...and smile

I was in for a special treat when Wilna Furstenburg from iheartstudio.ca asked me to make a couple of things with her new cut files. Right now if you purchase any cut files from her site, you get these free cuts! Aren't they adorable?

On my samples, I used watercolor paper and stamped the flowers in the background with the flowers from Betsy's 1940's stamp set from the Stamp-a-Faire kits over at Papertrey Ink. (If you weren't able to grab a kit, they'll be available again in October.) I embossed those little flowers with white embossing powder. Then to bring out the flowers, I painted over the top with pink watercolor.

The cut files were cut out with my Silhouette Cameo machine. I haven't pulled it out for some time, and to be honest, I didn't even know where the cords were for it! But I found them, and it was easier than I remember to set it up and cut. The die cuts were then inked up with Versamark ink, then I used some sticky embossing powder, which allowed me to pour on some Lily White Glitter by Doodlebug. Last, a few stickers from Simple Stories finished them off with a few layered vellum butterflies!

Wilna is such an inspiration to me, so I was honored to be asked to contribute to her site! Love that girl! Be sure to visit her and take in all of her beautiful artistic pages and cut files (and her adorable accent in her videos!) at iheartstudio and wilnaf.com.
Danielle

SAF Time After Time Challenge...

Stamp-a-Faire is underway, and if you're not sure what I'm referring to, go to Nichole's blog for more info on today's FREE stamping event and challenges! Come over and chat with us!


For this challenge, we were asked to find an old card we wanted to give an "overhaul" to. I chose this one that I made back in 2009. I had a really hard time deciding which one to use, because to be honest, my old cards don't usually inspire me that much. Do you feel that way too?

But this one inspired me today. I liked the blocks of interest. I decided to add more layers to my blocks, instead of just using a flat patterned paper in each. I love layers!

Below is my makeover card...

The "blocked effect" was something I wanted to keep on this card. I wanted to have something in each of four quadrants. I used Life Is Beautiful and Beautiful Butterflies stamp sets and the Beautiful Butterflies dies. First, I cut out some squares of white paper and rounded the corners, then I cut out two of each of these butterflies with white cardstock, one was stamped with a dark gray ink and one was stamped with pink ink (Sweet Blush).

Two of the butterflies were also cut from polkadot vellum, and I cut a seal shape using the seal die that came in the Luxe Letterpress - Make It Market kit. Three of the layers were stitched together.

Then they were all stacked together and adhered. Five layers for each butterfly square. I know. Five. But aren't they cute!

I stamped part of the sentiment from Life Is Beautiful in the lower corner and tied on red twine, like the original card. A flower sticker and little chalkboard tag were added to the top.
Last, I stamped and embossed "beautiful" from Life Is Beautiful on vellum, trimmed it out and adhered it over the chalkboard tag, and finished stamping the sentiment. The butterflies were offset slightly from the gray ones in the background, so you could see the touch of gray better back there!
What makes this card better than the original?

I suppose it's a matter of preference, but I love the extra layers of interest and the lighter, more elegant look. I also feel like the randomness of the tilted butterflies and title add a bit of unexpectedness to the card. Straight lines can sometimes feel too harsh and predictable to me. I think my style has changed in that I'm willing to put more thought into my cards, add more colors, patterns and interesting details now. Creating texture is important to me. In design, texture is an element that adds interest by creating depth. Layers and details give the eye something to soak in! Also, working with layers allows you to add more colors into your palette for that particular card. One note though: make sure you allow some white space for your eye to rest.

Thanks for reading, hope you are having a creative Stamp-a-Faire day!

Beautiful World card:

STAMPS: Life Is Beautiful, Beautiful Butterflies

INK: Sweet Blush, True Black by PTI, Soft Granite by Hero Arts

PAPER: Soft Stone, white, vellum - Michaels, green patterned paper - Open Road Drive In by Crate Paper

DIES: Beautiful Butterflies dies, seal die from Luxe Letterpress Make It Market kit

OTHER: machine stitching, white embossing powder, red twine, DIY Shop tag by American Crafts (chalkboard tag), Vintage Bliss Fundamentals Cardstock Stickers by Simple Stories (flower).

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For more inspiration, stop by to see how the other design team members revamped their older cards as well:

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

SAF Free Exclusive: Filled With Joy...

