April Newsletter

Spring is here! And that means….flowers! We have a fun paper flower wreath DIY featured, but first, all our exciting news:

Thanks so much to the ladies who attended the Altered Book Class on April 10th, you guys did awesome! 

April 21st: Intro to Scrapbooking Class! Been thinking about starting a scrapbook, but just don’t know where to begin? We will introduce some tools and techniques and finish one page layout. Please bring 1-3 photos that you want to use. $20.00 (paper trimmer, adhesive, paper, and embellishments included) 2:00-4:00pm

April 26^th: 4-5 year old Children’s Art Class! $7.50, all materials provided. 4:30-5:30pm

April 27^th: 6-8 year old Children’s Art Class! $7.50, all materials provided. 4:30-5:30pm

May 3^rd: Spool of Kindness Class! Altered art wooden spools with messages/greetings wrapped around and held in place with an enclosure. Perfect way to brighten a day! $15.00, all materials included. 7:00-9:00pm

*We are not scheduling a repeat class for the month of May, but if you are interested in one of the classes we have had in the past and know of 2-5 others interested, please let us know and we will schedule a class for your group.

Our featured project this month is a springy paper wreath with paper roses on it. Start with an extruded (rounded edges) styrofoam wreath in whatever size you like. Rip out quite a few book pages from an old book that is not valuable to you (can be found at a thrift store or garage sale). Begin ripping the pages in small strips lengthwise so that you have long but skinny strips (the wider the strips, the more your pages will wrinkle). Using PPA glue, brush glue on the back of a strip of paper and wrap it around the wreath. Keep tearing strips of pages and gluing until you have covered the entire wreath. Wait for an hour for it to dry thoroughly. Then brush PPA over the top of the entire paper-covered wreath. Let it dry. While it is drying, make your paper roses. I made some from cardstock and some from book pages (cardstock is easier, as the book pages rip easily). These are the paper roses I demonstrated at the library and have posted a youtube video on facebook and the blog on how to make them if you prefer to watch it done. Cut a circle out of the paper (about 4-6 inches) and beginning on one side cut a spiral shape into the circle, leaving a small circle (1-2 inches) in the center of your spiral. Next, begin rolling the tail of your spiral in until you reach the middle. Let it go. After it loosens to your desired size, put a dot of PVA glue on the circle in the middle glue the rest of the rolled rose to it. Make as many roses as you want on your wreath. Wrap ribbon or paper raffia around your wreath gluing it in place. Attach your paper roses sticking decorative stick pins through the center of the rose into the wreath. Attach ribbon or lace around the top of your wreath to hang it with. Enjoy your spring wreath! (PPA, PVA, cardstock, and paper raffia are available at the store)

P.S. Watch for great Mother’s Day/Graduation sales coming up and our facebook contest!

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April Newsletter

Sorry if this is a little redundant to those of you that read the blog, get the newsletter, and have liked us on facebook!

Welcome to Cherry Blossom Paperie’s April Newsletter!

Spring is finally here! I’m spending as much time outside as possible, can’t wait to get the chance to take photos of baby animals and all the exciting changes that spring always brings. I’m also looking forward to the wonderful Easter holiday. I hope you are too, because we have some great Easter project ideas! And lots of exciting things going on at the shop! But first, thanks to everyone that made our Grand Opening such a wonderful day and for the great classes we’ve had. You guys are awesome! We really appreciate you and are inspired by your creativity.

Here is our calendar of events:

April 16^th: Free Crop Party! 3:00-6:00pm. Come use our tools and machines and be inspired by other paper crafters as you work on your project. There are still some spaces available. Also, if you’ve never seen Tim Holtz’s Vagabond die cutting and embossing machine in action, now is the perfect opportunity!

April 18^th: Mother’s Day and Graduation Sale begins!

May 10^th: Embossing Techniques Class! 7:00-9:00pm.We will make an altered art clipboard and tags using different kinds of embossing techniques. $25.00 (Includes a clipboard, 2 tags, one bottle of embossing powder, and 2 papers of your choice)

May 21^st: Free Crop Party! 3:00-6:00pm.

