April Suite Sampling Project #1

Hello there! I'm back with the first project using the April Suite Sampling. I wanted to start with this project because even if you don't have the kit, this would be a super quick, easy project you could do for table favors for Resurrection Sunday. I know that's just 2 days away, but these are seriously, super easy and you could use whatever paper you happen to have on hand.

Bonus, this bag uses exactly one half sheet of cardstock (8 1/2 x 5 1/2), so you can get 2 bags from one sheet with minimal waste.

On the long side, score at 3 3/4 and 4 3/4
On the short side, score at 1 1/4 and 4 1/4

Cut along the long score lines, stopping at the short score lines. Then chop off an inch or so from the flaps you just made.

If you want to emboss your bag, this is the time to do it. Most embossing folders won't be large enough to do the whole bag in one shot, so this is a way around that. First, line the embossing folder up in this corner.

Then flip it around and line it up in this corner.

The bottom of the bag will be double embossed, but that's OK.

Then simply fold on the score lines and glue the flaps together.

You can opt to glue the front and back flaps to the inside ones if you want, or just leave them loose. I glued mine.

I filled mine with a little of our Ready Shreddie and some Robin Eggs. I think this would also be the good size for some Girhardelli Squares which would be the perfect treat to keep on hand for those times when a friend needs a little pick-me-up.

To finish off the bag, I added a strip of Designer Series Paper and I used our Fine Tip Glue Pen to adhere a strip of the Black Mini Sequin Trip to the bottom of it. I inked the flower stamp with Stampin' Write Markers and punched it and the black cardstock out with simple circles. I stamped the sentiment and then cut the words out with Paper Snips. Then, I simply closed the bag with a gold Library Clip.

I hope you like my little project. Remember, you can get all the supplies for this project and LOTS more in the April Suite Samplings Kit. See this post for more details.

Hostess Code Bonus: Please use this month's Hostess Code when you place an order. It will allow me to pick up some goodies to share with you when I send out your Thank You gift at the end of the month. (If you check the "Do No Contact" button when you order, I cannot legally contact you in any way, which means I cannot send you a Thank You gift or any extra goodies. :o(  )

April Suite Sampling

Hello there! I was really hoping to get this post up earlier, but I was busy this last week snuggling with this little cutie. 

It's so much fun being a Grammy. Just wish they lived closer so I could snuggle him more often. They headed back home yesterday, and my house is now way too quiet. :o( 

I do have something to show you today, but, I'm afraid it's not as cute as that little guy. ;o) I've put together April's Suite Sampler, and I think you're going to like it. It showcases the Whole Lot of Lovely Suite (pg 86-87 in the Annual Catalog). This is my second favorite set in the catalog.

This photo doesn't do the papers justice. I absolutely LOVE the two floral prints and the stripes. So feminine and almost Victorian in style. 

Here's what comes in the April Suite Samplings Kit:

• 1/2 pack Whole Lot of Lovely Designer Series Paper (6 x 12)
• 2 sheets ea. Pool Party, Powder Pink, Tranquil Tide, Crushed Curry, Basic Black Cardstock
• 4 sheets Whisper White Cardstock
• 10 Whisper White Envelopes
• 5 Gold Library Clips
• 1 yd. Shimmer Ribbon, Basic Black
• 1 yd. Shimmer Ribbon, Pear Pizzazz
• 1 yd. Shimmer Ribbon, Pool Party
• 1 yd. Shimmer Ribbon, Powder Pink
• 1 yd. Mini Sequin Trim, Gold
• 1 yd. Mini Sequin Trim, Black
• 1/4 sheet Gold Foil (6 x 6) + *Gold Foil cut outs
• 15 White Perfect Accents (5 each of 3 sizes)
• 1 sheet Glossy Cardstock
• 2 Gold Striped Treat Bags
• Bonus: 1/2 sheet Vellum Cardstock (5.5 x 8.5)

You get all of this for $25! That includes shipping! If you are local to me and want to pick up your kit, your total is $20

To get all of this in their full size packaging, you would be paying $118 plus shipping and taxes, but you get a sampling of it all for $25. I think that's a pretty good deal. PLUS, I will be posting projects over the next couple of weeks to give you ideas to use your kit. 

