Sending You...

 

 

Hey there!  It's time for Papertrey Ink's March countdown!  Can you believe it?  February is such a short month...seems like we just wrapped up the anniversary festivities and here we are again! 

I get to help introduce two new stamp sets today.  They will both be available for purchase from Papertrey Ink's website on the 15th of this month.  First off is a gorgeous flower building set by Melissa Bickford that's also filled with lots of great sentiments.  It's called Sending You....becuase all of the sentiments start with Sending you....  This set has so many possibilities, I could have played for days!  Secondly, is the newest addition to the Background Basics collection by Nichole....Gingham!!  I know there are more than a few of you that will be thrilled with this!  Count me in that crowd...I love gingham! 

So...on to the projects!  I have so much to show you tonight...like I said, I LOVE both of these sets and could have played for days...which...I kind of did!  So, sit back and bear with my long post.  :-)

First is a card using this set and all of its flower-building goodness.  The design of the flowers is so unique...very updated and modern feeling.  All of the different sizes let you layer and build, allowing you to add tons of color.

Believe it or not, this is a single layer card!  Notice the fun gingham border...I stamped it across the top, then along one side creating a fun border.  I topped it off with baker's twine, wrapping it both horizontally and vertically along the edges of the gingham.  I like the way that turned out and will have to remember it!

 
 

Next up is a card in which I used the flowers to stamp a pretty background design.  By stamping them in clusters of three and coloring them with my Copics without any shading, I was able to acheive a very fresh, modern feeling floral design.  It reminds me of some of the Liberty of London prints!

Notice I stamped the two larger flowers onto the cetner of two flowers cut using the Delightful Dahlia dies.  Not only are these flowers fun on their own, they're also fun to stamp in the centers of your favorite flowers in your current stamp and die collection!

A few more things to note...aren't those leaves fun?!  They have a coordinating die, which makes them so easy to add to any of your favorite flowers.  Also, I stamped the smaller-scaled gingham background onto a strip of Vintage Cream grosgrain ribbon...with this new set I can have gingham ribbon in any color or width my heart desires!  Fun!

 
 Here are a few step-by-step shots of how I created the floral background...

I stamped one of the small flowers into clusters of three, and stamped the leaves around them.  The small leaves I used here are together on one stamp, which makes it really easy!  If you only want to use one leaf, they are far enough apart that it's very easy to just ink one.  I filled in with the cluster of three tiny flowers, adding leaves around them as well.

 

There are solid stamps to fill the outline flowers, but I chose to color mine with Copics...I wanted the more saturated look I could get by coloring them. Here are the colors I used..

I just colored them in...no shading what so ever, coloring each trio of flowers the same color...I think that's what gives the pattern a more updated feel...

 

So, as well as lots of fun flower-building possibilites, this set also has some great background-building potential!  Building patterns with stamps is one of my favorite things to do and this set is filled with lots of fun options.  This next card features a background made with the smaller of the two leaf images stamped onto Guidelines Cardstock. 

 

The leaves fit perfectly when stamped diagonally across the squares of the grid.  Notice that fun rounded mat?  That is also part of the new Sending You set, along with a die to match!  It's a great place to add a sentiment, some flowers, or whatever else you can dream of!  There's a little gingham stamped along the side too...using Ocean Tide ink on Aqua Mist cardstock.

Let me show you a few step-by-steps on how to recreate this background pattern...

 I started by stamping the leaf diagonally across ever other square of the grid usinig Orange Zest ink, keeping the base of the vine image going the same direction.

  

I then came back with Ripe Avocado ink filling in the squares in that row, only this time the leaves are going the other direction, making sure that the base of the vines are meeting in the center.  You can see here I started my next row with Hibiscus ink, again alternating the direction and keeping those vines all meeting in the center.

 

Here you can see where I filled in that second row with leaves stamped in Ocean Tides ink and I've started a third row, now keeping the points of the leaves in the center instead of the vines.

 

Here I've finished that third row by filling in with more Orange Zest leaves...when stamping the leaves, just remember...vine to vine, point to point. 

