tt: washi candles

Papertrey’s Transformation Tuesday is one of the best challenges ever. I love that you are able to change up a card from good to better or gal to guy AND have the chance to win a PTI gift certificate. Even better yet, we get to see design team members transform their own cards. How great is that!

 

Last year, I spotted the above image while searching through Pinterest for who knows what. Using that as inspiration, I dug through a few containers of washi tape and ended up with a couple of feminine color combinations that I used for my cards.

 

 

To help justify in some teeny tiny way my washi collection, I thought it would be fun to remake the candles card in some bright colors that would be good for a younger person. (To clarify, I, who do not fall into the younger category under consideration, like my new card. I just didn’t think a 10-year-old would appreciate the original colors as much as the brighter colors of the transformed card.)

 

Of course, as I was going through my washi, I thought it would be fun to try a card in shades of purple, too.

 

The sentiment from Party Pops is a perfect accompaniment.

Thank you for taking time from your day to check out my cards.

nancy

Please note:  Not sure why, but I’ve noticed the enlarged photos are a better clarity than those in the actual post.

supplies of note:

stamps:  party pops (PTI)

dies:  hey, cupcake (PTI); stitched rectangles (SSS)

extras:  washi tape (various) placed on white c/s and cut to 0.25-inch in width

mim#329: die cut as stencil

Just one time I’d like to finish a card for a challenge with more than a few hours to spare. With the time constraints, this post will be short and sweet.

For this week’s Make It Monday #329, Melissa Phillips shared how she creates stencils from die cuts. I used a cover plate to make a stencil for my card.

 

This card started out completely different in my head because I remembered the dies from Strawberry Patch to be completely different than they are. I thought there was a large die rather than several individual strawberry dies. My fussy cutting did not do justice to the image, so that plan went out the window. The second backup image is waiting to be used on a different card since I couldn’t find a way to make it work with stenciling. The above card was my third attempt. It was going to be my final attempt no matter how it turned out. Thankfully, there’s something about its simplicity that I really like.

Hope you’re enjoying your summer.

nancy

supplies:

stamps:  strawberry patch and summer sweetness (PTI)

ink:  scarlet jewel, pure poppy, harvest gold, stormy sea, new leaf, pine feather, aqua mist and smokey shadow (PTI)

paper:  watercolor paper (Strathmore); mint julep card stock (PTI)

dies:  cover plate: stripes horizontal (PTI); stitched rectangles (SSS)

extras:  clear wink of stella (ZIG)

tt: white flowers to pale peony

Last week, I made a card following Papertrey’s Make It Monday #325, flowers in reverse. Dawn’s gorgeous cards had multiple layers and texture along with some strong color from the leaves. My card was not as layered, textured or colorful, which is probably why I wanted to add some color to the flowers. Enter Papertrey’s Transformation Tuesday. (Please note:  Not sure why, but I’ve noticed the enlarged photos are a better clarity than those in the actual post.)

 

For the transformed card, a very light wash of pale peony was added under the Circle Scribbles die cut.

 

To me, the subtle addition of color to the flowers was just the right added touch. I preferred this card until I added the sequins. Unfortunately, there were no pale peony enamel dots in my stash, so sequins it was. You know the story; everything looked great until it was glued down. It ended up being just a little too much sparkle for me, but the recipient will like it. So all is good.

  

The peony card is an encouragement card for my niece who has some career decisions to make. I want to share the sentiment from inside the card because the font from Book Club blends so well with the font from Fresh Bouquet. Love when that happens.

 

Thank you for taking time from your day to check out my card.

nancy

supplies  (original card):

stamps:  Spring Hills (PTI)

ink:  mint julep and spring rain (PTI); grey flannel (Memento)

paper:  fresh snow linen and aqua mist card stock (PTI); watercolor paper (Strathmore)

dies:  Circle Scribbles, Heart-2-Heart #7 and Happiness in Bloom Leaves (PTI)

extras:  enamel dots (MME)

supplies  (transformed card):

stamps:  Fresh Bouquet, Book Club, Mini Blooms and Garden Grace (PTI)

ink:  mint julep, spring rain and pale peony (PTI); grey flannel (Memento)

paper:  fresh snow linen and pale peony card stock (PTI); watercolor paper (Strathmore)

dies:  Circle Scribbles, Heart-2-Heart #7 and Happiness in Bloom Leaves (PTI)

extras:  sequins (Studio Calico and MFT)

mim#326: inchies

Last summer, I made the invitations for my daughter’s wedding and they sucked up my creativity.  In April, I returned to card making and finally am ready not only to try a challenge, but share my card as well.

