Irresistibly Yours Wedding Favour Delights

I recently saw a photo on my friend, Pamella Dunn's Instagram page and was immediately drawn to the fabulous colours.  Ok, I admit, the first thing I saw were the delicious macarons, but the nearest I'll get to those is by watching Paul Hollywood test them on the Great British Bakeoff, so this project is inspired by the colours.

Pamella was my fairy godmother as my wedding day grew scarily close at a frightening rate and was an absolute trouper during our big day, so these are inspired by her - a wedding extraordinaire.

When thinking of wedding favours, there were two main things I needed to consider - something that looked chic but that wasn't going to break the budget too much.

A big tick with both of those is using the Irresistibly Yours Designer Series Paper (DSP) as it's free with every £45 spend up until the end of March as part of the Sale-A-Bration promotion.  The box is made using the smallest setting on the Gift Box Punch Board, so a piece of DSP measuring 6' x 6'.  Each sheet of DSP measures 12' x 12' so you would get 4 boxes out of 1 sheet and there are 12 sheets in a pack.  The great thing too is that they can be kept white or coloured with ink and colour you wish depending on your colour scheme - another added bonus!

Looking at the colours in the photo, these seemed to match Coastal Cabana and Pistachio Pudding perfectly.  I used a brayer to cover each piece with the corresponding ink pad then wiped off the excess with a tissue.  This then made the pearlescent pattern pop out.  After leaving the ink to dry a minute of two, I did all the measuring and scoring on the reverse side and folded over the score lines and furnished them using a bone folder.

The extra large bow on top was made using the Bow Builder Punch, adhered with glue dots and then stuck onto a scallop circle of Dazzling Diamonds glimmer paper to add a bit of sparkle.

I then finished off by punching some dainty flowers out of some Whisper White card stock using the Itty Bitty Accents punch pack (a gift from me if you join my team before the end of March).  I sponged the sides with ink and scattered them like confetti for an added table decoration.

As you can see, they're fairly simple to make.  Get a few friends or your attendants round, each take a stage of the process (trimming, inking, punching etc) and you'd have them done in no time.  Plus, you can then use the tools either to make similar boxes for thank you gifts or to use after the big day whenever you might need them!

So what do you think?

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Try It Tuesday - 'So You' Make Someone Smile Notelets

Nowadays it is so easy to send a text, email or private message through social media to tell someone you're thinking of them.  Call me old fashioned, but there's nothing quite like sending or receiving a note or card.  It could really brighten someone's day.

As soon as I saw the 'Smile' sentiment on the So You stamp set, I knew that it would be perfect for some note cards that could be used for any occasion.  So today's Try it Tuesday project is just that - bright and cheery cards that you could quickly make a batch of and send out whenever you pleased.

The great thing about the Whisper White Note Cards and envelopes is that the card bases and the envelopes are already done for you.  A blank canvas to quickly layer, stamp or embellish to your heart's content!

To brighten up the white and as a base layer, I used the Best Year Ever Designer Series Paper which is currently free with every £45 during the Sale-A-Bration promotion.  The colours I chose were Calypso Coral, Crushed Curry and Soft Sky.

On top of that are two layers of Whisper White Card stock with the top layer stamped with the Smile sentiment in the corresponding ink.

The layer dimensions of the DSP and card stock are as follows:

8.5cm x 12.2cm
6.5cm x 10.2cm
6cm x 9.7cm

To add a bit of texture, I punched out some small flowers from the DSP using the flower punch which is part of the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack (currently a gift from me if you join my team before 31 March) and adhered them to the top and bottom corners with glue dots.

So there you have it, bright, beautiful and super simple to make - what's not to love!

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Irresistible Childrens' Treat Boxes

Today's project is brought to you in collaboration with my two and half year old son, George.

After I had a play around with the Gift Box Punch Board making prototypes of all the amazing different sizes you can make, George was intrigued and wanted to play with them.  It turns out that one of the boxes can house a Happy Land figure perfectly.  Hence where this idea came from today.

These boxes would be great at a children's party as favours on the table or as an alternative to a take home party bag.  They could be filled with treats, a little dinky car, a little packet of crayons.  (A mini Peppa Pig is inside this one as George decided trying to fit Daddy Pig and his big tummy in the box would break it!).  Also, if you're a nursery/primary schoolteacher and into crafting, they would be lovely to hand out to your class at the end of the school year as you bid them farewell as they start the next stage of their school adventure.

Of all the pictures he could have chosen from my various options on my craft room shelves, George chose the ballerina from the Sweet Stuff stamp set as he said she looked like Princess Holly from Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom! Melon Mambo was chosen as the base colour as Holly wears a pink dress and then I thought I'd mix that with a bit of Calypso Coral as the accent colour (orange and green are my favourite colours).

The box size is the 8' x 8' S/L choice on the Gift Box Punch Board.  All the different sizes and instructions are marked on the board and it is so easy to use, you needn't struggle to find a gift box ever again!

The band round the box was made using the Irresistibly Yours Designer Series Paper which you can currently get free with every spend of £45 during the Sale-A-Bration promotion up until the 31 March (see page 15 of the promotion catalogue)  You get 12 sheets of 12 x 12 paper in the set with 2 of each of the 6 different designs.  Using them on the own, they exude luxury due to their glossy pattern.  They can also by used for a variety of colouring techniques which create an embossing exist effect, really showing off the glossy, raised pattern.  On this band I used a sponge to swirl Calypso Coral ink all over.  With this technique you can go as light or dark as you like or even to gradients of the same colour or different colours. I then used Snail Adhesive to stick it round the box.

