I've been adding new cards to my Etsy store this week and playing around with some ribbons while I've been at it. Ribbons always manage to add that extra 'umph' to a card. This one sends birthday wishes and would be great for any age.

With fall just around the corner I can't help but think off all the fun things to do with leaves. I always get a kick out of making leaf prints and then using them for cards -- this is also a neat activity to do with kids. All you need are leaves that have fallen from the trees, some acrylic paint (washable paint if you're working with the kids), and paper.

Once you've found a leaf that you want to use to make your print, just paint the front of it and then press it down on your paper. The amount of paint that you use will determine how detailed your print will be -- play around with it until you find the look that you want. When I did this one I decided to use green and yellow paint on my leaf, and then I did a watercolor wash over it when it was dry.

I've been working on some new cards to put in my Etsy store since it seems as though I've neglected new inventory for a while. This is one of the new cards I've added. I just had some fun playing around with scrap handmade paper,raffia, and some pop up stickers.

Since I'm really big on utilizing paper scraps, I thought I'd mention using them for simple Christmas trees for cards (I know... we're still in August, but sometimes you really do have to start working on Christmas cards early).

Dig through your scrap pile and find a piece of paper that you like, cut 3 triangles and place one on top of the other to create your tree. Cut a rectangle from another piece of scrap to create your base, set it in place and you're done.