{capture the moment}

Clearly Multi-Purpose...

I am a big fan of multi-purpose items.  We put SO much effort & thought into creating beautiful cards and packaging for gifts.  Why not take it a step further and make those items multi-purpose?

Here is a gift bag (white coffee bag) that I embellished with an altered plain clear frame (see previous post).  I found that these frames can be perfectly matted with the Scalloped Square Nestabilities!  I love the way that it turned out!  (the sentiment is from the NEW Piece of Cake stamp set!)  So it's cute and all, but why waste something so adorable on a gift bag that will be thrown away, you ask?  Well, the recipient will be told that the frame detaches and is multi-purpose!

It can be taken off and attached to the front of a scrapbook, commemorating their birthday party (6x6 linen album from SU!)

Or, you can put magnetic tape on the back of the frame before adhering it to the bag, and when the recipient removes it, it can instantly be used as a refrigerator magnet! 

I have several other ideas for the use of these cool frames, but they will have to wait for another day!  The big release is almost here!

Oh, and by the way, the Crop-a-dile goes through the frames easily to create holes.  That of course opens up many other possibilities!

Introducing Clear Frames!

Let me introduce you to my new favorite find, clear frames.  They are small, clear acrylic frames that are self adhesive.  They measure 3.25 inches square, with an opening of 1.75-inches.  The acrylic that these frames are made out of is a sturdy 1/16th-inch thick, making them perfect solutions for gift & home decor projects that will hold up to wear and tear.  We will be carrying them as of tonight, retailing for $2 each!  I have been playing with them ALL day today, and I have come up with so many uses!  I will share just a few to start the evening off.

Before we get to the projects, let me show you the product.  We currently have three  styles of these frames...

Plain

Polka Dot

and Harlequin.

The first thing I decided to create was a Christmas ornament.  I just love finding ways to personalize my tree.  They could also be used as small gifts family, friends or teachers!  All you need is a 3.25-inch square of designer paper (I am using a scrap leftover from my Snowman Soup Tin), a photo cropped down to 1.75 inches and a piece of ribbon.

Just peel the backing from the frame to expose the adhesive and lay it over your photo. 

Next, attach your background paper. 

Cut a slit right at the top of the photo and insert your ribbon.  Create a loop and then use an additional piece of ribbon to create a bow.  There are so many ways that you could personalize these ornaments to suit your decor!  You could add charms that represent the person's interests even!

Next, I thought these would make the most incredible place cards for Thanksgiving! I used some Basic Grey paper (Brocade from Urban Couture Collection), the name of the guest (printed from the computer) and some Velvet Blossoms (Air Collection).   Instead of attaching the name first (like I did with the photo in the ornament project) I just attached the paper.  The name is punched out with a 1-3/8 inch square punch and then adhered on top of the paper in the frame opening.   

To create a stand for the placecard, I just punched out a Giga Scalloped rectangle from sturdy cardstock and scored it two scallops from the edge.  I applied some double stick tape to the tab that was created.

I then stuck the stand to the back of the frame.  If your stand keeps flattening out, you can adhere a piece of ribbon from the inside of the stand to the back of the frame that will prevent it from sliding open.

And here is the finished product!  I am going to take snapshots once we get everyone seated on Thanksgiving Day and when everyone is preparing to leave, I will make small copies of the prints and insert them in the frames (adhered on top of the name squares) as a little keepsake for them to take home.

I have a few more projects up my sleeve, so be sure to check in later!

1 (Snowflake Serenade)

I decided to bring out the snowflake set one more time to show you a really quick & easy gift idea that you can create in a matter of minutes.

First, cut a strip of blue cardstock 1-1/2 inches wide.  Stamp "Joy" down the length of it in varying heights using brocade blue ink.

Add snowflakes (stamped in Versamark) and heat emboss in white.  I used Vanilla Cream from Cornish Heritage Farms.  I love the way they package their embossing powders.

One side of the top has a shaker that makes it so easy to regulate how much powder you put onto your project.

The other side of the top has wide open mouth that makes it easy to dump the leftover powder back inside.  Richard & Liz are so clever!

