When the packaging’s just gotta coordinate with the contents

Packaging collage

I had occasion recently to wrap a baby gift. Now, this wasn't just some random baby gift, but rather, in celebration of the upcoming arrival of my 2nd granddaughter. So if there's ever a reason to spend a little extra time wrapping something, I figure that that would qualify. I'd picked out this adorable little 3-piece set – 2 onsies and a coordinating pair of pants/leggings. Yes, I know the pant legs will be too long; manufacturers have had DECADES to figure out babies' legs aren't proportioned to the rest of their bodies yet, but for some reason they refuse to adjust accordingly. But I digress. I had this cute little clothing ensemble and it needed to be wrapped. Appropriately.

So the first thing I reached for was cardstock in colors close to those of the clothes. Minus purple, of course; I already knew that wasn't
gonna happen. But I was Botanical-Builder-Box-close-up-800-wmsurprised to see how tough it was to match the other colors, too! Especially a yellow-green. Came up empty-handed there, too. But eventually I ended up pulling out some scraps of retired In Colors: Strawberry Slush, Pistachio Pudding and Coastal Cabana…… and then added Bermuda Bay, Pink Pirouette, Wisteria Wonder and So Saffron to round out my options. 

To determine the size of the box I folded (and refolded) the 3 items until I
could stack them up into a size I could create a box for (using only 8-1/2" x 11" cardstock, 'cuz that's what I had available). Luckily, I determined I could do that with a box 5-1/2" x 7-1/2"….. and 1-1/2" deep. YAY!  So I just trimmed a half-inch off the bottom of a full sheet each of Wisteria Wonder (for the box bottom), and Pink Pirouette for the box top. (Leaving me with 8-1/2" x 10-1/2".) Scored 1-1/2" borders all the way around for the bottom, and just the teeniest smidge narrower for the top.  (This technique leaves the box top just that itsy-bitsy bit larger so it'll fit over the bottom.) 

Botanical-Builder-Box-800-wmAfter assembling the box I determined that that much surface looked just a little bit  "flat", so I added a layer using the Brick Wall embossing folder. Figured that made a decent base to work with, and the fun was about to begin.

Now, I have to confess that I love flowers (DUH! Those of you who know me aren't surprised, are ya?), and after 20 years of working with flowers in the paper and ink world I've figured out it's not likely I'll ever tire of them. And whenever I can combine flowers with DIMENSION, so much the better. So it's really no wonder the Botanical Builder Framelits have become my "go to" faves these days. 

So this is the result. I shaped the flower petals and leaves with a bone folder and also wrapped some elements loosely around a white gel pen. (Ugh! Just realize that's been retired. YIKES! How'd I miss that?!?) All the flowers are glued to a belly band that simply slides off to open the box. I love belly bands on boxes for this purpose; you can get as elaborate as you want with the decoration, and yet nothing has to be untied or otherwise destroyed when it's time to access the box's contents.  A perfect packaging solution in my book!

Buy NOW, get a coupon for NEXT month!

Now here's something ELSE really cool! Right now (and through the remainder of July, actually), for every $50 of product you order through me (at one time, that is), you'll get an emailed coupon worth $5 towards product(s) you order NEXT month. (Specifically Aug. 2 – Aug. 31 .) And there are no limits as to how many $5 coupons you can accrue; you'll get one for every $50. So for instance, if you like the Botanical Builder Framelits AND the coordinating Botanical Blooms Stamp Set I've used on this project, well, guess what?! ? Conveniently, they both add up to $50, and BOOM! you've earned a coupon to spend next month! Or choose $150 in product (ordered at one time) and get not only THREE $5 coupons for next month ($15 value, that is), but also $15 in Stampin' Rewards THIS month, too! Get the idea?!?