If you are looking for something crafty to do this weekend from the comfort of your own home, I hope you'll check out the FREE Stamp-a-Faire event over at PapertreyInk! We've got a fun theme this year:

And if you put in an order with Papertrey Ink on Saturday, August 23rd, Stamp-a-Faire day, of $100 or more, you'll get this awesome stamp set for free, Filled With Joy, that I used on these two cards! Be sure to visit Nichole's blog for all of the pertinent information you'll need to earn your free set.

Let me tell you a little bit about my cards made with Filled With Joy. First, I began with a piece of watercolor paper and stamped the large leaf several times to create this "wreath" effect with Soft Stone ink.

Then I stamped and trimmed out two of the flowers to layer in the center, with a sentiment from Filled With Joy. I added some rainstones from the boutique. Last, I watercolored the background around the finished image with a TINY bit of yellow watercolor paint and water mixed together.

The second card has the same layout, just a slightly different sentiment and colors that I chose. You could do any color scheme with this!

One more thing I did to the flower in the center was trim around every other petal to make them pop up a little bit.

You Bring Me So Much Joy card:

STAMPS: Filled With Joy

INK: Soft Stone and True Black by Papertrey Ink, Butter Bar and Soft Apricot by Hero Arts

PAPER: watercolor paper, white cardstock

DIES: none

OTHER: rainstones, watercolor paints.

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May Your Day Be Filled With Joy card:

STAMPS: Filled With Joy

INK: Aqua Mist, Pure Poppy, Sweet Blush, True Black

PAPER: watercolor paper, white cardstock

DIES: none

OTHER: rainstones, watercolor paints.

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Visit the other PTI gals to see more "joy" cards!

Ashley Cannon Newell
Betsy Veldman
Erin Lincoln
Heather Nichols
Laura Bassen
Lauri Willison
Maile Belles
Nichole Heady

Release day: August...

Welcome to the August release blog hop! Everything you see here today will be available tonight, August 15th at 10pm EST at Papertrey Ink. Let's get started! First up, I used the new Birthday Classics: September stamp set with Autumn Adornments.

The new Leaf Stitches dies are a gorgeous way to add texture to your card. I stamped and embossed the Autumn Adornments leaves/berries onto vellum and then layered it over some Leaf Prints dies cut out from Rustic White cardstock. Adding textures and layers is my favorite! I love how this one turned out. What do you think?

September Birthday card:

(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)

STAMPS: Birthday Classics: September, Autumn Adornments

INK: Dark Chocolate, Aqua Mist

PAPER: Classic Kraft, Canyon Clay, Aqua Mist, Rustic White cardstock, Melon Berry Pattern Pack

DIES: Leaf Prints, Leaf Prints Stitches

OTHER: white embossing powder, floss - craft supply.
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The next card and gift wrap set uses Autumn Adornments and Keep It Simple: Thanksgiving stamp sets. A little more clean and simple.

The card was very quick to make. I inked up the top part of the leafy vine stamp from Autumn Adornments in Canyon Clay ink and the bottom half in Harvest Gold, stamped it, then filled it in with the little tiny leaf stamps in red and brown. A few clear sequins and sentiment from the set finish it off. 

The second item is a pillow box. I used an acorn and berries from the craft store tied on with gold twine and added a quick tag made with Autumn Adornments and Keep It Simple: Thanksgiving.

Thankful for You card and Thanksgiving Gift Wrap:
(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)
STAMPS: Autumn Adornments, Keep It Simple: Thanksgiving
INK: Canyon Clay, Harvest Gold, Pure Poppy, Dark Chocolate
PAPER: white
DIES: Essential Pillow Box
OTHER: sequins - Pretty Pink Posh.
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Next is Happy Spooky Halloween (ghost stamped in Soft Stone ink) and the Haunted Borders Stamp Set, which I trimmed down into little banners (boo to you). 

The Dangled Stars die was cut from white cardstock and layered over the top of a Crate Paper patterned paper. I wanted to add more color, and the stripes in the paper worked perfectly. I am in LOVE with these Dangled Stars! I glued most of them down, but let a couple stay up off the paper for a dimensional effect.

