Running With Scissors…

Hello, friends!  I’m so happy it’s Friday, especially this week because I’m on vacation as of 5:00 pm.  It also means it’s Friday Focus time for the Flourishes team, and I had an awfully lot of fun with this one!  Latisha suggested we pull out our Spellbinders dies and share some creative ways in which to use them.  You can see her article on the Newsletter here, and check out the rest of the team’s creations here:  Christine, Cindy, Faith, Julie, Latisha, Laura, Stacy, and Sharon

I had a whole other card in the works for this focus, but as I was driving home from the store this notion occurred to me so, of course, everything else was put on hold while I worked out this design.  As it turns out, it’s one of the quickest and easiest cards I’ve made, and you know how slow I am.

To make the party dress I used the largest oval die from the complete ovals set and the smallest die from the Labels One set, neither of which I see in the Flourishes store at this time.  I guess I should check these things out before I do the challenges but, honestly, I’m challenge challenged enough without adding more concerns into the mix.  I know they were there… maybe they’re out of stock?  Sigh…

I decorated the skirt with the swirly flourish stamp from Ornamental Elements, then punched across the hemline with a Martha Stewart edge punch.  I traced along the scallop with the Inkssentials white opaque pen, and added itty bitty pearls to the peaks of the scallops.  The Quickie glue pen lays down a very fine line of glue and made it easy to put a narrow border of glitter on the bodice.  Just a bit of ribbon at the waistline and it was done!  Here’s a photo of the parts:

You can make two dresses at once, since you simply slice the oval and the curved square in half.  The lower curve of the bodice fits the upper curve of the oval exactly.  Tape them together in the back to hold in place.  You could add tiny ribbon straps, if desired.  Decorate any which way you choose!

Those wonderful filigree flower brads can be found among the Finishing Touches, in the Beautiful Brads collection.  The sentiment is from Summer on the Patio.

I hope you enjoyed today’s card, and find some interesting ideas from Latisha’s post and among the team.  Have a wonderful day!

Stamps:  Ornamental Elements, Summer on the Patio  Paper:  Lovely Lilac, Almost Amethyst, white, unknown designer paper  Ink:  Lovely Lilac  Accessories:  Ribbon, flower brads, glitter, Inkssentials white opaque pen, Kaiser pearls, Spellbinders oval and Labels One dies, Martha Stewart border punch, Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Perhaps you know from previous posts how much I love my Kitchen Sink Stamps.  I have a new set called Lilies, and today I’ve made a card with it.

You can go many different directions in size, style, and color with the stamps in this set, as with all KSS sets.  Today, I felt like making Stargazer lilies in a pretty and feminine pink, but with a somewhat earthy, vintage, tucked away in the attic for a long time sort of feel to the finished product.  I used some brown tones in the image background, and stained and distressed the edges.  I also used my Dark Brown Prismacolor marker to stain the ribbon a little bit.

While I was at it, I thought it might be fun to photograph the step by step process.  It’s a fascinating process for me, as the image develops, and perhaps you’ll enjoy it, too, and maybe find something useful here.

When I sit down with a KSS set for the first time, I’ll always do a few test runs with a mult-step image, just to get a feel of the results.  This will help me determine the effect of each layer, or step.  I’ll try to do all steps with an image, but depending upon my color palette, I may occasionally leave out a step.  Once I’ve decided upon my colors, I’m ready to begin the image for my card.  In this case, I’ll list the colors as I go along.  All inks are Stampin’ Up!, unless otherwise noted.

Step 1:  Pink Pirouette

• Cut a piece of Whisper White with plenty of room for building the image.  It can be cut down later.
• Using a freshly cleaned acrylic block, stamp two of the first-step image as shown.
• Create two masks of the image, to be used later.  I use Eclipse Masking Tape from Flourishes (love that stuff!).   It’s very thin and has a peel off back and repositionable adhesive.

