Don’t forget our Spellbindersâ„¢ and Tattered Angels month-long blog hop! Today, we would like to spotlight our Design Team Member Linda Duke! See what she has in store for you by visiting her blog.

Everyone says “think outside the box” but have you ever thought of “the box?” So thinking inside the box, I went into my “box” of Spellbindersâ„¢ die templates to find S5-019 Labels Eight, S4-226 Harvest Border Petites and S4-227 Pumpkin Nestabilities®.

Hmm…with gift giving season coming up, I’m thinking I would try my hand at making a box! Since Halloween is just around the corner, why not make a little treat box. See where I’m going with this…box! LOL!

First we need to cut/emboss four S5-019 Labels Eight die #6 (#1 being the smallest) with My Mind’s Eye Fall In Love Collection.

Your cut sandwich will be (from the bottom):
White Master Mat
Magnetic Spacer Plate
S5-019 Labels Eight die #6 (cut/ridge side UP)
Cardstock
White Master Mat

After cutting your cardstock, remove the Magnetic Spacer Plate and grab your Enlarged Embossing Pad for your emboss sandwich (from the bottom):
White Master Mat
S5-019 Labels Eight die #6 (w/ cardstock, cut side UP)
Enlarged Embossing Pad
White Master Mat

Then score 1/2″ from each short side and 1/2″ on the bottom of the long side of all four S5-019 Labels Eight die cuts. Make sure to cut the corners at the bottom to make the tabs easy to fold.

 

Adhere to each side making four walls but do not connect the last sides together yet. We need to embellish the walls first before completing the frame of the box.

Taking your S4-226 Harvest Border Petites, cut/emboss the leaves border (this particular border cuts all the way around to make a great accent piece) and stencil with Clearsnap Colorbox Fluid Chalk Chestnut Roan. You’ll need to cut/emboss/stencil four times (for each side). Trim to fit inside the scored lines - approx. 1/2″. Then line up the borders to make a straight line as shown and adhere.

Using the S4-227 Pumpkin Nestabilties® die #3, cut/emboss with orange cardstock and with Sparkle ‘N Sprinkle Burnt Orange Flocking Powder, I textured the pumpkin. Determine which side will be the front of the box and adhere the pumpkin. Mist Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Raven onto a small flower, dry and add Hero Arts Pearls in the middle. I used Crafty Secrets Creative Scraps Seasonal Calendar/Halloween image and the black pearl pin to go with that glimmery flower.

Now you can put the last sides together to form the frame of the box by using wet adhesive. Then cut 4.5″x 4.5″ size piece of cardstock to make the bottom of the box. With wet adhesive, edge the bottom four sides of the cardstock and then drop it in on top of the scored edges of the box frame. Let dry.

To finish it off, add your favorite Halloween treat and you’ve got yourself a box! Now remember to think inside the box for your next project!

Hope you have a wonderful Saturday!!
MargieH

For Savvy Saturday, I thought I go over my first technique that I did when receiving my order of Impressabilitiesâ„¢…a straight emboss.

A friend of mine just started her teaching career and I wanted to send her a card to congratulate her for surviving her first few days! LOL!! Of course, I will have to tuck in a gift card to her favorite coffee house for those cold fall mornings.

I will be using the following Spellbindersâ„¢ products: I2-1004 Impressabiltiesâ„¢ Flowers and S4-114 Standard Circles LG #6 die (#1 being the smallest size) and of course, the Wizardâ„¢.

First, I will emboss a piece of 5 1/2″W x 4 1/4″H Core’dinations cardstock. Note: I mist the paper to get a more enhanced embossed design - this will help when using a thicker cardstock too.

Then I used the following sandwich (from the bottom):
White Master Mat
I2-1004 Impressabilitiesâ„¢ Flowers
Cardstock
Tan Embossing Pad
White Master Mat

Once I walked the sandwich through the Wizardâ„¢, (another note) I left the Impressability in the cardstock and sanded over the design. I find that the design stands out even more when you have it underneath. After taking the embossed cardstock off the I2-1004 Impressabilitiesâ„¢ Flowers, I sanded the edges.

