Everyone at Papertrey Ink is excited to share the news of my new Make It Market Mini Kits! The first one being released this weekend, on Sunday, February 15th. To help celebrate, the entire design team is participating in a little scavenger hunt! Be sure to visit Nichole's blog HERE for all the details so you can play along! EIGHT $80 Papertrey Gift Certificates will be awarded to the participants!
Here are the links to the other blog participants so you can hop around for the scavenger hunt!
Laurie Willison
Danielle Flanders
Dawn McVey
Amy Sheffer
Heather Nichols
Laura Bassen
Melissa Phillilps
Nichole Heady
Ashley Cannon Newell
So...yeah...the last few months have been a bit crazy around here, as you might have guessed from the amount of product I'm releasing this month. :-) It's been a bit of a whirlwind, but in a very, very good way. I don't know that I've ever felt so creatively energized - I feel like I've found something that I just really love to do. So, I'm very excited about today's announcement (the last one for the anniversary celebration that has anything to do with me, I promise!!!)
Introducing Make It Market MINI kits!
Many of you have requested this and we're happy to oblige! There will not be a set schedule for the Mini Kits, but on the months that they are released they will be part of the regular release on the 15th of the month. And the really good news? They will not be limited edition! They will be a permanent item in the store and will be restocked should they happen to go out of stock at some point. Yay!
The mini kits will be done very much like the era kits from last year's Stamp-A-Faire event. They will contain stamps, a die or two, a few sheets of patterned paper, and possibly an embellishment or two, all packaged in the clear stamp boxes. They will vary in price, according to the contents. What a fun thing to treat yourself to, or they'll make great gifts for stamping friends and family members as well.
Oh, and the full Make It Market kits like we've been doing the past year will continue as well, just like the past year!
So, without further ado, let me show and tell you all about the first ever Make It Market Mini kit called Lovely Laurels.
The kit includes...
- Lovely Laurels mini stamp set - $5.00
- Lovely Laurels stamp index label - $1.00
- Lovely Laurels die - $8
- Lovely Laurels papers (six A2 sheets, 1 each of 6 designs) - $2
- 1 yard Leaf Trim - $1
- 2 yards Pink Burlap String - $1
- 1 mini glassine bag with sequin mix (flowers & leaves) - $2
Total Price: $20
Now let me show you the projects I created with the Lovely Laurels kit. I just love creating with kits...I like to clear off my workspace and then spread all of the kit contents out and just have fun playing around with everything! Here's what I came up with.
Why not start with my favorite of the bunch? For this card I started by creating a watercolor background using Harvest Gold and Berry Sorbet inks. I used my favorite "smoosh" technique again (blot ink onto a scrap of acetate using my Papertrey ink pads, spritz with water and then press my cardstock panel into the wet ink). The result is a soft and lovely watercolor background. Once it was dry I diecut the laurel wreath from the kit. The die is designed so that the top and bottom don't cut, creating a pop-up effect, which I just love how it turns out! It adds so much dimension without adding any bulk.
Then I stamped the wreath image and heat embossed it with gold powder. I also heat embossed the "Just for You" sentiment with gold. There is this one large sentiment in the stamp set and then there are two smaller sentiments -- I used the "on your birthday" sentiment here, stamped below the wreath. To embellish my wreath I used several of the tiny flower and berries dies and stamps, as well as the bird and a few sequins. The Berry Sorbet twine from the kit is wrapped at the top to finish it off.
This first card is a bit involved, with the heat embossing and watercoloring, but my next project is really quick and easy. A few of the papers in the kit feature a pre-printed wreath on a Smokey Shadow background. I simply diecut the wreath with my die, backed it with some Berry Sorbet cardstock and adhered it to a panel of Aqua Mist plaid paper, also from the kit.
I love how the Berry Sorbet cardstock peeks out from under that pop-up wreath. I added the little bow to the bottom and accented it with a few leaves, which were cut from the leaf ribbon that's included in the kit, as well as a flower sequin. Very quick and easy!
For my next card I decided to stamp a background using the laurel wreath. I started with Aqua Mist cardstock and Aqua Mist ink. I stamped the wreaths in a row, right next to each other. For the next row, I flipped the wreath upside down and stamped it between the wreaths of the previous rows. It was really quick and easy, and I love how it turned out!