Step 2:  Pretty in Pink 

Step 3:  Rose Red

Step 4:  Bravo Burgundy

Step 5:  Palette Noir (black)

• It doesn’t show well in the photo, but in real life, you can see the darker shading of the Noir ink.  This step, in black, also adds a few extra speckles to the petals.
• I must confess, I cheated on this step.  The Step 5 stamp has stamens and pistols, very delicate, and I couldn’t for the life of me stamp them over the previous image without creating a blurred effect.  So…forgive me Maria, but I cut those off the stamp.  I’m sorry!  I had to ‘fess up, though, because I didn’t want to be misleading.  I’d feel bad if any of you tried to stamp this image and wondered how in the world I managed to get those itty bitty parts to line up so perfectly.

Step 6:  Mask flowers and stamp leaves in Garden Green.

• When applying the masks, it’s best to let a little edge of the flower it’s covering to peek out in the area where you will overstamp it to avoid a white halo when the mask is removed.
• Stamp a first step stem and leaf (the one facing left), and two additional leaves (on the right).  Make sure the stem goes up into the flower mask, and be sure to take advantage of those masks by overlapping the leaves on the mask a little bit.
• See the one short stem that goes into the flower which is lower in the composition?  Ink just part of one of the stems and stamp it there.

Step 7:  Handsome Hunter, and create a leaf mask.

• The second step on the skinny stem is a little difficult to line up properly, so you can leave it out, if desired.  Mine didn’t line up exactly right, but it was close enough and I appreciated it in the finished product.  I inked just the stem, not the leaf, for that step.
• Stamp the next leaf step in Handsome Hunter.  There’s an additional step, which I would do in black, but I left that step out this time.
• That extra leaf that’s floating in space is a mask waiting to be used.

Step 8:  Stamp a third lily.

• Leave the flower masks in place and add the leaf mask to the uppermost leaf.
• Stamp all steps of the lily as shown.

Step 9:  Remove masks

I think this is my favorite part — when I remove the masks and reveal what I’ve created.  It’s like unwrapping a present.

A recap on the masking:

• The image is created from front to back.  I wanted the first two lilies in the foreground, so I stamped them first.
• Next came the leaves over the first two masked lilies, so the leaves appear to be behind the first two lilies.
• Now, to make the last lily appear to be behind everything, I masked everything in the foreground.  I already had masks on the first two lilies.  I only needed to add a mask to the one leaf.
• It looks complex in the finished image, but it’s really quite elementary.  Sure, it won’t be finished in two minutes, but it’s infinitely satisfying when you have some stamping time to spare.  The process gets easier and quicker as you become more practiced at it. 

Step 10:  Shade background with chalks

• This is my method of choice when stamping with KSS.  I like the way the images look so much like a painting when completed.  I can’t make a watercolor background because it would cause my water based SU! inks to run.  For more information about using the chalks, you may find my other tutorials helpful here and here.
• In this case, I shaded with Caramel and Cocoa chalks, using the Cocoa closer to the image for more shadowing.  In the smaller spaces I picked up a little chalk from a corner of the chalk pad with a blender pen and blended it on my background, being careful not to blend into the stamped image.  A blender pen will wear out your paper if you go over an area too many times, so that’s another thing to be careful about.
• I added a little pink around the edges.
• The last step is to spray with a matte sealer, as described in the tutorials I linked.  The spray not only seals the chalk, but it enhances the color of the entire image.  It doesn’t alter the color, just makes it better.

I hope this was good information for someone.  If you’ve never masked before, you can certainly start simple with a less detailed image — make one mask and stamp something slightly behind it — then work your way up to a more complex composition.  Way back in the beginning I’d get mixed up when I was making multiple masks like this, so don’t feel bad if you goof it up a few times.  The first time I ever masked anything I thought it was so cool!

I already listed the inks in the description, so I’ll summarize the other ingredients in the recipe, below.  Have a great day, everyone, and thank you so much for visiting!

ps:  Thank you, also, for your encouraging remarks yesterday about my use of older images.  I’m really glad you don’t mind seeing them, because so many of my favorite stamps are old.  I appreciate you all very much!

