Holiday Wishes!

The holiday season is officially here! It's time to let Santa know what you are hoping to find under the tree, and I can help. 

Check out the Cloth, Paper, String wish list (here). Jot down the items you want from my online store (browse here). Add the names and numbers of your Santa(s) and send it back to me (here) by December 7, 2016. I will reach out to your Santa(s), offer to help them check off your holiday wish list, and I will even wrap and deliver your gifts in time for Christmas morning.

And remember, I can also help you choose the perfect gift to give to those crafty people on your gift list. Just be sure to contact me by December 7.

Happy Holidays!

Spooky Surprise!

Do you need a cute and easy trick for making your small treats just a little more festive? Try this easy wrapper made out of a little ink, decorative paper and ribbon?

To cover travel sized hand sanitizers or other treat about 2" square, take a 1 3/4" by 8" strip of designer series paper, and score at 3 1/2" and 4 1/2". Punch the ends using a tag maker punch.

Take a contrasting strip of 4 3/4" by 1" cardstock and score at 3/4", 1 1/2", 3 1/4", and 4".  Stamp a greeting on the center panel. 

Adhere the folded cardstock to the base of one flap of the decorative paper, starting with one end panel and folding into a rectangle, adhering the opposite end panel last. 

Then fold the decorative cardstock along the score lines, insert your treat, and tie shut. 

Simple, quick, and easy enough to make one for all your ghosts and goblins. 

Looking for another quick treat wrap? Check out the tutorial for a diaper fold pouch here. 

Have Crafts, Will Travel

As a creative person that loves to travel, I'm always planning which crafts to pack, right along with which outfits or shoes. If you've read previous posts, you know that knitting is always in my travel tote. It's my go to for passing time on planes, trains and in automobiles. 

But it's also handy to have some paper crafts that can be easy to travel with. Paper Pumpkin sure fits the bill. Considering it travels to my mail box every month in a pretty and compact box, it's pretty easy to drop it in the tote with an acrylic block and some snips and snail. Voila! Crafting on the go. 

I dropped a few unfinished kits -- ok I will admit, unopened...I've been neglecting my kits -- in my suitcase this summer when I headed home to spend two weeks with my Mom as she had her knee replaced (that's a story for another post coming soon, check back). I planned to take them to the hospital for the hours of waiting. 

It turns out the What a Gem kit was perfectly suited for making little thank you gifts for the nurses. 

I stamped up the tags and assembled the boxes while my Mom slept off the anesthesia. The hospital bed tray was just the right size crafting space and it pulled up nicely to the chair. 

I added some chocolate kisses and set them by her bedside window. 

She loved sharing them with the nurses, physical therapist, food service and housekeeping staff. 

When the boxes were all given away, I took the extra tags (I love that there are always extras) and added them to the banner bags from the Banner Surprise kit, with some more kisses. There were plenty to go around, and hopefully brightened the day of those who helped her to recovery. 

If you want your own creative escape delivered right to your mailbox each month, sign up for Paper Pumpkin here https://www.paperpumpkin.com/en-us/sign-up/?demoid=2128639

2016 Holiday Catalog Paper Share

As summer wraps up and we prepare for back to school, Stampin' Up! fans are also preparing for the launch of the holiday catalog. I've scoured it from front to back and it's full of gorgeous new holiday products that will inspire all kinds of creativity! That little saying about making your heart go pitter patter is a real thing. I know because I had that moment as I was trying to make my must have list on my first pass through the catalog. Seriously, I was stressing out about how I was going to manage getting one of everything. Not kidding, I need it all. And once you get to see it (it will be live on September 1), you will feel the same way.

Well, I have a solution to help you out. A paper share!

What is a paper share? It's an amazing bundle of awesomeness! It means you can have a share of each paper pack offered in the holiday catalog. You can reserve your share today and I will send a PayPal invoice beginning on September 1, 2016.

Your 2016 Holiday Catalog Paper Share will include 56 pieces of 6x6 Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper. One (and in some cases two) sheets of each design offered in the 2016 Holiday Catalog -- including a 6x6 piece of each foil design, glitter paper, and textured paper. Let me tease you with some sneak peeks of the designs!

