Papercrafting with Polly

Merry Christmas Cards

There's no denying it ... Christmas will be here before we know it!  So I thought I would share with you several cards that showcase new dies and stamps as well as some exciting new glitter paper we have in stock.  We have both 12" x 12" with adhesive on the back and 8.5" x 11" without adhesive.  Colors include reds, golds, white, silver, royal blue, lighter blue and green.  The holidays are a perfect time to up your game and include glitter paper in your card layouts.

My first card is created with a cute snowman with stripes.  I added the large "merry" at the bottom of the card and cut a hill for the snowman to stand on.  I added a little glitter glue on the top of the hill.  This same die can be used as a slider card by inserting a panel behind the snowman that can be pulled up to reveal a photo of another stamped or die cut image.  Watch this video by Memory Box for lots of ideas. 

Snowman Panel – Memory Box dies Snowman Panel, Make Merry and Snowman Heart Collage; design inspired by Laura Fulcher

I love this next snowman because he's all heart!  I cut the snowman heart from white cardstock then mounted it over red glitter paper.  Adding a few holly leaves and berries adds a pop of color.

Heart Snowman – Memory Box die Snowman Heart Collage; Poppystamps clear stamp set Christmas Greetings; Impression Obsession die Twig Wreath (holly); Taylored Expressions die Double Ended Flag Stacklets; design inspired by Laura Fulcher

Here's a really gorgeous die -- Impression Obsession's Reindeer Flourish.  I cut it from gold glitter paper and mounted it over a background cut with Lawn Fawn's Snowy Background.  Behind the background I placed white glitter paper.  Finally the deer needed to be grounded so I added some hills cut with Poppysyamps stitched landscape dies. Reindeer Flourish Blue – Impression Obsession die Reindeer Flourish; Poppystamps die Stitched Landscapes; Lawn Fawn die Backdrop Snowy; Penny Black die World of Wishes

This card is by Harriet Head.  Please click on it so you can see all the details she added.  First she cut the reindeer from white cardstock and mounted the negative space over some beautiful Penny Black paper.  Then she die cut white ornaments and hung them from the deer's antlers.  So creative!!  And don't miss the red nose!  Thanks Harriet.

Reindeer Flourish Green – Impression Obsession die Reindeer Flourish; design by Harriet Head

This card is so bright and shiny it will "hurt your eyes!"  I cut the large pine tree from silver glitter paper and the birds from three colors of felt.  The background was cut with the new Memory Box Wrapped Stitched Rectangles and I love the "messy stitching" this die cuts into the panel. Silver Glitter Tree – Poppystamps die Grand Pine Tree; Memory Box dies Wrapped Stitch Rectangles and Resting Birds; Poppystamps clear stamp set Christmas Greetings; design inspired by Jean Okimoto

Here's a very quick and easy card.  I cut the Horse Sleigh Landscape from white and mounted it atop an embosssed blue background.  The sentiment is from a Kaisercraft combo set of stamps and dies.  I added a star and the card was done. Santa Sleigh – Memory Box dies Horse Sleigh Landscape and Star of Wonder; Taylored Expressions embossing folder Winter Flurry; Kaisercraft stamp/die combo set Christmas; design inspired by Jean Manis

You have to love this little Santa.  The Lil Inker Designs set includes all the dies for assembling Santa as well as a number of stamps including sentiments and facial features.  I used the boot dies to make the hands.Santa Says What? – Lil Inkers Design Stamp/die combo set Santa; Lil Inkers Design die Stitched Sentiment Flag; Impression Obsession die Ho Ho Ho; Impression Obsession die Twig Wreath (holly); Taylored Expressions embossing folder Brick

This is a fun card.  The Merry Christmas Channel die cuts the channel with the words in one pass.  (FYI: the card is 5" x 5.5").  Once I cut the channel, I colored the words with Copic markers and mounted acetate on the inside of the card.  I embellished the card with icons cut with the new Taylored Expressions die set Sitting Pretty Holiday Accessories. Merry Christmas Channel – Memory Box die Merry Christmas Channel; Taylored Expressions die Sitting Pretty Holiday Accessories

