Keep Calm and Put the Kettle On:

Tea Lover’s Birthday Card Made with Canvas Corp Brands Beans and Bags

Hello, Friends!

My name is Kathy, and I am addicted to TEA!  The best part of each new day for me is the moment that I lift that steaming cup to my lips and take the first savory sip.  English Breakfast is a perennial favorite for me, but I also love Earl Grey, Constant Comment, Rooibus , and I’ll never say no to a creamy cup of spicy chai tea!  I am definitely a kinder, gentler Kathy after I’ve had my tea! Naturally I was tickled pink when Canvas Corp Brands released their Beans and Bags collection! I had some time to play with it this week, and it is awesome! The many fun papers and great vintage prints truly inspired me, and before I knew it, I was smack dab in the middle of creating a special tea lover’s birthday card.

Pink and brown has to be one of my all time favorite color combos, and when you see the inside of this card, you’ll know why I decided to go in that direction.  Pairing feminine items with burlap creates texture and contrast that makes me totally happy. Here’s a simple tutorial to guide you through the creation of this Tea Lover’s Birthday Card.

How to make a Tea Lover’s Birthday Card:

• Begin by creating a 5″ x 7″ kraft cardstock base with the fold on the left hand side.
• Cut a 4.75″ x 6.75″ rectangle from Pink and Ivory Toile cardstock. Ink the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Stitch around the edges with dark pink thread, if desired.
• Cut two 1.5″ x 4.75″ strips of ivory burlap. Fringe the edges. Layer one strip about 1/2″ from the top of the pink toile rectangle.
• Make the burlap medallion by pleating the other strip of ivory burlap onto Scor-Tape. Bring the ends together and secure with a hot glue gun. Add a button to the center.
• Punch out a scalloped circle from the Pink and Ivory Mini Dot Reverse paper and top that with a smaller circle punched from the Beans and Bags Coffee and Tea Labels on Ivory paper.

To build your card layers, do the following:

• Cut the swirl panel from the Little Chocolate Pages on Ivory Cardstock and glue it down in the center of the Pink Toile panel.
• Run a strip of Garden Rose Satin Ribbon up the left hand side of the Pink Toile on Ivory layer, securing the cut ends on the back side to keep them nice and neat.
• Layer a 4″ white doily over that layer
• Die cut Spellbinders Labels 34 Decorative accents from the Pink and Ivory Ribbon Stripe Cardstock and layer over the doily.
• Die cut the teacups using Tim Holtz’ Tea Time Die. Cut one cup from Chocolate and Ivory Mini Dot Reverse cardstock, and the other from Ivory Cardstock. Emboss with the embossing folder of your choice. Use a stylus to round out the cup portion of the die cut. Ink with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.
• Glue down the Chocolate Mini Dot Saucer that you die cut earlier. Then glue down the Chocolate Mini Dot Teacup.  Use foam dots to create an opening where the die is slit and fill the open space with a stamped sentiment. This one was in my stash, and it seemed appropriate for the card. Be sure to leave space between the saucer and the polka dot teacup for the ivory teacup.
• Use foam dots to secure the Ivory Teacup to the card. Fill the center of the ivory cup with a folded up Gerbera Daisy. Add the tea tags as as I have here.
• Tip: Save the strings that you pull from the burlap when you fringe it. They make awesome tea tags, string bows and are great for threading buttons!

• Fussy cut the clover honey, tea shop banner, tiny tea cup and fine china label from the Tea and Coffee Label page. Spritz the honey label and the fine china label with Vintage Pink Glimmer mist. Use a corner chomper punch to shape the edge of the honey label, and mat it on the Pink and Ivory Ribbon Stripe Cardstock die cut, tucking it behind the handle on the teacup. Use a glue gun to attach the burlap medallion.
• Cut two small fishtail banners from Pink and Ivory Mini Dot Reverse Cardstock.  Glue just below the burlap strip, as seen in the photo.

This tiny silver spoon is a treasure I picked up at an estate sale. Topped with a satin bow and gerbera daisy sticker, it’s the perfect finishing touch for this tea lover’s birthday card! But wait…the real party is on the inside of this card.

Here, I’ve turned a Naked Mini Manila folder into a gift pocket for a foil wrapped English Breakfast tea bag.  And now you know why I chose the pink and brown color palette!

• Line the mini naked folder with the black and kraft spoons reverse paper .
• Add fussy cut elements from the Beans and Bags Fill the Cup on Kraft paper,  Coffee and Tea Labels on Ivory, and a real tag from a real tea bag.
• Use Vintage Pink Glimmer Mist to color an ivory Gerbera Daisy and add as a layering element.
• You can tuck a Starbuck’s gift card into the mini file folder to complete the gift.

I’m finding that Beans and Bags is “precisely my cup of tea” and I can’t wait to play with it again. Canvas Corp has put together a fantastic “Mix and Match Pad” if you’re like me and just have to have it all! The fact that I can customize the papers to match whatever color palette I’m working with makes me a very happy gal!

Now, I think I’ll go pour myself a cuppa!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheerio,

kathy