Friday, March 14, 2014

Personalized Coin Purses and Possibilities...

Have we got a surprise for you today! Papertrey Ink has a new die set coming this month that is full of amazing potential to help you create coin purses, gift card holders and so much more. Just wait until you see what everyone on the team has made! They are all so different, yet soooooo wonderful!

Ok, here goes. Modern meets vintage. "Fresh Vintage" is what I like to call it!

These coin purses are easy to make with felt, oil cloth or any other material that won't unravel on the edges, since you'll be hand stitching along the edge and not tucking the ends under like you normally would when sewing something like this. BUT...having said that...the quilter in me just couldn't help trying to make these in some fun fabrics!! I went to Hobby Lobby and came home with 5 fabrics I loved. Picking out fabrics is so much fun! You only need a tiny scrap of each, so don't go all out and buy 1/2 a yard of each like I did. Totally not necessary! You only need a 5x7" piece of material (or a mix of materials that will make a 5x7" piece) for the smaller ones or two 5x7" pieces for the larger ones. Erin Lincoln will have a video for you to watch on how to create these!

The first coin purse I made was the one in the back with the teal zipper. I wanted it to be extra large, so I die cut 2 of the 5x7" pieces and put them back-to-back.

When die cutting thin fabric of this type, you first have to iron it onto a stabilizer to be able to cut it with the Cuttlebug. After ironing, I left the paper backing from the stabilizer ON the fabric and die cut the large 5x7" die and the zipper opening. Next, I simply placed the zipper behind the zipper opening and hand stitched the holes around the zipper. Seriously! I've never done a zipper before, but I can bet this is the easiest way ever to put in a zipper. LOVE it! Pin it to hold it in place while you are hand stitching it in. (The polkadot fabric was ironed on with Heat-n-Bond over the top of the other fabric.)

Below is the zipper all stitched in. Then I simply added the coordinating back piece on and hand-stitched around the holes on the outer edges. Easy peasy!

To finish, I added a back piece the same size, 5x7", which is also ironed onto stabilizer before die cut. Stitch around the outer edges and you are all done.

Next is the pencil case size.

To make the pencil case shape, I stitched some fabrics together to create the 5x7" piece.

I ironed it flat and then ironed it onto a fabric stabilizer before die cutting. (The strips are cut about 2" wide each and are sewn together by putting the right sides of the fabric together and machine stitching in about 1/4". You'll end up with five 1 1/2" wide strips when they are sewn together.)  After you run it through the die cutter, you'll hand sew the zipper to one side at the top using the holes as your guideline. Then unzip the zipper, fold the bag in the half the long way and sew the other side of the zipper on to the other side of the top. Then stitch up the sides of the bag tucking the ends of the zipper in. (I apologize, this pic was taken before I ironed the materials. You'll want to iron them before you do the stabilizer and die cutting, so they are nice and flat!)

Last, I added a little piece of felt with a key ring to the right side of the pencil case before hand stitching the right side closed.

The last one, the smaller felt one, was actually the easiest and fastest to create. It's a gift card holder. Instead of adding a zipper behind the open space, I kept it open for a gift card to slide in. (Pretend the polka dot fabric is a pretty gift card. Ha.)

To make this, I die cut the 5x7" piece of Fresh Snow felt with the Coin Purse die. Then folded it in half the short way and die cut the hole out where the zipper might go. But instead of using a zipper, I left it open for a gift card to slide in! Hand stitch around the zipper opening first, then hand stitch the front and back together on the sides and bottom.

To hold the little flap down at the top, I added a stick pin and tucked the sharp end down under the felt. I used the Seasonal Stitches: Birds dies to create leaves from felt (it's actually a bird wing, but I think it works nice as a leaf too). Then I rolled up a piece of fabric and hot glued it on as a flower.

The tag is cut with Tremendous Tags and stamped with Birthday Classics: April. And that's it! Hope you've enjoyed these!

Coin Purses and Happy Spring Gift Card Holder:
STAMPS: Birthday Classics: April
INK: Aqua Mist
PAPER: Aqua Mist
DIES: Coin Purse dies, Seasonal Stitching dies, Tremendous Tags dies
OTHER: fabric and zippers from Hobby Lobby, floss, clasps and Heat-n-Bond from Walmart, Aqua Mist felt by PTI., pin from craft supply/floral department, gem - unknown.
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Visit the rest of the PTI team to see more with these products:
Melissa Phillips
Nichole Heady

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Introducing Embellished Elegance...

Today we are introducing the Embellished Elegance stamps and dies, coming out in a couple of days at Papertrey Ink! Another amazing set you must add to your collection! ;) I've made 2 cards and a layout with it, and pretty much stuck with the same color scheme in all of these. The first one is a simple one layer card (if you don't count the base). Really quick to make. Don't you love that font!






Happy Birthday card:
STAMPS: Embellished Elegance
INK: Tropical Teal, Pure Poppy, Melon Berry, Harvest Gold, Ripe Avocado by PTI, Soft Granite by Hero Arts
PAPER: white and Tropical Teal
DIES: none
OTHER:  machine stitching.
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On my second card, I wanted to add some layers with the dies. I used the Cover Plate: Center Stage die with Tropical Teal cardstock over Enchanted Evening patterned paper, then added the Embellished Elegance flowers over the top. 

The sentiment is from the same set, Embellished Elegance, and it's stamped onto little frames die cut with the new Limitless Layers: 1 1/2" Square dies.

