Monthly Archives

February 2024

Spring Fling Release Day!

by Betsy February 29, 2024

written by Betsy

Today’s the day that all of the new products we’ve been showcasing over the last week or so will go up in the shop! At 10am ET the new products will be stocked and available from the home page of our shop.

While we wait, we have some blog hop winners to announce! There are two winners from each of the two blog hops. If you see your comment chosen as one of the winners, please send an email to customerservice@thegreetery.com to claim your prize.

Day 1 Winners

Day 1 Winner #1 is Sharon from here on The Greetery blog:

Day 1 winner #2 is Linda Brandyberry from Melissa’s blog:

Day 2 Winners

Day 2 winner #1 is Mary Rose from here on The Greetery blog:

Day 2 winner #2 is Maria C F from Dawn’s blog:

We also have the lookbooks ready for you to peruse! All of the wonderful inspiration shared by the team can be viewed in our February Lookbooks. Enjoy!! 🙂

Thank you so much for joining us for the release fun! We’ll be back to our regular blogging next week!

February 29, 2024 9 comments

All

Spring Fling Collection Day 2

by Betsy February 28, 2024

written by Betsy

Welcome to our second day or product reveals for our Spring Fling collection, which will go up in the shop tomorrow – Thursday, February 29 at 10 am EST. We have some pretty spring, Easter, and Mother’s Day products to showcase today!

Youtube Live!

Before we get to everything we have to share with you today, just a heads up that Laurie will be hosting a Youtube Live tonight via our Youtube channel. Join Laurie Wednesday evening, February 28 at 7pm CST/8pm EST where she’ll be showcasing all of the new products from our Spring Fling. collection. Join us if you’d like to see everything up close! *Note the change of platforms…she’ll be hosting on Youtube again this release instead of Instagram.

Below is a quick look at the new products being showcased today. Click on the links below each product heading for more details and information (sentiments, measurements, etc.), or click HERE to see all of the new products in the shop. (**Please Note: although you can preview the new products in the shop, they will not be available to add to cart or purchase until 10am EST on Thursday, February 29).

Print Shop: Modern Botanical stamp + stencil and matching die

Our Print Shop sets are always some of my favorites to work with! This one features a pretty, modern floral and foliage design that will fill an A2 card. It’s easy to stencil with the four-step stencils, and just a few stamp impressions is all it takes to create this pretty floral design. The matching die will allow you to cut out some of the stenciled blooms so you can add some dimension or create fuller, layered designs.

Click HERE for Print Shop: Modern Botanical stamp + stencil info ($28)
Click HERE for Print Shop: Modern Botanical die info ($16)

Spring Frame rubber stamp and matching die

Designed to fit on an A2 card, our Spring Frame is a pretty vine and tulip design. The open space in the center is the perfect place to add a focal-point sentiment. The matching die cuts out the frame, as well as some tulip details that can be layered over the stamped design to add color and dimension.

Click HERE for Spring Frame stamp info ($16)
Click HERE for Spring Frame die info ($27)

To Mom With Love stamp set and matching die

Our Spring Frame design introduced above is begging for some pretty larger-scale sentiments to stamp inside, so we have a couple of sets for you! This first one is perfect for moms and Mother’s Day. The matching die cuts out the two large sentiments from the set as well as many of the smaller ones as well.

Click HERE for To Mom with Love stamp set info ($16)
Click HERE for To Mom with Love die info ($25)

Easter Morning Sentiments stamp set and matching die

This next set is done in the same pretty font combo used in the Mom set above, but this one with an Easter theme filled with sentiments inspired by some of my favorite Easter morning songs. The matching die again cuts the two main sentiments from the set, plus some of the smaller ones as well. There is also a die for the cross included in the set.

Click HERE for Easter Morning Sentiments stamp set info ($16)
Click HERE for Easter Morning Sentiments die info ($25)

Simply Bold Mom, Love, and For You dies

Lastly we have a handful of new sentiment dies done in a bold, basic font. I’m loving the trend I’ve been spotting recently of bold lettering paired with pretty florals. These dies will be perfect for helping you acheive that look – pair them with your favorite florals like the new Print Shop! The words from these phrases can be mixed and matched to build other sentiments, too!

