Project Inspiration {You are my Happy Place}

Hello friends! It's my turn for this week's Project Inspiration feature for Papertrey Ink! I've been making a concerted effort to get out of my color comfort zone and try new combinations! When this particular palette presented itself, I knew I wanted to try it out! I love the warmth of the Terracotta Tile plays against the coolness of Ocean Tides!

I used a few of my favorite dies, hot foil, and flowers to bring this card to life!

Follow along as I explain my process with step-by-step photos and intructions!

Step 1: cut an A2 panel of Terracotta Tile cardstock and add the pierced detailing around the edge. Add the same color ink around the edges and attach it to the card base using liquid glue.

Step 2: Foil a panel of Ocean Tides cardstock using the Filigree Frame Hot Foil Plate using champagne foil. Add some Ocean Tides ink around the edges and attach it to the background using foam squares.

Step 3: Cut two mats using the Love to Layer: Top Notch Die from Saffron Spice cardstock and white cardstock. Stamp the sentiment, which is from the Just Sentiments: You're On My Mind Stamp Set, in black on the smaller mat. Attach them to background using foam squares.

Step 4: Die cut the flowers from white cardstock using the Into the Blooms: Mixed Bouquet Die. Color them with dye inks and blender brushes and then spritz them all with fossilized amber distress oxide spray.

Step 5: Add glitter to the flowers and foliage.

Step 6: Add a trio of sparkling clear sequins with liquid glue.

I chose to color the leaves with Ocean Tides and Smokey Shadow ink to bring in the coolness of the paper. The larger flowers are colored with Canyon Clay and Terracotta Tile ink and the others are colored with Harvest Gold ink with green and orange centers.

I always add glitter with a Zig 2-Way glue pen; it's clear, and dries quickly, but holds the glitter well.

I love adding distress spritzes and sprays to my flowers and foliage to add instant interest with minimal effort and no expertise required! ha ha!

I particularly love this Love to Layer set with this foil plate because they match the curves so well! I've been struggling with my creativity lately, so this was a fun card to make using a new color combination to help get me out of my rut! What helps you to pull yourself out of a creative rut?

Thanks for fluttering by!

 

The Greetery {La Dolce Vita Collection} Release Day

Hello friends! It's release day for the beautiful and inspiring La Dolce Vita Collection from The Greetery! Everything will be available for purchase beginning at 10 am EDT! I have a bonus card to share with you today sneaking in a few products I didn't get a chance to use on my countdown projects. That being said, there are still quite a few I still need to use!

To begin, I used the new Cottage Tile Background; this is a big background that can accommodate all different sizes of cards. You'll want to cut your background to the size you want to use and then place it on the die; it doesn't cut an outside border, if that makes sense. 

I glued it onto an A2 card base using liquid glue and set it aside to work on the details of the card. I already had this lemon bunch all ready to go because I ended up not using it on one of my countdown projects. I used the Citrus Fields Die and cut it from white cardstock and colored it with blender brushes and dye inks. I gave it a spritz of fossilized amber distress oxide spray and set it aside to dry.

The "grounding" strip it embossed using the new Shortbread Shapes Rectangle Tiles Embossing Folder. I attached it to the card background using foam squares.

I cut out the villa using the Countryside Villa Mini Die from white, with the exception of the tiled roof and shutters. I cut the roof from Melon Berry cardstock and then added some rust ink with a blender brush. The shutters are cut from the same green as the tile embossed panel. 

I used foam squares to mount everything to the card base including the sentiment, which is from the new Rolling Hills Bella Terra Addition Stamp Set. I absolutely adore these sentiments and the font!

This concludes today's post, but remember, the new release will be available for purchase today at 10 AM EDT! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

The Greetery {La Dolce Vita Collection} Day 2

Ciao, Bella!  Welcome back for day 2 of full reveals for the La Dolce Vita Collection from The Greetery! I've pulled in a few things from yesterday's featured products (yes, I LOVE the lemons) but there are SO many lovely products being showcased today as well! So many, in fact, that I didn't get a chance to use them all! That will soon be rectified, though! ha ha! Make sure to head to The Greetery Blog for the official "meet and greet" for all of today's featured products! Also, make sure to leave a comment here, and on each of the designers' blogs, for a chance to win one of two $100 gift cards to the shop!

