The Big Fish

This card is on its way to our son-in-law Levi, married to my daughter Holly. He likes to fish. I just bought this stamp, a wood-mounted rubber stamp, at a little store in our area that sells scrapbooking stuff. They had their stamps on sale, to make room for new stock, so I decided to take advantage of the sale. I am liking this stamp a lot! Since most of our son-in-laws are into hunting and fishing, this stamp is likely to get a lot of use.

So anyway, I stamped the fish twice on white cardstock, colored both images with colored pencils (Crayola and RoseArt--nothing fancy), then layered one over the other onto the "wood" mount, using foam tape to pop the top image. The "wood" mount is cut from textured brown cardstock, using my own shape template, and given a "beveled" edge with Sharpie markers. The green plaid paper behind is a wallpaper sample. I wanted this to look like a trophy fish mounted on a plaque and hung on the wall. I added gold triangle brads for an extra touch. Simple but effective, and definitely masculine!

Til my next post, happy cardmaking! Take care and may the grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah be with you!

Bird Watcher Swap Card

This is another of my favorite cards. I love the country look and I like chickens a lot. This image comes from PCCrafter.com, one of my favorite sites for clipart. Laurie Furnell has GREAT sets! This card was made for another Crazy Card Makers swap--Bird Watcher. A chicken IS a bird, right? The card begins with a cardstock base, then I layered brown cardstock and a dark blue scrap of a wallpaper sample. On top of that, I used a piece of maize-colored gingham wallpaper sample, edged with cardstocks that are edge-punched with my favorite Martha Stewart doily punch. I "borrowed" the sentiment and printed it out on my computer, inking the edges and adding three little brads. To complete the card, I added faux stitching by hand with a Sharpie marker.

There you have it. Next up are a couple of cards for family special days, but I'm saving those for another post. Til then, happy cardmaking! Take care and may the grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah be with you!

Life Is Just A Bowl of Cherries

This card began with the image, a motif from my stash of old giftwrap papers. I added a twig from our yard, silk blossoms, brads to imitate cherries, and layered all of that over a strip of gingham wallpaper sample, red & cream cardstocks with scissor-cut scallops and Martha Stewart doily punched edging, on top of a dark green wallpaper sample. I think I'll use this for a Thinking of You card.

My June Cards Pt. 3

Yet one more with the wallpaper samples...this one used the rest of that pretty border on the big card, along with the background paper. I added a piece of textured light blue cardstock and half the other half of the paper doily I had left from one of the previous cards. Simple, but attractive, I think, and a nice Thinking of You card.

This was my attempt to recreate another card I saw on someone's blog. The flower is stamped with a big foam stamp that I inked with Crayola markers. I stamped it twice, then layered the two images, adding dry embossing to the petals on the top layer and curling the petals slightly. The center of the flower is Fun Flock, the first time I've used that. The stamped sentiment is one of those $1 stamps you can pick up at JoAnn's or Michaels and is heat-embossed. I added lines with my sparkly black gel pen after the stamped image. The two print papers are from DCWV stack packs. This card traveled to Jo in England for another Crazy Card Maker Anything Goes swap.

This cute little dog is a foam stamp, colored in with Bic markers, and given a puff paint scarf. He holds a birthday balloon on a card made for our grandson Connor, who is now 4 years old. The image on the balloon is from the Two You set from Stampendous; I just cut the balloon around the image. A bit of hemp string connects the dog and the balloon. The papers are from a DCWV stack pack. This card is one of my favorites.

My dear old friend Connie--old as in we've known each other for a long time, not old as in years, although she has a few on me but I'm not saying how many--loves pigs. She's been collecting pig stuff for as long as I can remember, even had quite a few of the real deal for many years. My oldest daughter Venetta is also a cardmaker and had this balloon pig stamp so I begged some images from her for this card for Connie. I love that little piggie! I colored each differently, using Bic markers and Crayola colored pencils. In case you don't know, real pigs come in many color variations and designs. I've always been a sucker for the little spotted ones. Using hemp, I tied the balloons to a digital printed tag that I colored with Bic markers and the Crayola pencils. The Happy Birthday background paper was purchased out of the open stock 12"x12" scrapbooking papers at JoAnn's. I used black cardstock on a white base card. Connie loved the card, which makes me a happy camper, although just looking at my pic of this card makes me a happy camper. I think that means I like this card, don't you?

