INSPIRATION FROM STUDIO 490

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! It's Monday morning and time for a new Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge.  This week..... let's all get a little inspiration from 

Wendy Vecchi and Studio 490!

I LOVE so many of Wendy's products!  The first time I saw this gift card holder, I couldn't wait to make one so I could use Wendy's stamps and Art Parts all over it!

I made this gift card holder using a plain 6x9 catalog envelope for the base.  You can take something that looks like this:

and make it look like this:

Interior of the gift card holder.

I used the yellowy tan ClearClasp Closure envelopes from Staples for this project but I have also used the white 6x9 envelopes.  
(You just need to distress any envelope before adding the papers when making this project). 

Not only are there three slits to hold tags or gift cards on the interior of this card but both ends are completely open so that you can also slip more mementos, special notes, pictures or whatever you choose into this gift card holder!

Check out this YouTube video featuring Kathy Orta of Paper Phenomenon for the basic construction of this gift card holder.  It is an easy, inexpensive project to make and you get AMAZING results!  Imagine this as a birthday card, a baby shower gift or even a Christmas gift!  Yep...pretty dang cool! 

 One thing I did differently than Kathy's instructions:  I actually decorated the paper for my pages as much as possible BEFORE I adhered them to the envelope.  That way, if I decided I wanted to do any dimensional work that required using the underside of the paper, I could do that BEFORE I glued it to the envelope. 

Let's explore the gift card holder I made using Wendy Vecchi's amazing stamps!  What you do with your imagination and your own papers, stamps and embellishments is the key in determining the personality and charm of your gift card holder!

Exterior of the gift card holder.

The basic papers I used are from Bo Bunny's Etc. 6x6 paper pack.  The beauty of this project is that none of the pages require anything bigger than a 6" page!  So you canuse those lesser expensive 6x6 paper packs or even scraps for this project.  Again, check out Kathy Orta's link for the construction details.  I chose 5 pages from Etc. to work with to cover my 6x9 envelope.  I distressed the envelope and all of the papers with Vintage Photo and Black Soot Distress Inks.

The cover of my gift card holder features Wendy's Florals Art Parts.  You are a bit limited as to where you can do dimensional work for this project.  The cover is not a problem, so I chose to add some Art Parts to the cover.  Part of the cover is hidden under the flap, so that is fun to create.  
Here is the flap closed...

Here is the flap open....

The stamp sets used on the cover are:  Flower Art, Ticket To Art and A Form of Art.  They were all stamped in Jet Black Archival Ink.  The polka dot on the yellowish flower was stamped in Coffee Archival Ink and is from the All About Art stamp set.  The ribbon tied around the dress form is Hug Snug that I distressed.  I made a slit on both sides of the waist and ran the ribbon under the paper then tied it on the top.  (This is one of the reasons that I did most of the decorating of my papers BEFORE I adhered them to the envelope).

The flap front features really cute footprints.  Those were stamped in a combination of Coffee and Jet Black Archival Inks.  The footprints are from Wendy's For the Arts stamp set.  The other side of the flap features those cool random numbers also stamped in both Coffee and Jet Black Archival Inks.  The numbers are from Wendy's Art Parts stamp set.

Now let's open up the gift card holder to reveal some more Wendy-liciouis-ness!

The first inside page features slots for pictures, tags, ATC, and of course, a gift card!  Here is a picture of the bare page....

Here is a picture after adding some tags or ephemera...

The stamps used on this page were all stamped in Jet Black Archival Ink.  They are from Wendy's Tools For Art, A Form of Art, Art Rules, An Eye For Art and Mail Art stamp sets.  Tucked into the slots are various little blank tags.  The bottom slot is especially created for a gift card.  In this case, I have tucked in Tim Holtz' Alpha Cards, distressed with Vintage Photo and a touch of Wild Honey Distress Inks.

The right page would be perfect for adding one larger picture or a couple of matted pictures.  But, since I'm focusing on Wendy, I decided to make a funky page using more of Wendy's Stamps.  The artsy head is from Wendy's Art Rules stamp set.  The rest of the images on this page are from Wendy's new Call It Art stamp set. 

I created coupon book by stamping what looks like a sheet of coupons on to kraft paper.  Then I cut the coupon sheet into thirds.  I folded in between the coupons to make them look more distressed and give them more dimension.  Then I added Vintage Photo and Black Soot Distress Inks to distress the edges.  I doubled taped the tops together and then added a piece of black masking tape for a binding.  

The telephone is a favorite of mine!!!  I stamped the phone twice onto manila cardstock using Jet Black Archival Ink.  Then I added clear embossing powder over the phones and heat embossed them to get that shiny black appearance.  I cut the phones apart (like I did on a Wendy Vecchi project several months ago) so that I could add a pop dotted dial and add the curly black cord (made from painted wire).  Then I pop dotted the receiver with black pop dots.  The coupon book and the telephone are flat enough for the gift card holder to close just fine.

The back of the gift card holder is sort of funky, too.  It features that lovely gentleman from Wendy's Call It Art stamp set.  I stamped him onto a frame from 7 Gypsies really wonderful Frames Collage Tissue Paper.  I LOVE that tissue paper!!!  Then I adhered it onto the paper using Matte Multi Medium.  It is a great glue that dries clear and also seals the paper.  Next I lightly washed the paper around the frame using Picket Fence Distress Stain.  All of the stamping on the back cover was also done with Jet Black Archival Ink.  "Embrace The Possibilities" is from Wendy's Celestial Art stamp set and the header is from Wendy's Art From The Heart stamp set .  The crown is from a Clear Art Stamps set called Altered Art.  The ART image is from Katzelkraft.

Finally, the tag was quickly put together by gluing two pieces of scrap back to back.  I cut a tag, distressed it and stamped two more Wendy sentiments onto it.  They are from Life and Art, Art Rules and Art Parts.  I attached the tag to a piece of natural colored waxed thread and made a cord to wrap around the gift card book.  That's it!!

Now it's YOUR turn to get your Studio 490 style going!  Join our challenge at Simon Says Stamp and Show.  My wildly talented Design Teammates have created some really amazing projects for your viewing pleasure.  You won't believe all of the different "takes" on Wendy's products!  Really fun to see!!!  

Our generous sponsor is awarding a lucky random winner with a....

If you are selected as one of our TOP THREE entries for the week, you will receive special recognition for that.  So, come join us!  Thanks for stopping!  Remember to take time to play!!!  It's SOUL FOOD!