Author

Betsy

Make & Tell Tuesday: Coloring the BotaniCuts Pine Bough Diecuts

by Betsy December 3, 2019

written by Betsy

It’s time for a Make & Tell Tuesday video! I’ve had several requests showing how I colored the whit pinecones and soft branches on this card from the November release…

I used pretty simple techniques of ink sponging/blending and colored pencils to get the soft coloring on these. I put together a video showing exactly how I did it.

I’m showing the white pinecones in the video, but you can of course use this same technique on darker brown pinecones. Consider cutting them from kraft cardstock and adding the same shading, just using darker pencil colors. There are of course many other ways to color these, this is just one example. Many of the Inspiration Team used watercolors, which also turned out just beautifully!

I took the branches and pinecones that I colored in the video and created this bonus card for you. I’ve really been wanting to try creating a wreath with the BotaniCuts Pine Bough branches and I’m excited about how it turned out.

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I started by drawing a circle with a pencil on the largest Nordic Frames diecut, then used that as my guide for adding the pine needle sprigs. I used mostly the smaller sprigs from the set, but I also used some of the larger pieces, snipping them apart to create shorter branches. Once the wreath was all assembled, I added chunky glitter, lots of white ink splatters, and even more texture with white Nuvo Drops and some white texture spray I had in my stash – Irresistable colored texture spray in Wedding Dress by Imagine Crafts (sorry I did not have luck finding this in stock anywhere, so it may be discontinued)

Before I go, just a note on restocking. We are expecting a shipment of dies, including the BotaniCuts Pine Bough die very soon. If our supplier meets their shipping deadline we should have these dies back in stock by early next week. We have a shipment of stamps coming soon as well – they should be here by the end of next week. If there is a particular item you’re wondering about you are are always welcome to email customer service. We will be putting items in stock as we receive them. In the past we’ve tended to restock stamps and their matching dies at the same time, but between now and Christmas we’ll be putting them in stock as we get them in because I know some of you are waiting on certain items. I just wanted to thank you for your patience with us as we try and navigate our way through our very first ever holiday season here at The Greetery. I know some of you have felt disappointed by missing out on certain items and we will strive to make improvements as we move along!

December 3, 2019 23 comments

A Special Black Friday Thank You!

by Betsy November 28, 2019

written by Betsy

We hope your Thanksgiving was filled with the blessings of family and friends (and lots of good food!). We have so much to be thankful for here at The Greetery – most of all you! Thank you for coming along with us on this journey and supporting us through our first year. We have been overwhelmed with your kindness and support! We look forward to what’s ahead and we are so thankful you’re here with us. We wish you a holiday season filled with joy and peace, surrounded by those you love.

As a special thank you, we’re offering 20% off all of our stamps, dies, and stencils for one day only!*

SHOP NOW!

*Sale price will be shown in cart. Sale runs from 12:00am-11:59pm EST on November 29. Sale includes stamps, dies, and stencils, excluding November release items, and other items outside of these categories. Offer good on in-stock items only and does not apply to previous purchases.

Because of the holiday there is no TGIF post today, but we’ll be back next week!

Before I go, I also wanted to share a little update on our Operation Christmas Child project. With our October release we pledged to donate $3 from the sale of every Christmas Care-A-Van stamp set towards shoeboxes. I’m happy to report that we were able to fill and fund the shipping for 37 shoeboxes! The boxes were filled to the brim with school supplies, hygiene items and toys. We spent a full day shopping and packing the boxes before brining them to our local drop point. Thank you so much for your support of this project and helping us bless some children in need.

November 28, 2019 15 comments

All

Make & Tell Tuesday – Winter Sketches Metallic Watercolor on Black

by Betsy November 26, 2019

written by Betsy

Good evening! I’m popping in a little later than usual, but it’s still Tuesday, right? We spent the morning getting the rest of the release orders out the door. I really wanted to squeeze in this tutorial for a Make & Tell Tuesday, so it’s coming a little later in the day, but I didn’t think you’d mind!

This card was a favorite of mine (and may of yours!) from last week’s countdown. The outline images from the Winter Sketches set really do make this easier than it looks. The black watercolor paper with the metallic watercolors is so dramatic and it just pops!

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Here’s the video for you – enjoy!

Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving, and if you have to travel, stay safe! The weather sounds like it’s going to be a bear for many of us!

