Homespun with Heart

Pink Paislee sneaks: days 4 and 5...

2012-01-27T08:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Pink Paislee shared their fourth new line coming out next month called INDIGO BLEU and today they are sharing the fifth new line called PRAIRIE HILL. This is one of my faves! I love the yellows, oranges and blues.

Here I cut the patterned papers into tag shapes and added a new Prairie Hill Accolade Sticker, a stamped "flying high" from the Prairie Hill stamps and some punched stars.

On the XO card, I was inspired by the kite paper and cut around the design into an X.

I used a new Prairie Hill shipping tag and stickers to make the "o" in XO, also used Terracotta Tile and Aqua Mist cardstock. Love the punch that the Terracotta Tile adds!

I printed a little quote to go with it on the white cardstock.

I apologize for the somewhat blurry photos. I had to take quick photos before I mailed them off that day, and it was very dark and dreary out!

On the next card, I used the kite stamp in the background...

Added a kite sticker and made my own little tag.

And last, a layout of my girls when we went to Hampton Beach one year. I used a little bit of everything from the new line on this page.

Here you can see some of the stamping on the "kite flying lessons" and the background...

Visit the Pink Paislee blog today for a chance to win this entire line. :)

Melissa Frances sneaks: day 2...

2012-01-26T11:02:00.000-05:00

Today Melissa is sharing the new Attic Treasures line with you over at the Melissa Frances blog. Stop over and leave a comment today for your chance to win. This is Volume 3 of our popular Attic Treasures Collection. Beautiful with cream, ivory, white, brown and little pops of muted color, our Attic Treasures embodies a classic look.

Here are the papers...

I love all of these. If you look in my last post, you'll see that the two layouts I made used some of these papers in combination with the C'est la Vie line. The big "Ledger Dot" is so much fun and pretty at the same time! And the script papers - ohhhh, gotta love them. On this card, I cut the script paper with a Tiny Envelope die...

These lines look so pretty with purples and shades of teal. Cardstock here is Aqua Mist. I added a C'est la Vie sticker and paper with a Melissa Frances resin frame and pearls. Loving the Postmark stamps lately, as you can tell. :)

On this Spring layout, I used the C'est la Vie papers, tags and stickers. I punched some stars from the new Attic Treasures text papers. I rolled up the Melissa Frances fringed crepe paper into a flower.

The photograph was trimmed into a tag shape to match the other tags on the layout. I didn't do a thing to this pretty tag below...it comes just like this! I simply sewed it onto my page on the right hand side.

Well, that wraps up the sneaks for Melissa Frances this week. Stay tuned for more Craft and Hobby Show projects by me with Pink Paislee, however...

Pink Paislee sneaks: day 3...

2012-01-25T17:24:00.002-05:00

Pink Paislee is sharing their third peek today of a new line called London Market. This line is completely gorgeous in person!!!

I wasn't assigned this line for the Craft & Hobby Show, but I couldn't help making a card with it today. It's just so pretty. This gray paper is my favorite and is from the 6x6" paper pad, but it comes in a larger pattern in 12x12" too.

The Ephemera pack is to die for!! I cut the blue piece from the Ephemera in half and layered it underneath some of the other die cuts. "Sweet" is a stamp from the London Market stamps. The butterfly is also part of the Ephemera pack. The wooden button is from a new line you'll see tomorrow!

I trimmed the bottom of the gray paper with a Papertrey Ink die called Edgers #4 die collection, and used a yellow Papertrey Ink button from the Spring Mix buttons. I hope you'll stop by again tomorrow to see what's new, as I have more creations to share with you! xo

Melissa Frances sneaks: day 1...

2012-01-25T09:03:00.001-05:00

Hello! This is going to be a busy week for me showing you all of the new things coming out at CHA! Stay tuned to more blog posts and more projects all this week!

Melissa Frances has a couple of new lines, one is called C'est la Vie... meaning "that's life". It's a beautifully, soft romantic line. This collection celebrates life in it’s imperfect, inherent messiness. Like our Thankful collection, these papers will have part proceeds donated to www.breastcancer.org, Melissa's charity of choice.

What are your favorites? I love the colors in the Aqua Doily and Hydrangeas papers. I have a few things to share that I made, but today I will show you one of the layouts I made with these pretty die cuts. I arranged them in a grid pattern, added some smaller photos (wallet sized) and some little lavender punched hearts.

I made the envelope with a Papertrey Ink die called Tiny Envelope. I also used a postmark stamp from Papertrey Ink's Postmarks set on the center die cut.

I love these die cuts. The floral one is so pretty. I cut out "you" with a Wonderful Words die by Papertrey Ink also with gray cardstock. I thought the gray and lavender would look so pretty with this line. The background paper I used is actually from the other new MF line. I mixed and matched, but the two lines go together so well.

We also have new banner stickers, which I've used here on this layout (thankful for you, sweet memories and hello beautiful). You are getting a peek at the other new line here as well! Can you tell what it is?

And check out these gorgeous cardstock stickers (floral above hello beautiful flag). This cardstock sheet is called "Victorian".

Visit the Melissa Frances blog each day this week for your chance to win the two new lines!

Pink Paislee sneaks: day 2...

2012-01-24T08:58:00.001-05:00

Today Pink Paislee is sharing its second new line coming out soon, it's called Spring Jubilee!

Here are some peeks at the new SPRING JUBILEE line. I made a few cards...

This one's my favorite, I think, because of the colors! I used a Doily Details die by Papertrey Ink to cut the pink paper. On the background, I rubbed the darker paper with a Fresh Snow ink pad around the edges. Then I stamped with the Spring Jubilee stamps in red over the top - just on the right hand edge. "Time flies" is a rub on from the Spring Jubilee line, and I used the butterfly chipboard from the line as well.

-------------------

The next card uses a shipping tag from the Spring Jubilee line! Egads, these are gorgeous. I didn't do a thing to the tag, except add the chipboard butterflies/twine/stamped a postage stamp over the tag with the new Spring Jubilee stamps!

"Sunshiny day" is a rub on from the new line. I added a chipboard piece behind the tag also.

-----------------

On the "Wonderful & Kind" card, I used the Spring Jubilee stamps to create this background...

I started with stamping the pink flowers with Chewing Gum ink by Jenni Bowlin, then stamped some red flowers over the top with Pure Poppy ink by Papertrey Ink. I brushed the edges of the card with Vintage Cream ink by Papertrey Ink. The ribbon roses were made by me with Hawaiian Shores ribbon.

"Wonderful & Kind" is a stamp from the Spring Jubilee stamps as well, stamped with Hawaiian Shores ink. I rubbed a bit of Vintage Cream over the center of the card too.

Stop over to the Pink Paislee blog to see all of the papers and fun pieces that go with this line - chipboard, stamps, shipping tags, rub ons, etc., and leave a comment over there for your chance to win the whole line!

Pink Paislee CHA sneak peeks begin!

2012-01-23T11:58:00.002-05:00

Today marks the day when one of my favorite scrapbooking companies, Pink Paislee, begins to share sneak peeks of the new lines they've created for the Craft and Hobby Show in California next week. We have 5 new paper lines this time, and they are sure to WOW you!

The first sneak is SHE ART, created by Christy Tomlinson!

Christy Tomlinson has been working with us to develop a paper collection that includes products she uses over and over again while creating her adored SHE ART canvas designs. Now you can get her favorite items all in one place: Press ons, tissue paper, patterned papers, masks and of course paper bits and pieces.

What do you think of the first peek!?

Stop over to the Pink Paislee blog to see some BEAU-ti-ful projects made with this line and leave a comment over there for your chance to win this full line!

Cool Tools winner...

2012-01-23T09:51:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone, thank you SO much for all of your nice comments during the Cool Tools blog hop! Congratulations to Brenda...please email me at dflanders71@hotmail.com with your mailing address!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2012-01-23 14:45:57 UTC

Brenda Csaid...23: So glad I found your site - so much inspiration here! I love the cute tags. Very clever idea and it's so easy!; January 13, 2012 8:38 AM

Papertrey Ink Release Projects...

2012-01-15T08:57:00.000-05:00

Today is the 15th, which means all of the new products will be available for the month at Papertrey Ink! It also means we get to share the rest of the projects we made with you!

This card is made with the new Celebrations stamp set. I thought a nice color combo for a guy birthday card would be with Ripe Avocado (green), Enchanted Evening (dark blue), Hawaiian Shores (teal) and Canyon Clay (orange). I used a polkadot from the Background Basics: Circles set in Spring Moss (light green for the background!

Celebrate card:

Stamps: Celebrations, Background Basics: Circles
Ink: Hawaiian Shores, Ripe Avocado, Enchanted Evening, Canyon Clay, True Black
Paper: white, Canyon Clay
Dies: none
Other: none.

--------------

This is the new Flower Fusion #12. Love these cute little plaid flowers! I added some buttons from my stash in the centers. You can also see the new Fancy Flourishes die (set of 8) and "Happy Birthday is done with the new Think Big Favorites #12.

I made my own little notebook edge on the top by simply punching with a circle punch all along the edge and then tearing the tops.

Happy Birthday card:

Stamps: Flower Fusion #12, Think Big Favorites #12

Ink: Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise, Ripe Avocado

Paper: It's Official

Dies: Fancy Flourishes

Other: Pure Poppy ribbon, buttons - unknown, hole punch.

--------------

This one uses the beautiful hearts and little leaves from Tag-its #12, and the Script Sentiments (heartfelt thanks).

I made my own tag from the Dearest Jane paper and stamped some colorful hearts on it.

With Heartfelt Thanks card:

Stamps: Tag-its #12, Script Sentiments

Ink: Pure Poppy, Raspberry Fizz, Canyon Clay, Aqua Mist

Paper: Hawaiian Shores, white and Harvest Gold

Dies: scalloped punch by Fiskars

Other: Hawaiian Shores 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Basic Grey brad, PTI twine, machine stitching.

--------------

This is a wedding gift bag and card made with the new Front and Center #2 die, Lace Bouquet stamps and the Happily Ever After stamps (sentiment).

To create the background, I stamped the Lace Bouquet with Fresh Snow ink on white cardstock, then embossed it with white embossing powder. I rubbed a Smokey Shadow ink pad over the top! Has a neat effect.

From the top, you can see that I shredded some Dearest Jane papers as a filler!

This is a card I made to go with the gift bag, it uses the new Cover Plate: Lace to make the embossed design, the new Fancy Flourishes dies and the new Happily Ever After sentiment stamps.

So Happy For You Both Gift Bag:

Stamps: Lace Bouquet, Happily Ever After
Ink: Fresh Snow, True Black, Smokey Shadow
Paper: Dearest Jane, black/white/Sweet Blush cardstock
Dies: Front and Center die #2, Cover Plate: Lace
Other: tinsel, Sweet Blush ribbon, Basic Grey brad, white embossing powder.

New Life Together card:
Stamps: Happily Ever After
Ink: True Black
Paper: white and black cardstock, Sweet Blush cardstock
Dies: Fancy Flourishes, Cover Plate: Lace, Limitless Layers 2.25" Oval
Other: Sweet Blush ribbon, Fiskars border die, pearl.

----------------

Visit the rest of the team to see their release projects as well!

Dawn McVey

Melissa Phillips
Nichole Heady

Simply Jane...

2012-01-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

The Papertrey Ink team has another group blog post for you today! We are featuring a new set of dies and stamps called Simply Jane. These will be available on the 15th.

I chose to work with the "love" quote in this stamp set. You could certainly make a card with it, but I decided to try something different and turn it into a little message journal.

Most of us are so busy these days, so I thought of a little journal that you could leave on the table to jot notes in to each other. Who doesn't appreciate a little love note once in awhile?

I started out by making a card with kraft cardstock and stamping the flowers in the background with Fresh Snow ink. After the white flowers were dry, I stamped the sentiment over the top.

Then I die cut the frame and people with 2 of the dies from this set (there are more dies that come with the set, however I didn't use them on my journal).

I stamped the frame and brushed Chamomile ink over the top to distress it a bit. The center is backed with some My Mind's Eye houndstooth paper. I punched a little notch to hold the twine with a circle punch.

On the inside, I stitched in a felt page, which you could use to pin a little note.

I also added some papers from the Pacific Vineyard paper collection. They are loose inside. I was going to stitch them in, but I thought if I kept them loose, I could always add more papers in later when these are gone.

On the top of the frame I added a little leafy stamp.

Love You Message Center:

Stamps: Simply Jane

Ink: Fresh Snow, True Black, Chamomile

Paper: Kraft cardstock, creme, Canyon Clay by PTI, Text Style Pacific Vineyard by PTI, houndstooth by My Mind's Eye

Dies: Simply Jane

Other: Rustic Twine, heart punch, kraft button, circle punch, kraft felt.

----------------

Please visit the other team members to see what they've done with Simply Jane!

Dawn McVey

Melissa Phillips
Nichole Heady

Mat Stack 5 Collection...

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

The Papertrey Ink team is back again today with another group blog hop to show some projects made with the new Mat Stack 5 dies and stamps. These will be available on the 15th! They are so versatile...as you'll see from the team. I'm sure of it!

The Mat Stack 5 dies and stamps are perfect for a little Valentine pocket!

To create the pocket:

1. Die cut two Mega Mat Stack 5 pieces out of Raspberry Fizz felt. Stitch them together on sides and bottom, leaving top open for candy.

2. Die cut one Layerz Mat Stack 5 piece out of white cardstock. With the Mat Stack 5 stamps, stamp a houndstooth frame with Raspberry Fizz ink. Ink the edges of the cardstock with Chamomile ink.

3. Stamp the flowers from Simply Jane stamp set in Spring Moss ink. Stamp "Be My Valentine" and the hearts in Pure Poppy ink from the Tremendous Treats: Valentine stamp set. Stamp "Handmade with care" using the Handmade Hodgepodge stamp set with True Black ink.

