Monday, August 25, 2008

                   
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Party Hearty!

Feels like I should add a "dude" after that "party hearty"...takes me back! This "Party Hearty" is another new SU set that was on my first new catalog order that I started playing around with last week. I did not have one set that was just a "birthday" set, and I was always struggling for birthday cards, pulling birthday images out of other sets or being creative like this with Full Calendar, for example. And I love that, don't get me wrong, that's one of the great things about stamps, they can be so versatile. But I love Party Hearty and the matching wheel and am so glad I got them!

Now what about those large brackets? Do you like them? I used my Big Shot with the SU exclusive Top Note Bigz die to make them. I just placed a narrow piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock across each end of the die, then ran it through the Big Shot. Since the die has that perforated edge, it makes it very easy to "cut" the brackets out, and voila, super-size brackets!

The size of the card is a 4 1/4" square. A lot of times my square cards are 5 1/4", but they use the larger envelope and take extra postage. Here's a trick that I got from her stamping royalty, Julie Ebersole, long ago (yes, I'm obsessive and found her post from October 20, 2006!) to mail your 4 1/4" square cards in a regular-size envelope: Cut a coordinating strip of cardstock to 1 1/4" x 4 1/4" and slide it into the envelope next to your card to fill the dead space. Together the two pieces make a regular 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card.

You can get really creative with patterned paper or stamped images to tie the small strip of cardstock into your design. Here I punched a 1/2" hole through the entire envelope, slid the cardstock strip into the envelope, then stamped on both sides of it using the gift image. (Okay, I messed the first one up, so used the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig the second time, doh!).


And that's it! I'm off to see the wizard, no strike that, I'm off to see the children, the wonderful children at school! (You need to sing that to get the full effect in your head!) I don't know how much I'll really get to see them today, but starting tomorrow, we're taking reading assessments on all students grades 2 - 8. Then we'll score, plot, plan, etc to determine the students we'll be working with intensively to help bring them up to grade level reading. Can't wait to start working with the students again!

Hope you have a great Monday! Thanks for stopping by!

Recipe
Stamps: Party Hearty
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Bella Rose DSP, Summer Picnic DSP.

Ink: Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Baja Breeze.
Accessories: Circle Punches (1 3/4", 1 3/8", 1", and 1/2"), Baja Breeze Designer Button, Linen Thread, Top Note Bigz Die, Big Shot, Dimensionals.

24 comments:

~amy~ said...

I love your 4.25 inch card...FUN Birthday card Angie! What a great idea about the brackets...can't wait to order that die...seriously. Julie Ebersole rocks, doesn't she?!

Lynn said...

Adorable card! I've been saving the backets when I cut off the edge to layer my top notes but have not created anything with them yet. Thanks for the inspiration (dude!) ;-)

Jess said...

Love the card! I have that set, must CASE! I left you something on my blog. I bet you've already gotten it, but I just wanted to let you know that your work is totally spectacular and inspires me so much!

Lisa H. said...

I love this set (I got it too). and yes, those brackets are great, will have to try that idea out.

Tina said...

This is great as usual!

Savitri said...

Clever! I LOVE that!!! The red stamp gift idea. Will try if I can find me some itty bitty stamps!

Oh, thanks for the song! Great job, now I'll be singing it alllll daaaay loooooong!!

Karen Kelly said...

Love the brackets! Great idea...can't wait to get my die!

Anonymous said...

Brackets!! I love this idea! And your envelope with a punched out circle ROCKS!! TFS.

Michelle Tech said...

Get OUT, Dude! Those brackets are way cool! How do you come up with this stuff? I'm lucky to just be inking up my new stamps before I put them away and forget I have them, much less get all fancy and stuff...

Kerry D-C said...

Dude!!!! I totally did sing "I'm off to see the children...." LOL! Way cute and fun card! Like Totally!

Becky Carafa said...

Angie, you are so clever! I love the brackets! Hope your year gets off to a great start! I don't miss it at all, and I still have a couple years before Adam starts!

Catherine said...

love your card and very clever on how u did the envelope..cute!

corinnesomerville said...

Oh My Gosh, Angie !!! I love this !!! Genius !!! Way to go :)!!!

Lori said...

CUTENESS!!!!

Jackie Pedro said...

Love this card, Angie! The brackets are awesome!! Very very clever of you!!

Donna Baker said...

cool card, Angie! love the tip & how you used the punched envelope to match up with your image-clever! love the big brackets!

Kim Gasper said...

Brilliant idea to create those brackets. I love your custom envelope too.

Alex said...

Very cute Angie and I love the envie - great job, girl! And yep, I figured out the basket - oh girl, if you only knew what I had tried to do thinking I was using the right piece for the bottom - LOL! *STAMPIN HUGS* Alex

Kim said...

SO FUN!! Love the envie idea!!

Anonymous said...

Hush UP!! Oh how clever you are! (Wait a minute .. I already knew that!) This is just delightful! I can't even tell that you're really getting back to your "day" job! You go girl!

chloe said...

CLEVER CLEVER GAL! lOVE THIS IDEA!!

kathleenh said...

Wow! Oh Wow! I LOVE this Angie!!! The big brackets are the bomb. I'm totally borrowing that idea. I love this set too but it is still on my wish list. I love the colors and all of the fun circles.

Anonymous said...

GREAT!! I only wanted the big shot, now I NEED IT!!!!!

Julie Davison said...

Brilliant! Absolutely fabulous!