Hugs Bunny by Jean Okimoto

Celebrate friendship with a felt Bunny Face and big hugs spelled out in bold Wooden Alpha letters.  Madras Plaid Coral and Green prints are great throughout the year - and are a perfect match for the new Berry Red and Lush Green 6x6 Collections.  Hi, Jean Okimoto here with a spring-ish design that would work throughout the year.

Here's a tip for selecting and diecutting the perfect section of printed papers for your design.  Diecut scrap paper in a contrasting color - then use the offcut as a template to find the right area to cut.  Attach the template to the printed paper, place the die into the cutout and diecut exactly what you need.  No guessing required!

Attach adhesive label paper (or a sticker sheet) to gray felt and diecut the main Bunny Face section.  The paper backing stabilizes the felt and keeps glues from soaking through.  Attach a scrap of black cardstock behind the eyes.  

Cut the outer ears from one of the coral Madras Plaid sheets.  Cut the layered face section from the gray dotted Dashing Stripes and Dots 6x6.  Punch a ¼" dot of pink cardstock from the Berry Red Collection and attach it behind the notched area on the face section.  (A fidgety little detail...but it makes a big difference.)

Cut the Wooden Alpha H, G and S from the pink cardstock too.  I think Bunny Face looks (vaguely) like the letter U - hope you agree!

Cut white cardstock with the 7-¼ x 2-¼"  Wrapped Stitched Slim Rectangle die.  Trim (or mask) the bottom of the "sending love" clear stamp from Poppystamps Diamond Sentiments Clear Stamp and Die set. Stamp it with Starlite Black Brilliance.  Stamp "to a wonderful friend" too.

Cut two detached hearts - from the Heart Streamer Globe set - from the pink 6x6 Delicate Pastels Glitter sheet.

Attach everything to a white slimline card (3-½ x 8-½").

Have fun with variations of this basic design.  Use your favorite colors, little prints and felt scraps.  Thanks for visiting!

 

 

Supplies

 

SP1001 Berry Red 6x6 pack

PP1013 Madras Plaid Coral and Green 6x6 pack

PP1002 Dashing Stripes and Dots 6x6 pack

GP1001 Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad

94579 Wooden Alpha craft die

94558 Heart Streamer Globe craft die

94545 Bunny Face craft die

94554 Wrapped Stitched Slim Rectangles craft die

CB498 Diamond Sentiments clear stamp and die set

Plush Big Penguin Pocket Pet by Anne Thompson

I'm working with a penguin theme for my grandsons' Christmas gifts this year--large quilted stuffed penguins, penguin pajamas, and penguin fabric for art smocks I'm sewing for them.  In looking through Memory Box products featuring penguins, thinking I would make cards and gift tags, I decided to first sew the boys some penguin pocket pets using the PLUSH BIG PENGUIN 94403 die set.

I tried several kinds of felt and found that the stiffer craft felt gave me the best cuts with holes that didn't tear while sewing.  (I could have added a fusible stabilizer to the softer felt and that would have worked well too.)   I used my sewing machine and a zigzag stitch to add the white face/tummy to one of the two black body pieces.  I used some fabric glue to attach the eyes and nose to the face and to attach the feet between the two black layers.  I used six strands of black embroidery floss and a large-eyed needle and just did a running stitch in the holes around the edge to join the front and back, pausing every once in awhile to tuck in a bit of stuffing.  

One finished and another cut out and ready to sew.  This penguin is just the right size to be a perfect pocket pet.  In fact, I think they will end up tucked into the pockets of the art smocks when I mail their gifts this week.

Plush Big Penguins would also make cute package tie-ons or Christmas tree ornaments, with or without stuffing them.  Don't have felt or sewing supplies?  Cut some single layer penguins from black and white and orange cardstock to add to cards or for gift tags.   I'll be making Plush Big Penguin tags for the boys' presents with their names and "Love from Nanne" written on the tummies.  Cute!

Happy Crafting!

 

Build a Pinpoint Burst Plate Birdhouse by Jean Okimoto

The Pinpoint Burst Plate creates a dramatic background for any occasion.  Take it a step further and add texture to the Poppystamps Bird House Pop Easel Set.  Hi, Jean Okimoto here with a shaped card featuring great designs from Memory Box and Poppystamps.  My stash includes the Poppystamps dies and stamps I buy for my class kits - and I love sharing ideas for using them.

