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TGIF – Strawberry Lemonade with Dawn

by Betsy May 6, 2022

written by Betsy

I can hardly believe it’s Friday already, but here we are! It’s May and the weeks are flying right by. Dawn is here today with some bright and cheery inspiration that has me dreaming of summer…while we’re still (not so patiently) waiting for Spring here in Iowa!

Hello there! It’s my turn to share for the TGIF post at The Greetery this week, and I’ve got strawberry lemonade on the brain for today’s cards! I’ve been wanting to pair the new Botanicuts Strawberries with the Lemon Blossom set for awhile now, and this was the perfect opportunity to do it! I also love the look of an all over background pattern, made entirely with popped up die cuts! Lots of people have made cards like this, but I hadn’t ever done it and all of these strawberries and lemons provided the perfect theme for this type of card!

Keep an eye out on my Instagram today, as I’ll be sharing a fun Reel Timelapse of making these cards!

I started out by die cutting all the strawberry elements and lemon components.
PRO TIP: A Q-tip is just right for adding a bit of ink blending along the leaf veins!

Next up, I stamped all the things! I also stamped a couple of sentiment elements for each card, using the Birthday Blooms set.

PRO TIP: Go ahead and put your adhesive on the back of all the die cuts, and then arrange everything BEFORE you start sticking it down! This gives you plenty of opportunity to arrange and rearrange until it’s a pleasing composition.

PRO TIP: This type of background works best, when the elements are sort of grouped together in little clusters, rather than everything just randomly floating, independently. See how strawberries and lemons are kind of tucked up together, as though they’re clustered? That makes it appear less confusing to the eye.

PRO TIP: For added interest, I used two different colors of red card stock for the strawberries! They don’t all have to be the same red! I also added some shading (Q-tip again!) to the lighter colored strawberries.

Thanks so much for joining us here on the blog today!

May 6, 2022 13 comments

TGIF – Lovely Blossom Mother’s Day

by Betsy April 29, 2022

written by Betsy

Happy Friday! Angelica is here today with some bright and beautiful mother’s day cards! It’s coming quick…this weekend would be a great time to finish up those Mother’s Day cards and Angelica’s projects might be just the inspiration you need to get finished (or started!) 🙂

The month of May is a busy one in my household. Not only is there three birthdays (my daughter’s, my step mom’s, and mine!), there’s also Mother’s Day. I thought I would make a couple Mother’s Day cards to share today, using some products I haven’t pulled out in a while.

I picked Lovely Blossoms stamp set to work with. I die-cut white card stock first with the coordinating dies, then I stamped the layered images. I used a variety of Distress oxide inks, and finger daubers to ink the stamp. While I was stamping, I started thinking about card designs. Since I had a lot of images to use, I decided my first card would be a floral frame. Once the frame was made, I set aside the last of the flowers left over for a second card.

I already had All Kinds Of Happy words die-cut from the last time I used the die set, so I pulled out the unused words and picked two for the cards. I also remembered there was a Mother’s Day stamp in Sentiment Squared stamp set, so I grabbed that stamp set, too. for my first card, I stamped Mother’s Day onto white card stock, and die-cut it with PreText Banner die. I glued the swirly Happy onto the card front, and added the banner with foam squares to finish the card.

For the second card, I pulled out a couple more products. I wanted to bring in a bit more black, so I stamped a black Painterly Stripes Background onto a card base. I also die-cut a small white Postal Frame, And stamped Mother’s Day at the bottom. Once I attached the frame to the card, I arranged the flowers, used glue to attach them to the panel, and added the word Happy with foam squares.

I wouldn’t have thought to use black on Mother’s Day cards, but I’m glad I did. The black is so striking next to the bright flowers. That’s all that I have for today. I hope I was able to pass on some creative ideas your way!

