SIMPLE BACKGROUND USING "FOREVER GREENERY" DSP

Do you hoard designer paper?  

Do you want to use it but are afraid that doing so won't leave enough for another project that comes along?

Do you sometimes forget about all of the pretty colors and patterns in your stash?

I'm guilty of all three scenarios.

BUT . . . my pack of Forever Greenery designer paper is getting scarce because I have used a LOT of it!  I've been working on a project tutorial that will be available FREE to anyone who places a $75+ order next month (June 2020) via my web site AND (if the order is under $150) uses my current Hostess Code.  You might even be thinking about purchasing the beautiful Forever Greenery Suite of products and, if so, you will love my free tutorial because it is all about some of those fantastic products!  You'll LOVE getting your new products and having some projects already mapped out for them.  

I also used some DSP cuts to create the background for this card.

So simple, right?  I couldn't resist bidding farewell to the Noble Peacock foil for the two small leafy sprigs on the sentiment layer.

One thing that I have really enjoyed about the Forever Greenery designer paper is that quite a few colors coordinate with it, including a few neutrals.

And what about the envelope?  Just two stamps and two colors of ink took it from just white to nice!

Watch for additional details about my FREE tutorial next week!  😉

Z-FOLD POP-UP BOX CARD

Today is my great-nephew's 11th birthday, and this is the card that I made for him:

To make this fun card, I used my Cricut Explore and a cut file from Lori Whitlock, but the designer paper is from Stampin' Up! 

The birthday boy enjoys jokes, so this seemed like a perfect card for him.  My machine did all of the writing and cutting, and assembly was  a breeze.

As you can see, it's a Z-fold with a pop-up box built in, and I think he enjoyed it.  Or maybe he enjoyed the money that was in it.  Ha!

Happy 11th birthday, Campbell!!!

PATRIOTIC RIBBON BANNER

Have you been seeing the patriotic ribbon/rag banners on Pinterest?  I have been wanting to make one for a long time!  As a matter of fact, all of the ribbons that I purchased last summer were beginning to get that dusty dull, so it was finally time to see what I could make.  My mother and sister were my guinea pigs, as they received for Mother's Day the first two that I made.  

As my son was working in the yard one day, I asked him to find some sticks that were a decent size.  He looked at me like I'd lost my mind, but the ones he found were perfect.  Now . . . a lot of the banners that I have seen have been quite large, and I think that's what kept me from getting started with the ribbons I have collected.  I wasn't sure how far my ribbons would go or if I would need to add some torn strips of fabric.  The thought process always got to be too much for my little mind, so I kept looking at the basket of ribbons (or adding to it) and walking away.  But then it occurred to me that I could make a smaller banner, and that's when I got busy.

The basket doesn't look too big, but it held quite an assortment of ribbons and trims, including three different lace selections.  Yes, I really did add chicken wire to my banners.  I can't explain what possessed me to purchase it for this project--it just felt right and, in the end, I loved the aesthetic of it!   It's just so unexpected, you know?

Not a very good photo (it's overcast today), but this is the banner on my door.  It wasn't originally created to take the place of my usual wreath, but I don't yet have my other patriotic porch decor and don't know where I'm going to want to hang the banner on the porch.  Notice the star?  I used a die to cut that (very sharp) shape from metal flashing and think it is a nice addition.  The photo below gives a closer look at some of my ribbon selections.  Most of the ribbons had wired edges, but they worked well.  I ended up cutting some of the wider ribbons in half so they would be easier to work with and less bulky.

The last thing that I added to my banner was the "celebrate USA" chalkboard tag.  That idea just came to me today, and I found an extra tag that I had cut last year with the scroll saw.  

