Tag:

wicker weave

Garden Inspired Strength for Today with Kelly

by Betsy September 6, 2024

written by Betsy

Hello and welcome, friends! It’s Kelly here today sharing two cards using the fabulous new Strength for Today stamp/die set! It’s my favorite from the latest release and I’ve been itching to create some cards to add to my stash. I would love to just take a lazy day and make a whole set of cards using each one of these beautiful sentiments; doesn’t that sound lovely? Autumn is creeping in and I love cozy, crafty days!

To begin my cards, I die cut the foliage, which is from the Bird of Paradise Border die, and colored it using oxide inks and finger sponge daubers. I also die cut both the moth and the dragonfly using the Jumbo Curiosity: Moth die and the Jumbo Curiosity: Dragonfly die. There are stencils included so I used those to ink them up.

The background for both cards was done using the Wicker Weave Stencil; I didn’t want a full panel, so I just concentrated the stenciling in certain areas. Once that was done, I trimmed each panel down to an A2 size, added some salvaged patina distress ink with some teal ink splatter. I layered the foliage using foam squares and then added the moth/dragonfly.

I die cut all of the sentiment pieces using the Strength for Today die; I wasn’t sure which sentiments I would use for sure, so I just cut them all out! Ha ha! I stamped them with the Strength for Today stamp set using black ink and then added them to the top of the panel using additional foam squares for dimension.

The final step was adding the panels to top-folding A2 card bases using liquid glue. I gave each one a spritz or two of shimmer spray and a trio of sparkling clear sequins. Both of these cards will be added to my stash; these are the types of cards I like having on hand because you never know when someone is going to need a little pick-me-up!

Thanks for joining me today!

September 6, 2024 7 comments

TGIF – Cool Summer Birthday Cards with Kelly

by Betsy July 14, 2023

written by Betsy

Hello everyone! It’s Kelly here today sharing a pair of easy watercolor cards using some of my favorite new products! Creating summer cards is my favorite; the colors, the textures…maybe because summer seems so fleeting no matter how hard I try to hold on! There is one thing that isn’t my favorite….and that is the heat that comes with summer! Ha ha! I decided to create these cards using blue/blue-green tones for something cool and refreshing!

To begin, I simply created a wash of watercolor onto three panels of watercolor paper. I know Betsy has mentioned this before, but the cheap watercolor pad they sell at Hobby Lobby (Master’s Touch brand) is the best for this type of project; it is inexpensive and the texture can’t be beat. It is not ideal for serious water coloring, so I just keep it with my paper crafting supplies so I can grab it easily for these types of projects. I chose to create one panel with green hues, one with blue green hues, and one with lighter blue hues. In hindsight, I should have kept the panels a little more “loose” with more open spaces of white. It is hard to add white space back in once it’s gone! Ha ha!

Once the panels were dry (I sped up the process by using my heat tool) I die cut the big Monstera Leaves; one from the green panel with the veins from the blue-green panel, and one from the blue-green panel with veins from the lighter blue panel. The Palm was die cut both from the same blue-green panel; I had originally planned on layering them, but in the end, I used them separately. The hibiscus leaves were selectively die cut from the green panel and then I ran ALL of the dies (I have them all connected) through the light blue panel. I had so much fun assembling the flowers and leaves. I added some additional detail to the die cut detail lines on the hibiscus flowers using the same paint and a small detail watercolor brush. I also added some black ink splatter to ALL of the die cut pieces for contrast.

I stenciled two panels of the same textured watercolor paper using the new Wicker Weave Stencil using Tea Dye, Brushed Corduroy, and Walnut Stain Distress Oxide inks. I used a light hand and selective stenciling for a loose look. Once that was done, I added the flowers and leaves using foam squares and liquid glue. I had originally planned to use all of these details on one card, but I just couldn’t get the composition right, so I omitted the two Monstera leaves and created a second simple card to share with you today.

For the sentiments, I used the older, but well-loved Birthday Blooms stamp set. I stamped the large, focal sentiment in black ink and then die cut them using the Birthday Blooms die set. I heat embossed the accent portion of the sentiment in white onto black strips of cardstock. I layered them using foam squares and then mounted the panels onto A2 card bases using liquid glue. I gave both cards a spritz of Shimmer Spray for sparkle and shine!

As I mentioned earlier, I had envisioned this project a little bit differently, but it’s ok to switch things up if it’s just not working! Sometimes I find myself holding onto an “idea” too tightly rather than letting my creativity flow! It’s always more fun just to let yourself experiment and enjoy the process rather than the outcome. I actually usually end up loving the result way better if I just allow myself time and space to enjoy the creative journey…I hope you do, too! It’s also okay just to step back and take a break and come back to your project with “fresh eyes”! Sometimes that’s when the lightbulb moments will happen, which I just love! Well, enough rambling from me….thanks for stopping by!

