This card is for two challenges at Splitcoast Stampers: Inspiration and Featured Stamper. I loved, loved the inspiration website, Eglantyne! Even though the text is in Japanese, there is no need to translate… just looking at the lovely pictures made me want to create.   The Featured Stamper for this week is Lesley Croghan (Lionsmane) – her gallery is filled with pages upon pages of wonderful cards!

I based this card on two products at Eglantyne: http://eglantyne.shop-pro.jp/?pid=56407621 (the black background), http://eglantyne.shop-pro.jp/?pid=13260212 (the roses), and Lesley’s Hello Sunshine card (for the lovely colors, layout and use of dots!).

This is actually a small card, just 4-inch square. First, I cut a piece of 3 inch-square black cardstock, then paper-pierced the background using one of the paper-piercing designs (pp-square-loops) from Gem’s Cottage Paper-Piercing Floral Set. Using a piece of foam on a white ink pad, I inked the edges and the paper-pierced design (the nubby side). Next, I made the roses using variegated  embroidery floss – very easy to make by following the instructions here (just used one embroidery floss, so it is even easier!), punched and glued leaves (with this Fiskar’s punch), then added french knots using the same variegated embroidery floss.  I stamped the word “Friend” (Mark’s Finest Papers), went over it with a white Sakura gel pen, then mounted the whole piece on yellow textured cardstock from Core-dinations.  I’m happy with this one, it came together easily, thank you so much for the inspiration Anne and Lesley!

Tags: embroidery floss flower, french knots, friend, paper piercing

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a post (school time is always busy time *sigh*), but I felt compelled to write a new post because of an e-mail I received last week. I did not know the writer (which made me more intrigued), and in her e-mail, she congratulated me on being published in Paper Crafts. It is my first time, and I was, of course, thrilled! She noticed that the paper piercing  pattern is from Gem’s Cottage, looked up my site, and saw how to contact me. She was having trouble making the flowers, she said, and asked for more detailed instructions so she can make them. Well, Susan, here are the step-by-step instructions with pictures of how I made the flowers in the card above  – and on page 50 of the March/April 2013 issue of Paper Crafts. Thank you for making my day!

Embroidery Floss Flower Instructions:

You will need these adhesive dots – I got them at Michaels, there are different brands, and may be called a different name, but as long as it’s this clear, gooey, sticky thing that’s about a half inch across, it will do! The adhesive is sandwiched between two pieces of plastic, so peel one plastic sheet off.

You will also need embroidery floss, preferably in two shades, one dark, one light. I used two kinds here – the darker one is the 6-strand embroidery floss, and the lighter one is the plain cotton floss (hmmm… I don’t know exactly what it’s called, but it’s the kind that you cannot separate into strands, lol!). You can use any kind of floss that you have, except the dental one   You will also need a paper piercer or any tool that will help you push the thread into the adhesive (an unbent paper clip will do!). Make a knot at the very end of the dark floss and push it into the adhesive dot (use the paper piercer or paper clip, not your fingers!).

Carefully coil the floss around the knot, using the paper piercer to press it against the adhesive. Cut the darker shade of floss when the coil is about a quarter of an inch across, hide the floss ends by pushing it into the adhesive (again with the paper piercer/paper clip, not your fingers, lol!). Using the lighter shade of floss, push one end into the adhesive.

Continue coiling the floss around until the entire adhesive dot is covered. Cut the floss, then hide the end by pushing it into the adhesive (I want to nag you one more time: with the paper piercer/paper clip, not your fingers! lol!).

 There ya go, one flower done! Wasn’t that fun? Now make more flowers, use different colors, and if you want to make smaller flowers, just use smaller adhesive dots. When you want to use a flower, just peel it off from its plastic backing and stick it onto your card! What I like about this kind of flower is that it gives dimension to the card without worrying about it being squashed.

I have a second reason for writing this post. Going back to Susan’s e-mail, she mentions that she loves to make cards but she never aspired to have her work published. Susan (and all of you who can relate!), if you are reading this now,  I hope you try! I have submitted several projects after this one, but sadly, all of them have been rejected. I do admit feeling disappointed, but not discouraged.

