a creative outlet

K, so I'm a bit of a "do-it-yourself-er" and a bit of a cheapskate (you know, being Mennonite and all). I am also a scrapbooker. So when a card-making class came up on a Thursday morning group that I go to, I jumped all over it. I figured that I'd be able to get enough of a scrapbooking feel without feeling like I'd have to lug half my basement with me. And I was right! I found a creative outlet! Plus I made some new friends, used up some of my scraps in my scrap bin, learned some new techniques and made several beautiful cards that I can give to my friends and family. Here are a couple of examples of cards I've made.



3 comments:

Lisa said...

Being Mennonite (a cheapskate) and interested in cardmaking is so frustrating for me because buying supplies becomes difficult. Fortunately, Dollarama has some nice stuff including tiny little brads and decorative flowers.

Carolynn said...

I totally understand. I've spent years (since BBI days) accumulating tools (cutters and punches and papers) for scrapbooking. I LOVE that I can find things at Dollarama!

Our Costco also has amazing paper packs - something like 300 sheets for $20. The papers vary, but they have several different sets of co-ordinates in every pack.

Stamps are a new investment for me - I really like the look of them. But I still do a lot of computer printing in fun fonts and then cut it and mount it. You can adjust size, colour, font and sentiment on the computer and you can't do that with a stamp. I often do a lot of my scrapbooking journalling that way too.

I also use clip art for images. Again, you can change the size and colour and you can flip it and manipulate it to the way you want it to look.

Chalks are also a new thing for me - the back ground of the yellow & purple "love you" card is chalked. You could spend money on artists chalks (which admittedly aren't as messy), but plain old sidewalk chalk works quite well. Just apply with a cotton ball or a Q-tip (or fingertip if you really want to get messy).

But I think the funnest thing to do is have a craft night with others who share the card-making interest and the Mennonite mentality. This way you can use other people's tools, raid scrap bins (which can lead to some amazing finds) and swap ideas while you're having a good and productive time. It doesn't have to happen often, but it's nice when it does.

Also, LOVE the website http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/
there are always great ideas there if you are lacking inspiration.

Lisa said...

Wow, good info! Thanks!