Football Frenzy & Additions - Day 5

Good morning, All, and welcome to Day 5 of the Papertrey Ink April new release countdown! I have two more projects to share with you today featuring Football Frenzy and the coordinating Additions set.

My first card is a Baltimore Ravens birthday card. Someone did in fact mention that his beloved Ravens had been neglected, so I thought I'd throw my papa-in-law a bone with this one.

I began with the jersey. I die cut my shape from white cardstock and stamped the coordinating image in Royal Velvet. I used a fine-tip glue pen to trace along the narrow stripes on the sleeves and then heat embossed them with gold detail powder. The number was added with the Football Frenzy Additions numeral and heat embossed in white. I stamped my sentiment onto a Mat Stack 3 shape using True Black ink and matted it with a Mat Stack 3 Layerz shape that I'd cut from metallic gold cardstock. I added the jersey with foam tape and set that whole piece aside.

Next, I impressed a piece of True Black cardstock with the Center Stage Cover Plate and adhered it to a white card base. I traced along the edge of the cardstock with a gold pen for an extra glitzy touch. Finally, I adhered the Mat Stack panel to the front of the card with foam tape.

My next card is a nod to the home team. Columbus is the heart of Buckeye country. Here it is always football season and if you're not an OSU fan you tend to keep it to yourself. I would be tarred and feathered (by someone...probably family) if I didn't include a Buckeye card somewhere in this countdown.

I began by adhering a piece of Soft Stone polka dot paper to a piece of Soft Stone cardstock. This step is just for stability and isn't totally necessary, but I like to err on the side of caution. From that panel, I die cut a speech bubble using the Sweet Speech Die. I traced the negative onto a card base, and stamped my sentiment in the center of the opening. Then, I adhered clear cardstock to the back of the panel and surrounded the speech bubble hole with foam adhesive to create a shaker "well." I erased my pencil lines and then sprinkled red, white, and silver sequins onto the card front. I adhered the speech bubble panel over top of the little pile of sequins. Next, I die cut the jersey shape and stamped it with Pure Poppy and gray pigment inks. The jersey embellishment was then stamped and heat embossed with white powder. I finished off the card by adhering the jersey into place with foam adhesive.

Well, that's all for me for this countdown. Thank you so much for checking in with me over the past several days! You'll definitely want to check in with Nichole, Ashley, Betsy, Danielle, Dawn, Erin, Heather, Laura, Laurie, Maile, Melissa, and Lexi for even more inspiration today. I'll see you all again soon. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Recipes:
Baltimore Ravens Birthday Card
Stamps: Football Frenzy, Football Frenzy Additions - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: True Black, Metallic Gold - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Royal Velvet, True Black - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko; Gray Pigment - Studio G
Other: Football Frenzy Die Collection, Mat Stack 3 Die, Mat Stack 3 Layerz Die, Center Stage Cover Plate - Papertrey Ink; Foam Tape - Scotch; Gold Pen - Marvy; Gold Detail Embossing Powder, White Detail Embossing Powder - Filigree; Glue Pen

Go Bucks Card
Stamps: Football Frenzy, Football Frenzy Additions - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Soft Stone, Soft Stone Polka Dot Pattern Paper, Clear Cardstock - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Pure Poppy, True Black - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Football Frenzy Die Collection, Sweet Speech Die - Papertrey Ink; White Detail Embossing Powder - Filigree; Foam Tape - Scotch; sequins

Football Frenzy & Additions - Day 4

Good morning, Friends, and welcome back for Day 4 of the Papertrey Ink April release countdown! I'm featuring my new set, Football Frenzy, on a couple of additional projects with you today. Shall we get to it?

My first project today incorporates a photo into a piece of home decor. I'm not a scrapbooker and haven't been since high school, but I really tried to design this month's sets with the memory keepers in mind.

I began by printing a photo of my brother Henry all decked out in his football gear. That giant man-child will be 15 in just a few weeks and that's really, really hard to imagine. He was so tiny just yesterday! But I digress. Anyway, I die cut a Fabulous Frames polaroid shape and stamped it with Background Basics: Super Stripes. Then, I die cut a notched shape from the same die collection and stamped it with the sentiment from Football Frenzy. I adhered the notched shape to the frame and used foam tape to attach the frame to the photo.