The cost is $18 per share plus $5 postage (USPS first class). To sign up, email me at clothpaperstringcrafts@gmail.com with the subject line Holiday Paper Share and provide the following information:

• Your name
• Your mailing address and phone number
• The email address you use for Paypal

Beginning on September 1, I will send an email invoice to everyone who has reserved a share. The last day to reserve and pay for your share is September 4. I will only order shares for those who have paid by midnight (PDT) September 4. I will then cut, sort, and package the shares here at the Cloth, Paper, String Studio. I plan to ship the shares out by September 17, barring any backorders or en route delays in product delivery.




The 2016 Holiday Paper Share will include 22 double sided prints from the three winter holiday suites, 6 single sided embossed sheets, 6 single sided foil designs, one metallic foil, one glitter, 10 Halloween designs, and 10 fall designs.



The 6x6 size means you will get perfect samples of each of these luscious papers, perfectly ready for card making and or a scrapbook, or a 3D project. Why suffer the pain of choosing, when you really can have it all?

But really, if you must have it all, please check out my Stampin' Up! site beginning on September 1. Just click the shop button ===>

Shaking Things Up!

What makes a handmade card even better? Adding some shake! 

Shaker cards are all the rage these days and Stampin' Up! has some awesome tools to make them easy and awesome. I have a few samples that might inspire you to make your own shakers. But first, how about a few tips?

Want to add a little artful splatter to your card? It's easy, just use a Stampin' write marker, aqua painter, or blender pen with a little ink, then flick it with your finger nail toward the paper. Need bigger splotches? Go a little heavier on the ink. 

Do you only need a portion of the image you are stamping? "Mask" the part you don't want with some washi tape. Ink the image as usual, then remove the washi before stamping. Voila! 

So let's get started on the shaker cards. Here's the directions for the Work of Art magic card:

5 ½ x 4 ¼  Card Base

2 ¼ x 2 ¾ , 6 ¼ x 2 ¾  white card stock + scrap

DSP Strips 5 ½ x 1 ½ , 5 ½ x 1” , 2 ¼ x 2 ¾

Score long strip of white at 1/4” horizontal edge, and vertically at 2” &

4 ½”. Use scrap washi tape to cover legs and handle of easel. Ink,

Remove washi, and stamp on middle section of white strip. Fold on

Score, cut out middle square, adhere DSP square to back side of pocket.

Stamp greeting on white square, add washi to top edge, add handle (cut

and stamped on scrap. Add strips of DSP to front of card with washi strip. Stamp legs of

Easel on white section. Speckle by flicking ink using an aqua painter. Adhere easel square

To front of card and slide in greeting.

 

For the Marquee Messages shaker:

 

Card Base 5 ½ x 8 ½ - scored at 4 ¼

Cardstock mat 5 ¼” x 4”, embossed with brick pattern

White for image, color cardstock for embellishments

Stamp image in 2 ½ x 2 ¼ square of white. Adhere 2 ½ x 2 ¼ window

Cut and assemble mat and contrast strip. Stamp and emboss globe

Stamp greeting and snip banner. Assemble

For the shooting star shaker card:

Dapper Denim card Base 5 ½ x 8 ½ - scored at 4 1/4

Window Sheet, Real Red and Whisper White 4 x 4”

DSP strips

Cut star from real red, white, and window sheet. Stamp image on white

Star, put red front on window sheet using fine tip glue. Punch confetti.

Adhere star shaker. Fold DSP strips, adhere with double sided tape.

Assemble card

Dads and Grads 2016

People always think of weddings in June, but I think of graduations and our favorite guy, Dad! And isn't it fun to make a special card to celebrate all they have both accomplished? I think so. Here are a few cute ideas to get you started on great masculine cards.