One more in this post...this pretty black, white, and red card is a high school graduation congratulations card made for my niece Malinda. The image is a digi-freebie from the Digital Two For Tuesday blog. I colored her with Crayola colored pencils and some Bic marker touches. I used watercolor pencils for the background in the image. The image is matted on black and white cardstocks. The papers are from a DCWV stack pack. I printed the sentiment on the computer and inked the edges. I REALLY need to get more red pigment ink pads so I can do a better job of matching colors (note to self). Three red brads completed the card.

Well, that's it for this post. I only have one more post to go to finish showing you all my June cards. Til then, happy cardmaking! Take care and may the grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah be with you!

My June Cards Pt. 2

While sorting through my wallpaper samples, of which I have a great many, I found this beautiful wallpaper border. I could not resist using it on a card, but it was too big for the size of card I usually make (5"x6 5/8") so I had to go with a half-fold card. I don't usually make cards that big, but this one just called for it. The whole card uses wallpaper samples--the border, as well as the background paper. The sentiment is computer printed and inked.

A word about my wallpaper sample "collection"...I started collecting wallpaper sample books when my children were still young and being homeschooled. I would go to home improvement stores & places that I knew sold paint & stuff and ask them if they had any outdated books I could take off their hands. Most gave them away, though a couple stores doled them out a book or two per person to ensure that teachers could get their hands on them, too. We used papers out of those books for many art & craft projects. Eventually I got tired of the big stack of books so pulled them all apart and put the papers in a big box. When I started cardmaking, I pulled that box back out and started collecting more sample books. Most of the books I have now I purchased for $5 each at Menards; some I received from two area stores that carry wallpaper and give their outdated books away--but you have to get there & ask at just the right time, so mostly I buy books from Menards. Right now I have over 30 wallpaper sample books so I don't think I'll be picking any more up soon, since they do take up quite a lot of room. The papers are great, though! One word of advice: usual double-sided tape will not hold on vinyl wallpapers. You have to use Tacky glue or double-sided carpet tape. There may be other adhesives that work, but those are the two that I know personally work and which I use. I have not tried using prepasted wallpaper leftovers from papering jobs, so I don't know how that would work on cards, although I wouldn't let that stop me if it was a paper I really liked and wanted to use. You can only learn by trying.

This is another card made using wallpaper samples. Again, I was taken by this simple floral border, which being narrower I was able to use on my normal sized card. The gingham print is the coordinating wallpaper. I added half of a paper doily and a ribbon bow. The card is blank inside to use as a thinking of you notecard.

The last week of May I spent a week on a cultural immersion trip to the Lac Court Orielles Indian Reservation (Ojibwe People) in northern Wisconsin. The trip was sponsored and paid for by the Univ. of Wis.-Eau Claire where I am a fulltime student. One of the other students along on the trip was a pretty Hmong girl named Yia (pronounced like E-ya) who also likes to make cards. I told her I would send her one of my cards and this is what I made for her. The image is a digital image of vintage roses which made me think of Yia as soon as I saw it. The teal and rose pink cardstock and the background paper were chosen to coordinate with the colors in the image. I am liking that sentiment a lot and you'll see it used frequently on Thinking of You cards.

My daughter Lois celebrated her 31st birthday in June. Goodness, how quickly those children grow up! She's my second-oldest and mother of 4 of our grandchildren. Her favorite color is purple and she loves butterflies. I'd seen a card made up like this on someone's blog and loved it so thought I would try my hand at it. I cut my own butterfly template, then cut out 5 butterflies from different scraps of paper. I raided my button stash in the sewing room for the buttons, then threaded them with colored hemp, leaving the ends stick up like antennae--I love that effect! The sentiment is stamped and heat-embossed. The background paper is cardstock from a DCWV stack pack. Lois loved her card, which is what I was hoping for. I rather like it myself!


