If the meeting was at my house I would have placed them on a really pretty tri-level platter but since I had to transport them (along with chocolate covered pretzels that I made), the pictures are taken while the cupcakes are in the carrying case.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Valentine Cupcake Wrappers
I made two dozen homemade cherry cupcakes and homemade cherry frosting for a Homeowners Association meeting the Sunday after Valentine's so I took the opportunity to try out heart cupcake wrappers. I used four different colors of pink and red paper for a variety. They were a big hit! Very cute idea and oh so easy when you have an electronic/digital die cutting machine, like the BossKut Gazelle. The SVG file that I used for these is part of my Gazelle software but there are many heart cupcake wrappers available if you do a Google search. Here is a link to a free SVG file that you can try out. I have this version as well: Free Heart Cupcake Wrapper
If the meeting was at my house I would have placed them on a really pretty tri-level platter but since I had to transport them (along with chocolate covered pretzels that I made), the pictures are taken while the cupcakes are in the carrying case.
If the meeting was at my house I would have placed them on a really pretty tri-level platter but since I had to transport them (along with chocolate covered pretzels that I made), the pictures are taken while the cupcakes are in the carrying case.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
More Papercraft Products that I Love
Well, as feared and expected, I have taken on my new hobby (Papercrafting) with a vengeance and purchased ENTIRELY too much stuff in a very short period of time. As my little sister, Kelly, said on Sunday when she came over and viewed all my stuff, "Stores must LOVE when you take on a new hobby!" Yes, yes they do! I should really own stock in Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann Fabrics at this point. Heck they should give me stock options for the amount of money that I've dropped on them in the past two months!!!
I won't go over the items that I previously mentioned in my first product post nor will I discuss all the items that I've purchased since then as there is no way I could list everything, much less post links to each product. I've been purchasing from many places so as my stock has grown it has become harder and harder to keep track of where I purchased things in order to link to them when I post cards.
Last week when I was creating the You are Fabulous card for my sister, I wanted to create a sticker for her address label since the envelope had raised/3D polka dots so I could not write on the envelope. I researched and found that Hobby Lobby carried a cool tool that allows you to create stickers, magnets and laminate things and I was all over it and was going to use a 40% off coupon for the $50 tool. Unfortunately although it was sold online it was not in the store and I needed it that day. So as a backup plan, I bought the tool that makes just stickers. It was smaller and cheaper but worked perfectly to create stickers...fast! Pretty cool! I will post the original "Creative Station" tool that I wanted (and may eventually purchase) as well as the "Create a Sticker" tool that I ended up purchasing.
I've gone a little stamp crazy and quickly realized that I needed a system for storing all the cling stamps (any stamp not on a wood block). I researched several blogs and YouTube videos for suggestions and went with what would work best for me. I purchased a set of various sizes of photo pages from The Container Stores (by far the best prices...although shipping wasn't cheap and it took a week to deliver). I also purchased regular page protector pocket sheets from Office Max for large sheets of stamps. I now house the stamps in the pages in 3-ring binders. Does a great job and the stamps are now much easier to access and put away!
When I began this hobby, I couldn't help but notice that Copic markers were HOT HOT HOT and everyone loved them. I could not justify the expense for pens that I wasn't sure that I'd ever use much less pens that I'd never even used before. So I made the fatal error of purchasing "the next best thing" (Prismacolor Premier Double-Ended Markers). They still weren't cheap, over $100 for 48 markers. Unfortunately I was just not satisfied with their performance for that cost but still struggled to justify the Copic markers. I eventually made a compromise and traded in the Prismacolor markers for the "less expensive" Copic markers (Copic Ciao). I must say, THEY ROCK!! I only got 36 (Set A) at this point, plus the colorless blender pen, so I'd love to eventually get more but the cheapest place I've found them (and believe me, I've spent HOURS researching) is at DickBlick (link below). Although the 36 markers are still over $100, believe it or not, they are still about $60 cheaper than the original Copic marker set of 36!!! DickBlick also offers discounts and if you happen to be fortunate to live near an actual retail store, you can sign up and get 40% one item coupons, which is awesome. I SERIOUSLY considered making a trip to Atlanta (4 hours) just to get Set B for that price. Maybe I will make a trip there on the next sale and then I can swing by IKEA....oh I miss that store (there was one near me in California and in Dallas). Can you say ROADTRIP!?!?! ha
Speaking of markers, I wanted to purchase gel glitter pens as well and researched my options. I originally purchased Copic's glitter pens (Spica Glitter Pens) at Hobby Lobby (sell for $36 but used 40% coupon). Boy that was a mistake. These glitter pens are a FAIL!!! I returned them two days later and ordered what I should have purchased to begin with. The Sakura Stardust pens are amazing!! Although Hobby Lobby sells them, they come in two packets so I could only use one 40% coupon. Instead I purchased both packets online from JetPens and thankfully they also had free shipping. Perfect!! I also purchased two "clear" glitter pens (basically silver glitter) from Sakura. I love these pens!! They work great!
In addition to the glitter markers, I also wanted to buy a couple of white pens for writing on dark card stock. I researched "best" white pens and this pen won hands down. I am very happy with the purchase!! I went ahead and purchased two gold ink pens as well. JetPens has great deals on pens. Check them out!
I will also take this opportunity to recommend Memento inks. Although they have larger ink pads, I just love the little "dew drop petal" shaped ink pads. They have good pads and their size make them great for using on small stamps and stamps with multiple ink colors. You can buy these either individually or in sets and they are sold in many places. I've picked some up at Hobby Lobby and others at Jo-Ann Fabrics website.
Although I purchase items online when I find great deals, I do end up purchasing many items from both Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann Fabrics, either online or in person. I RARELY purchase anything from them that isn't either on sale (30-60% off) or using one of their coupons. Hobby Lobby allows you to use a 40% off coupon (in store or online) for one regular priced item. Jo-Ann on the other hand usually has 2-3 coupons that they will allow you to use at the same time. Most of the time they offer a coupon (15%) off total sales in addition to a 40% or even 50% off one regular price item. Sometimes they also offer another coupon for items that are even on sale. You can sign up for Jo-Ann's emails/text and they will send you additional discount/coupons. Both Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann Fabrics have smart phone apps that you can use coupons from so you don't have to print them out when in their retails stores.
That is all the time I have for today. Maybe next time I will spend some time reviewing products that I use for card making (i.e., SVG files, paper stock, stamps, embossing folders, embossing powders, embellishments, etc...).
I will also list a few websites that I recommend checking out. Many offer freebies (SVG, JPG, Digital Stamps) and others are just blogs/YouTube channels that I think offer great ideas.
Links to products mentioned above:
Creative Station
Create a Sticker
Photo Pages (Baseball Card Size)
Photo Pages (Variety of Options)
Sheet Protects (100 pack)
Copic Ciao Markers (Set A)
Stardust Glitter Pen Set (Galaxy)
Stardust Glitter Pen Set (Meteor)
White Ink Pen
Gold Ink Pen
Memento Dew Drop Inks Set
Websites to check out:
Stuff4Scrapbooking
MyGrafico
SVG Cuts
Lori Whitlock
A Muse Studio
Papertrey Ink
1001 Free Fonts
Custom Crops
Paper Wishes
Two Peas in a Bucket
Simon Says Stamps
A Cherry on Top
Prairie Paper & Ink
Prairie Paper YouTube Channel (love)
All That Scraps (love the stamps!)
The Paper Boutique YouTube Channel
Echo Park Paper YouTube Channel
Miss Kerrie J's YouTube Channel (amazing talent)
SVG Cuts YouTube Channel
I won't go over the items that I previously mentioned in my first product post nor will I discuss all the items that I've purchased since then as there is no way I could list everything, much less post links to each product. I've been purchasing from many places so as my stock has grown it has become harder and harder to keep track of where I purchased things in order to link to them when I post cards.