Let's start with the graduates in our lives. How about a wallet sized card with space for a gift card or cash? Here's the "recipe"

 

4 ¼” x 11” Card Base

2 ¾” x 12 DSP

White scrap for greeting

Score card base at 3” and 7” vertically. Score at 3” horizontally. Cut off

Two left edges of bottom horizontal score in one piece. 1 ¼ x 7, save for

Belly band. Cut 2 ¾ x 2 ¾ square for inside wallet. 2 ¾ x 3 ¾ mat for

Front. Assemble.

Save the scrap from the bottom fold of the base and use it around the belly band as contrast.

Now for a masculine birthday greeting. I still love the Sky's the Limit set, even though it's retired. Probably because I love a certain pilot, but that's a story for another day.

 

To make this card:

Very vanilla card Base 5 ½ x 8 ½ - scored at 4 1/4

Lost lagoon mats 4” x 2 ¼” and 4” x 2 3/4 “

DSP mats 3 ¾” x 2” and 3 ¾” x 2 ½”

2” circle and scrap for stamping

Assemble mats, stamp greeting, cut banner. Stamp airplane, hand cut

Assemble

And for the world's best Dad, the Going Places suite is perfect!

card Base 5 ½ x 8 ½ - scored at 4 ¼

DSP mat 5 ¼” x 4”

DSP contrast 5 ½” x 2”

Scraps for images and banner

Cut and assemble mat and contrast strip. Stamp and emboss globe

Stamp greeting and snip banner. Assemble

You can find the supplies for these cards at my online shop. Just click the button on the right ==>

Spring Basket

Spring inspiration struck in the seasonal aisle at my local Aldie! I have grown to love Aldie this year...

The Easter candy had just come out and they had these adorable miniature hollow bunnies. Their tiny size instantly reminded me of the berry basket die in my stash, that I hadn't used since last Spring. So I dusted off my die, and the Handpicked bundle, also from last year, and made these adorable spring baskets.

 I surprised my colleagues at work with a cheerful and sweet greeting. They were an instant hit. 

Here's how you can copy this design. 

Use the berry basket bigz to cut a basket shape. Then trim the basket flat at 4" from one edge. Score the bottom at 1". This will become the flap that adheres the basket bottom to the card mat. 

Score one basket band peice at 1 1/4", 2 1/4", 6" and 7". The one inch flaps at each end will adhere the band to the card mat. 

Then just assemble the basket by adhering the pieces to the card mat. I used staples on the band and base. I used snail to adhere the basket side to the band. 

 

Then simply fill with treats and share. 

If you don't have this awesome berry basket die, you can get one in my online shop at www.clothpaperstring.stampinup.net. 

Getting Ready for On Stage Live!

Twice a year, I have the wonderful opportunity to hang out with some of my crafting besties and remarkable business women. This comes in the form of the semi-annual Stampin' Up! global company meetings, called OnStage. I was in Brussles last November. And now I'm recently home from Salt Lake City, Utah, the worldwide headquarters for Stampin' Up!  

These few short days refill my cup with inspiration, motivation, and renewed drive to keep working toward my dreams for Cloth, Paper, String. I come home with lots of new ways to help my growing circle of crafters make pretty things, have fun, and build friendships.  

One of the fun traditions at these events is trading SWAPS. These are just like the ones you remember from your Girl Scout days, but are paper crafts. Usually a card, sometimes a 3D project, but always awesome! Im always impressed by the fabulous ideas my fellow demonstrators come up with. 

I have to admit, making SWAPS is challenging for me. It takes me days (seriously, I'm not kidding, days, maybe even weeks) to nail down an idea. Well luckily, this time, my inspiration came from a SWAP I received from a German demonstrator. I loved that she incorporated the meeting logo into her design, so I went with that. I also loved the smaller size, that fits perfectly into a Project Life pocket.  Perfect for including in our scrapbook of the meeting. 

I went to work and made 60 in no time flat!  That is a lot for me, I usually only do about 25. Assembly line really makes crafting in bulk more efficient. I can't wait to see the artisan ideas I get in return. 

I also put together a couple gifts for some special friends I will be meeting up with at OnStage Live. These were also inspired from a SWAP made my another German demonstrator. These were fairly simple to construct. Just two sheets of paper, cut, scored and folded in just the right way. Add a little embellishment, sparkle, and lip balm, and it's a quick easy gift. Would be great for teachers, coworkers, scouts, anyone really. Here are some tips for putting them together. 

