Thursday, March 20, 2014

What inspires you?

I was able to take a fun girls' trip with a friend to meet up with another friend in Ft. Collins yesterday, and after lunch, we decided to hit the scrapbook store there! I grabbed some colorful goodies... and just looking at some of them together makes me happy! Thought I'd share it with you too, and maybe it will inspire you to make something special today.

What do you do to find inspiration?

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

More gold and black...

I decided I wasn't ready to put my little polka dot stamps set away from my last post, so I made a quick embossed dotty card with a quick Mini Blooms sentiment. Just embossed the little polka dots with gold embossing powder!

The second card was die cut with Cover Plate: Horizontal in the shimmery black cardstock and backed with white cardstock. Another Mini Blooms sentiment here, I think it fit just perfectly in the striped opening! The heart was cut from gold foil paper from the Make It Market Letterpress kit with the Cover Plate: Hearts die. (Actually, it was one of my confetti pieces left from this project!)

I'm having lots of fun just creating whatever comes to mind lately! Hope you enjoyed these quick ideas!

Gold and Black card set:
(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)
STAMPS: Mini Blooms, Polka Dot Basics III
INK: True Black, Versamark
PAPER: Stampers Select White, Shimmer cardstock pack, Aqua Mist cardstock
DIES: Cover Plate: Horizontal, Cover Plate: Hearts dies
OTHER: gold foil paper from Make It Market Letterpress kit.

Monday, March 17, 2014

A luxe card set...

I had some time to play around with some of the new March goodies from Papertrey Ink again today and came up with a little card set using Wet Paint and Polka Dot Basics III stamps using a gold and black color combo. Really like how it turned out!

The cards in my set are pretty much all the same...I stamped and embossed the gold circles first, just a few on top of each card. Then I added a piece of gold tape from the Make It Market Luxe Letterpress kit over the top edge. Last I used all of the big sayings from Wet Paint, one on each card in black. Quick and simple and makes a really great card set for someone special!

Next I made a little note card by adding the gold tape around the edge and just a little bit of stamping in the corner.





The Polka Dot Basics III stamps were stamped in black (the small dots) and also in gold on the coordinating envelope. The leaf is from Embellished Elegance and the sentiment is from Mat Stack 2 Collection. The little seal is cut with the seal die from the Make It Market Letterpress kit, which will be perfect for the outside of my envelope!

The card fronts are popped up on the bases to make them look a little more pronounced. Oh, and you might have noticed that the black dots on the envelopes look a little different than the Polka Dot Basics III? What I did was cut apart the rows of dots. I wanted my rows to be further apart, so I cut my stamp and just stamped one row of dots at a time. (I figured I can always fit the two rows back together on my stamping block if I want to use them as rows really close together again sometime.)

Never thought I'd be into gold again, but it's so luxe and elegant, isn't it? The cards look so pretty all together. I think these would even work for a manly card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Wet Paint card set and notecard:
STAMPS: Wet Paint, Polka Dot Basics III, Mat Stack 2, Embellished Elegance
INK: Versamark, True Black
PAPER: Stampers Select White cardstock
DIES: seal die from Make It Market Letterpress kit, Embellished Elegance dies
OTHER: envelopes, gold embossing powder, gold foil tape from Make It Market Letterpress kit by Papertrey Ink.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

New releases for March!

We have been counting down to the 15th (when all of the new stamps and dies are released at Papertrey Ink), and today I have a few more things to show you. Everything will be up for sale tonight at 10pm EST.

First is Gatsby Glamour. I used the gorgeous frame and embossed it in white on vellum and die cut it with the coordinating die. I also cut it with Soft Stone cardstock again and inserted the Soft Stone center into the middle. The background is stamped with Background Basics: Art Deco. And yes, if you are wondering, I did put the frame upside down on purpose! It think it looks like a tag this way, don't you? I like it a lot.

The "thank you" if from a new stamp set called Keep It Simple: Thank You.


Thank You card:
STAMPS: Gatsby Glamour, Keep It Simple: Thank You, Background Basics: Art Deco, The Sweet Life
INK: Aqua Mist, Tropical Teal and True Black by PTI; Soft Granite by Hero Arts
PAPER: White and Soft Stone
DIES: Gatsby Glamour, The Sweet Life
OTHER: pearl by Melissa Frances.
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The swirls on this card are from the Putting Down Roots set. I wanted to use them in a different and unique way. The spiky cactus would look great as a sun ray too! I tried that at first, but ended up with this instead. You can use so many unique things to create a frame for your focal point. Try looking at your stamps differently to see what would make a cute frame! It's heat embossed on vellum. 

