Paper, Scissors and Superheroes

Button Bits Revisited...

Happy May Day!  I just love May and all of the beautiful weather and fun things it brings!  Today, the Papertrey Ink DT is focusing on the Button Bits sets for our monthly challenge.  Nichole challenged each of us to choose our favorite Button Bits set and create a project from it.  Blooming Button Bits has always held a special place in my heart, and since it's May and I have flowers on the brain, how could I not choose it for my project today?  

I created a super electric-bright card, perfect for the sunny month of May.  I used some bright yellow paper from Basic Grey for the background, then stamped the flower cluster from Blooming Button Bits across the front using Versamark.  I heat embossed the flowers with some Aqua Zing powder.  I added in some leaves and embossed those with some Leaf Zing.

The sentiment is stamped on some adorable Air Mail Washi using Palette Noir (becuase the surface of the tape is a little slick, this ink works well).  My plan was to top off all of the flowers with white buttons, but at the last minute, decided there needed to be one little zinger, so I topped one flower with a Raspberry Fizz button.

This was a super fun, yet quick card.  I love that kind!  :-)

Be sure to hop around to the other DT girls to see what projects they've cooked up using their favorite set from the Button Bits series...

Melissa Phillips
Dawn McVey
Heather Nichols
Nichole Heady
Maile Belles 

Finished size = 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"

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Year of Flowers Revisited...

Happy April Fools'!  But I'm not joking when I tell you that the Papertrey Sr Team is posting some new inspiration using the Year of Flowers stamp series.  We each selected a set from the series to create a new project with.  I selected my favorite...Roses.  

I used a very easy watercolor technique for my card today.  I used a similar technique on THIS card a few months back and I thought it would be very pretty paired with the rose images from this set as well.  

I love the way the ink colors blend together and create some interesting shades and textures!

I'm not kidding when I say it's easy...here's what I did.  

I stamped my rose and leaves onto watercolor paper using Versamark and then heat embossed the images with white powder.  After that I used just two colors of distress inks -- Peeled Paint and Fired Brick to sponge in the rose and leaves.  You do not need to be precise at ALL with this step.  Just put some color down in the areas you want it...feel free to go outside the lines!

Then just take a spray bottle and spritz it with water.  I used quite a bit of water on my project and it was pretty much drenched!  

Then, just lay it flat and walk away.  Really!  Just let it sit...let the colors bleed together and let it dry.  You might need to let it set overnight, or you could use your heat gun to speed the process if you're impatient.  That's all there is to it.  And the fun part is that each and every creation will be unique.  The inks will never blend the same way twice.  :-)

Now be sure to check out the other DT girls to see their Year of Flowers creations!

Melissa Phillips
Dawn McVey
Heather Nichols
Nichole Heady
Maile Belles 

Product not linked:  Watercolor paper

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Garden Variety Revisited...

Well, we made it through our extra long February *grin* and it's now March!   Spring is on its way!  Hooray!  

The first of the month means it's time for another Papertrey Ink Sr. Team challenge.  This month Nichole challenged us to revisit the Garden Variety stamp set and coordinating products.  She also challenged us to base our project today on an image from Pinterest or a product from a magazine, etc.  I stumbled across these adorable Jelly Belly seed packets and instantly knew I wanted to try to create something similar using Papertrey stamps and dies!

Here's what I came up with.  I combined the Garden Variety stamp set with a few of the Fruit Fusion sets to create my own Jelly Bean Seed Packets.  I think they would make adorable Easter treats or favors for a spring or summer get together.  All supplies are linked at the bottom of this post.

I used one of the angled labels from Label Basics to frame my sentiment, which is from the Garden Variety set.  A little baker's twine bow, and that's all...cute and simple!

Here are a few step-by-step shots of how I diecut and assembled the seed packets.  (Sorry for my wonky photos today...obviously I had my camera settings all wrong.)

I started by diecutting the Seed Packet from patterned papers.

I then used the largest Angled Label die to cut a window from the front of the packet.  

I then cut a piece of clear cardstock large enough to cover the window.  I put Scor-tape on all of the edges and adhered it to the backside of the window opening.