April 29, 2022 9 comments

All TGIF

TGIF – Tulip Basket Bouquet with Dana

by Betsy April 22, 2022

written by Betsy

Happy Friday! Dana is here with some beautiful inspiration to finish out your week and bring on the weekend! The wedding and bridal shower season is here…in fact, I’m hosting a bridal shower tomorrow for two nieces (sisters!) getting married in a few months, so Dana’s project is extra inspiring to me today! Swapping out the sentiment makes this a great card for lots of other occasions as well. Let’s check it out…

Hi friends! It’s Dana here today and I am so excited to be sharing a project for this week’s TGIF. Our family has been invited to a few weddings and showers this spring, so I thought today’s post would be the perfect time to create a card for these special occasions.

I started my card by creating my bouquet with the gorgeous Flower Market Bouquet stamp and die set. Once I stamped my bouquet I used the individual tulip stamps and dies to stamp the two aqua blooms. I then popped the individual tulips up with foam adhesive before attaching them to the bouquet.

For my basket, I used the Market Basket die set. I die cut the basket from gold cardstock that I had in my stash. I then added a little light pink ink to the liner and ruffle before assembling my basket. Lastly, I used the Market Basket Sentiments stamp set to stamp my sentiment. I love the little label holder that is included with the dies.

Next, I used the Fond of Foliage background stamp to create my card panel. I trimmed my panel down to 3.25 x 5.75 inches and attached it to a mini slimline card base. To finish my card I attached my basket and bouquet with foam adhesive for added dimension.

Thanks for joining me today and I hope you enjoyed my card. I love how by just chaining the sentiment these sets can be used for so many occasions.

Enjoy your day,
Dana

April 22, 2022 11 comments

All TGIF

TGIF – Welcome Melissa Phillips

by Betsy April 15, 2022

written by Betsy

Happy Friday! Besides our usual dose of Friday inspiration, we have a fun announcement for today’s TGIF! I’m so excited to have Melissa Phillips joining our Inspiration Team! I’ve had the pleasure of working with Melissa for many years over the course of our crafting adventures. Her lovely, shabby style never waivers. She manages make each one of her creations very special – always so many details to explore with the layers, textures, and techniques she incorporates into her projects. We’re excited to have her join us, and she’s kicking things off with a gorgeous project in her signature style…

Hi there! Melissa Phillips here and I’m so happy to be joining The Greetery for their TGIF feature. I love this time of year and all of the happy occasions to create for, including spring birthdays. My card today celebrates spring and the birthday of someone very special to me. Let’s get started!

The Jumbo Jar die has my heart and I thought it would make the most perfect birthday card filled with something sweet such as flowers from the Container Garden Stamp Set. Fresh flowers, fresh air, happiness, friendship, and a birthday…what could be sweeter?

I had to try my hand at a softly tinted pink glass jar and love how it turned out. I cut my window from the center of the jar and added Speckled Egg Distress ink to create an iridescent, clear shade of blue behind my tiny flower garden. I love the happy, plump daisies and assorted flowers and stamped them in a variety of colors to symbolize a celebration.

I added a tiny happy birthday banner near the bottom of my jar using the Cake Pops Banner die and a sentiment from the Cake Pops Sentiments stamp set. I love the size of both the banner and sentiments and find that they are a great way to add a sentiment that doesn’t detract from the focal point of my card, they just compliment my design.

Glitter cardstock is my go-to for any metallic accents I use on my cards, so I used a rose gold glitter cardstock for the die cut jar lid on this card. Behind my jar, I used the Frosted Frames die to bring in a soft frame around my birthday jar. I love the soft scallops that frame in my focal point just perfectly.

Thanks so much for joining me and happy creating!

Melissa

THE GREETERY supplies used:
Stamps:
Cake Pops Sentiments
Container Garden

DIES:
Cake Pops Banner
Container Garden
Jumbo Jar
Frosted Frames

Other:
Patterned paper, adhesive gems, glitter cardstock, ribbon, Stickles glitter, ink

April 15, 2022 49 comments

All TGIF

TGIF – Spring Mix with Laurie

by Betsy April 8, 2022

written by Betsy

Hey, happy Friday! It’s time for a little dose of inspiration, courtesy of Laurie!

