{capture the moment}

March DT Challenge: Spring is in the Air

I don't know about many of you, but I am SOOOO ready fro spring to arrive!  We've had a lot of snow down here in Tennessee, very unusual for our area.  I am ready for the warm breezes to arrive and color to return to the great outdoors!  

I challenged the senior design team to embrace what the upcoming season means to them and use their favorite spring color scheme as the basis for a beautiful project that will bring a little sunshine to someone's day!

I had a chance to play along this month and I gained inspiration fro my color scheme from the cover of my latest Sundance catalog.  This is one of my favorite catalogs, always full of beautiful photography and lots of inspiration for projects of all sorts.  What drew me to this particular cover photo was the umbrella.  I loved the unexpected color scheme and how it evoked sunshine and warmth to me.

I decided to interpret those hues into Papertrey colors...

 ...and then created a spring project with them.

I pulled out one of my old favorites, Garden of Life by Alli Miles.  I've always loved the layers in this swirly rose image she created along with the dainty shape of the leaves.  I thought that these images would work perfectly with the spring theme I had in mind and I love the way everything came together.

 
I stamped the sold portion of the flowers with Lemon Tart ink, then followed up with the swirl image using Melon Berry ink.  I repeated the process a second time on scrap cardstock and cut out the centers of the flowers.  These centers were adhered on top of the focal point flowers using foam dimensionals.  The leaves were stamped in Spring Moss and the small dots representing berries stamped in Melon Berry.  I applied a bit of Star Dust Stickles to the flowers and berries to add some sparkle.  The sentiment from Signature Greetings is stamped in Dark Chocolate.

 

The polka dots in the background were added to the Lemon Tart cardstock with Polka Dot Basics II using Summer Sunrise ink.  For the ribbon detail, I adhered a strip of Melon Berry Grosgrain ribbon across the end of the focal point, wrapping the ends underneath.  I then pleated & stitched a strip of Summer Sunrise Twill on top of the the grosgrain using my sewing machine.  I love the way that detail turned out. Frilly and girly without as much bulk as a big bow.

Now, in case you forgot, I challenged the other gals to create a special spring project as well.  Just wait until you see what they cooked up!

 

CLICK HERE to see more from Betsy Veldman.

 

CLICK HERE to see more from Dawn McVey.

 

CLICK HERE to see more from Heather Nichols.

 

CLICK HERE to see more from Lisa Johnson.

 

CLICK HERE to see more from Michelle Wooderson.

CLICK HERE to see more from Kelly Purkey.

As an added treat today, I thought I would challenge all of YOU to use one of the spring color schemes the design team gals developed.  Here they all are, broken down for you into swatches, the perfect eye candy to get you inspired to create!

 

And, just in case you wanted to save all of these for later, here is a download with all of them assembled together for you on one page...

Download Spring Schemes download

Now, what are you waiting for!  Now's your chance to go pull out a few of your favorite Papertrey colors and a spring-like stamp set of your choice and create something!  Then send it to a friend who could se a little pick-me-up!  Or heck, you can even leave it on display in your studio space so you can look at it as a daily reminder that spring is in the air!  So, here's a run down of how you can participate!

1. Make a project using your chosen color palette(s). If you do not have a particular Papertrey color on hand, feel free to substitute with something you have in your stash that is a similar color.

2. Upload a photo of your project to you blog or online gallery. If using a blog, feel free to add the appropriate color palette graphic from above to the top of your post.

3.  Add the link for your photo to the Mister Linky box below.

I hope you will play along!  I certainly look forward to seeing all of your creations!  Thank you for stopping by today!  And have a wonderful week!!!!

 

 

Stamps: Garden of Life, Signature Greetings, Polka Dot Basics II

Ink: Melon Berry, Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise, Spring Moss, Dark Chocolate

Paper: Lemon Tart, Stamper's Select White, Kraft

Other: Melon Berry Grosgrain, Summer Sunrise Twill, Star Dust Stickles (Ranger), corner rounder punch (EK Success), sewing machine

Finished Size: 4.25" x 5.5"

Just a note...

 

Many of you have asked when the next installment for the Cedar Ridge blog would continue...just a little note to let you know that I updated it today with some progress made on our driveway.  

Have a wonderful, fabulously creative day!  

The day after (a week later)....

