DeNami Design Product Spotlight May Blog Hop

It's the fourth Wednesday of the month and that means it is time to show off another awesome DeNami Design stamp with a blog hop! This month we are featuring the very timely Diploma stamp.

What newly minted graduate does not need thank you notes after commencement? I can't think of a single one! So I put this big ol' diploma to work on a clean and simple thank you card suitable for any guy or girl graduate. Here's how it turned out:

In addition to our spotlight Diploma stamp, I used Thank You Script, Black Stripes washi tape, and Tuxedo Black Memento Ink from the DeNami Design store.

You can purchase this Diploma stamp for 10% off the regular price for the next week. You also have the chance to WIN this fabulous product in today's spotlight blog hop! All you need to do is hop along to each stop in the lineup, leaving comments along the way. Here is the blog hop lineup:

DeNami blog 
Lisa Petrella
Deb Wabbe
Wendy Elliot
Emily Keaton  <==== you are here!
Lisa Elton
Pattie Goldman
Tammy Hobbs

One commenter will be selected at random to win this month's prize! Just check out the DeNami blog for all the details.

Thanks for stopping by today--have a super day!
Emily

May DeNami Inspired By

Greetings, blog friends! Welcome to the May edition of DeNami Design's Inspired By feature! Each month we feature one talented DeNami customer's work, and then honor that wonderful artist with a host of DeNami DT projects inspired by it! This month we were inspired by Tina M.

You can read all about Tina's inspiring design right HERE.

I was inspired by five aspects of Tina's creation:

1. the monochromatic color scheme
2. the two-tone stamping on the focal image
3. her use of an embossed background
4. the layout of her design
5. the little gemstones she used as an accent at the bottom right 

I tried to pick up all of these in my creation:

I went monochromatic, only with shades of blue {Pearlescent Sky Blue Brilliance ink} rather than black. I achieved her two-tone focal image by stamping off with the larger image in the Peacock Feathers stamp set.  I changed up the embossed background by using the funky Multi Circles embossing folder. I altered her sketch a bit by incorporating the sentiment (Medium Double Circle, Thank You Circle, and a heart from the Hearts stamp set) into the focal image panel. And finally, I riffed on Tina's trio of gemstones by embellishing the center of each circle in my embossed background with a pearl drawn on with a 3D Crystal Lacquer Pearl Pen.

Be sure to head over to the DeNami Design blog today to see how the rest of the team was inspired by Tina's lovely creation!

Thanks so much for visiting today. May your day be filled with bliss!
Emily

Some one-layer cards

Howdy, friends! I'm popping in to share a couple of one-layer thank you cards that I created last week. I love having cards like this in my stash for easy mailing!

I made both of these with some beautiful stamp sets from Flourishes (although, sadly, no longer available) and washi tape from DeNami Design. I had a lovely time coloring these with my Copics!

I have some very special houseguests this week--my parents are here to visit! We're going to have a busy week, so things may be a little quiet here on the blog.

Thanks for dropping by to see what I've been up to! Have a great week!
Emily

Rosy Thanks a Bunch

A very happy Wednesday to you! Are you surviving the cold? We've had two straight mornings with single digit (F) temperatures here. Yikes! Arctic vortex, go away!!

Well, the DeNami Design team is doing another DeNami Product Spotlight today, and this time around we are featuring what very well may be my favorite DeNami stamp set of all time, the Solid Rose Accents set:

I've found myself reaching for this solid stamp set time and time again ever since I first acquired it! I think that rose image is just oh, so sweet, and the foliage complements it perfectly.

For today's card, I stamped and fussy-cut a quartet of roses to make a colorful thank-you card:

I used the rose and frond images from the Solid Rose Accents set, Thanks a Bunch, Onyx Black Versafine ink, and Spanish Moss Versafine ink. And can you see the subtle texture on the lined patterned paper? I added that with a Chevron Embossing Folder from the DeNami store. I LOVE how that turned out. The zigzag pattern really adds a lot of pizzazz :). I added a band of bright fuchsia color with a narrow strip of crepe paper. I love how it packs a punch but still allows a bit of the underlying striped patterned paper to peek through.