~Kelly

July 14, 2023 11 comments

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Potted Wildflower Birthday with Dana

by Betsy July 5, 2023

written by Betsy

Hi Greetery friends! It’s Dana here today and I am stopping by to share a birthday card with you all. For my card, I mixed and matched lots of my favorite products from The Greetery. Let’s get started…

I started my card by using the Modern Planters die set to make my pots. I then used the BontaniCuts Wildflower Mix dies to create my blooms. I watercolored the florals and foliage and then assembled the stems and tucked them into my pots.

Next, I used the Wicker Weave stencil set to create my card panel. I trimmed the panel down and attached it to an A2 card base. I then attached my pots with foam adhesive. Lastly, I used the Tear Strips Tags: Birthday stamp set and Tear Strip Banner dies to create my sentiment.

Thanks for joining me today and I hope you enjoyed my card. I love how by just changing the sentiment this card will be perfect for many different occasions.

Enjoy your day,

Dana

July 5, 2023 17 comments

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Urban Jungle Collection Day 2

by Betsy June 8, 2023

written by Betsy

We’re back with another day of fun product reveals and projects for our new Urban Jungle collection! These new products will be available to shop on Friday, June 9 at 10am EDT.

If you’d like an up-close look at the new products, Laurie will be hosting an Instagram Live this evening at 7pm central/8 eastern on our Instagram channel. If you’re not able to join us live, it will be available any time in our feed.

Let’s get to today’s new product introductions!

Below is a quick look at the new products being showcased today. Click on the links below each product heading for more details and information (sentiments, measurements, etc.), or click HERE to see all of the new products in the shop. (**Please Note: although you can preview the new products in the shop, they will not be available to add to cart or purchase until 10am EDT on Friday, June 9).

Large Leaves: Fern, Monstera, & Palm

These large-scale leaves are perfect for quick and easy focal points, or for adding into bouquets and clusters. The tropical vibe is perfect for summer! Cut them from colored cardstock, or have fun coloring them with your favorite mediums.

Click HERE for Large Leaves: Fern die info ($27)
Click HERE for Large Leaves: Monstera die info ($22)
Click HERE for Large Leaves: Palm die info ($16)

BotaniCuts Hibiscus die

So summery and tropical, this newest addition to our BotaniCuts line up is just begging to be inked, cut, or colored using the most vibrant hues!

Click HERE for BotaniCuts Hibiscus die info ($25)

Modern Planters die

These fun planters have a definite modern vibe! So fun to fill up with our new Plant It dies introduced below. Have fun adding all sorts of textures and patterns to the pots using your favorite mediums.

Click HERE for Modern Planters die info ($22)

Angelica put together a video showcasing the new Modern Planters die along with a few other new goodies…

Planter Pets Stamp + Cut Combo

These adorable little animal planters are just the cutest! Several different animal possibilities are included in the set, and with a little imagination I’m sure you’ll come up with more! This combo set includes the die and a small stamp set for adding the facial details.

Click HERE for Planter Pets Stamp + Cut Combo info ($25)

Plant It: Aloe, Silver Dollar Succulent, & Spider Plant

These little plants are the perfect thing to pair with both the Modern Planters and Planter Pets. With some simple layering it’s easy to create these adorable two-toned plants.

Click HERE for Plant It: Aloe die info ($11)
Click HERE for Plant It: Silver Dollar Succulent die info ($8)
Click HERE for Plant It: Spider Plant die info ($18)

Way to Grow stamp set

This handy little sentiment set is perfect for adding punny sentiments to your plant-loving projects.

Click HERE for Way to Grow stamp set info ($8)

Woven Cane Background die

So realistic, the Woven Cane Background is perfect for adding a natural look and feel to backgrounds!

Click HERE for Woven Cane Background die info ($27)

Wicker Weave Stencil

This three-piece stencil set creates the most realistic wicker backgrounds! So easy and fun to stencil in three steps.

Click HERE for Wicker Weave stencil info ($12)

Ready for some projects? I’m excited to share with you – I had so much fun creating!

Let’s start off with a set of simple thank you cards. The Large Leaves dies made these so quick and easy! I cut everything from white cardstock and sponged with lots of different green inks from my stash of inks – I used Oxides as well as some VersaFine Clair inks, which are really vibrant.

The background of each started with a panel of rustic white cardstock. I used the new Wicker Weave stencil set to loosely stencil some wicker in the center of each, and also added some ink splatters. It’s the perfect subtle background for the pretty foliage! On the Monstera card I also added a scrap of cardstock cut with the new Woven Cane die for a little added layering and texture. I’m not sure I can pick a favorite, but if I had to, I think it would be the fern. I stacked the two layers from the set to create really full fronds, and used two of them on my card front. The “thanks” sentiment used on all of them is from our Reflections set.