Hi there friends! It’s Laurie here, stopping in with this week’s TGIF. Spring is in the air and I am so ready! We have several spring camping trips planned and I can’t wait to get out and enjoy the sun and, of course, to see everything turn green and colorful! For the occasion, I created a clean and simple spring card using the new Print Shop: Spring Mix. The many color combos that can be used with this set are endless and can create so many gorgeous looks!

To create today’s card, I used the large Spring Mix die with plain white cardstock and then used a sticky mat to hold the negative and main die cut together. Doing it this way made it easy to line up the stencils and blend each layer in until the full image was complete.

Using a white card base, I scored ½” around the front to create my go to detail on a clean and simple card. I love how the scored frame adds a fun little finishing detail to a card base. Next, I cut 1” off the bottom of the floral image just so it would sit a bit lower on the card front. Using Glossy Accents, I added in a center to several of the flowers and then popped it up on the card front with foam tape. To finish off the card, I used the hello from Opposites Attract to add in the black sentiment. Super simple!

Hope you enjoyed today’s project. Thanks so much for coming by!

April 8, 2022 13 comments

All Sales TGIF

TGIF – Grad Inspiration + Flash Sale

by Betsy April 1, 2022

written by Betsy

Hi there and happy TGIF! I’m here with some graduation inspiration today + a Sale! I pulled out my Year In, Year Out: 2022 products to create a couple of graduation cards. We’re also running a Flash Sale on these items now through Monday! The 50% off sale includes our Year In, Year Out 2022 die, stencil, and hot foil. Perfect for creating customized grad cards, announcements, and favors. Click HERE to shop!

With a daughter (and a niece!) graduating from high school this year, I know I’m going to be needing some pretty grad cards, so I thought today’s TGIF post was the perfect chance to get to work on those. I pulled out my Year In, Year Out: 2022 die and set to work. This die is perfect for grad cards for guys or gals with the stars and swirls, but I wanted to girly it up a little since my daughter always loves pretty, feminine things.

I started by diecutting the Year In, Year out die from black cardstock. I pulled out my Bold Numbers dies to cut the numbers to layer over the top. I thought it would be pretty to make them in a couple of different metallic colors, so I pulled out some metallic mirror cardstocks (Gold and Rose Gold from The Cardstock Warehouse).

To add a feminine touch, I pulled out my Print Shop: Spring Mix set and used the individual 3-petal blooms from that set to add a cascade of blooms to my 2022 diecut. For the gold version I made my flowers yellow using Antique Linen Oxide ink, and for the Rose Gold version I make pink flowers using Tattered Rose ink. I also added some dotted details to the flower centers using a black pen, and dots to the petals using white and gold metallic pens.

To make these feel even more special, I created my card bases from a heavy-weight vellum. To give a little added stability, I “wrapped” the bottom edges of my card base with a strip of kraft cardstock that I scored in half to fold around and enclose the bottom edges. It gives the vellum a little more sturdiness, and also gives a nice finishing touch. Last but not least, the small sentiments stamped on the banner were done with the Year In, Year Out Sentiments, heat embossed with white powder.

Since the cards are made of vellum, I wanted to make the insides pretty as well. I added a strip of kraft cardstock stenciled with the 2022 from our Year In, Year Out stencil set, and stamped a “congratulations” sentiment, which is from the Holding Hands set.

Thanks for joining me today and have a wonderful weekend!

April 1, 2022 5 comments

All TGIF

TGIF – Easter Lilies with Wanda

by Betsy March 25, 2022

written by Betsy

Happy Friday, friends! I hope you had a wonderful week. Wanda is here today with some beautiful inspiration as we head into the weekend!

Hi crafty friends! I’m so happy to be joining you here today on The Greetery Blog for TGIF! It’s always my pleasure to share a project with you! Spring is here, and Easter is not far away, so I’m sharing a classic themed Easter card made with beautiful Stargazer Lilies and a pretty Cathedral window. The idea for this card has been in my head since Christmas when the awesome Cathedral die was released! I’m happy to bring the idea to life and share with you.

My finished card is an A2 size, made from woodgrain cardstock. I die cut the cathedral window from woodgrain cardstock as well. For the window, I backed the die cut with vellum and then attached it over yellow cardstock to have a lit from within glow.

I die cut the Lilies and Palms dies from Bristol cardstock. I used blender brushes and Distress Inks to add color and depth to the petals. After the ink was dry, I used a Copic Marker to add the streaks of the petals. The stamens were colored with Copic Markers. The leaves were colored with Distress Inks and blender brushes in two shades of green. I used two large lilies and one small lily to make my floral spray. The flowers are attached with foam squares, then I tucked the leaves in last.

I layered everything onto the card and then glued on the sentiment at an angle. The sentiment was die cut twice out of gold glitter paper. I glued the two die cuts together to make a slightly thicker sentiment. I added some clear droplets, as the final step, to look like water drops.

That’s it for me this time! I hope you have a wonderful Spring season, and a great weekend! Until I see you again, happy crafting! XO Wanda

The Greetery SUPPLIES:
Botanicuts Lily die
Botanicuts Palm die
Cathedral Die
Let’s Have a Word: Easter Die
OTHER:
Woodgrain Cardstock
Vellum
Gold Glitter Cardstock
Bristol Cardstock
Gold watercolor paint
Distress Inks
Copic Markers
Clear Droplets
Blender Brushes

March 25, 2022 25 comments

All TGIF

TGIF – Easter Amen with Kelly + Vacation Notice

by Betsy March 18, 2022

written by Betsy

Happy Friday! Thank you so much for joining us for the release fun this week! Kelly is here with some extra new-release inspiration. Before we get to her amazing project for today, just a note about next week…

Vacation Notice…

Just a note that we’ll be heading out for a bit of a spring break getaway the week of March 21-25. Orders will still be shipping out during this time, but please allow an extra day or two for processing time as staff is limited. Response to customer service inquiries will be limited. Thank you for your understanding!

Now let’s get to Kelly’s beautiful project…

Hello and welcome! It’s Kelly here for this week’s TGIF feature! I feel lucky to be here so soon after the new release! There’s so much to love about this beautiful new spring release, don’t you think? I felt like the previously released Cathedral Die and stencil set was begging to be included in showcasing the new products, so that is where my card began!

When the Cathedral Die was first released, I opted to create a yellow glow emitting from the panes rather than use the stencils to create a stain glass window. For this card, it only seemed right to create a pastel toned window! I used the 4 different stencils and 4 pastel ink colors to create the window, adding just a spritz or two of Shimmer Spray for a glass-like shine. I die cut the stenciled panel using the solid portion of the die, but then taped the dies back together with Washi tape to die cut the frame portion. I actually die cut it twice to give the frame some depth to look like the real thing. I simply glued them together using liquid glue and then glued the frame over the stenciled piece.

Once the window was done, I die cut the “Amen” sentiment using the new Amen dies. I fiddled a bit with placement so that the words could be read easily without getting lost in the frame of the window. It worked out perfectly that the line on the A and the line on the N lined up perfectly with the solid pieces of the window frame so I had somewhere to glue them for a sturdy piece.

The background was created by stamping the beautiful foliage using the Fond of Foliage background stamp for a tone-on-tone look. I adhered the window in the middle of the background panel using foam squares for dimension. The nest and blossom are from the new Curio: Spring Findings die collection. I like to die cut all of the pieces from white cardstock and then color them using finger daubers and ink.

The cute little robin tending her nest is from the Robin and Wren stamp set. I tend to shy away from mixing stamped images with die cut and then colored images (think BotaniCuts), but in this case, I think this bird looks great perched on the window frame! The finishing touch is a companion sentiment from the Amen and Alleluia stamp set. I die cut it using the Sentiment Suite Basics die set to give it that finished look. I also added a trio of sparkling clear sequins for some sparkle and shine!

