PTI Simple to Spectacular: Baker's Dozen

Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas surrounded by those that are most dear! My heart is always filled with gratitude and love and one of the ways that I express that love is through my cards. For this installment of the Papertrey Ink Simple to Spectacular feature, I decided to create a trio of snowy cards using the versatile Baker's Dozen stamp set and coordinating Baker's Dozen dies. I will add these to my stash of holiday thank you cards that I made earlier in the season. You can see them HERE and HERE. I'm really excited to send these out because I feel that even the "simple" design still has a lot of fun details!

I will explain each of the cards in detail as well as explain the process as I added in different steps and elements to step it up to "spectacular".  I think this is such a fun feature because it allows you to create some fun designs even if you're short on time! I'm also going to share a simple "recipe" that you can follow that will ensure that your simple designs are just as special as the spectacular ones. This is a recipe that I shared last year, but it's been a while and I feel like it really works to create cards that you are proud to send!

I used to watch "What Not to Wear" regularly and learned Clinton and Stacy's mantra on how to put together an outfit: Color, pattern , texture, and shine! I love using these four simple rules on my cards as well and find that it really helps a simple design pop! I had considered sharing these tips for a Design Team Tips feature, but decided to share it in this post instead! You can see that I was able to add each of the four elements on this simple design. To begin, I took a 4 by 5 1/4 inch piece of Spring Rain cardstock and embossed it using the Bold Borders: Flurries die with an embossing mat. This created some amazing texture as well as pattern in one simple step.  I spritzed it with Shimmer Spray to give it some sparkle and shine. The cupcake is stamped and colored simply using Copic markers. I also stamped the border and sentiment using Weathervane Ink. I also added a few Nuvo drops to the centers of some of the embossed snowflakes as well as the sprinkles and snowflake on the cupcake. This was a very quick and easy card, but still has some fun details.

The next card uses ALL of the same elements, but in a different way with the addition of the Soft Stone Bitty Big pattern paper behind the focal pieces. I love how the big polka dots add in some extra pattern as well as interest! For this design, I actually die cut the Bold Borders frame and adhered it to a white A2 card base. You can read some trouble shooting tips for these intricate dies HERE. I cut a piece of the Bitty Big pattern paper to fit inside the frame.  Once that was done, I spritzed it with shimmer spray. The cupcake is colored using Copic markers, but this time I added in a few extra colors for some added shading and dimension. The sentiment is heat embossed in silver for some extra shine. The "sprinkles" on the cupcake have two different Nuvo drops. A few sparkling rhinestones frame the cupcake.

And finally, the "spectacular" version. This one has just a few more steps and details to really make it pop! For this version, I die cut two of the Bold Borders frames and glued them together. Once that was done, I added some Nuvo Shimmering Pearl Glitter embossing powder. This is the powder that I have used on all of the cards that I have made with this same technique. I've had a few of you ask, and I feel bad it took me this long to let you know! I hope I'm not a broken record showing this again, but I just love how it looks! I promise I'll lay off for a while! LOL! I layered it it onto an A2 cardbase. This one also has the Bitty Big paper, but I used some foam squares for added dimension. I die cut the sentiment panel out of Spring Rain this time and heat embossed the border as well as the sentiment. I layered it onto the frame using foam squares. 

The cupcake, which has even more colors added in as well as tinsel glitter and three types of Nuvo drops, is popped up onto a white circle that was die cut and embossed using the Nesting Basics: Circles and the Nesting Basics: Pierced Circles. This is added in the center of the frame. I also added some sparkling clear rhinestones around the cupcake as well as in the center of some of the snowflakes in the frame. I love how these look shimmering in the light!