Here are the products I used on this project; items that are currently available (at time of this writing) will link to my online store:

 

Strawberry Slush 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Strawberry Slush 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock
[131295]
$6.95
Pistachio Pudding 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Pistachio Pudding 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock
[131294]
$6.95
Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock
[131297]
$6.95
White Signo Uni-Ball Gel Pen

White Signo Uni-Ball Gel Pen
[105021]
$4.00

 

 

Thinlits & Framelits Dies Storage

Framelits-dies - storage-magnetSo I've spent much of the past week and a half or so digging in my storage rooms, discovering, purging and organizing things I haven't seen since I moved out of my house just about 3 years ago. Some of what I've run across has caused me to raise an eyebrow, and some has been cause for celebration. One example of the latter category was running across a generous supply of now-retired Stampin' Up! magnetic sheets. In fact that discovery was SO exciting I think I literally exclaimed aloud! You see, I've been out of magnetic sheets recently, and consequently have been struggling with storing my new "Delicate Ornament Thinlits Dies". Seemed I only had a choice of leaving them stuck (and I do mean STUCK) to the sheet they arrived on, risking bending them out of shape every time I peeled them off, or dumping them loose into their plastic jacket. And neither option was making me very happy.

So it was particularly exciting to run across this generous stash of magnet sheets, even though retired. And now that I've Framelits-dies-storage---magnet2tamed my "Delicate Ornaments" dilemma, here's my simple tip:

  • Cut a piece of magnet sheet (5-1/8" x 6" works for this set), and (because it's peel-and-stick) adhere it to a piece of cardstock or DSP backing board exactly the same size. (Get your dimensions by measuring your storage envelope and choosing measurements slightly smaller.)
  • Arrange the dies, flat-side-down, so they fit on the magnet sheet.
  • Insert into the storage envelope.
  • Stop being frustrated!

That's all there is to it! Sometimes, it's just the little things that make me big-time happy!

 

Garden in Bloom meets Fun Frames

Get the Look - Garden in Bloom meets Fun Frame

One of today's trendy looks is creating a focal point from a grouping of individual elements. Often, the sentiment is included as one of those grouped elements, and there may also be subtle texture or other visual interest in the background. This card features all of those.

Those who've been following me for a while know that some of my favorite techniques involve applying ink in non-traditional ways. This card features two such examples.

The diagonal lines of the background represent the first such technique. To get that look, I inked a stamping sponge (just by pouncing it on the Blushing Bride pad), and then dabbed it onto the center portion of the Brushstrokes stamp. I was careful to avoid extending the ink as far as any of the edges of the stamp, as that would give a harsh edge when stamped. Rather, what I was looking for here was a softer, more cloudy look, where the inked image just kind of fades in and out. Once the ink was applied, I stamped the background at that jaunty angle for yet more visual interest.

Another favorite way I like to use ink a little "out of the box" is when I want a piece of colored cardstock that's more subtle than the intense colors of our regular cardstocks. In this case I wanted a Blushing Bride flower, but a much softer shade of it than the Fun Frame it would be backed with. So I just burnished Blushing Bride ink onto a scrap piece of Whisper White cardstock with a stamping sponge before stamping the flower image onto it. (My version of "burnish" is to rub ink down into the cardstock in a circular motion. I actually do try to rub the ink right into the cardstock, so I start with a light hand and then get firmer and firmer as I rub in circles. Every time I reload the sponge from the ink pad I am careful to tap my sponge off once or twice onto my scratch paper so I don't accidentally get a "blob" of ink when I first touch the paper I'm working on. You can always add more ink, but can't take it away if you get a "blob", ya know.) So once I decided I had the color intensity I wanted for this, I just stamped the flower image (from Garden in Bloom) right onto my newly-colored paper and then fussy-cut it with Paper Snips.

The leaves are stamped in the more usual 2-step method this stamp set was designed for….. and then also fussy-cut.

When I first introduced this card at card class last month several of the ladies groaned at the assumption they'd have to cut out the center section of the embossed Fun Frame. But no worries there; it's just it's own layer of Whisper White cardstock (1-1/4" x 1-15/16") – stamped and applied on top of the frame! Easy-peasy!

Even though none of these elements is popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals I still wanted to retain a suggestion of depth anyway. So I only applied adhesive to the center areas of the frame, doily and flower, leaving their outer edges free.

Oh! And a tip for applying the sequins: place a tiny dot of Fine-tip Glue where you want the sequin to be, then lay the sequin right over it. Remember – that's a "TINY!" dot, in order to avoid a glue smear!

