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Stepping Up Monday…super FUN!

by | Mar 2, 2018 | 3-D Projects, masking, Super Easy | 10 comments

 

 

 

Good Friday to all and I hope that you have had a great week! If you live on the East Coast….I say – no need to do your hair as we are to have SUPER HIGH WINDS…..50 – 60 mph! I think the weatherman thinks we are in Kansas…..poor Daisy, she will grumpy today as pigs are sweet little swines that are rather picky about the weather!

Do you remember Monday’s post? Well if not…how about CLICKIN’ HERE….and you will see this super sweet  Note Card that I made with the Hanging Garden Stamp Set and the Stampin’ Blends! You know I love projects like this and I hope that you find this post helpful! As my sweet Mom always said…..it’s all about the presentation….and I hope that this shines that to you!

As I said on Monday, I knew that this would be a stamp set that would live on Randall Lane….WHY????? The way that it was sketched….I adore all of the sketchy lines and the endless options of coloring! Even though the “subject” images of the stamps are not super dynamic and fun (just being honest after all, they are just baskets) I knew that this would “dress up wonderfully”….and the sentiments are great!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is something that you need to think of when you are looking at stamps that you wish to make the investment with. I invite you to ask yourself this questions…

  • Will it be a classic and timeless set that you will reach for now….and in the future?
  • Are the sentiments and fonts ones that you will use over and over?
  • Can you use the images/sentiments with other stamps that you already have?
  • Can you envision at least 3 different ways that you could use the stamp set?

I say, if you get in the habit of looking at a stamp and then asking yourself these questions (and probably more) you will be making wiser investments, Trust me….I am just like YOU as I have many…and I mean MANY stamps that I have bought impulsively and they are just sitting (many not even inked).

It happens to us all but I think that the more that you craft and the more that you find and develop a style you get more comfortable with selecting your purchased. This IS one thing that I have become better at as there are just too many great crafty products out there on the market that I like to purchase!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I wanted to just use the stamp set above…(Monday I also used the Hostess Stamp set, Yay You ) and today….I want to show…..perhaps entice you to think OUT OF THE BOX…and actually MAKE A BOX to gift a fabulous gift that would be soooooooooo well received by the lucky recipient!

Let’s face it…we all love to craft (dah….that’s why you are here) and one thing that we love to do is not only make things with our hands…but to do the next – GIVE … GIFT THEM AWAY to the ones that are super special to us! There is just nothing like a handmade gift!

Another thing that I did to switch it up a bit today was to mask one of the plants for some of the cards (just to make some of them a bit different!)…..but these cards are so fun and practical. I stamped the 2 different sentiments of 1/2″ strips of paper and then the inside sentiments from this stamp set are perfect…or you can easily leave them blank!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I say….WOW – what a practical gift and when you break it down…..it is also super affordable. As I shared on Monday, the notecards are so affordable being just $6.00….and making the box…..from a sheet of paper….!!!! You can handle that….

Now how about the 411 of how to make this box…..well, here you go – super easy….and there is no doubt about it…YOU CAN DO IT!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Old Olive Cardstock – 8″ X 11″
  • Score on the 8″side (shorter) at 2″ & 6″ I do use and suggest the Simply Scored Tool….I always think that leave a deeper impression than the trimmer…again, it is a basic tool that we all need and will use!
  • Turn Paper to the 11″ side (longer) and score at 4 1/2″ & 6 1/2″
  • Fold In and use Bone Folder to give a great crease
  • Cut in the scored lines (look at picture) and it really does help to taper in as shown (makes a much cleaner final product)
  • Use Tear & Tape as shown and fold in sides

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can easily stop here….but what is another 10 minutes?!?! To add some finishing and WOW touches….. add a panel of the basket fun of these notecards to the front of the box. The DSP that I used is from the Tutti Fruit DSP 6 X 6 stack…. and I invite you to always look deep into your DSP Stash as this project….is sooooooo basic that we have many papers that would color coordinate!

Here are the dimensions that I did for the decorating of the outside of the box! (I knew you would want them….I hope that you can see that these little extra touches really do make a difference)

  • The stripe DSP is 3 3/4″ X 4 1/4″
  • The White piece is 3 1/4″ X 3″
  • The Old Olive mat is 3 3/8″ X 3 1/8″

 

I had to laugh about the packaging…..I bought these bags last year and when I received them I thought…they are HUGE….but they are perfect for this! I tucked in my box of love and tied a sweet bow with the Old Olive Chevron Ribbon and BAM….a simple yet great finishing touch! (These bags are super sturdy and this presentation is just easy and fun).

