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Betsy

Capturing Summer Sneak Peek #2

by Betsy July 10, 2021

written by Betsy

Happy Weekend! Popping in on this Saturday to share one more sneak peek before we kick off the reveals for our new Capturing Summer Collection on Monday.

Today’s peeks are filled with beautiful treasures you might collect while out on a summer nature walk. We even have a new collection of dies that will help you “display” all of your findings. Oh, and we can’t forget about an awesome new addition to our BotaniCuts collection…it’s a summer favorite around here…

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you’ll join us for the fun starting Monday!

July 10, 2021 58 comments

TGIF – Sentiment Mix-up with Heather + Capturing Summer Sneak Peek #1

by Betsy July 9, 2021

written by Betsy

Happy Friday! We have a couple of fun things for you today! Heather is here with a super fun trio of cards using a great product combo. But before we get to that, we have a sneak peek for you!

Next week our newest collection is coming to the shop! This collection is all about the ways we capture summer…from front porch views, to sunset snapshots and fireflies in jars, our Capturing Summer collection includes so many of my favorite things about summer.

I’ll be back tomorrow to share another sneak peek, and then we’ll have full product reveals and projects starting on Monday! The new Capturing Summer collection will go up in the shop on Wednesday, July 14 at 10am EDT.

Now, let’s hear from Heather and her fun projects for today!

I am always inspired by new products and was excited to use the new Opposites Attract Script dies that were released a few weeks ago. As I was pulling products out to create with, the Sentiments Squared stamp set ended up next to the dies on my desk and I knew I had to use these two sets together!

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Many of the script sentiments in the Opposites Attract stamp set coordinate with the larger words in the Sentiments Squared stamp set. I saw the sentiment combinations as a great way to add a few basic card themes to my card stash. The background for the cards are created with the Tartan Builder Diagonal stencil set. Even though the plaid design was designed with creating masculine projects in mind, a change of color makes plaid patterns versatile for a wide range of occasions.

The stenciled plaid designs are done in monochromatic color themes, using light and dark ink colors along with white ink on each one. The larger words from the Sentiments Squared stamp set are stamped using the same light and dark ink colors to match the different plaid backgrounds. You can play around with your favorite colors, choose a color to coordinate with a theme, use the card recipient’s favorite color, and more for the cards that you make!

This card trio makes a great addition to my card stash and it would also be wonderful to package together to give as a gift. Take a peek at the sentiment combinations and pattern options in your own crafty collection to put a trio of cards like this together – or even add the sets I used on my cards to your collection to expand the possibilities to what you can create!

July 9, 2021 28 comments

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Project Share + Save the Date!

by Betsy July 6, 2021

written by Betsy

I hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend! I’m just popping in with a few things on this Tuesday…

First of all, a heads up that we have new products coming to the shop next week! We’ll share some sneak peeks a little later this week and then our latest collection, called Capturing Summer, will go up in the shop on Wednesday, July 14.

I hope you’ll join us for the fun!

Next I just have a couple of recent projects to share. These were posted on Instagram recently, but I know some of our readers aren’t on Instagram, so I thought I’d post them here as well.

This first card uses our Destination series of products to create a fun summery card.

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I used our Bold Alphabet die to spell out “summer”, inking the letters in a rainbow of colors, and also adding some details with a white pen. The Crimped Slimline is the perfect base for this summery scene. I used the Destination Round Map die to cut two map sections, allowing each to hang off the edges of the Crimped base.

My second card uses our Reflections set in a bit of a different way! I wanted to create a summery scene, so I pulled out the house from the Harvest Home set and nestled it on the riverbank, along with some tiny flowers.

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I used the Reflections stamp set and matching die to create two rows of trees, layering them to create the impression of a river using the water from the Reflections set. I added some shading and detailing to the trees using colored pencils. The tiny flowers were stamped onto the riverbanks using a couple of the tiny stamps from the AlphaBuds Bold Floral Details set. I sponged some ink onto the background to create blue sky and sun rays. The rays were creating by sponging over the edge of a scrap of paper, moving, and repeating until I had my corner filled with golden rays. The sentiment here is from the Simple Things set – I thought it was the perfect sentiment for this scene!