4. Adhere to pocket.

5. Punch 2 holes to tie on a ribbon handle.

You can wrap little candies with stamped sayings like I did here. (They say "pucker up" and "i love you".) Or make little flags in Hershey Kisses with a toothpick! How about wrapping the stick of a lollipop with a handmade flag as well and adding a special note to it!

I stamped "forever" with a Mat Stack 5 stamp. To make the flag, I simply folded a strip of paper in half and trimmed the end in a V shape with my scissors.

Be My Valentine pocket and candies:

Stamps: Mat Stack 5, Handmade Hodgepodge,

Tremendous Treats: Valentine by Papertrey Ink

Ink: Raspberry Fizz, Pure Poppy, True Black, Spring Moss,

Chamomile by Papertrey Ink

Paper: cardstock by Papertrey Ink

Dies: Mega Mat Stack 5 and Layerz Mat Stack 5 by Papertrey Ink

Other: Raspberry Fizz Dotted ribbon and Harvest Gold ribbon by Papertrey Ink, twine by the Twinery.

--------------

This card set, also made with the Mat Stack 5 dies and stamps, has a little bit more of a masculine feel with the blue/orange/brown color combo.

I used the Mega Mat Stack 5 die to cute the large shape from Dark Chocolate cardstock on the Feel Better card. Then I used the same large die to cut the background for the second card using some My Mind's Eye paper. The sentiments are from Mat Stack 5 also.

The card below uses both the Mega Mat Stack 5 die with Aqua Mist felt and the smaller Mat Stack die with cardstock.

Here you can see the Canyon Clay ink and a Canyon Clay button - also NEW kraft ribbon!

The text paper is a new paper pack called Dearest Jane.

Masculine card set:

Stamps: Mat Stack 5 by Papertrey Ink

Ink: Canyon Clay, Dark Chocolate, Fresh Snow, Chamomile ink by Papertrey Ink
Paper: Dearest Jane, white cardstock by Papertrey Ink

Dies: Mega Mat Stack 5, Layerz Mat Stack 5 by Papertrey Ink

Other: embossing powder, pearls, MME brad, Canyon Clay button,

Hawaiian Shores ribbon, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, circle punch.

--------------

Thank you for visiting! Please stop over to the other girls' blogs to see how they used Mat Stack 5.

Dawn McVey

Melissa Phillips
Nichole Heady

Paper Crafts Magazine presents: Cool Tools Blog Hop

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hello, fellow paper crafters! I was thrilled to be asked to participate in a blog hop with Paper Crafts Magazine to promote their brand new Cool Tools special issue!

Today each of us are going to show you a fun way to use PUNCHES on your projects, one of my favorite paper crafting tools!

See the tiny tags on this card? I made them myself using a scalloped border punch!

Create your own TINY TAGS:

1. Punch cardstock with a scalloped border punch. Cut out a rectangle from the cardstock.

2. Using your scissors, trim off slices of the cardstock to create tiny tags.

3. You can create little banner shapes to them by trimming the bottoms of the tiny tags in a V shape with your scissors.

I decided to hang these cute little tags on a floral pin and add a punched heart in the center. You can make these tiny tags longer or shorter. You can also add little sentiments to each of them if you'd like!

A simple technique that's fun too! I love getting more use out of my punches!

Tenderness of Heart card supplies:

Stamps: Simply Jane by Papertrey Ink

Ink: True Black by Papertrey Ink

Paper: Cardstock - white, Hawaiian Shores, Raspberry Fizz by Papertrey Ink,

patterned paper - Pink Paislee's Soiree line (gray), Echo Park Dots & Stripes (yellow)

Dies: Limitless Layers by Papertrey Ink (oval), scalloped punch by Fiskars,

heart punch by McGill, corner rounder

Other: pin by Oasis Floral, ticket by Pink Paislee,

ribbon by Papertrey Ink (Harvest Gold Grosgrain 5/8"), pop dots adhesive.

-----------------

Need more tool ideas? There are 3 ways to win a copy of Cool Tools:

1. Leave a comment here on this blog post by midnight MDT on Sunday, January 15th.

2. Visit the Paper Crafts Connection and leave a comment for your chance to win a HUGE pack of crafting tools!

3. Visit the other crafters in this blog hop to see how they used punches!

Cristina Kowalczyk

Heidi Van Laar
Vanessa Menhorn
Kim Hughes
You are here ---> Danielle Flanders
Amber Daigre
Kalyn Kepner
Emily Branch
Laura Williams
Stephanie Halinski

Have fun hopping!

ten things I love...

2012-01-11T03:00:00.000-05:00

I love this time of year when Valentine's Day is on its way! As a kid, it was one of my favorite holidays, creating those little paper mailboxes at school and prepping Valentines for all of my friends. Even now, I adore making pages and cards that reflect my love and appreciation for those around me!

This is a layout that I made for Little Yellow Bicycle using their Hello, Fall! line. Inspired by the little pocket, which originally said, "10 things I love about Fall", I used one of the words in the package that came with the pocket and changed it to say "you" instead of "fall". The Hello, Fall! pocket and these fall papers actually worked out perfectly for a love themed page!
Remember this card I made with the little punched circles? I had an idea to use this leftover yellow paper with the circles punched out of it to hang little hearts from twine. I'm always inspired by what's on my desk!

These pictures were taken when Kati came home from school last Valentine's Day. Her and Taylor were opening my gifts to them and showing me all of their fun Valentines from friends. Love their excitement on these special days!

10 Things layout:

Little Yellow Bicycle's Hello, Fall line - 11.75 x 5.75" paper pad

Hello, Fall Fabric Favorites

Hello, Fall 10 Things Pocket

Hello, Fall Crepe Paper Lace Stickers

Hello, Fall Jewel Stickers

Handmade Hodgepodge...

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm back today to share some projects made with a new stamp set coming out by Papertrey Ink this month on the 15th called Handmade Hodgepodge. This will be a $5.00 set and comes with 7 different stamps that say, "handmade by/handmade for you". Great for adding a tag to your home made gifts, or on the back of a card!

First, I made a little box full of Oreo lollipops.

I wanted to make something that was "Valentine-ish" for gifts. I found this idea on Pinterest, but it's from the Hip Hip Hooray blog. See the little tag? That is stamped with the new set.

Let me tell you a little bit about how I made these!

About the oreo lollies --

Super easy, but I have one tip! Use the DOUBLE stuff Oreos. Easier to get the stick in between the top and bottom cookie of the Oreo.

(photo from Hip Hip Hooray blog)

After I put the sticks in, I coated the Oreos with white chocolate, added sprinkles, and put them in the freezer for a few minutes. I wrapped them in cellophane and tied them with twine.

Next, I grabbed a box. It's a Papertrey Ink box that the stamps come in! I love that it's clear. I added 4 lollipops inside, alternating the directions of the sticks to fit more of them in. (You could probably fit 5 lollies, but my girls ate the rest. HA)

I wrapped the box with Hawaiian Shores Swiss Dot ribbon and tied it in a bow. This will slide off when the recipient opens the box.

The tag is cut out of white cardstock with a new Papertrey Ink die coming out this month called Limitless Layers 2.5" oval - set of 5 dies. I stamped the "handmade" from the Handmade Hodgepodge set and the swirls/flowers are from a new set called Simply Jane.

I felt like the top needed a tiny pop of red, so I added a loop of twine and a Little Yellow Bicycle pin.

---------------

I have a couple of quick cards too made with the Handmade Hodgepodge stamps...

Here I stamped two of the Handmade Hodgepodge stamps (house and oval) and added a saying from another new set called Script Sentiments over the top. Inks are Raspberry Fizz, Hawaiian Shores and Smokey Shadow.

This card utilizes the same oval die and I stamped with Fresh Snow Ink and embossed it with white embossing powder to really make it pop against the Raspberry Fizz cardstock. The background is from the Background Basics: Text Style set.

I hope you will grab this cute stamp set on the 15th at www.papertreyink.com, so many fun uses for it!

Here are a few more sneaks today of new things coming this month!

Nichole Heady has peeks of Lace Bouquet, Think Big Favorites #12 and Handmade Hodgepodge.

Betsy Veldman has a few more projects Lace Bouquet and Think Big Favorites #12.

Melissa Bickford is sharing more with Flower Fusion #12.

Heather Nichols is showcasing Tag-its #12.

Dawn McVey is showcasing her new Celebrations set.

an interview with...me?

2012-01-09T10:49:00.002-05:00

Have you heard the brand new Cool Tools issue is now for sale by Paper Crafts Magazine?

I received a fun email the other day from one of the Paper Crafts editors who wanted to ask me a few questions for the Paper Crafts Connection blog. My interview is up on their blog today! Stop over to their blog for your chance to win a copy of this fun issue. I was lucky enough of have 7 cards published in it! I love to try new things, tools and techniques. Do you?

Here is one of the cards I made. I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder to create the faux "letterpress" look here. To create this look, I took a yellow ink pad and rub it all over inside the embossing folder, then carefully placed white cardstock inside, and ran it through the embossing machine. The ink stays on the flat part of the embossing folder and does not go down into the parts that will be embossed (numbers). It kept the numbers white and colored the rest! I added some stamping and made little balloons with paper, buttons and twine.

This next card was in the adhesive section. Can you guess how I made the background?
To create these neat diamonds, I used a Pink Paislee stencil mask from the Mistables line and placed it over the white cardstock, then sprayed the cardstock with spray adhesive over the mask. I added fine Pink Paislee glitter over the adhesive! Gives the card a flocked look!

Be sure to wash off your stencil straight away, so the glitter does not dry on your mask, or it will be on there permanently! (Yes, speaking from experience!)

And one more... here I embossed my card with little chipboard pieces from my stash (or DEbossed, you might say).

Here is the full card...

If you are like me and LOVE to try new techniques on your cards, grab this special issue of Cool Tools! There are so many neat things to try. That is the fun of crafting, right? I hope you'll visit PC Connections and read my interview as well. xo

Eleven favorites of 2011, part 2...

2012-01-01T19:21:00.000-05:00

Happy 2012, everyone!

We had a quiet evening last night for New Year's Eve, stayed home and watched a movie. I'm glad we stayed home now, because our 15 month old dog ended up getting very sick, and I had to take her to the emergency clinic early this morning. She's been resting all day. We're hoping it was just a food she ate that irritated her stomach. If she has to have surgery, I don't know what I'll do. We'll see how she does with the medicines he gave her today. I truly hope it's nothing serious. I'm so worried about her!

How about another reflection today of my "favorite 11 projects from 2011", this time I'll share some cards and things for you non-layout lovers!

1. This is a little baby mini album made with the Postmarks set by Papertrey Ink. I used a Melissa Frances frame as the front cover and love how it turned out...

2. For my "mix it up" post on the Pink Paislee blog, I made some spring egg wraps, combining several of the collections. They were really easy and quick to make! I set them on some Pink Paislee Sweetness stickers, added spanish moss and put them on a cake plate.

3. I had a lot of fun with the "Fruit Fusion" stamps and dies by Papertrey Ink when they came out in May for this gift wrap and pin cushion...they're so cheery and fun!

4. I looove how this little vellum mini album turned out with the Garden Variety stamps and dies by Papertrey Ink. You can slide photos and such in the pockets and they peek through the vellum.

5. These were little glassine bags I made for Kati's 6th birthday party invitations...

6. On the Grateful for You card, I had fun with layers on this one with the Half & Half dies by Papertrey Ink...
7. Love these background stamps on the thank you card...

8. This was a little birthday mini album cover made with the Tranquility Trilogy set...

9. The Write Type mini album was a little inspirational quotes book made with a Jenni Bowlin kit, which included some Studio Calico products and Pink Paislee Daily Junque cards and ephemera.

10. Nut'n Better than a cute little shaped card for a good friend... :) This one cracks me up. No pun intended! lol
And last but not least, a pocket full of coordinating cards made with Studio Calico kits. I used Papertrey Ink's Wine Bottle Tag (2 of them sewn together) to form the pocket.

Which one is your personal fave?

I also have some news to share -- the new 2012 Pink Paislee team is up! I will be heading up the team this year as the Design Team Coodinator, and I can't wait to get to know the new team members and work with Pink Paislee on a deeper level. Lots of new faces and new inspiration for 2012! Be looking for some exciting new themes on their blog!

Eleven favorites of 2011...

2011-12-26T19:26:00.004-05:00

Hi friends, I hope you had a very happy holiday! I just finished posting a few pics over on Facebook of our Christmas. I didn't take many photos this year...just felt like I wanted to sit back and enjoy it... more than worrying how great my photos were! Know what I mean? It was nice.

Each year I like to do a "year in review" and choose my favorite layouts over the past year that I've created. It's fun to look back and see how you've grown or changed in scrapbooking. I think I'll just stick to layouts today...maybe I'll post 11 of my favorite cards next!

-----------------

Here we go!
1. This first one was done for Pink Paislee... I had fun mixing and matching colors and papers. I'm trying to get better at adding more color and trying new placement for things!

2. I think I'm in love with the color gray this year! The "Remember" layout was made for Glue Arts, we were working with Hero Arts stamps (red words "you brighten my day"). I happened to catch my girls sitting together and holding hands one day...a RARE occurrence! I used some older products for this one, a Cosmo Cricket chipboard album cover (heart) and a fabric piece I think was from K & Co.

3. The "Grateful" layout was another Pink Paislee layout from this fall when we went to the pumpkin patch. I love the phase right now of using punches. It really allows you to add lot of pattern to your pages by adding little punched bits and pieces.

4. The 5 Years layout was made with Jenni Bowlin products! I really had fun with the design here.

5. This one was Pinterest inspired, made for a guest post for Pebbles. I painted the limbs and added punched circles. Making your own backgrounds is really addicting with mists, paints and stamps...so many possibilities!

