The Greetery {Amour Market Collection Reveal Day 1}

I'm so happy to be here today with all kinds of fun Valentine's Day projects using the beautiful new Amour Market Collection from The Greetery! I know I always say Christmas crafting is my favorite, but Valentine's Day is a close second and especially with this absolutely GORGEOUS new collection! I will be using ALL of these products for years to come and know they will become my go-to supplies! As always, don't forget to head to The Greetery Blog for the official "meet and greet" for all of the new products AND don't forget to leave a comment there, here, and on each of the designers' blogs for a chance to win one of two $50 gift cards to the shop!

My first project for today is a series of 6 little Valentine's Day treat/gift pouches that were created using the Capsule Basics Die and the Capsule Basics Embossing Folder and few strategically placed score lines! These were so fun and easy to assemble and you could make them for any occasion! One of the products I'm most excited about is the new Fixed Borders Dies; there's a large and a small. I've used the Capsule Fixed Borders Large for each of the pouches. These two frames take all of the guess work out of deciding which two dies work to create the perfect frame to fit around the capsule and the smaller one nests just inside the larger one (not shown here).  You will end up with the perfect border each time because the frame is wired together which is why it's called the "fixed" border. I chose to use a beautiful Rose Gold Mirror cardstock from Cardstock Warehouse for three of the pouches and regular cardstock for the other three.

Here is the entire set of pouches so you can see the variety in borders. The great thing about these is that you only need half (actually slightly less) so you only need one frame for two pouches, unless you want to decorate the back.

This photo gives you a close-up of the side so you can see dimensionally how it looks! Valentine's Day is THE day for little cards, treat pouches, etc. so I thought these would be so fun! To begin, I die cut the six bases using the Capsule Basics Die; two each of three different cardstock colors: Pure Poppy, Sweet Blush, and Sea Foam. Once they were all cut, I used the Capsule Basics Embossing Folder to add the embossed detail. I measured the capsule and then scored two lines between the two middle scallops (hopefully you can see in this photo). There is another photo a little further down that shows one open with treats inside.

I folded them on those two score lines and then got to work embellishing them. As I mentioned before, each one features the fixed border. I embossed each border using the Rosemal Reflections Embossing Folder and cut them in half. You actually  need less than half, so what I did was add glue to the pouch where the frame would go, adhere the half frame, and then clipped off the excess with scissors. If you want to be more technical, you could measure it correctly to begin with! ha ha! That was just my experimental process, so I kept going with it! ha ha!

In this photo you can see the pouch opened with the treats inside. I put some Dove chocolates in a small glassine bag, but you could put all kinds of things inside. I'm sharing a gift idea a little further down that work be perfect for the inside and a gift card would also fit nicely inside. 

Each pouch features hearts that are cut using the new Whole Hearted Die and then embossed using the new Coquette Hearts Embossing Folder! There is also a new Filigree Hearts Die with three different sizes for the three largest hearts. I used all three sizes for the pouches.

The velvet cardstock I've been obsessed with over the last month or so was so perfect for these hearts, but as you can see, I also cut and embossed some from regular cardstock as well! I'm positively obsessed with these gorgeous hearts and I have used them throughout my projects, as you will see!

Each pouch also features a heat embossed sentiment either from the Simple Valentine Sentiments or the Simple Valentine Mini Sentiments. These are done in the same fonts as the Christmas ones and I just love them!

If you saw THESE the other day, you might have noticed all of the little flowers. I had some leftover so I added them here and there. I also used the Regency Bow No 1 and Regency Bow No 2 for most of them. I also added a few locks and keys from the Have a Spine: Lock and Key Die. I also used the Capsule Borders 1 Hot Foil for two of the pouches; you can see it on the one directly in front in this photo. I was struggling with how I would secure the top; normally I would just use ribbon, but ribbon is incredibly difficult to photograph and looks wonky and messy most of the time. I opted for these small clothespins I found in my stash/hoard that were the perfect color!

My next project uses similar details, but this one features the new Diamond Hearts Die and the new Bitty Blooming Hearts Stamp/Stencil. I wanted to try something different than I have in the past and I really like how this turned out.

