Matching Pen-stand & Paper Decoration

Paper Decoration

Hi friends sharing 2 matching decorative project ideas which are perfect to showcase the favourite papers in your stash as well as use up paper scraps.

Pen-stand

I used my hoarded Graphic 45 papers to make this Origami Pen-stand and adorned it with butterflies,rhinestones and handmade foam roses.

I have a few favourite Craft Challenges that spur my creativity and my friend Brenda at All Sorts Challenge has chosen the theme "Matching Pairs" this week. I love making matching crafty projects so.....

With the paper scraps I had left I made a matching 3 D Paper Ball  decoration.

3 D Paper Ball

This is a perfect project to use up small paper scraps. I die cut 20 circles to make this paper ball. There are many tutorials on the net  on how to make this paper ball. I am just sharing some  additional tips that you may find useful.

3 D Paper Ball

Folding the circles into triangles is relatively easy  but sticking the circles is  rather fiddly and time consuming!

Use different sizes  binder clips to make your job quicker and easier while making 3 D paper-crafts !

3 D Paper Ball

The ball has a 5 circle top , a 5 circle base and a 10 circle waist! 

3 D Paper Ball

Tip : To get a fairly strong paper ball to which you can add a heavy dangler , add a strong thread/twine to the ball before gluing shut the parts as shown .

3 D Paper Ball

If your twine is thick like the one I used...stick it to the paper using a god adhesive like tacky glue or a quicker option like hot glue. Add a bead to the top and base to add interest as well as hide the teeny gap you may get.

Paper Ball

Add beads ,tiny flowers or butterflies like I did here to the  joints as how much ver care you take in gluing.....some joints tend to have gaps! And if are someone like me who gets bothered by such things...this is the perfect crafty solution to that!

3 D Paper Ball

A fun addition to this paper decoration is adding paper discs. Make the paper discs strong by adding foam supports to fit around the twine 

3 D Paper Ball

Once you glue the foam and twine add another paper circle atop the twine and foam . This way your paper disc is well supported and doesn't wrap yet remains lightweight.

Another scrap busting idea is to make paper beads .I made matching beads using a paper bead maker which is actually a toy I had got for my daughter years back but is  a cool crafty tool to use for your crafty projects.

Hehe ever since I became more disciplined and discerning at craft shopping I have been discovering new craft tools and supplies right at home!!!

3 D Paper Ball

I added butterflies I die cut from paper scraps to the paper beads and finished it off with tassels.

Paper Decoration

Here is how it looks.

Supplies used: Dies : Flower made with Little Birdie Florentia,Leaves -DMC Foliage and Leaves 9,Cheery Lynn  Rose Leaf Strip; Butterflies- Little Birdie Butterfly Medley ,Sizzix- Hero Arts Stamp- Die Set - 657776; Circles -Crea Nest Lies XXL No 84, Sizzix 3D Circle Ornament

Papers : Graphic 45 World's Fair

Linking to  

All Sorts Challenge-Matching Pairs

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- ATG

Through The Purple Haze

Little Red Wagon

This Project was honoured at the  Butterfly Challenge . Thank you so much !

Butterfly Pop Up Box Card

Butterfly Pop Up Box Card

            Hi friends sharing a special card I made as my DT project for Cuttlebugmania 's 5th Anniversary  Challenge. Being able to sustain a Challenge blog for so long is no mean feat and hat's off to Jannie the owner!
           The theme this time is to use your manual diecutting machine to make a project inspired by a  DT project from the very first Challenge. Jannie is the reason I am a member of Cuttlebugmanis Challenge and I love Jannie's creations! She makes such sweet cards , decorations and unique gifts.So I decided to use this beautiful   card made by Jannie as my inspiration.

Jannie's Card

I loved the idea of gorgeous pink butterflies fluttering above the grass and the pink flowers!

Butterfly Pop Up Box Card

As you know I love dimensional cards and though I am doing rather poorly in the time management department right now, I did manage to make a Pop Up Box Card with the cutest pink flowers[ made using pearls and foamiran]

Butterfly Pop Up Box Card

The fluttering butterlfies were made using a very old stamp - die set from Hero Arts- Sizzix and are hovering above the flower bed on transparent supports.

