April 2010 Make and Take

This little tag and pocket are the Make & Take that I designed for the LSS at the beginning of the month. Of course, the idea of using a punch at the top of a pocket is not new. I'm sure it's been done many times before. I noticed that a class project at the LSS used a Martha Stewart punch at the top of a tag pocket, and I liked how the teacher had used it. However, I made my pocket by hand from start to finish rather than using a die-cut. A tutorial follows in the next post down on this blog.

The stamp was from one of the Studio G clear dollar stamp sets I bought at Michaels, AC Moore, or JoAnn's a year or two ago. I think the flower punch is by EK Success. I punched three layers, creased each petal in half from flower center to outer edge of the petal, put a brad through the center of the three layered flowers, and bent the petals of the two top layers upward for dimension.

The tag is from a Sizzix die. The embossing on both the pocket and the tag was done with two Sizzix folders that came in the Baby Set #3 (Sizzix Textured Impressions). I positioned my pocket and tag on the embossing folders in a way that used only the parts of the folders that I wanted to use. One folder had writing which I did not want to emboss on my pocket, and the other had gifts and baby shoes that I also did not want to be embossed on my tag. Pictures that show the process and what the tag looks like outside the pocket will be posted another day.

Martha Stewart tag pocket tutorial Part 1

Begin with a rectangular piece of cardstock cut to size shown in the photo below.

Click on each photo for a larger image. Directions are printed on each photo. Once you bring up the enlarged image, it may revert to one that fits in the window, but you can click on it to get a closer view.

The pocket piece in the above photo is

not really skewed weird like it looks.
It's just the angle of the photo that

makes it look like it's not cut straight.

Tutorial is continued in the next post down.

MS Pocket Tutorial Part 2

Although the pocket is made by hand instead of done with an electronic cutter, it really doesn't take very long.

Get Well Shaker Card

I am a sucker for embossing folders, as you can probably tell if you've looked through my blog. When I found some new Sizzix embossing folders at AC Moore, I couldn't resist. The one I used for this shaker card is from the Sizzix Textured Impressions Wedding Set. I simply used detail scissors to cut out the inside, which I didn't want since it had the following text: "Wishing you all the best on your very special day." I needed a get well card for a dear friend who was seriously ill in the hospital, so the embossed text really didn't fit. I loved the design of the folder, just didn't need the saying inside. Once I cut out the inside text section, I applied clear transparency behind it. I attached the "get well soon" (from a Cuttlebug die set) onto the front of the transparency. Then I put poster tape on the back, all around the opening (but where it wouldn't show), added the usual stuff for making a shaker card, and attached the card base. I embossed a few of the punched flowers, layered small Prima flowers on top of the punched flowers, and that was it.

My friend was too drugged to enjoy it (she nearly died), but her mom liked it. My friend is much, much better now, but I just hadn't gotten around to getting the picture off my camera till today.

Clarification and disclaimer

I received a recent notice of a comment someone wanted to post on my blog. It appears that the individual thinks I have something to do with Provo Craft.

I do not have any affiliation with them. I don't even know anyone who works for them.

I have tools and stamps from a variety of companies. I have no particular loyalty to any one company. If I like a product, I buy it, especially if I can get it on sale. If I use it in a project on my blog, I tell what I use, simply as a matter of courtesy.

Yes, I have a lot of Cuttlebug and Sizzix dies and embossing folders. I happen to like them, so I use them on my projects that I have posted here. I also happen to use a lot of Close to my Heart stamps, but I'm not a rep for them either.

I have received some kind words about my projects, which I usually post. However, if someone wants to post a comment that is about a subject which I have not mentioned on my blog, I will not publish the comment. My blog is simply for sharing my papercrafting projects, just as others have shared their talents with me.

Birthday Card

The above is the card when it is closed. Below is how it looks when you pull the top tag up. The bottom tag also slides down out of the bottom at the same time, too.

This very cool technique was found both on YouTube and SplitcoastStampers. It's made with plastic from a grocery bag, so it's one way of recycling those bags instead of sending more plastic to the landfill.

The link for the YouTube video is: Slider Card by Dawn on YouTube

The link for the SplitcoastStampers tutorial is: Slider Card by Beate Johns

The stamps are all by Close to my Heart except for the butterfly, which is one of the Studio G clear stamps from the dollar bins at Michaels.