To make these little lip balm holders, cut one piece of Designer Series Paper 5 3/4" by 3 1/2", score fold lines at 2 1/2" and 3 1/4". Cut a piece of solid card stock 5 3/4" by 3 1/2", score fold lines at 2 1/2" and 3 1/4", then cut 1 1/2" slits horizontally at 2 1/4" and 1 1/4" from the bottom as shown.  Then cut a 1" slit 1/4" from the bottom edge. These will fold into the card and hold the lip balm. 

OnStage is always tons of fun. If you'd like to join in the fun, join my team and we can enjoy OnStage together in November! You can read the details about becoming part of the Stampin' Up! Family and sign up to be part of my awesome team of crafty business entrepreneurs here: https://ida.stampinup.com/?demoid=2128639

Mothers and Their Babies

As we tilt back toward the sun, temperatures rise, and Mother Nature renews her beautiful landscape, our thoughts turn toward our own Mothers, our mothering friends and Moms-to-be. It's a great time to stock up on cards to share with them. Here are a few that we made during April Stamp and Sip this year. 

The trifold tea card is a 5 1/2" by 11" base scored at 3 1/2 and 3 3/4 on both sides. The tea or gift card pocket is a 3 1/4" by 3 1/4" square, scored and folded at 1/4" on three sides. 

You can find all of the supplies to make these cards at my online Stampin' Up! shop at www.clothpaerstring.stampinup.net.

Love This!

Ah, it's the season of love! And no wonder, since we've been buried waist deep in snow from Snowzilla last week, there's lots of quiet days indoors with the people we love. Being snowed in is also a great time to craft.

I've spent a lot of time in the studio the last week. I even turned my weather cancelled Open Studio into a virtual craft night. It was quite fun to still make progress on our projects and hang out with other crafty ladies online.

I'm ready for Valentine's Day with these little lovelies. 

 

This masculine card uses the Stampin' Up! Going Places suite. I love the global and celestial images of this set. The World Traveler Textured Impressions folder spoke to my wandering spirit from the moment I first spotted it at Onstage Live in Brussels. 

The three part stamping design of the What I Love stamp set, combined with the sweet sentiments included in the set, make creating a whole variety of year round greetings a snap. 

Oh, and who can resist the beautiful and intricate die cut heart in the Love Blossoms suite? I added a love you greeting in a very subtle way using Irridescent Ice embossing powder. 

Finally, what is Valentine's Day without a little sweet treat? Using the Treat Bag thinlits and Love Blossoms DSP stack, you can make up a whole classroom or office worth of treats in no time at all. 

You can get all of the supplies online at www.clothpaperstring.stampinup.net. Or try my Valentines Stamp and Sip class on February 6, 2016. You can RSVP right on my Stampin' Up! Site. 

Hope your February is filled with lots of love!

Another Year, Another Birthday!

Happy New Year!

As the holiday fun winds down and we head back to our day to day activities, it's a good time to restock your birthday card supply. Here are a few fun designs, pulled right from the Stampin' Up! Occasions catalog released today! 

 

This simple card has a wonderful surprise inside, thanks to the Party Pop-Up thinlits.

 

This card features the Party Wishes stamp set and coordinating punches. Add a little washi tape and, voila, easy peesy. In no time, you can make a whole stack of these for the year.

The Birthday Blooms set is just beautiful. I love the flowers and they just call out to be colored in. But they also look just as lovely as an outline only stamp. Imagine this one embossed in a gorgeous white...hmm, I need to give that a try.

And what party is complete without some favors. Of course the birthday girl (or boy) needs a hat!

Maybe a little treat filled favor "slice".

Or a goodie bag!

There are so many fun new stamps and accessories in that little catalog, I can hardly decide which are my favorites. So far I can narrow it down to the top 50. I think it's going to be a beautiful and creative start to 2016! Don't wait, shop now here.

Would you like the instructions for these cards? Check out the file on my Facebook page.