Then I diecut the Seed Packet frame, stamped it with the frame image from Garden Variety and adhered it to the front side of the Seed Packet.  

After that it was just a matter of assembling the Seed Packet, embellishing it, and filling it up with yummy jelly beans!

Thanks for stopping by today.  Be sure to hop around to the other Sr Team members to see what they've created using the Garden Variety stamp set!

Danielle Flanders (filling in for Maile this month!)
Dawn McVey
Heather Nichols
Melissa Phillips

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Fillable Frames Revisited...

Happy February!  The first of the month means it's once again time for the Papertrey Ink Sr Team challenge.  This month we are focusing on the Fillable Frames series.  Nichole challenged each of us to pick our favorite set and die from the series and create a couple of projects using them!  

I chose Fillable Frames #10.  I love the classic and elegant feel this frame shape has.  I've used this set a ton for lots of different projects.  So many sentiments from other sets fit inside that pretty frame.  

Here is the first card using Fillable Frames #10.  I combined Mega Mehndi Medallion and a little creative stamping to create a fresh new doily-like image.  Can you pick out the frame images in the background?  I'll show you a step-by-step in a minute.  ;-)

 

For the sentiment, I diecut two Fillable Frame #10 shapes, one from patterned paper and one from cardstock.  I cut a window in the patterned paper shape using the Tea for Two label, then stamped the sentiment onto the cardstock shape.  I layered them with some foam tape and the result is kind of a fun dimensional sentiment.

For my second card, I used the Fillable Frame image and diecut as my focal point.  To create a larger mat for the front label I diecut a second frame and cut it in half.  I seperated the halves by a strip of patterned paper to create the larger mat layer.

I used the same Mehndi Medallion image stamped behind my sentiment.

That's it for my projects today, but here are a few step-by-step shots of how I created the doilies on the first card.

Start by stamping the frame.

Stamp a second frame aligning the corners as shown with the red arrows...

Stamp a third frame nestling it between the first two. (reminds of the spirograph pictures I used to make when I was a kid!)

Finish it off by stamping this image from Mehndi Medallion which fits nicely inside the opening in the center.  And that's it!  

Be sure to hop around to the other team members to see what they chose as their favorite Fillable Frame set and the projects they created with it!

Lisa Johnson
Dawn McVey
Heather Nichols
Nichole Heady
Maile Belles 

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All Booked Up Revisited...

Happy New Year!

It's the first of the year, and the first of the month and that means the Papertrey Sr Team is here with a challenge!  This month, we are revisiting the All Booked Up stamp set and die collection.  Nichole challenged us to create a card along with a set of book plates or a bookmark.  

First the card.  It's very simple...I wanted to to resemble a book, kind of like the cool modern notebooks.  I did a strip of lined ledger paper across the front and diecut the word "friend" using the Block Alphabet die.  I then stamped the "Good friends, good books" sentiment just below it.

On the "spine" of my card, I used a ticked from the Ticket Border die and stamped "BFF" using the Simple Alphabet set to resemble call letters you might find on a library book.  :-)

Now for the other part of my project.  I created a matchbook style booklet to hold some book labels.  I gave this to my grandma for Christmas, along with a book and it made for a sweet gift!  The idea kind of stemmed from the little ticket booklets I made in THIS post back when Just the Ticket was being released.  Those little booklets were made with just a single ticket.  This one is larger and has four rows of tickets inside.

The labels were cut using the Ticket Border die and then trimmed so that just a portion of the previous ticket remained attached to the next ticket, which creates the "spine" of the book.  Since the Ticket Border die makes perferations between the tickets, the little book labels can be torn out of the book as needed.  I already have adhesive on the back of the tickets, so the recipient can just tear them out and adhere them inside the cover of their book.

On the inside cover I also created a pocket in which I tucked a little bookmark.  The base of the bookmark is one of the metal bases that Papertrey carrries, topped off with the Bookmark Topper die and a punched circle that was stamped with a sentiment from the All Booked Up set.

I'll show you step-by-step how I created my booklet in case you'd like to try to make one for yourself.  