6. "Chasing the Chicks" was done for another guest post for Hip 2 Be Square Scrapbooking. This was a visit back home and we stopped at a tourist attraction called "Old MacDonald's Farm". Kati chased the chickens all over the place! Who knew chicken pictures would be so fun to scrap! HA

7. "Her Perspective" is actually one I haven't posted before. It was one of my layouts that I made for the Scrapbooking Girls E-book by Ella Publishing. (You can still purchase this - link is in my side bar!) I gave Taylor my camera and asked her to take photos of her favorite things, like her favorite hobby, music, food, etc. We had the BEST time together finding her favorites around the house and she loved using my camera and getting a photography lesson! It was a neat way to spend time together and create a page to remember her favorites at this age. This page also reminds me that I need to get better at using MORE photos on a page!

8. "Let It Snow" is one of my favorites as well - just love this new line by Pink Paislee called Snow Day and love these pictures of my 3 making snowmen together. It was one of those layouts that fell together very fast! Love when that happens!

9. "A Happy Heart" layout makes me happy when I look at it. Just scrapbooking another hobby I love, making quilts for friends and family. My mom always tells me a busy heart is a happy heart and she's so right! (made with October Afternoon products)

10. This was a layout that I made for the Mission To Create blog. I used some vintage paper, lots of bits and pieces from my stash and some Dusty Attic chipboard words! My daughter took this photo of my husband and I at the park one day when she was 5 and it was our 11th anniversary. I was glad to have a photo of that particular day. She did a great job!

11. The last one makes me smile, because Kati is always a happy girl, and these photos are so indicative of her personality. I tried something different with the design here and also tried a new technique with Papertrey Ink stamps (new to me) called "kissing your stamps". Again, I'm trying to balance out my pages with color and fun embellishments, also adding stamps to my layouts.

Scrapbooking is like creating a journal, except we are adding color and photos to our journal. I've learned lots this year about creating, design, and of course stamping from my good friends at Papertrey Ink. I've learned more about the things people like to see and how design pleases the eye. Creating makes me so happy, and I can't wait to see what this year will bring for me! Thanks for reading and stopping by! I really appreciate having so many friends who understand the scrapbooking passion. Here's to a great 2012. xo,

fa la la...

2011-12-20T08:58:00.001-05:00

Ready for the holidays? I have all of my gifts bought and wrapped, just have to finish the teachers and the grandmas. It's getting down to the wire, but I know what I'm getting, just have to make one more run. :)

I have a few more Christmas card ideas for you today...

These are all made with Studio Calico's Autumn Press line of papers/stickers and Studio Calico stamps. Here I used one of the Bookplate Stickers behind a felt tree that I made myself. I wrapped the tree in twine. The sentiment is made with some of my favorite Studio Calico sticker letters from my stash and the Nadiya stamps by Studio Calico ("la"). I made the little felt rose myself.

----------------

Next, another bookplate sticker is used as a background for a punched circle.

Several of the snowflakes (Martha Stewart punch) are punched and layered here, then I used a circle punched from the Rose Bud paper for the center! None of these papers are really holiday papers, but the colors work so well.

----------------

The "Merry" card was fun and simple to make. I first stamped "Merry" out with alphabet stamps (Nadiya by Studio Calico), then dry embossed the card with a Swiss Dot embossing folder by Provo Craft. Last, a strip of paper, a punched heart and a ribbon rose were added that I made myself. These would be easy to mass produce!

Are you making your Christmas cards this year? I would love to see them!

Papertrey Ink December 2011 Release Projects...

2011-12-15T07:00:00.193-05:00

It is the 15th again, the day we get to show you what we've made with all of the new stamp sets and dies coming out this month at Papertrey Ink!

First, we have Lock & Key...

A GORGEOUS stamp set full of inspirational sayings. I have used them in my previous posts as well. I stamped a little row of keys and a couple hearts, a saying over the top, and some off-white seam binding. Super simple!

Love is the Key card:

Stamps: Lock & Key
Ink: Smokey Shadow, True Black, Sweet Blush
Paper: white cardstock
Dies: none
Other: pearl, seam binding, corner rounder.

---------

Next is Tremendous Treats: Valentine...

I made some Valentine's for my girls' teachers by adding in a couple of my old sets...Happy Trails (just a note, teacher, and swirl) and Tag-its #6 (circle background). I first stamped the circles in the background, then added the sayings and the hearts.

To create the mini notebook from Tremendous Treats: Valentine, I stamped it onto vintage book paper. I colored in the heart with a red marker and the tip of the pencil with black. To fill in the yellow part of the pencil, I stamped the pencil again on a yellow piece of paper and cut it out, then placed it over the top.

In the Happy Trails set, it says, "thank you teacher". I masked off the "thank you" and just stamped, "teacher."

Be My Valentine, Teacher cards:

Stamps: Tremendous Treats: Valentine, Tag-its #6 (circle), Happy Trails (just a note, teacher, and swirl)
Ink: Pure Poppy, Aqua Mist, Chewing Gum by JBS
Paper: white cardstock, vintage book paper
Dies: notebook die

Other: black pen, red pen.

------------

Next, I made a gift tag with Little Princess...

I started by stamping the castle in pink and the outside frame of the castle with Pure Poppy (red) onto white cardstock. Then I filled in the background with "my little" in Summer Sunrise ink. "Be My Valentine" is from the Tremendous Treats set. I used a new Heart Border die at the top. Kraft paper is used for my tag. I just cut a rectangle and then trimmed off the corners to make my own super-sized tag shape. You could turn it into a pocket and fill with treats!

To create the pretty bow, I tied 2 bows with Soft Stone ribbon and placed one on top of another. It is attached with a Glue Dot.

Little Princess Valentine gift tag:

Stamps: Little Princess, Tremendous Treats: Valentine
Ink: Pure Poppy and Summer Sunrise by PTI, Chewing Gum by JBS
Paper: white, kraft, red cardstock by PTI, red polka paper by Studio Calico
Dies: Heart Border
Other: Soft Stone ribbon, crown and pearl by Melissa Frances, twine by PTI.

------------

Next are the Happy Day stamps and dies... very happy indeed!

This set comes with some different frames and lots of sayings for differing occasions! I made a birthday card and a New Year's card. See the loop-ti-do at the top? That is a new die called Loopsy-Daisy die. To make a whole flower, you would cut two of these, but for this I just used one of them and made a 1/2 flower to put at the top of my card with felt. Kinda resembles a little gift!

Happy Birthday card:

Stamps: Happy Day

Ink: Pure Poppy, True Black

Paper: October Afternoon, PTI cardstock

Dies: Happy Day, Loopsy-Daisy, Mega Mat Stack 4

Other: PTI twine, Aqua Mist felt by PTI.

----------

On the 2012 card, I cut the numbers with the By The Numbers dies and hung them from the Happy Day frame with tinsel.

New Year's Greetings:

Stamps: Happy Day
Ink: Smokey Shadow, True Black, Aqua Mist
Paper: Hawaiian Shores and new Canyon Clay cardstock by PTI, My Mind's Eye (yellow)
Dies: By the Numbers, Happy Day, star punch by Fiskars
Other: tinsel by Melissa Frances, embossing plate by Provo Craft.

------------

The heart and small saying here are from Tag-its #11. I also used a saying and key die from Lock & Key. Added a tiny bit of hand stitching.

All You Need is Love card:

Stamps: Tag-its #11, Lock & Key
Ink: True Black, Fresh Snow, Spring Moss
Paper: Studio Calico (blue), new Canyon Clay cardstock
Dies: Lock & Key
Other: white embossing powder, Canyon Clay felt by PTI, twine by PTI, Hawaiian Shores ribbon by PTI, note journaling card by Little Yellow Bicycle's Hello Fall line, white embroidery thread.

----------

And last is Flower Fusion #11 stamps and dies...

I used a Pink Paislee sticker, then added some flowers and stamping around it. The white spots are made with Calico White Mr. Huey mist by Studio Calico.

My Sweetness card:

Stamps: Flower Fusion #11
Ink: Fresh Snow, Aqua Mist
Paper: new Canyon Clay cardstock
Dies: Flower Fusion #11
Other: PTI felt, PTI Hawaiian Shores ribbon, Melissa Frances pearls, Calico White mist, Pink Paislee- Sweetness sticker, embossing powder, machine stitching.

----------

You've already seen Tree Tops, Made of Snow Mini, Love & Marriage and Rosie Posie in my previous posts. Whew! I think that covers it! :) Here are the other designers' galleries:

Michelle Wooderson
Nichole Heady

Love & Marriage...

2011-12-14T07:00:00.158-05:00

Welcome back to another Papertrey Ink countdown group post! Today we are highlighting a new stamp set called Love & Marriage, which will be available on the 15th.

Not only is this set great for wedding cards and Valentine's Day cards, but also for anniversaries. My goal with today's post is to show you several anniversary card ideas!

This card has the quote from Love & Marriage and the arrows from Tag-its #11. I stamped the arrows in Lavender Moon ink, so pretty in real life, but hard to photograph! The heart is stamped in Smokey Shadow and is from the new Tag-its #11 set also. I punched 2 holes in the heart to hang it like a banner from the twine.
Originally I was going to have the lacy Filgree border at the top of the card, but then I decided to have my Filigree Border on the bottom. The problem I created was that I had already sewn a Heart border on over the top of the Filigree, which meant that my heart border was now upside down! I didn't want to start my card over, so I folded the hearts down to create an interesting lacy, dimensional border! (see below)

Together Forever Anniversary card:

Stamps: Love & Marriage, Tag-its #11
Ink: Smokey Shadow, Lavender Moon
Paper: Studio Calico (blue), white cardstock, Pink Paislee (text)
Dies: Filigree Border, Heart Border, 2" circle punch
Other: Smokey Shadow button, True Black ribbon, Sweet Blush ribbon, PTI twine.

-------------

On this card, I simply stamped the heart people on the background, then added the sayings, red heart, and postmark from the Love & Marriage set. Cardstock is Sweet Blush.

You and Me card:

Stamps: Love & Marriage

Ink: Sweet Blush, Pure Poppy, True Black, Smokey Shadow

Paper: white and Sweet Blush cardstock

Dies: none

Other: corner rounder.

-------------

And last, I stamped the saying and hearts from Love & Marriage onto Pink Paislee's Vintage Vogue Tailered Suit paper. You could also use Papertrey Ink's Text Style Backgrounds for a similar look!

The tree is stamped onto vintage book paper with Pure Poppy and True Black ink. The tree stamps and die are from the new Tree Tops set! I used Aqua Mist ink to stamp the frames under the patterned paper, which are from the new Happy Day stamp set.

Two Hearts card:

Stamps: Love & Marriage, Tree Tops, Happy Day

Ink: True Black, Pure Poppy, Sweet Blush

Paper: Pink Paislee, white cardstock

Dies: Tree Tops

Other: Basic Grey brad, vintage book paper.

------------

On all of these cards, all you have to do is write "Happy Anniversary" on the inside of the card to turn them into anniversary cards. Perfect for your spouse, parents, aunt and uncles' anniversaries, etc. Stop over to see more "Love & Marriage" projects by the Papertrey Ink team!

Dawn McVey

Melissa Phillips
Nichole Heady

Rosie Posie...

2011-12-13T07:00:00.019-05:00

Today the Papertrey Ink team is featuring a new stamp set and dies called Rosie Posie.

I am soooo in love with this set! We were to all choose an image that inspired us, so I found a pretty photo on Pinterest. I love the florals and hexagons. Florals never really go out of style, do they? They are classic and elegant and inspire me...

(Style Me Pretty)

I've been loving gray lately, so I wanted to try pairing it with Ripe Avocado like the flowers in the photo. Then add some aqua, and voila!

(That's Smart Deco)

I am not bold enough to do this in my own house, but I sure do like it a lot! The stenciling on the coffee table really inspires me! Here is a peek at my card set.

I started with Aqua Mist cardstock and stamped two of the larger flowers with Smokey Shadow ink first. Then I stamped some smaller flowers around the edges with Fresh Snow ink and embossed them with white embossing powder. I used Vintage Cream ink to brush the edges of the card and give it a softer feel.

I also brushed the die cuts with Vintage Cream ink to soften them. I popped them up with dimensional adhesive.

Here I stamped the leaves in Ripe Avocado and the flowers in Smokey Shadow and Aqua Mist inks. Then I stamped the white flowers and embossed them with powder and a heat gun. The button is a new Smokey Shadow button. I also brushed the card, even the card front, with my Vintage Cream ink pad.

The sentiments are from the new Lock & Key set coming out this month also.

Floral card set:

Stamps: Rosie Posie, Lock & Key

Ink: Smokey Shadow, Ripe Avocado, Fresh Snow, True Black, Vintage Cream

Paper: Aqua Mist cardstock

Dies: Rosie Posie dies

Other: Papertrey Ink button (Smokey Shadow), PTI twine.

-------------

There are also some really neat hexagons in the set that I'm crazy about! The way they fit together made me think of a key opening a lock....

I used Aqua Mist, Spring Moss, Smokey Shadow and True Black ink for the designs, and Lavender Moon for the key (from the Lock & Key set). Love trying different color combos with this set!!! (I had fun, can you tell?)

Knowledge is the Key card:

Stamps: Rosie Posie, Lock & Key

Ink: Aqua Mist, Spring Moss, Smokey Shadow, Lavender Moon, True Black

Paper: white cardstock

Dies: none

Other: PTI twine.

---------------

Thank you for visiting! Please stop over to the other girls' blogs to see what they've made and how they were inspired!

Dawn McVey

Melissa Phillips
Nichole Heady

Made of Snow Mini...

2011-12-10T07:00:00.009-05:00

You can't help but smile when you see a snowman, right? There's something so fun and enchanting about them that brings you back to childhood. I have a few projects to share with you made with a new stamp set and dies by Papertrey Ink called Made of Snow Mini, which will be available on the 15th.

Bear with me, I have a lot of ideas to show you! :)

The first thing I tried with the set is stamping a little background. I wanted to try out all of the different scarves, hats, mittens, faces and button choices! So many fun options...