It goes to show you…,you can make Lemonade with things that you do not use that you have bought! After I jazzed up the box…I took my scissors and  WACKED off the excess of the bag and POOF – I loved it….how about YOU!!! I would love to hear your thoughts…..

 

 

 

 

 

I broke down the cost for the “guts” of how much it would cost to make up these 20 cards/envelopes….YEP….this box fit a complete set of notecards! The total is $9.49 and here is how I came up with that….

  • Notecards and Envelopes – $6.00
  • Bag – .36
  • 5 Sheets of White – $1.15
  • 6 Sheets of Old Olive – $1.98

 

There you go….something for you to think about making! I challenge you to go to your stamps and see which stamps that you already own that you can make up a bunch of cards! Next, I would HIT THAT PAW PRINT below and order this stamp set if you do not already have it….also order some of the bags and notecards….(all products are found below and you can click away).

Over the weekend you could go ahead and cut the white paper to the size that you will be stamping on…(3 1/4″ X 4 3/4″) and then the mat (3 3/8″ X 4 7/8″) and start to color etc…..remember, PACE YOURSELF and then you will not get overwhelmed with doing a task.

This concept makes a fabulous gift and one that you could start at any time of the year…..and then when that BIG HOLIDAY rolls around that you do not know what to give to the person that has everything…..you are ready….as a gift from your heart always wins!

Enjoy the weekend and be safe today. I will be “un-plugged” for the weekend as one of my dearest friends is celebrating her 60th. There are 8 of us going to the great city of Philadelphia for the weekend to do some fun things….the opening of the Philadelphia Flower Show, a museum exhibit, the Italian Market, great foods….a needlepoint store that I adore…..2 amazing garden and decorating stores in different sweet towns along the way…just an agenda of anything goes!

Many thanks for the well wishes for my dear Dad…..he is doing super-de-duper but honestly a bit stir crazy as he has to have care 24-7 until he can go to a Cardiologist Specialist…..that appt. is on Monday – so Monday will be a big day for seeing the next step! Keeping him down is like keeping me down, a hard thing to do! I have all of his meals ready for him while I sneak away…..at least it is a comfort that he is well and safe with care he respects!

 

 

 

 

I will see you on Monday with some more inspiration….(well, I hope so at least)….and maybe some pictures from the weekend. Be safe in whatever you are up to and please remember to take some of that well needed and deserved “me time” that we all need.

If you are anything like me….you can have the tendency of beating yourself up that “me time” could be used in doing other things but the reality of it is…..we do need it and we only have once chance……go and make a difference….make someone smile…..do a random act of kindness….we all have so much to give and to be thankful for…..and I thank you for spending a bit of your time with me in popping onto my blog!

 

 

 

 

Sweet & Simple….

by | Feb 26, 2018 | Stampin' Blends, Super Easy, Uncategorized | 17 comments

 

 

Good Morning and happy new week!

 

Last “Hump Day” did not happen because of “life” (my sweet Dad has been having some health issues) and then I typed up everything for Friday to hit the publish button….and POOF it was all gone…….I was super sad and just tried to shrug it off as I was away and just had to do one of those …..deep breaths….“OH NO” and not let it get the best of me….so the moral of this story is…..I have a cutie for you today!

These hanging basket images are from the Hanging Garden Stamp Set that made it’s Stampin’ Up! debut in the Occasions Catalog! I have been itchin’ to play with it as I knew that it would be a dream to color and today I used the Stampin’ Blends. This image would also be wonderful to use the Aqua Painter with and watercolor but the ease and speed of the blends is what I reached for today!

 

 

 

 

 

I used the super affordable Whisper White Notecards & Envelopes to create this sweet card. These truly are a great bang for your buck as you get 20 precut and scored cards & envelopes for just $6.00 and don’t forget…they also come in Very Vanilla!

I like this size of a card as they are a perfect size (3 1/2″ X 5″) to write a quick note. This size also make a fabulous gift to give to someone as a gift. I do not know about you but….if someone gave me some notecards like this….I would not only be touched…I would be doing the happy dance….(BIG time!!!)

You really do not need me today for this card…but hang tight…..you are going to get me as I have some measurements and ideas for you. I want you to look at this as a “formula”…hang tight and hear me out. You already know that the notecards are super affordable…I invite you to see the impact that paper and layers do to “make” this sweet card special.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paper DOES make a difference and if you are not comfortable with using paper with layers….I encourage you to have a little chat with yourself….and do it! I know that there are many out there that cringe and say…I feel like I am wasting it. Trust me crafters….we waste MANY, MANY other things and do not think anything about it.