Optional Extras:

• Layered Leaved Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder $9
• Lots of Love Stamp Set Wood $27 or Clear Mount $19

Bonus: Purchase 1 of the Optional Extras and receive 1 yd. Whisper White Baker's Twine. Purchase any 2 and get the Baker's Twine and a Stampin' Spot inked in the color of your choice (Pool Party, Powder Pink, Tranquil Tide, or Crushed Curry). 

How do you get your kit? You must email me with your order and I will send you an invoice. Payment must be made by deadline (April 6th) and then I will put in an order for all the product. As soon as it arrives, I will divide everything up and package it and mail it out to you. 

*Gold Foil Cut Outs--I will take a 6 x 6 piece of Gold Foil paper and cut out as many hearts and circles as I can from the sheet. These will be sized to coordinate with the stamp in the Lots of Love Stamp Set. I managed to get 1 small, 3 large circles and 3 small, 4 large hearts out of it. 

Email me to reserve your kit.

Shipping Notes:

I took my kit over to the Post Office and worked with the awesome ladies there to find the best and most economical way to ship these kits out to you. I will be able to send them out in a Priority Flat Rate padded envelope for $7.25. So, just to make it a nice round number I will add on $5 for shipping which will make your total $25. If you add on the Optional Extras, your shipping cost does NOT increase. :o) 

This is only available in the US. You need to email me to order. I will send an invoice and payment will be to me, in advance of the order being placed and sent out.

Deadline for ordering is Friday, April 6th. I will place the order early the following morning and hope to have the packages ready to ship out to you by April 18th (My Birthday!!!) (delivery from Stampin' Up! permitting).

I hope you're as excited about this as I am. I will be posting a couple of projects over the next few days to give you some inspiration for the kit. There's SO many things you can make.

One more thing, I will not be offering a kit in May. With the retiring list coming out, I'm afraid items will be sold out before I'm able to put the kits together, so the next Suite Sampler will not be until the new catalog comes out in June! Can't believe we're this close to a new catalog coming out. Time flies when your happy crafting. :o) 

I'm off to go finish up a few more projects to share with you later. 

Till next time...

God's love and blessings! 

Mail-a-Card Monday & March Suite Samplings #2

Yes, another week has gone by and it's Mail-a-Card Monday again. How many did you mail out? I've got a couple in the box. One is a get well card, and one is for my Mom. I'll share pics of those a little later. Today I wanted to share some more projects using the Suite Samplings for March. You can check out this post to see what's in this month's kit. 

What do you think of my cards? Here are 4 (actually 5) more ideas using the Suite Samplings. Since these cards are pretty straight forward, I will simply give you the measurements I used for the papers.

This first card showcases another one of the prints I wasn't immediately drawn to, but I love how it became the focal piece for the card. You could switch out the sentiment for just about anything. For this one you need:

Card base--5 1/2 x 8 1/2 scored in the middle
DSP--4 3/4 x 1
          4 3/4 x 2
          4 3/4 x 1/2
Banner piece--5/8 x 2 1/4

This is a fun design to showcase the DSP. For this one you need:

Card Base--8 1/2 x 5 1/2 scored in the middle
Cardstock of choice--3 1/4 x 4 1/4
DSP--3 x 1 (4 different prints)
Daisy punched from color of choice

This card showcases the beautiful stamp set and bits and pieces of paper. The stamping was done on one of the tags that I include as a bonus in the kit. Measurements for this one are:

Card base--5 1/2 x 8 1/2 scored in the middle
Tag--4 x 2 (included in Suite Sampler kit)
DSP--4 x 1
Cardstock of choice (for sentiment)--1/2 x 2

This card has a lot of layers, and it is done slightly differently than most. Normally, you would think the card base for this is the largest Night of Navy layer, but that would make it difficult to write anything in the card, so instead, it is actually the Daffodil Delight layer.

This one I will list the size from back to front of the card.

Night of Navy--5 1/2 x 4 1/4
Daffodil Delight--5 1/4 x 8
Night of Navy--5 x 3 3/4
Top DSP--3 3/4 x 3 3/4
Bottom DSP--1 1/4 x 3 3/4
Sentiment banner--1 x 3 1/2

You may of noticed project #5 in the photos, my cute little jar of daisies. I used this tutorial to make my daisies, and then just covered a jar with a piece of DSP. I may decide later to decorate the jar a little more, but I wanted it to be neutral so I could use it as a back drop for my card photos and such. I filled the jar with a little bit of our Ready Shreddie. This helps disguise the ends of the wires a bit and helps the flowers stay where I wanted them. I happened to have some baby's breath left from the Valentine's bouquet my handsome hubby bought me, so that was added to fill it in a bit. I found it easier to put the baby's breath in first, and then add the flowers.

