Fashion/Make Up Theme W Fold Birthday Card & Gift Bag

Lisa Curcio has this fab YouTube video tutorial for a W fold card which I decided would be perfect for a girly birthday card I wanted to make for a work colleague.  I had the SU! 'Best Dressed' patterned paper and my oldie but goodie 'Dress Up' die set but I had to borrow the 'Dressed to Impress' stamp set and matching 'All Dressed Up' die set from my lovely friend Lesley.  I've now ordered the stamps and dies for myself!  

Here's the card and envelope together.

Here's the card front.  My colour combo is Lovely Lipstick, Mint Macaron, Old Olive and Petal Pink with a hint of sparkly Silver Glimmer Paper.

Here's a closer look at the dress.  I added a treasured, long hoarded metal clothes hanger embellishment and popped the dress up.  I die cut several Mint Macaron buttons and stacked a few together so they had dimension.

Here's the inside with the surprise W fold element.  Just two stamped sentiments and lots of patterned papers!

A top view of the card.  

Here's a closer look at the left side of the card.

Here's a closer look at the right side of the card.  The perfume bottle and lipsticks are fussy cut from patterned paper.

Here's the envelope with very pretty paper and a popped up name label.

I gave the card to the recipient and it was very well received I'm happy to say.  Later on I kicked myself for not using the dies in the 'All Dressed Up' die set to make a gift bag so I made a bag and delivered that the next day - also very well received!

A view from the side of the bag.  You can tuck the sides in for a more streamlined handbag shape or do as I did and have the sides pushed out for a tote bag look.  Also, you can arrange the bag straps differently to make a backpack.  The size of the choccies I placed inside determined it had to be a tote bag!

Here's a closer look at the tag which I tied to the handle with silver sparkly thread.

There's something special about creating something tailored for a specific person and it's so rewarding when your efforts are really appreciated!  I had great fun making this, I spent a very happy time in my craft room for sure!

Supplies:

Stamps: SU! 'Dressed to Impress' & 'Fancy Phrases' sets

CS: SU! Lovely Lipstick, Mint Macaron, Old Olive, Petal Pink & Whisper White, Silver Glimmer Paper

Patterned paper: SU! 'Best Dressed' 6" x 6" DSP pack

Ink: SU! Lovely Lipstick  

Tools: SU! 'Dress Up', 'All Dressed Up' & 'Stitched So Sweetly' die sets, SU! 'Label Me Lovely' punch

Embellishments & Accessories: silver metal clothes hanger embellishment, silver lurex thread, SU! Rhinestone Jewels, Dimensionals

Ruth

Golden Honey Bee Gift Tags

Wilko are currently selling gold metallic plant pot hangers in the shape of a bee and I bought one for a pot in our front garden a while ago.  On Friday we had a socially distanced get together with friends in our back garden and it was so lovely to see them in person after so many weeks of lockdown!  I decided to give my friends a bee pot hanger as a little 'just because' gift.

Here's my bee pot hanger in place.

I wrapped each bee pot hanger in tissue paper, placed them in cello bags and made gift tags for the bags.

Here's a closer look at a gift tag attached to a cello bag.  I used polka dotted tulle ribbon and gold sequin trim.

Here's a closer look at the front and back of my gift tags.  I used gorgeous gold foiled patterned paper from the SU! 'Golden Honey' DSP pack - I cut a panel of the paper to decorate the scalloped rectangle tag and I also die cut bees from the paper.  I die cut the honeycomb using gold foil sheet and I popped that up.  I stamped the sentiment in Mango Melody ink which is a lovely honey colour.

My friends were delighted with their little gifts I'm very happy to say!