Last week when I was creating the You are Fabulous card for my sister, I wanted to create a sticker for her address label since the envelope had raised/3D polka dots so I could not write on the envelope. I researched and found that Hobby Lobby carried a cool tool that allows you to create stickers, magnets and laminate things and I was all over it and was going to use a 40% off coupon for the $50 tool. Unfortunately although it was sold online it was not in the store and I needed it that day. So as a backup plan, I bought the tool that makes just stickers. It was smaller and cheaper but worked perfectly to create stickers...fast! Pretty cool! I will post the original "Creative Station" tool that I wanted (and may eventually purchase) as well as the "Create a Sticker" tool that I ended up purchasing.
I've gone a little stamp crazy and quickly realized that I needed a system for storing all the cling stamps (any stamp not on a wood block). I researched several blogs and YouTube videos for suggestions and went with what would work best for me. I purchased a set of various sizes of photo pages from The Container Stores (by far the best prices...although shipping wasn't cheap and it took a week to deliver). I also purchased regular page protector pocket sheets from Office Max for large sheets of stamps. I now house the stamps in the pages in 3-ring binders. Does a great job and the stamps are now much easier to access and put away!
When I began this hobby, I couldn't help but notice that Copic markers were HOT HOT HOT and everyone loved them. I could not justify the expense for pens that I wasn't sure that I'd ever use much less pens that I'd never even used before. So I made the fatal error of purchasing "the next best thing" (Prismacolor Premier Double-Ended Markers). They still weren't cheap, over $100 for 48 markers. Unfortunately I was just not satisfied with their performance for that cost but still struggled to justify the Copic markers. I eventually made a compromise and traded in the Prismacolor markers for the "less expensive" Copic markers (Copic Ciao). I must say, THEY ROCK!! I only got 36 (Set A) at this point, plus the colorless blender pen, so I'd love to eventually get more but the cheapest place I've found them (and believe me, I've spent HOURS researching) is at DickBlick (link below). Although the 36 markers are still over $100, believe it or not, they are still about $60 cheaper than the original Copic marker set of 36!!! DickBlick also offers discounts and if you happen to be fortunate to live near an actual retail store, you can sign up and get 40% one item coupons, which is awesome. I SERIOUSLY considered making a trip to Atlanta (4 hours) just to get Set B for that price. Maybe I will make a trip there on the next sale and then I can swing by IKEA....oh I miss that store (there was one near me in California and in Dallas). Can you say ROADTRIP!?!?! ha
Speaking of markers, I wanted to purchase gel glitter pens as well and researched my options. I originally purchased Copic's glitter pens (Spica Glitter Pens) at Hobby Lobby (sell for $36 but used 40% coupon). Boy that was a mistake. These glitter pens are a FAIL!!! I returned them two days later and ordered what I should have purchased to begin with. The Sakura Stardust pens are amazing!! Although Hobby Lobby sells them, they come in two packets so I could only use one 40% coupon. Instead I purchased both packets online from JetPens and thankfully they also had free shipping. Perfect!! I also purchased two "clear" glitter pens (basically silver glitter) from Sakura. I love these pens!! They work great!
In addition to the glitter markers, I also wanted to buy a couple of white pens for writing on dark card stock. I researched "best" white pens and this pen won hands down. I am very happy with the purchase!! I went ahead and purchased two gold ink pens as well. JetPens has great deals on pens. Check them out!
I will also take this opportunity to recommend Memento inks. Although they have larger ink pads, I just love the little "dew drop petal" shaped ink pads. They have good pads and their size make them great for using on small stamps and stamps with multiple ink colors. You can buy these either individually or in sets and they are sold in many places. I've picked some up at Hobby Lobby and others at Jo-Ann Fabrics website.
Although I purchase items online when I find great deals, I do end up purchasing many items from both Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann Fabrics, either online or in person. I RARELY purchase anything from them that isn't either on sale (30-60% off) or using one of their coupons. Hobby Lobby allows you to use a 40% off coupon (in store or online) for one regular priced item. Jo-Ann on the other hand usually has 2-3 coupons that they will allow you to use at the same time. Most of the time they offer a coupon (15%) off total sales in addition to a 40% or even 50% off one regular price item. Sometimes they also offer another coupon for items that are even on sale. You can sign up for Jo-Ann's emails/text and they will send you additional discount/coupons. Both Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann Fabrics have smart phone apps that you can use coupons from so you don't have to print them out when in their retails stores.
That is all the time I have for today. Maybe next time I will spend some time reviewing products that I use for card making (i.e., SVG files, paper stock, stamps, embossing folders, embossing powders, embellishments, etc...).
I will also list a few websites that I recommend checking out. Many offer freebies (SVG, JPG, Digital Stamps) and others are just blogs/YouTube channels that I think offer great ideas.
Links to products mentioned above:
Creative Station
Create a Sticker
Photo Pages (Baseball Card Size)
Photo Pages (Variety of Options)
Sheet Protects (100 pack)
Copic Ciao Markers (Set A)
Stardust Glitter Pen Set (Galaxy)
Stardust Glitter Pen Set (Meteor)
White Ink Pen
Gold Ink Pen
Memento Dew Drop Inks Set
Websites to check out:
Stuff4Scrapbooking
MyGrafico
SVG Cuts
Lori Whitlock
A Muse Studio
Papertrey Ink
1001 Free Fonts
Custom Crops
Paper Wishes
Two Peas in a Bucket
Simon Says Stamps
A Cherry on Top
Prairie Paper & Ink
Prairie Paper YouTube Channel (love)
All That Scraps (love the stamps!)
The Paper Boutique YouTube Channel
Echo Park Paper YouTube Channel
Miss Kerrie J's YouTube Channel (amazing talent)
SVG Cuts YouTube Channel
Congrats Grad Card
One of my favorite gals, Tamikia, recently graduated with her Master's degree, while working as an elementary school teacher full time. I am tremendously proud of her and although I was unable to make the graduation, I wanted to make her a cute and special card for her.
The above picture is of the front of the card. The "congrats" tag actually goes inside the little envelope on the front of the card. I used a textured dark blue paper stock to create the card, using a SVG file. I used a smooth light blue paper stock for the envelope and "congrats" insert. On the envelope I used the dark blue paper as one part of the flower and a patterned paper for the top and bottom portion of the flower (3 parts total). I then used a pink brad to secure to the envelope flap. The word, "congrats" was cut out using the same textured dark blue paper and the insert is made of the light blue paper used for the envelope.
Here is another view of the front of the card. You can see that the light blue at the bottom of the card is actually part of the inside of the card but can be seen on the front due to the cutouts.
Above is the inside of the card. I cut a smaller light blue paper stock to fit inside just small enough to use the dark blue as a frame. I cut the corners of the light blue paper to match the dark blue. I used a Congrats Grad stamp using dark blue and pink ink. I went over the "Congrats" with a blue glitter pen to give it a little sparkle.
Using an envelope SVG, I resized it to house the card and used a smooth dark blue paper to create the envelope. I did not use the textured dark blue paper because creasing it made the white of the inside of the paper show through and just wasn't as clean/crisp. I then used another sheet of the light blue paper to create the insert for the envelope flap.
The finished product is well coordinated and can actually be used for a variety of reasons, not just as a celebration. You can always change the "Congrats" word to say anything to put in the insert on the front of the card. It could even house a gift card if you chose to include one. Now that I think of it, Tamikia may be rather disappointed that it is not holding a gift card. ha
Products used for this card:
Textured Dark Blue Paper Stock
Smooth Light Blue Paper Stock
Patterned Paper Stock
Pink Brad
Card SVG
Blue and Pink Ink
Blue Glitter Pen
Envelope SVG
The above picture is of the front of the card. The "congrats" tag actually goes inside the little envelope on the front of the card. I used a textured dark blue paper stock to create the card, using a SVG file. I used a smooth light blue paper stock for the envelope and "congrats" insert. On the envelope I used the dark blue paper as one part of the flower and a patterned paper for the top and bottom portion of the flower (3 parts total). I then used a pink brad to secure to the envelope flap. The word, "congrats" was cut out using the same textured dark blue paper and the insert is made of the light blue paper used for the envelope.
