Just wanted to give you the heads up about this. It's the best deal I've seen on the brand new Fiskars Scallop Sentiment Border Punches. Click here to buy the new Fiskars Scallop Sentiments Border Punch for only $8.99! That's 40% off it's regular price! This is a special deal from Scrapbook.com and they expect that it will sell out really quickly, so if you want one you have to get there fast!

Updated to add: Looks like the $8.99 sale is over and the punch is back to its regular price. Sorry if you missed out, but, in my opinion the punch is well worth it's regular price of $14.99- it's a really gorgeous design, and very versatile.

I have really been admiring the paper lace Valentines for sale on ebay this week. There are so many beautiful vintage and antique Valentines for sale. Hope you will enjoy browsing through them as much as I have!

Red White & Black “Be Mine” Valentine's Day Greeting Card With Paper Lace

Red White & Black “Heart” Valentine's Day, Anniversary, Wedding, or Romantic Greeting Card

In my last blog post, I mentioned that some of my paper lace designs were published in this month's issue of The Stamper's Sampler Magazine. The 2 cards that were published would be perfect for use as Valentine's Day greeting cards, but they could also be used for any occasion that requires a loving or romantic touch- anniversary, wedding, prom, or any other time you'd like to send a little love to someone special.

Due to space restrictions in the magazine, the Stamper's Sampler editors decided to present their readers with a greatly abbreviated version of my project instructions. When I saw the revised instructions, I had a sinking feeling that most crafters would read the revised instructions, scratch their heads mumbling "huh?" to themselves, and promptly move onto the next project. Then it occurred to me that I have absolutely no space restrictions here on my paper lace web site, and that there isn't anything stopping me from sharing the full project instructions for these Valentine's Day Cards. So that is what I am going to do! I am posting the projects in chapter 6 of my idea book about how to make paper lace, complete with links to sources of supply for the products I used to create these cards. Hope you will find it helpful having the longer version of the project instructions available.

If you haven't already started reading my paper lace idea book, I recommend that you start at the beginning and work your way through. I am still in the process of posting some of chapters of the book, and I apologize that it is taking longer than expected. At any rate, if you are new to making paper lace, the paper laces shown in this blog post are not the ones I would recommend that you try as your first. I'd recommend that you try a few of the very basic paper laces before proceeding to make these. Of course, if you're an advanced paper crafter, by all means jump right in.

Thanks so much for dropping by! I hope you are having a lovely and creative day.

Hello paper lace loving friends! Happy New Year! I hope your 2009 is off to a fantastic start. I have some fun and exciting news to share with you.

For starters, I just updated the Digital Paper Lace page of this web site with 2 new lacy digital scrapbooking kits. One of the kits is by Rhonna Farrer and the other is by Erica Hernandez, and both of them are outstanding. In my opinion, they are well worth the download! Hope they will inspire you as much as they have inspired me!

Next, I would like to invite you to check out the December / January issue of the Stamper's Sampler magazine published by Stampington and Company. That particular issue features 2 greeting cards I created using paper lace borders. These particular paper lace borders utilize the same techniques that I have been sharing in my free paper lace idea book. Unfortunately, the editors of the magazine shortened the instructions significantly (to the point that they don't really make any sense!) so I am thinking of posting the long version of the instructions here on the web site to help you out if you plan on actually making either of those cards. It's on my "To Do List", I just haven't had a chance to get to it yet.

I'd also like to invite you to check out Karen Russell's new die cut Doily lace papers for scrapbooking and paper crafts. They are exquisite! I've dedicated a page of paperlaces.com to this lovely paper so that you can see the entire range of colors available, and I also list some ideas for how to use these papers in your own scrapbooking and paper crafting projects.

Another recent addition to paperlaces.com is the "Trim With Flair" product line of scrapbooking and paper crafting embellishments by Flair Designs. These are so pretty and simple to use! They are self-adhesive stickers, so no need to worry about which adhesive to use with them. They will beautiful any scrapbook layout or handmade greeting card you'd like to use them on. I really think you will love the variety of available colors and styles! They are all gorgeous! They are available for sale at scrapbook.com.

Thanks so much for dropping by. I hope you are having a lovely and creative day!

Hello everyone! Just a quick update with some fun new things I've noticed while browsing around the scrapbooking stores. I just created a whole new page on the Paper lace web site dedicated to Art Warehouse's brand new die cut papers. I think they almost resemble paper lace doilies, but they are definitely intended to be scrapbook paper. Check 'em out!

