The Happy Room

The Harp Birthday Concert was a big hit for my friend, Alla. I wanted to add some more harp images around the room somehow, so I thought of making floral picks to add to the table's small floral decorations.

I stamped the images in VersaMark ink and embossed with PSX embossing powder. I took bamboo skewers and painted them with burgundy acrylic paint, then cut out and attached the embossed harps to the sticks with a hot glue gun. I stamped a second image for each of the picks with Brilliance "Galaxy Gold" ink, cut them out and then glued those behind the other harp image to hide the glue.

Lastly, I attached three strands of ribbon to finish off the picks.



Alla is holding a "Thank You" card which matches the invitations and table decorations that I made for her party. This was such a simple card to make (I made a box of 25 of them) and she just loved it.

The gold side panel is Cuttlebug'd and has a small length of ribbon wrapped around it. The side is stamped in Stampin' Up's Baroque Burgundy ink. The harp is stamped with VersaMark and embossed with gold embossing powder (PSX).

Thanks for stopping by and sharing a bit of the Harp Birthday Concert with me!!

~Kathie

My dear friend Alla is turning.............ah, I don't know if she wants me to tell. But I will tell you she is such a darling person, that I volunteered to make the invitations for her party!!

She is a phenomenol harpist and is celebrating her party "in style". The bash will include harpists from all over the state, performing at the festivities. WOW!! I had to do something wonderful for her, so I chose this design that I CASED from my friend, Gina. Gina's design was for a family member who was getting married and I loved it so much that she gave me one for my sample basket. When Alla's party was being planned, I knew just what I wanted to do for her. I made a few small changes, but overall you can see how Gina's design made my job soooo easy. Thanks Gina!!!


Here is the party invitation, closed. It's a flap style card with a pocket which contains an insert with all of the party information. The original cardstock size (flat) is 5 1/2" X 8 1/2"; I scored it at 2 1/4" from the bottom to make the pocket. The top flap (beginning at the opposite end) is scored at 3 3/4". Cardstock is Bazzill.

The rest of the card is basic stamping and embossing. The embossed gold layer is a Cuttlebug embossing folder. The scallop cirle is from Stampin' Up with a 1 3/8" white circle layer on top of that. The small harp stamp was a gift from another harpist friend; company listed on the wood is "Asya Graphics, Denver, CO".

An interesting addition to this card, thanks to my good friend Gina, was her suggestion of punching the scalloped circle and the 1 3/8" circle out of chipboard first. Then, I layered the cardstocks onto those. What a difference that made in the overall look of the medallion when it was all put together. The medallion had a much more professional, finished look and wasn't so flimsy on the invitation. Gina, you're such a smartie!!

Lastly, the musical score is an all time favorite stamp of mine from JudiKins.


An open view of the invitation. I printed the party information on plain white cardstock on my computer. It was a bit too plain so I added a large harp image from Rubbernecker (probably retired now~I bought it over 10 years ago). I stamped the image with Memories Shadow Ink "Rose". It made all the difference, don't you think??



And here's the whole boatload of invitations, all ready for mailing out to all of the harpists!! Happy Birthday Alla!!

Enjoy these photos and check the post below for all the details on the projects!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

~Kathie

Another little matchbook card made with some fabulous cardstock from The Paper Temptress! This is my second design with this pattern and I loved the Mica/Metallic Emerald and Aquamarine so much that I used it again. Although this project is similar to the one I shared a little while ago, I wanted to show the versatility of this cardstock and color.

This first photo is the matchbook closed. I added a scallop punch (Stampin’ Up!) and had a little package of these teardrop shaped stick ons that I purchased at JoAnn’s for a buck!! Can’t beat that. And look how they coordinate. I love it when supplies look like they met on match.com. Er, well I guess I should have suspected it. They ARE "match"book cards. Ah, ya I know. I won't quit my day job.


Here’s the matchbook open. Embossing powder loves this cardstock! These images are from Innovative Stamp Creations and they fit so perfectly on this card. LOVE IT!! Plus, you see another view of the brads that I used to hold the matchbook insert to the outside cover. This cardstock loves to be punched!