Happy Day card:
STAMPS: Embellished Elegance
INK: Aqua Mist, Tropical Teal, Pure Poppy,Summer Sunrise, Melon Berry, New Leaf
PAPER: Tropical Teal/Aqua Mist/White cardstock, Enchanted Evening Pattern Pack
DIES: Embellished Elegance, Limitless Layers: 1 1/2" Square, Cover Plate: Center Stage
OTHER:  none.
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Last is a layout with a few layers, but still pretty simple. I die cut and stamped the leaves/flowers with Embellished Elegance. I like how they frame the photos! You could do them all on die cuts and THEN add them to the layout if you are afraid of stamping directly onto your layout!

The little photos were die cut with the new Limitless Layers: 1 1/2" Square dies! Aren't they adorable! I just trimmed her face from 4x6" pics. You could fit a bunch of pics on a layout using these! (Another layout idea!!) The "always" is cut from the new Phrase Play #2 die and I painted the tops of the word with watercolors.

I love the dimension. I used the Edgers #3 die to create a topper to add color and weight to the top of the page with Tropical Teal cardstock. (The stitching was done before I added it to the layout.)





Always Happy layout:
STAMPS: Embellished Elegance
INK: Pure Poppy, Melon Berry, Harvest Gold, Ripe Avocado, Tropical Teal, Aqua Mist by Papertrey Ink, Soft Granite by Hero Arts
PAPER: white, Tropical Teal and Aqua Mist cardstock, vellum
DIES: Embellished Elegance, Phrase Play #2, Edgers #3, Limitless Layers: 1 1/2" Square dies
OTHER:  Pure Poppy twine, machine stitching, watercolor paints.

The rest of the Papertrey Ink girls have more to show you with Embellished Elegance, swing by and see what they've been up to! This set will be available at Papertrey Ink on 3/15 at 10pm EST.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Monthly Moments: March...

The March "Monthly Moments" kit will be coming out at Papertrey Ink on the 15th! Would you like a sneak peek? 

We are previewing March's Monthly Moments papers, Monthly Moments: March stamps and die, Journal Accessories stamps, A Few Pointers stamps and the Journal card 2 die.


On this layout, I started by placing the large journaling cards from the Monthly Moments kit on the sides. I always pick out my favorite papers first! Then I had a watercolor paper laying on my table that I painted earlier in the day, and I loved the way the gray looked with the colors in the March Monthly Moments kit with the yellows and blues! So pretty! So I trimmed it down to fit in the center and added some stitching at the top. The butterflies are cut with Beautiful Butterflies from polka dot vellum. The arrows are from a new stamp set and dies called A Few Pointers! Aren't they cute? I used the "I am lucky because" stamp from the Monthly Moments: March stamps.


The leaves were cut with Doodlie-do dies with Aqua Mist cardstock. The buttons were cut with a new die called Bitty Button Stacks with Raspberry Fizz cardstock. I added a little bit of watercolor paint on the layout background in the top left corner (right above the photo) and bottom right corner. I love how it blends the journaling cards right into the paper and makes the transition between the journaling card and the paper look so soft! I bought some new watercolors at Michael's in these tubes, and you just need a tiny dab right on your stamping block or paint palette. These will last a long, long time.


"Be Happy" was trimmed from one of the journaling cards.

The journaling reads, "Colorado is exactly what we needed in our lives. What are the chances of Tracey's company being bought out by a company here? Just when I prayed for a sign. Someone is definitely looking out for us. We were brought closer as a family and get to do more active, outdoor things here together that we couldn't do before. I simply can't express how lucky we are to be here, how good this life change has been for all of us."


Be Happy layout:
STAMPS: Monthly Moments: March, A Few Pointers
INK: Raspberry Fizz, Harvest Gold, Tropical Teal, True Black
PAPER: Monthly Moments: March paper pad, watercolor paper, vellum by Recollections, Aqua Mist and Raspberry Fizz cardstock
DIES: Doodlie-do dies, Beautiful Butterflies dies, Bitty Button Stacks die, A Few Pointers dies
OTHER: watercolor paint by Reeves from Michaels Stores, paper clips, machine stitching, gold dot - Studio Calico.
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Next I was inspired to do another layout. I first painted the background, but this time I used Papertrey Ink's ink refills in Ripe Avocado and Hawaiian Shores onto watercolor paper. If you wet the paper before you add color with your paintbrush, the colors blend together so much better.
The new Journaling card 2 die was used to cut out a piece of gray cardstock, then I used the cut out piece for the mat for my photo. The photo was cut out with the Journal card die. I wanted to offset the picture, so you could see more of the pretty colors underneath.
The lines and "memories" were stamped with the new Journal Accessories set. Sayings and arrows were stamped with A Few Pointers. And the Monthly Moments: March die was used for the title. Twine and a few flower die cuts from the new Embellished Elegance dies finish it off. The journaling reads, "Today as I drop Kati off at the bus and drive around the block, I see the beautiful rec center, snow gently falling and it reminds me how lucky we are to be here. There are so many great things about our new neighborhood!" 

March layout:
STAMPS: A Few Pointers, Journal Accessories, Embellished Elegance
INK: True Black, Harvest Gold, Ripe Avocado, Hawaiian Shores
PAPER: watercolor paper and gray from Michaels
DIES: Monthly Moments: March, Journal card die, Journal card 2 die, Embellished Elegance
OTHER:  Rustic twine.
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All of these new products will be available at Papertrey Ink on March 15th at 10pm EST. I think I'm going to wait to do my album page spread until the 1st. That way I'll have more March photos to choose from for my big March spread! I haven't taken very many pics yet for March. (Mostly all of the snow!) No spring for us here yet. :) 

Visit the rest of the Monthly Moments team to see more with the March kit products: Heather Nichols, Melissa Phillips, Nichole Heady.