Gift Cards Galore

My coworker was getting married so our office decided to go with a group gift that consisted of a bunch of gift cards. I hate handing someone an envelope as a gift, even if the card inside is handmade. It still seems so impersonal. I didnt know exactly what I would come up with but offered to find a more creative way to present our gift.

I thought a "tree" of some sort would work. I originaly thought of finding some branches and securing it in a pot of some kind. On the morning of the shower/picnic, I hadnt started working on anything and panic was setting in. I hopped in the car and headed out to the local craft stores. etc. I decided to go into Pier 1 and see what they had to offer. On the easter clearance table, I saw this sparkly little tree and decided I would work around it's mint green color. Wish it was black or white, but I din't have the time to be picky.

It was a couples shower so I opted for 2 different types of gift card holders. I used a monogram stamp set from Just Rite stamps for one set:



For the other set, I punched out 2 2" scalloped circles and ran them through my cuttlebug with a swirly embossing folder for texture. then I folded the sides of the circles back to form a more triangular shape. I placed them tip to tip and overlapped a little, then fished with a small piece of ribbon and a punched flower with a pearl center.


I finished my gift card tree with a mere 30 minutes to spare by tying the gift card holders onto the tree with ribbons.

Here comes the bride....

With the Christmas holiday well behind us now and Valentine's Day fast approaching, I would venture to say that we will have at least one wedding to go to in 2011.

It's always nice to have a pretty wedding shower or wedding card in your stash. We spend so much time trying to decide what to wear, the last thing we need to worry about is having to make a card at the last minute.

These two cards are tucked into my stash for such an occasion. I'm back to my Magnolia stamps that I used a few days ago in a blog post. If you are familiar with the stamp line, you've probably noticed something a little different about my images.
Yes, I gave them mouths! I don't know what it is, I just don't like the way they omit the mouths on all of their stamps. It's kinda creepy! So out my black marker comes to make a smile..I mean, aren't you supposed to be happy on your wedding day???
A few divorced friends will probably argue that the "no mouth" idea probably came from an artist whose marriage didn't turn out so blissful...I dunno, but mine HAVE to have them...sorry Magnolia designer.

So grab a pen and give them mouths too!
Happy Stamping!!

Pretty Little Lady

Wow, I know you must be down right shocked...how many days has it been since I posted a Whippersnapper Designs Stamp? I'm breaking out of my comfort zone!

This time, I am stamping with Magnolia Stamps. I have to say that I am quite pleased with how this one turned out. Wish I could take all of the credit, but cant. I wasn't a big fan of the Magnolia stamps when they arrived to Simply. Their packaging is awful. No pictures on the package at all so it's really hard to tell what they will look like. Leave it to one VERY talented lady named Anita who frequents the store to create the most beautiful cards I have ever seen!

So one night, cropping late, I took her card board down and tried to imitate the beautiful shading. I didn't even come close! so if you think mine look good, you can just imagine the talent Anita has!!

My card actually consists of two stamps, the background and the little girl. I popped her out and chalked the sky (a first for me.. I like it!) This stamp would make a beautiful card for a bridal shower or first holy communion.

Happy Stamping!