March 18, 2022 24 comments

All March 2022 Release Day

Breath of Spring Release Day!

by Betsy March 17, 2022

written by Betsy

Happy Thursday and happy release day! All of the new products we’ve been showcasing the last few days will be going up in the shop this morning at 10am ET.

First we have a few winners to announce! Ladies, if you find your name/comment in the winner’s list below, please send an email to customerservice@thegreetery.com and we’ll get you your gift card code asap!

Our Day 1 Winners…

Day 1 winner #1 is Kylie Z from Angelica’s blog…

Day 1 winner #2 is Helen F from Wanda’s blog…

Our Day 2 Winners…

Day 2 winner #1 is Stephanie Clapper from Angelica’s blog…

Day 2 winner #2 is Jade from here on The Greetery blog…

Just a few notes about the release before we call it a wrap…

Collection Bundle

We will once again be offering a Breath of Spring Bundle for quick shopping.

**Note: The bundle does not include the consumable items – the sprinkle assortments and flocking sheets will need to be purchased separately.

Restock

We restocked lots of dies and some other miscellaneous things last night. If it’s not in stock as of this morning, it will not be restocked in time for the release. We’re expecting a stamp shipment late next week, so if there’s a stamp set you’re looking for, chances are it will be included in that shipment. 🙂

Lookbooks

While you wait for the release to go live, have some fun browsing the new lookbooks HERE. The team created so many wonderful things again this release!

I think that’s all for now! Thank you so much for joining us for the fun this week!

March 17, 2022 7 comments

All March 2022

Breath of Spring Day 2

by Betsy March 16, 2022

written by Betsy

Welcome to our second day of product reveals for our Breath of Spring collection. I hope you enjoy all we have to share with you today! Our new collection goes up in the shop tomorrow – Thursday, March 17 at 10am EDT.

Before we begin, a reminder that Laurie will be showcasing all of the new products in an Instagram Live presentation this evening. Join her tonight – Wednesday, March 16 at 7pm CST/8pm EDT, if you’d like to check out the new goodies up close.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Insta-live-with-laurie-new.jpg

Below is a quick look at all of the new products. Click on the links below each product heading for more details and information, or click HERE to see all of the new products in the shop. (**Please Note: although the new products are visible in the shop, they will not be available to purchase until 10am EDT on Thursday, March 17).

Curio: Spring Findings die

We’re continuing our popular Curio die series with a springy version! All of the fun things you might find on a spring nature walk…a nest and eggs, feathers, pretty blossoms, a curly budding fern frond, and even a little snail! These dies coordinate with the previously released items from our Curio line-up.

Click HERE for Curio: Spring Findings die details ($24)

BotaniCuts Pussy Willow die & BotaniCuts Crocus die

We have TWO new additions to our BotaniCuts series! The Crocus and Pussy Willow dies are perfect for spring projects!

Click HERE for BotaniCuts Pussy Willow die details ($17)
Click HERE for BotaniCuts Crocus die details ($24)

White Flocking Sheets

These flocking sheets are a great companion to our BotaniCuts Pussy Willow die – perfect for diecutting velvety buds without the mess of traditional flocking powders.

Click HERE for White Flocking Sheets details ($6)

If you’d like to see the BotaniCuts Pussy Willow die and Flocking Sheets in action, I put together a video for you. I’ll also show my favorite method for coloring them…

Amen & Alleluia stamp set + Amen! die + Alleluia die

We have some new sentiments, perfect for Easter (or any other praise-worthy occasion)! These sentiments are available in both stamp or die version.

Click HERE for Amen & Alleluia stamp set details ($15)
Click HERE for Amen! die details ($12)
Click HERE for Alleluia die details ($22)

Now that we’ve introduced all of today’s products, let’s get to some projects! I immensely enjoyed creating with all of the new dies from this release. I just love coloring them and adding details with pens and pencils. It’s so relaxing and enjoyable…it’s absolutely my favorite thing to create with!