Here is another view of the front of the card. You can see that the light blue at the bottom of the card is actually part of the inside of the card but can be seen on the front due to the cutouts.
Above is the inside of the card. I cut a smaller light blue paper stock to fit inside just small enough to use the dark blue as a frame. I cut the corners of the light blue paper to match the dark blue. I used a Congrats Grad stamp using dark blue and pink ink. I went over the "Congrats" with a blue glitter pen to give it a little sparkle.
Using an envelope SVG, I resized it to house the card and used a smooth dark blue paper to create the envelope. I did not use the textured dark blue paper because creasing it made the white of the inside of the paper show through and just wasn't as clean/crisp. I then used another sheet of the light blue paper to create the insert for the envelope flap.
The finished product is well coordinated and can actually be used for a variety of reasons, not just as a celebration. You can always change the "Congrats" word to say anything to put in the insert on the front of the card. It could even house a gift card if you chose to include one. Now that I think of it, Tamikia may be rather disappointed that it is not holding a gift card. ha
Products used for this card:
Textured Dark Blue Paper Stock
Smooth Light Blue Paper Stock
Patterned Paper Stock
Pink Brad
Card SVG
Blue and Pink Ink
Blue Glitter Pen
Envelope SVG
You are Fabulous Card
The card is pretty cute. I used white card stock for this card and layout of the card is from a SVG file. The front has a cut out of the dress because the actual dress is on the inside of the card. I used an embossing folder to add dimension to the front of the card and scalloped the bottom of the card. I used a lime green ink to go around the edges of the front of the card. Using my printer, I printed out, "You are" on textured green card stock and placed it on the front. Looking at it now, I suppose I should have written it out as, "You are...". Oh well! Live and learn!
Here is the inside of the card. As you can see, the dress showing on the front of the card is actually on the inside. I used a lime green paper stock that had white polka dots so I just placed green pearls and gems and placed them on top of the dots. I used a green organza ribbon (folded in half) and glued to the waist of the dress. I used smaller green pearl/gems to outline the neckline of the dress. Using my printer I printed "Fabulous" on textured green paper stock.
The above photo is of the card sitting inside of the envelope that I also created. You will see in the next photo that I used the same green paper stock for the envelope that I used for the dress (you'll also see the polka dots that are basically hidden on the dress since the pearls/gems are on top). The envelope is also part of the SVG file that I used for the dress card. It folds in on all four sides. Pretty cool.
So as you can see above, the envelope is closed. To secure the envelope, I cut out another dress (it is the same white card stock that I used for the card although it looks a bit pink in the picture) and using fabulous gel/glitter pens (LOVE these pens), I used the green pen to draw in a sash at the waist and used a silver pen to outline the dress. Was just enough sparkle. I purchased a "Create a Sticker" tool and made the dress into a sticker to ensure it held the envelope securely in the mail. Adorable!!!!
Products used for this card:
White Card Stock
SVG file for layout of card/envelope
Green Textured Paper Stock
Lime Green Ink
Lime Green Organza Ribbon
Polka Dot Embossing Folder
Green Pearls/Gem Embellishments
Green Polka Dot Paper
Silver Glitter Pen
Green Glitter Pen
Friendship Card
Although I've thoroughly enjoyed my time away from Facebook since I disabled my account on New Year's Eve, I do miss my friends that were involved with posts of mine and visa-versa. One of those friends is a friend from high school that has had many challenges over the past year. I have tried to be a good friend and support her and her family but sometimes just an unexpected card in the mail can be just what is needed. Below is the card that I created and sent her last week.
The front of the card looks very similar to the Thinking of You card because I just loved the look. I cut out a light purple square that I used as the middle layer of the card. I placed it on top of the white card and then cut out a smaller white piece of card stock and embossed it. I used one of my favorite quotes that truly speaks to me as the sentiment on the front. The stamp included the two butterflies so I just used four different colored inks for the stamp...pink for "Butterfly" verbiage, black for the sentiment and green and purple for the two butterflies.
On the inside of the card I used two sentiment stamps in purple and green from the same friendship collection as well as a butterfly stamp using two different colors. Very simple but to the point....of course I never heard from her since mailing the card so maybe it was too simple. haha
Products used for this card:
5"x6.5" White Note Card and Envelope
Embossing Folder
Purple Card Stock
Caterpillar Sentiment Stamp (I purchased stamp at Hobby Lobby but no longer on site.)
Friendship Sentiment Stamps
Butterfly Stamp
Pink, Purple, Green and Blue Ink
The front of the card looks very similar to the Thinking of You card because I just loved the look. I cut out a light purple square that I used as the middle layer of the card. I placed it on top of the white card and then cut out a smaller white piece of card stock and embossed it. I used one of my favorite quotes that truly speaks to me as the sentiment on the front. The stamp included the two butterflies so I just used four different colored inks for the stamp...pink for "Butterfly" verbiage, black for the sentiment and green and purple for the two butterflies.
On the inside of the card I used two sentiment stamps in purple and green from the same friendship collection as well as a butterfly stamp using two different colors. Very simple but to the point....of course I never heard from her since mailing the card so maybe it was too simple. haha
Products used for this card:
5"x6.5" White Note Card and Envelope
Embossing Folder
Purple Card Stock
Caterpillar Sentiment Stamp (I purchased stamp at Hobby Lobby but no longer on site.)
Friendship Sentiment Stamps
Butterfly Stamp
Pink, Purple, Green and Blue Ink
Thinking of You Card
Unfortunately one of the strongest women I know has been going through hell over the past year as her rock, her husband, has been battling a very aggressive form of bladder cancer, which has invaded many other organs/parts of his body. Although I have kept up to date via their posts on his CaringBridge webpage, I try to send Rosemary an email and card from time to time so she knows they remain in my thoughts and prayers! Below is a card that I recently created and mailed to her.
To create the front of the card, I cut out a purple square that I used as the middle layer of the card. I placed it on top of the white card and then cut out a smaller white piece of card stock and embossed it. I then stamped, "thinking of you" in gold and used a butterfly stamp in three different colors.
I stamped an appropriate sentiment inside using embossing ink/powder in purple and then added an additional sentiment in blue ink. I kept the card very basic and did not want to overwhelm the card as it was a serious card.
I didn't include a picture of the envelope since I just used a regular white envelope from the notecard kit. I stamped the envelope with a "miracles" sentiment.
Products used for this card:
5"x6.5" White Note Card and Envelope
Butterfly Stamp
"Thinking of you" Stamp
Purple Card Stock0
Embossing Folder
Friendship Sentiment Stamp
"I have you in my heart" Stamp
Pink, Purple and Blue Ink
Gold Ink
Embossing Ink
Purple Embossing Powder
To create the front of the card, I cut out a purple square that I used as the middle layer of the card. I placed it on top of the white card and then cut out a smaller white piece of card stock and embossed it. I then stamped, "thinking of you" in gold and used a butterfly stamp in three different colors.
I stamped an appropriate sentiment inside using embossing ink/powder in purple and then added an additional sentiment in blue ink. I kept the card very basic and did not want to overwhelm the card as it was a serious card.
I didn't include a picture of the envelope since I just used a regular white envelope from the notecard kit. I stamped the envelope with a "miracles" sentiment.
Products used for this card:
5"x6.5" White Note Card and Envelope
Butterfly Stamp
"Thinking of you" Stamp
Purple Card Stock0
Embossing Folder
Friendship Sentiment Stamp
"I have you in my heart" Stamp
Pink, Purple and Blue Ink
Gold Ink
Embossing Ink
Purple Embossing Powder
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
It's a Boy Card - Sarah and Caleb
One of my (many) nieces (in-law) gave birth to her second son last weekend. He is a big boy at nearly 10 lbs. OUCHY!!! I had to rush to get her baby gifts in the mail that day so I quickly made this card. It is very similar to the It's a Girl card that I recently made/posted but changed the name and used different colors/paper and a few different designs/die cuts. I think it's adorable and I hope that Sarah and Caleb loved the card as well as all the cute clothes. It's a GOOD thing I never had my own children. I would be out of control with the amount of clothes and accessories that I would buy for them. So now I just play dress up on myself! ha
As you can see in the photo above, I added three buttons to the front of the card (that I did not include in the It's a Girl card). The buttons matched the three onesies that I added as well as the plaid paper behind the buttons. I printed out the "Welcome..." notice on my printer in blue and then used Stickles (blue) on the hearts as well as wrote, "M" on the blue onesie. I used "Sticky Doos" (adhesive foam squares) for the "Welcome" banner so that it was 3D and lifted away from the card.