This a very impressive card with multiple layers -- but it's really a quick one.  I stamped the Woodgrain Background on kraft cardstock in Toffee ink.  Then I die cut an oval frame from gold cardstock and an oval from kraft.  I mounted the gold frame on the kraft oval, stamped the sentiment then added a die cut nativity scene.  Finally I added some holly leaves and berries for color. True Meaning Nativity – Taylored Expressions die Nativity; TE stamps Woodgrain Background and Rejoice set; TE stamps and dies Holiday Florals; Memory Box die Stitched Ovals

Love the candy canes especially when they are cut from glitter paper!  I used a candy cane border die and a large candy cane die to create this card.  Lots of glitter makes it so festive!

Candy Canes – Poppystamps dies Candy Cane Gift and Candy Cane Stripes; design inspired by Ilona Zbieg

Poinsettias are such a holiday tradition and these dies from Imrpession Obsession not only cut the flowers but impress them with lots of detail for a very realistic look. I stamped the sentiment in Gold Delicata ink which is a very bright gold ink.

Poinsettias – Impression Obsession dies Poinsettias small and Berry Branches; Poppystamps die Blooming Poinsettias small; Memory Box dies Wrapped Stitched Rectangles and Pinpoint Rectangles; Taylored Expressions stamp set Rejoice; design inspired by Jean Okimoto

I hope you enjoyed the cards.  Please stop in and see all these dies and many, many more plus all the glitter paper!  We have so much in stock that will make your holiday cardmaking fun and fast!  I hope to see you soon!

Happy Thanksgiving to All

Hello Friends.  I hope you are having a very pleasant and abundant Thanksgiving.  I have much to be thankful including wonderful customers like you.

To express my gratitude to good friends, I made these bread boxes and filled them with pumpkin bread.  I got the idea from Jennifer Svare, a design team member for Poppystamps.  You can read her blog post and see her video here.  Here's a close-up photo:

The boxes themselves are actually quite easy to make, however the decorating did take a while.  I created the box structure, embossed the same cardstock with a woodgrain embossing folder (Darice) then mounted the embossed panel on to copper metallic cardstock. These panels were taped to all four sides of the box.

The pumpkins (Poppystamp dies Harvest Pumpkin and Swirl Pumpkin) were cut from orange and copper cardstock, respectively.  I distressed the orange Harvest Pumpkin die cut then glued the Swirl Pumpkin over it.  The leaf vines were cut with the Poppystamps Oak Leaf Oval Collage die and enhanced with more leaves cut with the Impression Obsession die Oak Leaves and Rake. 

Finally the "wings" on the top of the box were 2" strips of cardstock cut with the Poppystamps die Eyelet Stitches.  After I cut the border design I scored the stips at 1" and folded them on the score line then taped them inside the box.

If you are interested in making some, I am happy to answer any questions you have.  Jennifer has a PDF on her blog with all the measurements.

 

Black Friday Weekend Sale

Friday and Saturday, November 24 and 25, we will be open from 10am to 5pm and offering free dies with every $25 purchase as long as they last.  The dies are pre-seleted and your $25 purchase cannot include sale merchandise, special order merchandise or taxes. 

Black Friday promotions are as follows while supplies last:

• Spend $25 and get 2 free dies.
• Spend $50 and get 3 free dies.
• Spend $75 and get 4 free dies.

You will receive an additional 10% off all Sale merchandise that's currently marked at 30% off for those 2 days only. 

Happy Thanksgiving and I hope to see you shopping at your local papercrafting store this Friday and Saturday.  Thanks! 

