All Things Valentines!!!

****edited to add: I created an updated tutorial for the key wristlets shown in this post. You can find it HERE ********  Valentine' Day is fast-approaching and  I have been having such a fun time making ALL  kinds of gifts and things for the big day! I have quite a bit to share, so get cozy and I'll dive right in!  This card was made a few days after I made the post boxes from my previous post. I had all kinds of goodies left over and my mind was racing with possibilities! I did add in a few doves for an added vintage touch and the sentiment is from the new Folk Heart Sentiments.

To begin this card, I die cut a panel of Pure Poppy cardstock using the Stitched Scallops Die and then stamped it with gold ink using the large frame included in the Bookish Holiday Frames Stamp Set. I die cut the largest heart and backer using the Nordic Hearts Die; the main heart from Pure Poppy cardstock and the backer from Pale Peony cardstock. I adhered them together using foam squares. I added it to the center of the background panel using additional foam squares.

You can read all about how I made the embellishments in THIS post. I had so much fun arranging them here and there until I was satisfied with the arrangement.

I added the Be Mine sentiment and gave it a generous spritz of shimmer spray. I layered the scalloped background onto a top-folding A2 card base.

I still had quite a few embellishments left so I got to work on some treat boxes. I bought the Spellbinders Ribbon Box Die in November with plans to use it for Christmas, but we all know how things like that go! womp, womp! LOL! Anyway, it was the perfect thing for Valentine's Day treats!

I added the "feet" using the  Fancy Feet Die and I just love how it looks! They don't have to only be used on post boxes!

This one doesn't have the ribbon threaded through it yet, but I wanted to share it so you could see how it all works.

5/8 inch ribbon works perfectly to slide through the slot.

And now onto some sewn projects. I will most likely add these to my neglected sewing blog, but for now, I am going to post them here until I get some extra time to post over there. The fabric that I used for these projects is from Riley Blake, but I didn't note the collection.

I always love making these keychain wristlets to give as gifts and with the "P.S. I love you" labels, they're just perfect for Valentine's Day. I bought the labels years and years ago from the local quilt shop, so I don't have a source, unfortunately. 

I also love making tissue cozies as well. I ended up making 8 in total, but here is what they all look like.

I bought a bunch of the purse-pack tissue packages at Christmastime, but once again, womp! womp! I just didn't have enough time! Thank heavens for Valentine's Day to give us all a second-chance, right? ha ha!

And to keep the theme going, I had planned to make these calendars for Christmas, too, but here they are for Valentine's Day gifts. I made 5 in total to give to a few friends and my son's teacher.

The 5 calendars didn't take long at all, especially when you're mass-producing! I'm so glad I got them finished because they look so cute with all of the other goodies! You can find everything I used in the These Are the Days Collection. Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. Have a happy Valentine's Day! xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

 

The Greetery These are the Days Collection

Hello and welcome, friends! I've been busy as a little bee working on all kinds of fun projects and I'm so happy to finally be able to share them with you! Today I have 3 projects to share with you using all of the beautiful new products from the These are the Days Collection from The Greetery! Don't forget to head to The Greetery Blog for the official "Meet and Greet" for all of the new products! Also, don't forget to leave a comment here, and on each of the designers' blogs, for a chance to win one of two $50 gift certificates to the shop!

As you've probably gathered, this collection is calendar-themed which is so fun and unique! They are being released just in time to get started on all of those handmade Christmas gifts we all love to create!

My first project is a 2024 floral desk calendar for my upcoming 5th grader to give to his teacher. It begins at August and ends with December. I will make her a new one for 2025 and have my son give it to her as part of her Christmas gift!

I used the new Calendar Basics stamp set to create each of the calendars for the month. As you can see here, I used the circle image and "Big Day" sentiment to highlight the first of school that is approaching WAY too quickly! eek! 

This project is easy to put together in assembly line fashion! To begin, I stamped the grid image using the Calendar Basics stamp set and Hickory Smoke distress oxide ink on white A2 panels. I used my MISTI to make quick work of this part. Once the panels were stamped, I used the Jumbo Jar Die to cut each of the calendar months. I used the Calendar Grid stencil to add color to each of the months. I had previously stamped ALL of the Birth Month Blooms flowers so I was able to decide which color stenciling I wanted to do based on which flower would coincide with that month. Hopefully that makes sense!

