Snoopy Dog House Tag

I went to an open house last month at a friend's home and wanted to take a small housewarming gift that was Peanuts-themed, so I just had to make my gift wrap and tag to match.

Isn't that fun?  I've had this Hooray Snoopy stamp for ages and it paired perfectly with the Dog House dies from My Favorite Things.  I stamped some kraft art paper with the same image and a food bowl from You Make My Tail Wag, also by My Favorite Things, to wrap the gift.

I cut the dog house from Dark Chocolate cardstock and smudged the matching ink on it for shading.  I cut the roof and door frame pieces from Orange Zest cardstock, this time inking the edges with VersaMark ink.  For the banner, I used a die from Tag Sale: Quilted by Papertrey Ink and stamped a sentiment from Teepee Time.  I stamped Snoopy on white cardstock and hand-cut him out.  After assembling the pieces, I tied it to the ribbon with Cappuccino twine.

I love making things like this.  It was perfect for my Peanuts-loving friends!

Stamps:  Hooray Snoopy (Stampabilities); You Make My Tail Wag (My Favorite Things); Teepee Time (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento); Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink); VersaMark
Paper:  Orange Zest, Kraft, Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)
Misc:  Dog House dies (My Favorite Things); Tag Sale: Quilted dies (Papertrey Ink); Cappuccino twine (Twinery)

SAF 2017: Autumn in the Air

I have one more card to post for Papertrey Ink's Stamp-a-Faire event.  There are several projects in process, but not much near completion, so it's doubtful I will get them posted before the deadline tomorrow morning.  I'm rapidly losing daylight for photos.  Creativity has been such a struggle lately.  I watched every challenge video over the weekend, but I've had trouble getting ideas from my brain to paper.

When I saw Laura Bassen's card for one of the paper challenges, I knew that I had to pull out the Mighty Oak Cover Plate die.  I love autumn and can't wait for the leaves to turn.  (and the end of summer heat!)

I cut several colors of Papertrey Ink cardstock with the Mighty Oak die because I wanted my tree to be bursting with autumn color.  For the trunk, I also used the die on my remaining piece of faux leather from one of the other challenges.  It lost a little texture from the solid-backed die, but it still looks cool in person.

I cut a piece of Prairie Grass cardstock with an In the Meadow die and rubbed the edges with VersaMark ink for shading.  Then I glued it to a Kraft panel and added my tree trunk.  Using a negative from the die, I placed all my autumn leaves around the tree.  I also cut some vellum leaves and stitched them over some of the colorful leaves with a sewing machine.

For my sentiment, I cut a piece of Cocoa Bean cardstock and stamped an image from Scent-imentals in Dark Chocolate ink, gluing it on the ground with one more autumn leaf.  Finally, I mounted the whole piece to a Cocoa Bean card base.  I like the result!  You can see other cards for the challenge here.

Stamps:  Scent-imentals (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink); VersaMark
Paper:  Kraft, Cocoa Bean, Prairie Grass, Canyon Clay, Honey Nut, Ripe Avocado, Summer Sunrise (Papertrey Ink)
Misc:  Mighty Oak Cover Plate die (Papertrey Ink)

SAF 2017: Feathers

This was a fun challenge!  I enjoyed making the faux leather paper with Cocoa Bean cardstock as instructed by Ashley Cannon Newell.  The texture is awesome.  I already had glycerin on hand and process was very easy.  It just needs time to dry.

I cut my faux leather piece with a stitched rectangle die from Noted: Scalloped A1 by Papertrey Ink.  It fits perfectly inside the Mix & Mat: Herringbone frame cut from Dark Indigo cardstock.  I love discoveries like that!  I cut the photo corners from Dark Chocolate cardstock.

After stamping the sentiment from Year of Psalms: March in Cocoa Bean ink, I glued my layers together.  I stamped the birdcage images from Love Birds in Classic Kraft ink on a Kraft card base in a staggered pattern, adding the birds in the same ink.  Then I sponged Cocoa Bean ink around the edges and added my framed panel to the card on an angle.

I stamped the feathers, also from Year of Psalms: March, in Tropical Teal ink on Kraft cardstock and stamped the vines with Pinefeather ink.  After hand cutting the feathers, I glued them around the sentiment on the faux leather piece.

