Papertrey Ink August Release Countdown Day 1

Hello friends! Welcome to day 1 of the Papertrey Ink August Release Countdown! This month's release is full of beautiful and charming products to usher in autumn! I've been having so much fun creating all kinds of autumnal projects to showcase all of the beautiful new stamps and dies!

My first card for today features the new So Tweet Stamp/Die set paired with the new Perfectly Potted Die set and Wandering Petals Stencil Collection. The stencil isn't being showcased until tomorrow, but I just couldn't resist adding it to the scene!

To begin, I die cut all of the pieces for the bird and then colored them using finger sponge daubers and distress oxide inks. I used liquid glue and foam squares to assemble the bird. Once that was done, I set it aside to dry. 

The Perfectly Potted Die set comes with the large pot and a few fillers. I chose to use a leafy filler and then added some leaves and flowers from another set being showcased tomorrow. 

I didn't necessarily want a terracotta pot, so I opted to add minimal color to give it some depth and detail. I added some vintage photo ink splatter for added detail.

I cut an A2 panel of white cardstock and used the 2-step Wandering Petals Stencil Collection to create the background. There is also a Wandering Petals Hot Foil Plate that is absolutely gorgeous, but the stencil gave the look I was after and I couldn't be more pleased with the ease and result.

There are two sentiments included in the So Tweet Stamp Set and I chose to use the birthday sentiment; I just think it's so cute! The So Tweet Die has coordinating dies for each of the sentiments as well, which I always like. I added a frame around the background that was colored using Blueberry Sky ink. I added a bit of glitter for sparkle and shine and a hint of shimmer spray on the leaves and flowers (before they were added to the card). I added the background to a top-folding A2 card base using liquid glue.

My next card for today features the fabulous new Pumpkin Slices Die. There is also a Pumpkin Slices: Tall Die, so imagine a pumpkin like this, but tall and more slender. There are also separate stitching dies that you can purchase separately if you want to do stitching. My mind is already racing with creating a felt stitched pumpkin! Hopefully I can spend a cozy afternoon or evening to get one stitched up before autumn arrives!

I die cut all of the pieces for the pumpkin from white cardstock and then used Harvest Gold and Canyon Clay ink to add the color. I placed all of the pieces on top of the solid pumpkin shape to add the dots with a stencil and Canyon Clay ink. Once that was done, I glued all of the pieces in place. I always love a pumpkin die with separate sections so you can cut them from cute pattern papers, etc.! That is next on my list to try...maybe before the felt one! ha ha!

This card also features the new This is Big Sentiments: Fall Harvest. I heat embossed the Fall Harvest portion on Canyon Clay cardstock with gold powder and then cut it out using the coordinating die. I heat embossed the 'blessings' portion on vellum for a soft look.

The leaves are from a new die being featured tomorrow, but the flowers are from the Into the Blooms: Daisies Die made to look more like sunflowers.  I added some glitter and some brown ink splatter using a marker and color spritzing tool.

 

Teacher....{Looking} Forward to a Wonderful Year!

Can't stop, won't stop! ha ha! Thanks for joining me today for yet ANOTHER school-themed card! This one is scratching an itch I've had since April or May. I can't remember which company or designer(s) made cards with apples wearing glasses, but I have REALLY been wanting to make my own version! Back-to-School is the perfect excuse, don't you think? But now, I'm thinking how much I NEED to make another card with an apple wearing glasses AND a graduation cap! Of course, that will wait until the spring, but a girl can dream, right?

I mentally rummaged through my endless supplies to think which stamps and dies could help me achieve my dream! To begin, I found the perfect apple; this is the largest apple included in the BotaniCuts Apple Die along with the stem and two leaves. I used a slender blender brush and added some yellow ink to the center of the apple and then added red ink around the perimeter. I also added some of the red ink splatter over the top to give it a more realistic look.  I agonized over what stamp set I could use for the mouth; I didn't trust myself to hand draw it for fear of ruining the entire thing. I landed upon the Baby Face Sentiments Stamp Set and I think it turned out great!

For the eyes, I remembered I had seen two perfectly sized circles in the Patriot Die when I was making the flag for the card I shared the other day. I die cut them from black cardstock and then added the white part using a white gel pen. For the glasses, I used the Framed In Success Die and cut them three times from black cardstock and glued them together. I added some Glossy Accents over the top for the glossy shine! Actually, I created the glasses first thing so they would dry while I was working on the rest of the elements. 

I adhered the glasses using a small strip of black foam squares and then added the eyes with liquid glue; I find that placement is really important to achieve a cute face. Sometimes if the eyes are spaced to far apart it can look a bit goofy so I played around with placement before I committed with glue. ha ha!