Lexi Daly has taken us old-school with Papertrey’s Make It Monday #326, using inchie elements.  Rather than duplicate Lexi’s pattern, I went on Pinterest for some inspiration and came across this card with an additional larger die cut element. The wheels started spinning and I ended up with the following card.

The card is for my nephew who is working at the Jersey Shore at The Music Man Singing Ice Cream Shoppe. He studied voice and musical theater in college and told his mom that he wants to audition for a Broadway show (or two or three) while here, but is anxious to do so. I want to send him a note of encouragement, hence the card. It combines a go-after-your-dreams-type sentiment with a shore feel. (Kites can be seen up and down the beach.)

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from this card since I had trouble working with inchies way back when, but am happy with how it turned out. The card hit the note I was going after. Please click on the picture to view it; the quality is better that way.

I wouldn’t mind being serenaded by my nephew at the shore with an ice cream cone in hand right about now! How about you?

nancy

supplies:

stamps:  City Scene; Heart-2-Heart #6; Ahoy; Up, Up & Away; Bitty Background Blocks; and Dream, Fly, Soar! (PTI)

ink:  bright buttercup, summer sunrise and blueberry sky (PTI); summer sky and tuxedo black (Memento); VersaMark

paper:  white and blueberry sky card stock (PTI)

extras:  clear embossing powder (Ranger); white embossing powder (Filigree)

saf2017

It’s August and I’m posting on my blog, so it must be time for Papertrey Ink’s Stamp-a-faire. For links to all of the challenges, you can make your way to Nichole’s blog. Because I’m playing beat-the-clock, I’m going to keep the chatter to a minimum.

TAKE TEN WARM-UP CHALLENGE

I take different approaches as I journal in my Bible. For this verse about comparison, 2 Corinthians 10:12, I felt that the sentiment from Choose Joy perfectly conveyed the meaning and no other words were needed. (FYI: Stamping in a Bible that is not specifically a journaling Bible has its own special set of challenges. Note the subpar stamping. And isn’t it appropriate that I feel the need to explain away my flaws when sharing a verse on not comparing yourself to others?!)

 

PAPER WITH LAURA

 

My intent for the paper scraps challenge was completely different until I saw this printable. I tried to use the vellum, but it just didn’t fit in this design.

WOOD WITH NATASHA

 

The woodgrain embossing folder was inked with Vintage Cream. I first tried Classic Kraft and Fine Linen, but both were too dark. The Vintage Cream adds a lovely subtle contrast that is visible in person, just not in my picture. I need Wanda to photograph my cards for me!

BRONZE WITH KIMBERLY

 

With this challenge, I was reminded of why I do not use Perfect Pearls. The shine is gorgeous, but it is messy on the card. I started making a different card with horizontal stripes under the sentiment, but the Perfect Pearls stuck to the cardstock along with the adhesive. After trying a few different ways to clean up the stripes, I had the brilliant idea (eye roll) of adding the Perfect Pearls to embossing paste. Because the shimmer was missing from the mixture, I added some of the Perfect Pearls over the paste while the stencil was still in place. The resultant grainy texture with just the very slightest of shimmers is fabulous for a masculine card. Score!

BRONZE WITH JESSICA

 

Like Jessica, I had to mix some bronze embossing powder. I used copper, gold and a little bit of bronze Perfect Pearls since that container was sitting right in front of me just daring me to do it. The bottom layer of the butterfly wings is edged in the custom embossing powder, too.

TIN WITH CARISSA

 

I do not have silver gilding flakes, so I used gold. It is hard to tell from the photo (Help, Wanda!), but the dots in the centers of the flowers along with a few around the arrangement have an amazing shine. I think this might be my favorite card from SAF.