Stamps:  KSS Multi-Step Lilies, retired Stampin’ Up! Linen background  Paper:  Naturals Ivory, Whisper White, My Mind’s Eye Tres Jolie designer paper  Accessories:  Ribbon, brads, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Today, it was Latisha’s idea that the Flourishes Design Team should challenge themselves to make cards featuring bows and no designer paper.  Well, I’ve been making a lot of bows lately but it seems I don’t get by without the designer paper too often these days.  I thought this was a great idea!  Latisha has prepared something pretty fun on the Flourishes Newsletter for you today so be sure to stop over there and check it out.  She makes the most beautiful bows!

I combined three sets for this card — Butterfly Moments, Lilac, and Ornamental Elements.  It’s an easy card… the butterfly was stamped on Shimmery White and colored very simply with Stampin’ Up! markers.  I cut it out and positioned it on foam mounting tape so it’s fluttering through the lilacs, leaving a swirly trail in its wake.

Even the bow was easy, and if you feel somewhat bow challenged, perhaps this method of creating a bow is something you’d like to try.  I used retired Stampin’ Up! organdy ribbon and a brad from the BasicGrey Boxer collection. 

I formed a length of ribbon into a loop with the tails left hanging.  Then I pinched it in the middle and tucked it between the prongs of the brad.  The prongs went through a hole punched in the cardstock layers and were flattened snugly.  Now, I have a pretty bow — quick and easy!

Here’s a photo of the bow in progress, as it appears just before I tuck it into the brad:

If you like bows, you’ll love these cards by the rest of the design team:  Christine, Cindy, Faith, Julie, Latisha, Laura, Stacy

And don’t forget to take a trip over to the Newsletter for Latisha’s special on bows.  Thanks so much for your time!  Have a great weekend!

Stamps:  Butterfly Moments, Lilac, Ornamental Elements  Paper:  Brocade Blue textured, Shimmery White, Barely Banana  Ink:  Palette Noir, Lavender Lace, Brocade Blue, markers in Barely Banana, Summer Sun and Brocade Blue  Accessories:  Ribbon, BasicGrey Boxer glazed brad, Martha Stewart scalloped lace punch, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Hello!  I’m glad you could drop in for another One Stamp Wednesday, the day I dedicate to Post Office-friendly, no extra postage required cards.  Today I focused on bling without bulk and made a gem-studded boho flower — almost like jewelry for your card.  With the rhinestones set into the cardstock, rather than sitting on top, the card in the envelope presents a smooth surface for smooth sailing to its destination.  I have weighed this card on our postal scale at work.  With the inside writing panel lined with white cardstock, a crimped cardstock sheet to protect the front, and the envelope included, the whole works weighs in at 42¢.

I had a difficult time photographing this card and finally settled on this picture.  I apologize for the poor quality.  It’s much better looking in real life.

To make the flower, I started with SU!’s True Friend Boho-style blossom.

• Stamp it three times and cut out the parts as shown in the photo below.
• Punch two 1 3/8″ circles

• Glue the flower parts together, giving it a little dimension, but not too much bulk.
• Glue one circle on the back side of the flower.  Set the other aside.
• Use a Crop-A-Dile to punch holes in the flower.  The larger Crop-A-Dile punch did the center, and the smaller Crop-A-Dile punch did the ring around the flower center.  I stretched the center hole just a little bit by inserting a pencil in the hole and running it around the edges, sort of pushing the edges out.  I hope that makes sense.  The photo below shows the assembled flower with its punched holes.

• Color the flower.
• After coloring, press the flower face down into Versamark pad, then emboss with Glassy Glaze (ultra-thick embossing powder).  A pencil inserted through the flower’s center hole is a perfect tool for holding the flower during the embossing process.
• After the embossed flower cools, glue the other 1 3/8″ circle onto the back of the flower to give it a base behind the holes.  The photo below shows the back of the flower and the Kaiser self-adhesive rhinestones (from Flourishes).

