Springtime Collage Cards with Handmade Paper and Embellishments #2

Here’s a crafty way to celebrate springtime – make some sweet cards with nature themes and pastel colors. These cards have a base of handmade paper in pretty colors to coordinate with vintage spring illustrations, natural elements and petite embellishments. Find more details how to make these collages in my first springtime cards post. I hope they inspire you to sweep away the winter chill and send a sweet note to family and friends…

Fringed Butterfly Pillow Pattern with Free Printable!

This is a fun little pillow to celebrate the hot days of summer, with a Malachite butterfly design printable, and a base of fringed duck canvas. Duck canvas fabric is a fun material to use because of it’s durability and a great base for colorful fabric pairings. And because of its linen roots, it’s also great for creating fringe. The weave is loose enough, that it’s fairly easy to pull the thread by hand and make an easy fun effect. For this Butterfly Pillow Pattern, I started with one of my photos from a trip to the…

Tropical Photography (With More Butterflies!)

This summer my family and I visited the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Columbus, Ohio. I went crazy with my iPhone trying to capture the amazing colors of flowers and butterflies surrounded by beautiful shapes of the shiny green leaves. Nothing can beat Mother Nature’s talent! The conservatory is an amazing place with four biomes: Himalayan Mountain, Rainforest, Desert and Pacific Island Water Garden, with over 400 plant species. In the summer they raise and release butterflies into the Pacific Island biome to feed on the nectar of all the tropical flowers. I’m thinking these images…

Beachy Quote Plaque

Here is another handmade paper crafty project I made using a scrap piece of wood as a base and silver wire for hanging. I thought these would make cute summer gifts that could be hung by a little shelf in a beachy themed bathroom, or tacked on a “to do” board for a little pick me up during the work day. To start, I found a quote about the sea – how it makes us feel walking along the edge with our toes in the sand and the relaxing sounds of the rolling waves. I printed the quote on light…