Welcome to Valley Oak Paper
I design handmade greeting cards.
Reindeer Shaker Card
I’m still charmed by Simon Hurley’s Woodland Wildlife Stamp and Die Set. So for an Instagram challenge with a snow globe theme, I watercolored the reindeer from it. I also submitted it to Simon Says Stamp’s Monday Challenge.
Yeti Anniversary
I created a felt yeti with Rocky, the Dancin’ Yeti for his launch. But I also wanted to color him with Distress Watercolor Pencils. This time I created a friend for him. 💗
Chrysanthemum Thanks & Smile
I chose sentiments, so I can use these cards when I send off giveaway prizes. Having received giveaway prizes that didn’t even come with a post-it, I’m even more determined to always include a handmade card!
Snowdrop Shaker
The snowdrop plate is part of the January Set of Spellbinders Florals Through the Year Collection. So I created a snow-themed shaker card with it. This was very easy, using the Spellbinders Arch Shaker Dome.
First I foiled the snowdrops and the January plate with silver foil, then I foiled the negative with a solid hot foil plate. I added some green ink blending on the leaves and the tips of the petals.
Chrysanthemum Sympathy Cards
I associate chrysanthemums with cemeteries. So it was natural to use the November Chrysanthemum BetterPress Plates in the Florals Through The Year Collection for sympathy cards.
Christmas Boutique
When I got this die set I felt kind of meh about it. But now that I’ve created a card with it, I think it’s super cute! It was fun to put together, too.
A Yeti Christmas
I’m now designing for Spellbinders. If you’ve followed me on Instagram or here on the blog, you know I love their products. So it’s a great fit for me! Super happy!
Felt Owl Friend
Felt on cards seems to be having a moment. I wanted to use it on an upcoming project, so this is a practice card. For detailed instructions on how to put together this owl, see my post Wise Vintage Owl. This post is mostly about what I learned about using felt in cardmaking.
Green Craftmas
I created three cards for a recycling-themed Instagram challenge. First I used my Pinkfresh Solid Hot Foil Plate with all the cool-toned leftover foil to make my own foiled cardstock. This time I foiled on cardstock colors that matches the foil.
For the Love of Paisley
Paisley is my hands-down favorite abstract pattern! So of course I needed the Glimmer Kit of the Month for June ‘22. It’s called Paisley Glimmer and it’s on sale for less than $10 right now.
Dainty Ghost
I glued the first vellum piece to the back of the pattern paper slightly offset, so it looks fuller. Then I added a layer of Accent Opaque to the back for stability. Next I glued the second vellum piece offset in the other direction to the back. I finished up with the second Accent Opaque layer. The two layers of Accent Opaque provide some separation between the vellum layers. They also make the ghost super sturdy, which is important when you use an action wobbler.
Hello Pumpkin!
The scene I was visualizing needed a frame of some sort. After browsing through my Spellbinders bin, I selected a die set called Essential Arches. From this I used the 5th largest arch to cut out a piece of watercolor paper and a piece of Accent Opaque.
To give the scene some context, I used the Kat Scrappiness Scene Builder Stencil and my Distress Watercolor Pencils. I drew with the pencils along the lines, removed the stencil and added more shading.
Spellbinders Fall Warehouse Sale
Here’s my haul from the Spellbinders Fall Warehouse Sale. All these goodies set me back $62. Super happy with that deal!
A Stitch in Time
I’m not normally one for vertical writing, but I love the stitched texture of this die. It’s also great for stitching on the go. So I have a small collection of already-stitched die cuts in a drawer. The monthly Procraftinator Instagram Hop was an opportunity to turn them into cards.
Candy Cane Carton
The first time I used this Sizzix Seasonal House Gift Box Die Set, I didn’t use the included decorations at all. So I thought I’d do that in this week’s make.
Empathetic Kittens
I created these cards using Bibi Cameron’s Cheerful Kittens Die Set and leftover die cuts from recent projects. You can make two cats with this die set: one who hangs from a banner and one who sits. The head is the same for both. So if you want to make two cats, you need to cut most of the head and face parts twice.
Get Your Skates On
The skates are really easy to put together, with no fiddly bits. There’s a base layer, that shows up as the tongue of the boot and part of the heel. On top of that comes the pretty top layer, and the sole of the boot. The blade has tabs that you glue to the back of the base.
Spellbinders Xmas in July Haul
Glimmer Hot Foil Roll - Red https://shrsl.com/4lziw
Glimmer Hot Foil Roll - Green https://shrsl.com/4lziu
Floral A and Sentiment Press Plate from the Every Occasion Floral Alphabet Collection https://shrsl.com/4lziq
Skating Into the Holidays Small Die of the Month https://shrsl.com/4lzif
Christmas Magic Sentiments Clear Stamp & Die of the Month https://shrsl.com/4lzil
Holly Flourish 2D Embossing Folder from the Christmas Flourish Collection by Becca Feeken https://shrsl.com/4lzin
Paradise Birthday
I’m stamping a pattern on vellum with the hexagonal stamps in the set. Stamping with white pigment ink and heat embossing in white gives a wonderfully crisp and fresh result.
Fintastic Sharks
The shark and friends are from a Lawn Fawn Stamp and Die Set called Shark Duh-Nuh Flip Flop. I colored them with my Distress Watercolor Pencils.