Oh no...Did I ruin my card layer?

 Ok so have you finished a project or made it close to the finish line and then had an oopsy? Isn't that every crafters' nightmare? Well, today I had an oopsy and decided to share it with you and how I fixed it. It isn't something we talk about very often. It's embarrassing! But if you do this, you're not alone. 

So here's my finished card. I love it. It's gorgeous. The snowman is a digital stamp image I received in a class with Alyce Keegan over at Kit and Clowder. I've been coloring it over and over and enjoying my "me" time. The trees in the background are from Stampin' Up!'s Peaceful Evergreens stamp set. 

So what went wrong you ask. Let me tell you. I just about cried. Have you been there before? 

So I was coloring along and I'm using alcohol markers and colored pencils. I had an area on my robin that bled. I grabbed my Stampin' Blend color lifter and went to touch up the area. Well, I accidentally touched the pencil and it picked up the color. When I went to touch up my marker again, it left a big orange line in between my snowman and robin. Oops! and Ugh! 

I tried to use the color lifter- 😞nope didn't work. I tried to erase it- 😞nope didn't work. I tried to color over it with white pencil- 😞nope didn't work. I don't have a sand eraser (that's now on my list!!) as I'm sure that would've fixed it. 

So then I had the bright idea to try a chalk marker- yep a big NOPE 😞- it pulled a layer off my paper and started to make a hole. I tried a copic light gray and quickly realized it was only going to highlight the area, so I used my color lifter to dilute the color and push it through my paper. I also though that the marker might make a great background and I added some dots with white gel pen. Yep- that was a nope too. 

At this point I texted my crafting buddies and was about to cry. I don't love fussy cutting and that was the only way I could save it. My friends encouraged me and so this layered card was born. Mistakes and mishaps are going to occur. Don't-Give-Up!! Check out my original below with some close-ups of my attempts to fix my mishap.

Ok so what else to do but cut around it and make a layered scene. There was no way I was trashing it! I worked hard on this layer. 

I used Stampin' Up!'s Perennial Postage dies and die cut my snowman. Then I used scissors to cut around the top of my images. Next, I die cut Basic White the same size. I stamped this beautiful tree image from Stampin' Up!'s Peaceful Evergreens in Lost Lagoon. Then I added some colored pencil line details on top,  colored the background with a C0 copic marker and added some snow with a white gel pen. It worked out perfectly. 😁

Don't forget to decorate the inside of your card too. This card is extra special. So I made the inside to match with a beautiful tree, a little bit of cool gray background and snow with a white gel pen. Just make sure you let your dots from the white gel pen dry before adhering in your card. (Ask me how I know! haha)

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my blog. I hope I've given you a little hope that we all make mistakes and your projects might be salvageable. Don't give up. Walk away, text. your crafting friends and then revisit your project. I'm cheering for you! 

Check out Alyce's classes at Kit and Clowder. 

The Peaceful Evergreens stamp set is currently in the Last Chance products in my online store. If you have any questions, please reach out. You can also find the Perennial Postage dies and other products used on this card there too. 

Take care and happy stampin' 

~ Beth

One Sheet Wonder with 6" x 12" patterned paper

 Do you have designer series paper (patterned paper) just sitting on your shelf? It's time to get it out and use it to make a set of cards! 

One sheet wonders are a great way to chop up your designer series paper (dsp) and make sets of cards. After all, we buy beautiful paper to use it. This template uses a piece of 6" x 12" piece of dsp. Pair your dsp layers with coordinating colored cardstock or Basic White cardstock.  This set of cards was made with a piece of Reindeer Days dsp. I used Basic White, Granny Apple Green, Pool Party and Real Red cardstock for bases. The layers for the dsp are Two-Toned cardstock in Garden Green, Granny Apple Green, Pool Party and Real Red. The two-toned cardstock is a new addition to Stampin' Up! cardstock line. The greetings are from Framed & Festive (retired) and the October 2020 paper pumpkin.  They're stamped in Pecan Pie, Real Red, Basic Gray and Garden Green classic inks. 