After I finished creating my strip of decorative paper, I adhered it to one of our 8 oz. Round Clear Top Tins.  I used Terrifically Tacky Tape from Provo Craft.  I decide to make this into a "snowman Soup" gift tin.  These tins are plenty big enough to hold hot chocolate, mini marshmallows and a small peppermint stick.

I decided to integrate the poem into my project by creating a label for the lid.  I designed one on my computer and have made it available to all of YOU as a free pdf. download. The labels are sized to fit within a Marvy Mega Scalloped Circle Punch.  The sheet I have provided for you has four sets of labels, to make it easier for you to mass produce if necessary.  I suggest printing the images out onto white cardstock.

Download snowman_soup_free_download.pdf

After I punched out the labels, I stamped one of the smaller snowflakes in the center as a finishing touch.

I adhered the "Snowman Soup" label to the top of the lid.

I then flipped the lid over and adhered the poem label to the inside, being sure to line up the scallops.

Put the lid back on your tin, and you have an inexpensive & quick gift, ready to go!  You could stick it in a basket with a couple mugs and a beautiful card (made with the Snowflake Serenade set so it will coordinate, of course!). 

I still have even MORE projects to share with you, so be sure to stop back by this afternoon!

SUPPLIES:

INK- Brocade Blue Classic from SU!, Versamark

STAMPS- Papertrey Ink

CARDSTOCK- Prism

OTHER- Ribbon from May Arts, Tin from Papertrey Ink, Giga Scalloped Circle Punch from Marvy, hot chocolate, mini marshmallows, peppermint stick, Terrifically Tacky Tape from Provo Craft

 

1 (Piece of Cake)

Can you believe that the night is finally here!  Tonight, midnight EST, the two stamp sets that you have been ogling for the past week will be available for purchase at Papertrey Ink!  Yippeee!

Onto the project!  Sometimes I find myself in a rut in regards to card design.  So today I wanted to shake things up a bit and make a transparent card.

I decided to adhere these super cool white sheer mylar blossoms that Papertrey carries, to the cover.  I love how their size creates a fantastic background.  There are 48 blossoms per tin, 24 that are 2-inches in diameter and another 24 that measure 3-inches.  They average out to only 16-cents each, so you don't have to feel guilty about using 5 or 6 per project!  They are very lightweight, making them post office friendly as well.  They are SO fun to play with.  I just know I haven't even scratched the surface yet!

I then attached my cake focal point to the cover.  I love the color combination I came up with today (Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie & Old Olive).  The contrast of the apricot & pumpkin is slightly autumnal, which is perfect for the current season.

For the centers of the flowers on the cake I used a yellow Souffle 3D Opaque Puffy Ink pen. I found that I could sprinkle glitter onto the ink before it dried to add a little sparkle.

I added layers of cardstock to the inside for the card that act as a "mat" for the focal point when the card is closed.  The interior piece was cut 1-inch larger than the cake focal point on the cover to achieve this look.  The fun scroll frame image really helps to bring attention to the sentiment.

I will posting several projects today, along with introducing a fun new product that we will begin carrying tonight.  So be sure to stop by!

Edited to Add:  I attached the sheer blossoms with glue dots.  Super easy.  And YES, you can tint the white ones by rubbing them with Palette ink, like I showed HERE with the clear blossoms.

SUPPLIES:

INK- Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie & Old Olive Classic Ink from SU!, Versamark

STAMPS- Papertrey Ink

CARDSTOCK- Apricot Appeal & Pumpkin Pie from SU!, Stamper's Select White from Papertrey Ink

OTHER- Transparency from Office Depot, Souffle pen from Sakura, Mylar flowers from Maya Road, glue dots (for adhering flowers), white embossing powder from Ranger, Dazzling Diamonds glitter from SU!

2 (Piece of Cake)

I am just darn excited about this cake set.   I haven't had this much fun with a set of stamps in a long time!  It contains 30 images and there are just SO many combinations!  I'm sure once you get them in your hands you with think of even more that I have yet to discover!

To start this project, I stamped the "layers" for my cake slice.  It is important when stamping the cake slice to make sure the right edge is perfectly straight & vertical.  If you do that, rather than make the bottom perfectly horizontal, you will be much happier with the results.

Next, I added the "frosting".  I love the perfect lines it adds in between the layers of the cake.

And finally, a small bunch of flowers.