Again with the wallpaper samples to make another blank Thinking of You card. This used up the rest of the wallpaper border print and nearly all of the matching blue gingham print. I added two doily halves this time and a yellow ribbon bow.

Well, I'm about half way through the cards for June, so will bring this post to a close and keep going. Happy Cardmaking! Take care and may the grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah be with you!

June Cards Pt. 1

Summer weather is settling in with the beginning of July. We are expecting temps in the 80's today & tomorrow, then up to 90 or so on Saturday, with high humidity. The weatherman said to expect heat & humidity for about the next week. I know the crops like it, but I tend to wilt in the sunshine, heat & humidity, so I am re-arranging my work schedule a little today. This afternoon I am staying indoors, working on the computer and at cardmaking. I will spend a while at my sewing machine, too. Then this evening I will head outdoors to do more weeding and planting in our garden spaces. Yes, I am very late with my planting this year, but didn't get started until June, then we've had lots of rainy days & other activities to keep us out of the garden. It is what it is. You make the best of it and keep going.

Enough about all that...on to the cards I made in June. There were quite a few so I am going to share them in a couple of posts. Here goes...

I bought this stamp at a little scrapbooking shop in Hayward, Wisconsin, the last week of May. It was in their clearance basket and I just couldn't resist it. It turned out to be rather difficult to use, as I had a hard time getting a completely clear impression, but I still like it a lot. I colored the image with Bic markers and watercolor pencils, adding Stickles glitter accents on the flowers. The image is matted on light green cardstock and outlined with a Sharpie marker. That is layered over a "diecut" shaped mat, which I cut by hand from a template I made, then drew in wood-grain lines with a Sharpie marker. I added flower brads and the bee brad. The floral background paper is a scrap from my stash, originally a 12"x12" sheet purchased at JoAnn's. The "crimped" strip with the border punching is a scrap of a digital print from ScrapbookScrapbook.com. I wrote the sentiment by hand and inked the edges of the card, to complete it. The card has been mailed off to a friend for her birthday.

I belong to this cool cardmaking group, Crazy Card Makers, a Yahoo group (the link is in the sidebar). Every month there are swaps. A year or so ago I had received a card from Judith in Israel using this technique of stamping on tissue paper. I wanted to try it. While going through a box of papers & stuff, I came across this turquiose-colored tissue paper and thought it would work well for this. I stamped it with an acrylic stamp from a new set I'd gotten, Flower Sentiments by Inkadinkadoo. I mounted it behind a frame I made from cardstock, which is stamped and heat embossed. The other printed papers & cardstock used in the design are from DCWV stack packs. I used this card for the Anything Goes June swap in Crazy Card Makers.

This card was made for my stepdaughter Paige's birthday. Her favorite color is purple. I had seen a stamp with butterflies similar to my stamped image on this card and loved it, but wasn't able to buy it--and besides, I already had these individual butterfly stamps so decided to imitate the stamp with my own stamps. I colored them in with Bic markers, then used Glossy Accents on the butterflies' wings. Iused gel pens on the butterfly bodies. I drew lines on the edges of the cardstock to frame the image, then inked the cardstock. This was mounted on a scrap of plum colored cardstock, layered over a background comprised of three different paper scraps. To finish, I added two rows of trim and a pearl brad. Oh yes, I added lines to the background paper in the corner as it was just a little too plain otherwise. And the butterfly image is mounted with foam tape to pop it out.

This card makes me happy to look at it. I used two wallpaper samples for the background papers. The image is from PC Crafter.com. The sentiment is computer-printed and mounted on a cardstock tab, embellished with two brads. My favorite Martha Stewart border punch made the while doily trim.

