Irresistible Note Card (February Class Project)

With the Note Cards and Envelopes and the Irresistibly Yours DSP (available for free with a $50 purchase during Sale-a-Bration), Stampin' Up! makes it really simple to make cards to send friends just to let them know you're thinking of them.

Click on image for closer look.

Materials:

Stamp Set:
*  Gifts of Kindness

Paper:
* Note Cards and Envelopes (folded size 5" x 3-1/2")
* Any color card stock (4-3/4" x 3-1/4", plus about 4" x 2" for punches and dies); the colors used in the cards shown are Crisp Cantaloupe, Lost Lagoon, and Wild Wasabi
* Vellum card stock (about 2" x 2-1/2")
* Whisper White card stock (about 1-2" x 2")
* Irresistibly Yours Designer Series Paper (DSP) (4-5/8" x 3-3/8") (2015 Sale-a-Bration Brochure)

Ink:
* Any colors to match and/or contrast card stock.  For the samples shown, I used the following color combinations:
- Crisp Cantaloupe card stock: Crisp Cantaloupe, Daffodil Delight, and Tempting Turquoise Ink
- Lost Lagoon card stock: Calypso Coral, Hello Honey, and Lost Lagoon Ink
- Wild Wasabi card stock: Crushed Curry, Marina Mist, and Strawberry Slush Ink; Garden Green to stamp sentiment

Accessories and Tools:
* Big Shot Die Cutting Machine
* Butterflies Thinlits Dies (2015 Occasions Mini Catalog)
* Lovely Lace Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
* Scallop Oval Punch
* Large Oval Punch
* 5/8" Organza Ribbon
* Linen Thread
* Stampin' Sponges
* Adhesives: Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue; Glue Dot; Stampin' Dimensionals; SNAIL Adhesive

Miscellaneous Items:
* Facial Tissue or scrap of soft cloth

Instructions:

1. Fold pre-scored card at score line.

2. Use SNAIL Adhesive to adhere 4-3/4" x 3-1/4" card stock to front of card.

3. Cut Stampin' Sponge in fourths.  Use one wedge to sponge the lightest (yellow) color ink randomly over the DSP; use a second wedge to sponge the blue color randomly over the DSP; use a third wedge to fill in and highlight here and there with the pink color.  Use tissue or soft cloth to remove excess ink from DSP -- MAGIC!  The embossed design reappears with a delightful multi-color background!!!

4. Cut a length of ribbon about 7" long; tie a knot about 1-1/2" from one end -- IMPORTANT:  before you tighten the knot, slip a second piece of ribbon (about 1-1/2" - 2") inside the loop, then tighten knot.  You have now created a "faux knot."  Apply a glue dot behind knot and position it on the front of the DSP as shown.  Use SNAIL Adhesive to fasten the loose ends of the ribbon to the back of the DSP.  Use SNAIL Adhesive to adhere DSP to front of card.

5. Use Big Shot and Thinlits Die to cut two butterflies -- one from coordinating card stock; a second from vellum card stock.  Use Big Shot and Embossing Folder to add texture to vellum butterfly.  Use Stampin' Sponge to apply color around edges of both butterflies (I used the same color as the card stock).  Place a few tiny dots of Tombow liquid adhesive down the center of the card stock butterfly to adhere the vellum butterfly over it.  Cut tiny bottom "v" shape from center of butterflies (this helps the linen thread to stay in place).  Leaving about a 1" - 1-1/2" tail at top, wrap linen thread around butterflies three times and tie in a knot at the top to create antennae.  Use one Stampin' Dimensional in the center of the butterfly to adhere it to card as shown.

