Tuesday Trigger: Fall is in the Bag

I have been missing in action for the last few weeks. My mother (who is 80) fell and fractured her hip. She needed surgery and then spent some time in rehab. Frequent trips to the hospital left little time for blogging. Thankfully she is home now and doing really well. Unfortunately, she won't be able to drive for a while so I will be pitching in by taking her to physical therapy, grocery shopping and doctor's appointments. The doctor has assured us that she will be dancing in no time which may not be such a good thing since she broke her hip while doing the Electric Slide at the community center of her Senior apartment complex. I kid you not!

Anyway, it felt great to get the creative juices flowing again this week after not scrapping for almost a month. So, when I spotted this week's Tuesday Trigger photo just as I was finishing up a layout using Little Yellow Bicycle's "Hello Fall!" collection, I knew I had to play along. Instead of putting my scraps away, I decided to make a card or two for Thanksgiving. Here's the trigger photo:

And here are the two cards I made. First, the clean and simple design:

And next, one with a stamped background:

Both cards feature Papertrey Ink's Wreath for all Seasons and Technique Tuesday's Studio AE -- Give Thanks by Ali Edwards stamp sets. The background stamp on the second card was created with Hero Arts Large Plaid Pattern background stamp.

Let me know which design you like best!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Stampin' UP! (Very Vanilla); Papertrey Ink (Chocolate Brown);

Patterned Paper: Little Yellow Bicycle (Hello Fall!)

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Wreath for All Season); Technique Tuesday (Studio AE -- Give Thanks by Ali Edwards); Hero Arts (Large Plaid Pattern);

Ink: Stampin' Up! (Dusty Durango; Tim Holtz Distress (Gathered Twigs);

Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities (Classic Circle; Classic Scalloped Circle Large); EK Success Corner Rounder.

Papertrey Ink Make It Monday -- Frosted Images

I have a second post today -- a card I created using the Frosted Images technique highlighted in Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday video from last week. Here's my card:

As Lisa Johnson explains in the video, I stamped my images first using a grey ink and then after quickly swiping my stamp on a wipe so as not to ruin my ink pad, I stamped the image over the first using Vintage Cream. I did not "frost" the sentiment. Another clean and simple card today. Don't know what has gotten into me LOL!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Fine Linen);

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Botanical Silhouettes);

Ink: Stampin' UP! (Basic Grey);

Ribbon: American Crafts (Grey)

Misc.: Queen & Compan pearls (Black & White)

PTI September 2011 Blog Hop & WMC69 Challenge

It's time for another Papertrey Ink Blog Challenge. The challenge this month was to create a project based on the photo inspiration.

When I saw the inspiration, I knew I wanted to play along since I had two masculine birthday cards to make. As I was definitely short on time this weekend, I decided to keep my card clean and simple and use patterned paper which just happened to be the Scrappy Saturday challenge at Wee Memories. Here's my card:

I wasn't kidding when I said it was clean and simple! To create it, I cut a standard size card. Next, I cut a piece of white cardstock to measure 5" x 3.75" and embossed it using a PTI embossing plate. I cut a strip of patterned paper 1" wide and a piece of Terracotta Tile cardstock 1/4 inch wider. I adhered the patterned paper strip to my embossed cardstock, stamped the sentiment and then adhered that piece to the card using foam adhesive. It doesn't get easier than that! Here's a close-up of the embossing. It didn't photograph as well as I would have liked it but it definitely adds interest and texture to the card.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Stamper's Select White; Terracotta Tile);

Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye (Lime Twist);

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Fillable Frames #1);

Ink: Stampin' Up! (Soft Suede);

Misc.: Papertrey Ink Impression Plate (Linen & Canvas -- Side 1)

Acadia

I have been in such a card-making frenzy lately so I thought it was time I shared a layout. I am determined to finish scrapping last summer's vacation before we go on vacation this year. Wish me luck on that one. LOL! Anyway, today's layout is based on Nichol Magouirk's Scrapbook Stamping class from March. I love how Nichol uses lots of pictures on her pages and she has inspired me to keep my stamps handy as I work on a page. Here's Nichol's sketch:

And here's a layout of one of my most favorite days from our cruise to New England and Canada:

As you can see, I stretched the sketch to include four small pictures on the top half of the page. I also balanced the circular title mat with a circle for journaling. The bicycle was stamped four times with the help of my Stamp-a-ma-jig and heat embossed. Since I don't have fringe scissors or a grass punch, I created the grassy border underneath the four small pictures with the help of my Martha Stewart Icicle Punch!

