pine is here.

fun with fabric

 

Happy July! That means that it is time for the Papertrey Ink senior design team challenge. This month was all about using fabric. I decided to a paper piecing - or fabric piecing, if you will - technique on this project. My sewing area and stamping/scrapping area really blend into one another and so I frequently find myself using things from my sewing supplies in my paper crafting projects.

I used the elephants from the Bitty Baby Blessingsset along with 3 different fabrics and vintage mix buttons from my stash to create these cute quilty pull toys. A torn fabric strip was perfect as a ribbon to finish off the card. Papertrey Ink's hybrid inks are perfect for stamping onto fabric. They stamp clearly and are permanent. The other thing you will find you need to have is a good sharp pair of scissors to cut out your fabric pieces.

 

I have used fabric in my stamping projects in the past. You can see a quilt label project that I did here and a Christmas ornament project here.

You definitely don't have to limit yourself when it comes to what you create with!

See how the other senior design team members (Nichole, Lisa, Michelle, Lauren, Becky) and our guest designer, Wendy Sue Anderson, used fabric in their projects.

It's time for a trip to the quilt shop I think!

supplies:

Quilted Elephants Baby Card

stamps: Bitty Baby Blessings, Polka Dot Basics (Papertrey Ink)

ink: Vintage Cream, True Black (Papertrey Ink)

cardstock: kraft, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)

other: vintage mix buttons (Papertrey Ink), rustic cream button twine (Papertrey Ink),scallop oval punch (Stampin' Up!), fabric, black brads, dimensionals

love you rain or shine

 

This happy little rain cloud is from the Cheer Up! set by My Cute Stamps. I paper pieced the cloud with some BoBunny polka dot paper, embossed the kraft cardstock with the swiss dot embossing folder by Cuttlebug, and added other bits and pieces from my supplies.

 

This sentiment from Dawn's set, Scattered Showers, is a perfect sentiment for the inside. There are a bunch of other sentiments included in the set that would work perfectly for a card like this.

 

Just a perfect little pick-me-up card to give to someone who isn't having the best of times... who wouldn't smile at that sweet little cloud?

polka dot flower envelope card

 

Last year I shared a project that I made using open ended envelopes to create a gift card holder. I have since ran out of the small kraft open ended envelopes that Stampin' Up! sold and they no longer sell them - they do sell them in white, but I am kinda partial to kraft...!

I made a trip down to the Paper Source in Minneapolis this past spring and they had these khaki colored open ended envelopes. I picked up a package and made a bit bigger, flipped to the side version of the gift card holder using the Little Forest Friends set by My Cute Stamps. I will definitely be heading back to Paper Source for more envelopes...

 

This is so very easy to make. Just fold the bottom of the envelope up to the top, just below the crease in the envelope flap. I covered the flap on both sides with Bitty Dot patterned paper from Papertrey Ink.

The ribbon is Melon Berry saddle stitch by Papertrey, the images are colored with Copics and polka dotted with a white Inksentials pen, the border punch & circle punch are by EK Success, and the scallop circle punch is by Marvy.

 

You could tuck a gift card into the envelope or just a simple note card to write a heartfelt message on.

So cute! I think one of my favorite color combinations lately is Melon Berry and Spring Moss - it's sure been showing up a lot on my projects!

Thanks for stopping by today - I will have another My Cute Stamps project tomorrow and then the Papertrey Ink design team challenge on July 1!

halloween... in june?

 

Yes! I have been working on scrapping projects that I want to catch up on for my family albums. It's time to start getting pages done and into albums for my family to enjoy. Slowly, I have been organizing pictures and have some of the early Halloween years for my girls ready to go. These pictures are from 2004 - Tacy was 4 years old and was a mermaid and and Hana was 1 1/2 years old was a duck! They are sooo little in these pictures and it reminds me about how fast time is moving.

 

Aren't the pumpkins and ghost so cute? Of course they are, because they are from the set Happy Owloween by My Cute Stamps. I did some paper piecing with the pumpkins using BoBunny and Basic Grey papers. The mix of papers that I used on the border are from my Halloween stash box. I have all of my themed scrapping things (like Halloween, Christmas, summer, camping, etc. or just a line of product that I want to keep together) all together in either large organizing envelopes or storage boxes. This system works really great for me. If I know I am working on Halloween projects, I pull out that box and I have everything I need - kind of a portable inspiration station.

