Project Inspiration {Bundle of Joy}

It's my turn for the Project Inspiration feature for Papertrey Ink! My baby card stash is running low and I need to replenish it! I decided to create a baby card for the feature and I was inspired by a set of sugar cookies that popped up in my feed. They were extremely "beige", which I know a lot of moms these days like, so I split the difference and added more color, but kept the beige/greige! haha!

I had a lot of fun working on this card and I will share step-by-step photos and instructions, with a few tips along the way!

 Step 1: create a 5 x 7 card base from Vintage Cream cardstock. Cut a Sweet Blush frame using the In Frames: Big & Tall Rectangles Die and adhere it to the base using foam squares.

Step 2: cut the ovalfrom gingham paper and mount it to the card base using foam squares. This particular paper is quite thin, so I actually die cut another oval from a scrap of cardstock and glued the two together before adding it to the base.

Step 3: cut all of the pieces needed for the baby buggy Add some shading around the carriage portion. Glue everything together and adherent to the oval using foam squares. The pink "blanket" hanging down is actually the ruffle included in the In Stitches: Onesie Die. I wanted to incorporate the flower colors a bit more and this was just the ticket.

Step 4: cut and color all of the flowers and foliage using ink and blender brushes. Arrange them around the frame and buggy until you’re satisfied with the arrangement.

Step 5: stamp the sentiment with black ink and  cut it out using the Just Tags Die. Attach it to the bottom of the card using foam squares.

Step 6: add glitter to the flowers and leaves and adhesive pearls to the baby buggy.

Sometimes I get intimidated by tiny dies, but I have come up with some timesavers for this particular die set. I love using the tiny little flowers attached to the stem, and I also love cutting everything from white and coloring with ink and blender brushes, but it can be tedious with tiny pieces. I simply color a piece of white cardstock ahead of time with my ink of choice, cut it out with the die and then assemble the tiny flowers. I use a fine-point 2 way glue pen and a gem picker to assemble them together.

I like to use a foam mat and a stylus to create a cupped look on the small flowers and the tiny daisies.

I had a lot of fun working on this card and I'm excited to add it to the stash! Thanks for fluttering by!

Papertrey Ink February Release Countdown Day 4

It's the 4th and final day of the Papertrey Ink February release countdown! I have quite a few projects to share with you today and up first are three cards using the new Into the Blooms: Bag of Blossoms Die.

This is such a fun set featuring the bag base (plus dies to create a dimensional bag, which I didn't use) and a wonderful assortment of flowers and foliage. I can already tell these flowers are going to be used quite a bit, with or without the bag.

I've been feeling like some of my older favorites have been neglected, so I used the beautiful Cover Plate: Ornate Die and Border Bling: Skinny Embossed Frame to create the background. I cut everything from Enchanted Evening cardstock and glued it together using liquid glue. The bag is cut from Fine Linen and Vintage Cream cardstock with a Cocoa Bean handle. My favorite detail is the little gold grommets which are cut from gold cardstock and carefully glued down using a fine-tip Zig 2-Way glue pen. The die leaves small impressions to serve as a guide for placement.

I cut the flowers and foliage from white and then colored them with dye inks and blender brushes. I tucked them here and there until I was satisfied with the arrangement.

The sentiment is from the This is Big Sentiments: Happy Everything which has been getting a workout this release! It really is perfect for almost everything...ha ha!

Since I've been on a roll making cards I don't normally have in my stash, I thought it would be fun to create a shower card. I think this could work for a bridal shower OR a shower for a baby girl. How about you....do you make cards specifically themed for showers? I usually just make a wedding-type card or a baby card for showers, but this was fun to make and I think it will be fun to take to the next shower I'm invited to.

I was getting dinner started and looked down at my kitchen rug and realized the flowers in this set are almost identical to the ones on my rug, so I took that as my inspiration. I had a bit of fun creating different combinations of flowers using the rug as my guide.

This bag features one of the different handle options; this one is a rope style. I also added a bow to give a more feminine look, just perfect for a shower!

I used the In Frames: Big & Tall Rectangles Die as the base for my design. I cut the frame from Scarlet Jewel and the inner portion from Sweet Blush. I layered one of the new Love to Layer: Laced Oval die cuts over the top of the blush panel using liquid glue and then had fun adding the bag and flowers.

