{capture the moment}

Trim the Tree Challenge

For those of you in The States, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends!  I enjoyed getting to dedicate so much time to my family and indulging in one of my other passions, cooking.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself and hope you did too!

Today we are bringing back a very popular challenge from last year, the Trim the Tree Challenge (you can check out last years post HERE).

I asked the girls to design an ornament that incorporated some of their favorite Papertrey goodness and the results are like those found in small boutiques this time of year.  You'll thoroughly enjoy peeking into each designers world and seeing what they created to add to their trees this year!

Here are their amazing contributions!

click HERE to read more from Michelle Wooderson.

click HERE to read more from Becky Oehlers.

click HERE to read more from Lisa Johnson.

click HERE to read more from Heather Nichols.

click HERE to read more from Betsy Veldman.

click HERE to read more from Anabelle O'Malley.

I hope you gained as much inspiration as I did from all of this innovative projects.  What easy gifts for teachers, co-workers and others that you may want to give just a small token of appreciation during the holidays.  Thank you for stopping by today and I look forward to bringing you the November Honorable Mentions tomorrow!

A good read...

Just finished reading this gem....

Many of you know how much I adore the Anne of Green Gables series.  A well-known author just recently took on the task of writing a PRELUDE to the series.  That's right folks!  The story of Anne's life from the day she was born up until she arrives at Marilla & Matthew's home.  It is SUCH a good read. I was crying (real tears and everything) throughout a few parts of it.  Very, very well-written. 

Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical at first about someone trying to "compete" with Lucy Maud Montgomery's original works, but this book is so FABULOUSLY well-done, it is a seamless transition.  I highly recommend this as a gift to either yourself or a friend that you know is a fan of all things Anne!  Just had to pass this little tidbit along!

ETA: Many of you have asked what I suggest reading first, the prequel or the original series.  I would actually read the original series first THEN the prequel.  I feel like you "get" the prequel more if you know what is going to happen in the future!  The prequel does a lot of "explaining" that you might not otherwise grasp!  I hope you enjoy!!!!

Changes

Just like the natural transition between the changing seasons, we here at Papertrey Ink have some changes that we are announcing today.  Changes can often times be bittersweet, but are a necessary part of moving with the ebb and flow of life and business.

Lauren Meader has made the decision to step away from her work with Papertrey Ink to explore new adventures with her paper crafting career.  We could always depend on Lauren to be inventive and think outside the box.  She is without a doubt one of the most creative woman I have met in this industry and I know that wherever her path takes her, she will find much success.  All of us at Papertrey Ink wish her all the best in her journey and future endeavors.  I know many of you will miss her contributions to Papertrey Ink, so please be sure to stop by her blog today to wish her well.

As I said previously, all change is bittersweet, and on that note I am pleased to announce that Betsy Veldman will be stepping up to fill the vacant position on the Senior Design Team, so you can look forward to seeing her work featured each countdown week, beginning in December. I am just thrilled to be able to work with her during the release festivities and know that she will offer fresh & fun inspiration to everyone!

 

There will also be a new girl in town!  Kim Hughes is joining our Release Design Team just in time for the December countdown! I've admired her skills from afar for many years now, especially in the many publications you see her work appear in.  She has a signature style that she brings to all of her projects and we are beyond excited to see how she works that magic with Papertrey products!  Welcome, welcome, Kim!

With Lauren's departure will come the end of new introductions to the My Timeless Template line of products.  When we first combined our idea of downloadable & printable templates with Lauren's amazing designs, they took off in popularity beyond our wildest dreams.  For the last few months we have been busy brainstorming behind the scenes as to how we could build upon our original idea, and thought that this would be the perfect time to shake things up and make our printable template concept BIGGER and BETTER than before!  Several different designers, including myself, will be contributing to a broader range of downloadable products that we like to call...

 

Click Simple will be a reference library that you can refer to 24 hours a day for a variety of different downloadable templates available for purchase.  This library will embody all of the current Timeless Templates, along with new introductions each month.  Several different designers will be contributing their designs to these new introductions, so the variety will be expansive and appealing to many different types of paper crafters, no matter their style. 

