December 2011 Papertrey Blog Hop!

Hello, Blogland! I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. We weren't able to travel this year, but we had a wonderful time at home with a small group of friends and a table piled high with delicious food. My fella really knows his way around a pot of black beans (I'm just sayin'). This vegetarian is truly thankful for that skill at this time of year!


Anyhow...I really wanted to participate in this month's Blog Hop, so I whipped up this little ditty recently. In keeping with the inspiration photo I stuck with a fairly traditional red and green color scheme. I stamped the wreath branches with Dark Chocolate ink and then added the "foliage" in Spring Moss and Ripe Avocado. I turned the dotted stamp 180* before stamping the second time to make sure the spacing would look random and more realistic.


The white polka dots were heat embossed on the Pure Poppy strip using ultra fine white embossing powder and then the red was mounted to a strip of white cardstock to give the edges a nice definition. I set that whole bit aside while I stamped my sentiment and ran my card front through the Cuttlebug with an impression plate.

Once the card front and the polka dotted strip were adhered to the card base I cut and knotted a strip of Ripe Avocado Saddle Stitched Ribbon and wrapped that around the entire card, hiding the ends under the wreath panel. I prefer the way that looks over cutting ribbon at the edges of a card, for some reason. Yes, I use more ribbon, but it feels more finished to me. Truly just a preference thing.

The final step was adding the little silk bow to the wreath. I didn't have any 1/4" silk ribbon laying around, so I took white and colored it with a Sharpie. Voila! I haven't jumped on the Copic train, but the handful of Sharpies I own certainly comes in handy sometimes!

Well that's all for me today. I hope you've enjoyed today's card. Have fun hopping!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Spring Moss, Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink; white
Stamps: Wreath for All Seasons, Stocking Prints, Polka Dot Basics - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow, Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Ribbon: Ripe Avocado Saddle Stitched, 1/4" silk - Papertrey Ink
Tools: Linen/Canvas Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Nesting Circles Dies - Quickutz
Other: Embossing Powder - Filigree; Foam Adhesive - Scotch

Who's Up for A Cocoa?

Hello, Blogland! It's been awhile since I'd had the time or a project to post, so I wanted to share this card just as soon as I made it. I've been immersed in a Christmas wonderland this week. I have all of my red, green, silver, and white embellishments arranged all pretty-like on a dessert display right in the middle of my workbench. The inspiration seems to be working! I'll do the same with other thematic embellishments when I work on other holiday cards here in the next week or so.


Anyway, enough yammering! On to the card. I pulled out my Candy Cane Christmas stamp set along with a sentiment from Fillable Frames #9 and a couple of my linear background builders to put this little number together. I stamped the patterned paper using Faux Ribbon and Background Basics: Retro. I absolutely love the way it turned out! I've done this with other colors on cards in the past, but this arrangement of colors might be my favorite.

I stamped my mug in Aqua Mist and decked it out with both a peppermint stick and an itty bitty holly sprig. Doesn't it just look so festive?! I mounted the mug to a Half & Half die cut strip with foam adhesive. Then that whole piece was mounted with more foam tape to the base. One little thing I wanted to point out was the ribbon/string treatment. I love bows on cards, but I realize that bulky bows aren't the easiest things to mail. I get around that by using a strip of ribbon and then adding a bow with embroidery floss/twine/jute/etc. over the top. I still get my bow, but it's significantly easier to mail (which is especially important when I'm making cards to be mailed by someone else).

Hope you enjoyed today's card! Have a great weekend!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Kraft - Papertrey Ink; White
Stamps: Faux Ribbon, Background Basics: Retro, Candy Cane Christmas, Fillable Frames #9 - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Pure Poppy, Ripe Avocado, Dark Chocolate, Aqua Mist - Papertrey Ink
Other: Ripe Avocado Saddle Stitched Ribbon, Half & Half Dies, Candy Cane Christmas Dies - Papertrey Ink; Frosted Lace Stickles - Ranger; Red embroidery floss - DMC; Holly Punch - Punch Bunch; Rhinestones - Darice; Foam Tape - Scotch

2012 Calendars Now Available

Hello Blogland! I know it's been awhile since I've posted, but it's not for lack of productivity. Most of what I've been doing lately is graphic design oriented rather than greeting card driven. I typically only post the card making projects here, but I thought I'd share this year's calendars since they've been such a big reason for my absence. It's also the first time I've branched out and done a wall calendar, so I am excited to share that as well.

First up is the desktop version.


I decided to go simple with this year's desktop calendar since I was committed to doing a wall calendar, too. Each month has the same swag of banners with different colors. I've used this motif on other projects in the past and it just felt like a fun direction for the calendar.