Happy Friday, everyone!  I apologize for my long silence!  Right after the anniversary festivities ended, I had an unexpected health issue occur that required a short hospital stay.  I needed to take some time off to rest and recuperate which didn't allow me to be on the computer as much as I would have liked! :)

But, here I am back at it and in perfect heath!  My creativity is bursting with excitement and I can hardly wait for the March release to get here!  Have I mentioned that the March release is even BIGGER and BETTER than last month's release?  I know, you're probably wondering how that can be, but it's true!  Just you wait and see!

From feedback I have received from some of you, you really enjoy the "Day After" postings I do, which recap my favorite projects from the design team from the recent release.  While this month the post isn't exactly going up the "day after", I thought it would still be fun to showcase everything in one place.  I mean, who doesn't like a good eye candy post like this?  I know it sure has my creative juices flowing!

So sit back, enjoy and thank you for stopping by today!!!!

Betsy Veldman did the most CLEVER thing ever with Melissa Bickford's new Asian Fusion stamp set that just came out this month.  If you will notice, she used the long solid floral border stamp in several fruity colors to create her own AMAZING plaid paper.  I simply love the way this turned out and can hardly wait to try it myself!  

Dawn McVey created this pretty little number with Niki Estes' Butterfly Dreams set.  I love how she positioned the butterflies so that it appears they are gliding along a wisp of wind represented with the flourish from Fancy Flourishes.  The contrast between the True Black felt she cut with our new Medium Scallop Border die and the Raspberry Fizz Twill is just eye catching as well.

Debbie Olson made good use of both the new Polka Dot Basics Impression Plate and Luck of the Irish stamp set.  We have heard so much feedback from all of you about how much you enjoyed having a classy stamp set like this to purchase for so little money.  I love how Debbie allowed the tag image to hold it's own as the foal point for her project.  The polka-dot impressed layer she created is just stunning, with the way she added just a bit of white ink to it to highlight the texture.  The ribbon/button treatment is also a simple statement that can make such an impact!

Erin Lincoln more than exceeded my expectations with ALL of her projects this month, but this one in particular was especially wonderful!  Erin used the various button images from Dawn McVey's new Studio Style to create this amazing frame of buttons for her card front.  (She does a brief tutorial about how she created on her blog post HERE) I can just imagine all the beautiful color schemes you could recreate this in!

Heather Nichols took paper piecing to a whole new level with her use of the new Year of Flowers: Violets stamp set.  She stamped the floral images onto the Lavender Moon floral paper from her Pretty Pastels Paper Pad, then followed up with Copic markers.  I love how she was able to get a two toned effect by making the outer areas darker and leaving the center the natural paper.  Definitely a concept to explore more thoroughly!

Kim Hughes also utilized the new Violets set and achieved a very modern hip look by creating her own background paper.I loved her chosen color scheme of Lavender Moon & Spring Rain.  Following up with the sentiment stamped in Enchanted Evening rather than choosing the "usual" neutral of black or gray was especially impressive as well.

Maile Belles knocked my socks off with her first release projects for us.  This one in particular had me slapping my forehead and wondering why I hadn't thought of this!  Maile created a clever background with the frame image from Fillable Frames #1.  She simply stamped the frame repeatedly then filled in the notched corners with one of the flowers from Asian Fusion.  One of the things I love best is the way she was able to use the frame image both as a focal point and a background element and it totally *works*!

Lisa Johnson made good use of the new Tin Types Impression plate on her project.  Paired with the polka dot frame from Fillable Frames #1.  There are two "favorites" I have about this card.  One, the way she stamped the flower from Violets in a lighter color towards the corner of the frame and two, the way the center of that flower falls within the center of the letter "a" and is highlighted with a rhinestone.  It's little details like this that make me fall in love with stamping all over again!

Melissa Phillips had me at "hello" with this sweet little bunny card created with Alli Miles' new Take Three set!  The buttons, the lace!  And, oh my goodness, the little pom-poms on the bunny tails!  I also love the way she cut just the sides of the bunny blocks with her pinking shears.  It adds just a little detail without being "too much".  I just love it!

Michelle Wooderson used a bright & bold citrusy color combination for her project that embraces Butterfly Dreams.  Her combination of the butterflies and the Dot Spot background are just amazing.  The unexpected hint of Lemon Tart satin ribbon helps to keep the project warm but not too overwhelming or stark.  The small blocks of Raspberry Fizz Mix patterned paper at the bottom of the project are a welcoming surprise to the eye.  Just amazing!