Supplies:

Stamps: SU! 'Fancy Phrases' set
CS: SU! Whisper White & Gold Foil Sheet
Patterned paper: SU! 'Golden Honey' DSP pack
Ink: SU! Mango Melody
Tools: SU! 'Detailed Bee' & 'Stitched So Sweetly' die sets, Crop-A-Dile
Embellishments & accessories: SU! white polka dot tulle ribbon, gold sequin trim, Dimensionals
Ruth

Tropical Fruit Gift Bag & Tag

I totally forgot to meet up with a friend which left me feeling so mortified.  I thought a little apology gift was the least I could do!  I absolutely love the SU! 'Tropical Oasis' suite of products in the mini catalogue and I jumped at the chance to use some fruity patterned paper and the pineapple dies to package the gift of some pineapple shower gel.

I used a full 12" x 12" sheet of the patterned paper to make the gift bag using the WRMK Gift Bag Punch Board.  I did trim some off the height of the bag before I assembled it though.  I used my Crop-A-Dile to punch holes in the top of the bag so I could tie the bag closed with ribbon.  I die cut the pineapple pieces from Whisper White thick CS and added colour to the shapes using inks and oval make up brushes.  I die cut a pretty scalloped rectangle and popped up the pineapple.  I added a sentiment circle to complete the tag.

 

Here's a closer look at the gift tag.

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! 'Tin of Tags' set
CS: SU! Whisper White thick
Patterned paper: SU! 'Tropical Oasis' DSP
Ink: SU! Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody, Old Olive & Soft Suede
Tools: SU! 'In the Tropics', 'Stitched So Sweetly' & 'Layering Circle' die sets, WRMK Gift Bag Punch Board, Crop-A-Dile, oval make up brushes, sponge dauber
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Whisper White ribbon, Dimensionals
Ruth

Bird Ballad Gift Bag

A week or so back we spent a few days away in the New Forest and I bought a friend some fudge as a little gift while we were shopping in Lymington one day.  Rather than just presenting the fudge in the cellophane bag it came in I thought I'd make it a bit more special by making a gift bag. 

I chose pretty papers from the SU! 'Bird Ballad' DSP pack for the bag and the tag.  After assembling the bag I punched two holes at the top and made a tag using two 'Stitched Nested Labels' dies.  I popped up the bird label onto the Old Olive label with Dimensionals.  I used some old, long retired Old Olive grosgrain ribbon to add the tag to the gift bag.

 

Here's a side view.

Here's a closer look at the tag.

Supplies:
Stamps: none
CS: SU! Old Olive 
Patterned paper: SU! 'Bird Ballad' DSP
Ink: none
Tools: WRMK Gift Bag Punch Board, SU! 'Stitched Nested Labels' die set, Crop-A-Dile
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, Dimensionals
Ruth

Birdie Card & Matching Gift Bag

Two friends came over to craft with me a few weeks ago and I designed a card and a gift bag for them to make using the beautiful SU! 'Bird Ballad' suite of products.  We had such a lovely time together, I enjoyed it so much!  Here's the Card, envelope and gift bag together.

 

Here's the card - it's a fancy fold design - an aperture is cut out from the card front.  I stamped the image in Memento Rich Cocoa ink and coloured using SU! Stampin' Blends.

 

Here's a view of the card within a card fancy fold.  Inside the Crumb Cake card there's a smaller Pool Party card. The bird panel is popped up with Dimensionals.  I love that the sentiment is hidden until you open the card!

 

Here's another view.

 

Here's the inside of the card and the envelope.  The birdie on the envelope flap was cut out with a circle punch from a piece of 'Bird Ballad' DSP.

 

I gave each friend a mini card (made using the SU! 'Lots of Happy' card kit) and a small gift - I placed the card and gift inside a kraft pillow box which I decorated with an element from the 'Lots of Happy' kit, some Granny Apple Green woven ribbon and a circle tag.   A sweet little token of friendship and appreciation!