One key contributor will be the previously introduced Kim Hughes.  She has a fresh and fun spin on the entire template concept that will take you above and beyond packaging.  Her ideas are SO amazing & revolutionary, just you wait and see!  My lips are sealed as to further details until the December release week begins on the 10th *wink*!

We are surely sad to see Lauren decide to depart our tightknit family, but on that same note we are looking ahead to the many exciting changes that will be unfolding in their entirety over the next few months. 

Pioneer Weekend 2009

I returned home last night after a fun filled "weekend" at the McVey Ranch.  It was packed full of laughter, fun, food and memories.  So many wonderful memories that I will look back on fondly for many years to come.  It is a given that Dawn thoroughly planned the weekend with fun activities and good eats, but one of the most special aspects was getting to spend the time with her.  She is just the sweetest friend a girl could have.  So thoughtful.  So kind.  So fun.  Any time spent with her is like a new spring day, it fills your heart with joy and happiness and everything seems new through her eyes.  She looks at life through rose-colored glasses and this weekend she let me try them on. 

And they were a perfect fit.

Dawn & Bart were both the perfect hosts.  When I arrived they had a warm, inviting guest room all prepared for me, complete with a cozy vintage quilt upon the bed to keep me warm at night.  Also on that bed was a bag of goodies Dawn had put together for me, which included a new book, Dean & Deluca chocolates and tea along with a special Nell Hill's ornament as a prelude to future outings of the weekend.  All in the name of pampering me.  This girl thinks of everything!

 

As I said in my FIRST POST about this amazing weekend, one of the motives for heading to Kansas City was that Pioneer Woman would be in town herself for her book tour.  We actually got to see her twice.  Once in the morning for a book signing and again in the evening for a question & answer session.

This intimate event was fascinating and shed much light on Ree's sense of humor.  Laughter erupted at several points throughout the large crowd.  I was especially interested in how she described the viewpoints she had on "doing it all" and "finding balance".  Totally things I could take away and use in my own day-to-day life.

We had to wait quite a while at the evening session to make our way up to see her again, but it was so worth it.  She's so genuine and down-to-earth; she speaks to you as though she's know you her whole life.  I couldn't have possibly left any happier or more content that night.

"Marlboro Man" had his own legion of fans that lined up for his autograph.  He took it in stride and tried to be as accommodating as he could to all his adoring fans!

Ree's youngest boys were in attendance and provided entertainment for all.  Who knew the UFC was in town the same day?

 

Here's Dawn & I with P-dub herself.  *sigh* such a wonderful evening with fabulous company!

Any guest of the McVey's is definitely well fed.  They took me to several of their favorite local eateries while I was in town.  What an amazing, diverse culinary experience I had while there. 

There was lunch at Andre's...

and Oklahoma Joe's.  Dinner at their favorite Mexican watering hole, seafood at McCormick & Schmick's and of course, Kansas City steak at Hereford House.  As Pam and I discussed (insert me waving to Pam!  Hi, Pam!), and you can see from the photos, I went to bed hungry EVERY night! (said in my best sarcastic voice!).

Dawn, Bart & I headed to two different Nell Hill's stores while I was there.  There aren't any in my neck of the woods, so this was an extra special treat.  Especially since Dawn goes on and on about the inspiration to be had there!  Both stores literally took my breath away as soon as I walked in the doors.

 

So many stunning color combinations, eye candy filling every nook and cranny.  Personality & style emitting from every piece, as though it has a history and it's own story.  Just amazing.  I could have easily wandered around inside all day.

 

I think Dawn & Bart thought that it was pretty entertaining to see my reaction to Nell Hill's.  I truly loved getting to experience it first hand, guided by my very dear friend, Dawn.  I don't think it can get much better than that.

The last night I was there, Dawn and I decided that a bit of stamping was in order.  After all, stamping is what brought us together when we first met, so it only seemed natural that we get a little inky during our reunion.

