Papertrey Ink October Release Countdown Day 1

Welcome to day one of the Papertrey Ink October release countdown! Things are oh, so very merry and I hope you enjoy these fabulous new products as much as I do! I have quite a bit to share with you today, so get cozy and let's dive into the projects, shall we? Up first is probably my most favorite stamp/die sets of the entire release and it's called Skating Into the Holidays! I have been wanting an ice-skate set like this for quite some time, so you can see why I'm so excited! I love the look of the skates and the ease of use with this set! I've paired it with the previously released Into the Blooms: Christmas Sprigs dies for a country Christmas feeling!

I wanted to mimic the look of skates hanging from a weathered door or a vintage sled! I was watching the Winona Ryder version of Little Women on Sunday and this card gives me those homespun vibes! I hate when Amy falls through the ice, but I love how Jo and Amy mend their quarrel after that! 

To begin this card, I die cut the skates, bow, laces, and brass "hanger" using the Skating Into the Holidays die set and then stamped them out. One tip I found to be helpful....stamp the skates from the bottom to the top for perfect placement. When I was stamping the blade portion of the skate I kept saying "toe pick".....does anyone else know what show I am referring to? Ha ha! That is another one of my favorite shows! Leave a comment with the title if you know what I am referencing! LOL!

I wanted my skates to be white, but not just stark white, so I stamped off the boot portion once using Soft Stone ink and then full strength for the detail portion! There are two bow options for the skates, but I'm particularly smitten with this big, plaid bow! I show the other option on another project so you can decided which is your favorite!

I die cut all of the pieces for the greenery using the Into the Blooms: Christmas Sprigs die and then colored them using finger daubers and assorted Distress Oxide inks. The background was created by stamping the Weathered Wood Background stamp onto a panel of Soft Stone cardstock using Weathered Wood Distress Oxide ink. I am finding that if I apply the ink to my background stamps with a brayer, I get really nice results with even coverage! I stamped the sentiment in black, which is from the new Christmas Your Way stamp set, underneath the weathered wood portion using black ink. I arranged the skates and greenery until I was happy with the arrangement. I added white puff embossing powder and glitter to really give this card some authentic snowy glisten!

My second card uses the skates again, but this time I chose Fine Linen ink for the skates using the same technique as I did on the first card. I chose a big, bold black and white bow for these skates.....I just love how it looks! The Skating Into the Holidays stamp set comes with greenery and berries to tuck up inside the skates. I'm also in love with the two sentiments that you can stamp along the bottom edge of the boot...I chose Season's Greetings for this card, but on my next card I chose Happy Holidays!

This card also features the fabulous new Border Bling: Candy Cane Frames 2....I will be showcasing the other style on two more projects today. This particular sentiment is from the new Very Merry Christmas Sentiments that will be showcased in a few days, but I couldn't resist using it on this card! It comes with a coordinating die set, which I absolutely LOVE...it just makes it easier to add a sentiment in an otherwise impossible location!

I added some glitter to the skates and the foliage for sparkle and shine!

I die cut the larges oval from the Love to Layer: Ovals and then lightly stamped the Weathered Wood Background on it using Fine Linen ink.

I layered everything onto a top-folding A2 white cardbase using liquid glue and foam squares. 

My third card using this set is more bold and I tried making some black skates this time.  As I mentioned earlier, I was watching Little Women and while their skates aren't this style, I still wanted to try something darker than white skates. 

This card features the Border Bling: Candy Cane Frames 1....more traditionally "candy cane" than the other. Also, I forgot to note: both styles come with three different sizes so you have lots of options!

I chose the "Believe" sentiment from the Christmas Your Way stamp set and tucked a few more Christmas Sprigs along the bottom!

My final project for today completely switches gears, but I LOVE how it turned out! This card features the new Fancy Snowflake Frame die and yet another sentiment from the Christmas Your Way stamp set. I pulled in some older favorites to bring this snowy design to life!

You can see the Border Bling: Candy Cane Frames 1 die in the background, but this time for a tone-on-tone look...lots of Rapberry Fizz layers on this one!

I added some Into the Blooms: Poinsettia Die to the center of the snowflake and the JOY to you and yours sentiment.

I had so much fun working on all of these cards for today! Join me again tomorrow for day 2 of the countdown...more things to fall in love with! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

The Greetery {Recollective Holiday Collection} Release Day

I'm thrilled to be here today because that means the waiting is OVER! ha ha! It's finally release day for the Recollective Holiday Collection from The Greetery! I know many of you have been chomping at the bit to get your hands on this beautiful new release! I'm sharing a bonus card with you today using a few favorites; Big Beautiful Bow, BotaniCuts Juniper, and the Plaid Tidings suite of products!