Niki Estes created one of my favorite Copic colored projects using Year of Flowers: Violets.  Her violet is colored perfectly and looks so realistic, you almost think you can pick it!    She kept the background simple with Background Basics: Tin Types stamped in Ripe Avocado, which was perfect for letting the flower stand out on it's own.  The sentiment placement provides a nice balance to the project as well, which I totally love!

This month, I had the honor of introducing Kelly Purkey as our Distinguished Guest Designer.  She created several amazing projects for this release, which you can see HERE, but this one in particular totally stole my heart!  I love what she did with all those butterflies from Butterfly Dreams!  

So neat to stamp them on various colors of cardstock all in black ink!  And the multiple button colors used at their centers!  Just dreamy!  I can just imagine them all lined up along a card front like this too! Such a great concept!!!

So that's it!  I hope you enjoyed all of these projects and perhaps are inspired to go get a few of your neglected supplies out and create something fabulous! 

February 2010 in a Nutshell...

Hello, everyone!  Happy release day!  Just a few notes for you as you do your shopping today!

--->Unfortunately, our new dies & impression plates sold out quite quickly due to a bigger demand than we anticipated.  We have a second shipment of both Fillable Frames #1 and all of the Scallop Border dies arriving at the end of this week.  The other shapes will be here in about 2 weeks.  Thank you for your enthusiastic response and I apologize for the inconvenience of the fast sell-out.

 I have updated the "Previous Releases" list in my sidebar (which you can also access HERE) so that you can easily find and refer to any of my posts from the past two weeks.  I hope you will use the projects shared with you as inspiration to ink up your new stamps when they arrive!

 My "day after" post will be coming soon!  I just needed to take a bit of a break today and enjoy some time with my family!  

 The "Free Stamps for a Year" winner, Patti Gingrich, was announced on our homepage last night, just in case you missed it!  Congratulations, Patti!  I hope we will all get to see what you create with those monthly deliveries of Papertrey goodies!

 I just want to say a big THANK YOU to all of our customers who have participated in all of the festivities this week.  It is so exciting to have the opportunity to see your work, to hear how Papertrey has brought out the creative side in you, to see how much happiness you allow us to bring into your lives.  You are so passionate about our company, which gives us the stamina to keep bringing you the best!  So thank you, thank you, thank you for your loyalty and enthusiasm!  We appreciate you so much!

I hope you ALL have a wonderful, fabulous, inspired day!  :)

 

*official* February Release Party Contest

Hello, everyone!  I am so thrilled to see so many of you from around the world countdown with us tonight! This anniversary party has certainly been exciting and fun-filled!  To continue on with the fun, how about ONE more big contest?  All you need to do is answer the following question...

"What have you enjoyed most about this year's anniversary celebrations?  The new products?  The games?  The challenges?  The inspiration?  We would love to hear from you!"

Leave your comment on this post for a chance to win...

The February "I Want It All" package (a $165 value!)

This contest closes at 11:30pm EST.  One random winner will be selected and posted here shortly before midnight.  Please play nice, only one comment per person.  Winner is responsible for contacting customer service with their shipping information within 30 days.

Good luck to everyone and have fun!

Congratulations, Peggy Sue!  Please be sure to contact customer service to claim your prize!  And thanks to everyone for playing along!  I apologize for the forum troubles this evening!  I hope that you enjoy shopping when the store opens in just a few minutes!  

Introducing Take Three: Spring

Here we are!  Day 14!  It's hard to believe that this year's anniversary festivities are about to come to a close!  Are you ready for the BIG party tonight?  I think it will prove to be very high pace and FUN for everyone involved!!!  I hope you'll be able to stop by for a visit!

Once again, I have two new stamp sets to introduce to you today.  They each have very unique attributes, so I am dedicating one entire post to each set (so be sure to scroll down to the post below AND down to the third post declaring today's contest )

 

Alli Miles is introducing the first set of a quarterly series to you this month.  Take Three: SPring is the first installment of the Take Three Collection.  Each quarter we will be releasing a new addition based upon the current season.  When the year is up, you will have a small collection of stamps that can carry you through nearly any occasion or holiday, and all very reasonably priced.

The Take Three stamp sets will always include six images and a handful of complimentary sentiments. Between the six image stamps there are actually only TWO images, each positioned three ways within three reverse block stamp.  By having images available facing left, right and centered you have options to use them all together or individually.

The details.

• Take Three: Spring will be available for purchase on February 15th.
  
