EASTER POP-UP CARD

On the outside, this looks like a very simply designed Spring card, but there's a pop-up party going on inside!

I love that you just don't expect to see so much on the inside of this card, but isn't it great?  I purchased the cut file (designed by Daniela Angelova) for this card from the Silhouette online store.  It was a dream to cut and very simple to put together but . . . once the inside was done, I had no idea how I would decorate the front of the card, which was 5" or 5-1/2" square.  That's a pretty big area to decorate when you're at a loss for ideas!  The pop-up cut file for this card only had the inside of the card designed, so the rest was up to me.  Of course, I used the pretty butterflies that were cut out from the inside pop-up layer, and the tulip bouquet (another cut file) seemed perfect.  It's hard to tell from the photo, but the tulips on the center bouquet were adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals.  The finishing touch was the grass, which I used fringe scissors to cut.  I signed it, put it in a pretty handmade envelope, and dropped it in the mail for Aunt Betty.  I haven't sent her a card in a while, so maybe this one will make up for lost time.

HAVE A HAPPY AND BLESSED EASTER!!!!

SLIP COVER CANDY BOX

Every once in a while you need a little something to give to a teacher, neighbor, friend or any other special person!  Make the little something even more special by making it yourself.  Here is a pretty Slip Cover Candy Box and a matching card sure to wow the recipient and let them know you think they’re special!  Make several sets and then just fill them with candy when you are ready to give the gift!

This clever project was designed and created by Kim, and her tutorial is available at Craft Project Central.

ONE MDS DESIGN, ONE SILHOUETTE CAMEO UPFIT, AND TWO CARDS FOR "FREESTYLE FRIDAYS". WHEW!

NOTE:  This is a very long blog post, which is in direct proportion to the amount of descriptive information it contains.  With her Freestyle Fridays post last week, Julie created a gorgeous "wet" brick wall with a vine of Cherry Cobbler 3D flowers on it, and she issued a mission for me to create something this week using a color palette of Basic Gray, Cherry Cobbler, and one other color.  Admittedly, I had a difficult time using Cherry Cobbler, perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I'm ready for Spring--not Summer, but Spring.  And so I turned to Stampin' Up!'s MDS software and filled some hexagon shapes with digital designer papers that included Basic Gray, Cherry Cobbler, and Pool Party.  Oh yes, that was definitely the way to accomplish the mission.

I thought the design would work for a Father's Day card, so I added the large anchor image and, on my MDS page, I added the Pool Party tag and Happy Father's Day sentiment.  After printing the digital creation, I cut and punched all of the elements and completed the card.  Shown below is a clip of what my MDS design page looked like:

But I didn't stop there.  I decided to export the SVG images (the shapes--not the anchor or designer paper images) so that I could use them with the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition software.  As you can see from the clip of my Silhouette Studio design mat below, I filled the hexagons with Stampin' Up!'s "Newsprint" designer paper images, which I had previously imported to the Silhouette software.  I also filled the tag shape with a color gradient and manipulated the size/shape of the sentiment.  If you're familiar with the Silhouette software, then you recognize the registration marks on my Silhouette design mat.  Those registration marks make it possible to design with an imported SVG image, print the design onto card stock, and then load the card stock into the Silhouette Cameo machine to cut the design.  Before cutting the design, I added an Offset, which you can see as the red outline around the group of hexagon shapes and the tag.  The Offset (outline) tells the Cameo where to cut, and I think the outline adds a nice finishing touch in that it gives the illusion of matting for the hexagon shapes.

Once my shaped design was printed and cut, I used the cuts to create this hybrid Father's Day card:

How cool is that?????  One MDS digital design laid the foundation for TWO cards!  To be honest, I really wanted to do something vintage-y with the "Newsprint" filled hexagons, and it was so difficult for me to not add feminine touches to the card.  To "man" it up, I stamped, colored, and cut out the truck image from Stampin' Up!'s "Countryside" stamp set and adhered it with Stampin' Dimensionals on top of the Natural Trim ribbon.  Every masculine card needs some "hardware", so I added the arrow-shaped Cute Clip to hold the sentiment.  I scored framing lines around the border of the Very Vanilla card, but I'm sure they are not easily seen in the photo.  The other thing that you probably can't tell from the photo is the "Honeycomb" embossing on the Basic Black card stock.