Boo To You card:
(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)
STAMPS: Happy Spooky Halloween, Haunted Borders Stamp Set
INK: Soft Stone, True Black
PAPER: White cardstock, Crate Paper - Story Teller Generations
DIES: Dangled Stars, Happy Spooky Halloween
OTHER: Seam binding.
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On the Trick or Treat card, I've used Along a Came a Spider and Keep It Simple: Halloween. The chevron paper is from the new Monthly Moments: August Journal Card Collection!

The Along Came a Spider dies were used to die cut the spider and holes, then stitched with floss.

Trick or Treat card:
(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)
STAMPS: Along Came a Spider, Keep It Simple: Halloween
INK: Tropical Teal
PAPER: Monthly Moments: August Journal Cards, Lavender Moon cardstock, Silver Shimmer cardstock, white cardstock
DIES: Dangled Stars, Along Came a Spider
OTHER: floss - craft supply.
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The cuckoo clock is from a new stamp set called Tick Tock, and it's paired with an older stamp set, Hands of Time, which I embossed on vellum for a soft background.

The cuckoo clock is interactive, as you can see. Reminds me of my grandma and grandpa's house when I was growing up! They had a cuckoo clock. Cracked me up every hour!

Time is the Most Valuable card:
(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)
STAMPS: Tick Tock, Hands of Time
INK: Hawaiian Shores, Pure Poppy, True Black by PTI, Versamark ink
PAPER: white, vellum
DIES: Tick Tock
OTHER: white embossing powder, machine stitching.
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Everything will be available at Papertrey Ink on 8/15 at 10pm EST. Thanks for swinging by and visit the team members to see more with these sets:

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

Introducing Superstition...

Get ready to create for your favorite spooks! So many neat images and quotes in Superstition and combined with some of the other many Halloween sets coming out this month, you'll have a great time mixing and matching these for all kinds of treat wraps, Halloween cards and so much more! When Halloween is over, you can use these cute cats for so many other occasions. We are counting down to the 15th, when all of the new releases will be available for August at Papertrey Ink! Today we have a few new sets to share: Superstition, Full Moon and Everyday Cat Sentiments.

On the first card, I used Full Moon in the background, embossed. The stars are stamped with Happy Spooky Halloween. I also added a star border at the top with Winter Wisteria ink. The cat and sentiment are from Superstition.

Black Cats Prowl card:

(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)

STAMPS: Superstition, Full Moon

INK: True Black, Versamark

PAPER: Classic Kraft, Winter Wisteria

DIES: Superstition

OTHER: cork stars by American Crafts, gold stars by Studio Calico, twine - The Twinery, white embossing powder.
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On my second card, I used one of the cats from Superstition and paired it with Everyday Cat Sentiments.

These two new sets paired well with Knits Bits stamps (ball of yarn), Stitched With Love stamps (frame) and Stitched With Love dies. On the frame, I used a Copic Marker to shade in the hearts (R20 Blush). I popped her up with pop dots to make her stand out a little bit!

Home is Where the Cat Hair Sticks card:

(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)

STAMPS: Superstition, Everyday Cat Sentiments, Superstition, Stitched With Love, Knit Bits

INK: Pure Poppy, Dark Chocolate, Sweet Blush

PAPER: white, Rustic Cream

DIES: Stitched With Love, Superstition

OTHER: enamel dot, doily - craft supply, R20 Blush Copic marker.
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These items will be available on Aug. 15th at 10pm EST at www.papertreyink.com. Visit the rest of the team to see more with these new products!

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

Introducing Fancy That...

Papertrey Ink has a new stamp set called Fancy That, coming soon on August 15th at 10 pm EST. I just love this one, so elegant and pretty! You can go bold or soft with this one. Let me show you a couple of ideas with it...

From working with the Monthly Moments goodies yesterday, I was still in a pink and blue mood.
You can create a quick background with it like this one.

This card was actually quicker to make than the second one. I stamped and heat embossed medallions onto watercolor paper. Then with a Hibuscus Burst ink pad, I rubbed the ink pad over the medallions until the paper was covered in Hibiscus Burst ink. The embossed medallions can be wiped with a paper towel after, and white just pops! They resist the ink. Love this look. You could make a whole card set with one design in all different colors. Not a new technique, but I love it.

Last, a quick sentiment was stamped in True Black on white cardstock and popped up with pop dots.