• It will retail for $15.
  
• Take Three: Spring includes a total of 12 stamps (6 images and 6 sentiments).

I always enjoy an opportunity to play with reverse images, like those included in Alli's Take Three Collection.  They open up a world of simple possibilities and techniques, which I am looking forward to showing you just a bit of today.  

Alli has focused on pairing the six sentiments found int he set HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.  I thought I would mix things up a bit with my projects and show you how you can get even more looks by pairing these basic images with some of our other popular sets, which you probably already have in your collection!

There are three sweet reverse bunnies in Take Three: Spring, and the instant I saw them, I thought they would work wonderfully on a baby card.  They don't JUST have to be used for Easter!  

I stamped some grass with Spring Moss and flowers with Spring Rain, all from our With Sympathy set.  The "Sweet Baby " sentiment (from Mega Mixed Messages) is stamped in Smokey Shadow at the bottom center, with lines of paper piercing on either side to help ground it.

Here I have added Alli's bunny image on foam dimensionals.  The addition of the bunny just brings the project to a whole new level and provides a wonderful point of focus.  I also added small pearls to the four corners of the bunny block to help give it more emphasis and texture.  I just *adore* the way this project turned out!  Wouldn't it be cute in pink too, for a baby girl?!?!

This second card uses one of the three leaf block images from the set.  Alli did some wonderful artistry with these and made leaf images that are very calming and bring you back to the stillness of nature.

For this card I paired up Take Three: Spring with the large leaf images from Turning a New Leaf and a sentiment from With Sympathy.  The leaves are stamped at the top of the card using Versamark ink.  The sentiment is added in Dark Chocolate.  

Here i have added the Spring Moss leaf image with foam dimensionals.  I love how one of the three leaf blocks in this set had an orientation similar to that of the larger leaves I used on the background.  IT made everything look very cohesive.  

 

I added two narrow strips of cardstock as a border towards the bottom of my card to help add visual balance.  To make an overall "softer" looking project, I also added Fresh Snow ink to the edges of the Kraft card front. Such a fun & easy project!

This project uses all three of the leaf block images.  I placed them all on the same block together and stamped them in our new Plum Pudding pigment ink, which will be available at the release tonight.  As a special little technique, I colored the leaf area with Copic markers to give a more artistic feel to the card.

I used two of the markers from the Plum Pudding trio we carry to complete this project.  I started with the lightest shade, V91, and colored the entire leaf in.

I thin moved to the net shade down, V95.  I added just little flicks of color at the base of each leaf.

I was then able to go back in with the V91 and blend the darker shade into the lighter one.  It will look a bit dramatic until it dries (see below).

After the leaves were colored, I felt as though a nice, scripty sentiment would do just the trick!  I finally settled on this one from Signature Greetings.   It's stamped in Dark Chocolate and I think complements the row of images perfectly.  

This is why I love Alli's Take Spring Collection so much!  The images are basic and versatile and will go along with just about anything else they are paired with!  And I don't know any stamper that wouldn't like that!  :)

I hope you enjoyed all of the inspiration included here today!  I know I really enjoyed creating all of this goodness and I think all of you would have just as much fun, if not more, when you get your owm copies of this set!

Since there are TWO project posts today, I have started a separate contest post below, which can also be found HERE!  Be sure to stop over there to see what it's all about and have a chance to win a FANTASTIC prize package!!!

Want to see MORE of Take Three: Spring?

Melissa Phillips did some amazing work with this set today, so be sure to check it out.

Alli Miles is featuring some more projects herself, created with Take Three: Spring.

Melissa Bickford is continuing to showcase Asian Fusion.

Niki Estes shows you some additional tips for using Butterfly Dreams.

Heather Nichols has been busy with some additional work showcased on her blog today.

Dawn McVey has one more peek at Studio Style and Color Couture!

Our Distinguished Guest Designer, Kelly Purkey, is showcasing her first Papertrey projects using some of the new release products.

Complete supply lists fro today's projects will be provided a bit later today. 

Introducing Luck of the Irish

The second set I am introducing to you is a set that I created to fill a specific request we've had from our customers.  A little something to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!  

The details.

• Luck of the Irish will be available for sale on February 15th.
  
• It will retail for $5.
  
• Luck of the Irish contains a total of 8 stamps (1 frame, 2 images and 5 sentiments)

This stamp set may be small, but it's big on style and possibilities!  It has a slightly distressed look, which a wonderful companion to the fonts utilized throughout.  I'm excited to share a few of the possibilities with you!