I've been on a roll with wallpaper samples in June. This card uses two more wallpaper samples for the background papers. Again, there's the doily edging made with the Martha Stewart border punch. The blue wooden embellishment is a recycled popsicle stick (please tell me you don't throw those away!) colored with a Sharpie marker. It matched the blue wallpaper sample almost perfectly! The image is another from PC Crafter.com. The bee brads seemed to go with it quite well. All in all, this card went to Robyn in South Africa for the Crazy Card Makers June "letter B" swap. The B's in this card include blue, bees, bloom, and beautiful (in the sentiment).

Now on to the next set of cards from June...Happy cardmaking! Take care and may the grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah be with you!

A Few More From 2007

This sympathy card used wallpaper samples for the background and center strip. The sentiment was computer-printed, then torn to size.


This birthday card is one of my favorites. I used sticker paper for the rock frame around the lighthouse; this paper comes in printed sheets, with a peel-off backing, like Con-Tac paper. I picked it up at a liquidator store and like it a lot. The lighthouse picture is the front off a small pocket calendar. The sentiment is computer-printed and torn to size.

Another one of my favorites, using wallpaper samples and a floral motif cut from giftwrap paper. Very simple, actually, but also pleasing to the eye, I think.

Looking Back At Some Older Cards

This card uses wallpaper samples for the papers, a design cut from giftwrap paper (Holly Hobbie), and has a crocheted trim hot-glued around the design oval. I made this back in July 2007.


This card features a wallpaper background with a corner cut from a coordinating wallpaper. The design is cut from giftwrap paper. The sentiment tag is computer-printed. This card, also, was made in July 2007.

Two For The Guys

This card was for my son-in-law Jordon. I think it rates as one of the quickest cards I've ever made. It started with a piece of tannish cardstock. Then I added a layer of scrapbooking paper by DCWV which already had those cool white designs printed over the stripes. I added a computer-printed sentiment with torn & inked edges. I inked the edges of the card and it was done. It looks pretty good, too, if I do say so myself!

This card went to our son-in-law Bradley. It didn't take too long to make, either. I started with the olive green cardstock, then added a piece of printed scrapbooking paper by DCWV. On top of that I added a piece of wallpaper sample. Then I took a stamp I had from the American Wildlife Fund from years gone by (I don't throw things like that away!), matted it on another piece of the olve green cardstock, adhered it on top of the wallpaper sample, then stuck on 4 gold foil stickers and added a stamped sentiment. Voila! and there you have it...

Playing Catch Up

Whoa! Where does the time go? I've been making cards, but with all the gardening that we've been attempting to accomplish, it seems that I haven't had time to post here. Today being the Sabbath, we've been resting and enjoying a quiet day at home--no Sabbath fellowship to attend today--and now I find myself with a bit of time to spend posting my latest cards. So to go back to the card I was making for my sweetheart, mentioned in my last post...

This is it! Done on brown cardstock, layered with wallpaper samples, black & brown cardstocks, and the oval cut from a pretty divider page out of one of my wallpaper sample books. I heat embossed the word Love in the senter, added gold heart brads, and there you have it. Oh yes, I lightly inked the edges of the brown shaped cardstock with copper pigment ink.

Tim really liked it and that's all that matters!

Birthday Card For My Son

I made this card for my son Isaac, who turned 23 last week. Isaac lives about an hour's drive away from us, with his wife Amber, and their baby son, Alan, who's now 2 months old. We haven't seen them since the baby was born. Isaac decided last month to sever his ties to me because of my faith in Yeshua the Messiah and the fact that I cannot help but mention God, Yeshua, the Bible or something connected to those topics, whether in words or actions. Even though Isaac wants no contact with me in any way, shape or form, he is still my son--in fact, my only son, as well as my youngest child and I will not be forgetting about him any time soon. So I decided that I would set aside a pretty tin and keep all the cards I would otherwise give to him & his family in that tin, for the day when Isaac either changes his mind and returns to fellowship with me or I die and he inherits the tin. I've made sure that at least a couple of his sisters are aware of the tin and know what it contains, so that Isaac will be sure to get it if I am not here to give it to him personally. And just a word of encouragement to anyone who may be facing difficult and heart-breaking circumstances in their life--life is hard, but God is good. I know that the LORD hears my prayers for my son & his family, that He is working in their hears & lives, and that I can trust Him with their welfare.

