What a weekend!

This weekend was amazing!  I had four days off from work and it seems that's exactly what I needed to get my "create" on!  I was a busy working bee all weekend crafting left and right.  So much so that I even taught myself something new!  I'll get into that in another post though.

I decided to step away from greeting cards for a bit because I have all these ideas floating around in my head that I keep saying I am going to work on but never get around to.  Well, that changed this weekend.  I finally started working on something outside my norm and today's post is all about it.  Tags.  Yup, like gift tags.

I started out with a design I used on one of my favorite cards, Spring Butterflies.  I decided to feature them on this set of tags.  I love the design with the butterfly wings popping of the paper.  It's so simple yet so pretty.  

Yellow, pink, and purple make these 3D butterfly tags perfect for spring!

Embossing and inking on both the tag and butterfly add a touch of elegance to the tag

Set of 5 tags all ready to be gifted

A purple ribbon completes the spring-themed tag

Flowers, butterflies, and swirls

These weren't the only tags I made this weekend.  In a few days I'll go into detail about my adventure in the vintage-inspired world of papermaking which so happens to be something new to me.  Oh so fun! 

Oh, I forgot to mention, unfortunately there were no winners in the contest I held over the weekend on my Facebook page.  No one guessed the correct theme of the set I was working on (yes, I worked on more than just tags this weekend).  I plan on holding more contests with giveaways in the future.  Hope you all can join in on the fun.  Check me out on Facebook at the 19Eighty Expressions fan page!  

One more thing!  Look out for an announcement I have.  I'm excited about it.  That will be coming in the next few days.

"I Do"

I had to make a last minute card for a wedding I was going to the other day.  OK, I have known about the wedding for some time now but as usual I procrastinated.  Good thing I had the day off from work on Friday because I was able to put my brain to work first thing in the morning before it got dull and tired.

In this card I used SVG files from one of my favorite shops, SVG Cuts.  I used the Kate's Silhouette SVG kit to create this simple yet beautiful "I Do" card.  I really love how it turned out.

"I Do"

I added a touch of bright color by making the flowers red

Pop up squares were used to create the 3D effect

I used a paper pack I bought at Target in, get this, the dollar bin!  I should have bought more than one pack but I think it's too late now.  They have sold out in my local Targets.  The colors are subtle yet gorgeous and a bit different than the traditional black and white you think of when the word "wedding" pops into your head.  I added a swirl embossed design to the white wedding dress to add a touch of elegance.  The flowers were made from a hand punch I never thought I would have any use for.  Boy was I wrong!  It's saved my life a few times in my time of need.  I made the flowers and the sentiment red to kind of off set the grays and blues of the card.  It adds a pop of color to the card.

I hope you enjoyed this one!  I enjoyed making it.

Giveaway!!

I am holding a little contest on my 19Eighty Expressions Facebook page.  Here are the details!

1.  Become a fan of 19Eighty Expressions on Facebook

2.  Guess the theme of my latest project and leave a comment on 19Eighty Expressions' Facebook page with your guess.

3.  Share the giveaway with friends and family via Facebook or any other social media outlet.

That's all!  Super easy.

The first person to guess the theme correctly will receive a set (that's a clue) of my newest creation.
 
The winner will be announced on Monday, May 30th.

Good luck and have a great day!!


19Eighty Expressions Facebook Fan Page

Father's Day is less than a month away!

This year is flying by.  Is it because I'm in my 30s?  In my 20s the time seemed to go so much slower.

Well since it's almost halfway through the year we know Father's Day is approaching.  I made a cute card featuring dad's tie.  I tried my hand at sewing once again for this one.  I really love how much the sewing adds to the cards.  It just gives it more dimension, more detail.

The base of the card is a deep burgundy that looks a little worn.  I used an argyle print green and burgundy patterned paper that matched the base beautifully.  On top of that I used a complimentary green colored cardstock.  I sanded the edges to give it a worn or distressed look then zig zag stitched a border.  The tie has two layers.  The base layer is the same color burgundy as the base card and on top I used a patterned paper from the same collection as the argyle paper.  I wanted the tie to stand out and I think the blue with the burgundy accents on it fit perfectly.  The caption was stamped using Tim Holtz's distress ink in brick red.

This card is listed in my Etsy shop at www.etsy.com/shop/19eighty

A little late but here it is...Mother's Day Card

A few weeks ago I was itching to get a sewing machine.  I had fallen in love with cards that feature the sewing technique.  Let me tell you one thing...I had never ever used a sewing machine before in my life...ever, yet I wanted one.  I was iffy about spending $100 on a sewing machine just for the use of sewing on my cards but a friend of mine saved the day!  He gave me his.  How awesome is that?  I went to my mom's the next day and she showed me how to set it all up and off I went sewing on pieces of scrap material.  Ummm, it's not easy!  Why did I think I could just jump right in and get going?  I am dreading the day I need to change spools of thread.  I'm not sure I'll remember how to do it.  And a bobbin?  What the heck?  I had no clue there was such a thing. 

After about two weeks of the machine sitting in my livingroom I decided to finally try it out on a piece of paper.  I was quite impressed by my beginners ability.  I could at least get a decent stitch...well, decent enough for me.  Today's card features the sewing technique.  I also sanded some of the paper down to give it a distressed look. 

Sewing along the edge of the middle part of the card

Used sand paper to distress the cardstock

Oh, also I used buttons!  I have never used buttons on a card before.  I have been dying to do so.  Can I tell you a little secret?  I sanded the cardstock after I had stitched it.  Big no no!  It sanded the stitching off and I used the buttons to cover the oopsie spots.  It turned out nice though.  It was a good oopsie in the end.

Lunchbox Notes

My intention was to post sneak peaks of each lunchbox note I made as I made them.  One example is the blue cupcake I posted a picture of.  Actually, that was the only example!  I didn't fail completely though.  I posted the sneak peaks on my Facebook page so if you are a fan they you got to see my work in progress.  If you're not a fan of my page head on over there.  It's 19Eighty Expressions on Facebook.

Since I failed at posting sneak peeks here I will post the final product here for you to see.  Before I do that let me tell you a little about what they are.  The title of this post is what they are called but what gave me the idea to do this?  My daughter.  She is of school age, carries a backpack, and eats a packed lunch.  I saw the idea the lunchbox notes online somewhere and loved the idea.  I thought they were the cutest thing ever and had to try it at least once on my daughter.  Well, I'm happy to tell you it worked.  She loved it so I decided I would spread the joy and make them for others to enjoy.

These super cute handmade lunchbox note cards are perfect for sneaking into your child's backpack, lunchbox, etc. It's a cute little surprise for them. You can even sneak one into your significant other's lunch!

Each card contains both printed and 3D elements.  I added a cute little note or phrase on each card to make it even cuter.  I plan on making smaller version of these cards with just the images but haven't gotten to it yet.  Mother's Day, bday parties, etc have been keeping me busy for the past two weeks!

 
I hope you enjoyed these.  I really adore them!  They can be found at www.etsy.com/shop/19eighty