October Papertrey Ink Countdown - Day 2

Good morning and welcome back to Day 2 of the October Papertrey Ink countdown. I'm so glad to hear that you're all as excited as I am about these two new dies! I can't wait to show you more, so let's get to it!

Today I'll get started with a wedding card that showcases the new Loop De Loop II border die.

I began by creating a card base using Papertrey's linen vellum and I covered about 3/4 of the front with Loop De Loop die cuts. I used stock that I had run through my Xyron so I wouldn't have to worry much about how to adhere the cuts to the card front. I left the bottom row frilly (as opposed to boxed in with another border, so it would look a bit like lace. The in-person effect is very delicate. Also, helpful tip for getting rid of all of those little, tiny paper hairs: adhere your die cut in place and then rub over it with a stiff-bristled paint brush. It works wonders.

I continued by die cutting and stamping one of the frames from Pretty Peonies in Aqua Mist ink. I added a sentiment in dark gray ink and mounted the sentiment panel to the card base with foam adhesive (the die cut loops keep the adhesive from touching the vellum and showing through on the inside of the card). As a final touch, I added a couple of half pearls to the frame for a subtle embellishment. The overall effect is nice and soft.

Next up is today's gift tag trio! The color scheme I used for these tags is New Leaf, Pure Poppy, Aqua Mist, and Summer Sunrise. The images are all whimsical and cheerful.

The first tag uses just the secondary die on its own. I started by stamping the row of lights at the bottom of my tag. Next, I stamped my "To:" and "From:" sentiments using New Leaf ink. Since I was using this die by itself I knew I needed to punch a hole. I wanted to dress it up a bit, so I adhered a small circle of Aqua Mist cardstock to the tag and used an anywhere hole punch to go through both layers. The anywhere hole punch allowed me to make sure that I was centered when I was placing the hole. Nice and easy and totally mass-produceable if you need to do a whole bunch of them.

The next tag is a fun stripey number that uses the secondary die to impress a frame into the main shape. This gives the impression of multiple layers, but without the bulk!

I started by die cutting the main tag shape from white cardstock. Then I used the impression sandwich (in my machine that's A plate, metal shim, B plate, rubber mats, cardstock shape to be impressed, die doing the impressing, B plate) to get the impressed frame. Next I used my secondary die to cut a post-it note mask that I could use to keep my impressed area clear of stamping. I created the stripes by first stamping the sketchy banner from Sketched Shapes followed by the thinner solid banner in the same color. It almost looks like that satin ribbon with the organdy edges, doesn't it? I removed the mask and finished the tag by stamping my "To:" and "From:" sentiments using Pure Poppy ink.

This last one is my favorite of the bunch!

One of the super-fun things about this whole two-die-construction thing is that it makes shaker tags an absolute breeze! The width of the cardstock around the frame is perfect for hiding strips of foam tape. I started by die cutting three of the main tag; one from Aqua Mist, one from Clear Cardstock, and one from white cardstock. I stamped the Aqua Mist tag with one of the background builder blocks in Autumn Pattern Pieces (I am in love with that set) using Versamark ink. It's a little difficult to see here due to my stellar photography skills, but I assure you, it adds a nice bit of texture without being distracting. Then, I die cut the secondary shape out of the center and adhered the Aqua Mist and Clear Cardstock layers together with Scortape. Next, I stamped my mister's name and my Santa image onto the white layer. I colored Santa with Copics and shook on a good amount of coarse glitter before sealing my top layer to the white layer with a solid frame of foam adhesive. You want to make sure there aren't any gaps in your foam layer or the glitter will escape. I love how it turned out! The glitter may seem like a little much, but I wanted it to look like Santa was romping in a fresh snowdrift. Another great thing about these shaker tags is that you can hold onto them as a keepsake or Christmas tree ornament.

I wanted to share one last photo with you today. I was photographing my projects for this week's posts and along sauntered one of my two furry studio assistants, Buddy (aka Bud, Buddy Boy, Big Fella, Buduardo, Tubs, etc). This happens regularly and I thought it would be funny to show you what you're all missing when I crop my images. In most of my tag photos this week I had a purr monster about nine inches from my head while I was taking shots. Ha!

That's all for me today. Thank you for joining me and I hope to see you soon! In the meantime, make sure to check in with Nichole, Dawn, Erin, Heather, Melissa, and Melissa for even more inspiration. See you tomorrow!

Recipes:

Wedding Congratulations Card

Stamps: Pretty Peonies (Anniversary Set), Masculine Motifs - Papertrey Ink

Cardstock: Linen Vellum - Papertrey Ink; white

Ink: Aqua Mist - Papertrey Ink; dark gray pigment - Studio G

Other: Loop De Loop II Border Die (available October 15th) , Pretty Peonies Die Collection - Papertrey Ink; Foam Tape - Scotch; Adhesive Pearls - Mark Richards; Xyron

Cheerful Christmas Tag Trio

Stamps: Tremendous Treats, Antique Alphabet, Autumn Pattern Pieces, Sketched Shapes, To You From Me, Holiday Lights - Papertrey Ink

Cardstock: Aqua Mist, Clear Cardstock - Papertrey Ink; white

Ink: New Leaf, Pure Poppy, Aqua Mist, Summer Sunrise - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko

Other: Tag Sale #8 Die (available October 15th) - Papertrey Ink; Coarse Crystal Glitter - Martha Stewart Crafts; Foam Tape - Scotch; Green Apple Twine, Cherry Twine - Divine Twine; Markers - Copic; Anywhere Hole Punch - Making Memories

All tags shown with the Double Bow Die