First I diecut a whole bunch of ticket strips.  Before running the cardstock through my Big Shot, I adhered an Adhesive Sheet to the backside of my cardstock.  That way, the recipient can just peel the backing from the tickets and she will be able to stick it right into her book.  If you don't want to use adhesive sheets you could also put a few mounting squares or a strip of Scor-Tape on the backside of each ticket.

After I diecut my ticket strips, I trimmed them as shown in this photo.  I left a 1/2" from the previous ticket attached to a full ticket -- that extra 1/2" will be used to bind the booklet.  The center ticket will not be used and I set those aside for a future project.

Then I stamped lines from Just the Ticket onto each diecut, along with the "This book belongs to:" label from All Booked Up.  The flower cluster is from Tag-its #5.  I then created 4 stacks of tickets consisting of 6 tickets each by applying liquid adhesive just the that extra 1/2" piece that I left attached to each ticket.

After each ticket stack was created, I used my Crop-a-Dile to punch two holes in each stack as shown below.

Then I created my cover, or wrap, for the booklet.  I started with a 5 1/2" x 4 1/2" piece of patterned paper and along the 5 1/2" edge, I scored at the following intervals as shown by the arrows in the photo):  1/2", 5/8", 3 1/8", and 3 3/8"

I then folded my wrap on the score lines and trimmed a 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" panel to line the inside (behind where the tickets go -- blue floral paper in my photo below).  Then I adhered my ticket stacks to the wrap, just putting adhesive on that extra 1/2" that extends beyond the actual ticket and aligning the edge with the second scored line as shown in the photo below.  I again used my Crop-a-Dile to punch holes in the wrap (using the holes already punched in the tickets as my guide).

I then folded the extra flap on the left side of the wrap over the tickets and punched through that as well (turn it over and use the previously punched holes as your guide).

Then to secure everything really well, I used some baker's twine and stitched through those punched holes.  I went up and down the length of the booklet twice.  

That's the basic construction of the book.  You can also add a pocket to the inside cover like I did to hold a bookmark.  I added a stamped circle from All Booked Up to the front as well as some strips of patterned paper.

That's all from me today!  I hope you're enjoying your New Year holiday!  

Be sure to hop around to the other Sr Team girls to see what they've whipped up using the All Booked Up set along with the coordinating products.

Lisa Johnson
Dawn McVey
Heather Nichols
Nichole Heady
Maile Belles 

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Vintage Ornaments Revisited...

December, oh how I love you!  Seriously.  I love this time of year.  Crazy busyness and all. 

And since it is December first, that means it's once again time for the Papertrey Ink Sr. Team challenge.  This month the team is revisiting Dawn's Vintage Ornaments and Addtions sets.  The coordinating dies were released just a few months ago, opening up even more possibilities with these sets.  

Nichole challenged us to create both a card and some tags using these sets.  I knew I wanted to pair them up with the newer Bells & Boughs set.  Don't you just love it when a new set seems to complement an older set so well?  It just seems to breathe new life into it.  I found that with these two sets...Bells & Boughs seems like it was made to go with Vintage Ornaments!

First up, the card...

I used the same stamping/inking technique from last week's Make it Monday, except I didn't use sentiments, I used the pine branches from Bells and Boughs.  And this time I embossed a few with white embossing powder to give a fresh, frosty look.  The diecut bows from Bells & Boughs top the ornaments off perfectly.

Next, I created some shaped tags using the coordinating dies.  I layered two ornament shapes for each tag.  I used a 1" circle punch to punch a "window" in the top ornament and stamped a "to, from" sentiment inside the window.  I adhered them together with a bit of foam adhesive and topped them off with the bows from Bells & Boughs.  A white jingle bell in the center is the perfect topping.   

I thought I'd also share a few of the projects I created when Vintage Ornaments and Additions were first released...

 

Oh my... these dimensinal ornaments would be so much easier now with the dies!  To think I hand-cut those all.  Boy...I'm spoiled.  :-)

Thanks for stopping by to check out my project today!  Be sure to check out what the other gals have done with Vintage Ornaments and Additions!

Lisa Johnson
Dawn McVey
Heather Nichols
Nichole Heady
Maile Belles 

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Calendar Basics Revisited...

