Simple To Spectacular: Secret Agent

Hello, friends, and welcome to this month's Papertrey Ink Simple To Spectacular feature. This month, I'm showcasing the Secret Agent stamp set. When Secret Agent debuted I remember thinking it was one of the most innovative and unique stamp sets I had ever seen. At the time, my nephew was a little too young to really get excited about spies, mysteries, and all things cloak and dagger. That has certainly changed! I thought it might be fun to use this challenge to create a non-traditional Valentine for him, along with a couple extras I can have on hand for other kiddos that might also get a kick out of a cute, retro detective.

Let's start with my Simple card, shall we?

I wanted to keep this design really clean and uncluttered to allow that adorable detective to take center stage. I began by die cutting the striped border into my white card base using the center die in the Mix & Mat: Postal die. I stamped the sentiment in Weathervane and the large magnifying glass in Aqua Mist.

Next, I stamped the grounding oval from In The Shadows. I used second generation Weathervane ink (meaning, I stamped off the majority of the ink onto scrap paper before stamping the oval onto my card base) to coordinate with my greeting.

Then, I die cut and stamped the detective. He's broken up into two layers to make it easy to incorporate a couple of colors. I used True Black for his head/hat/legs and Pure Poppy for his jacket. I added him to the card front with foam tape, placing him so that he looks a bit like he's holding the giant magnifying glass.

I went with a similar layout on the Intermediate version, this time tossing a stamped background into the mix. You all know how much I love a stamped background!

I stamped some of the smaller images from the set onto Weathervane cardstock using Weathervane, True Black, Fresh Snow, and Pure Poppy inks. I attached that to a white card base and then set it aside.

Next, I die cut a rectangular layer using one of the Nesting Rectangles dies and used the same border die from Mix & Mat: Postal to add some interest. Again, I stamped the greeting in Weathervane and the magnifying glass in Aqua Mist. I also die cut and stamped the end of the magnifying glass and tucked it next to that layer once I attached it to the card front (otherwise it would have been cut off).

I die cut and stamped the detective using the same colors on this version. This time I used a black Copic to add contrast to the buttons. I adhered him to the card front and then used Glossy Accents to give the buttons some texture and shine.

My Spectacular card has an interactive element that I truly love! I think my nephew will be pumped about it, too.

For this card, I followed the same steps as I outlined for my Intermediate card, but this time I just amped things up a bit. Instead of simply stamping my sentiment, this time I used the secret message screen to conceal my sentiment (this time stamped in Aqua Mist).

I stamped the screen once in Pure Poppy and then rotated and stamped a second time in Berry Sorbet. That small step gives the secret message a bit more depth and texture without making the message more difficult to read.

Speaking of reading the secret message, I used the magnifying glass and a piece of colorful transparency to create a decoder. How cool is that?! Rather than just tuck it into the card, I decided to cut slits along the detective's arm so I could slip the magnifying glass underneath.

I also added a fun file folder tab to the bottom edge of the sentiment layer using Pure Poppy cardstock and the Edgers #5 die (I double cut it to shorten it a tiny bit). I heat embossed it with one of the sentiments from the set and I think it adds a really fun, cloak and dagger element to the card.

So that's all I have for you today. I truly hope you enjoyed it! This is my last Papertrey Ink post and I just want to say again how much I genuinely appreciate all of your encouragement and support over the past several years. I'm not exactly sure what's next, but when I know, you'll know. And I hope you'll join me.

Thank you again, friends.
L

Supplies:
Simple Secret Agent Card


Intermediate Secret Agent Card


Spectacular Secret Agent Card

Throwback Thursday: Happy Hearts & The Cover Plate: Hearts

Good morning, friends, and welcome to this week's Papertrey Ink Throwback Thursday. I want to start off by thanking everyone who sent me a message of kindness or support after my announcement last week. I truly appreciate knowing that there are so many wonderful people out there cheering me on in this next chapter. I am filled with so much gratitude.

Anyway, today is about Happy Hearts and the Cover Plate: Hearts die, so let's get started. Cover plates make card making so quick and easy. Throw in a coordinating stamp set and your projects come together in a snap! The Cover Plate: Hearts and Happy Hearts stamp set might strike you as a Valentine's Day specific pairing, but I've used them to create a heartfelt thank you card today. I hope you'll consider this a thank you for each and every one of you.

I began by cutting the cover plate from Classic Kraft cardstock. I trimmed off two rows of hearts to give the panel a sleeker look and traced a handful of the hearts onto a white card base. Next, I stamped over the traced hearts with one of the images from the Happy Hearts stamp set using Tropical Teal ink. Then I adhered the Kraft panel into place.

