Spellbinders – Beads of Friendship Card Trio

Hello everyone! I’m here today with a trio of cards using the new Beads of Friendship collection from Spellbinders. I couldn’t believe how fun these were to create and how much more of a Better Press believer I became. So much good stuff!

Essentially I used the Bestie Alphabet and Beads stamp set first to stamp and die cut a ton of alphabet beads. Then I cut more beads and bracelet bases from the Bestie Beaded Bracelets die set and then just started playing around.

After putting together a few of the open-ended bracelets, I paused and created this card. I used the Flowers & Foliage 3D embossing folder for my backgrounds and a little distress oxide ink blending for the panel with my bracelets.

I couldn’t resist making a few closed bracelets as well and just love the Bestie Heart in Hand dies to go with them. I pulled this together with more distress oxide ink blending in the background and a frame created with the Make a Wish Arch Labels dies.

Then, unrelated to my massive bead and bracelet creation, I really wanted to play with these sweet hands that shape a heart! This is the Heart Hands dies, with mini bracelets as part of the set. So cute! Plus the Bestie Sentiments press plate and coordinating die. This one presses and cuts 12 sentiments at once! It’s pure perfection!

I used more ink blending and the Notched Corner Frames dies to pull it all together. This ink blending also has some white paint splatter for added texture.

These cards were so fun to create! Once they were done I just kept thinking of new bracelet themes to create so another bead session will be coming soon for sure!

Products used:
Beads of Friendship Collection
Notched Corner Frames dies
Make a Wish Arch Labels dies
Flowers and Foliage 3D embossing folder
Better Press system
Platinum 6 die cutter
Foam tape
Distress Oxide Inks
Blending brushes
Liquid glue
Reverse tweezers

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Doodlebugs – Merry Coloring with Stencils

Welcome friends! It’s Mix it up Monday and I’m slowly transitioning my crafting to a sprinkling of Christmas, as I’m sure some have noticed. We can’t let it creep up on us unaware and be scrambling to create and mail out our Christmas cards now can we?!?

So today I inked up one of the Waffle Flower holiday themed postage stamp stencil sets. This one is called Gingerbread. If you haven’t tried this line of products from Waffle Flower just go into it knowing a few things…they are addicting and so fun to create with, they are so simple with Waffle Flower etching color or theme ideas in the top right corner of each layer, and there is something for everyone, and the collection keeps growing still!

I prefer to die cut my postage stamp backdrop first, then ink up the stencils and stamp my postage extras, then I use my paper trimmer to cut the stamps apart for today’s project. But you could use it whole as a full card design too. It’s that good!

I decided which images I was going to use and tucked the others away to create with another time. Then I cut a Spellbinders Emerald Cut Label, plus the insert layer from pink cardstock. I inked the larger one up with pink ink and splattered them both with pink ink and white paint.

At the same time, I inked the edges of my card base with mermaid ink and splattered it in the same fashion. After those were dry, I layered everything with liquid glue and foam tape.

Next, I popped my postage stamps up with foam squares on the pink rectangle and finished the design off with a sentiment banner from Mama Elephant.

To keep the red cohesive, I inked the background layer of the banner the same way I did on the bird postage stamp. It’s a mix of brown and red from the gingerbread stenciling.

Here’s a little up close of the cuteness we’ve created today! I’m itching to take the other three stamps this stencil set created and get another card checked of my Christmas list!

How far along are you this year? Be honest…I have a solid 15 Christmas cards ready to go and better get cracking if I’m going to get them all done in time.

Products used:
Waffle Flower Postage Collage Gingerbread stencil set
Waffle Flower blending brushes
Waffle Flower Postage Collage North Pole stamps
Spellbinders Emerald Cut Labels dies
Mama Elephant Winter Banners dies
Lawn Fawn Inks – walnut, lobster, mermaid, ballet slippers
Liquid glue
Foam tape

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers Hop – Sponsor and Card Inspiration

Happy Friday everyone! As always, I’m happy to sponsor the Build Your Stash Holiday Cardmakers hops. They’re so fun and a great excuse to use your holiday stash all year long! Today I have a fun card to share with you featuring Twiddler’s Nook products, perfectly paired with Newton’s Nook!

