Make sure you read all the way through for details on how you could win one of two $30 gift certificates to Ellen Hutson!
I have absolutely fallen in love with the Sending Sunshine stamp and die set designed by Honey Bee Stamps for Ellen Hutson, as well as some coordinating items from Honey Bee stamps! I created quite a few cards using this new release in no time at all. Let me show you a few.
First is a fun ” You are my sunshine” this card features a shaker sun center using the Honey Bee Stamps Partly Cloudy die set and the new Sunny Day sequins mix. The small frame around the sun circle made this shaker come together quickly. (Affiliate links used where available at no cost to you, thank you for supporting this blog)
The fun thing about this card is that the sun rays actually spin!
I assembled the layers using a paper fastener (aka brad) which allows the top two layers to spin around. My daughter who loves her fidget spinner, loved playing with this card and I think it would be great for any tween or teen!
Next card is a simple ink blended rainbow for an inspirational ray of sunshine!
First, I created a shaker card using foam and the a-2 sunburst cover plate die. I added my Sunny day sequins to the center and then covered with acetate. I cut the A-2 cover plate from glitter and white cardstock. For the white piece I taped off sections and used my distress inks to build a rainbow from the center of the sun. once that was done I layered that over the shaker foam layer and then pieced in the glitter rays. I stamped and embossed the sentiment from the Ray of sunshine stamp set. I did some simple die cut inlay for the “sunshine” word. both from glitter cardstock. To finish it off I added some Bokeh lights confetti with my Silver Moondust Nuvo glitter drops. I love how you can see a bit of sparkle though the confetti.
The last card I have for you is one that takes a bit of time but can be well worth the time spent. This is a pop up box card with a little handmade gift included too!
To make the box I followed THIS tutorial which was super easy! I covered the front flap with strips of colored cardstock and then trimmed away any excess. I took some Nuvo Moonstone glimmer paste and spread a thin layer over all the cardstock strips and let try. Once the glitter was dry I cut a cloud border using the Honey Bee Stamps cloud border dies and glued to the bottom of the rainbow. I cut this from white glitter cardstock and I also cut pieces to go around the outside of the box. the inside of the box has 4 layers and in between the front flap and the first layer I attached a bit of cotton to give a fluffy cloud look.
The back panel of the box card is the sunburst cover plate die cut pieces together and glued on that back piece. This gave the box extra stability too. I set the almost finished box aside and went to work on some cute planner clips for a friend who loves to decorate in her planner.
I cut felt pieces from the partly cloudy die set… the sun as well as the largest cloud in the set. I cut three pieces of each. I glued the ribbon on one layer and then once dry I sandwiched the other two pieces around the ribbon covered pieces and hand stitched them together. I am not the best when it comes to stitching and sewing but it was a lot of fun to make. I did sew the large paper clip to the middle layers before stitching all the way closed.
I added a row of sequins along the bottom of the cloud, each by hand, from the Honey Bee Stamps cloudy day sequins mix.
once finished I clipped these both into the layers of the box card.
Because this can be quite bulky I thought about making a band of sorts to go around the closed box for mailing. I took a piece of 12×12 cardstock and wrapped it around the box to make sure it fit ok and then using a heavy-duty tape I glued the two ends together.
It was a really fun gift to put together. I am already thinking of more things I can do with the box card idea not to mention more fun felt paper clips!
That is all for today. Thank you so much for stopping by to view my projects. I hope you found them inspiring. To win one of two $30 gift certificates to Ellen Hutson, simply just comment below on this post and the other designers in the blog hop as well. I am the last stop in the blog hop but if you missed anyone don’t worry, you can head HERE to the honey bee stamps blog and get the entire line up.
If you missed my video highlighting all of the great new Sending Sunshine products you can check out that post HERE and watch my video showing all the products mentioned today and more.
Supplies used are listed below(affiliate links where available at no cost to you)
Affiliate Links used in this post where available at NO cost to you! Thanks for your support!
