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Project Ideas

Make & Tell Tuesday – BotaniCuts Roses in a Jar

by Betsy January 28, 2020

written by Betsy

It’s time for a Make & Tell Tuesday video!

Today I’ll be filling up our Just Mason Around jar with a bouquet of BotaniCuts Roses. I’ll show you how easy these are to color using just some ink blending.

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The key to creating flowers with lots of interest is mixing the shades and values from layer to layer. Make your leaves and greenery more interesting by using lots of different colors – I blended several different shades of green, and even some blues and yellows. We’ll finish off the design with an easy watercolor background over some embossed script from Pretty Postmarks.

Here’s the video – I hope you enjoy!

January 28, 2020 25 comments

All Giveaway Winners October 2019 Project Ideas

Sticker Giveaway Winner + With Love at Christmas Inspiration

by Betsy October 11, 2019

written by Betsy

It’s time to announce the two winners of the sticker giveaway! Each release brings some fun new packaging to The Greetery, including a cute sticker that wraps up your goodies. I offered to give away 10 stickers to two random comments that guessed this month’s sticker. Those of you that have gotten your orders probably already know that it’s the adorable bus from Christmas Care-A-Van!

Our two winners are Renee and Carrie K! If you could send an email with your address info to customerservice@thegreetery.com we’ll get your stickers out to you!

Just a quick update on shipping and out of stock items before I share a project with you. All release orders have shipped and as of yesterday (Thursday) we are back to our usual same day/next day after 2:00pm EDT shipping schedule. woohoo!

As for out of stock items, no worries, everything will be restocked. Dies will be back in a couple of weeks, and any out of stock stamps will be back in about 4 weeks. Many have asked about the clear bubbles. We actually have a bit of stock left, we just need to get a chance to get them packaged up and then we’ll add them to the shop. Hopefully by early next week. This will not be a huge stock of them, but we have more coming.

Now for a quick project. After the busyness of the last few months I got to enjoy an annual day out with some friends yesterday! One of our stops was Bath & Body Works to pick up a few fall scents and check out what’s new for the holidays. I always find their packaging inspiring! Do you ever find yourself out and about and see something that makes you want to go stamp a card? 🙂 I love the new labels on these soaps…

I thought I could totally make a card like that! I pulled out my With Love at Christmas set and started by heat embossing the frame from the set in the center of a panel of cardstock. I then masked it off and stamped some of the individual flowers and greenery sprigs from the set around the frame. I also heat embossed a few of them with gold powder. I finished by stamping a sentiment from the Sentiment Suite: Thank You set inside the frame. I created some matching envelopes using the Flappable stencil set, and this time I sponged the striped stencil with Versamark and heat embossed it with gold powder. That turned out really fun!

Inspiration is every where, I hope you find some today that gets your creative juices flowing! Thanks for stopping by today!

October 11, 2019 26 comments

All August 2019 Release Project Ideas

Lots of Restocks + a Little Inspiration…

by Betsy September 24, 2019

written by Betsy

Just a note to let you know (in case you missed it!) that we restocked the shop yesterday with several of the sets that went out of stock with our last release. I know many of you were looking for the Autumn Sketches and Budding Beauties Autumn sets, and they are back!

I also have a couple of new cards to share with you today using Autumn Sketches. It’s one of those sets that I just want to reach for over and over, whether it’s a quick card, or something I want to spend a little more time on.

I love doing some loose watercolor over that sketchy branch, which is what I did here. It’s so quick and easy! I used shades of orange on the leaves, and then added in some berries with a pretty shade of bluish purple. I finished it off with a few splatters of the same watercolors that I used in the image, plus a little shimmery gold. The sentiment is from the Bountiful Wreath set, and it was heat embossed with gold.

This second card is from Dawn. She clustered several of the branches from the Autumn Sketches set over our Crimped Frames dies. She stamped them in such rich, vibrant autumn hues, and then the kraft background adds a touch of rustic. The sentiment she used here is from the Sentiment Suite: Thank You set.

Before I go, just a little note about what’s happening the next week and a half here on the blog…we start sneak peeks of our holiday collection TOMORROW!! There will be sneak peeks each day for the remainder of this week, and then on Monday we’ll start the product reveals and projects! Our holiday collection will go up for sale on Friday, October 4 at 10am EDT!

I hope to see you back here tomorrow!

September 24, 2019 13 comments

All Project Ideas

Color Blocking with Halfsies Dies + a Few Updates…

by Betsy September 10, 2019

written by Betsy

It’s been a bit quiet around here, so I wanted to pop in with a card today and a few updates!

The reason it’s been quiet here is because we have been busy, busy little elves…working our elf fingers to the bone! 🙂 Many of you have asked about a Christmas release and YES! How could we not do Christmas…it’s my favorite season to craft. Our next release is happening a bit quicker than our normal every-other-month schedule, so we’re working extra hard to get everything ready! We will start sneak peeks of our holiday collection on September 25th, with product reveals and projects starting on Monday, September 30, and the collection will go up in the shop on Friday, October 4.