November 26, 2019 23 comments

All Giveaway Winners November 2019 Release Day

Winter’s Song Release Day!

by Betsy November 22, 2019

written by Betsy

Today all of the products we’ve been showing throughout the week will go up in the shop! The new products will go live at 10am EST today.

Thank you so much for a fun week of sneak peeks and product reveals! I can’t say enough how thankful I am for all of you! We are constantly overwhelmed by your encouragement and support. I say this every release, but I think The Greetery has the best customers ever. We are truly grateful for you!

Stock Update

We restocked out of stock dies early this morning, as well as stencils. I’m afraid any stamp sets that are out will not be restocked today. They didn’t quite make it here in time. They are scheduled to arrive next week, so if there’s a set you’ve had your eye on that’s been out of stock, it should be back late next week.

Giveaway Winners

Before I get into a re-cap of everything we’ve introduced this week, we have some winners to announce! Ladies, send an email to customerservice@thegreetery.com and we’ll get your codes emailed to you ASAP so you can shop the new products.

Day #1 Winner is Barbara B from Kelly’s blog!

Day #2 Winner is Judy Stiles from Kay’s blog!

New Products

Here are all of our new products that have been introduced throughout the week – click on the images to view larger…

We have a few additional surprises that will also go up in the shop this morning! First off, we hear over and over that you love the stickers that your orders are wrapped in. Well, now you can purchase some of our most popular stamp images in sticker form! Use them to embellish envelopes, wraps, or use them on tags and cards. These stickers are just like the ones you receive with your orders. They are vinyl with a laminate coating, so they are nice and durable and vibrant.

You may have also noticed the cute pens I snuck in my photos all week long. We took some of the pretty patterns and designs from the Winter’s Song collection and turned them into pens. This set of three pens is great for gift-giving, stocking-stuffing, or for pairing with the matching stamp sets to create lovely coordinated stationery sets.

Here is a re-cap of the product prices:

Pine Blossom 6″ x 8″ stamp set – $24
Pine Blossom die – $17
Nordic Frames die – $28
Inside & Out Berry Branch die – $16
Berry Branch stencil – $6
Speed Tagging Christmas Prints (six 6″ x 6″ sheets) – $5
Winter Sketches 4″ x 8″ stamp set – $18
Winter Sketches die – $16
Budding Beauties Winter 4″ x 8″ stamp set – $18
Budding Beauties Winter die – $24
BotaniCuts Pine Bough die – $24
Fit to Be Tied die – $16
Sticker Shop stickers (2 pk of a single design)- $1.50
Winter’s Song Pretty Pens (set of 3) – $6

Lookbooks

All of the November Lookbooks are live. You can see all of the projects by our talented Inspiration Team all in one beautiful place! You can navigate to all of the November lookbooks by visiting the main November Lookbook page, or use the dropdown menu here on the blog or in the shop. And remember, you can always find our lookbook pages easily by scanning the QR codes on the back of the product inserts that come packaged with your stamps and dies, OR on the new stamping guides that will be packaged with your sets. Store the QR codes right along with your stamps so that you have inspiration at your fingertips.

We did this last month, and I thought it was fun, so we’re going to do it again! Let’s have another little guessing game. For those of you who have ordered from us in the past, you know that your order comes embellished with a cute sticker (like those shown above)…always something that’s been featured in the release. Can you guess what this month’s sticker is? I’ll choose two random winners from the correct guesses and send them each 10 of this month’s sticker. Sound fun? Leave your guess in the comments! Contest closes Sunday night at midnight, but I’m going to wait until Friday to announce the winners. I don’t want to give it away before your packages arrive! 🙂

ETA Sticker Giveaway WINNERS: The randomly selected commenters with the correct answer of Pine Blossom flowers were Tracy S. and Lori B. They’ve already been notified via email and their stickers are on the way!

Thanks for an amazing week, everyone! It’s been so much fun sharing all of these new products with you and I can’t wait to start seeing your creations popping up! Have fun shopping, and don’t hesitate to drop and email with any questions or issues.

