scrapbooking adventures

i'm not an experienced scrapbooker, but i must admit that i have succumbed many times when i walk into scrapbook shops. oh, the possibilities! i have lost count of how often i wished the paper were fabric.

my weak spot is definitely craft punchers. so far, i have accumulated (blame the sales lah) a fair collection of punchers, mostly Martha Stewart. I'm happy to share my collection with you and to show you the possibilities :) anyone can do something crafty! if you get the right tools and use them in the right ways. it's all about experimentation ;) if you are a friend and you would like to borrow these, i'll be happy to oblige as well :) make my investment even more worthwhile please, heehee.

meet my number one cutter :)

my first and most favourite cutter that is worthy of mention is the rounded corner cutter. looks simple and unassuming, but it's definitely a worthy buy. cutting the corners of the photo or card can do wonders and "up it one level" immediately! that is why PP and i invested in a few (i.e. three) to cut the corners of our 1000 wedding cards (here's a peek of what it looks like). thank God for joyful and loving hands of those who helped us! there was no brand on the cutter, but PP and i got ours from Popular Bookstore and Art Friend. p.s. the large size makes nice, wider, rounder corners :)

next, you can probably tell i really like birds :)

these are my two investments, which i find very useful in embellishing cards. the second cutter is really nifty! the sides can be opened up, with markings that you can use as reference. So, if you use it to cut the border of the card, you can follow the markings so the pattern runs on continuously :) here are some cards that i've done up, using the above-mentioned.

my sister taught me a simple technique called distressing, easily achieved with a stamp-pad (i used a brown ink-pad) and a sponge! super easy! simply take a sponge, dab it on the ink-pad, and go over the edges. immediately, an awesome vintage effect is created, putting all the different elements together very nicely :)

another cutter that i use very very often is my Martha Stewart Lace Scalloped Heart Punch.

This has served me very well! simply because i do not only use it for scrapbooking, but also for packaging as well :)

lastly, two punchers that i find very useful for making bases are my EK Success Scallop Circle Punch and Paper Shapers 2.75" Extra Large Nesting Punch.

The latter is really really useful in making very pretty bunting :)

it can be used for packaging as well :)

hope my experiments have inspired you somewhat :) thank God for opportunities to work on this like these :)