Hello November.  

It's the 1st of November, and the 1st always means it's time for the Papertrey Ink Sr Team challenge.  This month we are focusing on the Calendar Basics stamp set along with all of the coordinating calendar products offered by Papertrey Ink.  

For my project today, I decided to create a calendar/planner.  If you read my blog, you've probably seen my posts about my craft room re-do.  I've been doing lots of changing and reorganizing.  One of the things I did was to mount a large white board calendar on my wall.  But this left me needing a monthly calendar to put on my desk to keep track of dates further out than the current month.  So it was perfect timing when Nichole challenged us to revisit the Calendar products!  

To create my calendar I started out with the Large Calendar pages.  These are 8 1/2" x 11, but I trimmed then down slightly so there were no borders around the printed calendar portion.  For the cover, I actually used a calendar page that I had on hand from the 2011 pack that I never got the chance to use.  Since I knew I wouldn't be using it to create an actual calendar I figured I might as well put it to good use as my cover page.  I diecut the year out of pretty patterend papers from Crate's Random collection using the By the Numbers dies.

Here is a shot of one of the inside pages.  I used the Front & Center die to create a pocket on the top portion of each page.  I trimmed down the height of the Front & Center die so that it would fit nicely at the top of the page.

I thought the pockets would be a great place to keep little notes that I've jotted down, receipts, etc.  I created lined cards using the Library Card stamp and stuck one inside each pocket.  

I finished of the bottom edge of the pocket with the Photo Finish dies on which I stamped the month.  I also tucked a Parisian Doily diecut behind the strip.  The larger ovarl behind the strip that acts as kind of a mat is actualy the oval cut-out from the Front & Center die.  I cut it in half and tucked the pieces above and below the Photo Finish strip.  I thought it gave a nice finishing touch without the extra work of diecutting another piece.  

I have a few quick step-by-step shots that show you how I constructed the pockets in case you're interested in creating something like this for yourself.  

I started by trimming down some brown paper bags.  When using the Front & Center die to create gift bags, you'll use the bottom portion.  For my project today, I'm using the top portion -- the part you would normally throw away. (Maybe something to keep in mind if you've been making gift bags using it -- keep those bag tops!  And in this case, keep the bottoms -- you can use them later for gift bags!)

 

Then I adhered one side of the bag to the backside of my Front & Center die, which I had already trimmed down slightly to fit at the top of my calendar page.

 

Next I adhered the backside of the bag to my calendar page.

 

Lastly, I stitched across the bottom edge, catching both the diecut and the bag in the stitching to create a pocket.

When all of my pages were finished, I used my Bind-it-All (love that machine!) to give them a spiral binding.  It's thick enough that it stands up on it's own, which was a nice surprise that I hadn't really planned on.  And then of course I had to add a pretty pen to it as well.  I just used some scraps and adhered them to one of my favorite pens and tied it to the binding with some baker's twine.

Pretty easy peasy and lots of fun!  This project did take me awhile...there was a lot of diecutting to do!  But it was fun and I'm excited to put it to use.  It looks so pretty sitting on my desk.  I actually made it a 14 month calendar and started it with November of this year, since I had a pack of 2011 calendar sheets.  I thought I might as well be able to use it right away!  I've already filled it up with lots of notes and dates.  

Now be sure to hop around to the other Sr Team members to see what they've created with the Papertrey Calendar line of products!  And if you look closely at that Sr Team list, you might notice something a bit different!  Congrats to Maile who has been promoted to Sr Team.  Michelle (*sniff*) is stepping back a bit and will no longer be participating as a Sr Team member.  Thankfully she'll still be around to do some release projects though!!  

Lisa Johnson
Dawn McVey
Heather Nichols
Nichole Heady
Maile Belles 

Have a great day!  

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Spooky Sweets II Revisited

September 1st already.  I'm kind of excited about that fact, actually.  I'm ready for cooler weather and all the happenings of fall.  

Since it's the first of the month, that means it's Papertrey Ink Senior DT challenge time again.  This month we are playing with an older Halloween themed set called Spooky Sweets II.  This has always been one of my favorite Halloween sets.  And that decorative circle is one of my favorite images ever.  I've used it tons for non-halloween things.

