Photographic Moment: Relaxation

In anticipation of the weekend I dug out a picture taken during my summer vacation. The blue colors and the smooth water make for a calming moment. What do you think?

Interpretation of a sketch

This week I am participating in Card Patterns design contest to create a card based on my own interpretation of their sketch. In the attached pictures you can see their sketch and my creation. Enjoy!

Gift Idea: Quilt Journal

So my mom's birthday is coming up soon and it was time to brainstorm a great gift that I could make for her. Over the years she has made many special quilts for herself but also as gifts. I decided that keeping track of all these quilt memories would be the perfect idea. Pictured is the quilt journal I plan to present to my mom so she can jot down the details regarding why a quilt is made, when, fabrics used and most importantly a picture of the precious quilt.

Share the Love with Pieces of me Pendants

Great news! I was recently featured on the Indie Craft Corner blog. Click here to see the article. This blog provides bits and pieces of information about many talented crafters.

The editor of the Indie Craft Corner blog is of course a crafter herself, specializing in Scrabble tile pendants and most recently pocket mirrors. Her etsy shop, Pieces of Me Pendants, has a wide variety of designs from classy to cute and adorable.

Photographic moment

Discovered this beautiful flower, called Queen Anne's Lace while visiting Iowa this weekend. My boyfriend then took me out to pick a few of these and a handful of other wild flowers.

Top 5 reasons to send a greeting card...

1. Make someone smile.
2. Show appreciation.
3. Stay connected.
4. Celebrate a special occasion.
5. Doing something for others often lifts your own spirits.

What is PaperPetalCreations?

I love to wander through beautiful gardens and admire the abundance of flowers and plants that bless this earth. Often stopping to snap a picture or two when I just have to take the flower with me (and of course I always keep my camera handy for just such an occasion). I have also spent much time strolling through the flower beds of colorful and unique papers and supplies in the craft stores.

Another passion of mine is creating unique and special gifts for the loved ones in my life. Customizing their card or gift by including special treasures from my photo collection. It always brings a smile to my face to watch the delight in the eyes of the receiver.

And so the decision was made to share my collection with others. Pulling out my various petals (papers, stamps, embellishments and pictures) and combining their individual beauty into one singular flower ready to be plucked and delivered to anyone who needs their day brightened.

It all began...

Growing up I watched my Mom try her hand at all sorts of crafts and sewing projects and as soon as I was old enough she got me started making my own creations. We spent a lot of time in the craft room working on various projects or watching my mom cutting, pinning and sewing. Mom also took me to lots of craft fairs, quilt shows, fabric stores...and anyplace where new ideas could be found. The picture I have included is my mom sister and the 3rd generation, my niece, pondering a detailed quilt at the Nebraska State Fair.

Well 29 years later I think I can officially say I have caught my moms crafting bug. No not the sewing part but give me some scraps of paper and I'll think of something that they can be transformed into. Much of my inspiration is based on brightening anothers day and figuring out a gift I can make.

Having finally built up a sizable collection of stamps, ink, paper, etc and knowing that Mom's super stash of craft supplies is just a few hours away I have choosen to share my paper creations with others by creating a Etsy shop called Paper Petal Creations (http://www.paperpetalcreations.etsy.com/).

Stay tuned for details on how I came up with the name of my shop.