Create x3

Another Masculine {Card} & Get Your Entries In!

Thursday, I shared a masculine card with you that I made for my husband for Father's Day.  If you missed that post, look here.  Today, I want to share the card I made for my dad.

The cards are similar since I used the Memory Box Fernbrae papers and the Memory Box Club Panda {C1222} stamp on both cards.  But the overall style of the cards are different.  For my dad's card, first I cut a bunch of random strips of paper out of Fernbrae and keylime biscotti papers.
 
Next, I adhered the strips of paper, twill, and the title to my dill cardstock.

Then I finished the card by adhering the above piece to a Memory Box vanilla bean notecard.  I also add a chipboard star covered in Fernbrae paper and the stamped panda.  Here is how it turned out:
 
 
Papers:  Memory Box Co. Fernbrae, Memory Box keylime biscotti, Memory Box vanilla bean notecard 22046, Memory Box dill cardstock 44010, Memory Box parsley cardstock 44028
Stamps:  Memory Box Co. Club Panda C1222
Stamp Ink:  VersaFine vintage sepia
Embellishments: misc. twill, Making Memories tiny alpha stickers, Stickles cinnamon, misc. chipboard heart

Quick and easy!  Now I have two masculine cards I can reference again if I need one for someone.  And just a reminder--your entries for the $100 Memory Box Bucks Contest are due by Tuesday, June 30th.  I hope that many of you are getting your entries finished up!  It is one amazing prize!  For all of the details, see this post here.  Have a great weekend!

Masculine {Cards}

I don't create masculine cards very often.  First, there aren't that very many men in our family/extended family.  We have lots of girls!  And second, I think they are just a bit harder for me because I am used to the "girlie" colors and touches.  I guess I avoid masculine cards to be honest.  LOL!

Well, I needed to make two Father's Day cards this week.  Yes, Father's Day is over, I know.  But we missed it here.  My husband was in India and on his way to Ireland when his passport was stolen in London.  Oh what a mess.  So, we were finally able to get him home late Tuesday night after getting him a temporary passport.  And my parents, well, they were out of town.  So, no men in my life to celebrate Father's Day with this year.

Well, tonight, the girls and I are having a suprise Father's Day celebration for my husband.  We needed a card, so I whipped this one out today.  The Memory Box Club Panda {C1222} stamp is SO perfect for a masculine card.  I gathered some Fernbrae papers and this great stamp and got to work.

First, I cut my papers and added a little sewing to the edges.  I then stamped my panda on the center piece of paper.

After that, I added a little twill, a title, and pieced the shirt on the panda to complete my card.  Here is the finished product:
 
 
Papers:  Memory Box Co. Fernbrae, Memory Box licorice notecard 22024, Memory Box dill cardstock 44010, Memory Box parsley cardstock 44028
Stamps:  Memory Box Co. Club Panda C1222
Stamp Ink:  VersaFine onyx black
Embellishments: misc. twill, We R Memory Keepers photo turn and brad, Dymo labeler, Glitz frosting

This card would also be great for a masculine birthday card.  I hope this gives you an idea next time you need a masculine card.  Next post, I will share the card I made for my dad.  Enjoy, and see you soon!

Glitterati {Fun}

This weekend, I saw an ad on the Vera Bradley site.  It had bright flowers on a white background. As soon as I saw it, I knew what I was going to create!  So, I grabbed the bright and wonderful Memory Box Glitterati papers and got to work!

First, I gathered my Glitterati scraps and my Memory Box Swish Flower {D698} stamp.  I stamped five flowers on the scraps.  I also recycled a Memory Box white notecard that Dave's wife, Monica, sent to me.  She had written a nice note on one side but the other side of the card was not used.  So, why not recycle a part of it! :)

Then I cut out the flowers, punched a border on the edge of the white notecard, and played with some ribbon. I wasn't sure if I wanted to use the green or orange ribbon for my card. What do you think I should use?  Can you guess what I picked?  You will see here in just a minute.

Then I took the ribbon I chose and wove it through the punched border.  I also stitched a black seam along the edge of my card.  And did you guess I would pick orange? Would that have been your choice?

And here is the final product.  I love bright, and this just turned out exactly as I had hoped!
 
