4x4" Mini Cards...

Happy Tuesday! It's my turn up at the Scrapbook Expo blog again today, and I really love my job over there, because I get to create whatever I want. Fun! I couldn't help but to play with my Don't Forget to Write kit by Papertrey Ink again! I just love these products!! It looks like the kits are still available, if you want to grab one here!

So I made some little 4x4" note cards. I'm not sure I'll be able to give these away. Ha. Aren't they pretty? I tell ya, it's so easy to create with such beautiful products. Makes my job super easy! I wanted to try the square on the diagonal this time and create a diamond shape. I trimmed the card bases with the scalloped card die, then cut and stamped the frames and flowers. Next, I stamped "birthday cheer" in Pure Poppy ink.

The red looks pretty with the aqua watercolor striped paper in the kit. I did some ink blending with a sponge tool to get the gradient effect on the "sending" die cut.

Then of course, I wanted to make another one in different colors, so I made "Just a Note" with Aqua Mist, Tropical Teal and New Leaf inks with Summer Sunrise ink blended onto the sentiment die cut.

Stop over to the Weekly Scrapper blog at Scrapbook Expo later today to see the full tutorial! Have a happy day!

Creative Cardmaker: Liquid Gold Gilding...

Happy Tuesday! Today over at Scrapbook Expo's Weekly Scrapper blog, I have a step-by-step tutorial for you on using Liquid Gold Gilding paint on cards with a quick and easy design. These cards literally took me only a few minutes and don't use many supplies at all...one sentiment stamp, paint, paintbrush, an old pencil and a black ink pad. Stop over to read more!

We have a snow day today, so I'm getting started on my Papertrey Ink goodies for this month that will be released on February 15th! Check out these pics of Kati with our neighbors! :) The girls are thrilled to get a day off today! We've gotten over a foot of snow, and it's still coming down. Enjoy your day!

Introducing Luxe Metallics...

We're getting further into the countdown of the Papertrey Ink anniversary festivities! Today is day 7, and we have 4 days left. What are you loving so far?

Today we're introducing some new metallic cardstocks, adhesive sheets and paper. What better with gold than stripes and dots? On this card, I've used the Luxe Gold Cardstock to cut out the Swoosh die. I layered it over an Uncorked Word Die cut from black cardstock.

True Black cardstock was used my base, then I cut three 1" strips of white cardstock and adhered them on starting with the center strip and working my way out to try to get them as even as possible. The frame is cut with the new Keep It Simple Frames dies.

And of course my envelope is stamped with Polka Dot Basics III. Want to play along in the challenge? Create a card with neutrals and metallics, then upload it to Nichole's blog and pop over to see more of the Luxe cardstocks! Eight winners will win an $80 gift certificate!

Spring Fling ...

Papertrey Ink will be releasing its new products for February on the 15th at 10 pm EST. Here are a few more fun things coming out this month...today it's all about SPRING! See Nichole's blog for the Scavenger Hunt information if you want to play along!

This card was made with the new Garden Grace stamps and dies. I first die cut the big floral piece, then stamped the leaves, which is all one stamp. I used Harvest Gold and Sweet Blush ink for the flowers, Aqua Mist ink on the leaves, and Fine Linen around the edges of the flowers. To create the flowers all different colors, I stamped them individually onto the die cut.

The new Cover Plate: Stripes Horizontal die was cut from white cardstock, and I wrapped the seam binding around it before attaching it to the white card base. To adhere the the cover plate, I used 1/8" Scrappy Tape, which is just like Scor-Tape. Worked like a charm to hold all of the strips down!

Every card looks naked without sequins now to me...I've got a problem. :) Sentiment is stamped on vellum with the Garden Grace stamp set. Vellum, another addiction of mine!

Happy Mother's Day card:

STAMPS: Garden Grace

INK: True Black, Harvest Gold, Sweet Blush, Aqua Mist, Fine Linen

PAPER: White, Sweet Blush Pattern Pack

DIES: Bunny Bag die (heart), Garden Grace, Cover Plate: Stripes Horizontal

OTHER:  sequins by Pretty Pink Posh, vellum, clothespin by Pebbles, seam binding by Zipperstop.

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Next is the Bunny Bag die, which makes a cute little favor/gift bag!

