Today’s project is a quick & easy gift pocket that is so simple you won’t believe it! It’s just the right size for this little treat of M&Ms. Scroll down for my first crafting video.
The difficult part was making a video, uploading it to YouTube, and linking it to my blog. But, I needed to show you, because, as simple as it is, it’s difficult to explain.
You start with a 6″ X 6″ piece of Designer Series Paper, and fold as I have shown. A bone folder helps to get the nice, permanent folds. It stays together without tape, glue or any adhesive. Amazing, but true!
I decorated the front flap with hearts from the Hearts and Stars Elements pack. I glued the solid pieces, and tied the open pieces with Baker’s Twine through a punched hole.
So, now that I had all of these cute, little treats, what was I to do with them? Well, I took them to a new group of Mahjong friends. Everyone likes M&Ms, right?
And, this project is just right for the Paper Player’s theme challenge, “Will you be my Valentine?”
I hope you have fun making this gift pocket. I may even learn how to talk on my next video!
Today’s project was inspired by two challenges. The design comes from the Global Design Project:
And, the colors come from TGIF:
This is my finished project:
Hold on to Hope
I began by using two Layering Circles dies to cut a hole in the center of my Thick Whisper White card base. The Simple Stripes embossing folder made a nice pattern on the front of the card. Since the Layering Circles left a hole, I covered it on the backside with Fresh Florals Designer Series Paper in Powder Pink. Then, I raised the wreath on the front (the cut piece) with Dimensionals.
I stamped the sweet butterfly from the Hold on to Hope set in three inks: Sweet Sugarplum, Powder Pink and Blushing Bride.
The butterflies needed some foliage, so I used the Petals & More die to cut their branch. I snipped it apart, and glued the top and bottom in place. The butterflies happily took their place atop Mini Dimensionals.
I stamped “Hold on to Hope” in Sweet Sugarplum, and used a Petals & More die for cutting. This is the perfect die for so many sentiments!
I continued the sentiment on the inside with one from the Thoughts & Prayers stamp set, and stamped it in Sweet Sugarplum. I like the soft colors for this sympathy card.
And, the backside of the DSP adds nice color to the inside.
Thank you for visiting my blog. I love sharing with you!
Time for another Valentine! Love and hearts and branches and butterflies and tree rings go together, right? Well, maybe tree rings aren’t the first thing that comes to mind. But, here’s what I was thinking. They are circles, and circles have no beginning, and no end. Tree rings have these never-ending circles, like wedding rings representing eternal love, so here they are in my heart.
Tree Ring Love in a Heart
I began by inking the Tree Ring background stamp with Powder Pink and Sweet Sugarplum ink. Then, I pressed a piece of Thick Whisper White cardstock on top of it. This insured a nice, clear print. I let it dry for two seconds. I love that the Stampin’ Up! inks dry almost instantly, so you don’t have to worry about smearing. I used the die from the Lots to Love Box die set for cutting my heart of Tree Rings.
I tucked the heart in a branch (Petals & More die set) made of Thick Whisper White cardstock, and attached dimensionals to the back, which held them together.
In the meantime, I decided on a Thick Whispers White card base, layered with striped, Melon Mambo Designer Series Paper, topped with more Thick Whisper White. I used thick on the top layer, so the stripes wouldn’t show through.
For the sentiment, I wanted to say, “Love, from the heart.” The word, “love” is in the Sunshine Wishes die set. I had this die set handy, because I used the word, “sunshine” on yesterday’s project. You could also crop the word “love” from the Lovely Words die set.
“From the Heart” is in the Petal Palette stamp set, which I stamped in Sweet Sugarplum ink. It was cut with the fabulous, label die in the Petals & More set. The ends give a nice, finished look, and it’s the perfect size for so many sentiments.
Do you see the little, Sweet Sugarplum butterfly? I was surprised to find it in the Hold on to Hope stamp set. And, it even has its own die in the Cross of Hope die set. You’ll be seeing more of this newly discovered butterfly in my projects. It’s so cute!
The last detail was to sprinkle a little more love with white, heart sequins. I found a good method for applying sequins, at least it works for me. I moisten my finger tip to pick up a sequin, apply a pin dot of glue where I want it to go, and place the sequin on the dot of glue.
I can’t forget to tell you how I came up with this color combination. It’s this week’s Fab Friday challenge. Such pretty colors! Thank you, designers, for the inspiration.
Would you like to make your own Valentines to send this year? Click on my “shop” button for all of the supplies you’ll need.
I believe in long birthday celebrations. The older we get, the more we realize how precious each day is. So, why not celebrate your birthday, and “squeeze it for all it’s worth!” This sentiment is in the Lemon Zest stamp set, page 90 in the annual catalog. I remembered it when looking at the Tutti-frutti Designer Series Paper in the Occasions catalog, which has a beautiful sheet of citrus fruit. This sentiment would be perfect for my thought. I completed the inside with another stamp from this set, stamping an orange using Pumpkin Pie ink.
The lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit dance around the Tutti-frutti paper so happily. I think of citrus as happy fruit. I’m probably influenced by essential oils too, because these are among my favorite oils; the fragrance, the taste, I mean, who can resist! Not to mention the health benefits of relaxation, building immunity, cleansing, increasing metabolism, and I could go on. So, I think this paper is just right for a Happy Birthday card.
Citrus Fruit Birthday Card
I first placed the Large Letters on my 5 1/4″ X 4″ piece of Tutti-frutti DSP, and rolled it through the Big Shot. I chose Calypso Coral cardstock for the card base, and glued the paper with the cut out letters to it. It’s a good thing there is an apostrophe, because it’s the only way “birthday” would fit.
Then, I repeated cutting the letters from Calypso cardstock, three each, and glued the layers together. I also added Mini Dimensionals, before placing the letters on their “holes.” This made them stand out even more against the pattern of fruit. Someone came up with the name “eclipse” for this, but I didn’t want a total eclipse. So, I let some Calypso Coral show through the opening inthe letters.
In case there was any doubt this is a happy B’day wish, I added “happy” from the Crazy About You stamp set. I stamped it in Basic Black ink on Whisper White cardstock, and used the Bunch of Banners die for cutting the word and the Lemon Lime Twist frame. I love how this single die allows you to frame a word this way.
I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s post. I know I’ve enjoyed sharing it with you! You can find these items in my store by clicking on this shop button.
Today’s project began with the CAS(E) this Sketch challenge.
After thinking about what I could use with that upward motion, I decided on a forest of trees made with a stamp from the Waterfront stamp set.
I painted (stamped) my trees in Always Artichoke, Old Olive and Pear Pizzazz ink on a panel of Whisper White cardstock.
Sunshine Wishes For You
I kept thinking about the idiom, “can’t see the forest for the trees.” But, that thought didn’t bring about an appropriate sentiment.
More thoughts about a forest took be back years ago to our family trip to Glacier National Park. What a beautiful place that is! I remember one especially warm day when we were hiking through the forest, and came upon a clearing. The sun was shining, wildflowers were blooming, and I was giddy with happiness. Sunshine, that was it!
I stamped the sun, also in the Waterfront stamp set, in Daffodil Delight, and placed it over the trees. And, what could be better than the word “sunshine” from the Sunshine Wishes die set!
I chose Lemon Lime Twist cardstock for the background, because it’s a nice, cheery color. I embossed it with the Simple Stripes embossing folder, because I liked the stripes with the trees, and it’s my new favorite embossing folder.
Before embossing, though, I wanted to add something to the sentiment. It was my first time for using the new Sale-A-Bration stamp set, Happy Wishes. I love the script of the words, and thought “for you” was perfect. I stamped it in Always Artichoke (matching three of the trees), rather than Basic Black.
Can we talk about Always Artichoke? I’m going out on a limb here, because I know what most of you think about this color. I have to say, I really like it. It’s a great neutral color to use instead of black, and it blends with most colors. I never met a green I didn’t like, so I’ll defend it until Stampin’ Up! removes it. Besides, I had a fabulous corduroy jumper in high school, the color of Always Artichoke that I wore with an aqua blouse, so my partiality developed at an early age. Enough said.
The final touch was to dot the “i” in “sunshine,” and I used a Daffodil Delight Enamel Shape for that.
Someday I will send this card to someone who could use a little sunshine in their life.
Thanks for visiting my blog. Have a great weekend!
This little, brown sparrow from the Petal Palette stamp set is wishing someone (a “one of a kind” someone) a happy birthday. He was stamped in Basic Black ink on Crumb Cake cardstock, and cut with his own die from the Petals & More die set.
Petal Palette Sparrow
This little sparrow likes to be camouflaged among the leaves and branches. He is perched on a branch that was cut with a Petals & More die from Copper Foil. The background leaves are from a sheet of Petal Passion Designer Series Paper. The paper is in black and white, and it’s really fun to color the white part with Stampin’ Blends. I used Light and Dark Crumb Cake and Bronze to color the leaves. This made the sparrow very happy.
I discovered that this paper is very forgiving when coloring with the Stampin’ Blends, because you can go outside the lines a bit, and it doesn’t matter. You’ll just have to try it to see what I mean.
The Tic Tac Toe challenge inspired me to add ribbon, and I chose a strip of Burlap Ribbon that I attached with two strips of Tear Tape. This ribbon will stay intact, even after the sparrow flies away. Tear Tape provides a very strong hold.
I chose the left row down, so last, but not least, is the sentiment I found in the Lovely Wishes stamp set. I stamped “You are one of a kind” in Basic Black ink on Crumb Cake cardstock, and cut it with a die in the same Petals & More die set. I ended up using three dies from the same set, and I have to say, this “bundle” is a favorite of mine.
Here is another card of mine from the Petal Palette Bundle. A “bundle” is when the stamp set and die set are sold together, and Stampin’ Up gives you a 10% discount for ordering it that way.
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My name is Su Mohr, Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. I am responsible for the content on this site. Stampin' Up! does not endorse the use of or contents of the classes, services, or non-Stampin' Up! products I may offer here.
