Baseball Opening Day Card For Baseball Fans

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Baseball Opening Day Card for Baseball FansHooray! Today is Opening Day for Houston Astros Baseball here in Houston, Texas! Here is an opening day baseball card for baseball fans nationwide, no matter what day your Opening Day is on. Any time I think about baseball, it takes me back to so many memories, and the sounds remind me of summer time during my childhood.  The first baseball game I ever went to was with Girl Scouts and I wasn’t even that excited about going.  My mother, a baseball fan, told me it would be fun and that she loved the hotdogs at the ballpark. Maybe it’s the power of suggestion, but in my memory, the best hotdog I ever had in my life was at that ballpark at my first baseball game! That game was at the old Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis, long gone now. Later, Busch Stadium was built and that was where I attended the rest of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball games. Now there’s another new stadium in St. Louis!

My family didn’t attend many baseball games at all, we probably didn’t have the money to spend at that time, and my dad wasn’t that big of a sports fan to say the least, although he thought baseball was okay. Being a baseball fan really came from my mother’s side of the family, especially my grandpa. One time when his eyesight was failing, he said he would buy the tickets if a family friend (huge baseball fan!) would drive him and us kids to the game. We had field boxes that night so he could sit as close as possible to see! Schools often gave free baseball tickets if you got “straight A’s” and sometimes my brother or I earned those and we got to go to the game. When I was in 6th grade, I got in trouble for bringing my transistor radio to school and loaning it to a classmate to listen to a Cardinals World Series game during class. She had the earplug in with the wire underneath her sweater but we still got  caught!

After my husband and I moved to Houston, one of the first things I wanted to do was go to a ballgame at the Astrodome! Back when it was new, my family visited Houston and we went on the Astrodome tour, something I loved and still remember, and how I wished I would have bought a square of the AstroTurf in the gift shop I think for a dollar! When my husband and I went to our first game at the Astrodome, I remember even dressing up a bit because I thought going to the Astrodome was a special experience. Now, of course, the Houston Astros have a newer stadium, but I still like seeing the Astrodome, dwarfed by the big new football stadium!

So for Opening Day, I made this baseball card.  You can copy it or be inspired by it to make one to send to your favorite baseball fan! Click here to see a class valentine I designed for a boy who is a big baseball fan.  The card base is Night of Navy with a little strip from the Floral Boutique Designer Series Paper.  You wouldn’t think this paper had anything to do with baseball, but when I saw the white with blue stripes pattern, it reminded me of the pinstriped uniforms some baseball teams wear.  The “hooray” is from the Watercolor Words Stamp Set, which I love.  The baseball is die cut with the Layering Circle Framelits Dies and the faux stitching is made with a Paper Pumpkin stamp. The stars I found in my box of scraps already die cut from Gold Glimmer Paper. I added a Real Red layer on the front to help everything stand out.

The Stampin’ Up! Retirement List comes out a week from today!  The only thing we know is that the In Colors from 2015 will be retiring so if you want any of those colors or coordinating products and especially the reinkers, I suggest you grab them now while they are available because they could go fast once the list comes out!

Enjoy baseball’s opening day by making a card for a baseball fan!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online HERE!

 

 

Mini Treat Bag Birthday Pocket Card

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Mini Treat Bag Birthday Pocket Card

Two of my favorites here in this blog post:  I used the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Dies to make this treat bag turned into a birthday pocket card AND the Cool Treats Suite of products in the Occasions Catalog! I used the Tasty Treats Specialty Designer Series Paper for the Mini Treat Bag.

Watch the pattern when you run it through the Big Shot because the popsicles on the paper are going in one direction!  The first one I did I had it upside down! Since there are no mistakes in stamping, however, I will save that upside down treat bag and cut it apart and use the smaller pieces of paper on other projects! When you are working with patterned paper on any project, you do have to think about which way your design is going to go on your project and cut it or lay it out accordingly!

Although this die is named “Mini Treat Bag” you can design a card to add on the inside, which can be a greeting or hold a gift card. If you like another design, you can fold the top over and make a smaller type of little package. Click HERE to see my Altered Folded Mini Treat Bag. It was very cute, if I do say so myself!

There are lots of dies in this collection that can help embellish your Mini Treat Bag.  Use plain cardstock or designer paper, your choice.  It is easy to assemble and fun to make!

Today, tomorrow and Friday — these are the last 3 days of Sale-A-Bration so be sure to get your order in! If you are new, Sale-A-Bration has been going on since January but is Stampin’ Up!’s biggest promotion! You can order from the Occasions Catalog or the Annual Catalog or even the Clearance Rack!

