Monthly Archives

February 2020

TGIF – Spring-time Robins with Kay

by Betsy February 28, 2020

written by Betsy

Most of us here in the midwest are looking for signs of spring…any sign of spring! One of the best is to see the first robin of the year. Those little guys are smart and if they’re around, you know spring has arrived (or will be here very soon)! Kay is here for today’s TGIF with a beautiful project that’s the perfect reminder that spring will be here soon…

As winter draws to an end here, my thoughts have totally turned towards warmer days and spring flowers, and so I was inspired to bring out some pretty floral stamps to play with. I love the Fleur Impressions stamp set from The Greetery and had not had a chance to use that set yet, so was exited to play with it for this card. I also paired it up with a cute little bird from the Robin & Wren set, and created a frame to set it all off with the Nordic Frames dies.

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For the background, I blended some purple and blue distress inks, then splattered some of those same colors along with some white acrylic paint.

To create the frame, I used the two smaller size frames from the Nordic Frame dies, layered the smaller one inside the larger of the two and cut them out together. I adhered this to my blended panel with foam tape. I stamped all of the pretty flowers from the Fleur Impressions stamp set, and little bird from the Robin & Wren stamp set, in different shades of purples and blues. I then cut them out with the coordinating dies, and added them around the frame with foam tape.

For the sentiment, I used the Hello from the Signed and Sealed Stamp set, and Beautiful from the Sketchbook Roses stamp set. I cut these out with the coordinating dies and added them along the frame with foam tape.

I hope you have enjoyed my card today and I hope it inspires you to do some spring crafting!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Hugs,
Kay 🙂

February 28, 2020 26 comments

Make & Tell Tuesday – Batik Stamping

by Betsy February 25, 2020

written by Betsy

Good afternoon! It’s still Tuesday, right? Are you up for a Make & Tell Tuesday?

I’m a little late with this today…to be honest, I was working on this yesterday and got so carried away playing with variations of this technique and different color combinations, that I didn’t get my video done! And then today was one technical issue after another. But I didn’t think you’d mind if I shared it a little later in the day. It’s happy hour – grab a little something to sip and take a break…

I’ve been doing a lot of coloring videos lately, so for this week’s video I was in the mood for a good old-fashioned stamping technique. Emboss-resist techniques have always captured my imagination, and today’s technique is a take on that, and is inspired by Batik fabrics.

Batik fabrics are created by dying, then over-dying fabric over a pattern created using wax. The wax is then removed to reveal the design. Today I’m exploring something similar using ink blending and stamping paired with clear embossing powder.

The technique is fun and interesting when using tone-on-tone colors, but you can step it up a notch and get some really unique looks by using a variation of the technique along with contrasting ink colors. I’ll show you two different ways to do this technique in today’s video. I’ll be using the pretty leaf cluster from Signed & Sealed With a Kiss for each.

Here is the video…

This was the first background pattern I created when I started playing around with this idea. This was done the same way as the first technique shown in the video. I started by sponging ink onto a panel of watercolor paper, then used the technique shown in the video to create an all-over pattern. When I was finished, I spritzed it with water for more texture, and added some ink and gold splatters. I didn’t want to cover too much of that pretty panel, so I simply diecut it with the Crimped Frame die, and added the Let’s Have a Word: Beautiful sentiment.

These next two cards use the variation I show later in the video – of stamping in one color and essentially trapping that image under clear embossing powder so you can sponge contrasting color over the top. I finished off the “sending prayers” card with a sentiment from the Caring Cross set, and a BotaniCuts Lily. The hello card was finished off with a Written in Ribbons sentiment for a pretty yet simple card.

And of course I had to turn the panel I created in the video into a card as well, so I added the Let’s Have a Word: Happy die, and a “birthday” sentiment from Sentiment Suite: Birthday, stamped onto the little banner from the Easter Jubilee kit.

I hope you enjoyed this Make & Tell Tuesday, and if you give this technique a try, we’d love to see it! Link us up in the comments or tag us on Instagram or Facebook!

February 25, 2020 22 comments

All TGIF

TGIF – Clean & Pretty Cards with Laurie

by Betsy February 21, 2020

written by Betsy

Happy Friday! Are you planning some crafting time this weekend? Many of you should have new goodies to play with from the latest release! If you’re in need of a little inspiration to get you going, Laurie is here today with some pretty cards done in her classic clean and simple style. She’s here to tell us all about them…

Hello Greetery friends! It’s Laurie here today with a couple of quick and easy cards! I adore the Greetery’s classic style because it lends so well to my clean and simple style. First up this card using one of my new favorite sets, Sketchbook roses. I stamped a white panel in black using the large image from the set and then cut it down to fit offset on the pale pink card front.

