Poppy Stamps Adriana Easel Pop Up Card Die

Hello friends and visitors.  I am going to try to do a quick post for you today, just because!  I have been so sick for three weeks and today is my first day of feeling almost normal.  I still have just a bit of a cough, but the rest of me is feeling pretty dang good!  My MS Treatments have helped already which is so encouraging. 

I absolutely fell in love with this die when Dave Brethauer did a video of this over on the Memory Box YouTube Channel last weekend.  Click on that hyperlink to follow it to their Channel.   I'm on the Memory Box Design Team but Dave included this die in a recent purchase I made from Poppy Stamps. I was so excited to get it because it is simply genius and makes creating an easel card so super easy - no measuring involved.  The score lines are engineered into the die. I also love how it has all the elements built into the die set for easy assembly of Easel Cards so that the recipient can display it.    

My first card uses some of the new Memory Box Glitter Papers from the Delicate Pastels Glitter Pad along with some gold foiled cardstock and two different shades of Pink Cardstock - Hibiscus Burst and Pale Peony from Papertrey Ink.  The die itself comes on a Magnet Sheet to keep all the elements together. If you are very careful you can get both the bottom of the card and the top of the card from a single sheet of 8.5 x 11-inch cardstock using your Gemini Full Size Die Cutting Machine.  A sheet of 12 x 12 is easy peasy by cutting it in half.  I used my Cuttlebug with the extended cutting pads and Cutting a 4.35-inch by 11-inch for4 the card base and then the leftovers for the card top.  You may need to move it up and down the piece to find where it fits the best.  In this instance, because there are many layers and I have a lot of 12 x 12 Cardstock left from my scrapbooking days, I think you could go with a lighter weight cardstock.  I have not tried that, but I don't think you'd have any problem using a lighter weight for the top and bottom.

The decorative layer could be used in many ways and I tried to show you a few more here that are different than what Dave showed in his video. I would definitely say to use a very gentle touch and heavier cardstock for this particular layer as the little branches tear off very easily.  Also, use a traditional die cutting machine vs the electric ones for this layer if you have one.  I found that this piece tore just cutting it in the electric machine, even when I made the sandwich less tight.  I personally, still use my hand-crank machine more often than my electric machine. In the instance where my decorative layer got torn up, I used an oval die to cut the center and heat emboss my sentiment onto.

I made a couple of variations of this card, switching up the colors and papers.  The left hand is done in Blueprint Shimmer Cardstock with Silver Cardstock, the Green is some watercolor I did on a piece of #140 Canson Watercolor Paper with some Fairway Green Shimmer Cardstock and the Pnks as I mentioned above.  Each of these cards has the interior layer cut from Glitter Cardstock from Memory Box.

I used a couple of different Memory Box Dies to add to the little labels that let you pop it up.  The Blue Card has little silver birds from the Birds & Blossoms Die (#94243) and the butterfly is the one that I keep on my desk all of the time.  I used it on the pink and the green cards.

I wanted to challenge myself to use this die in a more masculine way, so I chose Curious Skin Black Cardstock, which is totally matte. It never gets shiny and it feels so unusual.  It's a great paper to use for anything black.  I also used the little birds from Bird & Blossoms again. for the little inside tag again.  I forgot the foam tape here, which helps to give a little height to what is holding the easel part in place for display.  So it still worked, but it would have worked better had I remembered the foam tape.

 I wanted to provide you with this side view so you can see how the easel stays up.  I have so many other combinations I want to try.  I'm waiting on an order from Poppy Stamps for some other sentiments. These cards use Poppy Stamps Butterfly Greetings and Blooming Greetings.

I cannot wait to see how many other designs Dave comes up with for this easel card die design.  I can see Holly and Berries with Mistletoe at Christmas, and many other things that I think I'll have to start making a list of them!

Last but not least is a card that I made for my daughter to give to her best friend that is getting married in a few weeks.  I don't think she has time to visit my blog, so I am going to post it here rather than in my IG feed.

I used an Iceberg Metallic Cardstock which is close to a periwinkle color with a white front panel, and a  Violet Satin Shimmer Cardstock for the interior panel.  I remembered the Foam Tape this time around.

I like to use foam tape on the front end of the butterfly and glue to hold down the back end.  My glue of choice is Ranger Multi Medium Matte.  For this card, since it is for a special occasion, I used Aurora Borealis Swarovski Crystals in the 12 and 16 sizes.

One of the really cool things is that this card still fits in a standard A2 Envelope.  If I were mailing this card, I would probably use a padded mailer or a "flat" mailer.  Since my daughter is the Matron of Honor, I happen to know she'll be delivering it in person.  I hope you enjoy today's blog post, just for fun!  I'll be back on Thursday and Friday with posts for Memory Box!