It's always fun to see how others use the same stamp set, so be sure to check out the rest of the team's lovely creations today on the DeNami blog. Like what you see? Then you can score a great deal on the Solid Rose Accents set--as our Spotlight Product, it's on sale at 10% off for the next week!!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Emily

The Snow-la-bration continues . . .

We've got more snow on the docket for today, so I've still got snow on the brain! Recently my son celebrated his 11th birthday (how could that be?? He was a toddler just only yesterday--I'm sure of it!!), and it's time for him to write his thank-you notes. Today I'm sharing one of the six that I made for him to use for that task. Who wouldn't love to write  a note of thanks on a sweet snowman note like this one?

I used a bunch of fine products from the DeNami Design store for this creation: the snowman's face comes from the Seasonal Faces stamp set, You're the Best sentiment stamp, Snowflake Swirl embossing folder, and some pretty blue baker's twine.

My sweet blogging friend Pam started a fun new papercrafting challenge last month. It's called Just Punch It and the challenges are all about punch art! I was so bummed that I was never able to find time to play along with her first challenge (the timing lined up with my crazy run to get ready for Thanksgiving), but I was hoping, hoping, hoping that I'd be able to play along with the next one. The latest challenge is an easy one: Christmas! I'm so glad that I was able to join in!

Thanks for stopping by,
Emily

Snowflake Thank You Note Gift Set

Good Monday morning to you! We woke up to a winter wonderland this morning--our first tracking snow! Only about an inch or so, really, but everything is white and pretty. The snow is to turn to sleet and rain later in the day, so I know this won't last, but still--it makes me happy to see it!

I'm going to celebrate by sharing a little snow-themed gift this morning! I made this snowflake thank you note gift set for the Purple Onion Designs Holiday Design Team. It's a set of six one-layer thank you notes with three each of two different designs. I used both gorgeous snowflakes heat-embossed in white, from the Vintage Snowflakes Set, both embellishments from the Vintage Journaling Set, and a beautifully scripted Thank You sentiment, all from Purple Onion Designs.

I slipped the set of notes along with six envelopes into a clear note card box and set about prettying up my packaging. I used the smallest label from the Plain Jane Labels set to make a gift tag just the perfect size for the "let it snow" sentiment from the Handwritten Holiday set. I decorated my tag with a little blue rub-on snowflake embellished with a tiny pearl. Finally I stamped the Merry Christmas tape from the Holiday Border Tape Set on a cardstock band to wrap around the base of the box.

And there you have it:  a snowy little card set all ready for holiday giving!!

I hope you have a fabulous day in your neck of the woods today! Thanks for stopping by,
Emily

Christmas Stamped Gifts

Happy December 1st, my friends! It's time to start those Advent calendars--what a happy time!

Today I'm bringing you a few more holiday gift projects as part of the Purple Onion Designs Holiday Design Team. Today the team is focusing on stamped gifts. I think I've mentioned before that I'm trying to make as many of the gifts my family will give this year as possible. First I have another item that will make a perfect teacher gift--what elementary school teacher ever has enough thank you notes?

I started by making a set of six one-layer thank-you notes, two each of three different designs using the super sweet Laurel, Filbert, and Elm characters from Stacey Yacula's holiday rubber stamp collection and a whimsical Thanks sentiment (#PF01), all from Purple Onion Designs, of course. Stamped on linen-textured cardstock and colored with Copic markers, these simple notes will be easy for a teacher to use and mail (with lumps, bumps, or extra postage!).

Next up--some packaging to make this gift extra special! I slid the notes and six envelopes into a cellophane treat bag and stapled on a hand-stamped bag topper created with a variety of Purple Onion Designs rubber stamps: an oval frame from the Vintage Journaling Set, the smaller flake from the Snowflake Set, a fantastic sentiment from the Handwritten Holiday Set, a pair of To/From sentiments for the back of the topper, and, of course, another sweet Filbert the Penguin!

 

Here's a little peek at the back of the package. You can see the tone-on-tone snowflake stamping a little better here, and there's the To/From sentiments that make this packaging gift-ready!

My fifth-grader is already excited to give this gift to one of his teachers!

