CS Craft Studio

Holly Jolly Christmas card

2011-11-27T15:29:00.000-08:00

Now that Thanksgiving is done I've been working on Christmas cards. I've been making paper too so I just HAD to make a card using the new papers. This card is layered with a highly textured green paper and a red (well, it's sorta pink) paper that is also highly textured. It was quick and easy. I plan to make more to send out to friends and family this year.

Goal

2011-11-06T16:10:00.000-08:00

Isn't this a beautiful dress? I used a special setting on my camera to showcase the wonderful color in this dress. It has a fishnet overlay with some sparkles (love those sparkles). I bought this dress to wear to the Ball this year. It was on sale this summer and even though I knew it was a size too small, I thought I had time to lose a little to fit into it. Well, I just didn't even try. I've been struggling for so long with my weight and nothing seems to really motivate me. So I've let things get out of control. This dress is not just one size too small. It's more. I hadn't even realized how much I've "grown". So, this is my goal. I will wear this dress to the MC Ball next year. It is our last. This will be my last chance to really dress up in a formal gown. If I lose more than this, great! I will have the dress altered or shop for another one. I always wanted to wear something vintage. You know, form-fitting with a beautiful flare at the bottom. Something elegant. I have 12 months. 12 months to fit into this size 11 dress. I know I can do it. I know I've never posted anything quite so personal here, but I am hoping your support with keep me going. Thanks everyone! Tomorrow is a new day!

Fall Leaf Card

2011-11-05T07:31:00.000-07:00

I was in two swaps last month. One was for the Fall ATC in the previous post and the other was for a Fall Leaf Card. I made this card using my crayon papers (the red background paper and the leaf punches) and some tree cardstock. I also painted the word "HELLO" on the top with acrylic paint. I need to work on my painting penmanship!!! I also made a matching envelope by using the crayon papers.

It seems very fitting for this time of year. We have leaves all over the ground. Happy Autumn everyone!!!

Fall ATC

2011-10-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

My online craft group is having a Fall ATC swap. This is what I came up with. The leaf is just from a little package of leaves I bought at the store, the glitter around the edges is Stickles Golden Rod. I printed the quote on manilla colored paper and cut out the words and glued them to the background piece which is crayon paper.

We have nine participants in this swap. I hope they all like it. The leaves already had glitter on them. Couldn't pass those up!

Been busy!

2011-10-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

I have been busy making handmade paper over the last 6 weeks. Here are the results:

I got through the rainbow. Now I am working on neutrals and junk mail paper. :)

I finally got one listing in my Etsy shop. I am hoping to list one item a day (at least this week). Hopefully by next weekend I'll have some more paper ready to go into my shop! You can check this listing out here: Craftstudiopaper at Etsy.

Thanks for looking!

Today is my Birthday

2011-08-18T16:21:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday. It has been a very good day - even at work. :) My Hubby sent me a fruit basket which was very yummy and enjoyed by my co-workers.

Today is a big birthday for me and I am determined to not let that number get me down. :) I've really enjoyed today, no worries, no negativity, just a good day with a great attitude. :) Now, if I could just keep that up everyday. That is my goal for this year.

Have a Happy Day everyone! Enjoy the day!

New cards

2011-08-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

So, let's see... Since my last post we've gone through Spring and most of Summer. From the end of school to the beginning of school. Through Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. I know some of you will be shocked that I've updated my blog! LOL!!! I just can't believe it's been so long since I've really made anything that I can share.
I found myself in need of cards this week so I just sat down and made up a couple of very simply designed cards. One is for a friend who lost her father to cancer recently and the other is for a co-worker who will be getting married next month. The paper is all my handmade paper, except for the flower image (can't remember where I got those). I covered the flowers with Stickles (Distress - Crushed Olive and regular Yellow Stickles). The words were printed on my handmade paper with my printer here at home.

I think the design works well. Sorry the photo is so fuzzy...

Until next time! (Which I hope won't be another 5 months!)

A little bit O' Luck - Tag

2011-03-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

My ARTHaven craft group had a tag swap in February. The theme was St. Patrick's Day. Here's the tag I made. The base is my green crayon paper. The images were from a free clip art website and I used Stickles as gold. I wrote the letters on some heavy duty handmade paper. I didn't make the paper. It came out of a set of sheets I bought a while back. I loved the texture and thickness so just stored it in my paper stash.

Scraplings

2011-03-01T16:01:00.000-08:00

My ARTHaven Art group had a swap using paint sample cards. This was my version of these "Scraplings". You can also see some here at my friend Diann's blog. These little cards are so fun to make and would make nice cards for gifts or maybe to give to a friend or co-worker. There so many colors to chose from and they are kinda addicting to make! :)

Custom Handmade Papers

2011-02-26T09:01:00.000-08:00

Recently I received a custom request for handmade papers. I am always excited to make paper by request. This order is for 30 sheets in different shades of 3 colors: pink, purple and blue. They are approximately 8.5 x 11 inches. It was a fun project for me - I just love making paper!!!

These papers were made with a mixture of scrapbook paper scraps and shredded ivory paper that I rescued from a gift basket at Christmas.

I hope my customer will enjoy using them as much as I enjoyed making them! :)

My Daughter the Rock Star

2011-02-13T16:39:00.000-08:00

I took some photos of my daughter this weekend. I think my favorite is the "poster" version. I am hanging this one up in my office. She was a great model. :) She had been asking to have her picture taken with her bass guitar so we got out Saturday and played around a bit. The sun was shining and it was warm for a change. We both had fun.

Love is in the air!

2011-02-11T15:47:00.000-08:00

It feels like only yesterday we were celebrating the New Year and now Valentine's Day is right around the corner! Gee whiz - 2011 is off to a flying start. In honor of the upcoming Lover's Holiday I am posting some of my own Valentines. Enjoy!

Photos to share

2010-12-31T12:15:00.000-08:00

My Christmas gift from my wonderful Hubby was a new Macro Lens for my Digital Camera. I was thrilled because I love taking close-up photos and now I can get even closer! The weather was great today so we took a walk around our property and I snapped a few pics. Here are some of my favorites. The one above is the temp gauge on my Hubby's grill.

Moss on a dead tree.

Termite hole and trail on a pine tree.

Loved the texture on this downed tree.

Christmas Weekend

2010-12-26T14:18:00.000-08:00

We didn't have a white Christmas but we did have a white day after Christmas. It's still snowing. It's been a cold season for us so far. I like seeing the snow and I like that I don't have to drive to work in the morning. But, I'd be very happy if we warmed back up soon and stayed that way until Spring.
We've had a very nice Christmas. We not only had a decorated tree inside but we put one up on our porch too.

Today we are enjoying a lazy day. Tomorrow will be a busy day, probably. Unless I decide I just want to be lazy again. :) We have been very blessed this year and are very thankful for everything. Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tags

2010-12-10T11:56:00.000-08:00

For a recent swap I needed to make Christmas tags. I cut the tree shapes out of cardstock and stamped them with snowflake stamps. I found some buttons and painted them with light blue acrylic paint and once that was dry I painted them with glitter paint. I then stamped the "SNOW" and dabbed ink around the edges of the tag. Last touch was the fibers. I think they turned out beautifully and I hope the ladies who got these liked them too.

