Introducing Making Strides

Good morning, all, and welcome to Papertrey Ink's December countdown. I have a very personal set to share with all of you this month called Making Strides. I hope you don't mind if I share a little bit about how this set came to be.

The photo on the Left is from September 2013 after I had lost about 15lbs. It's the most recent photo I have in which I'm not hiding behind something. I was the same weight and in the same shape at the beginning of this year.
The photo on the Right is from yesterday.

I've struggled with my weight and fitness for my entire adult life. About a year and a half ago I decided I wanted to give a healthy lifestyle yet another shot. I looked online for motivation and I came upon pages and pages of inspirational quotes and phrases. It took me a little while to really commit, but I buckled down starting at the beginning of this year. Now I go to the gym 5-6 days a week. I've revisited many of those quotes to help me stay engaged even on those days that I really, really want to sleep in and make bad food choices. Sometimes you just need a kick in the pants, you know?

I thought other people might be in need of that same kind of motivation. I designed this set so we can all encourage each other and congratulate one another as we push ourselves toward our goals. And the great thing is, many of the sentiments are ideal for facing any sort of challenge, not just the physical ones. The set is also gender neutral, so it will work for anyone you want to encourage! Ok, enough yapping...let's get on to some projects!

We have a few friends who run triathlons, and their accomplishments inspired me to create these cards. I paired Making Strides with the Moments Inked: Active Symbols set to put these together.

I began by stamping the swimmer, bicycle, and running shoe icons in rows on white cardstock panels. I adhered those panels onto white card bases. Then, I sponged ink (Deep Indigo and Berry Sorbet) onto colored strips of cardstock (Spring Rain and Pale Peony) to add depth.

I set those aside to dry thoroughly before heat embossing the Making Strides sentiment with white powder. I mounted the sentiment strips to the card fronts with coaster stock. It's a little flatter than foam tape and I like that subtle difference.

Thank you so much for joining me today! Make sure to pop in and visit Nichole, Betsy, Heather, and Kay for more introductions. See you tomorrow!

Recipe:
Stamps: Making Strides, Moments Inked: Active Symbols - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Spring Rain, Pale Peony - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise, Berry Sorbet, Tropical Teal, Vintage Jadeite, Spring Rain, Deep Indigo - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Coasters - Papertrey Ink; White Embossing Powder - Filigree