For the title block, I cut the circles using my Spellbinders Nestabilities. After stamping the leaf, I added some of the Basic Grey stickers on foam dimensionals. The leaves from the Basic Grey elements sticker sheet were a perfect fit!

I typed the journaling and ran a piece of patterned paper through my printer. Then I cut the circle using the same Nestabilities. Finally I added the Basic Grey elements sticker as a subtitle. I used element stickers and glazed brads to add more circles and finished off the layout by stitching a border around the top half of my page.

The journaling reads: The Sweetest Memories. It was a 1-mile ride on the scenic carriage roads around Acadia's Eagle Lake and Jordan Pond for Sal, Melissa and me. Add a couple of extra miles for Mark who kept riding ahead and doubling back with words of encouragement for those of us who "lagged" behind. Oh to be 15 and in incredible shape!

Supplies:

Cardstock: American Crafts;

Patterned Paper, Stickers, Brads: Basic Grey (Marjolaine);

Stamps: Unity (Bicycle); Papertrey Ink (Turning a New Leaf; Library Ledger);

Ink: VersaMark; Tim Holtz Distress ink (Shabby Shutters); Ranger (Coffee);

Embossing Powder: American Crafts Zing (Brown Sugar);

Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities (Classic Circle): Martha Stewart Edge Punch (Icicle).

June PTI Blog Hop

Welcome to the June Papertrey Ink Blog Hop. This month's challenge was to use a photo as inspiration. Here's the trigger photo:

And here's my card:

There's something about the photo that reminded me of the patterned paper which I matted on Dark Chocolate cardstock. I stamped the main image on a piece of cardstock that I had cut with PTI's Mat Stack 3 die. To get the two-toned berries, I stamped my image, turned my stamp about 90 degrees and stamped again without reinking. I love the depth that this technique gives the wreath. Finally, I used distress ink around the edges, tied the ribbon and adhered the mat with foam adhesive.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream; Dark Chocolate);

Patterned Paper: Cosmo Cricket (Honey Pie):

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Wreath for All Seasons):

Inks: Ranger (Coffee); Stampin' Up! (Regal Rose); Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Antique Linen;

Tools: Papertrey Ink Die (Mat Stack 3);

Ribbon: EK Success

LOAD -- Day 9

Back in October 2009, Sal surprised me with tickets to see Brandi Carlile. Unfortunately, Sal's father was admitted to the ICU a few days before the concert. Needless to say, neither one of use was in the mindset to go to a concert. We tried giving the tickets away but to no avail so, as the saying goes, we ate them. Gulp! Well a year later, we tried it again and because date nights are so rare and this one was such a long time coming, I thought I should document it. Here's my layout:

:

The journaling reads: We originally had plans to see Brandi Carlile at the Beacon Theater in October 2009 but life got in the way and we didn't go. When you found out that she was opening for Sheryl Crow, you surprised me with tickets and we finally had our date night!

The inspiration for this layout came from the scrap of American Crafts music paper that I had in my stash. I thought it's peach tones matched the hues in the pictures, but I don't know what I was thinking when I bought some of the other papers in the collection because I didn't have enough complementary patterns and the ones that I did have totally clashed with the color of the ticket stub. Oh, what's a scrapper to do? The answer to that question is simple: create your own pattern paper. So that's exactly what I did. I used the Hero Arts Flourish Background stamp to create the yellow paper on the bottom of the layout. Not only was the pattern a good mix with the others, I thought that the yellow took some attention away from the color of the ticket. (If anyone from Ticketmaster is reading this, could you PLEASE find a more scrapper-friendly color for tickets? I'm just saying!

