Personalized Notecard Holder

I love making these personalized notecard holders for teacher gifts, birthday gifts, and thank you gifts.  They are perfect for any occasion!  We made these notecard holders at my stamp club last night with the Good Morning Sunshine DSP and Jumble Alphabet - both of which are part of Stampin' Up! May Scrapbooking promotion - which you only have 2 days left to get in on!

Here are the directions:

Note cards:

• 4 - 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" card base
  
• 4 - 5 1/4" x 4" Whisper White cardstock
  
• 4 - 1" x 4" piece of designer series paper
  
• 4 - Scallop Squares (punched out) and 4 - 1" x 1" pieces of whisper white cardstock

Note card holder:

• 8 1/2" x 10" piece of cardstock for cover
• With the 11" side going across the top, score it at 5 1/4" and 5 3/4"
• With the 8 1/2" side going across the top, score it at 6" and 6 1/4"
• 5 1/2" x 4 3/4" piece of cardstock for the cover
• 5 1/4" x 4 piece of designer series paper for cover
• 5" of ribbon
• 2 brads to hold the pockets together
• Chipboard Scallop Square covered with dsp
• 2x2 piece of whisper white (for the cover - stamp initial on)

Start with Cover and fold on all score lines.  Cut on the 5 1/4" and 5 3/4" score lines from the bottom up to the 6" score line and trim off the tab in between to create the inside pockets.  Use brads to hold the pockets in place.  Wrap ribbon around the holder in line with the brads and adhere a glue dot to back of the brad and place ribbon over the brad to hide it.

Stay tuned for some annoucements next week!

My Latest Creations!

I've been working all month to bring you the my latest creations:

My Facebook Page

Become a fan and get access to exclusive content, behind-the-scenes looks at my stamping business, and many samples from Convention and Regionals not seen on my blog!  I'll also be posting information on all my Stamp Clubs, Classes, and Events on my Facebook page!

My Twitter Page

Follow me on Twitter and stay up-to-date with all the latest Stampin' Up! news, Exclusive Elaine's Creations Contests, and Exciting Announcements!

I'm planning lots of fun Events and Contests this summer and fall, so check out my pages and don't miss out!

Step it Up Challenge

Are you ready for a challenge?  I've decided to start some challenges to get your creative juices flowing!  

So for my first challenge, I'm inviting you to take a card that you have created and "Step it Up!" Use some embellishments or ribbon, or a sentiment or saying to add a little "Wow!" to your card.  I got the inspiration for this challenge when I saw Jackie's adorable card here.

If you send me pictures or post a link to your pictures you could WIN a prize!  See the end of the post for details!

 For my card, I started with some Sweet Slumber DSP and the huggable little bear from the Cute and Cuddle set.  I stamped the bear on some watercolor paper and colored him in.  

To "Step it Up!" I added two 1/2" riding hood red circles and some brads from the Occasions Mini Catalog.  But I didn't stop there...

I added a little "baby" tag with the large oval punch and some red hemp.  

Now it's your turn!  

Show me the cards you made by sending me pictures or posting a link to them in the comments.  Next Friday, May 29th at noon, I will pick the one that I like the best and award the creator with a the level one Darling Dots stamp set and some Fancy Fibers dyeable ribbon! 

Have fun!

Stay tuned for some exciting announcements coming next week!

Flower Pot Card

I love these Flower Pot cards!  They are so cute!  I finally got a chance to make one last week at our Demonstrator group meeting.   

We started with a 3 1/2" x 9" piece of close to cocoa cardstock scored at 2" and 5 1/2" and scalloped one end.  We tapered the sides of the 2" section by trimming from the score line to the bottom by lining up the edge on the 1/2" mark of the Stampin' Up! paper trimmer.

For the flowers, we cut the sumer sun scallop circles to create petals and added a close to cocoa center and some petals from the 5-petal flower punch for leaves.  We mounted them on dimensionals and adhered them to a 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" size card to slide into the flower pot.  

We added a belly band around the pot to hold the card together.  The card will fit in an invitation (A1) size envelope.

We added the cutest little ladybug with a 1/2" real red circle cut and dotted on top of a 1/2" black circle and a 1/2" black circle for the ladybug's head.

Here is another one that my friend Donna made.  I love how she used the Die Cut Blooms and ribbon on her version!

Stayed tuned for my first challenge that I will post on Friday!

