RUN -- don't WALK -- Bargain Tip of the Day!!!

I found these huge brightly-colored Clip-On daisy silk flowers for $.99 each today @ Michaels alongside their silk flowers displays!!! The package says they're for decorating pkgs., fashion accessories or wearing in your hair -- what about papercrafting???!!! ;-)

When I cut the first one apart, I discovered not only the bigger petals (3 are 4 1/2"; 1 is 3 1/2" & 1 is 2", but there are two white 1 3/4" silk flower pieces between the petals, a little hidden bonus!!! OMH, I wish I'd bought more!!! We could even use the centers too! The colors are just gorgeous -- red, orange, yellow, lime green, purple is just what I can recall. We all know how much the packaged silk flowers cost & these are just as lovely.

As Gwen (http://www.mycraftydaysoff.blogspot.com/) had so brilliantly pointed in a recent post, we can buy a garland of white silks flowers and color them ourselves. Between the 2 ideas, that should keep even a flower freak like me happy for quite a while!!! '-)

So I say, RUN, don't walk, to your nearest Michaels Arts & Crafts Store and check these out! Hopefully it will help all you needing Spring to finally arrive!!!

At the very least, it brightened my day, as well as my papercrafting stash, while saving me a few pennies to spend on more stashable items!!!

Now, I just NEED a few more of those darling felt flowers from Joann's & I'll be set . . . for a while . . . !!! ;-)

Felt Flower Spring All-Occasion Card

Another card using a felt flower from the Joann's $1 area and stamp from Michaels $1 bin. I used my COD to make a large hole in the center of the flower this time and wound Karen Foster's Scrapper's Floss around the blossom, as well as using it for the stem. I just love all the things you can do with these awesome thick felt flowers. My only regret -- there aren't more sizes, colors & styles! I so wish there were!!!
Paper: Pink & White Cardstock; My Minds Eye DP
Stamp: Studio G from Michaels $1 bin
Ink: Tsukineko's Lime Pigment Ink
Embellishments: Felt Flower & small flowers from stash, Scrapper's Floss, Lime Green Stickles

Spring Flowers for a Friend Diamond Card

First of all, I want to thank my BBGF (Best Blogging Girlfriend) Gwen (http://www.mycraftydaysoff.blogspot.com/) for this darling card & DP, which she so sweetly shared when we got together with our Stamp Group last Saturday. She's famous for these 5" diamond cards & had shared another one, but then said if we wanted an extra we could take it. Well, DUH, of course I wanted another - who wouldn't!!! ;-) I was playing with my 1/4" punch making the notched edge I'd seen on Barb's blog (www.barbstamps.com/ - under techniques) & decided it matched nicely with this DP! Then I decided to use my COD to punch holes in this sweet little felt flower I'd gotten @ Joann's in a pkg. of 24 for $1 -- what a bargain! They are quite thick & the COD punched the holes easily! I then added the large eyelet to the flower and fashioned Friend from some left-over letters on an old sheet of rub-ons -- a bit time-consuming, but it worked.
Paper: The Paper Company Mandarin Cardstock
Embellishments: Felt Flowers from Joann's $1 Spot; WeRMemory Keepers Eyelet; left-over rub-ons
Tools: 1/4" SU punch; Crop-a-Dile

Spring is Here card!

Here again is another of my current favorite simple cards which I shared yesterday with my stamp group! Just a 5 1/2" x 4/1/4" card with a 5" by 2 1/4" piece of DP. Punch out a portion of whatever corresponding shape fits your stamped image! (See my previous post under my Tutorials label to place the punch closer to punch edge.) I've made similar cards using round, oval scalloped and heart punches also. What could be simpler? Then embellish with whatever you've got handy to finish it off & you've got a simple/quick card ready to mail!

Paper: The Paper Company Mandarin Cardstock; DCWV DP

Stamp: Studio G $1 stamp from Michaels

Punch: Marvy Uchida 1 3/4" square

Embellishments: Dew Drops by The Robin's Nest; Fibers by Making Memories

Happy Easter Egg Wishblade Card

This paper-pieced Easter egg and greeting was created and uploaded to the Wishblade (personal diecutting machine) Yahoo Group by Kelly of the Wishblading Well: http://www.thewishbladingwell.com/. Isn't it the cutest? I wished I'd had more colors in this metallic paper, but I still like how it turned out! Hope it brings a smile to all who visit here!!!

Paper: Purple Cardstock & Lavender/Silver Handmade Papers from Costco; metallic text

Embellishments: Silver eyelets from my hoard

Spring Flowers Thank You Card

Here's my smaller, less-layered version of Lynda's card found here: http://stampact.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/01/page/3/ made with supplies I had on hand, including the $1 for 4 metallic flowers. Even though this is a small card it took me much longer than it should have! Guess I'm still tired! When I'm creatively blocked, I just like to look at others' blogs, new to me as well as old favorties, until I feel some inspiration (or find a card I can't help but case) as in this "case" -- pun intended!!! ;-)

Paper: White cardstock, orange DCWV textured cardstock; lime dotted text

Stamp: Artful Illusions

Embellishments: Target's $1 Store Metallic Flowers; Hero Arts Gemstones

Seattle or Bust -- I'm Baaaaaack!!! :-)

After an arduous 3,000+ mile trip to Seattle, WA & back by minivan, I'm home and anxious to get started catching up on all your blogs, as well as creating/posting on my own. We helped get our daughter and her co-worker/roommate moved/settled. We also were able to visit our son and meet his girlfriend, which was truly the highlight of our trip! They took us to Pike Place Market where we had lunch and roamed through the marketplace, enjoying the many shops and sights! Just before leaving Seattle our son pointed us down California Ave., where we could find Bakery Nouveau, a wonderful shop that has the most delicious croissants I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy, truly! That's probably because William Leaman, captain of the gold-medal U.S. team in the 2005 World Cup of Baking, opened his own bakery just minutes from our son's house. Now I need to start a diet more than ever; I'm just thankful it was our last day there before we found this bakery -- hee-hee!!! If you ever get to West Seattle, don't miss it!

I was also delighted to locate Friends and Company (Rubber Stamping and More) (http://friends-n-company.com/) nearby where I purchased my first Dew Drops by The Robin's Nest (http://robinsnest-scrap.com/), with which I'm anxious to create something new for spring very soon!!! As we were literally on our way out of town, I didn't have near enough time to spend shopping as I'd have liked, but Doris was nice to visit with and very helpful. Though I'd very hurriedly stamped a few business cards with my blog address right before we left and my pigment ink on glossy paper didn't dry, but instead smeared badly, I still gave Doris one, assuring her I really could stamp -- I hope she believed me! ;-)

I've missed being able to really keep up on my emails/blog/your blogs. Even though I always take my laptop when we travel, I'm not always so successful using internet connections at various motels. Often if I can connect, the connection is so slow & most emails will not successfully go though that I just shut down my computer and give up. I'm not thrilled having to operate without a firewall either, so maybe in the future I can remedy all that with my own WiFi subscription. My husband understands all that better than I, so that's a discussion for another time!

For now I'm just glad to be home and able to sleep in my own king-size bed! Amidst all the unpacking/laundry tomorrow, hopefully I can get my creative juices flowing again! Thanks for checking in with me and keep checking back. I'll also be checking in on all your blogs to see the wonderful creations I've been unable to enjoy this past 2 weeks!