Festive Friday - Wreath Tags

Good morning, friends, and welcome back for Festive Friday! This week, I have a set of tags I made by pairing Betsy's Tag Along mini kit with my Gift Card Cozy Sentiments. Let's take a closer look!

I began by die cutting the tags from white cardstock. I used the chevron window die to add the pattern and stamped the wreath in the circle. I stamped it once in Green Parakeet and once in New Leaf to fill it out a bit and give it some depth.

I stamped the sentiment from Gift Card Cozy Sentiments using Onyx Black ink in the center of the wreath and then added a Pure Poppy bow (from Brilliant Baubles).

Next, I die cut Berry Sorbet tags and sponged the edges with Pure Poppy ink. I heat embossed the "To:" and "From:" from Gift Card Cozy Sentiments onto those tags before tying the two tags together with baker's twine. I used a tiny dot of Ruby Slipper Nuvo drops on the bows to make them sparkle. These will be so fun on my packages this year!

I have quite the little collection of tags and gift card packages built up by now. Have you been making your tags too? I hope you'll share! Have a wonderful weekend!

Supplies:
Layered Wreath Tags

Throwback Thursday: Harvest Berries

Good morning, friends! Welcome to this week's Papertrey Ink Throwback Thursday feature. This week, Heather, Laurie, and I are showcasing the Harvest Berries stamp set. I've always loved Harvest Berries and its delicate, leafy branches, but it has been a little while since I last used it. I've been inspired by some of the unconventional autumn color palettes I've seen lately and I thought this set would lend itself beautifully to one such combo. So I tucked away the oranges and greens and went in a totally unique direction.

I wanted some super pastel, barely there color, so I began by sponging Sweet Blush ink onto a white Sentiment Splits: Curve Vertical panel. Then, I stamped a Cover Up: Grid background in the same ink. With my background ready, I stamped the outline branches from Harvest Berries directly over the pattern using Dark Indigo ink.

Next, I matted the curved panel with Weathervane cardstock and adhered it to a white card base. Then, I heat embossed the same branches onto vellum using white detail powder and adhered them to the card front at the very ends of the branches (so they would remain nice and loose).

I stamped the frame and sentiment from Forest Floor: Autumn onto white cardstock using Weathervane and Dark Indigo inks and adhered the shape to the card front with foam adhesive. Then, I used a generous sprinkling of clear rhinestones to give my card all the sparkle!

It may not be traditional for this time of year, but I'm smitten with this color scheme. Thank you so much for joining me today! I hope you've enjoyed today's feature. Make sure to pop in on Heather and Laurie to see how they're using this wonderful set today! And don't forget, tomorrow is Festive Friday so come on back for another set of cheerful Christmas tags. See you then!

Supplies:
Grateful, Thankful, Blessed Card

Festive Friday - Blended Glitter Tags!

Hello, friends! I've been drawing up a storm over here lately, but I took a little time out to create this set of tags to share with you today.

I used my Christmas Cuts Tags and the coordinating Christmas Cuts Sentiments set to whip these up. A little blending and a little glitter was all it took to bring them to life. Let's take a closer look!

I blended scraps of white cardstock with ink color pairs (Pale Peony and Pure Poppy, Aqua Mist and Tropical Teal, and Green Parakeet and New Leaf) to give each one an ombre effect.

Then, I die cut each one with the Basic Cut Tag Die and stamped them with the "To:/From:" included in the Christmas Cuts Sentiments stamp set.

Next, I die cut one of each tag from the Christmas Cuts tag set from white cardstock. I stamped them with greetings from the Christmas Cuts Sentiments stamp set and used a glue pen to add glitter to select areas.

I layered the tags and tied them together with white crochet thread. I love the peek-a-boo blended ink and spots of sparkle!

Thank you so much for joining me today! I hope you have a wonderful crafty weekend!

Supplies:
Blended Glitter Tags

Papertrey Ink October Release Day!

Good morning, friends! It's officially release day for Papertrey Ink! The new products that we've been sharing over the past several days are landing in the webstore tonight at 10pm ET and you don't want to miss them. In celebration of the release going live, I have a couple of additional stitched bags to share.

