Papertrey Ink July Release Countdown Day 3

It's day 3 of the July release countdown for Papertrey Ink! I have two projects to share with you today using some gorgeous new products! My first card features the beautiful new Freshly Picked Die set along with the previously showcased Love to Layer: Sweet Scallops Die.

To begin, I foiled a panel of Coastal Blue cardstock using the Regal Flourish Frame Hot Foil  Plate with silver foil. I trimmed it down just slightly larger than the foiled design and then added some silver metallic ink around the edges with the direct-t0-paper technique.

I layered the middle sized mat included in the Love to Layer: Sweet Scallop Die using foam squares. I cut and colored all of the flowers and foliage included in the Freshly Picked Die set. I arranged them on the mat using foam squares and liquid glue.

I forgot to mention, but I did spritz them with Hickory Smoke Distress Spritz before I added them to the card.

The sentiment is heat embossed in silver using the Just Sentiments: Friendship Mini Stamp Set and then cut it using the Just Tags Die. I added it under the flower arrangement using foam squares. I layered the foiled panel on an A2 panel of Mint Julep cardstock (same ink around the edges) and then glued it to a top-folding A2 card base using liquid glue.

My next card features this month's Reflections stamp/die set. To begin, I used the beautiful new Leaf Garden Stencil Collection. I only used the first step, but added some ink splatter in two colors of green ink before I removed the stencil.

I cut the panel using the Reflections: Matthew 6 Die, keeping both pieces. I mounted the outer portion onto a top-folding A2 white card base using liquid glue. The middle portion is adhered using foam squares. 

I cut another mat from the smaller die from New Leaf cardstock and then added it with foam squares. The scripture verse is heat embossed in gold embossing powder and then cut with the outline die. I layered that slightly below the center of the green piece to show off the detail at the top.

I cut the flowers from white cardstock using the Into the Blooms: Mixed Bouquet and then colored them with dye ink and blender brushes. I glued them together with liquid glue and small foam squares and then arranged them around the focal points.

I added a trio of sparkling clear sequins for additional sparkle and shine! Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. Join me tomorrow for the 4th and final day of the countdown!

 

Papertrey Ink June Release Countdown Day 2

Welcome back for day 2 of the Papertrey Ink June release countdown! I have two projects to share with you using one of my unexpected favorite die sets: Through the Forest! My first card also features the new Inspired Expressions. It is a collection of beautiful famous and inspiring quotes along with some generic sentiments, like I've used here.

To begin, I cut a piece of Ocean Tides cardstock using the In Frames: Big and Tall Rectangles Die. I foiled the middle portion using the Cascading Dots Hot Foil Plate; another fun alternative would be the Cascading Stars Hot Foil Plate. I used champagne foil; it's usually my first choice! Once the foiling was done, I used Enchanted Evening ink around the edges and on the frame portion.

The Through the Forest Die consists of three layers of trees, the leaf portion, and a sun/moon and crescent moon die I cut the trees from Pinefeather, Simply Chartreuse, and Green Parakeet cardstock and then added some shading with ink and blender brushes. The leaf is cut from Enchanted Evening and then I gave the pieces a spritz or two of Fossilized Amber Distress Oxide Spray.

The sentiment is heat embossed onto Enchanted Evening cardstock with gold powder. I was on the struggle bus when I was making the sentiment, so it got some stray powder, but in the end I really like how it gives the same feeling as the sky portion!

Everything is layered up onto a Vintage Cream 5 by 7 card base using liquid glue and foam squares.

Another fun set being released this month is a ticket set called Always a Winner. Back in May I used the original ticket set from clear back in the day for a Teacher Appreciation poster, so I was thrilled to see a new, updated ticket set! I made this card for my youngest son who will be turning 13 in September.

I couldn't resist using the Through the Forest Die again, so he's getting a nature-inspired birthday card, which he will love (I hope!). This card also features the new Wild Arrows Press Plate which I used to add the champagne foiled border detail.

The Always a Winner Die includes three ticket options: the long strip, a single ticket with a jagged/torn edge look, and a clean ticket. I chose to cut the strip from Honey Nut cardstock, but then used Vintage Cream and Pinefeather cardstock for the other two tickets for additional color. 

It's easier to tell in this photo how I placed the tickets; I wanted them to be slightly bent at the perforations. I strategically place foam squares to keep them bent. This won't go in an envelope so it won't get smashed.