If you would like to get the Adriana Pop Up Easel Card Die Set, you can find it here:  Adriana Pop Up Easel Card Die Set.

Have a great day all!

Valentine Card ft.La Rue Heart w/Hutton Left & Right Gate Dies

Hello there!  It's my turn over at the Memory Box Blog today, "Outside The Box".   Have you noticed all of the Valentine products that are being released right now?  Memory Box has a new release hitting the market right now as well.  It is a super gorgeous release that I know you will all love as much as I do.  I haven't received my products as of yet, so I thought I'd show you an easy card using some previous Memory Box Products that I already had on hand.  It's always a good idea to see what you have that you can add to the mix of old and new products. 

This patterned paper you see here is one that I have hoarded for many years! It's from my paper scrapbooking days which I haven't done in about 10 years, although I did quite a bit of digital scrapbooking around 2010 - 2014.  I am down to one full sheet plus a sheet that is about 4.5 x 6 inches.  That's it - that all there is.  Throughout the last 20 or so years, I have made Valentine's card for my husband using this paper several times. We celebrated our 35th Anniversary this past June but I didn't use to be into paper crafting so I just bought cards for the first several years. This is my all-time favorite sheet of paper.  I think I bought about 20 sheets of it way back when and it's been 20 years at least since that happened.  I just love the combination of colors here; the saturated red with the warm coral and yellow tones, and then there are foil accents throughout the stripes. This paper is the epitome of my style.  It's rich and regal looking.  I like to challenge myself to make something completely different each year using this paper. I don't even think my husband realizes I've been using the same one for almost every Valentine's Card since I started paper-crafting in 1998.

I wanted the La Rue Heart to be the focal image of my card, so I tried to match it up with other Memory Box dies in such a way that it would still let the Heart be the star of the show.  You'll have to decide if I was successful or not.  I'm happy with what I have but I don't know if I achieved my objective or not. *Ü*

I started by cutting a card base from Red Lacquer Shimmer Cardstock from PaperPapers.com.  Next, using the largest Rectangle Basics Dies, I cut the patterned paper for the front of my card.  Next, I die cut a Left Hutton Gate and a Right Hutton Gate from gold foiled cardstock (you surely know of my love for gold by now).

Using the Circle Basics Die Set I used two different sizes to get a gold circle and a red one that is slightly smaller.   I also cut the La Rue Heart from the gold and started assembly.  I added the patterned paper on top of the card base, then adhered the left and right Hutton Gates using my 5-inch Xyron sticker maker.

It can be a bit tricky to get to the adhesive on such intricate dies as the Left and Right Hutton Gates so I'll share a little tip with you here.  I run them through my Xyron to get adhesive on them.  Then before taking the top layer of cellophane off, use an embossing sandwich and run it through your die-cutting machine, back and forth one time.  If you don't do this, then you'll need to take a stylus or something similar to go around all of the edges, inside and out, so you won't have adhesive strings popping up and gunking up your work.  I've used a Multipurpose tool, a stylus, and other similar tools, but using an embossing pad and running it through your die-cutting machine is so much faster --like 60 seconds compared to 20 minutes or so doing it by hand.  I had wondered if this would work, so I tried it one day and I doubt I'll ever go back to the old way.  Doing it this way also means you don't have to use an adhesive eraser or Un-du on it.  Un-du is a fantastic item to have on hand if you use a lot of foiled cardstock like I do as it removes the sticky without damaging the surface of the foil. 

I adhered the red circle to the gold circle directly, using Kokuyo Tape Runner, which has been my favorite for years and years. Way before my card-making days, it was my preferred adhesive for my scrapbooks. Then using a double thickness of Scotch Foam Tape, I adhered the circle to the card base.

Using a little bit of adhesive across what would be the center horizontal "band" area, I adhered the La Rue Heart directly to the raised circle.  I also die cut four of the Poppy Stamps Swirled Love Die and glued them together to make a thicker embellishment so that it would really stand up and be dimensional.  For this, I like to use Range Multi Medium Matte as tape runner doesn't work very well for this.

Since I used Red Lacquer Cardstock, I'll need to add a white panel inside of the card for my personal note to my hubby.  I also like to add a little Ghiradelli Square or two in there as well.

Thanks for stopping by today to see my project.  Next time I hope to have a card sharing new Memory Box Valentine's 2020 Collection.  Have a great day!

Affiliate Links may be used at no additional cost to you.