Measurements:

1. Cut 12” side at 4”, 2”, 2 ½”. You’ll have 4 pieces- 4” x 6”, 2” x 6”, 2 ½” x 6” and 3 ½” x 6”

2. Cut 4” x 6” piece in half. You’ll have 2 pieces- 4” x 3”  

3. Mat layer (optional): 4 ¼” x 3 ¼”

4. Cut 2” x 6” piece at 1”. You’ll have 2 pieces- 2” x 1” and 2” x 5”

5. Mat layer (optional): 2 ¼” x 5 ¼”

6. Cut 2 ½” x 6” piece at 1”. You’ll have 2 pieces- 2 ½” x 1” and 2 ½” x 5”

7. Mat layer (optional): 2 ¾” x 5 ¼”

8. Cut 3 ½” x 6” piece in half. You’ll have 2 pieces- 3 ½” x 3”

9. Mat layer (optional): 3 ¾” x 3 ¼”

10. Cut card bases 5 ½” x 8 ½” folded in half. I used a notecard ( 3 1/2" x 5") for my small strips/banner.

You can keep it simple with a few layers and a greeting or layer it up with die cuts and images. On the video I showed some variations to the measurements and adding in a few more layers to use up scraps. 

Here's another set I made with the measurements above.  You can grab a printable pdf here.

I love keeping it simple with just a few layers. We gather quite a few Basic White cardstock strips if you're cutting card layers, so use those up for the greeting. You can use any greetings you have. This set of cards was made with the Nests of Winter dsp. It works great for holiday cards or winter themed birthday, thank you, encouragement and thinking of you. 

Need some designer series paper? Browse my online store.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my one sheet wonder. I hope you're inspired to give it a try. 

~ Beth 

Small loaded envelope to hold a gift card and small treats

 I love giving gift cards and small treats. This loaded envelope is perfect. It was inspired by the Loaded Envelope by Bree Renwick (Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team member). 

You can use cardstock, two-toned paper or designer series paper (patterned) for your envelope. Then after folding to create your envelope you can decorate the front pocket any way you like. Keep it simple or layer it up with die cuts and add in ribbon and embellishments. This size could be mailed but would require extra postage. I'll be hand delivering mine. On this envelope, I used Pool Party two-toned cardstock, Basic White cardstock, Neutrals family designer series paper (Blackberry Bliss), Peaceful Evergreens and coordinating dies and Framed & Festive stamp set (retired). The trees are stamped in Pool Party classic ink. The greetings/phrases are stamped in Blackberry Bliss classic ink. 

Measurements/Instructions:

1. Envelope: Paper is 8 1/2" x 8 1/2". Score at 2 1/4" and 6 1/4" on one side. Turn 90 degrees and score at 2 3/4" on the other side. Fold and crease score lines.
2. Fold in the 2 1/4" and 6 1/4" score lines. Fold down the top corner to the outer edge to create a "collar". I added in some patterned paper so that it shows when I fold down the "collar". Cut patterned paper 2 1/4" x 2". Adhere to the back side of the flap on each end before you fold down the corner to create the collar. 
3. Add strong adhesive (tear & tape, snail plus) along one side (on the inside of the layer) from the collar score line down to the bottom on the outer edge. You can do either side. Then fold side with adhesive on top of the other flap. This seals your front together. I liked the collar adhered down so I added a little adhesive near the corner to tack it down. 
4. Add strong adhesive to the bottom below the score line along all three outer edges. I did the length of both sides and then a smaller piece along the top.  I used tear & tape adhesive. 
5. Patterned paper layer for front pocket 3 3/4" x 2 1/2". Adhere to front pocket and decorate with die cuts or images. Add ribbon on this layer if desired. 
6. Note card for front pocket 3 3/4" x 3 1/4"
7. Note card for back pocket 3 3/4" x 5". Stamp greeting or images as desired. 

Watch the video tutorial:

Here's a few others I've made so far. You can really have fun with different color combos, your favorite stamps and greetings. This would be great for other holidays too- birthdays, weddings, graduation- any holiday you give small gifts or gift cards. I used Pool Party two-toned cardstock and color family designer series paper (neutrals and regals) on these as well. For the one on the left, I used the retired Warm Hugs stamp set and Deckled Circles dies. For the one on the right, I used Yuletide Village stamp set, a retired paper pumpkin stamp, Deckled Rectangles dies, Stylish Shapes dies (in my online store), and some retired shimmery ribbon. 