With every $50 you spend on Stampin’ Up! merchandise (before shipping and tax) you get to choose a FREE product in one of the Sale-A-Bration Brochures.

Remember, we had a few new options released last week! Here are the choices!

Original Sale-A-Bration Brochure

New February Releases

Final Days New Releases

Not all items are still available, so if your online order says an item cannot be added that means the supply is exhausted,

It’s time to shop! Get whatever you want! If you get close to another $50 increment, add on some adhesive or reinkers or cardstock so you can get another FREE Sale-A-Bration product!

Have fun! Shop Stampin’ Up! HERE!

 

Cool Treats Ice Cream Sundae Card

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Cool Treats Ice Cream Sundae Card

When I first read the Occasions Catalog, the suite that stood out to me was the Cool Treats Suite! I didn’t order it right away, but I loved everything on pages 32-33. I haven’t really had time to stamp with it yet, so when I finally did, I started with inspiration from the Occasions Catalog.  I decided to mostly copy one of the cards on page 32.

Really the only stamping on the card is the greeting, the rest are all die cuts with the Frozen Treats Framelits Dies. I also did not make my card square as I believe the catalog sample is. Did you know that if you mail a card in a square envelope you have to pay a surcharge? Even if you make a square card, it is better to put it in a rectangular envelope. To stamp the greeting in the two colors, I inked it up with the lighter color, Peekaboo Peach, and then colored over on the “cherry” word with the Watermelon Wonder Stampin’ Write Marker. Always remember to “huff” or breathe on a stamp when you have delayed stamping with it to remoisten the ink.

Before I adhered the ice cream scoops and bowl onto the Whisper White layer, I sponged some Pool Party ink for the background. For the little spoon, I die cut the Silver Foil paper.  How cute! Now you can die cut the sprinkles, but oh my, they are as tiny as a strand of hair! I don’t know how you glue those down, or barely even see them without magnifying glasses!  So instead, I used the Sprinkles Embellishments! These are a combination of sequins and tiny pearls, all very small. Just put a tiny drop of glue on the ice cream and then add the Sprinkles Embellishments. Or maybe punch some tiny circles or stars!

The little ice cream dish is die cut from the Tasty Treats Specialty Designer Series Paper. Such cute designs on this paper!  Remember that usually Stampin’ Up! makes their designer paper so that one side is bold or graphic or themed, and usually the other side is something more generic that you can use for other things as well.

You probably have seen many yummy samples of cards and other projects with this Cool Treats Suite of products. I love the colors and all the cuteness! Not to mention I love ice cream!  If you like the stamp set and the dies, be sure to use the Cool Treats Bundle number to order and save 10%!

The Occasions Catalog will come to an end but not until May 31.  However, if you wish to take advantage of Sale-A-Bration, this is the last week!!  Can you believe it?! Get your $50 or more orders in by March 31 to take advantage of this fun promotion! A few Sale-A-Bration choices are no longer available.

If you love ice cream and other frozen treats, you might enjoy the Cool Treats Suite of products, especially with summer coming up!  Lots of potential for party invitations, birthday cards, neighborhood get-togethers, happy cards!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online HERE!

How to Marble Paper With Shaving Cream and Ink the Easy Way!

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Try a new technique this weekend, like how to marble paper with shaving cream and ink! There just just seems to be no end to creativity with stamps, paper and ink, or in this case with shaving cream!  I remember making some card backgrounds with this technique a long time ago and probably around Easter time. Of course you can do it for any occasion or season or holiday, just use the appropriate colors, but there is something soft and beautiful about this technique for springtime and Easter I think.

Watch Donna Griffith from the Stampin’ Up! Home Office show you this easy technique for marbling paper!

Doesn’t that look fun and easy?!  And what a fun technique to do with your kids or grandkids, not to mention Girl Scouts or Cub Scouts!  Donna used an empty stamp case, but you can also use a paper plate or other container.  Use a plastic knife or a skewer to mix the colors, but don’t overdo it unless you are going for that look.

We always say, “There are no mistakes in stamping!” but I can also add, “There are no mistakes in marbling!”  Every piece of paper you do will look different!  Have lots of pieces of paper cut and ready to go because you won’t be able to stop!  You can save the pieces you don’t need right away and use them on other projects in the future.

As you can see in the video, the marbling technique isn’t just for backgrounds, you can punch or die cut pieces and shapes to use on other projects. If you use a large area of shaving cream, you could marble a whole sheet of paper, perhaps for a scrapbook page!  Once you start playing, you will come up with other ideas, perhaps inspired by the colors and marbling you create!  If you don’t like the color combination, just wash that cream away and start over. Perhaps you want your own can of shaving cream (remember that Donna said not to use gel!) for your papercrafting so your husband doesn’t get upset if you are using his!