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I added 2 little pieces of gold washi to the card base and then used a layer of fun foam to pop up the floral panel. I stamped the sentiment in the top corner and finished it off by adding a couple black sequins.

Another favorite from one of the first few Greetery Releases is called Simple Things. I love the eucalyptus images in this set and how they can add so much elegance and simplicity to a bright white card base.

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I stamped the images in layers. I added the light blue and then stamped in a white ink over the top. Then I stamped the 2nd layer of dark blue with another layer of white ink, just to mute the images slightly. Last, I stamped in the branch image in a dark brown. To give the card just a little shine, I added the sentiment in with heat embossing, using a gold powder. To continue with the clean look but to give the card just a little more detail, I added in a ½” scored frame around the front.

So pretty and classic, aren’t they? Laurie does such a great job of creating simple and beautiful projects with the best little details, like that gold washi or the embossed frame border. I hope these pretty projects inspired you to pull out these sets soon!

TGIF & have a great weekend!

February 21, 2020 19 comments

All Release Day

Lily & Palm Release Day!

by Betsy February 14, 2020

written by Betsy

The new products we’ve been sneak peeking and showcasing this week will go up in the shop this morning at 10am EST!

Before I get to some other updates, we have winners for the two $25 gift certificates to announce! Ladies, if you could email customerservice@thegreetery.com, we will get your codes to you ASAP so you can shop the new goodies.

Winner #1 is Cindy H from Heather’s blog!

Winner #2 is Linda Edwards from Dawn’s blog!

Now for a few housekeeping details!

Buy It All Button: Many of you have been requesting a Buy it All button and I’m happy to announce that we’ll be giving that a go with this release! All of the products from the new Lily & Palm collection will be on the home page as usual when they go live at 10am, and among them will be a product called Lily & Palm Complete Collection. You’ll be able to purchase all items (there are six items in this mini release) at once by adding this bundle to your cart. The price of the complete collection is $111.00

Out of Stock Items: We just got in a shipment of stamp restocks. All stamp sets that are out of stock at the time of this post going live will be restocked a bit later this morning before the new release items go live. This includes the following sets:

Summer Sketches
Oopsie Daisy
Pine Blossom
Signed & Sealed
Signed & Sealed With a Kiss
Pretty Postmarks

As for dies, at the time of this post, every single die in our shop is in stock! We have a few stencils that are out of stock, and those will not be restocked in time for the release. We expect those in about a week. I think that covers it, but if there’s any product you’re wondering about specifically that I didn’t mention, you’re always welcome to send an email to customer service.

Before I go, here is a link to the new Lookbooks from the Lily & Palm collection. I just love seeing all of the beautiful Inspiration Team projects in one place! And just a reminder, you can always easily access the lookbooks by scanning the QR codes on the stamping guides or the stickers on the backside of the inserts for those products without guides. Store them with your products for a quick way to get inspiration!

Thanks for making this another fun reveal week!

February 14, 2020 19 comments

All

Introducing the Lily & Palm Mini Release

by Betsy February 13, 2020

written by Betsy

Welcome to reveal day for our latest collection of products! Today we’re introducing a handful of beautiful new stamps and dies, perfect for spring and Easter projects and more! Easter morning is one of my favorite times of the whole year. I love the music, the celebration, and the JOY it brings! I’ve attempted to capture just a bit of that joy in today’s new products from the Lily and Palm collection…

The new products being showcased today will be available to purchase in the THE SHOP beginning at 10am EST tomorrow – Friday, February 14.

Before we get to the product introductions, just a reminder that Laurie’s hosting an Instagram Live presentation of all of the new products this morning at 11:00am CST, so tune in if you’d like to check it out!

Now let’s meet these new products…

BotaniCuts Lily Die

The BotaniCuts collection is a series of stand alone dies for cutting various botanical designs. This BotaniCuts Lily set creates two different layered lilies, plus a lily bud and an assortment of leaves. Keep it simple by cutting them from colored cardstock, or have fun experimenting with your favorite coloring method, such as ink blending, watercolor, colored pencils, and more!

Set of 15 dies. Full-color printed layering guide included
Made in the USA
Approximate sizes:
large open lily – 2.8″ x 2.2″
smaller partial bloom – 2″ x 2″ (including stem)
bud – .4″ x 1.9″
larger leaf – .4″ x 1.5″
Price: $22.00

BotaniCuts Palm Die

The BotaniCuts collection is a series of stand alone dies for cutting various botanical designs. This BotaniCuts Palm set cuts three different palm branches in varying sizes. Keep it simple by cutting them from colored cardstock, or have fun experimenting with your favorite coloring method, such as ink blending, watercolor, markers, and more!