Falling Leaves, Blooming Flowers and Leftovers

2010-11-25T12:06:00.000-08:00

There is no question that it is Fall. The leaves are falling off the trees today by the thousands! I took a little stroll around my house after lunch and found some beautiful leaves. And, my Lantana bushes are still blooming. That's one of the things I love about Lantana is that it blooms for so long! I even spotted some bees and butterflies still enjoying the blooms as well.

Of course one of the great things about Thanksgiving is the leftovers! This turkey and dressing will make for a delicious dinner this evening and tasty turkey sandwiches tomorrow.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING Everyone!!!

Christmas Cards

2010-10-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

Friday I was able to make 72 handmade paper Christmas Tree Shapes! My plan is to use some for cards and some for gift tags. So today I started on the cards. I've made this design before without the red background. I wonder... what style is your favorite? With or without the red?

Jack O'Lantern (Fruit Cup)

2010-10-24T13:48:00.001-07:00

I saw this idea in a magazine recently. I wish I could remember which one it was. There were so many neat Halloween ideas in it. This is an orange that I hollowed out and filled with chunks of orange, apple and grapes. This is such a neat idea! The saw from a pumpkin carving kits works very well on the orange. If you do decide to do this, the orange pulp you carve out of the inside will be pretty mangled so you might want to have an orange on hand that you can slice into better looking pieces. :) It's a great gift to give to friends or to use for a Halloween party. I wish I would have though to use something bigger like a grapefruit or on a larger scale, a watermelon would probably work nicely!

Enjoy!!!

Painted Mini Pumpkin

2010-09-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

While getting groceries last week, my daughter spotted a bag of mini pumpkins in the produce section. Since it is a little bit too early to carve pumpkins, I picked up a bag of the mini pumpkins with the idea of painting them. I painted this one with Green, Peach and Yellow acrylic paints and painted on the details in Black. I also glued a black prima flower next to the stem and found a nice bead to glue on top of the flower.

It was so much fun! I have 4 more to paint. :)

Halloween Magnets

2010-09-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes ideas come right out of the blue when you are absolutely not expecting it. In fact, I am surprised my husband didn't wake up in the middle of the night because of the bright light bulb that lit up over my head! Really crazy... in the middle of the night. Sometimes that is when the best ideas happen.

I was able to get a box of out-dated tile samples a couple of years ago and I had yet to use them. I KNEW they would be great to use in crafts but just hadn't been inspired. In fact, I hadn't even thought of these in over a year so it was really surprising to me when my brain came up with this. I had to dig these out from under a pile of stuff yesterday morning! Here is one of the samples. They are 2 x 2 inches.

I painted the tile samples black with an acrylic paint, painted the sides and the back as well...

I also had these great papers that I just got from my friend Sarah at Paperpeddler.etsy.com. Aren't these just the cutest Halloween papers!

I cut and glued the images and then glued a magnet on the back. I am just tickled about how these turned out and plan to make a few more in the Halloween theme. :)

I encourage you all to keep a notebook by your bed so when those bright ideas happen in the middle of the night, you can write them down!

Rock Cross

2010-08-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

Last summer my Brother, Sister-in-law and Nephew came to visit us in North Carolina. Before they came to our house though, they spent some time at Gem Mountain. My brother is a Geologist so he couldn't pass up the chance to visit a place like Gem Mountain. They arrived at our house bearing gifts of bags full of colorful gems. I haven't done much with mine except ooh and aah over them occasionally. Well, my SIL's birthday is next week and she collects crosses for her living room wall and I thought this would be a nice way to showcase some of those colorful rocks. I think she will love it!

Corner Bookmark #2 (For a Friend)

2010-08-07T13:19:00.001-07:00

This is another corner bookmark for my friend in Lubbock. She is a big
"Twilight" fan and even though she said the bookmarks didn't have to be "Twilight" related since she will be using these for any book she reads, I couldn't resist this idea. I photo copied the page out of the book and glued it to the sealed envelope corner that I used as the body of the bookmark, then I lightly inked it with brown ink. Then I masked off the quote (one of my favorites from the movie) and inked using more brown ink. Then I used the Flourish mask by Tim Holz and inked around with even more brown ink. I inked the edges with black ink and then decided to use my gold gelly rollz pen to drawn a line right down the edges. I think she will love it! :)

Corner Bookmark (for a Friend)

2010-07-24T16:14:00.000-07:00

I have a wonderful friend in Lubbock who asked me to make her some corner bookmarks. This one is in a Red/Black theme. She asked for scroll work and I had some stamps that I thought would really work nicely. I've shown it here, on and off a book. I think she will love it.

Photography!

2010-07-24T06:45:00.000-07:00

Doorknob by Chrystal

One of my first loves was Photography. I wanted to major in Photography in college but the college that I got a scholarship from didn't offer it as a Major. However, they did have classes so I took 2 semesters of black and white photography. Got to learn composition as well as developing in the darkroom (that part was FUN!!!). I kind of got away from photography after getting married and moving away and all that stuff that happens when you are young and trying to start a family. Zoom ahead 20 years.... I met a wonderful lady at work who is artsy like me and found out that not only does she make cards but she bakes some fantastic cakes and is an amazing photographer! Heather and I have become great friends and we joined a local photography group that meets monthly for photo shoots. Heather didn't get to go to the last one but Kristina and I did and here are a few of our photos.... Kristina's are edited using an online photo editing site (Picnik). She's gotten a lot of great comments...

Barn wall in Sepia by Chrystal

Barn by Kristina

by Kristina

Barn Askew by Kristina

We found out that this group of buildings was built in June 1915. The date is etched on one of the walls and one of the other photographers found it. This place was very interesting and we had a great time walking around taking pictures.

A little play time

2010-05-23T10:52:00.001-07:00

I got to play in my ART Studio last night. It is always so wonderful to be able to sit down and get messy! I have two swaps that I needed to get made so I can get them in the mail. One is for a corner bookmark. They are made using sealed envelopes. You seal your envelope and then measure 4 inches down each side and then cut across. I used decorative scissors for my cut. Then I used some "Peeled Paint" Distress ink for the background and "Forest Moss" Distress ink for the stamp. The stamp I used is just a foam stamp. Then I painted the leaves with gold glitter acrylic paint. The word "READ" is made using Martha Stewart Alphabet stamps. These bookmarks are so easy to make and really work so well. Just slip them over your pages to hold your place, no matter what size the book!
The second swap was to make an ATC based on certain events and holidays in May. I chose May 20 which in 1990 Hubble sent it's first photo from space. This ATC is in honor of that day. I went to the Hubble website (here) and found an image from their print gallery. This photo is of Spiral Galaxy M101. I added little dots of glitter to the stars and added my own text. The glitter really makes the stars shine!

Honeysuckle

2010-05-07T16:06:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about being in North Carolina is everything that blooms here. It all looks so great against the green. Don't get me wrong. I am very fond of the Texas plants and flowers that I enjoyed growing up, especially bluebonnets. But since we've moved here I've really enjoyed the Springtime. Last year I noticed all of the Honeysuckle that grows wild here and wanted to find a way to get some growing in my back yard. Well, as I was walking around the yard last night I discovered a Honeysuckle vine growing along the fence. Needless to say I was so happy so see it there. Honeysuckle is my very favorite scent. I took some time to enjoy it last night and again this evening. It's a small vine but I am hoping it will spread out a lot this season. It is too bad they only bloom for a few short weeks.