I kept the inside of the card very simple (since I may have overdone the It's a Girl card). Simply cut out another onesie and stamped "little one" on it. I then used Stickles again to fill in the hearts.
Using the same plaid paper, I created a cute matching envelope and created a baby blue envelope insert for the flap.
Above is a picture of both the card and envelope together.
Products used for this card:
5"x6.5" White Note Card
Blue Plaid Paper (Hobby Lobby doesn't show loose paper on site)
Paper for Onesies
Blue Organza Ribbon
Buttons
Blue Stickles
Adhesive Foam for Banner
Little One Stamp
SVG Baby Elements Kit (Onesies)
SVG Envelope Kit
Blue Paper for Envelope Insert
As you can see in the photo above, I added three buttons to the front of the card (that I did not include in the It's a Girl card). The buttons matched the three onesies that I added as well as the plaid paper behind the buttons. I printed out the "Welcome..." notice on my printer in blue and then used Stickles (blue) on the hearts as well as wrote, "M" on the blue onesie. I used "Sticky Doos" (adhesive foam squares) for the "Welcome" banner so that it was 3D and lifted away from the card.
I kept the inside of the card very simple (since I may have overdone the It's a Girl card). Simply cut out another onesie and stamped "little one" on it. I then used Stickles again to fill in the hearts.
Using the same plaid paper, I created a cute matching envelope and created a baby blue envelope insert for the flap.
Above is a picture of both the card and envelope together.
Products used for this card:
5"x6.5" White Note Card
Blue Plaid Paper (Hobby Lobby doesn't show loose paper on site)
Paper for Onesies
Blue Organza Ribbon
Buttons
Blue Stickles
Adhesive Foam for Banner
Little One Stamp
SVG Baby Elements Kit (Onesies)
SVG Envelope Kit
Blue Paper for Envelope Insert
Friday, February 1, 2013
Get Well Soon Ms. Jewell Card
Back in December I traveled to my sister Pam's house near Knoxville to celebrate her husband's (Kirby) 50th birthday at their church for which Kirby is the minister. During the surprise party I was honored to meet one of the cutest little old ladies ever, Ms. Jewell. She introduced herself as a proud 80 year old woman and was full of spunk and tenacity. She was a pistol for sure. She was an absolute doll so when I sent out Christmas cards, I just had to send her one as well. She in turn sent one to me. Sadly I heard from Pam last week that Ms. Jewell was in critical condition after part of her bowel had exploded. Who knew that could even happen. Scary!! The doctors had only given her about a 2% chance of surviving the surgery. But she did...with flying colors!! The doctors then gave her about a 10% chance of making it out of ICU. But she did and is now doing better than anyone expected. Well, anyone who doesn't know her fighting spirit! Just spending an hour with her during Kirby's birthday party, I never doubted that she had what it took to fight the odds.
With that said, I had to make her a get well card and send it out as soon as possible. Below is the pictures and details about the card.
The picture above is of the front of the card. I used an ivory 5"x6.5" note card and a really cute paisley paper stock cut down to be just slightly smaller than the note card. On top of the paisley paper I placed a matching teal (looks more baby blue in the pictures) paper stock and cut it 1/2" smaller than the paisley paper. Using my Gazelle I cut a frame using hot pink paper stock to place on top of the teal paper. I stamped the teal paper with the sentiment, "Sending caring thoughts your way" with embossing ink and hot pink powder. I don't think the picture shows it well but it looks really nice embossed. I then placed a small teal flower at the top left hand corner of the teal paper and added a teal pearl at the lower right hand corner as well as three teal rhinestones (in different sizes) on each side of the pearl. Nothing too fancy! Just a sweet personalized card.
Using hot pink ink, I stamped another sentiment on the top center of the inside of the card, "You are in our thoughts and prayers." I didn't realize that it said "our" and not "my" until after I stamped the card but then figured that Ms. Jewell is in many people's thoughts and prayers, therefore "our" still worked. :) At the very bottom I stamped in lime green, "Believe in miracles." I wanted to leave plenty of room for me to write a personal note...which I did and took every centimeter of available space.
Being such a "card" as Ms. Jewell is, I thought adding, "Laughter is the best medicine" to the back of the card was a perfect sentiment.
On the back of the envelope I used the Miracle definition stamp on the flap using hot pink ink. I just thought it was a great first impression/read to a get well card for someone who has obviously had a miraculous recovery so far.
The above picture is the card and envelope together. Just a simple yet sweet get well card for someone who is anything but simple. I was able to make this card in about an hour (I was multi-tasking and designing on the fly) and send the card out same day. I hope Ms. Jewell loves the card and that she continues to improve each day. The world needs more feisty gals like Ms. Jewell.
Products used for this card:
5"x6.5" Ivory Note Card
Paisley Paper Stock
Teal Paper Stock
Hot Pink Paper Stock
Teal Flower Embellishment
Teal Pearl and Rhinestones
Sending Caring Thoughts Stamp
You are in Our Thoughts Stamp
Believe in Miracles Stamp
Laughter is Best Medicine Stamp
Miracle Description Stamp
Embossing Ink
Hot Pink Embossing Powder
Embossing Heat Gun
Rose Bud (Pink) Ink
Lime Green Ink
With that said, I had to make her a get well card and send it out as soon as possible. Below is the pictures and details about the card.
The picture above is of the front of the card. I used an ivory 5"x6.5" note card and a really cute paisley paper stock cut down to be just slightly smaller than the note card. On top of the paisley paper I placed a matching teal (looks more baby blue in the pictures) paper stock and cut it 1/2" smaller than the paisley paper. Using my Gazelle I cut a frame using hot pink paper stock to place on top of the teal paper. I stamped the teal paper with the sentiment, "Sending caring thoughts your way" with embossing ink and hot pink powder. I don't think the picture shows it well but it looks really nice embossed. I then placed a small teal flower at the top left hand corner of the teal paper and added a teal pearl at the lower right hand corner as well as three teal rhinestones (in different sizes) on each side of the pearl. Nothing too fancy! Just a sweet personalized card.
Using hot pink ink, I stamped another sentiment on the top center of the inside of the card, "You are in our thoughts and prayers." I didn't realize that it said "our" and not "my" until after I stamped the card but then figured that Ms. Jewell is in many people's thoughts and prayers, therefore "our" still worked. :) At the very bottom I stamped in lime green, "Believe in miracles." I wanted to leave plenty of room for me to write a personal note...which I did and took every centimeter of available space.
Being such a "card" as Ms. Jewell is, I thought adding, "Laughter is the best medicine" to the back of the card was a perfect sentiment.
On the back of the envelope I used the Miracle definition stamp on the flap using hot pink ink. I just thought it was a great first impression/read to a get well card for someone who has obviously had a miraculous recovery so far.
The above picture is the card and envelope together. Just a simple yet sweet get well card for someone who is anything but simple. I was able to make this card in about an hour (I was multi-tasking and designing on the fly) and send the card out same day. I hope Ms. Jewell loves the card and that she continues to improve each day. The world needs more feisty gals like Ms. Jewell.