I tucked the flowers into the jars and secured them with liquid glue. I alternated them from one side to the other so that when they are stacked up the display would be full and beautiful. If you look at the full calendar all put together, you will see some violets popping out on the right-hand side; I added those to a blank jar panel to the back to give the calendar more symmetry and additional color .

I was pleased to find some wood blocks to use as the calendar stand and you can find them HERE. They are a good price and I will be able to give calendars as gifts as needed! The cover was created using the previously released Bold Numbers Die to make the 2024. I added some flowers using the BotaniCuts: Wildflower Mix dies and the Winter Medley Die. The Greetery is also offering some pre-printed 2025 calendar pages and I used the cover as inspiration for this cover.

My next project is a birthday card I just made for my daughter who celebrated her birthday on the 22nd! I just love how you can make your projects so personalized with these new products! This card features the Calendar Grid Die paired with the Spiral Bound die, (this gives you the option of creating faux spirals like I did here, or to make the holes to add the real spiral binding on an actual calendar) Birth Month Blooms, and the new One Fine Day stamp/die set.

One of my favorite flowers in the collection is the Larkspur and I was pleasantly delighted to find out it is July's flower! Yay! I had already told myself I would use it no matter which month it was for! ha ha! I added in a few other month's flowers to give it variety and additional color!

To give the calendar personalization, I added the 22 that was stamped using the Calendar Basics stamp set on a rectangle that was cut when I die cut the grid. I popped it into the proper space using a min foam square.

I used metallic cardstock for both the spiral binding and the cute hanger at the top.

My cute daughter kept leaving comments on my Instagram posts (if it was a birthday card) saying, "Can this be my birthday card?" so I was worried she would be disappointed she didn't get one that she commented on, but she LOVED this one and said she liked it best!

My final project for today is a fun notecard set using the different Birth Month Blooms. I haven't mentioned before, but each of the Birth Month Blooms are compiled in quarters. There is a Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 stamp/die set so you can buy them as you need them or for those months where loved ones have special days. 

I had set out at the beginning of my creative sessions by stamping all of the flowers multiple times so I would have a good variety of images to pick from as I was creating! Doing that made this project go much quicker than if I stamped them all out one by one.

Here you can see a few of the different varieties with their coordinating envelopes.

 I have made and shown this stationery box a few times over the years, but for those who may be new, I will share the dimensions. The bottom of the box is made using a piece of cardstock measuring 8 1/2 by 10 and then score at two inches in from each side. The top is made using a piece of cardstock measuring 7 1/8 by 8 5/8 and score on each side 1 1/4 inches from the edges.  Use a bone folder and cut tabs on the four sides and secure with ScorTape.

As I mentioned before, this box holds nine cards, so I wasn't able to get a full year of cards. I used foam squares for each of the cards so if you made them flat, you could possibly get 12 in there. I also want to mention that the shop will also be offering some Birth Month Blooms Cutables so you can save some time using those as well. They would be perfect if you're planning on making a bunch of gifts for Christmas and you find yourself in a pinch! 

Just a reminder that the collection will be available for purchase tomorrow at 10 am EDT. Thanks for fluttering by!

Dana

Dawn

Kelly (you are here)

Laura

Laurie

Wanda

 

For Mom + more Gingham Inspiration!

Happy Saturday, friends! I'm popping in today to share the card I made for my Mom for Mother's Day and a few tags that I made using the new Gingham Gorgeous from Bath and Body Works as inspiration!

I happened to be sick during the release where we used Mother's Day products, so here I am at the last minute getting something put together! Please note: this card was HEAVILY inspired by a beautiful card that I saw HERE; I loved the gate-fold design, the MOM down the center and the washi touches!

I decided to take a more colorful approach to highlight the beautiful Hydrangea and Rose washi tape; my mom loves these citrus hues, so I hope she likes it!  I cut a piece of Green Parakeet cardstock measuring 11 by 4 1/2 and then scored it at 2 3/4 on each end and then folded the flaps to the middle.

I also die cut the Modern Blooms die (retired) out of the same Green Parakeet cardstock, cut it in half, and then glued it on either side of the opening lining up the blunt cut for precision.

I adhered the washi tape to a 4 1/4 by 11 piece of white cardstock and then die cut it using the coordinating Hydrangea and Rose die and set the pieces aside. I just HAD to buy the Jeff Alpha die; that is what originally caught my eye on the inspiration card! I die cut the shadow from white cardstock and then the detail portion out of Sweet Blush cardstock. I layered them together using foam squares and then added them to the left side of the opening at the half-way point.