Next, I die cut a triangle using the Hello Sunshine Die Collection from Pure Poppy cardstock. I heat embossed the sentiment with white detail powder and added small strips of cardstock to look like ties. Then, I adhered a toothpick to the back of the flag with Scor-tape. The next element I worked on was the helmet. I die cut the shape from white cardstock and stamped it with True Black and Pure Poppy inks. I then overstamped the face mask with VersaMark and heat embossed with clear powder. I adhered everything to a white 5" x 7" base using flat and foam adhesives.

It still looked like it needed a little something, so I added Henry's name in True Black cardstock letters using the Headline Alphabet Die Collection. I removed the glass from a simple photo frame (due to the dimension of the embellishments) and inserted the Henry tribute. I'm not too worried about dust (nothing a little canned air or the vacuum can't fix), but if you are a shadow box would be a great choice.

My second project today is a graduation card. I'm sure you've seen a couple of sporty graduation cards in the past few days. Nichole has a great one HERE and Erin has another fantastic one HERE, but I wanted to put my own twist on the concept. I decided to use the football in place of the "0" to reinforce the athletic theme (you could do the same with the large baseball image from 7th Inning Stretch).

I began by Xyroning a piece of white cardstock and die cutting it with the Letterman Stitched Number Dies, sticky side (still covered) up. I removed the adhesive backing and sprinkled the letters with white flocking. It's an alternative to felt if you're looking for interesting texture with a little less bulk. I die cut an Enchanted Evening layer using the Letterman Stitched Number Mat Dies. I stitched those together with dark blue embroidery thread and set them aside.

Then, I die cut the football shape from white cardstock and stamped it with the coordinating image using Dark Chocolate ink. I then stitched the laces on the football with white embroidery thread. Next, I cut a white panel and stamped it with the lined, hourglass-y image from Big Ticket Basics in Spring Rain ink. I followed up with the "Class of" strip from For The Graduate in Enchanted Evening ink. I attached that panel to a Classic Kraft card base and added the numbers and football with foam tape.

Thank you for joining me today! I'll be back tomorrow with a couple of additional projects, but in the meantime Nichole, Ashley, Danielle, Dawn, Erin, Heather, Melissa Phillips, and Lexi all have more to share with you. I'll see you again soon! Enjoy your Sunday!

Recipe:
Henry Frame
Stamps: Football Frenzy, Background Basics Super Stripes - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Soft Stone, Pure Poppy, True Black - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Pure Poppy, True Black - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Football Frenzy Die Collection, Fabulous Frames Die Collection, Hello Sunshine Die Collection - Papertrey Ink; Foam Tape - Scotch; White Detail Embossing Powder, Clear Detail Embossing Powder - Filigree; toothpick

Class Of 2014 Card
Stamps: Football Frenzy, For The Graduate, Big Ticket Basics - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Classic Kraft, Enchanted Evening - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Enchanted Evening, Spring Rain, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Other: Football Frenzy Die Collection, Letterman Stitched Numbers Die Collection, Letterman Stitched Numbers Mats Die Collection - Papertrey Ink; Foam Tape - Scotch; Blue Embroidery Floss, White Embroidery Floss - DMC; White Flocking - Recollections

Football Frenzy & Additions - Day 3

 Hello again, Friends! Welcome to Day 3 of the April Papertrey Ink new release countdown. I'm so glad you've all been enjoying the Football Frenzy projects this week! I have a couple of additional cards to share today, so let's go!

The nice thing about the alphabet in the Football Frenzy Additions set is that it's large enough to be easy to use, but small enough that you can use it to personalize your projects with special sentiments or phrases.

I wanted to create a Father's Day card this week, but there isn't one specifically included in Football Frenzy. I used the Block Alphabet Die Collection to spell out D-A-D and the Additions set to complete the rest of my sentiment. I began by layering a white card base with Harvest Gold cardstock and Striped Pinefeather Patterned Paper. Next, I die cut a Wine Bottle Tag and stamped it with the "I am your" in True Black ink. I adhered it to my card front and added "DAD" with foam tape.

Then, I die cut the jersey and stamped it with Harvest Gold and Pinefeather inks. I heat embossed the "#1 Fan" sentiment with white detail powder and mounted the jersey to the card front with foam tape. The card seemed to still need something, so I added small punched circles of Pinefeather cardstock between the "DAD" letters and embellished them with Glossy Accents for a finishing touch.

I also wanted to create a quick and easy encouragement card for today.

I began by stamping a Rustic White card base with the Vince Lombardi quote in Dark Chocolate ink. Then, I added strips of Ripe Avocado cardstock to the base and covered them with Scor-tape. I sprinkled more of the modeling grass atop the adhesive surface. I can't get enough of the result this achieves!

