It's Not Everyday...

...somebody you love turns the big 9-0! My Grandma Bonnie is hitting this milestone this weekend. I'll be popping this in the mail to here along with photos of the kids. My guess? The card gets chucked and the photos  are the big hit. I don't mind a bit. It was fun to make.

Supplies:

Stamps: PTI's Tremendous Treats: Birthday, Lace Bouquet, Clean and Simple Heart Plus, Hero Arts Newspaper Background
Dies: PTI's Banner Builders, By the Numbers, Spellbinders Scalloped Circles Nestibilities and Banners,  Clean and Simple Hearts Plus
Basic Grey's Piccadilly 6x6 pad

A Little Love For Hankster

I put this by his bed so it is the first thing he sees in the morning. He's a great little boy, so he definitely deserves it. I'm such a lucky mama.

Supplies: PTI For the Graduate, Tag-its #11, There She Goes Clear Stamps World's Best
Dies: PTI's Limitless Layers 1.75" Circle, TSCS World's Best
Pure Poppy Buttons
Ocean Tides, Pure Poppy, and Aqua Mist Cardstock
Aqua Mist Bitty Dot Patterned Paper
Quickutz Merry & Bright Alphabet (Limited Edition 2007, but I'm sure you can find it on Ebay)

April 2012 Release Projects

Another countdown has come and gone. As always, quite the ride:). How about I wrap up my part of it by sharing the remainder of my projects?

Framed Out #3 and Think Big Favorites #15.  There were sentiments from both of these sets that worked well together, so I combined them. Getting a little help from last month's Back Pocket Basics.

Heart-2-Heart and BB: Postmarks. I felt the new Patchwork Patches die works well as a whimsical postage stamp. Worked well. Also enjoyed using my new Ocean Tides ink on this card.

Tagged Sentiments. Sort of hard to tell, but I embossed the numbers "1, 3,4" using the By the Numbers dies so that it all tied in with the "2" from Dawn's new stamp set. Color combo I found on Pinterest and loved--Orange Zest, Autumn Rose, Ocean Tides, Aqua Mist, and Vintage Cream.

Trendy Trees.  I stamped the tree trunk with one of the mats from Modern Wood Mats. Birdies are cut out of felt.

Tweet Talk. The Wine Bottle Tag got used to house my sentiment in a new way.  Birdie-wise,  this is a bit of a different spin on things. I was searching for inspiration and found this pillow:

I thought it was a dead end because the birds from Tweet Talk don't have the smooth bodies. But than I started experimenting and I realized I could totally pull it off. Here's how:

Hope you enjoyed the rest of my projects. See you around soon. Once you get the stampin mojo going, it's sort of hard to stop.

Other PTI blogs featuring release projects that you might enjoy:


Jessica Witty
Betsy Veldman
Dawn McVey
Heather Nichols
Lisa Johnson
Melissa Phillips
Ashley Cannon Newell
Maile Belles
Danielle Flanders
Debbie Olsen
Michelle Wooderson

Garden Variety Continues

Back again for another Group Post Night with Papertrey Ink. Nichole's followed up the adorably vintage Garden Variety from last year with Garden Variety II and Year of Flowers Titles (to be used with the Year of Flowers Collection). More is always better when it comes to having options and both the new additions will enhance what you've already have in your collection. Or, if you don't have them yet, this might be the time to take plunge into all things gardening and stamping. A fun combination.

We all had to come up with an inspiration piece this time. I love when we get this type of assignment--I always do things I wouldn't normally do on my own. As usual, I have a bit of a decision crisis--too many things to be inspired by--so I just pick more than one. Problem solved. See, more is better!

First up, wrapped planters with bulbs. .

And secondly, the use of doilies and Classic Kraft. This got me started on using really neutral colors throughout the whole project. Not something I normally do, but I'm enchanted with the result.

Here's my ensemble. Very cute, very affordable. A simple card and a few gladiola bulbs in a small planter. All wrapped up in krafty goodness. Grand total, with all the consumable supplies and bulbs/planter, I'm thinking less than three bucks to pull this together. And this is something that I would love to receive--. thoughtful, bringing joy for seasons, and most importantly, non caloric. That is, not unless I was really super hungry and decided to see how flower bulbs taste. It's not a stretch for me right now.