I used Aqua Mist ink for the snowmen, and I placed all 3 of the snowmen on my stamping block, then created a pattern with them. I kept the 3 snowmen on the block, and stamped the image again below the first image. Then I filled in the corners of the background with one of the snowmen.

After stamping all the snowmen, I had fun filling in the hats, faces, etc. with Spring Moss ink, Aqua Mist ink and Pure Poppy ink!

You can see I also wrapped a little tag around the front of the card with felt and stitched it on. (The heart is die cut with a new border die by PTI coming out this month! I just trimmed one of the hearts out of the border!)

Here's a peek at the inside. I thought these would be fun as thank you cards after the holidays! The "Thanks so Much" is from an older set called Think Big Favorites #1.

Now, after having fun with the stamps, I wanted to try out the cute dies that go with these!

I imagined 2 cute friends holding hands...

"Hello, friend!" is a sentiment that is coming out this month from another set (and the tiny stamped hearts)! I die cut them, their scarves and hats, and then filled in any empty spaces with chalk, like the hats. I had to add some pink cheeks as well. A little die cut tab was stitched to the side.

After I die cut the snowmen out of white cardstock, I had this negative piece leftover and thought I could put it to good use, hence the next card!

Here you are seeing a peek at the new heart border die again. :) I used it with red felt. I backed the snowmen with an older October Afternoon Detours paper from my stash.

Last, I wanted to show you how fun these little guys can be on a layout! We had a dusting of snow the other day and I had to take pictures of our view from the front of our house! It was so pretty, just enough to cover the ground for Christmas.

I used a large Papertrey Ink calendar page as the base of my layout. The little stamped bubbles/circles are from the 2008 Holiday Tags collection.

The stickers and snow day chipboard are by Pink Paislee, and the number 8 and houndstooth paper are by a new company I recently discovered called Pretty Little Studio! "Happy" is from the Birthday By the Numbers set.

I hope you enjoyed the projects!

Please also visit Nicole, Betsy, Beth, Heather, Melissa B., Lisa, and Dawn for more peeks at some other new things this month at PTI!

i wonder if she wonders...

2011-12-09T02:41:00.000-05:00

I've been scrapping up a storm the past few days trying to play catch up! The Little Black Dress kit club asked me to create some things with their December kit. It's a really pretty mix of teal blues, yellows and purples with a hint of black and oh. my. I am loving it!

I'm usually not a big user of purple, but I really like how this first page turned out. There is a really great mix of patterns in the kit!! Chevron. Check! Vintage book paper. Check!. Pockets and gems and beautiful ribbons. Check! I love that I tried a color that I don't usually use. Made me step out of my comfort zone just slightly!

THIS chevron-looking paper is my favorite in the kit, the one I grabbed first!
I was actually inspired for the page by the clear acetate title by Glitz here that says, "I wonder if you wonder." I wanted to use it for my focal point. This page came straight from the heart. My daughter's ADHD has been really tough on us as a family.

She has had it all her life, and struggled, she has to work harder than her peers. She doesn't talk about it much...and I really don't know how it's affecting her personally, or if she thinks about it at all. She has troubles articulating what she feels. She's a very resilient kid and doesn't let much get to her, which is good. I just wonder what she thinks, what the future will hold for her, or if she will overcome some of it when she matures a bit more. Right now, she is on medicine and doing great in school, getting all A's and B's. I don't want it to define her, but it is really a big part of her life right now.

A note about the design here: I wrapped the yellow and white ribbon around the pocket, so the pocket is hanging by the ribbon on the layout. The flower on top of the ribbon is a clear sticker in the kit. The dark yellow houndstooth is another one of my favorite patterns here! The white ribbon is gorgeous too, it's stitched with a white on white rose/leaf pattern. The title transparency is added right over the white ribbon. I cut the leafy shapes with the vintage book paper in the kit using a Papertrey Ink die called Turning a New Leaf. I took this photo of Taylor and a friend when she was at a cheerleading game recently. I always wonder how her ADHD is affecting her friendships...

-----------------

The next project made with the kit was a card from one of the transparencies in the kit. I just folded it in half to create an anniversary card.

I wanted a place to write on the inside of the card, so I cut out a doily shape with my Cuttlebug from white cardstock with Papertrey Ink Doily Details die. I love how it shows through the front of the card and highlights the flower!

To create the little tag on the front that says "US", I simply punched a scalloped border punch out of white cardstock, then trimmed the piece down into little tags. Each scallop makes its own little tag. (See how-to photos.) It's a quick way to make your own mini tags!

----------------

My third project is another layout. The photos are of Kati and me at Thanksgiving this year!

Adding punched shapes and strips of paper are a great way to add color and pattern to a layout. Here I punched out a heart from the yellow paper and kept the negative of it, then added more hearts to create flow down the page. I also added stitching down the side of the page for an extra detail and some white paint splatters to brighten up the dark background. I am a big fan of keeping my layouts even and formal looking because I love unity, however placing some of the items off-center makes the layout more fun and not so predictable.

--------------------

Next up, a card. I cut the background with a Papertrey Ink die called Mat Stack 1, then added a chipboard frame from the kit. I rolled the kit ribbons into flowers.

Added a chipboard banner piece under the frame.(The paper is already glittered like that!)

------------------

This last one is actually my favorite - and it was the quickest page! I cut stars from some of the fun patterns and added a pic of Kati and our dog Maggie. I used one of the transparencies behind the photo to frame it. "Happy" is cut with a Papertrey Ink die called Wonderful Words.

I added some white cardstock on the edges cut with pinking shears, just to frame the whole layout without overpowering the page and taking attention away from the photo. Isn't that little silhouette button so CUTE?

Thank you for swinging by today. Please check out the Little Black Dress kit club!

cookie cutter ornaments...

2011-12-05T09:24:00.000-05:00

Today is Day 5 of Pink Paislee's Winter Wonderland Event. I hope you'll stop over to the Pink Paislee blog to read how to make these four little cookie cutter ornaments. There is a PDF to download the instructions and free digital ephemera pieces like the ones I used here, along with a chance to win a prize pack!

I found a 4 pack of cookie cutters all nestled together in a package in the baking section at AC Moore and thought they would make fun ornaments or table decor.

Some of these are backed with Pink Paislee's Snow Day paper, the one below is backed with a photo of my girls, and the last one is backed with a Snow Day die cut.

I added lots of pom pom trim and glitter for a snowy effect. You could keep these up all winter!

Don't forget the Winter Wonderland Event runs for 7 more days, so check back to the Pink Paislee blog each day for your chance to win! I am off to spend a day of shopping with my husband to pick up the rest of our Christmas gifts while the girls are at school, can't wait to spend some time with him! Have a great day! xo

December countdown with SCT...

2011-12-02T09:01:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! How is the shopping coming along? I have been without a car, so I've done the majority of my shopping online this year, but I still have to get stocking stuffers, etc. Waiting for everything to arrive, so I can get my family's packages mailed out! We are putting up the Christmas tree this weekend.

I have a quick and simple stamped card to share with you today. Scrapbook & Cards Today Magazine is hosting a December Countdown on their site this year running from Dec. 1 - 24th. There will be a new card or project featured each day. Today they are featuring a card by ..... me!

You can view complete instructions at the link above.

Basically, it's a VERY simple card. I stamped the Background Basics: Houndstooth in gray, then the Stylish Sentiments: Holiday saying in black, and last filled in some of the empty spaces with the stars from Stylish Sentiments in red ink. I tied on a piece of Scrap Pantry twine and attached the finished front to a white card base. That's it!

A doable card for the holidays, right?

Winter Wonderland event...

2011-11-30T14:16:00.001-05:00

Starting tomorrow, Pink Paislee is holding a Winter Wonderland event right on their blog, it will be chock full of fun projects for the holidays with full instructions, giveaways, etc for you!

You won't want to miss it. Check back to the blog daily for inspiration and your chance to win!

We are featuring the Snow Day line by Pink Paislee for this event. I made some ornaments for the blog, so I can't show you those yet, but here is a little peek at a "Get Well" card made with this adorable line! I used one of the papers for the background and sprayed it with Silver Sugar Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels, then added lots of die cuts from the Snow Day - Ephemera package!

Some of the die cut frames are layered, then I printed out the sentiment with my computer on this graph paper, cut it out and added it to my card. I was inspired by the "cough syrup" die cut for a Get Well card. After printing out the sentiments on graph paper, I adhered them to the card front. The lines make it easy to line it up nice and straight.

A couple of the elements are popped up with dimensional adhesive, just to give it some life. The twine is from Scrap Pantry. The font I used is called Typewriter. Not sure where I downloaded it from, but it was free. I never pay for my fonts!

Anyway, I hope this whets your whistle and gets you excited for the blog event! I can't wait to see what the girls came up with. See you there. xo

confetti love...

2011-11-29T09:54:00.001-05:00

Good morning, everyone!

I know I've been gone much too long. Thanksgiving week was crazy, but nice to spend some much needed family time! My husband has been off for about a week now, and the past couple of days we've been putting hard wood floors in the bedrooms upstairs. He taught me how to use the table saw, so I'm the runner -- I go up and down the stairs cutting all of the boards on the ends, while he nails them in! This is our second room we've done together, so we've got a good technique going! One more room to go, which will probably be done on the Christmas break.

I have a couple of scrappy things today. First I wanted to send you on over to the Little Yellow Bicycle blog. They've asked me to make a few things with their new Hello Fall! line, and it's scrumptious! I've been loving confetti lately, so I had to go to town with my punches and try something new. Can you imagine this on a layout? Love! Hop on over to see a couple of projects. I'll have a couple more to share with you next week.

Also, I need to choose two winners for the Scrappantry twine giveaway!

Here are your random numbers:

22
61

Timestamp: 2011-11-29 14:17:35 UTC

Congrats to:

famillemarleau said... 22: They're all beautiful cards. Great ideas. The one that I would most likely do is the one with dry emboss, I love doing it. So it would be the Happy Holiday card. Thanks for the chance, Johanne L.; November 22, 2011 8:37 AM

and

Dee Rose said... 61: Great article and lovely cards, as always! The pocket card is definitely the most like something that I would make and send. Thanks so much for a chance to win; I absolutely LOVE twine. Have a wonderful thanksgiving.; November 24, 2011 12:11 AM

Please send me your mailing addresses to dflanders71@hotmail.com!

Ella fun...

2011-11-21T21:19:00.003-05:00

Recently, Ella Publishing asked me to write up an article on tips for making assembly line Christmas cards. They have free E-zine articles, free blog posts with tips and tricks, and inexpensive E-books you can purchase related to scrapbooking, photography and much more.

Would you like a few tips on creating fast and fabulous holiday cards? Visit the Ella Ezine to see five card samples to help you on your way to creating them! Here are a couple of my samples for the E-zine:

On this first card, I simply stamped the Background Basics: Houndstooth background, added a strip of kraft cardstock, tied the twine on. Then I die cut a Damask Snowflake and stamped the JOY from the 2011 Holiday Tags.

Not too difficult, right? I love the look of the gray houndstooth with the red and white!

On this card, I stamped the floral stitches from the Stitches & Swirls set, then I wanted to add a sentiment over the top, so I needed something solid to stamp on. I cut a "Holiday Photo Finishers" strip from kraft cardstock. I stamped peace on it with True Black ink.

Last, I cut the Holly Jolly die from Pure Poppy felt.

(Full supply lists can be found at Ella.)

Who doesn't like a good giveaway? I hope to have these on a regular basis on my blog. After all, I want you to have a good time visiting me! I love to be able to give back to my readers.

Please visit the Ella site to read the article, then come back here and leave a comment for your chance to win some of this beautiful twine like I used on the JOY card, courtesy of Scrappantry on Etsy! Two winners will be chosen, one to receive a set of Vintage Twine (9 colors - 90 yards total) and another winner to receive some Divine Twine (10 colors - 100 yards total).

Which card can you see yourself making out of the five in the article?

Deck the Halls giveaway...

2011-11-17T10:03:00.001-05:00

Would you like a sneak peek to Melissa Frances' new embellishments for the Deck the Halls line? Stop over to the Melissa Frances blog and see a video she made herself and comment for your chance to win! One of my favorite new things are the glass bells you can decorate. Yummy! Check out these gorgeous Deck the Halls ornaments too...

(beautiful Deck the Halls ornaments by Melissa Phillips)

Such beautiful things you can make with these products!

Pink Paislee + Core'dinations...

2011-11-15T10:48:00.000-05:00

All this week on the Pink Paislee blog, we will be showcasing projects that combine the Core’dinations cardstock patterns with Pink Paislee papers and embellishments! Did you know Core’dinations makes cardstock to match our lines? We call it our Modern Prints collection and the colors and patterns are a must have this season!

Here are a few sneaks to my projects...
I managed to squeak in some Nantucket papers and a Nantucket Trading card, a Phantom stamp on the red circles, Butterfly Garden Ephemera, Baubles and Press Ons! Quite a combo, but it all works with this cardstock! :)

Head on over to the Pink Paislee blog for your chance to win, and don't forget to come back each day for more chances to win! You can check out the Core'dinations blog as well for more inspiration!

November release projects...

2011-11-14T23:30:00.019-05:00

I have good news for the Papertrey Ink fans out there! We are going to be sharing our cards and projects for each month on the 14th now instead of the 15th! Yay! This way you will see our projects in time to order all of the fun products and see them in use. We love to enable you. LOL!

Here are some cards made with two new sets called Tiny Tags II and Birthdays By the Numbers...

On this card, I cut out a Mega Mat Stack 1 to slide into the pocket to hold the greeting! Great for a money card. You could clip the money onto the Mat Stack piece, so it doesn't get lost!

(The font in "happy" is exactly like the Wonderful Words dies that came out a month or two ago! I can't wait to use these birthday stamps with the cut out words that match.)