These were so much fun to make and I can't wait to send them out to family and friends! I love the Baker's Dozen stamp set because of all of the cute seasonal cupcakes. I'm sure I will be using this one quite a bit in the future! To be honest, I feel like I've forgotten how to make a card that isn't "seasonal".  Hopefully I can get back in the groove! LOL! As always, if you have ANY questions, please feel free to email me or leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon as possible! Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. For those of you who follow my "Keeping Christmas" series, I've put together a whole list of new content for the upcoming year. If there is anything that you would like to see, please feel free to leave some suggestions in the comments and I will see if it fits into my plan! I will be doing a recap of last year's series in my January post! 

Mix it Up #50 {From our home to yours}

Hello and welcome! I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season and getting to do all of the things that you enjoy! It's sure been a busy one for me, but I'm grateful for each and every small moment that makes the season magical! Today I am sharing my card for this month's SugarPea Designs Mix it Up Challenge! I always love a good challenge so it's always fun when it's my turn! You can read all about it today over on the SugarPea Designs Blog.

 These little Gingersnaps are just the cutest thing ever and I can't get enough of them! I wanted them to take center stage today so I pretty much cut and colored every single image in the entire set, except a few of the "ginger-people". I wanted tons of gumdrops and lots of the sweet little accent images that make this such a fun set! I love that there are coordinating dies for EVERY image. It makes building a scene so much easier!

 I was inspired by the Wintergreen colors as well as the pop of red, so that is what I wanted to be sure to include in my design. I kept all of the coloring VERY  simple so that I could spend some extra time adding lots of glitter and Nuvo drops to give the card some special sugary details.

 The sentiment is stamped onto a piece of Kraft cardstock in red ink and then stitched over the Distress Oxide ink blended background. I also spritzed the background with shimmer spray before I added the sentiment panel.

The snowy scene was created using the ever amazing Card Front Element Builders. It is so easy to add a lot of detail and dimension with just a few cuts!

I can't seem to stop with the long narrow cards, but it worked perfectly to add in all of the details that I was hoping to include. I didn't do this on purpose, but it looks like this little girl gingersnap is being pursued by two suitors bringing all kinds of sweet treats! LOL! I didn't realize it until I was editing my photos! Ha ha! This card was such a delight to make! Thanks for fluttering by!

Tuesday Ideas {Merry Christmas}

Hello! This week over on the Precious Remembrance Shop Blog we're all getting "artsy" and pulling out our stamps with an artistic flair! I am still in full-on Christmas mode, so I wanted to use the super fun Sketchy Christmas stamp set. Nothing says artsy to me more than using all the colors of the rainbow, or better yet, the actual rainbow! LOL! I'm sure you all saw the rainbow Christmas card I posted earlier this month and I wanted to see how it would look with these awesome brush stroke trees!

I stamped each of the trees in rainbow order and used the squiggle line as the trunks {where applicable} stamped in black. I love the contrast and dimension that it adds to the look of the trees! I also used the triangle image from the Happy Art stamp set to give the design some added movement and detail. Once that was done, I was still in the artsy mode, so I spritzed the coordinating color ink over each of the trees using my color spritzing tool. 

Each tree got a trio of Nuvo drops for extra detail. I love using them so much and I could just squeeze them everywhere if left unchecked! LOL!

The sentiment is from the Sketchy Christmas set as well and I heat embossed it in silver onto the black card base! I Love the contrast it gives to the design! Thanks for fluttering by!

Reverse Confetti Stock Your Stash Challenge: thanks snow much

Happy Sunday, friends! I hope you've had a great weekend! I was FINALLY able to finish up the last touches of Christmas decorating that had been nagging at me. It's never taken me so long to get Christmas all up! I was super excited that Thanksgiving was so early this year so I could get a head start! LOL! Oh well, ya win some, ya lose some! I just love the magic and coziness of Christmas that I want it to last as long as possible! Anyway, enough rambling from me! This month's Reverse Confetti Stock Your Stash theme is Thank You. I've already created a few "Thanks for the gift" designs, but I know I will need more, so I took this opportunity to make another one!