Click HERE for Simply Bold Love die info ($4)
Click HERE for Simply Bold Mom die info ($4)
Click HERE for Simply Bold For You die info ($6)

Now for lots of projects to show off these new goodies!

First off, I have a video for you showcasing the new Print Shop: Modern Botanical set. In the video I’ll be creating these two cards…

Here is the video…

Next I have several more Print Shop: Modern Botanical projects. I just couldn’t put this set down. So fun and easy and you can keep it simple with just single layer cards, or create fuller designs by incorporating the coordinating die.

First up is a Mother’s Day card. I started by stenciling/stamping the Print Shop design onto a panel of pale pink cardstock, then added lots of diecut/stenciled blooms over the top to create a flower-filled card.

You don’t always have to start with a plain white background! Doing the stenciling/stamping onto a colored background can add lots of interest. Here I used pale pink, but you could also use soft green, blue, or even kraft.
Use a white pen to add dots to the stenciled flower centers for more interest
Use glitter or Stickles dotted in the flower centers and in the open areas of the background for some sparkle.
Pop the sentiment up with some foam tape to make it pop from the background. The sentiment used here is from the To Mom With Love set, heat embossed with gold embossing power and cut with the coordinating die.

Up next is a birthday card, again using the Print Shop: Modern Botanicals set. This time I started with a really pale green background and added lots of vibrant colors with the stencils and stamps

I once again used pale cardstock as my background instead of white. I used Grigio from Cardstock Warehouse.
I layered some diecuts over the stamped/stenciled panel, but instead of adding them all over as in the card above, I layered them in place over the stenciled flowers just to add some dimension.
The lower right corner is a great place to place a sentiment on the Print Shop: Modern Botanicals design. Here I heat embossed the happy birthday sentiment from the All Occasion Script Sentiments set in white embossing powder on black cardstock to make it pop from the background. It was cut with the matching die.

This release I’ve been reminded of how much I love using embossing/texture paste with stencils. I used it on one of my snowdrop cards yesterday, and decided it try it with the Print Shop set too, and I love how it turned out!

Embossing/texture paste is a fun way to add dimension to a stenciled design. It’s also great for making “white” things on a dark or colored background. I used Ranger Opaque Matte (Amazon link) paste here.
You can stamp (or stencil lightly) onto texture paste once it’s dry. Once my flowers were dry I stamped the centers on the three larger blooms, and stenciled the centers on the others.
You can use texture paste on multi-stencil designs, just make sure each step is dry before moving on to stenciling the next step so you don’t smudge your design.
The Simply Bold For You die is a pretty contrast to the frilly/floral design I created here. I diecut the For You from Desert Sand sparkle cardstock.
The “on your special day” portion of the sentiment was stamped with the Scripted Sentiments set onto a PreText Banner diecut.

This next Easter card uses the new Print Shop: Modern Botanical set, but this time just the diecut blooms instead of the full-panel design, paired with a pretty new sentiment from the Easter Morning Sentiments set and the new Spring Frame.

Combine the Print Shop: Modern Botanical stencils with the matching die to create individual flowers that can be used as accents or to build your own bouquets and designs – I love the versatility of this set!
You can either stencil first and then diecut, or vice-versa, whichever method you prefer.
The Spring Frame die has some small tulip blooms included, which can be layered over the stamped design to add pops of color to the tulips.
The Easter Morning Sentiment was heat embossed with gold embossing powder for a little bit of elegance.

This next card is a more elegant take on some of today’s projects, and would be a simple design to mass produce.

Stamp/heat emboss the Spring Frame onto shimmer cardstock for an elegant look.
The sentiment from Easter Morning Sentiments was heat embossed with gold and popped up with foam tape. The sentiments from this set fit wonderfully inside the Spring Frame (as do the sentiments from the To Mom With Love set).
I added the tulip bloom diecuts over the top of the stamped/heat embossed Spring Frame, cut from white cardstock to keep it very simple.
The Easter Morning Sentiments set also includes a simple cross image, which I added at the bottom. I hand-trimmed a wavy edges on a strip of white cardstock to create a hill/field for the cross.