Birthday Wishes card:

Stamps: Birthday By The Numbers, Flower Fusion #10 (red circles), Tiny Tags II (a gift for you and stars)
Ink: Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado, Summer Sunshine, Pure Poppy
Paper: White cardstock, Aqua Mist cardstock
Dies: Mega Mat Stack 1, and star punch by Fiskars, Pinking Shears Border die
Other: Papertrey Ink twine

------------

On the 1st Birthday card, I stamped the stars first, then added the cupcake stamping over the top. Fun card for any age! I love the numbers in the set and want to play around with them some more. Very versatile set!

1st Birthday card:

Stamps: Birthday by the Numbers, Tiny Tags II
Ink: True Black, Pure Poppy, yellow and pink are by JBS
Paper: Studio Calico, white cardstock
Dies: Pinking Shears Border die, Tiny Tags dies, circle punch
Other: Papertrey Ink twine

------------

This one's made with a new set called Willow. I stamped the center leaves in a lighter green, Spring Moss, and then the other ones in Ripe Avocado and added some punched hearts.

Love of Those Around You card:

Stamps: Willow

Ink: Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado, Pure Poppy

Paper: Pure Poppy and Fine Linen cardstock, text paper by Pink Paislee,

polkadot by October Afternoon

Dies: heart punch

Other: twine, Melissa Frances pearl.

-------------

This one is made with Tag-its #10 (circles and birthday) and Birthdays By The Numbers (happy). I wanted to experiment with making my own "tape". It's not really tape, but actually some tissue paper that I trimmed and adhered to appear as if it's taping my project together.

I punched out a star and backed it with some pretty papers. The little V's are just part of the star punched out around the edges.

Happy Happy Birthday card:

Stamps: Tag-its#10, Birthdays By The Numbers
Ink: Pure Poppy, True Black, Ripe Avocado
Paper: Raspberry Fizz and Aqua Mist cardstock, October Afternoon floral paper
Dies: star punch
Other: Tissue paper by Pink Paislee (green).

-------------

This quick card is made with Mega Mehndi Medallion (center), Stitches & Swirls (stitches) and Tiny Tags II (heart).

I stamped the Mehndi Medallion on Hawaiian Shores cardstock with Fresh Snow ink and backed it with some Papertrey Ink felt.

Hello card:

Stamps: Tiny Tags II, Mega Mehndi Medallion, Stitches & Swirls
Ink: Hawaiian Shores, Fresh Snow, Spring Moss
Paper: Hawaiian Shores cardstock, white cardstock
Dies: 2" circle punch
Other: PTI felt, ribbon, pinking shears to trim felt around circle.

-------------

Jingle All the Way is made with Winter Penguin and Background Basics: Circles. I cut a Damask Snowflake and stamped a circle snowflake inside from Winter Penguin.

Jingle All The Way card:

Stamps: Winter Penguin, Background Basics: Circles
Ink: Pure Poppy, Hawaiian Shores, True Black
Paper: Raspberry Fizz, Hawaiian Shores cardstock
Dies: Damask Snowflakes
Other: bell, PTI twine.

------------

This one is made with Winter Penguin stamps and dies. I first embossed the white cardstock with the new Peace Be Still Impression Plate, then cut out a Damask Snowflake die from it.

I added some Diamond Dust all the way around the snowflake and on the penguin, which is hard to see here, but so cute in real life! The tinsel adds a fun wintery sparkle too!

Let It Snow card:

Stamps: Winter Penguin
Ink: True Black
Paper: White cardstock, blue paper by Studio Calico
Dies: Damask Snowflakes, Peace Be Still Impression Plate, Winter Penguin
Other: Maya Road ribbon (green) PTI ribbon (lavender), Melissa Frances tinsel

-------------

Visit the Papertrey Ink design team gallery to see more creations by the team, and happy shopping!

Stitches & Swirls...

2011-11-13T23:59:00.025-05:00

Hello, the Papertrey Ink girls are showcasing a new stamp set today called Stitches & Swirls!

As a quilter, I was inspired by this set to "stamp and stitch", so I chose a few of the images, stamped them with Pure Poppy ink and stitched away with red thread. This stamp set reminded me of Redwork! Have you heard of Redwork?

Redwork is an older form of embroidery which uses red floss to trace simple line drawings. Muslin squares were sold with the patterns marked for a penny each. These then could be used as quilt blocks with sashing added around the borders. Redwork was also used to embellish tea towels, aprons, pillow covers, splashers and other Victorian decorations, and were usually done in animal themes, children's themes, nature and kitchen themes.

First, I stamped the image on white cardstock. My needle is threaded with 2 stands of red thread and tied in a knot at the end. I didn't poke a hole at EVERY stitch on the stamped image, because the stitches are super small and it would have taken me forever to do all of those. So I poked a hole about every other stitch. When doing sharp turns, you'll have to poke holes more often and make the stitches smaller. Here is a shot in progress:

Now I'll admit, this technique is time consuming! But something you can do while watching TV or listening to music! Wouldn't a set of these cards be a nice gift? You could also do this on fabric and frame it, or make these into a pillow or quilt. The possibilities are really endless!

When I run out of thread, I tape the end to the back and start with another piece of floss right where I left off. You'll end up with messy threads inside like this. I just cut another piece of white cardstock and adhered it to the inside cover to hide the stitching...

I was afraid to stamp a sentiment DIRECTLY onto my card - after all that time I spent stitching! I didn't want to mess up with the stamping and have to start completely over. So I stamped some sentiments from a new set called Willow onto a strip of white cardstock and attached it to my card.

I love Redwork...I actually bought 2 pillows for my daughter's bed a long time ago that have Redwork on them!

Stitched card set:

Stamps: Stitches & Swirls, Willow
Ink: Pure Poppy, Smokey Shadow
Paper: white cardstock
Dies: none
Other: red thread, Melissa Frances pearls.

-----------

If you'd like to try this technique in a smaller scale, pick a smaller floral image from the set like I did here and give it a whirl...

This is stamped onto a deep purple cardstock and stitched with white floss. I left the center flower not stitched, I only stitched the inside of the flower petals and the leaves.

Good Heavens card:

Stamps: Stitches & Glory Be
Ink: Fresh Snow, True Black
Paper: Nantucket by Pink Paislee, purple cardstock by PTI
Dies: Pinking Shears Border Die
Other: ribbon by Papertrey Ink, chipboard by Studio Calico, pin by LYB,

lace unknown, resin flower unknown, Melissa Frances pearl.

-----------

Thank you for visiting me today! Stitches & Swirls will be available on the 15th at Papertrey Ink. Please visit the other girls to see what they've made with this stamp set also!

Dawn McVey

Melissa Phillips
Nichole Heady

Door To Door...

2011-11-12T23:59:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the Papertrey Ink group blog post featuring a new stamp set and dies called Door to Door! This set is so much fun to play around with. Included are stamps for all kinds of occasions and dies to add neat accessories- like banners, urns, wreaths, pumpkins, flowers, ETC!

I used the set for Christmas and create an interactive holiday gift card, complete with bow for hanging on the tree. I love to hang my gift cards on the tree, so they don't get lost under the tree with all of the presents.

There is a little die that lets you create these open doors to create an interactive piece to your card!

When the doors open, the inside is decorated with the stamp set, and I wrote a to/from inside for the recipient.

I'll show you a little bit about how I created this!

The first thing I did was cut the doors out with the door die on white cardstock. Then stamped the doors, roof and urns.

Next, I stamped the greenery and chalked in parts of the card with brown chalk. I colored the little dots on the greenery with a red marker.

I cut out the banner die, stamped the banner and colored it in, then stamped the saying and added it to my door.
I had to cut the banner in the center where the doors open. Or you could put the banner up higher, like I did here on my sample. Oops, I see that I stamped my doors upside down. :)

I trimmed this piece down and placed it on a folded piece of new Holiday Flourishes & Swirls patterned paper pad by Heather Nichols. I sewed up the sides and distressed the edges. Added a ribbon for hanging. To do this, tie a bow, leave one long end to wrap around to the back. Adhere. This creates the loop to hang your card on the tree.

Last, I added pearls for the door knobs and Diamond Dust glitter for a frosty, wintery feel. I punched out a little notch at the top with a circle punch. Don't forget to stamp the wreath inside the doors and add a to/from.

Now add a gift card inside the pocket and hang it on your tree!

Door To Door Gift Card Holder:

Stamps: Door To Door
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado
Paper: white cardstock and Holiday Flourishes & Swirls patterned

paper pad by Heather Nichols
Dies: Door To Door
Other: ribbon by Papertrey Ink, chalk, red marker, Diamond Dust glitter.

------------

Visit the other girls to see what they've made with this set also!

Dawn McVey

Melissa Phillips
Nichole Heady

Flower Fusion #10 and Think Big Favorites #10...

2011-11-12T05:00:00.037-05:00

Hi all! Welcome to Day 3 of the Papertrey Ink countdown! I am helping out this month for the previews and get to show you what I made with the Flower Fusion #10 stamp set and the Think Big Favorites #10, both are new sets this month coming out on the 15th.

I couldn't resist using lots of bright, happy colors to cheer up the recipient! I stamped the flowers in multiple inks, then added the different centers and some Think Big sentiments. I didn't want the stem, so I masked off the long stem on the flower, and added some leaves here and there in Spring Moss ink. It's a really pretty green in real life! I couldn't get it to photograph that well today, but trust me, it's a gorgeous color. I used creme cardstock for the background.
Here I stamped the sentiment right over the flowers. It's fun to experiment with different colors/inks for these flowers!

Stamped Flower card set:

Stamps: Flower Fusion #10, Think Big Favorites #10

Ink: Pure Poppy, Spring Moss, Summer Sunshine, Raspberry Fizz, True Black,

Hawaiian Shores, Berry Sorbet by PTI. Chewing Gum by Jenni Bowlin.

Paper: Harvest Gold and Hawaiian Shores cardstock by PTI

Dies: corner rounder

Other: PTI twine, machine stitching.

----------

Next, I have a couple of cards utilizing the Flower Fusion #10 dies.

I wanted to make a little "polaroid-looking" frame to house my popped-up flower, so I cut a rectangle from cardstock and then punched a square from the center. I know it's upside down. ha! Not sure why I did that... Anyway, I stamped the blue polkadots from the Flower Fusion #10 to decorate the frame.

I added the flower with a tiny clothespin to resemble a stem. (My girls told me I should have painted it green! Maybe I should have? Oh, I get all kinds of feedback. lol)

Feel Better Soon card:

Stamps: Flower Fusion #10, Think Big Favorites #10

Ink: Pure Poppy, Raspberry Fizz, Hawaiian Shores, Dark Chocolate, Spring Moss

Paper: Aqua Mist cardstock by PTI, white cardstock,

(stripe) Nantucket by Pink Paisee

Dies: Flower Fusion dies, square punch

Other: ribbon by May Arts, Melissa Frances pearl, crafty supply mini clothespin.

---------

On this one, I used a glassine bag by Papertrey Ink as a card. Pure Poppy ink is used for the Think Big sentiment here. Inside the bag, I added white cardstock also stamped with circles...this is where you can write the note for the recipient!

I punched out the leaves and trimmed them down, then added a couple of layers of them.

See the little clouds? I made these very simply with the flower die! I punched out the flower, stamped it in blue ink and cut the top of the flower off to make a cloud.

Wishing You Brighter Days pocket card:

Stamps: Flower Fusion #10, Think Big Favorites #10

Ink: Pure Poppy, Summer Sunshine, Hawaiian Shores

Paper: white cardstock

Dies: Flower Fusion

Other: pins by Little Yellow Bicycle, May Arts ribbon.

----------

And one more. This one utilizes a tri-fold card from Papertrey Ink, some new ribbon called Soft Stone Swiss Dot 5/8", and new paper by Papertrey Ink called Peace Be Still (behind the heart).

Tri-fold Get Well card:

Stamps: Flower Fusion #10, Think Big Favorites #10

Ink: Pure Poppy, Smokey Shadow,

Paper: white and creme cardstock, Pink Paislee script,
Peace Be Still paper by PTI

Dies: Flower Fusion #10, Pinking Shear Border Die, 2" circle punch,
small circle punch, heart punch

Other: Soft Stone Swiss Dot 5/8" ribbon by PTI, Prima flower,
chipboard stripe by Studio Calico, Melissa Frances resin keyhole.

----------

Please visit Lisa Johnson also today! She's sharing a project or two made with a new set called Willow. Thanks for stopping by!

grateful for friends...

2011-11-09T16:00:00.001-05:00

All this month on the Pink Paislee blog, we are sharing ideas for the theme of “gratitude” or “family”. Today I have mixed a couple of Pink Paislee lines on my layout, the Butterfly Garden line and the Nantucket line. That is one thing about Pink Paislee papers that I love so much - they coordinate so well, no matter what papers you choose!

Journaling says, “So grateful for friends! Taylor, Kati, Makayla and Madelynn at the pumpkin patch this year. 10-2011″

I started the layout by choosing papers I liked together from the Butterfly Garden and Nantucket lines, and just punched 2″ circles out of them with my Fiskars punch. I placed them on white cardstock. Next, I used a bunch of photos from our pumpkin picking this year. My girls had some friends come along with us this time, and it was a great photo opportunity!

I used some Nantucket Ribbon Trims (yellow stripe), a Nantucket Clear Stamp (script text), a heart pin from my stash by Little Yellow Bicycle, a little clock brad from the Vintage Vogue line and the alphabet letters from the Phantom line.

Some of the photos I took in the pumpkin patch were taken far away, so I was able to punch the small faces out and add them inside these patterned paper circles.

I printed out some journaling and added it to the bottom of my page, then added some strips of paper and Core’dinations cardstock around the edge of the layout.

What are you grateful for this season? We had to put our cat down yesterday, she was 16 years old and not feeling well. Yesterday wasn't a good day for me, as it was a difficult decision, but you know what? It makes me SO much more grateful for everything else I have in my life. It makes me not want to take anything for granted! Today I have much more patience, more empathy, more realization that things are not forever. I want to soak in every moment.