November 22, 2019 103 comments

All New Product Meet & Greet November 2019

We’re Pining for New BotaniCuts, Winter Sketches, and More…

by Betsy November 21, 2019

written by Betsy

Are you ready for another fun day? I think reveal days are my favorite, how about you? I just love getting to show what we’ve all been working on for months! Today is the second reveal day for our November mini collection called Winter’s Song

All of the products being introduced on the blog this week will be available for purchase in The Shop, beginning at 10am EDT on Friday, November 22.

Let’s meet today’s new products…

Winter Sketches stamps & dies

Winter Sketches is a gorgeous wintery set that’s filled with possibilities! Layer the solid and outline images for a pretty, yet carefree look, or use them independently. The outline can be used alone and colored with your favorite medium, or to create quick and easy backgrounds! The solid images of this set even feature built-in snow for a sparkling-like effect when stamped! When layering the outline over the solid, consider heat embossing the outline with metallic embossing powder for a touch of elegance. You’ll have fun exploring the possibilities of the Winter Sketches set!

This set comes on a 4″ x 8″ sheet and includes a full-color printed stamping guide.

Approximate sizes:
large assembled branch – 3.5″ x 2.5″
smaller berry cluster – 1.75″ x 1.75″
pine sprig with pinecone – 1.7″ x .8″

Budding Beauties Winter stamps & dies

The Budding Beauties Winter set is made to coordinate perfectly with the Bottled Up stamp set. Fill the bottles with these pretty wintery sprigs. Use them individually, or cluster a few different stems together with the Fit to Be Tied dies to created pretty bouquets. There are also a handful of tiny sentiments to stamp on the label included in the Bottled Up set. Use these pretty stems without the bottles as focal points and more on your winter and holiday projects!

This set comes on a 4″ x 8″ sheet and includes a full-color printed stamping guide.

Approximate sizes:
assembled mistletoe sprig – 1.75″ x 3.75″
assembled holly sprig – 2″ x 3.5″
pine berry sprig – 2.1″ x 3.75″

BotaniCuts Pine Bough die

The BotaniCuts collection is a series of stand alone dies for cutting various botanical designs. This BotaniCuts Pine Bough set creates a pretty layered pine branch and two sizes of layered pinecones. 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 for dramatic effects!

Approximate size:
assembled branch – 3.6″ x 2.6″
large pinecone – 1.2″ x 1.5″
small pinecone – 1″ x 1.3″

Fit to Be Tied die

If you love it, put a bow on it! The Fit to Be Tied die collection consists of three pretty ways to top it off. The string wrap is great for gathering a few sprigs, the loopy bow adds a delicate touch. The third bow in the set is nice and plump, with an additional detail layer for adding shading and detail. You’ll find yourself reaching for this handy set year round, whether it’s for package toppers, cards, tags, and more!

Approximate size:
twine wrap – .85″ x 1.35″
loopy bow – 3″ x 1.65″
puffy bow – 2″ x 2″

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

Winter Sketches 4″ x 8″ stamp set – $18
Winter Sketches die – $16
Budding Beauties Winter 4″ x 8″ stamp set – $18
Budding Beauties Winter die – $24
BotaniCuts Pine Bough die – $24
Fit to Be Tied die – $16

I have so many projects to share, and just wait until you see what the Inspiration Team has created for you! Before we dive into projects, I put together a video showing how to layer and assemble the BotaniCuts Pine Bough die.

Now for those projects! My first card uses all three of the different sprigs from the Budding Beauties Winter set, paired with the Bottled Up set.

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I still just love stamping these bottles! It’s so fun to see them come to life in different colors. I stamped the Budding Beauties Winter stems in pretty shades of greens and reds. For the background, I embossed the largest frame from the Nordic Frames die to give a pretty impressed design. I also scattered a few snowflakes from the Frosty Corners die into the background. I stamped a couple of the tiny sentiments included in the Budding Beauties Winter set onto the label from the Bottled Up set.

My next card uses the mistletoe image from the Budding Beauties Winter set, this time without the bottles.

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The pretty sprigs from this set are perfect for pairing with the Fit to Be Tied dies to create pretty clusters and bouquets. Here I hung two mistletoe sprigs and topped them off with the loopy bow from the Fit to Be Tied set. I also included one of the tags from the new Speed Tagging Christmas Prints paper collection. I loved how the embossing on the last card turned out withe the Nordic Frames, so I did that again, this time using the two larger frames. I also included the outline portion of the Inside & Out Berry Branch die in the background for even more texture. I love how dimensional this card feels with the embossing and tone-on-tone diecut, but it’s still fairly flat and mailable.