For my second project, I'm sharing a snowflake Christmas ornament. I started by stamping the six-pointed snowflake from Purple Onion Designs' Vintage Snowflake Set and heat-embossing it in silver. After trimming it out, I mounted it on a snowflake diecut and blinged it up with silver Stickles and rhinestones.

I wanted to make my snowflake commemorative, so I stamped the date (using a retired mini alphabet/number set from POD) and a "Merry Christmas" sentiment from the Handwritten Holiday set on the back of the ornament.

Be sure to swing by the Purple Onion Designs blog today for lots more ideas for stamped holiday gifts from the POD Holiday Design Team!

Enabler alert!! Purple Onion Designs is running a Holiday Sale right now, with 25% off ALL STAMPS in the store! The sale runs through Tuesday, December 10, 2013. So be sure to check it out!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Emily

Leafy Give Thanks

Howdy, DeNami friends! It's my turn to share a little DeNami inspiration over on the DeNami blog today, so I thought I'd give you a peek of it here as well. How about a Thanksgiving card?

This card is on the petite side; it's only 3.75" x 3.75". I created the background on my card base by stamping DeNami's Decorative Flourish repeatedly with watermark ink and heat embossing with clear embossing powder. Then I did some tone-on-tone stamping, still using the Decorative Flourish, on each of the colored squares. I added some subtle pattern to each of the leaves with DeNami's Medium Solid Filigree stamp. And finally, I built my focal point with the Give Thanks Circle and a little leaf from the Autumn Petit Fours stamp set. I just love these happy colors for fall!

Thanks for dropping by today!
Emily

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: (Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise) Papertrey Ink; (Candy Necklace) Bazzill Basics; (purple) DCWV; (red)
Rubber stamps: (Give Thanks Circle, Medium Solid Filigree, Decorative Flourish, leaf from Autumn stamp set) DeNami Design
Dye ink: (Pumpkin Pie) Stampin’ Up!
Pigment ink: (Satin Red) Tsukineko
Watermark ink: (clear) Tsukineko
Embossing powder: (clear) DeNami Design
Accent: (plum rhinestone) KaiserCraft
Tool: (corner rounder) Creative Memories; (square and circle punches) EK Success; (maple leaf punch) Martha Stewart Crafts

Photo Tutorial: Pencil Toppers

It's my turn to share another tutorial over on the DeNami Design blog today! This time around I'm showing how to create fun little pencil toppers, perfect for back to school or as kid-friendly (non-candy!) favors for birthdays or holidays. Be sure to check out the DeNami blog to see how to create these:

Have a fabulous weekend, and thanks so much for dropping by!
Emily 

Good Teaching

Yesterday was my kids's first day of school for the 2013-2014 academic year. The summer went by so fast! And that's not the only thing going fast--my first-born started high school yesterday. Eek!! I can't possibly be old enough to be the parent of a high school student, can I???? {apparently the answer to that is "yes," but it sure doesn't seem possible!}

I expect my children to write thank you notes to their teachers at the end of the year, and I figure it's never too early to start accumulating a stash. So, here's my first teacher thank-you note of the year (it's also being featured over on the DeNami blog today):

I printed that awesome quote by Josef Albers directly on the card base, and then added a sweet teacher-appropriate decoration made with the Small Apple stamp and "thanks" sentiment from the Everyday Greetings stamp set, both from DeNami Design.

I heat embossed the image with clear embossing powder and then watercolor painted it using dye inks.

Thanks so much for dropping by today. I hope you have a fabulous day! :D
Emily

DeNami Design Product Spotlight August Blog Hop

Good morning! Thanks for stopping by today! The DeNami Design team is featuring a brand-new cling-style rubber stamp set in our Product Spotlight today, the elegant Peacock Feathers set. And we're showing it off BLOG HOP STYLE!

And here's the direction I went with this week's Product Spotlight stamp set:

Somehow I just couldn't shake the idea of making these elegant feathers bright pink! Some Black Chevron washi tape from the DeNami store and the oh-so-perfect You're the Best sentiment round out this card, well, perfectly!