 

Continue stamping this way until your whole piece of cardstock is filled!  If you look closely at the pattern, you'll notice that it almost forms circles...I tried it and it works great with the Limitless Layers 1 3/4" collection!  That would make some really cute tags!

 

I was having such fun with the pattern building with this set...I discovered that you can also make some very pretty lacey flowers or wreaths using the smaller leaves that I showed above in my Birthday Wishes card.  Here I stamped them in a circular pattern to create a pretty background with a more subdued feeling for a sympathy card.

 

 

I stamped one of the smaller flowers in the center and added some glitter.  Notice the label that the sentiment is stamped on?  That's from the brand new Label Basics set and I L.O.V.E. it.  I topped it off with some flower sprigs cut with the Larger Than Life die and flocked them with some flock I made myself...I will show you how in a minute!  Now you can have flock perfectly matched to your Papertrey colors.  One more thing to note is that pretty text paper along the left edge...that's from the new Postmarks patterned paper collection...it's so pretty, wait til you see the whole collection. 

 

So let me just show you how I created these lacey flowers with the leaf image.  The instructions are right on the photos...click to enlarge if it's too small to see clearly...

 

 

Now for another fun tidbit!  I mentioned I made my own flock...very easy to do!  Here's how...

I used my Heidi Swapp edge distresser to create some "fluff" from a piece of Ocean Tides cardstcok.  Just simply run it along the edge over a piece of scrap paper to collect the fluff as it falls.

 

Just simply put a few dabs of liquid glue on the item you want to flock and press it glue side down onto your little pile of fluff. 

 

I added a bit of glitter over the flock as well.  It turns out really pretty and resembles the look of Flower Soft! 

 

 

Ok...last card.  Still with me?  I told you I had fun with this set.  ;-)  Lastly, I discovered that those pretty vined-leaf images fit perfectly onto the Bloom Builders dies! I think it just makes them even more special!

 

I cut the flowers from Vintage Cream cardstock and stamped them with Pure Poppy.  I layered them over some patterned paper from the new Postmarks collection.  The label was created from canvas using the new Label Basics stamp and die collection.

 
 

Woohoo!  That's all!  I hope you enjoyed my projects today!  You can hop around to Melissa, Maile, Heather and Nichole who are all showing projects using some of the new sets. 

 
Sending a Happy Hello
Stamps:  Sending You, Background Basics: Gingham
Ink:  Summer Sunrise, Pure Poppy, Aqua Mist, Lime Pastel (Colorbox), Ballet Blue (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock:  Vintage Cream, Simply Chartreuse
Other:  Aqua Mist button, twine, decorative scissors

Sending Birthday Wishes
Stamps:  Sending You, Background Basics: Gingham
Ink:  Smokey Shadow, Hibiscus Burst, Simply Chartreuse
Cardstock:  Vintage Cream, Aqua Mist, Simply Chartreuse
Dies:  Sending You collection (leaves), Delightful Dahlia (flowers)
Other:  Vintage Cream grosgrain, Copics, decorative scissors, fabric brad (Basic Grey)

Hello Friend
Stamps:  Sending You, Background Basics: Gingham, Friends 'til the End
Ink:  Hibiscus Burst, Orange Zest, Ripe Avocado, Ocean Tides
Cardstock:  Vintage Cream, Aqua Mist, Orange Zest
Dies:  Sending You collection
Other:  New Leaf baker's twine, lace, Candi dot (center of flower)

Sending You Sympathy
Stamps:  Sending You
Ink:  Smokey Shadow, Ocean Tides, Dark Chocolate
Cardstock:  Vintage Cream, Kraft, Ocean Tides (for flocking)
Dies:  Doily Details, Angeled Label Basics, Larger Than Life
Other:  Postmarks patterned paper, twine, flower, brad, gem, glitter, corner rounder

Sending You Gratitude
Stamps:  Sending You
Ink:  Smokey Shadow, True Black, Pure Poppy
Cardstock:  kraft, Vintage Cream
Dies:  Bloom Builders #1, Angeled Label collection
Other:  Postmarks patterned paper, canvas, decorative scissors