Thanks for stopping by on this Tuesday! We’ll be back on Friday with a TGIF and some sneak peeks! Can’t wait! 😊

July 6, 2021 17 comments

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TGIF – Patriotic Pinwheels

by Betsy July 2, 2021

written by Betsy

TGIF! Happy holiday weekend (at least for our US readers)!

I’m taking a turn for this week’s TGIF and I couldn’t wait to pull out my Pinwheel Party set to create some patriotic pinwheels. I haven’t played with this set for a while, and I was reminded of why it’s a customer favorite. Those pinwheels are so fun to stencil in all sorts of colors.

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I chose several shades of red and blue Oxide inks…Tumbled Glass, Blueprint Sketch, Chipped Sapphire, Festive Berries, and Aged Mahogany. Using more or less ink, along with varying the pressure applied while sponging can give you a broad range of colors with just a few inks.

I arranged all of my colorful pinwheels on a Crimped Slimline panel, and finished it with a sentiment made from a few different elements. The number four is from our Bold Numbers die. The “happy” and “th” are both from the Digit Sentiments stamp set. the small banner that “happy” is stamped on is from the PreText Banners die. To add a little sparkle (can’t have the 4th of July without some sparkle!), I used glitter to coat the number four as well as some tiny stars cut with the Pinwheel Party die. I also coated a few of the smallest pinwheels in glitter. Oh, and that number 4 sponged with red and blue? It’s totally reminding me of a rocket pop popsicle! 🙂

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Wishing you a weekend filled with family, fun, and of course, fireworks! 🇺🇸💥

July 2, 2021 13 comments

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New Opposites Attract Script Dies – Available Now!

by Betsy June 28, 2021

written by Betsy

Happy Monday! Just popping in with a little surprise and a little inspiration for your Monday. We just added a new die to the shop, which coordinates with the script sentiments from the Opposites Attract set, which was released back in November. Opposites Attract is one of my favorite sentiment sets and now there are even more layering options with these new script sentiments! The new script die can be found HERE.

Here are a few cards using these new dies along with the Opposites Attract stamp set existing dies…

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This first card is something I’ve been wanting to create for awhile! I wanted to play with creating an ombré effect with lots of little blooms from the BotaniCuts Wildflower and Forget-Me-Nots sets. I started with tiny blooms and light colors and worked towards larger blooms and darker color concentrated around that pretty sentiment. I love the layering possibilities with the new script dies!

This next card uses the Lovely Blossoms stamps. I love this set and have been wanting to pull it out again! I stamped the blooms directly onto a panel cut with the Crimped Frames die, then layered the Opposites Attract sentiments over the top.

Lastly, a birthday card using our BotaniCuts Sunflower die (with leaves from the BotaniCuts Rose set). I was obviously on a pink kick with today’s card trio, so instead of traditional yellow, we have some soft, pink blooms. I diecut and stamped three of the “happy” sentiments from Opposites Attract, then layered the “birthday to you” script over the top of the leaves and blooms.

Thanks for stopping by today and checking out these new projects! I hope your week is off to a great start!

June 28, 2021 24 comments

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TGIF – Stamping Blues with Dawn

by Betsy June 25, 2021

written by Betsy

Happy Friday! Dawn is here today with some gorgeousness for your Friday. She has the blues, but in a good way. Check out the beautiful projects she has for you today…

“Lately, I’ve been enjoying giving myself the challenge of using the same stamps, dies and color palette, but making two different coordinating cards.

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I’ve also really been drawn to monochromatic blues, so for today’s projects, I decided to marry those two things to create these two cards!

I also have to say that I’m loving the Big Plans background stamp so much! I had fun pairing some of the newer release items with an older floral — Summer Sketches — and I just love the juxtaposition of the architectural, structured background with soft, feminine florals. The Big Plans stamp is turning out to be so great for so many different types of cards, and it’s one I can’t stop reaching for!”

I hope you enjoyed today’s projects! Have a wonderful weekend!

June 25, 2021 8 comments

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TGIF – Destination: Welcome to the Neighborhood with Norine

by Betsy June 18, 2021

written by Betsy

Happy Friday, friends! Norine is here today with a super fun project to inspire your weekend crafting (you are crafting this weekend, right? 😊) I’ve been wanting to pull out our fun Destination sets and now after seeing Norine’s cute project, I’m really itching to do that!