First - a sideview of the Poppystamps Bird House Pop Up Easel Set card - using the basic construction pieces and some extras.  A portion of the packaging shows the pieces included in the set.  It includes a cardinal, but we're using the Memory Box Singing Birds here.

Cut the smoother side of Patina cardstock with the first die shown on the package.  It embosses wood panel lines too, but we don't need the lines - so turn the diecut over to the backside where the embossed lines are less visible. Cut it with the Pinpoint Burst Plate.

Cut the textured side of Navajo cardstock with the largest die and crease it backwards on the scored line.  Cut kraft cardstock with the second house layer.  Cut the snowy roofline and the entry ring from a white glittered cardstock sheet in the Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad.  Cut two sets of the pine brances from minty-green cardstock.

Attach the kraft house to the folded tab on the easel.  Add the other diecuts.

Attach adhesive label paper (or a sticker sheet) to red felt and cut two of the Singing Birds.  The paper backing stabilizes the felt.  Attach the birds with foam tape - use two layers of tape for the bird on the right.  Add ¼" punched dots of the red glittered cardstock from the Holiday Glitter Pad.

Stamp the greeting - from the Spirit of Christmas Clear Stamp and Die Set - with Tulip Red VersaFine Clair.  Cut it with the matching die.

Cut the narrow "snowline" from the same white glittered cardstock and trim it to form a "stopper" to support the birdhouse.

Here's the finished easel card, perfect for an A-2 envelope.  Hope you like it!  

Special thanks to Ann at Impress Cards + Crafts and Roxanne at Stamps + Memories for buying my COOL WINTER WISHES Class Kits for your stores. Thanks also to everyone ordering their kits for holiday crafting.

Keep warm...thanks for visiting, see you again this weekend!

Supplies

 

94514 Pinpoint Burst Plate craft die

99953 Singing Birds

GP1005 Holiday Glitter Pad

GP1001 Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad

CL5261-D Spirit of Christmas clear stamp and die set

2396 Bird House Pop Up Easel Set craft die

Greetings by Donna Sledzik

Hello everyone!  Today I have a card for you which features many new products from the 2020 Memory Box Spring release.  

To make this card I die cut the Willowbend Collage frame, the Bramble Collage frame and the Cherry Wreath from white cardstock. I cut the wreath in half and colored the flowers and leaves with Distress Oxide inks. 

For the background behind the trees, I used a sheet of paper from the Springtime Bouquet 6x6 pad.  I sponged the paper with Wilted Violet Distress Ink and spattered the paper with gold and white ink.  Once the paper was dry I used foam tape to adhere the Willowbend die cut to the background.  I then used foam tape to glue the Bramble die cut on top of it. 

I used felt to die cut the bunny from the Bunny Egg Collage die and glued it to the background.

I glued the flowers to the bottom of the card and added pearls to the flower centers.

Next I stamped the sentiment on a strip of cardstock that I had inked with Worn Lipstick Distress oxide ink. I used foam adhesive to glue that to my card front.

To finish the card, I adhered the card front to a pink cardstock mat and glued it to a white card base.

I hope you enjoyed today's card and thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 

Supplies

 

PP1006 Springtime Bouquet 6x6 pack

94445 Bunny Egg Collage craft die

94450 Willowbend Collage craft die

94443 Bramble Collage craft die

94429 Cherry Blossom Wreath craft die

CL5256 Cherry Blossom Wreath clear stamp and die set

Got Eggs? Springtime Bouquet 6x6 Pack, Adriana Pop Up Easel Set by Jean Okimoto

The Poppystamps Adriana Pop Up Easel Set - turned sideways - sets the scene for Easter with the new Springtime Bouquet 6x6 Pack of beautiful pastel prints.  Hi, Jean Okimoto here with a card that went thru quite a transformation from Dave's original design.  I love sharing different ways to use our products - and unlike the usual infomercial disclaimers...DO try this at home!