Are you impressed?  There have been times when I've wondered if I did the right thing by purchasing a second electronic cutter but, like almost everything in a craft room, it has a purpose of it own and an absolute right to be here!  Best of all, I have found the Silhouette Cameo to be VERY easy to learn and work with, although I still have a lot to learn.  Being able to use this machine to cut MDS designs almost seems like cheating, but it's a good cheat. 

ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS

You know how you've heard some quotes/phrases all of your life and, at certain times in your life, the true meaning of a quote just seems to hit home?  The quote that I stamped on this card is one that I think of every time I see a mother and child because I know that the time goes by too quickly, and there are so many moments that you'd like to go back and do again.  It's amazing how 20 years can seemingly come and go in a snap!  Enjoy the little things!!!

HOPPY SPRING ENSEMBLE

Wanting to celebrate the arrival of Spring?  Here are some fun treat containers to give as favors as well as a matching ensemble to set your table up, with cute place cards and napkin holders! 

   

This adorable festive ensemble was designed by Heidi King, and her tutorial is available at Craft Project Central.

"FEELING SENTIMENTAL"

Stampin' Up!'s Sale-a-Bration promotion has ended, and I'm surprised that I didn't use the "Feeling Sentimental" stamp set as much as I thought I would.  The real problem, I think, is that I just had too many new products that I wanted to demo.  I loved this stamp set, though, and pictured here is one of the cards that I designed for my March Inkerbelles' class.  The card is about 3.5" wide and, if you follow my blog, then you know that I like odd sized (and shaped) cards.  They just make the mail more fun for the recipient, don't they?

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

Today's MISM project is a fake tri-fold card . . . fake because the third panel was an afterthought, something that I added after the card was nearly complete.  I glanced at my calendar and saw that I needed to send a birthday card to a sweet man (actually, I should have mailed a card by last Friday), so I started thinking about what kind of card to make.  The square card with a circle window was laying on my desk, as were the pieces for the vintage fan that I had cut with the Silhouette Cameo earlier last week.  I used the manifest image from Stampin' Up!'s "The Open Sea" stamp set on half of the card front, and then the fan was assembled and adhered to the center panel, which is the one that I added to the card.  I used washi tape to cover the flap that was adhered to the inside panel, and the birthday sentiment is from the "You're Amazing" stamp set.  I tried different ribbon and twine bows and knots on the front of the card before settling with the gingham and organdy.  It's really hard to beat gingham ribbon--I just {♥}gingham!!!!  When I showed the card to my son yesterday, he wanted to know why I put a bow on the card if it's for a man.  That's a good question, and I hope the sweet man who receives this card won't mind, but this particular bow looked better than anything else that I tried.

PATTERNED POSIES GIFT SET

Are you ready for Spring flowers but there are none in sight?  Make your own bright patterned flowers to cheer up your space and decorate for Spring!  This bunch of flowers, vase, and card wold also make a lovely gift set for someone special! 

Aren't those posies gorgeous . . . and life-like?  Amanda designed this ensemble, and her tutorial is available at Craft Project Central.

"MY PAPER PUMPKIN" - ALTERNATE PROJECTS

I received the My Paper Pumpkin welcome kit recently, and I had so much fun creating various cards and treat holders with it.  This is just one of the cards that I made.  Of course, I added a few products that weren't included in the kit, but that's a fun option when you already have a lot of coordinating Stampin' Up! products.

From one of the envelopes provided in the kit, I made this Bag-a-lope.  Truth be told, I never liked Bag-a-lopes, but that is mainly because I could never quite make one without it looking overworked and worn by the time I was finished.  This one, however, turned out nicely. 

This treat purse was my most favorite of the alternate projects that I created, and it was also the first project that I made from the kit contents.  I took one of the cards and converted it (with a few score lines and scissor snips) into a neat little purse.

I made a total of seven projects using the kit contents--five cards and two treat holders--and this card was the last project that I made.  This is the original kit project, and there were enough supplies to make four of these cards.

FYI:  Customers who subscribe to My Paper Pumpkin and choose me as their demonstrator will get at least one alternate project idea (with instructions) each month from me.  My subscribers received a .pdf document this week with photos and instructions for creating all of the projects that I made using the kit contents (and a few other Stampin' Up! products).  I would love to add YOU to my mailing list!  Just go to www.mypaperpumpkin.com to subscribe, and don't forget to choose me as your demonstrator.

JACK-IN-THE-BOX

Who doesn’t love a Jack-in-the-box?  How about a little Jungle-in-a-box?  Give this cute little jungle animal pop-up gift and matching card set to a young one (or one young at heart!) for a fun little birthday surprise! 