So, if you read my blog or Cherry Blossom Paperie’s facebook page, you already know that I’ve become pretty impressed with the Webster’s Pages company. I was so surprised that the sister of the main designer and owner was the person that emailed me back when I opened an account with them. It’s become pretty rare to see large companies have a small family-run feel. In reading their blog and dealing with them business-wise, I’ve seen nothing but absolute kindness. And I love their products, so it’s a win-win! They also have a great place on their website to post your own photos of projects you’ve created using their products. It’s an awesome place to go to be inspired or to inspire others. Check it out here. Here are a few of the Webster’s Pages products available in our store:

About those Easter ideas… I know I linked to Paper Crave last month, but they have some great ideas again this month! I love the Easter egg garland made out of paint chips! So, to see all the great ideas they’ve found, click here. Another idea I love is to use natural dyes for Easter eggs. You’d be surprised what a little vinegar and beet juice can do to an egg (or maybe I’m just discovering something you’ve known about for years!). Anyway, here are some natural dye recipes (boil eggs in dye with a teaspoon of vinegar):

Natural Easter Egg Dyes

Color	Ingredients
Lavender	Small Quantity of Purple Grape Juice Violet Blossoms plus 2 tsp Lemon Juice Red Zinger Tea
Violet Blue	Violet Blossoms Small Quantity of Red Onions Skins (boiled) Hibiscus Tea Red Wine
Blue	Canned Blueberries Red Cabbage Leaves (boiled) Purple Grape Juice
Green	Spinach Leaves (boiled) Liquid Chlorophyll
Greenish Yellow	Yellow Delicious Apple Peels (boiled)
Yellow	Orange or Lemon Peels (boiled) Carrot Tops (boiled) Celery Seed (boiled) Ground Cumin (boiled) Ground Turmeric (boiled) Chamomile Tea Green Tea
Golden Brown	Dill Seeds
Brown	Strong Coffee Instant Coffee Black Walnut Shells (boiled) Black Tea
Orange	Yellow Onion Skins (boiled) Cooked Carrots Chili Powder Paprika
Pink	Beets Cranberries or Juice Raspberries Red Grape Juice Juice from Pickled Beets
Red	Lots of Red Onions Skins (boiled) Canned Cherries with Juice Pomegranate Juice Raspberries

Happy Easter!

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Drunk On Love

People will do insane things under the influence...the influence of infatuation. Many marriages, relationships, jobs, grades, etc. have been destroyed by infatuation. I say infatuation because I really believe that love is something entirely different from what most people, or maybe just our society in general, thinks it is.
And boy, does our society put infatuation on a pedestal. It's ok to leave your spouse because you don't love them anymore and are infatuated with someone else. Really, its ok for anyone to "fall in love" with anyone else no matter who they are (age, sex, race, status, etc.). In fact, where is the romantic adventure in our lives if we don't fall in love with someone unlikely or inappropriate? Isn't that what most of those great romantic comedies we watch are about? Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for cultural and societal barriers being broken down in a way that unifies people by common experiences and emotions that cross all cultures. What I'm not for, is allowing a feeling of infatuation to control your actions so much that you end up hurting a lot of people for no good reason.
I once spent an entire semester goofing off in a class taught by my favorite professor, all because my boyfriend was in the same class. I could see my professor losing respect for me, but it didn't phase me. My judgment was completely clouded by infatuation. I have seriously hurt friendships by putting a boyfriend of a few months above friends I've had for years. For some reason, this is all ok if its done in the name of love.
Sure, being infatuated with someone is exciting. It just plain feels good to be around that person and to have those feelings reciprocated. But I think for a lot of people, me included, it can start to control our lives and cause us to make really stupid decisions. Basically, we put that feeling above anything and everything else in our lives. And I say feeling, because many times its not even the relationship or person we are putting above others, but the feeling the relationship gives us. Our spouse, children, friends, work, dreams and goals, and relationship with God get pushed to the background and people get hurt, ourselves included.

We become drunk with infatuation. It really is like a mind-altering drug that feels great for a short time but causes us to do stupid things. And the problem is that when we are in that state, we won't listen to reason. We can't see that what we are doing is wrong. Sometimes we can't even tell that we are hurting others. Many times, infatuation does lead to love, so in our eyes its all worth it.

So what is the difference between infatuation and love? Love is this amazingly powerful thing that gives us purpose and meaning. Its a unity or bond with another person that is so strong that to end it feels as if you've literally been ripped in half, even if its done gradually. Infatuation can lead to love, but by itself is just a shadow of this. It feels like love, but there is no substance to back it up. Love is built by a lot of time, sacrifice, and hard work. It is something that you choose to do, day after day. It's so much more than the exciting feelings of being attracted to someone and getting to know them. You actually become a part of each other, and learn to put that person above yourself even after the initial excitement wears off.

So how can people learn to be more sensible when it comes to infatuation? If we convince ourselves of these things before the next time we are infatuated, will we be able to recognize it for what it really is? Are there people out there that can exercise self-control? 

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