Next, I sponged a bit of Tropical Teal ink onto Aqua Mist cardstock and die cut it with the "thanks" die from Bold Borders: Diagonal. I die cut a couple of additional thanks shapes and stacked the three together. Then, I die cut a First Place banner from Green Parakeet cardstock (I cut twice to get the double ends) and heat embossed a Happy Hearts sentiment with white powder. I adhered that to the front of the card with foam tape and then attached the "thanks" right above it.

I love that this is clean and simple with a select few details to make it special. It's also a gender neutral color scheme so you could give it to just about anybody.

Thank you so much for joining me today! I have one last Papertrey post next week to wrap up my design work. I'll see you then!

Supplies:

A Bit Of News

Can I be honest with all of you? I've been dreading this post. Not because I have misgivings about my decision, but because change is hard and often scary even if that change is something you know you need.

A few months ago, I decided that this year would be my last with the Papertrey Ink team. It was a hard decision and one that I didn't make lightly. I've been a fan and customer of Papertrey from its infancy and I've been fortunate enough to be a part of the company for more than seven years. In that time, the company has become a part of me. The ladies behind the scenes are not merely colleagues; they're good friends. They are funny, clever ladies that will have you in stitches for hours and their ingenuity and and imagination never cease to amaze me. If I had a nickel for every time I broke into an ear-to-ear grin or gasped at one of their gorgeous projects I would be a very wealthy woman. Working with these ladies has been a privilege and one of the greatest joys of my life. I have so much gratitude for the entire Papertrey Ink team, past and present.

And all of you are not just customers; you're warm and generous creators who lift me up and whose support allows me to do this work that I love so much. I truly look forward to seeing how you're going to use the stamps and dies we all pour our hearts into month after month. Facilitating your creativity is genuinely one of my favorite parts of this job (it may even take the top spot - though wearing leggings everyday might edge it out on occasion). Seeing you all gain confidence to try new things and push yourselves to creative heights is more rewarding than I could ever explain and I hope to have the opportunity to do this work again in the future.

In the immediate term, I'll have a couple of final posts to hopefully inspire all of you through the end of the month. Then, I have a home that needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into this century. With the help of a very skilled contractor, my husband and I will attempt to give it the update it deserves starting in just a few weeks. If you'd like to follow along, I've already started posting a bit on my Instagram Stories (I have some of those Stories saved as highlights). I'll try and make sure I do a better job documenting the progress over there.

After that...who knows? I'm a crafter at heart and I'll never give it up completely. It may simply take a backseat for the next few months. And, like I said, I hope to find an opportunity to do this work again in the future. I just need a little time to let things settle. But this isn't "goodbye," it's just "see you later." Sort of literally because I'll be back next week, but you get what I'm saying.

Thank you all for the wonderful memories and support over these past several years. Please don't be strangers.

With all my love,
L

Introducing Together Forever Blooms

Hello there, friends, and welcome back to Day 5 of the Papertrey Ink January countdown! Today I am back to introduce a new set called Together Forever Blooms. This is a unique floral set with both outlined and solid images that you can use to build lovely patterns and arrangements. Let's get to it!

I started my card today by heat embossing a cluster of floral images using white powder on a Soft Stone card base. I love the subtle contrast and simplicity of the embossing. Then, I sponged a bit of Summer Sunrise ink onto the center of each flower. Just a hint of color.

Next, I die cut a Nesting Basics: Oval shape from white cardstock and embellished it with a Nesting Basics: Pierced Oval. I stamped the sentiment from Together Forever Blooms onto the oval with Weathervane ink and attached it to the front of the card with foam adhesive.

I embellished the card with a sprinkling of Marigold sequins and a simple crochet thread bow. I love the softness of this card, don't you?

That's all for me today! Laurie and Melissa Phillips are both doing features today, so I hope you'll pop over to their blogs to take a peek. Betsy, Dawn, Kelly, Melissa B, Michelle, and Steph are also sharing today, so make sure to visit them too. Have a great week, friends!

Supplies:

You Are So Loved Card

Introducing Potbellies: Unicorn, Potbellies: Everyday Sentiments, and Words To Live By: Smile

Good morning, friends, and welcome to Day 4 of the Papertrey Ink January countdown! Today we're featuring Betsy's new Potbellies: Unicorn and I couldn't be more excited! This die is so darn versatile and adorable. A-dor-a-ble, people. And it can be so many critters!

The unicorn (duh), a horse, a cow, a piggy, a hippo, a rhinoceros, and so, so many more. To go along with the new die Betsy has also designed a set of everyday sentiments. We're also introducing Betsy's Words To Live By: Smile stamp set. It's jam packed with sweet and clever greetings that you're sure to enjoy. Let's get to it, friends!

I'm going to start with my Potbellies: Unicorn treat package. I went a little glitter crazy and I don't regret a single thing.