First up is a traditional St. Patrick's Day card.  Love this color combo of Spring Moss & Ripe Avocado for the occasion. Notice the frame and the sentiment towards the bottom of the card?  They are separate stamps that are interchangeable with other sentiments in the set.  It is amazing what a frame can do to adding emphasis to an sentiment without having to add another layer to your project.

The shamrock tag image is the main focus of the set.  It is perfectly scaled to coordinate with our 1.75" circle punch, as you can see here.

If you want to integrate more than one color into this focal point, it is super easy to do.  Just stamp the tag a second time in your alternate color and punch out JUST the center using a 1-1/8" circle punch.

Here's my card front thus far.  I have adhered a bit of Ripe Avocado grosgrain ribbon down the front, right above my stamped sentiment.  I also sponged a bit of Tea Dye Duo ink around the outside perimeter of the Vintage Cream card front.

 

You can see here, I have added the original Ripe Avocado version of my tag in place with a few foam dimensionals.

I was then able to go back in with the second layer and adhere it perfectly in place in the center of the middle frame.  If you look at both versions, you can see how the addition of Spring Moss layer really helps to bring the project together.

My card front was then matted with Ripe Avocado cardstock and adhered to a Spring Moss card base.  Quick and easy card, but definitely a stylish & sophisticated project for St. Patrick's day!

Believe it or not, this card is made from the SAME set!  With a little ingenuity, you can really make just about any Papertrey stamp set a versatile part of your collection!

I used the distressed frame to create the stripes found along the bottom of the card.  I stamped the image repeatedly with Melon Berry first, then went back in and overlapped those with Sweet Blush images.  By alternating them like this, you are able to create a really pretty, pastel striped pattern with a slight vintage feel.

 I covered up the top edge of the striped area with two scalloped strips using our new border dies (Small & Large) and Melon Berry & Sweet Blush cardstock.  A border of Sweet Blush Twill is also added into the mix.  

You might recognize the frame from Fillable Frames #1, used in conjunction with it's coordinating die.  It is stamped in Melon Berry.  I added a small dotted heart to the center of the frame with Sweet Blush ink (image from Simple Valentine).  And lastly the sentiment, from today's set, Luck of the Irish, is stamped on top of everything with Dark Chocolate ink.  

Look at those layers together!  Just *so* pretty!  Perhaps this is my new favorite color scheme!

Who knew you could do SO much with a little set dedicated to Saint Patrick's Day?  So, what do you think? Can you see yourself using this set in some applications of your own?  

Are you feeling LUCKY today after reading this post? Since there are TWO project posts today, I have started a separate contest post below, which can also be accessed HERE!  Be sure to stop over there to see what it's all about and have a chance to win an AMAZING prize package!!! 

Dawn McVey has created some AMAZING projects today using Luck of the Irish!

Complete supply lists for today's projects will be posted a bit later today.

Day 14: Contest

With all this talk about spring, shamrocks and St. Patrick's Day, I thought it was the perfect time for a fun guessing game so you can see how LUCKY you can get!

Your final and last challenge today is to guess how many inches of ribbon we fit into this jar!  For you mathematicians out there, there are three types of ribbon inside; Ripe Avocado Swiss Dot, Spring Moss Swiss Dot and Ripe Avocado Grosgrain.

Post your answer in the comments section along with what you think of today's new stamp additions, Take Three: Spring and Luck of the Irish.  We can't WAIT to hear from you!

Not only does the winner get the contents of this jar, there's also several amazing companion items that would be an amazing addition to any stamper's collection!

• Take Three: Spring stamp set
  
• Luck of the Irish stamp set
  
• entire New Leaf Color Collection(buttons, ink, cardstock, ribbon)
  
• entire Ripe Avocado Color Collection(buttons, ink, cardstock, ribbon)
  
• entire Spring Moss Color Collection(buttons, ink, cardstock, ribbon)

1. This contest ends at 11:30pm EST, TODAY, Sunday, February 14th.  

2. One winner will be randomly selected from the CORRECT answers submitted in the comments section.  In the event that there are no correct answers, we will elect from those that are closest to the actual count.

3. Only one entry per person please.  The winner will be announced by midnight tonight on our February Release Winners page.

Good luck and have fun!

