. daily daydreams . a blog by love ardently design studio

After the heart button string-tie envelope DIY yesterday, it’s time to reveal the inside of the envelope that I sent to my swap buddies  at Weddingbee and Crow & Canary.

Err… this time I really have to credit the inspiration to Martha. I couldn’t find a wider solid pink grosgrain ribbon on Michaels the other day (can you believe that?!), so I just used a less wide ribbon I had on hand. I hope it resembles a candy enough :)

This year, I’m participating in two Valentine’s card swaps: one held by Crow and Canary, and the other one by Weddingbee. I have to tell you that I’m a huge fan of the snail mail. I think it’s just so fun to receive them and to send them as well. That brings us to a last minute DIY I want to share to you!

I use these heart button string-tie envelopes to send my Valentine’s cards for the swap. Although, errr… you might have seen something similar on Martha. Seriously, I found out AFTER I planned doing this DIY. Oh well, that’s okay. Mine is using a slightly different method and this tutorial doesn’t include sewing.

MATERIAL

. envelope (anything you wish to use. i got mine at envelopemall.com)

. foam mounting tabs (i got mine at office max)

. heart cut-outs (approximately 3/4″ in width, or you can use a craft punch)

. 12″ – 15″ of string or twine (i got my baker’s twine on etsy)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the mounting tab into a square, to fit the size of your heart cutouts.

2. Attach one side of the mounting tab to one of the heart cut-out, and the other side to the envelope, upside down below the enclosure.

3. Cut another mounting tab into a square and stick it to another heart. This time, attach one end of the string onto the mounting tab before adhering it to the envelope.

4. Now, stick it above the enclosure and press down a little bit to make sure it’s fully adhered.

5. You’re now ready to string-tie your envelope and send someone a love note!

This envelope would works best if it’s hand-delivered. I honestly don’t recommend using it for mailing stuffs, but if you’re a daredevil like me, you’d probably try it out just to see if it would reach your recipient as neat as when you sent them. Hopefully it wouldn’t be screwed during the mailing *fingers crossed*. We shall hear from my card swap buddies, then! :)

The first day of February! Valentine’s day is just around the corner, and today I had the honor of guest-blogging a Valentine themed DIY project over at Mint. I’m so excited to share it with you!

Thank you SO MUCH Ellie and Mint readers for having me!

DIY Letterpress? What, what? Is it possible at all? Yes, yes!

I have been DYING to learn how to letterpress. I’ve been trying to find a local class here in Dallas but have not been successful. While I am still so interested in learning about the real deal, I was *so* excited to read this post at the DIY Bride blog about this new baby!!! This DIY Letterpress machine is soon to be released this coming Fall by Lifestyle Craft. The whole kit looks among the same group like Yudu and all those Cricut machines.

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This is one of the premade printing plate.

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So, at $149.99 retail, the whole kit comes with everything you need to start letterpress printing right away:

• Epic Six Letterpress and Die-cutting Tool
• Letterpress
• Clear Packing Mat with Grid
• Paper Placement Guides
• Ink Base
• Brayer
• Ten A2 flat cards
• Nine Printing Plates
• Tube of Black Ink
• Circle Cutting Dies

Of course as graphic designer, my first and foremost question would be, “Can we make anything we want with it? Can we make our own “pre-made templates”?” See, I bought a Cuttlebug machine back then and it was just left alone under my living room sofa unopened. I thought I was going to use it for several projects but everytime, I always need something custom, not just taking whatever they have on the premade templates.

To answer my first question, it was said that they are going to have some kind of “custom program”. Now, I AM BEYOND EXCITED. Not sure how customized would this be, but Michelle from Lifestyle Crafts actually mentioned that we can create our own words, phrases, and designs. I’m sure there will be limitation, like the ink colors that we can use, booo… :(. All in all, though, this would still be one cool machine to own. I’ll be looking out for that “custom program” announcement.

Let see… Now, I’m considering to get either this or a new Wacom Tablet. Maybe Wacom for Christmas and this for my birthday, haha *winks at the husband* :)

It seems like fabric flowers are everywhere. I was smitten by fabric flowers from J Crew earlier this year. Now, you can pretty much see them everywhere, including your neighborhood’s Target, the stores at Etsy, and even MarthaStewart.com. This trend almost bored me actually, just because it’s everywhere. I don’t usually like things that has been done and used over and over again, but I just can’t help to love this one. It’s irresistable!

This is a fabric flower hair pin that I made about 3 months ago to match my dress at a friend’s wedding.