Blue Note card kit sneaks...

The December card kit from Studio Calico will be up for sale in just a few short days! Here is a little sneak of what I made with the Blue Note card kit and card kit add-on.

Are you all ready for Thanksgiving? I'm not! So much to do! I decided to paint my staircase railing and it has taken me a whole week, but I like how it's turning out. I'll post pics when I'm done. Be back soon!

Release day at Papertrey Ink...

Today is the 15th, which means all of Papertrey Ink's new products are being released for the month at 10pm EST tonight. I'd love to show you a few more new things coming out! These sentiments are stamped with the new Wonderful Words: Congrats stamp set.

To make the background, I pulled out an oldie, but a goodie...the Background Basics: Super Stripes stamps! I forgot about this set, but I love how it turned out with the gray stripes. I used a Hero Arts ink pad called Soft Granite. The flowers are cut out and stamped with Bigger Blooms stamps and dies.

Last, I made two tiny little notches in the sides of the cards to wrap the twine around in the center with a hole punch, just punching half way in. This way, the twine will stay on the card at an angle.

Congrats card:
STAMPS: Wonderful Words: Congrats, Bigger Blooms, Background Basics: Super Stripes
INK: True Black, Raspberry Fizz, Aqua Mist, Sweet Blush, Harvest Gold, New Leaf by PTI, Soft Granite by Hero Arts
PAPER: white
DIES: Bigger Blooms
OTHER: twine, hole punch.
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The next set is sooooo adorable. I can't wait to use it again. It's called Stitched With Love. I also used a new stamp set in the background with Dark Chocolate ink called Background Basics: Needlepoint. I also used the Rustic Wreath die, can't seem to get enough of that one lately. Sorry I've been using it so much! I didn't realize how much I've been adding it to my cards until this morning. lol

The spool is die cut and stamped, then I wrapped twine around it.

Sew Glad card:
STAMPS: Stitched With Love, Background Basics: Needlepoint
INK: Pure Poppy, Dark Chocolate, True Black by PTI, Soft Granite by Hero Arts
PAPER: white, Classic Kraft, Aqua Mist
DIES: Stitched With Love, Rustic Wreath
OTHER: twine by The Twinery, pearl by Melissa Frances.

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Sometimes when I start on a card, I'm inspired by colors I see on my table. This one was pretty simple, I had this peach tag by Fancy Pants that I just bought recently and loved how it looked with the gold stars and the Fine Linen dot paper! I used the new Congratulations stamp set, the sentiment and gray stars.

Congratulations card:
STAMPS: Congratulations
INK: Dark Chocolate by PTI, Soft Granite by Hero Arts
PAPER: Classic Kraft Pattern Pack, white
DIES: none
OTHER: tag by Fancy Pants, chipboard stars by Pink Paislee, gold stars by Studio Calico.
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This card utilizes a new die called Tipped Tops. I cut the white cardstock at an angle with Tipped Tops and nestled it right up to the top of the Aqua cardstock. I used my Copic Markers to color in 3 shades of color, then stamped the new Fancy Footwork stamps over the top.

Always a Reason to Dance card:

STAMPS: Fancy Footwork

INK: none

PAPER: white, Aqua Mist

DIES: Tipped Tops

OTHER: Copic Markers R39, R20, BG10.

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Here I used the Boutique Borders: Congrats to create a frame and then a bunch of colorful sentiments inside.

Congratulations You Did It! card:
STAMPS: Boutique Borders: Congrats
INK: Raspberry Fizz, Summer Sunrise, New Leaf, Hawaiian Shores
PAPER: white, Raspberry Fizz, Harvest Gold, New Leaf, Hawaiian Shores
DIES: none
OTHER: chipboard stars by Pink Paislee.
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Last, I used the Background Basics: Super Stripes once again with the new Polka Dot Parade #10 stamp set and some Rosie Posie flowers. I also used Rosie Posie Step 2 to add the shading. I am freakishly in love with Rosie Posie. I think I'm going to make a big stash of cards with a similar design as this one for birthdays also.

Where Your Story Begins card:
STAMPS: Congratulations, Polka Dot Parade #10
INK: Harvest Gold, Melon Berry, Pure Poppy, New Leaf, Spring Moss, Hawaiian Shores, Dark Chocolate
PAPER: white
DIES: Rosie Posie, Polka Dot Parade #10
OTHER: none.
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Want to see more? Visit the other Papertrey Ink team members:

Ashley Cannon Newell
Betsy Veldman
Cristina Kowalczyk
Dawn McVey
Debbie Olson
Erin Lincoln
Heather Nichols
Laura Bassen
Maile Belles
Melissa Phillips
Nichole Heady

Inside & Out: Get Well Wishes...

We're back with group post #2 for Papertrey Ink's November countdown. Today we are showcasing a new set called Inside & Out: Get Well Wishes. There are so many pretty sentiments in this set that have just the right words you might need during a difficult time when you aren't sure what to say. This set will be available on Nov. 15th.

I stamped the Inside & Out: Get Well saying on graph paper and cut a Rustic Wreath from text paper to put around it. Some Rosie Posie flowers are stamped in the background and on the Rosie Posie dies to add over the wreath, with polka dot leaves from Mighty Oak tucked in as well.

The inside of the card is stamped another sentiment from this set...

I'm Here For You card:

STAMPS: Inside & Out: Get Well Wishes, Rosie Posie, Mighty Oak
INK: True Black, Pure Poppy, Sweet Blush, Aqua Mist
PAPER: white, Aqua Mist, patterned paper by Crate Paper, graph paper
DIES: Rustic Wreath, Rosie Posie
OTHER: pearls by Melissa Frances.
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On the second card, I tried my hand at more of a masculine feel, so instead of stamping flowers in the background, I stamped the leaves from Rosie Posie in Classic Kraft ink. I kept this card very similar, just changing a few colors.

The blues, greens and browns add a more masculine feel.

Inside of Feel Better Soon card:

Feel Better Soon card:

STAMPS: Inside & Out: Get Well Wishes, Rosie Posie, Mighty Oak
INK: True Black, Classic Kraft, Enchanted Evening, Ripe Avocado
PAPER: white, Classic Kraft, graph paper
DIES: Rustic Wreath, Rosie Posie
OTHER: none.
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Visit the rest of the PTI team to see more with these products:

Ashley Cannon Newell
Betsy Veldman
Cristina Kowalczyk
Dawn McVey
Erin Lincoln
Heather Nichols
Laura Bassen
Maile Belles
Melissa Phillips
Nichole Heady

Introducing Everyday Happiness and Year Round Happiness...

We are back with another group post for Papertrey Ink, counting down to the new releases for November, which will be released on the 15th. We have two new stamp sets to share, Everyday Happiness and Year Round Happiness, both sentiment sets that will work for any occasion!

I mixed the new Everyday Happiness stamp set with the older By Invitation set. I also used a new die, the One Liners: Happy. There are four different happy fonts in this die set! But this one is my favorite.

To make these, I stamped the invite info and "you're invited" with By Invitation. I randomly added washi tape to the corners. Punched some confetti from cardstock for the corners. Then I added the One Liner happy die cut and stamped "birthday" underneath with Everyday Happiness.

I actually made my own envelope with my new Envelope Punch Board by We R Memory Keepers with matching cardstock. After watching a video on how to do this on You Tube, it was way easier than I thought it was going to be. I'm going to be making many of my own envelopes from now on with PTI cardstock to match my projects!

I also made a little coordinating gift tag. It slides into a Papertrey Ink glassine envelope. Quick and fun!

Happy Birthday Party Invites and Tag:

STAMPS: Everyday Happiness, By Invitation
INK: True Black by PTI, Soft Granite by Hero Arts
PAPER: white, Harvest Gold, Raspberry Fizz, Hawaiian Shores, New Leaf, Hibiscus Burst (envelope)
DIES: One Liners: Happy
OTHER: washi tape from Studio Calico kit, hole punch, gold ribbon from craft supply, Envelope Punch Board by We R Memory Keepers, glassine envelope by PTI.

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Next, I have a card made with the One Liners: Happy dies and the Year Round Happiness stamp set. I also used a new die in the background called Cover Plate: Mighty Bloom. 

The "Valentine's Day" is from Year Round Happiness. I cut two of the Mighty Blooms, one from Classic Kraft and one from white cardstock. I backed the kraft one with a text paper, then stamped the leaves onto the white ones and tucked them back in. As you can see, I adhered the leaves at the bottoms and bent them up a bit on the ends to create more of a dimensional flower effect. The vellum is wrapped around the card front before attaching the card front to the card base.

Happy Valentine's Day card:

STAMPS: Year Round Happiness
INK: Raspberry Fizz, New Leaf, Melon Berry, Harvest Gold, Hawaiian Shores, Aqua Mist, True Black
PAPER: Raspberry Fizz, Classic Kraft, vellum, patterned paper by Crate Paper
DIES: One Liners: Happy, Cover Plate: Mighty Bloom
OTHER: pearls by Melissa Frances.

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For more "happy", visit the rest of the Papertrey Ink design team!

Ashley Cannon Newell

Betsy Veldman

Cristina Kowalczyk

Dawn McVey

Erin Lincoln

Heather Nichols

Laura Bassen

Maile Belles

Melissa Phillips

Nichole Heady

thank you, Cath...

I was very saddened to hear the news of Cath leaving Moxie Fab World and Paper Crafts Magazine, as were so many others. So many of us wanted to say thank you to Cath for everything, all of her insights, trend spotting, blogging, inspiration and for whole-heartedly encouraging crafters on. We (heart) you, and everything you've done for us, Cath!!