"Hello" cards

2010-05-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

I finally got to stop and take some time to make a couple of cards last night. Just playing around with paper, stamps, ink, paint and glitter. These will be fun to send to a friend just to say "Hello"!

"A Happy Hello" Blue Tag

2010-03-23T16:02:00.001-07:00

I had so much fun making the Spring is Here ATC that I decided to use some of the same elements in a tag. The base paper is my handmade paper. I used the Floret mask by Tim Holz and Colorbox ink. The flowers are Prima Flowers, the swirl stamp is by Stampendous and the "A Happy Hello" stamp is by Hero Arts. The polka dot paper is by Me&My Big Ideas.

This tag was so quick and easy and I think the monochrome look suites it well! So much fun!

I'd love to hear your comments. :) Thanks!

Spring is Here! ATC

2010-03-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

Spring is officially here! Time for warmer weather, sunny days, blooming trees and flowers, bees, butterflies, thunderstorms and much more! I made this ATC for a swap I am in this month. I made the background using Peeled Paint distress ink and floret masks by Tim Holz as well and bright blue and deep purple inks from colorbox. The flower and swirl stamps are by Stampendous! The jeweled flowers are K&Company and the big green glitter flower is Prima Flower. This was fun, quick and easy ATC to do and I just love the color combination! I sure hope my swap partner enjoys it!

Launching New Website - Craftstudiopaper.com

2010-03-13T17:20:00.000-08:00

After months of planning and designing it is time to launch my new website! I am way beyond excited right now. This is something I have been wanting to do for so long. Craftstudiopaper.com will be the place to buy Craft Studio Paper handmade papers, greeting cards and more! Right now I only have the handmade papers, greeting cards and 2010 Christmas card pre-orders available but I am in the process of developing new products that will be introduced soon. So, check out www.craftstudiopaper.com and bookmark it!

I will continue to have my Etsy shop. The Etsy shop will have sets of handmade papers instead of individual sheets. And it will also have my art pieces and handmade paper shapes.

Stop by both shops anytime! And thanks to everyone for your support because without you, there would be no Craft Studio Paper.

Winter Wonderland - ATC

2010-02-16T15:59:00.001-08:00

This ATC was inspired by the photo I took of our front yard this weekend after the snow. (See the previous post). It's been a while since I made an ATC just for fun and not for a swap. I really enjoyed making it. The background is gray paint ( I didn't have gray so I mixed black and white paint until I got the proper shade of gray). The bottom of the background is just an iridescent glitter. The tree came from a digital stamp CD that my good friend Penny gave to me. I really love this willow tree image. I cut out some of the areas between the limbs so the background could show through. I also glittered up the tree a little. The first photo really shows off the glitter. Then I just printed out the words "Winter Wonderland" and dabbed a little of the gray paint around the edges. The ATC turned out just lovely!

Winter Wonderland - For a Day

2010-02-14T17:26:00.000-08:00

Friday night we got snow! It was so fun to watch it start Friday night and to wake up to a beautiful Winter Wonderland on Saturday Morning. We got out in the backyard Saturday morning and played. Our dog and one of our cats had a blast running and playing in the snow. We were not prepared so we didn't have gloves to wear for snowball throwing or snowman making. But it was very nice watching the animals and seeing everything covered in fluffy white stuff. :)

The snow is melting now... only staying in the shady areas. And it will be completely gone in a couple of days... But it was fun while it lasted!

Button Fairy

2010-02-02T17:27:00.000-08:00

Well I jumped onto the button fairy bandwagon and made my very first button fairy a few weeks ago. I have a ton of buttons and never really thought about using them in my art. I've seen so many great uses with buttons though. Lots of really neat art pieces using buttons. I was introduced to the button fairies by my Yahoo group and I was just amazed at the beauty, whimsy and artistic expressions I saw in the different fairies. So, for a "love" themed lottery, I made a button fairy using only heart shaped buttons. The fairy is an angel image that I dug out of my image book. I highlighted her using my metallic gelly rollz pens. I think she turned out lovely. She is on her way to the winner of the lottery. I see myself making many more of these intriguing buttons fairies in the future. :)

Heart ATC

2010-01-24T15:47:00.001-08:00

January ATC swap in my Yahoo ARTHaven group was to make an ATC with hearts. I made one that I just was not happy about so I scrapped it and started over. I have a bag full of little wooden hearts and I had been wanting to cover some of them with paper for using in my art. I picked two to go on this ATC. The background is just a pink paper and I inked the edges with a dark red ink. I had this lovely image in my stash and thought she looked like she was in love. :) I really liked the outcome of this ATC much better.

A Bit O' Green

2010-01-23T15:34:00.000-08:00

A wonderful lady named Robin has ordered custom papers from me recently. I have one more batch to make in yellow for her. I will be making that paper tomorrow but I thought I'd share the green. She will be getting the dark green sheets on top but I wanted to show off the whole batch! :) I have had such a fun time making these papers! I enjoy picking out different papers and blending them together. I am always so happy with the end result. Robin will be using these papers in a card making class she will be giving in March. I am thrilled! I hope she and her students enjoy using the papers as much as I enjoy making them.
Here are a few cards Robin has so kindly shared with me. These are her creations using my papers. Just lovely!

A Heart (or Two) for You

2010-01-12T16:10:00.000-08:00

Staying on the Valentine Theme... I made these hearts recently using the left over paper from a custom order. I have several shapes that I use to pull as much paper pulp as I can out of the water before I dump the water for filtering. I love making the hearts and this paper color is just delicious. I call the darker pink "Cranberry". :)
I have a set of these listed in my Etsy Shop. They remind me of my childhood. I always loved making Valentine's Day cards and cutting hearts out of construction paper! Too much fun!

Simple Valentine

2010-01-10T13:45:00.000-08:00

I made up some pink papers and hearts a little while back hoping to use them for Valentine's Day cards. Well, I finally got them put together. They turned out really nice. Love the color!

This year has already be very busy for me. I've had several requests for handmade paper. It just makes my day when someone asks to have some paper made! Work has been very busy, lots of changes going on. And, I am working on a Craft Studio Paper website which will be up and running soon.

It's been so hard to really get motivated because of the cold that is just everywhere! I am not a cold weather person and all I want to do after work is snuggle up on the couch under a nice warm blanket! How many days until Spring? LOL

Stay warm y'all!

King of Hearts ATC

2010-01-01T18:35:00.000-08:00

This is the latest addition to my ARTHaven Yahoo Group's Deck of Cards swap. I think the timing on the King of Hearts is perfect since Valentine's Day is right around the corner. :)

This ATC is made using my handmade papers; white for the background and red for the heart in the middle. The "k" and the two smaller hearts are stamped on the paper and the King's crown in gold crayon paper.

I just love it!

Wrapped Candy Bar

2009-12-19T13:52:00.000-08:00

For my ARTHaven swap partner, Judee, I wrapped this 4.5 oz Hershey's Chocolate bar with a sheet of my sage green handmade paper. I also used the Tim Holz supplies that my friend Angie gave me, the flourish mask and the peeled paint distress ink pad. Then I just wrapped it with a white fuzzy fiber and added the tag! I just love it! I am thinking of making up some of these for some of my co-workers for Christmas. It is just a neat little gift idea, don't you think?

