Thinking Inking

Papertrey & Project Favorites

Welcome! Today I have a different sort of post for you. February 2013 marks Papertrey Ink's sixth anniversary--Happy Anniversary, PTI! To kick off the anniversary month festivities, each of the design team members picked their six favorite PTI pieces over the years. (I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see what everyone picked!) Be sure to check Nichole's Blog for details regarding contests, prizes, and all-around fun and inspiration!

So, I have chosen six favorites from the past couple of years to share again, along with links to the original posts.

First up is a floral clear card using the Frilly Flowers set from February 2012. (Original post was found HERE.) I had so much fun with this set! I was thinking about Hawaii, though I've never been there. Seems like a happy place--just like Frilly Flowers!

This card is an oldie--first being blogged HERE back in February 2011, using Button Boutique and Delightful Doilies. I adore buttons, and this sweet set was right down my alley. I also liked that ric-rac trim die.

This card is out of my creative zone--for starters, it had no flowers and no pink! I had fun mixing patterns though, and I liked the bolder graphic look that the black and cream gave it. It was originally blogged HERE, and uses Harvest Berries, Background Basics: Houndstooth, and Background Basics: Text Style.

This little vintage number, originally blogged HERE, uses Simply Jane and Rosie Posie. It's simple, but I liked it. It reminds me of my great grandmother's cameo. :-)

Another floral made my top six list--not surprising! This clear card used Sunflower Bouquet and was blogged HERE. 

The last of my six is the most recent, from last month's release post, Fancy Folk Art. Again, floral, pink, and clear card base. I'm sensing a pattern here. . . ;-)

Finally, I wanted to share a little bit about my time as a PTI designer. I'm delighted every month to see what Nichole and other Papertrey Ink designers have come up, and I've had this privilege right from the beginning five years ago! When my Papertrey box arrives, it's pretty much like Christmas every month. Other than actually getting my box every month, my close-second-favorite time is always seeing what the other girls have come up with. The range of styles on the Papertrey team is incredible, from Maile's and Cristina's clean, strong simplicity, to Melissa's and Danielle's sweet, perfect shabbiness; from Betsy's and Jess's great color combos and rock-solid design to Ashley's and Erin's modern and totally on-trend use of materials; from Dawn's ability to make any style her own to Heather's magic touch with kraft and rusticity. Last, but never least, Nichole. . . I can honestly say that every month I look at her countdown pieces and think, "WOW! Why didn't I think of that?" I am inspired by each of them--truly--and I'm happy to continue be a small part of this team.

Would you like to see what the other girls chose as favorites?

Nichole Heady

Ashley Cannon Newell

Betsy Veldman

Cristina Kowalczyk

Danielle Flanders

Dawn McVey

Debbie Olson (here)

Erin Lincoln

Heather Nichols

Jessica Witty

Maile Belles

Melissa Phillips

Friends Gift Set

Welcome! As I was sorting some photographs on my hard drive yesterday, I remembered that I hadn't shared stepped out pictures of this little gift bag project with you yet. For the sentiments I used JustRite's Special Gifts Labels Twenty Nine. I used several Spellbinders die templates, including Labels Twenty Nine, Lacey Ovals, Classic Ovals Small, and Harlequin M-Bossabilities™ . 

For the box, I cut a sheet of cardstock 9-1/4" x 8-1/2", scoring on the 9-1/4" side at 1/2", 2-1/2", 6-3/4", and 8-3/4". Next I scored the bottom at about 1/2" and nipped little edges out at all of the folding corners as shown above. Folded (below), this made 3/4 of the box.

On the left is the folded box, with the bottom at the back of the picture.  I needed one more panel to complete the box; that panel is cut to 8-1/2" x 4-1/4", and scored at 1/2" to fit at the bottom of the box. I added a box bottom after taping this part together. It was slightly less than 2" x 4-1/4". 

Here is my fully constructed box (apart from the topper), with a textured panel on the front made with the Harlequin M-Bossabilities. I brushed my Versamark shimmer pad on the texture to make it more obvious.

Here I have added a simple topper that goes just past my textured edge and folds over both the front and the back of the box. I tied my box shut with a pretty pink silk ribbon from Stamp Simply. 

These were the Copic markers that I used to color different areas on my Special Gifts Labels Twenty Nine stamped images.

