Sara's Blog

I love getting email from Webisode viewers!

Phoebe emailed me last week and gave so many cool ideas for using the Fold-It Bows template—I asked her if I could share her ideas with you all and she graciously agreed. Here’s her email:

I just wanted to say that I've enjoyed today's Webisode, and that a couple of the bows inspired ideas, that I thought I'd share with you.

In Peace, Phoebe. =)

I love the idea to use the Pollyanna bow as a butterfly so last night I made up this quick and easy card. Here’s how:

1. Trace the Pollyanna bow onto the patterned side of green “texture” paper, then cut it out and chalk the edges with dark green. Fold as directed on the template.
2. Cut a piece of green floral paper slightly smaller than the card front. Attach a 2”-wide strip of dot paper across the center. Add green grosgrain ribbon across the center, securing the ends to the back of the green floral paper with tape.
3. Stamp “celebration” at the bottom of a small white shipping tag. Slip a 3”-long strip of green grosgrain ribbon through the hole in the tag, securing with Zots™. Attach the tag to the green floral paper.
4. Use a sanded embossed brad to attach the butterfly to the tag. Draw antennae (I did mine in pencil first, then pen) and add a sanded green mini brad at the end of each.
5. Attach the entire panel to the front of a blank white card.

The paper I used is from the Cardmaker’s™ Pretty Creative Pack; the “celebration” stamp is from our Expressions set and the brads are from the Bohemian Embellish-abilities™ pack.

Thanks, Phoebe!

My supercrafty friend Katie emailed me earlier this week to tell me about a new magazine, Make It Mine—and to show me a gorgeous paper-decorated frame she made for the Spring ’08 issue. I love it!! Take a look…this is one of my all-time favorite papers and I love the idea of thinking “off the page” and using scrapbooking supplies for personalized home dec stuff. Tons of Katie’s other crafty goods are at her blog, http://www.katiehacker.com/index.htm. When you’re there, be sure to check out her very wicked altered red shoes. I’m mad about them but can just see myself inching my way down the cobblestone streets of Amsterdam (I don’t know how these Dutch girls can walk in heels!).

Other stuff going on—well, right now I’m busily working up lists and sketches for upcoming stamp sets and writing an outline for a brand-new idea book due to come out early next year. I just posted off tons of cards and decorated Sara’s Surfaces™ to Stampington & Co for submissions to Take Ten and Somerset Studio, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed and hope I’m one of the lucky ones. Other than that, Easter preparations (we’re having a big brunch—Keith is terrified I’ll cook something) and a day trip out to the Dutch countryside. Happy Easter to everyone!

Wanda C., a Personal Shopper member who lives in Cleveland, sent us the cutest photo! I just cracked up when I saw it. She says, “My kitty loves when your packages come to our house. She frequently snitches stickers, bows or ribbons and runs away with them, just to get me to chase her. At our house, we ALL scrapbook.”

Thanks for sharing the super cute photo, Wanda. I love the expression on her face, it’s like she’s just waiting for you to get into that box! It makes me miss my cat, Bean, even more than usual…although she’s currently living with Grandma in Oregon where she’s being fed VERY well. And, my mom reports, Bean is “helping” with card making, too…mostly by walking across any paper that’s on the floor!

I love alphabet stamps—so much so that I personally own a ridiculous number of alpha stamp sets. (I’m not the only one, though…I know a stamper who has over 100!)

One thing that always frustrated me about wood alpha stamps is trying to get perfect placement of letters. With acrylics it’s much easier…but in many cases you still have to aim correctly to get them aligned if you stamp letter by letter—so I find it easier to place all the letters in my word or sentiment on a clear block and stamp just once. To get them lined up on the block, I place a piece of lined notebook paper underneath the block and use that as my guide. (This was not a stroke of genius as much as a testament to my messy desk.)

As for cleaning your clear acrylics—don’t use a baby wipe, as with wood mounted stamps. The moisturizer in the baby wipes will damage the acrylic. Instead, use soap and water. But take care to plug the sink before washing small stamps like alphabet letters—even if you’re really really really careful you can easily lose a letter down the drain!