A creative use of paint chips

My latest efforts

Valentine Acetate box

The tutorial for this cute box was on Split Coast Stampers this week, and I couldn't resist making it. It's a bit tricky, but after ruining the first one, I was able to adapt the tutorial to a way that was easier for me.
So far I have made 5 and gave them to some important people in my life.
I plan on making some for Easter and fill the box with easter eggs.

Where is that darn paper?

Where is the world is that paper I purchased last week? I waste time looking, and looking and looking - and getting increasingly frustrated - and making a mess in the process. After a while I no longer feeling creative!

Because paper comes in hundreds of colours, patterns, textures and weight, it's important to have a system for organizing those papers that make sense to you.
Here's how I organize my papers.

1. Cardstock:
Solid coloured cardstock is sorted and grouped using the "ROYGBIV" rainbow order.
R: Red
O: Orange
Y: Yellow
G: Green
B: Blue
I: Indigo
V: Violet
Black, gray, white, cream, browns and tans are filed to the front (or the back) end of the filing spectrum.

2. Patterned Paper:
Most of the patterned paper is sorted into the following categories:
.Animals or pets
.Baby
.Birthday
.Christmas
.Dots and stripes
.Floral
.Halloween
.Sports
.Travel
.Valentines
.Wedding
Specialty papers are sorted into: handmade, metallic, mulberry, suede, vellum.

There are other categories but these are the ones I use. All my papers are in a clear 12 by 12 plastic lidded container and stored off the floor. Five years ago, my basement was flooded and I lost everything. Now nothing is on the floor and everything is in waterproof containers. Embellishments, ribbons,etc are put in these containers as well, so searching for coordinating embellishments is a thing of the past.
LABEL LABEL LABEL LABEL!!!!!!!

That darn scrap pile !!

It's one thing to organize your scraps, and it's another thing to think the pile will stay organized by itself.
Over the last few weeks I started to hear noises in the craft room again (no I don't need a mental status examination). These noises got louder. I was unwell so I ignored the noise - yesterday I couldn't ignore the mess any longer.
It only took 5 minutes - so why in the world was I avoiding doing this????. Why didn't I take that 5 minutes earlier - when I first noticed the scraps were starting to assert themselves?

Pop goes the....

I don't know why I thought pop up cards were hard to make, but I did. Then I made one, and I was hooked. I love the interaction with the card, the message they convey without saying a single word, the wow factor. The first card below is a Valentine Day's card, made for a very special person. This card is so versatile, the hearts can be replaced with flowers, stars, butterflies--use your imagination.




















On February 26 I am going to Vancouver to celebrate my sister's birthday. This birthday pop up was just the ticket. Putting the candles on was a bit tedious, but the result was stunning! I'm dying to see her reaction. She's a chocaholic (loves chocolate), so I used a variety of chocolate designer paper for the layers. Any colour could be used for the cake.

















It's unbelievable how time flies! My grandson turns 3 this weekend, and because I can't be there for the celebration I make him the most colourful card I could think of. He's my star, so this card was perfect.







































Don't you love the hands? Again, without saying a word, the message of thanks is conveyed. This is also going to a special person who has helped me some much this year.