Anyway, the rest of the layout is pretty self-explanatory. I used a TRIPLE mat as the foundation for the layout. Then, after rounding the one corner, I added the pattern paper blocks. The strip across the middle is actually four papers. The line of hearts was fussy cut from a bigger pattern. For the title, I used my Cricut to cut the word "date" and stamped the letters for "night" on tickets that I created with a Papertrey Ink stamp and die. I added some more tickets and embellishments to the journaling area and sprinkled some hearts and rhinestones to create a visual triangle. Here's a closer look:

Supplies:

Cardstock: American Crafts;

Patterned Paper: American Crafts (Dear Lizzy); October Afternoon (Fly a Kite);

Stamps: Hero Arts (Flourish Background; Curly Alphabet); Papertrey Ink (Just the Ticket); Technique Tuesday (Today You By Ali Edwards):

Inks: Stampin' Up! (Crushed Curry); Ranger (Coffee);

Embellishments: American Crafts Flairs (Dear Lizzy); Basic Grey Bloomers (Oliver); Recollections (Adhesive Rhinestones);

Tools: Cricut by Provo Craft (Sweethearts cartridge); Fiskars border punch (Scallop Sentiment)

Delightful Dahlia

Just a quick post tonight to share a birthday card I made for my best stamping friend. I've had the idea for this card in my head ever since she gave me this stamp set for my birthday. Here's the card:

To create it, I cut a standard size card and, using my Martha Stewart Scoring Board, created a frame for my mat and stamped image. Before I began stamping, I used scrap paper to create a mask for the large flower and leaf, plus two masks for the smaller flowers. For the stamped image, I started stamping in the lower left-hand corner. After stamping the first large flower, I covered it with the mask and stamped the other large flower above it. Keeping the first mask in place, I added the small flower and then covered it with a mask before stamping the leaves. Finally, I masked the leaf and stamped the remaining flower. I stamped the sentiment and used a Spellbinders Nestabilities to cut it out. I adhered the stamped image to the mat, tied a ribbon and adhered it to the card front. Finally, I added some bling and the butterfly pin.

Because creating masks can be time consuming, I plan to keep these masks with the stamp set for future use!!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (White); Stampin' UP!

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Delightful Dahlia; Vintage Labels);

Ink: Stampin' Up (Rich Razzleberry; Wild Wasabi); Ranger (Jet Black);

Tools: Martha Stewart Scoring Board; Spellbinders Nestabilities (Labes One);

Misc.: Recollections Rhinestone Stickers; Webster's Pages Butterfly Push Pins; Ribbon from my stash.

Invitation Inspiration, Make It Monday Challenge & Blog Candy Winner

When Melissa received this invitation in the mail...

... I immediately knew that I wanted to use Scor Tape to add glitter to a card. Lucky for me, this is the Make It Monday Challenge over at Papertrey Ink. Here's the card I created inspired by this invitation:

To create this card, I cut a standard sized card out of white cardstock and rounded the corners on the right side. This card has a lot of layers and I just started building from the left. First<>

I added the scallop layers to the top of the cardstock that was stamped with the background and used ribbon to hide the seam. Next, I added more layers (three to be exact) for the sentiment. For the inside of the card, I created a sentiment on my computer, die cut it to match the front and added the stamped border and leaf accent. Here's a look at the inside:

Now before I go any further with this post, I want to sing the praises of Fiskar's customer service. As I mentioned above, my border punch broke. I was very surprised when it did break because the paper I was punching was very thin and didn't put any pressure on the punch. Anyway, I contacted Fiskars, filled out a form on-line, sent them a picture of my punch and Voila! I had a new punch delivered to my door within the week!

Just so happens that the dress Melissa chose for this Bat Mitzvah also matched the invitation. LOL! Here's my beautiful daughter all dressed up and looking way too grown up for her father's taste:

Now, if you have read this far down, it's time to announce the winner of my Valentine's day Blog Hop Blog Candy.

