Flash Sale {Hope your day feels like a day at the Beach!}

Can you feel it? I'm trying to ignore it, but it's there! It's that feeling I get every August when I  feel summer slipping through my fingers like sand! I'm aiming to soak it up for as long as I possibly can! I decided to go for a tropical/beach-y theme for today's Papertrey Ink/Ink to Paper Flash Sale to keep my summer spirits up! I chose to use the fabulous Beachy Keen stamp set that was released last year! Everything included in this week's Flash Sale are as follows: Beachy Keen Stamp Set

Beachy Keen die collection

Just Sentiments: Tagged

Swirling Clouds dies

Vellum Cardstock

Hawaiian Shores cardstock

Green Parakeet Cardstock

INK: Green parakeet, New Leaf, Cocoa Bean, Summer Sunrise, Hawaiian Shores

This sale starts today at noon and will run until Wednesday, August 5th at 12 noon EDT! 

I chose to make two cards again this week! I always begin by die cutting and stamping many pieces which means I end up with a lot to play with! I know I always say it, but if you're making one, you may as well make MORE than one! LOL!

I hadn't planned on using this particular panel on a horizontal card, but after I had torn the Hawaiian Shores cardstock (which I meant to do) I realized that it looked like the waves/tide rolling in! It worked so nicely with the theme of today's card that I just HAD to use it like this. I layered it onto a 4 by 5 1/4 inch panel of Kraft cardstock using a tape runner. The portion of the Kraft cardstock peeking out from the ripped portion worked perfectly for me to stamp the "Sweet Birthday Wishes" sentiment, which if from the Just Sentiments: Tagged stamp set. 

The "Hope your day feels like a day at the beach" sentiment is from the Beachy Keen stamp set and I just love it! I wish I was at the beach, don't you? I added some of the swirling cloud dies and the palm trees using foam squares. I also added some White Nuvo drops to the center of each of the palm trees for added detail.

My next card is similar, but this time, I did make the card vertical, like I had originally planned for the other card. I used to rip my cardstock a lot back in the old days, but I really do love the texture and detail it adds to a design, especially these beach-y ones!

This sentiment is heat embossed in gold onto vellum. I know I use this technique quite a bit, but it really does allow me to achieve an airy feel and add the sentiment directly in the middle of the card! It's a win/win situation in my opinion!

I added some Hawaiian Shores ink splatter on this card as well as the first card. I love the extra depth of color it adds to the blended panel as well as extra detail on the clouds.

I added a trio of sparkling clear sequins to both cards for some extra sparkle. These will probably both get a spritz of Shimmer Spray as well. I know I've mentioned it before, but I usually omit this step until after I have photographed the cards because it can cause visual distraction in photos, but in real life, it adds the best sparkle! I hope you take advantage of this week's Flash Sale and take advantage of this glorious summer week! Thanks for fluttering by!

Pocket Journal Step-by-Step Visual Instructions

Hello and welcome to friends old and new!! I'm doing things a little bit differently today for a special purpose! I was asked to help create journal kits for the youth group of our church for day camp on Saturday.  I am using this platform to facilitate a visual look and step by step instructions on how the journals are assembled! I so wish I could be with each of you for camp, but please know that I am there in spirit and I hope you have a fabulous day despite things being "different than usual"!  Always remember, you are loved NO MATTER WHAT! 

Each of you will be given a kit with everything you will need to compete your journal! I do need to add, however,that this journal is NOT my design, but was created by my friend and SU! demonstrator Melissa Colledge! I have just used her darling journal as an example to create mine, as well as your kits, so let's get started!!!

The first step is to carefully trim around the laminated journal cover leaving about a 1/16 inch border. You can trim a little closer if you feel like you have a steady hand! The lamination is slippery, so you can actually just slide the scissors carefully down each side, but be careful to be steady! Take extra time to trim evenly around the rounded corners. If you look closely at this photo, you can see there are three score lines; one going directly down the center and two on either side of the center line. You will need to fold these sharply. You can use the edge of a credit card or a bone folder if you have one!

Once it is folded, you will have created a spine, which will be where the actual journal notebooks are attached. I will show how to do that in a bit!

This is how it should look on the side. You will notice that there is a hole right in the center of the spine. Locate that on your journal for the next step.

In your kit, you have two different pieces of elastic cord. For this next step, you will need the SHORTER piece. Thread the two ends through the outside of the journal spine leaving a loop that is long enough to secure your journal. You may want to scroll up to the first two photos for a visual of what I mean. You don't want this loop to be too tight or too loose! 

Tie a single or double knot with the two ends on the inside. You want to make sure that the knots are large enough so that it won't pull back through the hole! Go ahead and trim the ends when you feel like it is the correct length!

Each of your kits contain 15 pieces of white copy paper. You will need to put these together in stacks of 5 and then fold them crisply down the center. These will be the pages for your journal.

There are also 3 different pieces of coordinating pattern paper. Go ahead and fold those in half as well! These are the covers to create the notebooks for the journals. Once that is done, place the folded typing paper into each of the three covers.