 
Papers:  Memory Box Co. Glitterati, Memory Box white notecard 33048, Stampin' Up! Black cs
Tools:  Fiskars Leave it to Weaver border punch, A Muse stamp positioner
Stamps:  Memory Box Co. Swish Flower D698, Thanks Script A833
Stamp Ink:  VersaFine onyx black
Embellishments: misc. buttons, misc. ribbon, Karen Foster scrappers floss white

I hope you enjoy this card too.  The Swish Flower stamp is really perfect for cutting out flowers for cards and layouts.  Definitely a must have for your stash!  Have a blessed day, and thank you for stopping by!

Post-It Note Holder

I have several old stamp blocks sitting around, and as I looked at the taller one this weekend I thought "This would make a great post-it note holder."  So, I grabbed some Memory Box Glitterati and got to work!

First I used the Memory Box Alpha Background stamp {E996} to stamp out letters onto Memory Box sugar plum paper.  I am going to cut out letters to make a word from the alpha background stamp.  This is such a versatile stamp.  I need to share it a lot with you in the future!
 
Next I cut down a piece of Glitterati paper to fit the block.  I then inked the edges of the paper and adhered it to the block.  You can also see how I have my letters cut out and mounted onto a piece of Memory Box parsley paper.  I also have my ribbon cut and ready to use on the block too.
 
For my next step, I attached the ribbon and my "note" word.  Then I cut down a piece of acetate to adhere to the paper on the block.  This way, I can attached different post-its over and over again without ever ruining the Glitterati paper below.

And here you can see the finished block:
 
 
Papers:  Memory Box Glitterati, Memory Box parsley & sugar plum papers
Stamps:  Memory Box Alpha Background E996
Stamp Ink:  VersaFine onyx black, Memento tuxedo black
Embellishments:  ribbon from Hobby Lobby, Creative Café button, Karen Foster Scrappers Floss white, misc. acetate

The pink post-its aren't quite that bright in real life but I just had to use pink. :) I can certainly use yellow, green, light pink, or any fun brightly-colored post-its since the Glitterati paper is full of many bright colors.

I think this would make a great gift for anyone--co-worker, child, teacher, friend, family member, church volunteers/staff, etc.  And think of the different post-it sizes you can use with different sized stamp blocks.  Very fun!  I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial.  Have a great day!

Huge News! Another $100 Memory Box Bucks Contest!

Did you see that Dave is giving away another $100 in Memory Box Bucks?

Well, this contest is being hosted by Laura this month, and you can find out all of the details on her Memory Box blog here.  You have until June 30th to get your contest entries in!  I hope you all will play along!  This is one AMAZING prize!

And a note about my post for tomorrow.  We are going to create something fun using an old stamp block or a piece of wood and Memory Box papers.  Here is the stamp block I will use.  It is 2 1/4" x 4 1/2".

So, be sure to gather your supplies so you can play along tomorrow!   Have a great Monday!

Break Out the {Yellow}

I love yellow and kraft together but I rarely use it.  Well, it is hot and sunny here, and we are already experiencing August temperatures.  So, I thought it only fitting that we "break out the yellow" this week!  :)  And not to mention that the Memory  Box Fernbrae 6x6 paper pack has beautiful yellow papers you can use.

For my quick card, I pulled out the two yellow papers I wanted, and cut two 1" strips and tore a third strip.  I also picked out some ribbon to match.

Then after adding some buttons and the perfect sentiment--the Memory Box You're the Sunshine {B1213} stamp--my card was complete!  Here is how it turned out:
 
 
Papers:  Memory Box Fernbrae, Paper Trey Ink
Stamps:  Memory Box Co. You're the Sunshine B1213
Stamp Ink:  Memento rich cocoa
Embellishments:  Ribbon Retreat ribbon, Karen Fosters scrappers floss brown, American Crafts buttons

I hope you will use the Memory Box yellow Fernbrae papers this week to create a bright, summer greeting for someone special!  Enjoy!

Reuse an {Old} Notebook

My girls and I have been in church orchestra together for the past year.  I decided to take private music lessons with my girls this summer too, and I needed a notebook for my lessons.  Well, I had this great little notebook lying around that I rarely used.  It had some meaningless notes inside so I tore out the old pages and decided to make my little music notebook out of it.

First, I cut down the Memory Box Butterfield papers to fit my notebook.  I also inked the edges and pulled out a few embellishments I knew I wanted to use.

Then I wanted to write the word "notes" on my notebook so I stamped a portion of the Memory Box Just a Note {B1053} stamp onto a piece of Memory Box cotton candy cardstock.  I then added the letter 's' by using a sticker.  I also used a music note from the new Memory Box Little Birdie clear stamp set {CL133}.