Kokuyo Long Dot Adhesive Shop at: SSS	Memory Box - 30086 Rectangle Basics Set Shop at: SSS | MB	Memory Box - Circle Basics Die Set Shop at: SSS | MB	Memory Box - La Rue Heart Shop at: SSS
Memory Box - Left Hutton Gate Die Shop at: MB	Memory Box - Right Hutton Gate Die Shop at: MB	Poppy Stamps - Swirled Love Shop at: SSS	Ranger Multi Medium Matte Shop at: SSS
Scotch 3M Foam Tape Shop at: SSS	ScraPerfect No Clog Tip for Ranger Multi Medium Matte Shop at: SSS	Teflon Bone Folder Shop at: SSS	Xyron Create-A-Sticker - 5 inch Shop at: SSS
Xyron Create-A-Sticker - 5-Inch Refill Shop at: SSS

Twelve Days of Holiday Cards - Winners Post

Twelve Days of Holiday Cards Winners

Day One - Andre

Day Two - Gretchen Wilson

Day Three - Lin

Day Four - Gail

Day Five - Joy

Day Six - Bev

Day Seven - KPerry57

Day Eight - Denise Bryant

Day Nine - Vivian

Day Ten - Amy C

Day Eleven - Connie

Day Twelve - Maria

Please email me with your mailing address to claim your prize.  Please put Twelve Days Winner as the subject of your e-mail. 

Thanks to you all for coming along on my journey this year! 

EDITED:  All Winner's envelopes have been mailed!

Twelve Days of Holiday Cards - Day Twelve

Today is the twelfth and final day of this year's Twelve Days of Holiday Cards.  I've had a lot of fun doing this series and if I decide to do one next year, I won't wait until the last minute to plan it.  Today's cards feature products from Memory Box Company and Birch Press Design.

The layering die sets by Birch Press Design are always stunning in their simplicity while being oh so elegant.  Today's cards are by far my favorites, although each time I think I can't do a better one, I somehow manage to keep coming up with new designs.  For those of you who don't want to stamp, these products fit the bill beautifully.  It is simply a matter of assembly which only takes a bit of practice.  I have so many pictures for you today and I hope you'll stay with me to the end for your last chance to comment and win a prize.

During the recent holiday releases, I noticed that Birch Press had come out with a gilded Washi Tape called Shimmer Burst.  This was sold out and no longer available at Birch Press, but I found mine at Simon Says Stamp.  Yay!  I love pretty much any gilded washi tape, but when you throw and Art Deco design in there, I'm hooked for sure.  As I told you on Day Three, I love all things Art Deco.  I also appreciate other styles such as Art Nouveau, but my heart will always be true to Art Deco.

Art Deco always reminds me of a lovely surprise I had about 15 years ago.  When I was growing up, we were taught almost as soon as we could speak about Laura Ingalls Wilder.  My Great Grandmother (my Nana) had been friends with Laura as married women living in Wright County, Missouri.  They were in many clubs together.  The Shakespeare Club (entertainments or theatrical productions) the Athenian Society (geared toward higher education via books and libraries), book clubs, garden clubs and the like.  There was no television at that time so folks had to entertain themselves. Ladies didn't use to go to college, but women could educate themselves by reading.  Laura and Nana were both teachers, so it was a subject near and dear to their hearts although Laura didn't particularly enjoy teaching, but did it as a way to help her family financially.  My Papa and Nana have even been mentioned in some of the books that came out after the Little House TV Show was started and generated even more interest in what is surely an iconic American Author.

My prized collection of Little House Books

Most grade school children used to be taught about the "Little House" books and that might still be true.  I don't really know, but none of my grandsons seem to know anything about who she was.  Anyhow, when I was about 5 years old, I remember going to see Laura's home in Mansfield, Missouri.  I was born near there, and we lived there for a time when I was very young still.  I attended Kindergarten in Missouri so I know I was there at that time.  It was a private tour at that time because Nana and Laura had been friends. I vaguely remember that and at the time I wasn't really old enough to appreciate the books since I wasn't yet reading.  They have been a fixture in my home for many years.  In fact, my parents divorced in 1978 and the books were one of the things left behind in the house that would come to be my father's home with his new wife.  I literally kept these books from the dump yard and they have been a visible fixture in my home since.  Nana wrote something on the front cover of each one.  They are all the Garth Williams Illustrations that came out in 1953. I purchased the 9th and final book, "The First Four Years" sometime in my twenties.  It isn't so much a book as it is a rough outline found in Laura's home after her death in 1957.