For the sentiment I started by diecutting a white circle using the new Scene It: Basic Backer die. Then I diecut the wreath and stamped it using Ocean Tides ink. For the banner I diecut a long Double Ended Banner from white cardstock and stamped the "on your birthday" sentiment using Berry Sorbet ink. I tucked the ends under the popped-up wreath and then folded them to kind of wrap around the edges of the circle. I added a few flower sequins and a bow stamped in Fine Linen ink to finish it off.
My next card uses the leaf ribbon from the kit to create a very dimensional wreath, but since it's very soft and bendable I think it would still be pretty mailable. I just wrapped the ribbon around my fingers a couple of times and tied the bundle together with the Berry Sorbet twine from the kit. I layered it over a stamped wreath, which was stamped using True Black ink. I stamped a few small flowers first as well. Then I adhered the wreath, tacking it down with some liquid glue in just a few spots.
I diecut and stamped the bird image and added him to the wreath as well. I adhered my finished panel at an angle, layering it over the pretty Soft Stone lacy laurel paper from the kit, and trimmed off the excess from around the edges.
Next I have a light and airy version of the traditional monogrammed laurel. I try to keep my grandma stocked with notecards and I think it's time to give her a few more, so I created these for her! They measure 3 1/5" x 5" and were pretty quick to put together.
I started with a panel of white cardstock, slightly smaller than my 3 1/2" x 5" bases. I diecut the wreath from each panel, then stamped some flowers. To tuck them under the wreath, you can easily lift each side of the wreath and fold it back to do the stamping. I added a diecut "v" using the Bookprint Upper Alphabet dies. I added a strip of patterned paper along the bottom of each. I cut a row of diamonds for each card, which gave me enough for 6 cards from just the one sheet of 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" patterned paper...and it's the perfect finishing touch! A little really can go along way.
Here are all of the cards together. I stamped on the envelopes as well, with the bow and a few little flowers.
Next I created a sort of chalkboard look using the sentiment and wreath images. I started by diecutting the wreath from a panel of Smokey Shadow cardstock. Then I stamped the wreath and sentiment using Versamark and heat embossed them with white powder. Then I took my Smokey Shadow panel and trimmed it down so that the sides of the wreath would extend beyond the straight edges. I just did this with my paper trimmer, stopping my blade just before it cut into the leaves of the wreath.
I layered this strip over a panel of white cardstock, which was stamped the the wreath, just by inking the tips of one side of the wreath. I used Berry Sorbet ink and did some 2nd generation stamping to add some depth and variation of color. I embellished it with some flower sequins and leaves from the leaf ribbon found in the kit.
My next project has a totally different color scheme - which is the fun part about the kits containing stamps and dies...you can follow the colors of the kit or you can do your own thing. Here I got a little creative with the wreath image and only inked up the tips so I could create a really different look. I started off by stamping my sentiment in True Black ink, then built the florals around it. There are two bird stamps in the stamp set - one larger and one small. I perched the smaller one on top of the "j" in the sentiment.
I used Tropical Teal ink for the leaves, which goes so pretty with the darker leaf sequins from the kit. I added several of the small flowers and berries - there are dies for all of them! I trimmed my stamped panel narrower than my card base and added a strip of patterned vellum (not included in the kit) tucked under the edge. I also added a bit of True Black Baker's twine (also not included in the kit).
For my last project today I created a domed tag using one of the clear dome/ornaments (not included in the kit). I used one of the pre-printed wreaths/sentiments, which fit perfectly inside. I diecut it first using a 2 1/2" Limitless Layers Circle die, then diecut the wreath using the laurel wreath die from the kit.
I popped up the wreath, added a bow and tossed in a bunch of the flower sequins before I glued the dome on top. I also added a few ribbon leaves and sequins to the hanger on top, and tied some Berry Sorbet twine through the hanger. I think it would be such a pretty package topper for a wedding, anniversary, or birthday gift!
Well, that brings me to the end of my projects today using the Lovely Laurels Mini Kit! What do you think? I'd love to hear! I had so much fun creating my projects...and I still have a couple of sheets of patterned paper left, lots of sequins, lots of leaf ribbon, and of course my stamps and dies...which will last forever and can be used over and over.
Below is my supply list for everything that I used that is NOT included in the kit. Thanks for stopping by today and every other day this week. It's been so much fun! It's not done yet, though...here are a few big announcements left! I think I might need a nap when this is all done. :-)
Supplies not linked, but available on February 15th from Papertrey Ink: Lovely Laurels kit, Scene It: Basic Backer die, Sheer Basics vellum paper