Introducing Studio Style

It's hard to believe that this release is nearly over! Day 13 is here!  One more day until the big release party!  I can hardly wait!

I've got two new stamp sets to introduce to you today.  They each have very unique attributes, so I am dedicating one entire post to each set (so be sure to scroll down to the post below AND down to the third post declaring today's challenge!)

 

First, I wanted to go into details about Dawn McVey's new set, Studio Style.  This is an absolutely ADORABLE set dedicated to something we all know and love, CRAFTING!  And specifically featuring ACTUAL Papertrey product inspired images!!!  Who would appreciate a handmade card more than the friends you share this paper crafting passion with?  

The details.

• Studio Style will be available for sale on February 15th.
  
• It will retail for $15.
  
• It contains a total of 16 stamps (5 images and 11 sentiments.)

I don't know about you, but it is incredibly exciting to have a set dedicated to just this lil' hobby of ours! It includes the PERFECT sentiments for giving little goodies to your crafting friends, whether you meet with them regularly in person or you've only met online via your favorite stamping forum.

Let me show you a few fun little uses for this cute little set!!!

Isn't this button jar just the sweetest!  It looks exactly like the jars I use to store my Papertrey Vintage Buttons!

 

I colored the jar & buttons with various Copic markers to reflect my desired color scheme.  It is cut out and popped up on foam dimensionals on top of a Pure Poppy cardstock strip stamped with Polka Dot Basics II using Versamark ink.  And I can't forget the sentiment!  This along with many others in the set are one-liners that we can totally associate with!

When you look at this card from the side, you get a little hint of what kinds of surprises lay inside!

   

A sheet of embellishments attached to Clear Cardstock with glue dots, ready to be applied to a paper crafting project!  I've seen both Dawn & Michelle doing this a lot on their blogs and have been wanting to try it for some time.  And there couldn't possibly be something more perfect to tuck inside a card for a crafty friend.  Notice, I repeated the same Pure Poppy strip at the top of the embellishment sheet.  I also added the sentiment... "Wishing you a day to get your craft on!" to the top of the sheet.  The embellishments themselves were created with a few flower punches, polka dot paper from Pretty Pastels, lemon tart cardstock and Pure Poppy buttons & rustic jute twine.

Here's my second ensemble.  All in shades of Hibiscus Burst & Raspberry Fizz.  I created this with a birthday gift in mind for a special friend.

I love, LOVE, love this ribbon spool image that Dawn drew.  Notice it has five of Papertrey's own ribbons stacked up on top of each other (I would recognize that Bitty Dot & Stitched ribbon anywhere!)  I colored it in with Copic markers.

On the bottom portion of the focal point, I stamped some various buttons from the set to fill in space using Raspberry Fizz and Hibiscus Burst inks.  I punched out the button "holes" using a handheld 1/8" circle punch.

I then was able to go back in and knot a little rustic jute button twine through each stamped button.  I love the way this turned out!  Notice the pattern in the background?  It's from Background Basics: Petal Power.  I added it with Raspberry Fizz ink on top of the Hibiscus Burst card base.

 

Our round clear top tins are great for presenting little crafting doodads to your friends.  A simple strip of patterned paper around the tin, tied together with a bit of ribbon creates the perfect presentation.

This last project is quick and simple, super easy to replicate.  I stamped the background with squares from Quilter's Sampler using Vintage Cream ink.  That set pairs perfectly with the Studio Style set for even more options.

For the focal point, the button jar is stamped with Aqua Mist ink.  I then was able to add the 'Thank you, crafty friend" sentiment to the jar with True Black ink, kind of looking like a label on the jar.  Pair this card with a stack of pretty fabric for someone special!

So what do you think of this sweet little set?  Do you have a friend or two (or three or four!) that you could see yourself putting together a few of these goodies for?  Well, today's your chance to do that AND possibly win a prize for your random act of kindness!

Since there are TWO project pots today, I have started a separate contest post below, which can also be accessed HERE!  Be sure to stop over there to see what it's all about and have a chance to win a HUGE prize package!!!

Want to see MORE of Studio Style?

Michelle Wooderson did some amazing work with this set today, so be sure to check it out.

You can see Dawn's projects from this week HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

Alli Miles is featuring some more projects created with Take Three: Spring.

Melissa Bickford is continuing to showcase Asian Fusion.

Niki Estes shows you some additional tips for using Butterfly Dreams.

Heather Nichols has been busy with some additional work showcased on her blog today.

