... "packages tied up with string"

A random card for a random week. Mouse (the cat) and

I have been sick & we're all sleep-deprived.
(Though Mouse has been sleeping during the day):

(in the recycling basket) heehee

I have some kinda nasty bug, again. And she's in heat, again. She's been so reactive to medication and she's so tiny that we've been afraid to have her fixed. She lives on the 15th floor so no worries about boys... But we have to give in: next week is the date to take her in. I'm worried silly (as only a crazy fur-mommy can be). Sigh....

Anywho, here's the details about this birthday card:

The gift images are from an MFT stamp set called Top Shelf.
They're stamped on digital patterned paper from TracyAnnDigitalArt on etsy.

And they're popped up in the most affordable way possible.
(Those of you who love foam dots may cringe at this,
but I don't really like them much).
Sometimes, they're just too thick & do you ever wonder
how they stand up to the test of time?

But most of all, You can see them from the side.
(Crafter's O.C.D. all the way, baby!)


(Paper instead of foam dots
under images for dimension)

Sooooh... if we're going to go to all the trouble of adding special
touches to a card why have foam undies show?

Here's my fave, free (and acid-free)
alternative to foam dots.
It's nothing revolutionary: paper...



Scrap paper for dimension:

1) Stamp your image on paper.
2) Then, stamp the images again on scrap cardstock.
3) Cut the scrap paper out so that it's smaller than the image.
4) Stick the layers together with your adhesive of choice.



Flexible options: Stamp several times so you can
cut out more scraps for various levels.

I love that paper is so flexible that way. You're not limited to one width,
of whatever foam dot you have; you can add however many layers of
paper you want to add under an image).

Hard to tell from the photo, but the bottom gift has more layers
of paper under it than the top.

Then they all have thread
stitched around them to look like string.

The bow is pierced & stitched by hand, onto the pressure embossed argyle.

The vellum cardstock tag is stitched on too.
To get a heat-embossed font on it was easy peasy:

1) Cut a piece of vellum cardstock in half (to fit the printer).
2) Type out your text in a word document & colour it.
3) Have clear embossing powder ready to go.
4) Print the text out on the vellum cardstock.
5)Quickly sprinkle clear embossing powder on wet printer ink.
6) Gently heat with a heat gun to melt the embossing powder.
7) Use your heat-embossed computer sentiment however you like...

If you're curious about how the flower was made with a
circle punch, there are directions here.

Other Supplies: Kraft, White, Blue, & Vellum cardstock; Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 5 (with the sides trimmed off); Argyle Cuttlebug embossing folder; Blue, green, white & black thread; YG00 Mimosa Copic marker & white souffle pen to make leaves.

This is the ledger I used here (printed on kraft cardstock).
You can download it from this older post, here:

(or on Flickr here).

The lined paper white cardstock
is here with some other freebies:

Hope you're having a lovely week,