As you can see, I went full plaid with the stencils this time, AND I added some Nuvo Crystal Glaze that I was yearning for on my countdown card. I just love those dimensional, popped up, shiny letters!

I assembled my bow before I completely figured out my layout; in hindsight, I would have left the tails off until it was all put together and then had them framing the sentiment by coming off the sides of the bow, rather than trailing down. Oh well...live and learn...and make another card, right? LOL!

I used the Windowpane plaid background for a tone-on-tone look so I wouldn’t overwhelm the plaid letters. I recently bought a mini brayer, and I am finding that I am getting great results when I apply  ink to the background with the brayer.. I used to use one quite a bit back in my early days of stamping, but I definitely got out of the habit. I am really loving how evenly it applies the ink to the background so you can get a perfect image the first time you stamp. I find it particularly beneficial when I am using the windowpane plaid background because you want the lines to be straight and not to be wonkily stamped. Also, I have to admit that the door on my regular sized MISTI is not altogether sturdy right now. Two of the hinges on the top and the bottom are broken and so it has a tendency of not lining up each time I press down. When I use these large rubber background stamps, I remove the black mat, and then lay the background face up in the bed of the Misti. Once that is done, I line my paper up on top of the rubber and use washi tape to get it to stick to the lid. From there, I ink up the background, and then press the lid down as many times as I need until I get a good impression. Because my door is broken, it is proving difficult to get a nice impression if I have to stamp more than once! Yay for the brayer!!!! it is a Tim Holtz brand, and it is just the perfect size!

I added some of the holly that is included in the Plaid Tidings stamp/die set and the Juniper branches here and there for some holiday greenery. I had so much fun creating this card! Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. the entire Recollective Holiday Collection will be available for purchase beginning at 10 am ET TODAY! 

 

The Greetery (Recollective Holiday Collection} Day 3

I can't believe we're already to the third and final day of full reveals for the Recollective Holiday Collection from The Greetery! It's been so fun for me to share all of my projects with you using this amazing collection and I want to thank you for your  sweet comments! Don't forget to leave a comment here, and on each designers' blog, to be eligible to win one of two $50 gift certificates to the shop! I thoroughly enjoy reading through each and every one of your comments to see which products are "speaking" to you! Don't forget to head to The Greetery Blog for the official "meet and greet" for today's featured products!

As tradition goes, Betsy has conjured up the CUTEST treat container to fill with goodies, cash, or to be used as an ornament or to accent a package or gift card holder! Isn't this 3D hatchback just the cutest thing ever? I went with more traditional Christmas colors for my pair of cars, BUT I was super tempted to make one bright yellow because my mom drove a little yellow hatchback when we were young and one of our traditions was to drive around to the fresh Christmas tree lots until we found the "perfect" tree! I can't remember putting it on top of the hatchback, but that MUST have been what we did! ha ha! Putting a tree on top of this 3D car is a cinch using the cute Christmas Tree die that is perfectly symmetrical so by scoring, folding, and gluing, you can  have a tree ready for the top in no time! 

My green hatchback got a pair of skis on the top all covered in snow! We had record breaking snowfall in Utah last year, so for this to be accurate, I should have BURIED the car in puff snow! LOL!!! I used Marvy Uchida Liquid Applique for my realistic looking snow! These cute cars are really easy to assemble....I did experience a hiccup (ahem!) with the bottom and found out too late that I did it wrong! BUT....all is well and now I can create a whole fleet of these tiny cars (even a bright yellow one) correctly! ha ha!

My next project features the adorable new Cheer Mobile stamp/die set! Once again, I chose traditional Christmas colors for my cute car and background! To begin, I die cut all of the pieces included in the Cheer Mobile die collection and then stamped them all out. I set them aside and got to work on the background!

This card features the Christmas Sampler stencil collection, but this time I omitted most of the details from the middle so the car would have a nice place to land. I heat embossed the two sentiments, which are also included in the Cheer Mobile stamp set, using white powder on red cardstock and then die cut them using the coordinating dies. I added all of the stamped pieces using foam squares and liquid glue, tucking foliage here and there until I was happy with the arrangement. 

I had so much fun getting in the Christmas spirit creating with this gorgeous collection! Everything will be available for purchase tomorrow at 10 am ET. Thanks for fluttering by!

Angelica

Dana

Dawn

Kelly (you are here)

Laurie

Melissa

Wanda

 

The Greetery {Recollective Holiday Collection} Day 2

It's so great to be back today sharing even more inspiration for the Recollective Holiday Collection from The Greetery with full reveals for today's featured products! I have three projects to share with you today, but first, make sure you take some time to head to The Greetery Blog for the official "Meet and Greet" for today's products! Also, make sure to leave a comment here. and on each designers' blog, for a chance to be eligible to win one of two $50 gift certificates to the shop!