The largest of the rhinestones fits the center hole and the smallest rhinestones fit the smaller holes.  I used a pencil eraser to push the rhinestones firmly in place.  The large rhinestone was a bit more of a squeeze, which is why it’s best to try to stretch the hole first.

I used Alene’s Tacky Glue to adhere the flower to the finished card, making sure it was pressed firmly flat.   I just love the flower!  It could easily be made into a pendant or a brooch.

The three small rhinestones on the card’s sentiment panel are inset, as well.  The designer paper provides lightweight layers and the ribbon is tied in such a way that it creates no excess bulk.  All the rest of the card’s ingredients are summed up below.

It’s time for me to run off now…I hope we can do this again soon.  Till next time…have a great day!

Stamps:  True Friend (SU!)  Paper:  Chocolate Chip, retired SU! Apple Cider designer paper, Neenah Classic Solar White  Ink:  Palette Noir, Versamark, Chocolate Chip and Really Rust markers  Accessories:  Ribbon, copper cord, rhinestones, Spellbinders dies

 This is a simple but cheery little card I made because I had all these Bud Basics flowers stamped out for practicing with my Prismacolor markers.  I stamped them when I first got the markers, gradually colored a few, and finally figured it was about time I turned some of them into cards.  I have others colored and waiting, as well.  In fact, I have several projects in various stages of completion . . . the pile on my desk just keeps getting bigger.  Every time I make one card I wind up with more spare parts for the pile.  I think this is common among all stampers, isn’t it?

The Prismacolor markers are a fairly new medium for me and I’m learning as I go along.  It seems the one consistency in my method is my inconsistency.  I do something different almost every time I sit down with them — different ink, different paper, different blending technique.  I’m not in any position to offer advice on the best way to use these markers, but I can share some of my experiences.

First, the paper:  My current favorite is Stampin’ Up!’s Whisper White.  It may not be the best choice but it works best for me at this early learning stage.  The coating which gives it such a nice surface for stamping on also minimizes the ink bleeding outside the lines of the image.  However, a more absorbent paper allows the marker inks to blend more smoothly.  It’s six of one and half a dozen of the other.  I’m still experimenting with whatever papers I have at my disposal.

Next, the ink for stamping the image:  I started out with Palette ink.  It seems to work okay as long as I’m not using the colorless blender.  It must be thoroughly “set” before you begin coloring.  This might have something to do with the Whisper White paper — maybe.  At any rate, I no longer use Palette ink with my markers.  I’ve been using whatever Ranger inks I have on hand and they all work beautifully.  I’ve used both the Adirondack inks and the Distress inks and they seem to be impervious to the blending pen.  They’re stamp & go inks — virtually no drying time is required.  I’ve also used Versafine Onyx Black with great success.  It’s a pigment ink and must be either embossed or heat set to dry, or allowed a good while to dry on it’s own.  Once dry, however, I’ve experienced no bleeding or smearing of the ink.

    Embossing the stamped image is a fun way to go.  I’ve tried it on a couple of different absorbent papers and it truly does prevent the ink from bleeding outside the embossed line.  You get the blending benefits of the absorbent paper and the added attraction of embossing, without the bleeding.  The pretty little girl in the thumbnail was embossed on watercolor paper (click for an enlarged view).  I’ll have more embossed samples to share later.

At this time, I wanted to share how I colored the flowers in today’s card.  It may not be the right way, and I may do it differently next time.  Maybe we can learn together.  Experts, please chime in with any tips you’d like to share.  Hopefully, one photo will suffice with the corresponding numbered explanations, below:

1. Color entire flower with Deco Pink.  The loopy accents at the petal bases were colored with Clay Rose.
2. Add Clay Rose along petal edges.
3. Using Deco Pink, start in the petal center and color into the Clay Rose edges.  Color all the way to the edges of the petal, but concentrate less marker ink along the edges.  The lighter colored Deco Pink will remove some of the Clay Rose.  While the marker ink is still wet on the paper, outline the petal with Clay Rose.  Wet ink on wet ink will result in a soft edge.  This will add extra definition to the petal edges.  You may have to add more ink and rework it until satisfied.  Adding more ink will darken the image, but it will only darken to a certain degree.  This is as dark as these colors get.
4. Use the colorless blender to remove some ink from the petal center.  Just color the area you wish to highlight.  If you remove too large an area of ink, you can add more Deco Pink around the highlighted area.  I’ll usually just touch the tip of my colored marker along the edges of the colorless blender ink, and it will blend in softly.  I call that blotting.  Sometimes I’ll use the colorless blender pen in a blotting fashion, too.  After you’ve tested this a few times you’ll get a feel for what the inks look like as they dry.  They do soften a bit upon drying.

I colored half the flower center in Warm Black, and colored into that with 20% Cool Gray. 

There’s not much coloring involved in the leaves and the smaller pink flowers. To color the pink flowers I outlined them with Deco Pink and went over that with the colorless blender.

I hope this information is helpful for those of you who were asking or wondering about some of these things.  I’m learning as I go, but I’ll make a point of sharing what I learn.  If you’re interested in other coloring tutorials I’ve done with different mediums, you can see them all here.  As for the card, itself, the ingredients are listed below.  Enjoy the rest of your week, and thank you so much for stopping by today!

Stamps:  Bud Basics, Warm Words  Paper:  Basic Black, Basic Gray, Whisper White, BasicGrey Phoebe designer paper  Ink:  Palette Noir, Prismacolor markers for coloring  Accessories:  SU! ribbon, eyelets, Cuttlebug Perfectly Paisley embossing folder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Happy Friday!  One of my favorite days of the week has arrived again at last and today I’m sharing one of my favorite projects with one of my favorite new sets from Flourishes.  Lots of favorites in there!  Tonight is the release party at the Flourishes forum on SCS, when three new sets will be fully revealed, more samples will be shared, and games and prizes will be sure to make it a fun evening.  Look for the party from 7 - 9 pm EST.

My project today features the Signs of Spring set.  Oh, my!  There are some pretty stamps in that set!  I used just one little daffodil stamp — three times.  The Flourishes team is focusing on watercoloring today, so I set aside those Prismacolor markers I’ve been practicing with in favor of this tried and true method of coloring.  I’ve always loved the watercolor look, and if you have water-based dye inks (like Stampin’ Up!, for instance) and a brush or two, you can achieve this look, as well.  Christine has prepared a watercolor tutorial on the Flourishes Newsletter that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.  She’s an absolute master at this technique and her step-by-step will open new doors for many who have been puzzling over its mysteries.

Just a reminder, too, while you’re at the Flourishes Newsletter visiting Christine’s tutorial, you can leave a comment on the Living in Color - Day 3 post for a chance to win this beautiful set.  Winners are randomly selected daily by 10 pm EST.

My handled gift box is very easy to make and I’d like to share some quick instructions with you.  I only have a couple of photos, but I think it will be clear enough.  I used Wild Asparagus double-sided designer paper.  It’s heavy weight and works nicely for boxes.

• Cut paper 6″ x 10 1/2″.
• Score as shown at 3″, 5″, 8″ and 10″.
• Turn and score across the bottom at 2″.
• Slit the bottom section at the score lines up to the horizontal score line, as shown.  Cut away and discard the last 1/2″ section of the bottom.  This photo shows the inside of the box with two of the bottom flaps raised so you can see where the slits are.

Decorate the box as desired before folding closed.  I added a scalloped border along the top edge, then punched with a 1 3/8″ circle punch to give a little more handle area.  Now, fold into a box shape, overlapping the 1/2″ flap, and secure closed with double sided tape.  I used Sticky Strip, or red liner tape.

The handles are made with Spellbinders oval dies.  Applying the dies to the paper like this is the same method you’d use to make a frame.  A piece of tape at the top edge of the dies will hold them both nicely in place through the cutting and embossing process.

Once you’ve made your cute little frame, you just cut it in half to make two handles.  I adhered my handles to the inside of the box with Sticky Strip, but you could also use brads, eyelets, tacky glue — whatever suits your fancy.

