Christmas Card(inals!)

Cardinals are some of my (Lauren's) favorite birds and also some of my favorite Eyelet Outlet Brads. We have Cardinals, Female Cardinals and Cardinal Profiles and I've used the first two on this card. To make the male Cardinal's vivid feathers stand out even more, I've clustered some of my favorite holiday washi tapes: Vertical Red Tree Tape, Heart Tape, Poinsettia Tape and Red Foil Striped Washi. My sentiment is one repeat of Merry Christmas Tape, stuck to a piece of cardstock and popped up on foam for extra dimension. 

If Christmas in July isn't your thing, check out our Bluebird and Robin Brads, Seagulls, Owls, Penguins or Flamingos in the Eyelet Outlet Store!

Lauren Bergold

loves to watch the backyard birds 

at her feeder and birdbath!

Miss You Box Card

Today's card entitled "Miss You" is a box card.  It's delicate, sweet, and a card that can remain open and be enjoyed for weeks and months to come! The box card is a great card for shut-ins, hospitals, and nursing homes. 

Eyelet Outlet's Brads, Bling, and Washi Tape are perfect for constructing box cards.  The Large Flower on the back is easy to attach and the Flower Bling is attached to a piece of clear acetate then attached to the box insert. The remaining four flowers are Glitter Rose Washi Tape and Hearts Washi Tape adhered to white paper then die cut.   Eyelet Outlet Sequins are used inside the flower shaker.  Large Heart Bling adorns the side flaps.

Although the box card looks full of flowers and things, the side view shows that it is the multiple layers creating that effect (there's only six flowers).    There's a white strip on the back to write a sentiment and sign the card.   Once you have completed a box card, you'll find it to be addicting! 

The Eyelet Outlet supplies used:

White Flowers

Large Heart Bling

Flower Bling

Pearl Strips

Sequins 

Glitter Rose Washi Tape

Be Safe.  Be Well.  Happy Crafting!

The Post With the Most

Don't get me wrong, I (Lauren) love technology, but there's something about finding an actual card or letter in the mailbox that makes the whole day brighter, don't you think? I love to send snail mail to my friends and family, especially cards! So I was pretty excited when I saw these Eyelet Outlet Mail Brads:

And I really love that each packet contains both mailboxes and envelopes!

Speaking of envelopes, I've become somewhat obsessed with making my own custom ones, that match my cards! And my favorite decoration for them is (of course) Washi Tape! 

In this case, I've used the same mixture of tapes on both my card and the matching envelope: Red White and Blue Striped Washi, Air Mail Washi, Skinny Heart Washi, Gold Script Tape and my favorite Hearts Tape. I've used them in straight lines on the card, to highlight the focal image with the Mail Brads on it; but placed them at a diagonal on the envelope, to add extra interest to the vintage dictionary paper. 

I've placed the Red White and Blue Striped Washi, around the edges of a pale blue cardstock panel on both the card and the address label, and trimmed it to slightly less than half its normal width... to mimic the look of old-time airmail envelopes.

A few hand-cut hearts and a label-maker sentiment seemed to enhance the nostalgic mood, and instantly we're back to the 1970's, when this lovely old eight cent stamp could transport your kind thoughts across town or country!

I hope you'll be inspired to make-- and MAIL-- a card to someone special today. Need more inspiration? Scroll down and see what Carri has cooked up for you! ♥

When not waiting by her mailbox, 

Lauren Bergold

hangs out online at "...all the GOOD blog names were taken..."

The Valentiniest Valentine of All Time! :)

Hi guys, it's Lauren, celebrating the fact that it is EXACTLY one month until Valentine's Day, so if you haven't ordered yourself some heart-ful Eyelet Outlet goodies, or started sampling dark chocolate candies to see which ones will make the best gifts*, today's a great day to start! I've made a really traditional card, just to show you just a few of the many cool heart items from which you could choose in the Eyelet Outlet store:

For the record, there is NO patterned paper on this card, I've used three different tapes to make my heart squares: Heart Washi, Skinny Heart Washi and the Stripey Hearts which, alas, are out of print, but luckily there are LOTS MORE varieties in stock! I've got some pretty Pink Paper Flowers attached with a Heart Brad and a tiny (1/16"!) Mini Round Brad. Black is admittedly not a traditional Valentine's Day color, lol, but it surely does make the red and white *POP* don't you think? In addition to the black ink of the sentiment and those uber-skinny black mats, the black enamels from the Vacation Heart Colorway really tie everything together.

