It is time for a brand new card challenge, and we hope you will join us with the latest theme.  Thank you to everyone who participated in the floral challenge last month. We at Memory Box love our floral designs!

The winner of the blog badge was LucieG of LucieG Cards. We loved her take on a floral Easter card:

The random winner selected from all the entries to win the prizes was Greta H from GG creations blog.

Please contact me at stampjournal@gmail.com with your full name and US address to claim your prize.

Want to play along in this month's challenge?  The rules are simple - just create a project following the theme, use at least one Memory Box stamp or die on your project and link your entry to this blog post.  You can make a card, a scrapbook page, a home decor item, etc..  To encourage participants with various levels of stamping experience, one entry will be selected at random to win a prize. Enter as many times as you want, but your name will only be entered once into the random prize drawing.   In addition, the design team will select their favorite entry to  be highlighted on the Outside the Box blog and that designer will receive our winner badge to proudly display on their blog. 

You don't have to have a blog in order to participate.   You can upload your project to any online gallery and link it to this post.   In fairness to other players, we reserve the right to remove entries that do not use at least one Memory Box product.  You are also welcome to link your design to other challenges.  Feel free to grab our badge to post on your blog post or side bar.

Please note, because of issues with shipping internationally, only domestic entries will be eligible to be shipped prizes. We are so very sorry that we had to add this stipulation.

Spring has sprung and with it is the promise of blue skies and warmer weather. We can at least hope, right? This month's theme features skies and everything associated with them. Do you think of sunrises? Sunsets? Clouds? Rainbows? Storms? Or, do you think of a simple blue canvas for your cards? We would absolutely love to see your take on the theme.  All we ask is that you use a sky background as a featured element on your card and that you use at least one Memory Box product.

Here are some samples to help inspire you:

There are several ways for you to enter the contest:

1.)  Link your finished work below

2.)  Enter on Instagram by tagging your sketch project with the #mbchallenge94 hashtag

You have until the end of the day (EST) on Saturday, April 29th.   Don't forget, you have to use at least one Memory Box item on your entry and only domestic entries are eligible to be shipped prizes. 

Here is what you could win:

 

 

 

 

Supplies

 

94626 Cloudy Sun Collage

94708 Plumed Gypsy Butterfly

94468 Hello Rush Script

Happy Friday everyone!  Today I have a cute Easter treat bag for you.

I started with a store bought treat bag and embellished it with some die cut images.

I die cut the Bunny Face from white cardstock and used Distress Oxide Inks to add color to the bunny.  The nose was drawn in with a black fine tip marker, I used black wire to make his glasses and some thread for his whiskers.  I used foam tape to adhere it to the center of the window on the bag.  

Next, I used 2 shades of green cardstock to die cut the Magnolia Wreath, and used Distress Ink to add some shading.  The flowers were cut from white cardstock.

I glued the darker green wreath around the window of the bag, the lighter green wreath I cut up and tucked the pieces in behind the dark wreath to make it a little fuller.  Next, I glued the white flowers around the wreath and added black fairy jewels for the flower centers.

On a strip of black cardstock, I white heat embossed the words happy Easter and used foam tape to adhere it to the bag.

To finish the bag I tied twine around the top of the bag to close it and added a bow to the bunny head.

That's it for today!  I hope you have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

 

Supplies

 

JWL004 Autumn Fairy Jewels

94545 Bunny Face

94419 Magnolia Wreath

CL5239 Springtime Typewriter Sentiments clear stamp set

Hello and welcome!  It's Angie here today with a mini slimline card featuring the new Plumed Gypsy Feather die and the Hugs die.  Here's a closer look at my card:

I cut the feather several times from white and black card stock and also from a watercolor panel that I had smooshed with Distress Inks.  If you look above at the bottom feather you can really see the texture of the watercolor paper!

Next I paper pieced different black and colored pieced into two stacked white feathers.  Then I arranged one on the top of my mini slimline card base and cut off excess.  I used the left over pieces to add to the bottom of the card.  

For the sentiment I layered a strip of watercolored paper on top of a black strip, then added the sentiment.  The sentiment was layered.   The bottom shadow die cut 2 from black and one from watercolor panel.  To get the black shadow effect glue the 3 dies together but offset the black ones (one on the top, one on the bottom.)  Then add the white "hugs" die on top and add it over the strips on the front of the card.

Here's one last look at my card:

I hope you like my card for today.  I really love the new dies especially the feather.  You can create such lovely cards with it!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

Supplies

 

JWL002 Pastel Jewels

94669 Hugs Tender Script

94711 Plumed Gypsy Feather

WP101 Watercolor Paper

Hello everyone.  I’m back today with another CAS (clean and simple) card created with products from the 2023 February collection.

I was still in die cutting my own DIY stencil mode, so that’s what I did first with the Cloudy Moon collage die.  Collage dies give negative cuts and make this process very easy.  Positioned the stencil onto a Bristol panel and using blender brushes, ink blended Lumberjack Plaid, Spiced Marmalade and Mustard Seed distress inks to create the sun.