Nichole challenged us to create a treat wrap and card using Spooky Sweets II and here is what I came up with.  

I broke out my Favor It #5 die to create some cute witch hats.  A 4 1/4" circle adhered to the bottom was all it took.  I'll have a few step-by-step shots of how I created the label/buckle on the front of the hat a little later in this post.  

They are large enough to fit a nice little handful of candy corn or other treat.

The matching card is classically Halloween.  I diecut the Parisian Lace doily and stamped the scrolly circle in the center and it fit nicely (I need to remember that for future use for sure!).  The witch was stamped in black and then again with the Essential Glue Pad and sprinkled with Prisma Glitter.  The moon was created by punching a 1 3/8" circle first, then punching a portion of it with a 1" circle punch.  

I'd love to someday have a die to match that witch...maybe we could all pull together and lobby for one, don't you think?  

As for how I created the buckle/label on the front of the hats...

I diecut the Tea for Two label from Rustic cream, then used an exacto knife to cut slits on each side.

I cut 1/2" strips from patterned paper and slipped them through the slits.

I stamped a sentiment in this space, then used my scoring board to score a line just below that strip.  I then folded on the scored line and adhered it to my hat with the portion below the score line adhered to the brim. 

So it looks like this.  I added more 1/2" strips to the other sides of the triangle as well, just adhering them and trimming off the excess even with the edge of the pyramid.

And now I have a few links for you if you're looking for more Spooky Sweets II inspiration.  Here are some projects I've posted previously here on my blog using Spooky Sweets II...

Some unexpected pink and black Halloween cards HERE:

I used that pretty circle on my Build-a-Doily post HERE:

And for more brand new Spooky Sweets II inspiration, visit the other Sr Team girls to see what they've whipped up with this great set!

Lisa Johnson
Dawn McVey
Heather Nichols
Michelle Wooderson
Nichole Heady

Text Boxed Revisited...

Hello August.  

Today the Papertrey Ink Sr. Team is here with another challenge.  We have been focusing on older sets for our challenges for the past year or so.  This month we are dusting off Text Boxed.  

Papertrey Text Boxed

This is one of those classic sets that just begs for some fun technique.  Think of the cool things you could do with emboss/resist techniques using the reverse images in this set.  For my project today I did some easy spectrum inking.  

I started off by inking half of the large star image with Summer Sunrise ink. 

I then worked my way a little closer to the end of the stamp by rolling it in Orange Zest ink.  

For the very end I dipped it in a bit of Pure Poppy.  I then turned the stamp and inked the other end in the same manner, but using Chartreuse and Aqua Mist inks.  

I stamped it onto a Half & Half diecut and finished it off with an approprate sentiment from Happy Trails and a flourish bracket from Half & Half.  The buttons add a finishing touch and a little dimension.  The images in this set are also great for background building.  I used that same star image stamped in Fresh Snow ink to create the background.

 

I finished off the bottom edge of the card using the same spectrum inking technique.  The card base was a little wider than the stamp, so I just inked it up twice and stamped them right next to eachother.  The Kraft layer was diecut with the Edgers #1 die.

 

That's all from me today, but I have a feeling you'll be seeing more of Text Boxed from me in the future.  I'm itching to try some other techniques with this set.  I hope you'll take some time to hop around to the other Sr Team members to see what they've created with Text Boxed!

Lisa Johnson
Dawn McVey
Heather Nichols
Michelle Wooderson
Nichole Heady

 

Papertrey Text Boxed	Papertrey Half & Half	Happy Trails	Pure Poppy Ink	Orange Zest Ink
Summer Sunrise Ink	Simply Chartreuse Ink	Aqua Mist Ink	Enchanted Evening Ink	Fresh Snow Ink
Vintage Cream Cardstock	Kraft Cardstock	Half & Half Die Collection	Edgers #1 Die	Pure Poppy Baker's Twine
Rustic Cream Twine	Papertrey Vintage Buttons	Squares Foam Tabs	Big Shot	Scrappy Glue