These are HERE in my Etsy shop, at Celebrate Local (at Easton Town Center), or you can find me at shows in and around Columbus. They'll be at Wholly Craft in the next couple of weeks, too.

And here is the wall calendar!


I illustrated a different object or scene from nature for each month. The finished size is 6" x 9" so it's small enough that it won't take up an overwhelming amount of space, but it still packs a colorful punch with each page being a full-color illustration. I also decided to invest in a binding tool because the only color my local office supply stores would use was black. So they're all me from the design and printing through to the binding. I'm really not sure which month is my favorite. How about you?




These are also available in my Etsy shop HERE and the same stocking information applies.

Thank you for stopping by today and taking a peek at how I've been keeping myself occupied. I really hope to be making cards again in the near future. In fact, I think tomorrow is Papertrey's blog hop, so maybe I'll get a project together and participate. Fingers crossed! Either way, have a great afternoon and I'll see you again soon!

I'm sorry to say that someone has taken the opportunity to be rude and totally disrespectful through the comments of my blog (choosing, in fact, to add their disrespect to the post in which I discuss the passing of my grandmother...nice), so for the time being I am going to turn on the comment moderation function. I'm sorry if that means someone with a good heart decides not to leave a comment. Have a nice day.

A Sympathy Bouquet

Hello, Blogland! This weekend was a whole lot of fun, but I'm tuckered so I hope you don't mind if I keep this short.

Earlier this summer my grandmother passed away and I noticed a few things at the time. No one ever likes to have an occasion to make sympathy cards. I don't even know anyone that likes to buy them, but they are an unfortunate necessity and I'm more comfortable having a few on had for those moments when they're needed. So I plan to challenge myself to make a sympathy card once in awhile, just in case.


I used Larger Than Life for the focal image on this card. I feel like there are certain situations in which simpler is most certainly better, and sympathy cards fit into that category for me. So to make today's card I started by stamping one of the branches twice and adding in small flowers from the set. I then tied a simple bow around the panel with Rustic Jute Button Twine and embellished the flowers with just a touch of dimensional paint. The paint adds just a little luster without making the card flashy.


Next, I made the base from Kraft stamped with Background Basics Woodgrain and watermark ink. I wanted to tie in the blue flowers again, so I die cut a strip of Spring Rain cardstock with the Victorian Lace Border Die and adhered it along the left side of the card base. I mounted the floral focal panel with foam tape over the decorative strip and added a sentiment to finish it off.

I hop you like today's card and I hope you'll join me in challenging yourself to have a few tough-to-make cards on hand. I feel like I'm better prepared already. Have a good day and I'll see you next time.

Recipe:
Stamps: Larger than Life, Background Basics: Woodgrain, Birds of a Feather - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Kraft, Spring Rain - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Spring Rain, Spring Moss, Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Victorian Lace Border Die, Rustic Jute Button Twine - Papertrey Ink; dimensional paint; foam tape

You Scream, I Scream...

Hello! It's been a busy week here at the Jones residence. This weekend is a fun outdoor festival that I've participated in the past few years and I'm really looking forward to it, but it will keep me occupied most of the weekend (in one form or another) so I wanted to take a moment to post today.


Who doesn't love ice cream, huh? Sweet treats are always appreciated on special occasions, making this little cone perfect for a birthday card. I started by stamping the polka dot pattern in white ink on Kraft cardstock. All you have to do to get the pattern is stamp the largest polka dot from the original Polka Dot Basics set and fill in the spaces with the next largest dot. Super simple, but it's a nice variation on the standard pattern. I then hand stitched around the perimeter of the panel with embroidery floss. I would use my sewing machine if I weren't afraid of it. I'm much better with my own two hands. Once that was finished I adhered it to a white base and set the whole thing aside.


Next I die cut the Half & Half strip and the ice cream cone pieces. The cone itself was then stamped with one of the patterned strips from the Half & Half stamp set while the scoop was given a sprinkle treatment using the dots topper from Cupcake Collection. The sprinkles were embellished with Stickles and allowed to dry before stitching on a button. The cone components and the Half & Half strip were then added to the polka dotted layer on the card front.


Finally I did the sentiment strip. I started by cutting a piece of Berry Sorbet cardstock and scoring a line about 3/16" from the top and bottom edges. Next I stamped the sentiment with white ink and heat embossed using white detail powder. That strip was then mounted with foam tape just under the ice cream cone.

Well that's it for me today. Have a great weekend and if you're in the area come on by and say hello at Independents' Day!

