When I first set eyes on the Paradise stamp set when the Stampin’ Up! Idea Book and Catalog came out in July, I exclaimed with delight! Fun tropical sets for us Floridians are hard to find and this one fit the bill BIG TIME!! After I began using it in my classes and workshops, many of my customers have said that they hadn’t given the set a second thought. BLASPHEMY I SAY! But, aahhh…I have changed their minds. Lookie:

I came up with these beauties when I thought it would be cool to offer up a set of cards as an Emergency Card kit gift in these Olive Cigar Boxes I’d purchased 4 years ago and never used. Most of the customers made the kit as a gift for THEMSELVES! They are refusing to give them away, ha ha ha! Here’s what the decorated cigar box looks like (I kept it simple so it wouldn’t take forever to make all 6 cards and the box and their coordinating envelopes and tissue):

As you can see, all the cards and cigar box have a consistent design because I just stamped a piece of Vanilla Card stock randomly with all the leaves in either Old Olive, More Mustard and Elegant Eggplant. I added burnished color with the Certainly Celery ink and a stamping sponge quarter. I then cut the pieces according to a grid I created so we could have 6 pieces for the cards and a big piece for the box. ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS in person!

Here’s the box open with the stamped tissue lining which made it feel even more special:

Want to see each of the cards close up?
Sure you do! 

Used the Rock and Roll technique on one of the leaves if you’re wondering!

Nice pocket card, aye?

I sold out of all my Cigar Boxes (had 10 of them and I’m wishing I had more to make some gifts of my own. Someone special’s going to get this one.

Well, gonna go and finish reading the last book of the Twilight series. Ahhh….I’m obsessed! ) TAH!