Unity Friends with Flair

 Hello Everyone.  I have a new (to me) toy   tool to play with and I needed to use it to make my dd a small appreciation gift to take with her for her host on her college visit.  I thought it would be nice for her to give a small token to the young lady who volunteered to let her stay with her.  I used my We R Memory Keepers gift bag punch board.  I made a gift bag at the largest size to fit in a couple of packages of microwave popcorn.  The packages would not allow the gift bag to fold in on the sides so I decided I needed to make a "gift bag topper"  I had seen ladies make them to go on "store bought" bags so I thought "how could I do this?" Then I looked on my craft space and the 2 inch piece of cardstock I just cut off  was sitting there, staring me down.  It said "me, me."  So I thought I would put in on the punch board and repeat what I had done to make the gift bag and voila a "gift bag topper" was born.

For today's post I used the smallest gift bag size to make a gift bag to share with you.  The width of the cardstock required for a small gift bag is 10 inches and the height can vary from 4-12 inches.  I made mine about 8 inches.  I used the remaining 10 inch wide piece to make the "gift bag topper".  Remember the topper has to be the same width as the original bag you built and the length needs to be at least 2.5 inches to properly sit on bag, anything shorter and it wants to fall off.
Today I used Unity's Treasure to Me set to stamp the flowers and leaves.  I used my Sizzix die for flower pot (which I inked and then chalked for depth).  I added a tag (QuikCuts) with sentiment from Jillibean soup.  It is a smaller version of some of the stamps in the Dutch Mustard set.  I found it at Michael's and thought it would be perfect for this small tag die that I purchased on clearance around Christmas.  I also matted my image my Perfect layers tools.  I have had them forever, but have all but forgotten them due to my increased use of Spellbinder dies.  I was reminded of them a few days ago and dusted them off and used it to make a perfect 1/16th of an inch border around my image.  Does anyone else have tools you have long forgotten, we need to remember to look around and use some of those great tools again.
I received the envelope punch board for Christmas and it is very versatile and I was singing it's praises to my husband, who then decided to buy  me more punch boards for my birthday and it took quite a while but they finally arrived this week and I couldn't wait to play.  The gift bags are quite small, but they are perfect for bags of treats or small gifts, if you wanted a larger gift bag to hold a shirt or stuffed animal you would need to use a purchased gift bag.  The widths of the gift bags cannot be altered since it is set by the markings on the board.  I can see many uses for the sizes I can make and the boards are quite easy to use, once you have made a couple.  So if you are looking to purchase any of these boards (I have tried all except flower maker), I highly recommend them.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope this information was helpful.  Have a great weekend.

 Gift bag topper:  cardstock was 10 inches wide (because I made the small gift bag) and 3 inches deep.  I used the gift bag punch board, following directions I used to make gift bag and folded the lid box and used red line tape to seal flaps, then I cut a piece of cardstock to the dimensions of the top of lid and adhered to cover the flaps.  I also cut a piece of 10 inch wide white cardstock and punched with border punch and place on punch board but this time only scored the lines for the gift bag, so that I could easily fold the trim and attach to lid.  Decorate as you wish.  I have looked at a lot of videos and blogs about these punch boards, but I did not see anyone make a "topper", so I hope this helps to make this more versatile for you.

Inspired Stamps- DT Thursday

 Hello Everyone.  It is Thursday and time for an Inspired Stamps DT post.  Today we were asked to make a trio of birthday cards.  I chose to use two Inspired Stamps sets:  Spring Sketches (sentiment on the front of card, flowers and verse on inside of card) and Perfect Sentiments (Happy Birthday greeting inside the card).
I made a trio of gift card holder birthday cards and embossed the front pocket with a Sizzix embossing folder and sanded to reveal the green core.  I cut a file folder tab in different location on each card with the We R Memory Keepers envelope punch board.  I added some flowers and leaves (colored with Copic markers) and  ribbon. The card base was created by stamping the sentiment in Memento Tuxedo black ink and the flowers in Versamark.  I added a pull tab to the gift card (see top photo).

 The trio of cards together can be seen below.  Thank you for stopping by and please be sure to check out the other great card sets by the other design team members.  To see these stamps or any others please visit the Inspired Stamps online store and visit the Inspired Stamps blog for more inspiration.

Unity Friends with Flair

Hello Friends with Flair.  It is Friday and it has been bitterly cold here and we are supposed to get more snow over the weekend, so what better than to play with this sweet stamp that just evokes the warmth of sunshine.
 I love Phyllis Harris designs as you probably could tell from my previous postings.  I do own more Unity stamps than Phyllis Harris, but I have not been able to show them much love, but I hope to in the near future.  I stayed with warm colors for the background papers.  I colored the image with Copic markers and added a bit of ribbon.  I hope this will brighten up the day of the recipient.
Thanks for stopping by and stay warm.