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

3

Timestamp: 2011-02-22 03:58:09 UTC

This means the winning comment belongs to Briana!

Briana said...

What a great photo! And 22 years? That's awesome!
My favorite Valentine's Day was when DH made me a "fancy" dinner at home all by himself. It was a total surprise!

February 11, 2011 5:29 AM

Briana, you have until Sunday, February 27th to claim your prize. Please e-mail me your full name and mailing address.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink;

Patterned Paper: Making Memories;

Stamps: Hero Arts (Large Fabric Design); Papertrey Ink (Mat Stack 2 Collection; Mat Stack 1 Collection);

Ink: Ranger (Jet Black); Stampin' Up! (Pink Passion);

Tools: Fiskars Border Punch (Scallop Sentiment): Martha Stewart Border Punch (Modern Garland); Papertrey Ink Dies (Mat Stack 1; Limitless Labels); Scor Tape;

Embellishments: Martha Stewart glitter; Michael's ribbon.

Invitation Inspiration

If you are here for the CK Valentine's Day Blog Hop, scroll down one post!

Bat Mitzvah season has begun! It's only the middle of February and Melissa has already attended three Bat Mitzvah celebrations and I have been told that that there are more to come. Rather than mass produce one card, I decided to personalize each by drawing my inspiration from the invitation. So, here's the invitation for one of the parties she recently attended:

And here's the card it inspired:

As you can see, I used the same colors as the invitation thanks to Papertrey Ink! Bet the Bat Mitzvah girl didn't know she was picking Aqua Mist when she chose the paper for her invitation! LOL! I used a Hero arts stamp to recreate the swirl pattern from the invitation on the top half of my card. For the bottom, I embossed the dotted patterned onto my cardstock, cut it into strips and punched to create the ruffled layers. The sentiment background of the sentiment was also embossed using PTI's Mat Stack 1 Collection. I have a feeling that this set is going to be my "go to" stamp set! I finished off the top of the mat with a Martha Stewart doily tag which I cut in half.

I will have the next installment of Invitation Inspiration next week.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (White, Aqua Mist);

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Mat Stack 1 Collection; Mat Stack 3 Collection -- sentiment); Hero Arts (Flourish Background; Raindrop Background);

Ink: Versa Mark; Ranger (Jet Black);

Embossing Powder: American Crafts Zing! (white); Stamp 'n Stuff (Sterling Silver)'

Tools: EK Success Border Punch(Double Embossed Dotted Lace); Papertrey Ink die (Mat Stack 1);

Embellishments: Martha Stewart tag; Recollections rhinestones; ribbon from my stash

Papertrey January Blog Hop Challenge

Okay, so let me go on the record and say that for all intents and purposes, my Papertrey Ink stamps are not collecting dust. I only found these wonderful stamps about a year ago and surely that's not enough time to collect dust! There are, however, some stamps that see more ink than others. So with that said, when I saw that Papertrey Ink's January Blog Hop Challenge was to use a PTI stamp that has yet to see ink or was collecting dust, I knew I was up for the challenge! Here's the card I made:

I used a sentiment stamp from Birthday Basics to create the background. To start, I cut a standard sized card and used my Martha Stewart Scoring Board to create the decorative border. Next I cut a piece of white cardstock small enough to fit inside the border and penciled in some grid lines. I started stamping in the center of white cardstock and worked my way out (left and right), then down and up changing the color of ink each time. (Make sure your ink is dry before erasing the grid lines!) When the background was complete, I adhered it to my card. Next, I added the die cut labels on dimensional adhesive and personalized it for the occasion with Thickers. A little bling gives it the finishing touch!