Recipe:
Stamps: Half & Half, Polka Dot Basics, Cupcake Collection, Up, Up, and Away - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Kraft, Berry Sorbet - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Half & Half Dies, Sweet As Can Be Dies, Berry Sorbet Button - Papertrey Ink; Embroidery Floss - DMC; Embossing Powder - Filigree; foam tape

Thinking of You

Hello, Blogland! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. It was one of my only show-less weekends for awhile, so I enjoyed it as much as possible.


Today's card is just a little "thinking of you" number. I started by stamping the newsprint background onto a piece of white cardstock cut just smaller than my base. Then I die cut a frame using the Mat Stack 4 and Fillable Frames #7 dies. I ran that through the Cuttlebug with the Woodgrain Impression Plate and placed it on the white layer to see how much space I had for the sentiment. I stamped the "thinking of you" in Dark Chocolate ink and then adhered the white layer to the card base. I then wrapped the ribbon and perle cotton around the base and secured them with Scor-tape. The frame was mounted with foam tape over those ends to hide them cleanly away.


Next I die cut and stamped the mug. Before mounting the mug I stamped the steam swirl using Spring Rain ink that had been stamped off once. That gave me just enough color to see the steam while keeping it transparent enough to be realistic. The mug was added (two layers of foam tape to give it extra dimension) and the steam swirls were embellished with flocking. A little extra texture never hurt anyone (especially if it was flocking! - guffaw).

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a wonderful week!

Recipe:
Stamps: Warm Happiness, Warm Happiness Too, Background Basics: Newsprint, Pond Life - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Spring Moss, Enchanted Evening - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Spring Rain, Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink
Other: Spring Rain Saddle Stitched Ribbon, Mat Stack 4 Die, Fillable Frames #7 Die, Woodgrain Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Dark Brown Perle Cotton - DMC; foam tape

Poppy Birthday!

Greetings! I hope everyone is having a lovely week. Thank you all for the anniversary well wishes. We had a lovely day together. We went on a zip line tour (10 lines! still a tiny bit sore from that, by the way), went to dinner, and then came home and watched an old movie. Not a bad day at all. Anyway, to continue with the anniversary theme we have going this week I thought today I'd share a cheerful birthday card made using this year's anniversary set from Papertrey Ink.


This anniversary set is quickly becoming one of my favorites! The handwriting-style font paired with the relatively traditional block serif are such a fun combination. And the grouped poppies are simple and lovely. Anyhow, I started by stamping the poppies and sentiment on a piece of white cardstock. I love the way drawn frames give a ground to the images they surround, but I'm not always such a fan of the stark contrast that often results. So my solution was to score a frame around my poppies. I love how it still gives the boundaries, but it's super subtle. I matted that white panel with a piece of Spring Moss cardstock and set it aside.


Next I cut a card front from Terra Cotta Tile cardstock and stamped the Tin Types background with a little watermark ink. Once that was adhered to a white base, I wrapped the entire card with Rustic Jute Button Twine and mounted my poppy panel overtop with foam tape. The card still needed a little something, so I stamped a couple of extra poppies and added them to the main image panel with foam tape.

Thanks for checking in today. Have a wonderful weekend! See you soon!

Recipe:
Stamps: Botanical Silhouettes, Background Basics: Tin Types - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Terra Cotta Tile, Spring Moss - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Melon Berry, Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Rustic Jute Button Twine - Papertrey Ink; foam tape

Thankful

Today is the eighth anniversary of the day I married my fella. He's pretty swell, that guy. We've been through a lot over the past decade, but we've learned and loved and become stronger for all of it. So today's card is, appropriately, a thank you card.


Sean, thank you for loving me, and holding my hand, and showing me how tough I can be when necessary. I adore you and I can't wait to see where life takes us.

Recipe:
Stamps: Iconic Images (special edition - not for sale), 2009 Autumn Tags, Faux Ribbon, Background Basics: Retro - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Kraft - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Spring Rain, Spring Moss, Lemon Tart, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Other: Half & Half Dies, Canvas Impression Plate, Rustic Jute Button Twine - Papertrey Ink; light blue ribbon - May Arts; foam tape; button

Fly Away Birthday

Hello, Blogland! Today I wanted to share a card that plays along with the most recent Make It Monday challenge from Papertrey Ink. This week's challenge was to create a project using colored pencils as the coloring medium (instead of, say, Copics or watercolors or something). Well, anyone that has spent any time around here knows how much I love my Prismacolor pencils, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to participate.


