Lucky

By: Patti Milazzo
Are you feeling lucky?  Have a reason to celebrate something good in your life?  Maybe it’s a birthday, a new job, small everyday things or maybe you’re simply looking forward to St. Patrick’s Day.  I know I am!  But whatever the occasion, you can try out your Fiskars’ tools in fun, new ways.  Valentine’s Day was just here and I know my heart shaped Squeeze Punches got a workout!  But I think I those punches are just what I need to create a few luck inspired projects.

For this first project I wanted to make a layout showing how lucky I feel as a mom.

I started with a 12 x 12 piece of cardstock for the background.  I then cut an 8 ½” x 11” piece of deep green cardstock and layered it on top about 1 ½” from the top of the page.  I used the Apron Lace Border Punch on light green cardstock to create a border near the bottom of the page.  Then I cut a strip of Heidi Grace’s patterned paper and stitched across both the top and bottom of the strip.  I cut a 6” x 9” piece of green patterned paper and adhered it 1” from the left and top of the deep green cardstock.  Next, I cut a 4” pink circle using the Ultra ShapeXpress and Circle Shape Template, machine stitched it and matted it on dark brown cardstock.  I used the Cloud Paper Edgers to create the scallop trim and tucked it under the bottom right corner of the green patterned paper.  I used the Scalloped Sentiment Border Punch on a small piece pink patterned paper and tucked it under the left top corner of the green patterned paper.  At this point, I added my photos to the page.  Then, I printed words on light green cardstock and trimmed a piece to 4” x 3” and adhered it on top of the pink circle.  For the clover accents, I cut white cardstock circles and machined stitched them in pink. 

The top left accent has the “Love You” sentiment stamped in the center.  I then stamped hearts and punched 4 Leaf Clover shapes from the stamped images. 

The lower right accent is a clover made from 3 Punch Love stamped hearts that were Scallop Squeeze Punched (My Valentine)...they’re not just for Valentine’s, you know!  Paint the chipboard alphas and add Li’l Davis’ Glitter Glaze to make them sparkle and shine.  Finish off the page with Squeeze Punched hearts and a few mini brads.

Planning a celebration?  Create clover party accessories in a snap.  These place cards were made using the Punch Love stamps along with the Large My Valentine Scallop Squeeze Punch and the new Apron Lace Border Punch.

I made a coaster also using the stamps along with the Extra Large My Valentine Scallop Squeeze Punch.  The decorative corners were made with the Scallop Twist & Flip 2-in-1 Corner Punch.  And the clover snack toppers are stamped and punched with the That’s Amore Squeeze Punch.

This final project is a simple card made in under 10 minutes using the same stamped and Scallop Squeeze Punch technique as was done in the previous projects. 

Don’t feel like you need to “reinvent the wheel” each time you craft.  Instead, maximize your tools and find new ways to use them again and again.  Have fun.....and good luck!

By Patti Milazzo