irma: addicted to paper



One of the first layouts I made.
Isn't she a darling?



I am the paper crafter among the craftmates on this blog.  I work full time and deal with numbers and worksheets during the day. By night, after mommy duties are done, I can be found at my happy place, a.k.a. my craft room,  either putting together a scrapbook layout,  creating handmade cards or designing party decors. 

I am a scrapbooker first.  My love for paper (others call it addiction) started after I had my daughter in 2008.  As a new mom and while on maternity leave, I needed a creative outlet to keep me sane in between diaper changes and feeding.   And that’s when I discovered the wonderful world of die cutting.  I purchased my first baby Cricut machine from the Home Shopping Channel on that eventful day of Sept 9, 2009 (when they were having a 9/9/09 sale!).  And since then, I never looked back.  I have been creating layouts of my daughter’s special moments (and lately our everyday moments) for the last 3 years. 



Here is a layout using some products from Papertrey.
My current scrapbooking style is clean and simple with fun elements thrown here and there. 



A set of cards I recently made for a dear friend



In the last year or so, I have discovered a wonderful company called Papertrey Ink.  I have since been using a lot of their products (and inspirations from their amazing design team and forum members)  to create handmade cards (and  layouts, too).  While I love scrapbooking more, I also find  joy in making cards knowing that I get to see the finished product faster (talk about instant gratification!) and that my card will brighten someone else’s day. You see, I make layouts for ME but I make cards for others.



Loot bag contents from my daughter's birthday party



Prettified milk bottles



My paper crafts also make a lot of appearances on parties and get-togethers.  My daughter’s birthday parties are a showcase of all things handmade (intentionally or unintentionally... I get carried away sometimes!).  It is true what they say... handmade is best! 



Hand-made backdrop for the ballerina make-over party



Welcome to Craftmates!

NOTES:
Supplies (Papertrey unless otherwise specified):

• Little Princess Layout – Some early paper packs I owned (cannot remember the name anymore), Lace, ribbon and buttons from Fabricland
• Sweetheart Layout – Label Basics stamp, Heart border die, Iconic Images stamp, Framed Out #1 die, Distressed Dots paper, Martha Stewart cardstock, Cricut for the title
• Card Set – Botanical Silhouettes stamp, Hero Arts Say It All stamp