I promised to pop back in with a couple of simpler designs, so that's what I have for you today. I wanted to see about how long it takes to complete a bag without all of the fancy stuff stitched on the front. My best estimate is 1-2 hours depending on which bag you're doing. A few things to consider: 1) I'm a fairly slow stitcher so you might be faster. 2) I was in a car and I'm sure that impacted my speed. 3) This is a really wonderful activity for movie/TV/sports watching or travel.

I wanted to do a patterned bag, so I picked up some polka dotted felt from The Felt Pod. They sell it in a few different formats (rolls and sheets) so you have a handful of purchasing options (I'm not sponsored, I just love their felt). I used the red polka dotted felt paired with a Pinefeather handle for a classic Christmas look, but they also have a few metallics and other patterns to choose from (I may have picked up rose gold leopard print too, just sayin'). I did a simple running stitch on this bag, but a contrasting blanket stitch would be really cute too! This one took around 2 hours.

The second bag I have today is one of the oval bottom bags that I flipped inside out. I've had this "COAL" bag in mind for ages. I'm imagining filling it with black jelly beans or licorice lumps and a gift card. Probably for my brother or Sean's grandpa. I can't wait. I used True Black felt and the Sew Stylish Alphabet 2 for the letters. This one took a little over an hour, so I'm guessing the pocket style bag will take about an hour.

Thank you so much for joining me today! I hope you are all able to pick up everything on your wish list tonight. Have a wonderful week and I'll see you again soon!

Supplies:
Classic Christmas Polka Dot Bag


COAL Bag

Introducing Twinkling Trees & the Potbellies Collection

Good morning, friends and welcome back to Day 5 of the Papertrey Ink October countdown! The team is sharing a really fun collection from Betsy Veldman today called Potbellies (even the name is cute!) that can be used as treat packaging, tags, and even a mega sized feature for the front of a card. We're also showcasing a set from Rebecca Luminarias called Twinkling Trees that is sure to tickle the fancy of any clean and graphic fans out there. It's a beauty! Let's get started!

I'm kicking things off today with the Potbellies: Penguin on a card. He's the cutest thing!

I began by sponging a piece of Weathervane cardstock with the matching ink before die cutting it with the main body die. I die cut the belly opening and heat embossed the sentiment from Potbellies Sentiments along the lower edge. Then, I embellished with a tiny heart shape that I die cut using the Mix & Mat: Hearts die.

Next, I xyroned a piece of white cardstock and die cut the Penguin's face. I adhered googly eyes (because I love a googly-eyed critter) and a small piece of foam tape before applying white flocking. He's so fuzzy! Then, I did the same with Summer Sunrise cardstock and the Penguin's beak and feet. I glittered those and adhered them in their appropriate places.

Then, I die cut a circle of white cardstock and stamped a sentiment that I frankensteined together using Betsy's Fawn & Flora and my Sentiment Staples: Christmas. I adhered a large clear bubble to the back of the Penguin to create a shaker and filled it with buffalo snow, sequins and beads from the Fairy Tale Christmas Trimmings kit, and die cut Reef Builder fishies. I adhered the Penguin to a card front that I had layered with Bitty Big: Lilac Grace patterned paper and a glittered snowbank. I can't stand how cute he is!

Next up, I have a card pairing Rebecca's Twinkling Trees with my Bold Borders: Flurries die (also out this month).

I began by sponging Aqua Mist and Tropical Teal inks onto a Fresh Snow Linen panel. I love the texture the linen finish gives to the blended colors. I adhered that to an Aqua Mist card base and then applied a glittered Bold Borders: Flurries frame.

Next, I layered on a Tropical Teal oval cut using the Pierced Feature Frames: Oval die collection (which, along with the original Pierced Feature Frames Die Collection, is back in stock, by the way). Then, I added layers of snow die cut with the Cover Plate: Waves die. I glittered one of them to add interest and sparkle. There can never be enough glitter on Christmas cards.

Then, I stamped the trees from Rebecca's new set. I chose a pink and bright green color palette in keeping with their modern styling. I first stamped a lighter color and added depth with sponging before stamping the starry patterns on each tree. I used sticky embossing powder on the small tree so I could apply glitter to the stars and I stamped the larger tree with a sentiment from the set. Rebecca has included so many options for mix and match greetings in her set, many of which are unique greetings you don't see all the time. I really love that! I added woodgrain trunks to my trees before attaching them to the card front. Be still my heart - so sparkly!