Ace of Diamonds ATC

2009-12-02T16:09:00.000-08:00

My Yahoo Arthaven group is having a monthly swap that involves making an ATC for each card in a deck of playing cards. I am using an actual deck of cards and altering each card as we go. This is my Ace of Diamonds ATC. I was browsing through my paper stash and found the diamond paper in orange and black so I knew I just had to use it for this card! I found a matching sheet of paper that had the alphabet in different fonts so I found a couple of A's and glued them to the corners. I wanted some kind of sparkle because I just love things that sparkle! And because diamonds sparkle! LOL so I added the gold glitter paint in the middle. This is the result. :) I really like the different fonts of the A and I plan to use that method again.

Heartfelt Gratitude - ATC

2009-11-29T17:30:00.000-08:00

My very good Friend Angie sent me some goodies last week: A Tim Holz mask (Flourish) and a Tim Holz distress ink pad (peeled paint). I was very excited because I don't have anything by Tim Holz and I had read so many good things about his line of craft goodies. Angie was so very thoughtful to share those goodies with me that I thought I needed to make something to show my gratitude using those very items. This ATC is the result. The background paper is a Christmas paper that I have had for a while. I don't know who makes it but it is so pretty and the color of the green peeled paint ink pad works perfectly with it. I brushed on the peeled paint ink over the flourish mask on the background paper as well as on the border piece. The words are from my stash of words that I have started collecting thanks to Angie who has a major stash of words for her art. This ATC will be on the way to Angie as soon as I brave going to the Post Office to buy some stamps!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2009-11-26T12:48:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Today is a beautiful day in North Carolina. The sun is shining and the outside temperature is nice a comfortable. I am showing off a Zinnia that has bloomed in my not so flourishing flower garden. It is such a bright flower!

I am enjoying the day at home with my wonderful Hubby and Daughter. We had a Thanksgiving lunch of ham, potato salad, lettuce/tomato salad and pinto beans. I didn't cook a turkey. I thought that might be too much for just us 3. LOL.

We are having a relaxing day watching football. I am just so thankful that I have my family and even though we can't go home for the Holiday, I know that my family is able to enjoy the day with other family members and that they are all safe and healthy. I am also very thankful for my friends who are always there for me with a smile, encouraging email or just to say "hi, how are ya?". Thank you all for being a part of my life!

I am so thankful for my daughter who never ceases to amaze me with her vision of the world and who is always quick to laugh and put a smile on my face. She is the best daughter ever!

And of course I am thankful for my wonderful Hubby who is an awesome Marine (and he looks so handsome in his blues) and who is very understanding an supportive of my love of paper.

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!!!

Marine Corps Ball - 234th Birthday Ball

2009-11-13T14:24:00.000-08:00

We went to Wilmington last night to the USMC Birthday Ball. We had a lot of fun. It was really a lot of fun watching those Marines dance. Marines really know how to have fun on the dance floor. :)

I did get some pics, not very many though. There was some neat art in our hotel room and our hotel room view was nice too. Even though the weather was overcast, rainy and windy.

Here is the cake...

This was an origami shadow box that was in our hotel room...

Another piece of art from our room...

This was the view from our hotel room window. That is the USS North Carolina across the river...

I am really glad we got the chance to go this year. It is always nice to get together with other Marines and their spouses and enjoy a birthday party with dinner and dancing.

Happy Birthday Marines!

2009-11-10T03:17:00.000-08:00

Today is the United States Marine Corps Birthday. Jason and I have been a part of the Marine Corps for 16.5 years! Every year there is a big birthday party and we are going to ours on Thursday night. Should be a fun time. We get to get all dressed up and have dinner (with birthday cake!) and dancing.

I put together this set of paper in Crimson and Gold (USMC colors) and posted it on my Etsy shop. Happy Birthday Marines! Semper Fi!

Tags!!!!

2009-11-04T17:35:00.000-08:00

I discovered a really nifty way to make different shapes of handmade papers and as I make them, I put them aside until I have a bunch of the same shape, then I list them in my Etsy shop. I have a whole bunch of tag shapes so I thought I'd just share those with you here...

I can see all kinds of possibilities for these tags. Use them on gifts! (of course!) They can be written on with a ball point pen so they could easily be added to a gift. Another great thing would be to use them on a greeting card or a mixed media piece of art. These tags take rubber stamping and glueing very well. In fact, I am thinking of making up more of these to use on Christmas cards this year!

I sound like a salesman huh? LOL! I just can't help it, I think they are so neat and I just love making them and I will never be able to use them all myself. :)

Mini Composition Books

2009-11-01T10:29:00.000-08:00

I love those little composition books and at the beginning of the school year I was able to get a few for CHEAP! These two mini composition books are covered with my handmade paper and are embellished with flowers that were given to me by my friend Penny. The words were hand written on bond paper and torn around the edges or cut with decorative scissors. Then I inked the edges up a little. I think they are really cute.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2009-10-31T08:04:00.001-07:00

I hope all of you ghosts, ghouls, fairy princesses, cowboys, pirates and witches have a fun-filled, candy loaded HALLOWEEN!!!

Mmmmwwwwwwaaaaaahhhhhaaahhhaaahhhaaahhaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!

:)

Christmas Tree Card

2009-10-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend I made up a bunch of Christmas handmade paper shapes and background paper for my Christmas cards for this year. The design is very simple, but I really like the texture of these cards. The Christmas trees are just green handmade paper. The background paper is white handmade paper with red, green and gold glitter (which I have tried to show in the pic below). The stamp is by Denami Design. I have other shapes that I will be making as well such as stockings and stars. I can't wait to make more. :)

Fall Trees - Backyard View

2009-10-25T16:21:00.003-07:00

Just thought I'd share the view off my backyard deck. Just so pretty. :) I am happy to see the reds and yellows. Fall in North Carolina is a great time of year!

The Ace of Spades - ATC

2009-10-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

My Yahoo group is hosting a Deck of Cards swap and each month we make one ATC based on a card in the deck. This is my Ace of Spades ATC. . . I thought music notes would be appropriate. :)

The Great Pumpkin

2009-10-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

I recently joined a swap with the theme "The Great Pumpkin". I jumped at the chance to play in this swap because I have a few fantastic pumpkins I made using handmade paper. I thought one of these pumpkins would be great on a card. The background paper is also my handmade paper. I stamped "Hello" on handmade paper and used fabric flowers that I got on clearance at Michaels for embellishment. I just cut them to fit behind the objects. The handmade paper pumpkin has gold glitter included.

This card is now on the way to its new owner!

Feature - Penny Duncan Creations

2009-10-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

I am always so excited to see how my papers are used by others in their ART. I've had a few people send me photos of their ART using my papers and I thought I'd share those creations with you as well.

My friend Penny bought this set of handmade paper tags and used one on a card. When she sent me the photos, I was just blown away! She altered the tag and it made a perfect accent to her card creation.

Check out Penny's blog here. She is so creative! I know you will enjoy browsing through her blog.

Potpourri Paper

2009-10-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

I am a pack rat. I get it from my grandmother. And when you combine that with being a papermaker, well, you don't want to throw anything away! I have shoe boxes full of things that I eventually want to use in my papermaking. This weekend I pulled down one of those boxes and found a small bag of spice scented potpourri. So, I soaked it and blended it and stirred it into some white paper. The results are just wonderful! The scent is still there but it is very subtle. The sheets are very textured and would be better used as a decorative paper rather than a stationery. But, wow! I just love how they turned out...