Butterfly Pop Up Box Card

In the picture below you can see the  dimensional window made using 3 layers of of the Sizzix Tim Holtz Window diecuts on a gorgeous image from Lemoncraft papers.

Butterfly Pop Up Box Card

I hope you liked my Pop Up Card and dont forget to participate in the  Cuttlebugmania  Challenge...Jannie always has fabulous prizes you can win.

Supplies : Dies :Sizzix Tim Holtz Window and Window Box,Cheery Lynn  Large Rose,Spellbinders Happy Days,Spellbinders Curved Borders 2 ,Sizzix Framelits Die set 5 with Stamp Butterflies 3 No 657773,Dienamics [MFT ]Grassy Edges,Cheery Lynn  Flourish 13,Joy Crafts 6002-0251[Butterfly Border],Heartfelt creations Delightful Daisy Die
Stamp : Sizzix Framelits Die set 5 with Hero Arts Stamp Butterflies 3 No 657773,Heartfelt creations Delightful Daisy 
Papers : Lemoncraft Dreamy Mornings, Grass cut from Lemoncraft Fresh Summer 

Edited : this card was Designer choice winner at Scrappyland! So thrilled!

Easy Foamiran Flower Tutorial

Easel Drawer Box with Foamiran Flowers

Hi friends sharing a project combining my love for handmade flowers, diecutting and 3 D projects- and Easel Card with Drawer Box.

Easel Drawer Box

I have used gorgeous Lemoncraft papers[from dear friend Lisa ]and dozens of dies ;the exact names of which I have listed at the end of the post.

Foamiran Flowers

The butterfly in the photo above and the tiny bow in the photo below are clay embellishments made with air drying clay and  molds and jazzed up with microfine glitter[ from brand dress my craft, crafters corner]

DIY Clay Embellishments

Since the theme at Cuttlebug mania includes bows I incorporated a variety of bows in this project. The top 2 corners of the easel card have paper bows from a Cottage Cutz die set, then there is a clay bow [ in photo above] and in the picture below is a dainty delicate bow die cut from foamiran.

Foamiran Bow

The shiny butterfly badge from Lemoncraft and is again a gift from dear Lisa! I used white crackle paste and Scrapberry petal  stencil to add texturing on parts of the card[ you can see it peeking behind the bottle!]

Stencilling

The little bottle  hanging from a handmade foamiran rose is filled with little hearts and micro mini pearls[ from dress my craft]

Bottle Charm 

Foamiran Flower Tutorial 

Foamiran Flower Tutorial 

I have already introduced you to foamiran in an earlier post [ Foamiran Rose Tutorial ]..sharing an easy Tutorial to make simple foamiran flowers

More Tips while working with Foamiran

• Foamiran sheets can differ in thickness : Foamiran sheets do differ in thickness even when you buy from genuine distributors so don't be dismayed if you find some sheets thicker than others. In this project the white foamiran sheets were slightly thicker than the pink ones and if you look closely you can see a very subtle difference in the flowers.
• If you are diecutting foamiran sheets die cut 3- 5 flowers in one go depending on the thickness of your sheets. This helps to flatten your foamiran sheets even more!
• Heating your flowers is completely optional but fun and can give a different look- In this project the buds were created using  same Cheery Lynn  sunflower die but after heating with the iron-box to curl the petals.
• Jazz up the flowers using glitters. Here I used sparkling dust by dress my craft.
• Adhesive- the easiest is hot glue and you can get a nice permanent bond but do remember to tackle those pesky glue strings while you make the flower and as soon as you glue otherwise your project will look like a nest with all those strings!!!

Foamiran Flowers

I made the drawer box using chipboard and recycling a desktop calendar!! It was a bit time consuming but very gratifying to make something from scratch!
I dont have a full Tutorial but here are some pictures with tips.

Drawer Box

I first decided the dimensions of my drawer box and then cut out an arc using a steel plate as a guide. 

Tip : Use sandpaper to smoothen the edges of cut chipboard and rectify any ragged edges.