Before we began though, we thought a tribute to Mish was in order.  Mish is ALWAYS trying to get us to do Senior Portraits when we get together.  ALWAYS! In honor of Mishie, we had Bart take some shots that were truly worthy of the official "Pioneer Weekend Yearbook".  Here's Dawn and her cute cheerleader pose! Rah rah rah!

And little 'ol me.  I thought Dawn's glasses would be the perfect accessory to make me look more "studious".  Do you think I pulled it off?

We stamped until nearly 1am, but it was totally worth the loss of sleep.  (Sleep its overrated anyway, isn't it?!?!)  I even helped Dawn get ready for her next color inspiration challenge, so you'll have to watch her blog for our projects!

I neglected to mention earlier that P-dub was kind enough to give everyone at the evening book signing a FREE Pioneer Woman Book Tour t-shirt!  So thoughtful, so generous, SO fabulous!

We had Bart take a photo of us together in our new digs.  Aren't they ca-ute!  I love the pattern, the colors and the fact that it is a memory I can wear.  Souvenirs are the best, especially when they're free!

So, how many of you have purchased your own copy of THE new cookbook? (coincidentally it has already reached #1 on the NY Times Best Seller list!)  Did you happen to notice the last page?  Dawn and I thought that this was so fitting for Ree's personality and just hysterical!

And we thought we would leave you with our own version as a parting shot. *wink*

Before I sign off, I just had to gush for a moment about David.  Not only did he become the lone caretaker for all three kids, but he cleaned our entire *release neglected* house from top to bottom while I was away.  He has always been so supportive of me, knowing when I needed to have some space and getaway.  I owe this wonderful weekend away to him and his willingness to "take it all on".  Thank you from the bottom of my heart, David.  Love ya.

My Little Stick Friend

Hello to everyone from Kansas City!  I'm here enjoying the last day of my visit with Dawn.  It has been such an amazing experience so far, with Dawn and Bart being the best hosts a gal could know.  I will definitely tell you more about all of that later on.  Today I wanted to stop in to tell you all about our very eventful day yesterday, along with introducing you to My Little Stick Friend.

There was actually an ulterior motive for flying across the country to visit Dawn.  Pioneer Woman, one of my all time favorite bloggers, recently released a brand new cookbook, and anyone that knows me knows that I LOVE new cookbook.  She was coming to Kansas City as part of her book tour and Dawn invited me to come down so I could get *THE* new cookbook autographed.  So we headed out to a western couture store yesterday morning to take part in this momentous event.  Mish lives only about an hour and a half from *the city* so she made plans to join us as well to meet the famous P-dub.  

Dawn and I were so sad when Mish called us in the morning to let us know that the roads were too icy for her venture out that day, and we knew she was disappointed to miss meeting Pioneer Woman.  So we came up with an ingenious way to include her in that day's festivities....

I'd like to introduce you to My Little Stick Friend, Mishie!!!  (This is a good time to interject that this was ALL Dawn's idea, no matter what she claims otherwise!)  When we whipped Mish out at the book signing, everyone in line behind us was laughing hysterically and P-dub herself was quite entertained as well.  Ree (Pioneer Woman) was such a good sport.  Additionally, she was warm, friendly, very funny and just overall a very sweet lady.  She had an air of underlying elegance, but at the same time could whip out one-liners before you blinked an eye.  Just an absolute joy to meet, she couldn't have been more gracious. 

After leaving Pioneer Woman, we decided we would continue taking Mish along with us to other outings that afternoon.  Here's Mish with us at Dean & Deluca.  Mish had SUCH a good time there and got to sample all of the delicacies there.  We did however skip sampling some dipping oil because it might have made Mish's ink run!

Here we are at Crate & Barrel.  She gained SO much inspiration there and is looking forward to paper crafting herself later on this week.

We also took Mishie to lunch, which she enjoyed thoroughly.  She skipped dessert because since she was printed on Papertrey's 110lb. cardstock, she didn't want to gain too much weight, or else it might be difficult to cut & score her later.  

It was SUCH a fun afternoon!  Dawn and I laughed so much that we had tears running from our eyes most of the day.  We love you Mish and missed you so much!  

