Inspired By...Cacti {Thanks for sticking by me}

Happy Valentine's Day, friends! I'm not sharing a Valentine's Day design with you today, but I WILL be a busy little Cupid later today delivering all kinds of Valentine's Day cheer to friends, family, and school faculty! I hope you all have a wonderful day filled with love! Today there is a fabulous new Inspired By Challenge featuring a little love and cacti!

Isn't this a fabulous inspiration photo? I was really inspired by the crinkly sacks that the cacti are in as well as the cacti themselves. I really love the colors of the cacti and the way the light is shining on them. 

To begin my card, I used the Next Level Geometric Embossing Folder to create the pattern and dimension on the Kraft cardstock. This was as close as I could get to the color of the paper bags in the photo. Once that was done, I mixed some black acrylic paint with some water on a clear stamping block and used a thin pointed paintbrush to make spatters across the piece.

I set that aside to dry while I worked on the pot of cacti. I used one of my favorite, but recently neglected, stamp sets from SugarPea Designs called Stuck On You. I love all of the punny sentiments as well as the array of succulents and cacti. I chose to use the one with lots of prickles since those are the ones that are featured in the inspiration photo. I chose a sage green that was as close to the color in the photo. The pot is stamped to appear to look like Terracotta.

Once I had all of the pieces stamped, I used the coordinating Stuck On You SugarCuts to die cut them. The sentiment is stamped in black and is one that is included in the Stuck On You stamp set. I adhered that to the card by using foam squares. I arranged the pot and cacti above the sentiment using foam squares as well. 

The entire piece is adhered to a white A2 card base using ScorTape. The embossed edges need a little something extra to get them to stick. I added a trio of sparkling clear sequins for some shine. I resisted and didn't add any shimmer spray! LOL! I had so much fun creating this simple design! I hope you get a chance to play along with us this week! Thanks for fluttering by!

SugarPea Designs February Release Day 4

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you all have a wonderful day! Nothing says "Valentine's Day" quite like an Easter card, but here we are! LOL! I hope you've been enjoying the sneak peeks of all of the fun new goodies! I'm smitten with today's products and you're sure to fall in love as well! I was thinking to myself that this has been the release of difficult to photograph cards! LOL! I don't know if it is the gloomy winter light, or what, but I have really been struggling! This design was a little tricky because I used metallic paper that often causes glare problems! However, before I dive into the details of my card, make sure you "hop" along to the rest of the designer's blogs as well (pun intended)!

Amy Kolling Lea Lawson Jeanne Jachna Kelly Lunceford Kerin Sylvester Raluca Vezeteu Simonne Clay Stéphanie Beauchemin Tatiana Trafimovich Vera Yates

To begin this design, I painted a piece of watercolor paper using pink pearl watercolor. I used the same technique that I used on THIS card. I added some blue so that I could get some purple tones as well. Once it was dry, I used the Card Front Element Builders to die cut the scalloped edge. I used the new Egg Window SugarCut to die cut the middle. I saved the  die cut piece and used it to create a second card that you can see further in today's post. The bunny is die cut out of metallic silver specialty paper that I picked up at Hobby Lobby. I stacked it a few times using liquid glue onto some white die cuts. I also added a white pom pom to the tail for some whimsy. The Easter die cut was constructed using the same steps.

This is the card that uses the piece that I removed from the watercolored piece used in the card above. I love when you get a 2 for 1 option when die cutting. The sentiment is from the new Easter Wishes stamp set and is heat embossed in silver.

 

I added a white pom pom to this bunny's tail as well and added a few sparkling clear sequins for shine. I had so much fun working on these two designs! Thanks for fluttering by!

SugarPea Designs February Release Day 3 {I could just SQUEEZE you!}

 Welcome to Day 3 of the SugarPea Designs February release sweet peeks! Have you enjoyed days 1 and 2? I want to thank you for all of your sweet comments! They truly brighten my day and I love hearing from you! Today the team is showcasing a darling set called Tutti Frutti that is just bursting with possibilities! I've created a card that is "fruit cocktail" inspired in color and feel! You'll want to check out how the rest of the designer's blogs as well to see the creative ways that they have used this set. The sentiment possibilities are endless with this new set!