Inspired Stamps DT Thursday

 Hello, we are back today with Inspired Stamps DT Thursday post.  Today I used HLO: Reading girl and 2 X 2 Individual scripture Isaiah 26:4.
My family and I have been reading through the Bible each night together, it has been nice to all be in God's Word discussing the same passages and that is what inspired this card.  This HLO reminds me of my oldest DD and our readings are reminding us of God's everlasting strength.  We have had our set of "trials" this past year but it has caused each and every one of us to trust God.  Trust God for the BIG stuff, as well as the small stuff.

I colored HLO: Reading girl with Copic markers and gave her some pearls for earrings.  I used Majestic squares Spellbinder dies for the layers and added a ribbon bow.
Please be sure to check out the other DT blogs for more inspired creations and the Inspired Stamps blog.  Inspired Stamps are made in the USA and can be purchased at the Inspired Stamps online store.
Have a blessed day and thanks for stopping by.

Music sheet Christmas cards

 I know it is past Christmas but this style can be used for all occasions, so I thought I would share.  I absolutely loved making this card.  I copied some music out of an old hymnal.  We love books in my house and have a hard time destroying them, so I could not bring myself to pull out the pages to use directly.  I cut the pages down to fit card front, some of the songs were shorter so the music was a bit smaller but then I just created a larger border at top of card.  I inked the music sheets with distress inks.  I then stamped different snowflakes from Snowflake kisses set, Unity.  I stamped the snowflakes with tumbled glass and broken china distress inks.  I added a border strip and stamped a sentiment from different stamps sets from various companies.  I used various circle punches to punch out circles from solid color and music sheet, then added bling in the middle.
I used the Fiskars snowflake border punch for bottom edge of card.  I added a border with solid paper and music sheet at bottom border of inside as well.  I had fun making these and they were easy to do in multiples.
A sheet of a love song could be used with heart stamps and Valentine sentiments could be used to make a lovely Valentine card.  If you and your significant other have a special song, you could use it as the background paper.
Another variation would be to use sheet music for Happy Birthday and birthday stamps for a great birthday card.  I hope this helps get your creative juices flowing to make a card for the music enthusiast in your life.  Have a great day.  I will be back Thursday with an Inspired Stamps post and Friday with a Unity Friends with Flair post.  Thanks for stopping by and please stop by again soon.

Friday Friends with Flair

Hello there!  I am on a roll.  I have now posted to FWF two weeks in a row.  Woohoo!  No, kidding aside I hope to be able to create and blog more frequently than I had been doing this past year.  I rearranged my craft space and now have an 8 foot table to make my creations.  My DH bought me a new paper cutter for Christmas.  The Fiskars ProCision paper cutter and now it has a permanent home upon the table.  If you have not seen this cutter you need to check it out.  I was looking for a new paper cutter and doing research because my old cutter was cutting "wonky".  Yes, "wonky" is a technical term.  It had become warped and no matter how hard I tried to cut straight I would get some uneven cuts.  I loved my cutter, because I knew it like the back of my hand, I could measure any size easily but was becoming more and more frustrated with the uneven cutting.  I was looking at different cutters but when I would read reviews online, other crafters would tell of their disadvantages and I did not want to buy something that already was more at a disadvantage to what I was using.  I never looked at the ProCision cutter, probably because of the price tag, it is heafty, but my DH read the reviews and yes, he used a coupon to buy it for Christmas.  It has a permanent blade (never needs to be sharpened or replaced).  This is the first big advantage.  It has a dual rail system to house the blade (so no more warping).  Second advantage.  It has a large cutting platform, high bumpers to stop the paper, it folds for easy storage or travel.  It can cut up to seven pieces of cardstock at once, it cuts chipboard and other heavier materials.  In short, I love it.  So if you are looking for a new paper cutter, please check this one out online.  I found many people doing tutorials and reviews and all love it.

On to my card:  I decided to stay with the "love theme".  I bought Darice EZ Frames, I think you get 7 different frames (ovals, circles, squares, rectangles in different positions on A2 card front.  I was having trouble finding the correct sandwich to emboss the card but leave the window blank.  I finally figured out the best sandwich for my Big Shot was the base platform (tabs closed), cutting plate, embossing folder with paper in it and then the EZ Frame.  Run through machine and outside is embossed and window is blank, then you can stamp image of choice.  I chose another Phyllis Harris (I will give you my heart) stamp this week to go inside my Darice, Hearts embossing folder.  I inked with distress inks.  I cut the corners with the scallop corner chomper and mounted on pink cardstock.  To make the window stand out more I used the window as a template to draw stitching lines.  I also tried turning the cardstock over and using the window template as a guide to use embossing tool to get a raised edge on the window.  I colored the image with Copic markers.  Thanks for stopping.  I enjoyed making this card to add to my list of cards to send out to bless others.