Today's card is a more masculine birthday card that uses the Fly Away and Half & Half Papertrey sets. I love that little airplane image! And the Half & Half stamps and dies seem to keep finding their way into my projects recently. Anyway, I started with my base on this card. First I cut a piece of Spring Rain cardstock just smaller than my white base. I stamped it with the birthday sentiment (from Rhythm & Soul) and ran it through the Cuttlebug with the Canvas impression plate. Next I die cut two of the roundy ended Half & Half strips and stamped them with the coordinating stamp from the set in Pure Poppy ink. I adhered those to the Spring Rain layer and used my anywhere hole punch and eyelet setter to pop on a couple of navy blue eyelets. I tied gray baker's twine through the holes (which looks a little wonky in the photo, sorry) and adhered that entire panel to the white base.


Next I worked on the airplane. I die cut the shape first and stamped and colored second. My first attempt didn't exactly go as planned. I had originally wanted to color the entire plane with pencils and mineral spirits, but when I used the mineral spirits with the dark blue pencil the color changed in a way I wasn't thrilled about. So I started over, deciding this time to only use the mineral spirits with the silver pencil on the propeller. It took awhile to get the color built up in a way I liked, but eventually I was happy with the shading. I generally like to lay color down lightly (easy to add, not so easy to take away) so it can sometimes take a little longer. I also ended up liking the texture the pencil gave the airplane. It seemed to fit nicely with the canvas impression on the Spring Rain layer.



To round the whole card off I die cut a circle and stamped it with the clouds from Up, Up, and Away and mounted that and the airplane itself to the card front with foam tape.

I hope you've enjoyed today's card. See you all again soon!

Recipe:
Stamps: Fly Away, Half & Half, Rhythm & Soul, Up, Up, and Away - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Spring Rain - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Smoky Shadow, Pure Poppy, Enchanted Evening, Spring Rain - Papertrey Ink
Dies: Half & Half, Fly Away - Papertrey Ink
Other: Canvas Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Oyster Baker's Twine - Divine Twine; Navy Eyelets - Making Memories; Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; foam tape; eyelet setter and anywhere hole punch; mineral spirits

In the Weeds

Anyone that has worked in the restaurant industry (and probably other industries, too) is familiar with the phrase "In the weeds." You know...when you're super busy and falling a little behind. Well, this past week I was a little in the weeds, so I didn't post. Sorry about that. I'm really trying to get better. Cross my heart.

Anyway, in keeping with the "weeds" theme I thought I'd share a little number I put together this week that features the dandelion image from Papertrey's 2010 Anniversary set. I'm a big fan of dandelions and I was so happy when I finally found time to get this image onto a card.


I started by stamping a Kraft base with polka dots in Fresh Snow ink. Then I trimmed out a piece of Harvest Gold cardstock and die cut the edge with the Edger #1 die. I scored two parallel lines and tied a piece of ribbon between them. I really like using score lines to define a strip of ribbon like this. It just adds such a nice, crisp detail. That whole piece was then mounted to the base using foam tape.

Next, I cut a piece of white cardstock and stamped my dandelion foliage twice (once with Spring Moss ink and a second time with Ripe Avocado ink). The two colors of ink give the leaves and stems nice depth and texture. The puffs were then stamped in Lemon Tart and the sentiment was stamped in Dark Chocolate. That focal panel was then adhered to the Harvest Gold piece already on the base.

I wanted to add a little sparkle, but I didn't have quite the right color of rhinestone in my collection anywhere. My typical solution is to color a few clear rhinestones with a Sharpie (I haven't been sucked in to the vortex that is the Copic craze), but I didn't have quite the right color of marker either. After a few minutes of scowling I decided to try coloring with a "close-ish" marker and then I quickly tapped off some of the ink with my finger. I like to think the result is a pretty good match. A little glue and my card, complete with customized rhinestones, was finis!

I hope you've enjoyed today's card. Have a wonderful day!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Harvest Gold, Kraft - Papertrey Ink; white
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics 2, 2010 Anniversary Set (earned not sold) - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow, Lemon Tart, Ripe Avocado, Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Other: Edgers #1 die - Papertrey Ink; White ribbon - May Arts; Rhinestones; Sharpie; Scor-Pal

Coloring With White Ink

Hello, Blogland! Last weekend's Stamp-A-Faire event really lit a fire under my tush. It made me think more about blogging and engaging with the creative community. So here I am with a second (!) post this week. Today I wanted to play along with this week's Make It Monday challenge in which Heather Nichols featured coloring with white ink. I'd never tried the technique before, so I thought it might be fun.