I decided to add a little interactive twist to my project.  My supplies included my card base (matted with lavender cardstock stamped with the stitched circle from Borders & Corners Circle), my cake focal point, ribbon, a scalloped rectangle (Nestabilities) and a mini card base (2 x 5 inches, scored @ 2.5 inches).

First, I adhered the scalloped rectangle to the mini card base.

Then I added a strip of adhesive across the middle.

This is how I adhered my ribbon in place, allowing an extra tail to the right to be tied later.

I then wrapped the ribbon around tot he back and tied the card closed.

Finally, I adhered the cake focal point in place on the cover.

I then was able to assemble my finished card.

When the mini card is untied & opened, the recipient gets the surprise of finding a "secret" message!

Did you notice the velvet flowers on my card front?  I use them all the time.  They are one of my all-time FAVORITE embellishments.  The texture they add is just SO luxurious!  I get questions all the time about what exactly the colors in the velvet flower collection tins we carry.  I decided the best way to communicate them to you was through a comparison with Stampin' Up! colors.

These are the FIRE Velvet Blossoms.  They coordinate with (from left to right)

Rose Red

Yoyo Yellow (a tad bit more golden, but VERY close)

Pumpkin Pie ( a smidge more orange, but again, VERY close)

Real Red

These are the WATER Velvet Blossoms.  Again, from left to right...

Purely Pomegranate

Handsome Hunter

Brilliant Blue

There is also a deep red that is a mix of a burgandy cranberry color, which doesn't match any of the current SU! colors specifically, but gorgeous all the same.

And last but not least, the AIR Velvet Blossoms.  From left to right...

Chocolate Chip (a little bit richer than the cardstock, but VERY close)

Pretty in Pink

Whisper White

There is also a blue color that doesn't coordinate with any current SU! colors.  It is somewhat like a Ballet Blue but a little bit brighter.

These flowers are a PERFECT compliment to the Piece of Cake set!  We have recently received a large shipment of ALL of these Velvet Blossoms and we are ready to ship!  Trust me, if you're anything like me, you need all three sets!

SUPPLIES:

INK- Purple Hydrangea Versamagic & White Craft from SU!

STAMPS- Papertrey Ink

CARDSTOCK- Prism, Kraft from SU!

OTHER- seed beads, ribbon from Hobby Lobby, Air Velvet Flowers, Rectangle Nestabilities Dies

2 (Snowflake Serenade)

Here is another sample created with the Snowflake serenade set that will be debuted Sunday night (midnight EST) at Papertrey Ink.  I am SO excited to see what all of you do with this set!

Today I felt like pulling out an old technique that I haven't done in YEARS!  Faux silk.  While scrolling through my email a few days ago, a customer remarked how she reused EVERYTHING that came in her packages from us, including the tissue paper that wraps each individual item.  What better way to recycle then to use the leftovers to make a card?!?!?

To do this technique, you need a stamped focal point on cardstock and tissue paper.  For my focal point I combined a few of the snowflakes from our new set along with a little distress ink around the edge.

Next, crumple the tissue into a tight ball (th the more crumpling, the better!)

Uncrumple the tissue, and flatten it just slightly.

For adhesive for this technique, I normally use a good ol' fashioned glue stick.  But I did not have one handy, so I used Modge Podge instead.  You want to apply your adhesive directly on top of your stamped focal point.

Then lay the tissue on top of your focal point.

Use the palm of your hand or a brayer to flatten the tissue.  The wonderful wrinkles that remain add so much character. 

To finish, flip the focal point over and apply your regular paper adhesive around the edges.  Miter the corners of the tissue and gold the edges over to the back of the focal point.  Burnish to adhere tightly.

I tied some ribbon to the edge and then added it to complete my card! 

It has a special closure on it that I created with a strip of cardstock and Basic Grey Magnetic Snaps.  I love these things!  They are so thin, that your card can easily be mailed!

For the inside of the card I added "three" of the sentiments included in this set.  The reason I say three, is because of the fun separation of the images, allowing for more creative freedom, like I talked about yesterday.  I really like being able to arrange the beginning & end of this particular sentiment to suit the needs of my card shape.  In this case I was looking for a more horizontal look.

I have another post using the new cake set that will be posted in just a few minutes!

SUPPLIES:

INK- Old Olive & Always artichoke Classic Ink SU!, Frayed Burlap Distress Ink Ranger

STAMPS- Papertrey Ink

CARDSTOCK- green from Bazzill, Confetti Cream * Always Artichoke from SU!

OTHER-Magnet Closure from Basic Grey, Decorative Brad from Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby)

3

It has finally begun to cool off here in Tennessee, and it has me anxiously awaiting the coziness of winter.  I thought it would be fitting to play with the snowflake stamp set that Papertrey will be releasing on Sunday night.  It is inspired by THIS free digital kit that I designed for Paper Crafts magazine.  (If you haven't downloaded it yet, do it now before you forget!)

Today's project is a fun interactive card (I just love that kind of stuff!)  It used a technique that I had seen used to create treat packaging with candy bars or packets of popcorn.  I thought I would adapt it to be used on a slide out card.

First, I wanted to create my own patterned paper to use as a backdrop for my project.  I found that the smaller snowflake included in this set fits perfectly inside one of the images from Borders & Corners Circle.  I like to make symmetrical patterned paper with circles.  I find it easier than random designs.  People always ask how I get the images lined up so well.  Here are a few little tips.  Allow your eye to use the edges of your paper as a guide for getting things straight.  I always stamp a single vertical row first, right along the edge of the paper.

I then add a second row, stamping "in between" each of the images in the previous row.  While you are hovering above your paper with the stamp, look at your spacing on all four sides.  Be sure it is equal spacing before you stamp.  The clear nature of the stamps helps as well.  You just continue so on and so forth until you have filled the entire page.

Finally, I fill in the circles with the snowflake image.  This step is quick and easy since the placement has already been decided for you.  Using white pigment ink with these snowflakes provides such FANTASTIC results.  I was really happy with how they turned out.

Now to turn this beautiful paper into a project!  I cut the cardstock 4.25 x 9 inches.  I then scored it  @ 4.25 & 8.5 inch marks.  I applied Terrifically Tacky tape  to the remaining 1/2-inch flap.I was then able to assemble it into a "sleeve". 

Next you want to add a notch to make it easy to pull out your slide.  I used a 3/4-inch circle punch, inserted halfway onto one of the open edges of the sleeve. 

I needed to create a slot for the ribbon to feed through, so I used my Making Memories punch & hammer.  I like using this tool rather than a hand-held punch because it easily goes through more than one layer of cardstock.

Next up is the slider.  I cut a piece of cardstock measuring 4x4 inches ( I knew I would be matting this; if you choose not to mat, your finished slider should measure 4-1/8 inch square).  I inserted it partway into my sleeve so that I could mark where the ribbon lay.  The reason I wanted to make this designation was so that I would make sure not stamp a portion of my sentiment there, or else it would be hidden by the ribbon.  I just used a pencil and ruler to create these lines, using the ends of the slot as a reference.

I rounded the two right-hand corners of the slider with my punch.  If your corner rounder punch is anything like mine, sometimes it will leave little ragged pieces behind, depending on what kind of mood it is in!  I have found that by keeping a nail file nearby, I can quickly run it along any edges to smooth them and even them out.

So after all of these steps are completed I am left with these supplies to construct my card.  The notched sleeve, the card insert & ribbon.

To assemble the card, I first threaded the ribbon through the slot.  You want to be sure to go through both layers of the sleeve, with one end of the ribbon coming out on the underside and the other from the top.

Pull both ends of the ribbon to the right.

Partially insert the slider card into the sleeve and in between the layers of ribbon.

Push the slider into the sleeve, therefore pulling the ribbon with it.  In this photo I pushed the slide farther than necessary to show you how the ribbon is looped around the side of the slider.  When you are creating your own, you just want to stop pushing one the slider gets to the edge of the sleeve.

Tie a knot on the notched side of the sleeve, tightly holding the slider in place.  The knot will rest on the edge of the slider.

You now can pull on the knot and the slider come comes out with it.  These would be easy to mass-produce as Christmas cards.  You could even add a photo to the slider which would be so unique!

Tomorrow I will share projects for both stamps sets, so be sure to stop by!

   

 

SUPPLIES:

INK- White Craft Ink from Stampin' Up!

