Brenda Baker Productions

Happy Leap Day tomorrow! I'm a day early but since I have a "day job" that I need to show up for, I have to papercraft on weekends. I've got a lot to be thankful for so I sat down to make a few thank you notes today. First of all, I hosted our final admission tour of the year last week so I had a couple of fabulous student ambassadors to thank. Here are the cards I made for these special kiddos: I love the sparkly cork heart! This card is for a superstar of a guy who will graduate this June. He plans to study industrial design at college. The "bubble sheet" patterned paper is one of my favorites of all time. As sponsor of the high school Spirit Club, I had the privilege of hosting a Coffee House for our high school students on Friday night. My fellow adult chaperone was my colleague and friend Nancy, and I think we had as much fun as the kids. This is a thank you for her, my partner in crime. There are also students who go above and beyo...

Summer is made sweeter with handmade cards. Here are a few I wanted to share with you before August is over and done with. I had a great time making these--the weather was warm and the patio door was thrown wide open to let in plenty of fresh air and inspiration! And, once I was in the groove, these cards were easier to "crank out" than a batch of homemade ice cream! Hope you've had a lovely August. Enjoy! I date-stamped this one and gave it to a colleague with an August birthday. Papercrafting is sort of my "life ring," and I do love red. A tiny little "summer" rub-on adds some life to the polka dot chipboard embellishment. This is probably my favorite card of the whole bunch. (Anything pink is a good thing.) The aqua polka dot edging is ripped self-adhesive fabric.  I date-stamped this one and turned it into a thank you note for a sweet friend. This one is still sitting on my desk but it needs to get in the mail to my cousins who host...

It's the fourth of July, and we're FINALLY seeing some sunshine in Seattle! July also means I can start relaxing into summer a bit, too. School is out, grades are published, my daughter's ballet intensive is nearly here...and my vacation days are drawing near. I know it's a little weird, but I do prefer stay-cations because I love being "home" and--as the blog header suggests--I find a lot of joy in being creative and making messes. Although I haven't taken any vacation days yet, I got out my craft stuff the other night and got to work. I needed to make a few birthday cards for my July "babies" and I wanted to make something to give to my sister on the fourth of July. Now, my sister is the Queen (capital Q, for sure) of crafting so I had my work cut out for me. I didn't just want to make a card--so I came up with this instead... I made a trip to Trader Joe's last night and picked up a four-pack of their yummy root beer, covered...

You've been forewarned: Mother's Day is one week away. Get your cards ready (or in the mail!) and prepare to make your Mom feel loved. I had fun making Mother's Day themed cards last night. I got a late start so I didn't do too many, but here are a few to share with you. I used my new Josephine Kimberling for Impress stamp. I would say it's rather a peony-like posy image. Or--if we stretch our imaginations a bit--perhaps it's more of a chrysanthemum. Hence, we'll consider this the perfect stamp for "Mum's" day! While I continually gravitate toward my yummy-looking Fresh Ink stamp pads, I grabbed my VersaColor Ultimate Pigment pad in "Lime" and gave it a go. It gave this card a bright little lift. And then it made me want to make a margarita, for some reason. On this version, I decided to stamp the "Mum" in Fresh Ink "Pool" onto white cardstock. Then I carefully trimmed around it and mounted it on a handful...

Some people go to tropical island destinations or Disneyland or catch the last days of the ski season...but not me. I stay home for Spring Break. It is a much-needed break from my routine and affords me the time to tuck into my craft supplies. It's relaxing, fulfilling and--frankly--cheaper than a vacation! Here are a few things I worked on in the past few days. (In between catching up on real-life necessities such as eye appointments, dentist visits, house cleaning, and everything else that gets put "on hold" due to my daily work schedule.) For example, this is a package I need to put in the mail for my nephew. Embarrassingly, it's a month late. Worst. Auntie. Ever. Maybe I'm teaching him patience? The "gear" stamps are from a cheap little clear stamp set from WeR Memory Keepers called "Play." First time I've used them. Super cute! The "S" is from my beloved Impress alphabet. Part of the delay is that I rarely make "b...

Rainy days in the Pacific Northwest are a blessing for more than one reason. To me, it means another excuse to stay inside and craft. Thanks to the wet weather, I can easily make any excuses for staying inside where it's warm and dry. It is such a treat to spend hours and hours making cards and sorting through my art supplies! Here are a few of my recent creations... Hello, Seattle! Put on a happy face! These colors are so sweet. I bought this typewriter stamp set before Seattle's "Monkey Love" closed their shop. Finally! I used it. I also love that it comes with a stamp that says, "You're old school and you're cool." Yes, indeedy. My sister just did a "banner" blog post on her "Ribbon, Glitter & Glue" blog . We can't get enough of these super cute, celebratory flags. This card is a fun mix of paper and ribbon. Nice texture. Cue the wind machines and let it fly! I do have to admit, though, that whenever I se...