You can purchase this elegant stamp set for 10% off the regular price for the next week. You also have the chance to WIN this fabulous product in today's spotlight blog hop! All you need to do is hop along to each stop in the lineup, leaving comments along the way. Here is the blog hop lineup:

DeNami blog 
Lisa Petrella
Deb Wabbe
Wendy Elliot
Emily Keaton  <==== you are here!
Lisa Elton
Pattie Goldman
Dana Seymour
Tammy Hobbs

One commenter will be selected at random to win this month's prize! Just check out the DeNami blog for all the details.

I hope you have a day filled with bliss!!
Emily

Sweet Apples

Welcome to the first DeNami Product Spotlight of August! Today the DeNami Design team is sharing design ideas for the utterly delightful Apples & Pears stamp set.

I paired this sweet little set with the equally sweet Apple Basket stamp to make a clean and simple card that would be perfect for thanking someone who's been super sweet to you!

To make this card, I also used these products from the DeNami Design store: You Are Sweet cling stamp, brown kraft cardstock, Tuxedo Black Memento ink, Satin Red Versafine ink, and Red/White Dot Line washi tape.

Be sure to check out the rest of the team's lovely creations today on the DeNami blog. Like what you see? Then you can score a great deal on the Apples & Pears stamp set--as our Spotlight Product, it's on sale at 10% off for the next week!!

Thanks for stopping by today!
Emily

DeNami Sweet & Simple Blog Hop

Welcome to the DeNami Design Sweet & Simple Blog Hop! Today the DeNami Design Team and customers alike are featuring projects that focus on keeping it simple.

Hopefully, you've arrived here by way of Ruza Rebel's blog. If so, you are on the right track! If not, you'll want to head over to the DeNami blog to start the blog hop at the beginning. (And remember, if you get lost along the way, you can always head over to the DeNami blog to get pointed in the right direction.)

Don't forget, there are some super-fun DeNami prizes to be won! Two lucky commenters will be drawn at random from among the comments left along the blog hop to win a $20 DeNami Design gift certificate! You have until Monday, August 12, 2013, 11:59 pm PST, to leave comments on all the blogs to be eligible for a prize. 
 
Let's get ready to meet today's project!

I fell in love with the brand-new Chickie With Balloons the second I first saw it! And I immediately knew that I just had to pair it up with the oh-so-clever Thanks a Bunch sentiment (you know, for the "bunch" of balloons that Chickie is holding!). I knew that this combo would be perfect for a sweet and simple design for today's blog hop! I only needed three other items from the DeNami store to complete my project:  lavender cardstock, celery cardstock, and Tuxedo Black Memento ink.

Not only am I sharing a sweet and simple project today, but I'm keeping my post short and sweet! Before you leave, be sure to leave a comment to be eligible for the randomly drawn prizes and then you can be on your way to the next stop on the hop, the blog written by Greta Hess. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Enjoy the blog hop,

Emily

Ways With Washi: GIFT CARDS + a Giveaway

Greetings, friends! I'm here today with my July edition of Ways With Washi, developed for the DeNami Design blog. Today I'm exploring another practical side of washi tape:  I love using it to tape down gift cards and cash in birthday cards and gift enclosures! Not only does the washi tape add a cute pop of color, it keeps those small gift cards (and not to mention easily misplaced cash!) in place when you enclose them in a card. Plus, most washi tape is easily removed, so it won't damage the cash or card.

I've created a few samples to give you a better idea of what I mean. To get us started, I made a fun birthday card with an interior sentiment on the right-hand panel. That blank interior panel on the left is the perfect place to tape in a $20 bill as a birthday gift with some punchy Pink Chevron washi tape from DeNami. 

Additional products from the DeNami Design store: Celebrate Circle stamp, Chickie with Balloons stamp, Happy Birthday from All Occasion Sentiments stamp set, lime cardstock, Tuxedo Black Memento ink

Now how about an easy way to say thank you? Giving a gift card along with a handmade card is one of my favorite ways to do so. I can easily keep the gift card secure by taping it next to a "thank you" sentiment inside the card with some washi tape, like this fun Blue Stripes washi tape from DeNami. See? Simple! But it has loads of impact.

Additional products from the DeNami Design store: Thank You Script stamp, red cardstock, Tuxedo Black Memento ink

For my last project for today, I wanted to show you how easy it is to make your own gift card holder from a glassine bag with the help of some washi tape.

