Home Decor

I make cards.  I admit, I love making them.  Probably often more than some appreciate getting them. I know that many of them likely end up in the bin along with the flyers, but I know that some are kept and treasured, and that the effort I put into making them is not lost on those that receive them.

Instead of simply sending cards though, there are oodles of other things that you can use your papercrafting supplies for. I have branched out over the last couple of years and started to make home decor for my own home and as gifts for other people. My most recent ones were for an anniversary of some amazing friends, and for my step-son's graduation gift.  

This first one was for friends that have been in my husband's life for 20 years.  He met them not long before they got married, and so we were there to help them celebrate their 20th anniversary this past weekend. I have only known them for about 4 or 5 years myself, but they have come to mean a lot to me too. I knew I needed to do something special for them.

He is a mechanic, and just ultimately a typical "car guy". She, on the other hand, loves dragonflies and pineapples, and paints and draws beautiful pictures. I had a challenge to try and make something that would work for both of them.

I used the cling stamp set Geared Up Garage, and a retired set of dies for Dragonfly Dreams, the Detailed Dragonfly thinlit dies.  I also used the current set Timeless Tropical and used snips to fussy cut the flowers (although there are dies available for this set as well - In the Tropics). I used the word dies from Well Written, which is a great and versatile set.  I simply cut them out in four different colours and used them to give a bit more dimension and pop to the simple script. The background paper is one I found at a local crafting store, Urban Scrapbook.  They have a huge variety of product if you need something that Stampin' Up! doesn't have, and it is local and often cheaper and easier than finding it in other online sources, including Amazon. 

The second framed picture is one I did for my late boyfriend's oldest son. He was part of my life for 5 years, and still remains important to me. I wanted to show him how much, so I created this decor piece for him to put a picture of his graduation in, or simply hang it as it is. 

His school colours are reflected in the School letter, and the theme is taken from their Graduation theme - Paris Nights.  I used sentiments and dies from the retired Parisian Beauty bundle, and added sentiments and a corner stamp from other sets. 

When framing your pieces, you need to be aware of what frame you are using.  I was using shadowbox frames from Ikea (Ribba, available in black or white). I was able to use dimensionals, stack and pop the elements as much as I wanted and it would not be an issue. If you are using a flat frame, make sure that you are not trying to make 3D elements on your page. 

I have a variety of other decor pictures that I have shared in my blog. I have made frames for children and babies, ones to decorate my own home, and plan on making ones for the different families in our lives for Christmas if I can find enough time. I have also made perpetual birthday calendars, wedding decor... the list goes on. 

Paper crafting does not need to be limited to cards. Use your supplies, or if you are just getting into it, choose supplies that you can use for a variety of purposes. Believe me, you won't regret it!