Thank You Suitcase

Hi everyone! This week we are having a 'thank you' theme at Simon Says Stamp and Show. I hope you will join us, and don't miss the wonderful DT projects.

I decided to do a little red and well-worn suitcase filled with thank you cards.

I recently read a book where a red vintage suitcase played a major role and it made me want to make a similar suitcase. I used the Sizzix Suitcase ScoreBoards die, which fits into the Big Shot, it is not a Pro die. All you need are the extended cutting pads, since it is an XL die. I did a tutorial using the suitcase die here, and also used it on this project. It makes such a cute suitcase, which can be filled with lots of different things. I embellished the front with a sweet girl, a ticket, mini paper clip and a piece of vintage lace which was coloured with the new Brushed Pewter Distress Stain. All the stamping was done on manila cardstock.

I used school-related stamps so this project would work great as a teacher's gift, but it could be given to other people too, and you can use other stamps to fit the recipient.


Cover mat board (or chipboard) with red kraft core cardstock. I used multi medium, since I wanted it to stick down well everywhere. When the glue is dry, die cut the pieces of the suitcase. Die cut the handle from plain cream mat board. Sand the covers to reveal the kraft core and give the bag a worn appearance. Then stamp it with some school related stamps using Archival Ink Jet Black.

I stamped the inside of the bag, using a variety of school and learning stamps and inked it with Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap. Archival Ink Jet Black, Coffee and Vermillion (which is a great deep red) was used for the stamping.

It is very easy to assemble the suitcase, since the die both cuts and scores. Use brads in the assigned places, I used a small pair of pliers to press the brads together, so that they hold the suitcase together more firmly. This is the back of the suitcase. I placed another piece of lace there, a stamped vintage typewriter and another ticket. I also cut a little tag and tied around the handles. After assembly,Frayed Burlap Distress Marker was applied to the scored edges, to hide the cream mat board.

More stamping on the side.

And a great vintage globe.

Here you can see the inside of the suitcase with all the thank you cards. I made 15 cards, you could easily fit more into the suitcase, or also add small envelopes.

This is the inside without the cards.

To make the cards, I used my favourite technique for quickly colouring lots of papers: distress stains. I used the same technique on this mini-book, for example. It is so easy and gives great results. Smear Distress Stains on your craft sheet. I used Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Pumice Stone and Brushed Pewter. The Brushed Pewter is metallic, but reacts with water like the other stains, it gives a great effect to the cards (hard to photograph though). Mist the paper with water, on both sides, and dip/drag/smear into the ink. Turn the paper around and do the same on the other side. This gives you one side where the ink colours are stronger and more defined, and one where they are more blended and lighter.

When the cards were dry, I stamped each of them with a school image using either Jet Black or Coffee ink, using the TJ Designs Vintage School Days set and Graphic 45 ABC Primer 3 set. Then I stamped them again with the great ledger stamp from the Stamper's Anonymous School Desk set, with Pumice Stone ink. I held the cling stamp in my hand, so that the impression wouldn't be perfect. Finally, I stamped thank you sentiments with Vermillion ink.

These are the remaining cards.

On the back of the cards, I stamped different images with Archival Coffee ink, using larger stamps that covered the whole background. I stamped two of each (and three of one since I made 15 cards).

Show us your 'thank you' project this week, a very meaningful and also wide theme, and you can be the lucky one to win a $50 gift voucher from our generous sponsor Simon Says Stamp.

Thank you for the visit! Have a great week!

Happy stamping!

Anna-Karin
Supplies:
Dies: Sizzix: Suitcase Bag ScoreBoards die, Tiny Tabs & Tags, Vintage Lace Sizzlits, Ticket Strip
Stamps: TJ Designs Vintage School Days; Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz: School Desk, Odds & Ends; Graphic 45: ABC Primer 3; Artistic Outpost: Home, Bluebird, Ephemera Backgrounds, Secretary Pool; Hero Arts: All Occasion Messages CL272, Find Joy CL497, Anytime Messages CL129, Sending Smiles CL490, Sweet Threads Labels CL510
Ink: Distress Ink: Frayed Burlap, Pumice Stone, Vintage Photo; Archival Ink: Jet Black, Coffee, Vermillion
Stain: Distress Stain: Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Pumice Stone, Brushed Pewter
Marker: Distress Marker Frayed Burlap
Surfaces: Ranger manila cardstock; Core'dinations Tim Holtz kraft core cardstock; cream mat board
Embellishments: Tim Holtz Idea-ology Mini Paper Clips
Adhesive: Claudine Hellmuth matte multi-medium, Ranger Glossy Accents