Behind the vellum is a stamped background made with Background Basics: Art Deco. I love these little diamonds that look almost like raindrops! The flowers are from Just Smile, the banner and sentiment is from Stitched Sentiments, and the "you" letters were cut with Script Alphabet dies. I cut the banner in white cardstock and just dipped my finger in Sweet Blush ink and rubbed it across the banner to color it. Creates a soft effect.

You Always Make My Heart Smile card:
STAMPS: Putting Down Roots, Just Smile, Background Basics: Art Deco, Stitched Sentiments
INK: Harvest Gold, Sweet Blush, Raspberry Fizz, Tropical Teal, Versamark
PAPER: Aqua Mist, white, vellum, Harvest Gold Pattern Pack
DIES: Just Smile, In Stitches
OTHER: white embossing powder; pearls by Melissa Frances.
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Next is Just Smile. I made some little cookie bags and stamped the background, folded the edge up to create a ledge to hold the cookies in place and wrapped it up with acetate, then a coordinating tag finishes it off!


To make these, I cut a piece of white cardstock 5 1/2" x 3". Then I scored it at 1/2" from the end and 1 1/2" from the end and folded the paper to create a little nook for the cookies. This allows you a little more than an inch to slide the cookies in. I used 3 cookies. (No, I didn't bake them, they are Chips Ahoy! HA!)  Here is a little peek at my process. You can stamp the backgrounds, or just use patterned paper. I stamped the pink and aqua floral ones.

Clear cellophane bags would have worked better than the cellophane on the roll, not so much bulk at the top when you tie them. But the roll of cellophane worked ok! Measure out how thick the cookies are and make sure the bottom of the holder will fit your cookies.


Cookie Bags:
STAMPS: Just Smile
INK: Harvest Gold, Sweet Blush, Raspberry Fizz, Tropical Teal, Aqua Mist
PAPER: Harvest Gold Pattern Pack, Sweet Blush Pattern Pack, white
DIES: Just Smile
OTHER: pearls by Melissa Frances.
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Last is Wet Paint. I painted some backgrounds with my watercolors and added these cute brush stroke stamp sayings on top! To get the drip look, I used a lot of water and held the card up, let the paint drip down and let it dry. Artsy!
Thanks for Everything card:
STAMPS: Wet Paint
INK: True Black by PTI, Soft Granite by Hero Arts
PAPER: white, watercolor paper
DIES: none
OTHER: sequins by Pretty Pink Posh.
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The other Papertrey Ink team members have a ton to show you also, so stop by and say hello!
Betsy Veldman
Dawn McVey
Erin Lincoln
Heather Nichols
Laura Bassen
Laurie Willison
Maile Belles
Melissa Phillips
Nichole Heady

Friday, March 14, 2014

Personalized Coin Purses and Possibilities...

Have we got a surprise for you today! Papertrey Ink has a new die set coming this month that is full of amazing potential to help you create coin purses, gift card holders and so much more. Just wait until you see what everyone on the team has made! They are all so different, yet soooooo wonderful!

Ok, here goes. Modern meets vintage. "Fresh Vintage" is what I like to call it!

These coin purses are easy to make with felt, oil cloth or any other material that won't unravel on the edges, since you'll be hand stitching along the edge and not tucking the ends under like you normally would when sewing something like this. BUT...having said that...the quilter in me just couldn't help trying to make these in some fun fabrics!! I went to Hobby Lobby and came home with 5 fabrics I loved. Picking out fabrics is so much fun! You only need a tiny scrap of each, so don't go all out and buy 1/2 a yard of each like I did. Totally not necessary! You only need a 5x7" piece of material (or a mix of materials that will make a 5x7" piece) for the smaller ones or two 5x7" pieces for the larger ones. Erin Lincoln will have a video for you to watch on how to create these!

The first coin purse I made was the one in the back with the teal zipper. I wanted it to be extra large, so I die cut 2 of the 5x7" pieces and put them back-to-back.

When die cutting thin fabric of this type, you first have to iron it onto a stabilizer to be able to cut it with the Cuttlebug. After ironing, I left the paper backing from the stabilizer ON the fabric and die cut the large 5x7" die and the zipper opening. Next, I simply placed the zipper behind the zipper opening and hand stitched the holes around the zipper. Seriously! I've never done a zipper before, but I can bet this is the easiest way ever to put in a zipper. LOVE it! Pin it to hold it in place while you are hand stitching it in. (The polkadot fabric was ironed on with Heat-n-Bond over the top of the other fabric.)