I used one of the other "happy" options stamped in black with a gold embossed companion sentiment. I slipped it through the loop in the Y for a playful look.

I added some black ink splatter, making sure to cover up the bag and flowers with a post-it note, and some gold photo corners. A touch of glitter finishes off this card.

As I mentioned earlier, these flowers are so beautiful, I decided to use them to accent the smaller laced oval cut from glitter cardstock.

To begin, I used the new Filigree Frame Hot Foil Plate with champagne foil on a panel of Lilac Grace cardstock. I rounded the corners with a corner rounder punch and added a touch of Lilac Grace ink around the corners. I used the Love to Layer: Rectangles Die for the background to add the oval. I added some speckled egg distress oxide ink to the center and some additional splatter.

I arranged the flowers and leaves along with a bow, because I just love them. The sentiment, which is from the Such a Treasure Stamp Set that was showcased on day 1, is stamped in Weathervane cardstock. 

I can't seem to stop with the pearls, so I added a few of those as well along with some glitter on the flowers and leaves.

My final card for today AND for the release countdown features the cute new Build-an-Emoji Die and once again, the new This is Big Sentiments: Happy Everything! This sentiment set already feels like an old favorite because it has been used so much over the past few days! I love all of the companion sentiments to accent "happy"! There are also two smaller images that say "happy" and "happily", but I haven't use those yet!

To begin this card, I cut strips of Pure Poppy, Hibiscus Burst, Pale Peony, Lemon Tart, Limeade Ice, Simply Chartreuse, Spring Rain, and Hawaiian Shores cardstock. I adhered them to a scrap of typing paper and then cut it using the In Frames: Big & Tall Rectangles. I only used the outer frame, as you can see, but I have the center portion to use for another project.

I cut all of the pieces I needed for the two emojis and then got to work assembling them. I wanted to add Glossy Accents and glitter to the sunglasses, so I cut them out 4 times (2 per emoji) and glued them together. I added the Glossy Accents carefully and then sprinkled glitter over the top and set them aside to dry.

I added some Harvest Gold ink around the edges of the circles. I cut the teeth from white and added some Aqua Mist ink at the corners for some added shading and detail. I set all of that aside so I could work on the sentiment.

Before I added anything to the card base, I stamped the "looks good on you" portion of the sentiment in black and then added the "happy" portion using foam squares. It is stamped once, but stacked onto two other diecuts for a sturdy piece. Once the glasses were dry, I added them to the circles using foam squares, along with the teeth. I adhered them using double-thick foam squares so they would pop up further than the frame. I toyed around with making a shaker card and in the end nixed the idea because I didn't want to use that many sprinkles, sequins, fillers, etc. so I opted to just add a variety of sizes across the front of the card to give it some playfulness.

Everything will be available for purchase tomorrow at 10 am ET! What's your favorite new product from the release? I'm particularly loving the Bag of Blossoms, the Love to Layer: Laced Ovals, and the new This is Big Sentiments: Happy Everything! Thanks for all of your sweet support! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Papertrey Ink February Release Countdown Day 3

I can't believe we're already halfway through the February release countdown! It's been so fun to cozy up and create with this fabulous new release! I've created a few cards for my stash with themes I haven't had in the past, so that's always fun, too! 

My first card for today showcases the new Reflections: Hebrews 11 Stamp/Die set. I always enjoy adding flowers to these types of cards and this one is no exception. I had prepared this background in hopes of using it on my Wrapped in Love card that I shared yesterday, but it was too busy for the card and it was just waiting to be used. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity, so it does have the same color combo as yesterday's card.

I used the Ornamental Swirl Hot Foil Plate with blush foil on an A2 panel of Berry Sorbet cardstock. I trimmed it down to measure 5 1/4 inches by 4 inches and added it to a top-folding A2 card base using liquid glue.

I stamped and die cut the verse using the Reflections: Hebrews 11 stamp in black ink. The mat pieces are cut using the Reflections: Hebrews 11 Die and I cut the smaller one from Sweet Blush with Pale Peony ink shading and the other one is Berry Sorbet with the same ink shading. I used foam squares on each of the layers and added it to the background.