Why? I have been reading about Jason Comely’s Rejection Therapy and Jia Jiang’s Hope from Nope. I’ve found that with each rejection, I learn something new (whether it’s about myself, or my art, or the people/organization rejecting me); with each rejection, I become less afraid to try something new; with each rejection, the sting of disappointment becomes less and I fear rejection less. My goal is still to have my work published, but I will not mind being rejected. I hope you join me in this journey as we celebrate being published and learn from being rejected!

Tags: Embroidery Floss Flowers, Floss Flowers, Paper Crafts, paper piercing, Rejection Therapy

This is probably the most minimalistic card I have ever made, and I like it! This is for the Color Challenge at Splitcoaststampers: use the colors Bravo Burgundy, Regal Rose and Summer Starfruit (these are SU cardstock colors) and have something metal on the card. I chose the cardstock colors in my stash that are closest (these are all Bazzill), then I peeled the plastic off a twist tie and used the thin wire. The elephant and balloon are paper pieced (funny that I’m doing paper piecing this time, not paper piercing, lol!), and the template is below if you want it (right-click on the image and save in your disk). The eyes, smile, wrinkles on the trunk and the “hi!” were all done by hand with a black pen. The “balloon”  was held by the twist tie wire and fastened to the elephant’s “trunk”, the base was embossed with a border of dots (Cuttlebug EF), and that’s it!

Tags: elephant, elephant with balloon, paper piecing

Ever wonder what happened to Clippit ever since it got fired as the Office Assistant of Microsoft Word? Well, I hear it’s now an aspiring event planner! Here’s to moving on and reinventing yourself, Clippit!

This card was inspired by the “School Tools” Challenge (Ways to Use It on Thursdays at Splitcoastampers), which is to use a common school tool in a card. I’ve been thinking of what to do with paper clips, then I thought of dearly beloved Clippit (dearly annoying to some, lol!). So I got a paper clip, glued googly eyes with Scotch Quick Dry adhesive (great for metal and plastic!), cut and glued slivers of black plastic (you know, those black microwaveable containers) for the eyebrows, and there you go, Clippit came to life!

I did the paper behind Clippit in Photoshop, and if you want it, just scroll down to the bottom of this post, right click on the image and save it in your disk. Print the image on a yellow piece of  cardstock, cut it out, and Clippit’s erstwhile companion is good to go! As for Clippit’s talk bubble, I printed the sentiment on a yellow piece of cardstock  (font is Arial, regular), trimmed it, then rounded the corners. Another sliver of yellow cardstock, tucked underneath the rounded rectangle completed it.

Tags: Clippit, Clippy, MS Word Paper Clip

It’s the second week of sizzling hot temps here in Southern California, so it’s the perfect time to be enjoying the great indoors! Of course, it’s also the perfect time to be making Christmas cards, and here’s a white hot one I made during DTGD week at SplitcoastStampers (held last July 29 – August 3). If you’re wondering what DTGD is, check out SplitcoastStampers, it is one event that I join every year  – I ask my family to give me this week off – because it does wonders with my mojo (well, aside from the fact that I have an excuse for not cooking, lol!).

One of the challenges was to make an all white card, the sentiment may be black, but there’s extra points if everything, including text, is white. This card is my entry to that challenge. I used my Cricut (with SCAL)* extensively on this one: first, I cut the letters J and Y (font is Gallia) four times using Colorbok’s white textured cardstock. I stacked and glued all the letter J’s together, then did the same to the letter Y. For the ornament, I used a 1 ¾” circle punch to cut four circles. I used a border pattern from Borders, Corners and Frames to do a paper piercing on one of the circles, then stacked and glued all the circles together, just like the letters. Using the Cricut again, I cut four rectangular frames, then stacked and glued them together. I put them all together on a 5″ x 7″ piece of white cardstock, adding a ribbon and foliage (using a Martha Stewart punch) in the process. There you go, an all-white Christmas card!

*Please note that Cricut does not support units which use software other than their proprietary one.  The makers of SCAL are prohibited to support anyone using their product and a Cricut (after legal proceedings brought against the makers of SCAL) ,so if anything goes wrong, I am on my own. I’ve been using this combination of Cricut with SCAL for more than two years already, and so far, so good. For readers who want to duplicate the above project but do not have the setup that I have, I think the closest system is a Silhouette.

