Introducing Love You to Pieces...
December 14, 2014
Hello! I have a fun post for you today, FILLED with tons of info on a new collection I designed for Papertrey Ink called Love You to Pieces. It's geared towards creating projects for and with the little people in your lives for Valentine's Day and everyday occasions as well. These products are all part of my Make It Market A la Carte line, which means they are not being sold as a kit -- the stamps, dies and papers are all sold individually and quantity will not be limited, just like all of Papertrey's other regular release products and will be available for purchase from the Papertrey Ink website on December 15th beginning at 10pm EST.
The Love You to Pieces collection is broken down into two parts - a boy version which has an airplane theme, and a girl version which features a sweet fox theme. There is a $15 stamp set, a die collection, and a paper pad for each theme. There are also a couple of products that coordinate with both collections- an Envelope zipper die and a $5 additions stamp set.
The inspiration for this collection came from the little punch out paper or balsa wood toys you might remember receiving when you were a kid...you punch out the pieces and assemble them into a small toy. Kind of like a little puzzle that when put together, ends up being a 3 dimensional object. Super fun...the kind of thing my kids gravitate towards. Well, now you can create something similar using the dies in the Love You to Pieces collection along with the coasters that Papertrey carries in their store HERE. The airplane dies will assemble into an actual little airplane and the fox will create a sweet little fox figure, of course.
The main "puzzle" coaster dies are designed so that all of the pieces are on one die and the backing is the exact size and shape of the coasters, making it easy to line up and run through your machine, especially if you have little hands helping you. Once the design is cut, the thickness of the coaster holds the pieces together so that they can be presented as a whole "puzzle" that the recipient can punch out and assemble.
Here are the airplane dies - besides the coaster die there are some smaller elements that coordinate with some of the stamps...
And the fox dies which include the coaster die and a few smaller elements...
I put a video together that will explain in more detail how the whole collection works...
Now let me show you some projects and tell you a little more about the Love You to Pieces collection! There is a lot of information on how it all works, but I think the actually assembly and construction is really pretty easy. I tried to make everything simple enough that young crafters can use these products to make their own Valentines (a little help from mom might be needed, depending on their age and skill level). My youngest daughter is 7 and I had her test it out for me...she was able to follow my example and make some on her own - I'll share one of hers at the end of this post!
So let me show you all of my airplane projects first. My first project is a set of airplane valentines. The patterned papers from the Love You to Pieces collection are designed to be folded up to create a wrap or "envelope" that the coasters can be tucked into, creating a cute presentation.
There are stamps in the stamp sets so that you can embellish your diecut coasters. The airplane design was inspired by planes from the WWII era just like the image at the top of this post, so it has a fun, vintage vibe. Here you can see I added lots of details to the airplane pieces. You can make the process quick and easy by putting all of the pieces onto one large clear block, allowing you to stamp all of the pieces nested in the coaster at once (unless you want to make them multi-colored, of course). I stamped the propeller and wheels in different colors, but the rest of the pieces I was able to stamp all at once. The body of the airplane is designed so that when assembled, it gets folded in half - this prevents the "icky" backside of the diecut from showing, so your plane looks cute from all angles. Stamping the design onto the coasters is probably the trickiest part of the construction since you have to line up the stamps with the diecuts. If your child is creating these, this might be the part where they will need a little assistance, or you could do this step ahead of time and just have them ready for them to tuck in the wraps which they can decorate and assemble themselves.
So, a little information on the papers or "wraps" from the Love You to Pieces collection. Like I said, they are designed to make it easy to create a cute presentation for the coasters. The printed design will actually act as a guide for scoring, stamping, etc, so that there is no measuring or anything needed. Just use the white areas a a guide for where to stamp and the color/pattern blocking as a guide for the scoring/folding, making it easy for you and your little crafter. They also coordinate with the Envelope Zipper die - it matches up perfectly with the bottom of the large heart. Here is a graphic that details how everything works. This is the girl version, but the boy/airplane version is done the same way, just with different colors and patterns. I also show them in action in the video towards the top of this post.
Here's a close up of the zipper die on the airplane valentines. You can see the little tab at the bottom that can be pulled to tear away the wrap. The "pull here" heart is part of the Love You to Pieces Additions set, as is the "hey valentine" sentiment.
Here you can see how the zipper diecut pulls away...
And reveals the rest of the sentiment stamped inside, as well as the coaster tucked inside.
When you purchase the stamps or dies, you will also receive a free printable pdf file that features some cute instructions that you can include if you'd like. You can just print and trim (they print 4 to a page), and they're the same size as the coasters, so they can be tucked in the wrap, along with the coaster.
Of course the stamp set has several images that can be used without the coaster portion. There is a little airplane, some clouds, an airmail border strip, and lots of different punny sentiments. There are some small dies that coordinate with these images as well. Here I used several of those elements to create a teacher valentine treat.
I also used the Envelope Zipper die, but this time I used it on the Gable Box die to create a fun way to open the box. I'm loving the Envelope Zipper die - you can add it to just about anything...tags, boxes, you name it! The "pull here" heart and "hey teacher" are from the Love You to Pieces Additions set.