To finish, I used rub-ons for the rest of my notebook title and decorated with embellishments including  Memory Box baby pink pearls.  This is how it turned out:
 
 
Papers:  Memory Box Butterfield, Memory Box cotton candy 44006
Stamps:  Memory Box Co. Little Birdie Clear Set CL133, Memory Box Just a Note B1053
Stamp Ink:  Memento rhubarb stalk, Memento rich cocoa
Embellishments: Memory Box baby pink pearls, Heidi Swapp flower, misc. ric rac, Making Memories tiny alpha mixed ledger, misc. chipboard flower, American Crafts trademark rub-on letters

Now, I have a cute little notebook for lessons and practice.  I hope you will use all of your wonderful Memory Box products to reuse an old notebook that you have lying around!  Enjoy!

Fill Your Binder with {Clear Stamps}

So, did you finish your stamp binder?  I hope you did.  What size binder did you use?  I know a lot of people use an 8 1/2 x 11 inch binder.  I think my smaller one will work for me for now, and I am glad I could use a binder that was just sitting around.  Here is my binder in case you missed it from my last post:

Today I want to show you how I have organized my clear stamps.  First, I know a lot of people laminate a piece of cardstock and just stick their stamps to that page; however, I really wanted to keep the nice sleeves that the Memory Box stamps come in.  They also have the nice black outline of the stamps making it so easy to see against a piece of white cardstock.  This option is also cheaper because you don't have to pay for laminate!  Anyway, I took the clear packaging the stamps come in, and I stuck several glue dots to the back of the plastic.  You can see that here:

Then I cut a bunch of 6x6 white cardstock and stuck each set to a single piece of the cardstock.  After attaching to the cardstock, I wrote the name of the set on the white cardstock, and slipped the set into the page protector.  Here is what it looks like:
 
 
I then store them in alphabetical order by set name.  This is working great for me.  I hope it helps you organize those new Memory Box clear sets!  Enjoy, and see you next time!

Let's Make a Stamp Binder!

Okay, so by now you are probably collecting all of the new and fun Memory Box Clear Set stamps!  I haven't had a lot of clear stamps in the past, and I need a way to organize them.  So, I thought we could do that over the next couple of days--organize our Memory Box clear stamps. :)

For today we are going to create our binder.  Now you can use any binder you wish, and you can even use one that does not need to be decorated.  I, of course, love altering things so I chose to use an old American Crafts 6x6 Modern album.  It has been sitting around so I thought it would be perfect for my clear stamps!  Since I don't have a lot of clear stamps, this size will work great for me but a lot of people use an 8 1/2 x 11" binder.

First, I picked my paper to put on the cover.  Since the cover is larger than 6x6 and I am using Memory Box Poppyfinch 6x6 papers, I had to paint the edges of my binder.  You can see in the picture below that the paint looks lighter on the right than it does on the bottom of the binder.  That is because I covered the paint with Twinkling H20s to tone down the paint a bit.  I wanted you to see the contrast before I finished painting.

Also, if you notice, I got a bit of paint on the fabric at the bottom left.  No problem! It will be covered with ribbon. :)   Next, I put a bunch of adhesive on the back of my Memory Box Poppyfinch paper.  Yes, I want it to stick well.

After sticking the paper to the binder, I covered it with a thin coat of Modge Podge.  This will be handled a lot so I wanted a nice sealant on the binder.  Note, I did not put Modge Podge on the fabric, and it is still a bit wet in this photo so you can see a bit of white in places.  That all dries clear.

And here is what my finished binder looks like (and this is the true color; the photos above are a bit dark):
 
Album:  Amercian Crafts 6x6 Modern album
Papers:  Memory Box Co. Poppyfinch
Paints:  Making Memories deep sea, LuminArte H2Os icicles
Embellishments:  Bazzill ribbon, Basic Grey chipboard mini monos, Rose Moka alphas

Notice how the ribbon and chipboard letter cover the paint mistake from above?  And now you can see why I picked such a darker teal paint for the edges--I pulled that color from the paper.  I like how it turned out. I hope you do too.

Now I would love for you to create your binder and share it here!  Leave a link in the comment section so we all can see.  Next post, I will show you how to organize your Memory Box clear stamps in your new binder.  Have fun creating!