My next card uses the new Winter Sketches set and is probably one of my favorite cards ever. I just love how this one turned out and it was really fairly easy!

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I used just the outline image of the large branch from the set and heat embossed it with gold power onto black watercolor paper. Yes! Black watercolor paper. Did you know there is such a thing? I was alerted to this fact not that long ago (thanks to Heather Nichols!). To add color to the gold embossed designs I used Prima Metallic Accents watercolors. I also added a few pops of white and lots of white splatters using white acrylic ink. I cut down the panel of black watercolor paper using the largest Nordic Frames die, and also heat embossed the sentiment from the Pine Blossom set. Would you like to see a Make & Tell Tuesday demo on this card? I will try and put one together very soon!

My next card also comes close to my top favorites ever and it uses the new BotaniCuts Pine Bough die.

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When I designed these dies I could not wait to try creating them in glittering layers of white. We have some glittered white pinecones that we put out every year that slip over a string of lights. They are so pretty, and they’re one of my favorite holiday decorations…there’s just something about glittery white pinecones! I added some subtle color to the pine needles and branch by sponging some ink. I also added some details and shading to the pinecones themselves using colored pencils. This card is so textured with the Inside & Out Berry Branch and Nordic Frames layered under the pine branch! The sentiment is from the Tree Trimmings set.

Next up is a dreamy winter scene pairing the BotaniCuts Pine Bough with Winter Sketches. I love shades of cool blues and greens for winter projects.

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I pulled out my Frosty Flakes stencil and my trusty watercolor technique I shared in a video a few weeks back to create this background. The Nordic Frame pattern around the edges makes it even prettier! The cluster in the center is done with The large branch and smaller berry cluster from the Winter Sketches set. Like I mentioned in the description of this set, there is a snowy effect built into the illustration of these branches and berries, and they almost seem to sparkle on their own. I once again used a white pinecone and pine needle sprig from BotantiCuts Pine Bough, and tied it all up with the twine from the Fit to Be Tied die set. A sentiment from Pine Blossom is the perfect finishing touch…the little details on the first letters of the sentiments in that set are just the perfect little touch to tie it all together!

I love the white pinecones, but I couldn’t do this post for today without including some traditional colored pine cones as well! The BotaniCuts Pine Bough die is great for holiday and winter cards, but also great for more masculine cards throughout the year.

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I used both sizes of the pinecones along with a couple branches to create this card. I also tucked in a few sprigs from the Inside & Out Berry Branch die. The background was done by stamping the outline images from the Winter Sketches set onto the medium Nordic Frames rectangle. The sentiment is from Sentiment Suite: Thank You.

My final card for our Winter’s Song showcase combines Budding Beauties Winter, Inside & Out Berry Branch, and a pretty Speed Tagging Christmas Prints tag.

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I stamped two of the pine berry sprigs from the Budding Beauties Winter set and tucked them into a pocket created with the Halfsies Diamond die, along with a Speed Tagging Christmas Print tag and some Inside & Out Berry Branch leaves. The background was sponged with ink, and I also added some stenciled leaves using the Berry Branch stencil. The white acrylic ink splatters add a touch of snowy fun to the background as well.

That wraps up my projects for today, but there is still so much more! 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 a $50 gift card! 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, November 21
Winners will be posted at 7am EST on Friday, November 22 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 their 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 and participating in our excitement over our new Winter’s Song collection! We’ll be back tomorrow with gift certificate winners + a few fun surprises before everything goes live in the shop at 10am EST!

November 21, 2019 281 comments

All New Product Meet & Greet November 2019

Winter’s in Bloom with Pretty New Products

by Betsy November 20, 2019

written by Betsy

Welcome to our first day of product reveals and projects for our November mini collection – Winter’s Song!

All of the products being introduced on the blog this week will be available for purchase in The Shop, beginning at 10am EDT on Friday, November 22.

Let’s meet today’s new products…

Pine Blossom stamps & dies

Looking for the perfect winter floral? The Pine Blossom set will have you pining for your craft room! Wintery without being overtly Christmas, this set will have you creating the winter days away. The Pine Blossom set features a multi-step bouquet along with lots of individual bits and pieces for building your own clusters and bouquets. There are also a handful of sentiments included, done in a pretty font combination with a touch of nordic flair. The matching eight piece die collection features dies for the bouquet as well as the individual flowers and sprigs.