Below is the zipper all stitched in. Then I simply added the coordinating back piece on and hand-stitched around the holes on the outer edges. Easy peasy!

To finish, I added a back piece the same size, 5x7", which is also ironed onto stabilizer before die cut. Stitch around the outer edges and you are all done.

Next is the pencil case size.

To make the pencil case shape, I stitched some fabrics together to create the 5x7" piece.

I ironed it flat and then ironed it onto a fabric stabilizer before die cutting. (The strips are cut about 2" wide each and are sewn together by putting the right sides of the fabric together and machine stitching in about 1/4". You'll end up with five 1 1/2" wide strips when they are sewn together.)  After you run it through the die cutter, you'll hand sew the zipper to one side at the top using the holes as your guideline. Then unzip the zipper, fold the bag in the half the long way and sew the other side of the zipper on to the other side of the top. Then stitch up the sides of the bag tucking the ends of the zipper in. (I apologize, this pic was taken before I ironed the materials. You'll want to iron them before you do the stabilizer and die cutting, so they are nice and flat!)

Last, I added a little piece of felt with a key ring to the right side of the pencil case before hand stitching the right side closed.

The last one, the smaller felt one, was actually the easiest and fastest to create. It's a gift card holder. Instead of adding a zipper behind the open space, I kept it open for a gift card to slide in. (Pretend the polka dot fabric is a pretty gift card. Ha.)

To make this, I die cut the 5x7" piece of Fresh Snow felt with the Coin Purse die. Then folded it in half the short way and die cut the hole out where the zipper might go. But instead of using a zipper, I left it open for a gift card to slide in! Hand stitch around the zipper opening first, then hand stitch the front and back together on the sides and bottom.

To hold the little flap down at the top, I added a stick pin and tucked the sharp end down under the felt. I used the Seasonal Stitches: Birds dies to create leaves from felt (it's actually a bird wing, but I think it works nice as a leaf too). Then I rolled up a piece of fabric and hot glued it on as a flower.

The tag is cut with Tremendous Tags and stamped with Birthday Classics: April. And that's it! Hope you've enjoyed these!

Coin Purses and Happy Spring Gift Card Holder:
STAMPS: Birthday Classics: April
INK: Aqua Mist
PAPER: Aqua Mist
DIES: Coin Purse dies, Seasonal Stitching dies, Tremendous Tags dies
OTHER: fabric and zippers from Hobby Lobby, floss, clasps and Heat-n-Bond from Walmart, Aqua Mist felt by PTI., pin from craft supply/floral department, gem - unknown.
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Visit the rest of the PTI team to see more with these products:
Melissa Phillips
Nichole Heady

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Introducing Embellished Elegance...

Today we are introducing the Embellished Elegance stamps and dies, coming out in a couple of days at Papertrey Ink! Another amazing set you must add to your collection! ;) I've made 2 cards and a layout with it, and pretty much stuck with the same color scheme in all of these. The first one is a simple one layer card (if you don't count the base). Really quick to make. Don't you love that font!






Happy Birthday card:
STAMPS: Embellished Elegance
INK: Tropical Teal, Pure Poppy, Melon Berry, Harvest Gold, Ripe Avocado by PTI, Soft Granite by Hero Arts
PAPER: white and Tropical Teal
DIES: none
OTHER:  machine stitching.
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On my second card, I wanted to add some layers with the dies. I used the Cover Plate: Center Stage die with Tropical Teal cardstock over Enchanted Evening patterned paper, then added the Embellished Elegance flowers over the top. 

The sentiment is from the same set, Embellished Elegance, and it's stamped onto little frames die cut with the new Limitless Layers: 1 1/2" Square dies.

Happy Day card:
STAMPS: Embellished Elegance
INK: Aqua Mist, Tropical Teal, Pure Poppy,Summer Sunrise, Melon Berry, New Leaf
PAPER: Tropical Teal/Aqua Mist/White cardstock, Enchanted Evening Pattern Pack
DIES: Embellished Elegance, Limitless Layers: 1 1/2" Square, Cover Plate: Center Stage
OTHER:  none.
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Last is a layout with a few layers, but still pretty simple. I die cut and stamped the leaves/flowers with Embellished Elegance. I like how they frame the photos! You could do them all on die cuts and THEN add them to the layout if you are afraid of stamping directly onto your layout!

The little photos were die cut with the new Limitless Layers: 1 1/2" Square dies! Aren't they adorable! I just trimmed her face from 4x6" pics. You could fit a bunch of pics on a layout using these! (Another layout idea!!) The "always" is cut from the new Phrase Play #2 die and I painted the tops of the word with watercolors.

