Sunday, September 14, 2025

Papertrey Ink Project Inspiration {Hello Fall}

Hello and welcome! It's my turn for this week's Project Inspiration feature from Papertrey Ink ! It's been raining and thundering today, just perfect for creating a card like this! I have step-by-step photos on how I created this card. 

This card was such a joy to create!

Step 1: Cut an A2 panel of Honey Nut cardstock and blend Honey Nut ink around the 4 corners. Foil the panel with Copper Foil using the Fallen Leaves Hot Foil Plate.

Step 2: Use the Wandering Petals Stencil Collection on a piece of Vintage Cream cardstock for both steps. Add some brown ink splatter, and then cut it out using the largest size included in the Love to Layer: Scalloped Ovals. Stamp the "hello Fall" sentiment in black using the Just Sentiments: Happy Fall Stamp Set. If you like more simple designs, you could actually stop here and call it done!

Step 3: attach the oval to the background panel. Step 4: Cut leaves and berries using the  Into the Blooms: Christmas Sprigs Die. Color them with ink and arrange around the oval using liquid glue and foam squares. Cut the pieces for the pumpkin using the Into the Blooms: Fall Boot Die


Step 5: cut the pieces for the bird from white cardstock using the So Tweet Die.  Attach it to the foliage.

Step 6: Add glitter for sparkle and shine!

Step 7: Adhere the entire panel to an A2 card base.

I'll share a few additional details on how I created this card. I like to use finger daubers for the bird because it gives me better control for smaller areas. Also, the eye placement and white dot placement are really important for making the bird appear more realistic. 

For the bluish green leaves, I tore the main sprig apart so I could tuck them here and there to balance the color.

For the berry sprig, I colored it using two shades of red ink and then took a brush marker to add in the brown on the stem. I also added the dots and used a white get pen for some highlights. It really does enhance the overall look of the branch.

I used a 2way glue pen when I add glitter because it gives me control to add it lightly here and there and there isn't any gloppy mess.

I had so much fun making this card! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Friday, September 12, 2025

The Greetery {Do You Want to Build A Snowman?}

 


Do you want to build a snowman? Hello friends, I’m excited to be here today sharing something unexpected and perhaps a little whimsical! For those of you who visited my blog during full reveals of the Hint of Autumn Collection, you most likely saw one card in particular that I mentioned seemed a little German or Swiss. I was having a conversation with my daughter about the card having that look and she got wide, excited eyes and said, “Mom, you should make some cards like Anna and Elsa’s doors from Disney’s Frozen! I knew immediately that so many of the new products would be perfect to recreate that Scandinavian feeling!

Of course, I had to immediately watch Frozen again to see the doors, and while I loved my daughter’s original idea, the doors didn’t have quite enough detail for me to base an entire card around, but their clothes? Oh, yes…. absolutely! From there, an idea was born and here we are! I fell head-over-heels in love with both coronation dresses, but opted instead for the classic looking clothing they wear for the remainder of the movie.


I began working on the Anna-inspired card first because that one seemed to be a little more daunting to execute. I had full confidence I could pull off an Elsa look with no problem, but if the Anna card wasn’t successful, I was going to scrap the entire idea and move on! Of course, that meant turning the movie on yet again (twist my arm) and looking at colors and patterns a little more closely. To begin, I got to work on the Floral Borders portion, which is sandwiched in the middle of the design, so why I started there, I don’t know! Ha ha! I used the Capsule Basics Die and cut Rose Red cardstock. I used one of the beautiful border stamps with the same color ink. Rather than adding in the flower design, I opted to die cut some flowers from the Winter Medley Die (shocker!) from Antique Gold cardstock. I pressed them into my foam mat with the end of a stylus to achieve the curved look. I added adhesive gems to the center of each flower and then glued them around the border, opting to skip every other dot on the border. I set that aside to dry and got to work on the next step.

After inspecting the floral images on the dress, I was thrilled to realize how beautiful the single blooms and bluebell florals from the new Wild Wetland Die would look on the card. I die cut the stems from Tropical Teal cardstock but the rest of the floral pieces are cut from white and then colored with blender brushes and dye ink. I used liquid glue and foam squares to assemble the flowers, gave them a spritz of shimmer spray and set them aside to dry.

I cut a piece of Blueberry Sky cardstock using one of the larger dies included in the Capsule Basics Die. This particular size is perfect for the large border image included in the Thankful and Blessed Stamp Set. I stamped it using Pacific Point ink. The outer scalloped border was cut from Blueberry Sky cardstock as well, but I also blended some Pacific Point ink around the edges for added contrast. I glued them together and then got to work on the black portion.

I used champagne foil on black cardstock with the Capsule Borders 1 Hot Foil. I cut it with the Capsule Basics Die and then adhered that original floral border piece using foam squares. I layered everything together and then arranged the florals. I wanted to add a heart to the center so I used the Nordic Hearts Die and cut the medium size from black cardstock. I arranged the die cut flowers until I was satisfied with the arrangement. The sentiment, which is from the new Capsule Cameos: Autumn Stamp Set, is heat embossed in gold and then die cut using the coordinating die. I added it to the card with small pieces of foam squares. I created a shaped card base using the Capsule Basics Die and strategically placing it along the score line. I added a few more gems to the flowers and called the “Anna” card done! I was very excited I could execute the look so of course,  the project was a success and I moved on to the Elsa card!

