Cash Envelope How To

When you give the gift of cash it may seem impersonal.  But when you create adorable packaging for it, it becomes a gift from the heart! I’ll show you how I created this cash envelope so that you can create one on your own easily and quickly.  It may seem daunting at first, but I’ll break it up into steps that will show you that it isn’t that crazy of a project for you to try on your own!

The Envelope (The cupcake liner)

I’ll start with the envelope. I used the Stampin’ UP! Bitty Box and envelope Bigz XL die. Quick easy and painless! So, for those of you that don’t have that awesome die yet, you’ll need to create a mini envelope that is approximately 2” x 2-1/4”. 

You can use Designer Series Paper or you can use cardstock for your envelope. Whichever you decide to use, I would suggest folding along your score lines first. Unfold and then crimp.

Decorate the envelope as desired or copy what I did by adding ribbon and a mini tag.

The Card

For the card, I used Whisper White cardstock. Cut your cardstock to 1-7/8” x 6” and then fold to create your mini card. You will have a card that is 1-7/8” x 3”.  Wasn’t that quick?

 

The Cupcake Top

I selected 3 coordinating pink cardstock colors. I punched 30 small flowers out of each color. This is a great way to use up some of your scrap papers that you have collected over the years. Yeah! I had plenty left over, but I didn’t want to have to punch more once I got started.

I punched a 2-1/2” Circle out of the lightest shade of pink (My sample is black). If you don’t have a punch that size draw a circle around something similar in size and cut it out. Slice off approximately 1/4". Next, you’ll want to scallop the edge. I used a punch to create that edge. My sample doesn’t show a coordinating shade, but trust me, the coordinating shade will blend if you miss a spot!  *smile*

Adhere each of the little flowers onto the circle that you just created. Next, I sprayed with a concoction of shimmer paint and alcohol to give the card a little sparkle. Oooohhh! I love that shimmer! Adhere this piece only to the top portion of the card.  You’ll want the cupcake topper, when inserted into the envelope to lift up so that it will fit outside the envelope.  Stamp your desired greeting.

If you quarter-fold any denomination of US Currency it will fit inside the card. You may have to adjust based on the currency for your country.

If you leave the back portion of the card out of the envelope it stands very nicely on its own as shown in the first photo. The recipient can display it for as long as they would like!

Product details can be seen on the original posting here:  Cupcake Cash Envelope

Enjoy!

Unexpected Springtime Vintage Cupcake

!!WARNING!!  You may learn something new to try with your Stampin’ UP! stamps.  There is some stamping involved in this project!

So, you visit to get stamping inspiration and you see a sewing project!  I know for some of you it may have stopped you in your tracks.  Who knows, you may have turned away without even giving this project a second look.  For those of you that stuck with me…I actually did STAMP!  In fact, I stamped three times with the Simple Birthday Thanks (111546) on fabric…on the wrong side even! (Okay, you may see that I stamped more than 3 times on my sample.  Just overlook that.*smile*)

This cute hand towel is the perfect gift to give to your favorite family member or friend for her birthday, mother’s day, or other special day along with the ingredients to make some of these luscious treats.  Or give it to yourself and use my super secret recipe *smile* to create super easy cupcakes for yourself while you adore your handmade hand towel! *wink* Isn’t that ruffle just to die for?  Too cute! 

How did I do that?  I stamped with Black Stazon on the reverse side of the Springtime Vintage Designer Fabric. (I would suggest using one of the dye-based inks so that the images wash out. The black stazon will show through on light(muslin) colored fabrics.) I stamped the cherry on one of the large roses, the cupcake top on the floral print and the bottom image on a self-pleated piece of muslin. I adhered Transfer Web and cut out each of the pieces.

I took one of my current hand towels and used it as a guide to create the size of my towel.  I used muslin fabric for the towel. All the hems were pressed at 1/2” and pressed again at 1/2” so as to keep the frayed edges inside the hem.  I used a large zigzag stitch for all seams.  I also created a little “hook” for the top of the towel as a decorator accent.  I don’t have a hook to hang my towel on, but if you do, don’t forget to create this little add on and stitch into the top seam.  The ruffle was created using a strip of the floral and sewn to the bottom.

I adhered the cupcake and to the desired location with an iron.  Then, I pinned some stabilizer to the back before satin stitching by machine around the image in varying thread colors.  The cherry stem was done freehand with the machine.

If you are making multiples make sure you stamp several at the same time.  This will save you on time! 

Stamps:   Simple Birthday Thanks
Papers:   None
Ink:  Jet Black Stazon
Accessories:  Springtime Vintage Designer Series Fabric
Tools: Craft and Paper Scissors, Sewing Machine, Transfer Web, Stabilizer, Iron 
Techniques Used: Stamping/Sewing

I hope some light bulbs went off and you can see that your Stampin’ UP! stamps offer you more than cards and scrapbook pages! Take a step out onto your creative ledge and try something unexpected with your stamps!

