More Cuttlebug Love

My taste in card making is more toward the simple & elegant rather than cute or busy. That is why I am so pleased with the new embossing folders and die cuts Provo Craft is releasing this month. I will definitely save my loose change so I can buy a few.

Link to new embossing folders: http://www.provocraft.com/products/catalog.php?cl=cuttlebug&scl=Embossing
Link to new die cuts: http://www.provocraft.com/products/catalog.php?cl=cuttlebug&scl=Dies
Link to new combo dies: http://www.provocraft.com/products/catalog.php?cl=cuttlebug&scl=Combo

I've Got the Bug for the 'bug!

Santa came early this year and brought me just what I wanted - a Cuttlebug! This cute critter is both an embosser and die cutter. I love the look of embossing but the time it takes to do it by hand can be considerable. The crisp, deep, and detailed embossing produced using one of the embossing folders is amazing. The large embossing folders create an A2 sized impression. I own several of theses. I have never used die cuts before but have found they have added a nice dimension to my card making. I really do love my Cuttlebug! If you make your own cards or are a scrapbooker, take a look at the Cuttlebug. Here are some web sites for you to look over.

Provo Craft, home of the Cuttlebug: http://www.provocraft.com/products/index.products.php?cl=cuttlebug
FAQ maintained by SplitCoastStampers (awesome site!): http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=216731
Some wonderful examples of cards, etc. created with the Cuttlebug:
http://imagine-dream-create.blogspot.com/search/label/cuttlebug
http://stampnmad.typepad.com/mad_stamper/2007/02/tip_of_the_dayb.html
http://suzannebalvanz.blogspot.com/2006/12/suzanne-hearts-cuttle-bug.html
http://nancyscreativemess.blogspot.com/search/label/Cuttlebug
http://heartfeltgreetings.blogspot.com/2007/01/invention-of-cuttlebug-has-made-card.html
Lastly, a comparison of die cut machines: http://papertrufflez.typepad.com/paper_trufflez/2006/11/die_cutting_mac.html

If you get bitten by the 'bug bug, snap up one of those 50% craft store coupons and treat yourself to a Cuttlebug. Your card making will never be the same!

Handmade Cards

As I have mentioned before, I really enjoy working with paper. It can be used in so many interesting ways and there are some truly beautiful papers available. For special people and special occasions, I like to make a card. I like that a handmade card lets the recipient know they are important enough that some thought and time went into crafting a card just for them. I feel like I need to relearn a lot of things now that card making is part of my life again. There are some terrific books with directions on how to construct some pretty fancy pop-up cards and the like. I hope to get to that level of proficiency but for now, I need to work on composition, color coordination and kicking things up a notch. There are a ton of tools and bling out there that one can buy but I want to dig in with some sheets of paper, some good scissors, a craft knife, and some glue. Once I get a few cards made I'll be able to look at them and decide what I like and dislike. For your viewing pleasure, here are a few card sites that I have recently visited.

Linsy is really good! http://www.geocities.com/linsy57/Cards-Gallery.html
Paper Crafts magazine provides step-by-step projects. Even lists materials needed. http://www.papercraftsmag.com/projects/project.ihtml?content_id=1516&cat_idx=61
Michaels always has lots of projects available. http://www.michaels.com/art/online/search?pageNumber=1&channel=12&search=yes&searchWords=Holiday%20Card&type=4&cm_ven=2007PaperCraftsPg&cm_ite=Cards
Joann.com does too. http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat613848&PRODID=xprd367841

What are you waiting for? Grab some paper, scissors, and glue and make your best friend a card today!