I had a little fun with the Christmas Tree Line stencil – inking the layers up with Twiddler’s Nook blending brushes, plus a layer of Lunar Paste for some shine. Then I glued a scattering of Twiddler’s Nook gold snowflake confetti embellishments for sparkle among the trees as well.

I pulled out the Newton’s Nook Christmastime paper pad and cut a few strips to pop up with foam tape above and below my stenciling. The top is 1/2″ and the bottom is 1 1/2″ with a 1/4″ extra strip to match the top.

Last, I used a Holiday Greetings hot foil plate and one of the Banner Duo dies to cut my sentiment out. I popped that up with foam squares and my card is all finished.

Surprise, we’re running a little sale for the opening weekend of the hop too! Stock up now and get holiday crafting!

Here’s a start on some awesome products for your craft room:

This little trio works like magic – the brushes magnet to the platform with the caps on the bottom so they don’t fall over but are easy to grab and craft with!

Twiddler’s Nook blending brushes
Twiddler’s Nook color caps (to color code those brushes)
Twiddler’s Nook double wide platform base (so your brushes have a place to live)

Love embellishments? Give this a try. Easy sorting and easy pouring back in the bags.

Twiddler’s Nook embellishment tray

Lose your dies all the time? Definitely look at this!

Twiddler’s Nook magnetic die stand

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Newton’s Nook – October Release Day Is HERE!

Yaaaayyyy!!! It’s finally release day everyone! I’m super excited to share one more project with you and then direct you over to Instagram for a hop full of inspiration and more chances to win too!

Today I get to share the other three postage stamps I create while making my card for Tuesday. Aren’t they fun!?! This time I chose the Holiday Cheer sentiment dies to change things up too.

Using a couple more pieces of the Christmas Basics paper pad, I created my background with the Frames & Tags dies. And just like always, everything is added with foam tape and squares for that great dimension.

Finishing touches on this card are glossy accents and stardust Stickles on the stamp images. The sparkle and shine adds a lot.

Remember to head to Instagram and comment on the hop so you can have another chance to win store credit to the Newton’s Nook shop.

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Newton’s Nook – October Release Day 4

Today is the final day of release reveals and we all know it wouldn’t be a Newton’s Nook release with a new taste of Newton. So, here you go. Love it and cherish it! This set is ADORABLE!

Newton’s Christmas Tree stamps and dies

I had a blast coloring this sweet image and look forward to trying different kitty combos soon.

After coloring and die cutting the main image, I inked up a portion of a white panel with red ink and splattered it with red ink and white paint. After that dried, I adhered my image with foam squares and stamped my sentiment off to the top left.

I couldn’t resist another reason to use the new Christmas Basics paper pad, so that became my floor. The pieces are glued directly to the panel this time and then wrapped with jute twine for that bit of extra.

For finishing touches today I added glossy accents on kitty noses and Christmas lights. Then I came in with some stardust Stickles on the hats and star tree topper.

Okay everyone, time to chime in with your favorite of the week and what you can’t wait to create with!

Enter to Win a $25 Prize!

One lucky winner will receive a $25 store credit to spend at Newton’s Nook Designs online shop! The winner will be chosen at random from the collective blog posts featuring our new products this week. For a chance to win, leave comments on the Design Team Member Blog Posts (see list below) from Monday October 14th through Thursday October 17th. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning! You have until Thursday, October 17th at 9 pm ET to comment — winners will be announced on the NND blog on Friday, October 18th.

