...plus a very little (messy desk) tutorial...
This afternoon I carved out a little chunk of time for some good old-fashioned card-making, something I haven’t done in awhile. I love,
love, to make homemade cards. There is something so soothing and so nice about creating a little mini work of art, sort of a mini collage really. I like to lay out some elements: papers, ribbons,
rippies, and other bits & bobs for adornment and just sort of see what speaks to me…what goes together without any real explanation other than it just feels right. Perhaps colors or elements you wouldn’t normally put together might seem to work well, and since it's just a little card, you can push your normal crafting boundaries and try new things. And after a little while, you find you’ve made something small and special that will no doubt bring a bit of joy to the person you’ll give it to. Usually I’ll make a card with a specific person in mind. But sometimes it’s good to just have some on hand too for last minute things or when you are absolutely
not in the card-making mood.
I think my grandma was the first one who really got me started on making cards when I was very young. We would sit together in her tiny kitchen and just make cards together for hours. I remember one time when we were crafting together during a big thunderstorm and the power went out. So she lit a bunch of candles and we just kept on card-making. And it was even better when I got to go into the sacred upstairs area. Her cluttered upstairs, where I recall her sewing machine, closets full of old clothes, and boxes filled with ancient cards, was among other things, filled with all sorts of crafting treasures, nooks and crannies, and you’d never know what little delights you’d find. Such good memories...
But anyways…I’m just rambling now.
Oh, by the way, here’s the best glue that I’ve found for card-making...in my opinion. Just a little tip.
Now, onto my tiny, little, & quick tutorial...more like an idea I came upon using punches and papers...nothing monumental really, but thought I'd share just for fun (please do forgive my messy little desk!):
Cut and fold a card using some pretty, double-sided heavy cardstock paper.
Punch out a shape in the front of the card to create a little "window."
Then, use another paper to punch out that shape again.
Use a corresponding punch and punch around the original shape, which creates a cute little frame.
Glue the "frame" onto the card around the original punched shape.
And finish the card with cuteness! Voila! :)
Aren't punches the best?
Happy card-making!
...we are usually a bit crafty. Early last week Mum came up for a nice little visit. She brought pretty much all of the supplies to make these sweet Easter cups she'd seen here. This blog is so sweet and she often has inspiring "Artful Thursdays" posts where she shows how make the cutest things (oh, I just saw her latest post from last week - oooh, they always make me sigh with sweetness!). But the Easter cup post was one that really inspired Mum and she just had to make some herself. The cups reminded her of when she was a little girl and lots of little things were made with crepe paper. She also recalled the time when she was in gradeschool and someone had made caps & gowns for her whole class entirely out of crepe paper! 
I've added another little creature to my repertoire...the fox! This sweet foxy couple has really grown on me too. 
Here's a "before" shot...before they were dressed for their big day...talking, I imagine, as most couples do about what they should wear out. Or rather, the female is talking and the male is not really caring all that much. Reminds me of last night...I had 3 different tops I wanted Hub to choose from for me to wear out, because I couldn't decide...that's all! Just 3!
I thought it'd be fun to share a few cake photos that customers have sent me using my cake toppers. I love being able to see my toppers in action...plus it's just fun to look at pretty cakes too, don't you think? Yum! :)
A few notes from the weekend: 
{a myriad of butterflies}
{Sandhill Crane...our daily visitors, looking for a handout}
{poolside knitting}
{a little random nighttime Ping-Pong playing}
{delicious food...tempura haricot vert with truffle aioli} 
{completing my very 1st round of 18 holes of golf!}
I’m trying hard not to hold it against Florida that well, it’s really not been a very warm place to vacation...at least the weeks that we choose to visit. Warm is relative but when you are coming from cold Minnesota, you really would like to soak up some HOT weather on your vacation. And each year you think and hope, almost beyond reason now, that Florida will be hot…each year. But I think after several years of vacationing there, several vacations which always have me grabbing for the few long-sleeved shirts, sweaters, and long pants I’ve packed, more often than my swimsuit or shorts, I really do think it's starting to sink in finally that Florida is no Hawaii. I don’t think it ever got above 65 degrees when we were there. Which coming from Minnesota feels pretty nice to some extent, but once the sun was down the nights were chilly and the only thing that helped was the warmth of our hot tub.