On to how I made this card...I started with a cardstock base of Light Creamy Cocoa ColorMates by World Win. To the base, I adhered a piece of blue checked wallpaper sample over the entire front. I used my corner-rounder punch to round the corners of the card. Then following a card sketch from the book CardMaker's SketchBook, I cut a larger rectangle from the same Light Creamy Cocoa, topped with a pattern of circles which is a computer-printed scrapbook paper design from ScrapbookScrapbook.com. The long rectangle uses Deep Creamy Cocoa and Dark Creamy Cocoa cardstocks. I rounded all corners. To this rectangle, I added three brown buttons, sewn on with brown embroidery floss. I got the floss at a local liquidator store for about 10 cents a skein; it works great on cards! The buttons came out of my sewing supplies. A hint: save all the buttons off your old clothes that are heading for the rag bin or garbage can. And save them in an empty candle jar (put it in the freezer for a few hours and getting out any leftover wax will be pretty easy). The other rectangle uses a computer-printed tile paper, topped with a giftwrap paper motif.

And there you have it...

A Couple More of My Old Cards

This was a get well card for a male friend of ours who had a heart attack a couple years ago, made in June 07. I started with a cream cardstock base, then added two pieces of wallpaper samples from the same family, and cut the cross piece out of the matching wallpaper border sample. Simple, but attractive.

This card went to an online friend who had a baby boy, made in June 07. The base is a medium blue cardstock. There are two layers of blue striped wallpaper samples, topped with a cute bear giftwrap cut-out.

This birthday card is one of my favorites, made in June 07, for an online friend. The base is a light blue cardstock. The background is a plaid wallpaper sample. I used another giftwrap cutout motif here, a cute little girl with flowers. I cut the sentiment tag out of the same cardstock as the card base using edger scissors, then drew the stitching with pen and added the sentiment.

Sharing Some of My Older Cards

This pretty in purple card was a birthday card for my stepdaughter Paige, made in June 07. I used purple cardstock for the base, then layered with two different wallpaper samples. I used a Crayola marker to highlight the card edge with a darker purple. The floral motif in the center is cut from giftwrap paper, one of my favorite designs--love those violets! I glued on buttons & bows and attached a tag with the sentiment. I had used the same Crayola marker to "paint" the tag purple; it started out white. It's one of those garage sale price tags you can buy in a quantity pack. I've had them sitting here for a long time and never used them, til now.

I made this card for one of my many nephews when he graduated in June 07. I started with a tan cardstock, then added layers of complimentary wallpaper samples. The center picture is a motif cut from giftwrap paper, another of my favorites, particularly for guys.

This sympathy card was made for a young couple who are in-laws to my daughter Holly. They tragically lost their first-born son to SIDS two years ago. The card was made in May 07. I began with a light green cardstock base, added layers of complimentary wallpaper samples, and put a floral motif cut from giftwrap paper in the center. The sentiment tag is cut from a purchased card we'd received when we had a death in our family. To finish, I glued on a pastel blue bow.

Four More Mother's Day Cards

This lovely pink & purple card is heading to my second daughter, Lois, who's the mother of 4 of my precious grandchildren: Kyler (9), Alana (7), Easton (5), and Kaylina (3). She's a wonderful mother, as well as a daycare provider. Like my eldest daughter, Lois has been caring for children most of her life.

To make this card, I used World Win's Color Mates Medium & Dark Perfect Plum cardstocks, the medium for the card base and the dark for the smaller rectangles. Layered on top of the dark plum rectangles are two layers of pinks. The solid pink on the bottom is from the digital papers at ScrapbookScrapbook.com. The top patterned layer is made from a background tile. The rectangles are topped by a pink Wilton doily and finally by another of those floral prints from Germany.