To begin, I used the Capsule Basics Die on a piece of Sea Foam cardstock and then embossed it using the Capsule Basics Embossing Folder. I also die cut the frame using the new Capsule Fixed Borders Large Die from Rose Gold Mirror cardstock, embossed it with the Rosemal Reflections Embossing Folder and glued it down with liquid glue. I set that aside and got to work on the rest. I stamped and stenciled the flowers and then cut them using the Bitty Blooming Hearts Die. I die cut the pink portion using the Diamond Hearts Die and glued it to a piece of white cardstock. I cut it out using the correct size to fit inside the embossed frame.

I glued it in the center and then added all of the stenciled flowers and hearts cut from the same Rose Gold cardstock. I popped them up with foam squares for dimension. I can't stop with the pearls, so I added some pearls around the diamond die cut.

Of course I had to use another Coquette Heart and Filigree Heart border. The sentiment is from the Simple Valentine Sentiments Stamp Set and is heat embossed in gold.

I cut a shaped card base using the Capsule Basics die and then glued the entire panel to the top using liquid glue.

There is also the Diamond Hearts Stencil so you could just do stenciling or use it in addition to the dies to add shading to the centers of the diamonds, etc. I'm sure the team will provide all kinds of different ideas on how these products can be used. I started a stenciled card, so hopefully I can get it finished and share it in the next few days.

My final project for today features the new Market Place Lover's Lane Stamp Set and Market Place Lover's Lane Die. If you saw THIS post, those were created BEFORE I knew about this charming new addition to the Market Place series! Eep! I'm so excited! Since I made those original boxes in traditional Valentine's Day colors, I decided to do something different for today and so I used some "conversation hearts" colors to switch things up! Please note: these were incredibly difficult to photograph for some reason. The combination of colors had my camera wigging out! So, crazy enough, I had to try and unsaturate the photos to not make the colors look completely wrong. The colors I chose are: Lilac Grace, Mint Julep, and Sweet Blush. the Mint Julep ended up looking like Aqua, but it's Mint Julep, I promise! ha ha!

I used the same process for these boxes as I did for the three the other day. You can read all about them in the post I linked earlier. It's so nice to pick three colors or more, depending on how many boxes you're making, and then just get to work. It takes all of the guess-work out of picking what should go where to a degree; you DO still have to make some decisions! ha ha!

Up first is "The Velvet Box Jewelry Company" and I'm so in love! This one is cut from Sweet Blush, with Mint Julep shutters and roof trim. The window frames and sign are Lilac Grace. The hearts on the windows, the heart swag, and bow are all cut from Rose Gold Mirror cardstock. To begin, I actually die cut a bunch of the heart wreaths in the three different sizes from white cardstock and then colored them with ink.

Up next is the Love Letters Postal Service...another winner! I love a postal theme no matter the season so I simply HAD to choose this one! This box is cut from Lilac Grace with Mint Julep window frames (can you believe it's Mint Julep?) and Sweet Blush door, sign, and top detail. This one also features gold doves and the sweetest heart topiaries flanking the door in the two front windows! Each box also got some white gouache splatter and sugary sweet glitter. I opted to NOT give them snow flock, but rather the sugary details to complement the candy look!

The third box is the Shakespeare & Co. Booksellers! This one is cut from Mint Julep with Lilac Grace windows and side trim and Sweet Blush accents and sign. More Rose Gold details finish this one off!

Now.....I got a little bee in my bonnet and couldn't just be done! I thought it would be fun to create coordinating tags or gifts to correspond with each of the names of the stores, so we're really JUST getting started! haha! I will share them in the order that I made them and up first is "The Velvet Box Jewelry Company".

I couldn't get this idea out of my head, so I just had to make these and get it out so I could concentrate on other things! I thought it would be so cute to make a jewelry-themed gift to go inside the box along with some other treats, gift card, lip-gloss, etc. These would be such adorable "Galentines" gifts for your friends or even family members! When my daughter was younger and in dance, these were the type of gifts I enjoyed putting together for her dance class friends!

I did forget to mention that I also like to add a battery-operated tea light candle (not turned on) when I gift these so the recipient can use them as a decoration later if they want.

