Lightly-Layered Luxe Peony by Jean Okimoto

Remember vellum?  Transform the beautiful Luxe Peony into a delicate camellia with layers of sweet pink vellum.  The shadowy overlapped petals create depth and dimension and a soft background for the glittery yellow centers  from the Layered Fresh Flowers die set. Hi, Jean Okimoto here with a floral slimline that could be a Valentine - or a thinking-of-you card for someone deserves a hug.

Cut two sets of Luxe Peony from pink vellum.  Layer the diecuts to build three blossoms - you'll have a few extra pieces.  Use short bits of doublestick tape near the center of the flower to attach the layers.    They'll be hidden by the centers of the flowers.Cut the two centers - from the Layered Fresh Flowers set - from a yellow 6x6 in the Graceful Garden Glitter Pad.  Cut the small round piece in half.  Attach the centers.  Lightly curl several petals using the side of a bone folder or the plastic flower burnishing tool.

Cut two sets of  leaves - from the the Luxe Peony set - from a green 6x6 in the Lush Green Collection.

Cut Pinpoint Burst Heart from white cardstock

Cut two white solid backgrounds from Big Hugs Posh Script.  Pressure-emboss one of them  with the delicate Big Hugs die using the rubber embossing mat and plate(s) required for your machine.The embossed greeting makes it easy to attach the pink glittered layer.    Cut a pink 6x6 from the Delicate Pastels Glitter Pad with the delicate Big Hugs die.  

 

Attach the diecuts to a white slimline card (3-⅝" x 8-½").  Add clear Christmas Fairy Dewdrops.  Cut a slimline-sized piece of cardstock to protect the card front for mailing.

Experiment with different colors and weights of vellum and discover new ways to use the Memory Box floral dies.  Assemble a stash of floral cards and be ready for any occasion!

Thanks for visiting...see you on Friday!

 

 

Supplies

 

94714

94474 Layered Fresh Flowers

94639 Pinpoint Burst heart

94528 Big Hugs Posh Script

sp1003 Lush Green

gp1002 Graceful Garden Glitter Pad

ddp101 Christmas Fairy Dewdrops

gp1001 Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad

Valentine Card Backgrounds Using Jolly Christmas Paper by Anne Thompson

The idea for today's cards came from my friend Donna and I think it's a great way to repurpose the rest of the Jolly Christmas papers you have as backgrounds for valentine cards and also using Garland papers for adding decorative details. 

Start with a 4" X 4" square of one of the JOLLY CHRISTMAS PP1019 papers--I chose ones that had a lot of red and white or pinks in them.  Cut the square in half on the diagonal so you end up with two triangles.  Adhere the triangles to the front of a white (or red or pink) notecard with the shorter sides of the triangles aligned with the outside edges of the notecard, with the corner point in either the upper left and lower right corners or the upper right and lower left corners.  This will leave a solid band of color (that of the notecard) between the two triangles.  Cards can then be oriented for top-fold or side-fold opening.

Card One

• red and white plaid paper on a white notecard, side-fold, one triangle in the upper left corner and one in the lower right corner
• PINPOINT BURST HEART 94639 cut from white card stock glued on the top 2/3 of the card overlapping both triangles and the center band
• "Love" from SENDING LOVE DAILY SCRIPT 94661, background cut from white card stock and the detailed letters cut from a scrap of the same red and white plaid, assembled and glued in the lower right corner

Card Two

• pinks plaid paper on a white notecard, top-fold, one triangle in the upper left corner and one in the lower right corner
• large heart cut with one of the DOUBLE STITCH LOVING HEART CUT OUT dies 94359--use the plain heart that cuts out--cut from a coordinating floral paper in the GARLAND PP1010 paper pad, glued to the center of the card, overlapping both triangles and the center band
• "Love" from SENDING LOVE DAILY SCRIPT 94661, background cut from white card stock and the detailed letters cut from a scrap of the same pinks plaid, assembled and glued in the lower left corner

Card Three

• red plaid paper on white notecard, side-fold, one triangle in the upper left corner and one in the lower right corner
• HEART RING STACK 94662 cut from the pink roses on black floral paper in the GARLAND PP1010 paper pad, glued in the center white band
• two hearts, one medium and one small, cut with dies from the DOUBLE STITCH LOVING HEART CUT OUT 94359 set, the medium heart glued on the upper left triangle and the smaller one on the lower right triangle
• "Love" from SENDING LOVE DAILY SCRIPT 94661, background cut from white card stock and the detailed letters cut from a scrap of the same red plaid, assembled and glued in the lower right corner under the small heart