Check out all the awesome Design Team Blogs below to enter:

Newton’s Nook Designs
Donna Idlet
Larissa Heskett
Samantha Mann
Diane Morales
Farhana Sarker
Amanda Wilcox

Newton’s Nook – October Release Day 3

Are you having fun yet? I am having a blast sharing all of these goodies with you and hope you’re getting excited for release day on Friday! Let’s keep the caffeine flowing for the holiday’s this year with today’s release reveal.

Christmas Coffees stamps and dies

Did you squeal? I did when I first saw this set. And the moment I pulled it out, there was no was I was picking and choosing so everything got stamped and everything got colored! Then EVERYTHING went on the card too!

For the layout, I used the inserts from the A2 Card Layout 2 die, without the frame. I also pulled in another pattern from the Christmas Basics paper pad for my background. Isn’t it perfect?!?

I inked up the bottom of each panel with some teal ink, fading to nothing and then arranged my mugs and cups with foam squares. The sentiment on that last panel just makes me smile. It’s so good!

After arranging everything on the card front, I went in for some finishing touches. First black glaze pen on the eyes and buttons for shine and pop. Then a combo of stardust Stickles and glossy accents on bits and pieces of each mug. Not too much but a little something for everyone.

I couldn’t resist the Stickles on the whipped cream for each mug because it’s like sugar sprinkles sparkling in the light to me. Do you have a favorite mug? I don’t know if I can pick.

Enter to Win a $25 Prize!

Check out all the awesome Design Team Blogs below to enter:

Newton’s Nook Designs
Donna Idlet
Larissa Heskett
Samantha Mann
Diane Morales
Farhana Sarker
Amanda Wilcox

Newton’s Nook – October Release Day 2

Welcome back! I’m SUPER excited to share today’s product reveals and my project using them! It’s all so fun and has really gotten me transitioning to holiday crafting.

Holiday Postage Sample stamps and dies, Postage Stamp Layout die

Isn’t this new set so fun and festive!?! I love these images and had so much fun making all the postage stamps!

I started by stamping, coloring and die cutting all the bits for six postage stamps, then used my paper trimmer to cut them apart. I chose three for this card and saved the others for later in the week.

I paired my stamps with the new Merry Christmas sentiment dies and my favorite Reindeer stencil for the background. I also used the largest Framework die for that background panel to mimic more postage stamp look.

You know how I am about dimension so it’s all popped up with foam tape and squares. Then I finished the stamps off with stardust Stickles on each one for some sparkle.

Enter to Win a $25 Prize!

Check out all the awesome Design Team Blogs below to enter:

Newton’s Nook Designs
Donna Idlet
Larissa Heskett
Samantha Mann
Diane Morales
Farhana Sarker
Amanda Wilcox

Newton’s Nook – October Release Day 1

Hello everyone! It’s finally time to reveal bits and pieces of the Newton’s Nook Holiday Release! I’m not even wasting time with words today, let’s just get to the good stuff!

Evergreen Frame die

Merry Christmas, Holiday Cheer and Christmas Word Trio dies

Christmas Basics paper pad

I’m using lots of these products on projects throughout the week but for today, I do have two special ones to share to get everything moving!

First, I created a fun shaker card using the new Holiday Cheer sentiment dies and Evergreen Tree Frame die. I used microbeads and flock for my shaker material so it’s light and fluffy but moves around great when you shake it.

I added stardust Stickles for some sparkle on the trees and that sweet bow from the Pines & Holly die set for a pop of red to add something festive to the mix.

This new Christmas Word Trio die set is going to be fabulous separately but they just formed the perfect tree shape, I couldn’t resist giving it a go right out of the gate.

The star on my tree is from the Sky Scene Builder die set and the green stripes are from the new Christmas Basics paper pad.

Isn’t this just so fun and festive?!? I love it!

Enter to Win a $25 Prize!