A shot of the card up close. You can see some direct correlation between the doily placement and the inspiration piece. Love it, will do it again. I cut the watering can from the original Garden Variety die out of  Dearest Jane paper. It fits the new bouquet of potted flowers nicely, just in case you were looking for another option. Quote is from Garden Variety II. 

Here's the planter with the new seed packet die and image. I stamped "bulbs for spring" onto the starburst from the Ad Sense die and popped it off for interest. Gladiolas are stamped on top of one of the new patches from Strawberry Patch. Four Rustic Cream Parisian Doilies are wrapped around a small planter and tied with button twine. All the elements are carried over from the card to tie things together nicely.

Now here's a fun tip: use the Martha Stewart Fringe Scissors (Michael's for about $12.99)  to make packing material from your favorite PTI paper. Dearest Jane again here. Looks so lovely in there with those bulbs.

Fresh ideas are blooming up all over using these new stamp sets. Take a leisurely blog walk on your Saturday morning and see what wonderful things there are to be seen.


Nichole Heady
Jessica Witty
Betsy Veldman
Dawn McVey
Heather Nichols
Lisa Johnson
Melissa Phillips
Ashley Cannon Newell
Maile Belles
Danielle Flanders

Supplies

Stamps: Garden Variety II, Year of Flowers Titles, Tiny Tags II, Strawberry Patch
Dies: Parisian Doily, Tiny Tags, Ad Sense, Seed Packet Frame II, Garden Variety
Cardstock: Rustic Cream and Classic Kraft
Patterned Paper: Dearest Jane
Ink: Fresh Linen, Classic Kraft, and Dark Chocolate
Rustic Button Twine

Strawberry Patch

OK. Wow. O.M.G. .Ya'll sitting down? You ready for the most adorable, sweetest stamp set and die collection you've ever seen? Strawberry Patch is going to steal your heart in all its homespun goodness. It takes you to a happy place, let me tell ya. Let me show you what I mean...

Check out the berry basket! I bet you weren't expecting that! And it's so very big and roomy. Countless things fit inside. In my case, I have a strawberry print homemade apron folded up with a mini file folder of strawberry recipes.  (Chocolate Pavlova made with strawberries is one of my favorites. In fact, I feel the need to make one coming on. Maybe this weekend.) Of course, you have to round out the gift with a handmade card that matches. Would we as papercrafters do anything less? I think not.

Now the thing about these stamps and dies that I like the most is how you can add color to the large strawberry cluster without handcutting to paper piece or busting out the Copics. Every flower, leaf, and berry in the main image has a die. How great is that?

On my card, I stamped the berry cluster twice to take up the front of a whole A2 card. I used half a Quatrefoil Cover Plate on the bottom for absolutely no reason other than it looked good. The berries that aren't  covered have stems cut form Simply Chartreuse felt. BB: Gingham on a Fillable Frame #5 die cut houses my sentiment from Strawberry Patch Sentiments.

The Berry Basket die. Check out how roomy it is! You could fit some serious treats in there. Before I filled mine with goodies, I used Scor-Tape to adhere red rick rack (matches that on the apron) to the inside edge. I don't think I'll ever make this basket without using the rick-rack. I need some in every color now. Perfect touch.

Another tip with the Berry Basket die. Use the holes to your advantage. Weave it through at certain intervals to hold a tie in place. I used Cream Button Twine for a rustic touch.

Here's my basket all decorated and filled. I'd love to receive a gift like this.

A few highlights of the contents. Create a mini-file folder with the latest Edgers release to match your card and house a few recipes to go with the apron theme. It's nice that the word "berry" comes in two sizes in the Strawberry Patch Sentiments set.

To help identify the apron, I created a tag with Tag Sale #1 , Perfect Patches die, and stamps from Just For You set. A paper covered clothespin holds the tag to the apron. I couldn't resist die cutting a full strawberry out of felt. I'm looking forward to Eliza having a bit more hair so I can make hair clips like this for her.

