Back at the end of January I created a thank you card using the True Love 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper (DSP). This paper pack contains 12 different black and white designs; some floral and some geometric. I have to say that it’s probably my favourite DSP from the January to June 2021 Mini Catalogue, simply because of its versatility. After completing the card I had a small piece of the hand-coloured paper left over and I resolved not to waste it. In the end I decided it would make the perfect background for a pretty birthday gift tag.

TRUE LOVE

To create the original background I simply took the True Love DSP and coloured everything but the flowers and leaves using a dark Pool Party Stampin’ Blends alcohol marker. Today, taking the scrap of DSP I had left over from my card project, I just had to trim it to 1-7/8″ x 3-3/4″.

For my gift tag I then cut a 2″ x 4-1/8″ piece of Basic Black Card. Then at one end I used the Detailed Trio Punch to add an oval hole.

Next, using Multipurpose Liquid Glue, I attached the True Love DSP to one side of the tag base. Then on the back I glued a 1-7/8″ x 3-3/4″ piece of Whisper White Card.

While I liked the patterned background I decided to add a little extra detail. So I cut a 1/4″ x 3-3/4″ strip of Basic Black Card and glued it onto the DSP about 1/4″ from the right-hand edge. Then I threaded some Whisper White twine from the Snailed It Twine Combo Pack through the hole and tied it in a simple knot.

HOORAY!

For my sentiment I turned to the Many Messages Stamp Set. Like the background paper I actually found what I needed already prepared.

A while ago I stamped the Many Messages Stamp onto a piece of Thick Whisper White Card using VersaMark ink. Then I sprinkled the VersaMark with Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder and tapped off the excess. After removing some stray specks I melted the rest using my Heat Tool set on 2 (high).

The Many Messages Stamp Set is actually 19 assorted sentiments and four small shapes on one large red rubber stamp. Using the shapes I lined up the coordinating Messages Die over the embossed area, and then cut it out with my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. With one pass through the machine all 19 sentiments and four shapes were ready to be used. All I had to do was put them in a little bag and store them in the stamp case ready for when they were needed.

For today’s gift tag I chose “Hooray! It’s your birthday” from my bag of sentiments. Then once I’d fixed it to the tag with Stampin’ Dimensionals, my project was complete.

Having some pieces like the paper and sentiments already prepared can save a lot of time when I need a project in a hurry. Do you use any time-saving tricks when you’re crafting?

You can find the thank you card I created using the same hand-coloured DSP in my blog post Take one Stampin’ Blends alcohol marker.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Many Messages Stamp Set and coordinating Messages Die using a single ‘bundle’ item number. This meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the two items separately. I’ve included a link to the bundle in case you want to explore this option. SPOILER ALERT! In the 2021/2022 Annual Catalogue the new Many Happenings Stamp Set is also designed to coordinate with the Messages Die. Make sure you look out for that.

EMBOSSING POWDERS – Stampin’ Up! has retired its individual embossing powder item numbers and replaced them with two embossing powder collections. One collection is called Metallics and contains one 1/2oz (14g) pots each of gold, silver and copper. The second collection is called Basics and contains one 1/2oz (14g) pots each of black, clear and white.