The gift inside my daffodil box is a pair of garden-themed moisturizing gloves, a sample pack of shea butter, and a little bottle of hand lotion — a gardener’s gift.  As I was making this, I thought it would be so cute to make this in the Fall and tuck a single daffodil bulb inside.

I just love this Signs of Spring stamp set with all its sweet images for Spring, Mother’s Day, Easter, or any day I’d like to send a pretty card.  You’ll love what the rest of the team has made with it, too, so be sure and visit the other Flourishes designers and see their watercolor samples.  Don’t forget Christine’s tutorial, as well!  Here are the links to the rest of the team:

• Christine
• Cindy
• Faith  
• Julie
• Latisha
• Laura
• Stacy

I’m glad you found time to drop in today.  I truly do appreciate every one of you.  Have a wonderful day!

I took Julie up on her Ultimate Valentine Challenge and made a few Valentines for Childrens’ Hospital in Detroit.  1000 Valentines are needed!  There are four of this design – post card style, no fold but they do have envelopes.  The front and back are pictured.

Valentines for children of all ages are needed, and I was thinking pre-teen girl when I made these.  Each Valentine has one heart and flower cut out and popped up.  The green flower centers and the little heart in the sentiment are colored with a pink Sakura glitter pen.

Again, please see Julie’s post here for details if you’d like to contribute.  Julie is offering a chance at a very nice blog candy for all who participate.  The candy is open until January 12th.  Cards are needed by February 7th.

When I checked into this further, I learned that Valentines for young men and teenage boys will be the most difficult order to fill.  I’ll bet you can imagine, can’t you?  How hard is it to design a card for a teenage boy?  Very!  We may tend to think boys that age aren’t really into Valentines, and maybe they aren’t, but they’re in the hospital…sick…and many with dire prognoses.  I’d like them to feel as important and loved as any other child in the hospital.  I’m glad to contribute these Valentines:

They’re a perfect example of how ill equipped I am for making teenage boy cards.  I know someone can do better than this!  I tried to use boy colors, but throw in the traditional red.  I also used stars, rather than hearts.  Well…they wound up looking more 4th of July than Valentine.  Honestly, I tried!  I made a dozen — six of each design.

They’re ATC size — 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ — with a matchbook closure, so no envelope is required.  I was able to cut four of them from one sheet of cardstock.

• Cut cardstock 7 3/8″ wide.
• Score the whole length of the sheet, as shown, at 3 1/8″ then slide forward to 6 5/8″ and score again.
• Cut into 2 1/2″ widths.  There will be a 1 1/2″ strip left over to discard, or make a skinny-mini Valentine.

I hope this one photo is sufficient illustration.  I don’t have a scoring blade on my cutter, so I run an old stylus along the cutting groove to score.

So, that’s what I was up to this weekend when I had a spare minute or two.  I hope to make a few of the matchbook style Valentines for the little ones, as well.  Stampers are amazing at rallying to a call like this and I believe the response has been wonderful.  Please read here if you’d like to help with the Valentines, or find out how your stamping can help in the future.  Thank you for stopping by!  See you again soon!

Hello!  I made today’s project for Julie’s small gift ideas challenge which can be found here.  You can see more samples of small gift ideas by visiting Deb, Joan, Sharon, Jennifer, Barb, and Tammy.

In addition to Julie’s challenge and project, she’s also offering blog candy.

You can find blog candy at Sharon’s, as well.

We’re keeping the party going through this week as we help Sharon celebrate, not only her 1,000,000+ blog hits, but this wonderful holiday season, too.  You can see the entire schedule of festivities on Sharon’s blog here.

******************************************

I was definitely thinking small for Julie’s challenge, and this is one of those cases where the packaging is as much fun (or more) than the gift.  I made two boxes for this project.  They’re both 4 1/4″ wide, but of two different heights, with certain adjustments made to fit the height.  To avoid confusion, however, I’m going to share the “how to” for just one of the styles — the shorter box, measuring 4 1/4″ wide x 3 1/2″ tall x 1/2″ deep.