Tags: christmas, paper piercing, white Christmas

I’m so sorry folks, but it was a no go today, I guess I was being too optimistic…we couldn’t get everything together and put the Paper Piercing Patterns for Labels 13 in the store. We will try again tomorrow, March 12

***Update: It’s finally up! Paper Piercing Patterns for Labels 13

I’m interrupting my posts with paper piercing so that I can show this card I made last Sunday….wheee! I really like how this one turned out! I posted this right away on SplitcoastStampers (it was for two challenges), with a promise that I’ll be back later with the template on my blog. Well, guess what, it didn’t happen that way… I came down with a “really bad infection” (doctor’s words, not mine) that left me weak and miserable for several days. Thank you, Lord, for antibiotics and a husband who took care of me (and is now sick himself, poor dear!), I’m now back on my feet.

So, going back to the card, this is what I came up with when asked to make a “true blue card with flowers” (Friday’s Free For All Challenge)  combined with the inspiration from cake #6 (the one with gradient layers)  at Superfine Bakery (Saturday’s Inspiration Challenge). The color blue + flowers + cake = Prom Dress, hah! Mathematicians will scratch their heads and say that that’s not logical, but we art people know it makes perfect sense, right?

This is a 5″ x 7″ card, and the fonts I used for the sentiment are BickhamScript Fancy (for the capital letters – love those swirls and curls!) and AL Afternoon Delight (for the lower case letters – so that it won’t look too swirly and curly!). These fonts may be downloaded for free, just do  search! As for the dress template, here you go – just right-click on the image and save…enjoy!

Now, those who are patiently waiting for the paper piercing patterns on Labels 13 to be released, I have to ask for a little bit more of  your patience. I know, I know, I can hear your groans…but please bear with us for a few days more…Since our technical support (DH, actually) is still feeling under the weather, I’m hoping to have it up by Sunday, March 11. Hey, that’s when DST starts! Not looking forward to that, but at least I can look foward to DH getting better and the release of paper piercing patterns for Labels 13. BTW, want another sneak peek? Hee-hee-hee, here’s two:

I think I’ve overused that image of Tina Wenke – but I really simply love it! It’s just perfect for spring and paper piercing!

Looks familiar, but the paper piercing pattern is different from the previous post. Also, on the picture, it looks like the card is a peach color, but IRL, it’s pink! Oh, well! Still happy with it though, specially with the tiny rhinestones…now, cross fingers with me, and hope and pray that these will be up by Sunday!

*** Update: Well, it’s finally available in the store –  Paper Piercing Patterns for Labels 13

Tags: Dress, dress template, Labels 13 paper piercing, paper piercing, Prom Dress

The idea of making paper piercing patterns in conjunction with Spellbinders™ Nestabilities™ was partly due to this card and was also a suggestion from a customer. The cut-away  portion in the Easter and birthday card I made in the link was done using SCAL with a Cricut™.  The effect was so pretty, I wanted to design more cards like these but using a shape that is available to more people. At about the same time, a customer e-mailed me and said how much she loved the paper piercing patterns and asked why not design patterns that would frame the popular Nestabilities’ shapes? I loved the idea, of course, but at that time, I didn’t have a die-cut system, and neither did I own a single Spellbinders die-cut, lol!  

I know, I know, I could have designed the patterns without really buying a Big Shot™, but then again, here I am with a good excuse to buy another toy! So, I waited for Christmas, and told Santa what a good girl I have been, and I really, really need a Big Shot™ and some Nestabilities™ so that I can do a good job of designing some paper piercing patterns…well…teee-hee-hee-heee… it worked, and Santa even threw in some embossing folders to boot! (I was a very good girl, that’s why! LOL!). I planned to start designing as soon as the kids were back in school…but…I got distracted. Then, when I wasn’t distracted, I didn’t have the time…Then when I wasn’t distracted and did have the time…I forgot! And it would have been permanently forgotten hadn’t it been for Christmas coming once again… and Santa asked, “Whatever happened to designing paper piercing patterns with the Nestabilities shapes?” Oooops.