This set comes on a 6″ x 8″ sheet and includes a full-color printed stamping guide.
Sentiments included in the set:
just for you
merry christmas
just a note
sending my thanks
Approximate sizes:
assembled bouquet – 3.6″ x 2.2″
larger individual cupped flower – 1.2″ x .9″
smaller individual cupped flower – .8″ x .6″
larger pine sprig – 1.3″ x .7″
merry christmas sentiment – 1.6″ x .7″
just for you sentiment – 1.35″ x .95″

Nordic Frames die

This beautiful Nordic Frames die collection will be a staple on your desk this winter and beyond. The lovely detailing around the edges is the perfect finishing touch. Stack them to create dramatic layers, or nest them while cutting to create pretty frames. Backing them with paper in a contrasting color will allow a pop of color to show through the diamond cut-outs for a pretty effect. They’re equally pretty when used with an embossing mat, perfect for one-layer cards.
Approximate sizes:
large – 3.95″ x 5.2″
medium – 3.1″ x 4.5″
small – 2.3″ x 3.2″

Inside & Out Berry Branch die

This unique die concept has so many ways to play! This single die allows you to cut a pretty lacy branch outline as well as individual leaves and berries, all at once. Nest the diecuts back into their negative spaces, or layer them over the top to create gorgeous bouquets. Use them to create pretty package toppers, or pair them with the BotaniCuts Pine Bough die for even more layers!
Approximate size: 3.6″ x 4.2″

Berry Branch Stencil

The Berry Branch stencil features pretty, delicate branches, leaves, and berries, perfect for creating all-over backgrounds. Sponge with your favorite ink, create ombre effects, or play with other techniques or media, such as colored pencils or embossing paste. Changing up your color combos will make this stencil a go-to year-round!
Size – 5.5″ x 5.5″ (design size), 6.5″ x 6.5″ (overall size)

Speed Tagging Christmas Prints

This paper collection is designed to coordinate with our Speed Tagging die, giving you even more options for this great basic. The Speed Tagging Christmas Prints feature pretty tags, printed on a sturdy 110 lb. cardstock. This collection includes three different designs, two sheets of each, for a total of 42 pretty tags to cut and go! Of course the Speed Tagging Christmas Sentiments stamp set is the perfect complement for adding sentiments to finish the look.

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

Pine Blossom 6″ x 8″ stamp set – $24
Pine Blossom die – $17
Nordic Frames die – $28
Inside & Out Berry Branch die – $16
Berry Branch stencil – $6
Speed Tagging Christmas Prints (six 6″ x 6″ sheets) – $5

I’m excited to show you project using these new products. I have so many…I just couldn’t quit creating!

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First up is a pretty ensemble using several new items – Pine Blossom stamps and dies, Inside & Out Berry Branch dies, Nordic Frames, and the new Speed Tagging Prints. I started out with the largest die from the Nordic Frames set, cut from white cardstock and sponged with some soft green ink. I then layered the bouquet from the Pine Blossom set over the top, along with some of the sprigs from the Inside & Out Berry Branch die, cut from dark navy cardstock. I stamped a sentiment from the Sentiment Suite: Thank You set onto one fo the pre-printed tags and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder. I topped it off with a bow die that you’ll be seeing more of tomorrow! The matching envelope was done with the Flappable stencil and finished off with a sticker. Yes, a matching Pine Blossom sticker! You’ll hear more about that later in the week as well.

My next project again uses the Pine Blossom set. My favorite thing about this set is how it can take on different looks depending on your color choices. I went much softer here and it’s almost spring-like, but still feels like a hint of winter with the pine branches.

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For this card I stamped two of the bouquets and arranged them one directly above the other on the largest rectangle from the Nordic Frames die set. It’s all I needed to make this dramatic all-over design. For the sentiment, I stamped a sentiment from the Sentiment Suite: Christmas set onto layered banners cut with the Sentiment Suite Basics die. I also created a matching gift box. This was quick and easy, using a purchased kraft gable box that I simply embellished with the Pine Blossom bouquet. I layered a few individual flower/sprig images from that set as well, for a little added dimension. The tag was cut from the new Speed Tagging Christmas Prints.