The flower/leaf pieces are all cut from white cardstock with the exception of the centers; those are cut from gold. I used the Into the Blooms: Anemones Die which is a favorite of mine. I colored everything with dye ink and then assembled the blooms using liquid glue and foam squares. I had fun arranging them around the verse. The "berries" are gems and I also added some gems to the centers of the flowers as well. I did this the first time I used these flowers and every time since! ha ha! I also added some glitter for some additional sparkle and shine. I love this verse and this card will be useful for so many different occasions!

My second card for today features the new Floral Confections Stamp/Die set.  I paired it with a few other new things that have been showcased over the last few days!

This is a cute new set with a coordinating stencil collection so you can add designs to the cupcake liners; I chose to use the striped stencil.

I used the new Love to Layer: Lacey Ovals Die and the new Filigree Frame Hot Foil Plate to add extra detail, sparkle, and shine. 

There are a few different options for the  floral "frosting" included in the set. I chose to use one of the floral clusters and the leaf topper. I also added some other leaves included in the set. There are some floral clusters included in the set for even more versatility; I stamped some out, but didn't use them in the end.

I added some pearls to the flowers on the cupcake and around the foiled design. I also added a glittery bow to the cupcake. I had originally put the bow together to possibly use on one of my cards on day 1, but I didn't end up using it. I love how it gives this cupcake another level of feminine charm! I also thought this sentiment was the perfect choice to complement the floral cupcake!

Join me tomorrow for the 4th and final day of the countdown; I have quite a bit to share using a really cute new die set and then another card using a few things that have already been featured! Thanks for fluttering by!!

Papertrey Ink February Release Countdown Day 2

Welcome back for day 2 of the Papertrey Ink February release countdown! I have two more cards to share with you today and up first is a fun and playful card using the new Build-an-Emoji Die! This die is packed with all of the pieces you would need to create so many of our favorite emojis, including the heart eyes emoji, which is a personal favorite!

This set pairs perfectly with the new This is Big Sentiments: Happy Everything that was featured yesterday!

To begin this card, I created the emoji first. The circle is cut from Lemon Tart cardstock and then I added some Harvest Gold ink around the edges for depth. The mouth is cut from Smokey Shadow with True Black ink on the corners. The tongue is cut from Berry Sorbet with Pure Poppy shading. I cut the eyes from Pure Poppy with Scarlet Jewel shading, Glossy Accents and glitter over the top for that dramatic effect!

The background was created with the From the Heart Hot Foil Plate and red foil on a panel of Pure Poppy cardstock. I cut it down to measure 5 by 3 3/4 inches and added some Scarlet Jewel shading around the edges.

The sentiment was stamped in Pure Poppy and Scarlet Jewel for an ombre effect with white embossing on Smokey Shadow cardstock for the other portions.

I layered it onto an A2 panel of Pure Poppy cardstock using foam squares and then added the entire panel to a top-folding A2 card base using liquid glue.

Switching gears to something more traditional; this card features the new Wrapped in Love stamp set. 

This set includes three gifts, a ribbon, and a bow with three different coordinating sentiments to work with the "wrapped" theme.

I always love a pink and green color combo, but I switched it up a bit with Berry Sorbet, Mint Julep, and Vintage Jadeite, and a touch of SU! Garden Green ink for something a little bit different for me.

The bow reminds me of old-fashioned ribbon candy and I was wishing to be back in my Grandma's home at Christmastime! 

For the background, I used the new Filigree Frame Hot Foil Plate that was featured yesterday on an A2 panel of Berry Sorbet cardstock. I was thrilled to see how nicely the largest die included in the Love to Layer: Garnished Edges Die nested inside the foiling. It was also the perfect backdrop for the stack of presents.

Each of the three sentiments also has a coordinating die so it's easy to add the sentiments on your design. I chose to place this larger sentiment in the middle and then surrounded it with some die cut flowers.

I added some white goache splatter and gems for additional detail and dimension. I forgot to mention that the background was also die cut using the Nesting Basics: Pierced Rectangles Die as well. Thanks for fluttering by!