I promised to start designing as soon as the kids are back in school (yeah, heard that before, lol!), but this time, I wrote it down on the white board beside me. And, after two Christmases, here I am, showing a sneak preview of the paper piercing patterns I did with Nestabilities’ Labels 13, yay! Here are two more cards I did:

 This is a 4.25″ x 5.5″ card – remember the calendar obsession that I mentioned in my previous post? The flower image is from one of the thumbnails at the back of a calendar  I got at Michaels for 50 cents (it was on clearance!)  The calendar is Painted Florals by Fabrice de Villeneuve.

This is a 5″ x 7″ card and again, the flower image came from the same calendar I mentioned above – I just die-cut a portion of the January image. More to come as soon as I get them done!

Oh, when will the paper piercing set be available from Gem’s Cottage you say? Ummm, give me about 3 days more – 1 week at most!

***Update: It’s now available in our store! Paper Piercing for Labels 13

Tags: paper piercing, paper piercing pattern

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here, so much so that for a confusing minute, I didn’t know how to post a picture, LOL! Anyway, even though I haven’t been posting, I’ve been working on cards… and paper piercing… and rummaging through boxes of stored stuff for some old calendars…and going to stores looking for some bargain-priced calendars… yup, I’m very much obsessed with calendars these days, LOL!

Why the sudden interest on calendars? Well, it all started when I was trying to get back into making cards after the holidays…you know, those days after Christmas but just before school, when gifts have been opened and thank you notes have been sent, when the kids are there but not saying, “Mommy?”, when there’s enough leftovers from lunch so that I don’t need to cook dinner… when finally, there’s an afternoon and evening free for making cards! My calendar obsession began on a day like that…

I usually start with something easy and familiar after a crafting hiatus to get me back in the groove… and of course, I turned to my therapeutic, stress-relieving paper piercing (oooh, yes… something in paper piercing makes me all mellow and relaxed, LOL!).  But what gets me uptight again is choosing an image that goes with those paper piercing frames… I used to put digital images in them (like the ones here,  here and here), but searching for a perfect digital image – or a stamped one, for that matter (umm, yes, I do have some marvelous stamps that I promise to use one of these days!) takes me hours…I needed something quick and nice, and that’s when I saw Kim Jacob’s 2008 Through My Cottage Window Calendar/Planner.

A dear friend gave me that calendar – she knows me well,  she knew that I will love the art and she also knew that I will treasure the calendar even if it’s not 2008 anymore. So there I was, on that fateful afternoon, looking at the beautiful art and thinking, it is just the thing for the paper piercing card! So I grabbed my trusty 2-inch circle punch and started punching away… after that, I started looking for other old calendars in the garage that I’ve kept all these years, then went to stores to hunt for bargain-priced new calendars (got some really good ones, too!), and now, I’m surfing the net looking for old calendars on sale…yup, I think I have a new addiction, LOL!

Here are some more cards I did…and watch out for my next blog post, because I made new paper piercing patterns to go with my growing calendar images (giggle, giggle!):

Tags: calendar, calendar card, paper piercing

Our family is following a new schedule the past month, and it has wreaked havoc on my crafting time! That is why I haven’t been able to post anything new, well, up to now, that is   Splitcoast Stampers launched their Hope You Can Cling To Challenge, and being one of those whose family has been touched by this dreaded disease, I knew that I would join and send some cards to UT MD Anderson Cancer Center.

One of the challenges, which is hosted by Beate, is to make a circle card. To make the card above, I printed the digital image of the wreath I made below (yup, it’s free, just right-click and save in your computer, please respect Gem’s Cottage Digital Images Policy when using this image). The printed image was then cut out and layered over a piece of pink Bazzill Basic paper circle. The sentiment was printed on GP white cardstock using Albemarle Swash font, then cut out into a circle and positioned in the middle of the circle card. The pink Offray ribbon was added as a final touch. Inside, the sentiment reads, “Every crisis faced together makes the circle stronger”.

If you are looking for more wreath images similar to the one below, you can see a Fall/Thanksgiving one in Do Me a Favor , and there are several in Calico Christmas II. Have a happy card-making day!

Tags: circle card, pink ribbon, Wreath