{capture the moment}

1

So many of you were right on when you guessed STRIPES!  This little guy is one of my favorites, along with his coordinating "starburst" pieces.  These particular images stamp SO crisp.  For this project I used fluid chalk inks and they worked perfectly with the layering.

This is an altered lunch bag.  I just cut the bag down to a height of 7.5-inches and added my custom patterned paper.  The top "flap" is just a 5-inch circle folded in half and adhered on the back.  For the front closure I used a Basic Grey self-adhesive magnet (I LOVE these things!  They are so FUN to open and close!) I used the Petal Point chalk inks, so it was really easy to ink the "B" in a different color from the rest of the sentiment.  This was a quick and easy project that would be so easy to mass-produce!  How fun would it be to make these in a variety of colors as well! Just pick two monotone colors and go to town!  Doesn't that sound like fun! I love this particular color palette though, it is so calming & refreshing!

Here are some stamp set details for those of you that have been asking... the set is entitled Butterfly Kisses.  It contains 30 images (including SEVEN 2.25-inch wide butterflies- 5 patterned, 1 solid and 1 outline).  It will officially go on sale at midnight EST tonight for $24 at our website, www.papertreyink.com.  Just as I said last month, we have plenty in stock, but in the case we do sell out, you can still place your order, with it shipping in 2-4 weeks.  Your credit card will not be charged until your order has shipped. With the unique images contained in this set, it will be worth the wait!

I also need to formally welcome Ellen Hutson on board our Design Team!  It has been so tough for me to keep this fact under wraps for the past month!  I have always admired her work and her eagerness to teach others.  She is such a wonderful model for everyone as both a woman AND a stamper.  If you don't know Ellen (which I highly doubt...EVERYONE knows Ellen! She's on a first name basis, you know like Madonna or Cher!) you can check out her blog here.  she composed a wonderful post about her introduction to our team and her first experience with acrylics.  Stop by and welcome her!

This countdown has been a pleasure, can't wait until the next one!  You are going to LOVE what we have coming next, no foolin' **wink**wink**. 

Inks for Acrylic Stamps

I have received several emails today regarding inks that are compatible with Papertrey Ink acrylic stamps.  (NOTE: The information I am about to share with you is in reference to our stamps specifically and my experiences with the high quality acrylic they are made from.  Not all acrylic stamps are alike, so other brands may perform differently than the results I share here.)

-Can you use Stampin' Up! inks with acrylic stamps?
YES!  I own all of both the classic(dye) & craft(pigment) pads.  It depends on the color as to which of these two inks I prefer on a particular image.  I have found that there are some dye colors that "bead" more than others.  I usually lean towards pigment inks because you can control the uniformity of the inking a little better, and the color turns out a lot more vivid.  Generally, the fine line images do well with dye ink, the solid images preform better with a pigment ink.

-What brand of chalk ink do you prefer when using acrylic stamps?
At this moment I prefer Clearsnap's Fluid Chalk inks.  They work so well with the solid images.  And I love the nice matte finish that appears when dry.  The color is intense and has a lot of depth.

-Can you use StazOn with acrylic stamps without damaging them?
YES!  I recommend cleaning them immediately after you are done, to reduce staining.  The perfect cleaning solution is Ultra Clean.  It will clean StazOn that is decades old from your stamps!  We will actually be carrying this cleaner on our website as of Thursday!

I hope this answers some of your questions! Only 2 more days!

2

Polka dots!  How could you have a set featuring patterned butterflies without polka dots!  (In case you didn't already know, polka dots are my FAVORITE thing!)  I stamped the butterfly shadow with chalk ink (love how the chalk ink works with large solid images like this.  The stamped image ends up stamping perfectly even with no streaking or puddling), heat set it, then stamped the polka-dot overlay with Versamark and added turquoise Perfect Pearls.  The shimmer & shine looks so AMAZING in person!  The background was created by stamping the large and medium solid dots in Versamark on green patterned paper (Lime Swirl from Shabby Princess Collection by Bo-Bunny Press) and then brushing them with prefect Pearls.  I sketched a swirled "flight path" with pencil and used my paper piercer to punch the holes.  I then carefully erased the pencil marks.  The "Heartfelt thanks" sentiment is one of my favorites, well, actually I think the ENTIRE set is my favorite!  I haven't mentioned yet that these butterflies have a perfectly portioned 2.25 inch  wing span.  They aren't too big and they aren't too small.  This size really makes them so versatile!  One more patterned butterfly tomorrow!  Can you guess what "basic" is left?   

3

I decided to do a 3D project today.  This tin is leftover from a set I made for my mother to store all of her spices.  I found them for 75-cents a piece here, and there is no minimum purchase!  I have made purchases from them on more than one occasion and have been really happy with their service!

I thought this tin could be used as packaging for a small birthday gift or something.  The band wrapped around the bottom shows the variety of flowers in the new set.  I love that the flower centers are separate so you can easily integrate two colors if you like.  The lid of the tin features a floral butterfly (there are a total of FIVE patterned butterflies in this set, I've shown you only three so far.  Can you guess what the other two will be?!?!).  The larger daisies within the butterfly perfectly coordinate with the 1/4" circle punch.  So it was easy to add the flowers in a second color.  I used the slot punch to create openings for the ribbon (from American Crafts via Hobby Lobby) to go underneath the butterfly image, so it was not covered.  A quick and easy project! Only 3 days until you can purchase your very own set!

4

Only 4 more days to go until the debut at PapertreyInk! You will love what this set has to offer, I promise! Today's project changes an envelope into a functional card.  This is an idea that has been used by many designers over the years, so I do not know who the original credit goes to for such a clever idea!  For my project, I used an extra large envelope and scored it @ 2.25 inches from either side while the flap was open.  I stamped my pattern on the "outside of the envelope and added the butterfly block to the "flap".  The  "Birthday Wishes" sentiment that is included in this new set is such a great basic! On the "inside" I just added a sentiment along with a "notch" made with a circle punch at the envelopes opening.  A tag pulls out of the envelope that could feature a handwritten message or personal photo. These little colored adhesive jewels are from Doodlebug and added a perfect finishing touch.
One thing I love about this set is that the major decorative images have coordinating shadow stamps.  On this particular project you can see that there is one for the butterfly and the scroll circles in the background.  This "bohemian" butterfly (as Debbie has so kindly named it!) is my first hand-drawn image.  It is such an incredible experience to stamp with a piece of art that you completely drew by hand.  It will be fascinating to see what others do with the image as well! Very exciting!