Papertrey Ink Project Inspiration {Santa Mail}

Hello and welcome friends! It's my turn for this weekend's Project Inspiration Feature for Papertrey Ink. Since I've been on a Christmas kick, I thought I'd immerse myself more fully in the Christmas in July festivities! When I was making my cards for the June release, I couldn't help but think how fun it would be to use the Through the Forest Die for a Christmas card paired with the Stacked Mail Stencil Collection.

I also pulled in some older favorites to tailor this card to bring my vision to life!

This card comes together in six easy steps and I will explain everything throughout the post!

Step 1: Cut and A2 panel of Vintage Cream cardstock and then cut a smaller panel using one of the dies included in the Stacked Mail Die. Add the stenciling using the Stacked Mail Stencil Collection. Add some Vintage Photo Distress ink around the corners for a worn look. Set the smaller piece aside and glue the larger one to an A2 card base.

Step 2: Hot foil a panel of Pure Poppy cardstock using the Deco Framework Hot Foil Plate. Add some Scarlet Jewel ink around the edges using a sticky note to cover the foiling.  Attach it to the stenciled panel using foam squares. 

Step 3: Stamp the sentiment onto the smaller stenciled panel from earlier. This sentiment is from the North Pole Mail Stamp Set and I stamped it in black. Attach it to the foiled panel with foam squares.

Step 4: Cut the pieces for the tree portion using the Through the Forest Die. I cut the largest piece from Pinefeather, the middle piece from Simply Chartreuse, and the smallest piece from Green Parakeet. I added black ink to the tops of the Pinefeather trees, Ripe Avocado the Simply Chartreuse trees, and New Leaf on the Green Parakeet trees. I layered it all together with foam squares and then added some white acrylic paint splatter. Attach it to the card with foam squares.

Step 5: Cut the reindeer using the Winter Globes: Believe Die from True Black cardstock and then attach them over the trees using black foam squares.

Step 6: Heat emboss the two postage images that are included in the Deliver By December 25th Stamp Set and attach them to the card. Add glitter for sparkle and shine!

I used the Deliver by December 25th Die to cut them out after I did the embossing. I like to use a 2-way glue pen to attach the glitter. 

This was such a fun project to work on and it's given me the drive I need to get started on some Christmas projects, especially tags! I didn't have what I needed last year and I don't want to be in the same predicament this year! I bought a bunch of fun things in January with the hopes of working on it all year, but so far, I haven't done anything with them! I think it might be fun to get some neighborhood friends together to make tags this month! We'll see.....haha! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Happy New Year {PTI Designers' Favorites}

Happy New Year, friends! We've made it to 2026, which seems so crazy to me! The Papertrey Ink Design Team and guests are participating in a fun Designers' Favorites Instagram Hop to share our personal favorites from 2025. You can head there to participate in the hop, but I also wanted to share my favorites here, too! I purposely didn't pick any of the cards that were featured in my Top Nine from Instagram, even though some of them are other favorites. I just wanted some fresh things to share, if that makes sense.

One of the things that is special about each of these cards, with the exception of one, is that I remember who I gave each one to and why. 

The first card I'm sharing is one of my favorites because of the beautiful scripture verse and the flowers. This was when the Into the Blooms: Anemones Die was first released and little did I know then, but this has become a well-loved favorite and I have used it for every season since, including Christmas! You can see one of my favorite Christmas cards that uses them HERE.

You can read all about how I created this card from the original post HERE.

My second card is just so bright and cheery and uses a bee-theme, which I always love AND the beautiful Into the Blooms: Wild Wood Die and the Cover Plate: Hexagon Die. You can read all about this card HERE. I still have this card and I know this will be one of those that is hard to part with.

This particular card was made just-for-fun and not part of a release. It isn't solely PTI products, so I was hesitant to share it on the hop, but it IS one of my favorites, so I said, why not? ha ha! You can read all about this card HERE. This is one of those cards that I want to make again because I love it so much!

This particular card was a favorite on Instagram this year, but didn't make it in the top nine. This is one of those pleasant surprises that I didn't think people would respond to like they did. I really like it and I enjoyed making it, so it makes me happy when you like it too! You can read all about this card HERE.

I mentioned earlier I didn't want to include any Christmas cards, mostly because so many always end up on my Top Nine. I decided to share one favorite that didn't make it on the top nine. I was telling my daughter when I was writing out Christmas cards that I look at the photos of my cards way more than the actual cards, but when I see them in real life, they just look SO much better. This is one of those cards that just sparkles and shines and photography just can't capture that. You can read all about this card HERE. 