Gift Jar

I love saving glass jars to decorate and use as gifts.  I washed out this artichoke jar and wrapped some Sweet Always DSP and chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon around it.  I added some more ribbon around the lid and topped the lid with a scallop circle cut with a sizzix die and some more layers of Sweet Always, a scallop and the flower from the Always stamp set.  To complete the gift, I filled it with some yummy chocolate!  So, start saving those glass jars!

Don't forget to order your Designer Series paper during the great Stampin' Up! Scrapbooking Promotion this month!  Buy 3, get one free!  Click here to select your paper now!

A Basket

I've been seeing these cute baskets all over the place and decided it was high time to make one!  The ends of the baskets are cut out with the Baskets & Blooms Big XL Sizzix die.  I trimmed off the perforated edges on each one.  Then I used half a sheet of cardstock (8 1/2" x 5 1/2") for the middle of the box.  I scored it at 2 3/4" from each side with the 8 1/2" side at the top.  Then I scored at 3/8" on each side with the 5 1/2" side at the top to create the flap (after trimming on the score lines) to which I used sticky strip to adhere the ends.  

I decorated the basket with some Good Morning Sunshine DSP and some of the flowers from the Baskets & Blooms die that I layered on top of each other and stamped "for you" from the Great Friend stamp set.  I added some scallop circles to the handles and punched the 1 1/4" circle punch in the middle.  Now the box is all ready to hold some cute cards, a set of spa bath gels, or some yummy treats to give away as a gift!

Don't forget to order your Designer Series paper during the great Stampin' Up! Scrapbooking Promotion this month!  Buy 3, get one free!  Click here to select your paper now!

Fifth Avenue Floral

Fifth Avenue Floral and Stampin' Up!'s Manhattan collection are definitely my favorite right now.  I saw this pretty card in Stampin' Success, Stampin' Up!'s monthly magazine for demonstrators, and decided to make my own pretty paper like the Baja Breeze one from the Urban Oasis dsp.  All it took was some whisper white inked roses on some baja breeze cardstock!  

For the kiwi kiss rose, I stamped another rose on a scrap piece of cardstock and cut it out as a mask so I could stamp the other flowers right next to the rose to create a layering effect.  I used the "thank you" from the Note of Thanks Mini Note Kit from the Under $10 page at the back of the catalog as a sentiment.   

So what is your favorite Designer Series Paper?  Don't forget to stock up with Stampin' Ups!'s May Scrapbooking Promotion!  Buy three packs, get one FREE!  Click here to get your paper now!

Gift cards

I made this notecard set as a gift for my friend.  The Summer Love rub-ons were perfect for the front of this clear box I purchased from Paper Trey Ink.  I made four cards with the Walk in the Park DSP, Summer Love rub-ons, and Matchbox sizzix die and some of the new pretty whisper white satin ribbon.

Tip for tying perfect knots:  To tie perfect knots, I use a simple two-step trick.  First, I tie right over left. Second, I tie left over right and only pull one side while holding the other side and viola! perfect knots every time!

Recipe:

Stamps: Great Friend

Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Walk in the Park

Ink: Kiwi Kiss

Accessories:  Summer Love rub-ons, Whisper White Satin ribbon, Matchbox Sizzix die, scallop edge punch

Great Gift Boxes

I love the Sizzix Scallop Box die and matchbox die!  There are so many possibilities for these cute little gift boxes!  I used the Sweet Slumber Specialty DSP for both boxes because the paper is a textured cardstock that is perfect for making these boxes!  

For the scallop bag I used the Great Friend set and Matchbox die to embellish the front.  For the matchbox, I added ribbon through the slot punch whole in the top and bottom.

You can get the Sweet Slumber Specialty DSP for free all this month with Stampin' Up!'s Scrapbooking promotion!  For more details, check it out here!

May is National Scrapbooking Month!

I'm so excited about National Scrapbooking month!  I have decided to finally put together my daughter's "First Year" Scrapbook.  She's turning two this month, so I'm not that behind, right? 

And of course, Stampin' Up! is having Three fabulous promotions for the month on May!

• Buy three, get one free on Designer Series paper and 12" x 12" textured card stock!  This includes the Specialty Designer Papers but does not include Taste of Textiles.

• Join my Stampin' Up! Group by purchasing a limited-time Scrapbooking Starter Kit for just $75!  Get demonstrator discounts, benefits, and a whole lot more! Click here for more information.

• Enjoy a sneak peek opportunity to purchase the Jumble Alphabet stamp set (set of 52) from the upcoming Fall/Winter Catalog at 20% off!  

Item #	Description	Regular Price	Sale Price
115199	Jumble Alphabet stamp set	$43.95	$35.16

To take advantage of any of these great promotions, click here!