Magic Cat ATC

2009-10-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

I was challenged to make a piece of art for a monthly lottery. This month's theme was "cat". After struggling with one piece I had to step back and take a break because I just was not liking what I made. So I completely trashed that piece and started over. This piece I like much better! The background is my very own crayon paper. The cat image is one I have had forever. I don't know where I got it. ( I am thinking maybe Dover Publishing) The word "Magic" is a stencil I got at Michaels that was on clearance. Love those clearance sections! I traced it with a black Sharpie. The stars are also from a clearance sale stencil and they are also traced with black Sharpie. The diamonds are made using my orange metallic Gelly Roll pen and I also colored in the cat's eyes with the metallic Gelly Roll pen. This little guy will be on his way to his new owner this week...

Halloween ATC

2009-09-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

Last year I made this "ghostly" background crayon paper. I hoped to sell it in my Etsy shop but I never got it listed so it sat in a folder until this year. I decided not to sell it but to use it for an ATC swap. I really like how this turned out. It's not really my style to use a vintage photo but this little child looked perfect for this ATC. I don't know where my friend Angie got the image, but she was nice enough to send it to me a while back. When my husband looked at the finished ATC, he said "creepy", refering to the child. Yes, indeed.

Making a Drawer

2009-09-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

I am always saving boxes and containers. Sometimes they just get stored forever until I am forced to put them in the recycle bin, however, this cardboard box really caught my attention. My husband loves bottled water. I buy a certain brand out of habit I guess, but I keep saving the cardboard bottoms from every package I buy. Most of them are currently full of items in my studio but one got a make-over.

To me, the cardboard box looked like it would fit perfectly in the slot on my cabinet. They ended up being about 1/2 inch too tall and 1/2 inch too long so I cut the top down and re-folded the ends and glued them back in order to make the box fit. Then I decorated the front with paper and created and handle out of the discarded cardboard. The handle was decorated with matching paper and glued into place. I am very happy that this worked! I have several emply slots and LOTS of items that could be placed in a drawer. :)

This was such a fun project! I have a few more "drawers" that I can make now and I am headed to the grocery store tomorrow for more bottled water. :) Now, I just have to do something with the many other containers I've saved!

Stampin Up! Handmade Papers

2009-09-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

As an experiment, I wanted to see if I could turn Stampin Up! cardstock into handmade paper and keep the color so that the new handmade paper would coordinate with the original cardstock. I did contact Stampin Up! first to see if they would allow me to do this and they said yes! I finally got through a package of Earth Elements cardstock and I am very happy with the results! As you can see from the first picture, the handmade paper still keeps the color of the cardstock and matches the original cardstock beautifully! This is the Old Olive cardstock, the scalloped circle is the original cardstock and the two handmade paper sheets were made with the Old Olive plus some used white office paper to lighten the color up a little. The resulting set is now listed in my Etsy Shop. I will be listing a 24 sheet set and a 12 sheet set soon!

First home improvement project

2009-09-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well, the project wasn't on our home but on the yard. One of the selling points of this house for us was all the trees behind the house. We both love trees. Last time we lived here in Jacksonville we rented a house out in the country that had acres and acres of trees behind it, but shortly after we moved in, the owner's of that property had most of the trees removed. We hear there are new houses out there now. We were very sad that our tree view had been destroyed. So, when we saw this house and knew that the trees could not be removed because they were part of the property of the house, we knew we wanted to live here.

The backyard had a fence that was even with the detached garage. It was covered with a dead vine. There is another fence that goes behind the garage. We figure it was probably the previous owner's dog pen. We decided we wanted to see more of the trees and thought we should take down the fence in the middle. My hubby did a great job of it! Now we just have a little bit of clearing to do. There are some dead trees that need to come down and some old logs that are filled with termites that need to be destroyed.

I really like the new view. And there is new territory for our dog and cats to explore.

Handmade Paper Leaves

2009-09-03T08:12:00.001-07:00

As promised! Here are the handmade paper leaves that I mentioned in the pumpkin shape post. I pulled a leaf from one of the trees in by backyard and traced out a template. I think they turned out great. I need to make a few more so I can get them listed in my Etsy shop.

I am also going to be making some ghost shapes as well! My dear friend Diann has gotten me in the Halloween spirit. :) Thanks Diann!!!

Pumpkin Shapes

2009-09-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

Happy September! I just can't believe that September is upon us. Today was a gorgeous day in NC. You can feel the cooler air and the leaves are starting to turn. In fact, I will have to rake the yard pretty soon...

Everyone seems to be playing with Fall items so I thought I'd play too! I drew up a couple of pumpkin templates for my handmade paper and made up a batch. I also made some leaves, but they are not dry yet. I'll post them later. :)

Don't these pumpkins just looks neat? I can see them being used on a fall themed card.

"Hello" Tag

2009-08-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

I made this tag for a swap I am in. It has been a while since I made any tags and I was really struggling with what to do! But, I saw this quote in an old book I have and thought it would be a perfect theme for a tag... I placed the quote on the back.

The recipient of this tag likes the color blue and I thought that it just needed a simple "hello" on the front. I drew the silver swirls with my silver metallic Gelly Roll pen which, by the way, not only writes very well on the blue paper on the front but also on the dark blue acrylic paint on the back of the tag.

Welcome to the World Cards

2009-08-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

My good Friend Sarah (Fellow EtsyPaper Street Team Member) has been making these cards for a store owner in New Jersey. These cute cards have my handmade paper as a background. :) Recently she asked me to send her more brown paper so I went to my storage closet and pulled out a bunch of brown and beige papers.

This batch turned out really "textured". Most of the papers would not blend easily. Not sure if is was the papers or my blender. Maybe the poor thing has been used way too much. However, I just loved the outcome. That is one of the things I love about making paper. You blend up a bunch of different types and colors of paper and when you form the sheet, you are never sure how it will look. It is always a surprise! I pulled 10 sheets out for Sarah (you can see her shops here and here) and I have a few more left for doing with as I please! LOL

I really think I have way too much fun making paper...

It's my Birthday!

2009-08-18T07:07:00.000-07:00

I have been blessed with a wonderful Husband, a daughter who never lets me forget how to laugh, a supportive family and an amazing group of friends. You all make my days happy! I just want to say thank you to everyone for being a part of my life and for supporting me in everything I do or try to do. :) For all the smiles and hugs and words of encouragement. And thank you to everyone who posts a comment here, I may not know you, but our paths have crossed and I am so thankful that you take the time to comment on my blog.

Today is my birthday. I am planning on going out to get a cake this afternoon. I am NOT baking. LOL I have gotten some cards from some very wonderful people. Thank you! This weekend, my Hubby will be taking me out for dinner. It's hard to get out on the weekdays. I am not sure where I want to go eat yet.

Thank you everyone! Big hugs to you all! It is a wonderful day! :)

Survey Drawing Winners!!!

2009-08-11T06:20:00.001-07:00

I want to thank everyone who participated in my survey! I got lots of great feedback. :)

Winner of the handmade paper pack is Elizabeth!

Winner of the notecard pack is Kristina!

Congratulations Ladies! I hope you will enjoy your prizes. :)

For those of you who did not get to participate before today but would still like to complete the survey, please feel free to do so! I am always happy to hear from you. :)

Survey and a Prize Drawing

2009-07-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

I am working on revamping my Etsy Store with a focus on Handmade Papers and Crayon Papers. I love doing beadwork but I am just feeling a pull to change my focus so...... I am having a survey.