Stay cool, everyone - it's been hot here in MN and I know everywhere else too!

polka dotted forest friends

 

I pulled out the My Cute Stamps set Little Forest Friends to create these sweet little cards (theses measure 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" and yes that is an owl...!) I think the most favorite thing about My Cute Stamps for me is that the images are SO much fun to color. I have been giving my Copic markers a good workout coloring in all the fun images!

 

I use my white Inksentials pen (by Ranger) to add the polka dot details. Instead of using my threading water border punch, I used my regular scallop border punch (by Stampin' Up!) and then went back with a 1/8" circle punch to punch a hole in each scallop. I love the fun whimsical look. And don't tell anyone, but this is the very first timethat I have used one of my Cuttlebug background embossing plates...!

 

Yep, it's an owl! He is cute.. for an owl, of course!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

june papertrey ink release

Just wanted to share the rest of my projects for the Papertrey Ink June release...

 

I didn't make this raspberry jam, my friend Brianna did! I just added the labels and made the sweet card using Candice's new Fruitful set.

 

The text background is stamped in the vintage touch chai ink on the kraft cardstock. I love the subtle tone on tone look. The Dark Chocolate scallop circle is punched with a 1/8" circle punch on each scallop for a fun detail.

 

This is the card I created using Lisa's Heavenly Medley set. I love this branch and sentiment - perfect for a sympathy card, or for someone getting through a rough spot.

 

I did the tone on tone stamping again here withe the vintage touch chai ink. The main branch I colored with Copic markers and used my white Inksentials pen to add the dot detail.

 

This card is my very favorite of the samples I created for this release! My friend Brianna and I have a thing for Hostess cupcakes - they are a must have snack whenever we get together to scrapbook! - and so I wanted to recreate them with the Cupcake Collection set!

 

I stamped the solid top and bottom onto Dark Chocolate cardstock with Versamark ink and then embossed the images with clear embossing powder. To add the white swirl: I inked one of the swirl images with a Versamark marker, stamped on top of the clear embossed cupcake, and then embossed it with white embossing powder. The swirl melted into the cupcake image instead of sitting on top when I embossed it. Very cool looking...!

A link to the supply lists will be added shortly! Thanks for your patience! 

I will be back this week with some My Cute Stamps samples! Stop back soon!

vintage picnic possibilities

How about another sneak peek from a new set from Papertrey Ink that will be available for sale on the 15th? Vintage picnic was the idea of our design team member and one of my good stamping buddies, Mish! She sent her idea to Nichole and look what happened... A beautiful vintage picnic set is versatile for so many occasions! All of us on the design team created ideas for lots of different occasions to give you lots of great inspiration.

 

There are so many fun images included in the set to add to the picnic basket. I choose to share the bundle of letters. I love mail, I love getting mail, I love reading mail, and I love old vintage letters and postage stamps. There's nothing better than opening up your mailbox and finding a surprise from a dear friend or family member. I think now a days it is definitely a lost art. I was so much better at writing letters before there was e-mail. I had a pen-pal from Finland when I was growing up and still have all of his letters. I wrote back and forth with friends all the time. Now it seems like my to do lists are too long and I spend too much time with my e-mail and the internet. It's a goal of mine to get back to being better about sending out cards and letters again.

 

I love pocket cards and here's another fun example. Just stitching up the sides with a sewing machine (or adhere with adhesive) creates a pocket to tuck a little message into.

 

I colored the basket image with Copic markers and then went back with a white pen to color in the polka dots and other little details. The letters themselves are stamped onto white cardstock, colored, cut out, and then adhered to the basket image on the kraft cardstock.

 

I also created this little tag to bundle up around some old postcards that were my great grandmothers. I love them and would love to get them translated someday (they are all in Norwegian.) Right now I have them bundled up in a box and love to look through them every now and then.

 

I love the plaid on this basket! Red and green is such a vintage color theme and it makes me think of camping and up north. I colored the basket in a light shade of green and then went over the plaid with a darker shade. After that I went back with my white pen again to color in some details.

Make sure you check in at Nichole's blog to get links to all of the other design team members to see their fabulous ideas with this set.

Thanks for stopping by today and just a reminder again that I will be at the Papertrey forum on the 14th from 10PM - midnight EST for the countdown party!

Have a great weekend!

supplies:

Vintage Mail Basket Card & Tag

stamps: Vintage Picnic, Vintage Picnic Sentiments, Background Basics: Text Style (Papertrey Ink)

ink: True Black, Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink)

cardstock: kraft, white, Ripe Avocado (Papertrey Ink), Green Tea Leaves, Bitty Dot (Papertrey Ink)

other: Ripe Avocado saddle stitch ribbon (Papertrey Ink), Spring Moss vintage mix buttons (Papertrey Ink), scallop circle punch, scallop edge border punch, slot punch (Stampin' Up!), apron lace border punch (Fiskars), giga square punch (Marvy), white Inksentials pen (Ranger), Copic markers, sewing machine/thread, button twine, dimensionals

papertrey ink sneak peek - trademarks

Welcome to a sneak peek of Papertrey Ink's new set Trademarks that will be available for purchase on June 15th!

Trademarks is a set that Papertrey customers have been asking for. A way to make your personal mark on your papercrafting projects and include the Papertrey Ink copyright information.

I know that a lot of you who stamp and papercraft might sell your wares at craft sales & stores. The images are not just for marking on the back or bottom of your projects that you have for sale, but also will be great to use for pricing and signage.

I don't know about you, but I am very into signing, tags, and packaging. I love details! Being consistent and clear in how your price and sign your products will result in better sales. Customers love when you take that extra little step.

The other thing is to keep it simple. How many of you who do craft sales are up all hours of the night getting your things ready for the sale? I know that's me. I want my tags and pricing to look great, but not take me forever to do.

 

(click the picture to see it larger)

Here's a look at a display that I might set up the next time I am selling my cards and vintage things (you might remember that I am into all of that...! I love to incorporate the two together.) I used the Trademarks set several different ways in my setup...

 

I love these little clothespin clip signs. Mish uses these all the time in papercraft projects and they are perfect for quick and easy little signs for your sale. I usually display products in lots of different containers and the clothespins really clip on to just about anything. The clothespin is covered in patterned paper and then I stamped my sign using Borders & Corners: Circle, Simple Alphabet, and the price image from the Trademarks set. Stitching on a button and tying on a bit of ribbon is a quick and easy detail.

 

To price some single cards I used one of the trademark images paired with the price image, punched it out and tied it onto the card with some hemp twine (keep the envelopes by where the customer checks out so you can include it when they make their purchase.)

 

You can easily make simple little tags to price items. Just punch circles stamped with the price image and tie on to your items with some more twine.

 

Bundle up some cards and envelopes with a custom cardstock band. I used the circular trademark image so I could write what was included in the bundle along with the price. My bands are 1 1/2" x 11 long which wraps around several cards easily. Secure on the back with adhesive where the cardstock ends overlap.

It will be so easy for you to stamp your signs, tags, and bands up ahead of time so that they are ready to go when you are ready to set things up for your sales. Your customers will love the details!

Nichole is sharing more about the Trademarks set on her blog today. Also, make sure that you stop by Lisa's blog to see more about her new set that she is releasing this month and Lauren's blog as she shares more about her new templates.

