Three Minute Thursday - note cards using Bella Toile

Hello - welcome to Three Minute Thursday! If you are short of time and want to make beautiful cards in just a few minutes, you've come to the right place!

When today's project came into my head, I couldn't concentrate on anything else until I'd seen what it looked like! It's a set of note cards using the amazing background stamp Bella Toile - and each card takes literally one minute to make!

Some background stamps are strong enough to take centre stage and Bella Toile is one of them. I love the effect you get with it using tone-on-tone stamping.

Here's a close-up of one of the cards. The card base is a piece of A5 Crumb Cake card stock, scored and folded in half. I used Early Espresso ink and stamped the image leaving a 2cm strip of clear card stock at the bottom - the perfect place to stamp my sentiment! TIP: When inking up a large background stamp, let it lie on its back, rubber side up, and tap the ink pad down onto it. When stamping, make sure you put pressure on the centre of the stamp to get an even impression.

The colours I chose are: Certainly Celery with Old Olive ink; So Saffron with More Mustard ink; Marina Mist with Night of Navy ink; Crumb Cake with Early Espresso ink; and Riding Hood Red with Cherry Cobbler ink. Each card is stamped with a different sentiment.

Although it would obviously take longer than three minutes to make the full set of five, it is incredibly fast. So I thought you might like to see a quick way of presenting them as a gift set too.

I've just held them together with a simple belly band. Here's how to make it:

• Cut a 23cm x 8cm piece of Very Vanilla card stock and score at 10.5cm, 11cm, 21.5cm and 22cm.
• Scallop both long sides with the scallop border punch, then make a crisp fold at each score line with a bone folder.
• Use Sticky Strip on the 1cm tab at the end of the card stock and form the belly band.
• Cut a 23cm x 5.5cm piece of Very Vanilla Patterns designer paper and, with the cards inside the belly band to keep it firm, fold the paper round the belly band. Stick it down with Snail adhesive. TIP: I find it's easiest to start at one end, sticking each section down before moving on to the next.
• Tie a piece of Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon round the belly band and finish with a 'handcrafted' tag tied on with linen thread.

Supplies
Stamps: Tiny Tags
Ink: Early Espresso
Card stock: Very Vanilla
Other: Patterns designer paper, scallop border and jewellery tag punches, Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon, linen thread

When making gifts like this it's a lovely idea to add a tag to show that it's hand-crafted. The tiny tags stamp set and coordinating punch are brilliant for doing this.

Thank you for joining me today. I'm going to dash off now because a UPS delivery man has just handed me a parcel containing something SO exciting I think I might burst! It's something that will appear in the new mini catalogue, coming out on the first of April, but I'm not allowed to say what it is! All will be revealed at my Open House on Thursday 31st March... watch this space for details!

That might seem a long time away but don't worry! I have something special to share with you tomorrow too! Hope you can join me then,