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Blissful week in the Valley of the Sun
My husband and I recently spent a week in Arizona, where we split our time between son #1 in Phoenix, my in-laws in Tucson and a variety of points north and south. We visited Sedona (in snow), Biosphere 2 near Oracle (also in snow!), Saguaro National Forest, Deer Valley Rock Art Center, Casa Grande National Monument, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the San Xavier del Bac Mission, rock star Alice Cooper's baseball-themed restaurant(appropriately named "Cooper's Town") and Taliesin West, the foundation and school of architecture established by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1940.
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A benefit to the unexpected snowfall was the way the desert seemed to come alive afterward. Flowers bloomed bright yellow and pink and purple, and the wispy mesquite branches turned from black to pale green seemingly overnight. As I soaked in the colors of the natural world, I began to notice those same colors repeated everywhere. Traditionally styled new homes could be seen in the shades of the desert in bloom, as shown in the photo below.
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The Paper Studio
We packed a lot of sight seeing into six days, and I almost forgot to mention one of the most important stops we made! Before spending the last evening with son #1, we visited The Paper Studio in Tempe. My sweet husband patiently told me to take as long as I wanted (and I caught him surreptitiously petting the paper as I talked to the clerk). I managed to leave with only one magazine and three packs of 7 Gypsies rub-ons (small, flat and easily stashed in my camera bag!). He was very proud of me!
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Free project
This project by Kathleen Paneitz features quilling, a technique in which I've had little interest until now. Quilled designs always seemed too "frilly" for my taste, but the quilled sun on this cute card is whimsical and fun -- and the colors remind me of the Arizona desert in bloom.
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 Heat Wave
Design by Kathleen Paneitz
Materials
- Card stock: white, rust
- Double-sided printed card stock: Sentimental Diamonds White, Sentimental Very Stripy Fawn, Sentimental Silly Stripe
- "Summer" definition sticker
- Black alphabet rub-on transfers to spell "Heat Wave"
- ENV-1 envelope template
- Quilling tool or stylus
- Gem glue
- Paper adhesive
Project note: Refer to figure drawings when quilling. Use paper adhesive unless otherwise instructed.
Form a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4-inch top-folded card from white card stock. Adhere Sentimental Diamonds White printed card stock to card, script side faceup; trim edges. Cut four different-size strips from Sentimental Silly Stripe printed card stock; adhere strips to bottom of card as shown in a stairstep pattern with striped side faceup. Attach "summer" sticker to card 1 1/4 inches from left side, aligning bottom edges; wrap end of sticker over top fold. Apply rub-on transfers to card to spell "Heat Wave" as shown.
Cut a 1/8 x 12-inch strip of rust card stock; use quilling tool or stylus to form strip into a loose circle for sun's center. Adhere to card as shown with gem glue. Cut nine 1/8 x 6-inch strips of rust card stock and form each into an S scroll. Arrange and adhere around sun's center with gem glue.
Use envelope template to cut an envelope from Sentimental Very Stripy Fawn printed card stock; assemble envelope.
Sources: Printed card stock from Scenic Route Paper Co.; sticker from Making Memories; rub-on transfers from Heidi Grace Designs; envelope template from The C-Thru Ruler Co./Déjà Views; gem glue from Beacon Adhesives Inc.
Copyright © May 2007. CardMaker magazine. All rights reserved. Back to top.
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If you'd like to explore quilling further, check out Lake City Crafts or Quilled Creations for great instructional books and videos, tools and supplies.
Reader letters
Dawn writes via e-mail:
"My craft time is what keeps me sane. My family knows this, so they are very good about giving me time. Sometimes dinner is a little delayed while I clear the latest project from the table. The kids enjoy sharing crafts with me. It is the best of both worlds when we do things together. A family that glues together, stays together!"
Dawn, I love your philosophy! You're a very lucky crafter, indeed.
Angelika writes via e-mail:
"I have made time for crafting by making my hobby my job. I love scrapbooking, so I walked into my local craft shop one day to see if they were looking for a teacher. And they actually were! They liked my pages, and I have been doing three lessons a week for several months now. Now I never lack the inspiration as I have to constantly look around for ideas for new classes. And, I don't lack the craft-cash as much as I used to either, LOL! I have one afternoon a week off when my kids are in daycare, so I prepare most classes then. But, I spend a lot of time scrapbooking in the evenings in front of the telly."
Angelika, it sounds like you've found a great solution! It's always inspirational to read about someone who has found a way to make money doing what she loves to do. Congratulations!
Terry writes via e-mail:
"I need help learning how to make inexpensive birth announcements. This is part of a baby project I am doing for active-duty military personnel and their spouses. Any ideas?"
Terry, you can find loads of ideas in every issue of CardMaker magazine. Editor Tanya Fox always showcases quick, easy and fun ways to make cards for any occasions, from the very best paper-crafting designers at work today. You'll generally find baby cards in the March issues of CardMaker, but -- and you all know what I'm going to say here -- feel free to adapt any design that catches your eye into exactly what you need. As the gals from Art Declassified say, "There are no rules in art!"
Mary Ann writes via e-mail:
"When do I craft? I cross-stitch and crochet while watching TV at night. As for my card making -- that seems to only happen when I need a card. Then I just carve some time out of the day. The only time I really plan card-making time is when it's time to do the Christmas cards. Then I plan time and enter it in my organizer. Christmas cards are serious business for me -- especially since I make about 40 of them each year."
Mary Ann, Christmas cards are serious business to a lot of people -- including me! It's no secret that I work assembly-line style to save time. None of the cards I make are exactly the same, because I use whatever paper and embellishments I have on hand. Besides, the recipients are so far-flung, they'll never know if their cards are similar to someone else's. I wonder what kinds of time-saving tips our readers have for making lots of cards at one time?
Karen writes via e-mail:
"Recently, one of my online group members reported that her newborn grandchild is gravely ill. How do I/we express our sympathy and thoughts to someone we have never met but would like to support? E-mailed cards just don't seem to be right in this case. Any advice would be appreciated."
Karen, rest assured that all expressions of concern and support will be appreciated, no matter what form they take. When my dad died last October, I received more than 50 e-mails from CardMaker readers around the world, none of whom I am ever likely to meet in person. The messages ranged in length from a few words to several paragraphs, and I kept every single one.
Gayleen writes via e-mail:
"Regarding making time to craft -- every year a friend and I get together for one night after Thanksgiving when we meet at her house (because she has most of the supplies) to make our holiday cards. She comes up with a Christmas card and I come up with a Hanukah card. We cut our paper ahead of time and on our special night, we stamp and glue long into the evening while munching on junk food and catching up on all the news since the last time we got together. It's a tradition that we have looked forward to every year for the past six years. In the end we swap cards so that each of us has enough Christmas/Hanukah cards for our families."
Gayleen, what a beautiful tradition! I know of a group of friends who try to get together every couple of months to watch a movie (and eat junk food, and catch up on the news) and I know how hard it is to find a date that works for everyone. May you and your friend continue this tradition for many years to come.
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