Amy Kolling Lea Lawson Jeanne Jachna Kelly Lunceford Kerin Sylvester Raluca Vezeteu Simonne Clay Stéphanie Beauchemin Tatiana Trafimovich Vera Yates

I have two designs to share with you today so make sure you scroll to the end of the post to see the other card. To begin this card, I did some ink blending using Distress Oxide inks; Twisted Citron, Squeezed Lemonade, Spun Sugar, and Worn Lipstick. After I had it blended, I die cut it using theEyelet CoverPlate. The die cut pattern reminded me of fruit seeds, which pairs perfectly with this design. 

I kept the dies all connected and ran them through my die cut machine a few times so that I could get a lot of fruit. I didn't have an idea in mind when I was creating the fruit, but I knew I wanted to stamp each of the pieces to get a feel for how they look. I had such a fun time stamping them all using my Mini MISTI. 

I die cut the circles using the Zig Zag Stitched Circles SugarCuts and then layered the individual fruit pieces using foam squares. I left one circle blank so that I could stamp the customized sentiment; I think it is perfect for this design. I added a sparkling clear rhinestone or two to each of the pieces of fruit for some sparkle and shine. I also spritzed it with Shimmer Spray after I took the photographs. I learned my lesson with my record card yesterday! LOL! 

My second card is VERY simple, but I added a few special touches here and there. Since I had stamped so much fruit, I had a lot of pieces of each individual fruit available, so I thought it would be fun to make this "perfect pear" card. I used the Card Front Element Builder SugarCuts for the Kraft and Green panel. I did some ink blending using Distress Ink. Once it was blended, I used the heart from the Postage Stamp SugarCuts to create the heart focal piece. I die cut some white hearts and stacked them all together. The sentiment is stamped onto a strip of Kraft cardstock and nestled behind the pair of pears! I added a few sequins as well. Thanks for fluttering by!

SugarPea Designs February Release Day 2 {You're a Classic}

Welcome to Day 2 of the SugarPea Designs Spring release! There are so many fun new products that you're sure to fall in love with! Did you like yesterday's sneak peeks? I thought the team did a great job showcasing the new sets, but like I mentioned yesterday, I sure haven't had my fill! I am in LOVE with the new goodies being showcased today, and I hope you do, too!  Before I dive into the details of today's card, here is the list of the other designers and links to their blogs for additional inspiration!

Amy Kolling Lea Lawson Jeanne Jachna Kelly Lunceford Kerin Sylvester Raluca Vezeteu Simonne Clay Stéphanie Beauchemin Tatiana Trafimovich Vera Yates

I am head-over-heels in love with this new set called Greatest Hits. It is so much fun and so versatile with all of the fun sentiments and images! I can see myself reaching for this one again and again! It will be perfect for those pesky masculine cards that sometimes give us trouble! I will be sharing a few designs with feminine twists here and there as well, so stay tuned!

To begin my card, I used the new Concentric Circles stencil to sponge some ink onto a turquoise blue panel measuring 4 by 5 1/4 inches. Once that was done, I dry embossed the design from the new Musical Coverplate onto the panel. It gives it just the right amount of detail without overwhelming the design. Some of the other designers have die cut it on some amazing designs, so make sure you check those out.

Once the turquoise panel was sponged and embossed, I set it aside to get to work on the records, then sentiment strip and the record player needles. I wanted a bright and colorful card, so I made all of the circles out of rainbow colors and stamped the sentiments in black. The smaller records don't have sentiments, so I left those blank, which is perfect so that it didn't look too busy.  I used the coordinating Greatest Hits SugarCuts to die cut everything. The needles are die cut out of brushed silver specialty paper for realism. I used silver brads to secure through the holes for some added detail. 

The sentiment is heat embossed in silver and attached over a piece of vellum that is wrapped around the turquoise base using foam squares. I spritzed the entire piece using Shimmer Spray. I really should have waited to do this after I photographed it, especially with the black paper, but I was just too excited! LOL! It looks awesome in real life. I added some white colored pencil to the records to enhance the shine. Debbie Olsen did this recently and it looked incredible, so I want to give her the credit!  She is amazing! I had so much fun on this design! Thanks for fluttering by!

SugarPea Designs February Release Day 1 {Oh happy day}

Hello and welcome to Day 1 of the SugarPea Designs February release! I'm so excited for all of the amazing new products that are being showcased this week! To start things off, the team is showing two AMAZING sets; Elephant Parade and Balloon Numbers! Both of these are, in my opinion, must-haves for any collection!

