Christine's Creative Nook

  Welcome my crafty friends! Today my card I created has spring wildflowers we have here in Maine.  As I was looking around our new home this spring I saw the Dog Tooth Violets / Yellow Trout Lilies  growing on the edge of the  woods and thought that would be a great flower to create to go with the Forget Me Nots and the Lily of the Valley .  Susan doesn't have a die for it but decided to challenge myself to see if I could recreate them.   I picked some of them brought them in and started going through my dies and came up with some I thought would work. For the  Dog Tooth Violet / Yellow Trout Lily I used S2-376 Blackeye Susan from Birds & Bees Collection , S4-1235 Magnolia from Victorian Garden Collection and of course for the other two flowers I used Spellbinders Susan's Garden S4-1085  Lily of the Valley from Spring Flora Collection ,  S2-340 Forget Me Not from Garden Gate Collection .   I created a 5" X 7" card b...

Hello My Crafty Friends! My card today is a Tri-Fold Shutter Card that Susan Tierney-Cockburn did on her "Live" Susan's Garden Club 2 on March 25, 2026.  Video for creating this card can be found here .  I adorned my card with Spellbinders Susan's Garden Lily of the Valley S4-1085 from Spring Flora Collection and Forget-Me-Not S2-340 from Garden Gate Collection.   The embossing folder that I used was Spellbinders Susan's Garden Bee-Cause E3D-078 from Through the Arbor Collection.   The bottle the flowers are in was made from Shrink Plastic.  I cut large bottle ( 5-6" in size) on Cricut then traced the shape onto rough side of Shrink Plastic then I fussy cut it out.  I color the shape with alcohol markers on rough side.  I then used my heat gun to shrink.   I created my Lily of the Valley   (video here ) and the Forget-Me-Nots   (video here )by cutting them from Susan's Specialty Paper, colored with Olo Alcohol ...

Hi my crafty friends! Today I have another Hexagon Card but I changed dimensions on this one to be a 6" X 6".  The dimensions I used for my card were as follows: Card Base 6" X 6" scored at 2 & 4. Top and bottom strips 7" X 1" scored at 1/2, 2-1/2, 4-1/2, 6-1/2 all mountain folds. Embossed pieces as follows:   ( I used Lisa Horton's Background Lily of the Valley Blooms 3D embossing folder LHCEF 190) 3 pcs 1-3/4" X 5-3/4" for inside card 6 pc 3/4" 1-3/4" for top & bottom sections Acetate strip 5/8" X 5-7/8" Use the original video for construction of card it can be found here Once again I used Spellbinders S5-204 Lace Hearts on front of card. I created some Spellbinders Susan's Garden S4-1085 Lily of the Valley from Spring Flora Collection ( unfortunately not available anymore but other flowers would work).  I cut them from Spellbinders Susan's Garden Specialty paper, colored with alcohol markers and sh...

Welcome My Crafty Friends! Now that the holidays are over I sure hope I can get back to doing what I love paper gardening on my cards.  2025 was a crazy year with moving after 56 years in same place and getting settled in a new community then the holidays. Today I have used Spellbinders Susan's Garden new die Wild Violet S3-569 from new release Poet's Garden along with the Lily of the Valley S4-1086 from Spring Flora (not sure this is still available ). I created an Arrow Fold Card to display my little bouquet.  I found this card on Lisa Curcio Stamp Studio YouTube page which can be found here The paper was an old CTMH paper that I used (after moving I have decided I really need to use up some of my paper stash - I have so much paper).  I used 110# black cardstock for the base. The Wild Violet was cut from Spellbinders Susan's Garden Specialty Paper, colored with Olo Markers V2.7 and V2.6 the stem and leaves YG8.5 and YG 2.5 and then shaped with Spellbinders Su...