Products used for this card:
5"x6.5" Ivory Note Card
Paisley Paper Stock
Teal Paper Stock
Hot Pink Paper Stock
Teal Flower Embellishment
Teal Pearl and Rhinestones
Sending Caring Thoughts Stamp
You are in Our Thoughts Stamp
Believe in Miracles Stamp
Laughter is Best Medicine Stamp
Miracle Description Stamp
Embossing Ink
Hot Pink Embossing Powder
Embossing Heat Gun
Rose Bud (Pink) Ink
Lime Green Ink
Monday, January 28, 2013
Thank You Card for My Sister
I have been blessed to be part of a very loving and close family. I am one of five daughters to great parents who are not only the best parents but fantastic role models. As I was working last week (I work from home full-time), I saw UPS pull up and was SO excited because I knew that my Gazelle was being delivered. But in addition to the Gazelle box was an even larger box. I wasn't sure what it was considering I am a bit obsessed with tracking shipments. Imagine my surprise when I opened the box that it was a beautiful "vintage dress form" that my sister, Pam, had purchased for my Diva Den. My Diva Den is a guest bedroom that I transformed last year into a room of JUST shoes, purses and jewelry. I will have to post a blog of my pictures of the room. Anyway, it was such an unexpected and thoughtful surprise and gift that I wanted to send Pam a personal thank you card. Just days before it arrived, I had purchased a dress form stamp so I knew my card would have to include the stamp.
Above is the front of the card. I used white note card 5"x6.5" and shiny pink paper (has a silver sheen to it) as the base. I just cut the paper 1/4" smaller all the way around so the white of the card would be as a frame. I wanted to emboss the card because she and I were recently discussing the new embossing tool (Big Shot) that I had purchased. I then used a slightly textured light grey paper to stamp the dress form and Thank You sentiment. I actually embossed both the dress form and sentiment using heat/powder embossing. The dress form is in silver while the Thank You is in purple. To pull the purple sentiment into the color scheme, I made a purple flower embellishment putting three separate sections together and used a purple brad to combine them and then used a glittered purple dot to hide the brad. It really looks as if the flower was a premade flower.
I wanted to keep the inside of the card very simple but with meaning so I could write a longer personal note. The sentiment is also heat/powder embossed in purple directly on the same shiny pink paper that I used on the front of the card. You can see the silver shiny part of the pink better in this picture because I did not emboss it. As on the front, I just cut the paper 1/4" smaller all the way around so the white of the card would be as a frame.
Since Pam purchased the dress form to go in my Diva Den, which stores my collection of heels, I just had to put this cute high heel on the back as my signature. I used my Gazelle to cut this out using the shiny pink paper as well as a metallic silver for the overlay. Adorable!!!
Now that I figured out how to create cute personalized envelopes, I just had to do so for this card. I used textured pink paper to make the envelope and made the liner out of the same metallic silver paper used for the high heel. Just too cute!!
Products used for this card:
5"x6.5" White Note Card
Shiny Pink Paper
Light Grey Paper
Textured Pink Paper
Metallic Silver Paper (Hobby Lobby doesn't show loose paper on site)
Silk Flower Parts
Purple Brad
Glittery Purple (this is a similar dot embellishment because purple wasn't online)
Dress Form Stamp
Thank You Stamp (this is a similar stamp as the one I used is old and no longer sold at Hobby Lobby)
Smallest Things Stamp
Embossing Folder
Purple Embossing Powder
Metallic Silver Embossing Powder
Embossing Ink
Embossing Heat Gun
High Heel SVG (Free)
Above is the front of the card. I used white note card 5"x6.5" and shiny pink paper (has a silver sheen to it) as the base. I just cut the paper 1/4" smaller all the way around so the white of the card would be as a frame. I wanted to emboss the card because she and I were recently discussing the new embossing tool (Big Shot) that I had purchased. I then used a slightly textured light grey paper to stamp the dress form and Thank You sentiment. I actually embossed both the dress form and sentiment using heat/powder embossing. The dress form is in silver while the Thank You is in purple. To pull the purple sentiment into the color scheme, I made a purple flower embellishment putting three separate sections together and used a purple brad to combine them and then used a glittered purple dot to hide the brad. It really looks as if the flower was a premade flower.
I wanted to keep the inside of the card very simple but with meaning so I could write a longer personal note. The sentiment is also heat/powder embossed in purple directly on the same shiny pink paper that I used on the front of the card. You can see the silver shiny part of the pink better in this picture because I did not emboss it. As on the front, I just cut the paper 1/4" smaller all the way around so the white of the card would be as a frame.
Since Pam purchased the dress form to go in my Diva Den, which stores my collection of heels, I just had to put this cute high heel on the back as my signature. I used my Gazelle to cut this out using the shiny pink paper as well as a metallic silver for the overlay. Adorable!!!
Now that I figured out how to create cute personalized envelopes, I just had to do so for this card. I used textured pink paper to make the envelope and made the liner out of the same metallic silver paper used for the high heel. Just too cute!!
Products used for this card:
5"x6.5" White Note Card
Shiny Pink Paper
Light Grey Paper
Textured Pink Paper
Metallic Silver Paper (Hobby Lobby doesn't show loose paper on site)
Silk Flower Parts
Purple Brad
Glittery Purple (this is a similar dot embellishment because purple wasn't online)
Dress Form Stamp
Thank You Stamp (this is a similar stamp as the one I used is old and no longer sold at Hobby Lobby)
Smallest Things Stamp
Embossing Folder
Purple Embossing Powder
Metallic Silver Embossing Powder
Embossing Ink
Embossing Heat Gun
High Heel SVG (Free)
Friday, January 25, 2013
It's a Girl Card
This post's card is for a baby shower. I found inspiration for this card on Two Peas in a Bucket. The one that I used as my guide used similar front of the card, with some distinctions. I didn't see the inside of the card on the site, so that is all on me. ha This card turned out pretty cute but I absolutely love the adorable matching envelope that I created for it.
The first photo is of the front of the card. I used a white 5"x6.5" note card and used a pink/green plaid 12"x12" paper and cut it down to size to be just slightly smaller than the actual card so the white of the card would be as a frame. I bought a SVG kit online that included the onesie design to use to cut the designs out via my Gazelle. I took three separate paper stock to make three onesies. I thought the colors/designs of the paper are bright and colorful that made me think of babies. I placed a green ribbon around the plaid paper before I glued the plaid onto the card so the ribbon isn't visible inside the card. I glued the onesies to the ribbon allowing the bottom of each to be loose. I added the white border welcoming the baby and added a heart on either side. I printed that on my color printer, using bright pink ink. Although you cannot tell from the photo, I added Glam Pink Stickles to the hearts. This just adds a little glitter/shine to the hearts. It looks really cute in person!
The above photo is of the inside of the card. The toy blocks were also part of the SVG kit that I purchased with the onesie design. I printed the letters of the baby's name in three different colors (pink, blue and yellow). I cut out a larger onesie and added it to the inside of the card. Like the hearts on the front, I used Glam Pink and Purple Stickles on the onsies (sorry you can't really tell in the picture....just take my word on it, it looks really cute! ha).
I thought this card turned out really cute and am grateful for the inspiration that I found on Two Peas in a Bucket by ILoveGEM. She has some really cute cards!!
Products used for this card:
5"x6.5" White Note Card
Pink Plaid Paper (Hobby Lobby doesn't show loose paper on site)
Paper for Onesies
Paper for Onesies
Pink, Yellow and Blue Paper for Blocks on Inside of Card
White Cardstock for Welcome Message
Green Ribbon
Pink and Purple Stickles
SVG Baby Elements Kit
SVG Envelope Kit
The first photo is of the front of the card. I used a white 5"x6.5" note card and used a pink/green plaid 12"x12" paper and cut it down to size to be just slightly smaller than the actual card so the white of the card would be as a frame. I bought a SVG kit online that included the onesie design to use to cut the designs out via my Gazelle. I took three separate paper stock to make three onesies. I thought the colors/designs of the paper are bright and colorful that made me think of babies. I placed a green ribbon around the plaid paper before I glued the plaid onto the card so the ribbon isn't visible inside the card. I glued the onesies to the ribbon allowing the bottom of each to be loose. I added the white border welcoming the baby and added a heart on either side. I printed that on my color printer, using bright pink ink. Although you cannot tell from the photo, I added Glam Pink Stickles to the hearts. This just adds a little glitter/shine to the hearts. It looks really cute in person!