I hope you like my projects. Remember today (March 5, 2018) is the last day to reserve your Suite Samplings kit. I will be putting in the orders tomorrow morning and getting them out to you as quickly as I can. I still have at least one more project to share with you using this kit. I hope to be back tomorrow with that.

Email me to Reserve Your Kit 

Shipping Notes:

I took my kit over to the Post Office and worked with the awesome ladies there to find the best and most economical way to ship these kits out to you. I will be able to send them out in a Priority Flat Rate padded envelope for $7.25. So, just to make it a nice round number I will add on $5 for shipping which will make your total $25.

This is only available in the US. You need to email me to order. I will send an invoice and payment will be to me, in advance of the order being placed and sent out.

Deadline for ordering is Monday, March 5th. I will place the order early the following morning and hope to have the packages ready to ship out to you by March 16th (delivery from Stampin' Up! permitting).

Hostess Code Bonus: Please use this month's Hostess Code when you place an order. It will allow me to pick up some goodies to share with you when I send out your Thank You gift at the end of the month. (If you check the "Do No Contact" button when you order, I cannot legally contact you in any way, which means I cannot send you a Thank You gift or any extra goodies. :o(  )

Till next time...
God's love and blessings!

March Suite Samplings #1

Hello there! I'm here with the first of my projects using the March Suite Samplings kit.Check out this post for more info on the kit. I hope to post several different ones over the next week or so and, while my internet makes doing videos quite a pain, I can do a step-by-step pictorial tutorial. (Say that 5 times fast!)

For this project I used one of the Mini Pizza Boxes to make a fun gift of 3x3 note cards. I actually used one of my least favorite patterns in this kit, but after I started playing with it, I found it to be one of my favorites. I think it's funny how we perceive things differently based on how they are used. The large print of this design didn't thrill me, but I LOVE it in small pieces like this.

The box itself was pretty simple to cover. The pieces you will need are :

1--3 1/4" x 3 1/4" square DSP for the top
4--3/4' x 3 1/4" DSP for the sides.
1--2 1/2" Whisper White circle for the top

I used a 3/4" circle punch to make a notch in the front piece. I used our Tombow Multipurpose Glue to adhere the paper to the box as I didn't want any edges lifting up. The circle is adhered with Dimensionals.

To make the flower, I stamped the Daisy 3 times with Calypso Coral ink and lightly colored it in with an Aqua Painter. The flowers were then punched out and glued atop one another with the petals staggered. Once the glue dried I used a Bone Folder to gently curl the petals back.

I wanted a yellow center, but thought the Daffodil Delight cardstock was a bit dark for this pattern, so I opted to create my own yellow paper by coloring 2  3/4" circles with Daffodil Delight ink on both sides. I didn't try to color it perfectly, I was going for a watercolor wash look.

Then I held the two circles together and snipped in from the edges.

To make the leaves, I cut a 3" piece of Old Olive ribbon, looped it around and used a glue dot to hold the ends together.

These were then glued to the back of the flower.

The yellow centers were glued on and then fluffed up after the Faceted Gem was adhered to the middle.

The Notecards to go inside are simply 6x3 piece of Whisper White cardstock scored and folded in half. The DSP strip on the bottom is 1x3, and I used stamps from the Daisy Delight stamp set for the flowers and saying. I did get to use my Stamparatus for the first time. I think I love it! There is a slight learning curve, and I managed to get my hands all kinds of messy, but it sure made stamping all 4 cards go a lot faster, even with me experimenting with how it works. If you weren't able to reserve one already, they will be available when the new catalog comes out in June. In the meantime, I'm going to keep playing and practicing with mine so I can help you not make the mistakes I have/will.

I hope you like this project. I will be back again with a couple of cards and another 3D project over the next couple of days. Remember, Monday, March 5th is the deadline to reserve your kit. Then you can craft along with me!

