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!

 

Papertrey Ink April Release Countdown Day 1

 Hello and welcome to day 1 of the April release countdown for Papertrey Ink! There are some really fun new products that might be able to fill in some gaps your collection might need! For me, I have really been wanting some larger bees to go with some of the larger flowers and my wish has come true! Not only that, but there is also an adorable new Build-a-Ladybug Die as well! Both new die sets come with three different sizes of bees or ladybugs!

My first card for today features the new This is Big Sentiments: Strength Stamp/Die set and the new new Build-a-Ladybug Die. It also showcases the lovely new Love to Layer: Top Notch Die set and a beautiful new hot foil plate!

To begin, I die cut all of the flowers and foliage using the Into the Blooms: Wild Wood Die and then colored them with dye inks and blender brushes. I also added some fossilized amber distress oxide spray and set them aside to dry.

I used the new hot foil plate with champagne foil onto a panel of Pale Peony cardstock. I added some Hibiscus Burst ink around the edges and trimmed it down just around the edges of the foiled design. I layered that onto a top-folding card base that is cut using the Nesting Basics: Pierced Rectangles Die. 

I die cut the middle-sized layer included in the Love to Layer: Top Notch Die from white cardstock and then added it to the Peony layer using foam squares. I added the sentiments; one stamped in black and the companion sentiment is heat embossed in gold.

I arranged the flowers and ladybug using foam squares and liquid glue until I was satisfied with the arrangement. I added glitter to the flowers and foliage for sparkle and shine!

 My second card for today features the new Build-a-Bumblebee Die and the new Wildflower Frame Stamp/Die set!

To begin, I die cut the frame using the Wildflower Frame Die and then stamped it with Vintage Photo distress ink. Once that was done, I colored the image using OLO markers and other alcohol markers in my collection. I also added some white acrylic pen details and some brown marker splatter for an aged, vintage look. I cut the frame out one more time and glued the two together for a sturdy piece.

Once that was done, I got to work on the bees; I chose to use the middle and smallest sized bees for my card. There is another large bee and some legs to add to the bees if desired. I cut the body from Dark Chocolate cardstock and then added some True Black ink around the perimeter. The stripes and wings are cut from white cardstock; I added Harvest Gold ink to the stripes and Spring Rain ink lightly to the wings. I had a bit of fun adding some yellow flocking powder to the stripes for a fuzzy, realistic texture. I adhered the wings using small pieces of adhesive foam.

The sentiment is also from the Wildflower Frame stamp set and is cut using the coordinating die. I layered it onto the smallest die included in the new Love to Layer die set.

For the background, I used the Cover Plate: Honeycomb Die and added some vintage photo distress ink splatter lightly over the top. I layered the entire panel onto a top-folding A2 white card base using foam squares. I added a few sequins for sparkle and shine!

Join me tomorrow for day 2 of the countdown! Thanks for fluttering by!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Hello and welcome! I'm sharing a fun wintertime card using a variety of products! I fell in love with this sweet Snuggle Snowman and immediately purchased the die! It arrived when I was busy with other projects and deadlines, but I made some time to use it. I got it out of the package and was ready to get crafty, but got called away for other motherly duties. ha ha! Anyway, I ended up setting it aside and then inadvertently threw it away. I was so sad, but I bought another one and it arrived the other day. I couldn't wait to spend some time creating this card. I saved a snippet of wrapping paper from Christmas to use as my inspiration, but I didn't want it to necessarily be Christmas-themed.

I also bought the beautiful Eyelet Layer Frames, but thank heavens I didn't throw them away! ha ha! To begin this card, I die cut the largest frame included in the set using Seafoam cardstock. I set it aside to do the embossed layer. I pulled out an older embossing folder that I've had for a few years called Pine Bouquet from SSS, but it looks like it's retired. I cut the panel down so it would fit inside the frame. I added some Seafoam Ink over the top using a blender brush to add some dimension.

I attached it to the lace frame piece using foam squares and then added it to a top-folding A2 card base. I die cut all of the pieces for the snowman and got to work assembling it. I took all of my color cues from the wrapping paper, which was fun, because I don't think I would have come up with the hat combination on my own. I glued a red pom-pom from my stash to the top for some added whimsy.

I die cut the eyes and nose twice; once so they could be placed back inside the holes, and again to go over the top for some added dimension. I wanted to add Glossy Accents to those pieces and it's always easier when they are raised a bit. Everything for the snowman himself was cut from white and then I just added some black marker to the eyes and Canyon Clay ink to the carrot nose.

The scarf is cut from Pure Poppy with some Scarlet Jewel blending for depth and contrast. I glued it to the body using foam squares and added the hat with liquid glue. I did add some ink splatter to the body as well for that snowy look. Once the eyes were dry, I added a dot of white gel pen to each one.

The wrapping paper had the snowman holding a bunch of greenery, ,so I got to work creating some. I used the Into the Blooms: Swag Die and cut the pieces from white cardstock. I didn't cut anything that was too holiday or Christmas-y, like holly. I colored the pieces with Stormy Sea ink and then Garden Green and Handsome Hunter from SU! I gave them all a spritz or two of Hickory Smoke Distress Spritz.

While those were drying, I attached the snowman to the embossed panel using foam squares. I tucked the greenery around him using liquid glue and foam squares. The snowflakes are cut from the Build-a-Hat die and the smallest one is from the Bring Home the Holidays Die. I added some blue pearls to the center of each snowflake.