Don't you think this same general layout would be fun to work up into a Christmas card? I'd love to see your examples if you do that!

 

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Guest Artist – Watermelon Mini Treat Bag

P8060056Kevin Boyer has earned a reputation as an excellent stamping party and class host, and I suspect one of the ways in which she encourages awesome attendance is the darling handmade favors she prepares for everyone! Last month I had the privilege of gathering with Kevin and her friends again for a card-making class while I was visiting back on Whidbey Island.

For that event Kevin had picked a watermelon theme for her favors – using the new In Color "Watermelon Wonder", as well as various watermelon-flavored candies and gum. The main bag is cut with the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Die, ribbon is 1" Dotted Lace Trim, and the darling seeds are actually punched hearts cut in half! (The heart punch, white ribbon, tag punches and "Yum Yum" stamp are retired, but sure still work well here…. and I think the green and lighter pink are also retired cardstock colors, as well. Guessing at Strawberry Slush and…..??????)

Thanks for yet another awesome party and take-home favor, Kevin!

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Small Heart Punch

Small Heart Punch
[117193]

Monochromatic Welcome Cards

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Today I've been working on welcome cards for some new team members. Since Tempting Turquoise is our Paper Dreamers' team color, my welcome cards always feature that color – usually in a monochromatic theme.

For today's cards I started by spritzing a rubbing alcohol & ink-refill combo onto a section of the card…. deliberately leaving the upper left corner white to give the overall look some intentional "white space". That dried pretty quickly, and then I added the more distinct spatters with Gorgeous Grunge. The 2-step butterflies (from Garden in Bloom) were stamped onto another piece of Whisper White cardstock and then fussy-cut to maintain their true white backgrounds. Faux stitching anchors the end of the banners and self-adhesive pearls finish off the butterflies.

Here's how I got the "Welcome" letters aligned.

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What a difference an “H” makes

Picture this:  It's the night before last week's card classes, which happen to be the day before my big Crafter's Garage Sale. Of COURSE there aren't enough hours left to get everything done that I need to (or should I say, "want to") do for both events, but I'm perking along finishing up the design for my final card, and then will only have to cut and package the supplies for it. A quick glace at my watch encourages me – thinking I'll probably even have time for a decent period of sleep if I can keep up the pace.

And then it happens. That pesky set of 3/4" dies that I adore and hate at the same time…. does it again. One of the "Little Letters Dies" hits the floor in my workroom/laundry room. And promptly disappears. And it isn't the obscure letter "X" or "Q". Ohhhh no…….

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It has to be the "H", wouldn't you know. The very letter that plays such a  crucial role in "Hello", and "Hi", and "tHanks", and "WitH Love", and "WitH SympatHy" – and "Happy BirtHday", which was what I was spelling at the time. Come to think of it, "H" just might even be the die I use the very most from that entire set!

Well, after 2 hours of crawling around on the floor in the middle of the night with an LED miner's light strapped to my head, I was no closer to finding that runaway "H" than at the moment I heard it go "tink". So sadly, I had to acknowledge it was time for Plan B: scrap the really cute card design that was nearly finished – and start over from scratch. Which I did ultimately do, but obviously at the expense of several hours' sleep that night.

But I'm happy to report that "H" is now back where it belongs with the rest of its "Little Letters" family.  Yesterday I emptied and pulled out 2 big cabinets (including the one that houses all my cardstock and paper) so I could crawl into the corner to access the side of the washing machine I'd been unable to reach that night. And with the assistance of this very classy, high-tech tool………….

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…….. I located and snagged that wayward puppy in a snap! I'm thinking seriously of not taking my new die-snagger tool apart, though. This is already the 2nd time I've dropped a pesky little die in that room only to have it result in a multi-hour search, and somehow I suspect it may not be the last. And perhaps it might just be easier to be prepared next time……

And speaking of being prepared, I'll share again how handy it is to use magnets with these dies. Not only do I use the magnet platform in my Big Shot, but I store the entire set of "Little Letters" on a piece of 5" x 6" black magnet, and it was 2 strips of magnets that I'd glued to the wooden stick (one on either side of it) that allowed me to rescue this little 3/4" escapee from under the washer. If you don't have any left-over magnet material from when we carried it in the Stampin' Up! line a while back, you can find a couple of sheets in a package in most any kind of craft or home-improvement store. (I get mine at W**mart nowadays.)