Cardstock is Papertrey Ink's Fine Linen, Vintage Cream, and Sweet Blush. I airbrushed the center of the ovals with a Copic R83 and Copic Airbrush System. Patterned papers are from an Authentique Lovely Collection 6" x 6" pad. That's it for today--I hope that explains it well enough. Thanks for visiting!

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From My Heart

Hello, Friend!

Welcome! Last night I had a chance to make a cheery little card for a friend who needs encouragement. I've been cleaning out older patterned papers, and in my sorting found this sweet little October Afternoon Woodland Park 8" x 8" pad. It seemed to be a perfect fit for Papertrey Ink's Heart-2-Heart #7 stamp set. My biggest challenge was finding ink colors that coordinated with the darker rosy reds on the patterned paper, but I found that my Colorbox Lipstick Red chalk ink was almost a perfect match after it dried. For the greens I used PTI's Simply Chartreuse, and for the light pink PTI's Sweet Blush. The grass is from PTI's Love Lives Here set--it's my "go to" grass when I need something that works with stamped stems.

I cut and embossed the focal image with a Spellbinders Classic Rectangles Small die template, then left it in place while I airbrushed  some sky at the top of the frame with a Copic BG72 marker and Copic airbrush system. I used a Perfect Layers tool to cut a  1/16" mat layer for my focal image. The little semicircle on the bottom third is cut with a new Spellbinders die template set, Gold Circles One. I love that fancy de-bossed edge that it makes!  The sentiment tag is cut with the Charmed I'm Sure set, also new and available in mid-February, and stamped with Papertrey's Tiny Tags stamp set.

That's it for today--have a fabulous day!

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Papertrey Ink January 2013 Release in Review

Spellbinders Sneak Peek and Giveaway Day Four

Hi There

Welcome! I feel like a stranger to my blog for the past couple of weeks. First it was Anaheim and CHA, and then I came home to a husband who was ready to start some home improvement projects. Hmmm, how could I say no to that? So this week I've painted two bathrooms and a bedroom. I love a fresh paint job! I was so *over* the stencilled walls and (dare I admit it?) sponge painting. . . Yikes! Yes, it had been that long since I'd repainted my bathroom.  Now it's calm and fresh--whew! Unfortunately, between painting and helping with some family health needs, my studio time has been pretty much zip--zilch--nada. I have some fun new papers that I haven't even broken open yet, so I'm hoping that next week I can get back on track and get a few things made again. I still have a couple of cards that I'd made for Cosmo Cricket's booth to share.

The card above uses papers and stamps from Cosmo Cricket's Summer Love line.

Click on the image to be able to read the numbers on the Copic markers that I used to color the image, which was stamped in Memento Espresso Truffle ink.

I used a Spellbinders Standard Circles Small to cut my focal image, and Petite Scalloped Circles Large to mat the image. For the scalloped layer toward the bottom, I used a Classic Edges 1 die template. Buttons are from Papertrey Ink. Okay, that's it for today's card. Thanks for visiting!

COPIC Color and Ink Workshop

Welcome! I was just updating my COPIC classes page tonight and thought that it was time to post a few tidbits about the new Copic Color and Ink Workshop. We had our first CC&I Workshop right before CHA in Anaheim almost two weeks ago. The participants were fabulous, and I'm pretty sure that they all had a good time! We had two straight days of getting inky together with plenty of variety in techiniques and projects. 

I took just a few pictures while people worked. The one above was from a backgrounds section.

I was totally inspired by watching the class participants doodle! One of the ladies had brought a few markers with her and added color to her fabulous doodles.

Copic Color and Ink Workshops are planned for ten cities this year. If a workshop is anywhere near you and you are interested, GO. It won't be held twice in the same area! Open classes now include Orlando (February 22-23, Sherrie Siemens and Colleen Schaan) and Phoenix (March 22-23, Cindy Lawrence and yours truly). Additional, there are openings in the Boston area Standard and Intermediate Certification classes on March 8-9. Keep in mind that the Standard Certification class is a prerequisite to the Copic Color and Ink Workshop, so if you are thinking about attending a Color and Ink Workshop, keep that prerequisite in mind.