The above photo is of the inside of the card. The toy blocks were also part of the SVG kit that I purchased with the onesie design. I printed the letters of the baby's name in three different colors (pink, blue and yellow). I cut out a larger onesie and added it to the inside of the card. Like the hearts on the front, I used Glam Pink and Purple Stickles on the onsies (sorry you can't really tell in the picture....just take my word on it, it looks really cute! ha).
So here it is! I made the envelope by purchasing a SVG template online. I wanted to use some really use envelopes templates that I purchased but unfortunately they are just too big to fit a 12x12 mat/Gazelle for a 5.5"x7" envelope. So thanks to Fun Time (Gazelle software) I was able to create my own liner and add the cute scalloped edge. I resized everything to make it fit perfectly for the card, tested it out a few times to get it exactly right and then printed the final version using the same paper that I had used on the front of the card. The liner is a shiny pink paper that I thought would go perfectly. I just love this card. It really just finished off the card.
I thought this card turned out really cute and am grateful for the inspiration that I found on Two Peas in a Bucket by ILoveGEM. She has some really cute cards!!
Products used for this card:
5"x6.5" White Note Card
Pink Plaid Paper (Hobby Lobby doesn't show loose paper on site)
Paper for Onesies
Paper for Onesies
Pink, Yellow and Blue Paper for Blocks on Inside of Card
White Cardstock for Welcome Message
Green Ribbon
Pink and Purple Stickles
SVG Baby Elements Kit
SVG Envelope Kit
Dad's Birthday Card
Well, I have been a busy bee making two cards in one day! I couldn't stop! My poor dog has felt very neglected this week considering I am spending too much time making cards and updating my blog when he is used to me spending hours with him on my lap...but I'm addicted to making cards now!! I'll admit that I do spend time scanning several blogs/sites trying to get inspiration for my cards since I'm so new. I just don't have the "eye" to go it alone just yet. I definitely don't copy something exactly and put my own spin on the cards/envelopes.
This post is specific to my second card ever made, my dad's birthday card. I am a true daddy's girl (although I'm also a momma's girl too! I'm lucky like that! ha) and although I can't be with him on his birthday (lives in a different state), I wanted to make a simple/masculine card for him. Now that I think about it, I did NOT use inspiration for this card from someone else. WOW....maybe I do have an eye for it and just don't give myself enough credit. YAY me! ha
Above is the front of the card. It's rather simple but masculine thanks to the color choices. I used Kraft card 5"x7" as it is more masculine than white or cream. I also placed an olive card stock on top of the card, just cutting it 1/4" smaller than the card. I admit that I didn't want to waste an entire 5"x7" piece of paper so I used my new handy dandy Gazelle (swoon) to cut a frame out basically the only paper used was what you can see (plus about 1/4"). The plaid paper on top of the olive paper was taken from one of my 4.5"x6.5" packets, so no trimming was needed. Although you cannot tell from this photo, the "World's Greatest Dad" is lifted (3D). I also created a frame, using my Gazelle, to place around the 3D phrase.
The above picture is of the inside of the card. I used the same plaid paper as the backdrop for the inside of the card. On top of the plaid, I placed the olive paper, also used on the front of the card, and stamped "Happy Birthday" in two colors to give it a more dimensional look. I used gold on the bottom and then stamped it with black on top of the gold. Underneath the birthday stamp, I placed a tie that I cut out with a blue patterned paper with my Gazelle. That is all it needed. Plain and simple.....masculine.
The back of the card just has a simple heart stamp in pink. It's for my daddy....gotta put some love into this card!!
The above picture is of the front of the envelope. Again, used the Kraft (think paper bag) envelope to match the card. I added three ties (a little smaller than the one on the inside of the card) to the lower left hand corner. Just gives it a little something special.
The above picture is the back of the envelope. I just thought it would be cute to keep with the tie theme and added a little tie (same size as those on the front of the envelope) on the tip of the flap. So when I seal the card, it will look as if it is a seal of sorts. I also added a stamped phrase, "Make a wish" in green. I love this envelope! It would make me smile to get something like this in the mail!
Above is the final product, front of the card and front of the envelope! Now I just need to write a sweet note and drop it in the mail tonight!!
Products used for this card:
5"x7" Kraft Note Card Value Pack
Textured Green Paper
Plaid Paper
World's Greatest Dad 3-D Embellishment
Happy Birthday Stamp
Make a Wish Stamp
Heart Line Stamp
Gold Ink
Black Ink
Pink Ink
Cardstock for Ties
This post is specific to my second card ever made, my dad's birthday card. I am a true daddy's girl (although I'm also a momma's girl too! I'm lucky like that! ha) and although I can't be with him on his birthday (lives in a different state), I wanted to make a simple/masculine card for him. Now that I think about it, I did NOT use inspiration for this card from someone else. WOW....maybe I do have an eye for it and just don't give myself enough credit. YAY me! ha
Above is the front of the card. It's rather simple but masculine thanks to the color choices. I used Kraft card 5"x7" as it is more masculine than white or cream. I also placed an olive card stock on top of the card, just cutting it 1/4" smaller than the card. I admit that I didn't want to waste an entire 5"x7" piece of paper so I used my new handy dandy Gazelle (swoon) to cut a frame out basically the only paper used was what you can see (plus about 1/4"). The plaid paper on top of the olive paper was taken from one of my 4.5"x6.5" packets, so no trimming was needed. Although you cannot tell from this photo, the "World's Greatest Dad" is lifted (3D). I also created a frame, using my Gazelle, to place around the 3D phrase.
The above picture is of the inside of the card. I used the same plaid paper as the backdrop for the inside of the card. On top of the plaid, I placed the olive paper, also used on the front of the card, and stamped "Happy Birthday" in two colors to give it a more dimensional look. I used gold on the bottom and then stamped it with black on top of the gold. Underneath the birthday stamp, I placed a tie that I cut out with a blue patterned paper with my Gazelle. That is all it needed. Plain and simple.....masculine.
The back of the card just has a simple heart stamp in pink. It's for my daddy....gotta put some love into this card!!
The above picture is of the front of the envelope. Again, used the Kraft (think paper bag) envelope to match the card. I added three ties (a little smaller than the one on the inside of the card) to the lower left hand corner. Just gives it a little something special.
The above picture is the back of the envelope. I just thought it would be cute to keep with the tie theme and added a little tie (same size as those on the front of the envelope) on the tip of the flap. So when I seal the card, it will look as if it is a seal of sorts. I also added a stamped phrase, "Make a wish" in green. I love this envelope! It would make me smile to get something like this in the mail!
Above is the final product, front of the card and front of the envelope! Now I just need to write a sweet note and drop it in the mail tonight!!
Products used for this card:
5"x7" Kraft Note Card Value Pack
Textured Green Paper
Plaid Paper
World's Greatest Dad 3-D Embellishment
Happy Birthday Stamp
Make a Wish Stamp
Heart Line Stamp
Gold Ink
Black Ink
Pink Ink
Cardstock for Ties
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Papercrafting - Start up Products
Back in November my sister mentioned die-cutting machines (she has two Cricuts) and the Top Ten Review site.....that got me on a kick to get back to crafting, something that I have always loved, although I admit I tend to be a collector of craft products more than anything for the past several years. After hours and hours of product research, I placed an order for the Boss Kut Gazelle. Although it was on backorder, I continued to do relentless hours of research for projects, products, etc. In preparation of receiving my baby Gazelle, I have literally spent a small fortune in buying everything I think that I would possibly need for many paper crafting projects. I thought that I would share some of the products, where I purchased them as well as suggested sites for great deals!
First, let me just admit that I should own stock in Hobby Lobby for the amount of money that I spend there annually. I literally am at one of their retail stores multiple times a week and they all know me. It's a little sad, really! ha If you find something that you love at Hobby Lobby and it's not on sale, either use the 40% off one item coupon (available from their website as well as via their app) or just wait a week and it will likely be on sale for 30-50% off! "Hi, my name is StefiKaye and I'm a Hobby Lobby-aholic!" haha Gotta love Hobby Lobby!
