Summer Smooches stationery ensemble

Last month one of my good friends celebrated her birthday. While I was shopping for the perfect gift, I came across a red ceramic berry basket that I really liked: it was both pretty and practical. I bought it and made a cute little stationery ensemble to tuck inside:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! except "Other items"):
Paper: Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper (DSP), Crumb Cake note cards and envelopes
Ink: Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Punches: 7/8" scallop circle, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Bird Builder, corner rounder; ribbons: Real Red cotton, Pumpkin Pie taffeta, Daffodil Delight stitched grosgrain, Daffodil Delight 1/8" taffeta, Old Olive 1/8" taffeta, Lucky Limeade ruffled, Island Indigo cotton, Island Indigo 1/4" satin (from Sycamore Street pack), Rich Razzleberry taffeta; Glue Dots; Mono Multi liquid glue; sponge
Other items: Clothespins, Pentel RSVP pens, self-stick notepads, pre-cut notepad holder (unknown), magnetic strip

I love the bright, cheerful colors of the Summer Smooches DSP -- perfect for a summer gift. The ensemble includes six note cards and envelopes, a holder with two self-stick notepads, two pens and six clothespin clips with magnets on the back.

The notepad holder (below) I bought pre-cut at a rubber stamp expo years ago, and I've had it (and a few others) tucked away in one of my stamping bins since then. To finish it I just cut pieces of DSP to fit the back, front and spine of the holder and added a punched flower like those on the cards.

Inside I included two brightly colored self-stick notepads. I originally wanted to use white notepads, but I couldn't find them at the two stores I checked. I decided the next best thing was to use notepads that were a pretty close match to the DSP. All in all I think it works.

The rest of the decorating is pretty self-explanatory, so I'll just share the pictures. If you have questions about any of the steps or items, post a comment below.

Thanks for stopping by!