Tag Archives: Whisker Graphics

Aug19

Make this cute count down to school banner

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

Make this cute count down to school banner

Summer may be waning, but you can still add excitement (and sneak in a little extra learning) to those last carefree days with this cute-as-can-be back-to-school countdown banner.

Your early learners are sure to love the bold graphics and colorful tassels as they count down the days until school begins. Each day features a special school-related activity that can make those yearly tasks a little more fun and help mentally prepare your child for the transition to the school year.

What’s more, you can sneak a little extra learning in by reviewing backwards counting, colors, days of the week and reading.

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Jul15

Make colorful flower napkin rings from paper bags

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

Make colorful flower napkin rings from paper bags

These beautiful napkin rings humble me. Why? Because I attempted to create some mother-daughter bonding time by crafting floral place card settings. As I struggled in vain to figure out how the flowers could uphold the name cards, my daughter breezed in, took one look at the project and said it would be much wiser to make napkin rings. I had to admit, she was right.

That, my friends, is just the beginning. It turned out she was right many more times. She was right when she suggested we scallop the edges of the flowers, she was right when she said the flowers would look better if we made the centers with a paper fringe, she was right when she said we should add leaves and she was right when she suggested running the pipe cleaner through the leaves.

Just who is the professional crafter around here? I pride myself on my creativity, but it is nothing compared to the unhindered mind of the young.

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Jun18

And they called it puppy love

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

And they called it puppy love

This project takes whiskers to a whole new level. To show off our new puppy in an adorable DIY frame, I combined my love for vintage products*, with some fantastic Whisker Graphics products. Read the rest of this entry →

May21

Doggone good dog baggie holder

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

Doggone good dog baggie holder

Big news! We are expecting! Our household is about to go from one 90 pound doggie to two dogs. So, as you and both know, that means a shitload of work–literally.

Since there is no Diaper Genie (do they still make those anymore?) for puppies, I opted to instead create an easy access doggie bag aka pooper scooper holder. Part of my motivation was because Every. Single. Time. someone in my house goes to grab a plastic bag, they drop at least one on the back stairs. Let’s see…slippery plastic bag + staircase = Betsy’s broken face.

I’ve been creating things with Whisker Graphics products for nearly a year and I have to say, I am still just as much in love with their polka dot bags. To me, polka dots represents happy energy, and Lord knows, we are going to have lots of happy energy when our little Golden Retriever bundle of joy arrives.
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Apr15

April Showers bring…Paper umbrellas!

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

April Showers bring…Paper umbrellas!

Wheeeeeeeee! It’s spring! Unfortunately, here in the Great White North, spring is a relative term. We may not have cherry blossoms and lilacs yet, but at least the snow is mostly melted.

Even if the weather is not cooperative, everyone knows that April showers bring May flowers. Of course, April showers also bring a need for umbrellas. Here at Paper Calliope, that means lots and lots of colorful polka-dotted paper umbrellas!

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Mar18

Hop to it and create some springtime decorations

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

Hop to it and create some springtime decorations

Paper-Calliope-Whisker-Graphics-two-bunnies

Beginning this project was scary. Burned into my memory is the clay dog I proudly gave my mother when I was in elementary school. Purple, with orange zig zags and green dots, it was supposed to be an artsy rendition of our Golden Retriever. In reality it looked like it have five legs and a mass of tumors. I guess I really can’t blame my mom for her less than enthusiastic reception–or at least that’s what I have been telling my analyst every week since 1979.

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Feb19

Playing with glassine bags

Posted on February 19, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

Playing with glassine bags

I recently acquired a butt-load of embossing folders. Hey, what can I say–they were 80% off–someone had to buy them. For the last month they have been sitting on a shelf, singing their siren song, trying to woo me into playing with them.

So on a recent arctic afternoon, that’s exactly what I did. However, once I began playing, I couldn’t just take out one toy. Noooo, I’m an everything-in-the-toybox-kind-of girl. I took out glassine bags, paper bags, Divine Twine and every color of ink ever conceived by Ranger Industries. All-in-all, it was a perfect day.

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Feb13

Make Valentine decorations from paper bags

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

Make Valentine decorations from paper bags

Cute, fun, vintage goodness

It is a good thing I ran out of pipe cleaners. If that had not happened, I don’t know if I ever would have stopped making these adorable Valentine ornaments.

What’s more, these fun Valentine’s Day crafts are easy to make and use simple materials like paper bags and pipe cleaners.

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Jan28

Paper Calliope makes its first…are you ready for this…paper calliope

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

Paper Calliope makes its first…are you ready for this…paper calliope

So, by now you probably know that I love making vintage circus art. It probably has a little something to do with the fact that my kids have gone to a circus performing arts school since the youngest was still in diapers. Yep, The Daughter™ hung from a trapeze, even before she was out of Pampers.

Aside from my kids’ involvement, I also like making circus-themed art because of the vibrant graphics and the endless opportunities for whimsy and creativity. Over the last week,I have been laboring over a special project that has been on my to-do list for a long, long while. It was finally time to make a paper calliope.

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Jan15

Celebrate the past and future with this calendar gift card book

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Betsy Skagen

Celebrate the past and future with this calendar gift card book

So it was just a week ago that my 8.5 ounce baby boy was born. Well….a week and 18 years ago. It feels like a few days ago. Cliche or not, where the hell did the time go?

Since he is past the age of wanting action figures for presents and since he is always broke, his dad and I decided to give him small denomination gift cards that he can use throughout the year. I tied it into the chance to remind him about the incredibly awesome parents who threw so many over-the-top theme birthday parties over the years. Aaaannnnd, since I’m still Mom, I decided to also use the opportunity to boost his awareness about ~~Mother’s Day~~ other important days throughout the year. Read the rest of this entry →