I’m a sucker for a good sentiment and right now I appear to be spoiled for choice. When looking at sentiments in new stamp sets I consider a number of things. First up, do I already have that sentiment? That’s not as easy as it sounds because I have lots of some like “happy birthday” and “thank you”. But I might be looking for a larger one, or smaller one. With multi-word sentiments I also like to have the option of all the words on a single line, or the words over several lines. Even the font used might make a difference to my decision; do I need something simple, or fancy? So the Encircled in Friendship Stamp Set was one I really considered carefully. In the end it was one particular phrase that sealed the deal “In a world where you can be anything, thank you for being kind”.

Being kind in words and deeds is something I try to do, and I’m definitely a work in progress. So it made sense to make myself a new bookmark reminding me of the importance of being kind.

CUT AND BE KIND

Right now I don’t have access to my craft studio so I’m working with limited resources, but a bookmark was do-able. I just needed to pull out the new Tailor Made Tags Dies and perform a little die-cutting magic.

For the bookmark base I used Thick Basic White Card and the #4 (largest) of the rounded top tag dies in the set. However when setting it up I staggered the top cutting plate so it only covered the top 2/3 of the die. Then I ran it through the machine. With the first step done it was time to the card around and repeat the process.

Now I moved the die further along the card, ‘locking’ it in place using a few of the holes in the stitched sides. Once again I staggered the top cutting plate, this time to avoid the top 1/3 of the die (with the hole). Finally I ran it through my Mini Cut & Emboss Machine to complete the die-cutting. When I removed the die I’d created an elongated tag, otherwise known as a bookmark.

I actually used this same altered die-cutting technique a few weeks ago and included photos of the die-cutting process. If you missed it, check out my blog post Pansy Patch for flowers and sentiments.

With die-cutting complete I was ready to stamp, starting with the Encircled In Friendship Stamp Set. So using Tuxedo Black ink I stamped the “… be kind” sentiment towards the top of the bookmark.

HAND-PENNED PETALS

Now I could see how much space I had remaining for the decorative part of the project. I wanted some pretty flowers to colour and for that I chose the Hand-Penned Petals Stamp Set.

Using Tuxedo Black ink once again I stamped the multi-flower image onto the bottom section of the bookmark. Then I simply coloured it in using Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers. For the petals on the three largest flowers I used just the light Polished Pink marker. Then on the other four flowers I used the dark Polished Pink. All the centres were done with dark Pale Papaya, and I finished with the leaves using dark Soft Succulent.

With that done all I had left was to add ribbon or twine to the top. In the end I opted for the new Evening Evergreen 3/8″ Chevron Weave Ribbon. After threading it through the top of the bookmark I secured it in place with a Mini Glue Dot. And just like that my reminder to be kind was complete.

I love how bright and cheery this project turned out. The Hand-Penned Petals flowers were a breeze to colour with Stampin’ Blends with no blending needed. I also know that the “… be kind” sentiment will see action on cards, gifts and tags in the future. Watch this space…

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Encircled In Friendship Stamp Set in a bundle with the Encircled In Beauty Dies (not used today). I also got the Hand-Penned Petals Stamp Set as part of a bundle with the Penned Flowers Dies (not used today). Buying products using a single ‘bundle’ item number saved me 10% off the cost of buying the same items separately. For this reason I’ve included links to both bundles below.