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 [inline] [/inline] 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. [inline] [/inline] 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 [inline] [/inline] by Cosmo Cricket. The paper lace was made using [inline] [/inline] 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.

Here's another scrapbooking layout I created using paper lace. The photos show a gorgeous peacock that I encountered at the Arboretum in Arcadia, California. Peacocks roam free throughout the Arboretum, and seeing them is sheer delight! They are so beautiful!

Materials and Supplies

The background patterned paper is "Get Happy: Pop" by Cosmo Cricket. The round epoxy sticker at the top of the layout is from the Narratives Honeydew Collection by Creative Imaginations/ Karen Russell. The other papers are hand-painted and hand stamped by me. The stamp is a one of a kind Indian Woodblock / batik block that I got on ebay. I actually have several of them. Here is a photo of them.

These are so much fun to use. They are different in some ways than using a clear stamp or rubber stamp- but it's basically the same stamping process for the most part. There is a lot of creative potential for using these. I originally bought them because I used to teach textile and surface design to fashion design majors and I wanted my students to be able to try out authentic Indian batik blocks during our classes. Well, they did, and you would not believe the results! Each and every one of them was able to make these wood block stamps look completely and totally different. It was mind boggling!

Making the Paper Lace:

This paper lace was made using The Fiskars Hearts Border Punch. I don't have instructions posted yet for making this particular paper lace, but it is very similar to some of the paper laces I have already posted on the site. Also take a look at this page about the Fiskars Sunburst Border punch and this page about the Fiskars Threading Water border punch because the idea is similar. And then of course keep checking this blog for more updates to my Free Paper Lace Idea Book, where I will be sharing step-by-step instructions for the paper laces and projects you see on this site.

Note: If you do decide to make this paper lace, try to cut straighter than I did! But, if you mess up, don't worry. The craft police are NOT going to come after you.

Thanks so much for dropping by!

Here's a sneak peek of some different paper laces that you will learn to make if you keep reading this web site for more installments of my Free Paper Lace Idea Book. Here I've used multiple paper laces in a scrapbook layout.

Materials and Supplies

Patterned Paper is "Primrose" from the Fleuriste Collection by Cosmo Cricket. The journaling blocks are hand stamped on hand painted Strathmore paper. I used one of the clear stamps from the Stitched Journaling stamp set by Maryann Wise / Autumn Leaves.

Techniques Used:

Paper cutting, punching, stamping, collage, inking, painting, chalking

How To Make The Paper Lace

If you want to know how to make paper lace such as the examples you see on this layout, but you haven't already begun reading my Paper Lace Idea Book, please take a look at it. I recommend that you read through the chapters that are already posted on this web site first. So far I have posted the basic information that you will need to get started. The specific instructions for the particular paper laces that you see in this layout have not been posted yet- which is why I referred to this as a "sneak peek". I will be covering more details about how to make these specific paper laces in upcoming chapters.

About This Scrapbook Layout:

This layout features a group of 4 photos of orchids and flowers that I took at the Arboretum in Arcadia, California. At the time I took these photos, I was taking a class in botanical illustration. It was a wonderful class; I learned how to draw a variety of plants and flowers. During the time the class was in session, I took a bunch of reference photos of different flowers such as these lovely orchids. I still enjoy working from my reference photos when I want to do some floral drawings and paintings. However, nowadays I get even more inspiration from scrapping the flower photos. Flowers are probably my second favorite photographic subject (my husband is my favorite subject. LOVE taking pictures of him, I think he is gorgeous.) Since flower photos and paper lace work well together I will be posting quite a bit more of my layouts and projects that feature flower photos embellished with paper lace. So if you are interested in seeing more paper lace borders used in scrapbooking projects, please bookmark this blog or add it to your feed reader and keep reading!

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

Hello everyone! Happy Wednesday!

I have been hard at work updating my Free Paper Lace Idea Book. I posted some updates to Chapter One: Materials and Supplies, including more detailed information about appropriate papers to use, and more photos and links for various recommended supplies. I hope you will find the updates helpful.

I also posted the first part of Chapter 2. This chapter includes basic instructions for making the simplest/ easiest paper laces. I haven't yet had a chance to post the photos and examples that go along with this chapter, so consider it a starting point. As always, you will want to check the blog again in a few days for more updates. Thanks for your interest! Hope you will enjoy the "book".

Paper lace is really trendy right now, and I am really enjoying the process of discovering all the new die-cut papers and lace-paper effects that have recently been released. I can't wait to get all these new products posted on this web site! I am working on a brand new page on the web site dedicated to Holey Cardstock by Samantha Walker for Creative Imaginations. It looks similar to KI Memories' Lace Cardstock, but the patterns are different enough that I would be inclined to buy papers from both lines.

I recently added a new page to the web site dedicated to the Threading Water Border Punch by Fiskars. If you've spent a small fortune buying die-cut scrapbooking papers (like I have!), then this border punch is a must-have item, because it will allow you to create a scalloped lacy punched edge on almost any paper. I am so excited about that because I have been frustrated about the lack of availability of 6" x 6" papers with die cut scalloped / lacy edges. (I still wish some manufacturers would make a pad of 6"x 6" die cut papers...please??? I'd be happy even if it were only the lower edge that is die cut, like the new Sassafrass Lass papers only smaller...) But anyway, until I get my wish, the Fiskars Threading Water Border Punch looks like exactly what I need. I think I could use it somewhere in pretty much every paper crafts project I do, with the possible exception of my husband's extreme sports layouts- since I have been strictly forbidden to put ribbon or paper lace on his rock climbing / mountain biking/ dirt biking photos, hee hee. At any rate, extreme sports layouts aside, the punch is a versatile design with a lot of different applications; it's a tool that I know I would get a lot of use out of.

I am still working on getting the next chapter of my Free Paper Lace Idea Book ready to post online, and that should hopefully be up within the next few days (if all goes according to plan.) I hope you'll check back soon to see the next installment.

Thanks for dropping by- I hope you are having a fabulously interesting and creative day!