Let your creativity grow!

Stamps for sale!

Instead of getting those bargain deals.. 50% off ornaments, 50% off holiday wrap.. why not come to The Paper Garden the day after Christmas (doors open at 10am) and get big big bargains on stamps.  We'll have holiday stamps 50% off... and more than 200 stamps that our store has used for card samples either 50% off or rock bottom prices at 1 or 2-dollars.. that's right... a buck or two for cool designer stamps!!!  Again, these are used stamps that we made samples, used for classes, or didn't need anymore.  So come early for best selection.  Also, these are not refundable. 

On another note, we have two big promotions going on.  Memory box will have 18 new Valentine stamps  coming next week, and January 9th Memory box will have an additional 50 new stamps for 2008 as well as 3 new paper pack designs.  Woo hoo!!  Savvy stamps will also have new Valentine stamps released next week... so get your New Year's resolution together to get more stamps!  HAHAHAHAHAHA!

On that note, I leave you with another card for inspiration.

This is a dandelion card.  I inked it by using color box chalk cat eyes in pastel pink and dark peony, then I used the color moss cat eye for the stem.  I then used a straight edge and cut into the green cardstock twice and slipped the dandelion card inside.

The stamp is by Judikins and the sentiment is by A muse.

This is a card that I copied from Dave Brethauer's new design book.  We carry it in our store and it has a lot of great ideas! 

 

I got tagged!

Ok, my girlfriend Missy Ballance tagged me on her blog a few weeks back.. and I didn't have anytime to respond... I have to telll 5 random things about myself and tag 5 more people, but I haven't responded, cause I'm a dork... I only know of 2 people who blog and they are both customers of mine at the Paper Garden.  Shannon and her best friend Callie who comes out to Sacramento once a year to visit and they always come shopping in the store!  So I will tag them to say 5 random things about themselves.  Here are mine:

1.  I work 7 days a week-- 12-14 hours a day-- sleep about 6-8 hours a night-- but I still see my son Miles everyday and during the day since he's with me at the store 4 times a week.

2.  I was a television journalist for 15 years and interviewed a lot of celebrities, including Leeanne Rhimes when she was 8 and performing at small county fairs in the midwest (I used to be a reporter in Kansas City, Mo), I never asked for anyone's autograph or wanted to take a pix with them, no big deal,  but when Linda Carnell of A muse art stamps and Dave Brethauer of Memory Box Co. came to my boutique for classes and make and takes, I got really giddy inside and was jumping up and down like a little girl in a candy store, carefully calming down inside not to freak them out and slowing breathing in and out.  Funny, huh?  By the way, I don't miss being "on the air"... really.. Why would I miss going to Blue Canyon when I can stay in a nice warm store with a heater?  And I certainly don't miss wearing a suit when I can wear Lucy yoga pants and Dansko clogs all day!

3.  I love sushi and can eat it everyday.  Did I mention... I love to eat too.

4.  I often talk about how nice my husband Ken is, but really he is the nicest person on earth!!  I'm not exaggerating... I'm bragging.  I don't know what I'd do without him!  He is my heaven on earth.

5.  When I look at stuff now, like t-shirts with graphic logos or freeway signs or commercials or cd covers, I look at the designs and think ...hmmmmm... I'm going to make a card now using that image or look.  I'm sick!

ok with that last comment I leave you a card that I recently made.  Cheers.  By the way.. some store news.. swing by and look at all the new Hero Arts designs for 2008.  I love love love their new catalog.  We have all the new clear stamps and most of the wood mounted stamps.. they are leaving our table fast!  I just put in a new order and ordered every new stamp...yikes!!!

This card was made for Lara of Savvy stamps, she recently had a baby boy and I sent her some of our vintage baby blocks and a little giraffe baby blanket from our store and made her a giraffe card with the stamps she created.

So baby cute!

This next photo is a invitation pocketfold that I made for my cousin Jessica who recently had a baby boy.  The hippo is from memory box and the sentiment from a muse.  See how much fun the punches are to complete your creation?  I just love the blue circle scallop punch and how the yellow circle will nest into it.  I swear you will want to get all of the shapes and sizes.. so addicting!

This last card is a large dragonfly by outlines rubber stamps, in fact, we just got more of these stamps in.  It's really popular.  We also have the other ornate dragonfly stamp that goes with this collection.  I stamped the bug in color box chalk dark brown

then I used prisma glitter all over the wings and colored some of the ornate swirls with copper stickles and then used pebbles inc chalks around the border to give it a shadowing effect. 

2 more weeks until Christmas!