Additional products from the DeNami Design store: glassine bag, Fancy Flutters set, Elegant Oval Frame stamp, Decorative Flourish stamp, lavender cardstock, Opaque Cotton White StazOn ink, Tuxedo Black Memento ink

You can decorate the exterior of the glassine bag however you'd like. I did a bit of background stamping directly on the glassine bag with white StazOn ink and kept my focal point on the smaller side so you can catch a tantalizing glimpse of what's inside!

Then I simply cut a cardstock tag and taped on a colorful gift card with some equally colorful Purple/White Dots washi tape from DeNami. I even used some washi tape to create a pull tab to help slide out the gift! Simple and quick.

GIVEAWAY

How would you like to win a roll of washi tape? I have a brand-new roll of Purple/White Dots washi tape from DeNami Design--the same tape that I used on my last project for today--that I'd love to give away to a reader of this post. Want to be in the running? Just leave me a comment on this post using the word "GIFT." There's no need to be a follower of my blog to enter, but if you are a follower (or become a new follower!), you can have a second entry in the drawing--just leave me a second comment telling me that you are a follower and how you follow. :)

I'll leave commenting open until 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, July 23, 2013, and will draw one commenter at random. The winner will be announced right here on my blog on Wednesday, July 24, and if I'm able to find an email address, I'll be sure to contact the winner as well.

I'm so glad you dropped by for a little slice of bliss today!
Emily

DeNami Design Chickies Sneak Peeks

Welcome to Day 1 of the DeNami Design Fall/Winter Release Sneak Peeks!! Today brand-new DT Member Pattie Goldman, veteran DeNami DT member Lisa Petrella, and I are giving you sneak peeks of brand-new DeNami stamps about to be released in the always-fun CHICKIES category! Be sure to read all the way to the end of this post for details on a great giveaway :D.

Do the sweet DeNami chickies totally tickle your fancy? If so, you are positively in luck! The new release includes brand-new chickie stamps for summer activities, various sports, girlfriends, camping, gardening, Halloween, and Christmas. Whew!! That's quite a few! 

Are you ready to take a peek at what's in store for the chickie category? Let's get started!

The new chickie stamps I was most excited about are the camping ones! Not only do I have my very own Girl Scout and Cub Scout in my family, but our family loves to go on camping road trips. This card uses the brand-new Campfire Chickies stamp and Chickie in Tent stamp. I thought this would make a perfect thank-you card for my daughter to give to her Girl Scout leader! Her troop LOVES to go camping. :) I also used the ultra versatile Small Cloud and Thanks A Bunch sentiment, and threw in a couple of Sand Boutique Buttons. (All of the patterned papers are digital prints from the digital Campout collection by Design by Dani, available from JessicaSprague.com.)

Now how about taking a gander at a pair of stamps that are perfect for the rockers in your life?

This card shows off the new Rock Band Chickies stamp and the fun You Rock! sentiment. I added some chipboard alphabet stickers to spell out "dude," the perfect touch for a teenager-bound card. A bit of Black Curly Loops washi tape and some red DeNami cardstock round out my design.

Next I'm shifting gears to autumn and Halloween!

For this creation, I paired the brand-new Pumpkin Patch Chickies stamp with the cling-style Trick or Treat sentiment stamp. Aren't those chickies sweet? I made my background from an assortment of DeNami washi tapes: Lime/White Dots, Black Curly Loops, and Orange Stripes. I also used some Desert Orange cardstock and black baker's twine from the DeNami store.

And finally, let's have a little Christmas in July!

Don't you just love those sweet little Caroling Chickies? And I am completely captivated by the tiny sentiments in the brand-new Christmas Greetings petit four stamp sets!!! This is a set that I have been waiting ever so patiently for :D. They are just the perfect size for Christmas tags, and that's exactly how I put them to use.

The DeNami To and From stamps are perfect for completing these festive tags. I also used some red DeNami cardstock and red baker's twine from the DeNami store. 

All of the new stamps I used today in my sneak peek projects will go live in the DeNami online store on July 10 at 9am PST.

OK, are you still with me? Thanks for hanging in there through this long post. :-) I mentioned a giveaway way back at the beginning of this post.