Thank You Medallion card:

(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)

STAMPS: Fancy That

INK: Hibiscus Burst, True Black, Versamark

PAPER: watercolor paper, white cardstock

DIES: none

OTHER: white embossing powder.

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The butterfly card was more labor intensive, but I love all of the pretty layers and interest! I have a few of these Cover Plate: Stripes Horizontal dies cut out of different colors of cardstock, and it's so handy to grab one when you want to make a quick card.

I stamped one of the Fancy That medallions and trimmed it out, added gold floss behind it and a Beautiful Butterfly in Hibiscus Burst cardstock.

Just a Note card:
(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)

STAMPS: Fancy That

INK: Hawaiian Shores, Versamark

PAPER: Hawaiian Shores, Hibiscus Burst, White

DIES: Beautiful Butterflies, Cover Plate: Stripes Horizontal

OTHER: gold floss - craft supply, gold star - Studio Calico, white embossing powder - crafty supply.

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Fancy That will be available on Aug. 15th at 10pm EST when all of the new releases are available! Visit the rest of the PTI team to see more with this new set!

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

Monthly Moments: August...

Welcome to the 3rd day of the Papertrey Ink countdown. I'm up with a couple of projects made with the new Monthly Moments: August stamps and Journal cards!  First up, I wanted to show you a scrapbook layout idea using stamps as your focal point!

One of my favorite Journal Cards from the August collection is the "Hooray! It's Today!" card, so I used that as inspiration for this page.

I loved the dots and the colors on the journal card, so I decided to use the "today" stamp from the set and stamped it multiple times in colors that match the Journal Card Collection: Hibiscus Burst, Blueberry Sky, Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, and Orange Zest inks. I also added a few Enchanted Evening and Tropical Teal ones. I simply used a circle punch to punch them out. Fast and easy, and I think the look really packs a punch with the fun dots of color.

I watercolored a bit in the background with the blues at the top, then the orange, then the pink at the bottom to coordinate with the stamped circles (before adding the circles over the top). Kind of a rainbow effect. I thought these colors would work perfectly with a picture of Kati's 9th birthday party we had this summer at the pool!

Next time you'd like to create a layout, think of something you can do to make a background or focal point with stamps and go from there!

Hooray! It's Today scrapbook layout:

(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)

STAMPS: Monthly Moments: August

INK: Enchanted Evening, Tropical Teal, Blueberry Sky, Hawaiian Shores, Aqua Mist, Orange Zest, Hibiscus Burst, True Black

PAPER: Monthly Moments: August Journal Card Collection, Enchanted Evening cardstock, Aqua Mist cardstock, Orange Zest cardstock, Sweet Blush cardstock (hearts)

DIES: circle punch

OTHER: watercolor paints and paper - craft supply, black pen, heart punch by Martha Stewart.

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And LOOK! No paint on this next one! ha Sorry, I've been addicted to watercolor lately.

On the 2nd layout, I used the Monthly Moments: August Journal Card Collection papers and trimmed them into 2" squares, along with some 2" x 2" photos of my older daughter Taylor and our dog, Maggie. (The washi tape along the top and bottom looks crooked, but it really is straighter than it looks...my paper was bowed a bit on the outer edges, making it look crooked in my pics!)

To make the title, I die cut the "August" with the Monthly Moments: August die and the "hello" and arrow are from Phrase Play #3 die.

Many of the Monthly Moments: August stamps and the die were used on my page as well: "everyday life", the large pink arrow, "this is us", "today". This page actually came together really quick! I love when that happens. It's cute and all, but I think little Maggie May steals the show. lol

Hello, August scrapbook layout:

(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)

STAMPS: Monthly Moments: August

INK: True Black, Orange Zest, Hibiscus Burst

PAPER: Monthly Moments: August Journal Card Collection, Silver Shimmer cardstock (tiny hearts)

DIES: Monthly Moments: August die

OTHER: red dot washi tape - Crate and Barrel, twine - The Twinery, heart punch by Martha Stewart, circle punch.

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Visit the rest of the PTI team to see more with these new products! 

Everything will be available at Papertrey Ink on 8/15 at 10pm EST. 

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

Introducing Phrase Play #7 and Blanket Stitch Buttons...

The Papertrey Ink countdown for August has begun! We are previewing some of the new products coming out this month. Today I made a few things with the new Phrase Play #7 stamps and coordinating die! These will be available for purchase on August 15th at 10pm EST.