Finally, I was elated to read this blog post reviewing the Color and Ink Workshop in Anaheim, so I asked permission from Sandy Allnock to link to her post. Sandy is an amazingly talented illustrator,in addition to being the the president and founder of Operation Write Home. I get tired just thinking about all that Sandy accomplishes! Okay, that's it for today--hope to see you in a Copic Certification or Workshop this year.

Congrats, Paper Smooches Style!

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Welcome! Today I am posting for my sweet and oh-so-talented friend Kim at Paper Smooches. Paper Smooches is showing off their CHA release during the month of January.  Thirty-seven designers are participating along with the PS DT, so there will be a ton for projects to inspire you this month.  Paper Smooches is best known for fun and whimsical hand-drawn stamps, but they are branching out to include dies and wood mount stamps as well.

 

My card uses NEW PS product that releases on February 1, 2013 at www.papersmoochesstamps.com along with many retail stores around the globe. Looking for more PS? You will find a new blog link (or two) to follow every day in January at the PS Blog. 

 

Paper Smooches is giving away $500. Worth of product!  Hidden on FIVE of the participating blogs is a prize package worth $100. each. The prize includes a variety of stamp sets, wood mounts and dies.  Comment on as many blogs as you can to increase your chances to be one of the five winners. (If you have questions about the giveaway, please contact Paper Smooches.)

 

Deadline is January 30 – winners will be announced on the PS Blog on January 31.

 

 

My card today showcases the Sports Car and Congrats 1 wood-mounted rubber stamps from Paper Smooches (available February 1). Even though I had a car stamp, it had that funky vibe that begged to be made into a girlfriend card and paper pieced! Paper is from a 6" x 6" Pebbles Sunny Side paper pad. I airbrushed the background with a cloud stencil that I hand cut, and with my Copic BG02 and BG23 markers and airbrush system. I used a Spellbinders A-2 Matting Basics A die template to cut, emboss, and mask for airbrushing. 

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I used more paper from the same collection to tie the inside together with the outside. The sentiment is stamped in PTI's Raspberry Fizz ink. 

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I'm not sure how well you can see it, but I stamped the car first on cardstock and colored the windshield, hub caps, and chrome with gray Copic markers before coating them with Ranger Glossy Accents. For the headlights and taillights, I used a glue pen and fine glitter. I re-stamped the car on patterned paper and trimmed it closely, cutting out the headlight and taillight holes as well as the chrome, then glued the patterned piece on top of the cardstock car. 

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That's it for today's card--thanks for visiting, and don't forget to check out the Paper Smooches blog!

You + Me = LuV!

Welcome! Today I have a Papertrey Ink Love Potion card to share. For the card front I used Hibiscus Burst cardstock, cut with the Mega Mat Stack 4 die. The focal image is also stamped on a Mat Stack 4 die cut, in True Black ink, along with Limeade Ice, Orange Zest, and Hibiscus Burst inks. 

For the inside, I stamped the beakers in Soft Stone ink and the equation in True Black ink before coloring the squares with Copic markers.

Ribbon is Limeade Ice Grosgrain, and buttons are Orange Zest Vintage buttons. I used a silver paint pen to outline the edge of the focal image layer for a little extra shimmer. Lovin' the Love Potion! Thanks for stopping by today.

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Welcome! I got home from Anaheim/CHA late last night. It was chilly for California weather, but still definitely warmer than the U.P. of Michigan. It was great to see so many of my papercrafting friends again, and I always enjoy a chance to team-teach with the Copic regional instructor girls! We had a chance to teach the new two-day Copic Color and Ink Workshop together, and I was so pleased with how it went. We saw some fabulous work from class participants. In fact, I think I may redo a couple of my samples after seeing their work! ;-}

Today I have a card to share that could be used as either a sympathy card or a serious illness/situation card. It seems like the older I get, the more I need cards like this. I used a new JustRite background stamp, Floral Flourishes, along with Sympathy Vintage Labels and its coordinating die set, Vintage Label and Banner dies.

As you see, the Sympathy Vintage Labels set can work for a variety of occasions.

These are the Copic Sketch markers that I used to color the focal image. I also used some Old Lace Stickles for the glittery part of the focal image.

