Rhythm & Soul Day 5

Well, here we are. Today is the final day in the Papertrey Ink June Release Countdown. I can't wait to see what you all do with Rhythm & Soul when you finally get it into your hot little hands. I hope you have as much fun with it as I have this week.

Before we get to the project I want to thank everyone at Papertrey one more time for this amazing experience. Nichole, Julie, and Jane have given me the opportunity to design and share something that holds so much meaning for me. I feel like a broken record, but I am so filled with gratitude to them and to all of you for the warm reception and enthusiasm I have been so lucky to receive. Ya'll sure know how to make a girl feel loved. So thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I also want to take a second to thank my husband who has shown enthusiasm for every project this week and didn't get the least bit salty when I spent hours chained to my computer designing the set while we were on "vacation" earlier this year.


My final project is a little gift and card combo intended for a new pianist. Do you remember your first instrument? I remember my music teacher asking us to keep a practice log book so we could track how often and for how long we practiced. I tried so hard to practice and keep my little journal, but alas, instrumental music was not for me (I attempted, and failed at, the trumpet, the guitar, and the cello [to be fair I didn't even start that one until I was 21 and I only even tried because it was a gift]). Anyway, I figured this little set would be a perfect present for a budding piano player.


I started by cutting pieces of Pure Poppy cardstock and stamping them with A Little Argyle in Fresh Snow and VersaMark inks. Two of those pieces were adhered to the covers of a mini composition notebook and one piece was attached to a white card base. Then I stamped four pianos (two in Noir ink on Smoky Shadow cardstock and two in Noir ink on white cardstock). I cut out the pianos and embellished them with colored pencils before attaching the keyboards.


Next, I took a piece of Linen Texture Vellum and stamped my sentiments with Smoky Shadow ink. The practice booklet's sentiment is Simple Alphabet and the card's sentiment is included in Rhythm & Soul. The great thing about the card sentiment is that it's two pieces. The set includes a "We're" and an "I'm" in addition to the "so proud of you" so it can be used for cards from individuals or families/parents/groups of all sorts. Hooray for versatility!

After adhering the vellum pieces, I die cut a couple of circles from white cardstock to mount behind my pianos to set them off from the background. Sometimes with bold patterns I like to ground my focal image so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle. I adhered my circles onto my practice notebook and then mounted my piano overtop using foam adhesive. Before attaching my circle/piano focal point on my card, I wrapped the base with a piece of Pure Poppy Saddle Stitched Ribbon and adhered the ends so that they would lie under the white circle. Next, I tied on some gray baker's twine and then mounted my circle and piano with foam adhesive.

Well, that's all I have for this lovely June day. Thanks so much for stopping by today. For more amazing projects featuring new stamps for this month make sure to check out Nichole, Dawn, Heather, Maile, Melissa's blogs. I'll see you on the forum!

Recipe:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (available June 15th), Simple Alphabet, A Little Argyle - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Smoky Shadow, Linen Vellum - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Fresh Snow, Smoky Shadow - Papertrey Ink; Noir - Palette; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Pure Poppy Saddle Stitched Ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Circle die - Quickutz; Pinking Scissors; Oyster Baker's Twine - Divine Twine; Corner Chomper - We Are Memory Keepers; mini composition notebook

Rhythm & Soul Day 4

Welcome to day four of the June Papertrey Ink Release Countdown! Thank you all again for stopping by and leaving your generous comments and showing such enthusiasm for Rhythm & Soul. I'm so glad you're having as much fun as I am with these projects.


Today I wanted to make a congratulatory card featuring the fiddle. I am a firm believer that images don't always have to be realistically represented when it comes to color, so today we have a Berry Sorbet fiddle. Yay! Wouldn't that be fun? Somebody needs to get on that. Anyway, I started by cutting an asymmetrical base from white cardstock. I rounded one corner and set that aside. Next, I stamped the fiddle and the sentiment in Smoky Shadow ink. Then, I colored the fiddle with Prismacolor pencils and trimmed it out. I sponged the edges of the sentiment with Aqua Mist ink and matted it with a little piece of Summer Sunrise cardstock.


The next step was to cut a piece of Aqua Mist cardstock and stamp it with the smallest dots from Polka Dot Basics with Fresh Snow ink. I wanted even more texture, so I ran the Aqua Mist panel through my Cuttlebug with the Woodgrain Impression Plate. I love layering textures like that. Next, I punched out a scalloped strip of Berry Sorbet cardstock and hand-stitched it along the edge of the Aqua Mist layer before adhering that whole piece to the card base. Then, I adhered the sentiment to the front of the card and mounted the fiddle over top of it with foam adhesive.

Then I proceeded to stare at the card for a half an hour trying to decide if the card needed a rhinestone anywhere. In the end I decided that the card had plenty going on without the extra sparkle and I just needed to leave well enough alone.

I hope you've enjoyed today's card. Thanks so much for stopping by! For more amazing projects featuring new stamps for this month make sure to check out Nichole, Dawn, Heather, Maile, Melissa's blogs. Have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow with the last day of countdown projects.