I hope you'll visit the Pink Paislee blog for more inspiration. xo

autumn bliss...

2011-11-02T22:05:00.000-04:00

Fall is always a hectic time of year for us, with pumpkin picking and carving, Halloween, Taylor's birthday and Thanksgiving. It always seems to go by so fast!

Today Taylor turns 12 years old! She reminded me she's a "pre-teen" and boy does she have the attitude to match! :) (...said in the most fond way. ha) Happy birthday to you - we love you, Taylor!

She decided instead of a party, she wanted to go to the Indoor Water Park with us this weekend. Should be fun. Something different to do! We haven't been there yet, so we are staying overnight and making a weekend out of it.

She doesn't let me take pictures of her much anymore, so I thought I'd share some recent ones of her... they are few and far between these days. :)

I scrapped a fall layout yesterday of Kati and her friend Maddie at the pumpkin patch from this month! The photos are not perfect....she's kind of frowning, and her hair is a mess...but we had such a great time and I wanted to get them scrapped! I love fall photos, they have the best colors.

I printed out the large pic of her in a 5" x 7" and layered a wallet sized of her and her friend over the top. I punched out some 2" Maple Leaves from various Autumn Press papers by Studio Calico.

Sticker letters are the Addy Alpha in yellow. The little leaves are cut from one of the Autumn Press papers. I added a Studio Calico chipboard button and Calico Die Cut Tag.

I used a 2" circle punch and punched 1/2 of a circle out to house one of the little leaves, then added the title around it.

Thank you to Studio Calico again for having me as a guest this month and for all of the beautiful products to work with. I can't wait to put them to good use again. (Those sticker letters are my FAVE ever, ever! I had to get them in every color!)

SC kit winner!

2011-10-31T09:53:00.001-04:00

Thank you everyone for your nice comments! A random winner has been chosen for the SC kit! Congratulations to:


Savannah O'Gwynn said... 78: I just love visiting your blog--you inspire me! LOVE your creativity and talent:) THANKS for the chance to win:) sbmmhoover at yahoo dot com; October 30, 2011 4:27 PM

Would you like to win a Studio Calico kit? now closed

2011-10-30T09:50:00.002-04:00

Studio Calico is giving me one of their November main kits to give away! Just leave me a note on this post or the previous post where I shared my kit projects, and I will add you into the drawing. Everyone who already left me a note will be entered. Good luck!!

P.S. I will be chatting at SC tonight from 9-10pm EST. Hope to see you there!

Studio Calico guest creations...

2011-10-28T01:02:00.002-04:00

The Studio Calico projects for the month are up here! I'd love to show you what I made with the kits. The first few are made with (mostly) the main kit...

"Snow Days are the Best Days"...shortly after we got our puppy, it snowed and the girls took her out to play. She absolutely loved the snow, although she was so little compared to the big snow banks...and was completely soaked and freezing cold when she came back in!

I layered lots of the Basic Grey die cuts, some of them are fabric, and so pretty. Here's Maggie with her little sweater. :)

Made my own little paperclip here with a Basic Grey die cut and a white cardstock snowflake cut out with Papertrey Ink's Damask Snowflake dies. (All of the snowflakes on the page were cut with the Damask Snowflakes dies.) The "notes" card is from add-on #2.

I hand stitched part of the title.

-------------

On this card, I flipped over the die cut paper and ran it through my printer to print the "thank you" text on the back of the paper. The little holes in the paper made tying some floss onto it very easy!

I used a Maple Leaf punch by McGill to punch the leaves, and a few leaves are cut to hang off the edges of the card.

----------------

On the JOY snowflake card, I used the button card that the buttons came on! I had to trim it down just a bit, so it wasn't so tall. I misted the gray cardstock with Calico White Mister Huey by Studio Calico. LOVE this opaque white mist!

Did you guess what the snowflake is made out of? They are the Amy Tangerine paper leaves in the main kit!

I thought about doing something Fall-ish with them, but I wanted to try something different. I painted them white and trimmed 2 little V's out of the tops of them. You could certainly make your own snowflake like this by cutting or punching your own leaves and then doing the same technique. I covered the center where the leaves come together with a button and piece of cardstock. Floss is from my stash.

This little striped button makes me SWOON! (I'm easily entertained, aren't I??)

--------------

Now onto the add-ons!

This little card set was made with add-ons #1 and #3. The papers in these kits coordinated SO nicely! I used a Wine Bottle Tag die by Papertrey Ink to cut 2 pieces for the pocket, then placed them horizontally (instead of vertically like the Wine Bottle Tag is supposed to go) and stitched them together to form the pocket for these cards.

The butterfly stamps in the kit were gorgeous, so I stamped them with Weather Vane ink by JBS onto the text paper and cut them out.

I wanted to keep the cards all basically with the same design - all with a circle die cut in the back, a sticker, a butterfly and a strip of paper. This basic design helped with making the cards quickly.

All of the background circles were cut with Papertrey Ink's Doilies Details dies.

I made 4 thank you cards to tuck into the pocket.

-------------

Now onto add-on #2. Which...I have to say...was my very favorite kit! There was an adorable stamp in this one, where you stamp the outline and then fill in the little spots with another stamp. FUN!

I used all JBS inks from the Studio Calico shop - Weather Vane, Stick Candy, Speckled Egg, Chewing Gum and Lemon Drops. I also inked up the chipboard from the main kit with Speckled Egg ink, then layered a pretty button and a tag that I cut from the kraft paper. (Sentiment and tag die are from my stash - Tiny Tags by Papertrey Ink.)

This layout was made with kit #2 also... I added the Basic Grey fabric circle from the main.

I used the journaling cards as a background here. Really loved all the patterns. This is one of my favorite photos of Kati when she first came home from the hospital! Chubby cheeks.... :) 6 years later, she has become the sunshine that lights up our lives like we could have never imagined. Such a great kid, she is!

Sending a huge thank you to Studio Calico for having me as a guest!!

Sizzix fresh vintage...

2011-10-26T23:59:00.007-04:00

For the past couple of weeks, you may have been wondering what's been up with the Sizzix Fresh Vintage photo in my side bar? ------>

Sizzix has asked quite a few designers to participate in a blog hop that lasts several weeks. I love the name "Fresh Vintage" for their blog hop! That is really how I think you could describe my style. I love the vintage warm cozy feel, but I also love it to look fresh and bright - not old, like you might think vintage would look!

Anyway, Sizzix sent me the Bigz Flower 3D #2 die to work with!

I made a pretty flower with it to dress up a gift box in silver and red for the holidays. It was very easy!

I followed the directions on the insert for the die. It tells you to first cut paper in squares of 4x4". I used some printed tissue paper from my Christmas stash! (You could stamp on tissue paper also to make your own designed tissue!) The tissue paper works great because it's so thin, and you can cut many layers at once.

Next, you fold these 4" squares in half and then in half again, leaving you with 2" squares. Place them on the flower die in the corner with the fold on the outside and run them through the Sizzix. You will get some little pointy flowers that look like this...

Now take some thread and sew them all together at their points. String them all on the same line.

When done, it might look something like this...

Now pull the two thread ends together tight and tie in a knot. You can unfold the petals a bit, and scrunch them up on the ends. After I scrunched mine, I added some spray adhesive and sprinkled on some Diamond Dust Glitter from the craft store.

Although you can't see it very well in the picture, I sprayed the top of the box with Calico White Mister Huey mist by Studio Calico to make the box a little whiter. I hot glued the twine on and added a rub on saying by Melissa Frances directly to the box. The measuring tape sticker around the box is from the Portrait line by Crate Paper. Red polkadot paper is Autumn Press paper by Studio Calico, striped paper is Candy Cane Prints by Papertrey Ink.

The whole process of creating the flower took me only a few minutes! I am imagining these flowers on all kinds of gifts - birthday, Easter, etc. You could spray the tissue paper any color you wish with mists too.

To continue on the hop, click on that FRESH VINTAGE image in my side bar! (UP by my photo) You can see ALL of the designers participating, but if you click on the image in my side bar, you'll just be visiting those of us doing the "Flower 3D #2 Die" blog hop today.

Visit the Oh My Crafts blog for your chance to win a die!

text-style...

2011-10-26T11:01:00.000-04:00

Just for fun today, I thought I would share some projects with you made with text paper! Whether it's vintage book paper or paper that is current, but made to look vintage...I am loving it!

Text paper makes a great backdrop for colorful accents, like the Tranquility Trilogy banner I made here. Also great for stamping on, like the sentiment, which is from Think Big Favorites #4.

-------------

I've used text paper again here again for another backdrop for a colorful accent.
I cut two of these gift bags Favor It Box #1, one from cardstock and one from vintage book paper, then layered them.

These cute lollipops were found at Dollar Tree, love that they have clear wrappers, so you can see all of the fun colors! The little tag is stamped with Sweet As Can Be. The chipboard lolly is from Crate Paper.

--------------

These are Echo Park papers, Dots & Stripes - but one of them, the text paper, is actually a Christmas paper from the Season's Greetings line. I used a 2" square punch to cut out squares that had toys, dolls and vintage images on them that weren't alltogether Christmas-ey, and used them on a page about how I love to make baby quilts for friends.

I added some stickers and a star stamp from the Simple Circles stamp set by Papertrey Ink. Stars seem to go with anything, don't they!

Of course, I had to add stitching to give the layout a "quilted" feel. Hope you enjoyed these ideas and ways you can use TEXT paper on your next project!

Card Month + Ella Publishing

2011-10-24T21:59:00.000-04:00

Pssst! Today and tomorrow I will be guest blogging over at Ella Publishing to help out with their "Card Month". I'd love if you stopped over! You'll have a chance to win a fun little stamp set and coordinating dies to use on your cards, donated by Papertrey Ink!

Studio Calico sneaks...

2011-10-22T14:35:00.001-04:00

I was blown over recently to receive an email from Studio Calico asking if I'd be a guest designer for this month of October! I just adore their kits...and SO much more now that I have seen them in person and worked with them. I am seriously in love with them!!! I'd love to share some sneaks with you - would you like to see a few? The big reveal is on the 28th (I believe!), but here are some little peeks....

These are from the main kit...

Can you recognize what this snowflake is made out of??

Here I mixed add-ons #1 and 3...

Something from add-on #2...

I promise, I didn't make all cards for you layout lovers out there! :) I am putting finishing touches on one more layout right now. But I DO hope you'll find inspiration from the techniques I used on my cards also! :)

I DID get all of the add-ons, but I'm saving kit #4, the December Daily kit, to work on very soon. The album that went with the kit wasn't ready when I got my kit, so I should be getting it in the next few days. Ali Edwards and Studio Calico have teamed up to create this fun December Daily kit...and it's PACKED with goodies! I have never made a DD, but can't wait to document all of our fun December goings-on! ha Stay tuned to see my Dec. Daily work. You can read more about this kit HERE.

hope...

2011-10-21T08:47:00.000-04:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Papertrey Ink just came out with a new stamp set that's gorgeous. It's called Faith & Hope.

I've stamped the leaves from the set in layers of pink and red, then embossed the white cardstock after stamping. I used a large floral pin through the card front and added the stamped ribbon onto the pin. A Melissa Frances brooch is clipped onto the pin, and I thought the recipient could easily remove it and wear the brooch with the Hope pin. A card that is also a gift! :)

Faith & Hope card:

Stamps: Faith & Hope

Ink: Pure Poppy and True Black (PTI) and Chewing Gum (Jenni Bowlin)

Paper: Sweet Blush cardstock, white cardstock

Dies: Faith & Hope (ribbon)

Other: floral pin, embossing folder by Cuttlebug, brooch by Melissa Frances, lace.

simple stories...

2011-10-20T11:33:00.000-04:00

Do you struggle with journaling like I do? Journaling seems to be the hardest for me when it comes to scrapbooking. I get lost in all the pretty papers and embellishments, and after I pull a design together... well, pretty soon I realize I don't have room for journaling. I like photos of everyday moments, but often I can't think of a "story" to go with them. Today's assignment on the Pink Paislee blog was to make journaling a focus on my layout...I hope you'll stop over and see my layout in its entirety! I have a couple of tips for you.

more Christmas creations...

2011-10-19T10:14:00.001-04:00

I have a few more Papertrey Ink projects to share with you today from this month's release. First, is a fun bag made from the new Front & Center die. I cut two of them for a front and a back, and then sandwiched a brown lunch bag in between. (I probably should have used white, but didn't have any on hand.)

To decorate the front, I stamped with the new Winterberry stamp set. I added a felt word cut with the new Wonderful Words: Holiday die. The seam binding was sprayed with Glimmer Mist (Vintage Pink, I think it was called) and then I punched some stars to dangle off of the ends of the ribbon!

Happy Holiday Gift Bag:

Stamps: Winterberry and Tremendous Treats: Christmas (happy)
Ink: Pure Poppy, True Black, Chewing Gum by JBS
Paper: Snow Day by Pink Paislee, white cardstock, stars are Studio Calico paper
Dies: Wonderful Words: Holiday and Front & Center #1 (bag)
Other: felt by PTI, Pure Poppy buttons, seam binding.

-------------

Next, I have decorated a wine bottle with the new Wine Bottle Tag die by Papertrey Ink, a quick way to dress up a hostess gift.

I cut the wine bottle die using PTI's new Candy Cane Prints paper, then stamped onto Aqua Mist cardstock with Tremendous Treats: Christmas stamp set. I didn't have any Copics to color in the stamped image, so I thought...why not fill in the little leaves with felt. I cut a few little raindrop shapes to fill in the images and added some glitter.

Merry Christmas Wine Bottle Tag:

Stamps: Tremendous Treats: Christmas
Ink: Ripe Avocado, True Black
Paper: Candy Cane Prints, Aqua Mist cardstock, red polkadot by Studio Calico
Dies: Tag Sale #5, Wine Bottle Tag
Other: Papertrey Ink felt, SEI ribbon, floral pin, blue gem, glitter.