Sometimes less is more and sometimes more is well…more! lol! I wanted to go all out in surrounding a few of our Simply Bold diecut sentiments with a garden of florals! I started with a gingham background created with our Square Dance die and stencil, then added the bold black sentiment and tons of florals!

The florals here were done with the Print Shop: Modern Botanical stencil and matching die. I tucked in a few leaves that were cut using the BotaniCuts Lilacs die.
In order for the sentiment to stand out, I cut it from black cardstock and adhered it with small foam dots.
The words in our Simply Bold die series can be mixed and matched to make more sentiments. Here I used the “mom” and “for you” together.
The happy mother’s day sentiment is from the To Mom With Love set, cut with the coordinating die. I heat embossed it with white embossing powder onto black cardstock.
When creating this design I made sure to tuck flowers in and around the letters to make the design cohesive.

That wraps up my projects using our new Spring Fling collection, but there’s so much more to see from the team!

Inspiration Team Blog Hop & Giveaway

Now that you’ve gotten to meet all of today’s new products and see them in action on my projects, you can hop along to see more projects from the Inspiration Team!

We’ll be giving away TWO $50 gift cards for today’s blog hop.

Read on for details…

Comment here on the blog for one entry (one comment per person).
Comment on our Inspiration Team Members’ blogs for more entries (linked below – one comment per person, per blog)
Comments close Wednesday, February 28 at 11:59pm EST
Winners will be posted at 7am EST on Thursday, February 29 here on the blog

Now for more the team blog links…

DANA

DAWN

KELLY

LAURIE

MELISSA

WANDA

February 28, 2024 156 comments

All

Spring Fling Collection Day 1

by Betsy February 27, 2024

written by Betsy

Thanks for stopping by! Today we’ll begin introducing some new spring products coming to the shop in just a few days! Our Spring Fling collection is filled with pretty things for spring, Easter, and Mother’s Day. We’ll be sharing and showcasing everything over the next two days, and the new products will be available in the shop on Thursday, February 29 at 10am EST.

Youtube Live!

Before we get to everything we have to share with you today, just a heads up that Laurie will be hosting a Youtube Live tomorrow evening via our Youtube channel. Join Laurie Wednesday evening, February 28 at 7pm CST/8pm EST where she’ll be showcasing all of the new products from our Spring Fling. collection. Join us if you’d like to see everything up close! *Note the change of platforms…she’ll be hosting on Youtube again this release instead of Instagram.

BotaniCuts Lilacs & Seagrass Basket die

I’m always excited to welcome a new addition to our BotaniCuts die series! Lilacs are a long-time spring favorite and I’m excited to have these pretty spring blooms in our line-up. These are easy to assemble and fun to color in your favorite lilac shades. Our new Seagrass Basket will be a beautiful container for so many of your favorite blooms, including the new Lilacs! This die was first introduced for a class we taught at Taylored Expressions’ Stamp Joy event last October. So if you attended that event and took the class, you already own this die. After several requests from those that have seen the die we’ll be releasing it as part of our Spring Fling collection.

Click HERE for BotaniCuts Lilacs die info ($22)
Click HERE for Seagrass Basket die info ($24)

You have the option of weaving the basket pieces, or you can opt for a simpler construction of just layering the two pieces. I’ve put together a how-to video that shows these options as well as a couple of fun project ideas…

Spring Snowdrops stamp + stencil and matching die

Another favorite harbinger of spring are snowdrops! We have a pretty new stamp + stencil combo for creating a pretty snowdrop cluster. You can use the coordinating die to cut out the cluster as well as add dimension to the individual blooms.

Click HERE for Spring Snowdrops stamp + stencil info ($22)
Click HERE for Spring Snowdrops die info ($27)

All Occasion Script Sentiments stamp set and matching die

This set will be a great basic you’ll reach for over and over! We’ve had several requests for a basic sentiment set with a contemporary script font, and we’re happy to bring that with this release. This set is filled with sentiments that cover tons of every day occasions. The matching die will allow you to layer these over your designs and add dimension to your projects.