Please take a moment to answer the following questions and either email me at cspaperandbeads@yahoo.com with your answers or leave a comment here on the blog. I won't publish your answers.

I will be accepting answers to this Survey until August 10, 2009. On August 11, 2009 I will be drawing names for 2 prizes: 1 set of 5 x 7 inch handmade papers (10 sheets) and 1 set of mini thank you cards with envelopes made with handmade papers (10 cards/10 envelopes).

Survey Questions:

1. How do you use handmade paper?

a. greeting card making

b. scrapbooking

c. stationery

d. other

e. I don't use it but like to give it as a gift

2. What is your favorite size to use?

a. 2 x 2 inch

b. 5 x 7 inch

c. 8 1/2 x 11 inch

d. larger than 8 1/2 x 11 inch

e. a mixture of sizes

3. What size paper pack do you prefer to buy?

a. 6 sheets

b. 10 sheets

c. 25 sheets

d. more than 25 sheets

e. depends on my project

4. What do you like or dislike about handmade papers?

5. Do you like your handmade paper pack to contain all one color of papers or do you prefer a variety of colors?

Please go to my shop at www.cspaperandbeads.etsy.com for the following questions...

6. What item would you like to see more of in my shop?

7. Are my prices reasonable, too low or too high?

8. Would you use this paper scrap recycling service? http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22873690

8a. If no, why?

9. What is your name and email address? This is so I can contact you if you are the winner of one of my prizes. (Your information will be kept private.)

Thank you so much for participating in my Survey!!

Cape Lookout NC

2009-07-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend was such a fun time for me. My brother and his family (who live in Texas) came for a weekend visit. We had a blast seeing the sights and playing at the beach. Our first stop was Cape Lookout. We took a short ferry ride from Harker's Island and spent a couple of hours beachcombing and getting our feet wet. All with the lighthouse in the background. On the ferry ride back, we were able to see the Shackleford Island Horses which have been on Shackleford Island since the 1600's. We didn't get close enough for good pics though. I'll have to take the long lens next time...

When is a green crayon not a green crayon?

2009-07-07T12:57:00.001-07:00

As I was working on my green and gold background crayon paper for Christmas cards, I pulled a small piece of a green crayon out of my basket. I had several green crayons out and ready to use because the different shades always create nice depth in the paper...

I was very surprised when I began melting this crayon because I didn't get green, I got gold! Very shiny gold. So, I played with it a little bit on the page then put it down to do some research. I can across this blog: http://aleksandreia.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/all-that-glisters-is-not-metallic-gold/ and discovered something I never even thought of before. Apparently my gold crayon is pre-1994 and was made using bronze powder. Crayola no longer uses bronze powder in their gold and copper crayons. I also have a copper crayon that is from the 1960's ( I believe)...

And there is a gold in that old package as well but it is not nearly as green as the little piece I found. So, after finding out that the formula for my shiny gold piece has been discontinued, I thought I'd compare it to a new gold crayon:

See how shiny it is compared to the newer gold formula. It is wonderful. I won't be using this crayon any longer. It will go with my other older crayons and I also will not be using the green/gold paper sheet I made with it. I think I will save that too.

This discovery kinda got me in a collecting mood. :) It may seem strange, but I can see myself collecting old crayons... Hmmm...

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone enjoys the parades and fireworks. We had a few fireworks being popped off in the neighborhood last night. It was fun to see them, but our little dog is terrified of the noise. Poor puppy! He felt he had to sit in my lap while I was working on little thank you cards last night.

Hope everyone has a happy, fun and safe day. Don't forget to take a moment to remember all the sacrifices people had to make to get our Country started and to keep our Country going. And for all the Military personnel at home and abroad for their hard work and dedication.

I'm a Winner!!!

2009-06-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

Recently I entered a contest at Paper Imagery Designs and would you believe it...

I won this beautiful Necklace! :) It was made by Angie Haviland. She posted a bottle cap charm tutorial which you can see here.

I feel so very lucky to be receiving such a wonderful necklace. Thanks so much to Paper Imagery Designs and to Angie!

My Studio

2009-06-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

A member of my Yahoo Group challenged us to show our studio/art area. So, welcome to mine. It still needs lots of work. I am still getting use to having an area of my own. I use to have the corner of our bedroom, now I have a whole room to myself. :)

This is a shelf I bought at a City Auction a few years ago. It holds my papers, stencils, markers (on the top shelf) and other stuff... You can also see my paper shredder here. It gets lots of use!

My desk. On top are binders, some books and my daughter's art (which is waiting for framing). On the shelf are my decorative scissors, punches, paper cutter, glue, tape, envelopes, Etsy binder, business cards and labels. The desk top has items that I've used recently. On each side of the desk I have tall shelves. The right side holds paints, photos and the shelf with the rock (4th from top) is used to press handmade papers. The left tall shelf holds finished handmade papers and paper scraps. On the wall next is my handmade paper drying shelf system. You can see that the walls of the room are painted. The room is "Finding Nemo" themed. I didn't repaint when we moved in...

I have a sewing desk (which currently holds my iron and ironing board for crayon paper) and a bookshelf with books and rubber stamps and inks. The boxes on the left hold paper scraps for handmade papers...

My closet.... I really want to update the storage system here. The right side holds paper scraps. The plastic bags hanging have my Etsy items (idea from Penny), the middle has crayons, embellishments, holiday items and the left (part you can't see) has a filing cabinet and a big box full of fibers...

My bead shelf and on the wall to the left, a paper sorter with paper sorted by color...

Welcome!!! :)

Springtime Flowers

2009-06-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

I think flowers are just so beautiful. They add so much color to the world... I have been blessed to have flowers blooming around my new home, thanks to the previous owners. :) There was one plant that I always wanted in my flower bed, Lantana. I just fell in love with it many years ago but never was brave enough to go ahead and plant one. Well, my new home has SEVERAL of these wonderful plants! How is that for luck. Or maybe destiny? I didn't even know they were planted here until the Spring. Anyway, I have these beautiful yellow/red and yellow/pink lantanas and I planted the purple myself.

Another favorite of mine: Gerber Daisy. I have several of these growing as well, but only one has bloomed so far...

Anyway, just wanted to show a little color on my blog today. :)

Hope you all have a COLORFUL day!

Swirls

2009-05-19T10:29:00.001-07:00

I recently had a customer ask me if I could make my paper look like ice cream - with swirls. I had never tried anything like that before so it gave me a chance to play!

First I pulled some light pink sheets, then swirled in a darker shade by hand...

Not too bad...

Then I cut out a template to use to get more uniform swirls...

Then I thought, "Well hey, I have the template, let make just swirls."

I had a great time with the templates and decided to make more so now I have:

stars, Christmas trees, Christmas stockings, hearts, a butterfly, flowers and circles!!!

Blog Features

2009-05-08T06:02:00.000-07:00

Over the last week and a half my Etsy shop has been featured in 3 blogs. I wanted to send out a big "Thank You" to these blogs for featuring me!

Thought I'd share those blog with y'all...

The first feature is in BekahQuilts blog : http://bekahsquilts.blogspot.com/

Bekah occasionally features Etsy sellers and she picked my shop for last week. She has a very nice blog.

