Lori Whitlock Wreath Pocket Pop-Up Box Card - Gift Card Holder and More

No one has ever become poor from giving. 

Lori Whitlock svg, Copic markers, ribbon bow, assorted gems, dotted blue cardstock,
Cricut cutting and writing, red and white card stock, glitter Nuvo Drops

Hey there from Nannyland,

When I first downloaded this beautiful Lori Whitlock pocket box card, I was confused at a seemingly unnecessary box protrusion. I was delighted when I realized it contained a perfectly-sized  pouch to hold a gift card, cash or a note.  Immediately,  I went to work creating cards for appreciation gifts to my hairdresser and cleaners.  I also made them for friends and family whose gifts have to go through the unreliable mail.   I love the way they turned out!  It makes a  generic gift card a little more personal and festive. 

As usual, I cut most of the pieces in white card stock on my Cricut Maker.  It's much easier to color and shade the small pieces with copics.  It was also much simpler to print the sentiment directly on my front panel with the writing feature in Design Space than to cut out the detailed sentiment in black card stock.   I had the best time adding beads, bows and gems to embellish.  

It's a lot more rewarding to present gift cards or money to my loved ones in a way that shows I care enough to make something special for them.    As it turns out, this pocket pop-up box card has become a favorite and I can see many fun uses for it in the future.

Thanks for visiting Nannyland.

I'll just be here blissfully creating until your next visit.  

Nancy (aka Pink Panoply)

Playing along with:

Make My Monday Challenge #163

SheepSki Challenge #57

Crafty Catz Challenge #576

Cut It Up Challenge #240

Just Add Ink Challenge #584

Moving Along With The Times Challenge #137

Through the Craft Room Door December 7

UnstampaBelles Challenge #118

My Punny Valentines, Part Deux - Lori Whitlock Pop Up Box Cards

If you would be loved,  love and be lovable.

Benjamin Franklin

It's that delightful time of year again when we get to unabashedly declare our love and appreciation to those we adore.  If I had the time and energy,  I would send hundreds of cards to friends, family and even some congenial acquaintances who go about their lives every day making people feel special.

Last year I purchased a couple of fantastic pop-up box card valentine bundles from Lori Whitlock's svg shop and I couldn't wait to revisit them this year to choose some new adorable punny cards.  As I did last year, I made multiples of four valentines, so I'd have some variety for the many valentines I make each year but I could also do some assembly line magic. Did I mention I LOVE Valentines Day? There are still some really darling files waiting in the que for next year. 

I uploaded my four svg cutting files into Cricut Design Space and sized them for 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 cards (when closed).  I used my cutting and writing features to print the sentiments and then die cut the file pieces on my Maker.  All the pieces fit together perfectly and, although it required a serious time commitment,  they were super easy to assemble.  Here's Lori's easy-to-follow YouTube tutorial.  I searched my stash for blingy embellishments like sequins, beads, rhinestones, washi tape, brads...anything that would add to their kitschy appeal. 

The difficult part is always deciding which card fits which recipient.  Gushy sentiments lend themselves to a variety of applications, but it comes down to the decision of deciding whether someone would rather be considered cute or cool.  I'd go with cute...but that's just me. 

Thankfully, everyone in my love orb is sorta cute, very cool and has a gigantic piece of my heart, so I think I'm covered here.

Thanks for visiting.
Go forth and make someone's day by sending them a heartfelt snail mail love note.
Nancy

Playing along with:

         Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #375

        Double D Challenge Hearts Challenge      

The Card Concept Challenge #128 - Clean and Layered Style

Paper Funday Challenge #14

Try it on Tuesday - Share the Love

Bitten by the Bug - Valentine's Anything Goes

Get Creative Challenge #88

Make My Monday Challenge #115

UnstampaBelles Challenge - Who Am I?