I just love this sentiment and thought it would be perfect for this card. It is from the Just Sentiments: Winter Wonderland Stamp Set and is heat embossed in white on a strip of Pure Poppy cardstock. I added it using strips of foam tape. The finishing touch is some Rock Candy Glitter which I made sure to add to the top of the pom pom for a realistic snowy look! I had so much fun creating this card and I'm so glad this cute snowman is finally here to stay! ha ha! 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!

 

Project Inspiration {Tis the Season for Peace}

Hello friends! I shared this Project Inspiration on the Papertrey Ink Blog last week, but I also wanted to share it here to give some additional tips and tricks I used to create this card. I was inspired by a snow globe I saw that had a plaid base, so that was the springboard for this design. I also have missed some of my favorite previously released products, so it's always fun to pull those out again and put them to use!

I combined two of the Winter Globes dies to bring this card to life: Winter Globes Die and the Winter Globes: Believe Die along with some other stamps and dies!

Here's a quick look at steps 1-6 (there's actually 7, but it messed up the grid) and I will walk you through each step.

Step 1: Use the Fanciful Snowflakes Hot Foil Plate and silver foil on a panel of Ocean Tides cardstock measuring 4” x 5 1/4”.

Step 2: Use a corner rounder punch for all 4 corners and attach to a white card base using foam squares.

Step 3: Cut the base of the snow globe from pattern paper and antique gold. Cut it again twice from Soft Stone cardstock and glue everything together.

Step 4: Cut all of the pieces for the scene from White card stock and color them with blender, brushes and dye ink. Assemble using liquid glue and foam squares. Add some white ink splatter.

Step 5: Cut all foliage and berries using the Into the Blooms: Swag Die from white cardstock. Color them like the other elements and spritz with fossilized amber distress oxide spray. Attach to snow globe with foam squares and liquid glue.

Step 6: Cut the Peace sentiment twice; once from antique gold card stock and once from White. Glue them together and attach to the snow globe using liquid glue. Heat emboss the companion sentiment on a strip of vellum using silver powder. Attach it to the snow globe using strategically placed liquid glue on the back of the embossing.

Step 7: spritz with shimmer spray and add glitter. 

Some other details to note: this particular pattern paper that I used on the globe is a craft smart North Pole Mail pad of paper. The plaid was just a small strip on one of the pieces, so I used washi tape to line up the bottom portion of the globe on the paper.

The rock candy glitter is more like sugar and doesn't have a lot of sparkle, but I love the frosted, snowy look it gives my projects.

This hot foil plate is one of my favorites because it doesn't need a high heat or a long time to heat and it always gives me great results!

I didn't want to wrap the vellum strip around the entire background panel, so I simply added some liquid glue to the back of the vellum behind the embossed portion for an invisible adhesion.

Thanks for fluttering by!

The Greetery {Nordic Christmas Greetings}

 

Hello and welcome, friends! I'm here today sharing a pair of Christmas cards inspired by an ad that kept popping up in my feed! Does that ever happen to you? While most ads might be annoying, I think we’re all pretty used to them by now. Every once in a while, I will get an ad for something that inspires me either from the color scheme, layout, etc. This particular ad kept popping up so I took the hint and ran with the inspiration! Ha ha!

My algorithms seem to know I’m heavily involved in the paper crafting world, which also includes stationery. This particular set of cards was inspired by a Fresh Cut Paper ad for their holiday advent. I love the traditional red and green and the use of berry clusters and pine sprigs so that is what I got to work making. I pulled out any and all dies that I thought might work; first up was the pine sprigs that are cut using the BotaniCuts Pine Bough Die. I cut them from white and then colored them with finger daubers and distress oxide ink in colors pine needles and rustic wilderness. The berry sprigs are cut using the Rosemary and Berry Die and colored the same way but with twisted citron, mowed lawn, and rustic wilderness. For the berries, I simply added some Pure Poppy ink to a scrap of white cardstock and then cut them out using the included berry die. I glued the berries to the sprigs and then added some Ranger Glossy Accents to the berries and set them aside to dry.

My next step was to create the cute birds and tree. I cut the base of the birds from Pure Poppy cardstock with gold cardstock wings using the Nordic Birds Die. I added a bit of Scarlet Jewel ink around the belly of both birds for some contrast and then added the gold wings using foam squares.  The tree was cut using the Nordic Tree Die from Powder Green cardstock and antique gold for the trunk and the star. I added some gold pigment ink lightly to the bottom of each section of the tree and gussied it up with some adhesive pearls.

I used the Ornamental Tag Die to create the cluster of greenery on the tree and at the bottom of the card with the birds. I cut the bows from Pure Poppy and gold and secured them to the middle of each cluster.

I love how Betsy showed how you can use the beautiful Rosemal Reflections Embossing Folder with a standard A2 card. My inspiration ad also used “chopped/cut” corners like this, so it was just perfect! The background of the bird card is Pure Poppy and the background of the tree card is Colorplan Forest cardstock. I ran them though my die cut machine using the sandwich guide recommended for my particular machine. I layered them onto white card bases using liquid glue.

I used the Capsule Borders 1 Hot Foil with champagne foil and then cut them using the Capsule Basics Die. I adhered them to the background using foam squares; I made sure to add them to the flat, unembossed portions so that it wouldn’t be wonky.

I had fun adding in all of the premade greenery and foliage using both liquid glue and foam squares. I added some Tim Holtz Rock Candy glitter to the greenery on the bird card for holiday sparkle! I had so much fun creating the pair and now my ads should return to normal since I’ve gotten it out of my system! Haha! Thanks for fluttering by!