For my next card I wanted to play around with all of the individual flowers and sprigs from the Pine Blossom set. I decided to pull out my Halfsies Diamond die and create a pretty focal point.

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I diecut and stamped several of the individual pieces from the set and arranged them inside the diamond opening created by the two Halfsies Diamond diecuts. I finished it off by stamping that pretty sentiment from the Pine Blossom set inside. I just love this one turned out – I’d love to try it in some different color combinations!

My next few cards explore some of the possibilities of the new Inside & Out Berry Branch die.

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This card was quick and easy to put together. I used just the inside cuts from the Inside & Out Berry Branch die. I cut them from white cardstock and added color and shading with colored pencils. I clustered them all together using the string die from a new set you’ll be seeing more of tomorrow. I layered them over the two larger Nordic Frames dies. I just love that detail design around the edges of the Nordic Frames dies! The sentiment, which just complements so nicely with the little matching details is of course from the Pine Blossom set.

As I was creating these projects, I was thinking it might be fun to try and layer some of the Inside & Out Berry Branch sprigs with the Berry Branch stencil.

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For this card, I started by sponging different colors of ink over the Berry Branch stencil using small finger daubers so I could get the ink more precisely where I wanted it, and created different color leaves and berries. Then I layered some of the diecuts over the top and let the stenciling peek out from under. The diecuts don’t match up exactly, but that’s ok, I think it’s a fun effect! I finished it off with a sentiment from the Pine Blossom set.

This next card uses both the inside and outside parts of the Inside & Out Berry Branch die.

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I diecut the berry branch from watercolor paper and popped out the interior cuts so that I could watercolor them. Then I nested them back inside the outer border and layered them over a couple of Nordic Frames panels. The back panel was watercolored to match the diecut branches. The smaller panel was cut from black cardstock and splattered with white and gold ink. The sentiment is from Pine Blossom, heat embossed with white.

*TIP – when using the outer portion of this diecut, either alone or with the pieces nested back inside, it helps to use the Press ‘n Seal trick. With the diecut laying on your desk, nest the pieces back inside, then cover with a piece of press ‘n seal so that you can lift it up to add adhesive to the backside, then press onto your project. This will help keep all of those pieces in their proper places!

My final card for today goes all out with the Inside & Out Berry Branch (no pun intended 🙂 )

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Here I used the same technique as the card above, using both the inside and outside pieces of the die. This time I cut them from different colors. The outer portions were cut from a mint green cardstock and the insides were cut from white. I added color to the interior cuts using colored pencils before nesting them inside the mint green outlines. The inside of this one is finished off with some of the mint green interior cuts that I had left over, along with a sentiment from the Sentiment Suite: Christmas set.

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, November 21
Winners will be posted at 7am EST on Friday, November 22 here on the blog

ANGELICA

DAWN

HEATHER

KAY

KEEWAY

KELLY

LAURIE

LIZZIE

NORINE

WANDA

Thank you so much for visiting and participating in our excitement over our new Winter’s Song collection! We’ll be back tomorrow with another day of product reveals and projects before everything goes up in the shop on Friday!

November 20, 2019 279 comments

All Sneak Peeks

Winter’s Song Sneak Peek #2

by Betsy November 19, 2019

written by Betsy

Thank you so much for your excitement over yesterday’s sneak peek! I hope you love the Winter’s Song collection as much as I do. Are you ready for another peek?

There are a few things in this peek that look familiar. Are you ready for an addition to one of our more popular sets/series? I love how the seasonal additions stretch these basics. You might also see something a little “sketchy” in this photo…and I think you’ll like it. 😉 Plus, we have a new addition to our BotaniCuts line-up and it is oh, so pretty.

I hope you’ll join us tomorrow as we begin the full reveal of these products and we bring you lots of projects both from myself and the entire Inspiration Team. The Winter’s Song collection will go up in the shop on Friday, November 22 at 10am EST!

November 19, 2019 79 comments

All Sneak Peeks

Winter’s Song Sneak Peek #1

by Betsy November 18, 2019

written by Betsy

Are you ready to join us for a fun week here on the blog? Over the next few days we’ll share sneak peeks, and then beginning on Wednesday, we’ll have two days of full product reveals and the entire Inspiration Team joining us with beautiful projects!