Shop Stampin’ Up! ink refills if you need them for your ink pads or to to try this technique!

Only 6 more days of Sale-A-Bration, so if you need paper, stamps or ink refills, be sure to order soon with a $50 order so you can get your free Sale-A-Bration product!

SHOP NOW AT STAMPIN’ UP!

Making an Easy Paper Pumpkin Kit Bunny Favor For Spring

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March 2017 Paper Pumpkin Bunny Bag

I finally opened my March 2017 Paper Pumpkin Kit from Stampin’ Up! and within minutes had made this cute bunny favor for spring. I wanted to take something to my friend who was in town when we met for dinner and I thought of this little bunny bag that would be perfect and something different than cards. All I had to do was open the Paper Pumpkin box and everything I needed was in there except a pair of scissors to snip the baker’s twine! Everything!  Well, except the chocolate candy!

March 2017 Paper Pumpkin Kit

The little cloth bags were ready to be stamped with a bunny face, and the kit even included an adhesive dot with which to stick the little pom pom for the bunny tail on the back of the bag! So cute! Ears with adhesive on the back were included to stick inside the flaps of the bag. I stamped the little tag and attached to the bag with the tiny clothespin. All so easy!  All I had to do was add some chocolate treats inside the bag and tie with a 12″ piece of the included baker’s twine. My little favor was ready to go in just a couple of minutes, if that long!

March 2017 Paper Pumpkin Bag

Even if you didn’t want to make all the bags for Easter, think how cute they would be to save for a baby gift, like a package decoration for your baby gift or for a little one’s birthday gift. They don’t have to be for Easter or even spring!  Little notecards are also included in the kit that you can put in the bag for a little gift! So many possibilities with these Paper Pumpkin Kits!

Watch the Stampin’ Up! video below to see the entire Paper Pumpkin March 2017 kit and assembly!

Join Paper Pumpkin now and get the April 2017 kit if you subscribe by April 10th. This kit is going to be extra-special because it is designed by the CEO of Stampin’ Up!, Sara Douglass, and will even include a FREE GIFT!  I can’t wait!  And at any moment, once you are a subscriber you can go into the Past Kits and purchase any that you might have missed and liked if they are available or the Refill Kits.

If you prefer, add a Paper Pumpkin subscription to your regular Stampin’ Up! order and possibly earn a free Sale-A-Bration product or maybe reach Hostess Rewards. You will receive an email with directions of how to activate your account.  Do this before April 10th to receive the April kit that Sara designed.

JOIN PAPER PUMPKIN TODAY!  YOU DESERVE IT!

Sale-A-Bration Adult Coloring Card

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Sale-A-Bration Adult Coloring Card

If you like adult coloring, as it is called these days, you will enjoy the Inside the Lines Designer Series Paper available FREE during Stampin’ Up!’s Sale-A-Bration promotion. Just spend $50 on any Stampin’ Up! merchandise HERE (which we all know is easy enough to do!) and choose a free product in one of the two Sale-A-Bration Brochures. And after you finish your adult coloring, you can make your creation into a card!

Now if you REALLY like coloring like we did as kids, you will love coloring in every image on this paper. Personally I find it a little time-consuming although I like it for a little while. A faster way it to take a sponge and ink it up with one color at a time and just sponge color on to the coloring paper.  You can do it in rows like I did on this card or do it randomly around the card, covering all the white space.

Today I have jury duty, or at least I have to report, we will see what happens, so besides magazines and my phone, I have cut pieces of the Inside the Lines DSP to take along and will color those with my Watercolor Pencils and soften with the Blender Pen. I don’t mind having a lot of sitting around time, I just hope I do not get chosen for something, but I’m afraid my luck might run out this time. I will definitely need “stress relief” while I wait so hopefully plenty of coloring will help to de-stress me! I absolutely love using the Watercolor Pencils and Blender Pen! Hopefully playing with some of my Stampin’ Up! stuff will keep me calm!

If you are interested in the Watercolor Pencils, I would order them as soon as possible because they expect inventory to run really low soon. Blender Pens are backordered but you can add them to your order anyway and they will be sent when they come in.

This card is much like this one I made another day. However, for this card, I stamped with Stazon on a piece of Vellum Cardstock which I thought would soften all the colors a bit. To adhere the vellum, I wrapped the left edge around to the back of the designer paper with adhesive and also used a Glue Dot, but then covered it with an Enamel Shape.