First up, I made some little place card holders for the Thanksgiving table. Instead of names tucked into the clothespins, I die cut leaves out of cork with Leaf Prints dies and added a "thankful" cut with the Phrase Play #7 die. I also used the Phrase Play #7 stamps to stamp the bottom "you".

Here is a tip when using the cork sheets: when you die cut something from the cork sheet, it tends to want to roll up from being rolled up on the sheet. So I die cut another matching leaf from Classic Kraft cardstock to put behind the cork leaf to keep it nice and straight. The cork is sticky, so you just peel and stick it to the cardstock leaf.

Gold twine was wrapped around the front of the clothespins and a faux acorn found at the craft store tucked in.

The "for" was actually stamped with one of the Stamp-a-Faire sets...the 1940's set. But you could use the "for" from the Phrase Play die...and I am positive there is the word "for" in many, many other sets also!

Thankful Clothespins:

(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)

STAMPS: Phrase Play #7, Stamp-a-Faire 1940's

INK: Classic Kraft

PAPER: cork

DIES: Phrase Play #7, Leaf Prints

OTHER: berries, acorns, gold floss, clothespins - craft supply

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Next up is a new Gable Box die coming out this month decorated with the Phrase Play #7 stamps and dies! The box was easily put together, I just cut two of the Gable Box dies (a front and a back), folded and glued the flaps together. Then I used the new Blanket Stitch Button die and cut 2 buttons from Classic Kraft felt. I put them back-to-back and blanket stitched them together around the edges with a coral floss. This created a puffy look to the felt buttons. I love peach and gold with dark brown right now! It's more of a soft, fresh look to typical Thanksgiving colors. 

These little boxes are about 3 1/2" x 2" when assembled, and they'd be so cute on the Thanksgiving table as little treat boxes for your guests. I can see the table decorated with white pumpkins as well. (I must go get some white pumpkins!) Wish I would have had some for my photos!

Thankful for You Decorated Gable Box:

(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)

STAMPS: Phrase Play #7

INK: Dark Chocolate

PAPER: Stampers Select White

DIES: Phrase Play #7, Gable Box die, Blanket Stitch Buttons

OTHER: Classic Kraft felt, floss - craft supply.

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Here is a card made with the Phrase Play #7 stamps and dies and the Blanket Stitch Button die.

I trimmed out 3 of these Phrase Play #7 dies, two cream and one in Classic Kraft, then I replaced the "thankful" word with the kraft word and overlapped the leaves from the die. A Blanket Stitch Button looks cute over the top. Love these! I can see them made from chipboard and painted also...to make them rustic looking, oh...that would be so cute.
Then a tiny strip of polkadot washi tape added underneath the stamped sentiment at the bottom adds a touch of color. Guess where I found this washi tape? I was hanging out with a friend last weekend in Denver, and she wanted to pop into Crate and Barrel at the Flat Irons mall. I saw a little bowl of washi tape there! I had no idea Crate and Barrel would have washi! Fun surprise! It's the little things in life. :)

Thankful For All You Do card:

(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)

STAMPS: Phrase Play #7

INK: Dark Chocolate

PAPER: Vintage Cream, white, Classic Kraft, Dark Chocolate Pattern Pack

DIES: Phrase Play #7, Blanket Stitch Button

OTHER: washi tape - Crate and Barrel, Classic Kraft felt by Papertrey Ink, floss - crafty supply.

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And one last card. This time I really wanted to focus on those gorgeous Blanket Stitch Buttons, so I used the Edgers #4 die to cut a little scallop border to highlight the felt buttons.

The background is stamped with Phrase Play #7 stamps and the "thankful" and leaves were cut with the Phrase Play #7 dies. 

Thankful for Family card: 

(All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.)

STAMPS: Phrase Play #7

INK: Fine Linen

PAPER: Rustic Cream, Classic Kraft, Pure Poppy cardstock, Dark Chocolate Bitty Dot Pattern Paper

DIES: Phrase Play #7, Blanket Stitch Button

OTHER: twine - The Twinery, floss - craft supply.

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Don't forget all of these products will be available at Papertrey Ink on Aug 15th at 10pm EST! A few other ladies will have some sneak peeks for you today also: Nichole, Heather, Dawn, Laurie and Betsy. Thanks for reading!