Please note that I research online for hours EVERY item that I purchase to ensure that I get the best deal possible. I was surprised that Amazon is not always the cheapest place to buy things. I found a great site, Stuff4Scrapbooking that actually beat Amazon (7 out of 10 items). I definitely recommend their site. Not only do they have great deals/prices, but they offer free shipping at a certain amount and if you sign up for their free membership, you receive reward points for each item purchased, people signing up by your invitation, reviewing products, etc. The reward points are then used as cash for future purchases. How great is THAT? Unfortunately the only way to invite friends/family to join the site is via an email on their site that you have little control over. Many people will either receive the email in their spam account and/or assume it is spam/junk mail as it is not coming from your address but the Stuff4 site and never open the email. I tried emailing the invite to another of my email accounts but it is individualized and forwarding to your friends will not work. I reached out to their customer support team and they informed me that they do not offer a direct link that you can send to people, post on your blog, etc...so sadly there is no real way to invite people to join except via the email option on their site.
Below is a list of "paper crafting essentials" that I've recently purchased. Due to the mass amount of products that I've purchased, I will not list all my actual embellishments, inks, stamps, paper, etc...as I will list each item used for every project that I post. The list below is just of the essential tools that I purchased that I will use with each project.
12" Paper trimmer
Clear Stamp Block (to place cling stamps on)
Craft Sheet (to keep your desk clean from inks, glitter, etc.)
Scotch Tape Glider
Big Shot Embosser
Paper Creaser (Bone)
Micro Serrated Scissors
Self-Healing Cutting Mat
Copic Markers
Embossing Heating Tool
Rotary Cutter
Gazelle Digital Die-Cutting Machine (Don't let the site fool you! This is a great machine and has better ratings than all other machines other than the Black Cat, which costs nearly $800! You can check out the reviews: Top Ten Reviews)
First, let me just admit that I should own stock in Hobby Lobby for the amount of money that I spend there annually. I literally am at one of their retail stores multiple times a week and they all know me. It's a little sad, really! ha If you find something that you love at Hobby Lobby and it's not on sale, either use the 40% off one item coupon (available from their website as well as via their app) or just wait a week and it will likely be on sale for 30-50% off! "Hi, my name is StefiKaye and I'm a Hobby Lobby-aholic!" haha Gotta love Hobby Lobby!
Please note that I research online for hours EVERY item that I purchase to ensure that I get the best deal possible. I was surprised that Amazon is not always the cheapest place to buy things. I found a great site, Stuff4Scrapbooking that actually beat Amazon (7 out of 10 items). I definitely recommend their site. Not only do they have great deals/prices, but they offer free shipping at a certain amount and if you sign up for their free membership, you receive reward points for each item purchased, people signing up by your invitation, reviewing products, etc. The reward points are then used as cash for future purchases. How great is THAT? Unfortunately the only way to invite friends/family to join the site is via an email on their site that you have little control over. Many people will either receive the email in their spam account and/or assume it is spam/junk mail as it is not coming from your address but the Stuff4 site and never open the email. I tried emailing the invite to another of my email accounts but it is individualized and forwarding to your friends will not work. I reached out to their customer support team and they informed me that they do not offer a direct link that you can send to people, post on your blog, etc...so sadly there is no real way to invite people to join except via the email option on their site.
Below is a list of "paper crafting essentials" that I've recently purchased. Due to the mass amount of products that I've purchased, I will not list all my actual embellishments, inks, stamps, paper, etc...as I will list each item used for every project that I post. The list below is just of the essential tools that I purchased that I will use with each project.
12" Paper trimmer
Clear Stamp Block (to place cling stamps on)
Craft Sheet (to keep your desk clean from inks, glitter, etc.)
Scotch Tape Glider
Big Shot Embosser
Paper Creaser (Bone)
Micro Serrated Scissors
Self-Healing Cutting Mat
Copic Markers
Embossing Heating Tool
Rotary Cutter
Gazelle Digital Die-Cutting Machine (Don't let the site fool you! This is a great machine and has better ratings than all other machines other than the Black Cat, which costs nearly $800! You can check out the reviews: Top Ten Reviews)
My first card!
YAY!! So although I had not received my much anticipated Gazelle (die-cutting machine) yet, a friend of mine's father passed away over the weekend so in addition to attending the visitation, I wanted to send a card. I was afraid that I wouldn't know where to start or how to make it look as good as I expect of myself....but I went forward anyway. I will include pictures and a list of the products that I used and even link to the site/store from where I purchased each product. The pictures were taken on my iPhone so they aren't the best quality and the card looks better in person, but I wanted to share it with you as I'm so proud of myself for pulling it off!!
Above is the front of the card. I used brown "Kraft" card and envelope purchased at Hobby Lobby.
The paper used on the front of the card is a beautiful floral from Paper Studio "Linen Door." I also used two buttons and self-adhesive gems (two gems and two pearls). I cut yellow paper into an oval and stamped "With Sympathy" using a brown ink pad. I also used the brown ink to distress the entire card edges (inside and out) as well as the floral and yellow paper edges. This really made a difference from a "colder" card to a "warmer" card (if that makes sense). I used a punch to round the edges of all four sides of the card as well as the floral cardstock.
The back of the card is also stamped with my initial. I used Martha Stewart's Custom Stamp Setting Kit but I hope to get a more personalized stamp, either with my name or with a sweet sentiment that fits me. But for now, this works. I used the brown ink around the edges of the back as I did the rest of the card.
Above is the back of the Kraft Note Card envelope. I used the brown ink pad around all edges including the flap. Because this card was a sympathy card for a friend, I wanted to stamp a simple, "Thinking of you" on the back of the envelope. This stamp was just too big to place on the front as it would look too busy and crowded.
Above are two pictures of the finished product, both the card and envelope.
Products used for this card:
5"x7" Kraft Note Card Value Pack
Floral Paper
Yellow Paper
With Sympathy Stamp
Buttons
Self-Adhesive Gemstones/Pearls
Brown Ink Pad
Green Ink Pad
Orange Ink Pad
Martha Stewart Custom Stamp Setting Kit
Thinking of You Stamp
Above is the front of the card. I used brown "Kraft" card and envelope purchased at Hobby Lobby.
The paper used on the front of the card is a beautiful floral from Paper Studio "Linen Door." I also used two buttons and self-adhesive gems (two gems and two pearls). I cut yellow paper into an oval and stamped "With Sympathy" using a brown ink pad. I also used the brown ink to distress the entire card edges (inside and out) as well as the floral and yellow paper edges. This really made a difference from a "colder" card to a "warmer" card (if that makes sense). I used a punch to round the edges of all four sides of the card as well as the floral cardstock.
Above is a photo of the inside of the card. Again, the photo isn't great as I used my iPhone to take the picture and my new computer doesn't have photo enhancement software on it yet. I used the same yellow paper that I utilized on the front for the inside. I also rounded and used the brown ink on the edges as I did on the front of the card. I stamped the inside with "Thinking of you during this difficult time" and a lily from the same pack as the "With Sympathy". I used the brown ink for the sentiment and used both green and orange for the flower.
Above is the back of the Kraft Note Card envelope. I used the brown ink pad around all edges including the flap. Because this card was a sympathy card for a friend, I wanted to stamp a simple, "Thinking of you" on the back of the envelope. This stamp was just too big to place on the front as it would look too busy and crowded.
Products used for this card:
5"x7" Kraft Note Card Value Pack
Floral Paper
Yellow Paper
With Sympathy Stamp
Buttons
Self-Adhesive Gemstones/Pearls
Brown Ink Pad
Green Ink Pad
Orange Ink Pad
Martha Stewart Custom Stamp Setting Kit
Thinking of You Stamp
Saturday, January 19, 2013
The Beginning!
Hi everyone! My name is Stephanie but I went by my middle name, Kaye, until I was 27 when I met my (now) ex husband who preferred Stephanie. As time went on, more and more people knew me as Stephanie and those who knew me as Kaye were old friends and family. Thanks to the Internet, it often confused people when they knew me as Kaye and someone called me Stephanie and vise versa, so I inevitably started referring to myself as StefiKaye as a way to combine the two.
