Ultimate Shabby Chic: Torn Paper

Celebrating the 500th TGIF Challenge with a birthday card I made for a dear friend, and my longest team member. Ann, if you see this, just act surprised when you open your mail!

Tearing – or ripping – paper was one of the first techniques I remember being taught at an EARLY crafting convention I attended. It’s so simple, and adds terrific texture, and while many things have changed in paper crafting styles, this technique has just grown more sophisticated.

To be honest, there were a few times I almost threw out this card to begin again, but I persevered, and surprisingly, I think the end result is “tres shabby chic”!

With a whopping 6 (or more) layers of card stock, Designer Series Paper, ribbon, and the birds (also die cut from the patterned paper, so I didn’t have to color them), this was much more detailed than I usually do, but the card needed all the fussy stuff, and Ann deserves a very special card.

Luckily, most of the elements came from the Nests of Winter Suite, so all I had to add was the pretty pompom ribbon. These items can also be ordered individually, which I will include in the supply list below.

Added a few more torn patterns to the inside of the card and the envelope!

Next time you are crafting, give Torn Paper a try. #tgifc500

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Winterly Tree Tops 3D Frame Card with birds for a friend, Stampin' Up!

Mail this 3-D Frame Card

…to a friend who will display it proudly!

Because the October Paper Pumpkin kit coordinates with the Nests of Winter Suite, I wanted to show a card using those products that pops out of the envelope to create a stand-up 3-D frame:

This was a pretty simple card to create, and if you dislike fussy cutting (as I did with the birds from the Designer Series Paper), you could use the coordinating dies to cut different birds out for the inside.

Here’s the video tutorial to follow along:

Add a panel to the back of the card for writing your message, and remember, #nonakedenvelopes

If you love this project, DON’T MISS THE “Nests of Christmas” craft kit in the mail! You must subscribe by October 10th in order to receive this kit, and new subscribers can use code HOLIDAY40 to save 40% off their first kit!

The stamp set from the Kit will work perfectly with the Suite from the mini catalog (which we used today). When you purchase Stampin’ Up! products from your demonstrator, you support a small business, PLUS keep artists creating beautiful crafting supplies for you to enjoy~ THANK YOU.

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Fall Bird Card for a color challenge, Winterly Tree Tops by Stampin' Up!

Flowers & Feathers

Another sleepless night as I dreamed of creating this card 🥱 … trying to decide if creativity is a blessing or a curse!

The idea came from the #tgifc492 Inspiration challenge:

Think of it like a mashup of two songs, but two stamp sets: Enduring Beauty for the flowers and Winterly Tree Tops for the birds.

I wanted to give it a fall vibe, so picked a palette of Pecan Pie, Very Vanilla, Peach Pie, and Mossy Meadow (almost sounds like a recipe!). With a lot of layers and texture, it feels vintage and the sprinkle of three Drusy Embellishments adds a bit of glittery elegance.

TRIVIA TIME: “DRUSY” is an adjective that means “covered in minute crystals” and can describe the inside of a rock cavity that is lined with tiny crystals. These embellishments are truly gorgeous, but not easily mailable, as they do make the card quite bumpy. It needs a padded envelope if you are mailing it!

Peek inside the card:

Winterly Tree Tops is a part of the larger Nests of Winter Suite and features the beautiful birds. You may be interested in the coordinating craft kit called Nests of Christmas that is part of our crafting subscription service (Paper Pumpkin). It’s only available if you subscribe by October 10th, and if you use promo code HOLIDAY40 as a first-time subscriber, you’ll get your first kit at 40% off!

Now that the card is finished and shared with you, I’m looking forward to a nap!

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Sweet Songbird Nest Treat Favor

With only 8 more days of our ONLY Sale-a-Bration of 2023, and with the sun shining today, I chose to show you a project fit for SPRING!

This Sweet Songbird next was inspired by some that I had seen previously, and was reminded of when I discovered the Junior Mint Eggs at Dollar Tree! The green is a perfect Mint Macaron color and I wanted to put a next into a Mint Macaron tree.

Because Stampin’ Up! added a few catalog products to the choices for Sale-a-Bration, the Songbird Builder Punch is on the list you could choose free with your $50 US order before February 28, 2023, and while you don’t need the stamp set to create cute birds with the Country Gingham Designer Series Paper, the Sweet Songbirds stamp set does give you options for sentiments, nests and branches.

This would be a sweet favor at Easter dinner or, with the “Welcome” sentiment, at a baby shower, or Spring craft day with friends!

Measurements for the papers:

  • Mint Macaron: 2-1/4″ x 3-1/2″
  • Soft Suede: 3″ x 1-1/2″, scored at 1/4″ along the long sides, and at 1″ and 2″ from end to end to create the “nest”
  • Soft Suede scrap to stamp a nest on and cut out.
  • Scrap of Crumb Cake for sign
  • Country Gingham DSP: 2-1/4″ x 2-1/4″ to punch out bird

Here’s a how-to video (from my Lunchtime LIVE crafting video on YouTube & Facebook 2/20/23):

I had to use up the scraps of gingham paper on my desk, so I also made a slimline card…not a very “little” note of thanks when the finished card is 8-1/2″ x 3-1/2″!

IF YOU CHOOSE THE SONGBIRD BUILDER PUNCH AS A FREE GIFT before the end of February 2023, use item #164422 and order the Sweet Songbird stamp set #158721 as part of your $50 order to qualify for the free punch!

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