  Hello my crafty friends! Today I have a card I created for a friend who was turning 75 .  As you can see I have used spring flowers as I am really wishing for spring to hurry up and get here. The flowers are all created from Spellbinders Susan's Garden dies which are as follows S4-1085 Lily of the Valley (Spring Flora Collection), S1-125 Glory of the Snow (Snow Garden Collection), S4-1178 Trillium (Garden favorites Collection) and Berry Branch from S4-1079 Foliage & Ladybug (Autumn Flora Collection). My card base is a 5" X 7" from 110# white cardstock.  Mat layer is 4-3/4" X 6-3/4" pink cardstock embossed using Lisa Horton's 3D Embossing Folder LHCEF Lily of the Valley Blooms which was then adhered to card front using Clear Double Sided Tape. Oval was cut from black cardstock using Spellbinders S5-401 Candlewick Ovals then adhered using Clear Double Sided Adhesive. Trilliums, Lily of the Valley and Glory of the Snow  were die cut from Susan's Gar...

Hello My Crafty Friends! Finally the daffodils are blooming and tulips are starting to put on buds - Spring has finally arrived here in Maine. Today my card is one that a friend has requested for her mother.  I have chosen several spring flowers from several Spellbinders Susan's Garden releases to create my card.  For my card I have used S4-1085 Lily of the Valley from Spring flora, S4-1175 Lilac from Garden Favorites, S2-340 Forget Me Not from Garden Gate and S5-470 Vase, Daffodil & Narcissus from Summer Flora.   The card base is one I have done before using other shapes for window Sam Calcott has a YouTube video for it (Acetate Hexagon Card) you can find it here .  I chose to do circle instead of hexagon and cut my cardstock 7" square and circles were 4-3/4" and 3-3/4".  I created a box for the card using  Donna Griffith's How to make your own custom sized boxes YouTube video found here  it is a great video.  I chose to add a framed win...

Hello my crafty friends! My card today was created using a picture I printed off from Facebook, a Lily of the Valley 3D embossing folder and Spellbinders Susan's Garden Lily of the Valley dies (retired). Card Base is 5" X 7" using 100# white cardstock.  The first mat was from green cardstock cut 4-3/4" X 6-3/4" adhered to card front using Clear Double Sided Adhesive.   Black cardstock 4-1/2" X 6-1/2" was used for embossed layer. I used Lisa Horton's Background Lily of the Valley 3D Embossing Folder LHCEF 190 .  This was adhered to card front using Clear Double Sided Adhesive.  I love Lily of the Valley as you can probably tell.  I loved the vase so I printed 3 copies on photo cardstock.  I fussy cut them out (I actually cut the bottom off in order to make it fit my 5" X 7" card. I adhered the 3 vases together using Kids Choice Glue .  I then used Ultra Thick Clear Embossing Powder to emboss the vase then put immediately in the freez...

Hello my crafty friends! Sorry I haven't posted in a while but needed a break to take care of other things.  Hopefully I can get back to my paper gardening on a regular basis.  I will paper garden when I can't garden outside! My card today is a 3D Envelope Easel Card which Susan Tierney-Cockburn did on her Susan's Garden Club Facebook "Live" this past Wednesday (April 29, 2023) .  I had a friend ask if I could do a card for 98 year old mother that is in long term care and wanted something bright and cheery.  Since it is spring I settled on flowers that are blooming or getting ready to bloom here in central Maine.  I have used the following Spellbinders/Susan's Garden dies S4-1085 Lily of the Valley from Spring flora, S2-340 Forget Me Not from Garden Gate, S5-470 Daffodil from Summer Flora, S3-445 Bee Blossom (Gaura) from Garden Gate and Victorian Foliage Ginkgo and Lemon Verbena from Victorian Garden.  The heart for the sentiment is from Spellbinders...

  Hello my crafty friends, Today I have another Acetate Diamond Window card for you.  I have changed up size on this one so it fits in 6" X 6"  clear acetate box to keep postage down.    I was selected to be the Featured Artist on Splitcoaststampers Featured Stamper Challenge so I have made this card which was inspired by a couple other cards I have created changing size and flowers. Finished card base is 5-1/2" X 6"  Card base was inspired by Sam Calcott her video can be found here   My card pieces started as 6" X 6"( I think she used 8"X8") so my diamond dies ( Spellbinders Essential Diamonds)   that I used for this smaller card were the 4th, 5th and 6th largest. Using Spellbinders Susan's Garden Spider Mum S5-576 from the Victorian  Garden Release I cut 1 mum from Foamarin craft foam colored with OLO marker R1.7 and shaped with fingers then built flower using Kids Choice Glue.  This is my very first foam flower. Lily of the Valley ...

Hello my crafty friends! Fun card I have created to welcome my great nephew.  It is another card combing my two favorite designers Susan Tierney-Cockburn and Karen Burniston .  I have used Spellbinders/Susan's Garden Club Lily of the Valley S4-1085 Spring Flora Collection along with Spellbinders Essential Diamonds and Fluted Classic Rectangles and I have used  Karen Burniston's 1226 Surprise Cube Pop   Up 1155 Welcome & Shadow and 1227 Slider Box decorative pieces.  I don't usually use wet glue but I tried on this card and I am not happy because the card curls up a little. so I will go back to Clear Double Sided Tape even though you don't have the wiggle room like you do with wet glue. The paper I have used is an old reflections paper pack  Close To My Heart called Babycakes . The letters on blocks were from my stash had them cut in white so colored them with a matching alcohol ink.  I printed off baby's name etc onto cardstock then die c...

  Hello My Crafty Friends, Today I have for you a Diamond Stair Stepper Card which Susan Tierney-Cockburn did on her Susan's Garden Live recently she got the idea from Sam Calcott of the UK.    My card is another survivor card although it is not for breast cancer it is for a sweet lady that I just recently met - she was my sleep study tech.  Through the evening we talked and I learned that she was a cancer survivor it was Soft Tissue Sarcoma  (yellow is color for this cancer hence the yellow rose and purple is for all cancers) which is same cancer our youngest son died of.   Sam Calcott's YouTube video for this card can be found  here To decorate the front of my card I chose Spellbinders Susan's Garden dies starting with S5-507 Floribunda Rose from Garden Gate Collection .  Rose was cut from Susan's Garden Specialty Paper , colored with Copic Y15 Cad Yellow and shaped using Susan's Garden Ultimate Tool Kit.  Susan's YouTube Video fo...

Hello My Crafty Friends, Today I have a few Thank You Cards that I created a couple months ago actually to thank some very special people for their kindness to me after I crashed and totaled my vehicle in May.  I was very lucky that I just had a lot of bruising.  They brought meals, flowers, gave rides and other kind deeds. Hope you enjoy looking at the cards as you can see I very much love Susan's Garden Lily of the Valley die set which many of my cards here have on them. Thanks for stopping by and until next time - Happy Crafting! Christine You only live once but if you live right once is enough! Unknown  

  Hello my crafty friends! Spring is in the air finally.  Today I have a card I created of a basket full of spring flowers.  Forget Me Nots from Susan's latest release with Spellbinders Through the Garden Gate along with Susan's Garden Lilac, Lily of the Valley and I created on my own Grape Hyacinth using floral wire, tape and colored Styrofoam balls. Card is 5" X 7" base created from 110# cardstock.  Green Cardstock was cut 4-3/4" X 6-3/4" attached to card front using Clear Double Sided Adhesive .  Patterned paper (The Paper Studio - Blanc Boutique was used here) cut 4-1/2" X 6-1/2" adhered to card front using Clear Double Sided Adhesive . From Susan's Garden S6-181 Garden Basket & Glads basket was cut twice from brown cardstock cut handle off then attaching together using Bearly Art Glue embossed using basket weave embossing folder by Darice then shaded with brown ink. Basket was attached to card front using Bearly Art Glue applie...