The ballerina image I stamped with black Memento ink and then coloured in with Blendabilities markers which are also available free with a £45 spend during Sale-A-Bration (page 20 of the promotion catalogue) I punched it out using the 1 3/4 scallop punch and then sponged round the edge with some Melon Mambo ink.  I finished it off by using Dimensionals to adhere it to the Dazzling Diamonds Note Tag I punched out.

Rather cute don't you think?

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Try it Tuesday - Simply Stylish Thank You Cards

I thought it might be fun to have a regular weekly item on the blog of simple, yet effective projects that are easy to make and that you could create for any occasion.  So say hello to Try it Tuesday!

Today's post is a simple, stylish thank you card using the fabulous Perpetual Birthday Calendar and Painted Petals photopolymer stamp sets.  Having these two collections in your craft kit can spark endless possible project ideas in any colour, for any age.

I return to work from maternity leave in a couple of weeks and I wanted to give the lovely gentleman who has been covering for me something by way of gratitude for holding the fort in my absence.

Two slight problems I had here:

1. I always find male cards quite daunting to make (like buying presents, there's only so many times you can buy socks!)
2. How to make a card for a man I don't know and have only met once when he attended his interview!

As it is an office based job, I decided I wanted it to be inspired by that and what a chaotic environment it can be.  Within the Perpetual Birthday Calendar stamp set I found a stamp which looked like splatters of ink - perfect!

The base of the card is made using a sheet of A4 card stock cut in half vertically and then scored at 14.8cm and folded in half.  I then decided to opt for my usual plan when I'm unsure what card to make - if in doubt, LAYER!

The sizes of the layers are as follows:

Bottom layer - 14.3cm x 10cm (to give a 0.5cm border)
Square layer - 8cm x 8cm and 7.5cm x 7.5 cm

On the Whisper White cardstock I stamped all over with the ink splatter stamp, making sure to take it right over the edges to give a nice border effect once the layers are all put together.

To adhere the first layer I used Snail adhesive, as I did the second layer of stamped Whisper White to the Smoky Slate cardstock. The others I used Dimensionals to give the layers height.

I used the Thank You sentiment from the Painted Petals stamp set and punched it out using the 1' square punch.  I then used the Bracket Label Punch on some Smoky Slate cardstock and adhered everything to the square layer with Dimensionals.

The white insert for the card measures 13.8cm x 9.5cm and is stamped with the 'You Are Amazingly Amazing' sentiment.

I did use a piece of ribbon on the original as I wasn't sure at first if it was a bit too plain.  However, as you can see from these ones I made with different motifs and in Wisteria Wonder and Marina Mist, they look just as nice without ribbon.

As you can see, they are simple and easy to make yet effective in a whole array of colours.  You could change the sentiment too depending on what the card was for.  I can see them looking fabulous in the brights collection!

So, what do you think?  Fancy giving it a go?  Do let me know if you do!

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Welcome to The Little Paper Playground!

As a mum to two children under three, I love seeing the world through their eyes. A world where there are no inhibitions, just pure creativity and imagination.

It regularly takes me back to when I was growing up. A time when I truly believed the messy collages I made out of string, PVA glue and coloured lentils were real fish. A time when I’d take great pride walking home from primary school with my next model of an A Team truck. A model largely made from household recyclables my parents had generously given the school to save clogging up the dustbin as recycling wasn’t really big in the mid eighties. A model that would then be brought home and inevitably be put in said dustbin a few days later disguised as ‘taken to nanna and granddad’s house’.

Whilst playing with my two and a half year old son George, creating racing cars out of cardboard boxes and paper plates, I realised recently that I missed that. I missed making things. I guess as we all get older with jobs and responsibilities some of our fun, creative side slips by the wayside (unless you’re a designer of course, you guys have all the fun!)

So, along with setting up this blog, I’ve taken the plunge and started a craft space at home again (who needs a formal dining room that only gets used once every Christmas anyway?) The limited ‘me’ time I currently get will be spent here, in The Little Paper Playground, where I can immerse myself in card, adhesive and embellishments, all supplied by Stampin’ Up!

I discovered Stampin’ Up! through my friend Sam. It made sense to me as you can order online, the goodies are delivered direct to your door within 5 working days and all inks, paper, punches, everything co-ordinates – all time saving saviours when you’re a busy mummy!  Plus, after deciding to join the fun and become an Independent Demonstrator, I now get 20% off the net product total! (More details on how you can join my team can be found here)

The projects I make here will largely be inspired by the things and people around me.  Simple projects, full of colour that will hopefully inspire you to try and make them with your own unique twist. (why is it right there I had Louis Walsh in my head saying 'you made it your own'?!).

 

The above little white box, may seem teeny and bland, but this is where The Little Paper Playground's crafting adventure starts.  Just like when Dorothy flew from Kansas to Oz, we start in black and white hopefully ending up with more colour than Joseph's Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.  In fact just playing with the Gift Box Punch Board briefly has given me lots of ideas, so maybe we'll start there for the next few posts, different boxes, for different occasions, with me rambling on in between.

We can all create our own projects, no matter how small, that could really brighten someone’s day. What was it Dick Van Dyke sang? ‘with tuppence for paper and strings, you can have your own set of wings’? So let's start here and have fun together along the way, who knows what we'll come up with!