Set of 3 dies
Made in the USA
Approximate sizes:
Palm branch #1: 1-5/8″ x 3-1/8″
Palm branch #2: 1-5/8″ x 3-1/4″
Palm branch #3: 1-3/8″ x 2-1/4″
Price: $14

Caring Cross Stamp + Stencil and Caring Cross die

Whether you’re sending a note to show you care, or you’re celebrating the season of Easter, the Caring Cross set will have you creating beautiful and meaningful projects. The Caring Cross stamp + stencil combo includes a stencil for creating the cross image, which can then be embellished with the pretty branches and berries from the stamp set. The stencil works on its own for one layer cards, or with the coordinating die (sold separately) for lots of layering options. The stamp set also includes a larger two-step palm branch, perfect for simple focal points or pretty backgrounds. The sentiments included in the set are fitting for Easter, sympathy, and thinking of you cards. The coordinating die set includes dies for cutting the cross/branch design as well as a die for cutting the negative portion of the design, allowing you to create a “peek-a-boo” effect on your projects.

This set comes on a 4″ x 8″ sheet and includes a full-color printed stamping guide and the coordinating 3-1/2″ x 4-3/4″ stencil. Made in the USA

Sentiments
Larger script sentiments:
He is risen
happy easter
with sympathy
sending prayers
Smaller text sentiments:
He is risen indeed
& loving prayers
during this difficult time
happy easter
Measurements:
assembled cross – 2″ x 3.4″
single palm branch – 1.7″ x 2.5″
happy easter script sentiment – 2.5″ x .8″
sending prayers script sentiment – 2.5″ x .8″
He is risen indeed text sentiment – 1.65″ x .1″
Price: $22

Gatherings Creative Kit: Easter Jubilee

Introducing Gatherings Creative Kits! These product kits are filled with coordinating items that are designed to spark your creativity! The Easter Jubilee Creative Kit contains a 4″ x 6″ stamp set, a set of three layering stencils, and a coordinating die. Use these products to create beautiful Easter cards and more. The three-step stencils create the basis for the tulip frame and sentiment, while the stamps bring gorgeous detail to the leaves and blooms. Top it off with the diecut word designed in an elegant block font with pretty eyelet details. This creative kit is perfect for quick and easy projects!

Made in the USA
Approximate sizes:
easter word die – 1.7″ x 2.7″
banner die – 2.2″ x .25″
overall tulip/word design size – 3.75″ x 4.4″
Kit Contents:
Easter Jubilee 4″ x 6″ stamp set
Easter Jubilee die
Easter Jubilee 3pc stencil set
Price: $30

Let’s Have a Word: Happy die

Let’s have a word! This stand-alone die cuts the word “happy” in a lovely script font. Add a little happy to your next project!

Single die – Made in the USA

Approximate size: 2.7″ x 1.7″
Price: $5

To aid in your list-making and planning, below you will find the prices for today’s products.

BotaniCuts Lily Die: $22
BotaniCuts Palm Die: $14
Caring Cross Stamp + Stencil: $22
Caring Cross die: $18
Easter Jubilee Creative Kit: $30
Let’s Have a Word: Happy die: $5

It’s time for some projects so we can see these new products in action! My first few projects use the new BotaniCuts Lily. Before we get into them, here is a video showing how fun and easy these are to put together…

My first project uses the new BotaniCuts Lily to create a pretty Easter card. The lilies were cut from white cardstock. I added some soft yellow/green to the petals using colored pencils. I just love how realistic they are!

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I clustered all of the various blooms from the set – the large open bloom, the partial bloom, the bud, and the leaves. I also added in some of the new BotaniCuts Palm diecuts. Everything was layered over a panel of watercolor paper that was watercolored with some bright blue behind the flower cluster. The sentiment here is a combination of a few things – the new Let’s Have a Word: Happy die along with the Easter sentiment from the new Easter Jubilee kit. I’m loving these long cards that fit inside a #10 envelope – something just a bit different and fun!

While the BotaniCuts Lily die is so perfect for Easter, it’s definitely not limited to that! Imagine these done in all kinds of bright and summery colors…

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I had so much fun playing with various coloring techniques – watercolor, colored pencil, and ink blending. When I was playing with these different mediums, I didn’t anticipate using them all on the same card, but they looked so pretty together that that’s exactly what happened! The bright orange lily here was watercolored, the stargazer was done with colored pencils, and the yellow was done by sponging ink. I clustered them all into one glorious bouquet, and sprinkled in some BotaniCuts Palm and also a few sprigs from the Inside & Out Berry Branch die. The sentiment is the new Let’s Have a Word: Happy combined with some Sentiment Suite: Birthday stamped onto a Sentiment Suite: Basics banner (which is just the right size to slip in the loops of the happy word for a fun touch!)