------------

Papertrey Ink also came out with two nativity stamp sets this month, so I'll share a couple of things made with those. Here I've used the Gift Card Greetings die to cut two gift card shapes for a little coordinating pair.

I made one vertically and one horizontally to show that you can use it either way. You can punch this out of plain cardstock and dress it up, or punch it out of patterned paper. There is a slot inside to hold the gift card, sorry I forgot to get a picture of that!

Star of Wonder Gift Card set:

Stamps: Star of Wonder, In the Meadow (snowflakes)

Ink: Fresh Snow, Dark Chocolate, True Black
Paper: Studio Calico (text and blue on snowflakes), kraft cardstock by PTI, October Afternoon (polkadot)
Dies: Gift Card Greetings
Other: resin by Melissa Frances, white ribbon, PTI twine.

-------------

This card was made with the Nativity Silhouettes. I stamped and embossed the angel and popped her up with dimensional adhesive.

The frame is cut with a Sizzix die.

O Holy Night card:

Stamps: Nativity Silhouettes
Ink: True Black, Fresh Snow
Paper: Crate Paper
Dies: Sizzix frame

Other: Prima flower, embossing powder, kraft paper, Maya Road star pin,

Jenni Bowlin pearl sticker.

-----------

Last, but not least...a card with Nativity Sillhouettes Additions. This one was the toughest for me. It didn't really turn out how I wanted it to, but hopefully you can get something inspirational out of it! lol I used a gray ink by Jenni Bowlin called Weather Vane. The Crate Paper background sort of resisted the ink. I cut a sticker apart and used half.

Follow the Glory card:

Stamps: Nativity Silhouettes, Nativity Silhouettes Additions
Ink: True Black, Weather Vane by JBS (gray for silhouettes)
Paper: Crate Paper, kraft paper
Dies: none
Other: lace, misc button, star punch, Crate Paper sticker.

-----------

All of these stamps and dies can be found at PapertreyInk.com on the main page. Thanks so much for reading. I'll be back tomorrow with more!

bright and fun...

2011-10-18T10:12:00.003-04:00

Who couldn't use some cheering up today?

Thought I'd get away from holiday projects and share a fun birthday card. I'd love to give a shout out too, to my very good friend Shonna who just had a birthday! Love ya!!

I used Papertrey Ink's new Flower Fusion #9 to stamp the flowers in the background (wouldn't they be fun as fireworks for the 4th of July as well?).
I added 2 circles punched out of Pink Paislee's Hometown Summer paper, then made my own doily banner by folding circles over the twine. I added some paper doilies over the text paper circles. Notice the sheet music.. goes well with the sentiment! Wishing you ALL a happy day too!

Happy Birthday to You card:

Stamps: Flower Fusion #9 by Papertrey Ink
Ink: Hawaiian Shores, True Black by PTI
Paper: Aqua Mist cardstock by PTI, vintage book paper,
Hometown Summer by Pink Paislee (red)
Dies/punches: circle punch
Other: SEI burlap ribbon, Twinery twine, Melissa Frances pearls,

doilies from baking section in craft supply store.

getting in the spirit...

2011-10-17T11:16:00.001-04:00

No pun intended! Ok, maybe a slight pun was intended! :)

Are you gearing up for Halloween? If so, you should definitely see the Phantom Banner Kit by Pink Paislee. It comes with these cute little letter cards that spell out "happy haunting", and there are many things you can do with them. I just made a banner out of the first word, so I could hang it over this frame, but if you made a banner out of the entire thing, it would definitely be over 2 feet long!

I've use Pink Paislee's Phantom line of papers, Banner Kit, brads and some Daily Junque tissue paper and twine. The grosgrain ribbon is from the craft supply store.

To create the large banner shapes, I used a new die by Papertrey Ink called Wine Bottle Tag.

On the bottom, I've added some Soiree Flags by Pink Paislee. Now all I need are some cute Halloween photos to complete the project.

If you'd like to read more about how to create the banner, please pop over to the Pink Paislee blog.

And I have to show you the little banner my 6 year old made for Halloween! (totally her idea...lol)

Crafty little girl...

That's what we love to do around here!

Do you have Phantom products in your stash? Pink Paislee is holding an October contest - pull out those products and create a home decor project for your chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card.

cards on the 15th...

2011-10-15T15:39:00.001-04:00

I love the 15th, because that is when I get to share my Papertrey Ink projects for this month! I think I've done 18 things this month! Grab a hot pumpkin spice latte and sit for a spell! (I promise I won't make you sit for 18 projects! LOL)

On these first cards, I really wanted to create a "wreath" shape, so I used the Tranquility Trilogy triangles and stamped them in a circular pattern, then cut around the triangles to create a shaped card. I stamped the saying on another piece of cardstock to create a border and placed it across my card.

LOVE the fonts in the new Tag-its #9 stamp set (be merry)!

I added some felt holly and berries from the Holly Jolly die collection from last month.

Be Merry card set:

Stamps: NEW Tag-its #9, Tranquility Trilogy

Ink: Spring Moss, Pure Poppy
Paper: white cardstock

Dies/punches: Holly Jolly die collection (holly leaves and berries)

Other: Twinery twine, snowflake by Target, Melissa Frances pearl, PTI felt.

--------------

On this one, I used a triangle from Tranquility Trilogy as a tree! I used the holly from the Tag-its #9 under the large saying.

I felt like the right edge needed a little something...so I trimmed the edge with a Fiskars punch and stamped the inside edge of the card with "be merry".

The little tree trunk is simply a piece of burlap ribbon.

Holiday Wishes card:

Stamps: NEW Tag-its #9, Candy Cane Christmas (stripe), Tranquility Trilogy,
NEW Think Big Favorites #9

Ink: Spring Moss, Pure Poppy, Smokey Shadow, Ripe Avocado by PTI,

Chewing Gum (pink) by Jenni Bowlin
Paper: white cardstock

Dies/punches: Fiskars edge punch

Other: Papertrey Ink button, Twinery twine, Melissa Frances pearls (white),

Jenni Bowlin pearl (red), burlap ribbon for trunk of tree by SEI

--------------

The circle from Tag-its #9 fits perfectly in the Damask Snowflakes dies from last month's release! I trimmed around it with scalloped scissors and placed it on a felt snowflake. I love browns, reds and greens...one of my favorite color combos.

I added some little felt berries from the Holly Jolly dies from last month also.

Merry Holiday card:

Stamps: Tag-its #9

Ink: Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado, Pure Poppy
Paper: white cardstock, polkadot - Dots & Stripes by Echo Park

Dies/punches: Damask Snowflake dies by PTI, Holly Jolly dies by PTI, scalloped scissors

Other: felt by PTI, seam binding ribbon, sewing machine, pin.

-------------

This card was super simple...I was inspired by packages wrapped with pretty stitched banners like this one. So I cut some doily pieces out of a paper doily, added some punched stars and stitched them all together, then adhered the strip to my card.

The reds and purples are so cute together.

Peace Love Joy card:

Stamps: Think Big Favorites #9

Ink: Lavender Moon
Paper: white and red cardstock, Candy Cane Prints paper (red stripe)

Dies/punches: corner rounder, star punch

Other: doily, sewing machine.

--------------

Here I made little windows for the snowflakes to peek through and added lots of layers of paper. I punched the snowflakes out of Studio Calico paper and backed it with white paper. "Holiday" is cut with the new Wonderful Words: Holiday dies.

Some pom pom trim adds softness...

Holiday Joy & Love card:
Stamps: Wonderful Words: Holiday
Ink: True Black
Paper: Studio Calico (green, blue and purple) and October Afternoon (brown)
Dies/punches: snowflake punch by Martha Stewart and square punch
Other: Pom pom trim and tinsel by Melissa Frances, Autumn Rose button by PTI.
----------------

On this card, I've cut the poinsettia out with the new Christmas Poinsettia dies with Autumn Rose felt and stamped with a Christmas Poinsettia saying.

Merry Christmas to You and Yours card:

Stamps: Christmas Poinsettia
Ink: True Black
Paper: Crate Paper (pink, gray and black), October Afternoon (brown),

Studio Calico - Memoir (purple and text)
Dies/punches: star punch, Christmas Poinsettia dies
Other: SEI ribbon, Autumn Rose felt by PTI, Melissa Frances pearl, floral pin.

-------------

The last project I'll share with you today is an embroidery hoop that I backed with some Papertrey Ink papers and used the cute new Shape-Up Series: Snowman dies and stamps to create this little guy! I cut his body and arms from Studio Calico paper, stamped his face and hat, and added glitter to make him extra charming. :)

To create the large Chevron stripe across the center, I used the same technique I showed on this card awhile back.

Peace Snowman Wall Hanging:

Stamps: Shape-Up Series: Snowman
Ink: Raspberry Fizz, Dark Chocolate
Paper: Papertrey Ink Funky Town paper (stripe), October Afternoon (brown),

Studio Calico - Autumn Press (blue snowflakes)
Dies/punches: Shape-Up Series: Snowman dies, Wonderful Words: Holiday,

snowflake punch by Martha Stewart
Other: Melissa Frances pom pom trim, tinsel and resin swirl, Papertrey Ink felt, embroidery hoop.

What do you think? Lots of fun new things coming out this month! I will share more projects soon. You can visit my October Papertrey Ink gallery to see more and view full supply lists.

2011 Holiday Tags...

2011-10-13T23:59:00.002-04:00

Today the Papertrey Ink girls are showing projects created with the new 2011 Holiday Tags and the new Wonderful Words: Holiday stamps and dies, which will all be available on the 15th.

Since I've gotten older, the holidays are now more about gift giving for me instead of receiving, which is why I love to dress up my packages all pretty for the recipients! Here I've sewn 2 pieces of 6x6" paper together on 3 sides, inserted the gift, then stitched up the last side, and added some fun embellishments on top. The holiday wishes tag is from the new 2011 Holiday Tags set, and the "a gift 4 you" stamp is in the set as well!

Lots of layers here. I just starting mixing and matching to see what combination I liked!

Holiday Wishes gift wrap:

Stamps: 2011 Holiday Tags

Ink: Pure Poppy, True Black

Paper: Crate Paper -Portrait (black), October Afternoon (brown)

Dies/punches: Damask Snowflake dies

Other: pinking shears, Papertrey Ink felt and twine, Melissa Frances resin frame and pearl, Crate Paper sticker.

-------------

Next, I wanted to play with the Holiday Wishes stamp in another way. It created a totally different look with the same stamp!

Step 1. First, I masked off the bottom portion of the stamp with a piece of cardstock and used the top portion of the Holiday Wishes stamp on my background patterned paper.

Step 2. The word "merry" was die cut with the Wonderful Words: Holiday dies.

Step 3. I punched 3 stars and decided where the sentiment will be stamped.

Here is the finished card...

Merry card:

Stamps: 2011 Holiday Tags, Wonderful Words: Holiday

Ink: True Black by PTI, Weather Vane by JBS

Paper: Memoir by Studio Calico (circle and purple), Crate Paper (creme)

Dies/punches: Wonderful Words: Holiday dies (merry), star punch

Other: Autumn Rose button by PTI

-------------

Last I chose another image from the 2011 Holiday Tags set...the "for you" image... to work with. This image doesn't even have to be used for a holiday gift...could just be for someone as a thank you or birthday.

I was inspired by the leaves on the tag image and decided to stitch leaves just like the tag onto felt to make coasters, then wrapped them up with twine and added a tag for gift giving.

Here are the two coasters unwrapped. I die cut the shape with a new die called Mega Mat Stack 3. After stitching the leaves on these with white floss, the strings were showing on the back, so I cut another Mega Mat Stack 3 image and machine stitched them together to create each coaster!

For You Felt Coasters:

Stamps: 2011 Holiday Tags

Ink: Pure Poppy

Paper: Crate Paper - Portrait

Dies/punches: Mega Mat Stack 3 die

Other: floss, PTI felt and twine, pinking shears.

-------------

I hope you'll visit the other Papertrey Ink girls to see what they have made with these stamps and dies as well:

Dawn McVey

Melissa Phillips
Michelle Wooderson
Nichole Heady

In the Meadow...

2011-10-12T23:59:00.011-04:00

...we can build a snowman!
The Papertrey Ink girls are back with a group blog post showcasing a new stamp set and dies called In the Meadow.

I chose to work with the snowman image (because he's so adorable!) and die cut him out with the In the Meadow Silhouettes dies with Studio Calico - Memoir paper. I started this page out with an idea of using the snowman as the "O" in the word SNOW, which would work great on a card too! I popped him up with dimensional adhesive so he would show up nicely in the title work. I'm in love with this new paper line I used here by Pink Paislee called Snow Day.

The little pom poms remind me of soft, fluffy snowballs, so I had to add a few to my projects this month!

I used a new die called In the Meadow (set of 2 dies) for the swooshie shape at the top and some older Pink Paislee alphas (still my FAVorite alphas ever!) ...

Now if you are scared of stamping on your layouts, try stamping on another piece and adding it to your page, like the snowflake border I did here...

When you have a layout that has many layers to it, you can add stamping very easy to your page without "messing up". Try stamping on one of the layers, move it around on your page to see where you might like it. This was one version of my layout when I was moving everything around... you can see the stamped image looks cute on the left side too!

Did I mention I'm very indecisive!? lol
Well, anyway...these stamps are beautiful no matter where you put them on layouts too, not just cards!

Let It Snow layout:

Stamps: In the Meadow
Ink: True Black, Fresh Snow
Paper: Snow Day by Pink Paislee, Memoir by Studio Calico (text on snowman), October Afternoon (brown), Hawaiian Shores cardstock by PTI
Dies/punches: In the Meadow and In the Meadow Silhouettes by PTI,

Himalayan Snowflake by Martha Stewart
Other: Pebbles brad, Pink Paislee twine and alphas,

snowflakes by Target (holiday table scatter).

