Hoard no More!

Happy Tuesday! Did you have a good weekend? Mine was fantastic...I was spoiled by my boys on Mother's Day, complete with breakfast in bed and tickets to the symphony to hear Beethoven's Ninth. It was just incredible...I was moved to tears by the power and beauty of that mammoth work! My hubby and I even got to go out for dinner afterwards...such a treat!

Can you believe it is already the 15th of the month? We're half-way through May, which makes this teacher VERY happy! Not long till summer vacation and more time to focus on stamping and my business. Since today is the 15th, it is time for another Stamping Symphony blog hop.

This month we are focusing on the Last Chance List. There are so many amazing products going away in just two short weeks we wanted to highlight them one last time before they're gone for good. Today My post is about USING all of the pretty paper you've been hoarding in your stash. You know, the stuff that's just too gorgeous to cut? These projects will knock your socks off and get you using that beautiful paper rather than hiding it in a cupboard. Now, before I show you the projects, let me say that this is NOT my design. This ingenius idea is from the perfectly fabulous Rhonda Wade, so I want to give full credit to her for this fabulous idea. You can see the video Rhonda made that showcases how to make these bags HERE.

Now, ready to be wowed? Check these out...

These gift bags use two sheets of matching DSP and are SUPER easy to make! The large ones use two 12" x 12" sheets and the small one uses two 6" x 6" sheets. The best part? Each bag has built-in card holder so the card attaches right to the front of the bag. No envelope required and no additional decoration needed on the bag. Here's a closer look at each one:

This one uses the stunning Sweet Soiree DSP. It's a great choice because it is specialty paper and is a heavier weight, making this bag super-sturdy. You get one bag and one card out of two sheets of DSP! These bags are huge and measure 6" x 8", so there's lots of room for gifts. Here's the card on it's own:

I used the coordinating Cake Soiree stamp set to stamp the label on this card. Thankfully that set is carrying over to the new book! Did I mention that this is a full-sized 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" card?

I figured that with Father's Day coming it would be a good idea to have some masculine bags on-hand. This one uses the True Gentleman DSP. Here is the coordinating card...

Sadly both the DSP, stamp set and corduroy trim are retiring at the end of the month. Those cute buttons will be in the new catty, though:)

Now, I don't know about you, but I have LOTS of 6" x 6" paper kicking around too, so I thought I would give this idea a try with the smaller sheets. It totally worked! I simply halved all of the dimensions! How cute is this little bag and card?

I used the Tutti Frutti DSP and coordinating Fruit Basket stamp set, both of which are retiring on the 31st. Check out this adorable card...

I have to admit, I'm a bit addicted to making these bags. I may even start using them to deliver smaller customer orders! They're such fun! If you have a DSP problem (and you know who you are!) give these bags a try...it will seriously change your life :)

Now, be sure to hop on over to the next blog to more Last Chance inspiration. There are some super-talented Stamping Symphony players;)

1. Leena (You are here)
2. Sandy
3. Barb
4. Jennifer
5. Steph

Now, don't panic at the length of this product list...remember that this is for three different bags ;)


Product List

Sweet Soirée Specialty Designer Series Paper [145564] $17.00	True Gentleman Designer Series Paper [145593] $14.50	Sweet Soirée Specialty Designer Series Paper [145564] $17.00	Tutti-Frutti 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [145606] $12.50
Cake Soirée Clear-Mount Stamp Set [145745] $46.00	Truly Tailored Clear-Mount Stamp Set [145735] $26.00	Fruit Basket Photopolymer Stamp Set [145833] $20.00	Rich Razzleberry 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [115316] $10.00
Old Olive 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100702] $10.00	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730] $11.25	Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100867] $10.00	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [101650] $11.25
Tranquil Tide 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [144246] $10.00	Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad [141397] $8.50	Lemon Lime Twist Classic Stampin' Pad [144086] $8.50	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [126953] $8.50
Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [126970] $8.50	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [126949] $8.50	Pretty Label Punch [143715] $23.50	Everyday Label Punch [144668] $23.50
Classic Label Punch [141491] $23.50	Tailored Tag Punch [145667] $23.50	Big Shot [143263] $136.00	Sweet Cake Framelits Dies [145617] $44.00
Whisper White 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Organza Ribbon [145590] $8.00	Night Of Navy 3/8" (1 Cm) Corduroy Ribbon [145597] $10.75	True Gentleman Buttons [145596] $9.25

A Birthday Soiree

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. Mine was FABULOUS! My BFF came for a visit and we spent some quality girl-time shopping, stamping, taking a class, drinking wine and binge-watching one of our favourite shows on Netflix. It was the perfect weekend...except that it was too short! Can't wait till summer when I get to go to her house and we can do it all again.

Today I have a pretty birthday card I designed for some upcoming private classes. It features the beautiful Sweet Soiree DSP, which will retire at the end of May. Check this out...

The gorgeous DSP does ALL of the talking on this card. I did some stamping on the Rich Razzleberry card base using ink of the same shade and images from the Cake Soiree stamp set. I love the subtle texture it adds. The sentiment is from the Beautiful Day stamp set and is heat embossed in silver on Whisper White card stock.

I added some silver embellishments, including a metallic doily and one of the Petal Passion embellishments. I coloured the pearl in the centre using my dark Rich Razzleberry Stampin' Blends marker. I liked the look so much I coloured a few more pearls to scatter across the front of the card.

 On the inside I added a Whisper White card stock panel on which I stamped the same images from the front of the card, but this time using Rich Razzleberry, Flirty Flamingo and Lemon Lime Twist ink. I also added a sentiment from the Cake Soiree set.

Are you like me and hoard your pretty paper? Try this layout using some of your favourite DSP and put it to good use. No one will ever see it if you hide on the shelf in your craft stash! This layout is a great way to let your pretty papers shine!

Have a great week...be sure to stop by tomorrow for some exciting news about a brand new sneak peek promotion!

Product List

Cake Soirée Clear-Mount Stamp Set [145745] $46.00	Beautiful Day Clear-Mount Stamp Set [145915] $28.00	Rich Razzleberry 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [115316] $10.00	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730] $11.25
Sweet Soirée Specialty Designer Series Paper [145564] $17.00	Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin' Pad [126950] $8.50	Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad [141397] $8.50	Lemon Lime Twist Classic Stampin' Pad [144086] $8.50
Versamark Pad [102283] $11.25	Embossing Buddy [103083] $8.00	Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder [109131] $6.75	Heat Tool [129053] $40.00
Metallic Foil Doilies [138392] $5.25	Petal Passion Embellishments [145591] $10.75	Rich Razzleberry Dark Stampin' Blends Marker [144583] $6.00	Pearl Basic Jewels [144219] $6.75
Silver Baker’S Twine [145569] $5.25