Email Me to Reserve Your Kit 

Hostess Code Bonus: Please use this month's Hostess Code when you place an order. It will allow me to pick up some goodies to share with you when I send out your Thank You gift at the end of the month. (If you check the "Do No Contact" button when you order, I cannot legally contact you in any way, which means I cannot send you a Thank You gift or any extra goodies. :o(  )

Suite Samplings Plus

Y'all, I am so excited about this new offer I have for you. Stampin' Up! has always been about coordination. Our inks match our cardstock, which coordinates with our Designer Series Paper, which also matches our ribbons, washi tape, enamel dots, etc. The last couple of years, the Catalogs have featured "Suites" that generally revolve around one of our Designer Series Paper Packs. They've pulled together ribbons, papers, stamp sets and embellishments that all look wonderful together and that helps make your crafting a little easier as there's less decisions to make. (I am definitely one of those who hates making decisions--my handsome hubby can attest to that.) But, buying everything in a Suite can get a little pricey. So, let me introduce you to my Suite Samplings.

What is a Suite Samplings? Pretty much exactly what it says. You will get a sampling of the consumable items in a particular suite PLUS some extra product I've added to help round out your kit and give you the most crafting possibilities (ie, white cardstock, envelopes, etc.) I will feature a different Suite each month. There will be Optional Extras (stamp set, dies, punches, etc.) that you can add on to your order that I will ship out with your Suite Samplings kit. (These will also get you some extra goodies from me.)

My first Suite Samplings will focus on my favorite Suite in the catalog--Delightful Daisy. This DSP is so pretty and cheerful, and since outside my window it currently looks like this...

...I am personally in need of some springtime flower therapy.

Isn't this a beautiful set? So cheerful and fun. 

So, what comes in the kit? Each month will be different, but they will always have a half package of DSP. That means you will get 12 half sheets (6 x 12) of DSP. Why send 12 half sheets instead of 6 full 12 x 12 sheets? Two reasons; one, it will make it easier for me to mail it out to you, and two, you are more likely to use the sheets since they've already been cut. You know we really don't hoard our papers, it's just so hard to make that first cut into that beautiful 12 x 12 sheet. Well, now you won't have that problem because I've already cut it for you. ;o) You're welcome. 

Pretend you see some Delicate Doilies and 2 other ribbons on here. :o) 

Here's what you'll get in the March Suite Samplings Kit. 

• 1/2 pack Delightful Daisy DSP cut at 12x6 (2 half sheets of each design)
• 2 sheets each 8 1/2x11 cardstock Calypso Coral, Old Olive, Pool Party, Night of Navy and Daffodil Delight
• 4 sheets 8 1/2x11 Whisper White Cardstock
• 10 Whisper White Envelopes
• 6 Delicate Doilies (pretend you see these in the photo above)
• 1 yd Double Stitched Ribbon Daffodil Delight
• 1 yd Ombre Ribbon Calypso Coral (This one's missing in the photo...) 
• 1 yd Gingham Ribbon Night of Navy (...and so is this one)
• 1 yd Mini Chevron Ribbon Old Olive
• 18 Clear Faceted Gems (6 each of 3 sizes)
• 18 Gold Faced Gems (6 each of 3 sizes)
• 4 Mini Pizza Boxes
• Bonus--I will cut and punch out 5 Whisper White tags for you similar to the one you see hanging from the jar in the photo above. 

This is what is included in the March Suite Samplings Kit and you get all of this for $20. The retail, if you could get just this amount of each item, is slightly over that and you're not paying for tax or shipping to and from SU. To buy all of this in their full sizes you would pay over $109!! If you are local to me and would like to pick up your kit when it is ready, then $20 is all you will need to pay. If you are not local, see the shipping note below. 

Optional Extras:

• Daisy Punch $18
• Daisy Delight Photopolymer Stamp set $17
• Bundle (This includes both the punch and stamp set and is priced at 10% less) $31.50

Bonus--If you purchase either the punch or stamp set I will include 10 3x3 envelopes that fit nicely inside the Mini Pizza Boxes. If you purchase the Bundle (which is both the punch and stamp set), you will get the 10 3x3 envelopes PLUS you qualify for a FREE Sale-a-Bration item. Simply let me know what you would like when you email me. 

Email me to reserve your kit.

Shipping Notes:

I took my kit over to the Post Office and worked with the awesome ladies there to find the best and most economical way to ship these kits out to you. I will be able to send them out in a Priority Flat Rate padded envelope for $7.25. So, just to make it a nice round number I will add on $5 for shipping which will make your total $25.

This is only available in the US. You need to email me to order. I will send an invoice and payment will be to me, in advance of the order being placed and sent out.