STAMPS- Papertrey Ink

CARDSTOCK- Cool Caribbean & Kraft from SU!, light blue from Prism

OTHER- White organdy ribbon from SU!, 3/4" circle punch from EK Success, slot punch from Making Memories, Square Nestabilties Die Cuts

 

4

Thanks for all your well wishes for my first television appearance.  It went well.  I will be sure to do another post about that subject soon!

Here is today's little sneak peek of one of the NEW stamp sets to be release on October 15th from Papertrey Ink!  This project was inspired by the Eat Cake digital kit available through the Paper Crafts Magazine website.  I love the cake theme because it can be used for a variety of occasions, such as birthday, wedding or anniversary.

First, here is the three-tiered cake.  Notice the scalloped edge to each layer.  (Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE scallops?!?!?)

One of the super clever design elements for this cake is this floral image (if I do say so myself!) .  It allows you to easily add floral embellishments to all three tiers perfectly, every time!

Remember when doing this type of technique that it is best to start with your lightest color (the cake) and then work to your darkest color (the flowers).

If you look real close at the floral accents, you will notice that they all have open centers.  I don't know about you, but whenever I see a flower image I want to add something FUN to the middle!  These particular flowers are begging for it!  Whether you add mini rhinestones (as I did here), Stickles, brads, pearls, beads, liquid applique or anything else you dream up, the added detail will be just the perfect finishing touch!

The sentiments in this set are VERY innovative and I just LOVE them!  Almost all of them come in two pieces.  Here is an example of one.  You might see this part of the image and think that this sentiment makes no sense.  The truth is that it is only part of the overall result.

The "How" and "it is" are perfectly spaced to allow room for "sweet" to be inserted.  You may be wondering why this is so significant.  I have found that when designing a card, there have been many times when I needed to be able to integrate two key ink colors into my sentiment to achieve visual balance.  I would always end up using markers to ink the different area of the stamp, which ended up being messy and unreliable, not to mention difficult to do when mass-producing cards.  Since the sentiments are separate in this set, the look is quick & easy, allowing you to expand your design capabilities with hardly any extra effort.  I hope that this is a design element you will find inspiring and useful!

And here is my final project! I love it's simplicity.  I love how by just changing the sentiment, this exact card be used for an anniversary or wedding.  Notice the one rounded corner as well.  If you are familiar with my work, you would have noticed that this is something that I do often.  A single rounded corner can really help break up any redundancy that you may have with straight edges within your design.  In this particular case, it helps to draw the eye down to the sentiment as well.  Another reason why I like this design element is because it can be the solution to any "just needs a little something" dilemma because it has no style or color boundaries.  It can be added to virtually any project without being "too much".

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for another sneak peek!

SUPPLIES:

INK- Toile Pink & Boudoir Blush Palette Ink

STAMPS- Papertrey Ink

CARDSTOCK- Prism

OTHER- Ribbon from American Crafts, Rectangle Nestabilties Dies 

1

The big day is finally here!  Tonight at midnight EST the new holiday stamp sets from Papertrey Ink will be revealed in their entirety and available for purchase.  Don't forget that we are also hosting a Pre-Release Party beginning at 10pm EST.  If you haven't already, you will want to go HERE and register so that you will be able to participate tonight! 

For this final day of the countdown, I decided to do one project for each of the four sets as a final teaser.

This project uses the treats set that you saw used on the Hot Chocolate Tin earlier this week.  You will see that the set includes a few new versions of the Avery Label stamps you have all come to love.  In case you missed it in the past, the stamps fit perfectly on a standard Avery address label, which then in turn wraps around a Hershey's Nugget with ease! 

What's unique about this version is that it too features an open frame that a variety of icons can be inserted into!  You'll be able to customize them to your hearts content!  (FYI, this uses our Clear Top Hinged Tin and holds a perfect dozen nuggets)

SUPPLIES:

INK- Taken with Teal & Old Olive Dye ink from SU!

PAPER- Stamper's Select White from Papertrey, Old Olive from SU!