Also, twopeasinabucket.com has a brand new kit up for sale. There isn't any actual paper lace in it that I could see, but there is at least one very pretty die cut scalloped paper that is to die for. Plus plenty of other goodies too. This kit is quite a bit more affordable than their last couple of kits have been, at only $30. I expect they will probably sell out fast, so if you are interested, please be sure to get there ASAP and stake your claim to one!

Speaking of twopeasinabucket.com, they have a HUGE amount of tempting stuff on sale right now, with plenty of bargain prices and deep discounts. Plus they have a whole lot of brand new stuff, too. One of the brand new products I am most excited about is the new glitter lace cardstock by KI Memories. I haven't had a chance to update my Lace Cardstock page to include it yet, but I just put that on my to-do list. For now if you want to see the new glitter lace cardstock, you can just click through and take a look at it on the twopeasinabucket.com web site.

Thanks so much for dropping by! Hope you are having a great week.

Update 9/4/08:

Sorry, this kit is now SOLD OUT. But you can click here to buy the brand new September kit if you are interested.

Check out the new scrapbooking kit from twopeasinabucket.com! This kit has so many amazing things that I don't even begin to know where to start describing it. For one thing- it has paper lace! So pretty. There's a whole bunch of other great stuff too though. Plus, for those of you who need help figuring out what to do with all these fabulous products, you also get classes and project instructions by Kelli Crowe and Cherie Mask.

Click here to view (or buy) the twopeasinabucket.com August Scrapbooking kit. The link will take you to a listing of the supplies in the kit and a more detailed explanation of what you get if you buy it.

Click here to see a video where Kelli Crowe discusses the kit and shows you some of the project classes that are included in the kit.

Sorry I've been out of touch for so long. I've been creating like mad, so hopefully soon I can get some new paper lace projects and inspiration uploaded for you guys to enjoy. Thanks for dropping by! Till next time...

I have been working on updating Chapter 2: Making Basic Paper Lace. I just added a brand new page with Free project ideas for this chapter. The page is still under construction, but at this point it is finished enough to be helpful. The project shown above, a greeting card with very basic paper lace plus a bit of hand stamping and inking is posted on that page. The complete supply list and instructions are posted. The page also shows a few photos of other projects that will be posted soon too. If you check back in a few days, hopefully there will be more progress to report. I hope you will enjoy these free project ideas! Thanks so much for dropping by. I really appreciate your interest.

(Among other things.)

Sorry I haven't updated much lately. We had been having a lot of power outages and rolling blackouts due to all the California wildfires, and it kept me off the computer much more than I would have liked. In my immediate neighborhood things are looking like they are getting more or less back to normal. For all you Californians who were affected by the fires, my heart goes out to you and you are in my thoughts and prayers. If there is anything else I can do to help those who were affected, please let me know. I am very thankful that we got off as easy as we did but I am concerned for those who did not.

So anyway, I think perhaps I was more productive when I was forced to stay off the computer for days at a time! Haha. Funny how that works, isn't it? The photo above shows a few of the greeting cards I made recently. It actually doesn't even begin to show everything I have either made or have in progress, so I have a LOT of updating to do! With all the smoke, ash, doom and gloom that has surrounded me lately I have been gravitating towards bright, happy, cheerful colors that make me want to smile.

I just posted instructions for how to make this card:

plus the supply list with all the supplies you would need to make it. You can find this information on the Lace Cardstock project ideas page.

Please check back soon for more new paper lace projects plus more additions to chapter 2 of my free book about how to make paper lace. Thanks for dropping by!

I've heard that some scrappers find it challenging to use multiple 4x6 photos on a page. Well, here's a super-simple, quick and easy scrapbooking page layout idea for what to do with 4x6 photos plus papers that have lacy die cut edges. (Note: I did crop the photos slightly around the edges to focus in more on the flowers.)

Lately I've been scrapping some of my floral reference photos. I will be so excited to have them all scrapped and put in albums to enjoy! (It will take me awhile to get that project finished though, I have thousands of flower photos, and even if I only pick my favorites I don't think I will ever get them all scrapped.) These are more photos from the arboretum in Arcadia, California.

Materials and Supplies Used in this Scrapbooking Layout:

• Lacy Die-cut scalloped paper: 12x12 White Line by Karen Russell From the Narratives Collection by Creative Imaginations
• The Floral Patterned Paper is "Vineyard" from the Fleuriste Collection by Cosmo Cricket.
• Chipboard Alphabet Letters Used in the title are by Karen Russel / Creative Imaginations, From the Honeydew Line / Narratives Collection.
• The scrollwork sticker at the top and also the letter stickers used in the title are Cardstock Stickers from the From the Honeydew Line / Narratives Collection too.
• I also used some inks to ink the chipboard letters a bit.