I also used the Framed In Success Die for the frame, stars, and books. I die cut the frame three times from Kraft cardstock and then glued them together. I stamped one of the sentiments included in the Teach and Inspire Stamp Set....my all-time favorite school-themed stamp set. The books are die cut from white cardstock and then colored with dye inks and blender brushes.

I used the same sentiment die as my last card which is the Teacher Wafer Die cut from gold cardstock with a vellum shadow. I added glue to the bottom portion of the gold letters and adhered it to the frame. 

I trimmed a piece of notebook paper from MFT....I don't know the name....I will look and edit the post when I get a chance. I used the Watercolor Wonderful Stencil Collection and Aqua Mist ink on the notebook paper. I rounded the corners with a punch to complement the corners of the frame. The frame is added using foam squares and then I layered the book and apple in the middle of the frame with additional foam squares.

I cut the three stars from gold cardstock and added them around the frame. I covered up the apple and sentiments with sticky notes and added some black ink splatter. 

The entire panel is added to a top-folding A2 Pure Poppy card base using foam squares. I also added a piece of white cardstock measuring 4 by 5 1/4 inches to the inside with another sentiment from Teach and Inspire. I gave it the lightest spritzing of shimmer spray and called it good! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

You're Amazing, Teacher!

I just can't stop with the back-to-school themed projects! You could definitely switch out the sentiment on this one and make it an any occasion card, really! The inspiration for this card was the flag, silly as that sounds! I passed a school and saw the flag waving in the wind and I thought, oh, I should do a schoolhouse inspired card! While it didn't end up like that, it was definitely the starting point! ha ha! I had so much fun creating the clock on my last card I thought it would be fun to make a clock for my school card with the flag, but as you can see, there is no clock in sight! The clock just didn't work so I had to pivot, but I'm so glad I did because I really like how this card turned out....soft and summery, with a hint of autumn!

I won't bore you with the details of how I switched gears a thousand times, so let's just dive into how I created it! To begin, I used the cute flag dies included in the Patriot Die to create Old Glory on the cute pole. I cut everything from white cardstock and then used blender brushes and dye ink to color the pieces. The pole is cut from silver cardstock and then I glued everything together with liquid glue. I set that aside to dry and got to work on the the flowers. I used the Into the Blooms: Coneflower Die. I didn't participate in the release when these were introduced, so this was the first time I used them and I am hooked! The bee was left over from another project so I added it to the flower using liquid glue.

I had the notebook and pencil leftover from the previous school-themed projects I've shared over the last week or so. When I was making the acorns for one of the cards, I also made this cluster of white flowers so it was fun to use it on this card.

Fort he sentiment, I die cut the main portion in gold using the Teacher Wafer Dies and then the shadow from vellum. I glued them together and let them dry. The "You're amazing" portion is heat embossed in gold on a strip of Kraft cardstock. I dug through my mini sentiment sets until I found something that would accent the teacher word nicely. This one is from the Just Sentiments: Everyday Mini Stamp Set. It's not one I use very often, but I really should because it has some of those sentiments that can be used for just about anything!

For the background, I used the Cascading Stars Hot Foil Plate with Spellbinders Champagne Foil. I love the champagne foil more than gold because it's not quite so yellow. I had fun adding the elements to the background. The sentiment is strategically attached with liquid glue applied ONLY to the areas where they touch something else.

I added some black ink splatter and then trimmed it down to fit inside the frame. I wanted the card to have additional dimension, so I added the entire framed background to a top-folding A2 card base using foam squares. I think I'm going to save this to be used for teacher appreciation next May, but I had so much fun creating it while getting in to the back-t0-school frame of mind! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

So Happy to Be HOME!

It's my turn for this week's Project Inspiration for Papertrey Ink. I had so much fun creating this card and you can see it come together in 5 easy steps with step-by-step photos!

If you stop by regularly, you may have seen another "HOME" card that I'm planning on using as a "Welcome to the Neighborhood" card and that's how this one will be used, too! That being said, this could be used for someone returning from a trip, ministry, extended vacation, etc. You could also switch colors and details up to make this a "Home for the Holidays" Christmas design as well!

Cut an A2 panel of Pale Peony cardstock. Use the Fall Harvest Hot Foil Plate with champagne foil. Round the corners with a corner rounder punch.

Attach a strip of Bitty Big: Pale Peony pattern paper slightly higher than the middle. Cut the larger circle using the Love To Layer: Stitched Circle from Fine Linen cardstock. Cut a smaller circle from floral pattern paper using the middle sized circle included in the Love to Layer: Scalloped Circle Die. Glue them together and attach them to the background using foam squares.

Die cut the tiny house using the Bring Home the Holidays Die. Attach the tiny heart and bow. 

