On The Links & Background Basics: Wrought Iron - Day 3

Good morning, Blogland! Welcome to day three of Papertrey's March countdown. I'm so glad you're enjoying the countdown and I'm really loving the feedback about On The Links and Background Basics: Wrought Iron (available on March 15th)! It sounds like you're excited and that makes me so happy! I have another four projects to share with you today, so let's get started.

My first project is a Father's Day card featuring the golf bag from Out On The Links as well as the Wrought Iron impression plate. I was inspired by the fancy country clubs and golf courses that are sometimes enclosed with big, beautiful, scrolling gates. I wanted to "man" it up a little, so I used a bold, masculine color scheme and added a strip of argyle. Side note: A Little Argyle is getting a serious work out this week. It coordinates so well with On The Links!

I stamped the golf bag onto a Half & Half shape and mounted a second Pure Poppy bag over top of the clubs for a bit of dimension. A little flag of Smoky Shadow stamped with the Father's Day sentiment (also from On The Links) finishes the card nicely.

Today's second card incorporates actual golf gear! I started by stamping my pattern onto Simply Chartreuse. I used the largest open dots in Polka Dot Basics and went back and filled in alternating spaces with either the golf ball or the solid dot. The golf balls were heat embossed using white Filigree powder and the circle was die cut before that piece was textured with the Picnic Plaid impression plate. I rounded the bottom corners and adhered that to a Kraft base and set it aside.

Next, I took a wooden golf tee and VERY CAREFULLY shaved off about one third of it so I would have a flat edge to work with. I used an xacto knife, but you could probably use sandpaper to get a similar result. Please don't go chopping off your fingers with xacto knives. For realsies.

I adhered my tee to my base with 1/8" Scor Tape and added a paper banner emblazoned with the "You're Tee-rific!" sentiment. A couple of small pearls finish off the card. Mailable...probably not, but it's definitely fun!

My next card is an attempt to showcase the whimsy you can achieve with the Background Basics: Wrought Iron set. On this card I used the less intricate strip as a sort of garden border (like those tiny white "fences" you can get at the garden center to edge your flower beds). I started by repeatedly stamping the foliage from Honey Bees onto Spring Moss cardstock.

Next, I stamped the border and heat embossed it using white Filigree powder. That piece was matted with Rustic White before I added a pinked strip of Simply Chartreuse that I had stamped with the sentiment. I stamped a Kraft base with the smallest dots in Polka Dot Basics and mounted my image panel with some more foam tape. I then stamped, cut out, and added three flowers to the foliage. Those little flowers were embellished with rhinestones to finish the card.

Today's final card is a sympathy card made with the Wrought Iron impression plate. No one likes to make, send, or receive sympathy cards, but they are a necessity none the less. The impression plate is intricate yet subtle, so I relied on it to do the heavy lifting.

I started by texturing a piece of Ocean Tides that I had embellished with a bit of Soft Stone ribbon. I adhered that to a white base and mounted on a Fillable Frames #8 shape that I had stamped with the frame and my sentiment. Next, I stamped the butterfly shape from Love Lives Here and added it to the frame before embellishing the ribbon with a single white pearl.

Thank you for joining me today! I hope you've enjoyed my cards. I'll be back tomorrow with even more projects featuring On The Links and Background Basics: Wrought Iron. In the meantime don't forget to check in with Nichole, Heather, Dawn, and Melissa for more projects and inspiration. I hope to see you tomorrow!

All products from Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted
Father's Day Golf Bag Card:
Stamps: A Little Argyle, On The Links (available March 15th)
Cardstock: Soft Stone, Smoky Shadow, Pure Poppy; generic white
Inks: Pure Poppy, Smoky Shadow, Fresh Snow; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Half & Half Dies, Wrought Iron impression plate (available March 15th); foam tape - Scotch

You're Tee-rific Card:
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics, On The Links, A Little Argyle
Cardstock: Simply Chartreuse, Kraft, Fine Linen
Ink: Landscape - Palette; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Picnic Plaid impression plate; Corner Chomper - We Are Memory Keepers; Pearls - Mark Richards; White Embossing Powder - Filigree; Wooden Golf Tee; Scor Tape

Thankful Garden Card:
Stamps: Honey Bees, Fillable Frames #1, Polka Dot Basics, Background Basics: Wrought Iron
Cardstock: Kraft, Spring Moss, Rustic White, Simply Chartreuse
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Berry Sorbet, Summer Sunrise, Plum Pudding, Fresh Snow; Landscape - Palette
Other: Pinked Edge Die; Rhinestones - Darice; White Embossing Powder - Filigree; Foam tape - Scotch; Corner Chomper - We Are Memory Keepers