Card Four

• red plaid paper on white notecard, side-fold, one triangle in the upper right corner and one in the lower left corner
• RING STACK 94547 cut from a pink flowers with green ferns and white dots paper from the GARLAND PP1010 paper pad, glued across the white band, overlapping the plaid triangles a bit
• two medium hearts, again using the DOUBLE STITCH LOVING HEART CUT OUT die, one white and placed off-center behind one from the same floral paper, added to the lower right corner with dimensional foam dots
• one small heart, again using the DOUBLE STITCH LOVING HEART CUT OUT die, cut from the same floral paper and 0"Love" from SENDING LOVE DAILY SCRIPT 94661, background cut from white card stock and the detailed letters cut from a scrap of the same red plaid, assembled and glued in the lower left corner under the small heart

These are the dies I used:

Honestly, these cards came together very quickly.  I made all of the background triangles first and glued them to the notecards.  Then I auditioned the dies in my valentine box.  And there are so many I didn't choose that would have worked just as well or even better.  Think of all the floral dies you have!  And stamps!  The possibilities are endless.

Happy Crafting!

 

Love You by Donna Sledzik

Hello everyone!  Today I have a simple Valentine's Day card for you featuring new dies from the new Valentine's Day release.

I die cut the Pinpoint Burst Heart in the center of a white cardstock panel and used Distress Oxide Ink to add color to the heart.  

Next, I used foam tape and adhered the white panel to a black cardstock mat and glued it to a white card base.

I glued the die cut heart back in place on the card.

I die cut the "Love You" words in the middle of a strip of white cardstock.  Next, I glued the die cut to a piece of pink cardstock, matted it to a strip of black cardstock, and glued it across the die cut heart. 

I die cut the words again from red cardstock and used only the hearts and glued them on to the words Love & You.

To finish the card I applied Glossy Accents to the hearts and adhered red fairy crystals to the card.

That's it for today!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

Supplies

 

94636 Love You Gallery Script

94639 Pinpoint Burst heart

CRY102 Christmas Fairy Crystals

SP1001 Berry Red

Foil Plate Embossing with the Blissful Heart by Jean Okimoto

Add a glossy pressure-and heat-embossed Blissful Heart to your Valentines with the new hot foil plate.  It's a quick and easy way to highlight the beautiful details of this versatile die - without foil, for a different look.  Hello, Jean Okimoto here with a fresh pink greeting for a coffee-lover.

Spray 2 light spritzes of water onto each side of textured pink cardstock.  It softens the cardstock and preps it for pressure embossing.  Place the Blissful Heart Hot Foil Plate face-down onto the textured side of the moist cardstock.  Pressure-emboss it using the rubber embossing mat and plates required for your machine.

Briefly heat-set the cardstock if it's still damp, then let it cool.  Place it on a hard, flat surface and brayer it with VersaMark - use a clean, juicy inkpad.  Heat-emboss it with detail clear powder.  

Let it cool, then trim it asymmetrically with the second-largest Double Stitch Loving Heart Cut Out die.

Prep the detailed Cuppa Love die by rubbing it briskly with scrunched waxed paper to help release the little pieces.  Cut it from the smoother side of Open Studio Watercolor Paper.  Cut the side of the cup from the textured pink cardstock.  Cut the coffee oval from dark brown cardstock.  Cut the interior of the heart from a pink sheet in the Graceful Garden Glitter Pad.  

Prep the Sending Love Posh Script die with waxed paper and diecut it from a white glittered sheet in the Delicate Pastels Glitter Pad - leave the tiny dot for the "i" in the die until you need it.

Attach the diecuts to a side-folded recycled Kraft A2 card.

Memory Box Hot Foil Plates create beautifully foiled detailed images.  They're also great with just basic pressure embossing for a subtle monochromatic look.  Or follow this technique for glossy, highlighted designs.  

Thanks for visiting - have a great weekend!