Recipe:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (available June 15th), Polka Dot Basics - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, Berry Sorbet, Summer Sunrise - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Fresh Snow, Aqua Mist, Smoky Shadow - Papertrey Ink
Other: Woodgrain Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Decorative Edge Punch - Fiskars; Dark Gray Embroidery Floss (844) - DMC; Foam Adhesive - Scotch; Corner Chomper - We Are Memory Keepers; Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; sponge; mineral spirits

Rhythm & Soul Day 3

Welcome to the June Papertrey Ink Countdown Day 3. Today I'm sharing my final card featuring the guitar. I know my posts have been a little guitar heavy, but this last one is very important to me. You see today is my dad's birthday. If you read yesterday's post you'll remember that Dad was a big influence when developing the concept for this set and I was so excited to find that the stamps would arrive just in time to make him a birthday card.


So, to start today's card I stamped the guitar onto Aqua Mist Bitty Boxes Patterned Paper, Kraft cardstock, and white cardstock. I trimmed out just the body of the guitar from the Aqua Mist, the entire image from the Kraft, and layered the white with a mat of Dark Chocolate cardstock. I adhered the Aqua Mist image to the Kraft image and then mounted that whole piece to the white layer with foam adhesive.


Next, I made a base out of Kraft cardstock and repeatedly stamped the block of text from Background Basics: Newsprint with VersaMark to give it an all-over pattern. Then, I stamped the line image from Background Basics: Retro with Fresh Snow ink about a third of the way from the top of the card. I love this lined strip with the guitar because it reminds me of a blank music staff. That sort of coordination is such fun! Anyway, my next step was to layer a knotted strip of Aqua Mist twill over the top of the linear images and mount the guitar panel to the base with foam adhesive. The final step was to stamp the birthday sentiment in the bottom corner using Dark Chocolate ink and to add a little embellishment to the guitar with colored pencils. I think Dad will love it.

Thank you for visiting and checking out today's project! I'll see you tomorrow for day four of the June countdown. For more amazing projects featuring new stamps for this month make sure to check out Nichole, Dawn, Heather, Maile, Melissa's blogs. Ta-ta!

Recipe:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (available June 15th), Background Basics: Newsprint, Background Basics: Retro - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Kraft, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink; white
Patterned Paper: Aqua Mist Bitty Boxes - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Aqua Mist Twill - Papertrey Ink; Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; Foam Adhesive - Scotch

Rhythm & Soul Day 2

I want to start by thanking all of you for your kind comments and enthusiasm over the past several days. Getting to design a stamp set for Papertrey is a dream come true and having it received so warmly has only made the experience all the more meaningful. So thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I'd better move on before I cry on somebody.

How about a little backstory, eh? When I found out I was the winner of the stamp design prize I was immediately flooded with ideas. But the one concept that I couldn't shake was a set of instruments that I could use on cards for the fellas in my life. One of those fellas, specifically, is my dad.

When I was a kid we didn't have a lot of money, but my parents did have a handful of musically talented friends. I fondly remember evenings spent in the dining room with the chairs all pulled into a circle and my dad and his friends playing bluegrass while all the kids danced around like monkeys. As I've gotten older I've come to savor that memory all the more. Now I try to remember to tune in to my local public radio station every Saturday and Sunday evening for their weekend bluegrass program (hey, hey, Bluegrass Ramble, I'm lookin' at you!). I also try and find new favorites by digging through the bluegrass section at my library. So today's project is my little way of sharing that music with the man who introduced me to the fiddle (call it what you want, but to me it will always be the fiddle) and the banjo those years ago.


EDITED TO ADD: The final size of the case is 5" x 5" and was completely contained on one sheet of cardstock. Thanks for the question!
I decided to make a mix CD of some of my favorite songs to give to my dad as part of his Father's Day gift. I started by taking a piece of white cardstock and making a template. When I was happy with the template I took a piece of Kraft cardstock and cut out the basic shape. I did not do any of the scoring until later so I'd have a smooth surface to use for my stamping. I then stamped the front cover with the banjo, fiddle, and guitar images in Fresh Snow ink.


I also stamped the fiddle and the sentiment on the inside pocket at the same time. I think the quote will convey my message to him perfectly. We're not really a "heart on your sleeve" bunch, so I think he'll understand from the gesture just how much I appreciate that we can share this part of our lives (as we are very, very different people in so many other ways).

While that was drying, I die cut the Friendship Jar label from white cardstock and stamped it with the Father's Day sentiment in Dark Chocolate ink. The label still looked a little blah, so I used one of the note images and some Terra Cotta Tile ink to spruce it up a smidge.