Sale-A-Bration does not go on forever – in fact, it will be ending March 31 so we are getting real close to the last day!  Be sure to think about an order before you run out of time!  Remember, you choose a free Sale-A-Bration item for EVERY $50 you spend!

Go Spend $50 for Sale-A-Bration! Who Doesn’t Want Free Stuff?!

 

Easy Masculine Thinking of You Notecard

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Easy Masculine Thinking of You Notecard

Stampin’ Up! has so many great products that it is difficult to keep up with all of them! One very overlooked product, I think, are the notecards and envelopes which make creating a card such as this Easy Masculine Thinking of You Notecard so simple and quick. The notecards are available in Whisper White and also in Crumb Cake. Sometimes you would even rather have a smaller card with less space because you just want to write a short and quick note and notecards are perfect for this!

Another great product in the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog is the Serene Scenery Designer Series Paper Stack. There are many different designs, a lot that are perfect for masculine cards. On this Easy Masculine Thinking of You Notecard I used a Whisper White Notecard but put a layer of Soft Suede Cardstock on top and then a woodgrain patte.rn from the Serene Scenery Paper Stack.  The greeting is from the Window Shopping Stamp Set and die cut with the Big Shot and the Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies.  Then this piece was layered on a die cut made with the Layering Ovals Framelits Dies.  For an embellishment, I wrapped a piece of the Kraft Rope (retired) around.

While we get very excited about the seasonal catalogs, such as the current Occasions Catalog, don’t forget to look in the main Stampin’ Up! Catalog because there are lots of goodies in there, too! In fact, this catalog will fairly soon be on it’s way out, so it would be a good idea to look through it and reacquaint yourself with the catalog so you know if there are any products in there that you want before the retirement list hits!

Check out the Stampin’ Up! Notecards and Envelopes, both in Whisper White and Crumb Cake, although I would suggest the Whisper White ones are a little more useful. You can simply stamp right on the notecard with an image and/or greeting and be done. You can’t get any quicker and easier than that! Yet you can also embellish to your heart’s desire if you want! It is also great to know that you have the proper size envelopes with the notecards.

Click here to see a similar masculine notecard I made with the Serene Scenery Designer Series Paper Stack. We’re always looking for ideas for masculine cards and the Serene Scenery paper will really help you out!

Remember, with a $50 purchase, you get to choose a FREE Sale-A-Bration item!  This promotion ends March 31.

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online 24/7!

A Fun St. Patrick’s Day Card Idea

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A Fun St. Patrick's Day Card Idea

If you are wearing green and celebrating St. Patrick’s Day today, here is a fun St. Patrick’s Day card idea. This is a card I had a little bit of a hard time getting it to come out like I had it in my head, but then it all came together!  I think  the stamped rainbow in the background really pulled it all together, and now I love the card!

Do you notice one of my favorite tools on the card?  It’s the Owl Builder Punch to make a St. Patrick’s Day owl!  I punched the owl out of Crumb Cake Cardstock and dressed him in a vest punched from Emerald Envy Cardstock.  I had tried various designer papers, but finally decided on plain green with a Gold Glimmer Heart. The owl’s hat is made from the Sale-A-Bration freebie, the 6″ x 6″ Glimmer Paper Assortment Pack (143831).

The pot of gold is made from Basic Black Cardstock punched with the 1 1/4″ Circle Punch, cut in half. Then I used the Owl Punch again to punch the gold coins from Gold Glimmer Paper.

The card base is Whisper White with a layer of designer paper from the Party Animal Designer Series Paper package. The smaller Whisper White center panel is 3″ x 4 1/4″. The rainbow is stamped with an image in the Work of Art Stamp Set. You can use whatever colors you like. I chose Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Emerald Envy and Pumpkin Pie inks. I did stamp off a little bit before stamping on the card.  The greeting is from Teeny Tiny Wishes. The words are die cut with the Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies and layered on piece of Emerald Envy cut with the Layering Ovals Framelits Dies.

You can use the St. Patrick’s Day Owl on a candy treat or little gift bag if you are doing something special today for someone. Or just make a pot of gold and stamp a greeting!  So many fun choices when you are a stamper!

Need some other St. Patrick’s Day ideas? Check out the votive I decorated.  Want to make some shamrocks?  See how I made them by stamping hearts HERE. And if you need a leprechaun, here’s a punch art one on a card on display at a Stampin’ Up! event. If you need more ideas, just type in what you are looking for in the Search box here on my blog down on the right side.

Remember, Sale-A-Bration comes to an end on March 31 which is starting to get closer and closer so don’t delay!  If you want this fun Glimmer Paper Pack I mentioned earlier, check out the new release SAB brochure.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by making something fun like a St. Patrick’s Day card or a treat!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Before Sale-A-Bration Ends March 31!