This project was designed by Tara, and her tutorial is available at Craft Project Central.

"FREESTYLE FRIDAYS"

It's Julie's turn to share this week's Freestyle Fridays project, and just look at this gorgeous sneak peek photo that she sent to me!  Those flowers look real!  It looks like Julie put a lot of time and detail into her project, and all we have to do to learn all about it is hop on over to her blog.  Please take a few seconds to leave her comment, either about today's project or a project that you might like to see.  Have a great weekend!!

"SWEET THREADS"

I haven't seen much squeal about Stampin' Up!'s Sweet Threads Simply Sent kit (#126924), so I thought I'd share the two cards that I made recently.  I've actually had the kit for quite a while, but it got pushed aside (and under) while I worked on other things.  I really enjoyed sitting down on Sunday to do a little cross-stitching, which is something that I haven't done in a long time!  One of the things that I really disliked about cross-stitching years ago was when it came time to change colors, which meant threading another needle.  Stampin' Up! worked that out perfectly with this kit because there's ample floss for eight projects but, best of all, there are two needles in the kit!  {♥}

There are times when I know that I spend too much time getting a card "just right", but such was not the case on Sunday.  The polka dot cards that are included in the kit are simply perfect and, in my humble opinion, indicate that it's quite alright to go simple.  The only real embellishing that I did was add a clear heart button to each cross-stitched design, and isn't that a sweet touch?  

If you'd like to order your own Sweet Threads Simply Sent kit, you still have time to take advantage of Stampin' Up!'s Sale-a-Bration promotion!  You can check out all of the current promotions HERE.

For online orders, please enter the March Hostess Code:  VD7WAS9C

FOR THE NEWLYWEDS

I don't know any newlyweds or anyone with a new (brick) house or anyone with new shutters, flowers, lace curtains, or blue-papered walls, but I had to choose a sentiment.  I originally made this card for last Friday's edition of Freestyle Fridays, but then I decided that maybe it didn't quite fit the mission as outlined by Julie.  Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include Whisper White, Sahara Sand, So Saffron, Pink Pirouette, and Primrose Petals card stock, brads, Tea Lace doily, organza ribbon, pearl jewels, and one of the label Framelits dies from Apothecary Accents.  If I don't come across any newlyweds soon, I might have to take this card to the consignment shop.

"BY THE TIDE" FRAMED ART

This nautical picture and matching card are perfect for gift giving or for hanging in a room in your house!  The 8" x 10" frame can be changed to white or brown to match any decor.  Not only is the picture beautiful, but it is quick and simple to make!

This beautiful work of art was created by Chris, and her tutorial is now available at Craft Project Central.

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

Ever since working with Stampin' Up!'s Boutique Boxes Designer Printed Kit, I have developed a fondness for feathers.  They're such a useful embellishment and can add a little visual interest or carry the role of the focal point, as they do on this week's MISM project.  I purchased an SVG file with the three feathers and used the Silhouette Cameo to cut them.  They are held together with Stampin' Dimensionals, and I used a Pool Party Sycamore Street designer button and linen thread to "tie up" the little bunch.  The sentiment that I chose is from Stampin' Up!'s One in a Million stamp set.  It's actually one of my favorite sentiments in that set.  The greeting inside the card reads, "that makes you one in a million."  Other Stampin' Up! products used to complete this card include Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, and Crumb Cake card stock, Comfort Cafe designer paper, and the Chevron embossing folder.  

   

SPRING SURPRISE BUNDLE!!!!

From now through May 30, 2013, Stampin' Up! is offering a SPRING SURPRISE BUNDLE (#133899) which includes the 7/8" Scallop Circle punch (#129404) AND a brand new coordinating clear-mount stamp set, A Round Array (#129090).  The price of the bundle is $23.95 or the stamp set is available separately at $14.95.  With the Sale-a-Bration promotion ending soon, make this bundle part of your purchase to earn free Sale-a-Bration products!  Let me know if you need the Hostess Code to use with your online order!

NOTEPAD HOLDER

This fun notepad holder is a perfect gift for anyone!  The little drawers can hold postage stamps, paper clips or a secret stash of candy!  This is a perfect box that can be re-used over and over again and can be showcased on your desk all year round. 

The tutorial for this project, designed by Monika Davis, is posted to Craft Project Central.