STAMPS- Papertrey

OTHER- Avery address labels, ribbon from The Ribbon Jar, jump ring MAking Memories

This project uses a non-traditional color scheme.  It is a little bit difficult to tell in this photo, but the pink cardstock has shimmer to it and I used pink Twinkling H2O's on the berries for the tree.  One tip to point out on the tree.  I stamped it in Old Olive dye ink and then just went back in with a moist paintbrush.  Because the ink is not waterproof, it creates it's own watercolor effect without having to add any additional ink.  Super easy when mass producing cards!  So guess which set this tree is included in?  You guessed it, the Santa set!  All of the little accessories that go with Santa are also scaled to coordinate with the tree!

SUPPLIES:

INK- Old Olive dye ink from SU!, Pixie Dust Versamagic

PAPER- Mountain Rose Metallic Cardstock and Spring Willow Light Prismatics Cardstock from Prism

STAMPS- Papertrey

OTHER- Satin polka dot ribbon from American Crafts, Apple Blossom Pure Color Twinkling H20's, Pearl Pin from Boxer

Here is another tin project.  It utilizes the 8oz. Square Clear Top Tin.  This is a little gift box full of 2x2 holiday mini gift cards. 

I cut the scalloped layer and white squares using the Square Nestabilities Dies.  The Giga Scalloped Square punch will work as well.  All of the stamps are from our yet-to-be-released ornament set, except the dotted border.  It is part of or Borders & Corners Square set.

SUPPLIES:

INK- Always Artichoke & Cranberry Crisp dye inks from SU!, Black Noit Palette ink

PAPER-Always Artichoke & Cranberry Crisp from SU!. Stamper's Select White from Papertrey

STAMPS- Papertrey

OTHER- Page Pebbles from Making Memories, Ribbon from Hobby Lobby

And last but not least, here is a card that uses an image from our interior sentiment set.  I just decided to put it on the cover as my focal point for this particular project.  The patterned paper is Northern Exposure from Reminisce and it was the perfect compliment to my project!

SUPPLIES:

INK- Sea Breeze Versamagic

PAPER- Northern Exposure from Reminisce, Perfect Baby Blue Prismatics Cardstock from Prism

STAMPS- Papertrey

OTHER-Ribbon from May Arts, Brads from American Crafts

Well, I hope you have enjoyed the countdown this week.  I know I have!  I look forward to seeing many of you tonight!

2

Can you feel the excitement building?  Every time I pop over here to add a new post, I can just FEEL how anxious you all are through the manner in which you write your comments.  What a blessing to be able to bring a little sunshine to someone's day just by sharing what I love here on the blog!

So only two more days to go until the BIG reveal at Papertrey.  Out of the four sets that we will be debuting Friday night, I have yet to share any images of the fourth and final set.  I have to say that this set is really a labor of love!  It is my very first linear image set that I have drawn by hand.  We had been receiving several emails from people requesting that we do a Santa, but every time I even tried to THINK about approaching that subject, I just became overwhelmed at the task.  Then one day the idea for this Santa just popped into my head.  I have no idea where it came from, but I was so happy to receive the "random act of inspiration"!

So I drew him up that very night.  It took some time for him to evolve into something just right, but in the end I am SO happy with the results.  If you'll notice, he doesn't have any hands!  I promise, that it isn't an error in the image!  I wanted him to be able to hold different objects, without having to do any time consuming masking (especially if you needed to mass produce 50+ cards!)  So I gave his sleeves a little extra length and omitted his fingertips.

Now, to choose what he shall hold! You will notice that there are six different options!  Fun, isn't it!

For today's project I selected the wreath (it's one of my favorite little pieces from this set!)  I just inked it up and stamped it directly into the space between his sleeves.  Super easy!

Now onto the subject of coloring.  Anyone that has followed my work would most likely notice that I am not a big "colorer".  (Is that a word?  Well if it isn't, then I am now making it an official term.  How do I get in contact with Webster's?!?!?)  Solid image stamps appeal to me and the idea of coloring kind of, well, scares me!  Don't know why, it just does!  Coloring just usually doesn't mesh with the clean approach I usually take with my projects.  (You would really chuckle if you happen to have the current October issue of Paper Crafts.  They assigned me with the task of doing a special feature in their Face Your Fears column on watercoloring...bwahhahah!)  So, I figured after I designed this stamp set, I would have to get over it and play a little bit. 