Williams traveled for several years to seek out the places Laura had so vividly described in her books, even the location of the "Dugout" house underneath the banks of Plum Creek which is why his illustrations were so remarkable.  At the time he was commissioned to illustrate the books, (1947) most of the buildings had probably changed somewhat, but he was still able to find them to take photos and get a feel for all of the places that Laura described in the pages of her books.

In 2004, we traveled to see the home.  I had not been there in many years so a few things had changed.  The biggest change was that the home Rose Wilder Lane had built for her parents in 1928, called "The Rock House", was finally back in the Laura Ingalls Wilder Association Estate.  It had been out of the estate since 1935.  Now it had been acquired and completely restored to the English Cottage that Rose had built for her parents.  The interior styling was Art Deco.  That was the cement that made me know Art Deco would forever be my favorite style.  Rose Wilder Lane ordered the cottage (lock, stock, and barrel) from Sears Roebuck Catalog.  Rose was already a very successful author by that time.  As they began restoring the house, blueprints and other evidence were found so that it could be completely restored to how it was originally, right down to the color of paint on the walls; the palest shell pink.  It is a beautiful home and would have been quite luxurious back then! I still read the Little House books to this day!  You can see my Little House books on my shelf in my living room in the photo above.

For today's cards, I wanted to feature a few Birch Press Designs and Memory Box dies with a touch of Art Deco feeling to them.

I used this gorgeous Shimmer Burst Washi Tape over different colors of cardstock as a substitute for foiled card stock.  I love having this option as I can make fancy cardstock in any color I have on hand, which is a lot.  *Ü*

In this first card, I used the Shimmer Burst Washi Tape over Pale Peony Cardstock from Ink to Paper along with a sheet of Kraft Black and Gold Foil Cardstock, also in an Art Deco Style.  I had recently made some cards where I stamped and heat embossed this "Merry Christmas" sentiment and as usual, I made several extras at the time for future use.  I normally store those in the pouch with the stamps and dies, but they never made it that far this time and were still sitting on my desk.

I used the Holly Sprigs from the Memory Box Elegant Double Holly Frame for the little branches coming off the main cluster of larger Holly Leaves.

I wanted to show you how I adhered the die-cut pieces and keep them in line when I am using this collage-style die from Memory Box.  The pieces on the right are still in the die.  Keeping them together, I turn my die with the cutting side up and put pieces of Scotch Foam Tape over each holly leaf on the back.  Once I peel off the release paper, I set my cardstock background, face down, and press it all in place.  Then when you flip it over, you just lift up the die and it comes right off leaving everything with adhesive in the proper place.  You could also place the empty template over your background panel and pop in the holly leaves one at a time.  Either way works just as well.  Since I was adding foam tape, I did it how you see in the photo here.

And I couldn't resist making just one more card in this style without using Washi Tape so that you can see that it is not a requirement.

By changing up the background paper, you can see that it gives a completely different feeling while still being just as pretty.  Go through your stash or your scraps and see what you have that would make a nice card with this beautiful Holly Collage Die.  On this card, I adhered everything directly to the background panel using Ranger Multi-Medium Matte and no foam tape.  That helps when you want to pop one in the mail.

This card has the Shimmer Burst Washi Tape over New Leaf Cardstock from Ink to Paper.  It's a fresh, bright,  pretty green and with the Washi on top, it is just beautiful!  The little sprigs are from the Memory Box Petite Leaf Frame Die.

On this card, I added the sprigs in Gold Cardstock with  The pearls are Little Things From Lucy's Cards Glossy Eggshell Pearls.    There are multiple sizes in one pack, making them perfect for this multi-sized embellishment.

I love the look of Red, Green, and Pink for Christmas Cards.  For the pink and green cardstock, I used the Shimmer Burst Washi Tape over Pale Peony and New Leaf Cardstock.  The background panel is Pure Poppy, all from Ink to Paper.

This particular shade of green shimmer paper that I used for the Holly Leaves is a very thin paper that is single sided.  The backside is black. Since it's not very thick, I put double-sided adhesive on the back and then put a layer of #110 True Black Cardstock on that.  I ran it through my Cuttlebug with the embossing mat to sandwich it together nicely.  This made it nice and thick so the embossed detail shows up nicely.

I die cut the little sprigs from gold cardstock and glued them in place.  This takes a little time because the Washi on top of the Cardstock is a slicker surface than paper, so just be sure to let everything dry before you start trying to embellish them.  Once they were dry, I added red foil sequins, letting them dry before adding a gem to the center of each sequin.  This makes it look like little berries with highlights!  Don't you just love it?

I also used this Washi Tape for a few cards made with Birch Press Designs layering dies.  These are simple, straightforward designs that require nothing special whatsoever. 

