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!

Valentine For You with Heart Ring Stack by Angie Cimbalo

Hello and welcome, it's Angie here today with a clean and simple Valentine's Day card featuring two of the newly released dies:

"For You Posh Script" die 94709 and "Heart Ring Stack" die 94667

Here's a closer look at my card:

To make my card I took a piece of watercolor paper that my art teacher, Cate Robbins, had used for testing watercolors. She gave me several panels that she didn't want to use so I plan to turn a lot of them into cards.  I cut the heart die from white twice, black once, and the watercolored panel once. I stacked the black and white outlines first, then added the watercolored pieced into the openings.

For the sentiment I cut it from white, black and the watercolor panel and stacked them. For the front of my card, I rounded the corners and then added score lines every 1/4" for some light texture. I added both die cut pieces to the front of the card, then added a few gold gems, also from Memory Box.

Here's one last look:

I hope you like my card for today! I had so much fun creating it. Be sure to come back each day for more inspiration from the design team. Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Supplies

 

ddp101 Christmas Fairy Dewdrops

94662 Heart Ring Stack

wp101 Watercolor Paper

 

 

94709 For You Posh Script

Bold, Bright Valentine Wishes by Jean Okimoto

Bold, bright cards for guys can be challenging.  The right Memory Box dies and papers make it easier than ever for Valentine's Day '23.  Hi, Jean Okimoto combining the new Memory Box Heart Ring Stack and the new Poppystamps Vintage Scalloped Heart set.  I love buying Poppystamps and Birch Press Design products to use for my class kits.

Cut white cardstock with the 6-⅜" x 1-⅜" Slim Basic Rectangle Layers die.  Cut the rectangle with Heart Ring Stack.

Cut the red, black and gold-lined Christmas Jolly  plaid with the next-largest rectangle die.  The die is longer than the 6x6 plaid - but diecutting the plaid is easier than measuring and cutting it with a paper trimmer.  Why measure and handcut (and hope it's straight!) when it's faster to diecut?
 

Cut the lined heart from the Poppystamps Vintage Scalloped Heart set from the bright red Rainbow Reflections 6x6. The scalloped die cuts a separate heart - it's a great set!  Cut the 5th heart of the Heart Ring Stack from the beautiful shimmery red 6x6 too.

Attach the diecuts to a white slimline card (3-⅝" x 8-½") - offset the Heart Ring Stack so bits of the plaid background create a dimensional look. Use foamtape for the large heart.

Prep white cardstock by brushing it with anti-static powder to eliminate stray specks of gold embossing powder.  Stamp the greeting - from the Big and Little Valentines Clear Stamps - with VersaMark. Emboss it - heat the back of the cardstock for a few seconds, then finish it from the top to prevent scorching.  Attach the greeting.

Add the light gold Treasure Chest Fairy Gemstones.  As always, cut a slimline-sized piece of cardstock to protect the card front for mailing.

Thanks for visiting our design blog throughout the year!  Hope we've inspired and encouraged you to create unique cards to greet, celebrate, and remember the special people in your life.  

Special thanks too - to Dave and Monica Brethauer and everyone at Memory Box for the great designs that make it all possible.

And thanks to Ann, Shari and Roxanne and everyone who ordered my card kits from them.  And thanks for folllowing on Instagram - I appreciate your support and comments.

See you next year...

 

94662

pp1019 Christmas Jolly 6x6 pack

94556 Slim Basic Rectangle Layers

fp1003 Rainbow Reflections Mirror Pad

gem101 Treasure Chest Fairy Gemstones

cl5252 Big and Little Valentines clear stamp set

 

 

 

Supplies

 

2562 2562 Vintage Scalloped Heart craft die

Double-Emboss the Blissful Heart by Jean Okimoto

The new Blissful Heart Hot Foil Plate is a hardworking multi-tasker that's also perfect for embossing the beautiful botanical design.  It's double-embossed here - pressure-embossed, then heat-embossed to highlight the delicate details.  Hi, Jean Okimoto here with a slimline Valentine design for you.

Cut the smoother side of Open Studio Watercolor Paper with the largest Double Stitch Loving Heart Cut Out.  Lightly spritz both sides of the heart 4 times - from about 12" away.  Let the paper absorb the water for about 30 seconds then place the smoother side of the heart onto the Blissful Heart Foil Plate and pressure-emboss it. Use the rubber embossing mat and plates required for your machine.  

Place the embossed heart on a smooth, hard surface and use a brayer or the direct-to-paper technique to ink the entire design with picked raspberry Distress Oxides.  Quickly heat-emboss it with Imagine's Iridescent Embossing Powder for a sparkly, glittery, glossy look.

Use a blending brush or sponge dauber to ink the edges of the heart with picked raspberry.  Sprinkle the embossing powder along the edges and heat-emboss it.

Cut the "love" portion of the Sending Love Daily Script from dark gray and bright pink cardstock - save the little pieces in the "ove."  Attach the greeting to the Blissful Heart with a liquid adhesive - I used the original Tacky Glue.

Cut bright pink cardstock with the 1-⅛" x 6-¼" Slim Basic Rectangle Layers die. Cut two strips of the silver 6x6 in the Delicate Pastel Mirror Pad with the smallest slim rectangle die.

Attach the diecuts to a card of Creme Woodgrain cardstock (3-⅝" x 8-½") - use foamdots for the heart.  Add the lightest Winter Fantasy Fairy Gemstones.  Cut a slimline-sized rectangle of cardstock to protect the card front for mailing.

Thanks for visiting - see you again on Sunday...