 

 

 

Supplies

 

mbf014

94637 Cuppa Love

94543 Sending Love Posh Script

94359 Double Stitch Loving Heart Cut Out

gp1002 Graceful Garden Glitter Pad

gp1001 Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad

wp101 Watercolor Paper

Hearts and Flowers by Jean Okimoto

Chocolate Easter bunnies are everywhere each spring.  Have you ever seen a dark chocolate (70% cacao!) Valentine bear?  Let's create one - from the popular Layered Polar Bear set - for your next card.  Add a row of floral hearts with the new Heart Ring Stack and Bright Fairy Jewels for some sparkle. Hello, Jean Okimoto here with a Valentine slimline design of hearts, flowers and a friendly brown bear.

Cut the Layered Polar Bear base bear from dark brown cardtock.  Cut the top layers from a slightly lighter shade of brown.  Attach kraft cardstock scraps behind the ears.  Attach a semicircle of Glossy Black Paper behind the eyes and nose.  The glossy cardstock brightens his eyes.  It looks like he just emerged (early) from hibernation and realized Valentine's Day is just 5 weeks away!

Assemble the bear - leave a portion of his arm unattached to hold the heart diecut.  Use foamtape to attach the top layers of his paws.

Cut white cardstock with the 1.7" x 6.7" Slim Basic Rectangle Layers die.  Cut the rectangle with Heart Ring Stack.  Cut a dark pink 6x6 from the Berry Red Collection with the Heart Ring Stack - save the 5th heart offcut for the greeting.

Lay the rectangle over the dark floral Garland 6x6 and find some flowers to fill the heart cutouts.  Mark the area to be cut using the edges of the rectangle as a guide.  Cut the floral print with the next-smallest Slim Basic Rectangle Layers die.  No measuring or guessing needed!

Attach the print behind the Heart Stack Cut Out.  Add the red outlines, slightly offset for dimension.

Stamp the greeting - from the Big and Little Valentine's  Clear Stamps - on the saved heart with Onyx Black VersaFine.  Quickly emboss it with detail clear powder. 

Attach the diecuts to a white slimline card (3-⅝" x 8-½") - use foamdots for the bear and the top half of the stamped heart.

Add red and light green Bright Fairy Jewels.

Cut a slimline-sized rectangle to cardstock to protect the card front for mailing.

Create different bear breeds with different shades of brown and change the greeting to match any occasion. There's a light brown teddy-bearish bear coming in my new Valentine cards kit.

Thanks for visiting...have a great week!

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies

 

94685

94662 Heart Ring Stack

94556 Slim Basic Rectangle Layers

pp1010 Garland 6x6 pack

sp1001 Berry Red

sh44004 Black Glossy Paper

jwl003 Bright Jewels

Chocolate Valentine by Trina Pham

Hello everyone.  I have a CAS (clean and simple) and fun non-traditional chocolate bar Valentine’s card to share today.  I was going to make a card with a heart box of chocolates, but Jean beat me to it. 😂

Started by embossing brown cardstock with the Geometric Crystal 3D embossing folder (EF) for the chocolate.   Applied the same color brown dye ink with a foam blending tool to it for dimension.  Trimmed a piece of silver paper from the Vintage Pastel Mirror pad next and tore it to create the silver foil wrapping.

The outer chocolate bar wrapper was created from Twilight Purple paper.  Decorated it by ink blending Shaded Lilac distress ink (DI) over the edge of a piece of acetate for the rays.  The sentiment was die cut from white cardstock usimg the new Love You Gallery Script die.  Modified the “L” to get the “I”.  Assembled onto a white woodgrain panel to finish. 

Easy-peasy and fun, right?  That does it for my card.  Thank you for joining me today.  Have a wonderful day.

Supplies

 

94636 Love You Gallery Script

EF1016 Geometric Crystals 3D Embossing Folder

SH44001 White Woodgrain Paper Pack

FP1002 Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad

SP1008 Twilight Purple

Bear Hugs for You by Jean Okimoto

The Layered Polar Bear - from our Christmas release - makes a great addition to Valentine cards too.  Cut this very popular guy from soft white felt and

Open Studio Watercolor Paper for plush texture and contrasting shades of white.

Hi, Jean Okimoto here with my favorite design from our holiday release.  Pair the friendly bear with the Woodgrain Tree Trunk and imagine "xoxo" carved into the trunk with Poppystamps' Poetic Lowercase Alphabet.