Die cut the Backyard Floral Stems from black cardstock a couple times next and fussy cut them apart so they can be re-arranged closer together. 

The Hugs Tender Script sentiment was die cut from black cardstock and gold Festive glitter paper next.  Thought about framing it, but kept it simple and used the A2 Rectangle Frames die to die cut the panel down instead.  Assembled the card onto a white card base to finish.

That does it for me.  Thank you for joining me today.  Have a wonderful day.

Supplies

 

94627 Cloudy Moon Collage

94638 Backyard Floral Stems

94669 Hugs Tender Script

94672 A2 Rectangle Frames Die Set

GP1006 Festive Glitter Pad

Backyard Floral Stems, paired with a set of floral buds from Birch Press Design, create a bright garden greeting.  Hello, Jean here with a versatile design for spring, Easter or friendship cards.

The stems are perfect for any season - use them as background greenery, a  filler for bouquets or as buds and blossoms.  They're topped with the Birch Press Design Delicate Floral Buds Contour Layers here.  A jeweled felt Gentle Bunny adds a plush texture and sparkly bling.

Cut Backyard Floral Stems from Lush Green Collection 6x6 sheet.  Trim the top from the tall center stem.  Cut Delicate Floral Buds Contour Layers from 3 shades of Berry Red 6x6 sheets.  Cut a pale yellow 6x6 from the Sunny Orange Collection. You'll have a great supply of colorful layering buds for other projects too.

Cut the 4-¼" high Curved Cap Pinpoint Layer from a bright yellow-green sheet from the Lush Green Collection.  Attach the stems to the background.  Assemble and attach the buds.  The Birch Press Design set includes color-coded assembly directions of the detailed pieces.  The base layer of each bud is also lightly marked with assembly guidelines for you.  Or, rearrange the layers and create your own designs!

Attach adhesive label paper or a sticker sheet to white wool-blend felt and diecut Gentle Bunny.  The paper backing stabilizes the fabric and prevents adhesives from saturating it.  Cut another bunny from watercolor paper or heavy white cardstock and layer it for dimension.  Add pink gems from the Pastel Jewels set - press them firmly onto the felt.

Stamp the greeting - from the Big and Little Spring Clear Stamp Set - on the pale yellow sheet with Green Oasis VersaFine Clair.  Dry the ink, then trim the greeting with the smallest Rectangle Basics die.

Attach everything to a top-folded 5-½" square card.  Cut a 5-½" square layer of cardstock to protect the card front for mailing.  Square cards require extra postage.

Pair these stem and bud sets for greetings throughout the year.  Transition from buds to blooms in spring and summer to seed pods in fall colors. Cut the stems from black cardstock for a spooky Halloween garden scene in October.  Cut them in white or silver glitter for a frosty winter scene. 

Imagine different ways to combine your Memory Box, Poppystamps and Birch Press Design products and take advantage of the great design elements in your stash!

Thanks for visiting - see you again next week...

 

 

Supplies

 

94638 Backyard Floral Stems

94237 Gentle Bunny

94646 Curved Cap Pinpoint Layers

30086 Rectangle Basics Set

cl5254 Big and Little Spring clear stamp set

jwl002 Pastel Jewels

sp1002 Sunny Orange

sp1003 Lush Green

sp1001 Berry Red

 

Supplies

 

57492 Delicate Floral Buds Contour Layers

I have three HELLO RUSH SCRIPT 94468 cards today that all feature the THISTLE STEMS 94689 against one of the CURVED CAP PINPOINT LAYERS 94646.

• white notecards
• green plaid papers cut 5 1/4 X 4 from MADRAS PLAID CORAL AND GREEN PP1013

• cut CURVED CAP PINPOINT LAYERS 94646 die (the third size up from the smallest) and HELLO RUSH SCRIPT 94468 from three different green card stock papers in the LUSH GREEN COLLECTION SP1003

• add to the note cards

• die cut the THISTLE STEMS 94689 three times
• color with markers

• assemble the flowers
• add to the Curved Cap Pinpoint Layers
• add three WINTER FANTASY FAIRY GEMSTONES GEM 102 to each card

That's it!  Three pretty cards for spring!

Happy Crafting!

 

PP1013 Madras Plaid Coral and Green

94646 Curved Cap Pinpoint Layers

GEM102 Winter Fantasy Fairy Gemstones

94468 Hello Rush Script

94689 Thistle Stems

 

Greetings friends. I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. Today I want to talk about using up your scraps in cardmaking. I absolutely love making backgrounds with paints and inks. In my early days of crafting, I would throw away the ones I didn't like. Sometimes I didn't like the colors I used and sometimes it just looked like a big mess. Here is a background I made that I didn't really like:

I had taken watercolor paper and dabbed it in a whole bunch of watercolor paints. When it was dry, I tried to stencil over it using a floral stencil and some gold paint. There was a lot going on in the design, and I wasn't really fond of all the paint blobs. However, I knew not to discard it because I knew it would be perfect for die cutting. The beauty of die cutting is that you can just cut out the pieces that you like. Plus, if you use a layering die such as the one I used on today's card, the top layer often hides the flaws of the bottom layer.

