Artfully Fun

Today, my coworkers and I celebrated a couple of birthdays for June. One of my coworkers is a tool junkie, so I HAD to get her the Stampin' Up! 4-piece cutting tool... it has a perforator, cutter, scoring tool & 7-sided paper distresser. I could be wrong, but I believe the cutting/distressing product first started with Tonic Studios. The company has a whole line of well-designed cutting and crafting tools. Tonic Studios has cushioned grip scissors that are easier on hands. If you spend several hours cutting and crafting, believe me, it makes a bit of a difference!





I created a set of greeting cards with "Artfully Asian" for the other birthday girl. Even though I stamped and heat embossed a couple images at a time, there were some slight variations. I often prefer to work better intuitively. I cut out the main images, created a second layer or "mat" for some and played with different pieces before deciding how to make each composition. Here's my color scheme: Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss, Sahara Sand and Bravo Burgundy. I used Hodgepodge Hardware, hemp twine and grosgrain ribbon for added flair. Surprisingly, it didn't take much time to pierce a straight row of little holes using SU's piercing guide and mat. I may just start using it more often! Here are 3 samples for now... more to come!

Cool Caribbean

I was very lucky to meet some new friends at the Virginia Beach Stampin' Up! Regional.. They were very welcoming and we all sat at the same table for the presentations and projects. I had brought several little plastic boxes with lids that were SO close to Cool Caribbean. I didn't get a chance to decorate them myself, but offered them to some of my new friends. This is one from Jennifer Einolf of VA: Summer Box. Here is another one by Amber Nelson. Those who have grown to love Cool Caribbean, one of the 2007 In Colors, will be rather disappointed that it will soon be retiring. The closest possible color will be the new Soft Sky (2008 In Color)... however, it is lighter and seems to have a slight tint of green.