Thursday, March 31, 2011

Paper blossom


This may look more like a summer flower than a spring bloom, but at this point, I'll take what I can get! I made this using the Create a Blossom punch and stamp set, the Tulip border embossing folder and the Beautiful Wings embosslit. I first stamped the petals on heavy vellum with Blushing Bride ink and punched them out. I mounted the tips of the petals onto white punched petals so the color will stand out from the background and then added the center circle. The ink on the vellum gives a soft effect to the flower, and the white organza ribbon, vellum butterfly and pearls round out the very feminine card. I think my friend will enjoy getting this on her birthday.

Friday, March 25, 2011

I guess it's spring...

This morning as I left the house, I spotted a bright burst of color in my neighbor's yard:



It gives me hope that spring will soon reach my house, which is about a hundred feet from those crocuses (or a hundred miles, if you trust the view!).




This is what it looked like in my front yard this morning:


That pile is still about 3 feet deep! Our yard always has the last snow in town (so says our mailman Dennis) since the sun doesn't reach the front yard until later in the season. (Of course, in the summer, when we could use a bit of shade, the front yard is blazingly hot. Oh well, I don't mean to complain about the summer just yet!)


All this yellow puts me in mind of a cute card I made a while back:


It's made with Stampin' Up's petal punch. When the little petal card is closed, it reminds me of a closed flower bud. A nice surprise awaits when it unfurls:










Until Mother Nature decides to bestow her spring beauty in our corner of the cul-de-sac, I'll have to be content with my own flowers.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

And so I begin...


I didn't think I'd become a blogger. It just didn't seem like something I'd be interested in doing. I mean, I like looking at blogs. Maintaining one of my own will take time, something that's in very short supply in my life. But lately, the idea has been bouncing around inside my head, and I finally realized that's Inspiration! So I decided to give it a try.

It will give me a place to share my love of paper crafting (if I can ever figure out how to take some decent photos of my creations). I hope it will inspire me to do a little more creating and a little less surfing...



The flower stamp is one of my top favorites, given to me by my dear friend Linda, who is one of my best sources of Inspiration. I love inking it up with different colored markers. And the quote from Thoreau (Stampin' Up) is simply beautiful.

I hope you enjoy it.