My first card for today picks up where I left off yesterday in terms of colors and feel. I wanted something rustic and earthy to showcase the lovely new Christmas Sampler stencil collection and the new Christmas Sampler sentiments and dies.

I love that I was able to pull in a few of the embroidery elements that were released this summer! To begin this card, I stenciled two identical panels; I set one aside to use as the background and then used the Aida Cloth Texture Plate over the top of the second panel to give it that great texture. Once that was done, I used the Hoopla Oval Inserts Die to die cut the oval shape.

I also die cut the hoop using the Hoopla Oval Die from Rustic White cardstock and then added the color using sponge daubers and Distress Oxide inks. I glued it over the top of the oval piece and then added the silver "hanger" at the top using additional liquid glue.

I layered it over the top of the background stenciled panel using foam squares for dimension, and making sure to line it up properly. Each of the included sentiments in the Christmas Sampler Sentiments stamp/die set fit perfectly in the white space. I opted to use "Peace on Earth" because the colors just seem so peaceful.

Rather than just stamping them directly onto the card, I opted to cut them out using the coordinating dies and then popping them up with foam squares. I toyed around with adding a bunch of Juniper branches, but in the end, simplicity won (who am I?) and I left it as is. I adhered it to a Kraft card base using additional foam squares for added dimension.

Now for something a little more "Merry and Bright" ha ha! Of all the products included in this release, this Plaid Tidings suite of products took me the most off-guard by sheer delight! I had SO much fun creating this card and I wanted to keep going! That being said, I can't wait to use it again!!!

I've paired the large sentiments with the oh-so-sweet Popcorn Garland that is accented with the new Peppermint bits here and there! My sweet tooth was gnawing while I was creating, I must admit! I'm not sure where it originated, but my family has a tradition of making something called "Popcorn Cake"; it's not really a cake at all, but rather a big wad of what would be a popcorn ball (with peanuts, gumdrops, gooey marshmallow) all pressed into a greased Angel Food Cake pan. My stinker brother and cousin both joked that if you swept up a movie theater and pressed it into a pan, you'd get "popcorn cake"! Gross! It's nothing like that, but rather a nostalgic, and delicious, treat that our family enjoys! But, back on topic,......the garland reminded me of that and that's why I was drooling! LOL!

Let me explain the Plaid Tidings a bit, especially since I'm so delightfully smitten by it! The suite includes the Plaid Tidings Stencil Collection, which is what I used to make the candy cane striped letters AND the green shadow. You could simply stop there, but I chose to use both the large shadow die that will die cut the ENTIRE "So Very Merry", AND the die that cuts out each individual letter. I chose this option as well for maximum depth and dimension. I used foam squares to pop up each of the letters lining them up with the shadow.

Now, you may be scratching your head thinking, "I thought she called it "Plaid Tidings"?" I opted to just make candy cane stripes by omitting some of the stencils, but by using ALL of them, you would end up with a gorgeous plaid sentiment. Hopefully that makes sense! I'm sort of obsessed with "cute" candy canes, and once I got done with this series of stencils, it just looked too cute to make plaid! ha ha! But, that's the great thing about paper, ink, and stencils....you can just keep making and making and making and never run out of possibilities!!!!

The accent sentiments "Hoping Your Christmas Is" and "& Bright" are included in the Plaid Tidings Sentiment set and allow you to create quite a few different greetings to really mix things up! I added the popcorn garland at the top and bottom of the card and accented with some of the holly images included in the sentiment set. Now, I WAS  going to add Nuvo Crystal Glaze over the top of all of the letters to give them a true candy shine, but it's been a little finicky lately (we got a cold front that came in) and it ended up cracking on one of my recent projects and I just couldn't run the risk after I had worked so hard to add the letters with foam squares! ha ha! BUT, I still want to give it a try, so when it warms up in the next few days, I think I'll attempt it! 

My third and final card for today is giving me ALL the vintage, nostalgic feels;  from the lights, the colors, and the garland! This card features the new Bright and Bubbly stamp/die set paired with the Popcorn Garland (of course;)) and a few sprigs from the Winterland stamp/die set that was showcased yesterday!

I never did have any relatives that used these lights, that I can remember, but they still give me that vintage Christmas vibe that I adore! I chose retro colors to really give it a nostalgic feeling.

Now, the stamp set does come with a "glow/shine" image, but I opted for an overall glow and used the Sparkler Background Stamp. I love how it turned out! I found a picture of an actual set of these bubble lights and used the colors from that for a realistic look.