St. Patrick’s Day Easy Candy Treat Holder

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St. Patrick's Day Easy Candy Treat Holder

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up on Friday, March 17th, so if you are looking for a fun little treat maybe for your family, your co-workers, teachers, whomever, here is a St. Patrick’s Day Easy Candy Treat Holder. You can put a chocolate square on the inside or whatever you find that fits. Or modify the measurements to suit your treat!

This project is so easy to make and as usual, can be made and decorated for any occasion.  Cut a piece of cardstock 5 1/2″ x 2″ so that it will fit inside the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch. Score at 2 5/8″ and at 2 7/8″.  Then insert each end of the strip into the punch for the fancy top. If you don’t have this punch, you can leave it plain or snip off the corners at an angle.

For the decoration on the front, I made a pot of gold!  The pot is just a 1 3/8″ Circle Punch cut in about half. Either just cut little strips for the pot legs or use, as I did, the Classic Label Punch, cut in half or smaller. I first thought I would like the pointy ends for the legs, but I changed my mind. I also punched another strip to go across the top of the pot. If you have the retired Window Punch, that works great, too!

For the gold coins, I used the always-useful Owl Builder Punch!  If you don’t own this punch, you really need to put it on your next order. It’s so fun! I use it in so many ways. For the coins, I punched the small circles that would be eyes. They are adhered with the Liquid Multipurpose Glue.

Click here to see a similar St. Patrick’s Day design I made last year. As you can see, I used Gold Sequins.

The greeting is from another of my favorite things, the Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp Set. There aren’t many places you will find a “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” stamp but this set has it!

The ribbon is the one with gold accents, free in the Sale-A-Bration Brochure, with a $50 purchase.  You get a Combo Pack of two ribbons, one with the silver accents and one with the gold accents. It’s called the 3/8″ Metallic Ribbon Combo Pack.  The ribbon is very soft and nice.  You will like it.

Sale-A-Bration ends the last day of March and we know that will sneak up fast!

Be prepared for all special occasions by knowing how to make this St. Patrick’s Day Easy Candy Treat Holder! 

 Shop Stampin’ Up! Online HERE!

Quick and Easy Easter Bunny Card

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Quick and Easy Easter Bunny Card

Here is a quick and easy Easter Bunny card that is fun to stamp and make! The stamp set, Basket Bunch, has so many possibilities and it’s not just for Easter! This bunny is so cute, he can be used for Easter, spring or baby cards and many other occasions.

For this card, I simply stamped the bunny randomly on the Whisper White card layer in Soft Suede ink. To color in the bunny ears and bow, I used the Pink PIrouette marker. That’s all I colored at first, but then I decided to add some brown to the one bunny to let him stand out from the others. I colored very lightly with the Early Espresso Watercolor Pencil and then blended the color with a Blender Pen. So fun to color with the Watercolor Pencils!  I also thought about coloring the ears and bows on all the bunnies on the card. There’s no one perfectly right way to design this card. Just do what you like. The card base is Soft Suede cardstock.

The greeting is one that is included in the stamp set.  I stamped it in Soft Suede ink and die cut with one of the ovals in the Layering Ovals Framelits Dies and also die cut a pink glimmer layer with one of the scalloped ovals in the same set. The glimmer paper is one of the Sale-A-Bration choices when you spend $50 on a Stampin’ Up! purchase.

If you are interested in the Watercolor Pencils, order them soon before the supply runs out!

The Basket Bunch Photopolymer Stamp Set is in the Occasions Catalog and also has coordinating Basket Builder Framelits Dies.  If you purchase the stamp set and dies together in the Basket Bunch Bundle, you will save 10% and have everything you need for this fun stamp set!

I hope you remembered to change your clocks for Daylight Savings Time! Just “spring” forward, this is when we lose an hour of sleep! But I think I’m looking forward to more daylight in the evening after dinner to go for a walk!

Try your hand at making a card like this Quick and Easy Easter Bunny Card with whatever stamps you have, just stamp randomly on the cardstock and see what you come up with! It’s so much fun to just stamp this way!

If you need any stamping supplies and want to take advantage of Sale-A-Bration before it ends March 31, just check out the Stampin’ Up! Online Store HERE!

How To Make An Easy All-Occasion DIY Gift Bag

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DIY Gift Bag

Save yourself a trip to the store and learn how to make an easy all-occasion DIY gift bag out of designer paper! You can make a gift bag using the Stampin’ Up! Gift Bag Punch Board or you can make one by just scoring paper to determine the size you want. I use my Paper Trimmer as I cut the paper to score with the Scoring Blade, (one comes with the Paper Trimmer)  but you could also use the Simply Scored Board.