You can use whatever papers, stamps and dies/punches you have on hand. What's in your stash that you need to use?

Thanks for stopping by! Give this cute treat holder or gift card holder a try. 

Shop Stampin' Up!® products in my online store. 

Happy Stampin'

~ Beth 

Milk Carton Treat Box for Christmas

 Do you like to give treats for the holidays?

This milk carton treat box is a cute option.

I love giving treats and this milk carton treat box is super cute. You can decorate it up for all kinds of holidays too. For Christmas, they can be filled with candies or small lotions and other small items. You can also tuck in a gift card. 

Download the Milk Carton Treat Box tutorial with all the measurements. 

Here's some other boxes I made. I love making them for all the different people I give small gifts to. 

You can keep it really simple and let the designer series paper (patterned paper) be the focal point or you can layer it up with images and die cuts. Have fun with it. Get out all your favorite papers and stamps and create some beautiful treat boxes. 

Here are some milk carton treat boxes I've made in the past for Halloween and Christmas. I hope this inspires you to give it a try.

Details:

1. Pick a good cardstock for your box/carton. I used Stampin' Up! cardstock. Base is 8 1/2" x 10 1/2". You can adjust this size to your need.
2. Score 10 ½” side at 3”, 5”, 8”, & 10”
3. Score 8 ½” side at ½”, 2” & 6 ½”. ½” & 2” score lines become the top milk carton. 6 ½” score line becomes the bottom.
4. Layer for front (2 options): 1: 5 ¾” x 2 ¾”- covers the top part of the box. 2: 4 ¼” x 2 ¾”- fits below the score line that makes the milk carton top.
5. Side Layers: 4 ¼” x 1 ¾” (2)
6. Back layer: 4 ¼” x 2 ¾” (optional to make it same as front)
7. See Video for cutting instructions or diagram on the downloadable pdf above.
8. Add strong adhesive to the shaded flaps.
9. Adhere layers before building treat box.
10. Adhere bottom last. Fold back flap in. Then fold side flaps in. Last fold front flap.
11. Punch holds for ribbon (optional). Fill with treats and tie ribbon around top. 

**Covering the sides and back are optional.  

Add in layers and die cuts to decorate the front of your box any way you like or keep it simple and let the designer series paper (patterns) do all the work. 

front

side

side

back

Check the video for my Milk Carton Treat Box

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my milk carton treat box. I hope you love all the ideas and give this a try. 

Happy stampin'

~ Beth

Christmas "postage stamp" card #2

 Are you inspired by beautiful postage stamps? I love getting the pretty stamps all year long but winter stamps seem to be my favorite. There's just something about glistening snow. Beautiful winter and holiday stamps have inspired this technique of creating a layer that looks like a postage stamp. It's simple really. All I did was alter my postage die cut with a pencil, ruler and a marker. The Perennial Postage dies have several sizes. My favorite sizes are the largest and second largest. 

To create this look, you trace a line about 1/4" from the edge of the die cut. I like to use my grid paper and a ruler to help make my lines straight. I use pencil first to draw in the lines. Once I have my pencil lines drawn, I stamp inside the border.  When you're done stamping, you use your ruler again and a marker to trace the lines, stopping where they intersect. This creates a dark border around the stamped images.

*Note: If you're images go beyond the pencil marks, use a post-it note or masking paper to protect the edge of your die cut. You don't want to stamp outside the pencil marks. 

You can create a scene like I did on this card or you can stamp whatever Christmas, holiday or winter images you want. I used some of my retired favorites- Spirited Snowmen and Coming Home. The greeting is from an older paper pumpkin stamp set- November 2015. So grab your favorite winter stamps and enjoy the creative process. Mix and Match sets to create beautiful layers for your "postage stamps". 

My snowman and trees are stamped in Basic Gray classic ink. I colored my images, snow drifts, and frozen pond with Stampin' Blends markers. You can pick any color combo. I used a classic Christmas combo of Cherry Cobbler, Real Red, Old Olive and Mossy Meadow. Then I added in a few other colors to help complete my scene. For the snow and shadows I used Gray Granite. I found I liked this gray the best for my snow. I used light Balmy Blue for my frozen pond and as a little pop of color for my snow. I used the color lifter to soften edges and help smooth out areas. The color lifter moves the ink around and pushes it through your paper. Once I was done coloring, I stamped the greeting in Smoky Slate classic ink. 

