Arnold Grummer's Design Team Blog

It's hard to believe that July is almost over and we are wrapping up sharing our Christmas in July projects.  I have enjoyed sharing the decoration and card earlier this month.  If you missed them be sure to check them out.  Today I am excited to share this elegant holiday card that I hope inspires you to make for your cards this year. I began by making 2 sheets of handmade paper using one of the Papermill Kits .  The white sheet I used to create a 5" x 7" card base.  I made the blue sheet by adding a couple of sheets of the Tissue Tints to white paper pulp.  I cut that sheet down and then carefully tore the edges to give it a ragged look to add a little different texture and design to the squared edges of the card base.  Then, I adhered some of the gorgeous  skeleton leaves to the card and added a piece of ribbon and a bow to finish it off.                 ...

©Michele Emerson-Roberts I am always on the lookout for quick and easy gifts that can be created by the dozens and used for a stocking stuffer or one of those "Ooops, I need something really fast!” encounters. This is one of those projects, and any of the Arnold Grummer paper casting molds will be great for that special occasion. I love creating tons of castings and storing them for future use and it is a great way to use up bits of left over paper pulp too. Supplies: Any of the Arnold Grummer paper making kits Molds: CP Oak Leaves Microwave, heat gun or a sunny window Blender, small strainer, cello sponges and soft towels, paper cutter, scissors, bone folder, ruler Quick Grab™ Adhesive, double sided tape Scraps of white paper (think white junk mail, etc.) 12 “of ¼ light gray ribbon Two pieces 3 ¼” square of marbled gray mat board 3” Post a Note pad ColorBox™ Light Gray Ink pad Colorbox Stylus™ tool and white foam tips Instructions: ...

The holidays will soon be upon us so July is a good time to start thinking about making the cards you will be needing.  The earlier you start, the more details you can put on a card like this beaded snowflake, but this wouldn't be anything without the gorgeous handmade paper behind it and that's where the fun begins!  There is nothing like the finishing touches of a sheet of paper that you have made yourself. For this card, you will need to make 2 sheets of paper using the basic papermaking instructions found with the Papermill Kits from Arnold Grummer's.  Also, check out the great instructions found here under the Resources tab.  For the blue piece, add a sheet of the  Tissue Tints  into the scraps of paper and soak them in water for a little bit.  If you want a deeper blue, add some blue scraps of paper, too.  Add the pieces to the blender and use the colored water for the 2 cups needed to make the pulp.    Allow both newly ...

Is it too soon to give any thoughts to Christmas?  When days are hot and steamy why not!  Actually I have been into a couple of craft stores in the area and "holiday" items are already on display. It was time to play around and experiment again.  Going through the casting molds and other things items to use as deckles for shapes, I found a Wilton cookie mold and some plaster molds.  Here is a snowflake casting, using the Wilton cookie mold and cotton linter squares.  I used enough of the squares that would cover the size of the mold and processed them in a blender as suggested for making pulp.  I included  "Iridescent Flakes" into the pulp before making the casting.  Once the snowflake casting was dry, I used some glitter glue to add dimension on some of the raised lines on the casting.  I small hole is punched and a narrow ribbon hanger is added.   Just for a few ideas, the snowflakes would make a nice additon to a Christmas tree...

Hello again!  Have you ever needed a crafting "fix" but had no time??  OR wondered what to do with small scraps of handmade paper leftover from projects.  Well read on, as this will give you an answer to both crafting issues :-)       I found an adorable little shadow box frame at Michaels and had to pick it up (wish I had been able to get more!).  I am sure such a small area (4"x4") was created to showcase a small watch or mini work of art.  It created the perfect challenge for my paper & polymer crafting! Materials: scraps of handmade paper created with the Arnold Grummer's Papermill Pro Mini Textures Casting Mold ( http://arnoldgrummer.com/mini-textures.html ) Premo!Sculpey polymer clays in colors of choice ( www.sculpey.com ) 4"x4" Studio Décor Shadowbox (Michaels Stores) The Ultimate Glue ( www.crafterspick.com ) optional: Pearl Ex powder, mini eyelets, heat set crystals, sticky back pearls Procedure: 1) Remov...