Using a long arm stapler, staple the center crease of the covers and typing paper to secure them together. Staple one near the top and one near the bottom.

Next, you will want to open the journal cover and place one of the notebooks equidistant from the top and the bottom to give you an idea of where the holes need to be punched. You can see that I have made dots with a Sharpie pen to give you a visual look of where they need to be. Make sure the holes are just slightly below the top and bottom of the notebook.

I have included a hole punch for each of your groups so check with your leader to get the 1/8 inch hole punch. You don't want to use anything larger! Punch the three holes at the bottom and three holes at the top.

You can see how the holes should look in this photo.

This part might look tricky, but it's really simple. You will need to cut the larger piece of elastic in half. Starting with one piece, thread it through the TOP middle hole starting on the inside. Move it directly to the left and back through the top left hole. Stretch it down the left side and out the bottom left hole and back into the center. Knot the two end together tightly. Repeat this step, but move to the right.

These three lines of elastic are to secure your notebooks in place. It also allows you to add a new notebook if one gets filled up! You will need to open up the stapled notebook at the center and slide it under the elastic until it rests in the center (where the staples are).

Repeat this step with each of the three notebooks!

Each of your kits includes a binder clip that you can use to secure any of the three notebooks. It's just a fun touch, as well!

Each of your kits include a charm, a lobster clasp, and a spiral jump ring. You will need to put the lobster clasp onto the jump ring and then add the charm to the jump ring as well. It is just like putting a key on a key ring! You shouldn't need any tools or pliers to get this done.

Wrap the elastic around the journal and then add your charm! 

That's it! You're done! I hope you've enjoyed making these journals and I hope you'll take the time to use it! You also have a pen in your kit so you can get going right away! Thanks for joining me today and thanks for fluttering by! 

It's Cake-Chomping Time! and a WINNER!!!

Thank you so much for ALL of your comments on my Keeping Christmas giveaway post! You are all so sweet and I love that you share my same enthusiasm for Downton Abbey AND The Greetery! I have two cards to share with you today, but I'm sure you're all anxious to see who the winner is!

DENISE BRYANT you are the WINNER!!! Congratulations! I'm glad you're a big DA fan! Email me at kellyrory1@msn.com and I'll get the movie mailed out and I can email you the digital gift certificate! Thanks for playing along!

Now that the fun part is over (ha ha) I've got two shark themed birthday cards to share with you. I'm still loving this super cute new Baby Shark Die-Namics and I'm also still needing boy birthday cards for the sweet kiddos from church! I've been doing doorstep deliveries for each of their birthdays and I want a fun card to go along with their birthday gift!

These cards use a bit of a hodgepodge of products, which I always love! To create the backgrounds, I used the Here Comes the Sun Stencil and Mermaid Lagoon Distress Oxide ink. I also added some Mermaid Lagoon ink splatter over the top as well.

The sharks are die cut from Enchanted Evening and Blueberry Sky cardstock. The teeth are white, of course, and the inside of the mouth is Pure Poppy. The eyes are die cut from black cardstock and then I added a dot of white using a gel pen. I added some Nuvo Crystal Glaze over the top for some realistic looking shine! Both sentiments are from the Sharky Sentiments stamp set that coordinates with the dies. I heat embossed the "It's Cake-Chomping Time" sentiment using white powder and then stamped the "Keep on Smiling" sentiment onto a tab that is die cut using the Altenew Tabbed die set. I wanted to continue with the zig zag look of the teeth, so I added a bit of machine stitching to the bottom using my sewing machine. I added a trio of dew drops to each of the cards using liquid glue.

I always like including something on the inside as well. I stamped the sentiment on the inside, which is from the Inside Greetings: Birthday Wishes, in black ink. It goes perfectly with the sentiment on the outside, don't you think? Thanks for fluttering by!

Flash Sale {You Mean So Much to Me}

It's just me popping in with this week's Ink to Paper/Papertrey Ink Flash Sale! Last week I shared THESE cards with a fun color combination! Today I'm using a new color combination paired with some stamps and dies from last year! I really enjoy trying new color combinations, especially since I always seem to reach for the same colors over and over again! ha ha! So....for today's FLASH SALE, the following items that I used on today's cards are ON SALE! They will be on sale until Wednesday at 12 noon! 

Stamps: Frame It Out: Wishes and Many Anemones

Dies: Many Anemones, Geometrix: Hexagon, Banner Builder Basics

Paper: Dark Indigo Cardstock, Harvest Gold Bitty Big

Ink: Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush, Simply Chartreuse and Ripe Avocado

I made two cards using these fabulous products; one horizontal and one vertical! The two sentiments from the Many Anemones stamp set work perfectly in the Geometrix: Hexagon! I heat embossed them in white onto the Dark Indigo Hexagons!

I also used the Banner Builder Basics to die cut the banners. I used the small sentiments in the Frame It Out: Wishes stamp set to accent the larger embossed sentiments. I love using these banners to add interest to the sentiments and highlight them in a special way!

I love how versatile the Many Anemones die collection is; you can use the outline by itself or add it over the top of the stamped images like I have done here! I stamped each of the three images using black ink and then used the other 2 steps to add the color.