The Adriana Pop Up Easel Set is designed to create a vertical easel card. There are even pieces for little "stoppers" to keep the upright card from flopping down.  I've used it horizontally - and replaced the beautiful botanical diecut with a garden print from the Springtime Bouquet 6x6 set.  

Cut the large card base from white cardstock.  Crease the tab towards the backside of the diecut.  

Attach Scor-tape to the tab.  Cut the green 6x6 print with the background die, attach it to the card base using the tape on the tab.  Cut the new Wild Grass Border from green cardstock - trim the bottom edge with the Adriana background die.

We have two egg sets with small eggs to fit the grassy border.  I've used the Clutch of Eggs set - cut 5 of the smaller eggs from the white glitter cardstock in the Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad.  Color them with Sharpies or Copics.

Attach adhesive label paper or a sticker sheet to white felt and cut Gentle Bunny (and his tail) and Little Bunny Trio.  We're just using the two larger bunnies from the trio.  Cut felt tails for the other bunnies using a leather punch.  Attach the bunnies and eggs to the background.

Stamp the greeting - from the new Open Studio Big and Little Spring Clear Stamps Set - on white cardstock with Pearlescent Lavender Brilliance.  Attach the greeting - at an angle - with foam tape.

Hope you'll try different designs with the versatile Adriana Pop Up Easel Set!

If you're in the Seattle Area - join us for another SIMPLY ASIAN class at Impress on March 7th.  A simple origami fish, cherry blossoms, wide washi tape, new and old favorites, art papers - there are so many ways to combine Asian  and almost-Asian designs.  

Thanks for visiting - see you next week!

Supplies

 

GP1001 Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad

PP1006 Springtime Bouquet 6x6 pack

94415 Wild Grass Border

CL5254 Big and Little Spring clear stamp set

94237 Gentle Bunny

94456 Small Clutch Of Eggs

94455 Little Bunny Trio

99728 Clutch of Eggs

2366 Adriana Pop Up Easel Set

A Thankful Feathered Friend by Jean Okimoto

A felt Feathered Friend perched on a layered Jovial Wreath creates a lighthearted Thanksgiving card today.  Most Thanksgiving cards are quite serious - this one will make you smile!  Here's the message on the inside...

Hi, Jean Okimoto here with a fall card with a sense of humor.  The new Mini Vintage Varsity Alphabet set is perfectly-sized for the greeting.  Diecutting it is easy too.  There are 4 of each letter on this great die - you'll cut everything you need here with a single run thru the machine.  Much better than fidgeting with each letter - and cutting additional repeating letters. 

Cut the Feathered Friends bird and beak from felt, cut the wing from the stripes in the Dashing Holiday 6x6 set. Borrow the eye die from the Feathered Friends owl - cut it from dark brown cardstock.  Leave the tiny beak and eye diecuts in the die until you're ready to attach them.  

Cut Jovial Wreath twice from Candy Corn cardstock. Cut "thankful"  from green and metallic brown cardstock. Cut a 3-½" square of the dark green striped Dashing Stripes and Dots 6x6 sheet. Cut the accent strips - ¾" x 4" (Candy Corn) and ¾" x 3-¼" (lighter green dots from the Dashing Stripes and Dots 6x6 sheet).

Attach the diecuts to an A-6 (4-½" x 6-¼") recycled Kraft card.  Attach the Mini Vintage Varsity Alphabet letters on the inside - start in the center of each line and work outwards.  Use a credit card or T-ruler to keep the letters in line.  

Create unique messages with the Mini Vintage Varsity Alphabet - it would be hard to find an "I am not a turkey" stamp!

Special thanks to everyone from Saturday's GRATEFUL - FALL GREETINGS class at Impress!  Hope you liked the origami maple leaf - and mix of colors, papers, dies and stamps. Thanks for the cute pumpkin spice lollipop treats Jan.   Thanks for the caramel/cheddar popcorn and cookies Jenny - and thanks for the imported candies Jacky!  Thanks for helping us fill those shopping baskets again Ann, Erin and Lynne.  Lots of thanks here - this card says it all!

If you're in the Seattle area - join us for the MERRY POP-INS class at Impress this Saturday afternoon.  We're making special cards with little extras on each design.  More like pop-ons than pop-ins, but I wanted a fun class title.