Click HERE for All Occasion Script Sentiments stamp set info ($16)
Click HERE for All Occasion Script Sentiments die info ($27)

Now it’s time to see these products put to work. Let’s get to the projects I have to share with you today, and then there will be links to check out what the team has been up to.

First off I have some BotaniCuts Lilacs projects…

This first card features several of the BotaniCuts Lilacs clusters arranged over a sponged blue background mimicking a blue spring sky! I put together a how-to video for this card that also shows how I color and assemble the lilacs…

Here are some close-ups and details of the card shown in the video…

The Lilacs die has two different stems that can be attached to either of the blossom clusters, giving you design options.
Use the individual leaves to add fullness to bouquets and clusters
Tumbled Glass and Broken China Oxide inks are great blues for making vibrant sky-like backgrounds. A few watercolor splatters always gives an artsy look.

Next up I combined the BotaniCuts Lilacs die with our Square Dance die to create the look of lattice.

Gray kraft (from Cardstock Warehouse) is currently one of my favorite neutral cardstock colors! Here I cut the Square Dance die from this cardstock, then brushed over it with white gauche to give it a white-wash look.
Pull out all your purple inks to sponge onto the Lilac diecuts. Lilacs come in a wide variety of purple shades…from bluish to pink. Using a variety of color makes them even more realistic!
The sentiment here is from our Scripted Sentiments set.

This next project combines the new BotaniCuts Lilacs with our new Seagrass Basket die to create a basket brimming with blooms that I can almost smell! Wouldn’t it be fun to find a lilac scented spray to spritz these with?

Create a basket-shaped card by adhering two baskets together by the bottom tab, the same way as shown in the video above for the gift card holder. Add Disc Magnets for a closure (but not if you’re going to tuck in a gift card as the magnet could damage the magnetic strip on the gift card).
Stamp a sentiment inside, or write a message for your recipient
Diecut the basket from gray kraft cardstock and brush with white gauche for a rustic white-washed look.
The sentiments used here are from the new All Occasion Script Sentiments set and matching die.

Next I have several projects using the new Seagrass Basket. These first two projects are close-ups of the projects created in the Seagrass Basket video linked earlier in this post. This first one is the gift card holder…

The basket is a nice size to hold a gift card.
You can either glue the sides of the basket closed to create a pocket, or use a piece of twine tied around the handle to secure it closed. (You’ll want to avoid using magnets if you have a traditional gift card with a magnetic strip as the magnets could damage the card).
Our Garden Tub Filler die is a great way to quickly and easily fill up the basket.
The sentiment used here is again from the new All Occasion Script Sentiments set, stamped onto the oval label included with the Seagrass Basket die.

This next project is a close-up of the easel card shown in the Seagrass Basket video

Here again I used the Garden Tub Filler die to fill up my basket. This time I used two diecuts – one I left intact and the second one I snipped apart and tucked in the pieces for more fulness.
Use some of the tiny blooms from our BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix die to add extra interest to the greenery.
The A2 Arches die was used here as a background behind the basket.
Pop-up easel cards are a super simple way to create an interactive and pretty display-able card.

Up next I’m sharing a set of four-season cards using the Seagrass Basket die paired with other dies from our line. There’s something for every season! I mentioned above that the Seagrass Basket was initially designed for a class I taught at Taylored Expressions’ Stamp Joy event. I made these cards to showcase at the event. The sentiment used on each of these was a stamp that was included in the class kit. While we aren’t making this sentiment available, you can easily swap it out for something from your sentiment collection. Several of the sentiments from the new All Occasion Script Sentiments set fit on the basket label.