 

Supplies

 

MBFO14

94661 Sending Love Daily Script

94359 Double Stitch Loving Heart Cut Out

94556 Slim Basic Rectangle Layers

FP1002 Vintage Pastel Mirror Pad

sh44002 Cream Woodgrain Paper Pack

gem102 Winter Fantasy Fairy Gemstones

wp101 Watercolor Paper

Love You Blissful Heart by Trina Pham

Hello there.  Today I am stretching the new Blissful Heart hot foil plate from the 2023 Valentine’s release to create a monochromatic Valentine’s/love card. 

Started by die cutting with the Scallop Pinpoint Loving Heart die from an A2 size (4.25”x5.5”) Berry Red paper panel.  Took that heart cutout and spritz each side twice with water before dry embossing it with the Blissful Heart hot foil plate through my die cutting machine following the machine’s recommendation.

Hot foil plates are thicker than regular craft dies, so when dry embossed, it gives a deeper impression.  Next, ink blended Lumberjack Plaid distress ink to the raised areas to help the images show better.  Also added ink to the outside of the A2 panel.  Adhered the A2 panel onto a white card base to inlay the embossed heart back.  But due to the heart shrinking a bit from being dry embossed, another red heart was die cut out and inlaid into the space first.  Mounted the embossed heart on top.

The Love You Posh Script sentiment was then die cut three times from Bristol paper and stacked for dimension.  For some shine and even more dimension, covered it with VersaMark ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder for a total of three times.  Added red Bright Jewels for a bit of sparkle to finish.

This turned out differently (a lot redder) than what I pictured in my head. 😂   Oh well… that does it for me.  Thank you for joining me today.  Have a wonderful day. 

Supplies

 

MBF014 MBF014 Blissful Heart Hot Foil Plate

94364 Scallop Pinpoint Loving Heart Cut Out

94668 Love You Posh Script

SP1001 Berry Red

JWL003 Bright Jewels

Rings of Love by Jean Okimoto

Thanks goodness Heart Ring Stack from our Valentines '23 Collection is perfect for a delayed post!  Hi, Jean Okimoto here.  Confusion, senior moments and cocker spaniel chemo issues led to today's afternoon post on a Thursday instead of Friday.  So happy we have great rescue dies for a quick project!

Blend pink inks on white cardstock - tapering off to a very light application at one end.  Spritz it with Imagine's Gold Sheer Shimmer Spritz.  Air-dry it for a few minutes, then heat-set it.  Flatten curling cardstock by gently heat-setting it from both back and front sides.  Cut it with the 1-½" x 6-½" Wrapped Stitched Slim Rectangles die.

Cut the new Heart Ring Stack from white cardstock.  Use the offcut outline as a stencil - blend Distress Oxide picked raspberry, abandoned coral and flamingo kitsch inks onto the rectangle.

Dry the inks and attach the Heart Ring Stack.

Cut part of the delicate new Love You Gallery Script from the light gold Majestic Hues Glitter Pad 6x6.  Cut the solid sections twice from white cardstock.  Assemble the greeting - offset the underlying white layer for dimension.

Cut a small heart from a scrap of the inked cardstock and attach it to the greeting. Add the greeting's gold heart to the Heart Ring Stack.

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

Thanks for visiting.  Keep warm...see you next week!

 

Supplies

 

94636

94662 Heart Ring Stack

94554 Wrapped Stitched Slim Rectangles

CRY101 Autumn Fairy Crystals

gp1008 Majestic Hues Glitter Pad

Love-ly Hearts and Peony Card For You for Any Occasion by Anne Thompson

I'm loving everything in the newest 2023 Valentines collection.  You can find it here.  Today's card features lots of hearts and a peony and plaids, of course.

• I started with a top-fold white A2 note card and added a pink and blue plaid paper from SPRING PLAID PP1012 to nearly cover the whole front, leaving a very narrow white strip around the outer edge.
• Next I cut the PINPOINT BURST HEART 94639 and the HEART RING STACK 94662 from a pink mirror card paper in the VINTAGE PASTEL MIRROR PAD FP1002.

• I used a glue pen to add the Heart Ring stack at the top edge of the card. 
• I used Scor-Tape to add the Pinpoint Burst Heart at a bit of an angle and over the bottom edges of some of the other hearts.
• Next I cut the LUXE PEONY 94714 twice, once from a pink plaid and once from a blue plaid, both papers from the Spring Plaid paper pad.

• I used the picture on the envelope to help me figure out how to put all the little pieces in place (I think I came close), mixing the two plaids to create the peony.  I used Glue Dots to assemble the flower and I tucked the extra pieces in the envelope for another project.
• I decided to use some purple plaid leaves I had already cut that were in the envelope with the EXQUISITE LEAF SET dies 94664.  

• I used a Glue Dot to add the leaves under the peony and popped the peony up with a large foam dimensional dot in the center of the heart.
• I chose the FOR YOU POSH SCRIPT 94709 for the sentiment and cut it from the scraps left from making the peony.  I used a glue pen to add the detailed letters onto the background and then used glue to add the sentiment to the bottom left on the card front.

• To finish the card I added three blue-pink WINTER FANTASY FAIRY GEMSTONES GEM102 to the right side of the card.

This design could be made in any number of color combinations and could be used for so many different occasions, even though the featured dies are from the 2023 Valentines collection.  In whites and grays and silver this could be a card for Winter Solstice; in reds and greens and white it could be a Christmas card; in blues and white and gold--Hanukkah; in champagne/gold/silver--Happy New Year...I'm sure you can think of lots more possibilities.  

Happy crafting!