The Summer Mini Is Dead, Long Live the New Catalogue!

OK. not exactly dead - just in the last throes.   So is Sale-A-Bration.  SAB finishes at the end of this month (a week!).   Summer Mini finishes at the end of March.   In honour of both, here are a few recent creations featuring DSP/stamps from the Summer Mini and SAB.

Here's a gorgeous card box I made with the Bali Breeze DSP:  

I embellished it with the Felt Flower Fusion flowers (from the Mini) and a tempting tourquise brad.   I am not nearly clever enough to have invented this box; I found it  last year some time on Dannie's Designs - she has a fabulous video   This is the third one I've made so far, and not only am I better with practice, but I'm using better quality materials now, and  it really does make a difference.  The first two I made before I had a lot of SU! stuff and the quality was not so great.  Six months later those boxes have fallen apart because I just used ordinary double-sided tape instead of Sticky Strip.  Also I used cute DSP but didn't have co-ordinating cardstock so the end result wasn't as good as it could have been.  I am way too embarrassed to show them to you.  Chalk it up to experience!

Next I've got the card I made for my lovely MIL's birthday today (Happy Birthday Shirley!) using the SAB Botanical Blooms set again.  It's a completely different look from the other card I made.  This time I stamped the images on watercolour paper with black Stazon ink and watercoloured them with my aquapainter.  Such a soft look!  And completely co-ordinated with the card.  

The card co-ordinated with the present of course - a handmade card tote with about 16 or so cards in it!  

    

I  will post later with the directions for the card tote - I have adapted one I made earlier to fit a standard Australian C6 envelope.  The tote is made from Always Artichoke cardstock, with So Saffron and Soft sky ribbon.  The "for you" decorating the front is from the Say it With Scallops stamp set (Mini) and punched out with the square scallop punch (mini).  I also used the scalloped edge punch (mini) there too.  The big silver brads are from Styled Silver Hodgepodge (Mini).

Remember I posted recently about experimenting with One Sheet Wonders?  The cards in the tote are all made using a single 12 x 12 sheet of Le Jardin DSP.   Again, I didn't invent the concept; there are hundreds of different OSW recipes on the internet.  This one is by the fabulous Mae Collins - check her blog Mae's Cachet here.  (Edited to add I've fixed the link)

I used the palette of colours in the DSP as my guide - River Rock, Very Vanilla, Soft Sky.  They look so soft and elegant together I think.

From this:

To these:

Not a scrap of the gorgeous DSP wasted.  Pretty good value I'd say!

Eureka!

I'm on a roll!   I've made a pretty bag to hold some cards - check out the styled silver hodgepodge big brads there.  Cute, huh?

       

Note also the Say it with Scallops stamp punched with the co-ordinating Scalloped Square punch, and Ginger Blossoms DSP from the Summer Mini.  

I also made a matching card (Hodgepodge, again!  This frame perfectly matched the small oval punch).  

So satisfying when it all goes together easily.

I  will be back to edit with the credits for the design of the box, as I don't have them handy just now and I'm squeezing in a post between bathing the kids and cooking dinner.  I will have to have another play with the box as the measurements are for US standard sized card & envelopes, which is slightly smaller than ours.  Edited to say it looks like the fabulous Sandi Dailey adapted this box from a design by Melissa Roberts.  I will do another dig around to find the blog address.

I realised I'd never made a card with this gorgeous Level 1 Hostess set before - Oh So Lovely.  I used my markers to colour the stamp.  The Pale plum base card was stamped in pale plum ink with the En Francais background stamp, and the yummy wide vanilla ribbon was part of the December special.   These flower images are so delicate, and they are really fine and crisp when stamped - beautiful!

This is a card I made a while ago but hadn't finished - all it needed was a largish sentiment to balance it out.   The card sat on my desk, mocking me with its large empty space until I happened to be cleaning up my craft room and re-discovered this stamp, from "All Occasions" (I think).  Eureka!

I again used my markers to ink up the sentiment.  It has some of the Bali Breeze DSP, and the Eastern Blooms flower - with Chunky glitter from the Summer Mini.  I think the background flower is from the Three For You Punch Box set. 

I have to take the kids shopping for school stuff tomorrow and may need intensive therapy afterwards.  

Not just cards

Told you I've been busy!  Please ignore the poor lighting (another 11:00pm photo), the crappy plastic "Christmas" tablecloth, etc.  We are giving the male teachers a bottle of wine for Christmas, and I've jazzed them up with these great hanging treat boxes - the little Cadbury "8 moments" sticks are the perfect size to slide into the little box.  I've also seen people put a little bottle opener in there instead - possibilities are endless.  I left the choccies in the fridge so they wouldn't melt, so they are not in the photo.  If you would like to try one of these super easy treat bags yourself, there is a wonderful tutorial here.

Next to the bottles are two cute "Box in a bag" which I later filled with chocolates to give to someone else.  Again, they are quite simple to make yourself - see the tutorial here.  A pretty way to package any small gift.

Next here is a gift I made for a friend - a little folder with 3 cards and matching envelopes inside.  Again, so quick and easy to make - see the tutorial here.

I used my markers to ink up the stamps so I could get a multicoloured image.  

The front of the folder.  The silver hodgepodge label holder at the front adds an elegant touch, I think.

.....AND now for some cards!  Here are a few using the NEW Summer mini! 

Eastern Blooms, Felt Fusion flowers, yummy wide chocolate chip ribbon

And gorgeous Ginger Blossoms DSP, Eastern Blooms, Say it with Scallops, Scalloped square punch, plus chunky glitter.

Have a great day.