Fruit Crate Fun!

Today I'd like to share a cute project that we did at a recent stamping party. It has a lot of steps, but the end result is worth it!
If you look closely at the Fruit Stand Suite as introduced on page 148 you'll see the adorable little paper fruit crates that were created!

Here's my version:

I went on YouTube and watched a couple of tutorials and then adapted them to what I wanted to do--create a little card carrier!  I narrowed mine from the tutorials and widened it just a touch so my cards would fit inside it.
•I cut my Kraft cardstock (#133674) to 2 1/2  by 7 1/2 and scored with the long side up at 1 7/8--flipped it and scored the other side also.  This created the sides of the crate.
•I cut 4 slats at 3/4 by  4 1/4 and scored each of those at 1/4 inch on both sides to create little flaps to attach them.
•I then stamped the crate sides and slats using my Hardwood stamp (#133035) and Soft Suede ink.  I sponged the edges to age it and make it look a little more "woody."
•Punch your handles in the sides- I used the retired small oval punch --the word window (also retired) or the new Classic Label punches were too wide to look good when I narrowed the box.  **If you attach the slats you may not be able to punch out the handles.
•Fold on your scoreline and add Tear and Tape (#138995) to the 1/4 inch scored parts on the slat pieces.  Fit them into the crate and attach to the sides starting at the bottom (matching up the sides and not leaving much of a space on the bottom of the crate) then add the top slat matching it up to the top of the box.  Do the other side.
•Add your doily and a piece of Fruit Stand DSP cut at 2 1/4  by 2 1/4.  The doily and DSP are folded in half and glued on the front of the crate.

I reinterpreted an idea presented at the last SU convention that used the note cards (#131527) cut in half.  Here's what I did:
•I folded the card on the scoreline and cut it in half at 2 1/2" and then keeping each folded trimmed off about 1/8" from the bottom of each card.
•I then cut the envelope in half, sealed the flap and punched a 1/2 oval with my retired small oval punch on the opening side so the card can easily get in and out of the envelope.
•I stamped and decorated the cards with the Fresh Fruit stamp set (#141770).  I stamped 3 strawberries/tops using Watermelon Wonder and Cucumber Crush ink on a scrap of whisper white cardstock and cut them out and also stamped one strawberry & top on each card.
•I used my Wink of Stella (#141897) to jazz the strawberries up a bit, added some strips of Fruit Stand DSP (#141660), a cute bow out of Whisper White Baker's twine (#124262), curled the ends with my scissors and BAM!  You have 2 cute little cards to tuck into a present or slip into someone's mailbox at work.
•I just attached an extra strawberry or 2 onto toothpicks with glue dots and added a sign- the words "For You" are from the Jar of Love set.

If you'd like to order any of the supplies needed to create this project you can go here and get started!

Summer + Stamping = Much Needed Therapy

Imagine my surprise dear friend (s)--I hesitate to think that there may be only 1, perhaps 2 followers, who will be reading this since I've been such a pitiful poster.  No excuses....just the fact that when life is busy something has to give--and my blog was it!

I'm anxious to start creating and posting projects with the awesome products from our new 2016 - 17 catalog.  My upline and I hosted a "New Catalog" party this past week--here's the make and take that I had for my stamping friends--a little 3 x 3 card using the "Pop of Paradise" stamp set....so cute!  The little pineapple is adorable--and really trendy right now!

The pineapple is stamped in one of our new in-colors--Flirty Flamingo.  Gotta love the names of the colors don't you?  Ha!  What a fun job it would be coming up with them!

I'm trying to determine a regular blogging schedule to get into this summer and hopefully maintain....so you'll be hearing from me again sooner than 4 months!

New Year....New Start

Every year I find myself making a resolution that I will do a better job at posting to my blog on a more regular basis....only to get caught up in work and a busy schedule....forgetting to take photos and post here.  Perhaps this year will be better....

Ha!  I wrote this post in January and I'm now getting ready to finally post it....in late February.  How can I be so busy??  My husband says I need to put "no" in my vocabulary more often.  Ha!
So here's to catching up!!

Here are the cards that I started off the year with for my January Cards and Cake Party......

We started with a concertina card---I believe I had some posts about those about a year and a half ago--they really make special cards, but take awhile to create!

This is the card open.  Go back to this post to get my links to a tutorial and site where you can put in your dimensions and make your own "box envelope" for this card.

Our second project was a fancy fold called a 6 fold card.  I got the tutorial for it here from Dawn Griffith.  The card I made was for my granddaughter's 3rd birthday.

I used a lot of retired paper and the stamp set with the owls--but also used the set  "Number of Years" from the Occasions catalog with it's matching framelits.  There was actually a 3rd project--a triangle box, but most people didn't get to it since the 2 cards were a bit time consuming!  I'll post the box and direction link next time!

The cake was yummy --and Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cake---so moist and tasty--even though I messed up the frosting, leaving out the evaporated milk and vanilla.  Here's a link to the recipe I used if you want to try it!

                                                   Happy Stamping!    Dawn