SheepSki Designs Challenge #35

Welcome Spring - Penny Black Easter Cuties

“That is one good thing about this world...there are always sure to be more springs.” L.M. Montgomery,  Anne of Avonlea

Penny Black Stamp, copic markers, Spellbinders border die, Cricut cutting, rhinestones, gold leafing pen

Five birthday cards and an Easter card are waiting anxiously in my craft room  to make their debut on this blog, but, as usual,  they'll have to wait until after I deliver them in person to my recipients. No sneak peaks...it's a Nancy rule. That means I have to wait until almost Easter, two weeks away, and then I can post them all at once!  What should I do in the meantime, I asked my self.  It seems like forever since I  created a card just for the fun of it, with no recipient or occasion in mind.  While my mind was occupied with this delightful, relaxing thought,  I heard these stylish little Penny Black ladies calling to me from some dusty shelves.  Some of my original Penny Black images are very old in stamp years but still remain among my faves  These chic little girls bring back such fond memories of Easter Sundays past when all the ladies I knew dressed for church in brand new frilly spring dresses, hats, shoes and gloves.  Sometimes it was still snowing, but those white sandals and patent leather shoes weathered the storm.

 I chose a pop out oval card base and some bright spring hues to update these ageless beauties a bit.  Originally, I put a yellow panel behind them thinking it would be bright and sunshiny, but it just didn't seem to work.  Then I tried a green embossed panel and I wasn't sold either.  I knew a bright sky blue panel always looks great, so I went with that.  Then I noticed my embossed green panel still sitting on my work space. Don't you love when serendipity happens?  I cut a slice of it for grass!  Instant scenery.  I cut the card base and layers on my Cricut and used the writing feature to create the sentiment.  The pretty lacy Spellbinder border is from my stash and I colored the clear rhinestones blue to match my copic coloring. I used my signature gold leaf pen edging to add the finishing touch.

There.  Now I feel better that I have something bright and springy to post while waiting for my birthday and Easter cards to become relevant.  Spring is in the air on this sunny day here in California. Hope you're day is lovely too.

Thanks for visiting.
Go forth and create something fabulous

Nancy

Playing along with:
        Sunday Stamps Challenge #201 - Easter Hues
        Crafty Creations Challenge #387 - ATG
        Crafty Gals Corner Challenge #188 - Spring is Here
        Scrapy Land Challenge #111
        Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #215 - Feminine
        Avenue 613 Create Challenge #219 - Kinetic Card
        Lemon Shortbread Challenge #90 - ATG
        Crafting From the Heart Challenge #240 - ATG
        The Sisterhood of Crafters - Let's Celebrate Spring
        Penny Black and Friends Saturday March Challenge

My Punny Valentines - Lori Whitlock Pop Up Box Cards

I know I am in love with you because my reality is finally better than my dreams.

Dr. Seuss 

Do you remember how fun Valentine's Day was when you were a child in elementary school? In the "olden days" we used to decorate shoe boxes with stickers, crate paper and construction paper, and  on Valentine's Day everyone excitedly delivered a personalized card to each student's "mail" box. The small cards usually came in packages from the Drug Store and most of them had pictures with silly  puns on them. Some of them even had conversation hearts attached!  I remember spending the evening before our class Valentine party making sure to address each card with the recipient in mind. What fun it was opening the cards and  reading a message from each classmate...even the boys who at the time, I imagined,  had cooties.

I'm so happy Lori Whitlock has carried on the "punny" tradition with her Pop Up Box Card Valentine SVG's. I usually send several Valentines to friends and family because I love telling my favorite people how much I love them and this is the time to shamelessly lay it all out there.  The cute puns on these cards are just silly enough for me to get away with some seriously "mushy" declarations.

My talented crafty girlfriends love to exchange handmade cards for holidays and I always end up with a panoply of gorgeous creations.  When I saw Lori's darling designs, my first thought was to make each one of my friends a different card, but when I realized how many cards I would be making for both friends and family,  I decided to make multiples of three different ones, with a special, more clean and simple one for my sweetie. The others I'll save for next year. I had a blast adding some special personality to them with embellishments and patterned paper. I used the writing feature in Cricut Design Studio to write some personalized messages.  I think Valentines are fast becoming my faves.

I chose this little s'more guy for my hubby because he reminds me of romantic nights around the campfire on our many camping trips.  I left off some of the schmancy embellies to  make it less blingy.   I admit, the pink is a little girly, but it IS Valentine's Day, after all.  Hope you have a happy one!