Drawer Box Construction

Use carpenter's adhesive tape to help hold the pieces of your 3 D project in place while the wet glue dries!

Line the inside of the drawer box with pattern paper before you stick the top!

Foamiran Flowers

I first thought I would keep the drawer box flat and so I added a thin layer of foam as the base but added crystal feet [like in this Easel Card Drawer Box ]

Easel Card with Drawer Box

The metal handle was toned down with gesso to match the rest of the project and has a tiny fabric ribbon bow!
And here is the Easel Card Drawer Box in my garden!

Easel Card with Drawer Box

I hope you liked the simple Tutorial and the overall project.

Supplies :To make the flowers:  Foamiran Sheets, Oil Pastels, Pollen, 
Clay Molds- Plaid Trinkets
Dies :  Creative Expressions Sue Wilson Filigree 3 D ittybitty Bow,Spellbinders Labels 47 Decorative Elements,Spellbinders Curved Borders 2,Tonic Studios Birthday Swirl,Heartfelt creations Delightful Daisy Die,Heartfelt creations Classic Leaf Die, Cheery Lynn  Sunflower, Cottage Cutz Spring Basket with Ducks,Dee's Distinctively Berry Sprigs
Papers : Lemoncraft Fresh Summer; Stamps : Heartfelt Creations Open Leaf Stamp
Dress My Craft Little Hearts, Sparkling Dust
Craft Supplies from : Crafters Corner
Edited : This project was featured as a winner at 613 Avenue Creates 206

Pop Up Box Card

Pop Up Box Card

          Hi friends,I am sure you will agree that Pop Up Cards are very special cards not only because of the fun element but because they are flat folding and easy to mail. One problem with pop up card designing is to add that extra bit of oomph without adding bulky embellishments and dimensional flowers!
          In this project I have used a variety of glitters and micro pearls to  jazz up my card without adding a lot of bulk to it.

Micro Mini Pearls

I used glossy accents and tacky glue to  add these teeny weeny micro pearls. They were  the perfect light weight embellishments to add that extra element of pizzaz to my Pop Up Card !

Pop Up Box Card

I love to use glitter and I have used  rainbow glitter chunks to add  a shimmery sparkling dazzle !!

Rainbow Glitter Chunks

I used the dazzling rainbow glitter chunks on the cattail reeds, tiny flowers and around  the birthday sentiment.

Pop Up Card

In the photo above you can see a part of the card before jazzing it up---so dull and insipid!A little bit of glitter can truly transform a project isnt it!!! Some projects do look good with a muted look but this was after all supposed to be a cheerful birthday card so I loved how the glitters transformed the whole card!

Pop Up Box Card

For a muted subtle shimmer, I  used micro fine glitter and micro sparkling dust  on the tiny mushrooms and the little hedgehog and cute mice [ Penny black stamps colored with Zig Watercolor Brush Pens ]

Pop Up Box Card

This card was indeed a labor of love...I took nearly a week to finish it [hehe as I could only squeeze in bits of crafty time here and there during the week] .I have used dozens of dies[ see list below] and the card has 4 layers with grass , tiny flowers and cattail reeds in front of the adorable mushroom house.

Pop Up Box Card

The beautiful butterflies[ a winnings from Mrs A's butterfly Challenge  many moons ago] on acetate strips flutter magically above the flowers and swing prettily on moving the card.Added the mice couple behind the blades of grass and a splattering of tiny hearts for a romantic touch!!

Pop Up Box Card

I hope you liked my whimsical pop up box card!

Supplies : From Crafters Corner.Glitters all DMC brand : Rainbow Glitter Chunks,Rainbow Glitter,Microfine Glitter,Micro Sparkling Dust,Sparkling Dust

Pearls : Micro Mini Pearls

Die cutting Machine : Sizzix Big Shot 

Dies : Winnie and Walter  Essentials Audrey Cutaways [ butterflies and hearts, Winnie and Walter Wishes Cutaway, Cheery Lynn   Mini butterflies , Cheery Lynn tiny things with wings,

