March Leading Lady Lisa Lahiff | Take Four

Our March Leading Lady Lisa Lahiff is back for her fantastic fourth performance!  If you missed her smashing debut you must see it...CLICK HERE or her sensational second performance with a bevy of amazing cards go beyond paper CLICK HERE or her triumphant third performance with a trio of card showcasing background CLICK HERE!  I got to say today is another awesome collection of cards that calls to my paper-loving heart and I am sure it will to yours as well!

We now present Lisa....

Hello!  It is Lisa here again with my 4th post this month, and this week I'm focusing on something we all love... Paper.  I'm titling this weeks theme: For the Love of Paper, and I'm going to show some fun ways to use up your paper especially patterned paper.  Let's get started.

For my first project I'm using a scrap from a previous project last week (think rainbow heart) along with lots of diecutting the word You from the Dotty About You with Lydia Evans Cutaways...

I love the clean and simple look of this card and how just the one you is pops with color.  Now I know that the patterned paper I used on the "you" doesn't exactly match the rainbow heart scrap, but somehow it works.  By grounding the diecut panel with a thin border of navy blue cardstock, I find the colors quite complimentary.  Of course a few flat back gems didn't hurt as a final touch, hehehe!

This next project was actually something I've wanted to try for years, and just never think to try it.  I once saw a beautiful card in a magazine created by Miriam Prantner that showed heat embossing an image onto patterned paper with clear embossing powder.  Once it had set the paper was then covered with ink, and thanks to the resisting properties of embossing the patterned paper only peeks through the clear embossed images.  This technique was perfect to use with the Scenery: Seeing Hearts Stamp Set...

Tip: Once the ink is applied buff the embossed areas with a microfiber cloth to help the pattern underneath show through.  I finished this card off with a few more strips of patterned paper, using a border die from the Georgette Border Cutaways on the pink strip.  I also used the In A Phrase: Hugs & Kisses with Angelica Suarez Cutaways for a sentiment and hearts from the Essentials: Audrey Cutaways as embellishments.

My third card includes the technique Paper Piecing.  This was one of the first technique I really played with when I first started card making, and while I don't use it as often anymore I still love the look of it on my projects. (I might have to add it back to my arsenal soon)

I was inspired by the tennis ball image in the Dog-gone Cute with Evelin T Designs set, so I decided to re-create a larger tennis ball as my cardbase.  I then stamped the St. Bernard onto a brownish patterned paper and a white.  I cut out the parts I wanted to be white and adhered them to the brown image before fussy cutting the whole thing.  I did the same thing with the bowl and tennis ball, but with different colored paper.  Since I felt the image looked a little flat I added some shading with my Spectrum Noir Markers.

Finally, for my fourth card I decided to use lots of scrap patterned paper that I keep in a bag.  I really try to keep as many scraps as I can for future use, but sometimes my scrap pile can become a bit overwhelming in itself.  This project is a great scrap buster, and it looks so bright and cheerful with all of the different colors.

The Dotty About You with Lydia Evans Cutaways has some great funky circle cuts in various sizes so I used them all to create my own patterned frame.  I then adhered a few coordinating flat circle sequins for extra shine.  For the center of the card I chose a sentiment from the In Bloom: Ashlee's Rosie Posie with Lydia Evans Stamp Set.  The script on the word beautiful, is so pretty and well beautiful!  I also like that you can mix and match your sentiment from this set with the various options provided.

And there you have it Winnie & Walter fans, a slew of fun ways to use Patterned Paper.  From diecutting, to embossing, and paper piecing we've covered just a few techniques that paper lovers everywhere can rejoice while creating.  I hope I've given you some inspiration to dust off an old love, or try something new either way I encourage you to get your craft on!  And don't forget to stop by my blog for more inspiration and for a chance to win a $30 gc to the Winnie & Walter Store!

Happy Crafting!

Lisa