For this card, I decided to get a bit creative and only make my lines about an inch long from each corner. Then I added in dots. I used a ruler to get them even.  To trace over the pencil marks, I recommend a Stampin' Write marker. These are the same formula as the classic inks and work well with Stampin' Blends markers. After I finished and let it sit for just a few minutes to make sure my marks were dry, I used an eraser to remove any leftover pencil marks. 

Up-close of the lines drawn in to create a border around my winter scene.

After I finished coloring and drawing in my lines, I added some white dots. I used an Artistro white paint marker pen. You can also use a white colored pencil, watercolor pencil or gel pen. The paint pen needs a little time to dry. Once it's dry, adhere it to your card base. My layer is adhered to a Real Red card base. I just love this festive color combo. You can stamp a little tree or add some fun patterned paper on the inside to finish off your card. 

I've really enjoyed creating many cards with this technique. It's simple but it gives my die cut definition and helps step-up a one layer card.  The possibilities are endless. 

Measurements:

• Card base: 5 1/2" x 8 1/2". Score long side at 4 1/4"
• Perennial Postage die cut: largest die (scene stamped in landscape)
• Inside Basic White layer: 5 1/4" x 4"

Stampin' Blends used:

1. Cherry Cobbler
2. Real Red
3. Old Olive
4. Mossy Meadow
5. Gray Granite
6. light Balmy Blue
7. Natural Tones 900 (cheeks and nose)
8. Color lifter

Here's another card I did with this technique. Check out the video to see how I added the decorative lines and dots border to my layer. 

Do you want to see how to do the whole card start to finish? Check out this blog post with video. 

If you need any Stampin' Up! products or would like to browse, head over to my online store.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my card. I love the postage stamp look. I hope you'll give it a try. 

~ Beth 

Christmas "postage stamp" card

 Are you inspired by beautiful postage stamps? I love getting the pretty stamps all year long but winter stamps seem to be my favorite. There's just something about glistening snow. Beautiful winter and holiday stamps have inspired this technique of creating a layer that looks like a postage stamp. It's simple really. All I did was alter my postage die cut with a pencil, ruler and a marker. The Perennial Postage dies have several sizes. My favorite sizes are the largest and second largest. 

After drawing in my guide lines, I stamp my images or scene inside the lines. For this postage stamp card, I used Spirited Snowman and Coming Home stamp sets. They are retired but still part of my stash and used often for winter scenes. My images are stamped in Basic Gray classic ink. Then colored with Stampin' Blends markers. The snow drifts and pond edges are drawn in with a dark Gray Granite stampin' blend marker. After doing several snowman cards, I really liked the look of Gray Granite for the snow. I went over top of the dark Gray Granite with the light Gray Granite stampin' blend marker. To smooth the edges of my scene lines, I went over them with the color lifter. This helps smooth the edges as well as lighten the color by pushing some of it through your paper. The frozen pond is colored with a light Balmy Blue stampin' blend marker and the color lifter over the edges to smooth out the lines. I used Cherry Cobbler, Real Red, Old Olive, Mossy Meadow, light Gray Granite, light Balmy Blue and the Natural Tones 900 stampin blends markers to color in my snowman and trees. I go over how I colored my snowman and used the color lifter to lighten the gray color in my YouTube tutorial video. After I was done coloring my scene, I used a white paint marker pen to add in various sized white dots. I love the feel it gives the snowy scene and it makes the snowman appear to sparkle. I learned this technique for Alyce over at Kit and Clowder. Check out her coloring videos. 

After I'm all done stamping and coloring my layer. I use my ruler again and trace over my pencil lines with a Stampin' Write marker. I use Basic Black or Basic Gray, however, you could use any color you want. If you don't have fine tip markers, you could use a dark colored pencil. I have used a sharpie marker too but be careful if you do your lines before stamping and coloring. The sharpie may react with Stampin' Blends markers. 

All my snowman/snowgal cards turned out a little different. I've really been enjoying making a variety of these cards. 