Deadline for ordering is Monday, March 5th. I will place the order early the following morning and hope to have the packages ready to ship out to you by March 16th (delivery from Stampin' Up! permitting).

I hope you're as excited about this as I am. I will be posting a couple of projects over the next few days to give you some inspiration for the kit. There's SO many things you can make.

HOSTESS CODE CLUB: Please use this month's Hostess Code when you place an order. It will allow me to pick up some goodies to share with you when I send out your Thank You gift at the end of the month. (If you check the "Do Not Contact" button when you order, I cannot legally contact you in any way, which means I cannot send you a Thank You gift or any extra goodies. :o( )

Mail a Card Monday #2

Well, I'm on a roll! Two weeks in a row. Woo hoo! Can you tell I'm not very good at following through on things sometimes? I really do hope to keep up with this one though. Such a good use of my crafting stash. :o) 

I managed to get a couple of cards out in the mail today. This is one of the ones I sent out. We made it last month at my Stamp-a-Stack. I purposely left the design without any wordage so it could be used for whatever occasion it might be needed. It happened to be needed for an "I think you're awesome" card. 

To color the flower I simply ran an Aqua Painter over the stamped image, coloring in the petals. Since the Real Red ink is a water based ink, the water in the Aqua Painter caused the ink to bleed and gave me a soft pink color. Once the flowers were dry, I punched them out and then curled the petals lightly with a Bone Folder. It gives the flowers much more life and movement.  Thankfully the depth of the Faceted Gem will help keep the flower from getting squished in the mail. I did pay a little extra to get this one hand-canceled though since that gem is kind of bulky. Didn't want it ripping through the envelope.

I don't often remember to design the inside of the cards, but this was an easy one. LOVE this set. Super versatile.

I will be back tomorrow with a SUPER AWESOME offer I have put together. Can't wait to tell you about it. :o)

Till next time...
God's love and blessings!

HOSTESS CODE CLUB: Please use this month's Hostess Code when you place an order. It will allow me to pick up some goodies to share with you when I send out your Thank You gift at the end of the month. (If you check the "Do Not Contact" button when you order, I cannot legally contact you in any way, which means I cannot send you a Thank You gift or any extra goodies. :o( )

Mail a Card Monday--on a Tuesday

I recently saw a post where a Stampin' Up! demonstrator has decided to mail a card (or several) every Monday. I don't remember where I saw the post, and now there are several doing it, so I don't even know who to credit for the original idea, but I want to thank her and jump on this bandwagon myself. I have SOOOO many cards in my stash. Every class I do I usually cut extra, just in case, then there are the swaps that I have done, and my Paper Pumpkin kits. That has added up to a LOT of cards.

See what I mean? As you can see, I haven't been very good at mailing cards out either. I honestly can't even give you a good excuse as to why I don't. My teenage daughter should have been my example. She was bored one day so I told her to write a letter to a friend, and you know what, she has been so diligent in sending letters to both friends and family over the last couple of years. I don't think a week goes by that she doesn't put a letter in the mail. Seriously, what is my excuse? So, I'm going to set a goal to send at least one card out every Monday. This week I'm sending out 4 because I am behind on birthday greetings. (Did I mention something about not mailing cards out?) 

I was all excited last night about starting this goal and then I remembered that today, Monday, is a holiday--no mail today. That's OK. I got the cards ready and they are currently snug in the mailbox (along with one of my daughter's letters) waiting for our awesome mail carrier to pick them up tomorrow. 

The picture is to show that I did get them all ready to go. The card on top is just there to hide the addresses. :o) I actually CASED that card directly from page 34 of the Occasions catalog. I bought the set specifically to make this card as I had a sweet friend in mind to send it to. I actually made two, and believe it or not I DID send the first card to my friend a couple weeks ago. 

Next week I hope to send out some more happy mail. I know several people I need to thank for various reasons, and some that could use some encouragement. Maybe I'll keep a few cards in my purse for those "waiting" times (doctors, violin lessons, etc). Or, maybe I'll stash a few in the kitchen to write in when I'm waiting for dinner to simmer or bake instead of checking my phone or computer. I'm sure if I think hard enough I can find plenty of minutes in my day that can be better spent encouraging someone else. 

How about you? When was the last time you sent some happy mail to someone? 

Till next time...

God's love and blessings!