Tag Archives: paper craft

What I’m Loving Right Now: Neon DIY Stationary

22 May

I might be having a slight love affair with neons lately.

Yes, I know they are 1980s-esque and beloved by the Taylor Swift-liking under 21 crowd. Which, besides the fact that I like TSwift, I have nothing in common with…as I haven’t been under 21 in a loooooong while.

But I can’t help it. Neons just make me happy.

So I made some stationary.

DIY Neon Stationary Card

In neon blue, pink, and green.

Talk about saying HELLLOOOOOO I received a freaking letter when you open one of these suckers.

These are 5″x7″ size, which gives the cards a substantial impact. I also really enjoy the contrast of the old-school engraving fonts against the neon paper.

I resisted making envelope liners for these…but only because I didn’t have matching neon paper for that.

But seriously, neons.

Love.

Neon Stationary DIY

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And My Kraft Paper Obsession Continues…

6 Feb

We all know that I sort of, well, enjoy kraft paper. A lot.

Here’s the roundup of my holiday projects that involved kraft paper. And yes, I know it is well over a month since Christmas passed, but considering that I just took down my tree last weekend…it’s still holiday time here.

You can use it to make table runners, like this.

Kraft Paper Table Runner

I really love this idea. Plus, you can do fun things like handwritten place settings or scrawl the menu out. (I did not do those things because it was only Christmas Eve and I needed to keep my over-the-top-ness to a minimum. Which was hard.)

Kraft paper also makes great invitations. Like the one for my Christmas Eve Spectacular.

Kraft paper invite

(Yes, I send out invites to Christmas Eve dinner…hence the reason I had to keep the table runner simple.)

Or, you can use it to make Christmas cards.

Cowboy Christmas Card

This one was for my boss. She reads a lot of romance novels, which we jokingly refer to as “The Cowboy and the Princess.“

And it’s a great way to wrap presents. Plus, yarn is an easy upgrade from your basic ribbon.

Kraft wrapping paper

Alright, I’m back to krafting. I mean, crafting.

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DIY Window Leaf Cupcake Flags

5 Jan

So a while back (and by ‘while’ I mean in September, #shamerattles), a friend came to visit and we got into some serious Cricut action.

The result?

DIY Window Leaf Cupcake Flags on Carrot Cake

These super-sweet window leaf cupcake flags. Perfect for fall. Displayed on carrot cake and my-favorite-ever-cream cheese frosting.

Just cut out all the shapes, assemble with glue, and then attach the finished flags to toothpicks.

Window Leaf Cupcake Flags

I like to use glue sticks for this type of work, hence the magazine laid out for scrap paper / workplace protector. I’ve tried rubber cement and liquid glue, but I remain a big fan of my first-grade glue stick method.

And seriously, get a Cricut. It’s awesome.

Because when you give a girl a Cricut, she’ll probably do a lot of crafts…like a lot a lot.

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DIY Festive Star Cupcake Flags and Place Cards

22 Dec

So I’m back…after an intense three weeks, I finally have some time to get back to CP. But that’s a story for another day.

One of my (many) obsessions lately is cupcake flags. They really just give cupcakes a little something extra…as in extra fabulous.

DIY Star Cupcake Flags

And cupcake flags are an easy DIY. You need toothpicks, glue or tape, and whatever you want to use as the flag part.

These metallic stars were picked up at Michael’s.

Metallic Star

You glue the toothpick to one star, add more glue, and top with a second star.

Star Cupcake flag in progress

Normally, I make my flags one-sided, but I was crafting with my BFF, who can be a bit of a craft dictator perfectionist. Which is okay, because then I do the extra steps that I normally skip out of laziness to be efficient.

After we were finished the cupcake flags, it was time for place cards. And we needed place cards to avoid sitting next to anyone weird at family birthday celebration dinner. Which is also another story for another day.

DIY Star Placecards

Not having folded tent cards handy, we used flat cards instead. Just glue on a star, and you’re done. We ended up writing the names on with a silver Sharpie, but had we pre-recognized the need for weird family member avoidance, they would have gotten printed pre-stars.

More posts on my variety of cupcake flags to follow…

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Last Day! Snail Mail my Email

18 Nov

Fact: I love paper.

I love sending paper. And I love, love, love receiving paper. Getting the mail is one of my top ten favorite things to do. So much that I actually dislike days that the mail doesn’t come.

Like Sundays. And who dislikes Sundays? It’s like disliking Christmas. Blasphemy, folks.

Back to paper.

Today is the last day of ‘Snail Mail my Email,’ which is pretty much one of the coolest things ever. And it’s free.

The idea? Send an email (100 words or less) to snailmailmyemail2@gmail.com, along with the recipient’s physical address.

They’ll handwrite your note, make it all artistic, and send it in the mail for you. You can even select custom options for the note, like doodles or perfume sprays or lipstick kisses.

(Although the idea of some stranger kissing a note with lipstick that is then sent to one of my friends is sort of…creepy. Not to mention the germ contamination…sad side effect of paper mail.)

Did I mention that it’s free?

How did this all start? The project was started in 2011, with the goal of rebuilding personal connections in our digital world — and more than 10,000 letters were illustrated and mailed to over 70 countries. You can see many of these in the Snail Mail book.