I’m still loving playing with the BotaniCuts Rose die that was released last month, and I couldn’t wait to combine the lilies with the roses!

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This pretty bouquet came together so easily with one of the large roses I already had inked up from the video I put together last month. The lily here was sponged with Distress Oxide inks. The leaves from the BotaniCuts Rose die create a nice full bouquet, along with a bit of Palm and a floral sprig that was stamped with the Fleur Impressions set. The sentiment here is from the new Caring Cross set and finishes it off just right.

While I love tucking these BotaniCuts Palm branches into floral bouquets, they’re definitely pretty enough to stand on their own as well! For this next card, I sponged several of them with Distress Oxide inks and created a pretty background.

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I started by sponging Tumbled Glass ink onto a panel of white cardstock, then layering the palm branches over the top to fill in the background. The sentiment, from the new Caring Cross set, was stamped onto the smallest Nordic Frames rectangle and layered over the top. For a little added dimension I let a few of the branches extend over the top of the rectangle rather than tucking them all underneath. I finished it off by adding some gold splatters using metallic gold watercolor paint.

My next card is even simpler and very quick to create. I started with a watercolored background done in shades of gold.

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Over that pretty background I layered some BotaniCuts Palm branches, which were cut from watercolor paper and watercolored in shades of green. I clustered them together with the twine wrap from the Fit to Be Tied die collection, and finished it off with a sentiment from Caring Cross. So quick and easy.

My next project uses the new Caring Cross set to create some unique cards that are a gift in themselves! I used the Halfsies Diamond dies to create a pocket in which I tucked a bookmark made from the Caring Cross set.

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The bookmarks were very easy to create. I simply diecut the cross from the Caring Cross set and stenciled it with the included stencil to add the color to the cross, then stamped the pretty branches. I adhered this to another diecut just for a little added durability. I set an eyelet in the top and tied some linen string through the eyelet, and also strung a few beads to finish it off. What a perfect little gift for a friend or fellow church member.

My next card again uses the Halfsies Diamond dies. I just love the focal point they create, and it’s perfect for the Caring Cross image.

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This time I stuck with a green and white color palette, and also incorporated some gold embossing for a bit of elegance. The inside of the card is stamped with the palm branch from the Caring Cross set along with another sentiment from the set. The background inside the diamond was also done using the palm branch from the set.

The Caring Cross set is perfect for Easter, but there are sentiments included in the set that give it year-round usability. I used one of those here to create a pretty sympathy card.

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I used the stencil that’s included with the stamp set to sponge the cross with shades of blue ink, then stamped the branches and berries. I layered it over the Nordic Frames diecut that was watercolored in soft shades of pink and yellow. I also layered some Inside & Out Berry Branch diecuts behind the cross. I heat embossed the sympathy sentiment from the set with gold powder.

My next few projects use the new Easter Jubilee Creative Kit! Before we get into them, here’s a video I put together detailing the contents of the kit and showing these products in action…

I love the bright, springy look of that pretty tulip frame. I decided to add a lot of color to my tulips by sponging the stencil/stamps with a mix of colors for the tulips.

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I diecut the Easter word right from the panel after I was finished stenciling and stamping, and nested some white diecut letters into the negative space for an inset look. I layered the new Let’s Have a Word: Happy die over the top. I cut it three times and layered them for a bit of extra dimension. I also created a matching tag using the stencils from the kit. The base of the tag was cut using the Speed Tagging die.

For my last card, I used the Easter Jubilee kit to create a thank you card. Instead of filling the center of that pretty tulip frame with the Easter sentiment from the kit, I layered a diecut rectangle cut with the Addressed die over the top.

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I also added some stenciling and stamping around the outer edges of the card to create a pretty design that fills the whole background. I did this by strategically placing the stencils around the outer edges and stenciling a small section at a time. The Addressed rectangle diecut was stamped with the Windowpane Plaid Background, and the sentiment is a mix of Written in Ribbons and Sentiment Suite: Thanks. The sentiment banner is from the die included in the Easter Jubilee kit.

