Have you ever needed just a little something for a friend’s birthday?  How about a decorated matchbox with coordinating card?  Stampin’ Up!’s Matchbox Bigz XL Die, which is the perfect size for a few pieces of yummy chocolate or a piece of jewelry, takes on even more pizzazz when paired with a small gift card and matching envelope.  This easy to make gift card was inspired from one featured during a Main Stage presentation by Donna Griffith at the Milwaukee Regional.  I made a few little changes, and added Basic Pearls.  The emphasis was on keeping this little ensemble quick and easy! I hope you enjoy it!

The gift card measures 3″ x 3″.

• Go with the Faux! Faux Sueded Peach Parfait flowers are the perfect embellishment for a Peach Parfait Matchbox! Three flowers were punched using the 1-3/4″ Scallop Circle Punch.  A hole was then punched in the middle of each. The fibers in the card stock were broken down by repeatedly folding and unfolding. In addition, they were curled over the edge of  a bone folder.  Once the paper was softened, each scallop circle was separated into two layers. The layers were then stacked and held in position with a small brad. After spritzing with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch, the flower was shaped.

• Easy Peasy Three-by-Threesy!  The “Frame” from the Sale-A-Bration set Elementary Elegance was inked in VersaMark and stamped onto Peach Parfait card stock.  It was then heat embossed using White Stampin’ Emboss Powder! Basic Pearls enhance the Calypso Coral Happy Birthday sentiment, also from the Elementary Elegance set.

• Envelope Envy! A 5″ by 5″ square of Sale-A-Bration’s Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper was transformed into a custom made envelope in seconds with the new Simply Scored Diagonal Plate. 

• A Video View! For more information on making custom envelopes with the Simply Scored Diagonal Plate, watch this video from Stampin’ Up!

• The Ol’ Switcheroo!  In case you are wondering, I did switch out the Poppy Parade Bow for a Pear Pizzazz Bow.  Which do you like best? Any guesses as to which one I prefer?

I hope you enjoyed today’s project.  The Milwaukee Regional was certainly inspiring and I have much more to share.  But, what could be more inspiring that talking with Shelli herself! Boy, do I feel short! 

As always, your comments are important to me, and I enjoy our chats! Remember, if you ever have any questions about the cards that I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away! Until next time…

 

The talented Nance Leedy is our hostess for The Paper Players this week, and she is challenging us to design a Clean and Simple card Using Buttons.  To be truthful, this was not my first design.  I started with Stampin’ Up!’s Brights color palette and tons of buttons.  But it just was not me.  So I started over and truly tried to stay faithful to a clean and elegant design using the new catalog preview set, Everything Eleanor.  Enjoy today’s quick and easy card!

The card measures 4-1/4″ wide by 5-1/2″ long.

• Buttons! Buttons take on a different twist when topped with a Basic Pearl.  The resulting look adds a touch of elegance! In addition, the Pearls coordinate with the centers of the Rose Red Boho Blossoms, thus pulling the design together.

• Bows!  Add a touch of class instantly with a beautiful bow.  Seam Binding is a perfect choice for enhancing a softly feminine look.

• Butterflies! A Pretty in Pink Beautiful Wings Embosslit Butterfly accentuates the Pretty in Pink buttons, adding just the right amount of a lighter pink hue to balance the card.

Since many of you may not have the Everything Eleanor Flourish which I used, why not try either of these sets, both of which have gorgeous flourishes:  Baroque Motifs, Wedding Sweet.

Hopefully The Stampin’ Schach is loading for you again! After several days of troubleshooting, Heather Wright-Porto of  Blogs by Heather, was able to solve my redirecting problem. Heather does an excellent job with blog design and blog maintenance, and I would not hesitate to recommend her in a heartbeat.  What caused the problem will remain a mystery…but let’s hope it does not occur again! Heather, I can’t thank you enough!  And I also need to thank those of you who kept me posted as to whether the site was coming up and the specific error messages you were receiving!  I LOVE my blogging friends! So clear your cache and cookies, and keep on coming back!

As always, your comments are important to me! I would love to hear what you think about today’s card.  So won’t you leave a comment today?  And as always, if you ever have a question about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away! Until next time…

Stamp Set:  Everything Eleanor (Not Available Yet);  Ink:  Jet Black StazOn (101406); Card Stock:  Rose Red (102544), Whisper White (100730);  Tools:  Big Shot (113439), Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (119976), Beautiful Wings Embosslits (118138);  Glitz and Glam:  Rose Red Seam Binding (121884), Basic Pearls (119247)

Yee haw! Howdy, Pardners! It’s Thursday and time to play with the Pals at Pals Paper Arts!  The talented Margaret Moody has designed another fabulous sketch for us.  I have been rearin’ to use the Out West set since I purchased it several months ago.  I know…I know…It has been sitting gathering dust all that time.  I just could not find the right way in which to use it, until this sketch came along.  With a huge image space available, I envisioned showcasing the horse image. But to my dismay, the image looked miniscule.  Then I had an “ah-ha” moment!  I was gonna lasso me up a sentiment! I hope you enjoy today’s masculine card.  It’s perfect for a rootin’ tootin’ birthday card for the special cowboy in your life! 

The finished dimensions of this card are 5-1/2″ wide x  4-1/4″ long.

•  Perfect Paper!  What could be better paper for a masculine card than the Well Worn collection!  By turning the “Brick” pattern on its side, you have instant barnboard!  Plus, there is no need to distress this rustic looking paper, thus saving time!

• A Horse is a Horse!  In keeping with the muted tones of the paper, our horse and rider are bedecked in Cajun Craze, Not Quite Navy, and Soft Suede.  Popping our pony up on Stampin’ Dimensionals adds depth to this card! Go gettum’, Cowboy!

• Lassoing Up a Happy Birthday!  The “Happy Birthday” sentiment is from the Best Dad Ever stamp set and is the perfect font for a masculine card.  Inked in Early Espresso and stamped onto Very Vanilla, the banner has been pennant-snipped, edge distressed, and speckled using the Color Spritzer Tool. 

 

• Texture!  Naturals Ivory card stock was zipped through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  The absence of any stamping allows the eye to focus on this card’s “wow” factor…the lasso!  Tip:  To add more depth, use the debossed side of the “plus” signs!

• Steering You in the Right Direction!  The Steer Head Skull make a perfect embellishment, especially when sporting a coil of Hemp Twine rope!

And there you have it! Won’t you please leave me a comment to let me know what you think of today’s card? Your comments are important to me, and I do read each and every one.  And as always, if you have a questions about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away.  Until next time…


(Please note:  For some reason my blog is experiencing problems.  I am having it checked out.  It appears that some of you can access it, some of you can’t.  Arghhh! Technology…what can I say???)