Remember….this is a craft, a FUN thing that we do….so why not make it special and just add layers! It truly is as simple as that as it is an extra touch that takes your card from….a great one to a WOW one.

The other key factor is the sentiment. Choosing the right sentiment also takes a card to a new level. You all know that I am goo-goo over sentiments and truth be told…I often purchase a stamp set JUST BECAUSE of the sentiment and this stamp set, Yay You is a perfect example of that!

This stamp set is a Hostess one…and it is only $10.00 plus it is a photopolymer…..a doubly whammy of goodness! I think that you can easily see the fun and unique stamps and sentiments in this set. I think that it is chocked full of uplifting and unique sentiments….something that we all need more of in this world!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things to remember if you are going to be CASEING this sweetie….use the Memento Black Ink when using the stampin’ blends! WHY??? Simple – you need to use it because it is formulated to work with an alcohol based marker like the blends. I am giddy about these markers for many reasons but by far the first one is the ease and speed of them.

As I have said many, many times….I get it – you all see the $$$$ of them and are fearful that you would make the investment for them and not know how to use them….and then this one that I hear all of the time…..I do not know how to blend?

Here you go again….YOU DO NOT NEED TO KNOW HOW TO BLEND….how about this – give yourself a break and be gentle to yourself...just have FUN and color. There is NO BLENDING here at all with this card….I just colored and I had FUN!

Another thing to remember….when you use the blends – IT WILL BLEED through the paper, that it totally normal so you will want to make sure that you have a scratch piece of paper underneath so you do not ruin your work surface!

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you use an alcohol based marker you do not get lines of streaking like you would with the Stampin’ Write Markers. Please do not get me wrong, I have them and I do use them but I would never enjoy coloring with them like I do with these.

Think about it in this way…we all have shoes – we have some shoes that are just the favorites….that when you wear them you could walk and walk…and then there are others that you really like but they just aren’t as comfy…..that’s how I feel about the blends.

For me, coloring is relaxing. Do you remember when you were little and the excitement you have when you got to dive into a NEW box of Crayons? I can still remember the WOW that I saw with all of the pretty colors lined up and I was excited but I didn’t want to mess up the pretty box.

As kids – we got over that and played with the crayons and this is how I look at an alcohol based marker.They just open up a whole new world of fun and YEP, I am happy that Stampin’ Up! has them and I do hope that the continue to come out with more colors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right now we have 12 color families. Each marker has a light and a dark. The majority of the time…I just color with the light and if there are any “sketchy” black lines that the stamp has in it….I take the dark marker and use it where the black lines are….that’s MY LEVEL OF BLENDING….

It truly is as simple as that. I have shared with you that I have made the plunge of making an investment with Copic Markers as Stampin’ Up! did not have an Alcohol Based marker until now …and trust me – I have spent a bunch of $$$$$ with them but I can also say…..I do not regret it one bit as I love them.

I have 2 complete sets of the blends as I have one in my work area and another in a grab and go bag that has stamped images in it. I often take that with me if I know that I will be waiting (like at an appt) as practicing is the best way to get comfortable!

You can get the WHOLE complete set right now for just $99 and then pick 2 stamp sets that tickle your fancy……the ultimate bundle during Sale-A-Bration.I know that you get super scared when you hear the word or think about the concept of joining Stamp Up! so how about this….just email me and I will be happy to talk to you about it.

 

 

It is nothing more that you taking advantage of a sale.

Yep – all of the Blends for $99 ships for free and you pick any 2 stamps!

 

 

Over this past weekend…I spent time with 2 amazing women that also happen to be downline but more importantly, I am proud to call them friends. We stamped….colored….cut….played and just had fun! Below my sweet little Milo went with me and let me tell you….he is amazing….staying up late with us and hearing all of the laughter!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately I have had some “trying times” over the past several weeks with my Dad and his health. He is doing better but I knew that I needed this time away and it was the best medicine a doctor could ever order. In reflection as I drove home….I felt very blessed that this wonderful little thing that I do…..called Stampin’ Up! has allowed me to meet people from all over.

In April….there are 7 of us going away for a fun getaway that you would think we are kids going to Disney. Yep, that works for me and I am super excited for our time together!

Back to reality and as I opened up my computer….I saw over 300 emails…..let’s all have a great day and please remember, just have FUN with the wonderful thing that we have in common…..making cards and making people smile.

It DOES make a difference and so do you!