The box is shown below with the gift items that will be tucked inside.  I made the ribbon and brad card from cardstock covered with designer paper.  The mini stamps are by Inkadinkado – just a little gift for a stamper friend.  The box will also hold a roll of 1/4″ Offray or SU! gingham ribbon.  See this post for a decorated ribbon roll.

The other box I’ve pictured holds a cocoa pack and two of the chocolate squares.  It’s the sort of gift I might leave on a coworker’s desk.  There’s a mesh ribbon loop on the side of the box to secure the candycane.  The decoration on the front of the candycane box was done with my JustRite Christmas Stamp Ensemble.

Now, to make the box:

The box sides are different than most and it may seem like an odd way to do it at first, but the beauty of these boxes is that you can make two from one 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet of cardstock and some scraps.  It’s as easy to make two at once as it is to make one.

• Cut an 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet of cardstock in half lengthwise to create two equal lengths, 4 1/4″ x 11″
• For each box you plan to make, cut two pieces of the same color cardstock 3 3/8″ x 1″.  These will be the box sides.
• You’ll need Sticky Strip, or some kind of narrow double sided tape.  I used Sticky Strip (red liner tape) which is 1/4″ wide.

Score at 3 1/2″, 4″, 7 1/2″, 8″.

These little pieces are for the box sides — see dimensions, above.  Score the length of each side at 1/4″.  To do it on the Score-Pal I placed the piece at the marks, as shown.  After I made my first score, I turned the cardstock piece so the opposite end is against the marks and scored that side.  Then I had a 1/4″ scored edge the length of each side.  I hope that makes sense — I’m trying to minimize the number of photos.

Apply Sticky Strip the length of each edge, outside the score lines.  Trim off any overhang.

Cut designer paper to fit, and adhere as shown.  The shorter flap is the top, which will fold over to close the box.  I punched a scalloped border on the top flap end and a half circle on the other end.  The other end with the punched half circle is the box body.

Now, see the end with the punched half circle — cut 1/16″ off that end.  This is an important step in getting your box to close with nice, square edges.

Any further decorating of the box is best done before the sides are added.

Adhere sides as shown in the photo below.  Peel off the last of the Sticky Strip cover and fold up box, keeping edges even.  If you’re more coordinated than I am, you can fold up both sides at once.  I found it more fool proof to do one side at a time.

This is the inside of the finished box:

I hope you enjoyed this little project.  It’s a quick and simple “do” and can be dressed up any way you’d like.  It can hold cosmetic samples, photos (including a small photo frame), a little book, handmade soaps, 3 x 3 gift cards, paperweight, jewelry on a card . . .  I tried it with a little round mirror, a compact, a lighted magnifier — just a few ideas.

I’ll see you again soon!  Have a great day!

****** Welcome to Day 3 of Stamp Simply Celebrates! ******

You’ll find blog candy opportunities at Joan’s and Jennifer’s.  I know you’ll want to take a peek at what they have to offer!

Today I’m happy to participate in Tammy’s mass production challenge because, oh, my goodness gracious — look at the time!  If I’m going to get Christmas cards made and mailed I’d better get a move on.  I can’t bring myself to make 50-100 of all the same card so I’m planning to break it up into smaller groups.  I made ten of these cards very quickly, once I’d settled on the design.  Be sure to visit Tammy’s challenge here for some real inspiration.  She’s combined her mass production challenge with a color challenge so it should be double the fun.

I didn’t do the color challenge because I had my heart set on stamping a very colorful and elegant tree using my Flourished Christmas set and Late November Spectrum pad.  Just look at all the colors it gave me to work with — navy, purple, green, red or gold.  I went with the green so I could use up some of last year’s Stampin’ Up! Christmas paper.  I’ve developed a new appreciation for the Spectrum pads lately and I’d like to share a little something I found:  20 different Spectrum pads here!  I’ve never shopped there before, but they look like a good site and I won’t hesitate to give them a try.