Decide what paper or cardstock you want to use.  I used the beautiful Falling In Love Designer Series Paper. While I could have used either side of paper, I had planned to use this soft bokeh-look pattern and that is what I cut.  But when I turned the paper over, I saw that the pattern on the other side was a butterfly print. Had I wanted to use that side and didn’t give it any thought, as you can see in the photo below, I would have the pattern going wrong, so be sure you check which way you want your pattern to go and make sure you cut the paper in the correct direction.

Designer Paper Pattern Wrong Direction

For this particular gift bag, I cut the paper at 6″ x 11 3/8″. I placed the paper “long-ways” (portrait) in my Paper Trimmer and scored at 1 3/8″ for the bottom flaps. Then I turned the paper “sideways” (landscape) and scored at 2 1/8″, 5 1/4″ 7 3/8″, and 10 7/16″. You can’t really see all the score lines in the photo below and the photo is not blurry!  That’s the design on the paper!

Designer Paper Scored for Bag

As you can see, I cut out that tiny little piece on one end that you will see after you score your paper. And just to make the flap easier to fold without the top and bottom edges showing, I trimmed off the edges of the flap. This flap is where you will put adhesive to start assembling your box. As for the bottom of the paper with the 1 3/8″ scored area, just snip each score line up to the 1 3/8″ scored line to form the flaps.  Assemble your gift bag and decorate!

To decorate my gift bag, I die cut a butterfly with the Big Shot and the Butterflies Thinlits Dies, the largest butterfly, out of a Gold Foil Sheet. (My daughter used to call butterflies “foof-flies”.) How beautiful is this large gold foil butterfly? And to make it even more elegant, I added some Pearl Basic Jewels to the body. After I punched a hole in the top of the bag I tied on a Whisper White 5/8″ Organza Ribbon (my all-time favorite ribbon!) using the ribbon with the gold accents in the Sale-A-Bration 3/8″ Metallic Ribbon Combo Pack (143601). You can also add a greeting or tag if you want for whatever occasion you need.

Check out another card I made when the Butterflies Thinlits Dies first came out. These butterflies are made with the smaller medium size butterfly die, cut out of designer paper.

Remember, Sale-A-Bration comes to an end on March 31 so don’t let time fly by and miss it! Remember, there are three new releases since February 21 so you have two brochures to view at that link above.  One thing that is no longer available is the gold-striped Card Tin. Everything is available only while supplies last so don’t wait too long!

Make some easy all-occasion DIY gift bags to keep on hand for any last-minute gifts!

Shop Stampin’ Up! Online HERE!

How To Make a Hexagonal Decorated Birthday Gift Box

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Hexagonal Decorated Birthday Gift Box

This Hexagonal Decorated Birthday Gift Box is fairly easy to make and turns out really cute! I strongly suggest you watch the Stampin’ Up! video below on how to make the box, even if you have watched it before because you might need a review like I did!

To make this hexagonal gift box, use the Big Shot and Window Box Thinlits Dies by Stampin’ Up! This set of dies is amazing! Besides the basic hexagonal box shape, it has pieces to decorate the to and sides of the box with decorative little cutouts! There are also other little pieces, one makes a tag and one makes those flag ends on a strip of paper.

On this box, even though it has those decorative dies to use, I opted to just make the basic box and then decorate it with designer paper and balloons for a birthday! You can make these boxes for ANY occasion or holiday! I’ve even seen them online where it is like they are stacked to make a taller box.  I’ll have to learn about that and try it! After I made the Hexagonal Window Box, I die cut  a piece of the polka dot paper in the Party Animal Designer Series Paper package with just, the lid portion of the basic box die. Then I cut along the score lines or slightly inside, so that it would fit on the top lid of the box. Around the side of the box, I cut a strip of the candles pattern paper to go around. Luckily a 12″ strip does fit and even overlaps a little on the back. For the candle pattern, I cut it so that the candles themselves would be fully pictured, which meant I first cut off a strip on the edge that just had partial images of the candles. My strip is 1 3/4″ wide, but you can make yours narrower if you like depending on the pattern or look you want. Another choice would be to stamp on the box before you assemble it. After I had the paper around the side, I tied on some 1/8″ Taffeta Ribbon in Emerald Envy. For the top of the box, I stamped and punched three balloons with the Balloon Adventures Stamp Set and the Balloon Bouquet Punch. I attached some Whisper White Thick Baker’s Twine to the balloons and tied on a bow.  If I hadn’t tied the bow, I might have put a “Happy Birthday Banner” instead. This Hexagonal Decorated Birthday Gift Box is a cute box and can be made in any colors for any occasion. It’s big enough for a small gift or some candies or treats.