©Michele Emerson-Roberts    2014 What fun it was to create the two tiny journals for my sisters. I think they will be a big hit for their birthdays along with the matching cards. Now to decide who gets "love" and who gets "peace"....you would have to know them to understand what a dilemma this is.... smile. Supplies: Any of the Arnold Grummer paper making kits Blender, small strainer, cello sponges and soft towels, paper cutter, scissors, bone folder, ruler Tan paper scraps, black paper scraps (added the word “paper”) Two small composition books One sheet of black 8 ½” paper  (you may have enough left from the previous week’s project) Spray bottle and bleach Tan thread Double sided tape or PVA adhesive Dies:  Memory Box Co. love and peace Spellbinders Grand Calibur™ Machine Punches: small sun and moon, large, medium and small Spirelli Acrylic Mat Medium, sponge brush Directions: Create one s...

I was looking through various websites the other day and noticed several that had sections for handmade paper projects so of course I had to go take a look.  As I went through them, I began to notice a familiar theme.  They were all projects where the handmade paper was just a sheet of flat paper.  None of them had any dimension to that special paper that was so lovingly created.  That lead me to do more searching and I found more and more places like this.  Handmade paper is great for making cards from and using on scrapbook pages, but there's so much more that can be done with it.  My time on the internet was the inspiration for this Christmas in July project.  I used 3 sheets of paper that I had made previously to create this holiday table decoration.  It's perfect for those office party tables or the banquet tables at your favorite craft club meeting and it is really easy to make. I started by creating the sheets of paper using one of th...

©Michele Emerson-Roberts   2014 My signature colors are black and tan. I love the contrast between these two neutrals. I needed two birthday cards for my sisters who are as different as night and day. It was easy to create these two perfect cards using two of my favorite molds and any of the Arnold Grummer paper making/casting kits and some scraps of paper! Supplies: Any of the Arnold Grummer paper making kits Molds: CP 627 Sundance and CP 626 Moonbeam (available from AG) Microwave, heat gun or a sunny window Blender, small strainer, cello sponges and soft towels, paper cutter, scissors, bone folder, ruler Beacon Quick Grab™ Adhesive, double sided tape Scraps of tan paper (think colored junk mail, or brown paper bag, etc.) 1 sheet of 12 x 12” Kraft 90# card stock (I used World Win) 2 sheets of black 8 ½ x 11” paper Spray bottle and bleach Envelopes 6 x 6” Dies: CheeryLynn Center Step card, Memory Box Co. love an...

Hello and welcome to my first blog post for the Arnold Grummer's design team.  I am looking forward to the next 6 months as I journey into the world of paper crafting.  For my first project I have decided to start simply with paper and a few scrapbooking materials.  It is very textural in nature and frame worthy (if I do say so myself).  Let's get to it! Materials: 2 pieces handmade paper (see how-to link below): one textured, one untextured Chicken Wire w/ Butterflies Border Chipboard (sccb23)   www.sincitystamps.com Caterpillar (SC32-6) www.sincitystamps.com ColorBox Archival Dye ink (coal black) scrapbook paper Acrylic paint in colors of choice Assorted polymer clay butterflies (contact me for info: polymercreations4u@msn.com ) The Ultimate glue ( www.crafterspick.com/allpurposeglue.html ) optional: Making Memories metal words If you are like me you have a bin full of shredded junk mail, paper, and bills.  Put that trash to good use w...

I have jumped on the box card bandwagon in a big way!! I love three dimensional projects, and this twist on a greeting card really resonates with me. Box cards look extraordinary, but actually, are quite simple to make. I sized this box card to be appropriate as a gift enclosure card. I used regular solid colored cardstock for the box card and the insert base. The decorative side and flap panels are handmade papers. After cutting the pieces for the flap panels, I embossed them using a Cuttlebug embossing folder. The flowers were cut with an embossing die. Adhere the decorative panels to the box card base, then form the box and glue the tab in place. Next, position and adhere the flowers to the box card and the insert base. The insert base is glued to the inner sides of the box midway from the front and back. Here's my finished box card with decorative panels made from handmade papers. I've included a PDF file you can download to make your own box card. ...