Handmade Paper Art by Cecilia Levy...Love It!

by Cecilia Levy

I was feeling totally uninspired and unmotivated today so I did what everyone does when they're lacking motivation and inspiration, I went on Pinterest.  

Wow, am I glad I did. While browsing around, I came across these gorgeous paper mache cups and saucers by Swedish artist, Cecilia Levy. Of course after finding these on Pinterest, I had to visit her website and blog. 

There are some absolutely amazing creations on her blog.  You definitely need to check it out!

Cecilia Levy - A Matter of Form 

by Cecilia Levy

Definitely feeling inspired !   Now time to get motivated!

Gift Wrap with Handmade Flowers

Aubrey was invited to a birthday party this weekend but we didn't have a pretty bow to put on the gift she was bringing. No problem! We just made up a few of the handmade flowers from the tutorial in my previous post, added some ribbon, a couple of punched out butterflies, a few acrylic gems for bling (every little girl loves bling!) and we had a gorgeous package!

TIP:  The center of the flower is the top scallop in your stack (see tutorial). If you want the center of your flower to be in a contrasting color, just change out the top scallop.

Materials:

• Card Stock:  Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight (Stampin' Up!)
• Tools:  2 3/8" Scallop Punch (Stampin' Up!)  Butterfly Punch (EK Success)
• Accessories:  Acrylic Gems (Stampin' Up!) Green Glitter Ribbon (Michaels), brads

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Visit Acarrdian Cards on Etsy

for unique cards, invitations and party favors.

Handmade Paper Flowers...a Tutorial

These handmade paper flowers are really beautiful and they can be used to decorate so many things. I like to put them on the little cake favor boxes I showed you yesterday. I also like to add them to my gift wrapping. With some ribbon, they make packages look so elegant!

Follow the simple steps to make these pretty paper flowers:

1.  Punch 6 scallop circles out of card stock.  Any size...the larger the circle....the larger the flower.

2.  Spritz the scallops with water and scrunch up as tight as possible.

3. Flatten them back out and stack them (try to alternate the peaks of the scallops) and put a brad in the middle to hold the stack together.

4. Starting with the top scallop, squish each scallop up around the brad as tightly as possible.

5. Gently unsquish (is that a word?) the scallops to form a flower.

To make the leaf:

1. Punch out either an oval or a scallop oval from green cardstock.

2. Spritz the oval with water and fold it lengthwise (hotdog) and then accordian fold.

 4. Unfold to form leaf.

5. Hot glue leaf to bottom of flower.

That's it....you're done.  Now make yourself a bunch to decorate your life!

Material List:  (All supplies Stampin' Up! except misc supplies)

• Card Stock:  Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery
• Punches:  1 3/8" Scallop Circle, Scallop Oval, Large Oval
• Misc:  Hot glue gun, brad, paper piercing tool, water spray bottle

Shop for Stampin' Up! supplies online 24/7!

Visit Acarrdian Cards on Etsy

for unique cards, invitations and party favors.

Cake Slice Wedding Favor Box

Did you know that 17% of all weddings occur in June making it the most popular wedding month.  In fact I just got an order today for these cake slice favor boxes. 

www.acarrdiancards.etsy.com

The bride today requested ivory and pink, which has always been a wedding staple. But word has it that mint is the trending wedding color for 2013. Luckily, these boxes can be made in any color combination to match whatever color palette the bride chooses.

Take a look around the internet.  You'll see mint everywhere!

Photo:  www.weddingsonthefrenchriviera.com

Photo:  www.ohlovelyday.com  

As a paper crafter, I am always looking for color inspiration.  Wedding and interior fashion websites are a great place to start.

Project Instructions:

Instructions on making your own "Cake Slice Favor Box" can be found in this post:  A Piece of Cake.  I will post instructions for making the handmade flowers tomorrow.

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Visit Acarrdian Cards on Etsy

for unique cards, invitations and party favors.

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Gift Cards by AcarrdianCards.com

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Shop for Stampin' Up! supplies online 24/7!

Visit Acarrdian Cards on Etsy

for unique cards, invitations and party favors.

Why Give a Handmade Card?

Why give a handmade card? This is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. It's easy to go to the store and buy a card. You can even get some cute cards at the Dollar Store. So why give a handmade card? What makes a handmade card so special?

First Let's Look at Mass Produced Cards:

• Mass produced cards are just that, massed produced. 
• Thousands of copies of the same card are printed and sold by retail stores around the country. 
• There is really nothing special about a mass produced card. 
• They are flat and lack personality.

Qualities of Handmade Cards:

• Handmade cards possess a unique artistic quality that mass produced cards lack. 
• Most handmade cards are either “one of a kind” or “limited editions”.
• They are hand constructed and designed by the artist. 
• Handmade cards often have multiple layers of card stock and designer paper.
• They may feature hand stamped and colored images.
• They can be embellished with ribbon, buttons, die cuts or bows. They have texture and feel luxurious.
• They satisfy the senses.

People know and appreciate the thought that goes into either creating or selecting a hand crafted card. Each individually crafted card takes on it's own personality and reflects your personal style. If you are creating your own cards your designs choices are limited only by your imagination. You are free to design a card that is perfect for the intended recipient.

If you are purchasing your handmade cards online from an Etsy seller or other individual, you will likely find that the card maker is more than willing to create cards especially for you.

Shop for Stampin' Up! supplies online 24/7!

Visit Acarrdian Cards on Etsy

for unique cards, invitations and party favors.

Teacher Gift Card Holder for Male Teachers

Handmade Gift Card Holder for Male Teacher

My kids pointed out that I pretty much make only "girly" cards....Probably because I'm a girl.

Well, with that in mind, I made up this masculine teacher gift card holder.

Even though Teacher Appreciation Week ends tomorrow, it's never too late to show our teachers some gratitude. I think this handmade gift card holder is perfectly suited for male teachers.

I chose blue and green striped paper and coordinating blue script paper from the Stampin' Up! Print Poetry Designer Paper Stack. Both the stripes and and the coloring make this a more masculine card.

Instructions for making the gift card holder can be found in this blog post: Holiday Gift Card Holders

Materials List:  (all materials are from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted)

• Stamp Set:  Family Reunion (122712)
• Ink:  Midnight Muse
• Card Stock:  Midnight Muse, Gumball Green, Very Vanilla
• Designer Paper:  Print Poetry (#129312 - Spring Mini Catalog)
• Accessories:  Modern Label Punch (119849), Large Oval Punch (119855), Decorative Label Punch (120907), Velcro (Joann's)

Shop for Stampin' Up! supplies online 24/7!

Visit Acarrdian Cards on Etsy

for unique cards, invitations and party favors.