Sympathy Butterfly Card:
Stamps: Birds of A Feather, Fillable frames #8, Love Lives Here
Cardstock: Ocean Tides; generic white
Ink: Smoky Shadow, Ocean Tides
Other: Wrought Iron impression plate, Fillable Frames #8 Die, Soft Stone Saddle Stitched Ribbon; pearl - Mark Richards; foam tape - Scotch; Corner Chomper - We Are Memory Keepers

On The Links & Background Basics: Wrought Iron - Day 2

Good morning, Blogland, and welcome to the second day of Papertrey Ink's March release countdown. Thank you for all of the wonderful feedback about On The Links and BB: Wrought Iron. I'm so glad to hear you are excited about these new sets! Let's get on to some projects then, shall we?

I wanted to show the gender versatility of On The Links in this first project. I really tried to style the images in this set to be rather neutral, so you could use them for anyone in your life who swings a club now and again. With that I give you...a pink golf cart (hey, if Cadillac can do it for Mary Kay, I can do it for Papertrey).

I used a little creative masking to make the tires gray. A little helpful tip: I found it easier to stamp the main section of the cart and then go back and add the tires rather than the other way around. I trimmed the cart out and set it aside while I created my little scenery triptych.

I added my triptych panels to a base that had been stamped with polka dots and tied with a bit of baker's twine. I stamped my sentiment below the center panel and then finished the card by mounting my pretty pink golf cart with a bit of foam tape.

My second On The Links project features the same green that I showed yesterday, but this time with the tee image instead of the pin. I designed the green to work with either stamp (simply mask a small portion of the tee to make it look like it has disappeared into the existing hole).

I started by stamping my tee with watermark ink and heat embossing it with clear powder. Next I stamped my green over the tee and my sentiment in the opposing corner. That panel was then trimmed with the decorative pinked edge die and textured with the Canvas Impression Plate.

Then I sponged the edges and stitched on a button golf ball. I then added the ribbon tab and mounted that whole panel to a Rustic White base that had been stamped with the stitched strip from Background Basics: Retro.

My next two projects focus on Background Basics: Wrought Iron. I know there has been a lot of talk about Father's Day with the sets being released this month, but I didn't want to overlook Mother's Day completely. This first card is a simple Mother's Day card that really allows the ironwork background to stand out. I stamped my background with watermark ink onto Plum Pudding cardstock and mounted that piece to a white card base.

Next I created a decorative strip using Spring Moss Bitty Boxes paper and Linen Vellum along with a bit of 1/4" silk ribbon that I colored with a marker. That strip was adhered atop the background layer.

Next I created a round focal point using a couple of the Tag Its sets and mounted that to my decorative strip using foam adhesive. I used a little rhinestone to highlight the small flower.

My final project today is a new home card. I started by stamping my townhouse onto Soft Stone cardstock with Smoky shadow ink. I did a little simple coloring and cut out the windows. Then I added a piece of clear cardstock (stamped with the missing window images) behind the cardstock layer to resemble glass. I just love how realistic this makes the windows look.

I stamped my sentiment onto a Half & Half shape and then added "gates" using the small pattern block included in the BB: Wrought Iron stamp set. I mounted my house with foam tape and finished that piece by embellishing my gates with tiny rhinestones.

I wanted the card to feel sleek and sophisticated and I thought a striking contrast (by using a dark base) would help me achieve that goal. I stamped my background onto Smoky Shadow cardstock with watermark ink, taking care to only go part of the way across the base. Then I lined up the point of my Half & Half shape along the dividing line. I really like the way it turned out!

Thank you for visiting me today. I'll be back tomorrow with more projects featuring On The Links and Background Basics: Wrought Iron. In the meantime don't forget to check in with Nichole, Heather, Dawn, and Melissa for more projects and inspiration. I hope to see you tomorrow!

