Introducing Special Delivery

We've made it to the last group post of the February 2014 Papertrey Ink countdown. After a whirlwind week and a half, it's hard to believe we've made it to this point. At PTI, we sure hope you've been enjoying yourself with all the games, activities, inspiration, and new product sneaks. Whatever will we do with ourselves after the 15th?

Today we are featuring (and I'm very excited about this!) the new Special Delivery and Special Delivery Sentiments stamp sets, which I had a little something to do with:). A little back story. Back when I first started on this journey of product design in July of 2011, this little truck shape was the very first thing I drew. It took me all night! I worked on it a little bit more that year, the idea of what the final stamp set would look like crystal clear in my head, but just lacked the skills at that point to see it all the way through. So it got put on the back burner.

Fast forward to August of 2013. We've got the PTI stamp designer deadline fast approaching. (We submit designs for the entire year in the fall to be approved and picked up...it's a crazy deadline.) Matt knows all about this idea of delivery trucks. He starts hounding me to finish it up. I think some other illustrating project wasn't going my way one morning, so I decided to open up the Special Delivery file and started fooling around with it. It came together and got finished so easily after that. And I'm very happy that it did. Love this little truck and all the possibilities. And I hope you do too.

Another fun fact? One of my favorite trucks, the new van, was a very late addition. Just last month, in fact. I threw it in when I was finished up the final files. It and and the corresponding sentiments ended up being some of my favorites from this set. You can see it in action today at Dawn's blog.

Today, I'm featuring a truck you haven't seen...the paddy wagon! So. Much. Fun. And we've got sentiments to match up with it, of course, in the sentiment set. These are very much intended to be tongue-in-cheek and funny. Hope you'll get a chuckle.

One of my ideas when using this set is that you can put different types of trucks together on the same card to tell a story. Things a little crazy in somebody's life? Nothing some ice cream can't fix. That's my personal philosophy anyway.  Put a gift card to Cold Stone inside. (Or as my MIL calls it, Stone Cold...ha!)  Both of these sentiments can be found in the Special Delivery Sentiments set. "Let me help" is super useful. I can imagine using that one a lot, with or without the truck.

The background is made with the new Scribbled Circles set. I stamped it repeatedly in layers of colors. I thought it looked appropriately frantic and a little out of control. Totally cray cray.

Today being Valentine's Day, I thought I'd do a love themed card. I would probably reserve this combination of elements and sentiments for somebody you are in a seriously long term committed relationship with. A husband for example. Otherwise, it might come off a little bit stalker-ish.

In other words, don't give it to some guy you've only been dating for two weeks. :)

This card is totally intended to be funny. Crazy love all the way with a pink paddy wagon.  A paddy wagon that features hand cuffs. Use black flocking on those, and they'll be fuzzy hand cuffs! Snicker.

Commentary aside, we need to talk product. I used the new Cover Plate: Diagonal Stripes cut in Stamper's Select White, but cut out two of the middle stripes to give myself a large panel to play with. On the backing for my cover plate, I die cut the Mover & Shakers: Spinnners die for my paddy wagon to move along.

Valentine Stitches Dies was used to create more interest on the larger panel with the arrow. For a new take on it,  I inserted little brads directly in the holes.

Live Love Life helped me out a lot here by providing the detail in the arrow and stamped to highlight the "crazy for you" sentiment along some of the diagonal stripes.

The van moves along the channel created by the Mover & Shakers: Spinners dies. And when it does, it reveals a new sentiment. Happy Valentine's Day! What husband wouldn't like this one?

I put together a little sheet to show you all the possibilities found in Special Delivery.  I thought I'd share that here so you can see all ten trucks together. A few of these got pulled off and used on the projects I've created all week, so they might look familiar. This set is jam packed with nothing but versatility.

That's it for me today. More Special Delivery inspiration can be found below. I'm so excited to see what everybody has done.

Nichole Heady

Dawn McVey

Melissa Phillips

Heather Nichols

Betsy Veldman

Cristina Kowalcyzk

Ashley Cannon Newell

Laura Bassen

Danielle Flanders

Special Delivery and Special Delivery Sentiments, as well as all the wonderful PTI February release, can be purchased tomorrow night at 10 EST at www.papertreyink.com.

And I want to take a moment to say thanks for all the wonderful comments and enthusiasm I've gotten for my new sets this month. I really appreciate all the support. :) So from me to you on this Valentine's Day, smooches and hugs!

Supplies

Ice Cream Will Help Card
Stamps: Special Delivery, Special Delivery Sentiments, Live Love Life, Scribbled Circles
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, Blueberry Sky, Stamper's Select White
Ink: Enchanted Evening, Blueberry Sky, Enchanted Evening
Dies: Special Delivery, Building Blocks

Crazy in Love Card
Stamps: Special Delivery, Special Delivery Sentiments, Building Blocks, Live Love Life
Cardstock: Soft Stone, Hibiscus Burst, Raspberry Fizz, Stamper's Select White, Aqua Mist
Dies: Special Delivery, Valentine's Stitches, Cover Plate: Diagonal Stripes, Cover Plate: Hearts
Hibiscus Simple Stripe Patterned Paper
Ink: True Black, Raspberry Fizz, Soft Stone