My first project features the beautiful new Tile Style Background Stamp; this is a large red rubber stamp that gives a crisp result! I went for the traditional Positano look with the blue tiles and yellow lemons, but the sky is the limit with this beautiful background; it would be perfect to use with the last release as well!

To begin, I created the lemon cluster using the Citrus Fields Die that was showcased yesterday; same creation steps as yesterday as well. I set it aside and got to work on the background. I stamped a 5 by 7 panel of white cardstock using the Tile Style Background Stamp. I cut it using the Shortbread Shapes: Snowflake Die and then mounted it onto a card base cut with the same die.

Next, I cut the woodgrain paper with the same die along with the star portion from the middle. I embossed it using the coordinating Shortbread Shapes: Snowflake Embossing Folder. I ran some Ground Espresso Distress Oxide ink over the top with a finger dauber for added depth and definition.

I layered the lemon cluster over the top with foam squares and finished it off with the "La Dolce Vita" sentiment, heat embossed in white, using the Bella Terra Stamp Set. There are quite a few Italian sentiments, but there are also the English equivalents included. I was thinking it would be fun to use the Italian version on the front and then the English version on the inside, just in case the recipient doesn't understand Italian!

Next up is fun card bringing in the "Canned" Die from yesterday paired with the fun new Botanicuts Tomato Die and the punny Tomato Tomato Stamps! It took me a minute, along with my daughter's help, to figure out the clever sentiment combinations! ha ha! I guess I'm getting old! 

I love making shaped cards and this new Canned Die is the perfect excuse to make some! I mentioned yesterday that there is also a "pull tab" that you can add, rather than the rolled down version I've done here. It allows you to open the "tin" and see a surprise inside. That is still on my to-make list! This collection is so varied and fun, I don't think the ideas will ever run out!

I really wanted to showcase the tomato cluster, so I let it spill over the top and then added the punny sentiment!

The Botanicuts Tomato Die allows you to make the cluster or you can use the tomatoes individually. There is also a sliced tomato, which I didn't end up using.

The Tomato Tomato Stamp Set has quite a few combinations of sentiments, including a few that are pretty generic if you just want to send a seasonal card!

Someone just whisk me away right now please! This card features the adorable new Rolling Hills Suite; this is an addition to the original that made it's debut a few years ago! I absolutely adore these new additions! My husband's mom's side is Italian and the region where they are from has villas just like this! I was telling my daughter how jealous I am, that she, and her siblings, all have Italian blood pumping through their veins! ha ha!

To begin, I stenciled a panel using the Rolling Hills Stencil and then embossed it using the new Bella Terra Embossing Folder. My plates are so warped, I found that all of my embossing for this release got wonky at the bottom! Ugh! I was so frustrated, but I guess it gives them "character"! ha ha! Once the embossing was done, I got to work on the flowers. These are cut and stamped using the Bella Terra Die and Stamp Set. I added some alcohol marker details to the stems and flowers for additional shading. I mounted them to the rolling hills using foam squares.

This card features the new Countryside Villa Die (small) and then I made a shaped card using the large version, which I will share at the bottom of today's post.

Each set comes with the Cyprus trees as well; the larger version has cute window boxes, just like the cute ones for the Marketplace shops! This card features yet another sentiment from the Bella Terra Stamp Set.

Eep! It's so cute....I love this die SO MUCH! As I mentioned earlier, this a shaped card, but this would work on the Rolling Hills as well, and of course, on other projects!

This concludes today's post, but make sure to leave a comment here, and on each of the designers' blogs, for a chance to win one of two $100 gift cards to the shop! Thanks for fluttering by!