DeNami Design is giving away two gift certificates today! Be sure to leave a comment here on my blog post, Pattie's chickie sneak peek blog post, and Lisa's sneak peek blog post, too. Then head over to the DeNami Design blog and leave a comment there, too, for another way to win today!

I'm so glad that you dropped in to check out some of the new chickie stamps in the DeNami Design Fall/Winter Release! Be sure to tune into the DeNami blog tomorrow for more sneak peeks and giveaways.

Until then, have a day filled with bliss,
Emily 

June Pinspired at DeNami

Greetings, friends! Today I'm bringing you another Pinspired post along with a few of my other DeNami Design teammates. This month we were inspired by this photo:

I picked up on the fruits in this photo and immediately reached for my DeNami Tropical Fruit petit four stamp set. That sweet little stamp set has been getting quite a workout from me lately!

I also used the "you're sweet" sentiment from the Love Sentiments petit four stamp set. I rounded out my project with some Lime Versacolor ink, Tuxedo Black Memento ink, and some pretty DeNami patterned paper from the Watermelon Sampler paper pack.

Want to see what the other designers did with this inspiration photo? Be sure to check out the DeNami blog today!

Thanks so much for visiting today! May you have a day filled with bliss!
Emily

My son has been busy . . .

So, our 14YO daughter is away this week on her 8th-grade class trip to Washington, D.C. She left early Monday morning and returns late Friday night. Our 10YO son has been kind of lost without her, so he's been asking to make cards with me. I'm tickled pink! It's keeping him busy (and taking his mind off his sister's absence) and giving us some fun stuff to do together.

We've been checking the daily challenge at SplitcoastStampers each morning and talking about what he'd like to make for it while we eat breakfast. And then if there's time, we'll start pulling out supplies before he heads off to school, and then he finishes up his project after school. He's doing a great job with everything! I have him cut and score his card bases (great math practice, as he needs to figure out where the halfway point is). And he's cut his panels and mats, too, figuring out the right sizes and margins along the way. He's a pro at stamping and punching, too!

I also showed him how to color with my Copic markers, which he loves! I'm not setting him loose on his own, mind you (they are just too expensive for that!), but sitting with him and giving him guidance on where to color light and dark, and showing him how to blend. The tendency of alcohol inks to bleed throws him off a bit, but he's doing a fabulous job.

He has been having soooooooooo much fun stamping with my DeNami stamps this week. I thought you might enjoy seeing what he's made so far:

A thank-you note for his band teacher (their last band practice will be tomorrow, so he'll hand-deliver his card with his hand-written message inside.) He made this for the SCS color challenge to use Old Olive, Pear Pizzazz, and Daffodil Delight. The band stamp is an old one from Inkadinkadoo, and the rest are from DeNami Design: Just a Note from All Occasion Sentiments set and Mini Music Notes. We also used some Musical Notes Washi Tape from DeNami.
 

A Father's Day card for his daddy! He made this for this week's SCS sketch challenge.  He used Business Chickie, Computer Chickie, and Happy Father's Day cling stamp from DeNami.

This morning he made a thank-you card for one of his teachers (his regular 4th grade teacher is out on maternity leave right now, so this one is for his long-term substitute that his class is finishing out the year with.) He made this for this week's SCS ways to use it challenge, which is to make a one-layer card. My son LOVES using my Stamp-a-majig! The frame is from an old Stampin' Up set (Sweet Dreams). He also used Back to School Chickie and Brushed Thank You stamps from DeNami.

For my son, part of the fun of making these cards has been uploading them to his account on Splitcoast and seeing if anyone makes any comments. He's having a blast being part of the stamping community there!

Well, that's all for now--thanks so much for stopping by today and sharing a little bit of my proud-mama bliss!
Emily

May Pinspired at DeNami

Welcome to Wednesday! Today I'm bringing you another Pinspired post along with a few of my other DeNami Design teammates. This month we were given this lovely photo as a prompt:

Aren't those pleated medallions striking? They totally reminded me of the new Flower Bloom stamp from DeNami, so that's what I reached for first and then let the pretty colors of these fanciful medallions guide my color choices.
 

