I attended a Shoebox Swap on Monday with some of my sister Stamp Vamps and one of the projects we did was a card featuring the Cloisonne Technique. This was a case of seeing is believing…because up till this point I hadn’t seen a project I liked well enough to duplicate using this sometimes time consuming technique. Then fate stepped in and my own talented downline, Gail (of Gail Stamps) shared this great card using the Cloisonne technique and an eye catching color combination that not only excited me…it made me WANT to take the time do this card! Thanks, Gail! She was kind enough to include an instruction sheet on her site: http://www.gailstamps.com/2008/01/02/cloisonne-technique-card/ for those of you wanting to try this technique for yourselves…check it out!

This card was just plain fun to make! 5 Tabs from the Tab Punch, the Jumbo Circle (1-3/8 inch Punch) from a piece of DSP…be sure to pop that on 2 dimensionals…a piece of Mellow Moss Taffeta Ribbon and a leaf created using the Double Punch method and the 1-3/8 inch Circle. Of course, color plays a big part here…Groovy Guava, Blush Blossom & Mellow Moss…add the sentiment of your choice and a subtle background image and you have a card perfect for any occassion!

I tweaked the cheerleader and now she’s jumping and her uniform is in Angel Blue & Gold and she looks suspiciously like my own daughter, Kira…hmmm! Yup, I think this little cutie will definitely end up on a scrapbook page! Now, if only I had thought of this during Cheer Season…Oh well…there’s always next year!

I’ve had many requests for “boy” Punchies and I admit I was stymied but I think I’ve finally got it…I came up with the idea of using a Tag for the top and for the shorts and simply notched the space between the legs using the Rectangle Punch. I’m still working on this but I think it turned out OK…

This is a Volleyball player for my 13 year old daughter, Alyssa. She has played for the school’s JV & Varsity teams for 3 years now. I don’t ‘love’ the volleyball, but it’s better than plain white and way easier than drawing in the lines! Her hair is almost exactly like that in real life…and while she usually has it pulled back during games, I thought this really looked more like her

Hip-Hip-Hooray…looky, what I made today!!! Yes, I probably need to “get a life” and no, my housework is not getting done (thanks for noticing!) But between finding my Tab Punch (it makes perfect ponytails!) and figuring out how to add the “V” to her uniform (that’s the Double Punch technique again…this time using the square punch) I’m on a roll and I just can’t stop!  I love the combination of the Circle Punch and the 5-Petal Flower that gives my little cheerleader her swept back hair. I can’t wait to make her in Blue & Gold and scrap this year’s squad photos. “I love punch art yes I do, I love punch art how ’bout you?!?!”

It’s not much of stretch to go from Fairie to Ballerina…so this was easy! Her skirt is Vellum (that’s a Scallop Circle Punch, using the Double Punch technique….love it!) I did add another half circle of the Scallop Punch in pink because the vellum was a little too sheer…you could easily draw in the crisscrossed ribbons of the toe shoes, but as with the face, I think less is more. Now go get PUNCHY!

Reasons I Love Paper Piecing:

• Easy to adapt & personalize to your needs (any skin tone/hair color/outfit color…it’s up to YOU…not some faceless manufacturer!)
• More bang for your buck! Use those punches for something besides a dust gathering-paper weight!
• Can be used on Cards, Pages, Packages, Bags, Tags…who doesn’t this appeal to?
• It takes only a few minutes and a little imagination (and really with the internet and yours truly…who needs imagination!)
• Any one from 3-103 yrs. can do this! With Stampin’ Up!’s whale-tail style punches, almost anyone can work these…no muscles required! And no scissors, either (did anybody else fail cutting in Kindergarten?)

My mermaid has been so lonely…she needed a little friend…with fins! So, I came up with this stylized paper pieced fish:His fins are made from the 5-Petal and Scallop Circle punches, the scallop also provides his scales and his squishy-fishy lips! The body of the fish is the large, 1-3/8″ Circle punch but you could easily use the Key Tag or Oval punches too! Wouldn’t he look adorable with a little wiggle eye???

I came up with this card for a swap I was in and I had some extra pieces left and started playing with them today…At first glance this card looks very basic: Artichoke, Rust & Blush with a dash of Groovy Guava. But look closer and you notice the texture: embossed circles using the Crop-A-Dile and a little fluff of paper I’m calling Paper Crinoline. Being a child of the 80’s, I wore my fair share of crinoline…whether to Homecoming or Prom, on stage or in a half-hearted Madonna look-a-like contest…so when I came upon this edge, the first thing that came to mind was all the ruffle and fluff of crinoline. It’s more of a ‘distressed look’ for your cards or pages but I was thinking it might look sweet in white or cream on a shower invitation…hmmmm!

What’s a handmade Gift Bag without a handmade Card? The little pixie (Hmmmm? Where have I seen her before?) came out so cute, I thought I would make another and slap her on the front of a card.

Here are some of the details: the basic 1″ Circles to start, the bun on her head is the 3/4″ Circle punch, her dress is half of the 5-Petal Flower punch, the skirt is a Scallop Circle Punch folded in half, her legs are Word Window punches (as are her shoes!) and her wings are again, the 5-Petal Flower punched from Vellum. The addition of ribbon and Dimensionals really make this little cutie stand out. The “Faux Embossed Background” on the card was created by punching additional flowers from the same cardstock and gluing them randomly across the piece. It’s important when you do this to have a few flowers hang off the edge….this really gives the illusion that the cardstock was embossed. Hope this inspires someone and spreads some Pixie Dust your way…Happy Punching!

Oh, boy! I swear once I get something in my brain it’s like it gets stuck in gear! I’m getting ready for my niece’s birthday party this weekend and of course, Aunt Sammie has to “make” a gift bag…store-bought just won’t do! (BTW-This drives my DH insane! He swears I need to look into a 12-step program!) Back to the bag: I’m currently in a Paper Piecing Period (Rather like Picasso’s Blue Period but not so well known..or for that matter socially acceptable) so, here I sit wracking my brains trying to figure out what to do with a PWL (Plain White Lunchbag). Tabbi (my niece) is quite sassy (takes after her Aunt!) and LOVES a certain Pixie…well, need I say more?!?!? This is what she found her new Nintendo DS game wrapped in (I apologize for the pic quality, I was having a hard time getting all the details without the flash washing everything out):