Hope you enjoyed seeing this stamp set on a scrapbook page! In the Meadow will be available on the 15th at www.papertreyink.com. Please visit the other girls to see the other images in this set and what they've done with them:

Dawn McVey

Melissa Phillips
Michelle Wooderson
Nichole Heady

jolly treats...

2011-10-06T16:09:00.001-04:00

Thought I'd pop in and show you some little treat bags made with the Echo Park Season's Greetings line! I still can't get enough of this line. It's just so cute! Wouldn't you agree?

To create these, I just sewed paper together to form the pockets, then inserted a glassine bag inside. To create the shredded paper, I cut little strips and folded them back and forth. I don't have a shredder, so I just cut and folded a bunch at a time! You don't have to be precise with them at all. Slice them with your paper cutter (12"), cut them in half so you have smaller pieces to work with, then grab a bunch and fold them all at the same time. Insert some of these with a few pieces of candy.

These are all papers, brads and stickers from the line! Ribbon is from my stash and the glassine bags are by Papertrey Ink. These went so fast, I can't wait to make them for the kids in my girls' classrooms this holiday!

pink dreams...

2011-10-03T14:09:00.001-04:00

Sending a big thank you to everyone who participated in the card challenges at Pink Paislee this weekend! xo

I made this page last December upon request from a Russian magazine called Scrap Info. It's fun seeing your work in foreign magazines, although I can't read a lick of it. :) This came out about a month or two ago, and I forgot to post...

When Kati was three, we were shopping one day at the mall and she saw these pink Mary Janes at Old Navy. She begged us for them! The little bow on the front had her sold. :) So...the little pink Mary Janes came home with us that day, and Kati slept with them in her bed that night. She laid them right next to her pillow. She even dreamed about them! lol

I made these little pink flowers myself from felt and added some twine loops and hand cut leaves. I cropped the main picture down to show off the shoes and printed it larger. Placing the flowers across the page really draws your eye down the page and over the pictures.

I am off to clean up my craft space - it looks like a tornado hit it - and I have ideas, but can't play with it being such a mess!! There isn't one little spot open on my desk! Have a good day. xo

chevron stripes...

2011-09-30T17:00:00.008-04:00

Are you crafting this evening or tomorrow?

If you are, be sure to stop over to Live Pink, which is Pink Paislee's forum, for some card inspiration this weekend! There will be 7 card challenges and 7 chances to win! My challenge is a COLOR challenge - "pair a neutral base with colorful accents", but I'm also going to show you how I created this EASY chevron technique!

Chevron seems to be all the rage these days. I found a quick and simple way to make the large Chevron stripe across my card! Come on over to Pink Paislee to see how! HOPE to see you there - we'll begin at 6 pm tonight EST! :) You'll have until Sunday evening at 11:59 pm EST to finish any of the challenges. HERE is a link to my challenge. :)

Just For You card:

Stamps: Tranquility Trilogy (sentiment) by Papertrey Ink

Ink: True Black by Papertrey Ink

Paper: Mistables paper by Pink Paislee (text), Hometown Summer by Pink Paislee (star), Nantucket by Pink Paislee (stripe)

Dies/punches: 1 1/2" square punch by Marvy Uchida

Other: Papertrey Ink twine, Parisian Anthology ticket by Pink Paislee,

Hometown Summer Baubles by Pink Paislee.

celebrate today...

2011-09-29T15:07:00.001-04:00

What are you celebrating today? Sometimes it's so easy to focus on the negative and complain about what we don't have or what we aren't, so I thought it would be fun to post what I'm celebrating today...

Today I'm celebrating rainy fall days, pretty colorful leaves falling and looking forward to the cooler weather with NO mosquitoes.

Tomorrow is my nephew's varsity homecoming game, so I'm looking forward to the ceremony they are going to do before the game for the seniors. Also, my 6 year old will be doing her half time dance during the varsity game! I'm thankful that my girls love cheering so much and are having fun with it this year.

I'm thankful that this cold is going away, and I'm starting to feel much better.

I'm happy that my mom just celebrated her 60th birthday is still very healthy and happy. I don't know what I'd do without her! I'm so lucky that we have a relationship like we do.

I'd love to hear what you are celebrating today in your life...

Celebrate Today card:

Stamps: Think Big Favorites #4 by Papertrey Ink

Ink: True Black by Papertrey Ink

Paper: Emma's Shoppe by Crate Paper, Dots & Stripes by Echo Park (brown)

Other: vintage book paper - JBS, chipboard - Crate Paper - Emma's Shoppe

World Card Making Day and a winner...

2011-09-27T13:45:00.001-04:00

I have a fun event to tell you about....did you know October 1st is World Card Making Day? YES, there is a day just for card makers! Woot! Pink Paislee will be celebrating and giving you lots of chances to win, so I hope you will join us there!

Visit the Pink Paislee LIVE PINK FORUM on Friday evening through Sunday evening to chat with us and participate in 7 fun challenges!

Next up on the agenda is to choose a winner from my Season's Greetings giveaway!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2011-09-27 17:42:12 UTC

Crystal said... 63: Yes, please!! I love your creations - you always inspire me :) Thanks for sharing.; September 24, 2011 2:46

Congrats, Crystal!! Please send me your mailing address to dflanders71@hotmail.com.

gingerbread joy...

2011-09-22T21:12:00.003-04:00

Here is a quick layout I made today with the Season's Greetings line by Echo Park! (See post below for a giveaway of this line!)

When Kati was in Kindergarten last year, her class made little gingerbread houses from scratch and the parents were invited to come join in on the fun. You can imagine my excitement, as a scrapbooker! lol

Well, I got all ready to go to her class, went out to start my car, and it wouldn't start. It was SO cold out. I went inside and emailed her teacher to let her know I wasn't going to make it. My husband was already gone to work, and I had no way to get it started. I cried. I was so sad I couldn't be there to help out. I did get photos of it when she came home. Not sure why I don't have any photos of her with it though!

You can see here on this close-up, I made a little house to hold one of the wallet sized photos...

Love the gumdrop path she made to her house and the little Twizzler door. lol

I used the 12x12" Season's Greetings papers, the chipboard, brads and stickers. I just noticed that this line is available HERE at 2peas.

Don't forget to leave a message in my LAST POST for the Season's Greetings giveaway! The giveaway is still open to win this fun line.

a little Christmas cheer...

2011-09-22T09:49:00.000-04:00

Good morning! Remember this post when I said I was going to be doing a few retail kits here and there starting in the fall? Well, that company happens to be Echo Park and I'm loving their stuff lately. Did you know they come out with a new line or two EVERY month? I had no idea! I don't know how they can crank out such cute lines so fast.

They have two new Christmas scrapbooking lines that just came out this month. One is called Season's Greetings. It's SUPER cute in person. Here are a few cards I've made with it so far. I used the 6x6" paper pad for these, along with some of the other embellishments - chipboard, brads, etc!

I wanted this one to look like a little present. I had a small piece of paper leftover on my table, so I wrapped it in twine and topped it off with some chipboard. VERY simple.

On this card, I layered a few of the 6x6" papers, then added a chipboard snowflake, sticker and chipboard star.

I tied the ribbon around the papers before adhering to the card front, then added the little "christmas cheer" chipboard piece over the ribbon.

On the "holiday traditions" card, I put my sewing machine to work and stitched some little dangles for the ornaments with a stitch that looks like little snowflakes. (My sewing machine is a Singer and this is stitch #30, in case you are wondering.)

On the "Believe" card below, I turned one of the journaling cards upside down and tied the twine around it through the hole at the bottom of the tag before adhering to the card. I cut a Damask Snowflake out of felt with a Papertrey Ink die, then added some chipboard over the top! It came together very quickly.

Don't you love these brads? Adorable.

I can't wait to play around with the stamp set too.

I just happen to have an extra set of these 12x12" Season's Greetings papers, the Decorative Brads and the Clear Stamps that match this line! Please let me know if you'd like to be entered to win this little giveaway and I'll choose a random winner soon. Thanks so much for stopping by today. Hugs,

Crafter's Workshop blog hop with Julie Balzer...

2011-09-20T06:00:00.005-04:00

I am very excited today to be part of a blog hop using new Crafter's Workshop stencils by Julie Balzer! If you don't know of Julie, you are definitely missing out on some awesome artistic creativity - to say the least! Julie is the queen of misting, painting and creating FAN-tastic works of art. Here is a link to her blog. There is always something new and inspiring to see by Julie! She is truly one of a kind, and I feel so fortunate to be asked to participate in a hop showcasing her new stencils!

I received some of the 6x6 stencils and as a card maker, I wanted to show that these are great for cards! What I love is that you can use them over and over, so an endless supply of cards could be made with each stencil. Each style is available in 12x12" AND 6x6".

The first one I worked with is a mod looking one called Love Beads.

I sprayed over it with Graphite Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels and added a few stars and circles with cardstock! The sentiment is from Boy Basics: Game On by Papertrey Ink. I wanted my circles to look mod too, so I punched 2" circles, then punched out a 1" circle from it and layered them over a white cardstock circle. You could definitely make the background darker by adding more mist. I just did a light dusting here! (Red paper is Echo Park's new line called Season's Greetings.)

On the second card, I tried something different with the Summer stencil. Let me show you the card I'm referring to...

I was spraying over the stencil just playing around with it, adding yellow and pink mist over the top (below right), when a lot of the mist pooled up on the stencil and instead of washing it off, I flipped it over onto the cardstock (left side). This created a stamped look!

I decided I wanted the look on the left, but I wanted her hair to flip the other way. So I turned the stencil over (starting on the back) and used the same technique - first spraying the stencil with mist, letting the mist pool up, then flipping it over and laying it on the cardstock. Then pressed it down like I was stamping. (The sentiment here is from Sweet As Can Be.)

So...long story short...I discovered you can use the front OR the back to stencil with!

Here is one more card using the Screen stencil.

I actually made a Christmas card with it! I sprayed over the stencil with a green mist onto kraft cardstock. It started as a fall card, but since I had Christmas goodies on my desk, I went with that! I cut a snowflake out of white felt with a Papertrey Ink die called Damask Snowflakes, then added a few Echo Park chipboard pieces over the top. The sentiment here is from Christmas Blessings.

This background could be used for so many things!

And last, but not least, Henna Hands...

I chose two of the hands I liked the best and chalked over them with chalk! I added a sentiment from Love Lives Here, a resin swirl by Melissa Frances and a purple twine from the Twinery. The effect with the chalk is very subtle and soft. (I would recommend sealing it after you are done if you use chalk, so it doesn't wipe off. The first hand starting wiping off while I was working on the second hand!)

Well, I hope you enjoyed these examples. Please visit a few more crafty girls for a variety of fun stencil ideas, and don't forget Julie's blog for a chance to win!

four photos...

2011-09-19T11:03:00.001-04:00

Hello! Are you in the mood today to scrap a layout with lots of photos? My second assignment for Pink Paislee this month is to use four photos on a layout and use the new Vintage Vogue collection. I've been wanting to document how different my two daughters are. They are opposite in so many ways.

When I saw these two little ladies from the Vintage Vogue Chipboard Pops, I knew they would be perfect for my page! I layered them and added one of the Spool Buttons and a little flower from the chipboard pops. I used a floral stamp from Papertrey Ink called Guidelines 2 and stamped in a circular pattern to ground the title with Raspberry Fizz ink.

I used Papertrey Ink True Black polka dot ribbon and loved how it went with the black and white theme, so I made two loops and added a stick pin, then a Vintage Vogue Paper Rosette over the top.

I added a few strips of patterned paper and two of the Vintage Vogue ribbons, then printed out journaling to add to the bottom of the layout. The last thing I did was punch out my photos with a 2″ punch by Fiskars and adhered them along the side of the page.

I love the little Vintage Vogue Brad Mix. Here I’ve added a few tiny brads to a large Autumn Rose button.

Here is the journaling...

If you were a scrapbooker about 10-11 years ago, you'll recall punching your photos into shapes like this. I think the trend just might be returning! I am liking it again...are you?

Homespun with Heart

Pink Paislee sneaks: days 4 and 5...

Melissa Frances sneaks: day 2...

Pink Paislee sneaks: day 3...

Melissa Frances sneaks: day 1...

Pink Paislee sneaks: day 2...

Pink Paislee CHA sneak peeks begin!

Cool Tools winner...

Random Integer Generator

Papertrey Ink Release Projects...

Simply Jane...

Mat Stack 5 Collection...

Paper Crafts Magazine presents: Cool Tools Blog Hop

ten things I love...

Handmade Hodgepodge...

an interview with...me?

Eleven favorites of 2011, part 2...

Eleven favorites of 2011...

fa la la...

Papertrey Ink December 2011 Release Projects...

Love & Marriage...

Rosie Posie...

Made of Snow Mini...

i wonder if she wonders...

cookie cutter ornaments...

December countdown with SCT...

Winter Wonderland event...

confetti love...

Ella fun...

Deck the Halls giveaway...

Pink Paislee + Core'dinations...

November release projects...

Stitches & Swirls...

Door To Door...

Flower Fusion #10 and Think Big Favorites #10...

grateful for friends...

autumn bliss...

SC kit winner!

Would you like to win a Studio Calico kit? *now closed*

Studio Calico guest creations...

Sizzix fresh vintage...

text-style...

Card Month + Ella Publishing

Studio Calico sneaks...

hope...

simple stories...

more Christmas creations...

bright and fun...

getting in the spirit...

cards on the 15th...

2011 Holiday Tags...

In the Meadow...

jolly treats...

pink dreams...

chevron stripes...

celebrate today...

World Card Making Day and a winner...

Random Integer Generator

gingerbread joy...

a little Christmas cheer...

Crafter's Workshop blog hop with Julie Balzer...

four photos...

Would you like to win a Studio Calico kit? now closed