I am heading home tomorrow morning.  A bit bittersweet, but I know we will have another super fun today. 

The morning after...

Hello, everyone!  Wow!  You all certainly have proven to us just how excited you are about this months release!  We have pickers and packers that were already heading in early this morning to start getting your orders out, so you shouldn't have to wait too long for your goodies!

What do you have for plans for the rest of the weekend?  I am heading out early this morning to fly into Kansas City to see my very dear friend, Dawn.  Just for a few days.  I am so looking forward to taking a few days off to hang out and allow Dawn to introduce *her world* to me.  It should prove to be full of fun & laughter; I can hardly wait!

In the meantime, I was perusing the design team galleries this morning and I just couldn't let a few of the projects go without some love.  Every single month these ladies use sets in ways I never could have imagined.  Makes you just want to clear my schedule and get inky all day, doesn't it?!?!

Michelle Wooderson used one of my new favorite color combinations, Aqua Mist & Terracotta Tile.  Aren't they SO pretty together?  I also love how she use this large leaf from Turning a New Leaf paired with some of the small flowers & centers from Beautiful Blooms.

Dawn McVey makes a huge impact with the new Big & Bold Wishes set.  I love how she used several punched circles to create a large scalloped circle.  It makes for such a fun look, which I am just DYING to try out myself!  You can see a subtle use of Background Basics: Diamonds in the back too.

Becky Oehlers kept it super simple with this little black& white card that features Dawn's new Signature Greetings.  Just a little simple stitching reminds me that cards don't need to be overly complicated to get a beautiful statement across.

 

Betsy Veldman created this stunning folk-style project using elements from Christmas Friends.  I love her choice of color scheme (as I always do), plus the different patterns and textures that are layered in strips at the bottom of the card,  LOVE that!  And is that a bit of Background Basics: Diamonds I see peeking out there?

Debbie Olson created some absolutely stunning pleats on this card, using Plum Pudding Ribbon.  It helps to add emphasis to the already big sentiment from Big & Bold Wishes.  Makes me want to get out some ribbon and buttons..how about you?

Here, Geny Cassady used Taking a New Leaf to create this amazing variegated card.  I love the way she faded from Summer Sunrise to Orange Zest to the new Terracotta Tile. Almost reminds me of a sunset!

Heather Nichols used Christmas Friends to make these sweet little gift tags.  Do you not just love when she makes those?  The layering of Background Basics: Text Style II and Giga Guide Lines is SO pretty and provides such a nice back drop for that little bird!

Lauren Meader built an entire sled from paper and decorated it very simply with a label embellished with Christmas Friends.  Sometimes I think there is truly nothing that this girl can make from paper!

Niki Estes paired the vine images from Turning a New Leaf with Beautiful Blooms to create her own elegant patterned paper.  It was also nice to see the sentiment from Spiral Bouquet dusted off and used as well.  Such a fresh color scheme!

Last, but certainly not least, Melissa Phillips used the spiral vine from Turning a New Leaf as a canvas for a few small embellishments.  She really shines a light on why I love this set so much.  It really acts as a springboard for so many applications and styles!  And of course I can't forget the addition of one of the Signature Greetings sentiments either!

Well, there you have it!  Some of my favorite team projects.  If you haven't already done so, I hope you will take a look at What's New in the store and peruse through ALL of the design team members November projects.  They are truly inspirational!!!

Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to stamp something today!

*Official* November Release Party Contest

I am so thrilled to see so many of you turning out for the party this month!  Here's your chance to win the BIG prize package of the night...

The November "I Want it All" Package (a $206 value!)

All you have to do to enter to win is answer the following question:

"We are busily preparing for 2010 behind the scenes.  Here's your chance to tell us what you would like to see from Papertrey Ink next year!"

You have until 11:30pm EST to post your comment here to be eligible to win.  One winner will be randomly chosen and announced here shortly before midnight.  Please play nice, only one entry per person.  Winner is responsible for contacting customer service within 30 days to claim prize package.

Thank you for stopping by tonight and good luck!