6. Punch Scallop Oval from scrap of card stock.  Use same color ink as card stock to stamp sentiment on a scrap of Whisper White card stock (for Wild Wasabi card, I used Garden Green because it showed up a little better); cut out sentiment with Large Oval Punch and adhere to center of Scallop Oval with SNAIL Adhesive.  Adhere to front of card over ribbon with Stampin' Dimensionals.  (HINT:  Use strips of the excess Dimensionals around edges -- one across the top and one across the bottom.  This makes great use of the scraps surrounding the  hexagons, and ensures that the shape is sticking to both the ribbon AND THE CARD STOCK.  If you adhere the shape to just the ribbon, it will not be stable and would be floppy on the front of the card.)

That's it!  How easy and fun was that?!  These note cards and envelopes come in sets of 20, so you could make a bunch in a small amount of time!

Cath  ;D

Two-Pocket Treat Pouch (February Class Project)

Wow!  I can't believe it's been more than three weeks since I posted anything on my blog!  I don't know how all that time slipped by!  (Perhaps because I was in Valentine's Day card and little chocolate gift-box making frenzy?  Sold a bunch of that stuff in a little impromptu sale at my office.)

In any event, here is info about the first project we made in my February classes.  (Note there will be only two shown this month because the third project was the Faux Stamped Leather card I made for my Front Range Stampers swap; the details for that card and technique are in my January 27 post.)

First, we made this sweet little gift card/treat holder.  (We used some Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper -- FlowerPot -- to make the ones in class, but pictured are the ones I made for my Valentine's Day sale out of pink and red retired Designer Series Paper -- put a tiny little gift card in the front pocket and a small bag of m&ms in the back pocket.  They sold like crazy!)

Materials:

Paper:
* Designer Series Paper (DSP) of your choice (6" x 6")
* Coordinating DSP for bow (approximately 6" x 3")

Accessories and Tools:
* Simply Scored
* Bone Folder
* Corner Punch
* Small Oval Punch
* Bow Builder Punch (Occasions 2015 Mini Catalog, pg. 15)

Instructions:
(NOTE:  After each fold, use Bone Folder to reinforce and make crease nice and crisp)

1. Fold 6" x 6" DSP in half diagonally.

2. Line up folded edge of paper against top of Simply Scored (it should measure 8-1/2" across), and score at 2-3/4" and 5-3/4".

3. Line up folded edge of paper against left side of Simply Scored and score at 1/2".

4. Open up paper completely and turn it so 2-3/4" and 5-3/4" scores are vertical, and re-fold as follows:

* Fold left side toward center along 2-3/4" score line.
* Fold right side over left side along 5-3/4" score line. 
* Fold in half from top to bottom along original center fold (pockets should face each other).
* Fold top half up at 1/2" score line.
* Flip over and fold other side up at 1/2" score line.

You now have your basic two-pocket pouch.  From here everything else is just embellishment.

To complete these sweet little packets, I used the Corner Punch to round the top point; I then used the Small Oval Punch to punch through both thicknesses of paper near the top to create the handle.

If you like, you can thread ribbon or twine through the handle and tie a bow or knot to hold the two pockets together at the top.  For mine, I placed a glue dot between the front and back just above the oval punch near the corner, and then made a sweet little bow using the Bow Builder Punch and adhered it at the top with another glue dot.

For the sweet little note card, I cut a piece of card stock 4-2/5" x 2-1/2" and folded it in half to make a 2-1/8" x 2-1/2" note card.  The little piece of DSP on the front is 1-7/8" x 2-1/4".  The hearts shown are not Stampin' Up! dies, but these little pockets also look great with punched flowers and/or butterflies.

For step-by-step instructions and a video tutorial showing how to make this two-pocket pouch, visit  http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/twopockettreatholder/.  (Note that Becky Roberts, the person who did the tutorial, says to score at 2-3/4" and 5-5/8" . . . I think it comes out more even with the 5-3/4" score I mentioned above.)

NOTE:  To make a larger pocket, simply cut your paper larger -- any size square will work -- you will just need to adjust the score lines.  I've made a couple of pockets out of 8" x 8" paper -- for those the score lines were at 3-3/4" and 7-1/2".

Have fun!

Cath  ;D