{capture the moment}

1

It is hard to believe that the last day of the release is already here!  I am so incredibly excited for you to see all of our new March products in their entirety!  I know you are going to love them as much as I do!

Today I thought I would talk a little about affixing multiple stamps on a single block.  It is one of the many benefits of clear stamps.  Having that ability enables you to really customize your images for specific projects and techniques.

To begin the image I am building today, I started with one of the "happy birthday" images from our new Birthday Basics set.  I like to place my images on the underside of the block as I look down through the surface.  It allows me to see exactly what the image looks like and helps me to reference the gridlines and how they fit with the image.

I knew that I also wanted to personalize my stamp by adding the name "Madison".  Since "i" is the central letter, it was the perfect place to begin.  I have found that since these letters are so small, it is best to grasp them between your thumb & index fingertips.  I then placed it directly under "happy birthday".

To finish the personalization, I added the remaining letters to spell "Madison".   You'll notice that the "bases" of the letter stamps are rectangular.  They were created this way for a purpose.  By butting the letters up against one another, using the rectangular edges as a reference, your words will have perfect spacing with almost no effort.  I was inspired by the old Karen Foster Snap Stamps that used to be popular.

I stamped my custom sentiment with spring moss ink onto white cardstock.  After matting it with aqua mist cardstock, I used a ruler and my trusty Gelly Roll Stardust pen (Sakura) to draw an outline around the edge.  The sparkle really helped to draw some attention to the sentiment!

I wanted to create some fun background paper with Candice's new set, It's a Celebration.  It all started with stamping her banner strings in a zig zag pattern down the length of a white card front.

I followed-up with adding the pennant flags in various colors & patterns.  Because Candice had the foresight to keep all of these images separate, she has given us the ability to just have fun and mix & match!

My completed card has a unique fold to it.  I started with a card base that measured 9.5 inches long, 5 inches high, scored @ 4 inches.  The result is a front cover that is more narrow than the back.  Whenever I do this technique, I like to add a pattern or a bit of color pop to the now exposed area of the back cover.  Here, I stamped bitty outline stars from Candice's set.  I added a small dot of stardust to the center of each star for sparkle.  I also added more stardust to a few key areas of the pennant flags.

I couldn't bear to leave the inside unadorned so I chose to add a fun sentiment.  This is a pair of images from Candice's set.  Notice there is no "i" in birthday? 

Candice designed it that way so you could do this!  Isn't that little birthday candle adorable!!!

I paired the birthday girl sentiment with an additional image from Birthday Basics.  I think they go together nicely!!!  The small rhinestone also helped to carry on the sparkle theme.

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I will be posting additional information later today in regards to all of tonights events!  I can't believe that TODAY is the big day!

Be sure to stop by Debbie's blog today to see one of the last sneak peeks.  She really has outdone herself now and you won't want to miss it!

Alli is also doing some exciting things over at her blog.  Perhaps a contest of sorts?  you be the judge, and don't miss your chance to participate!

Candice has been keeping busy too.  Stop by and say hi and take the opportunity to introduce yourself and she learns the ropes around here!

SUPPLIES:
ink- aqua mist & spring moss palette pads, white craft ink SU!
stamps- It's a Celebration, Simple Alphabet, Birthday Basics
paper- aqua mist, spring moss & white cardstocks.
other-  swiss dot satin (aqua mist), Papertrey Ink.

5

This month's release is officially being declared "Celebration" month here at Papertrey Ink!  We have 5 1/2 stamp sets to share with you that all center around this common theme.  I, along with our design team, look forward to showcasing them all for you in the coming days.

First, I thought I would share with you the new colors for this month.  If you are new to our company, we recently developed our own line of coordinating cardstock, ink & ribbon and we are releasing two new colors a month.  For March we decided to feature two gorgeous shades of pink that I have been in search of for a long time!  Sweet Blush & Berry Sorbet!

Sweet Blush is your perfect baby pink.  It is a subtle pink, yet the ink is bold enough to show up clearly when stamping finer images.  It has a nice rosiness to it that is just divine.  Berry Sorbet is a gorgeous trendy raspberry pink.  It is very rich with a slight salmon undertone to it.  I just love these colors and know you will too.

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For my project today I decided to use a beautiful birthday stamp set, entitled "It's a Celebration".  It is designed by Candice Aguilar, one of our new designers for 2008.  Be sure to visit her blog all this week to read some interesting background about her first set with us!

I began my project by  stamping this fun background dot pattern from It's a Celebration.  I found that the best way to use it was to start with a diagonal row.  I've used Sweet Blush cardstock & ink for my example.

I then filled in with additional diagonal rows until my sheet was full.  I just love the fun pattern this creates.

To add a fabulous finishing detail to my background paper, I traced random dots with my Stardust Gellyroll pen from Sakura.  The result was a hint of sparkle without being overwhelming.

I adhered the piece to my card cover (the finished card size was 4.25 x 4.25 inches).  I added a focal point I created with the most adorable two-step cupcake that is included in the It's a Celebration set.  Notice how the dots on the cupcake coordinate so well with the background image that Candice created.  The cupcake was punched out with a 1-1/8 inch circle punch.  I stamped the dotted border from Borders & Corners Circle onto Berry Sorbet cardstock and punched it out with the Extra Jumbo Scalloped Circle Punch.  I also punched out 1.5 inch circle out of white cardstock.  All three elements were layered on top of one another.  For the sentiment, I cut a piece of cardstock narrow enough to fit between the stitching of the ribbon and attached it with a brad.  I think it adds a really unique touch.

I decided to make this into a fun pop-up card.  I cut a piece of 4x8.25-inch Berry Sorbet cardstock to start.  I rounded all four corners and scored it in the middle.

I then cut two small slits about an inch deep at the spine of the card.  I scored between the two points.

When the card was opened I was able to create the "pop-up tab".

I adhered this lining to the interior of my white card base.

To finish, I added a beautiful birthday sentiment from another one of our new stamp sets called "Birthday Basics".  It is a set that contains all kinds of wonderful birthday verses to be used inside cards.  I also added another cupcake image to continue the theme to the inside of the card. 

I just LOVE the bit of drama that the pop-up detail can add to simply the sentiment. It is like a small little surprise for the recipient when they open it!

Want to see another sneak peek?  Don't miss Taylor's blog for another fun project!!!

SUPPLIES:

Ink- Sweet Blush & Berry Sorbet Palette inks from Papertrey Ink, White craft ink from SU!

Stamps- It's a Celebration & Birthday Basics from Papertrey Ink

Cardstock- Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet & Stamper's select White from Papertrey Ink

Other- Berry Sorbet Stitched Ribbon from Papertrey Ink, Stardust Gellyroll pen from Sakura, 1-1/8 & 1-1/2 inch circle punches from EK Success, Extra Jumbo scalloped circle punch from Marvy Uchida