The layout was fairly straightforward and was very easy to put together once I decided which elements to use. I love scrapping with 4x6 photos- while I do love using larger photos too, getting enlargements made can be an extra hassle and expense. I think I will probably repeat this idea again, because this layout was soooooo easy to put together. It only took a few minutes, and I love the way it turned out! Please feel free to scraplift this layout if this is an idea you can use too.

The Journaling:

There isn't any. Why not? Well, there's no rule that says you have to journal on every scrapbook page. Since I already have dozens of pages that explain the "who what where why" of these photos, I really didn't feel any need to repeat it again on this particular page. One of my mottoes: the scrapbooking police will not arrest me for scrapping the way that I want to, and the way that best tells my story the way I want it told. Scrapbook layouts do NOT HAVE TO HAVE journaling. They don't have to have titles, and they don't have to even have photos if you don't want them to. Do whatever works best for telling the story you want to tell, and don't be a slave to what everyone else says you "should" do!

You are invited to explore the other pages on this web site for lots more free scrapbooking and card making ideas. Thanks for dropping by!

I just found another up for auction on ebay. If you want to snag this one, you better get there quick because the auction ends in a couple of hours. If you miss out, please be sure to check out my page about Martha Stewart Punches plus other alternatives to the scalloped heart punch.

Happy 4th of July, to all of you that celebrate it! Hope you are all having a dazzling day filled with sparklers, sunshine and fireworks.

A lot of people ask me where they can find the Martha Stewart Scalloped Heart Punch. It's pretty hard to find. These punches originally sold at Michael's craft stores last Valentine's Day, but Michael's apparently underestimated the demand for them and didn't stock enough of them. Now they are nowhere to be found. Well, there is one for sale on ebay right now. Personally, I think you'd have to want it pretty badly to pay that much for it. But I have been watching the auctions for them for awhile (because I want to buy one too, I don't have it yet!) and some of the auctions end at prices even higher than what this seller is asking. Crazy, I tell you!!

I should also mention that I have put together a page featuring lots more Martha Stewart punches, particularly her "lacy" border punches that could be used to make paper-lace-like edges and borders on your papers. The page also includes information about some alternatives to the infamous Martha Stewart Scalloped Heart Punch. So, if you want to buy a scalloped heart punch, but you don't want to spend a small fortune on it, please Click here to take a look at the page.

Thanks for dropping by! Hope you are having a lovely day.

A Heads Up to all you paper-lace-loving ladies out there- Twopeasinabucket.com is having a sale on selected styles of Lace Cardstock by KI Memories. The photos above show a few of the styles and colors on sale as of this posting, but there are lots more that aren't shown. I took advantage of the sale and ordered some lace cardstock. Can't wait to get it! If you've been wanting this paper but haven't jumped on it yet, now's a pretty good time. I have no idea how much longer they will have stock on these lace cardstock papers or how much longer the sale will be in progress, so I hope you are able to get in on it while the deal is available.

Materials and Supplies:

• The patterned paper used for the background is "Flora Bella", from the Fleuriste Collection by Cosmo Cricket.
• The green patterned paper used to make the paper lace accents is the "Garland Green" design from the Snow Globe Collection by Reminisce. Never mind that that's supposed to be a winter-themed line of papers. When I am creating, I feel completely free to ignore how supplies "should" be used. There is no rule that says you must use papers in exactly the way that the designer or manufacturer intended.
• The other papers used to make the paper lace are Strathmore Bristol Board that I hand painted using Jacquard fiber reactive dyes. Yes, you read that correctly: dyes. As in, fabric dyes that were left over after a session of dyeing fabrics for one of my surface design classes. Paper and cotton fabric have some similar properties, and hand-dyed paper is every bit as gorgeous as hand-dyed fabric!
• Narrow ribbon (1/8" / 3mm.)
• Cardstock
• Colored Pencil (for journaling): Prismacolor
• Decorating Chalks: Craf-T products
• Dye Ink: Rubber Stampede

About the Journaling Block:

The journaling block is a block print of my own design. Block printing and rubber stamping are very similar processes; the biggest difference is that, with block printing, you are easily able to design your own stamping block from scratch. Then you carve your design out of an appropriate material such as linoleum, wood, etc. Some people carve their designs using unusual surfaces like erasers, potatoes or styrofoam plates (Sherril Kahn teaches about using stamps cut from styrofoam plates in her book called Creating With Paint: New Ways, New Materials a book that I highly recommend.) My personal preference is to use Staedtler Mastercarve Artist's Carving Blocks, which are much easier to cut than wood or linoleum. That is one very good reason to use them; they cut so easily. Also, they do not crumble up like some other brands that I have tried (although they are still a bit fragile and should be used and stored carefully.)