Thanks for visiting - see you again this weekend!

Supplies

 

30102 Feathered Friends craft die

94076 Thankful Jotted Script craft die

94305 Jovial Wreath craft die

94342 Mini Vintage Varsity Alphabet craft die

PP1002 Dashing Stripes and Dots 6x6 pack

PP1001 Dashing Holiday 6x6 pack

Snow Bunny Can Be a Polar Bear Too! by Jean Okimoto

The Snow Bunny Deep Edge Die Set is great for other winter friends too...like this furry felt polar bear cub.  Add a Starry Burst background and "cheers" from the Merry and Bright Mistletoe Clear Stamps Set and you've just created another Christmas card!  Hi and Happy Halloween to everyone celebrating - Jean Okimoto here with more reasons to add the Snow Bunny set to your Memory Box collection.

Attach adhesive label paper (or a sticker sheet) to white wool-blend felt and diecut some Snow Bunny pieces for the bear.  The paper layer stabilizes the felt and keeps liquid adhesives from soaking through.  Cut the eyes and nose from black cardstock.  Cut the ears with the 1" Circle Basics die.

Cut all of the the accent pieces - except the small ear circles - from the Dashing Holiday 6x6 prints.  Cut the small ear circles from the Dashing Stripes and Dots print.  

Assemble the polar bear - use foam dots near the ends of the scarf.  

Cut turquoise cardstock with the 4-¼" Square Basics die.  Cut it with Starry Burst - save the 2 bigger stars.  Attach little pieces of silver glitter paper behind the star cutouts.

Stamp the greeting from the Merry and Bright Mistletoe Clear Stamps on white cardstock with Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide.  Emboss it with detail clear powder.

Attach everything to a top-folded 5-½"square white card. Add the 2 saved stars.   Square cards require extra postage - but I hope you'll agree that this one's worth every penny of it!

The new Dashing Holiday and Dashing Stripes and Dots 6x6 prints are the perfect mix of holiday designs, plaids, stripes and dots.  They've even been designed so the very holiday-ish designs have non-holiday prints on the reverse side so you can use them for other occasions.  The versatile reds and charcoals will be perfect for Valentine's Day.  The Deep Edge dies collection is designed for mixing and layering prints - view them here, then imagine all of the ways you can use them

Thanks for visiting...see you again on Saturday!

 

Supplies

 

PP1001 Dashing Holiday 6x6 pack

PP1002 Dashing Stripes and Dots 6x6 pack

30097 Snow Bunny craft die

30087 Circle Basics Set

30088 Square Basics Set

94356 Starry Burst craft die

CL5246 Merry and Bright Mistletoe clear stamp set

Build a Snow Bunny with Dashing Stripes and Dots and Dashing Holiday by Jean Okimoto

The new Dashing Holiday and Dashing Stripes and Dots 6x6 prints make it easy to build a lovable Snow Bunny.  Add a greeting from the new Mistletoe Swag Clear Stamps - and you're ready for Christmas!  Hello, Jean Okimoto here - combining a favorite Deep Edge Die Set with our great holiday prints.  

Attach adhesive label paper - or a sticker sheet - to wool-blend white felt.  The paper backing stabilizes the felt and keeps liquid adhesives from soaking through.  Cut the Snow Bunny pieces from the felt.  Cut eyes from black cardstock.  Cut the decorative pieces from the Dashing Holiday and Dashing Stripes and Dots 6x6 packs.  Although it's hard to see in the photo,  the scarf is cut from the red striped pattern.  

The Rectangle Basics set is temporarily out of stock at Memory Box - it may be available from your favorite Retailer.  Cut the background rectangles from the holly print (4-½" x 3-¼"), red cardstock (1-¾" x 3") and the green dots (2-½" x 1-¼").  

Stamp the greeting - from the new Mistletoe Swag Clear Stamps Set - on red cardstock with Onyx Black VersaFine.  Emboss it with detail clear powder. Cut it with the smallest Rectangle Basics die. 

Here's a tip I've shared in classes...start the heat-embossing on the reverse side of the cardstock or paper, then finish it off from the right side.  Pre-heating it from the back starts the process - and finishing it on the front creates a great glossy image and minimizes scorching. 