My projects for today have really given me time to reflect on some of my favorite childhood memories of Christmas (Christmas is definitely a feeling, isn't it?) and I wish I could bottle them up and share with my kids! There's nothing quite like an old-fashioned Christmas, just like Frank Sinatra sings about, to get my heart glowing! I hope you've enjoyed today's projects and products as I've walked down memory lane! I sure love that Betsy has given us a glimpse into the recollections of her Christmases past and allow us to reflect on our own treasured memories! Stay tuned for tomorrow as we head even further down memory lane to reveal some products with tender significance to Betsy! Thanks for fluttering by!

Angelica

Dana

Dawn

Kelly (you are here)

Laurie

Melissa

Wanda

 

The Greetery {Recollective Holiday Collection} Day 1

Hello, dear friends, and welcome to day 1 of full reveals for the fabulous new Recollective Holiday Collection from The Greetery! I have been busy as a little bee creating all kinds of fun things to share with you over the next three days! You'll want to head to The Greetery Blog for the official "Meet and Greet" for each of the featured products today, but make sure to leave a comment here, and on each designers' blog, for a chance to win one of two $50 gift certificates to the shop!

My first card for today uses the cute and clever new Wrapped in Love stamp/die set! I just love how unique this set is and I'm OBSESSED with the sentiments!

I found a super cute Hallmark collection of wrapping paper that was the inspiration for today's card; sage green, white, red.....just fabulous! I absolutely love how Betsy gave us a stamp for  the inside of the wrap with the signature "hallmark" grid lines!

The Wrapped in Love die collection comes with all the little bits and bobs that you will need to bring a "wrapping scene" to life! The scissors are the cutest, and the TAPE....so cute! It's all so well thought out, don't you think? I mentioned the sentiments earlier; I opted for one that focuses on the true meaning of Christmas, but there are SO MANY to choose from! This card also features the fabulous new BotaniCuts Juniper dies!

I made a pair of tags that feature the Wrapped In Love Additions Sentiment stamp set; these are the perfect choice for tags and wraps!!!

These tags also feature the new Juniper as well!

The Wrapped in Love sentiment dies allow you to die cut the word "wrapped" and there is also one for the word "wrapping", but I didn't end up using that one for today!

The Wrapped in Love stamp set comes with quite a few different patterns for your wrapping paper rolls; I'm particularly smitten with the plaid! And can we talk about the little die cut gifts? The cutest!!!

This next pair of cards features another unique and well thought out stamp set called Comfort and Joy. Both cards also feature the new Winterland stamp/die set. 

The Comfort and Joy stamp set is a collection of sentiments that are tailored to those celebrating without a loved one during the Christmas season, BUT, there are a few that work well for regular Christmas cards as well. 

I love the different sprigs and branches included in the Winterland stamp set!

I heat embossed the sentiment in white and then die cut it using the Winterland dies. I love it when sentiments have coordinating dies!

I had a few sprigs and branches left over from my first card, so I decided to showcase a regular Christmas card that isn't necessarily "sympathy".

I do want to note that I used a fine point brown marker to add the details to the berries.

I added glitter and paint splatter for a snowy, holiday look!

I heat embossed the "sending wishes for" and "at Christmas time" sentiments directly onto the Pinefeather panel and then arranged the foliage under the "comfort and Joy sentiment. I love how the white paint splatter almost gives the illusion of pioneer enamel wear!

My final project for today uses the AMAZING new Big Beautiful Bow die set....I'm absolutely smitten! I can't believe I didn't find more projects to stick a bow on! ha ha! But just wait, I can see a whole collection of Christmas cards using the new Wrapped in Love stamp set and this bow!

I opted for something a little more winter-y and something suitable to use as a thank you card for after Christmas or for an accompaniment to a hostess gift!

I was tempted to use pattern paper for the base to mimic the look of actual wrapping paper, but feared it might look too busy, so instead, I chose to use the beautiful Pine and Berry Background Stamp that was released last year!

I added the die cut bow (very easy to assemble) using liquid glue and foam squares. and then stamped the sentiment in white ink. I also added the die cut "wrapped" sentiment for some dimension. I tucked in a few sprigs from the Winterland stamp set and a few Juniper branches! 

I absolutely adore this new collection and I hope you've enjoyed today's featured products! Join me again tomorrow for day 2 of full reveals! Don't forget to head to the other designers' blogs and leave comments there for a chance to be eligible to win one of two gift certificates!

Thanks for fluttering by!

Angelica

Dana

Dawn

Kelly (you are here)

Laurie

Melissa

Wanda