His and Hers Gift Card Holder Cards

Growing up I was a lone Aquarius in a house full of Aries.  I have FOUR family birthdays within two weeks of each other when the end of March rolls around! And although I love to be creative with personal gifts sometimes a gift card is just the way to go… especially when you’re pregnant and looking after a two year old.

That doesn’t mean my gift has to be *boring*, though.  If I am sending a gift card I at least want the packaging to be pretty.  So I whipped up these “his and hers” cards with built in gift card holders from Fancy Pants’ Summer Soul and Wave Searcher lines… one for my sister and one for my brother. 

I used the same design for both of these.  The front is cut shorter than the back so the pocket for the gift card stands out. 

The “hers” version uses Summer Soul… a big glitter cut as the focal point. 

And on the “his” version I replaced the Glitter Cut with an accordion folded circle.  I love how these beach lines translated so well into the general birthday theme!

Thanks for peeking!

Ahhh, the weekend!

Happy weekend!  I am feeling satiated today for two reasons.  One, I am really digging the project I am currently working on.  What a tease I am.  But it is almost done! And two, I made cinnamon rolls this morning and I honestly have no idea how anyone could be down on a day that starts with warm, gooey, homemade deliciousness like this:

I am planning on completing said secret project today and then working on some Operation Write Home cards for May Arts.  What are y’all up to this fine weekend??

Happy Spring!

Last week was the first official week of Spring… can you believe that??  Actually, LAST week I did believe that given that it was in the eighties in New England.  Scary!  This week we are back to the seasonal 48* temps but they sting so much more after that massive tease. Sigh. 

Today I have a cure for my Spring Fever… candy wrapped up in pretty!

That’s some Fancy Pants Summer Soul right there.  I didn’t use any of the beach-y elements and opted instead to keep these bright and cheery with a generic Spring vibe. 

The pillow box is old flower packaging.  I never throw stuff like this away!  I used all kinds of Summer Soul goodies on here: ruffled paper, filter embellishments, buttons, chipboard, oh my!

 

This clear box is from The Container Store.  I wrapped the ruffled paper around the top of the box but made sure it could freely open.  The flower on top was made with an EK Success 3D punch and I used foam tape to elevate the leaves. 

The Easter peanut butter cups inside *barely* survived through the picture taking… mmmmm!

Speaking of treats… have you checked out the awesomely apt theme at Paper Issues these days?  Yeah, we’re talking Candy Shoppe right now and I highly recommend having something sweet to snack on while you look at all the amazing candy themed projects that have been linked up.  And link up your own while you’re at it…. I am!

Free Class Weekend!!

The headmistress at Miss Art's would like to invite you to our biggest free class event yet! Beginning on Friday, March 23rd, you will have 3 days to check out three of our most popular classes for free, no subscription needed.

Three of our 201 class have nearly completed their 12 months of availability, and each of these amazing classes deserves a farewell party! The Secret Garden with Stacy Cohen, B. You! with Heidi Kelley, and All About Me with Bethany Kartchner have all been around for nearly a year, and will soon be removed from our class schedule to make room for some amazing new classes. That means that this weekend is your chance to check them out one last time, for FREE! If you've been thinking about joining our student body, consider this your campus tour, led by three amazing teachers. When you visit us, head to the "Classes" page to view this weekend's free classes. We'll see you there!

I’ll Take You to the Candy Shop

Paper Issues rolled out another SWEET theme this week: Candy Shop! What does that mean?  Well, it means you should link up anything candy related… sugary sweet colors, candy themed pages, treat boxes, whatevah ya got!

WHY do this??  Because I said so.  Ok… also because all the cool kids are doing it. 

And MAYBE because you could win this ridiculously awesome prize pack from Cassie, the Big Cheese herself.

Oh yeah.  That’s my kind of candy, right there. 

But wait, there’s more!  You need some tasty supplies?  I thought so.  Lucky for you I have this handy dandy little coupon code to save you 20% in the Paper Issues store.  You can thank me later.

I have a Color Crush on Pink Paislee

Oooh… how perfect are these colors for a week leading up to St. Patrick’s Day?! These emeralds and golds are just luxe and beautiful and I really loved working with such a fresh Spring color palette for these projects.  Pink Paislee’s Hot Hues has become Color Crush… indeed I DO have a crush on these greens!

I dug up a couple of empty embellishment tins and created a little gift that I would love to get myself. I personally believe that everything is cuter and better in miniature so little tins filled with small treats is just about perfect!

The green patterned papers from Spring Jubilee were excellent for the color crush palette.  I also inked up some Mistables paper to get a deeper green.

The gold “labels” are artisan elements (some of my favorites!) with gold Pearl Ex for a little color and shimmer.  Gold glitter and  a cool Nantucket tassel round off the gold accents on these.

I inked just the edges of the Mistables paper on the card and fussy cut the green pieces from the Spring Jubilee papers.  I added a glitter edge to the Mistables trim, a cool wooden spool button, and even the “U” from the Phantom alphas.

I seriously dug deep and mixed all sorts of Pink Paislee products for this.  It was like a fin little treasure hunt! I ended up falling in love with this color scheme and the end result.  Although the inspiration seems very “Saint Patrick-y” I purposefully made my project to be more generic and usable.  It’s Springy and bright and makes me smile!

AND it fits with the current “Go Green or Go Home” theme at Paper Issues, which you clearly need to check out.  Clearly.  Link up your own projects or just go drool over the ones that have already been posted.  Don’t forget to get 20% off with the SCRAPGOO code in the Paper Issues shop!

What is Better Than a Coupon Code?

How about… one that doesn’t expire!?!?!  Now THAT’S what I’m talkin’ ‘bout, Willis!

Cassie, the Maven of Marvelous at Paper Issues, has given us on the design team the green light to pass on some killer savings to you, our loyal blog readers.  The best part is that, unlike regular sales and coupons, there is no expiration date on this code!! You can use it whenever you want, yo!

The Paper Issues shop always has the latest and greatest scrap goodies… but with this kick butt discount you’re going to want to shop early and often to get your slice of that pie. 

Y’all know you want to at least take a peek…

Be You Journal Set

I’ve had this boring blank journal hanging around for what feels like forever just waiting for some pretty scrapbooking paper to transform it.  Hooray for Fancy Pants’ Be You collection!  I love the whimsical elements and bright colors and the quote from the journal card paper seemed “right” for an inspiration book. 

The quote says “Like the sky opens after a rainy day we must open to ourselves… learn to love yourself for who you are and open so the world can see you shine.”

I expanded on the book by adding a simple bookmark and covered pencil:

                     

I just love how fresh these colors are… they are making me itch for Spring to get here! 

Thanks for stopping by to check out this project! I’m keeping it for myself but it would also make a great little gift to give away.