Stay tuned to the Eyelet Outlet blog... I happen to know my fellow designers have more great ideas to help you prepare for Valentine's Day!

*Lauren Bergold 

hopes her Valentine appreciates 

just how much candy she has 

selflessly sampled on his behalf! :) :) :)

Just Say, "NOEL!"

What's your favorite crafty thing about the holidays? For me, (Lauren) it's got to be fancy giftwrapping! Don't get me wrong, I love making cards and presents, but it's my belief that upon seeing a really beautiful package, everyone kind of secretly hopes that it's for them! The good news is, it doesn't take much effort to make that be true for everyone on your list. My secret weapons: plain gift bags, bought in bulk; and Eyelet Outlet holiday washi tapes!

There are soooooooo many beautiful varieties it's hard to choose... so I didn't, lol; this bag has five tapes and five brad styles! But this idea would be just as lovely (and more CAS!) if all the letters had the same pattern. I really love the way different tapes mix and match, though, so I've used Holiday Ornaments Tape, Pine Tree Tape, Heart Washi (who says hearts are just for Valentine's Day?!) and Holiday Dots Tape. To construct the sentiment, I've lined up neat strips of tape on scraps of white cardstock, traced around some old chipboard alphabets, and hand cut each letter. But to save time, you could use alphabet dies, or dress up storebought diecuts.

After my letters were complete, I trimmed a piece of holiday sheet music and added a border made from Christmas Washi. Finally, it was time to add a few embellies. I decided on a Poinsettia Brad, a Cardinal Brad and a Holly Brad, as well as some Elf and Snowflake Brads. But again, you could still get a beautiful effect by choosing just a couple... why not mix and match a few new treats with styles you already have in your stash? Remember that hearts, flowers, foliage, musical notes and many other motifs can work for ANY occasion, so feel free to combine holiday and non-holiday elements!

I hope you'll be inspired to consider using items from your own crafty stash when it comes to wrapping presents this holiday season!

Lauren Bergold 

has nieces and nephews who don't realize you can BUY 

giftwrap and cards in a store, lol! :)

Bon Voyage, In My Dreams...

I (Lauren) have mentioned before that I've always dreamt of going to Paris. So far I've only seen it via film, television, and vintage books, but I never get tired of those! Here's a card with a world travel theme, a nostalgic vibe, and some Autumnal color... which seems like a nice fit for a Sunday in October, don't you think? 

Eyelet Outlet has sooooooo many lovely travel-themed items, it's hard to choose just a few, so I didn't, lol! The Eiffel Tower Brads, are obviously a big fave of mine, though, and I knew one of those would look awfully cool on top of the Wide Travel Washi, so I started there. I applied a strip of the tape neatly to a piece of white cardstock, then I lined up a couple of strips of Heart Tape, and one of Gold Script Tape, above and below the wider tape, so that I had a little "collage" tall enough to fit my title. I neatly traced around the chipboard letters I wanted to use with a permanent marker, taking care to place each character at the same level, so the patterns would line up horizontally. Then I used a craft knife on the centers of the b and o, and trimmed the rest with scissors.

The sparkly letters are diecut from a few strips of Glitter Copper Tape stuck to scrap cardstock. I've mounted them against a strip of Gold Script Tape and Skinny Hearts Washi applied to my card background, which is trimmed from the "Index of Principal Cities" from a vintage atlas. Et voila... a diecut butterfly and some swirly machine stitching complete the design.

I hope that your travels this week will include a trip to your craft room. If you need more inspiration, check back here each day... because my fellow designers ALWAYS have something amazing to share with you, mes amies! 

Lauren Bergold 

has thoroughly prepared for Parisian adventures by collecting art supplies with the Eiffel tower on and reading the Maigret books. Ninety percent of her French vocabulary is food-related.