Aside from the simple and colorful stamping of the tree with the Spectrum pad, I’d like to share a couple of photos of the process that helped finished my ten cards very quickly.  If you’re on a first name basis with a Cuttlebug, you know how wonderful it is to turn that crank and watch magic come out the other end.  The embossing adds so much dimension without putting bulk in the envelope.   To emboss just the upper part of my card, I adhered the designer paper first and used it as a guide for my embossing folder.

To make the tags,  I cut a length of cardstock 2″ x 8 1/2″ and stamped and punched as shown below, using a 1 3/8″ circle punch and double rectangle punch.  By weaving the ribbon through the tag, as shown on the finished card, I was able to enjoy the gathered effect of the organdy ribbon and secure the tag without a bulky knot or bow.  Even with the main image raised on foam mounting tape, this card lays very flat for easy mailing.

The designer paper panel under the main image was first adhered to plain white cardstock to firm it up, then cut to shape.  All the stamping and assembly was very quick — just what I needed!

I think you’ll enjoy Tammy’s color challenge, too.  You could do the mass production challenge, or the color challenge, or both.  I sure did appreciate the push!  Thanks, Tammy!

For more mass production samples, please visit Darlene, AJ, Barb, Julie, and Sharon.

Have a great day, everyone!

• Stamps:  Flourished Christmas
• Paper:  Shimmery Ivory, Stampin’ Up! designer paper (retired)
• Ink:  Late November Spectrum pad, More Mustard
• Accessories:  Ribbon, ticket corner punch, 1 3/8″ circle punch, Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

While I had my soft chalks and Eclipse masking tape out for yesterday’s card I decided to use them to create another floral image, this time with my Poppy Patch set from Flourishes.

I made a 5 1/4″ square card with a simple layout since I had a rather large main image and such beautiful embossed paper in the background – something old from ProvoCraft.  Thank goodness for the Cuttlebug these days so we can make our own embossed paper.

As I was preparing to attach my tag it occurred to me that a little thing like tying a tag may not be such a little thing to many new stampers who are trying to learn the ways of card making.

Frequently I’ll add a tag as an afterthought — ribbon is already neatly tied, ends trimmed and then I decide a tag would be a nice touch.  This photo shows my tag tying paraphernalia.  It’s nothing unusual — the card with ribbon attached, the tag and the cord I’ll use to attach the tag.  Also included in the photo are my tapestry needles.  They have a blunt end that won’t pierce anything; I use them as a tool to guide my cord through the ribbon knot.

I didn’t realize until after I’d taken the photos what a poor example this is for illustration purposes — the needle and the cord are the same color and nearly indistinguishable from each other.  It’s what I was using at the time, though, so I hope you can make sense of it.

• I thread the tapestry needle with the cord as though I were going to sew with it.
• Go through the tag, front to back, leaving a tail hanging out the front of the tag, and then guide the needle and cord through the ribbon knot.
• Come back out through the tag so both ends of the cord are coming through the front of the tag.
• Tie a bow as shown in the photo of the finished card.

The tag will lay flat and snugly in place.  I used the same technique to tie the tag on this card:

       You can click the thumbnail to enlarge.  Whether you have tapestry needles or not, the main idea is to secure the cord or thread within the ribbon knot and bring both ends through the front of the tag.  That’s the way to get your tag to lay flat, facing forward rather than turning to the side.

I hope this helps someone — anyone.  It was a revelation for me several years ago and maybe it will be for one of you today.  Thank you for visiting!  The Poppy Patch recipe is below.

• Stamps:  Flourishes Poppy Patch, Hero Arts sentiment
• Paper:  Bashful Blue, Neenah Classic Solar White, ProvoCraft embossed white (old)
• Inks/Chalks/Markers:  Lavender Lace, Elegant Eggplant, Garden Green, Basic Black, Not Quite Navy
• Accessories:  Ribbon, silver elastic cord, silver eyelet, 1 1/4″ and 1 3/8″ circle punches, spray matte sealer, Scotch brand foam mounting tape