Fall and Thanksgiving Cards

Hello Friends.  Days are growing shorter and cooler signals the arrival of fall.  In fact, Thanksgiving is only 2 weeks away!  Yikes!  Today I have several cards to share with you ... some fun ... some pretty.  Please stop in soon to see what's new in the store -- there are so many fun items to use for cardmaking and gift making.  Over the next few posts, I will be sharing with you some holiday gifts I have made for friends and family.   Please send me photos of what you are making.  It's fun to share and inspire each other.

This is such a fun card! And yes it did take a while to make.  I made the background by blending Distress Oxide Inks then die cut all the images and put them together.  I love the new Little Bit dies Turkey Dinner and Pumpkin Pie from Taylored Expressions -- they are perfect for Thanksgiving cards.  And the Little Bit Turkey really looks scared!

Turkey Color Block – Taylored Expressions dies Color Block Mini, Sitting pretty Accessories Fall, Mini Caps Alpha & #’s and Stitched Banners; TE Little Bits dies Turkey, Silverware, Turkey Dinner, Pumpkin Pie and Talk Bubble 2; TE stamp set Thanksgiving Blessings; design inspired by Keia Shipp-Smith

This turkey looks a little more relaxed as he stands among the swirling leaves.  I love, love, love the new Lawn Fawn Stitched Windy Backdrop die.  It cuts a large rectangle and all the swirls that are perfect for leaves or snowflakes!  Patchwork Turkey Happy Turkey Day – Impression Obsession die Patchwork Turkey; Taylored Expressions stamp set If Turkeys Could Talk; TE Little Bits die Leaves; Lawn Fawn die Stitched Windy Backdrop; design inspired by Karen Amidon

The turkey (above) and the leaves/acorns below are all from the Impression Obsession Patchwork collection and I love the homespun look they have when cut from paper stamped with some of the IO Mini Patterns stamps.  The new Memory Box greeting is perfect for fall cards. 

Patchwork Leaves – Impression Obsession die Patchwork Leaves; IO Stamp sets Mini Patterns 1, 2 and 4; Memory Box dies Autumn Greetings and Stitched Circles; design inspired by Karen Amidon

Next I am sharing several cards I made with the IO Wheat die which is one of my favorites.  The first card is an easel card.

Easel Card front

Easel Card Open

Wheat Happy Birthday – Impression Obsession dies Wheat and Greetings Edgers; Taylored Expressions stamp Woodgrain Background; Memory Box die Stitched Ovals; design inspired by Jenny Gropp

For this next card I die cut the wheat then colored them with various inks (mostly Oxides).

Wheat Mason Jar – Impression Obsession die Wheat; Taylored Expressions die Mini Tags and TE stamp set Many Minis Holiday and TE die set Mini Tags; TE stamp set and die set Mason Jar

Same for this card: cut then colored.  Very simple but so pretty.

Wheat Give Thanks – Impression Obsession die Wheat; IO stamp clear stamp set Count Your Blessings

Another Oxide ink background, wheat in a more natural color and a lovely sentiment.

Wheat Favorite Color Fall – Impression Obsession die Wheat; IO stamp clear stamp set Fall Words; Taylored Expressions stamp set Simply Stamped Leaves

Finally, three stitched leaves cut and colored (Oxides) and mounted on the card front with a sweet sentiment.  I could have cut the front panel of this card with the Lawn Fawn Stitched Windy Backdrop for more texture and interest.

Leaves Are Falling – Lawn Fawn die Stitched Leaves; Impression Obsession stamp Leaves are Falling

 

Black Friday Promotions for Nov 24 and 25

For Black Friday we will have these promotions:

• Spend $25 and get 2 free dies.
• Spend $50 and get 3 free dies.
• Spend $75 and get 4 free dies.

Fine print:  Only non-sale merchandise counts and totals are before taxes.  Your choice of dies from a preselected group.

All Sale merchandise that's 30% off will be 40% off for those 2 days only.  Plus I am adding more merchandise to the sale table.

Happy Fall to all and please shop at your local papercrafting store.  Thanks!