Now for an update on out of stock items. I get lots of questions as to whether “sold out” items will be restocked. The answer is YES! We don’t intend to do any limited edition items here at The Greetery at this time, so anything that’s out of stock will be restocked, it just takes a bit of time to get things back in from our manufacturers. You are welcome to email customer service if you’re wondering when a particular item is due back.

We just got a die shipment in, which will go up in the shop in the next day or two – this will be for all stand-alone dies currently out of stock. All out of stock stamps are due back in the last week of September. We will try our best to get them back in the shop as soon as possible after they arrive! In an effort to make your shopping easier, if there is a die that is out of stock that matches a stamp set that is also out of stock, the dies and stamps will both be restocked at the same time.

Before I get back to work (I’m busy busy stamping with all of the new holiday goodies!) I have a card to share with you. I had lots of bits and pieces and stamped diecuts left over from creating for our autumn release, and I couldn’t resist putting a card together while I was cleaning off my desk. This card uses a color-blocked look using the Halfsies Diamond die. The jumbo leaf die from the Harvest Home set fits just perfectly inside the diamond cut out. I sponged one Halfsies die with shades of orange ink, and the other with shades of green, and also stamped the outline branch from the Autumn Sketches set. That leaf diecut is also the perfect place to nest the robin from Robin & Wren. I also tucked a berry sprig from the Budding Beauties Autumn set, and stamped one of the small sentiments from the Sentiment Suite: Thank You set.

Thanks for stopping by today!

September 10, 2019 42 comments

All June 2019 Release Project Ideas

Happy, Happy Summer

by Betsy July 31, 2019

written by Betsy

Just popping in today to say hi, give a few updates, and share one more sweet summery card that I made with the June release products that I never had a chance to share!

First, the card. This card just screams summer. I love stamping our Just Mason Around jar in all kinds of colors. They’re just so fun! I tucked a few Oopsie Daisy blooms in the center jar, and stacked up a whole pile of citrusy goodness around the base of the jars using Lemon Blossom. The sentiment is also from Lemon Blossom.

So now for a few updates! It’s been a little quiet here this week, but we’ve been busy, busy behind the scenes! We’re preparing for the fall and holiday crafting season, getting some fun things ready for you. Sneak peeks for our fall release will start on August 14! Autumn will be here before we know it…are you ready to get cozy and get crafty? 🙂

We’re also getting ready for some changes here…we’re preparing to move The Greetery into its own little space! We knew (hoped!) that the current situation of working from our home would not likely work for very long, and thanks to all of you and your awesome support, we signed the lease last week for our own space. It’s small, but it’s super cute, and I think it’s going to be just perfect for us right now. We’re looking forward to moving in and making it our own (and to not tripping over each other when packing your release orders! 🙂 ) *edited to add: we are not opening a retail space, this is just a warehouse and shipping space…that’s a dream for another day! 🙂

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you’re enjoying summer!

July 31, 2019 49 comments

All June 2019 Release Project Ideas

BotaniCuts Sunflower Inspiration from Wanda…

by Betsy July 26, 2019

written by Betsy

Wanda Guess is joining us today with an amazing project using the BotaniCuts Sunflower dies! Wanda’s style is always so beautiful – her projects and her photographs! She took these photos at the nursery…how fun is that?

Isn’t it clever how she trimmed the sunflowers in half to give them a completely different look? They look more like cone flowers! I love that option! She paired them with the Just Mason Around jar and Crimped Frame dies. Her vintage sheet music background is just so sweet and gives this card a fun vintage vibe.

Thanks for the inspiration, Wanda! You can hop over to her blog to read more about her project!

July 26, 2019 12 comments

All July 2019 Mini Release Project Ideas

July Mini Release Inspiration from Laurie Willison…

by Betsy July 24, 2019

written by Betsy

We’re back today with more inspiration from our July mini release! Today Laurie Willison is sharing a few projects with us, done in her classic simple and beautiful style!

First up is a card using the new BotaniCuts Sunflower and Crimped Frame dies. Her ink blending is just beautifully done…so soft and pretty! She paired both of the sunflowers from the die set with a sentiment from the Just Mason Around set.

Next up she has a card using the Macra-Made for You dies paired with the new Macra-Made Fillers dies. The details are really what make this one shine…the “wood” beads on the macrame hanger along with the embossed sentiment on the vellum. So clean and classy and fresh! She used the two largest dies from the Crimped Frame die set to create the outer frame and filled it with vellum. Her planter is filled with the two hanging plants from the Macra-Made Fillers set.

Don’t you just love Laurie’s take on these new products? Stay tuned for even more inspiration later this week!

July 24, 2019 9 comments

All July 2019 Mini Release Project Ideas

More July Mini Release Inspiration…

by Betsy July 22, 2019

written by Betsy

Welcome to a brand new week! We have some more inspiration for you today using the new dies we released last week. Dawn, Keeway, and Kay are here with a few projects!