I love what Illustrated Faith has brought to Christian Creatives, and I have grown deeper in knowledge and in my faith since beginning to create in and outside of my bible. I believe that Faith based art and papercraft is more than just for the pages of my bible , so when I saw that Shanna Noel (that incredibly inspiring and kind-hearted woman) was kicking off a 30 day happy mail challenge, I got very excited and knew I had to participate. I also think this challenge can be different for everyone….. you can customize it to fit YOU. That being said I will share what I have in mind for the challenge (as I see it) and how I will be approaching it!The basic idea is that you send some old-fashioned snail mail to a different person every day for 30 days. That’s it in a nutshell. This doesn’t have to be super time-consuming or cost more than a postage stamp and paper. Email is quick and convenient and pretty much the norm when communicating with our family and friends. So when you actually receive a letter or card in the mail, it just FEELS special. Can you remember the last time you received a letter or card or gift in the mail? Did it bring you joy? I am betting it did. Who wouldn’t want to be apart of something fulfilling and FUN like that! We definitely need more Joy, more Kindness, and more encouraging and lifting each other up.
To make things easy on yourself, you might want to gather a few things and keep them organized by your desk or a designated spot. The supplies you will want to pull together will really depend on how elaborate or simple you want your happy mail to be (BOTH are good!). I am going to list a few basic things and optional things that I am setting aside for myself, maybe that will help you figure out what you want to pull together.
I encourage you to use whatever you have on hand and try to think of new ways to use the supplies you already own. I am linking my favorite things that are tried and true and that I really do love, but again, you do not need to spend anything to make this challenge work for you! Another option is to get together with friends and share supplies! Any excuse for crafting and fellowship sounds great to me!
Paper Trimmer: THIS one is my favorite and is by Tonic. I also really love THIS one by Fiskars.
Scoreboard: (only if you already have one, a trimmer can do the job just fine if you don’t) I am using THIS mini one which is by Martha Stewart. There is a number of them on the market though.
Bone Folder: I recommend THIS teflon bone folder, It’s a little pricey but it will last you forever and it will be the only one you ever use! The reason for the teflon is that when you use it to crease your paper you will not get that shiny streak on your cardstock that other bone folders leave behind.
Cards and envelopes: (unless you are making your own of both) You can pick these up anywhere but THESE envelopes are my current favorite , and some of them have a slight shimmer. I also like THESE that are made of vellum. As far as card bases, I prefer to use this heavy weight cardstock HERE and cut and fold my own. This pack of 25 will make 50 A-2 size card bases. They also sell it in 250 count reams HERE. I find they are more sturdy and I like top fold cards better.
Envelope template or tool: (if you are making your own envelopes) HERE is the one that I use and love!
Adhesive: (wet, dry, or both, whatever your preference is) My prefered Wet Adhesive Currently is THIS ONE by Nuvo and for dry adhesives I am liking THIS one by Tombow since my old favorite has been discontinued. For a very strong dry adhesive I love THIS tape, and it comes in lots of different widths. It is great for applying glitter and foil to as well.
Black ink pad: (and other colors if you wish) My favorite is THIS black ink pad for crisp lines which is also waterproof when dry. For copic coloring or any alcohol based ink I like using THIS particular Hero Arts ink pad. For colored ink I really love the distress inks and especially the Distress Oxide ink pads. There is a great deal HERE If you are looking for them.
Die cuts: (Ephemera, Die cut packs, Digital cut apart, Die cuts you cut from your Cricut or Silhouette) I love the die cut packs from Illustrated Faith and Bella Blvd., Doodlebug is another company I buy ephemera or die cuts from often.
Some people are choosing to swap addresses with their online friends and do the 30 day challenge that way, some are randomly sending out happy mail to various people they know, Some are sending cards to friends and family. You don’t have to know who you are sending to for the whole challenge, Like Shanna said, you could decide that day who you’re sending to or you can make a list one week at a time if that works better for you. The HOW you approach thischallenge is whatever works for YOU, and the great thing is, you can figure that out as you go along the 30 days, or you can plan it all out now. That being said I will go ahead and share my ideas and plans for my 30 Days of sending HAPPY MAIL!
Every day I will be sending out some kind of Happy mail to someone. (basic idea, right? right! but read on!)