Next, I die cut a helmet shape from Rustic White cardstock and stamped it with Fine Linen and Scarlet Jewel inks. I wanted to give the helmet a shiny finish, so I heat embossed it with clear powder. I finished up by adding the helmet to the card front with foam tape. This card seriously came together in 15 minutes. A total snap!

Well, that's all for me today. Thank you so much for stopping by! Check in with Nichole, Ashley, Betsy, Danielle, Dawn, Erin, Heather, Laura, Laurie, Maile, Melissa Phillips, Lexi, and Melissa Bickford for even more inspiration. I'll see you again tomorrow!

Recipes:
#1 Fan Card
Stamps: Football Frenzy, Football Frenzy Additions - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Harvest Gold, Pinefeather, Pinefeather Striped Patterned Paper - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Harvest Gold, Pinefeather, True Black - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Football Frenzy Die Collection, Wine Bottle Tag, Block Alphabet Upper Die - Papertrey Ink; Foam Tape - Scotch; Glossy Accents - Ranger; White Detail Embossing Powder - Filigree

Lombardi Quote Card
Stamps: Football Frenzy - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Ripe Avocado, Rustic White - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Scarlet Jewel, Dark Chocolate, Fine Linen - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Football Frenzy Die Collection - Papertrey Ink; Foam Tape - Scotch; Modeling Grass - Scene A Rama; Clear Detail Embossing Powder - Filigree

Football Frenzy & Additions - Day 2

Good morning and welcome to the April Papertrey Ink new release countdown! Today is Day 2, or alternately, "How I Threw A Tailgate Party In My Backyard In The Middle Of April" day. The Football Frenzy & Additions sets are perfect for decorating your tailgate, graduation, or birthday parties to the nines! I wanted to demonstrate that today with a mini tailgate party for the Bengals (my mama-in-law's favorite team [I can already hear my papa-in-law protesting the neglect of his beloved Ravens]). Let's get started!

So every great party has festive decorations. A banner? Delightful!

I cut the letter flags from white cardstock and stamped them with black polka dots before adding the pinked toppers. Then, I created Orange Zest rosettes using Nichole's "Lazy Stamper Medallion" tutorial. I adhered them to the flags and topped them with white circles. The letters were die cut from Orange Zest and True Black cardstocks using the Modern Alphabet Upper Dies and shadowed together before being mounted to the circles with foam tape.

The jersey flag was die cut from Orange Zest cardstock and patterned paper (adhered together afterward for stability), layered with white cardstock, and the same pinked border was added to the top. Then, I die cut the jersey and stamped it to resemble the Bengals' home jersey. I heat embossed Boomer Esiason's number with white powder for an added custom touch. That was then mounted to the flag with foam tape.

The helmet flag followed the same steps, but when I stamped the helmet, I heat embossed the face mask with clear powder to give it a bit of realism and texture. I added buttons cut from the Buttoned Up #1 Die and threaded everything onto black jute.

Once decorations are handled you have to start thinking of food and beverages. How about some cups?

I die cut the helmet and football shapes out of white sticker paper and stamped them with their coordinating images. The sticker paper makes this whole process super "no fuss." A little tip about lining up the football: one end of the die cut shape is slightly dimpled. When you have the football image in your hands with the laces at the top, that dimpled end should be on the left. It's a very subtle difference and it really won't be the end of the world if you don't want to look that closely. The nice thing about largely symmetrical images is that the die can be flipped and it will still work out just fine.

And what about napkins?

These really couldn't be easier. I simply stamped the images onto the napkins, using a piece of chipboard behind the first layer of tissue. There wasn't any bleed-through, but I figured it was better safe than sorry. Die ink will bleed a little bit, so some of the details are lost (like the knit pattern on the jersey), but it isn't terribly distracting. You'll also want to make sure the inks dry between layers if you're adding things like numbers to a jersey. Otherwise they bleed like crazy. There are so many possibilities with these! Graduation party? Try the graduate's year or (if an athlete) jersey number. A note about inks: I wasn't worried too much about the not-so-waterproof nature of these inks since my snacks are all dry, but that might be important to keep in mind if you're serving chili or something.

Speaking of food...what about grilling? See those little picks there? How about a closer look...

Grilling markers! Stick these into burgers, hot dogs, or chicken so your guests can choose their preferred doneness.

Look! There's even one for me!

All I did for these was die cut the footballs and stamp them with the coordinating image. Then I used the alphabet from Football Frenzy Additions to add the labels. I attached them to toothpicks using circles of label paper. Yes, you could add another football to the back and fully enclose the pick, but a (literal) throw away isn't where I like to spend time or supplies. And these are just as cute!

