Mojo Monday 216 sketch. When I showed my finished card to my husband, he said something to effect of, "Oh, the snowflakes have tails! They look like fast snowflakes!" Not exactly what I was going for; maybe I should rethink the ric rac.

CPS 245 Seasons Greetings

Thanksgiving dinner was delicious, but after being bombarded by advertising the remainder of the afternoon for Black Friday shopping, all I wanted to do was come home and make something! I love how these turned out, based on the CPS 245 card sketch.

The finished card is 4" x 6" and I managed to get in quite a bit of texture without too much bulk. The burgundy strip at the bottom is vintage velvet ribbon, the teal strip to the side is vintage satin ribbon, and the brown ric rac in vintage cotton from my Etsy shop. I sanded the edges of the linen texture background paper.

I picked up this fabulous reindeer stamp at the craft store for half price and the sentiments are dollar stamps. I was thrilled to discover my paper punches were a perfect match for the trail behind the reindeer, so I added a few sparkly punched snowflakes. The patterned paper is from a My Mind's Eye 6" x 6" pad, and I only needed a single sheet for the two cards. I think I will be using this design again!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Jaime B's Mail Art Project November

Five Trees #1 2011 November 8

Five Trees #2 2011 November 8

My offering for Jaime B's Mail Art Project for November sent off to Brazil.

I did a large 34 Trees 10" x 20" framed to donate to the Lancaster Museum of Art for their annual Trees Galore! silent auction fundraiser. It looked great hanging against the light blue walls of our living/dining room, so I almost didn't want to give it up. It dawned on me this year that Trees Galore and I are the same age, so I had to feature 34. More of these security envelope trees will show up in my holiday mail art this year.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

40th Anniversary


Today is my mom and dad's 40th anniversary, their ruby anniversary. We celebrated as a family with a dinner out last night. They have had their share of trials and tribulations, but their love and dedication to each other continues to help them overcome obstacles. I was so proud to help them celebrate 40 years of marriage!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Gratitude CPS 242 and more...

I managed to clean up all my Halloween craft supplies; now my desk is a mess with autumn and Thanksgiving creations, and winter holiday supplies are collecting in piles on the floor (already!)

I made this Gratitude card Tuesday night, based on the CPS card sketch #242. Finished card size is approximately 4" x 7.5." The solid paper is Ripe Avocado from Papertrey Ink, patterned paper is K&Company, the fabric label is from The Paper Wardrobe, the doily and button are thrift store finds, the tea-stained tag, satin leaf, vintage velvet ribbon, and mini clothespin are from my stash.

I have been wanting to use these cute mini clothespins for some time, but they add so much dimension I have been afraid to try. This card will be hand-delivered, so I won't have to worry about it causing trouble in the mail.

After my thrift store shopping yesterday, I had a bunch of "new" supplies to try out, so with paper scraps from the first card, I just finished another Thanksgiving card based on CPS card sketch #241.

That fancy turkey is actually a vintage paper coaster! There were several lengths of jute trim in a grab bag, along with two rolls of stiff white fabric about four inches wide (tape or webbing for upholstery perhaps?) I cut a piece to matte the patterned paper; it is the perfect width for A2 cards! The card base is Terracotta Tile from Papertrey Ink, and the Blessings stamp is from their "Out on a Limb Sentiments" set.

I had a night out all by myself last night to take my time and wander around two local craft stores and begin gathering ideas for the winter holidays. I am just about bursting! More good mail to come!

More Happy Halloween Mail!

From the fiery Kerosene

From the lovely Emma

My mailbox and I were happy yesterday! Two fabulous handmade Halloween greetings and two Postcrossing cards were delivered. Many thanks!

Today, a trip to the post office to mail an overseas package to Tangledom and a little something to Pamela for her "What's In Your Mailart Kit?" roundup, though I missed the deadline. A stop at Goodwill yielded some great office supplies, stationery, and craft odds-n-ends. I'm off to sort and create!