Anyway, now that my cabinets and drawers are again replaced and refilled (and cleaned, btw), I think I'll wait another couple of days before I get brave enough to handle one of these tiny little dies again. But I WILL use them again; they're just TOO sweet and adorable NOT to!

Dad’s Day

So the other day I found myself staring at my never-used, still-shrink-wrapped (although already retired) Adventure Bound Designer Series Paper Stack. Considering it was one of the very first things I'd ordered from the 2015 Occasions Catalog, and I still love its images so much, why in the world had I not even opened it?!?

Well, the answer to that is a bit complicated, but suffice it to say that when my gaze landed on it the other day, I happened to be in the "gotta make a Father's Day card" mode. And I knew this paper would be perfect. So if you promise to keep this just between you and me (and since I'm pretty sure Dad never looks at my blog, lol), I'll share my results. 

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I knew I wanted something a little more creative than just a piece of pretty paper stuck on the front, so I started with one of my "go to" tips for creating "guy" cards: "Stick to neutrals", and then built from there. I already knew I was headed for a tri-fold of some kind. For this color palette: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Smokey Slate and Whisper White. I spelled out "Dad" with one of my most-reached-for die sets – "Little Letters Thinlits".

The double-layer banner is from the brand-new "Triple Banner" punch. BTW, did you know you don't HAVE to stick to only the 3 widths of paper they mention in the catalog for that punch?!? You can probably see that I didn't.

I did some faux stitching across the top of the banner using the piercing tool, Updated Essentials pack & a black marker. (I actually had the Project Life markers at my fingertips, so I used the smaller of the pair, but I'm sure the Basic Black Stampin' Write marker would have worked fine, too.) Used the marker not only on the outside, but the inside, too – so the stitching actually does look reasonably realistic.

P6170244---web---copyright P6170243---web---copyright

 

 

 

 

 

Both the big  "Happy" and "Father's Day" are from the "Crazy About You" bundle. I truly believe that the stamp set "Crazy about You" belongs in every stamper's collection, and you might as well toss in the dies and get a discount, too.  I've certainly ended up using mine more than I thought I would. Tip: Adhere the die-cut word with 2-way glue pen, but work quickly so it doesn't dry on ya.  "Father's Day" is stamped and embossed in Whisper White.

And the little punched heart for subtle embellishment? Our retired "small heart" punch. While I love the newer sweet-heart shape, there are just certain times you need a small basic heart shape. So that's ONE punch that won't be showing up at my Crafter's Garage Sale on Friday!

Cutting dimensions are:

  • Adventure Bound DSP (front): 5-1/2" x 4-1/4"
  • Adventure Bound DSP (inside): 4-1/2" x 3-1/4"
  • Basic Gray card base: 11" x 4-1/4"…. scored & folded at 5-1/2"
  • Smokey Slate right-hand panel: 5-1/2" x 3-1/2"…. scored & folded 3/4" from one end.
  • Basic Black liner: 5" x 3-3/4"
  • Scrap of Whisper White large enough for the die: approx 4-1/2" x 2-1/2"

Now remember, this is still just our private secret until Father's Day, right? Shhhhh…….

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Small Heart Punch

Small Heart Punch
[117193]

 

 

 

 

A big ol’ pile of notecards

Just finished making a big pile of these notecards, and I simply can't get enough of this Butterfly Basics! I am going to be SOOOOO sad if that stamp set doesn't make it into the upcoming catalog! Thankfully, we demonstrators will get to see the new catalog early tomorrow morning, so I don't have too many more hours to speculate and worry, lol.

Butterfly-Basics-notecard----web

As I was selecting colors for this design I knew I would use a green, of course, and I wanted 2 other bright colors as well. So I started by pulling out Mossy Meadow for my green, and then grabbed that super-yummy Blackberry Bliss as long as I was in the 2014-2016 In Colors section anyway. Daffodil Delight, which was already on my work table, seemed handy for the remaining 3rd color.