I like my Christmas thank you cards to still have a holiday/winter vibe, so that is the direction I headed with this design. I haven't gotten my fill of this sweet bunny from the Snow Bunnies stamp set, so I decided to let this sweet pair take center stage. I stamped the image using black ink and then colored it using Copic markers. Once it was all colored, I used the coordinating Snow Bunnies Confetti Cuts to die cut it. I added some Nuvo Crystal Glaze to the nose and ears of the bunny as well as the mug. I also added a few detail to the bird's hat and bunny's scarf with a white gel pen.

The teal wreath around the bunny was created by heat embossing one of the leaf images from the Fall Foliage using Wow! white puff embossing powder. Once they were all heat set, I die cut them with the Fall Foliage Confetti Cuts and arranged them in a circle using foam squares. This particular image is very easy to create a wreath with because of the curvature of the stem. They are arranged on a Stitched Tag that has been die cut from a piece of the Warm Heart 6 by 6 paper pad. Actually, all of the pattern paper on this design is from that particular paper pad; it is one of my favorites!

The "thanks snow much" sentiment is heat embossed using silver embossing powder and attached to the card lightly using some Tombow adhesive. I knew that I would be running over it with the sewing machine, so I didn't want to have too much adhesive to gum up my needle. I love the added subtle detail that machine stitching can add to a design. I feel like it really adds to this particular card because of all the textural prints that mimic fabric. 

I added some glittery Nuvo drops around the wreath for some added detail. The tag is tied up with silver cord to tie in the embossed sentiment. The sequins have been scattered over the card and secured using liquid glue. I sure hope you get a chance to play along with us this month. With the season of giving comes the need to send thank yous! Thanks for fluttering by!

Papertrey Ink December Freebie: Your Beautiful Birthday!

Surprise! I'm back today sharing a fun new set that will be a freebie for all qualifying Papertrey Ink purchases beginning tonight at 10 pm EST while supplies last! Please head to the Papertrey Ink Blog to read all of the details as well as view the set in its entirety!Your Beautiful Birthday (a $5 value) will be available for customers to add to their cart as a FREE bonus with qualifying orders placed 10pm EST, December 15th and 11:30pm EST, December 31st or while supplies last.  To qualify for the set, the order total needs to equal $80 or more before shipping and without Rewards Points discounts.  Your Beautiful Birthday is a limited edition set that will never be available for purchase, so be sure to get yours while they are available during this special holiday promotional period! This set will automatically be added to packages with qualifying orders, so there is no need to add it to your cart at check out.

I've created a fun birthday ensemble to share with you today! I've been dying to use the Stitched Gift Bag die, but haven't had the time to actually stitch it! I decided to give it a try with cardstock and I am smitten! I'll explain how I created it in today's post, but since I know how cute it looks made out of cardstock, I will be whipping out quite a few in the next few days to package up some Bath and Body Works travel size products that I have for Christmas gifts! These will be the PERFECT size!

I think I've gotten a little ahead of myself; let me reel it back in! LOL! I used the new Your Beautiful Birthday to create the focal points on both the gift sack and shaker card. I think you're going to fall in love with this sweet little set as much as I have! 

For the card, I created a shaker design using the soon to be released Bokeh background that is perfect to accent this new set! I added a variety of sequins and then adhered the focal point over the acetate using foam squares!

The set consists of two "cake" layers, a sprinkle stamp, cake stand, two different candle options, a flame and glow, and the different sentiments: happy, birthday, to you, and hope your birthday is as beautiful as you are. I tried to use each image, except I didn't manage to use the "to you" image.

So, for the gift sack/box, I die cut two of the main panel as well as the handle accent. Once that was done, I created a quick box using the same cardstock as the front. I just measured the front of the bag to make sure it was wide enough, which was 3 3/4 inches wide and I made the sides 1 3/4 inches. The height is 5 inches tall, but you need to add in the additional width for the bottom which is 1 3/4 inch wide.   I used Scor Tape to adhere the front and back panels to the box! So easy and so cute! I will provide a tutorial for the box portion in the next few days when I share some additional designs.