All products are from Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted
Go Fore It Card:
Stamps: On The Links (available March 15th), Polka Dot Basics, Love Lives Here, and Up, Up, And Away
Cardstock: Sweet Blush; generic white
Ink: Sweet Blush, Smoky Shadow, Spring Moss, Aqua Mist, Fresh Snow
Other: Oyster Baker's Twine - Divine Twine; Foam Tape - Scotch; Clear Embossing Powder - Filigree

You're A Pro Card:
Stamps: On The Links, Background Basics: Retro
Cardstock: Kraft, Rustic White
Ink: New Leaf, Dark Chocolate; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Pinked Edge Die, Kraft Saddle Stitched Ribbon, New Leaf Twill Ribbon, Linen/Canvas Impression Plate, Fresh Snow button; Aged Copper brad - Recollections; White Embroidery Floss - DMC; Clear Embossing Powder - Filigree; Foam Tape - Scotch

Mother's Day Ironwork Card:
Stamps: Background Basics: Wrought Iron (available March 15th), Tag-its #2, Tag-its #5
Cardstock: Plum Pudding, Spring Moss Bitty Boxes Paper, Linen Vellum; generic white
Ink: Plum Pudding, Spring Moss, Smoky Shadow; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Small Scallop Border Die, 1/4" silk ribbon; Rhinestone - Darice; Foam Tape - Scotch; Circle Die - Quickutz; Purple Marker - Sharpie

Home Sweet Home Card:Stamps: Background Basics: Wrought Iron; Boards & Beams
Cardstock: Smoky Shadow, Soft Stone; generic white
Ink: Smoky Shadow, Ocean Tides; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Clear Cardstock, Half & Half Dies; Foam Tape - Scotch; Rhinestones - Mark Richards; Colored Pencils - Prismacolor

Introducing On The Links & Background Basics: Wrought Iron

Hello, Blogland! Welcome to the March Papertrey Ink countdown. I have two sets and an impression plate releasing this month and I'm really looking forward to sharing them with you, so let's get started!

The first set I want to introduce is a golf theme set called Out On The Links (available on March 15th). It includes images and sentiments that will cover any need; from retirement to encouragement and beyond. The set also includes both punny and straight sentiments so you have more versatility depending on your recipient. My first project for this release is a birthday card/gift tag combo (that just so happens to be heading its way up to NW Ohio this weekend for a certain special Father-In-Law's birthday).

I started the card by stamping my green scene onto Aqua Mist cardstock. After giving that piece some texture using the Canvas impression plate, I adhered it to a mat of New Leaf stock.

Next, I stamped a white card base with the large dashed background in A Little Argyle and mounted my image panel with a bit of foam tape. The small pearl "golf ball" added just the right amount of embellishment.

To make the tag I began by cutting out a Mat Stack 5 shape and stamping the golf clubs and sentiment directly onto the cardstock. Then I stamped the whole image (the golf bag is all one stamp) onto a scrap of cardstock and trimmed just around the bag portion of the image. By the way, the golf bag features a very special brand name. As a little nod to my aforementioned Father-In-Law, the bag is emblazoned with the "Chipper Jones Premium Golf Gear" label. Happy Birthday, Michael C!

I matted the tag with a Mat Stack 5 Layerz shape and mounted my golf bag with a little foam tape (the itty bitty stems of the clubs that are visible on the golf bag were shaded with a colored pencil). The last steps were adding an eyelet and a bit of baker's twine to tie it to my gift bag.

My second release this month is a background building set inspired by classic ironwork. Background Basics: Wrought Iron includes two long pattern strips and two small pattern blocks. There is also a coordinating impression plate. I was so pleased to find these strips to be a total breeze to line up, but the impression plate is perfect for anyone who has decided that one easy pass through the die cut machine is their preferred background method.

The first card I want to share today is a wedding card that uses the emboss resist technique to add dimension to a cake. I started by stamping the flowers for the cake because I wanted them to be beneath the pattern.

Next, I stamped the BB:Wrought Iron background in watermark ink and heat embossed it using clear Filigree powder. Once that had a chance to cool a bit, I stamped the cake using Sweet Blush ink and used a damp baby wipe to remove the ink from my embossed lines. The result is a wedding cake covered in beautiful piping!

I cut out the cake and foam mounted it to a circle that had been stamped with the floral details. Next, I stamped that same background over the front of my card base using Fresh Snow ink. To that I adhered a piece of textured vellum that had been cut with the Edgers 1 dies. I stamped my sentiment, tied on my bow, and rounded the bottom corners before mounting my cake with a bit more foam tape.

My final project today is another wedding card that showcases the Wrought Iron impression plate. I started by cutting a window from a piece of Aqua Mist cardstock using the Mat Stack 4 Layerz die. Then I ran that piece through the trusty Cuttlebug with my new impression plate. I sprayed the dickens out of that piece with shimmer spray afterward and I lost a little bit of the impression from the moisture, so don't be like me - use your spray first.

While that was drying a bit I stamped the branch and the sentiment onto a white base. I tied a bit of sheer white ribbon around the Aqua Mist panel and mounted it to my base with foam tape. A little rhinestone finishes off the sentiment nicely.