"FREESTYLE FRIDAYS"

Last week, Julie issued a mission for me to use two (or more) different sets of Spellbinders' dies to create as many layers as I'd like on my project.  Although I have plenty of dies from which to choose, still this mission was quite challenging for me.  It was a good one, though, because it gave me the opportunity to study my collection of dies and make a selection.  I began by using one of the Labels 23 dies to cut the shape for my card, and then I cut another of that same size label to cover the front of the card and sponged this layer with So Saffron ink.  The petals of the sunflower were also sponged with ink, and I used a dotted embossing folder on the center of the flower.  The sentiment is from Stampin' Up!'s "Pop-Up Posies Designer Kit", and markers were used to ink the stamp.  You can't tell from the picture, but I slipped the end of the sentiment tag into the 1-1/4" Scallop Circle punch to give it a scalloped edge.  I think this is such a sweet card and, if it hadn't been for Julie's mission, there's no telling how long it might have been before I used any of these dies.  Thanks, Julie!!!

 

VINTAGE SPRING CENTERPIECE

It’s time to get ready for Spring, and this centerpiece will definitely make any table look like Spring!  The centerpiece is made with Stampin' Up!'s "Tea for Two" fabric, and the candle jar is lit with a flameless candle.  There is absolutely no sewing involved in making this centerpiece, which would make a great gift for Mother’s Day.

Christy Fulk designed this beautiful project, and her tutorial was posted today at Craft Project Central.  There is a lot of detail to this centerpiece, and I am anxious to follow Christy's instructions for making one!

I PUSHED MY LUCK

I pushed my luck recently and had to appeal to the mercy of a family "friend with connections" to help.  When someone does a friendly favor for you, the least you can do is make a special card to say thanks, and this is the card that I made for her . . . and tucked it into a nice little package with a set of note cards.  Don't you just love the "sentiment" on this card?  I found it in a paper pad while shopping with my mother a while back, and all of the papers (4x6) in the pad have cute quips on them.  This one, in particular, seemed perfect for the situation!  There's a story behind the doily, too.  The weather on Sunday was soooooo pretty here, and my guys and I went for an afternoon of shooting at my brother-in-law's house.  Afterward, we went for an early dinner at Red Robin.  My husband ordered a cup of clam chowder, and it was served with this gorgeous doily under the cup.  Who would have thought that I'd find such a pretty embellishment at Red Robin?!?!  I told my husband to (please) give me that doily before he dripped chowder on it and, as it turned out, there were actually a total of five doilies stuck together.  Gotta love it when the kitchen or wait staff is too busy to make sure they've separated those things!  I wasn't sure how I would use one of the doilies on this card, but I was determined to use one and am quite pleased with how it looks.  The ribbon and buttons are from Stampin' Up!'s Sycamore Street Ribbon and Button Pack (a Sale-a-Bration product), and the rhinestone jewels are also from Stampin' Up!

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY" . . . AND THE WINNER OF THE CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL SUBSCRIPTION

Are you missing that extra hour as much as I am?  I was kind of glad to wake up yesterday at what seemed like an early hour (for me), but then I realized that my clock by the bed, which normally is an hour fast, actually had the correct time since I had not changed it.  

The MISM card that I'm sharing today was inspired by the THIS ONE.  Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include Baja Breeze, Perfect Plum, Crumb Cake, and Whisper White card stock, Tea Lace paper doily, Perfect Plum taffeta ribbon, white Baker's twine, Designer Builder Brad, 7/8" Scallop Circle punch, 1-1/4" Circle punch, Scallop Trim Border punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (circle), and the following stamp sets:  Itty Bitties, Teeny Tiny Wishes, and Blooming with Kindness.

Last week, I announced that I had a one-month subscription to Craft Project Central to give away, and the winner is LISA, who left this comment:  "I love your card! What a great idea. I am new to your blog and loving it! Thanks".  Lisa, please email me at randari@hotmail.com to get your subscription set up.  Please type "CPC Subscription" in the subject line.

"CREATE" BANNER

Liven up your work area with this fun and inspiring banner!  Spark your creativity and inspire your day when you see this in your work space!

Amanda designed this work of art for Craft Project Central, and her tutorial is available now.  With your $10 subscription, you will have access to this tutorial and nine others this month!