Prep white wool-blend felt by attaching it to adhesive label paper or a sticker sheet to stabilize it and prevent adhesives from saturating it.  Cut the large bear background.  Color the eartips with a pink marker.  Let it dry for a few minutes - then blot it to be sure it's really dry.

Cut the other bear sections from Open Studio Watercolor Paper.  Attach a scrap of Black Glossy Cardstock behind his face.  The glossy finish makes a big difference  - his eyes look brighter.  Assemble the bear - use foamtape behind the top layers of the paws and leave a section on the left unattached to insert the hugs heart

 

Cut a bright red 6x6 from the Berry Red Collection with the smallest

Double Stitch Loving Heart Cut Out.  

Cut "xoxo" and "hugs"  - from the Poppystamps Poetic Lowercase Alphabet - from dark brown cardstock.  Attach the letters to the heart.

Cut Woodgrain Tree Trunk from medium-brown cardstock.

Prep bright red felt with adhesive label paper or a stick sheet and cut 3 of the Layered Birds.  Cut the coordinating smaller top layers from the Berry Red 6x6.

 

 

Attach the diecuts to a light kraft slimline card (3-⅝" x 8-½").  Add the amber-colored Autumn Fairy Crystals.  

Cut a slimline-sized piece of cardstock to protect the card front for mailing.

Add a greeting - the new For You Posh Script - cut from light kraft cardstock and the bright red Rainbow Reflections 6x6.  Cut 2 background layers from the kraft cardstock and pressure-emboss 1 using the rubber mat and plate(s) required for your machine.  Pressure-embossing creates a debossed area to easily attach the detailed top layer.  Attach the other kraft background behind the greeting for extra dimension.

Construct a brown bear with brown felt and cardstock if they're more common in your neighborhood - like they are here.   He's also great for baby and kid cards too - and birthdays, holding a balloon or cupcake!    Add a scarf for extra color on winter cards.

Thanks for visiting - keep warm, be safe and have a great weekend!

 

Supplies

 

94709

94685 Layered Polar Bear

94684 Layered Birds

94630 Woodgrain Tree Trunk

94359 Double Stitch Loving Heart Cut Out

fp1003 Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad

cry101 Autumn Fairy Crystals

sp1001 Berry Red

wp101 Watercolor Paper

sh44004 Black Glossy Paper

 

 

 

 

From Poppystamps:

Supplies

 

2332 Poetic Lowercase Alphabet

Cup of Love Valentines Card by Sara Cook

Hi everyone!  I have a Valentines card featuring the Cuppa Love die set.

I started with the front panel.  Cut a dark red from the Berry Red paper pad to A2.  Die cut the Sprinkle Heart Collage die on the left hand side.  Save the hole hearts to use later.  Die cut the hole hearts from gold mirror paper from the Vintage Pastel Mirror pad.  Take a white A2 card side folding card and trim off 1 1/8" from the left side.  Adhere the front panel to the card base, leaving the die cut portion of the card front to see through to the inside of the card.  Fold the card closed and adhere the gold hearts on the inside of the card through the front to line them up.

Die cut the outline of Cuppa Love from the same gold mirror paper from Vintage Pastel Mirror and just the heart from white.  Die cut the solid pieces from white card stock.  Ink blend the background piece for the coffee with Distress Antique Linen then darken the edges with Vintage Photo.  Adhere the gold outline on the white solid die cuts.  adhere to the center bottom of the card.  Adhere the white heart in the outline.  

For the sentiment die cut the solid Love from the Love You Gallery Scrip die. Die cut the heart of the outline die from mirror gold from the Vintage Pastel Mirror pad.  Adhere to the heart of the Love die cut. Adhere to the upper center of the card.

 

On the inside of the hard stamp happy Valentine's Day from Big and Little Valentines clear stamp set in black.  arrange the red hearts around the sentiment.

Supplies

 

94637 Cuppa Love

94636 Love You Gallery Script

94548 Sprinkle Heart Collage

fp1002 Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad

sp1001 Berry Red

cl5252 Big and Little Valentines clear stamp set

LOVE YOU more than chocolate by Jean Okimoto

Happy 2023! Here's to a fresh new year - and new designs to greet, celebrate, thank and remember special occasions and everyday moments.  Hi, Jean Okimoto here with an improvised Valentine candy box idea - and timesaving shortcuts for special greetings.