 Isn't this new graphic so cute? I love all of these sweet critters and how they interact so well together. You won't want to miss out on what the rest of the team has come up with, so make sure you head to their blogs as well! You won't be disappointed!

Amy Kolling Lea Lawson Jeanne Jachna Kelly Lunceford Kerin Sylvester Raluca Vezeteu Simonne Clay Stéphanie Beauchemin Tatiana Trafimovich Vera Yates

I'm just going to warn you now that you'll be seeing a lot more of these cuties in the near future. I wanted to make a million more cards using these sets, but I needed to use the other new sets.  Of course then when I use the next new set I feel the exact same way! LOL! Anyway, I guess what I am trying to say is that I LOVE this release and I can't wait to share more ideas with you using these fun new products!

To begin today's design, I stamped the elephant and all of his accessories and friends using black ink. I colored them using Copic markers. I used the new coordinating Elephant Parade SugarCuts to die cut everything. I added some Wink of Stella here and there to a few of the stamped images. I wanted my card to have a CAS feel, but with a few special details.

I made the mistake of stamping the "oh happy day" sentiment AFTER I added the elephant and got the first one all inky! Ugh! Oh well, this cutie is so easy to color that I had a new one done in a snap! I had so much fun setting this fun party scene. I stamped the balloon string, which is from the  new Balloon Numbers set, directly onto the white panel. The "HB2U" balloon is stamped, die cut and then added to the card using foam squares. Once all of the pieces were in place, I added some glossy accents to the ball and the balloon. The balloon also has a sprinkling of glitter.

The focal panel is layered onto a piece of gray cardstock that has been die cut using the Postage Stamp SugarCuts. I love the extra detail that it adds to this simple design. I layered that onto a red A2 card base for an extra pop of color. A few sequins finish off this design. Please stop by again tomorrow for Day 2 of the release! I'm excited about that one, too! Thanks for fluttering by!

Hello little Chick!

Hello! Today a few of the Papertrey Ink gals are sharing some fun creations using the Huggables: Bunny and Chick Mini Stamp Set and dies. I recently bought these and was so excited to put them to use! This little chick reminds me of Witzy from Suzy's Zoo and holds a dear place in my heart because of my oldest son who is now 18! I couldn't resist using her to dress up these easy handmade treat sacks, which I will share how to make today! Also, don't forget to head to the Papertrey Ink Blog to see what the other designer's have come up with! 

I made three treat sacks/huggable chicks in total. I had accidentally bought a three pack of "Spring" Chapstick when I was getting ideas for THIS project. I didn't realize the flavors were Jelly Bean, Peaches and Cream, and Cotton Candy! Spring seemed a million miles away when I bought them,  yet here I am putting them to use! LOL! Anyway, they are just the perfect thing for these sweet little chicks to be hugging! My mom always gave us the best things in our Easter baskets growing up and Spring-y lip balm was always a given!

To begin, I die cut all of the pieces for the chicks and got to work stamping the eyes and assembling the wings and bodies. I also die cut the eggs and used Copic markers to add the color. Each egg is die cut twice and glued together for stability. I really love all of the etched detail that the die cut provides, but it leaves them feeling a little flimsy. On a card, that would be fine, but since they are embellishments on these projects, I needed them to have extra durability. I attached the wings to the back of the base using Scor Tape. I used a foam square AND  a mini glue dot to secure the wings together so they could hold the chapstick. It slides in easily, but there is quite a bit of pressure and I didn't want them to come apart. The egg is also attached with a foam square and glue dot for security.

The treat sacks are so easy and fun to make! I used Bitty Big: Pink Posey pattern paper in each of the three different prints; large polka dots, small stripes, and large plaid. You could use the opposite side depending on your needs. One of the reasons why I like using double-sided pattern paper is because it looks cute from the inside, too! I didn't make a template for this sack but I will share the measurements and it folds and assembles EXACTLY like the one I shared for THIS project. It just has different measurements.  The sides measure 1 1/2, the front and back measure 2 1/2. The bottom is scored at 1 1/2 as well. The height is roughly 6 1/4 inches. That does NOT include the extra 1 1/2 inches you will need for the bottom. Hopefully that makes sense. If you look at the template on the project linked above it should help.