I started by creating a white card base and layering it with a piece of Aqua Mist cardstock that I had been run through the Cuttlebug with the Picnic Plaid impression plate. Then I wrapped the base with a strip of white ruffled ribbon and gray and white bakers twine tied in a little bow.


Next I stamped the stork from Bundle of Joy onto Hawaiian Shores using Smoky Shadow ink. Then I used a Q-tip to add layers of ink until I was happy with my coverage. I learned that it worked better when I tapped off a little of the excess white ink onto scrap paper before using the Q-tip on my image. Next, I stamped the baby bundle onto white cardstock in Smoky Shadow and Melon Berry inks and added color using Prismacolor pencils. The little heart on the blankie was also embellished with a touch of clear gloss.


I felt like the stork panel was a little bland so I stamped some polka dots in watermark ink over top of the image before adding the sentiment in Fresh Snow ink. Then I matted that piece with white cardstock and mounted the baby bundle with foam tape. Finally I mounted the whole focal piece to the base with foam tape.

I hope you've enjoyed my card today. Thanks so much for taking a peek!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores - Papertrey Ink; white
Stamps: Bundle of Joy, Everyday Classics (Anniversary Set - not for sale) - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Smoky Shadow, Melon Berry, Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink; Water Lily Green - Palette; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Picnic Plaid Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Ruffled White Ribbon - May Arts; Oyster Bakers Twine - Divine Twine; Foam Tape - Scotch; Glossy Accents - Ranger

July Papertrey Ink Blog Hop!

Hello everyone! I know it's been a little quiet around here since last month. Sorry about that. Hopefully I can find the time soon to put together a few new posts. Today I wanted to make sure I played along with the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop. This month's challenge was to be inspired by this photo:


The first thing that caught my eye in this photo were the colors, followed by the medallions on the throw and the butterflies on the pillow. So here's my card:


I don't use a lot of butterflies, but I thought it might be fun to use one this month. So, I die cut the butterfly using the Love Lives Here die and stamped it with one of the medallions from the Iconic Images set that Papertrey gave away to attendees of Stamp-A-Faire this weekend (so much fun!!!). I die cut a second butterfly and made a Melon Berry Sandwich with the two butterflies. Then I glittered the heart and filled in the void with clear glaze.

Next, I cut a mat from Hawaiian Shores cardstock and ran it through the Cuttlebug with the Diamonds impression plate. Then, using a pencil, I free-hand drew a trail and hand-stitched over it with embroidery floss. That piece was adhered to a white card base and the butterfly was attached with foam tape.


To do the sentiment, I cut a 3/4" strip of white cardstock and notched the end with a square punch. The sentiment, from Up, Up, And Away, was then stamped in Dark Chocolate ink and embellished with a rhinestone. I trimmed the strip to the appropriate length and adhered it to the Hawaiian Shores layer using Scor-Tape.

It's a pretty simple card, but then most of mine are. Thanks so much for stopping by for this month's blog hop! I hope to be back again soon.

Recipe:
Cardstock: Hawaiian Shores, Melon Berry - Papertrey Ink; White
Stamps: Up, Up, And Away, Iconic Images - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Other: Butterfly Die (Love Lives Here), Diamond Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Embroidery Floss (#352) - DMC; Glitter Pen - Sakura; Glossy Accents - Ranger; Rhinestone

Rhythm & Soul Day 5

Well, here we are. Today is the final day in the Papertrey Ink June Release Countdown. I can't wait to see what you all do with Rhythm & Soul when you finally get it into your hot little hands. I hope you have as much fun with it as I have this week.

Before we get to the project I want to thank everyone at Papertrey one more time for this amazing experience. Nichole, Julie, and Jane have given me the opportunity to design and share something that holds so much meaning for me. I feel like a broken record, but I am so filled with gratitude to them and to all of you for the warm reception and enthusiasm I have been so lucky to receive. Ya'll sure know how to make a girl feel loved. So thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I also want to take a second to thank my husband who has shown enthusiasm for every project this week and didn't get the least bit salty when I spent hours chained to my computer designing the set while we were on "vacation" earlier this year.


My final project is a little gift and card combo intended for a new pianist. Do you remember your first instrument? I remember my music teacher asking us to keep a practice log book so we could track how often and for how long we practiced. I tried so hard to practice and keep my little journal, but alas, instrumental music was not for me (I attempted, and failed at, the trumpet, the guitar, and the cello [to be fair I didn't even start that one until I was 21 and I only even tried because it was a gift]). Anyway, I figured this little set would be a perfect present for a budding piano player.


