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macra-made for you

TGIF – Pretty Plants with Norine + a Save the Date!

by Betsy March 13, 2020

written by Betsy

Happy Friday everyone! Norine is here today with the most adorable project ever for today’s TGIF. AND, make sure you read through to the end of today’s post for a fun Save the Date announcement! 🙂

Hello friends, I just realized it’s Friday the 13th! Good thing I’m not superstitious. Super-psyched for spring, but not super-stitious. I’ve been messing with plants and growing green things and while I’m not a super-talented gardener, I am always optimistic. Today’s plants though are ones I have been wanting to “plant” since I first saw the cute macrame plant hangers when they were released last year! I’ve recently taken up the craft of macrame again since first trying it in 7th grade and made some plant hangers for real, so these dies spoke to me in a very real way!

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For today’s card, I combined the dies from the Macra-Made For You Dies set with the stamps from the Pot-Pourri stamp set. I used all the combinations of light and dark green inks I own to get the variety of vegetation that real living plants come in and stamped the layers of three different potted plants.

I also stamped three different pots, stamping the first layer in a light color and repeating the stamping with darker inks around one edge to suggest shadows. Then I cut all of the stamped images and paired up plants with pots and hung two of them in a die cut macrame holder and left the 3rd to be a table-sitter.

Next, I die cut the Cozy Cup Coaster and folded a corner of it to tuck over the edge of a red gingham table cloth. I found the perfect pale wood-grain patterned paper in my stash and used it for the card panel background and to me it just screams “cottage”!

I stamped a sentiment from the Sentiment Suite – Thank You stamp set, stamping directly onto the patterned paper rather than adding any extra die-cut tags, to keep things from looking too busy. Finally, I positioned all the elements in place to create the cozy little scene of house plants, trimmed the card panel 1/8th” on each side and adhered all the layers to the card base. I popped the table plant up with some foam tape to add a little extra dimension.

Agh! Isn’t Norine’s project just the cutest? I love how she combined all of the different elements!

Now for a fun announcement! We’re busy, busy, busy getting everything ready for the release of our next collection. Join us here on the blog the week of March 23-27 for sneak peeks, reveals, projects and prizes! Our latest collection called Fresh Air, will be available in the shop on Friday, March 27.

March 13, 2020 28 comments

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 July 2019 Mini Release New Product Meet & Greet

July Mini Release + Restocks Today!

by Betsy July 18, 2019

written by Betsy

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that we will be restocking the store today and also releasing a few new dies! I’m here to showcase these new dies in a few projects for you. These new dies will go up for sale this morning at 10am ET, and all out-of-stock items will also be restocked at that time.

First, let’s meet these new dies…

BotaniCuts Sunflower Die

The BotaniCuts collection is a series of stand alone dies for cutting various botanical designs. This BotaniCuts Sunflower set creates two sizes of layered sunflower blooms, and two different leaves. 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! These sunflowers also pair wonderfully with our Just Mason Around Jar!

Set of 14 dies
Approximate measurements:
large assembled sunflower – 2″
small assembled sunflower – 1.75″
Price: $28

Macra-Made Fillers Die

The Macra-Made Fillers dies are the perfect companion for the Macra-Made For You dies. Create adorable planters to use as focal points on your next project! These stand-alone plants are perfectly sized to fit in the pots included in the Macra-Made For You die collection. Keep it simple by cutting them from colored cardstock, or bring these diecuts to life with your favorite coloring medium, such as ink blending, watercolors, markers, and more.

Set of 11 dies
Approximate measurements:
tiny layered plant – .5″
small layered plant – 1″ x .7″
striped plant – 1″ x 1.7″
ivy – 2″ x 2.1″
teardrop hanging plant – 2″ x 2.4″
Price – $19

Crimped Frame Die

Great basics are the starting point of great projects! These Crimped Frame dies are the perfect basic to start your next project. The largest rectangle is just slightly smaller than an A2 card base, allowing you to create the perfect mat, ready to be stamped on, layered with your favorite diecuts, and more. The crimped edges give these diecuts the perfect finishing touch, which lends itself so well to so many different looks!

Set of 3 dies
Approximate measurements:
large rectangle – 4″ x 5.2″
medium rectangle – 3″ x 4.4″
small rectangle – 2.2″ x 3.5″
Price – $28

Simple Things Word Die

The Simple Things Word die coordinates with the Simple Things stamp set to cut the “Simple Things” sentiment, allowing you to layer with ease!

Single die
Approximate size – 2.7″ x 1.1″
Price – $5

Now that you’ve seen the new dies, I have a handful of projects for you! I feel like I’ve just gotten started with these new dies and have other projects in mind that I can’t wait to try. We’ll also have a few guests sharing more inspiration with these new products next week! So let’s get started…

This first project is exactly what I envisioned using the BotaniCuts Sunflower dies for when I designed them! I love sunflowers, and wanted to have some pretty ones to pair with our Just Mason Around jar stamp! For this project I diecut the sunflowers from watercolor paper, and watercolored them in all the pretty, sunny shades of yellow. I stamped the Just Mason Around jar, and added some stems using colored pencils. The background was done using the new Crimped Frame dies stamped with the outline image from the Summer Sketches set. It’s just so summery!

For my next project, I cut some strips from cardstock to give the sunflowers stems. Everything here was cut from white cardstock, and sponged with Distress Oxide inks. Once again the background was cut using the Crimped Frame die. The largest rectangle is just slightly smaller than an A2 card, giving you a nice border. The sentiment I used here is from the Lemon Blossom set, stamped onto a Sentiment Suite: Basics diecut.

Up next I have a few projects using the Macra-Made Fillers die collection. After working with the Macra-Made dies for the June release, I wanted even more plant options! First up I have a few small notecards. I used the small and medium rectangles from the Crimped Frame die set to cut the frame and window in the front of the card. I then used the largest pot and hanger from the Macra-Made For You die set and filled them with the hanging plants from the Fillers die set. One resembles a string of pearls plant, and the other is an ivy plant. Inside the small notecards, I stamped one of the small sentiments from the Sentiment Suite: Thinking of You stamp set. It’s hidden behind the pot, so that it’s not visible when the card is closed. Everything here was cut from watercolor paper, and all of the color and details on the plants and pots was done with watercolors.

I was just having so much fun watercoloring these little pots and plants! I really wanted more small plants to use in the pots, so I included a few of them in this new die set. These little plants are made up of multiple pieces that layer (check out the graphic at the top of this post), and they’re just so cute when they’re all put together! I got a little creative with the hangers on this card. I sandwiched some string between two of the hangers placed back-to-back (with the plant in between), and secured the string at the top and bottom of a window cut using the Crimped Frame dies. So these little hangers hang and can spin in the window opening! Once again I hid a small sentiment inside, behind the center pot, using the Sentiment Suite: Thinking of You set.

My next card uses the Macra-Made Fillers again, this time in the medium-sized pot from the Macra-Made For You set. I used just the pot, and omitted the hanger for a different look. I used several of the dies to create a little succulent garden inside the pot. I layered a few of the Crimped Frame diecuts behind it, and finished it off with the new Simple Things Word die and a sentiment from the Simple Things stamp set. I just love all of the layers and details! These were just simply sponged with Distress Oxide inks!

That wraps up my projects for today using these new dies! Like I mentioned above, we’ll be sharing more inspiration for these new dies next week!

We can’t release new products without having a fun giveaway, can we? Leave a comment, telling me what was your favorite from today, and I’ll choose one winner for a $50 gift card! Comments close at midnight tonight, July 18. Winner will be announced on Friday, July 19.

July 18, 2019 247 comments