I always use Scor Tape to secure my 3D projects. I have an assembly tip for you as well. If you are working ahead for the holiday, like I am today, and you don't have any treats or candy inside of these yet, just simply add a strip of Scor Tape to the bottom, but don't remove the release paper. This way you can still tie them up with ribbon and tags, and then just fill them from the bottom. I just used a small piece of scotch tape to secure them for photography purposes. I do this a lot for DT projects since they are usually done long before the actual holiday rolls around! LOL! Also, If you don't have space to store 3D projects, but want to get a head start, just cut, score, and fold everything, add the Scor Tape without removing the release paper and store them flat in a box or folder. I did this last year with THIS project if you'd like to see what I am talking about.

 I used the XO Skinny Mini Tags dies to die cut the tags and then heat embossed the sentiment in white. The tag was too long and would cover up the chick, so I just cut it shorter for today's project. I pinched the bag together and used my crop-a-dile to punch two holes to thread the Aqua Mist 5/8 inch Saddle Stitch Ribbon and tied it in a bow. The tag is attached to the ribbon using Button Twine. I also attached a Hawaiian Shores button to the tag using a mini glue dot. I hope you've enjoyed today's project and as always, please, please, please, leave me a comment if you don't understand my instructions. I know we all process and learn differently, so I understand if things don't make sense! Thanks for fluttering by!

Papertrey Ink Design Team Tips {Offset Gatefold Cards}

Hello, Friends! I'm so happy to be here today sharing this week's Papertrey Ink Design Team Tips! Do you ever feel like you get stuck in a design rut? I know I do! For today's Design Team Tips, I'm sharing an easy way to create visual movement on your cards using an offset gate fold card! Not only does it create visual interest, but with its unique fold, it gives the recipient a bit of the unexpected as well! 

 I will be sharing all of the measurements that  I used for today's cards as well as instructions on  how I put them together.  They are so easy to assemble, you'll be whipping out a whole set in no time! To begin, I chose a bright and springy color combination that I thought would help us remember that no matter how cold it is TODAY, Spring really will come! LOL! I chose Enchanted Evening and Green Parakeet for the two card bases. The base of the offset gate fold card measures 8 by 5 1/2 inches. The small flap on the right side measures 1 1/4 inches and the large flap on the left side measures 2 1/2 inches. This will leave a small gap between the two flaps.

This gives you a nice visual of how the card looks underneath. I used a 4 by 5 1/2 inch piece of Bitty Big: Harvest Gold pattern paper to place inside the card. This gives just a little peek-a-boo from the front and gives the card some extra visual detail. If you don't like that aspect, you could always just do some stamping along this portion, or leave it blank depending on the theme and feel you want your card to have. I was going for a playful and fun spring-like card, so polka dots were the perfect choice. 

I chose to use one of my favorite stamp sets; Friendly Flowers for this pair of cards. I used the Friendly Flowers die cut and the Friendly Flower Extras dies to die cut  all of the pieces I needed and then got to work stamping them. I used my mini MISTI to make it go quicker.  The ink colors that I used are: Hibiscus Burst, Harvest Gold, Pale Peony, Green Parakeet, and New Leaf. 

 I just love the subtle detail that the Nesting Basics Pierced Rectangles dies add to my designs. You can see how I added it to the edges of the card flaps. I don't use buttons nearly as much as I used to, or nearly as much as I OUGHT to, but they just seemed fitting for today's designs. I attached some Enchanted Evening Buttons using mini glue dots to the centers of the large flowers. I also added some sparkling clear sequins to the centers of the small flowers for some shine.

The sentiments, which are both from the Friendly Flowers set, are heat embossed in white onto strips of cardstock. I used the end of one of the XO Skinny Mini tag dies to give it the notched look. Normally I just use my scissors, but I really wanted them to have nice finished edges. I arranged the flowers and leaves in a zig zag pattern to create the movement I wanted using foam squares.

I decided that I wanted the card to have a white background, so I added the entire gate fold card to a white base. This is not folded or anything, just a backer to give the card a little bit of contrast. You will want to be careful, if you add this, to make sure that your card can still open and that the white portion won't impede any movement from the overhanging embellishments. The leaves on the right side of my card simply fold behind it when it is opened, but I didn't make the pink portion quite long enough, so it catches a little bit. Also, you will have plenty of room to stamp or write your greeting inside, but be sure you don't stamp or write in the gap. I hope you've enjoyed today's Design Team Tips. As always, if you have ANY questions, please leave me a comment and I will get back to you! Thanks for fluttering by!