"DESIGNER TYPESET" CUSTOM WASHI (TISSUE) TAPE

Three of my favorite products (at the current time) are linen thread, twine, and washi tape.  Of the three, I actually use linen thread the most, followed by twine, and I seem to be a hoarder of washitape, although I have used it several times to decorate the edges of custom envelopes.  I even purchased (at a too-high price, even with the coupon) a special chippy "cabinet" to hold most of my tape, and it sits within arm's reach on my desk.  Each time I think of purchasing more tape, I quickly glance at my little cabinet to see if it's a roll that I already have.  What I wanted to show you in this post is the tissue tape that I created with Stampin' Up!'s new "Designer Typeset" (photopolymer) stamp set.  I wonder how long I'll feel that I need to define it as a "photopolymer" stamp set.  To create the tape, I laid a piece of tissue paper (the kind used in gift boxes) on my desk, laid a strip of 1/2" double-sided tape on top of the tissue paper, and then trimmed the excess tissue paper.  I used permanent ink to stamp the images and then used Pool Party and Calypso Coral markers to color the open-line stamped arrows.  Soooooooooooo easy to do!  Other Stampin' Up! products used to create this card (intended for a graduate) include "Patterned Occasions" stamp set, First Edition designer paper, Calypso Coral and Pool Party card stock, Cloudy Day embossing folder, 3/4"x15/16" Oval punch, Sycamore Street designer buttons, rhinestone jewels, Calypso Coral Baker's twine (this came with the Sent with Love bundle), Glue Dots, and Stampin' Dimensionals.

FREESTYLE FRIDAYS

It's Julie's turn to share a Freestyle Fridays project, and I can tell from the small sneak peek photo that she chose to work with some very pretty embossed die cuts and has added splashes of glittery goodness to her project--unless she used paper that was already glittered.  I look forward to seeing the whole project, and I hope that you'll join me in hopping over to her blog to learn all about it.  Be sure to leave a little comment love while you're there, and don't forget to look for the mission that she sets forth for my project next week.  I always look forward to Julie's missions, and I'll bet you'd enjoy them, too!

MY PROJECT TUTORIAL FOR CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL

I'm so excited to share the project that I created for Craft Project Central . . . this set of note cards with custom coordinating envelopes, which pack neatly into a package that’s styled after a little pizza box! Easy to open and close, the box is compact and neat and can be re-purposed once all of the cards have been mailed.  Best of all, this pretty project is surprisingly quick, easy, and oh so fun! This truly has been one of my favorite projects to make!

 The tutorial for this ensemble is posted today at Craft Project Central.

"DESIGNER TYPESET" PHOTOPOLYMER STAMP SET

Today is my oldest great-niece's birthday.  Unfortunately, I won't get to enjoy celebrating with her, but I will celebrate on her behalf. 

I posted recently about Stampin' Up!'s brand new photopolymer stamp set ("Designer Typeset") and, when my order arrived yesterday, I knew exactly what I would create with it . . . a birthday card in honor of Malena!  I have to admit that I was apprehensive about handling each of those tiny letters individually, but being able to create a totally personalized card AND seeing EXACTLY where the images would stamp was AWESOME!  I don't believe there is anyone more excited than me about the prospect of Stampin' Up! offering clear stamps!  For now, they are testing the waters, and I truly hope that they decide to go forward and roll out bunches of photopolymer stamp sets!!!!!

Before placing the stamps back on the acetate sheet, I thought you might like to see how I lined up the word "birthday" on the acrylic block.  This was quite easy to do!  You might say that the letters are really small; however, if you are using them to build a word or phrase on a block, you don't want them to have excess photopolymer around the edges because then your letters of your word/phrase would have an awkward amount of space between them.  To stamp the word "happy", I left an opening on the acrylic block for the second "p" and just went back and stamped it in place.  Easy "p"easy!  Did you notice that the pennant banner stamp is straight on the acetate sheet, but the pennant on my card is curved?  That's just one of the benefits of working with photopolymer stamps . . . the ability to give them a curve!  You'll notice that the stamps that I used are stained, but this happens with every clear stamp that I have ever used, whether using permanent ink (which I did) or water-based dye ink.  As with regular red rubber stamps, ink stains do not affect the quality of stamped images.  The last thing that I will say about this new stamp set is that Stampin' Up! did a FABULOUS job with the deeply-etched images, which is sometimes a rare find with other clear stamps on the market.  I encourage you to purchase the "Designer Typeset" stamp set and try it for yourself!  The other stamp set that I used to make this card is "Make a Cake".

And to Malena . . . wherever you go, whatever you do,

Just know that I'm wishing a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!!!!