Some days it will be a handmade card that I have already made, or will make that will be going to friends, family, or even people like my mailman, or the grocery store clerk that always seems to remember my name, Maybe even my favorite barista at Starbucks (who does not get enough credit for making my coffee PERFECT every time!) I really like the idea of surprising people who go about doing their jobs but don’t just do their job, they do it with a smile, detail, pride, and kindness… that should be acknowledged more I think, Even if it’s just a card saying, Hey! I think you are AWESOME!
I might also sent some postcards. Like THESE postcards from the Illustrated Faith Collection. You can even embellish those premade postcards or you can make your own postcards! See my post HERE where I show ideas for making your own postcards. How nice to make the people who handle your card along its journey, smile as it travels to its destination. If you’re sending a traditional card, you can decorate your envelope as well. It may even encourage some one that sees your happy mail to send some happy mail of their own!
I love giving little unexpected gifts so some of my happy mail will include some DIY gifts that are fun to make and fun to send to some unsuspecting friends or family! Care packages are always a great surprise and can really make someone’s day.
A few cards of mine will make their way to some people I do not know personally, but who I am aware are struggling with something, They need to know they are loved and are being prayed for.
And maybe along the way there will be mini cards left on a windshield, in with a bill that has to be paid, or handed to a mom who looks like she’s had a rough day, a simple card with a note of encouragement. I definitely think little acts of Card Kindness can be apart of this challenge, Not everything has to have a stamp on it. You may also consider writing your message on a removable paper inside the card with another note that encourages the recipient to write their own message inside and send to someone they want to encourage! Simon Says Stamp actually sells THIS post-it style pad just for that reason! Look for a post coming soon that has directions on how to create your own!
At the end of the month I want to know that I made 30+ people smile, feel special, be encouraged, and know THEY MATTER enough that I will take the time to create and send them (or hand deliver) a paper hug!
I do plan on documenting my Happy Mail Month on my blog as well as social media. Sometime during the month I might just do a video as well. Make sure to subscribe to my blog for updates or follow me on Instagram ( @taniesa ) where I will update as well!
SO How about you? Want to jump into the challenge with me? You don’t need anything fancy, Just use what you got, grab some stamps if you need to, and send some love for 30 days (and if you can only commit to a week, then that is ok, make it your 7 days of happy mail challenge!) I think that in the end, the person it will benefit the most, is really those of us doing the sending!
The fun starts Tomorrow , July 1st and wraps up on the 30th (but if you want to be the overachiever and go to the 31st, then you go, girl! I will cheer you on and may even do that extra day with you!)
As a special bonus I am going to do a random giveaway to one of my readers that participates in the Illustrated Faith 30 day Happy Mail Challenge too! A bundle of new paper crafting items that will be useful no matter what type of papercrafter you are….a Scrapbooker, Bible / Art Journaler, Cardmaker, Planner girl, or any other artistic papercrafter, There will be things in this bundle anyone would be able to use and enjoy! There was no way to photograph EVERYTHING but there will be stamps and dies, washi tape, stickers, ink, embossing powder, embossing folder, roller stamp, sequins, and so much more stuffed into a large padded envelope! This giveaway is open to anyone (Yes even international!)
If you are participating in the challenge and you want to be entered to win my giveaway, Link up one of your cards between July 1 and July 31st using the blue Link up button below and on August 1 I will randomly draw someone to win! *Edited to note that you may link up as many times/projects as you would like during the challenge duration! I hope that it will add even more inspiration to others participating in the project.*
Stay tuned for more ideas for this happy mail challenge as well as what I am doing for my 30 days of Happy Mail!
Until then! Have a fantastic weekend!!!
*All supplies mentioned are linked within the blog post are in BOLD font. To enter TheCraftyPickle Happy Mail giveaway click the blue button below and link up one of your cards that is for the 30 Day Happy Mail Challenge hosted by Illustrated Faith.
How to add your project to the link-up : Click the blue button with the frog below. Add the URL link to where your project is located (blog, Instagram, Flickr, other) add the required info and enter! You should see the photo of your project below. I created a Flickr group for those of you that don’t have a blog or don’t want to blog but you do want to upload your projects and share. You can find that group HERE! If you have any problems or questions please leave a comment in this post or email me at Taniesa@thecraftypickle.com.