Caly Person

Dana Kirby

Dawn McVey

Kelly Lunceford (you are here)

Lauren Bassen

Laurie Willison

Lea Lawson

Melissa Phillips

Wanda Guess

 

The Greetery {La Dolce Vita Collection} Day 1

I'm so excited to be here today sharing a few projects using the beautiful and fun new collection from The Greetery called La Dolce Vita! It's jam-packed with SO many wonderful new products that will make you want to fly off to the Mediterranean! Before I dive into the details of my projects, you'll want to head to The Greetery Blog for the official "Meet & Greet" for each of the products being featured today. As always, make sure to leave a comment here, and on each of the designers' blogs, for a chance to win one of two $100 gift cards to the shop!

My first project uses the beautiful and refreshing new Citrus Fields suite of products! I've never made a 5 by 7 card set before, but with the large Citrus Fields Stencil and Citrus Fields Embossing Folder, I couldn't resist! Please note: if you only make A2-sized cards, don't fret; you can cut your cardstock down! Making this larger card set allowed me to challenge myself to create a larger box to hold the cards, which turned out perfectly, thank heavens! ha ha!

To begin, I stenciled four panels using the Citrus Fields Stencil collection. I did each step on each of the four panels rather than stenciling one completely and then moving onto another, if that makes sense. I gave them all a spritz of Shimmer Spray-Sparkle for sparkle and shine and attached them to 5 by 7 white card bases.

For the sentiments, I used the Oblong Octagon Labels Stamp Set along with the coordinating Oblong Octagon Labels Hot Foil and Oblong Octagon Labels Die. I really love how the hot foil elevates the look; it gives a boutique feeling, but with handmade touches.

Two of the sentiments are embossed/foiled on Powder Green cardstock and two on coral cardstock for variation.

I made a belly band to go around the set of cards and envelopes, similar to what you would find on a store bought set. 

I found the envelopes on Amazon and they have a gold trim on the edges to elevate the set as well.

Let's talk about the box lid; if you're not into making boxes, you could make this as a card! The corners use a beautiful new set called Ciao Bella Borders, which I will share on another project today. I used the new Citrus Fields Die for the focal point; it's all cut from white and then colored with blender brushes and dye inks.

I framed the lemons with a frame cut using the Capsule Fixed Border Large and then cut using the beautiful Pretty Picado Die. I layered it onto the pinked layer that is cut using the Capsule Star Studded Borders Die and then some additional detail using the Capsule Filigree Borders Die. The lemons are arranged in the middle using foam squares for dimension. As I mentioned earlier, you could just use this portion for a card design, or even add the yellow portion as well.

My next project uses the beautiful new Coastal Cuttings Die paired with the Ciao Bella Borders Stamp/Die set. I couldn't resist using the Citrus Fields Embossing Folder again for added interest and depth. 

If you fell in love with the Best Bouquet Die, you'll love this as well. It's the same concept for arranging the cluster!

I love the color combination found on the assembly guide, so that is what I used on both cards.

Everything is cut from white cardstock and then I colored each flower/leaf/ etc. using blender brushes and dye inks.

The two cards use the two different options for borders included in the Ciao Bella Borders along with two of the sentiments. 

And now for something FUN! I absolutely adore this new Something Fishy Suite of products; so clever and cute! I've created a shaped birthday card using the Canned Die and the new Something Fishy Stamp/Die set. There is a smaller version of the can called Canned Lite. I didn't get a chance to use it on any projects, but that will soon be remedied!

I used green metallic cardstock for the "rolled down" portion of the can to give it some realism.

There are so many fun different sentiments in the Something Fishy Stamp Set; baby, birthday, celebration, etc. 

There is a die so you can create a pull-tab for an interactive card; that's also on my to-make list! So many fun possibilities! This concludes today's post, but join me again tomorrow for day two of full reveals! Don't forget to leave a comment here, and on each of the designers' blogs, for a chance to win one of the two $100 gift certificates!

Caly Person

Dana Kirby

Dawn McVey

Kelly Lunceford {you are here}

Laura Bassen

Laurie Willison

Lea Lawson

Melissa Phillips

Wanda Guess