First up is the Spring version which was filled up with our BotaniCuts Pussy Willow…

My summer basket is filled with BotaniCuts Geraniums…

We have BotaniCuts Apples for fall…

And finally, for winter I used a mix of Botanicuts Juniper and Big Branches: Pine…

Have fun and get creative with all of the things you can fill your baskets with!
A set of seasonal thank you cards would make a fun gift. Create a boxed set using our Stationery Box die!
Keeping the layout the same from card to card makes these easier to mass produce and allows you to be creative with the basket contents without feeling the need to create a new/different card layout each time.

Next I have several cards using our new Spring Snowdrops set.

This first one is an elegant Easter card…

Our Cathedral die is always a great go-to for creating traditional Easter cards.
Use the coordinating Cathedral stencil to add some color behind the window diecut.
I always love lots of white for Easter cards, but a pop of color like the yellow ink sponged behind the window makes this card feel like a sunny Easter morning!
Layering the individual diecut blooms over the Snowdrop cluster adds lot of dimension.
The sentiment used here is from a new set we’ll be showcasing tomorrow called Easter Morning Sentiments. I stamped it here onto vellum, heat embossed with white embossing powder.

Next up is a pretty springy card using Spring Snowdrops…

Flowers with white blooms (like snowdrops) always present a little bit of a challenge! Here to keep my blooms white, but also add some interest, I stamped the bloom details using the stamp set onto vellum, then diecut them using the individual blooms die included in the Snowdrops set.
Bend and curl the bloom diecuts slightly to add dimension and interest. Adhere them with just a dot of liquid adhesive at the top of the bloom, leaving the bottom portion un-attached so they can curl pop out a bit.
Our Pathway stencil is a fun way to create some rocky ground for the snowdrops. I masked off the stencil so I could sponge ink over just select areas. Add shading with a colored pencil and some watercolor splatters to complete the look.

For my next card I wanted a more vibrant look, so I layered my snowdrop cluster over a bright coral background!

I love creating window cards. This is easy to do by diecutting a window from the card front (our A2 Arches die was used here) and then adding a sheet of clear transparency to the inside of the card.
Create some “dirt” by using a scissors to trim a wavy edge to a strip of cardstock. Then sponge it with dark brown and black inks and add some white ink splatters.
For fuller snowdrop blooms, diecut the “just the blooms” and stack a few layers. Here I used both pink and white vellum and layered them over the Snowdrop base. Bend the petals for dimension!
The hello sentiment was cut using our Typed Greetings die.

Next I wanted to create a pair of Snowdrop cards with a more rustic feel. I’m loving gingham lately, so I pulled out my Square Dance die and stencil set to pair with the snowdrops…

Create an easy gingham background using the Square Dance die and matching Square Dance Stencil
Create a matching envelope with a gingham flap using our Flappable stencils and envelopes.
To create white snowdrop blooms onto a colored background, use the stencil included in the set with white texture paste.
You can stamp onto texture paste once it’s dry! Here I stamped the bloom details using pale blue ink once the paste was dry.
Our Macrame Borders & Tassels die is fun for adding textural details. Cut from gray kraft cardstock and paired with the gingham, it resembles pretty table linens!
The “wood” strip along the bottom of the kraft card was cut using the Curio: Cover die.

Last but not least, a slimline card filled to the brim with pretty Snowdrop blooms. Perfect for a spring wedding card!

Give the snowdrop blooms a soft look by sponging them with pink ink using the stencil included in the set, then layer diecut vellum blooms over the top. I heat embossed the bloom details by stamping onto the vellum using versamark ink and white embossing powder.
Two Snowdrop clusters can be stacked to fill a slimline base. The Crimped Slimline die was used here as my background.
Add some gems for a little sparkle, perfect for a wedding card.
The pretty sentiment here is from the Scripted Sentiments set.

That wraps up my projects for today, but there’s more to see from the team!

Inspiration Team Blog Hop & Giveaway

Now that you’ve gotten to meet all of today’s new products and see them in action on my projects, you can hop along to see more projects from the Inspiration Team!

We’ll be giving away TWO $50 gift cards for today’s blog hop.