I love the dimension. I used the Edgers #3 die to create a topper to add color and weight to the top of the page with Tropical Teal cardstock. (The stitching was done before I added it to the layout.)





Always Happy layout:
STAMPS: Embellished Elegance
INK: Pure Poppy, Melon Berry, Harvest Gold, Ripe Avocado, Tropical Teal, Aqua Mist by Papertrey Ink, Soft Granite by Hero Arts
PAPER: white, Tropical Teal and Aqua Mist cardstock, vellum
DIES: Embellished Elegance, Phrase Play #2, Edgers #3, Limitless Layers: 1 1/2" Square dies
OTHER:  Pure Poppy twine, machine stitching, watercolor paints.

The rest of the Papertrey Ink girls have more to show you with Embellished Elegance, swing by and see what they've been up to! This set will be available at Papertrey Ink on 3/15 at 10pm EST.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Monthly Moments: March...

The March "Monthly Moments" kit will be coming out at Papertrey Ink on the 15th! Would you like a sneak peek? 

We are previewing March's Monthly Moments papers, Monthly Moments: March stamps and die, Journal Accessories stamps, A Few Pointers stamps and the Journal card 2 die.


On this layout, I started by placing the large journaling cards from the Monthly Moments kit on the sides. I always pick out my favorite papers first! Then I had a watercolor paper laying on my table that I painted earlier in the day, and I loved the way the gray looked with the colors in the March Monthly Moments kit with the yellows and blues! So pretty! So I trimmed it down to fit in the center and added some stitching at the top. The butterflies are cut with Beautiful Butterflies from polka dot vellum. The arrows are from a new stamp set and dies called A Few Pointers! Aren't they cute? I used the "I am lucky because" stamp from the Monthly Moments: March stamps.


The leaves were cut with Doodlie-do dies with Aqua Mist cardstock. The buttons were cut with a new die called Bitty Button Stacks with Raspberry Fizz cardstock. I added a little bit of watercolor paint on the layout background in the top left corner (right above the photo) and bottom right corner. I love how it blends the journaling cards right into the paper and makes the transition between the journaling card and the paper look so soft! I bought some new watercolors at Michael's in these tubes, and you just need a tiny dab right on your stamping block or paint palette. These will last a long, long time.


"Be Happy" was trimmed from one of the journaling cards.

The journaling reads, "Colorado is exactly what we needed in our lives. What are the chances of Tracey's company being bought out by a company here? Just when I prayed for a sign. Someone is definitely looking out for us. We were brought closer as a family and get to do more active, outdoor things here together that we couldn't do before. I simply can't express how lucky we are to be here, how good this life change has been for all of us."


Be Happy layout:
STAMPS: Monthly Moments: March, A Few Pointers
INK: Raspberry Fizz, Harvest Gold, Tropical Teal, True Black
PAPER: Monthly Moments: March paper pad, watercolor paper, vellum by Recollections, Aqua Mist and Raspberry Fizz cardstock
DIES: Doodlie-do dies, Beautiful Butterflies dies, Bitty Button Stacks die, A Few Pointers dies
OTHER: watercolor paint by Reeves from Michaels Stores, paper clips, machine stitching, gold dot - Studio Calico.
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Next I was inspired to do another layout. I first painted the background, but this time I used Papertrey Ink's ink refills in Ripe Avocado and Hawaiian Shores onto watercolor paper. If you wet the paper before you add color with your paintbrush, the colors blend together so much better.
The new Journaling card 2 die was used to cut out a piece of gray cardstock, then I used the cut out piece for the mat for my photo. The photo was cut out with the Journal card die. I wanted to offset the picture, so you could see more of the pretty colors underneath.
The lines and "memories" were stamped with the new Journal Accessories set. Sayings and arrows were stamped with A Few Pointers. And the Monthly Moments: March die was used for the title. Twine and a few flower die cuts from the new Embellished Elegance dies finish it off. The journaling reads, "Today as I drop Kati off at the bus and drive around the block, I see the beautiful rec center, snow gently falling and it reminds me how lucky we are to be here. There are so many great things about our new neighborhood!" 