Check out all the awesome Design Team Blogs below to enter:

Newton’s Nook Designs
Donna Idlet
Larissa Heskett
Samantha Mann
Diane Morales
Farhana Sarker
Amanda Wilcox

Doodlebugs – Mixing Critters and Sentiments to Stretch Your Supplies

Happy Mix it up Monday again everyone! I hope this doesn’t get old for you because I truly love it! My brain used to have a hard time reaching for different companies to put on the same card and now it’s like a fun weekly exercise to see how I can extend the life of my crafty stash!

Today we’re playing with cute critter sets that might not have enough or any sentiments in them. So go ahead, grab that other brand and go to town!

Today we’re starting with watercolor and the Pretty Pink Posh Reindeer Friends set along with the new Mama Elephant Holiday Block set. I used my Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers, including the blender to keep things bolder today. If you wanted to tone down your colors, blend them with water which inevitably removes some of the pigment and lightens them.

Once everything was colored and dry, I used the coordinating dies from both sets to cut them all out. So great that the Mama Elephant dies cut the sentiments in the set too! I love it!!!!

For my background, I embossed a piece of white cardstock with the Spellbinders Tiny Dots embossing folder and glued it to a card base. Then I cut a piece of kraft cardstock 2 inches tall and glued it on top of that. I covered the seam with a strip of black cardstock about 1/4″ thick and proceeded to add my images and sentiment with foam squares.

For finishing touches today, I added red twine wrapped around the top and tied in a bow and I also went ahead and added glossy accents in a couple of places – reindeer noses and the hearts in the sentiment.

I love how happy this card turned out! It’s a little early yet but I think Christmas crafting is going to be extra fun this year!

Products used:
Mama Elephant Holiday Block stamps and dies
Pretty Pink Posh Reindeer Friends stamps and dies
Spellbinders Tiny Dots embossing folder
Foam squares
Glossy accents
Liquid glue

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!

Doodlebugs – Die Cut Mania, Getting Ready for Christmas

Happy Mix it up Monday everyone! Today I’m sharing more die cut creations but starting to sprinkle in Christmas with my Halloween and fall creations. This time I was thinking about how to stretch some of the products that might not be holiday and I chose the Pretty Pink Posh dump truck die set to start with!

I cut all the pieces from atypical construction colors and used liquid glue to assemble it. I wanted the bed of the truck to sit on top of the “frame” so I just used a little washi tape to keep them lined up while I was playing around with the other elements.

Digging for Christmas gifts to fill my truck with, I landed on the ones in the Spellbinders Delivery Joy die set. I cut the elements and used liquid glue to assemble everything. Then with the help of a little washi tape, I arranged everything taped it together on the front so I could flip it over and add dabs of liquid glue where things overlapped. After letting the glue dry for a minute I could carefully remove the washi tape and it all stayed put!

For my sentiment, I went with the Spellbinders Make it Merry banners and thought the “jingle all the way” sentiment was too cute with this truck load of gifts. I layered the black top banner over white glitter cardstock and offset them for a little extra sparkle. I popped it up on the truck with foam strips.

For my background, I cut 2 of the largest Spellbinders Emerald Cut Labels dies from white cardstock, scored one 1/2 inch from the top and adhered it to the back to create a shaped card base. Then I cut the inner label from teal cardstock and inked it up with the Pretty Pink Posh Trellis stencil and Lawn Fawn peacock ink. That is adhered with liquid glue and my truck is popped up on that with foam tape.

Isn’t this a fun segue into holiday crafting? Now that I’ve filled this truck with gifts, I’m going backward to fill it with pumpkins and when Valentine’s Day rolls around, watch out!!! We’re going to have fun with this!

Products used:
Pretty Pink Posh Big Dump Truck dies
Pretty Pink Posh Trellis stencil
Spellbinders Emerald Cut Labels dies
Spellbinders Make it Merry banner ides
Spellbinders Delivering Joy dies
Blending brush
Lawn Fawn peacock ink
Liquid glue
Foam strips and tape
Reverse tweezers

I appreciate you sharing your time with me. Have a fabulous day!