BRIDAL SHOWER GIFT ENSEMBLE

Spring brings showers…not only wet ones, but bridal ones too!  This ensemble takes care of the invitations, favors and coordinating Thank You cards that would make a wonderful gift for the bride to be!  Change up the colors to match those of the wedding; or change the embellishments and they would work for an adorable princess party for a child!

The tutorial for this adorable ensemble, which was designed by Leena Girsa, is available at Craft Project Central. 

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY" & A FREE ONE-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION TO CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL!!!

Today's MISM project is a fun card shaped like a file folder.  I've been wanting to get a card in the mail to a special friend who had knee surgery a couple of weeks ago, and I'm ashamed that it's taken this long.  You'd think that I could send a card lickety-split since my stamp room is running over with them but, if you ever read my blog posts, then you already know that I usually like to make a new card when I need one.  Since my Silhouette Cameo has been gathering a little dust, it seemed like the right thing to do turn it on and use one of the many design files that I've purchased.  This is definitely a card design that I will cut again and again!  Stampin' Up! products used on this card include:

Stamp Sets: Fabulous Phrases, Pretty Petites, My Friend, and Spring Sampler

Ink:  Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede

Punches:  1" Circle, 3/4"x15/16" Oval, Petite Curly Label, Blossom, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle

Accessories:  Elements Cute Clip, Polka Dot designer paper

WANT TO WIN A FREE ONE-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION

TO CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL?

Once again, I am designing a project for Craft Project Central this month, which means that I have a one-month subscription to give away.  If you would like to be entered into the drawing to win this subscription, just leave a comment on this blog post.  A winning name will be drawn and announced next Monday, March 11th.  Don't worry about the drawing taking place halfway through March because subscribers will have access to the tutorials for 11 months.  If you'd like an extra chance to win a free subscription, make a card for the Creating Pretty Cards Sketch Challenge.  The sketch and all details can be found HERE.

THIS JUST IN . . . READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!!! PHOTOPOLYMER STAMPS [SQUEAL]

Oh, my goodness!!!!  I think my dream might be coming true.  It's after 2:00 a.m., and I just noticed a brand new and available-for-purchase photopolymer stamp set!  Of course, I had to squeal!!!!!!!  I {heart} clear stamps, and this is not just a "clear-mount" stamp set . . . it's actually a stamp set of clear images, which means you can see exactly where the images will stamp.  As you can see in the photo, it is possible to build your sentiment right there on the acrylic block (as long as you don't need two of the same letter).  If you're in a hurry to get this FIRST EVER Stampin' Up! photopolymer stamp set, visit my web site!  While you're there, go ahead and add a few more products so you can earn a FREE Sale-a-Bration product!  The current Stampin' Up! promotions are as follows:

Sent with Love Bundle

Sale-a-Bration 

If the links in this post don't work, please visit my web site www.regina.stampinup.net,

and click the "Promotions" tab.

EASTER BASKET GIFT SET

There’s no need to go out and buy an Easter basket every year.  This uniquely hand-woven basket will make a great little Easter gift for boys and girls of any age.  Even grown-up boys and girls!  The coordinating card and Cello Treat can be changed in color to suit a girl too – think Pretty in Pink and Wisteria Wonder!

The tutorial for this project, which was designed by Julie Beltramo, is posted to the March session on Craft Project Central. 

"FREESTYLE FRIDAYS"

Did you notice my new blog banner?  I had planned that the previous one would only be up for a short while--it was my Valentine's banner--but time got away from me.  I finally managed to design a new one a couple of days ago, but I didn't realize that I was pretty much using the same colors.  I guess Pool Party has me in its clutches.

It was my turn this week to design a Freestyle Fridays project, and the mission that Julie issued last week dictated that I reach deep, deep, deep to the bottom of my stack of designer paper stack and choose one (or more) to use in any way that I wished.  The paper that I chose is from Stampin' Up!'s very-long-ago-retired "Sentimental Journey".  I would certainly have no memory of this paper collection's name except for the fact that I used to label retired designer paper.  This collection of paper is so masculine, and I especially love the collage of travel-related images--my favorite being the ship that I highlighted with a bottle cap.  

 

But why stop with just one bottle cap?  The "It's a good life" sentiment was also punched from the designer paper and placed in a smaller bottle cap.

Other Stampin' Up! products used to complete this card include Crumb Cake and Riding Hood Red card stock, Stampin' Dimensionals, glue dots, and Natural Trim ribbon.  I think this card might have taken 15 minutes to make, and that includes the time spent digging to the bottom of the designer paper stack!  Thank you, Julie, for an excellent mission this week!