Thank you so much for joining me today. I have one last post for you tomorrow (Release Day!!!), so be sure to check back. In the meantime, Betsy, Dawn, Heather, Kelly, Laurie, Melissa B, Melissa P, Michelle, Stephanie, and Kimberly all have projects to share with you today. See you tomorrow!

Supplies:
Heart Full Of Love Card


Let Your Heart Be Light Card

Introducing Winter Window, Blooming Amaryllis, and Say It Simply: Merry & Bright

Good morning, friends, and welcome back to the October Papertrey Ink countdown. We're on Day 4 and today we're introducing Dawn's Blooming Amaryllis stamp set and Say It Simply: Merry & Bright die and my Winter Window stamp set. Let's get to it!

I'm going to start today with a card pairing Blooming Amaryllis and the Say It Simply: Merry & Bright die. We get amaryllis bulbs every year and some of my very favorites have been giant pink varieties, so that's the style I recreated on today's card.

I began by stamping the amaryllis blooms in Sweet Blush, Pale Peony, and Berry Sorbet onto a white panel. I also stamped the stems in Green Parakeet and New Leaf inks. I stamped the flower centers and stamens in Green Parakeet and then embellished them with Golden Beryl glitter to give them sparkle.

I die cut the Shape Shifters: Square 3 dotted border into the amaryllis panel before stitching it to a decorative strip of Bitty Big: Pale Peony patterned paper. I adhered the card front to a Sweet Blush card base and rounded the bottom corners before setting it aside.

Next, I xyroned a piece of Berry Sorbet cardstock and die cut three Say It Simply: Merry & Bright shapes. I stacked them to give dimension and then adhered them to the front of the card. I can't wait to use this set again! There are so many amaryllis colors and I'm super excited to recreate as many of them as I can.

My second card for the day features my new Winter Window stamp set. I have wanted a set like this for a very long time and I'm thrilled it is finally here! This set is inspired, for better or worse, by the...vintage...windows in our house. When it gets cold outside they get this romantic, glittering, frosty look that makes everything outside look like it stepped right out of a storybook.

I wanted to incorporate those frosty windows in my card today, so I started out by die cutting the window out of white cardstock and clear cardstock. I used the paned window die for the white cardstock and the open window die for the clear. I stamped the window onto a piece of scrap paper first and temporarily adhered the clear cardstock over it. Then, I stamped the frost in Cotton White Stazon onto the clear cardstock, using the scrap paper window underneath as a guide. Next, I stamped the window image onto the white cardstock die cut and adhered the clear cardstock to the back. You could very easily make this a shaker element, but I chose not to do that this time. Soon though. Soon!

I sponged some Spring Rain ink onto a scrap of white cardstock before die cutting it with the open window die. I stamped it with the snowy pattern included in the set and then heat embossed the icicles twice (once in white and once with holographic powder). I die cut the window shape from a panel of white cardstock before stenciling it and texturing it with the Fairy Tale Christmas Stencil Collection. We live in the woods, so this stencil is definitely a favorite.

I stamped my sentiment before adhering my woodland panel to a Dark Indigo card base. Then, I inlaid my snowy/icicle window into the opening I had previously die cut and attached the layered window to the card front with foam tape. I wanted to give my window a touch of festive flair, so I stamped and die the pine swag and candle. I used Versamark and pigment powder for the bow, adding a touch of gold metallic to the arrangement. I am so, so excited about this set, friends. I already have an autumn variation of this design in the works that I promise to share with you very soon.

Thank you so much for joining me today! I'll be back tomorrow with even more of this month's knockout release. In the meantime, Amy, Betsy, Dawn, Heather, Laurie, Melissa B, Melissa P, Michelle, Stephanie, and Kimberly all have projects to share that you won't want to miss. See you soon!

Supplies:
Merry & Bright Card


Peace On Earth Card

Festive Friday - All Dressed Up For Christmas!

