Gift Card Holder

 This is a gift card holder that uses the Top Note Die. You use an 85.X5.5 sheet of cardstock and score it at 3-1/4, 4-1/4 and 5-1/4 along the long edge, fold into a mountain fold and then fun it through the Big Shot with mountain fold edge inside the Top Note so that edge is not cut. Then I used the Word Window punch to make the slot for the gift card in the middle of that mountain fold, gluing the edge opposite the slot together. I uwed the 3/5x5 notecard and envelopes from Stampin Up! to make this card. Since the holder gives you space to write a note and sign your name you can just cut the notecard in half and use one as the base to mount the holder and I used the other half to stamp the lasso, hat, and star. The ribbon is run under the glued holder and then tied. It's easier to make than it sounds! CASE from Linda Heller.

Yee-Haw

This card is made using the Yee-Haw photopolymer set (138107). It's a special set from Stampin' Up! available while supplies last. I did some fussy cutting of the lasso, hat and star but otherwise it's a simple card to make. I love the way you can add an image or expression to the center of the lasso so quickly and easily with the photopolymer stamps! And this set has some cute expressions. Check it out! The Designer Series Paper used as a background comes from the Flowerpot pack. 

What to Do with the Triangles?

These four cards were my biggest challenge. The directions from Linda Heller was to cut two 4x4 pieces from the Designer Series Paper. Then cut along the diagonal to make four rectangles. Three of her four cards were square cards. When you mail square envelopes you have to pay extra postage and USPS just doesn't like them. I know I could just put them in rectangular envelopes but I thought I'd just make the cards rectangular. You wouldn't believe how I struggled with what to do with that extra space in each card. But, I'm glad I did as I like the way they turned out.
The images are all from Stampin' Up!, although the one in the top card and the tree in the second card are retired. The" Hello Fall" is from For All Things in the Holiday Catalog. "Grateful for You" comes with the Merry Everything stamp set in the Holiday Catalog and the little heart in the bottom card is from the "Yee-Haw" Photopolymer Stamp Set (available while supplies last).
I used my Big Shot to emboss the paper on the top (Woodgrain embossing folder) and the bottom card (retired folder). Wouldn't the new Hearts Border punch be pretty along that edge instead... alas I do not have it yet! The third card was embossed "by hand" using the Simply Scored Scoring Tool and Simply Scored Borders Plate. It's another fun tool and technique that I like to create with.
The Big Shot was also used to cut the bottom Mossy Meadow tag (Chalk Talk Framelits) in the top card and the banners in the bottom card (Banners Framelits) and I used my retired Tasteful Trim Die to cut the zig zag pieces in the Hello Fall card.
The Scallop Edge Border punch was used in the first and third cards. I had to fussy cut the top tag in the the top card and the tree in the second card. Linen thread and the new In Color ribbon was used on the cards.
That's it for my 15 cards using just one sheet of Designer Series Paper!

Two cards, same layout.

This design layout is a CASE from Frenchie Stamps. The Designer Series Paper is layered on matching Pool Party card stock, which I did first before picking out my stamps. When I stamped the expressions I realized that they were going to look too small with the layered bands... so thought about what I might be able to add to make them fit. I like the way the stars and Candy Dots finished off this simple design. (Subtles 130933 and Neutrals 130934 Candy Dots used here.) The stars were punched using the star from the retired Merry Mini's Punch Pack but it is almost exactly the same size as the star in the new Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack (133787). Little punches from the Punch Packs are great to have on hand for adding a little focal point. And the Candy Dots are so much easier to use when you don't need an actual brad to hold things together. The Thank You So Much expression comes from the Lots of Thanks stamp set. Mighty Kind of You is from the Yee-Haw photopolymer special stamp set (138107) being offered now. I'm having a lot of fun with that set! Yee-Haw!