Here's a different shot of the ensemble so you can see the apron a little bit better. I wish I could take credit for this creation, but it's something my mother made. Fabric is from deep in her stash, but isn't it perfect?

Hope you are as won over by the strawberries as I am. Makes you wish you could come up with strawberry themes for Halloween and Christmas because you just don't want to put this one away. Looking forward to seeing all the projects in the morning. Good luck getting me out of my office after that!


Nichole Heady
Jessica Witty
Betsy Veldman
Dawn McVey
Heather Nichols
Lisa Johnson
Melissa Phillips
Ashley Cannon Newell
Maile Belles
Danielle Flanders




Supplies
Stamps: Strawberry Patch, Strawberry Patch Sentiments, Just For You, Background Basics: Gingham, Fillable Frame #5
Dies: Strawberry Patch, Perfect Patches, Berry Basket, Fillable Frame #5, Quartrefoil Cover Plate, Tag Sale #1, Edgers #6
Paper: Spring Rain, Simply Chartreuse, Spring Moss, Stamper's Select White
Ink: Pure Poppy, True Black, Spring Rain
Felt: Simply Chartreuse, Pure Poppy
Cream Button Twine
Red Rick Rack

Introducing Baby Face

Oh boy! Yes literally. Oh boy! Lexi Daly's debut set with Papertrey Ink is absolutely up my alley right about now. Baby love is fierce around here as we await our new boy. (Although I could certainly do without the Braxton Hicks contractions that had me spending most of the weekend on the couch with my feet up.)  I certainly had fun creating with a baby themed set. Why don't I show you?

First up, how about something simple and eye-catching on a white background? Bust out the patterned paper to make the most adorable baby blankets to swaddle a nursery of newborns. Emphasize the baby you are celebrating by making all the rest of the babies the other gender. In this case, we've got a little girl with a pink bow and a little blue heart to set her apart from the pack. Sentiment is from Sweet Baby. 

Next up, there is a great mobile in this set. The possibilities of things to hang on it are limitless. Just image Tiny Tags! I used a combination of the new Heart-2-Heart die, circles, and Block Alphabet dies. A bow from Bells & Boughs is a perfect topper.

The sentiment from the set fits nicely in the new Perfect Patches die set. The holes are die cut for easy stitching. And is that Lavender Moon ink? Squeal! Looking at my shelf of ribbon, I think we have only one more month until all the new inks are released. Double squeal! Loving having all the options.

And lastly, I took all the mobile elements, the majority of the sentiments,  Copics, and BB: Text Style II to create my background on Soft Blush paper.

In order to get my main focal point on the new Melon Berry Bitty Dotty Patterned Paper, I die cut the new Script Alphabet dies one by one to get a continuous word in negative. I saved the "middles" and glued the whole panel onto Soft Stone cardstock.

 That's it for me tonight. This Mama-to-Be is going to go soak in the tub with a good book. Be sure to check out some of the other PTI blogs for today's inspiration featuring the new sets.

Nichole Heady
Heather Nichols
Lexi Daly
Dawn McVey
Maile Belles
Melissa Bickford


Supplies

New Baby Girl


Stamps: Baby Face, Sweet Baby
Patterned Paper: Aqua Mist and Raspberry Fizz Patterned Paper Collections
Copics
Stamper's Select White Cardstock
Raspberry Fizz and True Black ink


Mobile Card


Stamps: Baby Face, BB: Gingham, Bells & Boughs
Dies: Small Scalloped Border, Heart-2-Heart #3, Perfect Patches, Bells &Boughs
Cardstock: Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise, Lavendar Moon, Plum Pudding, Spring Moss
Patterned Paper: Bitty Baby Blessings
Plum Pudding Vintage Buttons
Lavender Pearls


Oh Baby Card


Stamps: Baby Face, BB: Text Style II
Cardstock: Smokey Shadow, Soft Blush, Soft Stone
Ink: Melon Berry, Memento's London Fog
Dies: Heart Border, Block Alphabet, Script Alphabet
Soft Stone Buttons
Copics