Papercrafting with Polly

Memories of Mother Book

Hello papercrafting friends.  My how time flies.  We are working so hard cleaning out the backroom at the store that I just have not had time to blog.  The store in going to be closed for a week so please note the dates at the end of this blog post.

While I was cleaning I came across this little mini album that I made for my Mom many years ago.  It touches my heart with warm memories of my precious Mom.  If you still have your Mom please cherish the time with her.  Enjoy the book.

The album measures 3.75" x 3.75".  For the cover I used two transparencies and a colorful heart and square brad mounted on the diagonal.  The book is bound with ribbon threaded through eyelets on the spine and pages inside.

The first page shows Mom as a baby.

I think the next page got out of order because here's Mom as a young lady (left) and as a toddler (right).  Mom grew up in Wilbraham, MA and was one of three children to my grandmother Cora, an artist, and my grandfather Bert, an insurance salesman.  They lived in a huge two-story house with a big backyard with a vegetable garden.  Behind the house were woods where we used to play as children when we visited.

More photos of Mom as a pre-schooler (left) and with her brother Robert (right).

This page shows Mom graduating from nursing school (right) and dressed in her Army uniform (left).  True story: My Mom was in a MASH unit just miles behind the front as the Army proceeded through France after D-Day.  My Dad?  He was living at home in San Antonio and working at the local Army-Air Force base!
It's 1946, the war is over and the two sweethearts married in my grandparents back yard.  Grandmother had to save ration coupons to get enough sugar to make a wedding cake.  They honeymooned at Niagra Falls and settled in San Antonio only after my Dad promised Mom she could return home every other year.  I remember those trips on the train as a very young child.
Best wishes for a lovely Mother's Day! 

Vacation

Speaking of time flying, I am headed to San Antonio for my 50th high school reunion!  I can't believe it!  The store will be closed from Friday, May 18 through Tuesday, May 29.  We will reopen Wednesday, May 30.

Our sales continue.  If you need a "B" plate for your Cuttlebug you will find one for free with a $10 purchase (more miscellaneous stuff I found!).  There's tons of other good stuff, just stop in and see.

Thanks for reading the blog and stop in soon!

Mother's Day Cards

Hello Friends. Today I want to share with you some cards that while perfect for Mother's Day, will work just as well for new baby or friendship cards.  I am using a set of stamps with matching dies from Taylored Expressions called Mama & Me.  When you are thinking of Mother's Day, please consider all the mothers in your life.  While my own Mom is gone, I like to remember my sisters, my friends and even my neices who are Moms to fur babies.  Being a Mom comes in many forms so be sure to think outside the family tree!

Here are the set of stamps and dies I am using today.

Taylored Expressions cling-mount stamp set Mama & Me, $18.79

Taylored Expressions cling-mount stamp set Mama & Me, $23.99

My first card stars two cute fish swimming in an ocean created by die cutting the Poppystamps die Waverly Collage twice.  The blues and greens are much more vibrant IRL so be sure to click on the photo to enlarge it and see more detail and color.  To give the fish a wet look, I added Glossy Accents on top of the coloring.  A few clear round gems add bubbles to the scene!

Fish – Taylored Expressions stamp set with matching dies set Mama & Me; TE die Frame in Frame; Poppystamps die Waverly Collage; Impression Obsession die Hearts

For this card I die cut white cardstock with the TE Falling Hearts die to create a stencil.  I laid the stencil over white cardstock and pressed my Versamark ink pad over the heart cut outs.  I then embossed the hearts with clear embossing powder and sponged pink and yellow dye inks on top of the hearts.  The embossed hearts resist the inks and show up as white (the color of the underlying cardstock).  Once the background was completed, I stamped, cut and colored the elephants, mounted them with foam tape and added the Sweet (die cut) and Sweet Little One (stamp) sentiments.

Sweet Elephants – Taylored Expressions stamp set with matching dies set Mama & Me; TE dies Frame in Frame 2, Sweet Script and Falling Hearts; design inspired by Keia Shipp-Smith

I gave the elephants a whole new look when I stamped them on plaid paper and positioned them behind some grass.  Isn't this sentiment the bomb?!!

Mini Me Elephants – Taylored Expressions stamp set with matching dies set Mama & Me; TE die Grass Border; design inspired by Kendra Weistock

These colorful birds are perched on the shore near the sea.  The friendship sentiment is one that any friend would like to receive.Birds – Taylored Expressions stamp set with matching dies set Mama & Me; TE die Skinny Mini Borders 1 and Little Bit Unbrella; design inspired by Charmaine Ikach

And finally the kitties on the doorstep -- how cute are they?  I created the scene using several of the Taylored Expressions Door to Door series dies.  I embossed the background with the TE embossing folder Bead Board then built the scene with the door and decor.  The kitties were stamped, colored and die cut.  The tiny opening in the middle of their tails is a heart so I inlaid a pink heart into the space.  The sentiment can be used so many ways, but it's perfect on the front door.

Kitties – Taylored Expressions stamp set with matching dies set Mama & Me; TE dies Door to Door, Door to Door Décor, Door to Door Spring and Wispy Grass; TE embossing folder Bead Board; Impression Obsession die hearts; design inspired by Pam Sparks

Be sure to remember all the Moms in your life with personalized cards you create yourself with papercrafting supplies from The Stamp Act.  I hope to see you soon.