When I work with 3 different colors I usually think in terms of "large", "medium" and "small" volumes of the colors. So I decided for this card my "large" volume would be  Mossy Meadow, "medium" would be Daffodil Delight, and the splash of "small" would be done in Blackberry Bliss.

I started by playing around a bit with 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation stamping for the fern images….. working to get the angles (and rhythm) arranged in a way that would be quick and effective for the couple dozen I was just about to crank out. So that part went down first – on the entire pile of notecards. (Actually, when I'm cranking out a big bunch of cards just alike, I prefer to work assembly-line style, doing the same step on each card. That gets me in a rhythm and eliminates putting tools down and picking them back up again. Because every time you open or close an ink pad, or pick up or put down a stamp, time is ticking by.)

P4290196---webNext came that whimsical and unexpected stripe of Blackberry Bliss parallel to the bottom edge, and then a grouping of 3 images to help balance the weight of the dark ferns. The first part of that grouping, the word "HI", is from Sophisticated Serifs, another Occasions Catalog stamp set I surely hope also transitions into the upcoming catalog because I've found a lot of uses for THAT, too!

To get the letters even with one other I started by laying them down on the grid surface of my paper trimmer, the same way I demonstrated here. Once they seemed properly aligned, I just set my acrylic block straight down on top of them (with its lower edge also aligned with the grid) to pick them up as a unit. Of course I tested them on my grid paper before proceeding, and ended up adjusting the "I" slightly before calling it perfect. But from there on I was able to stamp the two letters together as one image. For placement, I just eye-balled it and aimed for about 1/3 of the way up, and 1/3 of the way in from the left. (Rule of thirds.) Figured that was generally close enough to be acceptable.

The remaining two images of the grouping of 3 also came from Butterfly Basics, with the butterfly being stamped onto scrap Whisper White cardstock and punched out with the Bitty Butterfly punch. A few random thumps of Daffodil Delight applied with that fascinating background stamp from the same set pulled the images together, and a couple of rhinestones on the butterfly finished it all off.

NOW to get these addressed and into the mail!

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Another use for your Stampin’ Up!® Paper Trimmer!

Aligning letter stamps

As part of my protracted rebranding process I've been needing to redesign the "welcome" cards I send to new team members, and I recently sat down to do that. The previous cards I'd been sending had been created and printed through our MDS software and printing services, and they featured our team's previous branding colors. This time around I wanted something I could stamp myself, yet keep most of the design contemporary with current stamps. And of course I wanted to use the word "Welcome" in it.

Weeelllll, a thorough study of my collection of current stamps turned up only the "Welcome, Baby" from Petite Pairs. I cogitated on that for a while, knowing I could mask out the extra word, but then decided the whole thing was just too tiny for my vision anyway. Eventually I settled on the photopolymer alphabet set "Back to Basics Alphabet". I really like the simple style of that set, and I've used it several times, but I rather *dislike* the process of lining up all the letters!

The way I've aligned letters in the past has been to place them flat-surface-up onto my grid paper and then once aligned, plop the acrylic block over the entire word or phrase. That gets them "pretty close", and usually only a little touch-up to alignment is required afterwards.

But what makes me crazy about the process is that the "very sticky" photopolymer pieces stick to *everything* in the process: my skin, my nails, any tools I might try to use to nudge a letter this way or that just the teensiest bit. To say the process takes patience is an understatement. Ask anyone who attended last month's card classes where we were using our own initials for one of the designs…. and THAT required only THREE letters, lol!

So after beginning the same process with these much smaller letters, a rare flash of brilliance (and believe me, such moments occur VERY rarely in my case, lol), made me grab my Stampin' Trimmer, and I tried the same process on ITS grid line! And the results were AMAZING…… because the stamps actually STICK to the grid and don't get knocked all kattywampus if you happen to breathe!  So I got 'em all lined up in a flash, and then pressed the acrylic block down and Voila!…… aligned letters all ready to use!

Click on the image up above for a full resolution view.

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