First Holiday Trimmings Card + A Handy Idea

Anyone who knows me very well, knows that I'm a big fan of Anna Griffin and her paper crafting products.  I've been building stockpiles of her paper for about 15 years or more.  I remember meeting Anna in person at one of the Recollections stores near Dallas shortly before the debut of her first TSV on QVC.  The Recollections stores have been closed for about six years now and Anna has moved over to HSN.  But I keep building up my supply. 

I come from a very small family.  There isn't a great need to create cards for a family of two!  But I did find an outlet this year for my cards - actually I found two.  The first is Operation Write Home (OWH).  OWH gathers cards made by volunteers and sends them to Americans serving overseas.  They are not cards made for the soldiers, but are cards for the soldiers to use to send home.  Of course, you can send cards to the soldiers as well.   Cards made in the Anna Griffin style are generally too thick for OWH.   But I often use her papers without all the layered embellishments for my OWH cards.

The other outlet has been Michaels Cares.  I work at Michaels Corporate Offices.  Michaels began a charity that provides aid to employees in need.  Last April was a fundraising month for Michaels Cares.  Everyone was doing bake sales and other events.  I don't bake - but I could cook up a few cards.  I ended up making 30 cards and raising $195 for Michaels Cares.  Most of the feminine cards were made with Anna Griffin papers.

I guess I should get to the point of this post!  I bought the gorgeous Anna Griffin Holiday Trimmings card kit from HSN last September.  My intent is to make a few sets of cards to be sold in the Michaels holiday auction benefitting Michaels Cares.  This is my first card from this gorgeous card kit.  The kit makes 60 cards so you've been warned!!

I followed one of the samples provided pretty closely for this card.  I did add a few things.  First, I cut the corners of the green layer with my SU reverse corner punch (not really sure what it's called).  I then added some of the Stampendous Diamond Dots that I've had for years.  I also embossed the green layer and added a bit of gold pan pastels over the card base and embossing.  I hope you like it.


I next wanted to pass on a good idea.  I don't take any credit for it.  I put together two different ideas I had seen on YouTube.  The first was to use junk mail to make envelopes with my Envelope Punch.  The second was to attach a 6x6 envelope to the back of the 6x6 paper pads to hold paper scraps.  Last night I decided to use junk mail envelopes in the back of my 6x6 pads.  I'm always losing the scraps.  And a scrap box becomes too unwieldy.  I think this idea may work.  Plus it's a use for the tons of junk mail that accumulate!  This picture isn't too great, but it shows the back of one of my My Mind's Eye pads with the envelope adhered to the inside of the back cover.  I've put all the scraps from this pad inside the envelope.

 

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