Setting it aside, I went to stamp my image from JustRite Stampers’ Friendship set on Core’dinations cardstock and cut/embossed with the S4-114 Standard Circles LG #6. I edged the circle with Clearsnap Queue ink and adhered it with Scrapbook Adhesive by 3L’s 3D Foam Squares (stacked three squares to life the circle above the flower) onto a 6″x4 7/8″ Core’dinations white card base which was edged with ink. Then I colored the stamp image with Copics, added Flower Soft and glittered the accents.

Another fun “Back To School” project - a card with a gift card tucked inside for that favorite teacher! Hope everyone made it back to school safely.

And for those of you who are a visual type, I am including a video of our lovely Miss Stacey demonstrating some fun things to do with the Impressabilitiesâ„¢…

Oh! Don’t forget to vote for us on “When Creativity Knocks!” - Great Crafter’s Tool Hunt…there’s a good chance you might win something real nice. Look HERE for details!

Have a great Saturday!
MargieH

Today, I thought I’d bring together what we covered so far (extending Borderabilities® and functional Pendants) and add Letterpress into the mix with a one page layout.

The die templates that I used for the layout are: S5-019 Labels Eight #6 & #5 (#1 being the smallest size), S4-125 Classic Scalloped Circles Small #1, S4-124 Classic Scalloped Circles Large #2, S4-116 Standard Circles Small #3 and S4-218 Lattice Borderabilities® border die.

For those who haven’t read up on these ideas, I have linked the Borderabilities® and the Pendant posts so please click on the highlighted words. What I would like to show is how to letterpress with your Impressabilities.

I am using the I2-1001 Impressabilities™ Paisley. But first with the S5-019 Labels Eight #6, I have cut/embossed a piece of Core’dinations cardstock and for ink, I reached for my Clearsnap Queue ink.

Start with inking the entire Impressabilitiesâ„¢, I put a piece of printer paper underneath so that I don’t ink up my White Master Mat. Then the S5-019 Labels Eight die cut is placed on top. Again to avoid any mess, I place another piece of printer paper. Then the Tan Embossing Pad goes on top and the White Master Mat to finish the sandwich.

This is what you come up with! Easy peasy as a good friend of mine would put it. This piece will serve as a frame for a picture of my niece, Jessica.

To recap, the Letterpress Sandwich (from bottom) is:
White Master Mat
(printer paper)
I2-1001 Impressabilitiesâ„¢ Paisley (ink side up)
S5-019 Labels Eight die cut
(printer paper)
Tan Embossing Pad
White Master Mat

Using Fancy Pants paper, I placed Jessica’s framed picture on top of the S4-218 Lattice Borderabilities® which anchors both framed pictures. I used the functional Pendant (in this case, the S4-205 Eyelets Pendant) idea as a frame. Then I had to use the JustRite Stampers 1 3/16″ round “Tiny Words Set” stamps, they make such great accent pieces. I used the S4-125 Classic Scalloped Circles Small #1 which cuts perfectly and added some embellishments in my scrap stash.

It is easy to do and you really don’t need anything extra - no new equipment, no special tools…just your favorite Impressabilitiesâ„¢ and you’re good to go! I hope you will enjoy this technique as much as I have. I think this is my new favorite technique…well, at least for now!

Spellbinders™ wants to say THANK YOU to all the participants of the Pendant Project Contest!  We were overwhelmed by your response to our contest.   What an amazing collection of Pendant and Borderabilities® artwork!  You can see all the entries in the Inspiration Alley Pendant Project Gallery.The Top 5 winners will be announced August 17 right here!

Today I have a fun little card to show off.  I was playing around, inspired by some of the beautiful Pendant Projects and the set that is becoming my favorite, the S4-208 In Spades Pendant and S4-217 In Spades Borderabilities®, and F-001 Red Premium Craft Foil.