Kim Hughes has another peek at her new Spring Fling templates.

For complete supplies & measurements for all of today's projects, CLICK HERE.

Introducing Year of Flowers: Violets

The second set I am introducing to you today is the first of a new monthly series that I have designed and I am VERY excited about!  Year of Flowers will include a $15 floral stamp set introduction each month, so it will be affordable for everyone to collect the whole series.  These beautiful floral sets will represent each birth month and it's meaning.  

The large scaled flowers that make up each set will be detailed line drawings, perfect for coloring, paper piecing and background building.  The coinciding sentiments will nod to the meaning of the flower and provide lovely expressions that can be meaningful in so many situations.  Each of the sets in this series also include a stamp with the month's name on it, this one being "February".  If you collect all twelve, you will have the capabilities of making a stunning calendar at year's end!!!

The details.

• Year of Flowers: Violets will be available for sale on February 15th.
  
• It will retail for $15.
  
• Year of Flowers: Violets contains a total of 8 stamps (4 images and 4 sentiments.)
  
• The largest violet bloom measures 3" in diameter.

There is SO much to show you with this set, so lets get started!

My first card is just one layer of kraft cardstock on a white card base, but the coloring is what makes this card stand out!

The largest violet, measuring a little over 3" in diameter, was stamped with Fresh Snow ink onto the kraft cardstock.

I colored the violet in with Copic Markers.  I love how the center swatch is divided by the fine, dotted white line of the  stamp image.  Little details like that add such a nice touch.

The leaves were colored next with Copics as well.  I then outlined everything with my T1 marker to help set it off.

To finish, I sponged the edges of the kraft cardstock with chai ink.  I then drew my "boundaries" with a white gel pen.  The sentim

The sentiment is from Year of Flowers: Violets as well.  I am totally head over heels for this font pairing.  They balance each other perfectly.

Next, I wanted to show you that even if Copic coloring is not your cup of tea, there are still dozens of things you can do with this set.

Here I've stamped the small and large violets on Aqua Mist cardstock using Versamark ink and White Filagree Embossing Powder.

I cut out the flowers using a sharp pair of snips. I designed them so they are very easy to cut out.  Also, for those of you who may be wondering, there will be a coordinating die coming soon!  It just wans't ready in time for this month!  :) 

Since I cut out the flowers, it allowed me to stack the small flower on top of the large Violet using a few foam dimensionals.  I just adore the way these look when using that technique.  Very modern & hip, yet classic at the same time.

This larger "thanks" sentiment from the Big & Bold Wishes set is stamped with Aqua Mist ink, followed by the smaller companion sentiment in Dark Chocolate ink.  You may have also noticed that the new Dot Spot set was used int he background, stamped on the Dark Chocolate card base with Versamark ink.  Such a pretty, sophisticated project!

I sometimes forget how much I like using yellow in my projects.  I decided to pull it our here along with my forgotten vellum cardstock for a fun little technique.

I started with a piece of vellum cardstock and stamping the two violet booms all over it using Smokey Shadow ink.  For the purpose of this tutorial, I will refer to the stamped side of the vellum as the "back".

I then used a white gel pen to color in the three dots that make up the flower centers.  

Once again, on the back, sponge just a tad of Fresh Snow ink int the center of each flower.

When you flip the vellum over to the right side and adhere to a card, the full beauty of the custom paper totally shines through.

You'll notice here that the vellum goes all the way around to the back of the card.

This is one of the sentiments from Year of Flowers: Violets.   It's stamped with Fresh Snow ink using Kraft cardtock.  The sentiment strip is accent with two Lemon Tart buttons stacked on top of one another and tied together with twine. I love the soft serenity this card seems to bring along with it, don't you?   

So what are your thoughts about this new monthly series?  Are you as excited as I am about collecting them all?  What an awesome journey this is going to be!  I can hardly wait to see what you create! 

 

Since there are TWO project pots today, I have started a separate contest post below, which can also be accessed HERE!  Be sure to stop over there to see what it's all about and have a chance to win a HUGE prize package!!! 

Debbie Olson is featuring some AMAZING projects using Year of Flowers: Violets!

Lisa Silver from the CPS team made and INCREDIBLE project this week pairing this new stamp set and this week's CPS Sketch!

Carly Robertson, also from CPS, created some stunning backgrounds with Year of Flowers: Violets!

 

For complete supply lists & measurements for all of today's projects, please CLICK HERE.