I began by xyroning a piece of white cardstock and die cut it with the sticky side up (but still covered). I cut the circle out of the center and then set it aside. Next, I die cut the hooves out of Luxe Silver self adhesive paper and the inner ears from Pale Peony cardstock. I cut the muzzle from Bitty Big: Aqua Mist paper and the mane from sponged Pale Peony cardstock. Then, I xyroned a piece of the silver paper (adding adhesive to the shiny side) and glittered it before die cutting with the horn die. Die cutting after glittering allowed me to keep the horn details.

Then, I removed the adhesive backing and stamped the sentiment directly onto the sticky surface. I wasn't sure if it would work, but it did and I'm so tickled! I placed the hooves, ears, and colored in the cheeks before applying Sugarcube glitter. All the sparkles!!! I attached the mane and glittered horn as well as the muzzle. Next, I die cut a back piece from white cardstock and adhered both pieces around two sandwiched bubbles filled with candies. I used mini glue dots so it would be fairly easy for someone to get to the sweets.

I adhered the googley eyes and embellished the horn with a little flower. I still wanted to add those fabulous wings, so I die cut them from vellum and attached them to the back of the unicorn. Oh my good gravy, friends. I LOVE this thing. I had intended to give it to my niece, but...maybe I'll make her another one.

My second project today is a shaped card. As soon as I saw the Potbellies: Unicorn die I started daydreaming about all of the other animals it could be.

I knew some folks would be concerned that a Unicorn has limited potential, so I chose to share a Rhino with you today! I began by die cutting the face of my shaped card from Bitty Big: Hawaiian Shores paper. I cut the circle from the tummy to make space for the Words To Live By: Smile sentiment.

Next, I die cut a card base from white cardstock. I sponged the tummy opening area with Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, and Tropical Teal inks to give it some depth. I stamped the sentiment in Smokey Shadow ink and adhered the Hawaiian Shores shape into place.

Next, I die cut the inner ears from Pale Peony cardstock and used Copic markers to give them a bit of dimension. I also die cut the muzzle from Aqua Mist cardstock and sponged on a bit of Hawaiian Shores ink for the same purpose. I used a "v" shaped piece of cardstock to attach the muzzle to the rhino's face and make it pop out just a bit. Then, I die cut the horn from Soft Stone cardstock, embellished it a bit with a gray Copic marker, and used foam tape to attach it to the rhino's face.

Then, I xyroned a piece of Smokey Shadow cardstock and die cut it (sticky side up) with the hooves die. I adhered them into place and removed the adhesive backing, sprinkling glitter over the sticky surface. I also glued on a pair of googley eyes to amp up the cute factor. This card is perfect for my nephew. I think he'll love it!

That's all for me today! Betsy is giving you a complete intro to her new Potbellies: Unicorn, so I hope you'll pop over to her blog to take a peek. Ashley, Dawn, Kelly, Laurie, Melissa B, Melissa P, Michelle, and Steph are also sharing today, so make sure to visit them too. I'll see you back here tomorrow for Day 5!

Supplies:

Unicorn Treat Package

Rhino Smile Card

Introducing Bold Borders: Arabesque and Sentiment Staples: Just A Note

Good morning, friends, and welcome back to Day 3 of the Papertrey Ink January countdown! I'm back today introducing my Bold Borders: Arabesque die and my Sentiment Staples: Just A Note mini stamp set. These are both wonderful basics for any stamping collection and I'm certain you'll love them as much as I do. Let's get to the projects!

I'm kicking things off today with a card you may recognize from my sneak peek earlier this week.

I knew I wanted to use the Bold Borders as an impression plate, so I went ahead and ran it through my Cuttlebug with the impression plate sandwich to give the Aqua Mist layer a nice, deep impression. I adhered that panel to a white card base and set it aside.

Next, I die cut a central panel and sponged and splattered it with Aqua Mist ink. I stamped one of the sentiments from Sentiment Staples: Just A Note greetings in Weathervane ink, masking out the "you" so I could use the die included in the Bold Borders: Arabesque die. I die cut an oval of patterned vellum and adhered both of those to the center of the card front with flat and foam adhesives.

Then, I stamped flowers and leaves from the Botanical Bounty stamp set, blending colors to give them depth and dimension. I tucked the flowers and leaves around the rectangular sentiment panel, curving the leaves a bit to add texture to the arrangement.

Next up, I've paired the new products from today with my Warm Regards stamp set from last year.

I began by sponging a panel of Spring Moss cardstock with Prairie Grass and Olive Twist inks. I xyroned the back and die cut it with the Bold Borders: Arabesque die and set it aside for a moment. Next, I sponged a bit of Aqua Mist ink onto a white card base. I speckled it with clean water and dabbed off the water droplets to give a dewy appearance.