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED

Congratulations, Cheryl!  Please be sure to contact customer service to claim your prize!  And thank you to everyone else for stopping in tonight! It has truly been a joy to read all of your suggestions for the coming year!  We will definitely be working hard to make many of your stamping dreams come true! 

Sleep tight!  Wishing you sweet stamping dreams!

Introducing Christmas Friends & Background Basics: Diamonds

So glad to see you back here for the last day of the November countdown!  Have you all been enjoying yourselves this week?  Are you excited to fill up your cart with all the brand new Papertrey goodness tonight?

Well, sit back and relax, as we still have two more sets to formally introduce to you!

Tiffany Pastor is joining us again to present a beautifully executed stamp set entitled "Christmas Friends" The set is intended to be used to create amazing holiday projects, but upon some experimentation, I found that it could really be so much more!

The details.

• Christmas Friends will be available for purchase tonight, midnight EST.
• It will retail for $24.
• It contains a total of 29 stamps (18 images and 11 sentiments).

The second set that I am *officially* announcing is a little background set I designed called Background Basics: Diamonds.  I've been showing you quite a bit of it all week, but I will also be sprinkling a little of it in today's post as well.  It is an amazing essential set that myself and most of the design team could now not live without!

The details.

• Background Basics: Diamonds will be available for purchase tonight, midnight EST.
• It will retail for $15.
• It contains a total of 3 background strip stamps.
  

Now that we have all those details out of the way, let's move onto some fun projects!

(click photo above for larger view)

This first project is probably one of my favorites out of the bunch.  I love how clean and simple it is.  I love the color scheme (even though it was out of my comfort zone at first!).  I also love the little discovery I made.  When you stamp our Fresh Snow ink onto Enchanted Evening cardstock, it dries to match our Spring Rain cardstock!  Pretty isn't it!

The large swirl and birds are both part of Christmas Friends.  Tiffany's style is certainly represented in these.  I added a few clear rhinestones to the swirls as accents.  I love using all three sizes on one project.  It makes it a little more interesting to the eye.  The sentiment is from Giga Guide Lines.  I think the fonts and style of it work perfectly with this new set.  I bet this card would be pretty in several other colors as well!

(click photo above for larger view)

Next is the same bird from the first card used on a Christmas card, as it was originally intended.  It is stamped in Dark Chocolate ink and cut out so it can be perched at the edge of the sentiment block.  So, what do you think of these patterned papers?  They are actually from our new paper collection for November, Turning a New Leaf (you can read more about it in the post below).  Dark Chocolate Satin Ribbon is tied around the card in a dainty bow. 
 

I love this verse that is included in Christmas Friends.  So sweet and perfect for holiday cards that are going to dear friends rather than family.  A few small fern images from Turning a New Leaf are stamped in clusters at the edges of the sentiment block in New Leaf ink, which adds a bit of contrast to the Ripe Avocado found in the patterned paper. 

(click photo above for larger view)

Here's another Christmas card using a bit of an nontraditional holiday color, Terracotta Tile.  The new rusty orange color looks AMAZING with gold (and I'm not usually a big fan of gold either, so that's saying a lot!)  The ornaments & sentiment were heat embossed with our Gold Filigree Embossing Powder.  I love that stuff... it picks up detail SO well!  The gold frame was done with one of our Gold Paint Pens and a ruler.

To make ornament placement easy, try placing the stamps face down on your card front, moving them around until you get them just where you want, then pick them up with your block all at once.  All you have left to do is ink and stamp!

The Ripe Avocado pine boughs (Martha Stewart punch) are accented by some new rhinestones being added to the store which coordinate well with either Dark Chocolate or Terracotta Tile.  Who knew orange and green could create such a warm and elegant holiday card?

(click photo above for larger view)

This is just another example as to how you can "use your noodle" (as I always say to my kids!) and use your stamp images for something other than what they were intended for! 