Die cut the HOME word twice from white cardstock using the Larger Than Life: Home Die an glue them together. Heat emboss the companion sentiment in gold onto a strip of vellum. Wrap it around the background panel and secure it with tape on the back. Please note: the small heart on the house is from the HOME die.

Die cut the flowers and foliage using the Into the Blooms: Above Ground Die and then color them with dye ink and blender brushes. Attach them around the house using liquid glue and foam squares. Attach the panel to a top-folding A2 card base.

A few additional tips: I die cut the bow twice; once from white and once from the Bitty Big pattern paper. I offset them and secured them with foam squares. The "knot" is attached with liquid glue.

I only used small strips of foam tape to the top of the HOME die to carefully attach it to the circle.

I had so much fun creating this card and I'm thrilled to add it to the welcome to the neighborhood stash! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

You are Timeless

Hello and welcome, sweet friends! I'm thrilled to be here today sharing this soft, floral card! If you stopped by the other day, you would have seen the butterfly sympathy cards I made for The Greetery. I had one lone butterfly left and she just seemed so lonely sitting there by herself. I decided to put her to good use on today's card! 

The background was created exactly like my HOME card I posted the other day. I fell in love with that background and I'm now convinced no other background will ever compare! ha ha! I cut an A2 panel of white cardstock and then used the Show Your Stripes Stencil Collection. I used Pixie Spray because the stencil has a tendency of moving while stenciling and I wanted the lines to be crisp. I used the stencil on the front side and then flipped it around to the other side to create the diagonal plaid. Once I have used the Pixie Spray, I find that it leaves a residue on the cardstock, but if I rub an adhesive remover eraser over the top, it cleans it right up!

Once that was done, I die cut the frame piece using the Reflections: John 1 Die and added it over the stenciled panel using foam squares. I used quite a few because I wanted it to be nice and sturdy without any drooping areas.

I adore this clock; I used the Clock Hot Foil Plate using Champagne foil on Sweet Blush cardstock. I used a Spellbinders Nesting Circle Die to cut it out. I added it to the center of the background panel using foam squares.

 I loved the bow and the flowers look from the HOME card I posted last week so I decided to recreate it, but with die cut flowers rather than stamped ones. I like both looks for different reasons! The flowers are all from the Into the Blooms: Wild Wood Die and are cut from white cardstock and then colored with blender brushes and dye ink. I arranged them around the clock using foam squares and liquid glue.

The sentiment was stamped using the It's Time Stamp Set using black ink. The finishing touch is the beautiful butterfly just begging for her time to shine! (pun intended?) ha ha! The entire panel is added to a top-folding A2 card base using liquid glue! I had so much fun creating this card! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

The Greetery {Wisteria Sympathy}

 

Hello and welcome! I’m happy to be here today sharing a pair of sympathy cards; I mentioned last month I needed to make welcome to the neighborhood cards, but somehow, I’m ALWAYS needing sympathy cards. The others got pushed to the back-burner and here I am with this floral pair! Now, this design could work well for almost any sentiment, so if you’d like to make somethings similar, just swap out the sentiments to suit your needs!

To begin, I used the beautiful BotaniCuts Wisteria Die and cut everything twice from white cardstock. I wasn’t actually planning on making two cards at this point, but rather cutting enough pieces to be able to arrange them as I wanted. I used finger sponge daubers and distress oxide inks to color all of the pieces. I used the placement guide included in the wisteria die to get them adhered correctly using liquid glue.

I used the Jumbo Curiosity: Butterfly Die and Stencil and cut 4 butterflies; I like options and this allowed me to try out a few different combinations. I only ended up using 3 of the 4 so now I have an extra for another project; maybe those welcome cards! (wink!) I gave them a spritz of shimmer spray as well as the wisteria flowers. I used a fine tip journaling pen to add some of the black details to the butterfly wings.

I kept one background white with a bit of tumbled glass distress oxide ink blending in the center and then worked my way out for a soft feel. The second background was created using the Seed Catalog Background Stamp and speckled egg distress oxide ink. I rounded the corners on both panels for a soft look.

I used liquid glue to attach the greenery portion on both backgrounds. I attached the wisteria pieces using small foam squares. The butterflies are attached with liquid glue only to the butterfly thorax and abdomen portions so I could bend the wings for realism.

For the sentiments, I die cut the pieces using the Comfort and Joy Die and then stamped the images using the Comfort and Joy Stamp Set. I have used this particular sentiment set in the past for a series of sympathy cards; I love that it transcends beyond Christmas and holiday projects! I used foam squares to attach them to the backgrounds. For the white background, I was able to stamp the ‘sending’ image directly on the panel and then placed the rest of the sentiment underneath.