I have a big post tomorrow, so make sure to stop by! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Seasonal Sympathy {and breaking all my rules}

It's never fun to need sympathy cards and I wish this one in particular wasn't needed, but here we are! A dear friend lost her mom a few weeks ago and is now awaiting the passing of her sweet dad! None of the cards I had in my stash seemed fitting for this time of year so I decided to make something new, a little more fitting of the season. Also, I'm breaking a few of my "rules" for sympathy cards, so come along as I dive into the creation of this card.

To begin, I created the background by cutting a 4 by 5 1/4 inch piece of Powder Green cardstock and embossed it using a cable knit embossing folder from Gemini Junior. I'm having a hard time locating it, so maybe it is discontinued. I added some Walnut Stain Distress Oxide Spray for depth and interest and set it aside to dry.

Next, I die cut all of the foliage, berries, and pinecones using some assorted sets. The brown leaves, the broad, thick leaf and pistachio colored leaves are all from the Into the Blooms: Anemones Die. The brown leaves are colored with Creamy Caramel ink from SU!, the broad leaf is colored with Stormy Sea (PTI) and Handsome Hunter ink from SU!, and the pistachio colored leaves are colored with Mint Julep (PTI) and Handsome Hunter (SU!). The large leaf cluster is from the Into the Blooms: Christmas Sprigs Die and is colored with Stormy Sea and Handsome Hunter.

I used the Into the Blooms: Pine Die for the pinecones. They are colored with Chocolate Chip ink (SU!) and then the berries are from the Into the Blooms: Bold Berries Die. I colored them with Antique Linen Distress Oxide ink with a touch of brown (whatever was left on a sponge dauber). I spritzed everything with a combination of Frayed Burlap Distress Spritz, Walnut Stain Distress Oxide Spray (linked earlier) and Antique Linen Distress Oxide Spray.

I set all of the foliage and things aside to let them dry. I die cut the middle size included in the new Love to Layer: Polished Points Die from Vintage Cream cardstock and stamped the sentiment. It is my go-to sympathy sentiment and is from the Vintage Garden Stamp Set. I stamped it with Walnut Stain Distress Oxide ink and added some ink splatters with the same ink. I used a sticky note to cover up the main portion of the sentiment and then just splattered it everywhere else.

I felt the sentiment needed something extra, so I rummaged through my mini sentiment stamp sets hoping to find an accent that was fitting. I made some modifications to the original saying; it said Sending Prayers For A, so I just used a sticky note to cover up the unnecessary bits and then heat embossed it in gold. The sentiment is from the Just Sentiments: Get Well Mini  Stamp Set. 

I added the sentiment panel to the background using foam squares and off-set it near the bottom right. I knew I was going to need more room on the left side for the foliage, berries, and pinecones. 

I arranged them using foam squares and liquid glue until I was satisfied with the arrangement. I added some Rock Candy Glitter and Shimmer Spray-Sparkle. Now, if you've been around awhile, you will know that I generally don't add glitter to my sympathy cards. I decided to add it to this card to give it the snowy look I was going for. So, here I am breaking my rules! ha ha! I also usually don't like to add sequins, but I did add a trio of sparkling clear sequins around the sentiment.

I think they just work on this seasonal, winter design! I adhered the entire background to an A2 top-folding Vintage Cream card base using liquid glue. I did stamp an inside greeting and added a few extra berries and leaves to the inside, but I forgot to take a pictures. I am definitely trying to be more prepared and stamp the inside of my cards as I make them and not wait until I NEED them. This really came back to bite me during Christmas....I didn't even get around to stamping on the inside of many of them and I felt bad. 

Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Project Inspiration {You are Snow Loved}

Hello friends! It's my turn for the Project Inspiration features for Papertrey Ink and my first one of 2026! It has been insane around here and we have had ZERO snow for WEEKS; in fact, it's only snowed once at all! I decided to channel some snowy vibes for today's project using a variety of favorites!

I pulled out some older favorites, mixed them with the new and had a lot of fun bringing this card to life! I've made a goal for 2026 to send out at least one card a week, so this one will be fun to send (if we ever get snow).

This card comes together in six easy steps, but I will break each step down for you with detailed instructions!

Step 1: Cut an A2 panel of Spring Rain cardstock. Use the Simple Stitch Crochet-Small Stencil Collection with Spring Rain ink. Add some Blueberry Sky ink around the four corners. Add the pierced detail using the Cover Plate: Stitched Snowflakes Die. Attach it to a top-folding A2 card base.