The finished design is very masculine and makes a great sympathy card.  You see other projects using this technique here at Nichole Heady's blog.

Stamps:  Year of Psalms: March, Love Birds (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Cocoa Bean, Tropical Teal, Pinefeather, Classic Kraft (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Kraft, Cocoa Bean, Dark Chocolate, Dark Indigo (Papertrey Ink)
Misc:  Noted: Scalloped A1 die, Mix & Mat: Herringbone dies (Papertrey Ink; glycerin, water mister, sponge tool

SAF 2017: Black & White Friend

Papertrey Ink's annual Stamp-a-Faire event was this past weekend and I've been watching all of the challenge videos and working on projects.  Here is my card for the Take Ten Warm Up Challenge.

 

I chose the black and white inspiration photo because the classic color scheme immediately jumped out at me.  There are great color combos in the other choices though!  I pulled out Background Basics: Geometrics to create the background on my card.  It was the first set to pop into my mind when I saw the photo.

 

After repeatedly stamping the geometric border on a white cardstock panel, I adhered it to black cardstock and then to a white card base.  I found a rectangle of vellum in my scrap drawer to layer over top.  I needed to soften the background pattern so my other pieces could stand out better.

I cut the floral silhouette twice from black cardstock using the Petite Pots dies by Papertrey Ink and glued them together.  I cut the word "hello" using the Noted die in both white and black cardstock, offsetting the layers for a shadow effect.  I stamped the sentiment from Wet Paint on white cardstock and cut it into a strip.  Once I glued everything in place, the card was done.  Simple, but very striking!

Go here to see other cards posted for this challenge.

Stamps:  Background Basics: Geometrics, Wet Paint (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper:  White, True Black, vellum (Papertrey Ink)
Misc:  Petite Pots dies, Noted die (Papertrey Ink)

Ring Nuggets

My son and his new bride had an open house at our home a week ago.  We decorated the mantel and tables, baked a lot of treats, and made these little wedding ring nuggets for favors.

Aren't they fun?  I purchased Hershey Nuggets (milk chocolate variety) and wrapped them with Sweet Blush Bitty Dot paper by Papertrey Ink.  I used 1/8" inch gold ribbon to create the ring "base" around the nugget.  Then I stamped and glittered a gemstone image from My Precious by Winnie & Walter.  Yes, I hand-cut all of them.  :)

The little kids especially liked them at the party.  The ring portion slid right off the paper and soon they were sporting their own diamond rings.  I loved it!  I didn't foresee that happening, but because I adhered the ribbon to itself, it just worked out that way.  It was fun to watch the kids with their rings. 

I love using my stamps to make little treats like these nuggets.  It made the open house just a bit more special!

Stamps:  My Precious (Winnie & Walter)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper:  Sweet Blush Bitty Dot (Papertrey Ink)
Misc:  1/8" gold ribbon, Sugar Cube glitter (Martha Stewart); Hershey Nuggets candy

Mom's Birthday Gift

My mom's birthday is now past, so I wanted to post the photos of her birthday gift.  I made two pairs of earrings and a fancy gift box using a nugget box template from Splitcoaststampers.

I have misplaced my notes, so I don't remember all of the cardstock colors I used, but I will do my best to recall details.  I punched the petals from two different purple cardstocks and a yellow cardstock with the Blossom Builder punch by Stampin' Up.  I sponged each petal with matching ink to add shading and then spritzed them with Perfect Pearls mist.  It gave them lots of shine!  It did the same thing with the leaves and bent all of the pieces for dimension.

I layered my large flower, staggering the petals, and glued a metal button in the center.  I love how it turned out!  After constructing my box, I stamped it with a long birthday sentiment from Around & About Sentiments by Papertrey Ink in a diagonal pattern.  I also added some small flowers from the same set.  You can see it best in the picture of the back of the box further down.

Inside the box, I placed a bit of quilt batting and then hooked my earrings through it so they wouldn't slip around inside.

I used beads that I purchased at AC Moore and Michaels to create the earrings.  Tiny clear crystal beads dangle from a flower for one of the designs.

The other design has floral ceramic beads and silver flower bead caps.  Both earring sets were fun and super easy to make.  My mom really liked them!  Since I was out visiting family this summer for my son's wedding, it was a rare opportunity to give her a birthday present in person.  (ahead of time though - I had to leave before her actual birthday)

I really enjoyed making the box too.  It's a snazzy way to present a gift!  It takes extra time, but it is always worth it.