I also used the new Nested circle dies that will be available tonight as well. This particular shaker card was a breeze to make because I used the versatile Pierced Feature frames. It provides enough room to adhere the acetate as well as the foam tape. I used sequins and gems to give this project a lot of sparkle and of course, some Shimmer Spray! Thanks for fluttering by!

Papertrey Ink December Countdown Day 5

Welcome to the 5th and final day of the Papertrey Ink December countdown! Today the team is sharing some super fun new products on the Papertrey Ink Blog  that you're sure to love! I have a thing for balloon stamps so I was super excited for this fun new set called You make my heart soar! It's perfect for Valentine's day, but I'm sure these balloons will make an appearance for birthday cards as well! You can read all of the details about today's products HERE.

For my card, I really wanted to give the feeling of soaring, so I got creative with my card base. I was able to allow the balloons to actually extend off of the card, all I had to do was make sure that the entire piece didn't measure more than 5 1/2 inches so that it would still be a standard A2 card. The base is actually a 5 inch piece of cardstock scored in half. I only used half of the new Bold Borders: Love die and adhered it using liquid glue.

 I used the new Shape Shifter: Oval 4 for the focal layer and then built my sky over the top. I used Hawaiian Shores ink and blended it onto the oval leaving some white space to give the appearance of an actual sky. I also used the Cloud dies for some added whimsy and detail. The hearts are die cut using the You make my heart soar dies out of Pure Poppy paper and then adhered to the clouds using liquid glue. I also added a coat of crystal glaze over the top for shine. The sentiment and balloon strings are heat embossed in silver, which I did before I added the clouds.

The finishing touch is a trio of sparkling clear sequins. This new set has a lot of fun different options to make custom balloons, which you are sure to love. I knew that my card base and frame would have a lot of details and I didn't want the card to be too busy! However, I will definitely be using these new balloons in the near future!

My final project of the release uses the new Bear Hugs stamp set and the Shape Shifter: Oval 4 die. This bear is just so cute; I know I will be reaching for this set again and again! The die cuts include an option to cut out the arms so that the bear can be hugging/holding some of the accessories included in the stamp set, even a little bear cub! I decided to veer away from a Valentines design and made a get well card with the included sentiments.

The Hugs and Bear Hugs sentiments have dies that coordinate, which I love, so it gives them additional versatility. I really wanted to use the new stacked hearts that were showcased on Day 3 and because I had the "Bear Hugs" die cut, it made my card come together so much easier! Also, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that Betsy included the heart dies as well. Oftentimes the tiny images don't get coordinating dies, but Betsy always thinks of everything! I hope you've enjoyed the last 5 days and all of the amazing new products. I know that it is hard when we are in the heart of Christmas to think about Valentine's Day, but it will sneak up, that's for sure! Thanks for fluttering by and don't forget that the new release goes live at 10 pm EST on the 15th!

Papertrey Ink December Countdown Day 4

Welcome to Day 4 of the Papertrey Ink December countdown! Today I have 3 projects to share with you using the new Glorious Globes: December and the Bold Borders: Hearts! My first project uses the new Glorious Globes: December! What I have created here are little treat box/pouches for Valentine's Day! I used the newly released Mix Ups Pocket Tags in a creative way to make these little treats!

To begin, I cut 2 1/2 inch strips of 11 inch cardstock and then die cut just the top portion of each of the tags on either end of the cardstock. I only used two of the styles of tags because one of the shapes extended wider than the 2 1/2 inch width of the cardstock.   Once the two ends were die cut, I slid it into my paper trimmer that has a scoring blade and scored it in two places to create the base. I didn't measure this part, I just slid it in until it hit the black portion on my trimmer! Real scientific, huh? LOL! Anyway, what these score lines produced, is the width of the base, so you could decide how wide you want your base and score depending on your needs. Mine are quite thin, so if you want to put something more bulk inside, then make the base wider. I hope this makes sense.

I also made more felt bows like the one I showed on my card yesterday. I used the new Nesting Circles that will be released on the 15th to make the bows. I'm kind of addicted! LOL! My daughter said they remind her of noodles; once she said that all I can think of are Farfalle noodles! 