The second feature is in my Etsy Paper Street Team blog : http://etsypaperstreetteam.blogspot.com/

The team has decided to feature 2 members per week. I was chosen to be the first.

The third features is in Audrey'sCountryCrafts : http://audreyscountrycrafts.blogspot.com/

Audrey also occasionally features Etsy sellers and I one of a few she chose to feature this week. She also placed my Etsy mini on her blog for the week.

So, if you are needing some new blogs to read, check these out. :)

Necklaces for a Friend

2009-04-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to work with beads for a while even though I have had several bead projects to work on. A friend of mine in Lubbock asked me to re-work some of her beads into necklaces and I didn't get them done before we left. I finished them this weekend and they are packaged up and ready to mail. :) Thought I'd share them...

The orange necklace I re-worked into the rosary style which is what I do with most of the necklaces I create. Her beads are the orange chips and when I finished, I thought the necklace was too short so I added the brown round beads...

I decided just to re-string the pearl beads for an elegant look. Again, it was too short for my liking so I added a few of my own that matched...

New Journal

2009-04-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to try this idea for so long and I finally got enough time to do it. :)

The cover is made using my crayon paper. Both sides of the paper were covered in crayon. The inside pages are handmade papers. It measures 5 1/8 x 3 7/8 inches and is 1/2 inch thick. I think it would be perfect for altering by creating collages on the pages or painting or drawing on the pages. :) I am very happy with the results. It looks great!

Printing on Handmade Paper

2009-04-01T10:28:00.001-07:00

I was asked recently if my handmade papers would go through a printer. I had never tried it before so I thought now was the time to give it a try. Here is the result:

The photos aren't that great. I need to learn how to use our scanner! LOL
The yellow ink didn't show well but everything else looks great. The paper went through the printer easily, no jamming. I am very excited about this! :)
A big thank you to those people who asked if this could be done with my papers! I learned something new. :)

Having fun with a smaller size!

2009-03-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

My friend Angie makes the most wonderful things! She also makes wonderful small things and it just makes my head spin sometimes when I think of the tiny canvas she is working on. http://angiehallhaviland.typepad.com/angiesartfulllife/

I thought I'd size down my cards and make something a little smaller. Here is the result:

Here are the cards next to an original sized card. Not teeny-tiny, but smaller and I love them. :)

They are lined with paper and I found the perfect sized envelope template so I am making envelopes to go with these cute little cards. So much fun when you challenge yourself to do something just a little different...

Color!!!

2009-03-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

I had planned on writting a little post about all the color I've been noticing lately as I unpack and organize my studio... Then I went to my EtsyPaper Street Team Ning site (http://www.etsypaper.ning.com/) and saw a forum post asking "What inspires you?"

I responded COLOR! of course... LOL

Crayons! I so enjoy melting these little beauties onto paper. As a little girl, my favorite thing to do was color in my coloring books. When I was in Jr. High School, I'd often get out my crayons, turn on some music and just doodle in rhythm to the music.

Beads! I've been trying to organize some of my beads by color. It is kinda relaxing to sort them and drop them into glass jars and just looks at them! Almost like watching fish in an aquarium. :)

Today is a dreary day in Jacksonville. Little bit of rain, lots of clouds. I am not complaining at all. I've been living in drought conditions for so long I had forgotten how enjoyable rain can be! I don't have a whole lot of flowers planted around my new home yet, but, these beautiful yellow flowers bloomed just after we arrived.

Brilliant color on a cloudy day. :)

Orange Mood

2009-03-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

I think I am in an orange mood. LOL! I was making crayon paper last night and just kept pulling out orange crayons from my big bag of crayons. After I made the first page, I found an orange glitter crayon and decided to give it a try. I love adding sparkle to my papers! The glitter crayon really added some shine to the paper. I'll need to find more glitter crayons because I couldn't find any more in the bag...

I also have a nice little burn mark on my arm from reaching over the iron while it was still hot... Silly me!

We have moved from Lubbock TX to Jacksonville NC. I am not working yet and am really enjoying having time at home. :) Lots of time to make paper! LOL!!!

Handmade Paper Swap

2009-02-12T07:34:00.001-08:00

I am a member of the Etsy Papermaker's Guild Street Team on Etsy and some of our members participated in a swap. We each sent in a set of sheets of our own paper and got back one of each of the other members. I am so happy to see all of these papers! They are all just so fantastic! There are papers made from cotton, plant fibers and of course paper that would otherwise be in the trash. Really beautiful!
This is the sheet I sent in:

And these are the sheets I got back:

If you want, you can search "epgteam" on Etsy and find the wonderful work of all of these fantastic papermakers. :)
I am inspired to make more paper before I move. LOL! So today I will be in the kitchen pulling paper. So much more fun than cleaning. :)

Using Dried Flowers

2009-02-07T13:58:00.001-08:00

I am not a big fan of using botanicals in my handmade paper. The color of the flower always bleeds and then usually turns brown. Even the petals turn brown. But, I have been using dried dyed daisy petals (say that 3 times fast) in my papers and I like the results. The dye bleeds, of course, but the color stays. I recently tried just using one color of petal instead of mixing the colors together. Here is the result when using the blue petals...

I like how each sheet has different results. The streak of dye goes one way on one sheet and another way on another sheet. And the color will stay which is exciting for me! :)

I can't wait to use the other colors!

Using Handmade Paper

2009-01-24T12:38:00.000-08:00

I love to make handmade paper (as I am sure you know by now) but I am just not great at actually using my paper. I enjoying seeing how other people use my papers but when it comes to me using it for a project, I am just at a loss sometimes. So, I am trying to using my papers more. I have a bunch of pink paper right now so I decided to stay in the Valentine's Day spirit and make cards. These are just very simple. I covered the front of a blank card with my handmade papers and then added my die-cut hearts from paperpeddler.etsy.com to the fronts. I like the way they turned out.

I also made matching envelopes by altering commercial envelopes using the same hearts. I inked one up with a dark red pigment ink, then turned it over and pressed it to the envelope. A very subtle way to enhance the plain white envelope.

It is a beautiful day in Lubbock Texas. I was surprised by the temps outside though. I think it is only about 35 degrees right now, but the sun is shining bright and there is no wind (for a change!). Just beautiful! I have to say I will miss the wide open sky when we move, but I won't miss the wind. LOL!!!

Yes, a Valentine's Day Post

2009-01-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

I always seem to be so behind when it comes to preparing for holidays. I am trying to do better! :) I did manage to make 2 Valentine's Day themed items...

Handmade paper:

With matching hearts:

And some Crayon Paper:

Lots of fun! :)

I am also working on actual Valentine's Day cards too! I haven't made those in so long!

Heart Day will be here before we know it... I need to get in gear and make my hubby a card too! :)

And the Award goes to....... Me!

2009-01-17T08:01:00.000-08:00

And a bunch of other wonderful people!!!

My dear friend Angie gave me an award. She is such a sweetheart! You can see her blog here: http://angiehallhaviland.typepad.com/angiesartfulllife/

Here is my Award:

I am to name 7 of my favorite things:

1. Summer (my favorite season!)

2. Iced Tea

3. Playing with paper

4. My daughter's Artwork

5. My Husband's eyes

6. snacking on Avocados

7. Dark chococale Hershey kisses

Now, to pass this award on to 7 people...