I hope you had fun making your Stamp-a-faire creations.

nancy

pti celebrating the past, present and future

As usual, my blog post was not completed before the deadline for Papertrey’s anniversary challenges, but I thought I’d share the cards anyway. Here goes.

2007:  This card was heavily inspired by Heather’s Green Thumb card with a nod toward Kelly’s use of the Make It Monday gelatos technique. Besides the obvious, the biggest difference between Heather’s card and mine is the number of stamp sets used – Heather one, Nancy eight. I love how the simple addition of a darker ink along the side edges of the pot give it such depth.

 

2008:  Floral Frenzy is another stamp set that is not part of my collection, but that didn’t stop me from using Nichole’s sweet daisy card as inspiration. The flower in Flower Fusion #9 was a perfect substitution.

 

2009:  Simple Valentine was the first stamp set that I bought from PTI, so it holds a special place in my heart (so appropriate!). While using it on the next two cards, I was reminded of how charming the background stamp is.

 

2010:  The next card features the set Wreath for all Seasons and was influenced by a 2013 card from Melissa using Meadow Greens. What I discovered when embossing the wreath was to layer it – wreath, berries, wreath. The result is that the berries look interspersed in the branches rather than sitting on top.

 

2011:  Dawn’s artsy Background Basics: Newsprint card was the inspiration for my next card. I like hers better.

 

2012:  Sentiment Signs has fallen in with Birthday Basics as one of my main go-tos for the inside sentiment on birthday cards. In fact, once I discovered how perfectly it works that way, I haven’t even thought about using it on the front of a card. Shame on me. These next two cards using Don’t Forget to Write – same design, different color palettes – were inspired by a card from Stephanie Gold.

 

 

 

2013:  Surprising to me, this is the fourth card using kraft c/s. Heather certainly influenced my celebration of this anniversary! Of course, this next card is another remake of one of Heather’s cards, The Best is Yet to Be created in 2013. That is another set that I don’t own, so I substituted Garden Grace and Mini Blooms for the sentiment. I love how this card turned out

2014:  This next card was inspired by Michelle Leone’s color palette and Laurie Willison’s card using Hello There, a stamp set from 2014. First, without the MISTI, I would never have attempted this card. Second, remember to leave well enough alone. The bottom row of triangles are not needed.

2015:  And now we come to Brushed Blooms, one of my top five stamp sets from PTI. This is based on a card of Betsy’s using Painted Petals. The colors of the flowers are Raspberry Fizz, Pure Poppy and Scarlet Jewel for the petals and Green Parakeet and New Leaf for the leaves.

I always try to add something to the inside of a card even if only a strip of coordinating paper. For this card, I wanted to accent the sentiment in a way that echoed the front, but there are no leaves in Brushed Blooms that complement the little flower. Because that pop of green was needed, I searched until finding the tiny leaf in Stitched Sentiments. It is a perfect match and looks so sweet with the flower.

2016:  Painted Petals paired with Melissa’s watercolor card has been on my “try this” list for a year. While working on the card, I was disappointed with the colors. They weren’t as vivid as on Melissa’s card. I’m glad that I didn’t toss it and start over because the final card with the Mother Teresa quote (from Heart Print Sentiments) reminds me of a summer garden. And that’s a good thing.

Now it’s time to send some cards.

nancy

pti celebrating the past, present and future: favorites

During Stamp-a-faire last year, Nichole asked us to share the project that we are most proud of, our masterpiece. After much internal debate, I chose a 4^th of July card.

Papertrey Ink is now celebrating its 10th anniversary and Nichole has once again asked us to share the one project we are most proud of. Rather than posting the same card, I thought that I’d share another card that I’m very proud of – one that I made in 2015 to celebrate baseball’s opening day.

 

I chose this card for a couple of reasons. The first is that, although I am no artist, I decided to try something new and felt I did a fairly credible job of painting a baseball. Thankfully, I had this painting to use as inspiration. The second reason is that my nephews actually took the time to let me know that was their favorite card I’d ever sent them – high praise, indeed.