Well, thank you for joining me today. I'll be back tomorrow with more projects using these two new sets. Make sure to visit Nichole, Heather, Dawn, Betsy, Erin, Ashley, and Melissa for more projects and inspiration. I hope to see you tomorrow!

All supplies Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted
Fore Your Birthday Card:
Stamps: On The Links (available March 15th), A Little Argyle and Up, Up, and Away
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, New Leaf; generic white
Ink: Aqua Mist, Pure Poppy, Fresh Snow, Smoky Shadow; Landscape - Palette
Other: Canvas & Linen Impression Plate; Mini Pearl - Mark Richards; White Embossing Powder - Filigree; Foam Tape - Scotch

Just For You Tag:
Stamps: On The Links
Cardstock: New Leaf; generic white
Ink: Pure Poppy, Aqua Mist, Smoky Shadow
Other: Mat Stack 5 Die, Mat Stack 5 Layerz Die; Silver Eyelet - We Are Memory Keepers; Foam Tape - Scotch; Baker's Twine - Divine Twine

Emboss Resist Wedding Cake:
Stamps: Background Basics: Wrought Iron (available March 15th), Piece of Cake, Masculine Motifs
Cardstock: Spring Moss, Textured Vellum; generic white
Ink: Berry Sorbet, Fresh Snow, Sweet Blush, Spring Moss; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Berry Sorbet Saddle Stitched Ribbon, Edgers 1 Dies; Circle Die - Quickutz; Clear Embossing Powder - Filigree; Corner Rounder - We Are Memory Keepers; Vellum Tape, Foam Tape - Scotch

It's Your Day Wedding Card:
Stamps: Turning A New Leaf, Think Big Favorites #2
Cardstock: Aqua Mist; generic white
Ink: Spring Moss; Silver Pigment - Colorbox
Other: Wrought Iron Impression Plate (available March 15th); Rhinestone - Darice; Pearl Glimmer Mist - Tattered Angels; Foam Tape - Scotch; sheer white ribbon; Clear Embossing Powder - Filigree

March Papertrey Sneak Peeks

I'm excited to share a couple of sneak peeks of stamp sets I have releasing this month with Papertrey Ink:

The first is a golf-theme set with images and sentiments to fill all of your duffers' needs.

The second is a background building set that celebrates the beauty of wrought iron. There's also a coordinating impression plate for those of you that love texture.

I'm afraid I don't have any update regarding the Global Greetings series. I will be sure to post when I'm informed of a scheduled release date. Thank you.

Alrighty, I have plenty to do before the countdown begins, so I'll see you back here in a couple of days!

A Whale of a Card

Hello, Blogland! I'm still going strong on my New Year's goal (not resolution, but goal) of at least one blog post a week (success with the clean studio goal has been a little spotty). This week brings us another baby card that I made and sent to my Mother-In-Law last week.

I loved this little whale from the moment he was released, but up until this card he had been, sadly, unused. I started by stamping the Spring Rain panel with the stitched grid background and then I die cut the circle, using my stamped lines as a guide. Handy trick. Anyway, that was then textured with the Canvas impression plate and adhered to a white base.

Next, I stamped and then hand-cut (because I'm a cheapskate and I don't have the matching die) the whale and set him aside momentarily. Then I worked on my banner (using Nichole Heady's paper banner technique). I stamped the Soft Stone with the tiny harlequin/argyle background using watermark ink, so the pattern is there, but it's very subtle. The sentiment is from the whale set, too.

I adhered the banner to my card and stamped the little heart trio before mounting my whale using foam adhesive. I finished the card by adding two red nail head embellishments to the ends of the banner. That achieved two design-y type things in one shot: I fulfilled my "rules of three" objective by using the most vibrant color on the card three times and I used them in a visual triangle around my whale which draws the eye in toward the focal image. Yay for design tips!

Also, if you're interested in learning a little bit about me through an interview with Joan B (of Paperlicious fame) head over to her blog HERE. She asked some great questions and I tried not to sound like a total doofus while answering. Even if you don't give a lick about me you should visit Joan's blog. She's totally awesome and her Dear Paperlicious posts always make me laugh.

Thank you for stopping in today! Have a great week and I'll see you again soon!

Recipe:
Stamps: Whale Wishes, A Little Argyle, Background Basics: Retro - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Spring Rain, Soft Stone - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Enchanted Evening, Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink; Versamark - Tsukineko
Other: Canvas Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Circle Die - Quickutz; red nail heads - Mark Richards; Foam Adhesive - Scotch