This card is on its way to my third daughter Holly, mom to Samuel (5) and Rose (2). Holly has a big heart and would "mother" every needy person she comes across. She & her husband, Levi, have been working their way through the state's foster parent/adoption approval process.

To make Holly's card, I started with a medium blue cardstock base, then layered a darker blue on top of that. The medium blue came in one of those $5 multi-packs at JoAnn Fabric & Crafts or Michaels; the darker blue is from an 8" x 8" multi-pack from WalMart. That pretty blue plaid paper is another of ScrapbookScrapbook.com's digital designs; I love this print! The center strip uses both of the blue cardstocks again and a strip of "corrugated" digital paper from ScrapbookScrapbook.com. The strip is edged with white cardstock that's been punched with my favorite Martha Stewart border punch. The focal point is, again, a floral cut-out from Germany. The last touch is two pink heart brads.




Now this lovely card is going to my fourth daughter, Megan, mother to Derick (8) and Samantha (7). Megan works really hard to provide for her children and just got to buy her first home. She's a good mom and has not had a lot of help from the father of her children.


To make Megan's card, I started with World Win's Color Mates Medium Meri-Gold cardstock, rounding the one corner. The dark green layer is World Win's Color Mates Deep Spring Green. The patterned paper is another design I made using a background tile. The torn layer is a wallpaper sample. The two yellow ovals are World Win's Color Mates Medium and Light Meri-Gold. Again, I used a floral cut-out from Germany. To finish, I added a bow from a piece of ribbon I picked up in an embellishment set from Dollar Tree and a gold heart brad.



This pretty card is for my fifth and youngest daughter, Thea. She's not technically a mother, but is engaged to a man who has two young sons, Ryan (10) and Larry Jr (8). She's determined to be a good stepmom.

To make this card, I started with World Win's Color Mates Light Mostly Mauve as my card base, topped with Dark Mostly Mauve. I rounded the corners of the base card, then punched the lower edge of the next layer with the same Martha Stewart border punch I used on Holly's card. The floral print layer is a wallpaper sample. The green oval is another wallpaper sample, the same one I used on Megan's card. I cut a pink Wilton doily to add the trim behind the green oval. This time I used a butterfly with roses cut-out, another of those pretty cut-outs printed in Germany, that I picked up at the Mennonite bulk food store. I added a gold heart brad and two pink flower brads to complete Thea's card.

Thea happened to stop at our home today so I gave her card to her then. She was very surprised to get a Mother's Day card; she said it was the first one she'd ever gotten. Well, she's only 24 so she still has time. The others went out in today's mail, as I made it to our post office a minute before closing time. Thankfully, I live in a very small community so the post master isn't as particular about locking the door exactly at the stroke of the clock.

I have one more card to share, the one I made for my mom. And I still have one more card to make for my daughter-in-law. I'll share those is separate posts.

Today's Shopping Trip & Frugal Tips

My sweetheart had an eye doctor appointment this morning, a follow-up to the two cataract surgeries he had at the beginning of March & April (one eye each time). All is well with that, thankfully, but while we were already that far from home, we decided to continue on to the next larger shopping center to pick up some things we needed. Since this town is over 45 miles from our home, we don't go unless we have enough money in the budget to make it worthwhile, with things we need to pick up. When we got there, Tim asked if I wanted to stop at Dollar Tree. Of course, I said Yes! I love looking for cardmaking supplies at Dollar Tree, where everything costs just $1. I found 4 sheets of scrapbooking stickers: a sheet of pink baby girl stickers, a sheet of blue baby boy stickers, and 2 sheets of different flower stickers. They're in the photo above, though you can't see them very well. I also picked up a pair of decorative-edge scissors that I didn't already have. You could say the price was right! I didn't need any of these things immediately, but I like to add to my stash of cardmaking possibilities whenever I come across something I know I would use.

