Flower Medallion Punch to Make Poinsettias

I used the flower medallion punch from Stampin' Up to make these "poinsettias" on my first Christmas cards of the season. I had to try some prototypes early. I always change my mind on what I want to make by the time the season actually gets here, but wanted to try this idea of using the flower medallion punch. The flower on the left was stamped in Real Red on white cardstock, punched, and layered on a stamped  Garden Green and punched flower for the leaves. I clustered some small yellow flowers in the center. The flower on the right was stamped and punched in layers on Real Red cardstock with green as the bottom layer for the leaves. I used gold glitter paper to punch a small circle for the center.

Cardstock is Garden Green and Real Red with Real Red DSP from the Brights Collection for the card on the left and Real Red and Old Olive DSP for the card on the right. Left card has ribbon as the accent and card on the right has an embossed strip of white cardstock. Greetings are both from SU - Endless Wishes (2014) and Teeny Tiny Wishes.

Give it a try and see which version you like better. I love this diagonal striped DSP! I think it gives the cards a modern look, but still using traditional green and red colors. Both cards are standard 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 inches, with layers each cut 1/4 inch smaller.

Paper Pumpkin Stamp Storage

Paper Pumpkin Stamp Storage

I have been in a quandary for a long time about how to store my Paper Pumpkin stamps. I didn't like the boxes all stacked up and would lose track of them. Out of mind, out of sight kind of thing. I also tried the clear stamp cases, but when you only have a few stamps in each set, it's kind of a waste of space, and I didn't like combining the stamps from different kits into one plastic case. I recently saw a video where Jennifer McGuire put her clear stamps in cellophane sleeves, added white cardstock inserts, and then labeled the stamp sets. I decided to adapt this idea to my Perpetual Calendar Box in an earlier post. This is the result. I made the box the same way, just increased the depth to 2-1/2 inches to accommodate more stamp sets. (You could make the box a little narrower but I just left it the same as the Perpetual Calendar box.)
BOX DIMENSIONS FOR THIS BOX:
2 PIECES OF CARDSTOCK - ONE IS 11 X 7 INCHES AND ONE IS 7 X 6 INCHES.
ON THE 11 X 7 PIECE, SCORE ON 11 INCH SIDE AT 1/2, 3, 8 AND 10-1/2 INCHES
ON THE 7 X 6 PIECE, SCORE ON 7 INCH SIDE AT 1/2 AND 3 INCHES, TURN 90 DEGREES AND SCORE ON 6 INCH SIDE AT 1/2 AND 5-1/2 INCHES.
REST OF CONSTRUCTION OF BOX IS THE SAME AS PERPETUAL CALENDAR BOX IN POST BELOW.

Right now I have enough room in the box that I can add a few cards leftover from the kits. I used 4x6 cellophane bags and all the stamps fit in this size. although one was kind of a tight fit. So far I'm finding this is a great way to grab a stamp set and make a really quick card! It fits on my workbench and they are not out of sight. I took some of the Paper Pumpkin advertising from the kits and decorated my box with them. The colors I used were Tempting Turquoise and Calypso Coral.

If you've been wondering how to store your Paper Pumpkin stamps, maybe this would work for you too!

Minion Birthday Cards

While “Minion” cards are certainly not new, I have been seeing some on Pinterest and wanted to make a few of my own. They are so much fun to make and turn out really cute. I just love their little faces! I’ve included a picture of the products and punches I used to create my Minions, along with directions below. The sentiment is from Endless Birthday Wishes #140273. The written instructions are for the one-eyed Minion.  My Minion with the goggles (two-eyes) was my first one and I thought was a little “chubby” so I changed the dimensions for the one-eyed Minion.  Have fun creating your own Minions! Idea - I made a sentiment on my computer for the inside of card that said: "Hope your day is just like you - "one in a minion!"

Instructions:

Card base is 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 inches

Basic Black layer is 4 x 5-1/4 inches

Daffodil Delight layer is 3-3/4 x 5 inches

Blue layer (Paper Studio) is 3-1/2 x 4-3/4 inches (embossed with SU Decorate Dots embossing folder)

Punches:

2 inch circle punch

1 inch circle punch

½ inch circle punch

¼ inch circle punch

7/8 inch scallop punch

Word Window punch

Minion Pieces:

·        1-7/8 x 2-1/2 inch yellow piece – Stick each end into your 2-inch circle punch from the inside and cut rounded ends.

·        1-1/2 x 1-1/4 inch blue piece for overalls, plus two ¼ inch wide strips for straps (cut longer than needed, attach to front bib of overalls, and fold extra around to back),  ½ inch square for pocket. Add faux stitching on overalls with a white gel pen. I added a tiny 4-petal flower to overalls pocket. After blue piece is attached to yellow minion, trim to match the bottom of yellow piece.

·        2-1/2 x 5/8 inch strip for goggles strap (fold extra around to back)

·        Eyes: 1 inch circle in gray, ½ inch circle in white, ¼ inch circle in black.

·        Arms and feet:  Arms are created with the word window punch. I created the hands and feet by cutting out of scallops punched with the 7/8 scallop punch.

·        Add small thin black strips for hair. 

Envelope Card or Mini-Album

This fun project is made from a 6 x 9 inch clasp envelope! You just fold it in half, cut off the closed end, and decorate with pieces of coordinating patterned paper. It's a great way to use up scraps! The possibilities are endless. You could add gift cards, photos, note cards, or use it as a receipt holder in your purse! I got the idea from "roxyfur" on You Tube (Dollar Tree Envelope to Adorable Card Holder). Mine, however, is a little bit different. 

Here are the written instructions for my version:

Envelope Card

Supplies Needed:

1 6 x 9 inch Kraft clasp-close envelope

4 pieces designer paper cut 4-3/8 x 6 inches (for panels)

2 pieces designer paper cut 2 x 5-7/8ths inches (for inside pockets)

1 piece of designer paper cut at 1-1/2 x 6 inches (for outside flap)

1 piece designer paper cut at 1-3/8 x 6 inches (for inside flap)

1 piece of designer paper cut at 2-1/2 x 6 inches (for inside pocket)

Various width 6 inch strips (for decoration)

Instructions:

1.    Cut 1/8^th inch off the closed end of the clasp envelope.

2.    Fold down the flap on top but do not close shut.

3.    Fold envelope in half making a 4-1/2 x 6 inch “wallet.”

4.    Attach the 4 panel pieces to the inside and outside of wallet. This is a good way to use coordinating papers, mix and match.  Tip: When attaching the inside top piece be sure you don’t glue it too close to the top and glue the opening shut. There is a slight taper of the envelope here, but rather than cut the paper to fit, just don’t glue it too close to the top.

5.    Using a 1-1/4 circle punch or similar cut a half circle in the tops of both inside pockets. (This will make it easier to access the pockets.)
6.    Attach the 2 inch x 5-7/8^th inch strips to the inside of each pocket. (If you don’t mind the kraft envelope showing you can skip this step.)

7.    Attach the 2-1/2 x 6 inch piece of paper to the inside right pocket in the center, making sure to only adhere the edges. This will make an additional small pocket on the inside of the wallet.

8.    Attach the flap pieces to the flap of the envelope on each side. Rather than cutting the strips to match the taper of the flap, just glue each side on and then use a corner rounder to round the corners. Punch a hole in the center of the flap, adding hole reinforcers if desired, and string ribbon through the hole to tie the wallet closed. (Alternatively you could use Velcro or magnets.)

9.    Decorate the outside of your envelope/wallet anyway you desire. Add coordinating strips of cardstock, stamped images, etc. 

More Pictures: