Quick Personalized Stationary

As you can probably tell from my frequent post about cards, I love sending mail. When a boxed card just won't do, and you are short on envelopes, it's easy to whip up a quick, personalized bit of stationary using stamps, cover stock, and some fun paper. 

Leave a pretty note on the car you hit and the owner can't be mad.

To create a unique envelope, simply deconstruct another envelope (make use of that junk mail), trace the shape onto scrapbook paper or some other lightweight paper, cut and reassemble.  Cut your cover stock to fit inside and adorn with your personal monogram or anything else you can come up with.  Don't limit yourself to stamps either!  Now you can write your correspondences like they are always doing on Downton Abbey when they aren't killing off main characters.

A heartfelt apology.

Now you have a very personal note ready in 10 minutes or less!  I'm sensing a "quick and easy" theme starting to emerge for March.

Recycled holiday gift tags

Sadly this December hasn't been my craftiest holiday season, and though I'm bursting with ideas, I just haven't had the time to do many of them.  Blame a heavy work load, an increased interest in baking, and finding out that I have to move at the end of the month.  The next week leading up to Christmas is going to be heavily creative to make up for it (I hope, I may have just put a lot of pressure on myself).

To kick things off, here are some gift tags made with recycled grocery bags, stamps, and baker's twine.  I found it best to double layer the bags and hold together with rubber cement to make them a little sturdier, then cut into shape and attach the string last.  Simple, quick, easy, and cheap!

Rubber stamps were Martha Stewart except for the star,
which I made out of some leftover linoleum

Joy: A nondenominational message we can all appreciate

Things to love: hand-carved wooden stamps

I pulled these super cool wooden stamps out of the clearance bin at one of those Tibetan new age hippie shops on Bleeker Street.  They would be great as stamps or even displayed on a shelf.

Can't wait to use these!

Summer cards

Here are a few cards I created last night using clear stamps.  I went in without much of a plan other than giving them a patterned look. They ended up having the feel of Hawaiian printed fabric, especially the green and yellow which is my fav.  Perfect for writing notes to your teacher friends about how bitter you are that they get summers off!

My bedroom floor makes everything look orange

Mom's love homemade things

Happy Mother's Day!
Since I have a very wonderful mum who loves when I make her things, I used my new clear stamps to create this fun and simple card.  The ink runs off the page for a full bleed effect, which makes it look more professional (the overprint of the flowers helps with that as well).  Simply put a large piece of scrap paper under the surface you are stamping so that you can go off the edge without inking your tabletop.  Be gentle when you push on your stamps or you'll end up with a smudged "M" like I did.  Don't worry, my Mom still loved it!

Thanks moms!

Remember, moms are the original creatives!