February Designer Series with Mama Elephant

Hello crafty friends! Davina here, with Mama Elephant, sharing my Designer Series project for February. I created a bursting pop up box of “Happy Mail” featuring a super cute new stamp set called Handle With Care. I always appreciate when a large block text stamp set has the coordinating dies and this set is not exception, and I especially love all the cute little panda bears that accompany the text. I combined a few other stamp sets to fill this card and love that the older Incoming Mail stamps are also mail themed and pandas! They were screaming for a fun collaboration. 

I decided to make a pop up box card using the 3D Pop Up Box Card Die set, and to make it look like a cute cardboard shipping box. I began by cutting the main box twice using Kraft cardstock and then gently inkblending all of the edges and folds with Distress Oxide Inks. I cut the inserts, using the included hill, from bright patterned papers and assembled the box using hot glue (always my favorite way of making secure box cards)

I stamped the sentiments from Handle With Care with colorful matching ink and cut out using the coordinating Creative Cuts. Then after cutting some panels for the flaps, I adhered and decorated the “box”. I used some small stamps the stamp sets Essential Tag Sayings for even more decoration on the outer box by stamping directly on the box with a taupe colored dye ink. 

For the inside of the pop up design, I stamped and colored the images from Incoming Mail, and arranged them onto my inserts, and also onto the fold down panels. I always adhere my images onto the inserts using hot glue because it sets up quickly and is sturdy enough to hold the images securely, without the risk of them slipping down or shifting on accident. I love how cute everything looks together and the way that the images all complement each other. 

I hope you enjoy this look at my “Happy Mail”, and pull out your older box card dies and make a bursting little box card for yourself. Thank you for stopping by, Davina 

October Mama Elephant Designer Series: Happy Holiday Mail

Hello crafty friends. Davina here with my October Designer Series Project. I’m calling this my “Happy Holiday Mail” card, and used a fun mix of new and previously released products. With the holidays upon us, I wanted to get into the spirit with a bright pile of gifts.

I used images from the new set called Surprise Gi fts and the coordinating dies as the focal point of my scene.  After stamping and coloring my images, I cut them out and got to work on the rest of my scene. The cutie llama with his letter inspired me to make a post box type card. I don’t have any mail box dies, so I created a DIY post box using the B2B Arches Creative Cuts die set. I chose a medium sized arch and die cut it from red carstock, then selected a smaller size and cut another red arch. I removed about a half inch from the middle and it left me with two sections. One arched for the top and a rectangle for the bottom. I inked each piece and adhered them to the larger arch. I stamped and heat embossed letters to form the word “mail” using Layla Letters and the coordinating dies and glued them in place on the top portion. 

I kept up with the postage theme by using the Postage Frame Creative Cut die set, and adhered my mailbox, stamped images and a sentiment word bubble onto some pretty patterned paper in the stitched frame. I then added two more paper layered to build up my card front. With only the top portion of my card looking empty, I wanted to add something pretty.

I stamped some boughs of holly leaf garland and greenery using colored ink, onto both white a green colored cardstock. The recent Holly and Leaves stamps and CC were perfect for layering and creating a lush swag of greenery. I used the boba ball die cut from the Boba Shaker Combo CC to cut a bunch of red berries in only two passes of the die machine. Once all assembled and looking great, I added some glittery Wink of Stella sparkles to the berries. 

I love all of the bright and bold colors, combined with glittery dimension on this card. I also had so much fun mixing and matching my older and new supplies together, that is always my favorite card making technique. I hope this inspires you to give some new life to your craft stash. Thank you for stopping by, Davina