The following Chalk Couture products were used to make the tag:

Handwritten Font chalk transfer

Beach Day chalk transfer

Bright White chalk paste

Ocean Mist chalk paste

Candy Apple ink

Placement Tape (to cover areas of the Beach Day image that I didn't want to chalk)

Mini Squeegee

Multi Tool

This was the first time I have used the Handwritten Font, and I found it very easy to work with!  It helped that the letters were a perfect fit for my tag, but the transfer has registration marks to make lining up the letters with perfect spacing an easy chore.  I didn't use those marks while working on my tag and realized halfway through that I could have left more space between the letters.  BUT . . . if I had done that, I wouldn't have had the perfect amount of space for "USA" at the bottom of the tag.  Uh huh . . . it works perfectly for me.

And on the subject of patriotic projects, let me end this post by sharing (again) photos of the pillow cover that I did last year (first shared in this blog post).  It features a wool applique design that I stitched onto the cover.  I 💕 this pillow so much!!!

"FOREVER GREENERY" SUITE . . . THANK YOU CARD

If you haven't caught glimpses of Stampin' Up!'s Forever Greenery suite, then you might need to peep out from under your rock more often.  This suite of products will be available (along with lots of other fantastic products) when the brand new catalog goes into effect next month.  There have been times when I just purchased the designer paper OR the stamp set OR the dies that were part of a suite, but with this one . . . you probably need more than just one component.

That beautiful gingham ribbon?  Well . . . it actually belongs to the Flowers for Every Season suite but, since the color coordinates, it works beautifully with the Forever Greenery designer paper.  And it's gingham, so I will use it wherever I can.  Raise your hand if, like me, you think we could always use more gingham.

Isn't that Whisper White leafy-embossed layer pretty?  I used one of the Greenery embossing folders (also from this product suite) to create that layer and then roughed up the edges.  There are two embossing folders in the pack but, so far, this is the only one I've used because I can't stop.  The size of the leaves are perfect, the depth of the embossing is crisp, and it adds beautiful texture to any project!  I'm sure the other embossing folder is just as beautiful, and I promise to use it soon.

So this card features the designer paper, stamps, dies, and (one of the) embossing folder(s) from the  gorgeous Forever Greenery suite, which will be available for purchase June 2020.  

"BIRDS & BRANCHES" . . . COMING SOON!

There's a beautiful product bundle in Stampin' Up!'s new catalog, and I had a chance to work with some of the stamps and dies the other day.  Oh my.  I am in love.  It's the Birds & Branches bundle, and it is just so sweet.  You want to see the whole card, I'm sure, so here you go:

To make this card, I began by cutting the leafy wreath from a piece of Whisper White cardstock that I had embossed with the Woodland embossing folder.  On the back of this layer, I adhered the stamped and die-cut nest (Crumb Cake cardstock) and the Pool Party die-cut eggs, which I sponged with Pool Party ink and then brushed with the Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush.  That adorable bird was die-cut from Whisper White cardstock, and then colored by sponging with Pool Party, Pacific Point, and Soft Suede ink.  I thought the Champagne Rhinestone Jewel was perfect for his eye!  On the backside of the die-cut leafy wreath, I placed Foam Adhesive Strips to hold the wood-looking designer paper, which is from the brand new In Good Taste DSP.  A scrap of this same DSP was used for the stamped sentiment, which was cut with the Classic Label punch.  I think everyone is going to need this DSP because there are soooooooo many beautiful images/textures!  

The finished Whisper White layer was adhered to Early Espresso cardstock.  Before adhering it to the Pool Party card, I wrapped a strip of Polka Dot Tulle ribbon around the layers.  The metal leaf is from Tropical Oasis Trinkets, and I tied it onto the tulle ribbon with a piece of Linen Thread.

So do you love this card as much as I do?

REMEMBER "POCKET SILHOUETTES"?

Do you ever look around at all of the stamp sets you've accumulated and ask yourself why you keep so many retired sets?  I do that all the time--especially when Stampin' Up! publishes a list of retiring products.  This is the time that I like to take a closer look at the retired sets I've been holding onto and re-evaluate whether it's time to let some of them go.  I never let enough of them go.

I needed to make a thank you card, and it was one of my retired sets that caught my eye . . . Pocket Silhouettes.  I just loved that stamp set back in the day, and it's one that I actually still keep by my desk.  