Supplies for card & gift bag:
Stamps: SU! 'Free as a Bird' set
CS: SU! Crumb Cake, Pool Party & Whisper White 
Patterned paper: SU! 'Bird Ballad' DSP
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, SU! Stampin' Blends alcohol markers
Tools: SU! 'Stitched Nested Labels' die set , WRMK Gift Bag Punch Board, circle punches
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Bermuda Bay ribbon, Dimensionals

Supplies for mini card & pillow box:
Stamps: SU! 'Lots of Happy' set
CS: SU! Whisper White, elements from the 'Lots of Happy' card kit, Kraft Pillow Boxes
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Stampin' Blends alcohol markers
Embellishments & accessories: SU! Granny Apple Green textured weave ribbon, Whisper White baker's twine, Metallic Pearls, Dimensionals
Ruth

Set Of Hometown Christmas Easel Tealight Cards

I came across Kerstin Wagner's video showing lovely tealight easel cards made using the SU! 'Hometown Greetings' die set and I fell in love with them.  I decided to CASE Kerstin's design and make tealight easel Christmas cards for my card group ladies.  Huge thanks to Kerstin for sharing and inspiring!

I mixed imperial and metric measurements for my cards - I made my cards from a 4" wide strip of CS (the whole A4 length) and scored at 9 and 18 cms as per Kerstin's instructions.

Here is one card on its own.  A circle aperture is cut out of the card front and a vellum circle is glued behind the aperture.  The vellum is embossed with the SU! 'Softly Falling' embossing folder which gives a fab snowy look.  I popped up the snowflake on the bottom so it acted as a stop for the easel. 

 

Here is a card with the tealight inside and switched on, love that warm glow!

 

Here's the base of the card where the tealight goes.  I adhered a large die cut snowflake and helpfully wrote the 'place tealight here' instruction on each snowflake!

 

Here's how I decorated the bottom of the cards using the beautiful SU! 'Snow Is Glistening' stamp set.

Here's a side view of the easel card.

 

Here's the pile of cards all made.

 

The cards ended up as not a standard size for an envelope so I decided to place each card inside a snowflake patterned cellophane bag which I decorated with a sparkly silver gift tag and parcel baubles.

 

Inside each bag I placed a card, a battery operated tealight and a few goodies - a boxed flavoured hot chocolate mix, a Malteser MerryTeaser reindeer chocolate bar, a Ferrero Rocher chocolate and an orange flavoured Lindor chocolate ball.   

 

I'm delighted to say that these went down a storm with my ladies and we'll definitely be making one of these as a card group project next winter!  I'd like to make a couple more for friends this year too but we'll see how that goes!

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! 'Hearts Come Home' & 'Snow Is Glistening' sets
CS: SU! Night of Navy & Whisper White, SU! vellum
Ink: SU! Night of Navy
Tools: SU! Simply Scored, SU! 'Layering Circles' Framelits die set, SU! 'Hometown Greetings' Edgelits die set, SU! 'Snowfall' Thinlits die set, SU! 1/4" circle punch
Embellishments & accessories: SU! rhinestone jewels, SU! Dimensionals, Wilko battery operated tealights
Ruth

July 2018 Card Group Projects

Last Thursday we got together for our July card group meeting - phew, it was a hot, sticky day!  During the June meeting I asked for suggestions and one lady asked for a gift box and another lady asked for a black and white card.

When I started prepping the projects I started with the gift box suggestion and decided to decorate an SU! white mini pizza box.  I've had a big clear out of my crafty stuff and I've sold lots on ebay but there were some items that I wasn't ready to part with.  I've placed those 'undecided' items in a box and I'm using them so I can make a decision to keep or sell.  One of the items in the box was the SU! 'Lattice' Bigz die and I looked back on the blog to see how I'd used it in the past and I came across this card I made back in 2013 so I CASEd that design for the gift box and then I thought I may as well make a matching card!  Here's the envelope, card and gift box all together.

Here's the gift box.  I cut a square of Berry Burst CS, glued that to the front of the box, I cut two small squares of Lemon Lime Twist CS and glued them on top of the Berry Burst square and then I glued the Blackberry Bliss die cut 'Lattice' shape over the top.  I popped up the stamped and punched butterflies and tied a stamped and die cut tag to some white organza ribbon with some silver cord.  I tied the ribbon in a bow around the box.   

