It Takes All Kinds

An idea for displaying your cards

It's getting to be that time of year when you will be getting piles and piles of Christmas cards in the mail. I thought I'd share a display that I made last year to hold my Christmas cards.

Instructions:

1. Find an open-back frame (with no glass). I bought mine on sale at Hobby Lobby, but you could also look at thrift shops. Mine is 18"x24" (the opening).

2. Measure the inside of your frame to decide how many wires you want going across & how far apart. I used 6 wires at 3" apart (except for the top & bottom one).

3. Mark on the back of the frame where you will want your wires on each side.

4. Using any sort of thin metal wire, cut a piece that will span the width of your frame, plus add a few inches at each end to attach.

5. Beginning at the top spot, attach a wire to one side using a staple gun. Be sure to leave a tail of about 3". Use a few staples to make the hold stronger.

6. Fold the excess wire over & staple again. This will help to make sure your wire won't come undone.

7. Repeat on the other side. You can make your wires as tight or as loose as you'd like. As you can see from the picture, I left mine just a teeny bit loose.

8. Repeat steps 4-7 for each row. You may want to cover the wires on the back of the frame with a strong tape so they don't scratch your walls.

9. Use clips to attach your cards/tags/decor. I used atc clips by 7 Gypsies, but you could also use binder clips, paper clips, clothespins, etc. Get creative!

 

Here is my frame filled with Christmas cards:

What unique ways do you display your Christmas cards?

Crayon Resist Christmas Cards

I finally got started on my Christmas cards after procrastinating for weeks.  These also served double duty as my monthly how-to for the Ranger yahoo group that I am a moderator on.

These were created using a crayon resist technique with dye inks.  It is a great technique to use with glossy cardstock especially when you want to color some areas of an image but leave some of it white. If you do not celebrate Christmas you can use different stamps and colored inks, for example winter scenery works great as you can have the snow resist the ink.

Below is a downloadable PDF file with step by step instructions on how I created these cards.  If you do not have a PDF reader you can download it free here.

Download Crayon Resist

Our Indian Summer

How are the colors changing in your neck of the woods?

Fall Activities in an Indian Summer

I don't know about you, but the beautiful weather this Indian Summer has really put me in the mood to craft! I've been currently working on decorations and other items for Halloween.

Last night I made this "spooky" banner to hang in our living room. I cut the triangles from cardboard inserts that I have saved from scrapbook orders! I pulled the top layer off to reveal the corrugated surface. All of the papers are from The Girls' Paperie "Toil & Trouble" line. Most of the embellishments are by Making Memories, except for the felt spiderweb, which is by Queen & Company. (ignore my dog's stash of toys under the cabinet!)

Here's a close-up of one of the letters:

What would an Indian Summer be without beautiful fall leaves? I plan on taking pictures of my neighbor's tree this year to show the progression of the change in color:

Use some of your scrappy supplies to decorate pumpkins! I used black acrylic paint to paint faces on my pumpkins instead of carving them. This way they will last longer!

(Dinky says hi)

Sending You Warm Thoughts

I whipped up this little fall themed card for my project this month.

I misted and stamped on some white cardstock, then used my Slice machine to cut the scalloped circles. Just a little something to brighten up a friend's day!

 

Indian Summer

According to Wikipedia, an Indian summer is a meteorological phenomenon that occurs in autumn, in the Northern Hemisphere. It is characterised by a period of sunny, warm weather, after the leaves have turned following an onset of frost, but before the first snowfall.

Will we see one this year? We're not taking any chances! Our theme for this month is Indian Summer. How will you interprete it? We are also adding a technique this month: die cuts and punches. Use any kind of die cutting machine or punches on your projects! Check back all month long to see what the team does!

Positive thoughts go a long way!

In honor of my friend, Jodi, who is fighting cancer...and will win. In honor of this month being National Yoga Month. In honor of everone needing some postive vibes in their lives....this is for them...this if for you! Namaste!

Never underestimate the power of the positive!

peace

I made this layout a few years ago, but it is still one of my favorites.  We were living in a tiny one bedroom apartment, stuffed to the gills.  I was in grad school full time, working a variety of odd jobs to help pay bills.  We were happy, but not exactly where we wanted to be in life yet.

But I saw the kitties enjoying the view one afternoon, and just felt so content.  We had a pretty little haven, even if it was cluttered and tiny.  We had our kitties, and each other, our own little family.  I was enjoying the flexible schedule of college, and was blessed to catch this happy little moment of peace.

To convey that in my layout, I kept things simple.  A poignant quote in my handwriting, an uncomplicated sticker title, and basic elements of patterned paper scraps, cardstock, and my photo, with lots of white space for the eye to rest and take in the calmness of the layout's memory.

I especially love this layout because it reminds me that we need to cherish these moments of peace.  We're now in a house, both working full time, blessed beyond measure.  Things are still not perfect, but we are still happy and content, and just need to remember look for those quiet moments of serenity to rest in.

Creativity Keeps Me Serene

When I get in the zone, in the flow of creating something it brings me serenity. How about you? Even if I can't actually make something at the time, just thinking about future projects makes me feel great!

 

I created a mosaic of different crafting related photos (I used the mosaic maker at Big Huge Labs), and added lots of craft related diecuts like scissors, a camera and a sewing machine. I also added some symbolic elements like a clock, and birds.

What's the one thing guaranteed to bring you serenity and calm?

 

Quiet Wonder

"Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm" ~ unknown

A great tip from this layout: if you have patterned paper that you don't particularly like or can't figure out how to use and it has images that you can use try cutting out the individual images and using them on your layout.  I did this on this layout with the flower.  The added bonus was that sitting and cutting this out was also very relaxing and serene.

How do you bring serenity to your life?