In honor of her, a *few* of us have put together a blog hop. HA! This may be the biggest blog hop ever with all 285 of us! (If you are following the hop, you might have arrived here from Ang Mansfield's blog. If you want to start at the beginning, go to Moxie Fab World.)

I made a card for Cath, and I think this sentiment says it all. "Twinkle, twinkle little star, do you know how very loved you are?"

For supplies, in case you are wondering, I used lots of Pink Paislee here: a Color Wash 6x6" paper in the background, then I clipped a Hope Chest butterfly onto an Artisan star. Stamped the bottom with a sentiment from Papertrey Ink's Super Stars stamp set. Washi tape adorns the top (from one of my Studio Calico kits). That's it!

I want to wish Cath all the best on her future endeavors. We will truly miss her encouraging spirit in the paper crafting world. To see more cards on the hop, next go to Niki Meiners' blog: http://365daysofcrafts.com/moxie-fab/ Thanks for stopping by.

SC eBook...

I have some very exciting news! The Studio Calico design team has put an eBook together for you with 100 projects inside. 100 never before seen projects!!

You can download a 5 page sample, if you'd like right HERE.

And guess what? You get a FREE kit with the eBook purchase as well. Check it out...

If you order one right now during pre-sale, the kit and eBook combo are $34.99 with free shipping through 11/17. All kits will ship for free no matter where you are. Woot!

After 11/17, the kits will be $39.99 plus shipping. Want to know what my favorite thing about the kit was? The stamps. And the cork stars. OH, and those acrylic stars and cameras. OH, and the wood veneer sayings. OK, ALL of it!

Here is a little peek of my project. I made a mini album, with a bunch of inside pages to show you as well.

Want more info? Visit the JUBILEE eBOOK AND KIT.

make your own PL cards...

I've been thinking long and hard about my future in crafting, and I've got some big decisions to make, as far as where I'm headed. Now that we are almost all settled in and I'm full force ahead again, I feel like I want to do more with my work. I'm going to give it some serious thought over the next month. You may see changes coming! Anyway, yesterday I felt like making some PL cards. I know, I know...I don't dabble in PL yet, but I've been getting the itch to do so! I love scrapbook pages, I love cards, but sometimes you feel the need to try something new. Right? I do...most definitely. I enjoy working with smaller canvases, so it felt very natural to me.

So here are the handmade cards I created with Pink Paislee's new Hey Kid line! There's no reason we can't make our own little PL cards with our stash. On this one, I folded a piece of vellum and stitched the side and bottom to create a pocket, then filled it with some of the Hey Kid Ephemera and punched circles. You can add a photo, journaling etc in the pocket. (The top is open.) Isn't the texture great on these canvas stickers?

The "shoot for the stars" card is stamped with the new Sentiment Series stamps.  The third card was just trimmed from the 6x6" Hey Kid paper pad.

I added more canvas stickers over the top and to help it blend and coordinate with the other cards, I added a strip of patterned paper to the bottom. The stars saying is Super Stars by Papertrey Ink.

The circle card is my favorite I think! I trimmed it from the 12x12" die cut paper.
The vellum one came just like this (3" x4") in the Hey Kid Ephemera pack. I added more ticket ephemera over the top and some chipboard. Layers, layers, layers!

The last one is trimmed from the 6x6" paper pad and added an ephemera saying with some Luxe arrows. It's backed with vellum.

If you are into Project Life, visit the Pink Paislee blog all this week and next for more ideas. Have a good one!

Hello November.

Why hello there, November. Where did you come from? I can't believe it's already so late in the year. The fall always seems to fly for us. Pretty soon the snow will be flying here, and we'll be opening gifts! We've been busy with choir concerts and swimming lessons and Halloween. And then there's this:

She went and turned 14 on me.
She's turning into a little lady right before my eyes! Egads. Time goes by much too fast. If you have little ones, enjoy every moment you have. Before you know it, they are talking back and texting and out with friends... and momma's not such a big deal anymore. :)

on the diagonal...

Diagonal lines seem to be all the rage right now, so we focused on this super fun trend all this week at the Pink Paislee blog! Today was my day to post and I had such fun and sooo many ideas floating in my head for this! I squeaked out two cards. First up is a stamped background made with the Color Wash stamps. Just LOVE these!

I used some Papertrey Ink stamping ink colors in Raspberry Fizz, Harvest Gold, Sweet Blush and Hawaiian Shores, along with Soft Granite by Hero Arts.

Next, I made my own little dimensional banner with white cardstock and placed it on the diagonal.

Stop by the Pink Paislee blog to read more about my process and for a full supply list!

Hope you all had a fabulous and safe Halloween. I added a few pics of our Halloween to my Facebook page. Also, I have created a new Facebook page for some of my design work and updates on my scrapbook room if you are interested: Danielle Flanders' Designs. Thanks for reading!