I started by cutting pieces of Pure Poppy cardstock and stamping them with A Little Argyle in Fresh Snow and VersaMark inks. Two of those pieces were adhered to the covers of a mini composition notebook and one piece was attached to a white card base. Then I stamped four pianos (two in Noir ink on Smoky Shadow cardstock and two in Noir ink on white cardstock). I cut out the pianos and embellished them with colored pencils before attaching the keyboards.


Next, I took a piece of Linen Texture Vellum and stamped my sentiments with Smoky Shadow ink. The practice booklet's sentiment is Simple Alphabet and the card's sentiment is included in Rhythm & Soul. The great thing about the card sentiment is that it's two pieces. The set includes a "We're" and an "I'm" in addition to the "so proud of you" so it can be used for cards from individuals or families/parents/groups of all sorts. Hooray for versatility!

After adhering the vellum pieces, I die cut a couple of circles from white cardstock to mount behind my pianos to set them off from the background. Sometimes with bold patterns I like to ground my focal image so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle. I adhered my circles onto my practice notebook and then mounted my piano overtop using foam adhesive. Before attaching my circle/piano focal point on my card, I wrapped the base with a piece of Pure Poppy Saddle Stitched Ribbon and adhered the ends so that they would lie under the white circle. Next, I tied on some gray baker's twine and then mounted my circle and piano with foam adhesive.

Well, that's all I have for this lovely June day. Thanks so much for stopping by today. For more amazing projects featuring new stamps for this month make sure to check out Nichole, Dawn, Heather, Maile, Melissa's blogs. I'll see you on the forum!

Recipe:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (available June 15th), Simple Alphabet, A Little Argyle - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Smoky Shadow, Linen Vellum - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Fresh Snow, Smoky Shadow - Papertrey Ink; Noir - Palette; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Pure Poppy Saddle Stitched Ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Circle die - Quickutz; Pinking Scissors; Oyster Baker's Twine - Divine Twine; Corner Chomper - We Are Memory Keepers; mini composition notebook

Rhythm & Soul Day 4

Welcome to day four of the June Papertrey Ink Release Countdown! Thank you all again for stopping by and leaving your generous comments and showing such enthusiasm for Rhythm & Soul. I'm so glad you're having as much fun as I am with these projects.


Today I wanted to make a congratulatory card featuring the fiddle. I am a firm believer that images don't always have to be realistically represented when it comes to color, so today we have a Berry Sorbet fiddle. Yay! Wouldn't that be fun? Somebody needs to get on that. Anyway, I started by cutting an asymmetrical base from white cardstock. I rounded one corner and set that aside. Next, I stamped the fiddle and the sentiment in Smoky Shadow ink. Then, I colored the fiddle with Prismacolor pencils and trimmed it out. I sponged the edges of the sentiment with Aqua Mist ink and matted it with a little piece of Summer Sunrise cardstock.


The next step was to cut a piece of Aqua Mist cardstock and stamp it with the smallest dots from Polka Dot Basics with Fresh Snow ink. I wanted even more texture, so I ran the Aqua Mist panel through my Cuttlebug with the Woodgrain Impression Plate. I love layering textures like that. Next, I punched out a scalloped strip of Berry Sorbet cardstock and hand-stitched it along the edge of the Aqua Mist layer before adhering that whole piece to the card base. Then, I adhered the sentiment to the front of the card and mounted the fiddle over top of it with foam adhesive.

Then I proceeded to stare at the card for a half an hour trying to decide if the card needed a rhinestone anywhere. In the end I decided that the card had plenty going on without the extra sparkle and I just needed to leave well enough alone.

I hope you've enjoyed today's card. Thanks so much for stopping by! For more amazing projects featuring new stamps for this month make sure to check out Nichole, Dawn, Heather, Maile, Melissa's blogs. Have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow with the last day of countdown projects.

Recipe:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (available June 15th), Polka Dot Basics - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, Berry Sorbet, Summer Sunrise - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Fresh Snow, Aqua Mist, Smoky Shadow - Papertrey Ink
Other: Woodgrain Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Decorative Edge Punch - Fiskars; Dark Gray Embroidery Floss (844) - DMC; Foam Adhesive - Scotch; Corner Chomper - We Are Memory Keepers; Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; sponge; mineral spirits

Rhythm & Soul Day 3

Welcome to the June Papertrey Ink Countdown Day 3. Today I'm sharing my final card featuring the guitar. I know my posts have been a little guitar heavy, but this last one is very important to me. You see today is my dad's birthday. If you read yesterday's post you'll remember that Dad was a big influence when developing the concept for this set and I was so excited to find that the stamps would arrive just in time to make him a birthday card.


