Recently, I had the opportunity to pick some fresh lavender.  They smelled wonderful even after drying.  I decided to pair them with a Rubberstampede image (from my ancient stash).  I used 3 in 1 Beacon glue (also sold as Fabri-Tac) to glue the dried stems to the stamped panel (cut from watercolor paper) that was colored with watercolor pencils and Ranger Distress Inks.  Heiko gauze ribbon from Celebrations was tied into a small bow and glued down.  Small drops of Lavender scented essential oil (sold at HM Ben Franklin Crafts) was applied to the lavender sprigs and the ribbon. Heiko double stick tape (from HM Ben Franklin Crafts) was used to attach the watercolored panel to the purple card blank (Paper Accents from HM BFC).  The glue, color pencils and Distress Inks were also purchased at HM BFC.  I plan to tell the recipient of this card to cut the front off and use it as a sachet in a clothing drawer.  It's fun to design a card that has a double purpose.  This card was a simple pleasure to create and I hope it gives you some creative inspiration.

 

Dinosaur Birthday Tags

As mentioned in the previous post, I had to rush and finish these birthday tags before the party.  I started with some birthday print double-sided card stock from my never-ending scrap pile.  (In hindsight, I should have just used plain white cardstock as the print was too colorful and overwhelmed the dinosaurs.)  Anyway, I used my faithful Little B giant tag die to cut two tags.  Next I found black sticker letters in my really old stash and used them to spell out the names.  A Lawn Fawn die was used to cut out the green hill and Darice (from HM BFC) felt sticker dinosaurs were applied.  Whimsy characters (actually dragons not dinosaurs) were stamped, colored and fussy cut before adhering them to the tags.  A little Scribbles sparkle was added to the dinosaur with the balloons and Nuvo white dimensional paint was added to the cake on the other tag.  Lawn Fawn birthday words were stamped on white paper and colored in with Copic markers before fussy cutting.

Like the twin birthday boys, I wanted the tags to be similar but different.  I wish I had more time to make some color changes but procrastination won out again. Oh well, the sweeties are only three so I think they will be more interested in what the gift bags hold than the tags tied onto them.  Hopefully, they will appreciate seeing their names on the tags. When you don't have time to make a fancy card, decorated tags can still make a gift look special.                                                

Slimline Jellyfish Card

The summer heat inspired me to create an ocean themed card using Whimsy and Hero Arts products.  I used the elongated hexagonal Whimsy die set to cut both the card base and Whimsy slimline printed paper.  The largest die was positioned to the left of the folded edge of the blue card stock to result in the card blank. The Hero Arts jellyfish Bold Print stamp was used to stamp and heat emboss the jellyfish background.  I used a combination of light blue and sparkle embossing powder.  I liked the sentiment on the other Hero Arts Bold Print stamp and thought that it would help to balance off the long shape of the card.  I stamped it on clear vellum paper and embossed it with Nuvo brass embossing powder.  I cut out a band of the words and applied it to the card front.  I thought it would be easy to read the words but my husband had a difficult time understanding the message.  Maybe in the future I will use the stamped words for a full background or cut out the specific words to form the sentiment.  As a final touch, I used the Hero Arts jellyfish stamp (from the monthly kit) to stamp an image in blue permanent ink. This image was die cut with the matching die and colored in with purple Distress Ink.  To make a more jellyfish-ish look, I applied a little clear sparkle Scribbles paint.  Because I was so excited to try these new products, I forgot that I still have two three-year-old B-day cards to create before the end of the month... so I better get cracking.  Please visit this site again to see the result of my speedy dinosaur tag- card creations.

 

Gift Card Holders From Scrap Papers

These days I seem to give more gift cards than ever before.  Perhaps the pandemic makes them easier (and safer) to give and use.  With all the variety of gift cards available now I was pleased to find a die set from Stampendous (at HM Ben Franklin Crafts) that I could use to help decrease my mountain of scrap papers.  Rather than make all the card holders the same, it was fun to see what I could create from a hodge podge of print and solid papers.

For each card holder I tried to leave a blank place inside for a message. If you look carefully you can see the corner slits where the gift card can be inserted. Because these gift card holders were meant to be used and discarded, I didn't spent too much time on them and added simple sticker embellishments.  My favorite holder is the lavender one because of the color and the artificial flower that was glued on the corner.  I tried to decorate the card holders so that they would be useable for a variety of occasions.  I really recommend that you get the Stampendous die because it is a good set that will inspire you to make use of your scraps.  Aren't you tired of making tags from your scraps?

