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!

Papertrey Blog Hop: Winter Holiday

I don't get a chance to participate in the Papertrey Blog Hops every month anymore, but when I read the theme for this month I knew I wanted to make the time.

From the Papertrey website: "There is always a lot of focus on Christmas in our industry this time of year, as that is what the majority of the population celebrates. However, this month's blog hop is dedicated to those that celebrate winter holidays other than Christmas. Create a project that celebrates Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or some other winter holiday as we embrace everyone's beliefs in a celebration of diversity through paper crafting."

I love the reminder to keep others in mind during the winter holidays. Often I get so busy that I don't remember to take the time and offer well wishes to my friends of other faiths. Hopefully getting a jump on my non-Christmas cards will help me stay on top of those celebrations.


For the blog hop tonight I decided to make a Hanukkah card. I don't own the Mazel Tov set so I created a menorah out of stamps I already have. I started with Fillable Frames #8 and inked only one of the sides. Then I added the candelabra stem using one of the stamps from the Green Thumb set (any line stamp would work). I filled my menorah with candles from the Piece of Cake set, double stamping the candle in the center to make it taller than the others. A small yellow rhinestone was added to the top of each candle to give the card a little interest and shine (Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights, after all).

The base is the Tin Types background stamped on the new Blueberry Sky cardstock in silver ink. The bottom section is a silver paper die cut with the medium scallops border die. I stamped the sentiment from Scattered Showers in a mid-tone blue ink in the corner. The menorah panel was mounted to the base with foam adhesive and Spring Rain saddle stitched ribbon finishes off the whole card rather nicely.

I may not have a specific Jewish set, but I'm really happy with what I was able to pull together with the stamps I already own. I hope you've enjoyed my card this evening. Enjoy the hop!

Recipe:
Cardstock: Blueberry Sky - Papertrey Ink; Luster - Envelopments; white
Stamps: Scattered Showers, Fillable Frames #8, Piece of Cake, Background Basics: Tin Types, Green Thumb - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Spring Rain - Papertrey Ink; Platinum Planet - Brilliance; Atlantic - VersaColor
Tools: Medium Scallops Border Die - Papertrey Ink
Ribbon: Spring Rain Saddle Stitched - Papertrey Ink
Other: Rhinestones - Darice; Foam Adhesive - Scotch

Papertrey 'Preciation

I love Papertrey Ink. This is no surprise to many of you. Their sense of design is awesome and in many ways complements my own. Their customer service has never let me down. And they are all genuinely nice people just trying to share a love of craft with a huge audience. I truly admire and fully appreciate the efforts of Nichole, Julie, Jane, Jenn, and their tireless support staff and design team. They have established a quality company built on high standards that has amassed a loyal, enthusiastic, and (perhaps) slightly crazed following. I am proud to count myself among that group.

So here's to you Papertrey! To the designers who create the artwork for some of my favorite stamps. To the owners who had the courage to put themselves out there in the first place. To the shipping staff who get my supplies to me in incredible time. To the design team who inspire me by showing the possibilities and versatility of each and every set. I thank you all from the bottom of my sneaker-clad tootsies. You're all rock stars.

Recipe:
Cardstock: Simply Chartreuse, Linen Vellum - Papertrey Ink, white
Stamps: Star Prints, Background Basics: Retro, Polka Dot Basics - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Fresh Snow, Lemon Tart - Papertrey Ink; Landscape - Palette; Lagoon Blue - Versa Color
Fibers: Harvest Gold Saddle Stitched Ribbon - Papertrey Ink; Aqua Bakers Twine - Divine Twine
Tools: Ric-Rac Sissors - Kraft Edgers; Circle Die - Quickutz; Large Star Punch - Fiskars
Other: Green Rhinestone - Darice; Foam Tape - Scotch; Vellum Tape - Scotch