Inspired Stamps DT Thursday

Hello everyone, happy Thursday.  There is "love in the air" at Inspired Stamps this week.  The DT was asked to make "love" projects.  I chose to make a 5 X 5 card, not my normal size, but with my new envelope punch board I can make any size envelope I want.  I will share more about this in a different post.
Today I used three Inspired Stamps stamp sets, Heart holding Girl HLO, Typewriter text lowercase alphabet and heart from Tags set.
Inspired Stamps Online Store is having a sale on some of the large stamp sets for a few more days, so go quick and check out the savings.
For this card I used different dp from MME, they were all in the same pack so they coordinated well. I cut the banner using Spellbinder dies, pennants and scallop pennants.  I used a Spellbinder die for heart circle around my HLO.  I used the classic circles to cut out piece to stamp and color my focal image.  I colored the image with Copic markers.
Please be sure to check out the Inspired Stamps blog and the other DT blogs for more ideas.
Have a blessed day and stay warm.

Versatile Treat box

 Here is a versatile treat box that I made for Christmas treats for my DH co-workers.  This fun box is made from one piece of 8.5 X 11 piece of cardstock, only scored and folded.  NO CUTS!  How great is that?
I decorated the front of my box with the Sizzix Alteration line snowman cut and inked with distress inks.  I used the McGill Alpine snowflake and some Stickles and a SU label punch with sentiment.  Add a button and some baker's twine for a closure and voila.

 Score your 11 inch side at 3/4, 4.5, 6.5 and 10 1/4 inches.  Score the 8.5 inch side at 2 and 6.5 inches.
Fold in all your score lines to get them broken in.  Then open sheet and fold in the 2 and 6.5 inch scores toward the middle and then bring large piece up toward the center while creating a triangle to make pocket.  See picture below, do this for both the larger sides.  This creates the center pocket.  You have a choice to glue the triangles to the box side or leave them free (as you see in the photo).  Most of the time I would glue the triangles to the box front and back to make the box more rigid, but the box is fully functional either way.

As you can see from the photo it fit a good amount of "chocolatey goodness" in each box.
This would be a great box for any occasion and with Valentine's Day coming up, another chocolate holiday, this would be a quick and easy way to share with friends and family.
Thank you  for stopping by and if you want to check out the post where I first found the box head on over to Stamp With Silvey's blog.

Unity Friends with Flair

Hello Unity Friends with Flair, it has been a long time since I have participated here.  I hope to be back to posting more regularly in 2014.  I had some Phyllis Harris stamps that I have not "played with" yet and I needed to few cards to send out in today's mail. Since these were going out in the regular mail, I needed to keep them relatively flat for proper delivery without the extra fee.

Stamps:  Your Wings Exist, Phyllis Harris Unity; Pretty Little Scripture, Clear Dollar Stamps
Tools:  Spellbinder dies ( A2 Fancy Postage Stamp, Ribbon Tag Trio Two and Lattice Rectangles
Techniques:  inked background with Tim Holtz distress inks and colored image with Copic markers

On bottom card I used dp by MME and sticky stitches (I have had for about a thousand years).
I am a hoarder of all things beautiful.  I collect them to use on projects and then cannot bring myself to use them because they are too pretty.  Is there anyone out there like me?  I have decided to start using the beauties in my stash.  How about you?  Some of you are fantastic about using "all things beautiful"   and I am envious of you.  I must break my need to hang on to everything, now is the time.
I read on someones blog that they were going to try to send out 365 cards this year, not one everyday, but maybe several  a few days a week.  I loved this idea and would like to try it myself.  I am not sure if I will be able to reach 365 but I would like to come close.  I know I love to receive "real" mail that is not a bill, or advertisement etc... I would love to receive a card, handwritten by a friend.  It always brightens my day, so I am going to make and send out cards to touch the people in my life and hopefully cause a few smiles along the way.  These two cards are my first of hopefully many more to come, I mailed them out today.
Thank you for stopping by and have a great weekend.

Inspired Stamps January Release

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I took some time off to be with my family, clean and rearrange my craft space (still a work in progress).  I am sure many of you ladies can relate.
Today Inspired Stamps is releasing some new stamps and our talented DT will be showcasing these new stamps in their projects so please be sure to check out all the DT blogs, I am sure you will love them all.  The stamps will be available in the Inspired Stamps online store Friday at noon.
I am using the new 2 X 2 individual scripture Isaiah 26:4.  I used my dd favorite color scheme of red, black and white.  I received some new Spellbinder dies (Crosses Two and A2 Fancy Postage Edge)  for Christmas.  I embossed the background with a fleur de lisa  Cuttlebug embossing folder and inked with pumice stone, fired brick and black soot distress inks for more depth.  I used Co'ordinations paper so that I could get the two colors after a bit of sanding.  I hope you visit the other DT  and see their creations and don't forget to stop by the Inspired Stamps blog for more posts and possibly a few surprises.