Enjoy!

 

 

This is your last month to take advantage of Stampin’ UP!’s Sale-a-bration promotion!  Spend $50 on products you love and earn FREE exclusive products.  Contact me today for additional details!

And…thanks to all of you that take a moment to comment!

Blue Raspberry

When I was a kid…I loved blue raspberry ICEEs.  Any opportunity I had I would bug my Mom to get me one.  It’s funny that my son does the same.  What is it about blue raspberry?  I think it really is the color!  It’s just plain fun to have blue lips and a tongue after eating it! 

This card was inspired by my youth and is a tribute to all blue raspberry lovers.  I do pretend that this card is more sophisticated by adding that No. 5 in the mix though. This is an all occasion card.  Perfect for a man or a woman.  Raspberries, especially blue ones, are gender neutral!

Stamps:   Clearly For You, Matchbox Messages
Papers:   Whisper White
Ink:  Pacific Point, Old Olive
Accessories: 1” Circle Punch, 1-1/4” Circle Punch, Pacific Point and Old Olive Stampin’ Write Markers 
Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Dimensionals
Techniques Used:  Spotlighting, Masking

How I did that: The circle is from a set called Matchbox Messages.  It has some cute little words inside the circle…but not necessary for this “sophisticated card”.  I punched a 1” circle from a piece of scratch paper used a little snail adhesive and covered up the words being careful not to put the scratch paper over the dotted or lined circles.  It is actually quite easy because it fits perfectly.  Next, I inked up the stamp with Pacific Point ink, removed the scratch paper that is full of ink and then stamped on a piece of Whisper White Cardstock.  Voila – two circles with nothing in the middle.  I used my markers on the raspberry stamp, used a stamp-a-ma-jib and stamped inside the circle!  Harder to say than to do.  *smile*

Enjoy!

Cupcake Cash Envelope

If you have your current 2010-2011 Stampin’ UP! Catalog handy you’ll want to flip over to page 91.  That cute little baby card and envelope got me thinking. And this is what I came up with…okay…the So Shelli’s Crazy for Cupcake challenge helped push me in the direction of the cupcake…but I actually first thought…how cool would that look as an Easter egg? Stream of consciousness is a great thing, no?

I think would be the perfect gift for a teen birthday! What teen doesn’t love CASH! 

Stamps:   Clearly For You, You’re a Gem
Papers:   Whisper White, Play Date Designer Series Paper, Pretty in Pink, Blushing Bride, Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, Rose Red
Ink:  Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Itty Bitty Bits Punch Pack, Mini Vintage Tags, Shimmer Paint (mixed with alcohol in a spray bottle) 
Tools: Crimper, Tombow Multi-purpose Adhesive, Scallop Edge Punch, Bitty Box and Envelope Bigz XL Dies, Big Shot
Techniques Used:  n/a

How did I do that?  You can find a tutorial on how I created this project here.

Enjoy!

 

 

This cute little card is perfect to hold a folded $50 dollar bill! It’s the perfect amount to earn a free Sale-a-bration item!  I’m not sure if a $1, $5 or $10 dollar bill would fit, but I do know a $20 fits! *smile*   The approximate size of this cute little thing is 3-3/4” x 2-3/4”.

Signs of Spring

I’m not much of a gardener, so what little flowers you’ll see around my landscaping are probably weeds or what a bird may have flown in. This card depicts what you could find in my “garden” that show me spring is on the way!

Stamps:   Nature walk, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Papers:   Whisper White, Crumb Cake
Ink:  Old Olive, (Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake, Concord Crush and Tempting Turquoise Stampin’ Write Markers)
Accessories: Hemp Twine, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Crumb Cake Seam Binding
Tools: Paper Snips, Spritzer Tool, Mini Glue Dots, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Aqua Painter, Snail
Techniques Used:  Tearing, Ribbon Fringe

How did I do that?  I used a bunch of markers on this little project so the flowers themselves and the egg are not quite true to any of the Stampin’ Up! colors but a blend of colors (The egg is Tempting Turquoise and Concord Crush and the flowers are Daffodil Delight with a hint of the Old Olive left from the stamp). Then I used an aqua painter on the leaves and the egg to give a slight, I mean slight, watercolored look.   The egg is popped up with a section of a dimensional and snail along the bottom half to give a rounded appearance. Don’t you love that?  I do!

Enjoy!

Time Flies

I haven’t bought a birthday card in almost 6 years…Wow! I’m coming up on six years as a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator next month!  Okay, except for that one time at band camp when I…But, really time really does fly. I thought I would get some birthday cards made before the day actually shows up and I am cardless, again.  Why is it that we can make cards whenever we want but those birthday cards are the last ones that get made, usually right before the big day.  Well, now that I’m a long way off from family, I’ve got to plan ahead. 