Hello my crafty friends, Great news I am so excited to tell you Susan has a brand new release available at Scrapbook.com and a couple other places it is called Through the Garden Gate and contains Forget Me Nots (which I have used here), Hollyhock, Gardenia, Floribunda Rose, Beeblossom and Sentiment Stamp Set.   Another great release for sure. My card today is a 4-1/2" X 5-3/4" tent fold.  Yellow cardstock with a white core was cut 4-1/2" by 11-1/2" scored at 5-3/4".  Swiss Dot embossing folder was used to emboss front of card only then sanded to reveal white core of paper. Using the 3 largest dies from Spellbinders Candlewick Rectangles and white cardstock with Clear Double Sided Adhesive on back a frame was cut.  Frame was adhered to front of card. S6-182 Wooden Bucket was cut twice once from white cardstock and once from gray cardstock both with Clear Double Sided Adhesive on the back.   Attach white one on top of gray one.  A couple of gray ...

Welcome my crafty friends, Today I am posting another sympathy card that I created a while ago - seems I need to make way too many of these types of cards.  This card was created using Spellbinders Fluted Rectangles , Susan's Garden Oriental Lilies and Lily of the Valley .  The sentiment is from a Close to my Heart stamp set. These 2 lilies are really favorites of mine.  Susan has great YouTube videos showing how to create them. Thanks for stopping by today and until next time - Happy Crafting! Christine You only live once but if you live right once is enough! Unknown By clicking on any of the links below it will take you to sight where you can purchase supplies.  

Welcome my crafty friends! Here in Maine we have 2 big snowstorms in a week enough is enough!  I can't wait until spring when I can play in the dirt again. My post today is a sympathy card for my dear friend's husband and family my friend died Christmas Day.  These cards are so hard to create especially when it is for the loss of your dear friend since grade school. My card is a 6 X 6 tent fold created from 6 X 12 piece of 110# white cardstock. 2 pieces of patterned paper were cut 5-3/4 X 5-3/4 one was adhered to front and the other to inside of card using clear double sided adhesive. Quote was printed on white cardstock then cut out using largest oval die from Spellbinders Fluted Classic Ovals .  3 Oval frames were cut using same Fluted Classic Ovals then adhered one on top of other giving dimension.  Oval sentiment was attached to card front using clear double sided adhesive then the oval frame was attached. Spellbinders Susan's Garden Lily of the Valley, Parrot...

  Hello my creative friends, Today I have a card I created in honor of all those men and women gave their lives for our freedom. My card is a twisted easel with Spellbinders Petite Picot Oval and a basket full of Susan's Garden Club Lily of the Valley from her Spring Floral release.  I wove a small basket from some leftover chair caning that I had and used a small flag removed from a stick and folded to fit basket rim. S usan's Lily of the Valley was cut 5 times shaped and assembled using Susan's Specialty Cardstock.  Leaves were cut from green cardstock 5 times giving you 10 leaves.  They were shaded and shaped using Susan's Deluxe Tool Set. Card base was 6" X 6" with front panel scored diagonally fold on score line into mountain fold.  Patterned paper was cut 5-3/4" square adhered to inside of card and card front using clear double sided adhesive.  On front panel I made sure to put adhesive on each side of diagonal score line as close as possible ...

Welcome all you crafty friends, Today my creation is a mini pizza box adorned with pink lily of the valley.  Susan Tierney-Cockburn did the pizza box on her Susan's Garden Club "Live" so of course it was so cute I wanted to try it.  Simple and fun to create.   To create box Susan has directions on her blog  https://stierneyc.wordpress.com/?fbclid=IwAR1C8OZ2-ICfQVGCmxm3IaipETKVmXLMA9QR-H77QXyXVmaHCTy5TMqrZZQ If you want decorative paper inside box as I have you will need to cut 4 instead of 2 pieces 3-3/4" squares and add them before constructing the box. Susan's Garden Club Spring Flora Lily of the Valley die set was used to create flowers - I created 3 from Susan's Specialty Cardstock leaves and stems from green cardstock.  Susan's Deluxe Tool Kit was used for shaping flowers and leaves.. Kids Choice Glue was used to adhere some leaves first then the 3 stems of flowers then a few more leaves.  A small pink bow was attached at base of bouquet usi...