You can use whatever stamps you have on hand. Another option for the border (if you are worried about drawing in those dark lines) is stamping in a line. I found a few "lines" in some of my sets like Light the Sky. Photopolymer stamps can be manipulated a little bit and I was able to straighten out a slightly curved line stamp to use it for my stamped border. You can also change up the color and add even more fun to your layer. I really like keeping it simple and stamping the greeting in the scene somewhere or leaving a greeting off all together. The layer is packed with texture. 

    

        

I decided to try doing some decorative lines and dots too. I love how this turned out. Get creative with your border.  

Check out my tutorial video for how I did my guidelines and finished my border. 

Measurements:

1. 1. Card base 5 1/4" x 8 1/2" scored at 4 1/4" (or folded in half)
2. 2. Layer is Basic White die cut with either #1 or #2 Perennial Postage die *I number my dies largest is 1. 
3. 3. Inside layer is Basic White 5" x 3 3/4"

Details:

• Stamps used: Spirited Snowman, Coming Home and November 2015 paper pumpkin (greeting). 
• Stampin' Blends Markers for the card in the video: Cherry Cobbler, Real Red, Old Olive, Mossy Meadow, Gray Granite, light Balmy Blue, Natural Tones 900 and color lifter
• Classic inks: Basic Gray and Smoky Slate

Want to see some new holiday favorites that you can use with this type of card? Check out my online store.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my postage stamp cards. Please leave a comment if you've tried this or need more info. 

Enjoy your day!

~ Beth

See-through Card front with Vellum

 Who doesn't love a fun, unique, see-through 

Christmas card?

This is a fun technique and it creates a WOW card. You can pair any stamp sets and greetings you have on hand with a vellum layer. I love using this technique to create wintry scenes. The embossed Vellum adds loads of texture and detail to your see-through layer. 

For this card, I used Yuletide Village and Trucking Along stamp sets to create a cute little holiday scene. The image outlines are stamped in Basic Gray classic ink. The truck is a two-step stamp so I stamped the solid truck in Cherry Cobbler. I absolutely love this classic truck image. The Yuletide Village trees and houses are colored with Stampin' Blends markers in Smoky Slate, Pool Party, Pretty Peacock and Cherry Cobbler. The greeting comes from Trucking Along and is stamped in Pretty Peacock classic ink. 

After I stamped my layers, I used a Basic Gray Stampin' Write marker to create snowy hills and land lines. This helps separate the white layers a bit. I used light Smoky Slate blend marker to create some snowy shadows and then lightened and softened the edges with the color lifter blend marker. The lines are also a cutting guide for the layer. I used snips to cut around the drawn lines and stamped images. I only cut along the top part of the layer. 

Because the vellum is slick and we embossed it, you'll want to use a strong adhesive. I recommend tear & tape for the top flap that holds the vellum layer. For the bottom layers I used liquid glue. You could also use Seal + adhesive. 

Did you notice my fun color combo? Cherry Cobbler, Pool Party, Pretty Peacock, Smoky Slate and Basic Gray. Give it a try. I love it with any wintry theme. 

Measurements and cutting instructions:

1. Cut base 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", score at 4 1/4". Slide base down and cut at 4 3/4". This creates the 1/2" flap for your tape to hold vellum layer.

2. Use remainder cardstock from base to create a layer. Stamp as desired and cut or die cut around the top edge. *see video

3. Cut another layer for front. 5 1/2" x 2 1/2" (or desired height)

4. Cut cardstock layer for backside/bottom of vellum 5 1/2" x 2"

For all the stamping, cutting and assembly instructions, check out the video:

Supplies Used:

• Yuletide Village and Trucking Along stamp sets
• Cardstocks: Basic White and Vellum (retired SU)
• Classic inks: Basic Gray, Cherry Cobbler and Pretty Peacock
• Stampin' Blends Markers: Cherry Cobbler, Pool Party, Pretty Peacock, Smoky Slate and color lifter
• Stampin' Write Marker: Basic Gray
• Tools: Cut & Emboss machine, Softly Falling embossing folder (retired), trimmer and snips
• Embellishment: Wink of Stella
• Adhesives: Tear & Tape and liquid glue

I hope you'll give this technique a try. Enjoy! You can find Stampin' Up! products in my Online Store.

Happy Stampin!

~ Beth