I made three different earring cards to hold the set of earrings. I found these on Amazon and you can find them HERE. These are inexpensive, but I think they're so cute and would be perfect if you have quite a few people to think of. My daughter saw them and commented on how she would like some and she's 22, so there you go! ha ha!

Since I've been on a velvet kick, AND the name of the shop is "The Velvet Box", I did include the pink velvet paper for these cards. To begin, I used the "freebie" that was included with the Christmas orders and die cut the smallest details from Rose Gold Mirror Cardstock. I also used the same die to cut the velvet; it has an adhesive back that I have been sticking to cardstock first, before die cutting, but in this case, I simply adhered it to the gingham/pattern paper. This one in the middle was cut using the new Capsule Valentines Gallery Prints. These are just like the beautiful ones that came out for Christmas, but with a valentine theme! 

For this one, I used another one of the Lover's Lane shop names, but added it under the earrings. 

The Rose Gold portion is adhered to the smallest size included in the Capsule Basics with a Vintage Cream Capsule Filigree Basics border. I used my paper piercer to cut through the paper to add the earrings. 

Up next is the Love Letters Postal Service! I've had this cute envelope template since the early 2000s and I've used it for quite a few projects over the years. I thought it would be a cute base to create some tags. I didn't actually turn these into tags yet, but you could simply add them to a Crimped Circle Tag or they could also be used as embellishments for cards!

These boxes would be so cute to hold a set of small notecards, too!

These little envelope embellishments would also be cute on those valentine pouches I shared first!

I traced the template on pattern paper and then cut them out. I glued them together and then embellished them with the smaller hearts from the Whole Hearted Die and Coquette Hearts Embossing Folder. The sentiments are all from the Simply Valentine Mini Sentiments Stamp Set.

And the final shop is the "Shakespeare & Co. Bookseller"! I made some little book tags or gift inserts using the Have a Spine: Short Story Die. Once again, I just stayed with the three colors to make quick work of the books!

I did stamp a sentiment on the inside of each of the books using the Love Stories Stamp Set, but I forgot to take photos!

The mini sentiments fit perfectly on the spine and on the cover. I chose three different sentiment for each of the three books.

Each cover also uses details included in the Romantic Corners Die for some added charm!

Whew! That concludes today's post and I appreciate you stopping by! Please join me tomorrow for day two of full reveals and don't forget to leave a comment here, and on each of the other designers' blogs, for a chance to win one of two $50 gift cards to the shop! Thanks for fluttering by!

Caly Person

Dana Kirby

Dawn McVey

Kelly Lunceford (you are here)

Laura Bassen

Laurie Willison

Lea Lawson

Melissa Phillips

Wanda Guess

 

Project Inspiration {Congratulations on Finding Your Forever}

It's my turn for this weekend's Project Inspiration feature for Papertrey Ink! I was in need of a wedding card for my nephew's wedding happening this upcoming weekend, so I decided to pull out some of the beautiful products from the December release to bring this card to life!

I don't participate in the December release so this is the first time I've used these beautiful stamps, dies, and foil plate! This would also make a wonderful Valentine's Day card as well, just switch out the sentiment!

I apologize for this terrible photo; I really struggle getting good photos of Sweet Blush cardstock, but in real life it is beautiful! ha ha! 

Step 1: Cut a 5 by 7 piece of Sweet Blush cardstock and attach it to a 5 by 7 white card base using liquid glue. Stamp the love definition image in the two corners using the This is Big Sentiments: Definitions of Love Stamp Set with Sweet Blush ink.

Step 2: Foil a panel of Pure Poppy cardstock using the Deco Framework Hot Foil Plate with red foil. Trim it down and add it to the background using foam squares.

Step 3: Cut the two hearts using the Heirloom Hearts Die and add them to the red panel using additional foam squares.

Step 4: Cut and color all of the flowers and leaves using the Build-a-Bouquet Die. Add them to the center of the hearts using liquid glue and foam squares.

Step 5: Heat emboss the sentiment using the Big Inside Greetings Stamp Set onto a strip of vellum. Attach it to the Rectangle Frame and then add it to the background using foam squares.

Step 6: Arrange additional flowers and leaves around the card making sure not to cover the foiled corners.