Here's a side view of the box, it's a great size.

Here's the A6 sized card - made exactly the same way as the panel on the box - but with the addition of a patterned paper strip with a stamped sentiment instead of a tag.

Here's the inside and the envelope.  I really like the Berry Burst, Blackberry Bliss, Lemon Lime Twist and Powder Pink colour combo! 

I turned to my 'undecided' box again for the black and white card and I chose to use the SU! 'Bella Toile' and 'Gossamer Lace' stamps from the box.  Both are beautiful stamps and I love them - I've just neglected them!  I decided to make a card and decorate a matching gift bag.  Here's the envelope, card and gift bag all together.

To get panels for the card front, inside and the front of the bag, I stamped the 'Bella Toile' stamp twice onto pieces of Whisper White CS and cut the pieces to size.  I stamped the 'Gossamer Lace' image twice and fussy cut them out.  I die cut two Poppystamps 'Lorelai Leaf' shapes and snipped the shapes so I had two separate leafy sprigs to tuck under the black die cut circles.  I die cut two flowers and centres, shaped them and glued the flower on top of a black CS circle.  I stamped the sentiment and popped a clear gem in the centre of the flower. 

Here's the card.

Here's the inside of the card and the front of the envelope.  The inside of the card has a stamped panel mounted onto a strip of Basic Black CS.  For the envelope front I stamped the 'Bella Toile' stamp directly onto the envelope and drew a line with a black Sharpie marker.

Here's the decorated gift bag.

Here's a side view.  The bag is gusseted and a good size to hold a few treats.

I usually make three cards for the ladies to make and the ladies split into three groups to make the cards.  This month there were two groups and I wasn't sure how that was going to pan out but it worked really well so two cards with matching gift packaging could well happen at card group again in the future! 

So, what of the 'Lattice' die, 'Bella Toile' stamp and 'Gossamer Lace' stamp from my 'undecided' box?  I can't let them go, I'm keeping them in my stash!

Supplies for card and mini pizza box:
Stamps: SU! 'Made for You' & 'Papillon Potpourri' sets, Hero Arts 'Sending You Love' set
CS: SU! Berry Burst, Blackberry Bliss, Lemon Lime Twist, Powder Pink & Whisper White
Patterned paper: SU! 'Fresh Florals' DSP pack
Ink: SU! Blackberry Bliss
Tools: SU! 'Lattice' Bigz die, SU! 'Bitty Butterfly' & circle punches, Nellie Snellen 'Flower 2' die set, Hero Arts 'Small Tag Frame' die set
Embellishments & accessories: SU! white organza ribbon, silver cord, Dimensionals

Supplies for card & gift bag:
Stamps: SU! 'Bella Toile' & 'Gossamer Lace', Hobby Art 'Best Wishes', Personal Impressions 'Medium Everyday Messages' set
CS: SU! Basic Black & Whisper White (regular & thick)
Ink: Ranger Tim Holtz Black Soot Distress Ink, black Sharpie marker
Tools: Poppystamps 'Lorelai Leaf' die, Nellie Snellen 'Flower 2' die set, SU! 'Stitched Shapes' die set, Sizzix Big Shot Starter Kit Framelits die set
Embellishments & accessories: SU! rhinestone jewels, Dimensionals
Ruth

Tea Bags Gift Bag

At Slimming World meetings each week items are placed in a basket and the Slimmer of the Week gets to take home the basket contents.  For my basket offering this week I decorated a plain white gift bag and then placed six tea bags inside.  Not just any old tea bags mind - Twinings Nutty Chocolate Flavour Assam loose leaf pyramids!  This is one of my favourite teas and perfect for anyone following the Slimming World plan - a chocolate nutty taste with zero calories!

The sachet provided inspiration for the colours I chose - SU! Lemon Lime Twist and Berry Burst.