Hello Greetery friends, Norine back with you today, resurrecting a couple of sets from last year to make a sweet “welcome to the neighborhood” card.

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I began by die cutting the Destination Rectangle Map die, removing the frame portion, and with the individual sections adhered to a sheet of Glad Press N Seal, I ink-blended them. Then I trimmed the background card panel slightly smaller than an A2 card and glued it to a folded card base. After that it was easy to puzzle piece the sections back into their openings.

Next, I stamped and die cut all the layers for the houses, mountain range, round ball trees, clouds and blue car with the Destination stamp and die sets. I used the Destination Summer stamp and die set to stamp the cacti, bicycle, and vehicles, and the Destination North Pole for the fir trees.

I used the Opposites Attract to stamp the lovely “hello” greeting and die cut it three times to stack and adhere for extra prominence. I used a really basic font on my computer to create the rest of the greeting and printed it on heavy weight cardstock before trimming it to a narrow strip.

I got a little too zealous with the heat gun, embossing the “hello” die cut, and scorched the bottom corner of the word, and I was losing light for photographing my project so decided not to re-do it, opting instead for a little floral bud from the AlphaBuds Bold Floral Details stamp and die set. Necessity, mothers and inventions and all that, but I think it adds a nice extra little detail! I used coloring pencils to add shading to a few of the die cuts as seemed necessary and brushed on some soft blue ink to the edges of the clouds.

I feel like this card would work for welcoming someone who has moved across the street or across the state (especially if the state is Arizona!). Thanks so much for your interest and for stopping by to check out today’s project!

June 18, 2021 15 comments

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TGIF – Quick & Easy Summer Inspiration with Laurie

by Betsy June 11, 2021

written by Betsy

Happy Friday! Laurie is here for this week’s TGIF with a bright and summery (and quick!) card that will have you wanting to grab an ice-cold glass of lemonade and head into your craft room. It’s so hot here…sounds like a great plan to me!

Hello friends! It’s Laurie here with today’s TGIF! If you know me, you know I love a good quick and simple card. I adore white space and I love tossing in bright colors! Two of my favorite Greetery stamp sets are Just Mason Around and Lemon Blossoms. They were made perfectly for each other….and for a clean and simple card!

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This card was so simple to make. Using washi tape, I masked off the edges of the card front. I grabbed a light teal ink and just lightly blended around the edges with a little heavier hand in the top left corner. I love how this technique frames the card but leaves the white space.

Next, I stamped out the mason jar. If you ever have any trouble lining this up, start with the darkest ink first. Basically, going backwards in your stamping order makes each of the top layers super easier to line up. Then using the open faced die, you can die cut the jar for the perfect result every time! I actually did the same thing with the lemon slices. Seeing that dark ink detail in the center made the other layers easy to line up.

After everything was stamped out and die cut, I arranged the lemons around the mason jar and added in the little bloom for a pop of pink. The last step was adding in a sentiment. A little tip….stamping out several sentiments from any of The Greetery’s Sentiment Suite Sets and die cutting them ahead of time makes for quick card assembly. I usually have a pile of sentiments to pick from whenever I sit down. It’s nice to look and see which sentiment fits with the card before adhering it down.

That’s all from me today! Hope you have enjoyed today’s cards and tips! Have a great day!

June 11, 2021 8 comments

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TGIF – Wildflower Stationery Set with Angelica

by Betsy June 4, 2021

written by Betsy

Happy Friday! Angelica is joining us today with some inspiration for creating your own set of pretty stationery, perfect for gifting. Her project is amazing! Enjoy…

My elderly neighbor has a birthday coming up, so I decided to make her a gift. If you know me, you know I LOVE to make card sets. And surprise! That’s exactly what I did for Miss Laura. She doesn’t get out much, so I thought cards and postage stamps would be a perfect gift to help her stay in touch with her loved ones.

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Starting with BotaniCuts Wildflower Mix, I die-cut several watercolor panels, and painted them with Mijello Mission Gold Watercolor paints. I glued the flowers together, and grouped them in little bouquets. I “tied” the bouquets together with the small twine ribbon from Fit To Be Tied Die Collection.