Here is a picture of what these Artist's Carving Blocks look like when they are brand new and uncut:

And then here is a picture of what mine looks like after having been cut. I am warning you, it isn't pretty, because these aren't easy to get totally clean after you have inked them. Seems like no matter how much you wash them there is going to be some faint staining. But despite that they work well and stamp cleanly.

The block is carved using a Speedball Linoleum Cutter.. It looks like this:

About the Paper Lace Used to Embellish This Scrapbooking Layout:

The paper lace is handmade using techniques that I will be writing about in upcoming chapters of my Free Paper Lace Idea Book for scrapbooking, card making and paper crafts. I haven't yet posted the instructions for how to make the paper lace designs that you see on this layout. However, I will be adding the instructions shortly, so please check back soon!

Thanks very much for taking a peek. Hope you are having a fabulously interesting and creative day!

Materials and Supplies:

Background Paper is by Cosmo Cricket. The paper lace was made using striped patterned paper, which is also by Cosmo Cricket. The round chipboard is from the Book it Biggest Board Chipboard Set by Fancy Pants. The stamp is from the Bella Flora stamp set by Inque Boutique.

About This Greeting Card:

This greeting card is going to be one of the featured craft projects from Chapter 2 of my Paper Lace Idea Book. I will be posting the instructions for it shortly. If you haven't already had a chance to check out my paper lace idea book, you can start by reading the Introduction and Chapter 1 (Materials and Supplies For Making Paper Lace.) Part of Chapter 2: Making Basic Paper Lace is also online but I am still in the process of posting the rest of it. So please check back in a few days for the next installment, which will include instructions for making the paper lace you see on this greeting card, plus the card itself, plus other projects too. Thanks so much for dropping by!

Here's another sneak peek of a lovely paper lace that you will learn to make if you keep reading this web site for more installments of my Free Paper Lace Idea Book. This particular layout was a lot of fun to make, and it is very simple! I love scrapping with the "Fleuriste" line of patterned papers by Cosmo Cricket. They are a no-brainer to use; they are so versatile that you'd be hard-pressed to find photos that don't work well with them. (As usual, excluding your husband's hunting/fishing/ football layouts, that is.)

In this layout I created almost all my own embellishments (except for the brads, which are made by Accent Depot.) See the tiny paper flowers that are attached on either side of the paper lace border? I made those from Cosmo Cricket's Hey Sugar Honey Honey paper. They were super easy to make; all I did was use Fiskars Mini Scallop Paper Edgers to cut around a few of the flower motifs from the patterned paper; then I attached a mini-brad in the center.

Here's a photo of the "Hey Sugar Honey" Cosmo Cricket paper I used to create the flower embellishments:

And then here's a photo of the embellishments before I attached them to the layout (you can click the photo to get an larger picture and take a closer look at them.)

So, you might be looking at that "embellishment" (for lack of a better word?) that is positioned under the lower left hand flower photo. It's another one that I made. I made it out of one of my old business cards (I am into recycling!) that I hand painted. Then for another project I wanted to have multicolored punches so I punched out a bunch of small circles and squares. I thought that the punched-out painting looked cool all by itself, but I couldn't think of a use for it right then. So back in my stash it went. Well, when I was scrapping these pics today looking through my stash I pulled it out and used it. Love doing stuff like that! I have found that if you make a bunch of embellishments from time to time, and you organize them well, you will never be at a loss for things to put on your layouts.

Materials and Supplies

Patterned Paper is "Primrose" from the Fleuriste Collection by Cosmo Cricket. The brads are by Accent Depot.

Additional Techniques Used:

Paper cutting, punching, collage, inking, painting

How To Make The Paper Lace

The techniques for making the paper lace shown on this layout will be covered in detail in my Paper Lace Idea Book. The introduction, chapter one, and part of chapter 2 are already online, so you can get started learning how to make paper lace. So far I have posted the basic information that you will need to get started. Detailed instructions for the paper lace border that you see in this layout have not been posted yet, but more instructions will be posted soon. I invite you to follow my blog for more updates about when the next chapters of the book will be posted.

About This Scrapbook Layout:

This layout features another group of 3 photos of orchids and flowers that I took at the Arboretum in Arcadia, California. I already posted another scrapbooking layout with orchid photos that were taken around this time period.

Thanks so much for dropping by! I sincerely appreciate your interest in my work.