I want to thank each of you for your sweet support this year and always! I love this community so much; it's hard to find kindred spirits in our everyday life, so I truly appreciate you all so much! Happy New Year! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Merry Christmas 2025

Merry Christmas! I want to wish each of you a wonderful day! I hope your day is filled with joy and happiness surrounded by those you love! I'm happy to be here today to share the last Christmas card of the year! This one is similar to my Thanksgiving card, but with a few tweaks! I used a wood veneer cardstock for that card and when I purchased it, I noticed there was another variety as well. I went ahead and bought it thinking I would be using it all season long, but obviously that didn't happen! ha ha! This particular variety is White Birch and I just love it! I also paired it with the Tinaldo Wood Grain cardstock that Betsy used during the Christmas Gallerie release!

Now, all of this embossing reminded me how I used to emboss on velvet paper YEARS ago, back when embossing folders first came out. It has fallen out of my memory because velvet paper became hard to find, but I'm SO glad I remembered it, because it is now EASY to find! ha ha! I was especially happy to find some with an adhesive backing because it's used for the inside of jewelry boxes. You can find the paper I used HERE, but I also bought THIS variety for other projects. 

To begin, I die cut the outer portion from that white birch paper using the Shortbread Shapes: Snowflakes Die and the star center. Of course, you KNOW I HAD to save the precious scrap, so stay tuned for something made with that! ha ha! Now, I had originally planned on having the next layer be cut from the velvet layer, which I DID, but didn't end up using, SO....that means another scrap that will NEED to be used as well! Instead, I cut it from the woodgrain paper I linked at the beginning of the post.  

The outer frame is embossed using the Shortbread Shapes: Snowflakes Embossing Folder and then the inner portion is embossed using the Rosemal Reflections Embossing Folder. Once the embossing was done, I used Walnut Stain Distress Oxide ink with a sponge dauber to add the color to the raised areas.

I forgot to mention that it is best to adhere the wood veneer paper to a piece of cardstock before die cutting. It is thin and has a tendency to curl, so this eliminates that problem. I also took the adhesive back off the velvet paper and adhered it to cardstock as well. I cut it using the Capsule Basics Die and then embossed it with the same Rosemal Reflections embossing folder. I was thrilled to find that the Capsule Filigree Borders glued to the velvet paper worked great; I was worried it might be finicky.  I had originally planned on tucking this layer under the outer frame, but ended up not wanting to cover up ANY of the velvet! It is added over the top using foam squares.

During full reveals of the Christmas Gallerie Collection, I mentioned I made a BUNCH of the Bigger Holiday Botanicals. I still have a bunch left, so I added one of the holly varieties and the wax flower using foam squares. I can't seem to stop with the label/sentiment combo, so that is what I did again for this card. 

I heat embossed the label using the Little Linked Labels Stamp Set and then cut it using the Little Linked Labels Die. Once that was done, I dry embossed it using the Little Linked Labels Embossing Folder . I adhered it over the stems of the holly and wax flower using foam squares. 

It's a little bit hard to see in the photo because of the lighting, but I heat embossed the Merry Christmas sentiment on the same veneer paper using the Capsule Quick Tags Stamp Set. I added it over the top of the label using additional foam squares.

I added a bow that was cut from white and then inked up with Pure Poppy ink. I also added the "hardware" that was cut using the Hang It Up Die from Antique Gold cardstock.

I created a shaped base using the same shortbread die and glued it with liquid glue. I didn't dare add ANY glitter for fear of it sticking to the velvet paper. I will probably experiment when I have more time, but for now, I didn't dare risk it! I had so much fun creating this card! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Claus and Claus Toy Co.

Christmas is fast approaching and I'm putting the finishing touches on gifts and projects! I discovered that these cute boxes are the perfect sizes to hold the handwarmers I made for the Christmas Gallerie release. I made three sets, so I needed one more box to package them up! I had so much fun putting this one together with all of the fun colors and details!

To begin, I die cut the main box using the Arch Box Large Die from Sweet Blush cardstock. I used the Market Place No. 3 Die to cut out the window from one of the panels of the box and then assembled it using ScorTape. I set it aside and got to work on the store front.

I die cut the outline and window openings from Sweet Blush cardstock. I die cut all of the details from Pure Poppy and Mint Julep cardstock. I glued all of the pieces on using liquid glue.

I used the Market Place Holiday Festoons Die for the wreaths, bows, and strand of "lights". I die cut the wreaths from white and then colored them with blender brushes and New Leaf ink. The bows are cut from Pure Poppy and the "lights" are cut from white and then I used pearls for the individual bulbs. I just love how it turned out! I used the same pearls for the centers of the wreaths and on the building for additional charm.