March layout:
STAMPS: A Few Pointers, Journal Accessories, Embellished Elegance
INK: True Black, Harvest Gold, Ripe Avocado, Hawaiian Shores
PAPER: watercolor paper and gray from Michaels
DIES: Monthly Moments: March, Journal card die, Journal card 2 die, Embellished Elegance
OTHER:  Rustic twine.
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All of these new products will be available at Papertrey Ink on March 15th at 10pm EST. I think I'm going to wait to do my album page spread until the 1st. That way I'll have more March photos to choose from for my big March spread! I haven't taken very many pics yet for March. (Mostly all of the snow!) No spring for us here yet. :) 

Visit the rest of the Monthly Moments team to see more with the March kit products: Heather NicholsMelissa Phillips, Nichole Heady.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Make It Monday...

Good morning and happy Monday! I've got a new tutorial out for you, a video for Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday series...which you can watch HERE on Nichole Heady's blog! It's all about creating confetti with the Papertrey Ink dies.

In the video, I made a little birthday gift ensemble. This is a clear card box by Papertrey Ink, and I thought it would make an adorable gift box, filled with confetti, since you can see all of the fun going on inside! I used the Cover Plate: Circles die to create the fun circles.

Then inside I tucked a card and mini envelope inside. I made a confetti border on a mini card. I'll show you how to do a super quick and simple confetti border in the video! Stamps are from the Keep It Simple: Birthday set. This would be perfect for inserting money in the little card or a gift card!
Here's one more card idea using this cute confetti that pops out of this cover plate. Gold foil tape is from Betsy's Make It Market kit.

For the challenge, you can use any of Papertrey Ink's cover dies, but border dies would work also to make your own confetti, wouldn't number confetti be cute made with this die? As you can see the possibilities are endless for this! Can't wait to see what you'll make! Again you can see the VIDEO tutorial here. Thanks for swinging by!

Monday, March 3, 2014

Make it a mini...

*Edited to add a winner!
Diane Sims! Please email me with your mailing address: dflanders71@hotmail.com.

Those of you who know me know I love making mini albums. There's just something so special about them. I grabbed a couple of the February kits over at Scraptastic (Feel Again and Feel Again add-on), which is what this is made of. Have you heard of Scraptastic? I hadn't until a short while ago. BUT, wow....I am soooo impressed with their kits! It was packed with stuff, and most of it very much my style.

One of my favorite things about the kits were all the embellishments...the wood veneers, the stickers, the Elle's Studio tags, the enamel hearts and arrows, tickets, acetate pieces, etc. So much to play with! The embellishments are my favorite part, because these are what you can layer and create interest with!

For some of the background pages, I used white cardstock and embossed it with Maggie Holmes' new Doily Embossing Folder by Crate Paper. I also watercolored a few pages.

I'll show you some of the inside.
I couldn't resist using these cute little tags and journaling cards by Elle's Studio in the kit...

I've added some vellum banners on this page, along with some Echo Park stickers, heart wood veneer, and a heart enamel shape, all in the kit (except the vellum)!

Another view...(this is my favorite page, I think!) Those Echo Park - Head Over Heels stickers are to die for. :) The gray, red and white look so pretty with the wood, and the "stitched" look to the stickers are so cozy.
On the next page, I inserted more of the Elle Studio's goodies. I stapled a clear acetate heart over the top. I think it was in the Fancy Pants pkg in the kit.

This is a watercolor page I made myself. To get this teal, I mixed blue and green. Little blobs of water formed on the edges, but I left them that way to dry (didn't wipe it off) and love how it looks!

On page four, I have added a little bag with a tag tucked inside for journaling. The "always" is a rub on that I added to the bag. The heart is stapled on just so it can tuck right over the edge of the bag and hold the tag from falling into the bag...kind of like a little clip!

More Elle's Studio tags...gosh, how I love her stuff. Perfect for adding a photo or journaling right here. And I love that typewriter font. I really need to order more of her products to have on hand.

Another watercolor page I made. On this one, I added the "love" rub on after it was dry, also in the kit. The rub ons are by Studio Calico.

This one is simple with an embossed background, a sticker and an acetate heart from Fancy Pants that I trimmed off and stapled.
Just stapled on a few of the acetate hearts to this one, a tab and a wooden heart finish off the page. I added some twine from my stash.
The "my dear" ephemera with a little heart sticker finishes this round tag nicely, and that's all it needed. Behind it is another page that I watercolored and added a Fancy Pants ticket.



On this page, I stamped the heart stamps from Scraptastic in the kit onto vellum and embossed them.

Ok, well I think you get the gist of this amazing kit!



You might be wondering why I didn't add pics of my own inside the album...I was thinking it's been a long, long time since I've done a giveaway, and I'd love to send this mini album to one of my readers. Would you be interested? If so, leave me a note below! Thank you so much for being a blog reader and supporter of mine! :)