Hello, friends! Welcome back for Festive Friday! I thought I'd pop in with a couple of gift card holders today. I've had this idea in mind since I designed the Shape Up: Tuxedo Die several months ago.

If you watched the April Papertrey Ink Live broadcast, you may remember me talking about how my grandpa always wore a bright red velvet blazer on Christmas. Every year. It was a tradition. These gift card holders remind me of him.

I cut the tuxedo pieces from Pure Poppy and Pinefeather cardstocks. The shirts were Fresh Snow Linen and Aqua Mist. The vests are actually also Fresh Snow Linen, but I covered the front of each vest with a piece of Betsy's Christmas Plaid paper (I think it's retired, but you could get a similar look by stamping or using different paper). The bow ties are Fresh Snow Linen and Bitty Big: Pure Poppy.

I assembled everything, and while they looked quite festive, I thought they could do with a little extra. It is Christmas, after all! So I created a little boutonniere for the lapels using Betsy's new Fawn & Flora stamp set (Grandpa always wore a boutonniere on his lapel at Christmas). I've been trying to create my tags with product that's already available, but I couldn't help myself - these little floral clusters were just too perfect! It will be available soon though, so you don't have long to wait. And I'm sure you could get a very similar look with products already in your collection.

These turned out just as I had imagined them and I can't wait to give them away at the holidays. Thank you so much for joining me for this week's Festive Friday. I'll see you again soon!

Supplies:
Christmas Blazer Gift Card Holders

Introducing Warmer Together, Words To Live By: Peace, Glorious Globes: October, and Bold Borders: Flurries

Good morning, friends, and welcome back to Day 3 of the Papertrey Ink October countdown! I'm popping in today to share a couple of projects using Betsy's Warmer Together and Words To Live By: Peace stamp sets along with my newest Glorious Globes mini set and Bold Borders: Flurries die. There's a lot of great stuff to see, so let's get to it!

I began today by pairing Betsy's Warmer Together set with my Bold Borders: Flurries. The snowy frame is perfect with these sweet penguins!

I began by die cutting my Bold Borders from vellum to create a mask. Then, I stenciled and splattered ink over the stencil. I trimmed along the outer edge and used a Pierced Feature Frame (the smallest one) to trim out the center.

Next, I stamped the penguins using Weathervane ink and a gray pigment that I happened to already have in my collection (it's actually a cheapo pigment pad from Michaels). I die cut the penguins and then added the feet and beaks with Summer Sunrise ink. Then, I stamped the base layer using VersaMark and heat embossed with glitter powder.

Then, I die cut the In The Meadow snow drift dies from white cardstock and textured them with the Woodgrain Impression Plate. I sponged the top edge of each drift with Aqua Mist ink and then embellished with buffalo snow and chunky glitter. I stamped the sentiment from Warmer Together on a white card base and attached the snowy frame with foam adhesive. I layered on the snow drifts and added the sparkly penguins with more dimensional adhesives.

Next up, I've combined the "Joy" die from Bold Borders: Flurries, Glorious Globes: October, and Betsy's new Words To Live By: Peace.

I began by die cutting the Shape Shifters: Square 3 panel from Soft Stone and white cardstock. I textured the Soft Stone panel with the Woodgrain Impression Plate and trimmed the center square from the white panel. I sponged and splattered the white square with Spring Rain ink before stamping the sentiments from Words To Live By: Peace before adhering it to the Soft Stone panel.

Then, I stamped the mega polka dot pattern onto Olive Twist cardstock using the solid circle image from Glorious Globes. I tied a red baker's twine bow around the card and mounted the Shape Shifters panel into place with foam adhesive.

Next, I die cut the "Joy" to complete the sentiment. Then, I die cut and stamped the holly wreath and peace dove from Glorious Globes: October. I adhered the wreath over the "O" in "Joy" and perched the bird atop the greeting. I'm really pleased with this card. The colors are a little more muted, but I think they combine beautifully.

That's all for me today, friends! Check back a little later today for my Festive Friday post. In the meantime, Betsy, Dawn, Heather, Laurie, Melissa B, Melissa P, Michelle, and Stephanie have projects to share with you today. Have a wonderful day and I'll see you shortly!

Supplies:
Warmer Together Card


Joy In Your Heart Card