Sara's Blog

Here’s another of the quick Surfaces projects I showed on QVC a few weeks ago. This one is perfect for holding a gift card or little message for someone special and I love the summertime effect of the vintage-looking bohemian papers and the 3-D folded flower. (Yes, I did cut out that flower all by myself—I may be scissor-challenged but I will make the effort for a cute little flower like this!)

Bohemian Flower Pocket

Supplies:

• Sara’s Surfaces™ Just a Pocket
• Bohemian sarapapers™
• Bohemian Embellish-abilities™
• Fold-Back Swirls Template
• Brown inkpad
• Pink chalk
• Small Zots™
• Glue stick
• X-acto® knife, cutting mat
• Clear tape
• Pencil

Instructions:

1. Fold and score the folder. Cover the bottom front flap with pink dots paper. Cover the top front flap with striped paper, placing the stripes vertically. To cover the surfaces, I apply glue stick to the surface, then place the paper on top and trim around the outside edge. I use scissors to trim the excess paper from the top flap and an X-acto® knife to cut the paper around the bottom flap.
2. Ink the edges of the front flap brown.
3. Cut a 1”-wide strip of green texture paper and glue across the top flap, trimming excess paper from either side of the flap. Wrap pink ribbon around the flap, placing it in the center of the green strip. Use Zots™ to secure the ribbon as you go. Use clear tape to secure the ribbon ends at the left side of the front flap. Tip: If you want to line the inside front flap with paper, do that before adding the ribbon.
4. Use the template to trace the Double Petal shape onto the white side of the brown texture paper. Fold according to template instructions. Chalk the center petals pink.
5. Make a loop of pink ribbon and use a brown brad to attach the flower in the center of the loop. Use Zots™ to attach the flower and ribbon to the left corner of the flap, covering the seam between the ribbon ends. Glue the bottom pocket secure, then fill with a special message or treat!

 

I’ve been having so much fun with the Sara’s Surfaces™—I made a lot of sample projects to show on QVC earlier this month, but we flipped through them so quickly that I thought I’d post a few here. So in the next couple of weeks, I’ll be sharing projects with instructions. Enjoy!

Tea For Two Folder
This folder is a great place to tuck specialty tea bags or other treats!

Supplies:

• Sara’s Surfaces 4-Fold Folder
• Chocolate Use ‘Em for Anything papers
• Chocolate Monograms
• Chocolate Silk Flowers
• Chocolate Brads Pack
• Black inkpad
• Small Zots™
• Glue stick
• Foam tape
• X-acto® knife, cutting mat
• Emery board

Instructions:

1. Fold and score the folder. Cover the front flap and front panel with stripe paper, placing the stripes vertically. Open the folder and cover the inside front flap with dot paper. Ink the edges of the front flap.
2. Open the folder and line the inside panels, alternating striped paper and light cream texture paper. I find it works best to cut my paper slightly smaller than the fold lines—that ensures the folder will close properly. Ink the edges of the paper before attaching with glue.
3. Cover the pocket flaps with dot paper, ink the edges and glue to secure.
4. Use the emery board to heavily sand the “T”, “4” and “2” monograms. Attach the “4” and “2” with foam tape as shown. Insert brads into small silk flowers and attach with Zots™.
5. Cover the back of the “T” with light cream texture paper, trimming the edges with an X-acto knife. Attach the left side of the letter to the front flap only.
6. Add a brad through two silk flowers and secure to the front of the folder with foam tape.

I’ve been so excited about our new stamps—and this week I finally got a chance to play with them. Here’s a very quick and easy watercolor card I made the other morning.

Instructions:

1. Cut the striped paper slightly smaller than the card front; ink the edges green and glue to the center of the card. Ink the edges of the card green.
2. Stamp the blossom onto white cardstock and trim to a 2 3/4”x3” rectangle, then ink the edges. Use watercolor paints to color the flowers blue and the leaves green. (Don’t have watercolors? Try a colored pencil or chalk to color the flowers instead!)
3. Cut a 3”x4” piece of green texture paper. Tear the bottom edge so the white core shows, then ink the edges. Gently roll the torn edge so more white is exposed.
4. Layer the stamped focal on the green texture paper and glue to the front of the card.
5. Hold a sheer yellow ribbon and a green grosgrain ribbon together, then tie a knot in the center. Trim the edges at an angle. Use Zots™ to secure to the front of the card.

I used papers from the 8”x8” Friendship Papers collection plus the Sweet Blossoms & Swirls stamp set.

Happy Fourth of July to all my American friends! I’m actually in London on the Fourth for QVC’s Creative Paper Techniques special with Dawn Bibby…I can’t wait to show all the cool kits scheduled and I’ve been busily making up samples—including a surprise for Dawn. (It involves chocolate!)

Last weekend was a bon voyage party for our friends Alba and Quentin, who are moving to Portland, Oregon! Last time he was in the States, Keith bought them a beautiful framed photograph of the Portland cityscape with Mount Hood in the background. Well, on Saturday we were getting ready to cycle over to their place when I realized we didn’t have anything to gift wrap the picture in…no wrapping paper, no gift bags—not even tissue!

“Can’t we just put it in an Albert Heijn bag?” Keith asked. (The Albert Heijn is the grocery chain here and there is just no way I’m gift-wrapping something in a blue and white plastic grocery bag.)

So I thought of the 8 1/2”x11” Sara’s Surfaces Portfolios. Unfortunately the photo was about two inches too wide—so I cut off the side flaps of the portfolio with my x-acto® knife, decorated it with Citrus Use ‘Em for Anything paper and Citrus Flowers. I tied a sheer white ribbon around it and we were good to go. The best part? It took about 15 minutes to do!

Hope you all have a great Fourth—or if you’re not celebrating with sparklers and picnics, I hope you have a sunny Friday and a great weekend!