Can you believe.. there's only two more weeks until Santa's big arrival?  Did you make your holiday cards or gift tags yet?  We still have a lot of Holiday stamps and Christmas cardstocks and embellishments, we even have a lot of simple card ideas to show and can help you create your wonderful cards..it's not too late! 

This first card is soooo easy.  I just love stamping on stardream papers.  So shimmery!  This is opal stardream paper.  I used Colorbox chalk dark brown ink.. and colored the reindeer in with "chalk" by pebbles inc.  The chalks are so easy to use.. you get like two dozen colors and they are all pearlescent. 

  I then made him into a "rudolph" reindeer by using stickles Christmas red glitter glue and then randomly used silver glitter glue to make snow.

      The reindeer stamp is by savvy stamps and the sentiment is by a muse art stamps.

This next easy project is a wine tag.  Just score the top at 2" and then cut your paper at 2.25" X 4.25" use the marvy yellow circle punch to make the topper and then I randomly stamped some winter snowflakes in brillian moonlight white and color box chalk pink pastel, I then used a blue circle scalloped punch and stamped a muse art stamps holiday drink trio and cheers to you sentiment..and made the drinks sparkle using prisma glitter and a gemstone.  So easy!  It's a nice hostess gift as well.

This next easy and fun project is a gift card holder.  Last year, I took apart a gift card from Starbucks and made my own.  I have directions:

Gift card instructions

Cut piece of paper to 2.75 x 11 inches

Score a line 4.25 inches from edge

Turn paper and score line 2 inches from the other edge

Attaching gift-card sleeve

Cut separate sheet of paper at 4.75 x 3 inches

Score the 4.75 side at 1 inch from the edge

Fold over and tape sides

This last item is a tea bag holder.  You know.. I am starting to drink tea now.  I love tea.

But really enjoy good tea.. like tea from "teavana"... This next project is good if you want to make some placecards for your holiday event or party.  You can use them as seating cards or just pass them out to friends who like tea.  The measurements are just 8.5" X 3.5" and I scored the paper at 3" and then again at 3" and then at 2.5" and rounded the corners at the top.  Attach a tea bag by using a glue dot!  Have fun with your handmade projects! By the way, we just got our new a muse art stamps in yesterday and have all of the new valentine images and the new releases by designer Missy Ballance.  Missy is a local Sacramento designer.  She helps me with my store windows and designs all of my banners and mannequins!  This is her blogsite:  www.missyballance.com

or go to; 

www.amusenews.typepad.com

to see her interview with Linda.

I first met Missy when I opened the store in September of 2006.  She told me she makes handmade dolls that look like anime characters.  I said.. please bring them in.. you know, I have designers come into my boutique asking me if I would sell their paintings or cards or scarves or blankets or stationery.  I told them no, because I don't want my boutique to look like a craft show or I yearn for a certain look in my store and so far none of the artists have given me that right paper garden appeal. But I wanted to see the stuff Missy made.  She did and I fell in love with her beautiful bears.  When Linda Carnell of A muse art stamps came into the store during the summer time for amuseapalooza she bought a Princess bear that Missy made and loved her designs and the next thing you know, Missy is designing for a muse art stamps!  Holy toledo!!!  How wonderful is that!  So please come in and see Missy's new designs and our new cards made with the new a muse art stamps!!

Make and Take -- Saturday!

Hi everyone!  We have hard copies of our January-March 2008 newsletter at the store now, or you can download one at www.papergardenboutique.com

We also have a make and take on Saturday, December 8th from 11:30am-1:30pm.  Come on by and do something creative to kick off your weekend!  Not sure what we'll be doing, probably something to do with the holidays.  Participate in the make and take and get 10% off your entire purchase.  It would be a great time to get your holiday shopping in as well, because the entire store is 10% off... hooray!

Here's a card of Miles in a snowglobe that we did in our picture perfect holiday card class.

It's a real easy card to do, I just punched out a circle with the purple circle punch and stamped snowflakes randomly on acetate paper using the "staz-on" cotton white ink pad.  It works great on acetate paper and dries very quick.

This next picture is a trifold card and we used our punches to make all different kinds of holiday tags and nested them inside the pockets.  We used the scalloped large square, the scalloped heart and the tag punches to make the basic tags and then decorated it with our other fun marvy punches.

This next project is really fun.  It's actually a file folder.  You can come into the store and see the full version and what fun we had making it.  We just cut off the tabs to make a perfect rectangle and then scored it in 1/4's and made it into a daily planner. 

This is what it looks like once you open it.  I just used punches to embellish the note cards.  I also used making memories clips, they make the file folder look so chic!  We have mini 12 month calendars and they complete the planner because everyone needs to look ahead to the new year!!  Enjoy!