Gift Bags

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #6:  Make your own gift bags using patterned paper.

Today I'm sharing with you another use for patterned paper (my favorite craft item).  Each of the gift bags above was created with paper from the Delightful Daisy paper from Stampin' Up.  I wish I had been keeping track of everything I've made from this ONE pack of paper!  If you are on a budget but still want to make pretty things, paper is the most economical thing you can buy.  I've made countless cards, several scrapbook pages, & these 3 gift bags, and I still have paper left over!  Our paper comes in packs of 12 12" x 12" sheets, with 2 sheets of 6 double-sided designs, and most of it is priced at 11.00. 

These bags were quick and easy to make, using the Gift Bag Punch Board.  

This tool is easy to use, with directions printed right on top of it.  You can make a variety of sizes, from 4" to 10" tall.  

These gift bags are perfect to fill with chocolates and give to someone as a birthday surprise or as a little hostess gift. 

If you have any questions about these products, or anything stamping-related, let me know!  You can order online by following the easy steps on the right side of this blog.  Also remember that there is a special going on until the end of July (just a few more days) . . . for every $50 you spend, you get a $5 coupon code that can be used during August. 

Jar Of Love Card + Give-Away Winner

It's hard to believe, but we're halfway through summer!  For some people, it will soon be time to get out canning jars & start putting up produce from their gardens.  I don't do much canning, but I do use a lot of canning jars around my house!  They are so convenient to use for storage, plus for standing in as vases for cut flowers.  The card above is one that I recently made & then decided to make several of them to use for the cards I will be sending out in August.  

I am re-sharing a tip from last month:

 SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #2 --- Stamp a stack of cards each month to have ready to send.

It is easy to make up a set of cards, just alike, to have ready to send whenever you need one.

Here is the Jar of Love stamp set:

With all of the different sentiments, flowers, & little extras, this is a very cute set to play with!  There is a matching die cut set available also, that makes it even more fun.  Here are a few cards that I made last summer with these stamps:

The card at the top also features the Wood Textures paper, that I've been using a lot lately.  The distressed look pairs nicely with the canning jars.

Finally, it's time for me to announce the winner of the give-away!  It is . . . . Pam, my stamping friend in Alaska!  She was part of my stamping group several years ago when we lived there & I remember that she made beautiful cards.  I'm sure she will create some nice projects with this paper that I will be sending her.  Congratulations Pam!

Thank you to everyone who has subscribed to my blog.  I hope you will find my tips to be useful in your own paper-crafting.  Give-aways are fun . . . I will likely be doing another one in a few weeks.

Remember that Stampin' Up is having their Bonus Days promotion going on through the end of July.  If you place a $50 order, you will receive a $5 coupon code to use on an order in August.

Please email me (godismydelight@yahoo.com) if you have any questions about subscribing, ordering, or anything stamping-related.  I would love to hear from you!

Scrapbook Pages with Delightful Daisy Paper (and a giveaway)

My very favorite accessory to use in stamping or scrapbooking is patterned paper.  It is versatile and inexpensive.  Most of our 12" x 12" paper costs $11 for a pack of 12 double-sided sheets.  I've already shown in previous posts my favorite paper from our Stampin' Up catalog.  It is called Delightful Daisy and the images are so perfect for summer!  This was the first item I purchased out of the new catalog, and I've already created several projects from this one pack.  And I still have a lot of paper left for more projects!

My husband & I recently took our oldest two grandaughters with us on a trip to visit our parents.  The trip was nine days long, and you can imagine that we took a lot of photos!  The pages above show the fun that we had.  

I made one page that was about the drive itself.  It was about 9 hours each way, so we had lots of time to make memories in the car!  Then I made a page from our visit with Pete's parents and a page from our time with my mom and her husband.  To keep things simple and to create a cohesive look, I used the same colors, papers, & stamps on each page.  This also helped the pages to come together pretty quickly.  The stamp set I used for the titles is the Brushwork Alphabet set. Here is a tip that I always use on my pages:

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #5:  Cut "un-necessary" parts out of photos.  Arrange photos on page and fill in empty spaces with patterned paper.

There are a lot of other embellishments that could be added to dress up scrapbook pages (and occasionally I use more), but I find that by using a minimum amount of embellishments, the focus stays on the photos.  Plus, it makes it a lot faster to get pages done!

Here is a look at all 12 designs that come in this pack of paper.  Aren't they pretty?  I would like to give away a pack of this paper to one of my subscribers.  So if you haven't subscribed yet and would like a chance at winning this beautiful paper, look to the right for where it says "Follow By Email".  Enter your email address in the box and click "submit".  You will receive an email confirmation shortly afterwards, to which you will need to respond to.  (If the email doesn't show up in your in-box, check your spam box.)  I will randomly choose a winner next Thursday, July 20, at 10:00 am, EST.  If you are the lucky winner, I will notify you by email.  So, subscribe to win!

Here are a few more of the many cards that I've used with this paper:

 

Here is a reminder of the special that is going on this month at Stampin' Up.  If you place a $50 order, you will receive a $5 coupon code that can be used on an order in August.  You can order by browsing the catalog on the right and then clicking the Shop Now button.

I will be back next week to share another simple stamping tip and to announce the winner of our give-away!

Delightful Daisy Cards

One of my favorite items from the new Stampin' Up catalog is the Delightful Daisy paper (Item #144137).  I have used it over and over again in just the month or so since I ordered it.  It comes in a pack of 12 double-sided sheets.  Here is a closer look at all of the pretty patterns:

Some of the patterns feature larger prints and sometimes it's hard to know exactly how to use them.  So here is a simple stamping tip to help you know what do to with those papers with large, bold prints:

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #4:  Use paper with large patterns as the focal point of your card.

You can see that I cut a large piece of the paper to cover most of the front of the card, just as I did the card at the top of this page.  Then I stamped my greeting on a small piece of cardstock.  The words on both cards come from the Thoughtful Banners stamp set (Item #141614).  As you can see, this stamp set covers just about every occasion! 

I made this card for my sweet Aunt Dot, who recently had a birthday.  She has Alzheimer's disease and has been residing in a care facility for the past year or so.  When I saw this paper, I thought of her.  I didn't get visit her in her home very often over the years; she lived in Pennsylvania and we lived in Tennessee.  But I always remembered her yellow kitchen.  I thought it was a perfect reflection of her fun personality!  

You can see a glimpse of her sunny disposition as she is having fun with a friend in her bright, cheerful kitchen:

By the way, I also used this same paper on this birthday card for my mother-in-law.  And I used the same technique of using a large piece of the paper.  When paper is this pretty, it just seems right to let it be the "main attraction"!

If you are interested in ordering this paper or any other items, you can shop online by following the instructions in the right margin.  Stampin' Up is having a special promotion this month.  For every $50 (before shipping & tax) you spend, you will get a $5 bonus coupon that can be used August 1-31, 2017.  You will receive a coupon code via email.  If you have any stamping or ordering questions, please let me know (in the comments, on Facebook, or email godismydelight@yahoo.com).

Thanks for coming here today!  I will be back next week, sharing some scrapbook pages featuring this same pretty Delightful Daisy paper.