The Amazing Paper Trick!

Today I would love to share the most AMAZING PAPER TRICK that I have seen in a very long time. I am hoping that my friends from Operation Write Home find this to be a very valuable idea - as economical use of paper can be a huge deal when donating your supplies and time for a good cause! If you can make your paper stretch farther, you can make more cards, right???

It should also be helpful to those who do card kits - like the ones from Express the Moment  . . . getting the most productivity for your money is awesome! Just wait 'til you see. . . this trick could be VERY valuable for making Expressions cards!!! I haven't ever really challenged myself to see how many cards I could make with one kit, but with this trick, I bet I could make more than ever before. Thirty cards? Fifty? Are you intrigued?

"Wishes" Card confidence program by Jeanette Lynton

My biggest selling product from Close To My Heart right now is this book by Jeanette Lynton. It's called the "Wishes" book! This card idea book is by far the most fantastic idea book that I have ever purchased - and I have lots of them! I have looked at card magazines, card books, and lots of idea websites. . . but what is inside the "Wishes" book is some of the most amazing, easy to follow instructions ever for getting the most out of your paper. Let me show you just one of the ideas you can find inside. On page 111 you can find a "greeting card workshop" - or some fantastic templates for making lots of similar themed cards on a budget. The example shown on page 111 shows how you can make Christmas cards - but you can use ANY combination of paper and stamps following the template. I chose to make my first set using these bright summery colors and an "I love you" sentiment to make cards for the troops.

A sample of the templates that you use to cut your paper - page 111

How many cards do you suppose I was able to make from just 3 sheets of 12x12 paper? Six? Maybe eight? The answer to this - is SIXTEEN.  I KNOW, RIGHT??? :D This is the most amazing paper trick ever!!!!

I was astounded by these templates on page 111 and had to try them for myself. The templates show clearly how to use your trimmer to cut three pieces of paper into different sized strips and sizes. The strips are labeled like "A1, B2, and C3."  For this example, I used two pieces of CTMH paper in Topiary and Goldrush, and a patterned paper from the Splendor pack. After your pieces are cut, you turn the page in the book and the instructions walk you through the building of your cards. You have cut enough pieces to build two of each of eight designs. By using coordinating stamps and embelishments (I used Topiary and Goldrush inks and stamps from the "A Flitter" and "Happy Holidays" sets) and white 8.5x11" cardstock for card bases - I quickly assembled sixteen unique cards! What a great stack for the troops! And for pennies a card - what a bargain. :) 

The strips after cutting the paper as shown

The "Wishes" book has examples of three such workshops - with templates for cutting your paper and directions for assembling the cards. What a fun workshop this would be for a party or for the next time you have three random coordnating pieces of paper that you want to use up? Imagine making your Christmas cards this year using just three pieces of paper? How many cards for the troops could you make using an entire stack of paper???? Wow. . .

If you are interested in the book, I have seen it in book stores and even at Michael's, but the cover price is $29.95. You can also get a copy from My CTMH for $21.95. The ideas in this 127 page book are by far some of the most beautiful I have seen, plus the book comes with a Template CD in the back that runs on mac and windows. I haven't even tried the CD yet as I am still enamored with the book!

I am off to make more cards - I can't wait to see how the combinations will change just by using different combinations of papers. If you are using double-sided patterned papers, you can make even more combos. . . too much fun. :)

That's all for today! Thanks for stopping by!