Our lovely weather didn’t hold and last week the garden was smothered by a thick blanket of snow. However like other snowstorms we’ve had this winter, subsequent sunny days have helped to melt some of it. Still I have a feeling it will be a while yet before the flowers begin to emerge. As a result I’m forced to create spring in my craft studio again. So for this week’s simple Sunday project I pulled out the Hues of Happiness Designer Series Paper (DSP), along with my favourite purple cardstock.

GORGEOUS GRAPE

Just recently when I was out shopping I found some cheap 1/4″ thick pads of plain paper. The 4″ x 5-1/2″ sheets were fixed to a chipboard backing but had no front cover. However they were cheap, and I knew it wouldn’t take me long to dress them up.

So today I began by cutting a 4-1/8″ x 8-1/2″ piece of my favourite Gorgeous Grape Card. With the long side at the top I scored the card at 5-5/8″ and 5-15/16″. This would allow the edge of the cover to extend past the edge of the pad to make it easier to open.

Then in my pocket of Gorgeous Grape scraps I found a 3-1/2″ x 1/2″ strip and wrapped it around a mechanical pencil. Using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I fixed the ends of the card together before attaching them to the back of the pad. With that done I wrapped the Gorgeous Grape cover around the notepad and secured it on the back with more liquid glue. This also served to sandwich the pencil loop and keep it in place.

HUES OF HAPPINESS

Now I was ready to decorate the cover and for that I pulled out the Hues of Happiness DSP. Having chosen a design full of purple flowers (with a couple of other colours thrown in), I cut a 3-5/8″ x 5-1/8″ piece. Then I cut a 3-3/4″ x 5-1/4″ layer of Daffodil Delight Card and glued the DSP on top before adding it to the notepad cover.

Already the notepad was so much nicer but I decided to add a sentiment and some additional layers. So from my favourite Go To Greetings Stamp Set I chose the largest “Just a Note” sentiment. Next, among my Hues of Hapiness DSP I found a scrap with a pretty light blue canvas design. After trimming the scrap to 1-3/8″ x 3-5/8″ I stamped my sentiment directly onto it using Gorgeous Grape ink.

From there I glued the DSP onto a 1-1/2″ x 3-5/8″ strip of Daffodil Delight Card and mounted that onto a 2″ x 3-5/8″ piece of Gorgeous Grape Card. Finally, using Stampin’ Dimensionals I attached the assembled layers to the cover and my notepad transformation was complete.

I certainly wasn’t wrong when I said this notepad wouldn’t take long to dress up. The purple/yellow combination is so cheerful it definitely brightens my desk today. What do you think?

PRODUCT LIST

RETIRING PREDICTIONS – In a little over three weeks we’ll know for sure which products are being retired by Stampin’ Up! However DSP is only very rarely carried over and it’s almost certain that the Hues of Happiness paper will be retiring. Sadly it’s possible that the Go To Greetings Stamp Set may go too, although I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’m wrong on that. Anyway, my point is that to avoid disappointment you should assume all products are now only available while stocks last. If there’s something you really want please place your order right away. Just to illustrate the fact, the Adhesive-Backed Milky Dots (160582), Seasonal Labels Dies (156299) and Lucky Clover Punch (160612) have already sold out and are now no longer available.