Read on for details…

Comment here on the blog for one entry (one comment per person).
Comment on our Inspiration Team Members’ blogs for more entries (linked below – one comment per person, per blog)
Comments close Wednesday, February 28 at 11:59pm EST
Winners will be posted at 7am EST on Thursday, February 29 here on the blog

Now for more the team blog links…

DANA

DAWN

KELLY

LAURIE

MELISSA

WANDA

February 27, 2024 206 comments

All Sneak Peeks

Spring Fling Sneak Peek #2

by Betsy February 26, 2024

written by Betsy

Happy new week! I’m popping in this morning with another sneak peek of our new Spring Fling collection that’s coming to the shop a little later this week! We’ll be showcasing everything over the next few days, and then the new products will be available in the shop on Thursday morning at 10am EST.

Here’s that sneak peek I promised…

We have some pretty new sentiment sets for spring-time occasions, plus a quick and easy springy frame, AND a new Print Shop! I’m excited to show you everything in full starting tomorrow. I hope you’ll join us!

February 26, 2024 40 comments

All Sneak Peeks

Takes the Cake with Melissa + Spring Fling Sneak Peek!

by Betsy February 23, 2024

written by Betsy

Good morning and happy Friday! Melissa is here with the most gorgeous birthday card project for a little inspiration Friday! But before we get to that, some fun news…we have some new spring goodies coming to the shop next week!

Today I’m sharing the first sneak peek of our Spring Fling collection that will hit the shop next Thursday, February 29 at 10am ET. It’s a smaller release, but chock-full of pretty things for spring, Easter, and moms. We’ll be blog hopping and showcasing everything next week Tuesday and Wednesday before the new goodies hit the shop on Thursday.

What do you spy in today’s peek? 🙂

Now for Melissa’s amazing project using our Takes the Cake product suite…

Today I’m using some of my very most favorite Greetery products!

I began with the Embroidered Background stamp to create my soft, subtle card base. I wanted to be sure it didn’t detract from my focal point. I then used the Window Dressing Dotted Scallops die to cut a window from my background, layering it over my card base. Next came the beautiful Takes the Cake stamp + stencil, Floral Details, Banner, and Cake Stand dies. This gorgeous cake comes together so quickly and easily. I added some sweet Buttercream Toppers to finish! A perfect birthday card for someone special!

February 23, 2024 25 comments

All

Spring Tapestry with Wanda

by Betsy February 20, 2024

written by Betsy

Hi there my creative and crafty friends! It’s Wanda here on The Greetery Blog today to share a project with you! I am always happy to share with you. Hope you’re doing great!

My card today features the stunning Rose Tapestry Stencils along with the Hoopla Oval die and the new Sign Off Sentiments. I had been wanting to make a purple/spring version of these tapestry stencils ever since they were released, and it came out looking really fresh and pretty. I am definitely in the mood to move towards spring colors! My finished card is an A2 kraft card base. I layered purple cardstock and some gingham from my stash, and then used the Hoopla Oval and matching Oval Insert as the focal point of my card.

I used both large and small blender brushes with those wonderful stencils, and inked with shades of spring greens and pretty purples. It is so fun to watch the design take shape with each stencil layer. I used the Hoopla Oval Inserts to die cut my stenciled panel to the perfect size to fit into the Hoop. I accented with silver and purple. I used the Notionable Dies to make the scissors, thread, thimble and needle. My stenciled panel and my sentiment are on cream cardstock for more of a vintage look instead of bright white cardstock.

I stamped the sentiment from the Sign Off Sentiments set, and die cut it out with the matching die. I attached everything to my card base and finished off with a bit of twine and some purple pearls. This would be a great card for a crafty friend! (My other hobby is cross stitching!)

That’s it for my project for today! I hope you have a fantastic and creative day! I look forward to sharing with you again soon. In the meantime, happy crafting! XO Wanda

———————————————————————————–

SUPPLIES:

Rose Tapestry Stencils

Hoopla Oval Dies

Hoopla Oval Inserts

Signed off Sentiments Stamps and Dies

Notionable Dies

Cream, purple, kraft and gingham cardstock

Purple Pearl Accents

Purple and Green inks

Blender Brushes for Stencils

February 20, 2024 5 comments

All TGIF

Typed Greetings with Laurie

by Betsy February 16, 2024

written by Betsy

Hello Greetery friends! It’s Laurie Willison here! The latest release had a little die set that just called my name. Typed Greetings is such a fun set with so many possibilities! I love fun fonts and this one is just adorable! I grabbed 3 of the sentiments from the die set and made a fun little quick and simple card!