Because that card only used PTI card stock, I wasn’t sure if that was enough PTI to be included and thought I should share a backup.

 

While that Advent card wasn’t first or second on my list of cards I am most proud of – and, no, I don’t have an actual list – it is still near the top. The 4^th of July card was picked for selfish reasons, but the next two were chosen because of the reactions I received from the cards. The Advent card actually caused my daughter to cry. The reason behind the tears can be found in the last paragraph of this post.

It has been fun stepping down memory lane. I’ve been reminded of some fabulous cards, a few of which I’ve CASE’d. Thank you for that.

Happy 10^th anniversary, Papertrey Ink!

nancy

create along with us

For Papertrey’s Create Along With Us, I combined two wreath cards – Heather’s and Betsy’s – to make a card to send autumn greetings.

 

The result is a surprisingly very sweet card. The white embossing with the soft colors give this card a delicacy that is unexpected for a fall card. Mine tend to be much bolder. And don’t you just love the font that Dawn used in her Birthday Classics: September set? It is one of my favorites.

 

Do you finish the inside of your card? I try to, even if only to add a strip of coordinating paper. I was at a loss for this card. Since it is a notecard, I wasn’t adding a sentiment inside, had no patterned paper to add, and couldn’t manipulate the wreath stamp since it is rubber. What to do? I finally realized that I could stamp a side of the wreath, overlapping it three times, to give a twig border. I was happy with how it turned out – understated and delicate to go with the card front.

 

Hope you have a magnificent week. The trees are just beginning to turn here and are complementing the crispness in the air.

nancy

supplies:

stamps:  Garden Grace, Birthday Classics: September, and Birthday Basics (PTI); Bramble Wreath (Memory Box)

ink:  fine linen and canyon clay (PTI); VersaMark

paper:  stamper’s select white and classic kraft card stock (PTI)

dies:  Inside/Out Stitched Square STAX (MFT Stamps)

extras:  white embossing powder (Superior); baker’s twine (Recollections); enamel dots (Studio Calico; MME)

just a little note… literally

On the first day of Papertrey’s countdown, Heather shared a card that nestled its way into my heart and has remained there ever since. I knew that sweet little card would be my inspiration for Create Along With Us.

 

In my August Create Along With Us post, I shared that I was not ready for autumn, so you can imagine what I think about winter cards in September. It is why I created a card that is just right for this time of year – apple season.

Wouldn’t you rather have a glass of apple cider than a pumpkin spice latte in September?

nancy

supplies:

stamps:  Monthly Moments: September, Stitched Sentiments, Birthday Classics: September and tag-its #2 (PTI)

ink:  pure poppy, simply chartreuse and ripe avocado (PTI); tuxedo black (Memento); fresh snow (Palette)

paper:  ripe avocado, pure poppy and classic kraft card stock (PTI)

dies:  Party Pops (PTI); Banner Trio (wPlus9); Inside/Out Stitched Square STAX (MFT Stamps)

extras:  jute twine (Westrim); enamel dots (MME)

mim#259: ombré triangles

Just a quick post to share the card that I made for Papertrey’s Make It Monday Challenge #259, ombré cluster stamping, shared by Dawn McVey. I worked with shades of olive green to make a guy’s birthday card. Some Classic Kraft – second generation stamping – was added to the mix because it needed a little something extra.

 

And because I’m planning ahead, an October birthday sentiment was chosen for the inside. The sentiment was stamped in Ripe Avocado rather than the Rich Cocoa used on the front because I really was planning ahead and will be writing birthday wishes with a brown pen.

 

Hope you don’t have to be hard at work this Labor Day.

nancy

supplies:

stamps:  Tiny Triangles; Botanical Silhouettes; and Birthday Classics: October (PTI)

ink:  classic kraft (second generation), spring moss, simply chartreuse and ripe avocado (PTI); rich cocoa (Memento)

paper:  classic kraft and rustic cream card stock (PTI)

extras:  Boho stickers (Recollections)

mim#258: cover plate tags

Wow, look at me posting for PTI challenges three weeks in a row. And while I’m patting myself on the back, I’m even more impressed with myself because something in the circuit panel blew yesterday and there is minimal electricity in my house right now. Fortunately and thankfully, the refrigerator, two a/c window units and a handful of outlets were not affected. Unfortunately, the outlet for my internet box – not sure what the technical term is – does not have power, so I have to switch it out with the a/c when I want to get online. Good thing the temps are getting cooler at night.