I attached each of the background panels to top-folding A2 card bases using liquid glue. I DID round the corners of the bases before attaching, though. A trio of sparkling clear sequins finishes off the pair! I will probably add an inside greeting before they get filed away. I have decided it’s better to take that step BEFORE you need the card, because sympathy cards are rarely predicted! Thanks for fluttering by!

Love Story

The wedding invitations are still arriving at a rapid pace which means my wedding card stash is dwindling!  My arm didn't need to be twisted very hard to spend a crafternoon creating the pair! I actually have enough of everything leftover to make another one, but with a Spring Moss book and lighter pink flowers instead. ****EDITED***** I made the third card and added it to the bottom of this post! 

To begin, I created all of the flowers; I did this so I could choose which colors of book covers would look best with the flowers. I die cut all of the pieces included in the Into the Blooms: Anemone Die from white cardstock, with the exception of the flower centers; those are cut from gold cardstock. I cut everything three times and then got to work adding the color using dye ink and blender brushes. 

The pink for these flowers is Pink Passion from Stampin' Up!....I love the bright, cheery saturated look! I also die cut two different styles of daisies included in the Into the Blooms: Daisies and two flower centers. Each Daisy is stacked with two die cuts for a fuller bloom and then I added the centers. Once that was done, I used my stylus and a foam mat to give them their shape.

The inspiration for the flowers was from a beautiful cluster of flowers I saw, so I added some bluebells from the Honey Cuts: Wildflower Die. I didn't add any on the other card, so I still have two beautiful stems of bluebells waiting for another project. Once I had all of the flowers cut and colored, I got to work on the tiny books.

The main body of each of the books was die cut using the Have a Spine: Short Story Die; gold for the pages and corner details. This card uses Lemon Tart cardstock for the cover and Spring Moss for the spine. The cute heart lock is from Have a Spine: Lock and Key Die and is also cut from gold cardstock.

All of the sentiments are from the Bookish Frames: Romance Edition Stamp + Stencil. I also used the beautiful Nordic Hearts die for each of the two covers. It's the perfect size for the Love Story sentiment, which is heat embossed in gold.

For the background of this card, I used the Elegant Notes Stationery Kit to do the stenciling on an A2 white card base. I also used the beautiful Fall Harvest Hot Foil Plate over the top....I'm combining two of my most recent favorite background products! ha ha! I layered all of the elements over the top using foam squares and liquid glue. Also, I forgot to mention...both of the cards were made so they can open and there are additional sentiments on the inside.

I feel like I'm in a "background rut" so I decided to switch up the background for the other card. I absolutely love the On the Border: From the Heart Die and I haven't used it for quite a while. I die cut it from white and then glued it to an A2 panel of white cardstock. 

I added all of the elements using foam squares and liquid glue. You can see here how I have the cover of the book slightly overlapping the larger flower. I'm hoping this will allow the recipient to realize they can open the book and see the inside greeting.

I didn't make this card a full as the other because I didn't want to hide the detail of the background.

Both of the cards got a slight spritz of shimmer spray.

I had so much fun creating the pair and they will be perfect for the upcoming weddings this month! Thanks for fluttering by!

****I took the time to create the third card so this is a LONG "P.S."! ha ha!

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I made enough of everything to create three cards. I ran out of time, but when I was cleaning my desk, I decided to just quickly put the final one together.

This particular book doesn't open because I messed up on  some of the stamping and I wasn't in the mood to do any more die cutting! ha ha! I don't think that really takes away from the overall look, but maybe some of the charm!

I was supposed to be doing other work, so I created a quick background with an old Cuttlebug embossing folder. I'm so glad embossing folders are back in style, or did they ever go out? I just feel like there's been a resurgence of popularity, which makes me so happy! I cut a panel of white cardstock measuring 4 by 5 1/4  inches and then ran it through my machine. I layered it onto a top-folding A2 card base using foam squares.

I tried a different arrangement with the flowers and I really like how it turned out. I had a few of the small flowers leftover from a previous project that I'll be sharing next week. I added them to the book to create some balance in the design. The larger flowers are colored with Sweet Blush ink  and then I added some ink splatter for added detail and interest.

I dissected the bluebells to add them here and there.

For those of you who stop by regularly, you probably have noticed that I love to add adhesive gems to the centers of the anemones. I didn't add any to the first two cards, but decided to add some on this card. I just love how they look sparkling with the gold.  I may go back and add some to the other two cards.

I gave the card a light spritz of shimmer spray....I've been going overboard with the shimmer spray lately so I decided to hold back a little! ha ha!

I had so much fun creating this trio of cards and I can't wait to use them for the upcoming weddings! Thanks for fluttering by again! (wink)