1. http://ragqueensblog.blogspot.com/

2. http://shellyraewood.blogspot.com/

3. http://paperpeddler.blogspot.com/

4. http://papercreationsbynicole.blogspot.com/

5. http://kisforcalligraphy.blogspot.com/

6. http://clearpink.blogspot.com/

7. http://thelittleillustrator.blogspot.com/

Wonderful blogs from some very creative people! :)

Thoughts of Spring in the Dead of Winter

2008-12-28T08:13:00.000-08:00

My daughter received a charcoal kit and a pastels kit for Christmas and immediately went to work. This is what she drew and she gave it to me as a gift. I am hoping to get a frame for it this week and display it in our living room.

EtsyPaper Paper Pal Promotion

2008-12-10T19:29:00.000-08:00

This December I am promoting my EtsyPaper Street Team Paper Pal: PaperPeddler (http://www.paperpeddler.etsy.com/)

I have been very impressed with PaperPeddler as a Seller and as a person. She is fantastic to work with and wonderful to talk to. :)

Here are some of my favorite items from her shop...

Each month she donates part of card and card set purchases to a charity. She has an awesome newsletter and she is going "green" with her invoicing. :)

Check out her shop. If you like paper, you'll love Paperpeddler!

Christmas Tag Swap

2008-12-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

I have an online group of wonderfully talented friends and this year we did a Christmas tag swap. I took mine to Louisiana and worked on them while my husband was duck hunting. :)

These tags were made with some of my crayon paper which was glued onto cardstock before cutting. Then I just punched a star at the top and made a ribbon loop and wrote "To:" and "From" on the back in red ink.

November is a Busy Month!

2008-12-07T07:54:00.000-08:00

Well, the first week of December is over and I finally have a chance to sit down and update my blog!

November is usually a very busy month for us. We have two traditions that take up a lot of our time. One tradition has been around a little longer than the other.

On Novemember 10, 1775, the Marine Corps was born. Every year the men and women of the Marine Corps gather together to celebrate this special date with a ceremony, dinner and dancing. We had a wonderful time! The food was fabulous, the guest speaker was motivating and the dancing was, well, a fun time for everyone! We even had birthday cake. :)

For the last three years we have gone to Southern Louisiana to visit my Mother-in-Law during the week of Thanksgiving. That time of year is duck hunting season so Jason gets to go out with my MIL and her husband and their friends and duck hunt. He has a blast. Kristina and I usualy hang out at the cabin but we did get to go out on the boat with them on the last day. It was fun!

Here are some other pics I took:

Message in a Bottle

2008-11-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

I am participating in a Message in a Bottle swap that is just too much fun!

Recently, I received my first bottle:

With tons of goodies:

For every bottle I receive, I send out 2 and I get 4 in return! Talk about some great mail days!

You can see the fun here: http://www.GoMakeSomething.com/mib

I can't wait to play... :)

Black Paper

2008-11-10T17:44:00.001-08:00

A co-worker asked me to make her some of my handmade paper notecards and when I asked her if she had a color preference she said she likes black and white. I decided I would try to make black paper for some of her cards. I've never made black paper. The darkest paper I've ever made is brown. Here are the results:

TAG!!! I'M IT! (TWICE)

2008-11-09T18:04:00.000-08:00

I got tagged! Twice! Wowzers!

Once by my EtsyPaper Pal Katy http://kisforcalligraphy.blogspot.com/

and once by my good Friend Angie http://angiehallhaviland.typepad.com/angiesartfulllife/

I am supposed to tell 6 things about myself and then tag 5 blogging friends.

Here we go:

1. I have 2 tattoos. One on my ankle and one on my wrist. The one on my wrist has my hubby's name in it.

2. I was a dancer when I was little girl. Ballet, tap and jazz! However, I cried all through a ballet solo at a recital because I have a big stage-fright problem.

3. My favorite cars are Mustangs. I had one in High School. An '81 Mustang - lots of fun! And I had one a couple of years ago. A 2002 beautiful Yellow Mustang. I sold it because 1) My daughter was getting too tall to sit in the back seat and 2) when it rains here in Lubbock the intersections flood pretty bad and I didn't want to get stuck! I shall have another one someday!

4. I love Action Flicks!!!

5. Favorite Food: Fajitas! YUM!

6. I would love to retire in the Texas Hill Country. Beautfiul place. :)

OK, Now to tag:

http://ragqueensblog.blogspot.com/

http://clearpink.blogspot.com/

http://jenygwen.blogspot.com/

Well, I am only going to do 3 friends... LOL!

On the subject of tags, here is a card I made a little while back for a swap:

Colorful Gems

2008-10-12T18:22:00.000-07:00

It is a rainy day today so I decided to work on some things I have been needing to make. A friend of mine at work placed an order for some of my flat-back glass marble push pins. I've got everything finished except to glue the tack to the back. I just love how they turned out. So colorful. These are made using my crayon paper. The leftover sheets (at the right of the photo) will be used to make more (for me!). I usually take any flat-back glass marbles that are not suitable for selling (little flaw or chip in the glass) and make push pins for my home office. And any itsy-bitsy leftover pieces of the paper will be used in my handmade papers. I won't be throwing anything away during this project. :)

PaperMaker Treasury on Etsy!

2008-10-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

I am part of a newly created team on Etsy called the Etsy PaperMakers Guild. We are all papermakers and it is so interesting to see how other artists create with handmade paper and what they use during the papermaking process. One of our team members created this Treasury. Check it out: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=14216

And here are some photos of my paper. :)

New Cards

2008-09-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

I am really trying to enjoy the Fall. :) Usually I am happiest in the Summer. I love the warmth. I like Fall but when it arrives, Winter is not far behind and that means cold and ice. Not my favorite things (unless you are describing a nice tall glass of cold iced tea!)

Anyway, I made up a batch of Fall color paper this week and decided to make some cards. I think they look great! :)

I think I need to go shopping for more chunky stamps because they just stamp wonderfully on handmade paper!

Fall Colors!

2008-09-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

Did I mention that I also enjoy making greeting cards? I guess it is part of that paper passion I have. :)

I think I am a little behind the times. Everyone is making things that incorporate Fall Colors. So, I grabbed some paper and couple of stamps and my Paper Flower Medallion from PaperPeddler.etsy.com and crafted away!

Welcome to CS Craft Studio!

2008-09-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hi!!

For those of you who saw my blog on Typepad, welcome to my new blog! :)

For those of you who don't know me, welcome to CS Craft Studio!

I am a Papermaker. That's right, a Papermaker. For the longest time I wanted to call myself a Papermaker but was nervous about it. Maybe people wouldn't understand, I mean a Papermaker? Why not Artist? I do feel I am an Artist at heart. I love to create things with my hands. I enjoy the thrill of taking little things and making something beautiful. But my passion is paper. I feel such a letdown when I don't get to make paper. It is something that just lifts my spirit! I saw the quote at the top of my blog hanging up in my daughter's dance studio and it just inspired me. Almost made me cry, sure, but really inspired me. Why shouldn't I be successful? Why shouldn't I be amazing? Why do I hold back when I know what I want to do? I want to make paper! I want to make paper that people will enjoy using in their own creations, whether it is a collage or a letter to a friend. So, I am on a journey to be amazing and successful! And, if for some reason I am not an amazing and successful Papermaker, then maybe I'll be known as an amazing Mom and Wife and Friend. My Heart would be Happy! :)

Thank you all for stopping by. My journey continues...