While playing I made the COOLEST discovery!  If you color with normal water-based dye markers (I used the Stampin' Up! brand) on Kraft cardstock, your stroke marks virtually disappear!  I know, it may be hard to believe, but I swear it works!  Here is a close-up view of my results.  Now granted, it makes your colors a tad darker than they are originally intended, but just go with the flow and coordinate your cardstock based on ink results rather than their "real-life" hues.  The white areas were colored in with a White Sharpie Poster Paint Pen (love these things, the paint rolls evenly when coloring in large areas, more so than the Signo white gel pen ink).  The poster paint pens can generally be picked up at any Wal-Mart.

Here is a look at my final project. All the images used on the cover of this card are included in our new Santa set.

And you can't forget the inside, can we?  Do these fonts look familiar?  This interior sentiment is from the set I introduced to you yesterday.  It was a perfect compliment to the Santa set, I think.  I stamped the sentiment in white and added the berry accents in black, going back in and coloring the images appropriately.  The color looks so vibrant!

And last but not least, the back!  If you look through our stamp sets, just about every single one of them includes a "handmade by" stamp that coordinates.  This set is no exception.  This "handmade with love by" stamp has a miniature version of the berries to accent it.

So tell me what you think of the Papertrey version of linear images?  Is this style something you would like to see more of?  Or is it not really your style?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

You will want to be sure to stop by tomorrow.  I will be answering questions posted here the last few days along with more fun projects.  I'll see you then!

3

Before I begin today, I want to give a shout out to the Book Club at Memories in Bloom!  They invited me to speak at their monthly meeting last night and it was so fun!  I thoroughly enjoyed myself! Thank-you, ladies!  Now on to the countdown!

I think that just about every stamper makes an attempt to create their own holiday cards every year.  One thing that can be difficult to find is a great interior sentiment to finish the card right, and make less work for you later in having to add your own personal note by hand.  I decided to be sure and create a set with just this purpose for this release. 

The entire set is created with the same fonts, so you will see what you get in the following project sample!  I love the combination of these two fonts and think they are versatile enough to coordinate with whatever style your card cover represents.

I thought it would be fun to use the sentiment stamp on something other than a card.  I decided to turn our smallest round clear top tin into an ornament for the Christmas tree!  The lid can be removed to reveal a special mini-book containing holiday pictures from the past.  Here are the supplies I used to make this quick & easy project...

-Papertrey's 2.5 oz Round Clear Top Tin

-Prussian Blue Palette ink Pad

-Mega Scalloped Circle Punch OR Scalloped circle Nestabilities Dies

-ribbon (mine is from American Crafts)

Decorate your cover as you like.  I used our new interior stamp set for the sentiment and a snow flake from the treats set to decorate the background paper.  Adhere your cover and three additional scalloped circles along your piece of ribbon.

Flip the ribbon over.  Apply adhesive to the back of each of your scalloped circles.  Adhere a second scalloped circle to the back of each previous circle, therefore "sandwiching" the ribbon and making the mini-book secure.  Add a few small-scaled pictures and your book is complete.

To turn the tin into an ornament I recommend a Crop-a-dile.  (If you haven't tried this tool yet, I highly recommend it.  It cuts through metal like butter!)  Just insert the wall of the tin into the Crop-a-dile and squeeze, therefore punching a hole.

Thread both ends of a second piece of ribbon down through the hole you just created.  Tie ends in a knot INSIDE the tin, to prevent the loop from coming back out.

Now insert your book into the tin and put on the lid!  All ready to hang on the tree!

Here is what the book will look like when open.  You could make these as little gifts for your parents & siblings, containing photos from childhood Christmas mornings, as I did here.  Or you could add pictures of your family doing special holiday activities with neighbors or friends, and give them the ornament as a handmade gift.  If you didn't want to use photos, you could also write memories or blessings for the recipient on each page.  Don't forget you could make these in a multitude of colors as well.  I think I may make a few of these for my own tree.  My kids would LOVE to open the ornaments and look at the pictures every year as we decorate the tree. 

As I wrap up this post, I wanted to share one additional tidbit.  Papertrey now has it's very own chat room set up for a special release party on Friday night, beginning at 10pm EST.  I'll be there counting down the minutes and I hope you'll join me!  You can find the chat room HERE.  Please be sure to visit the link and register yourself before Friday so you can participate in the chat! 