Hexagonal Birthday Gift Box

To make the window box (with or without windows!), die cut two of the basic box pieces. If you want the decorative inserts you can cut them now or cut them before you assemble the box.

Window Box Pieces

One thing to remember is to cut off the end tabs of the straight strip portion on ONE piece. That is because when you go to assemble the box, you won’t need two tabs matching up, just one. Use a strong glue like the Multipurpose Liquid Glue or the Tear & Tape Adhesive.

Window Box Assembly

Fold the scored lines for the tabs.  I think it is easiest to glue the beginning part with the box laying flat. Just make sure everything is straight.

Enjoy the Stampin’ Up! video to learn about and how to use these Window Box Thinlits Dies!

Now are you ready to make these beautiful boxes for gifts or even just decorations or party favors? Order yours today at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store HERE.  Get the Bundle with the Window Shopping Stamp Set  so you have everything you want and save 10% over buying them separately. The cost of the Bundle will earn you a FREE Sale-A-Bration product as well!

Order HERE at Stampin’ Up! Online During Sale-A-Bration!

Placing Glimmer Paper Under Die Cuts on a Card

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Using Glimmer Paper Under Die Cuts

This blog post will be about placing glimmer paper under die cuts on a card so that you can use the beautiful new 6″ x 6″ Glimmer Paper Assortment Pack (143831) that you can earn FREE during Sale-A-Bration. You’ll find this Glimmer Paper Pack in the extra Sale-A-Bration Brochure that came out February 21 to give you a few more choices during Sale-A-Bration,  which ends March 31.

I love the beautiful Special Reason Stamp Set and especially the Stylish Stems Framelits Dies. If you buy both in a Special Reason Bundle you can save 10% and you will be all set to go! It seems that Stampin’ Up! never wants us to be without flower choices!  These dies are particularly unique in the way they can cut out the flowers so that makes them even more interesting.

This card isn’t what I started out making, and I have to say, I don’t like my card! But since it is really about how I made the card rather than if I loved it and since I’m a bit under the weather today, I don’t really care that this isn’t one of my favorite designs!

I was going to just die cut a big flower and two smaller ones and place the new Glimmer Paper underneath. But then I realized that what I was thinking of was having the top card layer popped up with Stampin’ Dimensionals, so placing the Glimmer Paper underneath was going to be just a wee bit trickier. I couldn’t just place the glimmer paper underneath the die cuts directly, seeing what I was doing. I was going to have to adhere the glimmer paper to the card base and have it lined up perfectly with the die cut images on the layer I was going to place over it.

Glimmer Paper Placement Under Die Cuts

There was just a bit more playing around to make sure the color was under the entire area of the die cut flower without sticking out underneath the sides of the top layer or running into an adjacent flower. Once I thought I had it placed perfectly, I put a few pencil marks where the glimmer paper would go and glued down with my Multipurpose Liquid Glue.

Next I added the Stampin’ Dimensionals, with a few in the center of the card for support.

Using Glimmer Paper Under a Layer

Finally I stuck on the top layer on which, of course, I had already die cut the flowers with the Stylish Stems Framelits Dies.

Now after I did that, I realized I should have already stamped a greeting on the card front! I did finally take a chance and stamped a happy birthday greeting from the stamp set but it doesn’t look that eye-catching on the card. But for today, “oh well”!

The card still looked like it lacked something so I die cut some glimmer paper leaves!  They are pretty but I’m not sure they worked that well on this card.  Maybe they did on the big flower, but then the little flowers didn’t have anything!  So I took a chance and stamped some leaves with Mint Macaron ink around the little flowers. That didn’t look great so I added Clear Wink of Stella to the leaves. That didn’t do much, so I added the Gold Wink of Stella to the leaves! Finally I stamped the leaf veins and then I liked it a little better!

Maybe you like the card after all!  In some moments I do, but I think I could do better. Sometimes you have to know when to STOP when you are designing something! My friend and I used to always say that back in the day when we were painting tee shirts and wine glasses and plates! Maybe I will give this card another shot later, but now you know one way to use the Glimmer Paper, one of the new releases for Stampin’ Up! Sale-A-Bration, with die cuts!

Take Advantage of Stampin’ Up! Sale-A-Bration Before March 31 and Get Something FREE!