This card uses the Radiant Ornament set of dies from Birch Press Design.  I added the Washi Tape to Vintage Jadeite cardstock.  Then I die cut the panel with the largest Rectangle Basics Die for those crisp, clean edges.

The ornament layers are Gold Foil, Pale Peony, and White on top.  The white and pink were both misted with a healthy amount of Sheer Shimmer Mist and allowed to dry before die cutting it.

This card features the Stargazer Dies from Birch Press Designs.  I love this pattern and in fact, I have a quilt in this pattern.  This was done in Gold Foil, Red and Green Glitter Cardstock from Simon Says Stamp.

Simon Says Stamp has a very nice Glitter Cardstock that comes in a variety of colors.  I started with the sample pack last year and quickly got all of my favorite colors in the 6 sheet packs.  The sheets are 6 x 6 inches and the glitter does not come off, even after being die-cut.

These cards all feature Shimmer, Metallic, Foiled or Glitter Cardstock for the focal image.  I'll have the supplies linked below for you. This card uses Abyss Curious Metallic Cardstock for the background panel.  The next layer up is Pinefeather Cardstock with Shimmer Burst Washi Tape on top. For the Nativity Star, I used the bottom layer of the die set (Die D) and embossed it into gold foiled card stock, then just cut it by hand to be my background layer. On top of that is Layer D cut from Emerald Glitter Cardstock. Next is Layer C cut in Abyss Cardstock, then Layers A and B are cut from the same Gold Metallic Cardstock.  This is my favorite of the group and the one I think is the most Art Deco-styled.  Don't you just love this one?

It's been so much fun playing with all of these dies and bringing you the 2019 Twelve Days Of Holiday Cards featuring Memory Box, Birch Press Design, and Poppy Stamps products.  Memory Box generously gave me 12 dies to give away - one for each day.

There are two Birch Press Designs Washi Tape styles available still at Simon Says Stamp, but I think when it is sold out, you won't be able to get it again.  This is your last chance to comment for your chance to win one of the 12 dies.  The supplies I've used are linked below for your convenience.  Thank you to everyone who joined me during the 2019 Twelve Days of Holiday Cards!  I'll still have a few more cards for you in the next month before Christmas.

Affiliate Links may be used at no additional cost to you.

Birch Press Design - Radiant Ornament Set Shop at: SSS	Birch Press Design - Nativity Star Complete Set Shop at: SSS	Birch Press Design - Shimmer Burst Washi Tape Shop at: SSS	Birch Press Design Glitz Snowflake Layer Set Shop at: SSS
Birch Press Design Stargazer Layer Set Shop at: MB	Gemini Junior Die Cutting Machine Shop at: SSS	GKD - Connect Glue Shop at: SSS | GKD	I2P Cardstock - New Leaf Shop at: PTI/ITP
I2P Cardstock - Pale Peony Shop at: PTI/ITP	I2P Cardstock - Pinefeather Shop at: PTI/ITP	I2P Cardstock - Pure Poppy Shop at: PTI/ITP	I2P Cardstock - True Black Shop at: PTI/ITP
I2P Cardstock - Vintage Jadeite Shop at: PTI/ITP	Kokuyo Long Dot Adhesive Shop at: SSS	Little Things From Lucy's - Glossy Watermelon Pearls (pink) Shop at: SSS	Little Things from Lucy's - Glossy Eggshell Mix Shop at: SSS
Memory Box - 30086 Rectangle Basics Set Shop at: SSS | MB	Memory Box - Elegant Holly Double Frame Shop at: SSS | MB	Memory Box - Holly Collage Frame Shop at: SSS	Memory Box - Peace Cheshire Script Die Shop at: MB
Memory Box - Petite Leaf Frame Shop at: SSS	PP.Com - Curious Metallic Abyss Shop at: PPC	PTI Beautiful Berries: Winter Shop at: PTI/ITP	Ranger Multi Medium Matte Shop at: SSS
Scotch 3M Foam Tape Shop at: SSS	ScraPerfect No Clog Tip for Ranger Multi Medium Matte Shop at: SSS	SSS Antique Gold Embossing Powder Shop at: SSS	SSS Glitter Cardstock Assortment Shop at: SSS
Teflon Bone Folder Shop at: SSS	Tim Holtz Mini Craft Snips Shop at: SSS	Tim Holtz Tonic Paper Trimmer Shop at: SSS	Tonic 6 Inch Personal Trimmer Shop at: SSS
Tsukineko Sheer Sparkle Shimmer Spritz Shop at: SSS	Versamark Ink Shop at: SSS	Wagner Heat Tool Shop at: SSS