We also stopped at WalMart, where I picked up two 1/2 yd pieces of 100% cotton to make into new scarves for myself, showing in the photo above. I will also scan each piece and possibly print them out on paper to use on a card. Fabric scans print out really cool! You can even see the threads! One of these days I want to make a card with a quilt design, using printed fabric scans. I've already used printed fabric scans on some of my cards, either as a background paper or to make an embellishment, such as the prairie points which I put on this card:

Before we left the town where Tim saw the eye doctor, we stopped at the liquidator store that is there. I picked up another pair of the scissors I like to use. They are a good, sturdy metal 6" pair of scissors made by Eberle. They cost $1.99. You can see them in the first photo. I didn't really need them, either, but wanted to pick up another pair while they still have them just in case I need to replace the pair I'm using. I also picked up a skein of this beautiful fluffy multi-colored blue yarn, Red Heart Kiss, for 69 cents, also in the photo. I know it will look cool on a card! And a skein will last forever!

I know you can buy special fiber collections to use in cardmaking, but I prefer to add to my own fiber stash with deals like this. I have lots of different yarns now, as well as colored & natural hemp cord purchased on clearance at WalMart, ribbons purchased at Hancock Fabrics, JoAnn Fabrics & Crafts & at WalMart, and all the laces, trims, ric-rac, fabrics, & other stuff in my sewing stash. I have the advantage of a sewing room full of stuff that I can now use in cardmaking, as well as lots of embroidery floss from cross-stitch projects, acrylic craft paints from other craft projects, and on goes the list.

I know everyone doesn't have a stash of sewing supplies to snitch from or supplies sitting around from other crafts, but anyone can take advantage of clearance sales and all those stores like Dollar Tree or liquidator stores. I've picked up some great cardmaking supplies at Big Lots, for instance. One of these days I'm going to check out the 50/50 store that sells party supplies; I just know I'll find SOMETHING in there that will be a great addition to my stash of cardmaking stuff.

Another store where I pick up cardmaking supplies is Menards, a home improvement/supply store, similar to Home Depot and Lowes. Menards sells their discontinued wallpaper sample books for $5 each--and that's a LOT of paper for cardmaking for not much money! They also have small cut samples of their in-stock wallpaper rolls that I've taken advantage of, as well as paint chip cards.

But the thing I can't do without, which I buy at Menards, is double-sided carpet tape, shown in the first photo. They sell Duck brand carpet tape for light traffic, 1.88 in x 75 ft, for about $3.49. (Check in the carpet/floor covering area.) Do you know how far that roll of double-sided tape goes? AND it sticks everything, at least paper-wise! Since I love to use wallpaper samples on my cards, this is important. Not all tapes will hold on vinyl wallpaper. The only caution I must give is that it is NOT re-positionable, so be sure you have things lined up right the first time or be prepared to work with whatever way it lines up once you have things stuck together. This light traffic carpet tape is not thick, not much thicker than other double-sided tapes, and doesn't add a lot to the total weight of your card, unless you totally cover all surfaces with it--which I am learning I don't have to do. Besides using it almost exclusively to stick my cards together, I also like to make my own stickers with it. This is something I started doing years ago when my children were still young and we were homeschooling. You can cut designs out of giftwrap paper or use computer-printed graphics that are no wider than your tape; unroll the carpet tape a small section at a time and lay your design on the sticky side, smoothing it out & adhering it to that side. Then cut it out. It works better if you leave some excess paper around your design when you stick it down, then cut it out after it's stuck to the carpet tape. Voila! You've made your own sticker. Just peel off the other side of the double-sided tape to adhere it to whatever surface you like. Here's a card I made using butterfly stickers I made with this method:

This card also uses a paint chip card, a strip of torn cardstock and ribbon.

Well, I think I'll wrap up this post and get my 3rd Mother's Day card posted, then go work on the rest that I need to get done. This shopping trip today messed up my plans for the day, so now I have a time crunch. What is that old saying about the best-laid plans?