Here's the rest of the greeting - using Poppystamps' versatile Poetic Lowercase Alphabet.  Let's do the card front first...

Cut the Christmas Jolly red/black/gold plaid with the second-largest Double Stitch Loving Heart Cut Out Die.  We're using just the simple inner heart - the stitching details create a separate outline.  Cut a dark red 6x6 from the Berry Red Collection too.

Cut two of the smallest Slim Basic Rectangle Layers from the bright red Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad 6x6.  Tape the slim strips perpendicular to each other and trim the ends with the Double Stitch Loving Heart Cut Out Die.  Cut the Poppystamps Grosgrain Bow from the red mirror cardstock too.  

Stack the heart diecuts with the bottom layer offset to the right to resemble a heart-shaped candy box.  Attach the red strips and grosgrain bow. 

Cut light kraft cardstock with the 2-¼" x 7-¼" Slim Basic Rectangle Layers die.  Cut the rectangle with the Love You Gallery Script background.  Attach narrow strips of doublestick tape behind the greetings cutout. Three narrow strips vs. a solid block of tape provides some wiggle-room to adjust the delicate word outline and letters.

Cut the detailed Love You Gallery Script from light Kraft cardstock - save the inner letters for another project.  Cut it again from a bright red Berry Red 6x6 - save the outline for another project.

Attach the light Kraft outlines to the taped background, then add the red letters and hearts.  It's quick and easy with doublestick tape!

Attach the diecuts to a light Kraft slimline card - use foamtape to attach the heart candy box.  Add red Christmas Fairy Dewdrops.  Cut a slimline-sized rectangle to cardstock to protect the card front for mailing.

Here's an easy way to diecut and attach the "more than chocolate" greeting.  Cut the entire set of Poppystamps Poetic Lower Case Alphabets from the same dark red cardstock used for the base of the heart candy box.  You'll have all of the letters you need - and many more for other greetings.

Attach Scor-Tape to light Kraft Cardstock and cut the smallest Slim Basic Rectangle.  Attach the letters to the Scor-Tape covered strip - save the tapeliner and use it to press the letters firmly onto the strip.  Spoon detail clear embossing powder over the strip, to cover the remaining exposed tape.  Tap the excess powder off.   Heat-emboss it.  The letters will be straight, even and securely attached.  Glue the greeting strip inside the card.

A lot of details and techniques here - hope you like the card!  Thanks for visiting...see you again on Friday!

 

Supplies

 

94636

pp1019 Christmas Jolly 6x6 pack

94556 Slim Basic Rectangle Layers

94359 Double Stitch Loving Heart Cut Out

sp1001 Berry Red

fp1003 Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad

ddp101 Christmas Fairy Dewdrops

 

 

 

 

 

Poppystamps items -

Supplies

 

2358 Grosgrain Bow

2332 Poetic Lowercase Alphabet

Snowy Forest and Hearts Card by Anne Thompson

I need some quick and easy valentine card designs for the senior center card-making session later this month.  I have only 90 minutes with a group of six to eight participants to make at least four or five cards.  For the first card I decided on plaid paper using heart dies mixed with shiny mirror card and a favorite embossing folder.

• I began by covering the front of a white notecard with one of the red plaids from JOLLY CHRISTMAS PP1019.
• I took a second sheet of the same plaid pattern and placed three of the SCALLOP PINPOINT LOVING HEART CUT OUT 94364 dies nested inside each other and ran them through my die cutting machine.
  

• I chose a silver mirror paper from the VINTAGE PASTEL MIRROR PAD FP1002 and one of my favorite Memory Box embossing folders--SNOWY FOREST EF1010.

• I trimmed the embossed piece to 5 1/4 X 4 and added it to the card front using Scor-Tape.
• I tried several combinations of the die cut hearts against the silver embossed piece before settling on the one outline heart added with tape to the embossed image and its center solid heart added with a round foam dimensional dot offset to the bottom right of the first heart.

Embossing folders are a great way to add texture and dimension to a card.  Check out these in the Memory Box catalog.  In addition to SNOWY FOREST EF1010, HEART BOUQUET EF1006 and many of the others would make great backgrounds for valentines.  There are many new products in the 2023 Valentines Collection here as well that can be combined with other products from previous releases that you may already have.  And there are always the idea books and samples with the catalog entries as well as our blog posts for additional inspiration.

Happy Crafting!