Score, fold and cut an A-6 (4-½" x 6-¼") card of white cardstock.  Assemble the card - use foam dots for the greeting.  

This design works for any occasion - change the papers and colors and eliminate the scarf for a baby or birthday card,  It's a great for thank-yous and birthdays too - or just to say hello.  I like combining  the Memory Box products from different releases, using products in unexpected ways...and sharing these ideas with you!  

Thanks for supporting Memory Box - and for your thoughtful comments.  I appreciate it!

Thanks for stopping by...see you on Thursday!

 

 

 

Supplies

 

PP1001 Dashing Holiday 6x6 pack

PP1002 Dashing Stripes and Dots 6x6 pack

CL5247 Mistletoe Swag clear stamp set

30097 Snow Bunny craft die

30086 Rectangle Basics Set

Getting Ready for Fall

Greetings friends.  Somehow summer passed in the blink of an eye and September arrived.  Have you started thinking about a new season of cardmaking?  In the new Holiday 2019 release, there are new dies as well as stamps to help inspire you.

For this first card, the Lovely Oak stencil was placed onto white cardstock before sponging the open areas with Fall colors of Distress Oxide ink.  Before removing the stencil, the leaves were splattered with some watered-down brown paint.  Finally, a sentiment was added inside one of the dies from the Stylish Frame Trio set.  We think you are really going to like this new trio of frames to help highlight your sentiments.

Alcohol ink backgrounds are really popular right now.  Why not add some fall colors of alcohol ink to some Yupo paper and let the colors blend together as a backdrop for the Winter Tree frame?  Cutting out the frame using gold metallic paper really makes the die "pop."

One of the new stamp sets has a lovely branch of leaves for coloring.  You can either stamp the image with waterproof ink before watercoloring or emboss your ink so that it is a bit easier for the paint to stay within the lines.

Another example of stamping and watercoloring, but this time with the freedom of painting outside the lines.

Hopefully you have been inspired to break out some fall colors to help greet this new crafting season!

 

Large Double Peony, Thanks Jotted Script, Vellum and Felt by Jean Okimoto

A vellum Large Double Peony, felt Thanks Jotted Script and a Peerless colored background somehow work together in bright shades of pink and coral.  Hi, Jean Okimoto here with more techniques for you.   I usually love to create and share quick and easy cards - today's card features many techniques and little steps.  Hope you'll like it!

Cut watercolor paper with the 3-½" Wrapped Circles die.  Paint it with pink, orange and coral shades of Peerless Watercolors.  Heat-set it.

Pressure-emboss the circle with Large Double Peony using the embossing mat and plates required for your machine.  Spray it with Imagine Gold Sheer Shimmer Spritz.  Heat-set it.

Attach lightweight double-stick tape (with a liner) to white vellum.  Cut Large Double Peony from the other side of the vellum to create a self-adhesive peony.  Leave the outline and little pieces in the die.

Attach the self-adhesive little pieces to the embossed pattern on the watercolor paper.  Keep the delicate self-adhesive outline in the die.  Flip the die and outline over onto the watercolor paper and press it firmly to attach the outline to the watercolor paper.  Carefully remove the die.  

Cut the peony again from smooth white cardstock.  Attach it - slightly offset - over the vellum peony.

Attach adhesive label paper or a sticker sheet to light pink felt.  Cut the bold Thanks Jotted Script background.  The paper backing stabilizes the felt and keeps adhesives from soaking through.  

Attach lightweight doublestick tape (with a liner) to smooth white cardstock.  Cut the delicate Thanks Jotted Script from other side of the cardstock to create a self-adhesive "thanks."  Leave it in the die, press it onto the felt background

Trim the left edge of the circle.  Attach the diecuts to a side-folded A-2 card of textured white cardstock.  Add orange gem stickers.

There are a  lot of techniques here - try a few (or all!) of them and create some colorful cards with the great dies in our Garden Bouquet Collection.

Thanks for visiting...see you on Sunday!

Supplies

 

94266 Large Double Peony craft die

30114 Wrapped Circles craft die

94011 Thanks Jotted Script craft die