First we have some projects using the new BotaniCuts Sunflower dies.

This first project is by Kay Miller, and it’s just so colorful and fun! She used the new BotaniCuts Sunflower die to create these layered blooms. Who says sunflowers have to be yellow? When you’re a paper crafter they can be whatever color you choose! Kay created these colorful blooms using watercolors. And her ink blending in the background is the perfect complement!

For her next project, Kay kept things quick and easy by diecutting the BotaniCuts Sunflowers from colored cardstocks. I love how she used different shades of the same colors for the layers. It gives them so much dimension! She topped it off with the new diecut that matches the Simple Things sentiment.

This next card is by Keeway, and she stuck with traditional shades of yellow for her sunflowers. She layered several of them over the medium rectangle from the new Crimped Frame die set, and paired them with a sentiment from the Just Mason Around set. The splatters add just the right amount of texture and interest! And that gray-striped background really adds a fun and unexpected touch.

This next BotaniCuts Sunflower card is by Dawn McVey, and it’s classic Dawn style with the sunflowers done in bright fuchsia! She paired them with the Just Mason Around stamp set and the new Crimped Frames dies. Her kraft background provides the perfect contrast for the other bright elements in her design!

Next, these ladies have created a few projects using the new Macra-Made Fillers dies. This first card is by Kay, and it’s just lovely. Her hanging plants are so pretty against the pretty sponged blue background!

Keeway’s card is up next and I just love the little scene she created. And did you notice how she turned one of the Crimped Frame dies at an angle? So clever! I also like how she changed up the length of the hanging planters by folding the tops around to the backside. Her sentiment uses the new Simple Things Word die.

The final project for today is from Dawn, using the Macra-Made Fillers. She created some cute hanging gardens by mixing a few of the plants in the same pot. She also snuck in one of the patterned pots from the Pot-Pourri set. She finished it off with the Simple Things sentiment on the new matching diecut. The whole projects is just colorful and fun!

Didn’t these ladies create some amazing projects? I hope you enjoyed seeing a little more inspiration using these new products! We realize that these new dies went out of stock pretty quickly, but they’ve already been re-ordered, and should be back in two weeks or less. We will work hard to get them back in the shop as quickly as possible! We hope you’ll be a bit patient with us as we try new things, such as this month’s mini release, and work on making improvements in anticipating demand.

We’ll have even more projects a bit later this week, so stay tuned for that!

July 22, 2019 25 comments

All Project Ideas Video Tutorials

BotaniCuts Succulents Watercolor Tutorial + Succulent Garden Slider Notes

by Betsy July 17, 2019

written by Betsy

Today I have a video for you that’s been a bit slow in coming! Back when the BotaniCuts Succulents dies were released I promised a how-to watercolor video and had not had a chance to put that together for you until now!

In this video I’ll show the method I use for watercoloring these layered diecut succulents. I went a little crazy watercoloring a whole bunch of them when they were first released, and had so much fun playing around with different color combinations. I kept track of my color combos and snapped some pics of them so that I could share them with you here.

The technique I used in the video is pretty much the same no matter which color combination you choose to do them in. I encourage you to be creative and play around with colors – that’s the most fun part!

Here is the watercolor video…

I also have a bonus project and video! After watercoloring more of the succulents for the video, I wanted to put them to use on a project. I came up with these fun Succulent Garden Slider Notes. They’re easy to assemble and use a basic oval die to create the “bowl”.

Here is the how-to video…

Also, did you notice anything new in the Succulent Garden Notes project? I’m sneak peeking a few brand new stand alone dies that we’ll be releasing this week as a small add-on release. These new dies will be introduced in full on the blog tomorrow morning (Thursday) and will go up for sale at 10 am EDT Thursday along with re-stock of all of the items that are currently sold out in the shop!

(The links below contain affiliate links, meaning if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission.)

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July 17, 2019 16 comments

All Project Ideas

Pretty Summer Bouquet by Dawn

by Betsy July 12, 2019

written by Betsy

Dawn shared a gorgeous card on her blog yesterday and I asked her if I could share it here with you all as well, in case you missed it! Dawn used several of our sets to create this absolutely beautiful and lush bouquet in our Just Mason Around jar. Can you pick out all the different sets she used? Scroll down past the photos and I’ll list them so you can see if you were right! 🙂

Dawn’s jar is filled with flowers from the Fleur Impressions set and some Eucalyptus from the Simple Things set. The little cluster at the base of the has the large blooms from Fleur Impressions and I also spy a bit of Blooming Branch tucked in there! Did you get them all?

Also – a restock update! We’ve gotten notice that all of the stamps and dies that are currently out of stock are on their way (earlier than we anticipated)! We’ll get them all packaged and ready to go as soon as we can so we can get them back in the shop! Hopefully by mid to latter part of next week. If you have your eye on something, you’re encouraged to sign up for the email notifications on the product pages to get a back in stock notification!

July 12, 2019 9 comments