Thanks for visiting.
Go forth and create something fabulous.
Nancy

Playing along with:
     
           Double D Challenge - Hearts
           Ellibelles Crafty Wednesday - February Challenge
           Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Interactive card
           Water Cooler Challenge #207
           Unstampabelles Challenge #86
           Avenue 613 Challenge #218
           Sunday Stamps Challenge #197
           Dragonfly Journeys Challenge #133
         

Masculine Card for My Guy - Lori Whitlock Work Bench Pop Up Card

👉  A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in the machine shop.  Robert Hughes 

Hello everyone, 

I did it!  I actually made a masculine card with no bling, bows or lacy frames and my head didn't explode! And just in the nick of time for our late Father's Day celebration this weekend.  For years I took a class at The Stamp Art Shoppe near where I live and created all the guy cards I needed for a year's worth of occasions in one "Masculine Cards" class.  My friend, Susan, was an excellent teacher and knew how to use just the right mix of Tim Holtz paraphernalia to create classy male cards.  Since the shop closed a few years ago, I've been on my own to do the CAS, neutral color, limited embellishment thing...kinda boring for a "bling it up" girl like me. But lately I've been actually having some fun with it.

I found this adorable Lori Whitlock Work Bench Pop Up card in her SVG shop and I love it so much! It's absolutely perfect for my handyman hubby.  I resized it to 5 x 7 in Cricut Design Space and cut it out on my Cricut Explore Air.  The "My Guy" label image I used on the front was in the Cricut Design Space image library.  I cut out a couple of extra tools and enlarged them to make my card front a little spiffier. I originally put some red enamel dots in the corners on the front panel but I removed them because I thought they were too much.  I know, such restraint!  The Father's Day sentiment was easy to find in the image library and I cut it out in the same glossy silver card stock I used on my tools. I think the red octagon looks sort of like a rug...to keep the grease off the garage floor, of course.

These Lori Whitloc SVG pop ups are so easy to assemble and they are such a fun surprise for any type of card  Oh, and I managed to use all neutral DP's...nothing fancy at all.  I think I'm going to get the hang of this guy card thing.  Sometimes simple can be very zen.

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and create something fabulous.

Nancy

Playing along with:

        Cards 4 Guyz - Challenge #197

        Crafters Castle - Challenge 6

        Just Us Girls - Challenge

        QKR Stampede - Challenge #302

        Aud Sentiments - Challenge #206

        Stars Stamps - Celebrations Challenge

        Addicted to Stamps - Challenge #298     

Birthday Cards Part Two - Copic Markers, Cricut and Stamping Bella

👉  Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age.  Booth Tarkington

It's raining birthdays for my friends lately and I have been having such fun creating cards for these amazingly talented crafty ladies.  We are celebrating two birthdays in my card crafting group this week and I wanted my cards to coordinate a little because I'm that obsessive.  This is the card I made earlier for one of my friends.  Not to be outdone (by myself😀),  I chose another darling Stamping Bella stamp for this card and stuck with a pink and blue color palette.  I've really enjoyed adding shiny gold card stock accents to my cards lately because I think they add a dressy look, kind of like  a touch of jewelry.

I think a pop up is always a delightful surprise in any card and, since some colorful birthday gifts leap out of my first card,  I just had to add a festive cake pop up to this card.  Both images came from the Anna Griffin pop up cartridge in Cricut Design Space.  They were a little labor intensive but actually very simple to make using my Score Pal to crease  the pop ups and I think they add  a lot of "bang for the buck." 

Here's what I used:

1. Cricut Design Studio card base and frame
2. This Uptown Girl Stamping Bella stamp
3. This Anna Griffin Cricut Cartridge pop up in Design Studio
4. Metallic gold card stock
5. Happy Birthday die cut sentiment
6. Flower die cuts
7. Copic markers
8. Gem stones
9. Score Pal

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and create something fabulous.

Nancy

Playing along with:
       Always Fun Challenges 

       Stamping Sensations

       A Bit More Time to Craft

       Crafty Girls Creations
       Creative Craft Cottage
       Love to Craft Challenge
       Score Pal More Than One Score Challenge
       Fashionable Stamping Challenge

Bridal Shower Card - Tattered Lace Bella Paper Doll

As young girls, my friend and I spent many blissful hours drawing and coloring paper dolls and  dressing them with fabulous wardrobes of our own creation. And I was over the moon when my mom twisted and pulled my hair around tiny perm rods using a stinky Tonette perm because I knew I would get to play with the Betsy McCall paper dolls that were tucked inside the box  Who would have dreamed that decades later I would still be thrilled to play with paper dolls. 

One recent Christmas I added some Tattered Lace accessory dies to my wish list and was surprised when I opened my gift to find the dies were very small. I was delighted to discover they belonged to Bella, this adorable Tattered Lace  paper doll.  Of course, I had to order beautiful Bella and her stylish wardrobe immediately.  I love dressing her up for cards of any theme. 