I used Sweet Blush and Berry Sorbet ink to bring these flowers to life! I think Anemones are such beautiful and unique flowers! I stamped the leaves in Simply Chartreuse ink and then added in the detail image using Ripe Avocado.

I added a row of zig-zag machine stitching to the bottom of this design for some added detail and texture!

I kept one of the Anemones peeking from behind the sentiment panel, which is something I don't usually do, but I really like how it turned out!

I also added some partial shading to the Sweet Blush portions of the flowers by adding some Berry Sorbet ink using a finger sponge dauber. It really helped create the balance in the flowers I was hoping for!

These cards were so much fun to create! I haven't used the Many Anemones stamp set for a long time! You can see the last card I made with it HERE! I did some emboss/resist with watercolors and then added in some of the outline dies like I did on today's cards! Thanks for fluttering by!

Keeping Christmas {Santa Mail} + GIVEAWAY

It's the most wonderful time of the month! It's always fun when the 25th of the month rolls around and I get a chance to feel the spirit of Christmas for a day or two! Thank you for joining me and the rest of the Keeping Christmas team as we share some fresh inspiration for you to get a head start on your Christmas preparations!

I'm also doing a fun GIVEAWAY for Christmas in July!!! This giveaway is for U.S.  residents only! I will be giving away a $50.00 gift certificate to The Greetery and a brand-new, never been opened Downton Abbey movie! Every year after Christmas I re-watch the entire series, so I thought it would be fun to add this into the giveaway! I will be picking a random winner from the comments left on this post! I will leave the comments open until Tuesday, July 28th at 12 noon MDT! 

Make sure you hop along to the other designers' blogs to see what fabulous inspiration they have in store for you today!

Kelly Lunceford (Creator)

 Claire Broadwater (off this month)

 Lori Tecler

 Nance Salkeld (off this month)

 Nina Forsyth

 Marybeth Lopez

 Nancy Penir

 Carol Hintermeier 

It's no secret that I love a postal theme, and a Christmas postal theme is the cherry on top! I've shared a few Christmas postal ideas already this year, so these go nicely with what I've already made! My mind has been turning with different ways to use the new Create-a-Crate die and I thought it would be fun to make a Christmas crate! 

These are perfect to tuck some holiday treats, maybe a little jar of jam, the list goes on and on! I really wanted to explore stamping on these muslin bags and the idea to make them "Santa Mail" bags popped into my mind! One of my all-time favorite stamp sets is  Santa Stationery and I knew the images would stamp nicely onto the little bags!

I chose a few different images from the set and added them using black and Pure Poppy ink. I did free hand, but you could try putting a piece of cardstock down inside the bags and use a stamp positioner to make sure you got it just right!

I filled the bags up with some Hershey's Nuggets for photography purposes, but you could fill them up with all kinds of things. This 3 by 4 size would be perfect to hold a gift card as well. You could put the gift card in the muslin bag and then add some treats inside the crate. My plan definitely includes some vintage foil wrapped Santas! 

I absolutely LOVE the muslin bags from Papertrey Ink. I used one of those on THIS project (scroll down) but bought some from Amazon for today's project. I would DEFINITELY recommend the ones from Papetrey Ink. These are more flimsy and see-through, which I DON'T like! Oh well....you live and learn!

Once I had the candy inside the bag, I cinched it up and tied the remaining cord into a bow! You could also add a little tag to the cord as well for added detail!

I die cut all of the pieces for the crates and then used the included woodgrain embossing panel to give each crate that realistic look! Also, I found that if I didn't push out the paper that is left in the holes in each of the four corners as I was doing the die cutting, it will leave the circles intact. This eliminates the need to use brads or any other type of embellishment. I was making multiples and I don't have enough mini brads on hand!

I ended up by making three crates and three stamped muslin bags in total! I love having little gifts like this on hand when it comes time to put together my gift ensembles!

I adorned the front of each crate with the beautiful branch from the Winter Sketches Stamp Set. I also used the Santa stamp from the Santa Stationery stamp set, but die cut it using the Pretty Postmarks dies. I used those same dies for the other postal elements for the front. The Special Delivery and wavy postal lines are from the Pretty Postmarks stamp set. 

The Create-a-Crate die collection comes with the frame portion to add to the end of the crate. I used one of the other sprigs of berries and greenery to adorn this particular end. The sentiment is from the Sentiment Suite: Christmas stamp set and is stamped in black and then I added the die cut frame portion around it using liquid glue.

The other side of each of the crates has another sentiment from the same set paired with the pine cone image from the Winter Sketched stamp set. It adds just the right amount of extra detail that I love!

You could also do a chalkboard look like I did on my peach crate during the release! I just really love the light and airy look of these side panels for this project!

I added some paper shred to the inside of each crate to give it some added detail and charm. It also helps secure whatever it is that you are putting inside the crate. 

Here is the final product all ready to go, minus all of the holiday treats and sweets that will be added when Christmas rolls around! This was a fun project to work on and I can't wait to make more crates for other occasions!

Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win my GIVEAWAY!! Thanks for fluttering by!