At this point, I was finished watching (more like listening, since I was working) Frozen, so I decided to “watch” Frozen II.  I perused my cardstock collection to find the right  Elsa-blue and landed on the gorgeous Stardream Lagoon cardstock; I bought this for summer projects, but didn’t use it once. I was so thrilled how perfect it was for this design!  I used one of the larger sizes of hot foil from the Capsule Borders 1 Hot Foil and silver foil. I cut it out using the Capsule Basics Die and a border of silver using the same die. I glued them together and set it aside.

I knew some of the beautiful products that were released last year for Christmas would be just the thing to execute this design. I grabbed the Frost Buds Die and cut some of the single blooms from vellum and some from the same silver cardstock. I used the foam mat to give them a curved look as well and then added some sequins from the Crystal Sequin Mix, adhesive pearls, and adhesive gems.

I also used the beautiful foliage from the Ornamental Tag Die to create the clusters. I cut some from blue glitter cardstock and some from silver and then had fun mixing and matching sprigs with a Frost Bud in the center. Some of the sprigs have little bulbs on the ends that I added both gems and pearls.

I did some additional foiling on white cardstock with silver foil and cut it out. The most iconic Frozen image is probably the lone snowflake, so I found the one I felt would be best in the Snipped Snowflakes 2 Die. I cut it from silver and vellum and layered them together with a Frost Bud in the center. I glued it to the center of the white panel using a foam square in the center. The vellum snowflake  layer had a mind of its own and was flipping up from the pressure of the die cut machine. I added some adhesive pearls to stick it to the panel, but in the end, they also got a bit of liquid glue to really get the job done.

The sentiment is from the same set as the Anna card and I heat embossed it using silver powder. Once I added the sentiment to the bottom, the top seemed a little bare; the cute bow in the Ornamental Tag Die was the perfect addition cut from the same Lagoon cardstock. I wanted to add more gems to the border in between the foliage/floral clusters, but sometimes you just need to put the pearl and gems down and walk away! Ha ha!

This card is also layered onto a shaped base that was cut the same way as the first card. I must say, I had so much fun creating these two cards and now I want to make a card for each of the Disney princesses; wouldn’t that be so fun? While I was thinking about this idea, it reminded me of a darling card Betsy made back in the day with a Beauty and the Beast theme…..so absolutely clever and adorable! I was also thrilled to see how many of the products included in the Hint of Autumn Collection I could use on one card! LOL! I hope this post today as has given you some additional inspiration for using the new collection and how well it works with previously released favorites! Thanks for joining me today!

Thursday, September 11, 2025

Project Inspiration {From Our Patch to Yours}

Hello friends! I'm happy to be here today sharing a fun autumn card that was created for this week's Project Inspiration for Papertrey Ink. When the Above Ground Die was released, my mind raced with all kinds of possibilities of different "fillers" for the raised garden bed. One of those ideas was to make a pumpkin patch....the pumpkins from the Into the Blooms: Fall Boot Die are the perfect choice!

I used some other older projects to pull the design together to help create the vision I had in mind.

I will be sharing step-by-step instructions on how I created this card!

Step 1: Create a white top-folding A2 card base. Add a panel of gingham cardstock measuring 4 by 5 1/4 inches with the corners rounded.

Step 2: Cut the oval using the Love to Layer: Scalloped Ovals Die from white cardstock. I added the cloud detail using the cloud stencil and tumbled glass distress oxide ink. I stamped the sentiment using the Just Sentiments: Spooky Stamp Set in black. The oval is attached to the background using foam squares.

Step 3: I die cut all of the pieces I would need for the garden box and greenery using the Above Ground Die from white cardstock. I colored the greenery using a blender brush and dye ink and the box was colored with distress oxide inks and sponge daubers. I assembled the box using liquid glue and then attached it to the oval using glue as well.

Step 4: Cut the pumpkins, stems, and leaves using the Into the Blooms: Fall Boot die (linked above). Color them with Harvest Gold and Canyon Clay ink for the pumpkins and the leaves are colored using Spring Moss and Simply Chartreuse ink. Tuck them into the pumpkin patch using foam squares.

Step 5: Add some flowers here and there until you're satisfied with the arrangement.

Step 6: Cut one of the labels that's included in the Above Ground Die and stamp the "welcome to my garden" sentiment using the Above Ground Stamp Set with black ink. Attach it to the garden box using foam squares.

I mentioned when this die set was released that the box itself is three dimensional but it can fold over when you put it in the envelope! I always think little details like that make the recipient smile just a little bit more.

There are two different options to decorate the box; I chose the three slats in front, but there is also a lattice option that would be fun to use, too!

There another sentiment that I was toying around with using; it is the sentiment from the Farm Fresh Pumpkins Stamp Set. I can't wait to try using it on another card similar to this!

Thanks for fluttering by!