The name of the shop: Claus and Claus Toy Company" was heat embossed using gold powder using the Market Place Holiday Stamp Set. I cut it using the included die with building and then adhered it to the store front using foam squares. The entire store front is added to the arch box using liquid glue.

If you saw THIS post, then you would have seen how I created a base for the box so I could add the bottle brush trees. I used the smallest die included in the Capsule Basics Die and cut it from Pure Poppy cardstock. I cut the Filigree Border from Antique Gold cardstock and adhered it with liquid glue. Once that was done, I was able to attach the box using hot glue.

I also attached the trees with hot glue and then gave them ornaments using the same pearls, but the larger sizes. The front is also dusted with some Sno Flock! I had so much fun putting this box together! The handwarmers have already been tucked inside and given to the recipient! Now we just need some snow and cooler temperatures to warrant needing hand warmers! ha ha! But seriously.....LET IT SNOW! 

Thanks for fluttering by!

Merry Christmas!

 

Project Inspiration {Happy Holidays}

As sad as it is to say, I think this will be one of the last Christmas cards I make this year! I absolutely love creating for Christmas and this one was so much fun to put together!

This card comes together in 7 easy steps and I will share tips and tricks along the way!

Step 1: Cut an A2 panel of light blue gingham pattern paper (or any paper of your choice). I used the retired Nesting Basics: Pierced Rectangles, but on closer thinking, I should have just used the Rounded Rectangles: Pierced Die! ha ha! Attach it to an A2 card base using liquid glue.

Step 2: Attach the mat layer that is cut using the Reflections: Isaiah 40 Die from white cardstock. Attach it to the gingham background using foam squares. 

Step 3: Cut the base layer of the tree from white cardstock using the Serene Evergreens Die. Cut two of the detail layers and glue them together. Add Green Parakeet ink to the base layer using a blender brush and Green Parakeet, New Leaf, and Pinefeather ink to the detail layer. Glue the base layer and the detail layer together and then add some Pinefeather ink splatter. Add to the card using foam squares.

Step 4: Using the This is Big Sentiments: Happy Holidays Die, cut the sentiment base from white and then stamp the SENTIMENT with both Pure Poppy and Scarlet Jewel ink for an ombre effect. Heat emboss the companion sentiment in gold onto a strip of Pure Poppy cardstock. Attach both sentiments using foam squares.

Step 5: Cut a bow using the Wrap-it Ribbons Die from Pure Poppy cardstock. Add some Scarlet Jewel ink and attach it to the top of the tree using foam squares.

Step 6: Cut the berries and foliage using the Into the Blooms: Swag Die from white cardstock. Color the pieces using the same green inks as the tree. The berries are colored with Pure Poppy and Scarlet Jewel ink. I gave the pieces a spritz or two of Hickory Smoke Distress Spritz and attached them to the card using foam squares and liquid glue.

Step 7: Add a spritz of Shimmer Spray-Sparkle and a few PTI Gems: Clear. I used the smallest size, the next smallest size and a few (maybe just one) of the next size up.

I just love the old-fashioned feeling of this card with it's nostalgic charm!

While I was editing the photos of this card, I was thinking how cute a red polka-dot pattern paper strip would look behind the white mat. I might have to make another one and try it!

I toyed around with adding some different colored pearls to the tree to mimic the look of ornaments, which would also be fun!

The bow looks very realistic if you use foam squares for each of the layers.

I hope you enjoyed today's project! I'm busy as a little Christmas bee getting all kinds of things baked, mixed, wrapped, etc. I hope you're all enjoying the last week before Christmas! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

The Greetery {Rustic Christmas}

Hello and welcome!  I’m thrilled to be sharing quite a few projects here and on The Greetery blog that all started from 2 leftover scraps! If you saw my Thanksgiving Day post, you may have read that I had two die cut pieces left over from that project.  I simply could NOT throw those away, so that was the spark that ignited the flame for today’s projects! Which, by the way, the Thanksgiving Day post was all because of Betsy and her giving us the fabulous tip to try woodgrain cardstock with some of the new embossing folders! Betsy is just the best at fueling our creative spark, isn’t she?

So, with that being said, let’s get started because we have quite a bit to cover and for me to share! I’ve decided I’m just going to share in the order that inspiration struck and how the design process evolved and hopefully that will cover everything. To begin, I had those two pieces leftover; the center of the Shortbread Shapes: Snowflake Die and the center portion of the Capsule Basics Die. Both of these pieces were cut from a beautiful Cherry Wood Veneer cardstock (Cardstock Warehouse) so they were “special” scraps! Ha ha!