The bunny bag when put together is roughly 4" high (with the ears about 6 1/2" high) and about 2 1/2" wide. I cut this one from Sweet Blush Patterned Paper and added Classic Kraft felt for the nose and inner ears and twine for the whiskers. (Holes are already cut for you when you cut the bag! All you have to do is slide in 3 pieces of twine, wire or pipe cleaners for the whiskers!) There are also dies included to stitch the ears and nose if you'd like to add stitching. I bent one of her ears over for a floppy ear.

You can position the arms, so that the bunny can hold something. I randomly stamped some flowers with the new Garden Grace stamp set, trimmed around them and tucked them under the bunny's arms. Then I made a little sign to hang over her arm. To hang it, I made a loop with twine and taped it onto the back of the sign with washi tape. Sentiment is from the new Hippity Hoppity stamp set.

Some Bunny Loves You gift bag:
STAMPS: Hippity Hoppity, Garden Grace
INK: True Black, Harvest Gold, Sweet Blush, Aqua Mist, Fine Linen
PAPER: Sweet Blush Pattern Pack
DIES: Bunny Bag die
OTHER:  twine and Classic Kraft felt by Papertrey Ink, pearls by Melissa Frances.
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Visit the rest of the PTI team to see more with these fun spring products, available on 2/15 at Papertrey Ink.

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

Background Basics: Super Stripes...

Good morning! One of the new things coming out this month from PTI is a concept I was excited to have been a part of! I had been wondering about getting a diagonal stripe stamp set, and Nichole made it happen for us this month at Papertrey Ink. The stripe stamps are very long, so you could actually use them on a layout if you wanted to! There are several different stripes in the set to create all different looks!

Here I stamped a few of the stripes on white cardstock with Sweet Blush and Pure Poppy alternating the different sizes, then wrapped a doily around it and tied it with Rustic Twine! You can tuck a holiday photo behind, along with a Christmas letter to send to all of your loved ones! Everything is tucked inside the folded doily. Wouldn't that be a fun way to send a card, photo, and letter all at once?

Sentiment is from the new Think Big Favorites #21. (Sorry about the lighting in the photos! I will take better ones in the morning, I'm running a little behind this month and had to take these at night.) I added a little circle and button to the letter like a pull-tab, so the viewer would see that there is a letter and photo inside also! Snowflakes are cut with the Peace Be Still dies. There is a super cool way to stamp these stripes...first you emboss the background with a Diagonal Stripes embossing plate, then you stamp. It helps line up the stamps a bit while stamping. (And it has 2 sides, skinny stripes and thicker stripes!)

From Our Family To Yours holiday card:
STAMPS: Background Basics: Super Stripes, Think Big Favorites #21 (sentiment)
INK: Sweet Blush, Pure Poppy, True Black
PAPER: white cardstock
DIES: Peace Be Still dies, Diagonal Stripes
OTHER: doily, rustic twine, Papertrey Ink felt.
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Next, I stamped some of the stripes in pink and red (Sweet Blush and Pure Poppy) to create a plaid design. This technique would work really nice on masculine cards in other colors too.

The sentiment is a sneak peek from a new set called Layered Postmarks: Holiday. I wrapped up my card with twine like a "gift" and used this sentiment to go with it, "may peace be your gift". The felt border is cut with the Super Stars Border die. The little felt stars are just the ones that came out of the border. Don't want to let them go to waste!

May Peace Be Your Gift card:
STAMPS: Background Basics: Super Stripes, Layered Postmarks: Holiday
INK: Sweet Blush, Pure Poppy, True Black, Fresh Snow ink (around edges)
PAPER: white and Classic Kraft cardstock
DIES: Super Stars Border die
OTHER: resin flower, rustic twine.
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On the third card, I mixed the stripes with pink and gray ink. I love how it looks with Background Basics: Houndstooth!

I used Sweet Blush cardstock, Pure Poppy Pattern Pack, a sentiment from the new set called Winter Hills.

The gorgeous snowflakes are chipboard from the City Sidewalks line by Pink Paislee. I just received them in the mail and couldn't wait to give them a try. Aren't they pretty?

Warm Winter Blessings card:
STAMPS: Background Basics: Houndstooth, Background Basics: Super Stripes, Winter Hills
INK: Sweet Blush, Pure Poppy, True Black, and gray by Jenni Bowlin.
PAPER: white and Sweet Blush cardstock
DIES: none
OTHER: resin flower, twine, machine stitching, corner rounder.
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Stripes would be useful for ANY type of card - stamp them straight OR on the diagonal - either way, they are super fun! I hope you'll grab this set on the 15th when they come out at Papertrey Ink! Visit Betsy, Cristina and Nichole for more sneak peeks today.