To get started I grabbed a rainbow of cardstock and made some ¼” strips. Using an ATG gun, I laid down some adhesive and attached the strips, diagonally, in rainbow order. This creates such a fun and fast background. Next, I grabbed some black fun foam. You can find this in sheets at any craft store. I die cut all the sentiments out of the fun foam to create an awesome 3D look. Using liquid glue, I attached them to the card front. To finish off the card, I added the cutest little envelope from the Sent With Love Die Set. I added a little red heart die, from the same set, for a little pop of color!

You know I love clean and simple with lots of white space but I always love to share a few tips for adding in more detail:

Add in more background detail by filling up the background with a love sentiment in black in. This way the colors of the rainbow pop!
Cover the whole background in rainbow cardstock strips for more color.
Use a colored cardstock for the base to add in more color. This gives a great pop of contrast to the white cardstock.

I am so glad you stopped by today and I hope you enjoyed today’s project! If you are inspired to create a clean and simple card, please tag me when you share over on Instagram! I love to see all your creations!

IG @laurie_willison

February 16, 2024 2 comments

All

Scrap Buster Bookmarks with Dawn

by Betsy February 13, 2024

written by Betsy

Hello there! Dawn here to share another fun project with you! So remember last month, I showed you some bookmarks I made to tuck into some books we were giving to various loved ones for Christmas? Well, one of those friends loved her book and bookmark so much, that she ordered more copies of the book to give to other people, and she asked if I’d make her a few bookmarks to tuck into each one she gives away.

Well, of course I said yes, but you know once I got started, I couldn’t just make a few! I ended up pulling out all sorts of goodies from my stash and making a whole pile of them!

I used some older stamps and dies paired with goodies from more recent releases. I even used some things that could be used for Christmas, but when used outside of the Christmas context, they work great for year-round bookmarks!

Here’s a list of all the products I mixed and matched:

Tag Team Duo dies
Tear Strip Tags dies
Tear Strip Cover Ups dies
Tear Strip Tag Toppers dies
Woven Cane Background die
Square Dance die
Ribbon Maker Large Scallops die
Starburst Baubles dies
Four Square Valentine Tags stamps
Four Square Valentine Tags Elements dies
Graceful Stems dies
Four Square Holiday Tags stamp set
Four Square Holiday Tag Elements die
Pine Blossom stamp set & dies
Twinkle Background die
Round About Fall Foliage die

So, the point of showing how many different products I used on these bookmarks, isn’t to make you feel like you need to have all this stuff to make your own bookmarks. The point is to show you that you can literally dig into your stash and pull out nearly anything (or nearly everything – haha!) and make a pile of bookmarks that are just as lovely and that are unique to YOU!

And bonus! Any one of bookmarks in this pretty pile could provide you with some fresh COLOR inspiration for all sorts of different cards and other projects, even if you’re not making bookmarks!

I hope you will dive in and play and have FUN with this project! And just remember my number one PRO TIP for making bookmarks: More hanging tag layers equals more FUN! It gives them a more interactive feel and just makes them more interesting with all those various layers of color and shape and size!

One other tip I would give you is to skip the foam adhesive on these! Remember, they’re going into books so “flatter is better”! Haha!

And one other practical note, even if I have die cuts sticking out the side or bottom of a bookmark, I usually try to keep at least one edge totally straight so that if I need to mark a certain line in a book, where I stopped reading mid-page, I can use that straight edge to indicate where to start reading again when I pick the book back up.

Enjoy this gallery of images of each individual bookmark for a closer look!