Then I took my cover and scored it along the spine and pocket/tabs to make sure I had nice clean folds on everything (especially since I was going to have to fold against the grain on some of the scores). I also took the opportunity to die cut a little bit of a decorative edge on the CD pocket. I did that by cutting the pocket with the edge of the Mat Stack 1 die. It is a subtle dip, but I think it makes the edge look much more clean and finished. Once the pocket was adhered into place I took a piece of Terra Cotta Tile Saddle Stitched Ribbon and did a very simple book binding stitch (that I learned while I was in Boy Scouts - a story for another time) to attach the ribbon to the CD cover spine. I then secured the ribbon closer to the edges of the cover with a little Scor-Tape and mounted the sentiment label with a piece of foam adhesive. I left the ribbon ends a little bit long so it won't be difficult for Dad to tie them when he wants to, but I did trim them with pinking shears so the ribbon won't fray as much as it might with a simple bias cut.


All that was left to do was find a blank CD in a coordinating color (which we luckily had on hand). I plan to type out the playlist and adhere it onto the inside left cover when I have the selection finalized.

I hope you enjoyed today's project and I'll see you tomorrow! For more amazing projects featuring new stamps for this month make sure to check out Nichole, Dawn, Heather, Maile, Melissa's blogs. Ta-ta!

Recipe:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (available June 15th) - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Kraft - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Fresh Snow, Terra Cotta Tile, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Other: Terra Cotta Tile Saddle Stitched Ribbon, Friendship Jar Label Die, Mat Stack 1 Die - Papertrey Ink; Foam Adhesive - Scotch; white embroidery floss - DMC; Scor-Tape; CD - Memorex

Rhythm & Soul Day 1

It's here, it's here, it's finally here!!!

Ok, now that I've gotten that out of the way...Welcome Papertrey Ink fans! Today is day one of the June Papertrey Ink Countdown and my first opportunity to share a very big secret. Back in February I had the incredible luck to win the opportunity to design a stamp set with Nichole Heady. Once we started chatting about my ideas she offered to allow me to illustrate the set myself (I may have not-so-subtly sent along an illustration). I couldn't turn down such an amazing offer! So after several days of late nights and early mornings, Rhythm & Soul was born. I'll share more about the meaning behind the set over the next few days, but in the meantime let's get to some projects. Yay!!!


The first card I want to share with you today uses the guitar image and the sentiment that Nichole shared in her peek the other day. By the way, my set took a wrong turn in the mail, so all of the images I'm sharing in this post are printed. I'll get back to sharing stamped images just as soon as the set decides to turn up. Let's just pretend I've stamped everything though.

I started by "stamping" the guitar in brown ink onto Kraft cardstock. Then I used Background Basics: Woodgrain to add a subtle texture to the guitar. I thought it added a nice, soft realistic look.


Next, I stamped the sentiment onto Rustic White cardstock and trimmed using ric-rac scissors. Then, I stamped the stitched background from Background Basics: Retro onto Ocean Tides using both VersaMark and Fresh Snow inks. That stamped panel was mounted to a Rustic white card base before adhering the sentiment panel. Then, I wrapped the entire shebang with Spring Moss Saddle Stitched Ribbon and Button Twine. I mounted the guitar using foam adhesive and finished the whole thing off with an antique copper brad.

The second card I want to share features the snare drum image included in the set. This is also a larger card (A6 - 4.5 x 6.25). I wanted to show that the images in the set are large enough to be focal points on larger-than-average cards or scrapbook pages, but they'll work on the good ol' A2s as well.


I started this card by stamping the drum twice onto scraps of white cardstock and colored both images using Prismacolor Pencils.


Next, I cut out the drum section of the image and mounted it over the top of the full image using foam adhesive and set that aside. Then, I cut a piece of Smoky Shadow cardstock and stamped it in VersaMark with the smallest dots in Polka Dot Basics 1. I went back over that panel with one of the images from Dot Spot in white ink to layer the patterns and pump up the visual texture. I wrapped that panel with Spring Rain Saddle Stitched Ribbon and adhered it to a white card base.

Next, I made a frame from Pure Poppy cardstock using the Fillable Frames #1 die and the Picnic Plaid impression plate. I adhered the colored drum image to the patterned base and mounted the frame using foam adhesive. Then, I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of white cardstock and adhered it to the frame. The finishing touch was a tiny pale blue rhinestone to pull it all together.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I'll see you for day two of the countdown tomorrow!

Recipes:
Rhythm Guitar Card:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (Available June 15th), Background Basics: Woodgrain, Background Basics: Retro - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Rustic White, Kraft, Ocean Tides - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Spring Moss Saddle Stitched Ribbon, Button Twine - Papertrey Ink; Copper brad - Recollections; Foam Adhesive - Scotch

Birthday Drum Card:
Stamps: Rhythm & Soul (Available June 15th), Polka Dot Basics, Dot Spot - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Smoky Shadow - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Spring Rain Saddle Stitched Ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Colored Pencils - Prismacolor; Foam Adhesive - Scotch; rhinestone; mineral spirits

Sneak Peek!

It has been a very long time since I've posted. I'm sorry for being gone so long. I really hope to be able to post more frequently in the coming month or two. In the immediate future I'm looking forward to sharing more of the stamp set I had the incredible opportunity to design for Papertrey Ink (long-known to many of you as my favorite stamp company). Nichole released a sneak peek on her blog today! I'm so excited!!!

That's all for right now, but I'll see you all again very soon. Thanks for sharing this experience with me!