You may have also noticed the hot dog tray there. I stamped a piece of white cardstock with two of the stripes from Background Basics: Super Stripes using Orange Zest and True Black inks. Then, I die cut them with the Favor It Box #7 die and assembled it with Scor Tape for a secure hold. It's a perfect fit for a hot dog or some snacks!

Thank you so much for attending my tailgate party today! I hope you enjoyed today's festivities. Still want to see more of Football Frenzy & Additions? Check in with Nichole and Erin today as they features these sets! You'll also want to visit with Betsy, Dawn, Heather, Laura, Lexi, Maile, and Melissa Bickford as they share more of this month's new releases. Can't wait to see you tomorrow!

Recipes:
Bengals Banner
Stamps: Football Frenzy, Polka Dot Basics - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Orange Zest, Orange Zest Stripe Paper, True Black - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Orange Zest, True Black - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Football Frenzy Die Collection, Limitless Layers 1 3/4" Circle Die Collection, Banner Borders Die Collection, Basic Banners Die Collection, Buttoned Up #1 Die, Modern Alphabet Upper Die - Papertrey Ink; Clear Detail Embossing Powder, White Detail Embossing Powder - Filigree; Foam Tape - Scotch; Black Jute - American Crafts; 1 3/8" Circle Punch - EK Success

Football Cups
Stamps: Football Frenzy - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: White Adhesive Sheets - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Orange Zest, True Black - Papertrey Ink
Other: Football Frenzy Die Collection - Papertrey Ink

Team Napkins
Stamps: Football Frenzy, Football Frenzy Additions - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Orange Zest, True Black, Fresh Snow - Papertrey Ink
Other: Napkins

Grilling Markers
Stamps: Football Frenzy, Football Frenzy Additions - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: White Adhesive Sheets - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Orange Zest, True Black - Papertrey Ink
Other: Football Frenzy Die Collection - Papertrey Ink; Toothpicks

Snack Tray
Stamps: Background Basics: Super Stripes - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: white
Ink: Orange Zest, True Black - Papertrey Ink
Other: Favor It Box 7 Die - Papertrey Ink; Scor Tape

Introducing Football Frenzy & Additions

Good morning, friends! Are you ready for some football? Today starts the April Papertrey Ink countdown and I get to share projects with you featuring my new sets, Football Frenzy and Football Frenzy Additions! The main $15 set includes images and sentiments all about football. The coordinating $5 Additions set includes an alphabet and numerals, perfect for personalizing your cards and scrapbook pages. So huddle up, ladies and gentlemen, I have a couple of projects to share!

I liked the layout from my most recent Color Play card so much that I decided to try and man it up a little bit with the Football Frenzy images.

I began by die cutting a vellum circle and stamping it with Background Basics: Super Stripes using Spring Rain ink. Again, make absolutely certain that your background ink is dry before stamping the sentiment (a heat gun is helpful with this). I added the sentiment to my vellum with Dark Chocolate ink and adhered it to a Classic Kraft card base. Next, I Xyroned two strips of Ripe Avocado cardstock and die cut them using the Pinked Edge border die (sticky side should still be covered and face up). I uncovered the stickiness and placed strips of flat and foam tape onto the surfaces before sprinkling them with model-building faux grass. Such a cool effect!

I attached the strips of "grass" to the card front using flat and foam adhesives. Next, I die cut a football and stamped it with the coordinating image from the set. I wanted to add a little texture to the ball, so I traced over the laces with a fine point glue pen and heat embossed using clear powder. It makes the laces look and feel even more realistic. I finished the card by tucking the football between the layers of grass and fastening it with foam tape.

My next card uses the Additions set in a starring role.

I've wanted to use the numerals to create a football field since the moment I designed these sets. I began by stamping my yardage markers in Fresh Snow ink onto New Leaf cardstock. I followed up with the lines, dashes, and arrows before texturing the panel with the Linen & Canvas impression plate and adhering it to a white card base. Next, I Xyroned a piece of leather cardstock and a piece of Dark Chocolate cardstock and die cut them using the Text Block: Birthday die. I cut them separately because doing so preserved some of the texture of the leather stock.

Then, I layered the two pieces together and adhered them to a piece of Clear Cardstock. I die cut the jersey from white cardstock and stamped it with Enchanted Evening and Soft Stone inks. The rings on the sleeves and the collar are one stamp that lines up easily so you can customize the jersey to match your favorite team! I added the number on the chest with VersaMark and heat embossed with white detail powder. I adhered the jersey to the card front and added the Text Block shape with foam tape.

