I can never resist a neat tutorial...

I stumbled onto this tutorial while surfing the web for more card related items. Or rather, link hopping through various blogs. I also happen to have a love for origami that dates back to my teenage years. So, by mixing origami and card making you get... something I just absolutely had to try.

The Diamond Fold Card tutorial is brought to you by Splitcoaststampers

I also had the You & Me Stamp Set and a congraulations card to make. You see, the girl I did the card for is throwing the BBQ for two reasons! Her husband, another university friend of mine passed his Ph.D!

Here's the end result from mixing all that stuff together:



and of course, a side view to show off the folding:



The technique I used on the 'follow your' text is called 2nd generation stamping. It creates a neat shadowy-like effect, and it's achieved by simply stamping again without reloading the ink on your stamp.

Cardstock:
Local craft stores

CTMH:
You & Me Stamp (D1495) - May Promotion
Sorbet Ink (Z2164)
Chocolate Ink (Z2111)

A new neighbour

I was talking with my neighbour last weekend when it came out that she had welcomed a little boy into the world back in January! We talk when we bump into the backyard but given that weather had to cooperate before that happened, it was May before I found out.

What better occasion than that to create a card?

Today's inspiration is SSC13 from Random Acts of Creativity



The designs for Baby Love (B1368) were so cute I had to use it on the inside, too:



Cardstock & Button Sticker:
Local craft stores

Inside stamp for card:
Oh Baby - local craft store

CTMH:
Wooden Designer Buttons (Z1387)
Natural Hemp (Z280)
A Game Stamp (A1113)
You & Me (D1495) - May Promotion
Enjoy Life (C1439)
Baby Love (B1368)
Moonstruck Ink,
Ponderosa Pine Ink,
Grey Flannel Ink,
Bamboo Ink,
Spring Iris Ink

Inspired by gel-a-tins.

I absolutely adore CTMH, but I'm always up for new card ideas. This one was done for a female coworker I work with (and heaven knows, female developers are few and far between). She's a techie, but at the same time she's still a girly girl and can salsa until the cows come home.

I stumbled into gel-a-tins which was mentioned on a tutorial I was watching and decided to see if they had any card creations. Lo and behold, my eyes lit on one and I was interested in putting a CTMH spin on it. I love the end result!

This is the one I first saw...

and this is my version!



I decided to use purple and blues for a more feminine feel and of course with Find Your Style it was definetly girly by the time I was done with it! :)

Cardstock:
* local craft stores

Other Items:
* Sparkly clear embossing powder
* Embossing ink

CTMH:
* Find Your Style: January 2011 Stamp of the Month
* Classmate Alphabet
* A Little Everything
* Garnet Ink
* Smokey Plum Ink

- Happy Stamping!

A Little Card for a Gift Card

I stumbled onto this lovely little tutorial one day done by Carla Ironside and I just had to try it. It's perfect for a coworker of mine who is about to get married, and I was considering getting her a gift card to either a nice dinner out, or to the store that houses her registry.



It's quite clever how the the little square thing in the middle hides the staples so nicely, and how the bellyband hides the brad legs in the back. And the bonus is, this card took me 20minutes tops to assemble.

Cardstock:
* papers collected over time from local craft and dollar stores

CTMH:
* Now and Forever (retired) stamp set
* Hope for Japan (limited edition, expired) stamp set
* Garnet Ink

- Happy Stamping!

It's National Scrapbooking Month!!

I'm excited to tell you about two awesome things for the month of May! Well, three, if you count the fact that snow has seemed to *finally* leave Calgary and give us a glimpse of spring.

The first one is the stamp of the month - D1456 Chairs To You.



(Image courtesy of carlacreates.blogspot.com)

It's a really cute set that I could see using for dressing up scrapbook layouts, housewarming cards, and even birthday or thank you cards! If you click on Carla's link, you'll see her idea for the SOTM; she always has such fantastic ideas.

The second exciting thing to tell you about is that it is, indeed National Scrapbooking Month!



What better than a month to celebrate all the paper, scissors, time, and effort we go to putting our memories in a meaningful album and extending those skills to making awesome, one-of-a-kind cards. To celebrate this, CTMH is offering not only 50% off the sign up fee, but they are throwing in a crazy amount of goodies plus the You and Me kit for free! That was my tipping part to joining!


(Image courtesy of carlacreates.blogspot.com)

Happy National Scrapbooking Month to you!