My first card uses our new Curio: Spring Findings die to create a springy curio “box” card. All of the little treasures from the Spring Findings set fit inside the openings of either the Curio: Divider & Details original or version II. I used our version II here and filled all of the openings with the Spring Findings diecuts.

All of the diecuts were colored with my favorite method…sponging with Oxide Inks and adding shading with colored pencils. I also love adding little dots and details with pens…I used both brown and white pens – very simple and probably something you have in your arsenal. I also created a frame using the Curio: Cover die, and added some sentiments stamped with the Curio: Labels stamp set.

Of course the Curio: Spring Findings die can be used without the Divider dies to create all kinds of other designs, which is what I did for these next two cards. For this first one, I started with that cute nest and built a pretty focal point by clustering the fern, feathers, and blossoms from the Spring Findings set around it.

For the sentiment, I pulled out my Let’s Have a Word: Spring die along with one of the sentiments from the new Springtime set. I stamped the sentiment onto a Christmas Time Sentiments banner die and threaded it through the “S” in spring. The background of this card is a panel of watercolor paper that was sponged with some light pink ink and brown watercolor splatters

This next one might be my very favorite from the release. It reminds me of a vintage card or Ideals magazine (does anyone else remember those?) I started off by creating a frame using the BotaniCuts Pussy Willow branches on a panel of watercolor paper that I watercolored with some soft blue and blush watercolors.

Once I had my pussy willow frame, I tucked in all kinds of Spring Findings diecuts. All were once again sponged with Oxide inks and shades with pencils. The sentiment is done with a combination of our new Amen! die and a sentiment from the Amen & Alleluia stamp set. I diecut the backer for the Amen word from vellum for a soft look.

My next card again uses the BotaniCuts Pussy Willow die. This time I filled up our Sprinkled with Kindness watering can. They’re perfect together!

At the base of the watering can I put a small blossom and pussy willow branch which were cut from the Curio: Spring Findings die. I also added a “wood” strip, which was cut using the Curio: Cover die. The “thank you” sentiment is from the Sprinkled with Kindness set. I had fun creating a rustic look to the watering can by blending some different Oxide ink colors onto the stamp using my Misti to do multiple impressions, building up the colors and layers of the watering can. The ink colors I used were Weathered Wood, Aged Patina, and Rusty Hinge.

Next I have a few cards using the new BotaniCuts Crocus die. It’s so springy! Before I talk about the cards, here’s a video in case you’d like to see how I color them and how they go together (so easy!)

For this first card I clustered a whole group of purple and yellow blooms around our new Alleluia die for a pretty Easter card.

These were cut from white cardstock and colored with Oxide inks and colored pencils (I feel like a broken record today! ) The Alleluia sentiment was diecut from white cardstock, and the backer was cut from vellum. I layered everything over some gray cardstock that was splattered with white ink. I also heat embossed an Easter sentiment from the Amen & Alleluia stamp set to finish it off.

The crocus definitely aren’t just for Easter! Here I used them for a springy birthday card. I colored my crocus blooms with shades of blue and purple and arranged them on a black background so they really POP!

I added a “wood” strip along the bottom, once again cut using the Curio: Cover die. The sentient was done with our All Kinds of Happy die and Shadow die, along with the “birthday” sentiment from the All Kinds of Happy stamp set. For the diecut “happy”, I layered two diecuts over the top of each other – the one underneath was sponged with pink ink and the top with blue/purple. I offset the top layer ever so slightly so the pink just peeks out from underneath and almost “glows”.

That wraps up my projects using the new products coming to the shop on tomorrow (Thursday 3/17)! I so hope you enjoyed them – I surely enjoyed creating them!

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 prize! 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, March 16 at 11:59pm EDT
Winners will be posted at 7am EDT on Thursday, March 17 here on the blog