Create Along With Us

Every month as they release new products, Papertrey Ink has a "Create Along With Us" event, where they invite their customers to create a card inspired by one of the projects presented that month by the design team. I am always wowed by the work of these creative ladies and save quite a few to my Pinterest account. This month one of my saved ideas was this card by Lizzie Jones -- I like its simple repeat stamping, and the pointed cut.

I used the same To the Point die to cut kraft paper stamped in gold with Festive Berries, and added a big Big Basic Birthday Wishes die cut. Kraft color Bitty Big plaid serves as the base. Love that stuff!

PaperTrey Ink February Blog Hop Challenge

This month's inspiration piece is a pretty Spring picture. Bunnies, grass, a metal stand, pastels...

I was at a crop this weekend and didn't have my entire arsenal of products with me, but I did have the Garden Variety stamp and die set, which made a very nice embossed copper watering can filled with grass and spring flowers, as well as one of my new Brushed Birds (love these little guys), set on a Mix & Mat: Confetti mat, and a sentiment from Cutaway Tags: Spring on a Banner Style die. Whew! I sure made good use of some of my PTI goodies this weekend!

And I got home in time to unload my car (no small task), and post this entry to the blog hop.

PTI Anniversary Challenge #2

Papertrey Ink is celebrating its 11th anniversary to coincide with its February release, and as they do every year, there are lots of challenges. This one is to use at least one Papertrey product, and transform a project already done into something else.

I chose to transform a card I made recently as part of a Make It Monday challenge using reinkers and baby wipes.

I wanted to try a different idea from the same technique video, rolling up the baby wipe to make rosebuds. Can't say mine exactly look like rosebuds, but with a few leaves, you can use your imagination. :-) I used the same Mix & Mat: Herringbone, and a different saying, Quoted: Right Moment, stamped in black and clear heat embossed for a little shine. This time I used a trellis embossing folder instead of arrows, and the effect I was going for was more feminine instead of rather masculine.

This was another fun challenge!

PaperTrey January Blog Hop Challenge

I enjoy participating in the monthly PTI blog hop when I can. This month's inspiration piece had a party theme.

Pretty, but it didn't suggest any ideas to me. I need birthday cards this month, so I forged ahead, playing with and discarding one idea after another. Pastels, sprinkles, cake, white. I just couldn't get happy with anything. Eventually I cut a Mix & Mat: Flourishes from vellum, white heat embossed a cake on it, colored it from the back with my Real Brush markers, stamped a sentiment from Boutique Borders, and then let it sit a couple days while I contemplated what to do next. How to adhere it? How to add a bit more color? It wasn't until I was sorting some scraps that I discovered a piece of Bitty Big dots that I had cut a stitched rectangle from. And guess what! I could cut around the edges and turn it into a frame that was the perfect size. Problem solved. Glue under the frame, and the dots complement the sprinkles theme and add some color.

Sometimes a project (or any problem!) just has to sit for a few days until the answer reveals itself!

PTI Create Along With Us

PaperTrey Ink hosts a monthly Create Along With Us challenge on the reveal day of each new release. The idea is to use one of their sample projects as inspiration for one of your own. Michelle Leone made this pretty card using the latest Quoted stamp, and some bitty big paper.




I made my own version, using a prior Quoted stamp, and some Aqua Mist Bitty Big paper. I like the design so much, I'm sure I will be doing something similar with the entire Quoted series as well as other stamps that will fill the center.

PTI Make It Monday

This week's challenge is faux stained glass. The idea is to color vellum from the back, directly behind a die-cut design. It is then lifted on two thicknesses of fun foam for a stained glass effect. Mine made a nice card, and a masculine one at that, but I flopped in the stained glass department.

I only have one layer of fun foam. I had forgotten that fun foam stretches somewhat when you die cut it, so the stars didn't perfectly match up. I had to shave slivers off the edges, and actually cut across in two places to remove a little material before it would match up with the cardstock. The second layer of foam didn't improve the stained glass effect any, so I gave up and called it good with just one.

PaperTrey November Blog Hop Challenge

I'm participating in the November blog hop at Papertrey Ink, and just look what a pretty table setting we have for our inspiration piece this month.

My eye picked up on the plaid napkin, the gold word and the fruit cluster, and I tinkered around until I made this:

The plaid shape was cut with Mix & Mat: Pretty Brackets; the gold word is my good old standby, Wet Paint, and the harvest cluster is from Quilted: Autumn. You can't tell from the photo, but the harvest cluster was touched with clear Wink of Stella, and the acorns were covered with Glossy Accents (which made them appear a different color in the photo, but they are actually smooth and shiny). A piece of Tim Holtz ribbon was dyed with Antique Linen ink and tied it around the mat.