I'm starting this blog as a way to showcase some of my thoughts, inspirations, "pay it forward" ideas, great products I want to share with the world and crafts that I either create or adore. Over time the site may evolve into more but I thought this was a great place to start. I admit that I was once a Facebook addict and would spend entirely too much time on the site for no apparent reason. I "temporarily" disabled my Facebook account at Midnight on New Year's Eve as a way to break away and get more involved in more productive things and get back to things I love, like my crafts......
I seem to be more of a collector of craft products than anything these days but I am going to put a stop to that and actually utilize the products. What a concept, I know! In the past I have cross stitched (since I was about 12...which wasn't just yesterday! ha) and made jewelry more than anything but I have an obsession with collecting gift wrapping products. My latest obsession, that I haven't even started yet, is paper crafting/card making. As a single gal without children of my own, I tend to buy myself a few nice Christmas gifts. Who am I kidding, I buy myself a few nice gifts year round but in December I'm able to justify them as Christmas gifts!
Back in November one of my four sisters, Pam, mentioned die-cutting machines as she has a couple of Cricuts. She showed me a review website ranking the top 10. That's all it took. I was determined to research each of the top 10 and decide which would be my prize. It didn't take long for me to realize that the Boss Kut Gazelle (#2 of 10) was the chosen one, however their website did not help influence that decision as it seems rather unprofessional so I feared it was not going to be a company with a solid foundation and support as other more professional sites offered. Boy was I wrong. They provide great tech support (Terri rocks!) as well as an online forum (one for visitors and a separate forum for registered owners). They provide many video and written tutorials and have great software that is included with the Gazelle. So don't let the website fool you!! It's a top-notch company.
If you are in the market for a digital die-cutting machine, you must check them out:
BossKut
The Top Ten Review that I mentioned is located:
Top Ten Reviews
Although the Gazelle was on backorder, I put down $30 as a deposit and got in line with eager anticipation. That got the ball rolling. I spent hours and hours and hours watching tutorials and craft projects and card making YouTube videos. I got inspired by so many great blogs and sites showcasing individual projects that while waiting for my Gazelle, I managed to spend several hundred dollars in purchasing even more products to use for my paper craft projects (i.e., embossing machine (although the Gazelle does emboss, as well as engrave), card stock, rubber stamps, tons of inks, alcohol markers (I really wanted to buy the Copic markers but could not justify the cost (they run $5-7 each) so I compromised and bought a set of Prismcolor markers, which was still over $100 for 48), cutting mats, emboss heating tool, sets of good scissors, embellishments, ribbon, twine, and the list goes on and on). I also bought several storage boxes/compartments and reorganized my office space to have room for all my new goodies. I'll admit that my office still looks like a bomb went off in there as I now need to find places to put all the stuff I moved around. But at least I've got a space cleared for the Gazelle and my new All-in-One computer that I also gifted myself for Christmas.
Soooooo I received a notice that my Gazelle finally shipped this week and it is set for delivery on Tuesday! YAY!!! I am ecstatic but had hoped to get it over the weekend since I have Monday off for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Would have been nice to have uninterrupted time to register, take some owner tutorials and learn a bit about the software so I could get this party started and get to crafting!! Patience is not my virtue at times.
I hope that at some point I will be good enough that I will buy a little video camera and even video some of my projects so I can post online to inspire others to get to crafting as well. Until then, I will just post various pictures of the project (possibly in different stages) with detailed instructions and list the products used.
I will also note on this blog various products that I use (not just crafts) or sites that I come across that I just love enough to share with the world. I am a very enthusiastic person when I come across "the best thing ever" and I want to make sure that I spread the word. I'm also a strong supporter of paying it forward and random acts of kindness. They can literally take no time and no cost but can change the life of someone or at the very least make someone's day. When someone doesn't have a smile, give them one of yours!!
Until next time! Thanks for your support and please check back to see what projects I come up with and must haves that I recommend.
Now go out and be FABULOUS!!!
Bubye!
StefiKaye
I'm starting this blog as a way to showcase some of my thoughts, inspirations, "pay it forward" ideas, great products I want to share with the world and crafts that I either create or adore. Over time the site may evolve into more but I thought this was a great place to start. I admit that I was once a Facebook addict and would spend entirely too much time on the site for no apparent reason. I "temporarily" disabled my Facebook account at Midnight on New Year's Eve as a way to break away and get more involved in more productive things and get back to things I love, like my crafts......
I seem to be more of a collector of craft products than anything these days but I am going to put a stop to that and actually utilize the products. What a concept, I know! In the past I have cross stitched (since I was about 12...which wasn't just yesterday! ha) and made jewelry more than anything but I have an obsession with collecting gift wrapping products. My latest obsession, that I haven't even started yet, is paper crafting/card making. As a single gal without children of my own, I tend to buy myself a few nice Christmas gifts. Who am I kidding, I buy myself a few nice gifts year round but in December I'm able to justify them as Christmas gifts!
Back in November one of my four sisters, Pam, mentioned die-cutting machines as she has a couple of Cricuts. She showed me a review website ranking the top 10. That's all it took. I was determined to research each of the top 10 and decide which would be my prize. It didn't take long for me to realize that the Boss Kut Gazelle (#2 of 10) was the chosen one, however their website did not help influence that decision as it seems rather unprofessional so I feared it was not going to be a company with a solid foundation and support as other more professional sites offered. Boy was I wrong. They provide great tech support (Terri rocks!) as well as an online forum (one for visitors and a separate forum for registered owners). They provide many video and written tutorials and have great software that is included with the Gazelle. So don't let the website fool you!! It's a top-notch company.
If you are in the market for a digital die-cutting machine, you must check them out:
BossKut
The Top Ten Review that I mentioned is located:
Top Ten Reviews
Although the Gazelle was on backorder, I put down $30 as a deposit and got in line with eager anticipation. That got the ball rolling. I spent hours and hours and hours watching tutorials and craft projects and card making YouTube videos. I got inspired by so many great blogs and sites showcasing individual projects that while waiting for my Gazelle, I managed to spend several hundred dollars in purchasing even more products to use for my paper craft projects (i.e., embossing machine (although the Gazelle does emboss, as well as engrave), card stock, rubber stamps, tons of inks, alcohol markers (I really wanted to buy the Copic markers but could not justify the cost (they run $5-7 each) so I compromised and bought a set of Prismcolor markers, which was still over $100 for 48), cutting mats, emboss heating tool, sets of good scissors, embellishments, ribbon, twine, and the list goes on and on). I also bought several storage boxes/compartments and reorganized my office space to have room for all my new goodies. I'll admit that my office still looks like a bomb went off in there as I now need to find places to put all the stuff I moved around. But at least I've got a space cleared for the Gazelle and my new All-in-One computer that I also gifted myself for Christmas.
Soooooo I received a notice that my Gazelle finally shipped this week and it is set for delivery on Tuesday! YAY!!! I am ecstatic but had hoped to get it over the weekend since I have Monday off for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Would have been nice to have uninterrupted time to register, take some owner tutorials and learn a bit about the software so I could get this party started and get to crafting!! Patience is not my virtue at times.
I hope that at some point I will be good enough that I will buy a little video camera and even video some of my projects so I can post online to inspire others to get to crafting as well. Until then, I will just post various pictures of the project (possibly in different stages) with detailed instructions and list the products used.
I will also note on this blog various products that I use (not just crafts) or sites that I come across that I just love enough to share with the world. I am a very enthusiastic person when I come across "the best thing ever" and I want to make sure that I spread the word. I'm also a strong supporter of paying it forward and random acts of kindness. They can literally take no time and no cost but can change the life of someone or at the very least make someone's day. When someone doesn't have a smile, give them one of yours!!
Until next time! Thanks for your support and please check back to see what projects I come up with and must haves that I recommend.
Now go out and be FABULOUS!!!
Bubye!
StefiKaye
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