Step 2: Cut the snowflake border from white cardstock using the Cover Plate: Let It Snow Die and attach it to the background using foam squares.

Step 3: Cut the hat pieces using the Build-a-Hat Die from Spring Rain cardstock and a few details from Vintage Cream Felt. Add some Blueberry Sky ink around the edges.

Step 4: Cut the greenery from white using the Into the Blooms: Swag Die and color the pieces with Stormy Sea and Pinefeather ink. Spritz the pieces with Hickory Smoke Distress Spritz and allow them to dry. Tuck them around the hat using foam squares.

Step 5: Heat emboss the sentiment on Blueberry Sky cardstock and white powder using the Just Sentiments: Snow Mini Stamp Set. Cut it using the Just Tags Die and attach to the hat using foam squares.

Step 6: stamp a sentiment on the inside using the Inside Greetings: Winter Wonderland Stamp Set. Add sequins, adhesive pearls, Shimmer Spray-Sparkle, and Crystal Stickles for snowy details!

It's hard for me to put away all of the Christmas stamps and dies, so it's always fun for me to keep using them in different ways until winter is over.

As I was editing these photos, I realized how cute it would have been to use the heart that is included in the hat die somewhere on the hat to reinforce the sentiment. *****ETA: I DID end up adding the heart and I love how it turned out! I added the picture at the bottom of the post.

I love the detailing that the distress spritz adds to the greenery with little effort.

I had so much fun creating this card and I hope it snows soon so it can get sent! Thanks for fluttering by!

I ripped off the snowflake from the felt pom pom and then added the heart with a foam square and reapplied the snowflake! It looks SO much better like this!

 

Project Inspiration {Merry Christmas to You and Yours}

Hello and welcome! It's my turn for the Project Inspiration feature for Papertrey Ink and today I'll be sharing step-by-step photos and directions on how I created this card. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do when Christmas crafting is over because I love making Christmas cards SO much!

I love the vintage style of this card and I hope you do, too!

Step 1: Cut a panel of Pale Peony cardstcok and hot foil it using the Fanciful Snowflakes Hot Foil Plate using Blush Glimmer Foil. Trim it down to measure 4 by 5 1/4 inches and add some Pale Peony ink to the corners using a blender brush.

Step 2: Cut the ribbons and bow using the Wrap-it Ribbons Die from Pure Poppy ink. Add Scarlet Jewel ink to the center portions of the bow and the edges of the ribbons using a blender brush. Attach to the base using foam squares and liquid glue.

Step 3: Cut and color the foliage and berries using the Into the Blooms: Swag Die from white cardstock and blender brushes. Spritz with Frayed Burlap Distress Spray and add some white acrylic paint splatter. Attach to the background using foam squares.

Step 4: Stamp the sentiment in black using the Vintage Holiday Flair Stamp Set and a stamp positioning tool; I used a mini MISTI. Leave the stamp in the MISTI while you color the letters using a red alcohol marker. Place it BACK into the MISIT and stamp it again using Versamark ink and then heat emboss it with gold powder. Cut the banner using the Vintage Holiday Flair Die from white cardstock and stamp it with Pale Peony and Scarlet Jewel ink with black ink for the sentiment. Attach to the background using foam squares.

Step 5: Add a trio of sparkling clear sequins and attach to an A2 panel of Pure Poppy cardstock. Adhere it to a white card base using liquid glue.

Step 6: Add glitter to the foliage, berries and bow using a 2-Way Glue Pen and glitter of your choice. I used Rock Candy Glitter for this card.

Some extra tips and tricks: Use foam strips for the ribbons so you can tuck the greenery in seamlessly. 

The reason why I colored the letters before I embossed them is because alcohol markers have a tendency to ruin embossing, so this is a great way to get the coloring done AND the embossing powder is a little bit thicker than the original stamping so it hides any little mistakes! (wink)

This particular card was supposed to look like a gift/present, but if you go back to step 3, I think it would look great to add other layers and use a stamped image (nutcracker, bell, tree, etc.) for the focal point rather than a sentiment.

I always use a large sequin next to a small one and then add a medium size to create a visual triangle across the card.

I chose to keep the Merry Christmas sentiment the same color as the background for a more seamless look.

I try and add glitter (especially for a winter or Christmas card) so it looks like fallen snow.

Once I was finished with this card, I couldn't help thinking it really could have used some candy canes! So....I might recreate it with some different layers like I mentioned earlier and a candy cane or two! 

Thanks for fluttering by!