Once that was done, I fiddled around with the placement of the washi tape pieces until I was satisfied with the arrangement. You can see in this photo that I actually layered two of the clusters together on the right side until I was happy with the way it looked! I heat embossed the sentiment using the Larger than Life Mom stamp set and then glued it under the "o" in  MOM.

I gussied up the inside with the same stamp set and another left-over flower cluster!

If you stopped by the other day, then you probably saw my birthday card I made using the new Gingham Fresh as inspiration; this time I used Gingham Gorgeous as inspiration! I'm giving a few ladies in the neighborhood a little Mother's Day gift, and I included some of the Gingham Gorgeous products! Lucky for me, the Blossoms and Berries washi tape is a match made in heaven!

I made 4 tags in total, but I'm only sharing three since the 4th is almost identical to one of these. I adhered and die cut the washi exactly as I did for the Mother's Day card. I set the pieces aside and then got to work on the tags.

I used my most favorite tags: the Essentials: Classic Tags with fillable elements! These are nice and big and you can customize them with all of the the different fillable elements; I chose this lattice-y look for today! I used a diagonal striped stencil to create the soft blush gingham on the background. It's hard to see, but it's there; soft and sweet like it looks on the lotion and soap packaging.

From there I was able to decorate them with the washi pieces; this one features the large wreath.

The sentiment is from the Blossoms and Berries stamp set and is perfect for these tags. Since these ladies aren't MY mom, but I want to celebrate them, I though this worked!

I'm also obsessed with this gingham ribbon I found at Hobby Lobby; the perfect finishing touch!

This is a "for me" photo. (wink)  I made these for the 7-11 year old boys' group at church to give to their moms for Mother's Day. I had them make little Shrinky Dink charms to attach to the ring; they turned out really cute! Anyway, I added them because I wanted to remember that I did this! ha ha! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

The Greetery {Something Sweet For You}

 

Hello friends! I’m so excited to be here today sharing a fun project with you using fabulous products from the new Hip Hip Hooray release from The Greetery! I’m particularly smitten with the Hey Cupcake Die Collection and I couldn’t wait to “bake” up a few more, so I decided to use them for today’s project! It’s no secret that I love making paper packaging of all kinds, but I always come back to this particular box because it’s so easy to make and so fun to gift! This idea works just as well for a card, too!

To begin, I cut and scored the cardstock for the box; you will need one piece measuring 7 1/8 by 8 5/8 (top) and one piece measuring 8 ½ by 10 (bottom). Score the top at 1 ¾ inches around all four sides and then cut each corner so you can make it into the box shape. Score the bottom at 2 inches on all four sides and do the same for the sides. I also made another panel for the top so I could sandwich the cupcakes between the box top and the panel with the window cut out. The window was cut using the new Window Dressing Dotted Scallop die. I also stamped it using the new Sparkler Background Stamp for some added detail.

Once that was done, it was time to make the cupcakes and the fancy foil label! I used the new Sweet and Fancy Label Hot Foil and gold foil for the label. Once it was foiled, I heat embossed the sentiment from the new Sweet & Fancy Label Stamp Set  in white. I used the coordinating die to cut it out. I set it aside with the box so that I could “bake” up some cupcakes!

I die cut all of the pieces from white cardstock and then inked them up using assorted Distress Oxide inks and finger daubers. I made two chocolate cupcakes and two strawberry cupcakes. I kept the topping style similar so that the box would have a cohesive feel to it. That being said, the sky is the limit with how you’d like to decorate your cupcakes! I did add some Nuvo Crystal Glaze over the top of the cherry for some shine, and of course, I had to had some glitter for sparkle!

I know I went on and on about patterned cupcake liners the other day, but for today’s project, I opted for plain white! Once again, I was really going for cohesive and uncluttered! I used liquid glue to adhere the cupcakes to the top of the box and then added the stamped and die cut panel over the top using foam squares.

I can’t wait to fill this box up with goodies and things to give for a special birthday! This box is also perfect for holding cards, so you could make a set of birthday/cupcake/cake cards to go inside if you wanted! I have been making this box style for over 20 years and the ways to use it are endless! I had so much fun working on this project and I hope you have just as much fun as your orders start arriving! Creating gives me such joy and I hope you find the same joy as you find time to use these gorgeous new products! Thanks for fluttering by!