So, back to why it’s kudos to me. The room where I craft does not get a lot of natural light; it’s located on the northwest corner of the house. That means I usually have a very bright overhead light on that illuminates the whole room. Last night, when I made this card, I had one table lamp that, in comparison, seemed to be like working in candlelight. Oh, how spoiled I am.

This week, Papertrey’s Make It Monday Challenge #258,  combining tags and cover plates, was presented by Laurie Willison. Because I tend not to use a lot of tags as tags, I usually make them on an as-needed basis to match the packaging. That meant that my tag for this Make It Monday would be going on a card, a guy’s card. This seemed to be a great way to add texture and keep it graphic, both go-to elements for me when making a masculine card. When the MIM video finished playing, YouTube was kind enough to recommend this video from Vicky Papaioannou and my plan for the card came together. Don’t you love when things like that happen?

Do you think guys wish upon a birthday star?

nancy

supplies:

stamps:  Wishes Come True and Simple Stars (PTI)

ink:  enchanted evening (PTI)

paper:  rustic cream card stock (PTI); passion fruit card stock collection (Recollections)

dies:  Tag Sale #3, Cover Plate: Stars, Seeing Stars, Coffee Cozy Details, Super Star Border, and Double-ended Banner (PTI); Linen & Canvas impression plate (PTI)

extras:  jute twine (Westrim)

happy fall y’all – no, not yet!!!!!!!!!

Papertrey’s August release contained a number of autumnal products and because I’m not at all ready for a change in seasons, I thought of skipping this month’s Create Along With Us challenge. Obviously, I changed my mind and even made two cards, both with a decidedly fall flavor.

The first card chosen as inspiration is Danielle’s pink Happy Fall card. With its lighter, more feminine colors, this card is perfect for that transition period of the warm days and cool nights of late September, which is probably part of the reason I chose it. Another reason is that I own the fabric tape Danielle used. Because I had yet to unwind that tape, this was the perfect opportunity to get it out.

 

Back in April, I described my approach to Create Along With Us. Another reason for my duplicative approach is that it pushes me to try things that I otherwise would not. Using a white leaf on an autumn card or pairing Soft Stone with these colors is not something I would do, but I love how they look on Danielle’s card… and on mine.

Another technique that I haven’t tried – it just didn’t seem worth the effort to me – is ink blending on word die cuts. Boy, was I ever wrong! It’s not much effort and the blended die cut has so much depth.

This card is my attempt at Betsy’s Inspired:  Blessed card. The flower cluster from Don’t Forget to Write seemed to be a good substitute and its stamp set was another item I had yet to use. After making this card, I’ve decided that I need to add some wheat to my collection. (I think I had decided that before I made the card.)

Hope you’re still enjoying some sweet summertime.

nancy

supplies (happy fall):

stamps:  Stitched Sentiments, Pumpkin Patch, Birthday Classics: September and Birthday Basics (PTI)

ink:  sweet blush, berry sorbet, harvest gold and classic kraft (PTI); rich cocoa (Memento)

paper:  soft stone card stock (PTI); white card stock (Recollections)

dies:  Leaf Prints (PTI)

extras:  fabric tape (Recollections); ribbon (stash)

supplies (prayer is a hug):

stamps:  Don’t Forget to Write, Botanical Silhouettes and Inspired: Prayer (PTI)

ink:  aqua mist, canyon clay, terracotta tile, summer sunrise, harvest gold, ripe avocado, simply chartreuse, fine linen and classic kraft (PTI); rich cocoa (Memento)

paper:  classic kraft and fresh snow linen card stock (PTI); watercolor paper (Master’s Touch)

dies:  Don’t Forget to Write and Happiness in Bloom Leaves (PTI); Stitched Rectangles (SSS); Inside/Out Stitched Square STAX (MFT Stamps)