So get writing!

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Friday Find: Inkadinkado Stamping Gear

12 Oct

Yes, I did purchase something called an ‘inkadinkado.’ Shame rattle. Don’t judge, I used a coupon.

I’m going to put this in my hall of fame for best inexpensive craft purchase ever. Sure, I’ve got a Cricut, but who needs a fancy die cutter when I got this entire stamping system for a mere $8? Plus the cost of ink. Coupons folks, coupons.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE.

Inkadinkado Stamping Gear can only be described as “pretty sweet.” Even my brother in law, who generally scoffs at things like envelope liners and all things cakerypapery, said it was cool.

So what exactly is Inkadinkado Stamping Gear? It’s stamping made simple.

The starter kit has four stamp patterns, a stamp block, and a wheel. It was $14.99 at Jo-Ann Fabrics, but there’s always coupons (duh) so you can get it much cheaper.

The idea is, you stamp around the wheel, to make these crazy patterns. The wheel has every other notch marked, so it’s easy to make patterns.

You can stamp in every notch, or every other.

I used this to decorate the envelopes for my niece’s birthday party invites.

Not going to lie, I can’t wait until people receive them in the mail. The patterns made the envelopes super fancy-looking and really gave them something extra. If only they were pink and scented…

This was my first stamping project, and the Stamping Gear made it really easy. I’m excited to get some of the other stamps to try out, and a second stamp block, so I don’t have to switch out stamps to mix patterns. There’s also an oval and circle wheel, for making larger patterns.

Overall, I’m really happy with Stamping Gear. Most impulse purchases don’t turn out this well!

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Monster Mash Notecards

3 Oct

He did the mash…the monster mash!

Brings back memories of my first grade tap dance recital and green dyed leotards with matching tights…

But these monsters are much cooler.

They have glitter. And bats. Cool.

I finally got back into using my Cricut after a long hiatus, and I remember why I love it so much. It’s fast, easy, and you can make really unique stuff.

The die cut for these is on the Cricut “Wild Card” cartridge (appropriate name, right?) and I sliced them with the Cricut set to 3.5 inches. The bats are from the same Cricut cartridge and are at 2.5 inches.

For the background, I used pre-cut cardstock from one of the mat stack books. It’s easier more efficient than cutting from scratch. These cards are from a 4.5 x 6.5 inch mat stack.

I’m also back into making envelope liners.

Envelope liners are an easy DIY. I sacrificed an envelope to make an initial stencil, which is slightly narrower and shorter than the actual envelope. For the liner, I recommend using lightweight paper, not cardstock, as its easier to crease and doesn’t require extra postage. Glue in and you are set.

While I highly doubt anyone notices envelope liners…I like to think they give the cards something extra.

Card + envelope liner.

Ready to do the monster mash yet?

Clearly, I’m just a bit excited for Halloween.

Oh, and I have to dress up at my work…so if anyone has office appropriate Halloween costume ideas, please send them my way!

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Best. Thing. Ever. Kraft Paper Notecards.

1 Oct

I have a serious obsession with kraft paper. And yes, I know, I am seriously obsessed with many things…

But seriously. Kraft paper. It’s amazing.

And now I found it in pre-cut, pre-folded, with matching envelopes notecard form.

Pretty much my stationary just went to the next level. Because everything looks cooler on kraft paper.

Like these cards.

Front.

And inside.

Like I said. Everything is cooler on kraft paper.

So far I’ve only seen the kraft paper notecards at Michaels. Where you shouldn’t shop unless you have a coupon. But I’m sure you can find them at an online outlet or Amazon too. I just like the in-store experience of seeing aisles of paper…I seriously…love…paper.

Enjoy and happy krafting!

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A’hoy Mate!

13 Sep

Yo ho, yo ho a pirate’s life for me…

But back to reality. My goddaughter came to visit a few weekends ago, and her mom mentioned that they are going to a pirate-themed party.

SAY NO MORE.

Not only is Pirates of the Carribean pretty much one of my favorite drinking games movies, I just so happened to have this sweet pirate ship shape for my Cricut.

(Okay, so yes, technically you could say it was just a regular ship like the Nina, Pinta, or Santa Maria…but I like to think it’s the Black Pearl.)

(And if you don’t mentally read “the Black Pearl” in a pirate voice…something is wrong with you.)

Use the outsides of the Cricut cutout for the stencil, and then use the Cricut shape for the notecard.

I had the Cricut set on 4.5 inches, and the onesie is size 6-12 months. This notecard is an A6 size.

Savvy?

If you want a full tutorial on painting baby onesies with stencils, here is a step-by-step overview.

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My Novel. On a Notecard.

6 Sep

I can’t stop making stationary lately.

I love paper. And I love mailing it.

The part I get most excited about, what I love the most, is imagining the person’s face when the card gets opened.

For me, the second I see an envelope in the mailbox which isn’t a bill and is clearly a card, I start picturing what’s inside. Love note? An invitation? Just someone saying hello?

I made this one about my novel.

And then I sent it to Texas.

The card is a bit of a font-a-thon, but I still like it.

And, surprisingly?  It doesn’t take that long for mail to get to Texas from Upstate NY.

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