Stamps:  Around & About Sentiments (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  unknown
Paper:  unknown
Misc:  Blossom Builder punch (Stampin' Up); nugget box template; metal button; Perfect Pearls Mist (Ranger) 

Brooke's Bridal Shower Gift

This morning is the bridal shower for Brooke, the fiance of my nephew Ryan, so I'm sure it's safe to post pictures of her gift.  I don't know her very well since I just met her last Sunday.  I decided to duplicate the gift I made for Meghan and use Brooke's wedding colors for the gift box.  I figured most girls like jewelry, right?   :)

Again, I used a fourteen-nugget box pattern that I had saved from Splitcoaststampers about ten years ago.  It's the perfect size for gifting jewelry.

I cut two pieces of Dark Indigo cardstock according to the pattern instructions and stamped the wrap-style cover in silver ink with a heart border from the Simple Valentine stamp set by Papertrey Ink.  I did it on an angle to draw the eye to the large butterfly.

Like I stated for Meghan's gift box, I absolutely love how the butterfly turned out.  I used two different die sets by Stampin' Up - Butterflies and Bold Butterfly.  I also used the Bitty Butterfly punch by Stampin' Up.  For the large detailed butterfly on the bottom, I cut it from Crisp Canteloupe cardstock and covered the entire thing with glitter.  Hopefully you can see the sparkle in the pictures.

 

The second butterfly layer, also detailed, is cut from silver glitter paper.  Have I mentioned before how much I love sparkle?  lol  On a smaller solid butterfly die cut of Crisp Canteloupe cardstock, I stamped a butterfly from Butterfly Basics by Stampin' Up in Crisp Canteloupe ink and added a detailed vellum butterfly on top. The smallest and final butterfly layer is from silver glitter paper using the Bitty Butterfly punch.  All those pieces make an absolutely gorgeous butterfly!

 

I die cut a circle from Dark Indigo cardstock and stamped it with Background Basics: Text Style by Papertrey Ink using Dark Indigo ink.  I glued my layered butterfly directly to the circle and used foam tape to adhere it to the box to give it some dimension, adding some sheer white ribbon underneath.

I cut a piece of Dark Indigo cardstock with the Building Blocks die by Papertrey Ink and stamped a sentiment from Custom Tee by Stampin' Up, embossing it with white powder.  Isn't that sentiment perfect for a bridal shower gift?  I mounted the piece with foam tape directly over the ribbon.

The wrap-style box cover slides off and inside is the necklace and earrings that I made for Brooke. (same design as Meghan's with a different monogram, of course)  I cut a piece of batting to fit the box so the jewelry would be protected and stay in place inside.

The necklace itself is a simple design.  I added an initial charm to the center of the chain and created four different dangles so there would be two on each side.

One charm is a tiny silver flower, one is a rhinestone ball, one is a butterfly, and one is a silver ball with a faceted crystal underneath.  I used the butterfly charms and faceted crystals to create matching earrings.

Brooke's gift took me a lot less time since I had already done the design work for Meghan's gift.  It was just a matter of changing the colors.  I love the pairing of navy blue and coral.  Very striking!  I hope Brooke appreciates the time spent to create something unique for her.  I'm very proud of both of these bridal shower gifts.  They are a labor of love!

Stamps:  Butterfly Basics, Custom Tee (Stampin' Up); Simple Valentine, Background Basics: Text Style (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  VersaMark; Dark Indigo (Papertrey Ink); Crisp Canteloupe (Stampin' Up); Silver Ultimate Metallic (Encore)
Paper:  Dark Indigo, vellum (Papertrey Ink); Crisp Canteloupe, Silver Glimmer (Stampin' Up)
Dies:  Butterflies dies, Bold Butterfly dies (Stampin' Up); Building Blocks die (Papertrey Ink); Standard Circles Large die (Spellbinders)
Misc:  Bitty Butterfly punch (Stampin' Up); Sugar Cube glitter (Martha Stewart); Opaque Vanilla White embossing powder (Wow); ribbon; glue pen; foam tape

Meghan's Bridal Shower Gift

My son Matthew is getting married in seven days.  SEVEN.  Oh my goodness!  His sweet fiance Meghan had a bridal shower last night hosted by my sister-in-law Aubrie.  It was a lovely evening. Last week, I made this gift for her and now that she's received it, I can post the pictures.  I've been dying to share it!

