Spellbinders™ Spring Blog Hop and Giveaway Day 2

Greetings blog friends!  Happy May Day!

This contest is now closed. Please visit the Spellbinders Blog to see the remaining open contests! Thank you!

Welcome to DAY 2 of Spellbinders Spring Blog Hop and Giveaway!

Since today is May Day, I have some little May baskets to share with you!

I created the patterned paper for each basket using a Letter Press technique with Spellbinders™ Grand Impressabilities. The baskets were cut with the Square Petal Top Box die template only I curled the petals open. I added a handle and a cute tag. Believe it or not, these are quite easy!

Supply List:

•       Spellbinders GI-005 Flower Delight

•       Spellbinders LF-012 Square Petal Top Box

•       Spellbinders S4-191 Dahlia #2,3

•       Spellbinders LF-127 Grand Scalloped Squares #6

•       Clearsnap Colorbox Inks – pink, mint, heliotrope

•       JustRite You Inspire Me

•       Scor-Pal Scor-Tape – ½”

•       Buttons Galore & More – white, pink buttons

•       Xyron Permanent Adhesive

•       Ribbon – mint, pink, purple

•       Pearl cotton – white

•       Purple Buttons

•       Glue Dots

•       White cardstock and text paper

•       Black ink

•       Yellow tissue Paper

•       Magnet sheets

•       Viola plants or candy

First of all, I’ll show you how to make the letter press paper that I used for each of the baskets. I chose to do 3 colors and mix and match the handles, tags and base of my baskets. Each basket, including base box, handle and tag require just one 8 ½ x 11” piece of cardstock and a sheet of text or printer paper which is optional.

We’ll start with Grand Impressabilities Flower Delight, 2 magnet sheets, Colorbox Petal Point Enchantment ink and re-inkers for the pink, heliotrope, and mint plus white cardstock and text weight paper (printer paper).

I cover my work surface with plain newsprint. On that I place the 2 magnet sheets one on top of the other face up. These will hold the Grand Impressabilities in place while I ink it. I discovered 2 magnets are much stronger than one and really hold my paper and Grand Impressabilities together tightly! Next, I place a piece of cardstock (or text weight paper ) on top of the magnet. The Flower Delight Grand Impressabilities lies on top of the paper.

The magnet holds the Grand Impressabilities tightly in place so the paper under it will have a stenciled pattern of the Flower Delight. I dab the ink over the Grand Impressabilities using one of the Colorbox Petal Point inks. I use a twisting motion as well to work the ink into the small spaces of the flower centers. The goal is to ink the Grand Impressabilities! The stenciled sheet is a bonus!

In this photo, you can see the inked Flower Delight Impressabilities as well as the stenciled paper that was under it. A bonus sheet for another project! After it’s all inked, I place it on the Grand Calibur base plate with a sheet of newsprint over my base plate (under the Impressabilities) to catch any excess ink and keep my base plate clean. Next step is to carefully lay a piece of white cardstock over the Impressabilities. Once it’s in place, I hold it in place with one hand while I lay the embossing mat over it. Place the pink embossing plate on top. Hold the sandwich snuggly together and run it through the Grand Calibur™ machine.

The letter pressed sheet! The inked pattern is crisp and embossed! The actual inking of the Grand Impressabilities takes a little time, but the whole letter press process is really quite easy! Because I used a pigment ink, the Grand Impressabilities still has enough ink for a second generation print. The second time I use text weight paper which is on the inside of my baskets. Repeat the sandwich layers - base plate, newsprint, Grand Impressabilities, text weight paper, embossing mat and pink plate. Run it through the Grand Calibur machine.

The result will be a very pastel letter press sheet. I used my Xyron with Permanent adhesive to fasten the text weight paper to the back of the letter press cardstock sheet. I was able to easily cut both layers with the Petal Top Box die template and the Grand Calibur machine for my baskets.

Now we’re ready to make a basket!

These are the die templates for the basket and tag: Square Petal Top Box & Dahlia

 First, cut the Petal Top Box on the dark side of the letter press paper with text paper backing.

(I forgot to take a photo of this step earlier so this photo shows a stencil pattern paper rather than the letter press paper.)

By laying the Petal Top Box die template very close to one end, there will be enough paper leftover for the handles and tag. Cut but do not emboss the Petal Top Box!

I chose not to emboss the box template with the Grand Calibur machine because I didn’t want the emboss line across the petals. Instead, I scored the lines for folding with my Scor-Pal and stylus. No score lines across the petals!

Make all the folds. Before assembly, curl the petal edges by rolling the paper over a round pencil. Use 1/2” Scor-Tape to fasten the box together.

Cut 2 – 1 x 7 ½” strips from the leftover paper to make the handle. I used ½” Scor-Tape™ to fasten the ends together with about a 2” lap to form a 1 x 13” strip. I added 2 strips of Scor-Tape at each end of the handle to fasten it inside the basket.

For the tag, cut Dahlia #2 out of the letter press leftovers. Stamp the verse on a scrap of white cardstock with black ink. Then align the Dahlia #1 die template around the verse, tape in place, and cut. Fasten them together and punch a 1/8” hole at the top. Use Pearl Cotton to tie tag to the basket handle.

Tie a ribbon bow around the basket handle near the tag.

Thread pearl cotton in 4 buttons. Fasten one to each side of basket edges.

Voila! A basket!!

The finishing touch is tissue cut with a scalloped edge. I used Spellbinders Grand Scalloped Squares #6 to cut 6 pieces at the same time! I used 2 sheets in each basket.

These baskets can easily be filled with candies, a tiny gift or a tiny plant. I chose tiny Violas to fill each of my baskets. I tucked 2 plants into a Styrofoam cup that I had trimmed short. The tissue paper hides the cups. The little flowers are so cute peaking around the tags and handles!!!

The Spellbinders™ Spring Blog Hop will begin April 30th, and will end on May 5th, 2012. It consists of 16 individual and one grand prize drawings.  Enter the Spellbinders™ Spring Blog Hop by visiting the participating blogs each day.

From each Blog Hop post, click on the Blog Hop "Enter HERE" at the end of each blog to open the entry form. You may only enter once from each blog each day.

Spellbinders™ will randomly draw one winner from each participating blog to receive all of that day’s products. The Grand Prize Winner will be randomly drawn from the pool of entrants that sent entry forms from each and every participating blog during the 48 hours each blog was open. For the full list of official rules please click RULES.

**Enter the Contest by Clicking Here**

I hope you enjoyed your visit today!  Why not give this Letter Press technique a try!!!  This technique can be used on all the Impressabilities.   Feel free to contact me with any questions.

For even more inspiration, hop over to Iwona’s blog .  I know she’ll have something wonderful to share!

Here’s a list of all the participating designers and their blog links:

Monday, April 30th

Darsie Bruno

Debbie Seyer

Lesley Langdon

Tuesday, May 1st

Judy Hayes – You are here!

Iwona Palamountain

Wednesday, May 2nd

Beate Johns

Christine Emberson

Windy Robinson

Thursday, May 3rd

Yvonnne Van de Grijp

Tina McDonald

Heidi Van Laar

Friday, May 4th

Teresa Horner

Michelle Woerner

Saturday, May 5th

Linda Lucas

Angela Ploegman

Theresa Momber

 

Questions?  ContestQuestions@Spellbinders.us 

No entries will be accepted at this email address.