So, to start today's card I stamped the guitar onto Aqua Mist Bitty Boxes Patterned Paper, Kraft cardstock, and white cardstock. I trimmed out just the body of the guitar from the Aqua Mist, the entire image from the Kraft, and layered the white with a mat of Dark Chocolate cardstock. I adhered the Aqua Mist image to the Kraft image and then mounted that whole piece to the white layer with foam adhesive.


Next, I made a base out of Kraft cardstock and repeatedly stamped the block of text from Background Basics: Newsprint with VersaMark to give it an all-over pattern. Then, I stamped the line image from Background Basics: Retro with Fresh Snow ink about a third of the way from the top of the card. I love this lined strip with the guitar because it reminds me of a blank music staff. That sort of coordination is such fun! Anyway, my next step was to layer a knotted strip of Aqua Mist twill over the top of the linear images and mount the guitar panel to the base with foam adhesive. The final step was to stamp the birthday sentiment in the bottom corner using Dark Chocolate ink and to add a little embellishment to the guitar with colored pencils. I think Dad will love it.

Thank you for visiting and checking out today's project! I'll see you tomorrow for day four of the June countdown. For more amazing projects featuring new stamps for this month make sure to check out Nichole, Dawn, Heather, Maile, Melissa's blogs. Ta-ta!

Recipe:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (available June 15th), Background Basics: Newsprint, Background Basics: Retro - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Kraft, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink; white
Patterned Paper: Aqua Mist Bitty Boxes - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Aqua Mist Twill - Papertrey Ink; Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; Foam Adhesive - Scotch

Rhythm & Soul Day 2

I want to start by thanking all of you for your kind comments and enthusiasm over the past several days. Getting to design a stamp set for Papertrey is a dream come true and having it received so warmly has only made the experience all the more meaningful. So thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I'd better move on before I cry on somebody.

How about a little backstory, eh? When I found out I was the winner of the stamp design prize I was immediately flooded with ideas. But the one concept that I couldn't shake was a set of instruments that I could use on cards for the fellas in my life. One of those fellas, specifically, is my dad.

When I was a kid we didn't have a lot of money, but my parents did have a handful of musically talented friends. I fondly remember evenings spent in the dining room with the chairs all pulled into a circle and my dad and his friends playing bluegrass while all the kids danced around like monkeys. As I've gotten older I've come to savor that memory all the more. Now I try to remember to tune in to my local public radio station every Saturday and Sunday evening for their weekend bluegrass program (hey, hey, Bluegrass Ramble, I'm lookin' at you!). I also try and find new favorites by digging through the bluegrass section at my library. So today's project is my little way of sharing that music with the man who introduced me to the fiddle (call it what you want, but to me it will always be the fiddle) and the banjo those years ago.


EDITED TO ADD: The final size of the case is 5" x 5" and was completely contained on one sheet of cardstock. Thanks for the question!
I decided to make a mix CD of some of my favorite songs to give to my dad as part of his Father's Day gift. I started by taking a piece of white cardstock and making a template. When I was happy with the template I took a piece of Kraft cardstock and cut out the basic shape. I did not do any of the scoring until later so I'd have a smooth surface to use for my stamping. I then stamped the front cover with the banjo, fiddle, and guitar images in Fresh Snow ink.


I also stamped the fiddle and the sentiment on the inside pocket at the same time. I think the quote will convey my message to him perfectly. We're not really a "heart on your sleeve" bunch, so I think he'll understand from the gesture just how much I appreciate that we can share this part of our lives (as we are very, very different people in so many other ways).

While that was drying, I die cut the Friendship Jar label from white cardstock and stamped it with the Father's Day sentiment in Dark Chocolate ink. The label still looked a little blah, so I used one of the note images and some Terra Cotta Tile ink to spruce it up a smidge.


Then I took my cover and scored it along the spine and pocket/tabs to make sure I had nice clean folds on everything (especially since I was going to have to fold against the grain on some of the scores). I also took the opportunity to die cut a little bit of a decorative edge on the CD pocket. I did that by cutting the pocket with the edge of the Mat Stack 1 die. It is a subtle dip, but I think it makes the edge look much more clean and finished. Once the pocket was adhered into place I took a piece of Terra Cotta Tile Saddle Stitched Ribbon and did a very simple book binding stitch (that I learned while I was in Boy Scouts - a story for another time) to attach the ribbon to the CD cover spine. I then secured the ribbon closer to the edges of the cover with a little Scor-Tape and mounted the sentiment label with a piece of foam adhesive. I left the ribbon ends a little bit long so it won't be difficult for Dad to tie them when he wants to, but I did trim them with pinking shears so the ribbon won't fray as much as it might with a simple bias cut.