This is the gift box.  I used her wedding colors, of course!  I had so much fun making the box even though it took me a while to design it initially.  I used a nugget box pattern I had saved from Splitcoaststampers about ten years ago.  It was the perfect size and depth for jewelry.

I cut two pieces of Lilac Grace cardstock according to the pattern instructions and stamped the wrap-style cover in silver ink with a heart border from the Simple Valentine stamp set by Papertrey Ink.  I did it on an angle to draw the eye to the focal butterfly.

I absolutely love how the butterfly turned out.  I used two different die sets by Stampin' Up - Butterflies and Bold Butterfly.  I also used the Bitty Butterfly punch by Stampin' Up.  For the large detailed butterfly on the bottom, I cut it from Pink Pirouette cardstock and covered the entire thing with glitter.  Hopefully you can see the sparkle in the pictures.

The second butterfly layer, also detailed, is cut from silver glitter paper.  Love that sparkle too!  On a smaller solid butterfly die cut from Lilac Grace cardstock, I stamped a butterfly from Butterfly Basics by Stampin' Up in Lilac Grace ink and added a detailed vellum butterfly on top for the third layer. The smallest and final butterfly layer is from silver glitter paper using the Bitty Butterfly punch.  I tried several different combinations before settling on this one and I love the result.  It is absolutely gorgeous in person!

I die cut a circle from Kraft cardstock and stamped it with Background Basics: Text Style by Papertrey Ink using Classic Kraft ink.  I also used the same inkpad to distress the edges.  I glued my layered butterfly directly to the circle.  I used foam tape to adhere the whole piece to the box to give it some dimension, adding some sheer light pink ribbon underneath.

I cut a piece of Kraft cardstock with the Building Blocks die by Papertrey Ink and stamped a sentiment from Custom Tee by Stampin' Up.  It's embossed with white powder.  I couldn't have found a better sentiment!  It's perfect for a bridal shower gift.  I mounted the piece with foam tape directly over the ribbon.

The wrap-style box cover slides off and inside is the necklace and earrings that I made for Meghan.  I cut a piece of batting to fit the box so the jewelry would be protected and stay in place inside.

Like I said previously, the old nugget box patterns work perfectly for jewelry gifts.  I think this one is sized for fourteen chocolate Hershey Nuggets.

The necklace itself is a fairly simple design.  I played with several combinations of beads before choosing this one.  I added an initial charm to the center and created four different dangles so there would be two on each side.

One charm is a tiny silver flower, one is a rhinestone ball, one is a butterfly, and one is a silver ball with a faceted crystal underneath.

It's simple, but very pretty.  I used the butterfly charms and faceted crystals to create matching earrings.

I spent two days making this gift and a similar one for my nephew's fiance.  (Her bridal shower is on Saturday so I will post it sometime this weekend.)  I really enjoyed the whole process.  I love being creative!  I was thrilled with the final product.  Still am.  The gift box turned out so beautiful and really is a gift in and of itself.

I hope Meghan will enjoy the jewelry and remember how much she is loved every time she wears it.  I chose the butterfly as a symbol of growth into her new life as a married woman.  Change isn't always easy, but the caterpillar would tell us that is worth it.  The butterfly's wings give it the ability to fly!

Stamps:  Butterfly Basics, Custom Tee (Stampin' Up); Simple Valentine, Background Basics: Text Style (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  VersaMark; Classic Kraft, Lilac Grace (Papertrey Ink); Silver Ultimate Metallic (Encore)
Paper:  Lilac Grace, vellum (Papertrey Ink); Pink Pirouette, Silver Glimmer (Stampin' Up)
Dies:  Butterflies dies, Bold Butterfly dies (Stampin' Up); Building Blocks die (Papertrey Ink); Standard Circles Large die (Spellbinders)
Misc:  Bitty Butterfly punch (Stampin' Up); Sugar Cube glitter (Martha Stewart); Opaque Vanilla White embossing powder (Wow); ribbon; glue pen; foam tape