Hope you’re now feeling inspired to create! Happy making, friends!
Dawn

February 13, 2024 4 comments

All

Love Grows Here with Kelly

by Betsy February 9, 2024

written by Betsy

February is the love month, and love is in bloom! It’s Kelly here today sharing a pair of wedding/shower cards using some older favorites. My daughter’s best friend is getting married this spring and so she’ll be attending many events to celebrate both the bride and the couple! I used inspiration from the bridal shower invitation for the colors and theme! This particular shower’s theme is “Love is in Bloom” so one of the cards uses the sentiment that fits that theme the best: Love grows here!

I photographed both cards on top of the invitation so you can see how well the Lovely Silhouettes stamp/die set works to coordinate with the theme! To begin, I die cut all of the pieces twice (you never know where a design will take you, so I always like to have options at my fingertips) and then stamped them using Distress Oxide inks and finger daubers for control. Because these are silhouette stamps, there aren’t different steps to separate the blooms from the foliage, so I chose to do it this way to add more color. Hopefully that makes sense!

Once that was done, I got to work on the backgrounds for each of the two cards. I used the beautiful Elegant Arches stamp that was released at the same time as the Lovely Silhouettes stamp set, so they are a perfect choice to use together! I took that particular release off, so I have tried to use each of the products because they are so beautiful. I chose to used white pigment ink on the darker background and then tone-on-tone ink for the lighter of the two. I love how you can get such starkly different results by changing up the ink color.

I used the A2 Arches dies in two different sizes to create a mat for the focal point. I simply used the lighter color on the darker card and vice versa. I added a touch of Antique Linen ink around the edges of the white arch for some added definition and detail. I layered them together using foam squares and then had fun creating the different bouquets. Because I wanted to use the “grows here” sentiment on the dark card, I chose to stamp it in black on the bottom of the arch and then on the lighter card I stamped the accent sentiment in black on the background.

The lighter card got some black ink splatter for added detail and I left the darker card as is. Both panels are attached to white A2 card bases using liquid glue. I didn’t add any glitter or sequins, so I’m not sure if I’m coming down with something or what! Ha ha! I might go back and give them a spritz of Shimmer Spray if I come to my senses! Ha ha!

Thanks for joining me today!
~Kelly

February 9, 2024 9 comments

All

Nature Love Card with Angelica

by Betsy February 6, 2024

written by Betsy

Hi everyone! I hope your week is off to a great start! Angelica is sharing a gorgeous project here with us today. I believe she may also have a video to go along with it, so you’ll want to hop over to her blog when you get a chance to check that out as well. 🙂

Last week I cleaned out my craft room, and in doing so I found a few products from The Greetery that I haven’t used in awhile. so I put them aside to use in the near future. I finally was able to sit down and create the other day with them. I didn’t know what I was going to make, I just knew I wanted to die-cut and watercolor.

I started with BotaniCuts Toadstool Garden die. I die-cut watercolor paper, taped the die-cut pieces in their negative space, and watercolored them. My first thought was to make pink mushrooms. That quickly turned into these red and purple mushrooms. Once I was done painting them, I glued the pieces together.

Next came the Large Leaves: Fern die and Wood Slice Hearts die. I die-cut the fern and wood heart out of watercolor paper, then picked out a variety of Distress colors. I normally use Distress Oxide inks, but this time I decided to use regular Distress inks. For the fern, I smooshed the pieces into Forest Moss ink first, then Shabby Shutters and Old Paper. Once the fern was dry, I inked the edges with Scorched Timber. I also inked the wood heart with Scorched Timber, and Antique Linen and Scorched Timber on the center of the heart. I glued the pieces together, and moved onto the background and sentiment.

The background is Dried Marigold Distress ink, smooshed into watercolor paper. While the paper was lightly damp, I put it under my MISTI to finish drying. This helped the panel dry flat. Once it was dry, I attached the panel to a card, added the finished die-cuts, then picked a sentiment from Sign Off Sentiments stamp set. I white heat-embossed the sentiment onto black card stock, used the coordinating die to die-cut it, and attached it the card with glue.

I am in love with how all of these products came together. I can’t wait to hear what you all think! That’s all that I have for today… Happy crafting!

February 6, 2024 24 comments