Pastel Pompom Boxes

Remember the post about re-inking your ink pads??? Well, this is what those pretty papers turned out to be!

I will admit that this picture makes me smile, but not as much as petting those little pompoms makes me smile! I'm a sucker for texture, and boy, do pompoms qualify as texture!

The boxes are tiny--1 3/4" on all sides, and I made them with the Gift Box Punch Board! It only takes a 6x6 piece of paper, and I think it's so fun to be able to make boxes in many different sizes!

The pompoms are made with baker's twine--lots of white, and then some accents of Thick Baker's Twine or whatever twine I had on hand that seemed to coordinate. I wrapped all the twine around 2 or 3 fingers--wrap about 60x--then pulled off the loops and tied (tightly) around the middle. Snip all the loops, trim up, and you're done! I think the pompoms make the boxes extra special! These boxes (and more just like them) are headed for baskets the first weekend of April.

Want to make cute little boxes like these? Here's the tutorial for the Gift Box Punch Board--it's EASY, I promise--and a link to buy the Punch Board in my store. What a great way to make a tiny giftie into something really special!

You made my day--a CASE of copying

In the stamping world, we use the acronym CASE (Copy And Share Everything) when we use someone else's idea to make a project. It's considered acceptable. {wink} Of course, some of us can never leave well enough alone--we have to put our own little touches in!

This darling card was CASEd from page 5 of the Sale-a-bration catalog. I totally love this sentiment, and I had so many ideas for using it (and the rest of the stamp set), that I was overwhellmed and stumped. Soooooo, I decided to start CASEing all the ideas I liked.

When I got to this card, I started out just like the sample, but I liked the Gold Glimmer Paper better than the Silver used in the original. And I didn't want to make the card unmailable by using a button (this is my justification for only buying--never using--buttons), so I substituted some Hello Honey Thick Baker's Twine from the new Sale-a-bration offerings. Then I thought the greeting circle needed "a little something," so I added some doodling with my Soft Suede marker.

Ta da! There you have it, a CASE with my own little touches. What set are you stumped by? Try re-creating somebody else's project--maybe even from the catalog!--and see if that jumpstarts your creativity!

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Stamps: Best Day Ever (SAB)
Paper: Coastal Cabana, Best Year Ever DSP (SAB), Gold Glimmer Paper, Whisper White, Bermuda Bay
Ink: Coastal Cabana, Calypso Coral marker, Soft Suede marker
Accessories: Circle Framelits, Banner Punch, In Color Accessory Pack (SAB)

How inky are your ink pads?

Last week I was playing with my Irresistibly Yours Designer Series Paper from Sale-a-bration, and something was just "off." I didn't like the colors--they weren't going on smoothly. Sooo, it dawned on me that they might need to be re-inked. The photo above shows the "before" on the left and the "after" on the right. Big difference! My poor Pistachio Pudding ink pad was super dry!

Here are a few others I re-inked: 

I seem to use my colors seasonally:  brights in the summer, pastels in the spring, etc. So it should be no surprise that many of my Subtle family ink pads were dried out! Here you see Calypso Coral, Pistachio Pudding, and Soft Sky  all inked up and pretty.

Check your ink pads, and then check your ink refill stash. Do you need to brighten up a few ink pads like I did? The lighter colors will need to be re-inked more often than the darker colors, so March is a good time to check out your Subtles family!

Click to order your ink refills here. They cost $2.95 each, or you can save a bit and buy a whole family at once for $24.95.  Either way, you'll be happy to have good depth and coverage on your favorite colors of ink for such a low price! I generally don't have to buy a refill more than once every 2-3 years. It's a good investment.

Curious what I did with all that pretty paper? Come back later this week and I'll show you what I made!

Weekly Deals and a Blendabilities Announcement

Check out the great deals this week! 

Blendabilities Update
There has been a production error on some of the latest batch of Blendabilities. For now, Stampin Up has put a hold on any ordering until they get a resolution from the manufacturer. Sadly, that means we cannot order any Blendabilities at this time. I will keep you updated.

A Sale-a-bration Vellum Sneak Peek!

Have you heard about the new Sale-a-bration items available this month???

Just when you thought you had it all planned out . . . Four new items to add to your wishlist!

Available just until March 31, you won't have long to get what you need! Hasn't this been a fabulous Sale-a-bration??? So much to love! Remember, you can host a party and if it reaches $250, you get a bonus $25 in host benefits! Contact me about your party now--it's easy to set up an online party for all your friends.

Oh, the vellum. I mean, really, the VELLUM! You need it. Trust me on that! It's so dramatic and dark--none of this gentle, sweet, and subtle stuff! And you know how I feel about Baker's Twine, right?

The notecard up above is colored with Old Olive and Rich Razzleberry Blendabilites, paired with the yummy Blackberry Bliss twine and cardstock.
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Stamps: And Many More
Paper: Whisper White notecards, Blackberry Bliss, Sheer Perfection Vellum (SAB)
Ink: White Craft, Blendabilities in Old Olive and Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: In Color Accessory Pack (SAB), Bitty Banners Framelits

Irresistible in the Garden

It was really difficult to get a good picture of this card! As you know, I'm a big fan of yellow, so of course I had to try Crushed Curry on the Irresistibly Yours DSP! Then I thought the little flower punch from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack coordinated so well with the flowers on the print, so I added a few punched from vellum scraps. I used the Daffodil Delight Blendabilities to color tiny pearls for the center of each punched flower.

The Designer Series Paper (DSP) is really the star of the show here, so I let it shine! This paper is so versatile! Make sure you get yours before Sale-a-bration is over!

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Stamps: Itty Bitty Banners
Paper: Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Irresistibly Yours DSP (SAB)
Ink: Crushed Curry, Blendabilities in Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder, Bitty Banners Framelits, 1/2" circle punch, Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack (flower punch), Painted Blooms Cotton Twine, Pearls

Calypso Celebration

I love the Sale-a-bration set Big Day! So easy to make birthday cards with, and that's what I make the most.

For this card, I was brave and used circles instead of banners. {wink} It really changes the look of the set, don't you think? I used the Starburst Framelits to cut out the main sentiment, then a plain Circle Framelit to mat it. Those little Calypso Coral Pompoms are so fun! The trim is a little bit stretchy, and they just add a yummy texture element to any card. I used the Calypso Coral Blendabilities to color a couple of the words, a few sequins for bling, and the wonderful Best Year Ever DSP (SAB).

A fun card that went together quickly!

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Stamps: Big Day (SAB)
Paper: Crumb Cake, Calypso Coral, Best Year Ever (SAB), Whisper White
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Starburst Framelits, Circle Framelits, Calypso Coral Pompom Trim, Gold Sequin Trim

Weekly Deals for Feb 24

Check out these great Weekly Deals!