See the roses? They were an accidental creation. :-) When I dye white or off-white seam binding with my Copic reinkers to use as coordinating ribbon, I sometimes dump it out of the plastic sandwich bag onto a paper towel or facial tissues to let it dry for a minute or two. I used the ribbon on another project, then decided to try die-cutting the facial tissue with my Spellbinders Rose Creations die templates, and it worked! The Copic Various inks (R21 and colorless blender) on the facial tissue made it a little stiffer than it normally is, giving it better texture and body than plain facial would have. I stamped JustRite's Floral Flourishes background stamp on green cardstock and then die cut the leaves with a Spellbinders Foliage die temple. The lace border is really a background stamp which I've used only about a third of--JustRite's Lace Background stamp--stamped on heavy vellum with Versamark ink and heat embossed with detail white embossing powder. I hand-trimmed the border. 

Would you like to see more projects made with the Sympathy Vintage Labels set? Then be sure to visit the following blogs, and thank you for visiting today!

JustRite Inspiration

Debbie Olson (You are here)

Marisa Job

Sheri Holt 

Angela Barkhouse

 

Papertrey Ink January 2013 Release in Review

Welcome! I'm headed home from Anaheim today, but I still have a few cards to share with you from Papertrey Ink's January 2013 release, which will be available tonight at 10pm, EST, at Papertrey Ink. 

First up is one of my favorite sets, Fancy Folk Art. For the background I used Hibiscus Burst cardstock, embossed with the Houndstooth embossing plate. 

Stamps: Fancy Folk Art
Ink: Raspberry Fizz, New Leaf, Memento Tuxedo Black
Cardstock: Hibiscus Burst, Stamper's Select White, Limeade Ice
Accessories: Hibiscus Burst Grosgrain, foam tape
Tools: Fancy Folk Art die, Houndstooth Background Plate, Copic Markers

How about Framed Out #12 next? I had fun with this one too, making a card for my sweet boy!

Stamps: Framed Out #12, Background Basics: Text Style
Ink: Pure Poppy, Hawaiian Shores, Chamomile Distress Ink
Accessories: Hero Arts mini clothespin, PTI Hawaiian Shores ribbon
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, Stampers Select White
Paper: Pure Poppy Pattern Pack
Tools: Spiral Notebook Die, Framed Out #12 dies

Next up is Square Prints. I think I was channeling Maile! This was a bold, fun set. 

Stamps: Square Prints
Ink: Hibiscus Burst, Limeade Green, Berry Sorbet Versamark
Cardstock: Stampers Select White, Hibiscus Burst Limeade Green, and Berry Sorbet
Accessories: Detail White Embossing Powder
Tools: Square Prints dies

Finally, I needed a graduation card for my sister's husband--long overdue, I night add. ;-)

Stamps: Everyday Photo Finishers
Cardstock: Kraft, Vintage Cream
Ink: Hawaiian Shores, Linen, Chamomile Distress Ink
Papers: Authentique 6" x 6" pad (I don't have the name of this pad with me; I will try to remember to fill it in later!)
Accessories: Rustic Twine, Vintage Buttons

If you would like to see some gorgeous projects with the Papertrey Ink January 2013 release projects, be sure to browse the following blogs! As a reminder, since the sets used in this post are from the December release, they will be available tonight at 10pm, EST, at Papertrey Ink.

Nichole Heady

Ashley Cannon Newell

Betsy Veldman

Cristina Kowalczyk

Danielle Flanders

Dawn McVey

Debbie Olson (here)

Erin Lincoln

Heather Nichols

Jessica Witty

Maile Belles

Melissa Phillips

 

Howdy!

"Howdy" from Anaheim! I've been here in Anaheim for both our new Copic Color and Ink Workshop, which was this past Thursday and Friday, and Winter CHA, which began on Saturday. I haven't had a lot of time to walk around on the show floor, but I have seen some lovely products--here's hoping that they will be at a store near both you and me soon! A couple of you have sent me emails asking blog post related questions; I will try to get back with you this week some time. 

Today I have another of the cards that I had made for Cosmo Cricket's Honky Tonk line, shown HERE on their blog. I had several paper scraps on my desk and decided that they looked pretty together. :-) 

For my one focal flower, I used the Honky Tonk papers with Spellbinders Donna Salazar Rose Creations die templates, and the leaves are cut from felt with the Spellbinders Foliage die template. I stitched the papers on the side after I saned edges, and then tied some hemp cord around the card front. Because my felt wasn't quite the right shade, I airbrushed it with my Copic markers to coordinate with the papers. That it--easy! Thank you for visiting today.