I am seriously obsessed with these hearts and I can't wait to use them for this year's Valentine's Day projects!

I did add some Hickory Smoke Distress Spritz to the flowers and leaves.

You can find these gorgeous envelopes that are perfect for your 5 by 7 cards or A2 cards with leaves and things that hang over the edge HERE. I have been using these for all of the shaped cards I've been making the last few months!

I used some adhesive pearls in the centers of the larger yellow flowers for some added detail.

This card was so much fun to make and I'm excited to attend my nephew's wedding! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

The Greetery {Holiday Products with a Valentine Twist}

 

Hello friends! It's me again with yet another project for The Greetery! I've been having the best time creating Valentine's Day cards and projects using the beautiful products that have been released over the last few months! I had a few scraps leftover from the card I shared on Christmas, so I thought I may as well use them and share the process with you. I promise I won’t make a habit of sharing “leftover scrap” cards when I’m creating posts for The Greetery! Ha ha! I was pleased at how nicely the leftovers worked to create a Valentine’s Day card AND, I know many of you might not be ready to put away these amazing products, because I know I’m not. That’s the beautiful thing about these last few releases; yes, they have Christmas imagery and sentiments, but not EVERYTHING is Christmas! These are wonderful and beautiful basics that could (and should…wink!) be at our fingertips all year long!

The two scraps I had leftover are the snowflake star portion and the outer red portion. If you read my post on Christmas, I mentioned that I used to use embossing folders with velvet paper quite a bit back when embossing folders first came out. I LOVED the result, but velvet paper was hard to find and it was expensive. Fast forward to now; velvet paper is EASY to find and isn’t expensive. The kind I found is from Amazon and has an adhesive backing so it can be added to jewelry boxes. I found it is best to adhere it to cardstock first and then die cut and emboss. The red that I used can be found HERE and the White Birch cardstock can be found HERE.

The star was cut using the Shortbread Shapes: Snowflake Die from White Birch Veneer cardstock and that’s how it was left after Christmas. For this card, I simply added the embossing using the Shortbread Shapes: Snowflake Embossing Folder and then used a sponge dauber to add just a touch of brown oxide ink over the raised edges. The velvet frame was also cut using the Shortbread Shapes: Snowflake Die and then the center was removed using the Capsule Basics Die. I used the Rosemal Reflections Embossing Folder to add the detail.

So, with these two scraps, could I actually make something other than Christmas? Yes, yes I can and yes I did! Cue the Nordic Hearts, Rosemal Reflections Details Die (another one that works year-round), and the Shelved Stamp Set along with a few other details! I cut the background for the card from Pure Poppy and then glued the velvet frame over the top. I inserted the gold detail that was cut using the Capsule Filigree Borders using liquid glue. I added the embossed star over the top using foam squares and then added the heart. It is cut from the same velvet paper with white cardstock for the border. I layered it over the star using additional foam squares.

I die cut the flower from white cardstock using the Rosemal Reflections Detail Die and then colored everything with dye ink and blender brushes. I used liquid glue to assemble the cluster, adding adhesive pearls to a few of the flowers. I added it to the center of the heart using additional foam squares. The sentiment is heat embossed in gold onto Pure Poppy cardstock and then added under the heart.

In my Christmas post, I mentioned I was leery of using glitter on the velvet cardstock, but decided to do some experimenting for today. I cut the bow using the Regency Bow No. 2 from pink velvet cardstock. I decided to add some glitter to it and see how it behaved before attaching it to the card. I used a 2-way glue pen and added Rock Candy glitter and it worked well! Because of the fine fibers of the velvet, I DID need to tap it more than regular cardstock to remove any excess. I do think it wouldn’t work as well on the red velvet or dark colors, but for the pink it worked well.  I tucked a few of my leftover floral clusters around the bow along with some greenery. I attached it to the shaped base and called it done!

I was hesitant to create yet another “shaped” card and worried it was too much of the same thing, but then I thought to myself: You have created rectangle cards for most of your life and NEVER worried that people thought you kept doing the “same thing”! ha ha! So, here’s the green light to create as many shaped cards as your heart desires! Not that you needed my permission (ha ha), but I clearly needed to give myself permission. Thanks for fluttering by!