Here's a look at the inside of the card:

Be sure to check out all of the fabulous projects created for this blog hop. Also, there is some blog candy over at Moonlight Creations!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink;

Specialty Paper: American Crafts (blue glitter);

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Birthday Sentiments, Fillable Frames #4);

Ink: Ranger (Jet Black); Stampin' Up! (Tempting Turquoise, Pink Passion, Lovely Lilac);

Chipboard: American Crafts Thickers (Lax);

Embellishments: Prima (bling);

Tools: Papertrey Ink dies (Limitless Labels, Fillable Frames #4); Martha Stewart Scoring Board

The Starbucks Bag

So last week I showed you the card I made using a Bath & Body Works shopping bag. You can see the post here: http://eterno-lyyours.blogspot.com/2010/12/finding-new-use-for-christmas-shopping.html. Today I have a card that I made from a Starbucks shopping bag. Actually this pretty bag (which I forgot to take a picture of before I cut it up) was the one that inspired me to take a second look at all of my shopping bags. All that kraft and white...I was in paper craft heaven! Anyway, here is the card:

First I cut the tag from the bag using Papertrey Ink's Tag Sale 1 die. I stamped over the tag with a spray of leaves from PTI's Turning A New Leaf in green. The white leaves are part of the bag's design. Next, I created my background using the grid from PTI's Library Ledger and stamped more leaves over the grid. It was really easy to match the pattern and make the grid go half-way up the cardstock. Finally, I used the Mat Stack 2 stamps and matching die for the label and sentiment, and added the ribbon and bling! Here's a close-up look at the tag.

On the inside of the card, I stamped the sentiment and a smaller spray of leaves.

I mailed this birthday card to my sister who loves Starbucks coffee. I will have to ask her if she recognized the piece of bag I used on her card!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (White); Stampin' Up! (Wild Wasabi);

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Turning a New Leaf, Library Ledger, Mat Stack 2, Birthday Basics);

Ink: Stampin' Up! (Wild Wasabi);

Tools: Papertrey Ink dies (Tag Sale 1, Mat Stack 2) EK Success punch (corner rounder);

Embelishments: Recollections (bling); Cosmo Cricket (ribbon);

Misc.: Starbucks shopping bag.

One Little Word

For the last couple of years, Ali Edwards has been choosing "one little word" to focus on for the year. According to Ali's original post on the subject in 2007, one single word "can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow." You can read Ali's original post here: http://aliedwards.com/2007/01/one-little-word-3.html. So instead of making a New Year's Resolution this year, I decided to join to join Ali by choosing my own "one little word."

organize

There are several definitions for this verb but these are the meanings that I plan to focus on:

• to systematize;
• to give organic structure or character to;
• to put (oneself) in a state of mental competence to perform a task

I hope that by living the word "organize" and inviting it into my life, as Ali suggests, it will have ripple effects that positively impact my life throughout the year. I am well aware that focusing on my word will include the mundane like not letting the mail pile up and putting away the laundry as soon as the dryer buzzes. I'm hoping, however, that this will put an end to early morning searches for missing socks and actually give me more time to do the things I love like scrap and stamp.

If you would like to be truly inspired, check out the wordle Ali created with all of the words her readers have chosen by visiting her blog at http://aliedwards.com/2011/01/one-little-word-2011-the-words.html. And, if you are participating in this challenge, please leave a comment telling me what your "one little word" is for 2011.

And because I couldn't post without a project, here's a card I made back in November for my friend's son who turned 18. I was looking through my pictures to find a card with one little word on it but alas, I only found one with two. Here it is:

I created the background by inking Papertrey Ink's Fillable Frame #4 with Stampin' Up! Night of Navy ink. I then went back and filled in each frame with the "happy birthday" sentiment from PTI's Birthday Basics, stamping it once in Dusty Durango and twice in Crushed Curry. For emphasis, I die cut one image from Dusty Durango card stock and put ribbon behind it to anchor it.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream); Stampin' Up! (Dusty Durango);

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Fillable Frame #4, Birthday Basics);

Inks: Stampin' Up! (Night of Navy; Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry);

Chipboard: Heidi Swapp;

Ribbon: Cosmo Cricket;

Tools: Papertrey Ink die (Fillable Frames #4); EK Success Corner Rounder punch.