I will be online at the Papertrey forums on the 14th for the release party that is taking place 10PM - midnight EST. Stop by and say hi and have a great time with other Papertrey Ink stampers celebrating the new release!

supplies:

Craft Sale Signs & Tags

stamps: Trademarks, Borders & Corners: Circle, Simple Alphabet (Papertrey Ink)

ink: Scarlet Jewel, True Black, Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink)

cardstock: kraft (Papertrey Ink), patterned paper (Basic Grey)

other: Scarlet Jewel Bitty Dot ribbon (Papertrey Ink), Spring Moss vintage mix buttons (Papertrey Ink), super circle punch (Marvy), 1 3/4" & 1" circle punch (EK Success), 1/8" circle punch (Fiskars), button twine, clothespins, hemp twine

reverse punch applique

Every so often, I look at the tools I have in my stamp corner and wonder about new ways to use them. One tool that I have a bunch of are punches - I bet you have a few punches too. I have drawers and drawer of punches (I love punches!) and I use them frequently on my projects, but what about something a little bit different? Have you seen the t-shirts where they cut out the design from the shirt and then back the opening with a fabric and stitch around the edges? If you haven't, check out the cover of the current Family Funmagazine and you will see what I am talking about. It's called reverse applique and it inspired me to use my punches for a papercrafting version of this technique...

 

I made a card base out of kraft cardstock and then used my large and medium heart punches to punch a border along the bottom of the card. Plan your card design and layout based on how the punch that you choose is oriented.

 

Next, I added adhesive around the punched shapes on the inside cover of the card. No need to be neat and tidy with this as it will be covered up later...

 

This project is actually a great one to use with your scraps of cardstock. For this card, I pulled out the Pink Patterns cardstock pad and chose 4 of the prints.

 

I used the punched hearts as a guide for cutting out the pieces of patterned cardstock for the heart shapes. Make sure that the pieces are big enough to cover the shape and overlap onto the adhesive. Adhere the pieces face down, so that they show through the heart shape on the front of the card.

 

Here's a peek at the front of the card with all of the patterned cardstock pieces in place.

 

Cut a piece of cardstock, I used a piece from the (Pink Patterns cardstock) and adhere it to the inside cover of the card, covering the adhesive and cardstock pieces.

 

I used my sewing machine to stitch around the heart shapes and a border around the card front. This step is optional - you could leave the card as is, outline the shapes with a marker, or create a faux stitching line.

 

I used sentiments from the Friends 'Til the End set, Berry Sorbet saddle stitch ribbon, and Sweet Blush vintage mix buttons to finish off my cards.

 

Here's a look at the finished cards!

 

I have so many ideas for more projects using the punches I have - stars, flowers, circles, squares, etc, etc! I think I could do something for just about any theme... This heart card that I showed you today would be so cute as a baby card, a wedding/shower card, and even thinking early for Valentine's day (okay, even I am not that far ahead...!)

Thanks for stopping by today and happy punching!

supplies:

Reverse Punch Applique Hearts for a Friend Cards

stamps: Friends 'Til the End (Papertrey Ink)

ink: True Black (Papertrey Ink)

cardstock: kraft, Pink Patterns (Papertrey Ink)

other: Berry Sorbet saddle stitch ribbon (Papertrey Ink), medium and large heart punches (EK Success), Sweet Blush vintage mix buttons (Papertrey Ink), button twine, sewing machine/thread

little cakes birthday card

 

This is a birthday card I did a while back. I love the Ripe Avocado dots on the vintage cream cardstock - I will be doing that more for sure! The sentiment is from my Around & About Sentiments set and the little cake is from the SU set One Smart Cookie, which I believe is retiring this month. The dark brown polka dot cardstock is more from BoBunny.

 

Here's a peek at the inside. I used a sentiment from Birthday Basics and an extra little cake that I punched out with my 1/2" circle punch and matted on another circle punched from the BoBunny cardstock.

 

The Stardust pen (Sakura) is one of my very favorite pens that I have in my basic tools all the time - so perfect for adding just a little shimmer - like on the candles here!

Thanks for stopping by!

supplies:

Little Cakes Birthday Card

stamps: Around & About Sentiments, Polka Dot Basics, Birthday Basics(Papertrey Ink), One Smart Cookie (Stampin' Up!)

ink: True Black, Fresh Snow, Ripe Advocado(Papertrey Ink)

cardstock: kraft, Vintage Cream(Papertrey Ink), dark brown polka dot (BoBunny)

other: Ripe Avocado saddle stitch ribbon(Papertrey Ink), 1/2" circle, 3/4" circle, corner rounder punches (EK Success), Stardust pen (Sakura), Copic markers, white Inksentials pen (Ranger), dimensionals