Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Handsomely Suited For Dad

 Happy Tuesday! I hope you are having a good week so far. Here we are well into our third lockdown of the pandemic and I have to admit, it is getting OLD. I'm starting to wonder if we'll ever be able to gather to stamp again.

As I plan for the launch of the new catalogue, I am once again looking at virtual ways to connect and create together. If you are in Canada, I would invite you to check out my Virtual Catalogue Launch and Bingo event...it will be TONS of fun. You can read all about the details on my Upcoming Events tab in the right sidebar.

I am also launching a new Cross-border Crafters online class featuring, coincidentally enough, the Handsomely Suited Bundle...


Again, you can read all about the details on my Events page.

Now for today's project. I needed a Father's Day card for my son to give his dad that included a gift card holder (he's getting an Amazon gift card because he's addicted!), so I designed this...

fathers day diy gift card holder

My hubby is a golf shirt kinda guy...definitely NOT a suit-and-tie one, so I had to get a bit creative with the Suit and Tie dies. I have to say, I am pleased with the result! I used some of the Well Suited Designer Paper (he actually has a golf shirt in almost this exact print!) and then cut a small V at the top using the dies. Then I added a collar, buttons, placket and pocket in Smokey Slate. The sentiment is stamped in Basic Grey ink, punched withe the 1-1/2" circle punch and then layered on a Smokey Slate Tailored Tag label. 

diy fathers day gift card holder

The best part is that there is a pocket in behind to hold a gift card...it slides in and out easily. The second-best part is that this is an easel card, so the open card stands on a desk, giving easy access to the gift card like this...

diy fathers day gift card holder

diy fathers day gift card holder

On the inside I added a Stitched Nested Label (SO going to miss those dies when they retire!) and stamped another sentiment from the Handsomely Suited stamp set. The label is popped up with dimensionals to catch the easel and keep it standing. 

I'll be demonstrating this card and two others using this bundle in today's Live @ Five video at 5 pm ET over on my Facebook business page. I hope you'll join me live, but if you miss me you can always catch the replay on my YouTube channel shortly afterwards. As always, I will include all of the measurements for all three projects in the video description.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Have a safe and healthy week!


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Thursday, April 15, 2021

Friendly Flamingo and a Blog Hop

 It's the 15th of April, which means it is time for another Stamping Symphony Blog Hop! This month we are highlighting some of our favourite retiring products as we prepare for a new Annual Catalogue in early May. Since I am all about the tropics this week during my "Mapril" Staycation, I thought I would grab some of my most beloved retiring items and give them the tropical treatment. Check out this fun birthday card:


tropical birthday card

Can you spot all of the retiring products I used? Hint: there are SEVEN (one is really tricky!) Here's a closer look, if it helps...

tropical birthday card

Did you spot them all? Here's what I did...
I used some Forever Greenery Designer Paper for my background...I think this pattern looks like grass paper, perfect for my tropical vibe. I embossed the DSP with the Subtle 3D embossing folder (I am SO going to miss that one), which adds to the grass-paper-look. I also layered on a piece of Flowers for Every Season DSP as well. 
I die-cut a Basic White label using the Stitched Nested Labels dies...another go-to of mine that is going away! I stamped my flamingo using the new Polished Pink and Pale Papaya inks, along with some Basic Grey for the beak. The greenery is stamped in Just Jade...I also added a hint of shading using the same ink and a blending brush. I stamped the flowers in Polished Pink ink on card stock of the same shade and die-cut them out using the Flamingo dies. My sentiment is stamped on a label die-cut with the Messages die...I love having a bunch of ready-cut labels on my desk when I'm designing! I added some Just Jade leaves, die-cut using the In the Tropics dies and some Forever Gold Laser Cut leaves as well. The pop of gold looks amazing with the lush pink and green. I embellished my design with some Forever Greenery gold cord and some gold Glitter Enamel Dots. The final touch was a quick spatter of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint. 
tropical birthday card

On the inside of my Just Jade card base, I added a Basic White panel on which I stamped some more greenery from the Friendly Flamingo set, as well as a sentiment and more flowers. 

It was really a lot of fun to pull out my retiring items and give them one last hurrah before the sail off into the sunset. Be sure to grab anything that is still on your wishlist before May 3rd when they disappear forever. *sniff*

Thanks so much for stopping by today...be sure to hop on over the the next blog to see what creative genius awaits!


tropical birthday card



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Messages Die
[154422]
$46.00

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Friendly Flamingo Fabulous Fun Fold

 Happy Tuesday...and happy "Mapril"Break to me! Our long-awaited break is finally here and it comes with some less-than-great news of yet another lockdown and school closure as cases here are skyrocketing. That means, instead of spending my vacation on the beach, I'll be spending it in my studio playing with paper and ink...it could be worse, right? To help get myself in a tropical state of mind this week, I am featuring the Friendly Flamingo bundle from the Jan-June Mini Catalogue.

Check out this awesome fun fold...


tower fold card

Now, although this card looks tricky, it is really quite easy! Just a bit of scoring and some cutting. I demonstrated how to cut, score and fold the card base in this week's Live @ Five video. I will post the link at the end of this post. I used some soon-retiring Forever Greenery Designer Paper to decorate my card base...man, I am going to MISS that paper! It works for EVERYTHING!

I stamped my flamingo in...wait for it...Flirty Flamingo ink, with Daffodil Delight for the beak and legs. The greenery is stamped in Shaded Spruce, which is the same colour as the card stock I used for the base. 
The sentiment is also stamped in Shaded Spruce and then punched using the 1-1/2" circle punch. That's one retiring item that will NEVER leave my studio. I use it all the time. Speaking of must-have retiring punches, the Story Label punch, which I used to layer behind the sentiment is another one that I'll be hanging onto.
tower fold card

This card looks fabulous standing up on a desk...such a great WOW fold with minimal effort. 

tower fold card

On the back side, I added a 2" x 5-1/4" piece of Basic White card stock to allow space to write a message and stamp another greeting. 

tower fold card

Check out the how-to in my video below. This card demonstration starts at about the 7:30 mark. I've included measurements in the video description.



Thanks so much for stopping by today. Be sure to swing by on Thursday for another Stamping Symphony Blog Hop. In the meantime, have a great week!


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