Magnolia Doohickeys Vintage Box Lacing Coffee,Marianne Designs Tiny's Cattails LR0409 ,Marianne Designs  Mushroom House COL1412,Marianne Craftables CR1307 Tiny's  Forget me not,Dienamics [MFT ]Grassy Edges

Spellbinders Sentiments, Winnie and Walter  Essentials Audrey Cutaways [ butterflies and hearts, Winnie and Walter Wishes Cutaway
Adhesives :  Glossy Accents, AleenesTacky Glue, Red Tacky Tape
Stamps : Penny Black Critters in Love
Stamping Accessory : MISTI
Coloring Media for Stamps : Zig Watercolor Brush Pens ,Inks : Distress Inks 
Edited : This card was featured as the Top Pick at Papercrafters Linky Party 2 . Thank you so much !!

Handmade Kitchen Note Holder

Handmade Note Holder

Hi friends... in this era of high tech gadgets, I wonder how many of you are old school  like me and still use a pen and paper to make shopping lists and to do lists!
I was heavily inspired by some of my favorite Challenges to make all the elements in this project.

I altered the backside of a desktop calendar into a pretty note-holder for my kitchen!

Altered Desktop Calendar

A crafter recently asked [on facebook] about what can be done with paper scraps. I used to hoard scraps earlier but over time it grew ,took too much space and became rather overwhelming. 

So now I dont let it grow too much. I keep a tray with scraps right on my craft table near my die cutting machine and whenever I am in the mood, I  die cut  favorite shapes from the scraps of leftover paper.

Tackling Paper Scraps

 I try to arrange my most used tiny die cuts in clear storage boxes or transparent plastic covers so that I can save time in a future project.

Die-cut storage

I die cut or punch borders from the longer scraps and store them in plastic covers [bought from a local stationary shop]

Die cut Storage

I carefully store even tiny scraps of specialty card stocks like silver card stock as not only are they expensive but are not easily available in my area. Tiny bits of silver and kraft card came in so handy to make my kitchen utensils!

Note Holder

Not only does my kitchen actually have a red color scheme but I think I am being influenced by cupid and the valentine month  to use a red color theme with roses and hearts galore!

Handmade Rose

 The red rose is handmade using Heartfelt creations  stamps and dies. The white flowers and buds you can see peeking from behind the rose were made with air drying "Thai clay"

Handmade Clay Flowers

The lovely shimmer you see on the thai clay plumeria and the paper flowers was achieved using "sparkling dust" glitter. In the closeup below you can see the super cute kitchen glove made with the fine stitch lines and check pattern!

Kitchen Note Holder

 This corner has a handmade angel [made using air-drying clay and a silicon mold]on a butterfly [ an X cut die I had won at the Double D Challenge !]

Handmade Clay Embellishments

 Also couldnt resist adding a wooden cup with an engraved heart! And can you spot the cute shiny red hearts scattered all over my project....! The cute heart buttons are from my friend Mia!

Handmade Kitchen Note Holder

 This corner has handmade paper roses , Thai clay flower buds and lots of cute berries and a cherry!

Handmade Flowers

 The note holder has a "Happy" with a beautiful shiny surface made by heat embossing  Winnie and Walter Happy die cut with clear UTEE. The little angel is again a handmade embellishment.

Handmade Note Holder

 And here is the notebook with matching papers and a cute heart!

Handmade Notebook

I even found a matching pencil with " Happy Day" printed on it and dressed it up with red lace and a shiny red heart!

Kitchen Note Holder

Handmade Kitchen Note Holder

 Hope you liked my kitchen note holder!

Supplies : Dies :  Winnie and Walter Happy Cutaway , Winnie and Walter  Essentials Audrey Cutaways ,Creative Expressions Necessities Apron Die ,Joy Crafts 6002-0251[Butterfly Border],Cheery Lynn  Flourish 13,Heartfelt Creations Botanical Wings Die,Spellbinders Delicate Doilies,X cut 3 D Butterfly,Magnolia Doohickeys Vintage Box Lacing Coffee
Edited : This project was featured in the Top honors at Double D Kitchen is the Heart of the Home Challenge
and also chosen as Top 3 at Scrappyland Challenge 
It was also given the Gold Star at Di's Pixie's Snippets Playground