All that was left to do was find a blank CD in a coordinating color (which we luckily had on hand). I plan to type out the playlist and adhere it onto the inside left cover when I have the selection finalized.

I hope you enjoyed today's project and I'll see you tomorrow! For more amazing projects featuring new stamps for this month make sure to check out Nichole, Dawn, Heather, Maile, Melissa's blogs. Ta-ta!

Recipe:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (available June 15th) - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Kraft - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Fresh Snow, Terra Cotta Tile, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Other: Terra Cotta Tile Saddle Stitched Ribbon, Friendship Jar Label Die, Mat Stack 1 Die - Papertrey Ink; Foam Adhesive - Scotch; white embroidery floss - DMC; Scor-Tape; CD - Memorex

Rhythm & Soul Day 1

It's here, it's here, it's finally here!!!

Ok, now that I've gotten that out of the way...Welcome Papertrey Ink fans! Today is day one of the June Papertrey Ink Countdown and my first opportunity to share a very big secret. Back in February I had the incredible luck to win the opportunity to design a stamp set with Nichole Heady. Once we started chatting about my ideas she offered to allow me to illustrate the set myself (I may have not-so-subtly sent along an illustration). I couldn't turn down such an amazing offer! So after several days of late nights and early mornings, Rhythm & Soul was born. I'll share more about the meaning behind the set over the next few days, but in the meantime let's get to some projects. Yay!!!


The first card I want to share with you today uses the guitar image and the sentiment that Nichole shared in her peek the other day. By the way, my set took a wrong turn in the mail, so all of the images I'm sharing in this post are printed. I'll get back to sharing stamped images just as soon as the set decides to turn up. Let's just pretend I've stamped everything though.

I started by "stamping" the guitar in brown ink onto Kraft cardstock. Then I used Background Basics: Woodgrain to add a subtle texture to the guitar. I thought it added a nice, soft realistic look.


Next, I stamped the sentiment onto Rustic White cardstock and trimmed using ric-rac scissors. Then, I stamped the stitched background from Background Basics: Retro onto Ocean Tides using both VersaMark and Fresh Snow inks. That stamped panel was mounted to a Rustic white card base before adhering the sentiment panel. Then, I wrapped the entire shebang with Spring Moss Saddle Stitched Ribbon and Button Twine. I mounted the guitar using foam adhesive and finished the whole thing off with an antique copper brad.

The second card I want to share features the snare drum image included in the set. This is also a larger card (A6 - 4.5 x 6.25). I wanted to show that the images in the set are large enough to be focal points on larger-than-average cards or scrapbook pages, but they'll work on the good ol' A2s as well.


I started this card by stamping the drum twice onto scraps of white cardstock and colored both images using Prismacolor Pencils.


Next, I cut out the drum section of the image and mounted it over the top of the full image using foam adhesive and set that aside. Then, I cut a piece of Smoky Shadow cardstock and stamped it in VersaMark with the smallest dots in Polka Dot Basics 1. I went back over that panel with one of the images from Dot Spot in white ink to layer the patterns and pump up the visual texture. I wrapped that panel with Spring Rain Saddle Stitched Ribbon and adhered it to a white card base.

Next, I made a frame from Pure Poppy cardstock using the Fillable Frames #1 die and the Picnic Plaid impression plate. I adhered the colored drum image to the patterned base and mounted the frame using foam adhesive. Then, I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of white cardstock and adhered it to the frame. The finishing touch was a tiny pale blue rhinestone to pull it all together.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I'll see you for day two of the countdown tomorrow!

Recipes:
Rhythm Guitar Card:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (Available June 15th), Background Basics: Woodgrain, Background Basics: Retro - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Rustic White, Kraft, Ocean Tides - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Spring Moss Saddle Stitched Ribbon, Button Twine - Papertrey Ink; Copper brad - Recollections; Foam Adhesive - Scotch

Birthday Drum Card:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (Available June 15th), Polka Dot Basics, Dot Spot - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Smoky Shadow - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Spring Rain Saddle Stitched Ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; Foam Adhesive - Scotch; rhinestone; mineral spirits

Sneak Peek!

It has been a very long time since I've posted. I'm sorry for being gone so long. I really hope to be able to post more frequently in the coming month or two. In the immediate future I'm looking forward to sharing more of the stamp set I had the incredible opportunity to design for Papertrey Ink (long-known to many of you as my favorite stamp company). Nichole released a sneak peek on her blog today! I'm so excited!!!

That's all for right now, but I'll see you all again very soon. Thanks for sharing this experience with me!