I used markers to ink the images and then used a retired punch and Cajun Craze cardstock to create the flower pots, which were adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals.  Doesn't the embossed Basket Weave background look nice?  I wish Stampin' Up! wasn't retiring that embossing folder, but it is one that I will keep.

And ta da . . . my thank you card was finished rather quickly.

"MOSAIC MOOD" + DAISY FUN FOLD

Sharing today another Mother's Day card design that looks like a regular A2 card, but 1" of the left (folded) edge is adhered to the interior of the card.  I could make these cards all day long--they are so quick and easy and a bit unique.

I used the Mosaic Mood designer paper, Leaf punch, Daisy Lane stamp set, and the Daisy punch.

You want to make one, don't you?  This is a really fun fold that you are sure to enjoy!

TYPEWRITER-SHAPED MOTHER'S DAY CARDS

I made a LOT of Mother's Day cards this year, and quite a few of them were shaped like a typewriter with a stylish hat propped on the left side.  I loved putting these cards together!

I let the Cricut Explore write the message on the "paper" in the typewriter, and it also drew the decorative swirls.  They look nice, huh?

The first two cards had a different message and no swirls, and they were also a bit smaller than the second set of cards I made. 

Did I really mail 10 of these cards????  Yes, I did!  In an upcoming post, I'll share the designer paper and daisy card that I made.  😉

#SHARESUNSHINE

I read about Stampin' Up!'s Share Sunshine sentiments and image pdf the other day, but I really looked closely at it today.  It is really perfect for the cards that we need to be sending during the COVID-19 restrictions that are keeping us apart from those near and dear to our heart.  

See that?  There are FIFTEEN pages of assorted images, word art, sentiments, etc.--something for whatever kind of card you want to send!

While I would love to take full credit for the idea of putting a mask on the piggy from This Little Piggy stamp set, I first saw this cuteness on a card that Susan Campfield had made.  Such a fun idea, huh?  I thought it would be a perfect card to send to my great-niece, and this is the card that I designed:

My card features Layering Circles dies, Stitched Rectangles dies, and Corrugated embossing folder (used on the tiny face mask).

Another Share Sunshine image was used on the inside of the card:

And this cute text was cut out and adhered to the flap of the envelope:

This was my first use of the printed images but certainly not my last!  All proceeds from the purchase of the downloadable pdf will be sent to your choice of The World Health Organization or United Way Worldwide's COVID-19 Community Response & Recovery Fund.  Just purchase the pdf HERE, print the pages, and use scissors, a trimmer, punches, dies, etc. to cut the images.  Create projects and share them online using #sharesunshine.

TALL LATTE FOR BRYSON

Today is my nephew's 25th birthday, and it seems strange that we haven't celebrated as a family--or that a celebration isn't planned due to the COVID-19 restrictions.  I am really missing the usual family gatherings, and I know that I'm not the only one!

Since my Cricut Explore is still on the countertop and ready to go, I designed a shaped latte card for Bryson.  He works at a trendy coffee house, so I thought he could appreciate a tall latte for his birthday.

When Bryson was born, I didn't realize just how grateful I would be that my sister had a son.  My son was 4 y/o at the time, and he instantly claimed Bryson as his brother.  He told EVERYONE that he had a baby brother and that his brother didn't live with us.  Think about that.  Can you imagine the kind of looks that strangers gave me when Chad would proudly tell them about his baby brother who didn't live with us?  People clearly didn't know whether to feel sad for both of us or if they should see about having Chad removed from my custody.  Chad's proclamation of having a baby brother wasn't a little phase that he went through for a short while.  I've probably written about this in a past blog post, but I had to explain to more than one elementary teacher that this "brother" they'd heard about was actually my nephew.  Even with explanation, some of the teachers still gave me that "yeah, sure" look.  Bryson and Chad were a lot like brothers during their growing years, and my sister and I enjoyed going on vacations and day trips with our boys.  Time passes too quickly!

Feel free to sing a little birthday jingle in honor of Bryson today!