Easy Stamped Flower Card with Special Reason Stamps

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Easy Stamped Flower Card with Special Reason Stamps

Here is an easy stamped flower card with the Special Reason Stamp Set. I wanted this to be a quick and easy card and it was.  For the card base I just used the Whisper White Thick Cardstock and I have no layers except for the greeting. To stamp the flowers and leaves, I used the 2016-2018 In Colors, all of them except Dapper Denim.  The greeting is one that is in the stamp set, Special Reason, as well as the shape that it is stamped on. I forgot that the matching Stylish Stems Framelits Dies have a shape to cut out both the greeting shape and the layer underneath, so I actually just hand cut them with my Paper Snips! Not too hard at all if you don’t have the framelits!  The ribbon is one of the Sale-A-Bration FREE choices with a $50 purchase of Stampin’ Up! merchandise. It’s called the 3/8″ Metallic Ribbon Combo Pack (143601) and is on page 11 of the Sale-A-Bration Brochure. One ribbon is white with silver accents and the other is vanilla ribbon with shiny gold accents woven through. It’s very soft and easy to tie and very pretty! I’ve ordered it twice!

I find that stamping a LOT on a card or scrapbook page is therapeutic. It just feels good having that stamp and block in my hand and fun to stamp randomly and see what turns out. If you need to get some stress-relief, just get out a clean piece of cardstock, choose a stamp and some ink and just stamp all over! And after what happened in our neighborhood on Tuesday, some stress-relief was in order! As I sat down to eat lunch and checked my phone, I also checked our neighborhood website for new posts.  Wow!  There was  a warning for my street and some others nearby to stay inside, there were burglary suspects on the loose!! In about another hour, someone posted that they heard gunshots. Very unfortunately, a neighbor down the street who is a policeman, answered the call even though it wasn’t for him, and he and another policeman went into a backyard to check out a shed where the door was open. At least one suspect was in there and shot both officers, although the gang member criminal was shot and killed by a third officer. Luckily the other officer was hit “only” in the leg and foot but our neighbor was critically injured. At that point, even more police, helicopters, ambulances and news media flooded into our neighborhood and we were “sheltered -in-place” all day while they searched for the suspect who got away.  Our neighborhood is not like this at all but for some reason this all happened the other day. I guess we never know what can happen from minute to minute. I plan to stamp some notecards that the officer’s wife down the street can use later on if she has people to thank and I’m sure she will. At least it is reassuring to know that the whole police community will be by their family’s side through this.

So on a lighter note, consider this pretty Special Reason Stamp Set and the Stylish Stems Framelits Dies, which you can purchase in a bundle and save 10%. The stamps have just a little texture on them, so don’t think they didn’t stamp well if you see some lighter areas. You will be able to make lots of beautiful cards and projects with this stamp set and dies.

Sometimes you just need to do some stamping, and by that I mean really pounding that ink pad and stamp to paper!  Try it!  It feels good! And when you do some random stamping, you can make an easy stamped flower card like this one with the Special Reason Stamp Set!

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A Great Card to Say Happy Mardi Gras!

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Mardi Gras CardHere is a great card to say “Happy Mardi Gras” today!  Today, February 28th is Mardi Gras, also know as “Fat Tuesday”, the day of feasting and eating fatty, rich food before the fasting of the Lenten season begins tomorrow on Ash Wednesday. There are all kinds of parties and parades, great food, and beads, mainly in New Orleans, Lousiana, but not limited to New Orleans.  Mardi Gras celebrations take place in many places along the Gulf Coast. These parties, parades and celebrations in New Orleans have been going on for a couple weeks, but today is the culmination. Mardi Gras is actually a legal holiday in Louisiana!

The colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold. To make this great card to say “Happy Mardi Gras” to someone special, I used those three colors. The card base is Emerald Envy with a layer of paper from the Party Animal Designer Series Paper. I liked the confetti look of the paper to go with this Mardi Gras card. I die cut an oval with the Layering Ovals Framelits Dies, the largest oval, to provide a backdrop for the balloons again the print paper. The balloons are punched with the Balloon Bouquet Punch out of Gold Glimmer Paper, Rich Razzleberry and Crushed Curry. Some are stamped with the balloon images from the Balloon Adventures Photopolymer Stamp Set as well as the greeting.

This was really an easy card to make once I had the idea!  And guess what?  It doesn’t have to just be a Mardi Gras card! I think it will be perfectly fine to mail to someone for their birthday! I happened to have some Mardi Gras beads from years ago when the man my husband worked for would have a Mardi Gras party every year since he was from Louisiana. It was always a fun party with delicious food!  And beads!!  I think Louisiana food is the best and I think he had a chef from Louisiana come prepare the food.

Whether or not you are celebrating Fat Tuesday today, or Mardi Gras, I hope you enjoy this card saying “Happy Mardi Gras” to you!

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