When I needed a bridal shower card for one of the sweetest young ladies I know, a vision of a Bella bride who looked like the bride came to mind.  I went to work creating her likeness using my copics for her dark hair and pieces from Bella's fabulous wardrobe for the wedding ensemble.  I knew the bride would choose an elegantly modest wedding dress for her church wedding  No problem there...I just borrowed a cute lacy top from another outfit and layered it under her strapless gown.  I love the way it turned out! And look at that tiara, The die is only as big as my pinky fingernail, but well worth keeping track of on my messy desk. 

For the trellis and bushes in my backdrop, I modified images from this Anna Griffin  pop up card cartridge in Design Space.   I found the vines in the Design Space image library.  The little blossoms were in my flower stash.

This cute pop up banner is from the same Anna Griffin pop up cartridge.  I used the writing feature in  Design Space for the sentiment. 

Here's a card I did for my girlie friend a while ago after we went on a camping trip together.  See? Fun!  

Sometimes the best things, like paper dolls, live on forever!

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and create something fabulous.

Nancy

Playing along with:

        Cards in Envy

        Dream Valley Challenges

        PIP Challenge

        Fussy and Fancy Challenge

        Simply Create Too

        Crafty Friends Challenge

  

Stampendous Tutu Toad - Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside /Cricut CTMH Artfully Sent Pop Ups

This delightful little Tutu Toad from Stampendous has been staring at me everyday for five years from the shelf above my working desk and says, "please let me make someone smile today."  This week I finally had the opportunity to make her wish come true. My friend is recuperating from knee replacement surgery and I think this googly-eyed tiny dancer might be just the encouragement she needs to get her tip toeing through the tulips again soon.  Or at least doing some arabesques in rehab.  In my first attempt at this Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside scene, I created the pop up inside my card but I found my tulips were too floppy and I didn't like the way the pop up looked.  So I aborted my original plan, as I do so often, and created my scene on the front of my card sans the pop up.  I think my little lady and flowers are much sturdier raised with pop dots on this flatter surface.

I still had a vision of a cute pop up inside my card.  I discovered this perfect get well pop up on the Close to My Heart Artfully Sent Cartridge in Cricut Design Space. There's just enough space for me to write my "tip toe through the tulips" note.  Sometimes the best laid plans are replaced by even better ones.

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy

Playing along with:

        Creative Craft Cottage

        Sheepski Designs

        The Rubber Buggy Challenge

        Fab n Funky Challenges

        Scrapy Land Challenge

        Always Fun Challenges
        Retro Rubber - 2012 Stamp

Happy Birthday - You Look Marvelous

It was a delight creating this card for my sweet friend's birthday. I colored this cute  Stamping Bella image with my copics  and I knew I had to add something girly to the inside.

I had this adorable Lori Whitlock vanity pop up in my svg files, just waiting for me to audition it.  It was fairly simple to put together and I love how it turned out.  I just love making cards that do tricks!

Thanks for visiting.

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy

Adding my card to Creative With Stamps Challenge

And:

     Addicted to Stamps

     Seize the Birthday

     Crafty Gals Corner

     Glitter and Sparkle Challenge

     Fussy and Fancy
     Double D Challenge
     Cupcake Inspirations

Class-y Tuesday - Pretty Posies

I'm very fortunate to live in an area where some extremely talented artists share their skills with our paper crafting community.  The Stamp Art Shoppe was the host to some wonderful teachers for many years and we were all very sad when it closed it's doors recently, Happily, some of my favorite teachers are still offering classes in the area.  I created these cards at the Stamp Art Shoppe in a class taught by Susan Porter.  I will be posting more of the cards from Susan's and other artist's classes in my "Classy Tuesday" blogs.

All of these cards were created using the Stampendous Build a Bouquet stamps and dies. I used distress markers on the flowers and blended them with a paint brush and water to achieve the water color affect. 

There are several types of flowers and two different cute glass containers in the set. The coordinating dies make it easy to cut out the images.

Stampendous also makes dies to create pop ups for the inside of cards.

I love tools that can be used in a variety of different ways. This has become my "go to" set for fast and fun cards for all occasions.  

Thanks for visiting. 

Go forth and be fabulous.

Nancy