The 'This is for you' square is popped up.  I used a heart shaped paper clip as a bag closure.  I made a 'Congrats' tag and tied that onto the paper clip with silver ribbon.

I hope to make another one for next week, it's fun to do a creative little something and makes a change from taking fruit or a tin of beans!

Supplies:
Stamps: SU! 'Tin of Cards' & 'Tin of Tags' sets
CS: SU! Berry Burst & Lemon Lime Twist
Patterned paper: SU! 'Fresh Florals' DSP
Ink: SU! Berry Burst
Tools: SU! 'Stitched Shapes' square die, M&C Boutique rectangle stitched die set, MFT Die-namics 'Tag Builder Blueprints 2' die set
Embellishments & accessories: SU! silver ribbon, Dimensionals, Wilko heart shaped paper clip
Ruth

Christmas Cards & Treat Bags For My Card Group Ladies

We had to get together today, a week early, for our December card group meeting.  We had a lovely, happy afternoon crafting, chatting, singing, exchanging cards and Secret Santa gifts.  Today I'm sharing the Christmas cards and mini treat bags I made for my ladies.  I made two of each design.

A little while ago I bought the SU! 'Trim Your Stocking' Thinlits dies set which can be used to make a stocking topped pillow box gift card holder.  I love the idea of cute, decorated Christmas stockings but I've got to admit I didn't enjoy trying to make a gift card holder!  Getting the rounded parts of the pillow box to fold neatly was impossible for me, I gave it a few attempts and wasn't at all happy with my results so I then admitted defeat.  I decided I'd be very happy to use the stocking elements on cards or as gift tags and just not bother with the gift card holder functionality of the die set!

The stocking is quite large so I made the card bases 5" x 7".  My colour combo is Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green and Whisper White and I've used different patterned papers from last year's SU! 'Warmth and Cheer' DSP stack.  I embossed the white background panel with a snowflakes embossing folder.  The sentiment was stamped in VersaMark ink and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  I punched a small circle in each stocking and added a ribbon loop.  I die cut the snowflakes twice, once in black CS and again in white CS and offset the two shapes to give a shadow effect.  I placed a clear faceted gem in the centre of each snowflake.  Each stocking is mounted to the card front using a wobble action spring so there's a fun movement element to the cards.

The treat bags were made using the SU! 'Mini Treat Bag' Thinlits die set.  I used the sweet gold library clips to attach a tag to each bag.  Each bag contains a clear Christmas stamp, an Options hot chocolate sachet and a Christmas lottery scratchcard.

Here's the back of the envelopes.

Here's the front of one Cherry Cobbler stocking card.

Here's the inside of one Cherry Cobbler stocking card.

Here's the front of one Garden Green stocking card.

Here's the inside of one Garden Green stocking card.

Here's one Cherry Cobbler treat bag.

Here's one Garden Green treat bag.

I'm happy how these turned out, quite festive and cheery I think!  They were a bit time consuming but I worked in an assembly line fashion and did each stage at a time.  I've been working on these for the past few weeks whenever I've had some crafting time and it was highly satisfying to see them all completed!

I'm having a break from card group in January so we'll be getting together again on Thursday 1st February - which seems a very long way away but I'm sure it will be here before I know it!

Supplies:
Stamps: Imaginisce 'Be Merry' Snag 'em stamp, Stampendous 'Snow Brackets'
CS: SU! Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Basic Black & Whisper White
Patterned paper: SU! 'Warmth & Cheer' DSP stack
Ink: SU! Cherry Cobbler & Garden Green, VersaMark
Tools: SU! 'Trim Your Stocking' & 'Mini Treat Bag' Thinlits die sets, MFT Die-namics Blueprints 18 die set, Leane Creatief 'Snowflakes Background' embossing folder, Tonic Studios 'Slab Merry Christmas' die set, Sizzix 'Banners' die set, heat tool
Embellishments & accessories: SU! white embossing powder, clear faceted gems, gold library clips, rhinestone jewels, Dimensionals, action wobble springs
Ruth