4

Only four more days until Papertrey's big reveal!  Can't you just feel the excitement in the air!?!?!  I love this time of the month! 

The next set I am about to reveal to you is specifically geared towards those special holiday treats that so many of us make for our family and friends.  To begin this particular project, I picked out a patterned paper to work with.  Using pre-printed papers as your background is such a time-saver during the holidays.  And most of the time you can get more than one project from a single sheet.  The paper I selected was Season of Joy "Mistletoe" from Scrapworks.  I pulled two of the main colors from the paper to use as my inks. In this case it was Landscape & Moulin Rouge Palette inks.

I stamped this super fun "for you" label in green.  You'll notice that there is an area within the circle that is left blank.  There are several different images in this new set that you can insert there, according to what the "treat" is.

My project today contains hot chocolate, so I choose a teacup, and stamped it in red.

Our tea tins are perfect for powdered drink mixes.  You can wash the tins out and place the mix directly inside without having to use a separate bag or liner.  The lid is specifically designed for this and has a special airtight seal attached.

Many have asked what the best way is to adhere paper to our tins.  My favorite adhesive is Terrifically Tacky Tape from Provo Craft.  It comes in several different widths and is super strong stuff.  Once you have adhered something in place onto your tins, it will NOT be going anywhere!

As an additional special touch to the new stamp set, there are 9 small scale sentiment stamps that coordinate with the Tiny Tags Cuttlebug dies (Papertrey will not be carrying the dies, but are available by clicking the link to Eclectic Paperie).  The sentiments are perfect to add as the finishing touch to your packaging projects.  The one I used today reads: "sip & stir ENJOY!".  These also use one of my favorite font combinations!

Sometimes I want to mat a tag that has rounded corners, which can be difficult at times.  For this little tag I just cut a rectangle 1/16th inch larger on each of the four sides.  I then went in with my scissors and just nipped the corners off, trying to follow the same curve as the original tag.  The process ended up working well for me.

After all of the details were put together, I finally had a completed project.  It would be so simple to make several of these as gifts.  You could include them in a basket along with a couple mugs, some gourmet marshmallows or cookies to compliment the beverage.  The recipient will be sure to be impressed!

I thought I would share my favorite Hot Chocolate Mix recipe with you as well.  It is the perfect compliment to today's project!

2 cups Instant nonfat dried milk
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Miniature marshmallows

Combine all ingredients.  Store in airtight container. 

Add three rounded spoonfuls of mix to a mug and fill with hot water.  Stir, sip & enjoy!

If this recipe doesn't appeal to you, there are several other's HERE that may interest you!

I hope to see you here tomorrow!  I have SO much more to share!  You won't want to miss it!

5

So here we are, officially kicking off the countdown towards Papertrey's big HOLIDAY DEBUT!  We have a whopping four sets to share with you and we are SO excited about the possibilities they hold!  I think I would even go as far to say that they will change the way you stamp!!!

I have been stamping for several years and have made many LARGE batches of Christmas projects.  Whether they were cards, tags, or gifts, I always had lofty goals during such a busy time of year.  The stamp sets I am about to introduce to you this week take stamping to a whole new level. 

-They are EASY to use in production-line style stamping.  Meaning you can make a hundred Christmas cards in no time flat!  Or even stamp labels for the 25 home-baked cookie packages you hand out each year, during the commercials of your favorite holiday flick.

-They coordinate with inexpensive accessories.  I don't know many people who can afford to spend $5 on embellishments for each of the 50 recipients on their holiday mailing list.  Or $10 to create a cute package for special homemade treats. 

-Fresh, fun looks & fonts.  We have something new to bring to the Holiday scene.  You'll love the trendiness side of everything we will have to offer, but at the same time you can appreciate the classic staying-power each set holds, making them something you can turn to year after year.

First up is my favorite set of the four.  (Don't forget, this set and the others mentioned in the next few days, will not be available for purchase until September 15th, 12am EST, on Papertrey's website) It contains a whopping 35 images for only $24, an AMAZING value!  And you know with THAT many pieces, there will be lots of versatility.

For today's project, I stamped this simple branch.  It is substantial in size, measuring about 4-inches long.

I then stamped the leaves.&nb