That wraps up my projects for today, but there is more, of course! Now that you’ve gotten to meet all of today’s new products and see them in action, you can “greet” them for a chance to win one of two $25 gift cards! Read on for details…

Comment here on the blog for one entry (one comment per person). What caught your eye today, and gets you excited to get creating?
Comment on our Inspiration Team Members’ blogs for more entries (one comment per person, per blog)
Comments close at Midnight EST on Thursday night (that’s tonight!), February 13
Winners will be posted at 7am EST on Friday, February 14 here on the blog

You are in for such a treat! It’s time to see what our amazing Inspiration Team has to share with you today!

(click on the images to visit the Inspiration Team blogs, or click HERE if viewing this post via email)

ANGELICA

DAWN

HEATHER

KAY

KEEWAY

KELLY

LAURIE

LIZZIE

NORINE

WANDA

Thank you so much for visiting today! Tomorrow is the day! All of the new products we’ve showcased today will go up in the shop tomorrow morning at 10am EST. Just a little housekeeping note about the new products. They’re already loaded into the shop, but the stock has not been added. SO, if you see an “out of stock” notification, no worries – we’re just getting the store ready, and the stock will be added Friday morning at 10am EST!

February 13, 2020 178 comments

Sneak Peeks

Lily & Palm Sneak Peek…

by Betsy February 11, 2020

written by Betsy

Happy Tuesday! I thought I’d pop in with a sneak peek of what’s coming to the shop later this week! The Inspiration Team and myself are busy creating projects to share with you on Thursday, but in the mean time I couldn’t resist sharing a peek.

What can you pick out from the peek? I am absolutely loving the new Lily dies…they’re easy to put together and look so realistic. Use them for Easter, and oh so much more… I can’t wait to show you. There are a few other tidbits hiding in this peek, so look closely!

Also, I wanted to give you a little advance notice that Laurie Willison will once again be hosting an Instagram Live on Thursday morning at 11 am, showing off all of the new goodies from this mini release. You can find our Instagram HERE. If you miss it live, you can see it in our stories (tap on our circle profile image).

Hopefully this springy peek makes up for the lack of a Make & Tell Tuesday video today. Unfortunately I got hit with that nasty influenza bug a few weeks ago and it knocked me out for almost a week straight. I’ve been playing catch-up ever since! I’ll make it up to you with a few new videos later this week…deal? I hope you’ll join us!

February 11, 2020 43 comments

All TGIF

TGIF – Postal Valentine Treats with Lizzie + Save the Date!

by Betsy February 7, 2020

written by Betsy

As if Fridays aren’t sweet enough, Lizzie is here for this week’s TGIF post with a super sweet Valentine project!

Let’s see what Lizzie has to share about these cute treats, and make sure to read all the way to the bottom of this post for some news about a few new things coming your way next week!

Let’s hear it from Lizzie first…

“Valentine’s Day is coming in hot (next weekend already!) and I, for one, needed a few quick and easy treats to share with the people in my life. So after a bit of experimenting I came up with these sweet little packages and I thought it might be fun to share them with you!

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The Postal Frames dies are the perfect size for pairing with the Candy Pops Collection. I used the rectangles on today’s projects, but the circular ones would be cute, too! A combo of greetings from the Candy Pops Sentiments and Sentiment Suite Love were just right for building a sweet message.

One of my favorite things about creating seasonal items is digging around in my collection of stamps, dies, and stencils to see what might be useful despite being “off season.” For example, the Pine Boughs stamp set might not immediately jump out at you as a Valentine’s Day set, but those pretty posies turned out to be absolutely lovely stamped in softer pinks and greens.

And you don’t have to get super complicated with your patterns either. A simple repeating pattern like the one using the Signed & Sealed With A Kiss heart is fun and quick to stamp. Of course, I am also of the belief that you should never underestimate a good background, so the Windowpane Plaid paired with a few images from Pretty Postmarks gives a charming collage-style feel without a lot of fuss.

The 1/4″ Rectangle Bubbles were just the right depth for a single serving of the candy I chose, but you could certainly use the 1/2″ Bubbles for thicker treats or a slightly more indulgent experience. I don’t think you can go wrong either way!

I hope these treats have given you an idea of how you can use your supplies to spread a little love this Valentine’s Day. I hope you enjoy the day with people you love!”

What a cute project from Lizzie! I’ve been thinking about how cute the Candy Pops collection would be for Valentine’s Day and it’s been on my to-do list. Now Lizzie really has me in the mood to find the time to put together a few cute treats.

Now for a bit of news! We have a handful of new products that we’ll be releasing next week!

This mini collection features pretty things for Easter (and beyond!). We’ll be showcasing these new products in a single day of projects and reveals. I hope you’ll join us next Thursday, February 13 for an Inspiration Team blog hop, reveals, projects, and prizes. This new mini collection will go up in the shop on Friday, February 14!

February 7, 2020 31 comments