Being my almost Stampin’ UP! birthday, I thought something new was in order.  This card was made for the Mojo Monday 182 Challenge.  It actually started out as a masculine card, but I ended up adding a pearl to the tag.  I think it now makes this a  lady card.  What do you think about pearls and guys….hmmm, maybe I can find a bit of scrap metal and add it instead.  *smile*

Everything was sponged with Soft Suede and spritzed with the Spritzer Tool using the Soft Suede Stampin’ Write Marker.  The Concord Crush Ribbon had white bands on the end and those were sponged to better blend with the card.

Stamps:   Sense of Time, Notably Ornate, On Your Birthday, Woodgrain Background
Papers:   Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Concord Crush
Ink:  Soft Suede, Concord Crush, Soft Suede Stampin’ Write Marker
Accessories: Concord Crush Ribbon, Vintage Trinkets, Antique Brads, Metallic Eyelets, Pearl, Hemp Twine, Stampin’ Dimensionals
Tools: Paper Snips, Spritzer Tool, Crop-a-dile, Craft Knife, Snail, Stampin’ Sponge
Techniques Used:  Distressing, Sponging

Enjoy!

Cupcake Dreams

Dreams of cupcakes filled their heads as they laid down to sleep.  This project was designed to sit upon a bedside table.  I think this would be perfect as a card for a child that has problems getting to sleep at night too.  Who wouldn’t like to have visions of these beautiful cupcakes in their heads before drifting into sweet slumber? 

Stamps:   Bliss, Aviary, Birthday Bakery (Hostess), Fabulous Phrases
Papers:   Basic Black, Whisper White 
Ink:  Jet Black Stazon, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Write Marker, Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker, Crumb Cake Stampin’ Write Marker 
Accessories:  Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Crumb Cake Seam Binding
Tools: Scallop Square Bigz Die, Big Shot, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Paper Snips, Snail, Scallop Trim Border Punch 
Techniques Used: Marker to Stamp

How I did that: The back stand was created with cardboard saved from Stampin’ Up! packaging.  To recreate the stand for the Scallop Square size stand you’ll need:

• *1 piece 4” x 4”
• *1 piece 1” x 2.5” scored 1/4” on one short end
• *1 piece 1” x 1.5” scored 1/4” on each short end

I used Tombow Multipurpose Adhesive to secure the stand and mini glue dots to adhere the card front to the stand.  Adjust as necessary for a standard 5-1/2” x 4-1/4” card. This is a great way to save those most precious handmade cards and display them in your home as the works of art that they are!

Enjoy!

Thrifty Home Decor with Stampin’ UP!

A couple of week ago, maybe it was months ago…my shopping experiences sometimes just blend together.  Usually a whirlwind of activity and then a bunch of what am I going to do with this stuff!  I made an impulsive purchase at our local thrift store.  I only bought five of these 3 x 3 wooden beauties.  That was the impulse.  If I would have thought about it more…I would have bought all four sets of these pre-painted alphabet blocks that were sitting in that glorious green tub sparkling with hot pink glitter.  Oh…what was I thinking?  That was the problem…I wasn’t.  Maybe the glitter was blocking the vision, for I didn’t see the true potential at the time. 

These little beauties will be going in my guest room.  Hence…the “STAY”. I suppose there are a lot of words that one could put in a guest room…hmmm.

 

These were actually very quick to put together since they were pre-painted.  I  sanded them to distress the paint as well as remove those hot pink glittery letters.  It just wouldn’t fit the current decor. ;) I wanted to use a bunch of different textures on them so, you’ll see fibers, vinyl, and metal in addition to the wood. Each block has a touch of So Saffron.  Loved how I could incorporate that color on each of the Nature Walk images! 

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Stamps:   Nature Walk
Papers:   None
Ink:  Jet Black Stazon, Crumb Cake, So Saffron Stampin’ Write Marker
Accessories: Mini Glue Dot, Antique Brads, Hemp Twine, Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Black Vinyl, Serif Essentials Bigz Die, Elegant Trio Stencils, Mostly Vintage Stencil
Tools: Big Shot, Craft and Paper Scissors, Tombow Multi Adheseive, Sponge 
Techniques Used: Sponging/Distressing

I am sure by now you can see the potential of these little wooden blocks and why I’ll be searching for more of these wonders of nature in my shopping adventures.  You probably have many wonderful words that you would love to see around your house.  Feel free to share with me in the comments section!  My next idea is “COME PLAY” for my Stampin’ Studio…that is a lot of blocks!

Enjoy!

 

 

Quick Tip:  I didn’t have any of the Vinyl sheets so I used the FREE Sale-a-bration Vinyl when I ordered over $50 in product!  Use the “Notes” part of the vinyl on a notebook for yourself!