DIY: Handmade Greeting Cards

Hello Friends! It's been so long since I've given my blog some love. Life since Covid has felt heavy and since my mom passed away last November my momentum to pick up the pieces has been slow...

I'm here today to share with you three greeting cards that I made recently using my new Sizzix manual die cut machine. It's so easy to get a perfect clean cut every time and the detail is amazing.

All of the papers shown here are from the new Bo Bunny Beautiful Things 6 x 8 paper pad. This size is perfect for card making because the images are scaled down and there is minimum waste. The bits of paper that are leftover can be used for die cutting the small die shapes which is fun if you are a 'mix and match' kind of crafter!

Each of the cards are made using a standard A6 size card blank from Tonic Studios.

As well, all three cards utilize the Sizzix Window Box stamps and die set by Olivia Rose, which I adore. 'Shaker box' type greeting cards are very popular right now and when I saw this particular set I knew I wanted to give it a try.

And finally, each of the three different sentiments are from the Elegant Sentiments stamps and die set from Waffle Flower Crafts.

For the background on the card to the left, above, I chose the Blooms paper (links are to the 12 x 12 sizes):

I stamped the scalloped circle using black pigment ink onto the B side of the Memorable paper and then die cut the shape. Both the stamp and die are part of the Sizzix Window Box set. I used one of the circle dies that came with my die cut machine to cut the background of the shaker box out of the Flutter paper. I also die cut a scalloped circle from a sheet of double sided foam adhesive from Scrapbook.com. And finally, I cut a circle shape (same size as the Flutter circle) from some leftover packaging material for the "window". Then it was a matter of layering these pieces together and adding the decorative sequins to create the shaker box. For this card I chose the Early Spring Premium Sequins from 28 Lilac Lane.

The next step was to stamp and die cut the floral bloom and die cut the six leafy embellishment pieces using the Sizzix Window Box set. The embellishment arrangements on all three cards are cut from the B side of the Blooms paper. This paper allowed me to create some very interesting variations in both color and gradations of color.

And lastly, I chose the 'Happy Birthday' sentiment from the aforementioned Elegant Sentiments stamps and die cut set, ink stamped it, and then die cut it from the B side of the Beauty paper.

The background of the middle card is made with the Fly Away paper:

Both the scalloped circle and the sentiment are stamped using black pigment ink and then die cut from the same B side of the Memorable paper as the previous card. The circle background inside the scalloped circle is plain white card stock. Again, I repeated the layering of the double sided foam adhesive, and a die cut circle from product packaging for the window. The floral bloom and leafy embellishments (from the Sizzix Window Box set) are also die cut from the same B side of the Blooms paper as the previous card.

For the shaker 'ingredients' I mixed Early Spring and Rose in Flight Premium Sequins from 28 Lilac Lane. For additional interest I glued two of the Rose in Flight butterflies to the background.

I chose the 'Thinking of You' sentiment from the previously mentioned Elegant Sentiments set.

The card on the right is made with the Dotted paper:

Again, I used the Waffle Flower Elegant Sentiments stamps and die set to stamp the 'Thank You' sentiment and die cut it and the scalloped circle (after ink stamping it as well) from the B side of the Beauty paper. The shaker box is layered with the double sided foam adhesive and some clear packaging, then filled with the same two sequin styles as the previous card. The Sizzix Window Box floral bloom and leafy embellishments are die cut, again, from the Blooms paper after having ink stamped the floral bloom.

And that's it! If you have any questions about the products used or my process, please reach out.

I had so much fun creating these cards. In fact, I made each card for a cousin and two of them will be posted today. I can't wait for the two cousins to receive their handmade cards. It's especially sentimental because I have not seen either of them since childhood and with my mother's passing we have come into contact and I want to keep in touch.

Speaking of keeping in touch, I have plans for a few more blog posts, so wish me luck!

And, as my mother would always say, bye for now... 

Welcome To The Plum Blossom Blog Redesign

Hi friends! I'm excited to share my new blog redesign with you today. When I started this blog two years ago, my preference was for an easy to use platform, coupled with a clean white background, so the focus would be on the photos and words. And while the first Blogger template I was using did serve those purposes, I found myself wanting a more seamless and consistent look, which would ultimately provide an improved reader experience.   

I found what I was looking for with pipdig, a UK based company which I discovered while reading one of my favorite blogs The Villa On Mount Pleasant. Pipdig offers both Blogger and Wordpress templates at what I think is a reasonable cost.  

Pipdig's install process was way easier than I would have imagined, and their customer service is superb! There is still some final cleaning up to do, which my editor James is giving his usual careful attention to, but for the most part it's done! I hope you like it and will come back and visit again. And if you do enjoy what you see here, you can subscribe via email in the sidebar under my profile picture.

I would love to hear any feedback you may have about the redesign of my blog, so if you want, please leave me a comment!

Thanks for reading!

A Springtime Greeting, And Hello Again

    It's spring here in the Willamette Valley and I think it is one of the most beautiful springs I can remember!  Flowering ornamental fruit trees and colorful rhododendrons and azaleas are in full bloom, displaying a riot of color all over town, picking up my spirits and making me feel happy.

This past Easter Sunday, I brought this lively bunch of store-bought tulips to my 91 year old mother, who now lives in a nursing home just a couple of blocks from where I live.  I wrote about my mom here on the blog when she turned 90 almost two years ago, but what I didn't mention was that she has Alzheimer's.  Maybe you have experience with this - maybe you have a loved one who suffers from this debilitating disease.  If you've visited my blog in the past, you may have noticed my absence for periods of time.  In the near future, I plan on talking more about that, and sharing stories of how our family dealt with my mother's condition; for now, I am still processing everything that has happened, and dealing with the day to day issues connected with being the family member responsible for watching over mom. 

So, for today, this is my way of saying hello, again, and getting back into the swing of blogging.  In my next post, I will be sharing whats happening in my spring garden.  As always, thanks for visiting!

Ume Hanami, First Day Of Spring, Under A Plum Blossom Tree

    Hello, and welcome back to Under The Plum Blossom Tree!  I've been away for awhile taking care of family matters, and now, happily, those life events are settled.  With the coming of a new season, my love of photography is reinvigorated, and I am preparing new posts about nature, art, gardening, pocket scrapbooking, and family, as well as a few recipes here and there, plus my adventures to places wild and scenic.

And now I would like to introduce you to my 'Editor', James Aōyama, of the blog Origami Night Lamp.  James has graciously offered to help jump start my reintroduction of this blog; first with his redesign of my title banner, and second, with a symbolic guest post where he shares some photos he captured on the first day of spring.  Here's James:

"Went for a walk on the first day of spring."

"It was kind of poetic since, for the first time this year, it really did feel like spring - a light warm breeze, lots of flowers popping up, honeybees making their rounds among them, and the sky was an uncharacteristic deep shade of blue, unusual in this part of Oregon.

Came upon a plum tree, in blossom, and spent some time under it, breathing in the soft aroma of the blooms.  Watched falling petals floating gently towards the ground.  Took a few photos.

None of these pictures is meant to be artistic, it's just a record of a mood impression, a glimpse into a fleeting moment in time.

Ume Hanami, first day of spring, under a plum blossom tree."

Look close, you will see - A honey bee, flying slow - Between plum blossoms

All photos taken with a Lumix ZS-30.  Click or tap on any picture above to access larger, higher definition images.

Welcome...

                            

Find Your Wings And Fly

                                                           

The last day of January is still considered the New Year, right?

Meaning, it's still about the resolutions, the change that comes from within - or is that revolution? How about a formal intention to fundamentally change?  We can become what we intend  - a little bit each day, each week, each year. Find Your Wings and Fly is a visual reminder of what is important to me and my way of making my goals for this year tangible... photography and making scrapbooks, painting and collage.   

Blogging.  A new world.  I follow several. Fantastic women who create.  Now, I'm joining...

Here's my introduction:

Those who know me and have seen my studio know that I am one of those people who has many interests and many projects that I work on; sometimes several at once and at other times one project exclusively.

What I hope to bring to this blog is a showcase of my unique passions and talents, which include collecting vintage, art making and art history, photography, memory keeping, and books that interest me,  all with (sometimes) a bit of Asian aesthetic thrown in.

And a bit of philosophy:

From our human pursuit of those artistic elements of life (think cloud formations or the patterns and colors of a brick floor, or the angle of a banister on a staircase) that so many of us must heed, to those things which entice us and draw us in (a piece of art, photographing someone you love, or a Bach Concerto), things that move us in a myriad of directions as we simultaneously move through life...these moments which cause us to see the whole world in a grain of sand, and allow us to take that deep breath, reflect, and create; moments to live for...