 

Washi Tape Collecting

 Just a short post today for those of you addicted to washi tape like I am....big time!  I found two washi tape holders at Daiso in Hawaii. The first plastic one holds about 4-6 rolls at a time and has a serrated edge for cutting the tape.  For someone like me these cases are a bit small but they look great on a desk and can be stacked.  The canvas washi tape holder is more space saving and holds about twelve rolls which makes it suitable for journaling/card making on the go.  Not only are these washi products a mere $1.50 each at Daiso, the tapes are gorgeous and come in an amazing variety of sizes, colors, and designs.  Check out Daiso to add to your collection and become even more wonkers for washi tape....like me!

Slimline Butterfly Cards with Envelopes

I've been hooked on slimline cards ever since I discovered that it doesn't cost any more postage to mail this size envelope.  I think they look elegant and more interesting.  Anyway, the Tim Holtz stencil and stamp set seemed perfect for this style of card.  I started by applying Distress Oxide and Hero Arts oxide inks onto a piece of plastic wrap that was taped down to my desk.  Next I sprayed water on the inked plastic sheet and pressed watercolor paper onto the inks. I carefully lifted up the paper and gently blotted the excess ink.  I sprinkled water onto the inked watercolor paper and blotted again to reveal a distressed look.  I let the colored sheets dry overnight.

Using the Hero Arts Infinity rectangle dies I cut the panels and made folded card bases.  With the stencil I applied colored ink to reveal the patterned design.

Using a Misti tool (available from HM Ben Franklin Crafts) I was able to align the words just where I wanted them before applying embossing powder and melting it with a heat tool.  I stamped the butterflies using the Misti tool and was glad that I could re-stamp them several times to achieve just the color and look I wanted.  I used pink and silver embossing powder on the purple card and blue and copper on the green one.  It is a subtle look that doesn't really show up well in my photos.

I decided that regular business envelopes would not enhance the cards so I used my Whimsy envelope die set to make matching lined envelopes.  It's really is easy to do.  Perhaps the hardest thing was to find  color coordinating papers that weren't too thick.  I discovered that Japanese papers that come in large sheets are perfect for making envelopes.  Celebrations store (next to Mapunapuna HM BFC) has a pretty selection.  I think the extra effort to dye the papers before stenciling and stamping was worth it to achieve a unique one-of-a-kind card which can e used for any occasion.  Give it a try!

 

Band Theater Fold Birthday Card

This card is for a friend who I've known for decades.  We went to the same schools all the way through high school and ended up playing flutes in the McKinley H.S. band.  Choosing the colors for this card was a no-brainer...black and gold!  I picked papers from two 6x6 paper pads and after die cutting ended up with pieces for two cards.  I stamped the Happy Birthday To You words on the black dotted paper and embossed them with silver heat embossing powder before die cutting the panel. 

Following the instructions on the Taylored Expressions theater fold die set, I assembled the card and added the stamped, colored, and fussy cut musicians plus the banner with the words, 'Strike Up the Band'.

When the card is fully opened the musical scene is revealed.  I ended up making this card vertical (despite the fact that the horizontal card can stand up) because the musical sheet stamp (Hero Arts) only fit vertically.  I love the theater fold format and I'm really pleased that I tied in the band theme and school colors into this card for the birthday girl....uh, lady.  Hopefully, this card will make my long-time friend remember all the fun times we had playing in school band.

                                           

 

Theater Fold Surprise Birthday Card

Usually, I don't have trouble following construction instructions, but I must admit I had to watch the Taylored Expression video of the theater fold die card several times.  I did my own take on it and I think the result is pleasing. I started by choosing a flower print paper from a Taylored Expression 6x6 pad and a birthday gift sheet from a 6x6 pad that I purchased from HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  After using the theater fold die you will have pieces for two cards.  Oh yes, stamp and emboss the words before cutting the 2nd 6x6 sheet.  

I used a Whimsy stencil, Hero Arts stamp pad (from HM BFC) and Hero Arts blending brush to decorate the star background.  Next, I stamped the My Favorite Things image on marker paper and paper pieced the gift and girl's dress. I colored the girl with Copic pens before fussy cutting her out.     

                                                                                                        

When  fully opened the card is very 3D but still folds flat for mailing.

Here is a top view which reveals some of the construction.  Now that I figured out the assembly of the theater fold card, I'm sure that I will make more of them.  I have at least two more birthday cards to complete this month so check back to see how they turn out.  Hopefully, I will be able to take a bow after successfully finishing more cards using the applause-worthy theater fold die.