Once that was fully dry, I stamped my companion sentiment from Sentiment Staples: Just A Note directly onto the card base using Olive Twist ink. I adhered the Bold Borders frame onto the front of the card base and set it aside.

Next, I stamped my dogwood blossoms. I blended together Sweet Blush, Pale Peony, and Berry Sorbet inks to give the blooms a natural appearance. I adhered the branch to the card front, using differing levels of foam tape to add dimension. Then, I stamped the sentiment from Sentiment Staples onto a strip of cardstock with Olive Twist ink. I used foam adhesive to adhere that to the card front right above the companion sentiment. I love the contrast of the Bold Borders against the white card base.

Last up today, I have a clean and simple design with a bold pop of gold leaf. It's so shiny!

I began by using a broad chisel pen to draw a rectangle of adhesive onto a white card base. I applied the gold leaf and then pressed the card base under a book to flatten it a bit (the adhesive gave it a slight curl).

While that was pressing, I cut a Bold Borders: Arabesque shape from Pure Poppy cardstock. I stamped one of the greetings from Sentiment Staples: Just A Note onto a panel of white cardstock using black ink before adhering that to one side of the Bold Borders piece.

I adhered another, narrower strip of white cardstock to the other side before attaching that entire piece to the gilded card base with foam tape. The effect is so cool, as the Bold Borders strip just hovers over that bright, metallic stripe.

That's all for me today! I hope you've enjoyed this look at the Bold Borders: Arabesque die and Sentiment Staples: Just A Note. Steph is introducing Glorious Globes: January today, so I hope you'll pop over to her blog to take a peek. Amy, Betsy, Dawn, Kelly, Laurie, Melissa B, Melissa P, and Michelle are also sharing today, so make sure to visit them too. I'll see you back here tomorrow for Day 4!

Supplies:
Wonderful Day Card


Note To Say Thanks Card


Because I Miss You Card

Introducing Frame It Out: What's Inside, Nesting Basics: Ovals, and Worth The Wait

Good morning, friends, and welcome back to Day 2 of the Papertrey Ink January countdown! We have so much wonderful stuff to introduce today. The second edition in Rebecca's Frame It Out series has landed. This one is called Frame It Out: What's Inside and it is such a fun, quirky set perfect for birthdays and other celebrations. Jennifer has created a super sweet and unique baby set called Worth The Wait and a mini addition called Even More: Worth The Wait that I really think you're going to love. And I have a set of Nesting Basics: Ovals that you're sure to turn to again and again for focal points, frames, and beyond. Let's get to it!

My first card today pairs my ovals with Rebecca's Frame It Out: What's Inside to create a cheerful birthday shaker card.

I began by creating a frame for the shaker by die cutting a Nesting Basics: Oval into a panel of Pure Poppy cardstock, using one of the Pierced Ovals to dress up the edge. Next, I stamped the Frame It Out: What's Inside frame onto a white card base. I blended together Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise, and Orange Zest inks to give the frame a bit of dimension.

Next, I backed the Pure Poppy frame with clear cardstock and foam tape. I sprinkled sequins into the center of the card front and then adhered the Poppy/Clear Cardstock layer overtop to create the shaker box. Then, I went about decorating the front of the card.

I created the banner by first making a copy paper template and then making an Aqua Mist version when I was happy with the folds. I stamped the back with the Corner Adorner: January confetti and the front with the sentiments from Frame It Out: What's Inside. I adhered that to the card front and then tucked in Birthday Balloons stamped with Harvest Gold and Summer Sunrise inks. Then, I added Balloon Strings cut from vellum. I love how cheerful and carefree this card is!

Next up, I have a card featuring Worth The Wait and Even More: Worth The Wait.

I began by stamping a background using the tassels in the set. I used a pastel color palette incorporating Spring Rain, Mint Julep, Aqua Mist, Harvest Gold, and Sweet Blush inks. I cut the bottom edge of that panel with a To The Point Edgers II die and matted it with striped vellum.

Next, I die cut a Nesting Basics: Pierced Oval to create a focal point for my sentiment. I stamped the greeting in Weathervane ink, using one of the dies in the set to pop up the "baby" and give it a little more oomph.

I used a sentiment from Even More: Worth The Wait to create a subtle, text pattern on a Sweet Blush card base before attaching the tassel panel with foam tape. A sprinkling of clear sequins was all I needed to add a touch of sparkle.

And there you have it! Thank you so much for joining me today! Kelly and Melissa B are featuring today's introductions so you should definitely pop in and see how they're using these wonderful additions to the Papertrey lineup. Amy, Betsy, Dawn, Laurie, Melissa P, Michelle, and Steph are also sharing today, so make sure to visit them too. I'll see you back here tomorrow for Day 3!

Supplies:
Confetti, Excitement, Fun! Card

Hello, Baby Card