You can see the width of the boxes in this photo a little bit better. The globes were die cut and embossed using Rose Gold powder.  I used the Pierced Feature Frames: Rectangles as the backdrop for the globes. I used the inside as well as the outside in alternating colors. 

I love all of the globe inspired sentiments that Lizzie included in this month's set! These will definitely be getting a lot of mileage this Valentines season!

 My second project uses both the Glorious Globes: December and the new Bold Borders: Hearts. I wanted a vintage vibe because there is nothing sweeter than a vintage valentine! To begin, I created my accordion medallion using the Pale Peony Bitty Big pattern paper. I added some vintage glass glitter around the edge for some added shine and vintage detailing.

 I adhered the medallion onto a card base that is framed using the Bold Borders: Heart frame. I used the suitcase image from the Glorious Globes: June stamp set as a place to put the trio of globes. I used all of the images on this one card to really showcase the possibilities. 

 I added some chunky glitter to the big heart in the center of the white globe. I also added some to a few of the purple hearts in the middle. 

My final card also has a vintage flair, but more from the 30/40s era. I did some ink blending on a panel of Bristol paper and then added some ink splatters over the top. The heart frame is die cut out of Hawaiian Shores cardstock and glued over the top of the blended panel. 

I couldn't resist using another heart from the Love in Bloom set that was showcased on Tuesday. I also added another felt bow because I told you I was addicted! LOL! 

The "Love" die cut is the word die that is included in the Bold Borders: Heart collection. I die cut it 4 times and then stacked them up using liquid glue. I added some Wink of Stella for shine and then a layer of crystal glaze for a professional finish.

The final detail is the addition of some rhinestone gems to the outer edge of the frame. It gives it that fun sparkle that I love to give my cards! Well, this finishes off today's projects! As always, if you have ANY questions, please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email and I will answer your questions promptly! Thanks for fluttering by!

Papertrey Ink December Countdown Day 3

Hello and Welcome to Day 3 of the Papertrey Ink December Countdown! I've got one card to share with you today using the new Everyday Elixer Labels. You can see what the rest of the team has come up with using this same set on the Papertrey Ink Blog.  If you're interested in pricing and details of today's products, you can check that out HERE. The Everyday Elixir Labels is a companion set for the previously released Wicked Elixer stamp set. I don't own this set or the coordinating dies, so I got creative with the new Nesting Basics: Pierced circles and the Nesting Basics: Circles dies that will be released on the 15th. 

To begin this design, I created the background. I used the same technique for this frame that I used on THESE cards. It is so easy, yet it yields incredible results! The Bold Borders: Prism die is die cut using Raspberry Fizz cardstock. I glued two of them together and heat embossed the entire frame using a sparkle embossing powder. Once that was done, I layered it onto a 4 1/4 inch by 5 1/2 inch piece of Hibiscus Burst cardstock. I wanted something feminine and fitting for the season of love!

Once the frame was done, I got to work constructing my "bottle". I die cut one of the larger circles, as well as the pierced portion out of Linen Vellum cardstock. I wanted a hint of translucency, but the stability that this heavier weight vellum provides. I stamped the "love potion" label onto yet another size circle. I can tell that these circles will be some of my go-to dies! I stamped the heart that is also included in the Everyday Elixer Labels directly over the "love potion" sentiment. I sponged the edges lightly using some distress ink to give it the appearance of age.

The bottle lid is created in the same way, only this time I doubled up the pierced portion for additional detail. The bow for the neck of the bottle was created by die cutting some Sweet Blush felt out of yet ANOTHER circle {I told you I put these to good use} and secured it into a bow using some silver cord. This was inspired by the hair bows I made last month that you can see in THIS post, you just have to scroll down a bit. I added a few sparkling clear sequins for some shine. I also spritzed the card using Shimmer Spray for additional shine! Thanks for fluttering by!