I started out with those die templates, and added the S4-234 Ribbon Tags Trio 2, S4-112 Classic Oval Small, #2 (with the smallest being #1).

My white card is 5×7″. I cut a piece of black cardstock to 5×6″. I lined up the cut edge of the S4-217 In Spades Borderabilities® die template along one 5″ edge and cut/embossed in my Wizardâ„¢. Then I repeated that on the opposite edge, however when I embossed, I made sure not to cover the previously embossed areas with the Tan Embossing Pad, so they didn’t flatten out.

I cut/embossed the F-001Red Premium Craft Foil with the S4-208 In Spades Pendant and sanded the embossed areas.

I love the S4-234 Ribbon Tags Trio 2 set, particularly the oval tag.  But this time I wanted an opening in it, so I pulled out my ovals to see if they were compatible. Voila!  The #2 oval in the S4-112 Classic Oval Small set fits perfectly inside the Oval Ribbon Tag!  Who knew this was a “Nestabilities®”?  Just remember, you can nest any two die templates as long as there is no overlap.

I cut another oval slightly larger from white paper to stamp my Hero Arts “Thanks!” and Clearsnap Black Pigment ink, adhered it to the back of the Oval Tag, and attached some white ribbon.

Here is my finished card!  And thanks for the inspiration!

Beth

As Beth extended her borders onto her wonderful notebook project, I am extending it onto my one page layout today.

I am using one of my favorite Borderabilities®, the S4-218 Lattice Borderabilities® #1 die (the border die - the one that cuts/embosses one edge and can be used to make continuous cuts). On this page, I also used several other die templates: S4-190 Labels Four #2, S4-195 Small Classic Inverted Scalloped Circles #4 and S4-160 Nested Birds #1…notice the W-027 Die Carry Case? I am so happy that these will be available SOON! I definitely need many of them!!

Using a 12″ x 1 1/2″ strip of Core’dinations cardstock, take a piece of household tape (took off some of the adhesive by tapping it on my jeans - very technical! LOL!) and tape the border die cut side down onto the strip. The tape should be on the non-cut/embossing edge of the die (please refer to the picture).

We start by cutting the border first. The cut sandwich (from bottom):
White Master Mat
Magnetic Spacer Plate
S4-218 Lattice Borderabilities® Border (cut side UP)
Cardstock
White Master Mat

After cutting, we will emboss using the following sandwich (from bottom):
White Master Mat
Embossing Mat
Cardstock
S4-218 Lattice Borderabilities® Border (cut side DOWN)
White Master Mat

Carefully remove the tape and set aside…we will be using it again. Take the die and poke out all the paper bits that are left in the die by using a toothpick or paper piercer. To continue to cut the border, shift the die over to the next section of the strip to be cut.

Line up the die like the first run and repeat the cut/emboss process again. Note: when embossing, make sure not to overlap the Tan Embossing Pad onto the embossed area from your first cut or it will flatten out. Trim any excess. Since I was going to bulk up with embellishments at the end of the border, I did not cut an entire 12″ border and left an inch of empty space underneath the embellishments.

Using Cosmo Cricket, I made a page about the boys’ first experience with Shabu Shabu. It is a traditional Japanese dish where each person swishes a slice to thinly slice meat into a boiling pot of dashi soup (the name, Shabu Shabu, came from this swishing action) - takes seconds to cook. YUMMY! OK…back to what I was doing!

I inked the edges of the papers, accents and border with Clearsnap ink. Adhered all the papers and pictures onto the layout. Placed pearls on the border and adhered the border to the bottom of the layout. I cut all the Spellbinders die templates: S4-190 Labels Four #2 (journal spot), S4-195 Small Classic Inverted Scalloped Circles #4 (frame for the flower accent) and S4-160 Nested Birds #1 (cut with felt as an embellishment). Then added some embellishments from my huge pile in my scrapbook area and..Tada! Another page of good (eating) memories done!