Papertrey Ink October Blog Hop

This month's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop is dedicated to creating a card to celebrate a winter holiday other than Christmas. Since I don't have any PTI winter themed sets nor do I have the Mazel Tov set, this was a challenge for me. However, after giving it some thought, I realized that I could create a Hanukkah cards by using one of the elements in the Vintage Labels Set. Here's my card:

To create the Star of David, I simply took the scroll with the straight line and stamped it to create two overlapping triangles. I love how the scrolled images came together in the middle to create a kaleidoscope effect. I added gems to the star where the lines intersected.

I created the blue mat using the Fleur De Lis Nestabilities. The first time I ran the paper through my Cuttlebug, the mat got stuck in the die and ripped when I removed it. To remedy the situation, I put waxed paper between the die and the paper before running it through my Cuttlebug. The paper came out of the die easily and the waxed paper pealed right off!

If you want to see more projects created for the Blog Hop, head over to http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/2010/10/october-2010-blog-hop.html

Supplies:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink;

Patterned Paper : Basic Grey (Granola)

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Vintage Labels)

Ink: Stampin' Up! (Night of Navy)

Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities ( Labels One; Fleur De Lis); Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Swis Dots); EK Success Punch (corner rounder);

Bling: Recollections

A Passion for Purple

I am not much of a purple person. Plum, maybe. Eggplant, definitely yes. But lilac, lavender and plain old purple have never been my thing. However, like most girls her age, Melissa has a passion for purple. So when it came to making a birthday card, I reluctantly pulled out my purple inks and began stamping. Here's my card:

Using Papertrey Ink's Dot Spot stamp, I inked the stamp with the lighter purple. Then, I "kissed" the edges of the stamp with the darker purple and stamped. I love how the two colors mixed where they met on the stamp and created a third purple. Here's a close-up:

I stamped my sentiment using Papertrey Ink's Fillable Frames. I just love this concept. To finish off the card, I added a little bling to the center of the spots and the corners of the sentiment.

So as I'm seeing some sneak peaks of products from the upcoming CHA, I'm noticing a LOT of purple. Who knew I'd be ahead of the trend. I only hope there's some plum and eggplant in the new lines!

Supplies:

Card Stock: Papertrey Ink (White)

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Dot Spot; Fillable Frames #1)

Inks: Stampin' UP! (Orchid Opulence; Lovely Lilac)

Bling: Recollections

Tools: EK Success (Corner Rounder)

Fibers: DMC Floss

PTI Challenge

Two posts in one day...it must be Groundhog's Day! Just so happens that we have another Groundhog's Day birthday to celebrate. Before I show you the card, I want to apologize in advance for the poor picture quality. The card stock is Stampin' Up! Soft Suede and no matter where I took the picture, the card base photographed with a greenish hue instead of the rich brown that it actually is. Anyway, here is the card:

For this card, I downloaded a Papertrey Ink image which was designed by the fabulous Dawn McVey. You can get the image here: http://dawnmcvey.typepad.com/these_are_a_few_of_my_fav/2010/02/birthday-bash-challenge.html. Once I printed the image, I use my Nestabilities to cut out the circle and the flower behind it, and my Cricut to cut out the scroll that I used for the stem. After distressing the flower, I adhered the circle to it using popdots. I embellished the border around the sentiment with brown and white pearls. A border punch and some more gems help ground the image.

This was my first hybrid card and I can't wait to make more. You can check out the rest of the images created by Papertrey Ink's 2010 Design Team at http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/2010/02/day-2-2010-stamp-designers-a-challenge.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2FSWJb+%28%7Bcapture+the+moment%7D%29.

Supplies:

Card Stock: Stampin' Up! (Soft Suede)

Patterned Paper: Sassafras (Sunshine Lollipops Wee Bundle)

Digital Image: Papertrey Ink

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Vintage Photo)

Tools: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Distressed Stripes); Cricut Cartridge (Accent Essentials); Spellbinders Nestabilities (Classic Circles, Dahlia); Fiskars Punch (Apron Lace)

Bling: Recollections