Mail It Monday - Pocket Letters

Happy Mail It Monday! Let's start the week off on a positive note by mailing a card, or two, or twenty, to people who are special in our lives! We all know how wonderful it feels to get happy mail, spread the love today!

Today I have a special guest with a fantastic and gorgeous idea! The idea of a pocket letter has been around for some time. They are a clever way to send something special in the mail. I know you will love this idea and will be totally inspired by the amazing, Wanda Guess!

Hi everyone! It's Wanda Guess and I'm so excited that Kimberly invited me to join her to talk about Mail it Monday this week. For some time I have been in love with the 'Pocket Letter' concept. I finally made one at Christmas time, and now I'm hooked on making them! Today I'm sharing a fun, colorful, crafty themed Pocket Letter! Perfect for sending to your crafty friends.

Basically, a pocket letter is a letter with pockets! You use a trading card plastic sleeve, and each pocket has a different item inside: sequins, stickers, paper, whatever you like! Then, when the letter is done, it folds in thirds and fits into a business envelope for mailing. People make all kinds of beautiful pocket letters and you can get inspiration from searching for them on Pinterest or Instagram. So fun, right? The trading card sleeves are inexpensive - I get mine at The Container Store, but they have them at any office supply store. 

One great (and easy) thing to use for Pocket Letters is the large 12x12 paper sheets that come in paper collections. The ones that already are divided into sections for Project Life, etc. Trim them to size! I also love using sequins and stickers. Anything you have on hand in your craft room will work. 

I use my We R Memory Keepers Fuse Tool to seal the pockets with the sequins inside. I also like to create little accents to clip onto my Pocket Letters. To do this, use a plastic sleeve and your Fuse Tool to make any shape. For this project I free hand 'drew' a heart with my Fuse Tool and put some pretties inside. To finish it off, I use matching washi tape along the left edge to tie the whole project together. In this case I used some aqua/gold chevron washi tape. 

The only thing to remember? Have fun with it! Whoever gets these in the mail is sure to be happy and excited to receive such a treat! It's Mail It Monday! Thank you Kimberly, for inviting me to be part of the fun. XOXO

The papers are all from these two collections: Echo Park I'd Rather Be Crafting and Pebbles Girl Squad

Wow! Wow! Wow! What a fun idea! I could see adding stickers, tea bags, gift cards, stamped images, and more to those pockets! Imagine all the fun things you could find to mail a friend! Thank you so much, Wanda! Be sure and visit A Blog Called Wanda for more!

Sincerely Yours,

The Heart of a Card - new class from Big Picture Classes

As card makers, you pour love, creativity, and time into the design of your heartfelt cards. But do you carry that sentiment into the inside of your cards? Kimberly Crawford explores making the heart of the card–the inside–just as powerful and inspiring as the outside. Learn unique techniques such as pop-ups, shaker cards, acetate cards, and more. These unique cards will be sure to bring a smile to your recipient's face.  

I am thrilled to announce my latest class at Big Picture Classes called, The Heart of a Card! This class was a ton of fun to put together and I know you will have a blast learning about all the fun ways to take the beauty of the front of your card to the inside!

From stamping to die cutting to unique products all that make the inside of a card special, take this class, starting today! The lessons each include a video tutorial, photos, tips, and tons of ideas! The best part about these classes is that students can share their work. I truly mean that is the best part! There is nothing better than seeing what each person's creative mind designs! Plus, when you share, you inspire others! How I love that!

Its hard to believe this is my 7th class at Big Picture Classes! When you enroll, you can take as many classes as you choose. Each month. Every class can be taken at your own pace. I enjoy sitting down and working through the class as I watch. Simply pause the video and experiment. Classes include card making, scrapbooking, photography, crafts, kids crafting, and so, so much more! See you there!

thanks for stopping by!

kimberly

Cinderella never asked for...

Check out the beautiful new collection called Metropolitan Girl from Carta Bella! Its trendy and fun and frilly!!! All the details can be found on the Echo Park Paper Blog.

