This winter, I made a banner celebrating snow - we had so much of it, it seemed silly not to embrace the reality of 4 feet of the white stuff on the ground. But last week, my parents and husband sat me down for, well, an intervention. They told me I was tempting fate by leaving the snow decor up and I had better make something new, and lose the winter theme. I dug into my stash for some spring-y papers, and I knew my Kreaxions leaf and flower punches would be just the thing to embellish my new banner.... Continue reading

So most of the US is under several feet of snow - Valentine's day is right around the corner, so all that love should warm things up! I am having the best time using Kreaxions 4-in-1 Punch 917! It is perfect for my Valentines cards and projects, and I am planning to use all the little heart punchies on a project, too! Have a great day! Deb Continue reading

No, it's not - there's 2 feet of snow on the ground here in Massachusetts with more coming! So why all the spring projects? I think we must all be in denial. Anyway, rather than shovel, I chose to make a spring-themed card. This card uses 2 Kreaxions punches - punch 901, a 4-in-1 punch, as well as butterfly punch 604. The papers are by Crate Paper - the backsides of the Orbit collection. Have a great day! Deb Continue reading

Yup, it's a little early, but I figure if it can't really be spring yet, at least I can craft like it is! Today's card uses Kreaxions border punch 803 and my fave, the circle cutter. I love the high-contrast look of punching one paper and backing it with another. The flower is made by cutting different size circles, wetting the edges and rolling till you like the results. Have a great day! Deb Continue reading

I couldn't resist making a little decoration for last night's festivities (ok, me, my hubby, and the kids watching movies and going to bed early!). I was inspired by Martha Stewart's elegant garlands on her blog, and created this garland by using my Kreaxions circle cutter to cut out graduated circles (5.5 inches down to 2 inches, in half-inch increments). I cut 2 circles for each link and glued them together so the same pattern was visible on each side and to add stability. The circles are joined by jump rings, and American Crafts alphas are placed on small contrasting... Continue reading

I hope everyone is getting ready to enjoy the holiday - gifts wrapped, cider mulling, and family and friends around you. Today I wanted to share one of the holiday cards I made using an older Imaginisce paper line (I love that unexpected blue!) and Kreaxions punch 307. This new punch has the inserts as a single piece (instead of the 2-piece system) and it is so easy to use! Here I just mirrored the corners punch with insert C on both the card holder and the card. Have a great day! Deb Continue reading

Yes, I know everyone is busy creating holiday cards and decor with themes of Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, and New Year's, but what can I say? When your six year old says she wants butterflies, you give her butterflies, right? Lucky for me (and her!) we have this awesome new butterfly die in the store! This is a flat metal die, compatible with most die-cut systems - I used it with my Spellbinder Wizard and it worked beautifully. I have seen several versions of these butterfly collages and always wanted to make one, so I pulled out several sheets of Basic... Continue reading

Ooh, it's almost Thanksgiving, one of may favorite holidays! The pies are made, the turkey is ready to cook, and I'm finishing up my table. I made these cute pumpkins using my Kreaxions circle cutter - just cut out 8-10 circles of the same size (depending on how big your pumpkin is going to be), fold them in half, right sides in, and adhere them to each other. Roll a piece of paper slightly longer than your circle height and place in the center of your adhered circles as the stem. These are really easy to make and the kids... Continue reading

I love banners - I started making them last year, and now I'll look for any excuse to make one! And since it's that time of year when we try to remember to be thankful, I thought I'd make a REALLY big reminder. I used that big DCWV paper pad I mentioned last post (the one I got on clearance last winter!) and my wonderful Kreaxions circle cutter to cut large circles out of cardstock and patterned paper. I used Kreaxions punch 915 and my circle template to guide my punching. Once those pretty doilies were done, I adhered them... Continue reading

I just love working with fall colors! I bought several stacks of fall papers, leaving me with literally hundreds of sheets of beautiful coordinated papers, so I figured I better find some ways to use it! This is a layered card, using three different papers (Me and My Big Ideas and DCWV). I cut a base card and 2 additional sheets. The first layer is punched (Kreaxions 903) along one edge; the second layer is trimmed 1/2 inch and then punched (Kreaxions 921). I embellished with some Making Memories Autumn Splendor leaves and glittered stems. Have a great Wednesday!! Deb Continue reading

I always have a nostalgia for summer as fall begins, so I wasn't surprised that I felt the urge to create flowers this week. I pulled out my pinkest cardstock and my Kreaxions circle cutter, oval templates (these take a little getting used to, but are very cool!) and Kreaxions Punch 903 to make the oval frame on this card. The flowers and leaves are Kreaxions punches too! A few Basic Grey glazed brads and a rub-on sentiment was all it took to finish up this elegant card. And I promise you, it's easier than it looks! Have a great... Continue reading

I'm always in awe of paper artists who can create their own embellishments, so I thought I would give it a try. For this layout (based on a sketch by Julie Bonner) I punched some Echo Park paper with Kreaxions Punch 903, then hand-cut around the punched design to create the scallops. As you can see, I also played with some mists, a technique that is still a work in progress for me. I am loving my new way to create scalloped borders - can't wait to try this with some of the other Kreaxions punches! Continue reading

My husband and I took a wonderful trip to Italy this spring to celebrate my fortieth birthday. Being foodies, we decided to make it into a food trip, and had the opportunity to take cooking lessons in some wonderful restaurants and homes. I wanted to celebrate this experience in my layout, so I repeated the Italian flag colors throughout, even splattering a little Maya Mist on my Bazzill cardstock. To add visual interest, I punched a border using Kreaxions 4-in-1 punch #902 and backed it with contrasting paper. I also punched a few times on the same contrasting papers to... Continue reading

Can you believe it is already September? The summer seems to have flown by, as usual. I made this mini-book to hold some of our summer pictures. For continuity throughout the book, I created page borders made by punching Kreaxions 4-in-1 punch 916 and using the punched border on the bottom of the page and the fall-away portion on the top. I made the last two pages into pocket pages a nd created tags using the same punch as a corner punch. I love the cohesive look that these punches give! Happy end of summer! Deb Continue reading

Happy Wednesday everyone! It's another rainy day here in the Northeast, so I thought I'd better share a really bright layout to brighten things up a bit! I have been saving this sheet of American Crafts paper for ages, just waiting for the right project, and these birthday pictures from my daughter's 5th birthday party seemed like the perfect occasion. I added a little bling with glitter Thickers and some AC ribbon, and all it needed was some help from my Kreaxions Circle Cutter and some 4-in-1 punches. The great thing about these punches is that you can create both... Continue reading