Here’s the matchbook open with the little tag peeking out.


And here is the tag, full view!




Stamps: Innovative Stamp Creations
I hope you’ve enjoyed this project (btw, this is a Technique Junkies project. So many wonderful things to discover over at the TJ group. Not a member?? What are you waiting for! My stamping world wouldn’t be complete without it!!)

Here is a little project I did with some new papers from The Paper Temptress. This is a wonderful new company with some drop dead gorgeous cardstocks!! I designed this project a few years ago and it's been one of those projects I seem to go back to time and time again because they so cute and so easy to make. This project is available in my published books along with 9 others and a companion book with 101 papercrafting tips. Go HERE to learn more about my books!

The Retro Black Glossy Lustre and Retro Silver Glossy Lustre cardstocks were the perfect inspiration for this Purse and Note Card Gift Set. The glossy, swirly stripes cried out “Zebras!” to me the moment I laid eyes on this incredible paper.

So let’s take a little safari with my zebra friends and get a closer look at each one of the components of this gift set. Got your safari hat on? Ready?? Let’s go on a journey with a few of my zebra friends!




This is the purse that holds four A-2 size note cards and four envelopes (envies not included in these photos). The Retro Black Lustre and Retro Silver Lustre paper was a dream to cut, score and even sew on my Janome Sew Mini sewing machine! Plus, look at all of those luscious swirl-y stripes. So zebra-y (is that a word?). You’ll notice the adorable clasp that I die cut from a Spellbinders die cut for the purse clasp. Again, this paper performed flawlessly!



Meet Zebra # 1. This cardstock base is the Black Felt Grandee. In person, it is easily recognized by papercrafters as a top-notch cardstock with its’ knobby felt-like look and feel. It’s just dreamy! It folds and scores so easily and provides the perfect base for your lovely artwork. It’s quickly becoming a favorite of mine. The stamped image adds the perfect touch to this card, again showcasing the Retro Silver Lustre stock. I stamped with black Marvy Matchable ink which took to the Lustre cardstock like a dream. Yummy! The corner shape is a punch. To “pop” the designs I added self adhesive pearls. (Stamp credits: PSX)




Say "Hello" to Zebra #2. The base cardstock is White Felt Grandee. It’s so lovely in person~just like your best linen jacket fresh and clean from the dry cleaners. This stock just screams “top notch”. Again, it’s easy to fold and score. The stock for the main image is the Heavenly White Premium Ultrasmooth~it’s so incredible and user friendly. As you can see, a plain black image stamped in dye based ink looks like a million on this sheet. This paper looks like a winner every time!! Lastly, I added oval shaped self adhesive pearls and some fuzzy funny fibers for a little extra dressiness! (Stamp credits: PSX)




Here is Zebra #3. This card uses the Black Felt Grandee as a base with the Heavenly White Premium Ultrasmooth for the center image. I can’t stress enough how wonderful the HWPU cardstock is!! In many years of stamping, I’ve not seen such luxurious smoothness and the stunning bright whiteness of this beauty. Did you know that paper is “graded” using these three criteria? (Stamp credits: Sugarloaf)

1. Basis weight

2. Finish

3. Brightness

Kathie’s Comments:

1. Basis weight: The HWPU has a basis weight that is PERFECT for cardmaking.

2. Finish: The finish is so creamy, dreamy smooth which is a papercrafter’s *dream* stock.

3. Brightness: This paper is strikingly white. White, white, white. Did I mention white?



Zebra #4. This last card was made with White Felt Grandee as a card base, Black Felt Grandee as the first layer, and Heavenly White Premium Ultrasmooth Cardstock for the main image. These cardstocks have made such a difference in the overall look and feel of my projects. Thank you, Paper Temptress for these wonderful additions to mypapercrafting world!!! (Stamp credits: Embossing Arts)


I hope you enjoyed our little safari. Thanks for stopping by!