(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!

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".

Supplies Used:

• Making Memories Boho Chic Lauren paper (from the 6 x 6 pad. To find one in Canada, click here. To find one in the UK, click here. To find one in Australia, click here.)
• Crafty Creations by Worldwin papers
• The Chipboard and the "You Rock" sticker are by Creative Imaginations, From the Karen Russell Honeydew / Narratives Collection
• Epoxy sticker is by Creative Imaginations, from the Urban Gypsy Collection / Sonnets by Sharon Soneff.
• Stamps are by Inque Boutique, From the Bella Flora Mini stamp set
• Fiskars Flower Hand Punch
• Fiskars Heart Border Punch
• Fiskars Mini Scallop Paper Edgers Scissors
• Glitter gel pens (the glitter isn't visible in the photo- looks better in person.)
• Inks:
  • Fluid Chalk in the Olive Pastel Color
  • Rubber Stampede Dye Ink

Have you ever made a project that just didn't turn out quite like you expected? Well, for me, this green hand-stamped greeting card with paper lace was definitely one of those projects. I have been debating about whether to post project instructions for how to make this card. When I originally made it I did so many extra steps and so much re-arranging that I think the project instructions would actually get to be a bit confusing. So instead of project instructions, I am thinking of writing an article about "creative process" and designing paper crafts projects- this project would certainly be a better example of that. At the very least, I will be sure to post a supply list in case you'd like to try your hand at making a similar card. Thanks for your interest and please check back to see the article.

Christopher Young recently emailed me this stunning paper lace wedding invitation that he designed, along with some interesting tidbits about his creative process for the invitation.

Christopher says, "I created the attached invite which was inspired by Victorian paper lace- however given today's printing technology I had to rework the lace so that it could be laser-cut. I created a Vector file of the lace shapes to be cut out and collaborated closely with my printer, Coeur Noir in Brooklyn, NYC. Although they normally print with traditional letter press printing, they were very interested in working with me on this very elaborate challenge. In the end, the invite was a combination of a few printing processes, but for the lace effect we utilized paper laser cutting. What is interesting about this process is that each invite is cut one by one!

I illustrated the sacred heart and then set the type so that it is all on the same card. After these elements were printed, they were then sent to the laser cutter for the lace effect.

I am currently working on a similar looking Valentine for a luxury brand which will incorporate both debossing and laser cutting in tandem in hopes of creating an even closer effect to traditional paper laces. As I am currently researching this project, I thought your website offered wonderful sources of inspiration. I hope you may find my work of interest as well-

Best, Christopher Young"

Needless to say, Christopher's work is definitely of interest here! I was incredibly excited to see such an inspiring contemporary paper lace design. It was also thrilling to read such a detailed explanation of the creative process. I confess to feeling pangs of envy that I did not think to do something like this for my own wedding invitation. (Future brides: take note!) However, I couldn't resist replying to Christopher to ask about debossing; I'm familiar with embossing, but wanted to know more about debossing.

Christopher's response:

"In truth, I wish the wedding invite were more dimensional. If you send me an address, I can send you one so you know what I mean. It is so ironic that given our technology, it is very difficult to reproduce the 19th and early 20th Century quality of paper lace. Often when I find original pieces, as you probably know, they are somewhat tattered or missing pieces. But they are so textural, which is why I am exploring debossing. Like embossing, debossing uses plates to implant a design into paper- except debossing presses the design INTO the paper, rather than have the design rise out from it (embossing). This is a very expensive process and that's why my valentine is being produced by a luxury company, as they will probably cost about $40 each to produce! I know, it's really crazy. Laser cutting is the main expense."

My thoughts: I can see that a substantial amount of planning and effort went into designing and creating this invitation. I've never seen anything comparable. For a bride who is looking for something exquisite and unique and luxurious, this is truly a spectacular idea. Thanks for sharing it, Christopher! I wish you all the best with designing the Valentine. I'll look forward to seeing it!