Just about everything I used on this card (except for the markers) came from the DeNami Design store:

Brushed Thank You

Tuxedo Black Memento ink

Jet Black StazOn ink

White cardstock

Red cardstock

Lime/White Dots washi tape

Embossed Bracket border punch

Want to see what the other designers did with this inspiration photo? Be sure to check out the DeNami blog today!

Thanks so much for visiting today! May you have a day filled with bliss!
Emily

Ways With Washi: PLEATS + a Giveaway

Hello, hello, DeNami friends! Thanks for stopping by for another edition of Ways With Washi that I've created for the DeNami Design blog! Looking for more ways to use washi tape in your papercrafting and cardmaking? Today I'm sharing ways to add subtle dimension with pleated washi tape. I have four samples to illustrate how to incorporate pleats, so let's get started, shall we?

My first card is a rather simple and straightforward one. I used a single strip of pleated DeNami Black/White Dots washi tape as a design element right down the center of my card. Pleating washi tape is SO much easier than pleating ribbon! Plus, there's no need to consider how to adhere or attach it to your project as there would be with pleated ribbon. And while it adds more dimension to a card than flat washi tape, pleated washi tape is far flatter (and certainly more compressible!) than pleated ribbon.

DeNami Supplies: Small Happy Birthday, flower from Whimsical Flowers stamp set, Elegant Square Frame, Pearlescent Orchid Brilliance ink, Onyx Black Versafine ink, Iridescent Strawberry Freeze cardstock, and Black Rhinestones

Close-up of pleats

On my second card, I got a little more creative with the "single pleated strip" approach! After pleating a strip of DeNami Orange Stripes washi tape, I trimmed it into three long sections to create a wonderfully dimensional flame-tinged exhaust plume for the super fun DeNami Rocketship.

DeNami Supplies: Space Chickie, Rocketship, planet and moon from Outer Space stamp set, sentiment from Thoughtful Greetings stamp set, Teeny Star Background, Tuxedo Black Memento ink, Opaque Cotton White StazOn ink, Leaf Green Cardstock 

Now how about a girly card? Pleats are perfect for frilly, feminine designs, too. For my third card, I layered five different strips of narrowly pleated washi tape (DeNami Pink Stripes and Green Stripes washi tapes) as a base for my trio of DeNami Flower Blooms on this bright and happy Mother's Day card.

DeNami Supplies: Flower Bloom, Happy Mother's Day (cling), Tuxedo Black Memento ink, Leaf Green Cardstock, White Cardstock, Pink Rhinestones, Confetti Twine 3-pack 

Close-up of pleats

Pleating washi tape makes it oh-so-easy to adhere it along curves. So for my final card today, I'm showcasing pleated washi as a ruffled circular frame on my blue-ribbon card! For this card I used DeNami Blue/White Dots washi tape.

DeNami Supplies: You're the Best, Medium Thank You Circle, Sky Blue Cardstock, White Cardstock, Majestic Blue Versafine ink

Here's a hint for pleating washi tape: do your pleating while working on wax paper and then transfer it to your project. The tape will stick lightly to the wax paper while you work with it but will release easily (like removing a sticker's backing sheet) when you are ready to move it. If you'd like to trim a strip of pleated washi tape into long sections like I did on my rocket card, leave it adhered to the wax paper while you do your trimming with scissors.

I do believe that wraps up my April Ways With Washi!

GIVEAWAY

Interested in winning a roll of washi tape for yourself? And how about some baker's twine, too? I have a brand-new roll of Blue/White Dots washi tape from DeNami Design (the same tape that I used on my blue ribbon card) AND a Confetti Twine 3-pack (which I used on my Mother's Day card in this post) that I'd love to give away to a reader of this post. Want to be in the running? Just leave me a comment on this post using the word "APRIL." There's no need to be a follower of my blog to enter, but if you are a follower (or become a new follower!), you can have a second entry in the drawing--just leave me a second comment telling me that you are a follower and how you follow. :)

I'll leave commenting open until 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 24, 2013, and will draw one commenter at random. The winner will be announced right here on my blog on Thursday, April 25, and if I'm able to find an email address, I'll be sure to contact the winner as well.

I'm so glad you dropped by for a little slice of bliss today!

Thanks for visiting!
Emily