My Little Yellow Cottage

This little tea bag holder was so much fun to create and what a neat idea for a quick gift or just to say, "I'm thinking of you." You can find this stamp set, as well as many others and various supplies at http://www.newcleardollarstamps.com/

DIMENSIONS: 3.25”x3.25” Folded. Opens from right side
STAMP SETS USED: Clear Dollar Stamps Asian Plants
CARDSTOCK AND PAPERS: Colormates Deep Berry Red, K&Co. “Mira” Designer Paper Collection, Colormates Light Orange Dream, Paper Trey White Cardstock, Black Generic Cardstock
INKPADS: SU! Green Galore, Stazon Black Ink, Ranger Black Embossing Powder, Ranger Opaque White Embossing Powder
MARKERS: Krylon Gold Leafing Pen, Signo Black Gel Pen, Stardust Glitter Pen
ACCESSORIES AND EMBELLISHMENTS: Heat Gun, SU! Large Oval Punch, Small Circle Punch, American Crafts Dimensionals, Tsukineko Sponge Daubers, Zots, Michael’s Self-Adhesive Gold Beads, Gold Cording
SPECIAL TECHNIQUES: Basic Stamping, Background Stamping, Heat Embossing, Sponging,

Instructions:
The card base was cut from Paper Trey White Cardstock to 3.25"x9.75", scoring at 3.25" on each end. I cut a corresponding size of Colormates Deep Berry Red cardstock for the exterior of the tea bag holder. Holding both the white and the red cardstock pieces together, I cut, using an Xacto knife the diagonal interior flap. The exterior red cardstock was first stamped with Versamark Watermark Ink and then heat embossed using Black Embossing Powder and a Heat Gun. After the black embossing was dry, I edged along the sides of the exterior red cardstock using a Krylon Gold Leafing Pen and set aside to dry.

The oriental girl was borrowed from Faith (Markie's Mom on SCS) and was made by cutting a small 1" circle out of the Light Orange Dream cardstock, and I punched a piece of black cardstock using the same 1" punch. I cut the black circle in half, and then snipped "bangs" across the bottom of the hairline and glued to the Orange Dream circle "face". The body was made free hand with an Xacto knife and straight edge. I made a square and a triangle out of the K&Co. "Mira" collection paper, and then made thin black mats to outline the shapes more definitively using the same freehand method with an Xacto knife and straight edge. I glued the parts together and set aside. I created the gold fan using a very small piece of copier paper and accordian folded it and then "painted" it gold using my Krylon Gold Leafing Pen and letting it dry for a half hour. After it dried, I secured the base of the fan with a small piece of scotch tape and then "painted that with my Krylon Silver Leafing Pen, allowing that to dry for another half hour.

The sentiment was stamped onto Paper Trey White Cardstock using Stazon Black Ink and then punched out with the SU! Large Oval Punch and I then, sponged heavily around the edge of the oval using SU! Green Galore ink. I dash doodled around the edge as well using a Signo Black Gel Pen. To make it look more "Asian" I edged along the oval as well using the Krylon Gold Leafing Pen. I glued the sentiment halfway on the front and halfway to the interior. The interior white 3.25"x9.75" sized matching cardstock was glued to the exterior. I created a black mat and a smaller white mat for the inside sentiment area. Although it is difficult to see in the photos of the interior, I stamped the same bamboo shoots on the white mat, on the lower left and then heat embossed with white opaque embossing powder and a heat gun. I stamped the sentiment in Stazon black ink, then edged the white mat and larger black mat using the Krylon Gold Leafing pen and setting aside to dry.The interior right diagonal flap was secured using sticky strips that are dimensional that allow for some room for the tea bag insertion.

To embellish this little tea bag holder, I glued the oriental girl on the front, adding a little stardust glitter to separate her head from her chignon and added 2 oriental "hairpins" to her chignon using gold cording and tying 2 knots in each end and securing with glue behind the girl's body. I adhered the gold fan next to the girl's body using a Zot glue dot. I added a row of self-adhesive gold beads to her gown collar for adornment, and using the same beads but a larger size, placed one on the sentiment and 2 more on the inside sentiment panel.