And that sentiment is SO funny! Perfect to send to a friend who needs a giggle. :D

thanks for stopping by!

kimberly

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Good Things Jar

Didn't expect me back so soon, did you?! Well, file this project under the category of something my family was excited about! Yes!! Combining my love for them AND paper crafting! Whoop!

Scrapbook and Cards Today Magazine shared this wonderful idea on their Facebook page. The idea showed a jar and paper. The paper is for writing down the good things that happen during the year. Then, store them all the jar until New Year's Eve. On that night, take them out and read them as a family. What a wonderful way to record your great moments and to look back at all the wonderful things that happened!

So, as I was strolling through the Dollar Spot at Target (ok, I went to Target specifically for the Dollar Spot, its a weakness) I saw this adorable jar with a wooden top. I knew it would be perfect for our Good Things Jar!

I decorated the front and top of the jar with Magical Adventure collection papers and stickers from Echo Park paper. The words were perfect and the colors even better as gold and reds dominate our house decor! 

The boys are excited about this idea too. The jar is sitting by the kitchen and I cannot wait for the first "Good Thing" that we get to put in the jar! 

I hope this inspires you to create your own "Good Things" jar! Any jar will do, plain, or fancy! Maybe your kiddos would even love to decorate a jar! Enjoy savoring those happy moments!

thanks for stopping by!

kimberly

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Christmas Frame Decor

Hi everyone! Today I am sharing a fun Christmas home decor project. It is part of a collaboration between Echo Park Paper and Details 2 Enjoy. You already know how fantastic the papers and dies from Echo Park are, but it is fun to pair them with these incredibly clever Pocket Frames from Details 2 Enjoy.

Pocket Frames come in different sizes, but what is cool about them is the fact that you can change the insides around. Details 2 Enjoy carries different shaped openings, allowing you to change the frame for the seasons! The top of the frame is magnetic, making the switch easy! 

From the moment I saw the buffalo plaid print in the Christmas Delivery collection, my project came to life. Hello, buffalo plaid! Let me count the ways I love thee! :D On the hexagon piece of MDF, I adhered the paper, cutting it away from the edges. Once the edges were trimmed, I sanded off the edges to add some distress and age. The back panel of the Pocket Frame was covered with black cardstock. I spread white ink all over it, for more distressing and to create a more realistic chalkboard look.

Then I began die cutting-tons of leaves, vines, and branches. Because it was a Christmas project, some of the branches needed to be snow covered. At first I thought about adding white embossing powder and heat it up, but then I got smart and realized that if I sanded off the top layer of color from the patterned paper, it would look even better! Keep that trick handy in your back pocket! 

To the brown branches, I added metallic enamel dots. The gold and silver brought shine and coordinated nicely with the glitter pine cone I placed in the center of the branches.

I finished things off with a large journaling card and a few stickers. Now this piece sits in our home and I love that I added something that I made!

thanks for stopping by!

kimberly

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

FREE project idea book from Echo Park Paper!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that you had a wonderful holiday with friends and family! I wanted to share this adorable fox card with you. Its made from Designer Dies from Echo Park Paper! Seriously! Such a cool layered image! Did you know that Echo Park and Carta Bella offer a FREE downloadable idea book? Yep! And it is full of serious eye candy. Head to their website now and check out the latest edition, Holiday Idea Book 2016!

thanks for stopping by!

kimberly

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

adorable snowman card making

The I Love Winter collection from Echo Park Paper is just plain adorable! Visit the 

Echo Park Paper Blog for more on how to create this sweet snowman card!

thanks for stopping by!

kimberly

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

unique Christmas card background with a stencil

It certainly is getting to be the most wonderful time of the year! Have you started your Christmas cards yet? No, well, let my post over on the Echo Park Paper Blog inspire you to add an extra special touch to your next set of cards. Using a stencil and embossing powder take your holiday cards to another level with sparkle and shine! 

thanks for stopping by!

kimberly

Supplies:

InLinkz.com