Thank you so much for visiting my blog on todays 1st Celebration Blog hop for KatScrappiness.com. Today is so exciting! Not only will you be inspired by the designers projects along this hop, there is a lot of fantastic prizes to be won! You should have arrived here from the Kat Scrappiness blog where it all starts! If you happen to get lost along the hop you can find the full link-up list at the end of this post or on Katscrappinessblog.com.
For my project I wanted to create a missing you card with Lola the Giraffe. and I wanted a chance to use the interactive stamp set so I decided to do a double slider. Here is a picture of the card closed.
and here is one with it completely open.
There are many variations on how to make a double slider card, I watched a bunch of videos and took bits and pieces of advice from various sources. To see the basic construction of the double slider click HERE to watch a video. The video shows a version that is similar to how I put this one together. The differences with the one I made were that I did not fold one long piece of cardstock, Instead I layered die cut panels and a card base together with foam tape, this allowed for the 4″ square card. I cut the squares with the Kat Scrappiness Double stitched square dies. The largest was for the main card panel and the second largest was for the two panels that slide out. After I cut the stitched square pieces, I blended on some distress oxide ink in Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade, Fossilized Amber , Broken China, and Faded Jeans. I layered the two dies together and cut a frame for the top panel out of Neenah desert storm cardstock, and then blended on a little Vintage Photo Distress oxide ink as well.
I stamped the Giraffe head and half the body on watercolor paper and did the same with his lower half using versafine onyx black ink (Favorite ink for using on watercolor paper). Then I freehand drew a long neck off each piece. I watercolored the giraffe with a combo of Zig Clean Color real brush markers and Vintage Photo distress ink (re-inker). I cut a tree trunk out of scrap watercolor paper and did the same watercolor process but this time darker.
I took some dark green cardstock and cut the Kat Scrappiness Christmas Tree die several times. I applied some Peeled paint Distress Oxide ink on the green cut out pieces and pieced together a tree that looked more like one you would see on Safari rather than Christmas pine. I misted the pieces lightly with water and blotted right away. Here is a photo when I was piecing the tree together. It’s a nice way to stretch a christmas die and use it year-round.
I cut a small hill from the Lawn Fawn stitched Hillside borders for underneath the giraffe and a sentiment banner and sign. The “It’s been sooo long” sentiment is from the same Giraffe stamp set and the “I am missing you” is from the Lawn Fawn Loads of love stamp set. Once everything was painted, fussy cut, and glued down I assembled the card.I cut the smallest of the scalloped tags from the die set and glued that to the back of the top slide out panel. I freehand cut a tag and stamped “pull here” and an arrow pointing up both from the interactive card instructions stamp set. I glued that to the tag to make a good handle to pull the slider.
To finish things off I added on some sequins from the Lucky Charm and Spring Leaves sequins mixes. I also added eyelashes to the giraffe and darkened the eyes with a glaze gel pen. I think it came out pretty cute. I love this interactive design. I plan on making more cards following the same design because it was so much fun. Pre making the card base is fairly easy and with it being square you can use it vertically like I have here or horizontally like the video I linked. below is a clip of the card in action!
I hope you have been inspired by my double slider card. In order for your chance to win one of the brand new stamp sets, or one of the three GRAND prizes, you must comment on all the designers blogs and the Kat Scrappiness blog. That is 10 chances to win! Winners will announced at 12 noon pst on 6/25/17, you have until 12:00 midnight pst Saturday 6/24/17 to enter!
If you are reading this post between 6/19 and 6/25 2017 Kat is having a 15% sale. She already has lower prices on most of her items so this is like getting 20% to 35% off retail! Stock up on your favorites HERE. Remember to use code SUMMERVACAY at checkout.
Next person in the hop is the ever so talented, Maria! Hop on over and see what’s next! Thank you for participating in the very first blog hop for KatScrappiness.com. Below you will find the blog hop line up as well as a list of products I used today.
Taniesa Vlasak | The Crafty Pickle 