Without further ado, let’s get our first peek at Winter’s Song…

We’re borrowing a page from the fashion industry with this month’s mini release, and calling this collection of products a “capsule collection”. In fashion, a capsule collection is a smaller collection of items with a focus on timeless basics that can be mixed and matched with other pieces, or dressed up with some pops of color and pattern. I think that is the perfect way to describe this new collection of products coming your way at the end of the week.

There are lots of things to check out in this photo – what can you pick out that you’re excited to see more of?

The new Winter’s Song collection will go up in the shop on Friday, November 22 at 10am EST. I hope you’ll join us the rest of the week here on the blog for all of the reveals, projects, and of course a few prizes!

November 18, 2019 88 comments

All TGIF

TGIF – With Love at Christmas by Angelica

by Betsy November 15, 2019

written by Betsy

Angelica is here with this week’s TGIF post and she has some beautiful projects to share with you!

Let’s hear what Angelica has to say about her projects…

I sat down recently and spent a morning playing with the beautiful With Love At Christmas stamp set. I love all the possibilities this stamp set gives. I also used a few other products for a complete coordinating look for my creations.

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I started by stamping several bouquets in different ink combinations. I used two bouquets for this card. I made a quick watercolored background with two green watercolors that matched the bouquet leaves. I trimmed the finished panel with a Crimped Frame Die, then stamped and gold heat-embossed the sentiment. I used thin foam squares to attach the flowers, trimming the side edges away before attaching the panel to a card base.

There’s several stamps in the set to help embellish coordinating envelopes. I love this option. I stamped out several envelope labels, and used the Addressed Die to die-cut them. I used a simple sentiment to finish the label for this envelope, and topped it with a bouquet. To finish the envelope, I added red stripes to the envelope flap by blending red dye ink over the striped Flappable Stencil.

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Since I still had a few bouquets let, I decided to use them to embellish handmade gift card holders. I used the striped stencil and red ink again to add stripes to the holders, and Pine Needles and Cracked Pistachio Distress Oxides to add color to the pockets.

*Measurements for gift card holder: Pocket- 6.25 inch x2.5 inch paper strip, scored at 4 inches, fold on score line; Hinges- 2 inches by .5 inch paper strips, scored at .25 inch on .5 side, fold in half. Trim bottom and top folded edges at an inner angle.

Such pretty projects from Angelica, aren’t they? It makes me want to pull out this set again!

Before I go, just a reminder that next week is going to be exciting! On Monday we kick off a week of sneak peeks and product reveals for our November mini release! The Inspiration Team has been busy creating beautiful projects to share with you. I can’t wait to show you the fun things coming!

November 15, 2019 23 comments

All Make & Tell Tuesdays

Introducing Make & Tell Tuesdays – Combining Fir & Foliage No. 1 & 2

by Betsy November 12, 2019

written by Betsy

It’s Tuesday and I have another fun announcement for you! Last week we kicked off a new (our first ever) regular blog feature called TGIF. Today I’m announcing another new blog feature called Make & Tell Tuesday!

On Tuesdays, I’ll share a project and a video showing at least some aspect of how it was created. My goal is to make this a regular feature, but fair warning, it may not happen every week. Being a small company, there are lots of things to handle, as I’m sure you can imagine. So it may not happen every Tuesday, especially during busy times, but I’ll give it my best!

Today’s first Make & Tell Tuesday features a couple of cards made by combining the Fir & Foliage No. 1 & No. 2 sets together for some pretty autumn cards. Are you fully into Christmas mode, or are you still finishing up some fall projects? I can’t bring myself to put away the autumn things just yet, and combining these two sets has been on my mind for awhile!

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This first card uses several trees to create a pretty scene. I simply sponged a bit of Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide ink onto the background before adding the trees, which were stamped onto the matching dies so they could be layered. I also added a few splatters to the background. The sentiment is from the Bountiful Wreath set.

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This next card uses more of the Fir & Foliage No. 1 & 2 trees. When I had my MISTI set up to stamp the layered trees, I stamped a bunch of them in different colors, so I had enough to create multiple projects. This time I created a watercolored background for them, including what resembles a shoreline and reflection.

Here is today’s video, showing how I did the background for this card. Enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed this first Make & Tell Tuesday! We’ll see you back here on Friday!

November 12, 2019 47 comments