Here you can see that when the zipper portion is pulled away it reveals the rest of the sentiment inside (however, she might give you a grammar/spelling quiz upon receiving this! *grin*)...
The airplane pieces can also be cut from regular cardstock if you choose. They will not stay in place like they do when cut from the coasters, of course, but you could use some removable adhesive to secure them to a piece of cardstock or even to the inside of a card if you'd like. Here's a little project I put together with this idea in mind.
The "I just plane..." sentiment is from the Love You to Pieces: Airplane set, while the "love you to pieces" sentiment is from the Additions set. I stamped the World Map image behind for a fun touch, and added the airmail strip of the airplane set along the top and bottom of the map. These would make fun and easy valentines for your kids to take to school.
The Love You to Pieces collection is definitely not limited to just valentine's, either! Here's an invitation I put together that would be adorable for a boy's birthday. The base of the card was cut using the Card Base-ics #2 die (note that I did have to use an xacto knife to extend the slits that form the tabs just a bit in order for the coaster to fit). I added a "you're invited sentiment" from the new Keep It Simple: You're Invited set being released this month. The "to" was done with the new Type Strips stamps and dies. The "fly" sentiment is included in the Love You to Pieces: Airplane set.
The tabs on the Card Base-ics die hold the coaster in place on the back side. If you wanted to include the little instruction print out you could tuck that in the tabs as well. What little boy wouldn't love to receive an invite like this?
When the airplane coaster is pulled away it reveals the information for the party. This was stamped using the By Invitation stamp set.
How about assembling some of the little planes yourself to use as package toppers or party favors, place cards, etc.? Here I cut some from cardstock one as a topper for a birthday gift.
The "hoping your birthday is just" sentiment is from the Love You to Pieces Additions set, the rest of the sentiment is found in the main airplane set. The sentiment was stamped onto a Tremendous Tags diecut.
Supplies for ALL airplane projects:
Supplies not linked, but available on December 15, 2014 from Papertrey Ink: Love You to Pieces: Airplane stamp set and coordinating dies, Love You to Pieces Additions stamp set, Envelope Zipper die, Type Strips II stamps, Keep It Simple: You're Invited stamp set
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That wraps up my airplane projects, now let me show you the sweet foxy version! Here is the girly equivalent of the valentines I shared at the start of my projects. Same basic concept and design, but this time done in bright girly colors with that sweet fox.
The back side of the wrap is stamped with the "to/from" sentiments from the Additions set along with a butterfly and flight trail from the fox set.
The fox face image that coordinates with the coaster die is also cute to use all on its own. There is a small fox image as well that can be stamped in the open heart area on the front of the wraps. There is a small bow die and stamp that can be added to the fox's head OR it can be used as a bow tie to create a boy fox! Here you can see I'm pulling open the zipper tab...
When it's pulled open it reveals the rest of the sentiment inside as well as the coaster tucked in the envelope wrap.
Just like the airplane, when you purchase the fox stamps/dies you will receive a printable pdf with instructions for the fox assembly if you want to print those and tuck them in the envelopes along with the coasters.
Here are the foxes all assembled. Like I said the bow can be used on the head for a girl fox or as a bow tie for a boy!
And once again, you're definitely not limited to valentine's day...these little guys would be sweet for birthdays and babies too. Here's a little birthday ensemble I put together. The fox makes a cute package topper...
I also used one of the printed wraps to create a birthday gift card holder. I stamped some flowers and sentiments from the main fox set onto the heart on the front of the wrap.
When the zipper die is pulled open it reveals a birthday sentiment and a gift card tucked inside.
One last little project today is a set of tags using the fox images and the Envelope Zipper die. This die can be used on so many things! Here I used it on a Tag Sale die to create a fun hidden sentiment.
I just layered two tag sale diecuts, the top one having been cut with the zipper die, along with a scored fold line at the top. I adhered the two tags together, adding adhesive just along the top edge (above the score line) and along the bottom below the zipper cut.
When the tab is pulled up it reveals the sentiment which was stamped on the bottom tag. This sentiment is from the main fox set.
Whew...I think that might be a record! That was a LOT of information. Still with me? If so, thank you for hanging around long enough to make it all the way to the end! I promised my daughter I would post the little valentine she created using the fox stamps and wraps. She's 7...I think she did well!
Supplies for ALL fox projects:
Supplies not linked, but available on December 15th at 10pm EST from Papertrey Ink: Love You to Pieces: Fox stamp set and coordinating dies, Love You to PIeces: Fox paper pad, Love You to Pieces Additions stamp set, Envelope Zipper die
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Want to see even more? The DT is also featuring the Love You to Pieces collection...I can't wait to see what they've created!
- Laurie Willison
- Danielle Flanders
- Dawn McVey
- Erin Lincoln
- Heather Nichols
- Laura Bassen
- Melissa Phillilps
- Nichole Heady
- Ashley Cannon Newell