 I went ahead and embossed the star-shaped center portion using the Shortbread Shapes: Snowflake Embossing Folder and then added some vintage photo distress ink over the raised edges to give it additional dimension and depth. I also die cut the base piece from China White cardstock from Cardstock Warehouse and ran it through the embossing folder as well and followed the same steps for adding ink. Once that was done, I adhered the wood piece using liquid glue. One of the things I have found that works well for gluing the embossed pieces, is to find the “flat” portions that didn’t get embossed and add the glue there. This will help with the adhesion to whatever you’re gluing it to.

I mentioned in my Christmas Gallerie release post that I had cut, colored, and assembled a whole garden of botanicals that were just waiting to be used. I chose two of the Paperwhite clusters to use for both cards. I toyed around with just using the cluster over the wood panel, but it felt empty, so I went to my stash and looked through some of my older foliage dies and settled on the Magnolia Wreath. I cut it twice from Forest cardstock and blended some Handsome Hunter ink (SU!) to the tips.

 I added some white acrylic paint splatter and then glued the two wreaths together. I adhered it t to the center of the wood/star portion of the card along with the Paperwhite cluster. For the sentiment, I heat embossed one of the greetings included in the Capsule Quick Tags Stamp Set and cut the ends and added a few gems.

I layered that on top of a Little Linked Label that was heat embossed, cut using the coordinating Little Linked Labels Die and then embossed with the Little Linked Labels Embossing Folder. I absolutely love the rustic feeling of this card and I just about stopped there, but the other lone “leftover” piece was calling my name.

I placed the second leftover scrap  in the Rosemal Reflections Embossing Folder  to give it the beautiful embossed pattern and added a touch of vintage photo distress ink over the top. I cut an A2 [panel of Forest cardstock and embossed that, also! I glued the wood grain portion over the top using the same gluing technique as the other card. I decided to simply add the Paperwhite cluster in the middle with the same sentiment/label combo as the other card, but the sentiment is from the Simple Holiday Mini Sentiments Stamp Set.

Both cards have a gold bow cut from the smaller size included in the Regency Bow No. 2 along with some “hardware” cut from the Hang It Up Die. One of the things I love most about the Christmas Gallerie Collection is all of the basics that can be used all year long! I added some Rock Candy Glitter to both cards for some holiday sparkle and shine!

Now, I had played around with adding one of the buildings from the Market Place Collection of dies to one or both of these two cards, but as you can see, I went in another direction., I decided at this point I wanted to make a coordinating Arch Box Large Die with one of the buildings and I chose the Market Place No. 2 Die. I kept the colors the same as the cards but added in the Stormy Sea color for window frames, etc.

I die cut all of the pieces with the base being cut from Colorplan China White from Cardstock Warehouse. I wanted the windows to show through the box, so I cut that from one of the two base pieces before I got started assembling everything. I used liquid glue to add all of the window frames, shutters, etc. I landed on using the Tannenbaum’s name for the shop which then took me in the Christmas tree direction.

I really wanted to add the miniature bottle-brush trees to the outside, which I definitely could have just glued them directly to the building, but instead I decided to attach the entire box to a small base. I cut it using the Capsule Basics Die and then added the Capsule Filigree Borders using liquid glue. I adhered the Market Place box to this using hot glue and then placed the trees next to the building using additional hot glue.

The building was decorated with elements included in the Market Place Holiday Festoons, some snow flock (thanks Betsy), and some gems on each of the bows on the windows. I had so much fun creating this box and my mind has been racing with additional ideas for other boxes/cards! I have been so inspired by all of your creations you have been sharing on social media; well done, friends!

My youngest son wandered down as I was creating this box and asked what I was doing. I showed him what I was up to and he asked if we could put a votive down inside. I told him yes and that is definitely an idea that people have used before. When I took the pictures, the sun was streaming through the window on the detail shot to it actually looks like a votive is down inside, but there’s not! I thought that was funny after he asked me about putting a light inside!

Now, onto the tags! I had so much fun using all of the architectural details on the box, I thought it might be fun to make a pair of tags to complement the other projects. I used the darling door that was released as part of the Fireside Holiday Collection last year. I never used this particular die so I was thrilled to pull it out and use it for this array of projects. I also pulled in the A2 Arches Die to create the different layers and such.

I cut both doors using the Single Arch Door Small Die; one from Kraft and one from Stormy Sea. I cut a larger mat using the A2 Arches from the China White cardstock and added a glow with some yellow ink so it was placed where the openings would line up.

I used liquid glue for the frame and then foam squares for the additional layers. Hardware from the Hang it Up Die, wreaths, and sentiments that were used on the cards. I wanted to keep everything cohesive so It was fun to just use things here and there until I was happy! Of course, I just HAD to add a few trees to one of the tags! I had SO much fun creating this collection of projects! Thanks for fluttering by!