MargieH

For today’s Savvy Saturday, I’d like to show you all one of our newest Borderabilities®, the S4-214 Eyelet Pendant Petite Borderabilities®.

You may recall that we introduced these products during our recent Blog Frenzy. Design Team Member Jennifer Davis had created such a wonderful project and provided a video to show her steps through the process.

In the video, she had mentioned that the set of two Borderabilities® each having a different function. One (we will call Border #1) will emboss all the way around BUT will cut on one side only. The other (Border #2) will cut and emboss the entire die template to become a beautiful accent piece. I love the choices with these Borderabilities® sets! I will show what I did using the Borderabilities® on a card I made.

Using my 4.5″x6″ card base that I made from Core’dinations Color Core Cardstock, I edged my card by using the Border #1. I fold the card inside out and sandwich the magnetic spacer inside with the Border (cut side away from magnet). You may wish to use removable tape to line up the border to the card base. Place all between the two White Master Mats and put through the Wizardâ„¢ to cut.

Next fold the card back to its original position and then carefully replace the Magnetic Spacer with the Tan Embossing Pad. Again, place all between the two White Master Mats and put through the Wizardâ„¢ to emboss.

Then using a lighter tone of the card base, I cut/embossed Border #2 which I plan to layer on top of the edge card base. Note: after cutting/embossing, take great care when pulling out the piece from the die template. Many of the new Borderabilties® have intricate cuts and will be delicate. I used my embossing tool (the one with the rounded tip for dry embossing) or a tooth pick is helpful too.

I sanded both borders (to give emphasis on the embossing) as well as the card base edge. Thread the ribbon through Border #2 before adhering with Scrapbook Adhesives to the card base and add Hero Arts Pearls to both borders.

Add ribbon in the middle of the card base and single knot to secure (you may wish to adhere the back for more security). Using Crafty Secrets’ Cotton Scraps Flowers, I frayed the edges and inked with Clearsnap Queue. Then matted onto Core’dinations cardstock and adhered to card base. Stuck two stick pins into the knot to complete the look of the card.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and memorable 4th of July here in the U.S.!
Happy Birthday, America!!!
MargieH

My inspiration for this Savvy Saturday was two-fold. My friend Kim was blessed with her first grandchild last weekend, a baby boy! I know a thing or two about baby boys, I have two of them myself.  I know how easy it is for grandparents to scoop them up and, well, give them back when it’s time.  My other inspiration is the S4-174 Deckle Scalloped Edge Petite Border. It has that certain “I don’t know who ripped it, Mom!” look to it. Mothers of boys, you know what I’m talking about!

To start, I gathered my supplies.

It’s so easy to use the Petite Borders. Looking at the die template, one side has the raised ridge, which is the cutting edge, and the other does not. That is the embossing edge.

Simply align the cutting edge where you want to cut, with the cut side down, facing the front of the card, and secure in place with some household tape. I touch the tape to my jeans to lessen the tackiness of the tape.

If I don’t want to cut through both layers of the card, I have to invert the fold of the card and insert the Spacer Plate inside of the card. Now the cutting edge of the die is facing up, and only one layer of the card will be cut.

To emboss this card, remove the Spacer Plate and place the Tan Embossing Pad on top of the card, and feed it into your Wizard. To enhance the embossed areas, I used a sanding block on this Core’dinations cardstock.

For the rest of the card I cut/embossed the S4-129 Classic Scalloped Squares Small, S4-197 Small Classic Inverted Scalloped Squares, and the S4-128 Classic Squares Small. The little boy embellishment was made from piecing together different colored die cuts from Cordinations with S3-014 Baby Boy, and a small scrap of Premium Craft Foil.

I placed a square die cut on the inside of the card with a stamped sentiment from Hero Arts, using Clearsnap Colorbox ink.

This is the finished card, ready for the mail!  Now if I could just find those stamps…

Happy Saturday!

Beth