For the Blue background, I stamped Painterly Stripes Background onto TE Blue Corn card stock, using Blue Corn ink. I attached the panels to card bases, and got the Postal Frame panels ready.

For a dainty sentiment, I used a stamp from the gorgeous Pretty Postmarks Stamp Set. I set the sentiment up in my MISTI, and stamped all of the Postal Frame panels the same. Once finished, I attached the white panels onto the card bases, and glued on the bouquets.

For the gift box, I started with a 12×12 card stock, and trimmed it to 9×9. I picked a stamp from Summer Sketches stamp set to stamp a background with. Once finished, I used my Envelope Punch Board to make an envelope box. There’s lots of tutorials on YouTube on how to make an “Envelope Maker Box”. Jennifer McGuire has a great one, and that’s the tutorial that I followed. You can find it HERE.

To close the flap, I made a belly band. I cut white card stock to 1.5″ x 11″, and scored lines at 2″, 2 3/4″, 7 1/4″, and 8″. I folded the band on the scored lines, and glued the ends together.. I stamped a Sentiment Suite: Birthday sentiment onto the band, and added a last minute strip of blue card stock for added interest. I finished the band with my last flower bouquet.

I can’t wait to get this over to Miss Laura’s. I left enough room in the box for some postage stamps, and might even go find a pretty pen to match! I hope I have passed on some crafty inspiration… Thanks for joining me today!

June 4, 2021 29 comments

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TGIF – Reflections Tri-fold with Kelly

by Betsy May 28, 2021

written by Betsy

Happy long weekend! I hope there are crafty plans in place. 🙂 Kelly’s here to jumpstart your weekend with a gorgeous project using our new Reflections set…

Hello and welcome to this week’s TGIF feature! It’s Kelly here today sharing a fun shaped tri-fold design with a belly band! I’m enamored with the new Reflections stamp/die set and couldn’t wait to try using it for this tri-fold design! It was easy to put together, but DID require a little planning. I’m hoping that I can walk you through step-by-step easily so you can try your own!

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To begin, I cut two panels from white cardstock measuring 4 ¼ by 5 ½ inches and then die cut the outline using the new Reflections die. I die cut one a little further down on the panel and one up a little bit higher so that when the card is assembled, it gives the realistic illusion of a forest. Once the two panels were cut, I went ahead and stamped both panels using assorted Distress Oxide inks. As you can see on the panel on the right, I varied the shore line to keep it visually interesting.

Once that was done, I was able to get the base for my tri-fold design put together. I cut a piece of Kraft cardstock measuring 5 ½ by 11. The two panels that fold in measure 3 ½ inches, but I ended up cutting them as I will explain in the next steps, but you’ll want to begin with these measurements. I placed the first panel on the left fold butted right up against the bottom and corner and then carefully placed the die directly around the trees, and secured it with washi tape. Once it was secure, I removed the stamped portion and ran it through my die cut machine. You’ll repeat this for the second flap, but you’ll need to leave it hanging off the edge of your die cut machine so it doesn’t cut through the back of the card. It might seem confusing reading it, but when you go to make your card, you’ll understand!

I used an Exacto Knife and a ruler to remove the pieces that I didn’t need along the fold. From there, I went ahead and glued the two stamped panels in place, using the die cut portion of the Kraft base as my guide. From there, you will see that you have pieces hanging over the edge that will need to be cut straight with your paper trimmer. Once I had it all squared up, I got to work on the inside!

I die cut the middle size of the Crimped Frames and added some blue ink blending around the edges for a sky. I stamped the sentiment, which is from the Sentiment Suite: Thinking of You stamp set, directly onto the panel. The smaller sentiment at the top AND the sentiment for the belly band are from the same set. I used the Sentiment Suite: Basics die for the little banner piece at the top. The belly band is just a strip of the same Kraft cardstock with the sentiment stamped in the middle and then scored slightly larger than the width of the card so it can easily slide off and on.

I finished off the card by adding some watercolor details to the trees, sand, and water. While I don’t enjoy needing Sympathy cards, I do like having a few on hand. I really like this particular stamp set for a sympathy card because flowers, etc. aren’t always the perfect choice, even if we want them to be (wink!). Thanks for joining me today and I hope you get a chance to try your own shaped tri-fold design!

May 28, 2021 19 comments