Both of today's cards are simple, so they rely on texture and manly materials to add interest. That's one of my favorite tips for creating successful masculine cards. Granted, they also have a sporty theme, but the textures and colors reinforce the overall feeling.

Thank you for checking in with me today. I hope you've enjoyed the projects I've shared! I'll be back again tomorrow with even more inspiration with Football Frenzy & Additions. Make sure to visit with Nichole, Dawn, Erin, Heather, Lexi, Melissa Phillips, and Melissa Bickford for additional projects featuring this month's new releases. See you soon!

Recipes:
We Believe In You Card
Stamps: Football Frenzy, Background Basics: Super Stripes - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Ripe Avocado, Classic Kraft, Linen Vellum - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Spring Rain, Dark Chocolate - Papertrey Ink
Other: Football Frenzy Die Collection, Pinked Edge Border Die - Papertrey Ink; Circle Die - Lifestyle Crafts; Foam Tape - Scotch; Xyron; Modeling Grass - Scene A Rama; Clear Detail Embossing Powder - Filigree; Glue Pen

Football Field Birthday Card
Stamps: Football Frenzy, Football Frenzy Additions, Live Laugh Love (small arrows), Faux Ribbon (lines), Bits & Buttons (small dashes) - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: New Leaf, Dark Chocolate, Clear Cardstock - Papertrey Ink; Leather Paper - Recollections
Ink: Enchanted Evening, Fresh Snow, Soft Stone - Papertrey Ink; VersaMark - Tsukineko
Other: Football Frenzy Die Collection, Text Block Birthday Die, Linen & Canvas Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Foam Tape - Scotch; Xyron; White Detail Embossing Powder - Filigree

April Sneak Peek

Happy Sunday, All! Let me start by saying thank you. I so truly appreciate all of your kind words regarding my Stamping Royalty nod. You're all very sweet people and it's heartwarming to have such kindness coming my way. So thank you, thank you, thank you!

Next up, a little sneak peek of a set I have coming your way in a short while.

If you're a football fan or know someone who is you'll want to keep your eyes peeled. I be back in just a few days with projects and gizmos aplenty. See you soon!

April Color Play

Good morning and welcome to Papertrey Ink's April Color Play feature! This month we're playing with this photo of tulips and teacups:

I just loved the photo's soft colors. They felt so fresh and simply perfect for Spring crafting. I thought it might be fun to create an Easter card for today and Hippity Hoppity felt like just the ticket!

I wanted to create a grounding oval using a mask, but I'll be darned if I could get the results I wanted with masking. Something just wasn't clicking, so I tried a different approach. Instead, I stamped my pattern onto vellum that I had Xyroned and cut with my oval die. I thought the vellum might feel lighter than an additional cardstock layer, and it did...so yay! I used my heat gun to dry the Aqua Mist ink before stamping my sentiment. It looks like a bleeding mess if you don't make absolutely sure one ink is dry before stamping the second color. Ask me how I know...twice (ugh!). I used the heat gun again to make sure the sentiment was dry before adhering my vellum layer to a white card base.

I then die cut my bunny and eggs from white cardstock and colored them with Copics. I embellished the bunny's muzzle and tail with white flocking for a fuzzy finish. Next, I die cut a strip of New Leaf cardstock with the Pinked Edge Border Die. I gave it a little texture with the Linen & Canvas Impression Plate and then snipped the top to create grassy fringe. I trimmed that into two strips and tied a baker's twine bow around the top layer. I adhered the grass, bunny, and eggs to the card front with flat and foam adhesives. The final detail was rounding the bottom corners.

Thank you so much for joining me today! I hope you'll play along with this month's color scheme. You can link up your projects over on the Inspiration Archive on Nichole's blog. I can't wait to see what you create!

Recipe:
Stamps: Hippity Hoppity, Birthday Classics April, Background Basics Super Stripes - Papertrey Ink
Cardstock: Linen Vellum, New Leaf - Papertrey Ink; white
Ink: Aqua Mist - Papertrey Ink; Tuxedo Black - Memento
Other: Hippity Hoppity Die Collection, Pinked Edge Border Die, Limitless Layers 3 1/2" Oval Die Collection, Linen & Canvas Impression Plate - Papertrey Ink; Lemon Baker's Twine - Divine Twine; Foam Tape - Scotch; White Fun Flock - Stampendous; markers - Copic; glue pen; Xyron