Next up is a slimline card using the new Large Leaves: Monstera die. While it’s technically a Monstera leaf, by changing up the coloring and adding in some some pinks and reds, they can mimic caladium leaves as well, which is what I was going for here.

These started out white, and I inked them with Oxide inks, and also added some colored pencil shading and splatters using watercolors. It’s fun to play with colors and different shades to get a range of different looks. Behind the leaves is a Crimped Slimline panel which I watercolored lightly with shades of green and pink. I kept the sentiment simple by diecutting “hello” using the Bold Alphabet die from rose gold metallic cardstock.

Next I have a few super bright and tropical projects using the new BotaniCuts Hibiscus dies, along with some other new goodies as well.

For this first one, I used the Large Leaves: Monstera die as a sort of base for building my pretty hibiscus cluster. I also tucked in a few Large Leaves: Palm fronds. I had so much fun checking out all sorts of hibiscus colors online, and saw some like this with bright yellow edges and red centers and couldn’t wait to try and recreate them. They started out white, and I inked the edges with yellow Oxide ink using a small brush, then brushed the centers with bright pink and added just a little colored pencil shading for more interest.

The background was done by cutting an arch from a panel of black cardstock using the A2 Arches die, and backing it with a panel cut using the new Woven Cane Background die. My favorite cardstock to cut the Woven Cane is called Parcel Wrap from Cardstock Warehouse – it’s the perfect natural shade! 🙂

Next I went with more traditional bright pinks and reds for my hibiscus. I kept the background a little more simple, and just stenciled a bit of Wicker Weave onto a panel of watercolor paper.

I stamped an arched sentiment from the Arched Sentiments set over my stenciling, then added the diecut flowers and leaves, with the diecut “hello” sentiment over the top. Really pretty easy to put together, and I just love how summery it is!

Next I have some fun projects using the new plants and pots!

First up is a set of little notecards using a mix of both the Planter Pets and Modern Planters dies with the new Plant It Aloe, Spider Plant and Succulent dies. These are 3-1/2″ x 5″ notecards. For the backgrounds I used the new Wicker Weave stencil set on two and the new Woven Cane die on the other two. Each one also has an arched diecut, cut using the A2 Arches die.

I had fun creating the focal points using the Modern Planters die on two of them and the Planter Pets set on the other two. I created a hedgehog and a sloth. The sentiments are from the new Way to Grow stamp set. For the terra cotta colored pot, I used the third step from the Wicker Weave stencil along with some texture paste to create the textured pattern on the pot.

I kept the design of the notecard above pretty simple, but the Modern Planters die is also fun to stack and layer and go all out, which is what I did for this next card! I had some scraps left of my stenciled Wicker Weave background, so I added a strip of it to the center of a Woven Cane diecut panel to create my background.

Then I had fun putting together three of the Modern Planters using the wooden stands. I wanted to make a couple of the pots looks like cement, so I inked and splattered them with gray ink, then brushed some white opaque Texture Paste (by Ranger) onto them to give them some actual texture. I love how that turned out! The other two pots I just inked lightly with gray ink and added some splatters. This created a nice mix of pots. The plants were all cut using the Plant It: Aloe, Silver Dollar Succulent, and Spider Plant dies. For the small pot with the aloe, I just trimmed down one of the pots from the Modern Planter set and used the optional saucer instead of the wood stand. The sentiment if from the Signed & Sealed set.

Lastly for today, I have one more sweet card using the kitty from the Planter Pets set. I started with a sweet calico background which was done with the Print Shop: Calico set. I cut an arch using the A2 Arches die and backed it with a panel cut with the Woven Cane die. I also added a “shelf” using the Curio: Cover die.

On my shelf I added a kitty pot created with the Planter Pets set, along with a couple of other pots. The pink one is from the Modern Planters set, and the small blue pot was cut using the Macra-Made For You set. The plants are a mix of different dies – Plant it: Spider and Silver Dollar Succulent, and the smaller baby tears plant was cut using the Macra Made Fillers die. The sentiment “sitting here thinking of you” was stamped using a sentiment from the Cozy Cup set.

I hope you enjoyed my projects, and I can’t wait for you to see what the team has created!

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 TONIGHT, Thursday, June 8 at 11:59pm EDT
Winners will be posted at 7am ET on Friday, June 9 here on the blog

Now for more inspiration from the team…

ANGELICA

DANA

DAWN

KELLY

LAURIE

MELISSA

WANDA

June 8, 2023 230 comments