Here is what the feather looked like after I cut out the solid background and added the gold detailed layer on top:

Next, I added a second smaller feather on top, a few jewels and a sentiment. Don't throw away your mistakes! I promise you there is always something there you can use.

 

Supplies

 

94711 Plumed Gypsy Feather

94672 A2 Rectangle Frames Die Set

cl5276 Friends and Family clear stamp set

jwl004 Autumn Fairy Jewels

cry101 Autumn Fairy Crystals

Greetings friends. Today I wanted to show you a night scene with some of the new layering cloud dies. I usually make them into day scenes, but they work equally as well for night.

To make my background, I started with Memory Box watercolor paper then dabbed the paper into puddles of Colorburst watercolor powders mixed with a lot of water. That gave me a splotchy background of dark blues and purples:

To make it look more like a night scene, I then smudged places of my cardstock with black Distress Ink. Start out light and then add more black as needed. To finish the look and to create "stars," I splattered the whole piece with watered down white acrylic paint.

Next, I cut out my layers of clouds from white cardstock. I thought about using a light grey, but I wanted to have a high contrast with the background and settled on white. To add a bit of interest to the clouds, I edged them with C00, c1 and C2 Copic markers.

I layered all of the cloud pieces on top of each other by adding some foam tape between each layer. I liked the dimension of the foam tape. To finish everything, I added silver stars and my die cut sentiment:

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

 

 

Supplies

 

94646 Curved Cap Pinpoint Layers

94626 Cloudy Sun Collage

94627 Cloudy Moon Collage

94628 Distant Sun Collage

94468 Hello Rush Script

94631 Starry Collage

Say hello to Friday with embossed, stenciled and diecut Freshwater Fish. They're from coordinating sets of a 3D embossing folder, dies and 2-layer stencils.  Hi, Jean here with a white and bright design from our spring collection - and a new pinpoint cover plate from Birch Press Design.

Spritz both sides of watercolor paper with a fine mist of water.  Emboss it with the Freshwater Fish 3D Embossing Folder.

Use a sponge, dauber or blending brush to color the fish with the Freshwater Fish Stencil Set and Distress Oxides.  Colors used here are salvaged patina, iced spruce, twisted citron, peacock feathers, broken china and shaded lilac.  Dry the inks, then diecut the fish.  Smaller accent pieces are also included in the sets.

Brayer the fish with VersaMark - use a clean, well-inked pad.  Heat-emboss them with detail clear powder for a glossy highlighted texture, like fresh-caught fish.  Add black Sharpie marker dots for the eyes.

Cut white and black cardstock with the End of My Rope die - save the ropes for another project.  Diecut the white interior offcut with the Birch Press Design Pinpoint Contour Plate.  Trim a tiny amount from the edges of the black offcut and attach it behind the white layer.  The dark backing emphasizes the pinpoint pattern - it makes a difference!

Cut a blue 6x6 from the Glitzy Glitter Pad with Hello Rush Script.  Cut watercolor paper with the die too and layer it behind the glittered greeting for extra dimension.

Attach the diecuts to a top-folded 5-½" square white card. Add turquoise Christmas Fairy Dewdrops.  Cut a 5-½" square of cardstock to protect the card front for mailing.  Square cards require extra postage.

Freshwater Fish are perfect for embossing and diecutting from Memory Box mirror cardstock too. The Rainbow Reflections and Vintage Pastel 6x6 pads have a wide range of beautiful colors that capture the details of this great fish trio.  Add them to birthday, retirement and Father's Day cards for that special guy.

Thanks for visiting...have a great weekend!

Supplies

 

ef1028 Freshwater Fish 3D Embossing Folder and Matching Dies

88622 Freshwater Fish Stencil

94468 Hello Rush Script

94546 End of My Rope Set

ddp101 Christmas Fairy Dewdrops

gp1007 Glitzy Glitter Pad

 

 

 

Supplies

 

57511 Pinpoint Contour Plate

Hello everyone!  I have a bright and cheery card for you today, featuring some new products from the Spring release.  

I started by stamping and coloring the flowers with copic markers and die cutting them. I used gold ink to spatter the flower die cut.

The copic colors I used are as follows:

• Flowers - R20, R32, and R37
• Leaves - G24, G94
• Berries and flower center - Y11, Y19

I took the Rectangle Double Border hot foil plate and hot foiled a piece of Bristol paper with Gold hot foil using the Spellbinders Glimmer Hot Foil Machine.  Then I die cut the foiled frame with one of the A2 Rectangle Frames, mounted that on a black cardstock mat, and glued that to a white cardstock mat.  I matted this piece with black cardstock and adhered it to a white card base.

I used foam tape to glue them to the card front.

I die cut the word "hugs" from gold foil cardstock and the shadow from green cardstock and glued these to the card.

That's my card for today!  I hope you have a great week!

 

Supplies

 

CL5265-D All the Happiness clear stamp and die set

94669 Hugs Tender Script

94672 A2 Rectangle Frames Die Set

 

MBF006 Rectangle Double Border Foil Plate