 

To begin, this card is cut a bit different than a standard card.  It is still an A2, but I cut away about an inch from the cover, making it a bit shorter.  This allowed me have the flower overhanging a bit, adding some fun visual interest.  By the way, recognize that sentiment?  Nothing other than part of the new Signature Greetings from Dawn!!!  Yay!  Just love that set!

So now, back to that floral focal point!  Believe it or not, the petals of the flower were created with the Christmas ornaments from the holiday card above!  The largest ornament coordinates with a 1-1/4" circle punch perfectly.  I stamped them in Dark Chocolate ink and colored them with the Berry Sorbet Copic Trio.  The last step was punching the five "petals" out!  Using the circle punch allows you to *punch off* the top hanger portion of the ornament, leaving you with a perfect circle. 

When you adhere those swirly circles together and add a button to the center, you end up with something beautiful.  Use a 2-Way glue pen to add a bit of adhesive here and there along the swirls, sprinkle on some Prisma glitter and you end up with something fabulous!  Notice the patterned accent strip?  It uses one of the images from Background Basics: Diamonds that I mentioned at the beginning of this post.

(click photo above for larger view)

Speaking of Background Basics: Diamonds... how about a little set of cards that focuses on that very set?  I like to call this my Pink Thank You Trio.  (Dawn, wherever you are, this one's for you!)  Each of these cards shows off one of the three patterns included in this new pattern building stamp set.  Did I mention yet how much I LOVE this set?!?!?

Each of these cards is a tad smaller than 4x4 inches, therefore coordinating with our 4x4 envelopes.  The pattern is stamped with Versamark ink.  The polka dot strip is from Black & White Basics patterned paper collection.  The flower is from Making Memories.  A True Black Vintage Button is added to it's center with a glue dot.  And who can forget the Thank You sentiment (from the new Big & Bold Wishes) stamped with True Black ink.  This here version is done with Berry Sorbet cardstock (that last sentence was said in my best cowboy voice by the way, just in case you couldn't tell).

...and this is Hibiscus Burst...

...followed by Raspberry Fizz.  Yuuummmmmmmm!

I really enjoyed stamping with these two sets today and I hope you were able to gain inspiration from the projects I created just for you!  Did you learn anything new today?  See something you want to try for yourself? We want to know!  Just for taking the time to share your thoughts with us, we are offering up an AMAZING prize package...

• Christmas Friends stamp set
  
• Background Basics: Diamonds stamp set
  
• Prisma Glitter
• Gold Filigree Embossing Powder
  

You have until 11:30pm EST tonight to leave a comment and be eligible to win.  Please play nice, only one comment per person.  One winner will be randomly selected and announced today shortly before midnight EST.  The winning announcement will be made on our November Release Winners page.

Want to see more of Christmas Friends?  Stop by Becky Oehlers' blog for some additional projects!

Anabelle O'Malley has some STUNNING projects to share using many of the new November sets!  You will NOT want to miss this!!!

Alli Miles is showcasing more from her set, Communique Curves.

Dawn McVey has more to show you with Signature Greetings!

Tiffany Pastor stamped another project to share with you using her new set, Christmas Friends.

Lauren Meader has one more peek to share using the new November Templates!

Complete supply lists for all of today's projects can be found HERE.

Introducing Turning a New Leaf Patterned Paper Collection

After the AMAZING response we had to last month's Rustic Snowflakes papers, we've asked Heather Nichols to join us once again!  I provided her with my latest stamp images from Turning a New Leaf and she worked her magic, turning the images into beautiful patterned paper!

This 8x8 collection is slightly distressed, in true "pinefeather" style!  The collection is printed on cream paper, giving is a wonderful warmth that will carry through onto all the projects you use it on!

Introducing New Rhinestones

We are introducing four new colors of rhinestones to our lineup this month.

An amber brown that coordinates well with both Terracotta Tile & Dark Chocolate.

 

A light green that coordinates well with Spring Moss.

 

A pretty pastel pinkish purple (say that 5 time fast!) that looks beautiful with both Sweet Blush & Lavender Moon.

and last but not least, a bright pink that coordinates perfectly with Raspberry Fizz.  All of this sparkle is coming you tonight at midnight EST!