{capture the moment}

Impressive, To Die for Tips & Tricks

We have had an AMAZING response to our new dies & impression plates since we first introduced them in February.  Myself and the rest of the Design Team have only begun sharing with you the dozens upon dozens of ideas and techniques we have in mind for these amazingly versatile products!  Today I thought I would challenge the team to introduce you to even MORE fun ways to use them!

To start off, I had a few things I had been experimenting with myself in regards to the new Beautiful Blooms dies used in conjunction with our 100% wool felt!

 

I like to call these Double Cuts.  And the name really says it all.  You die cut the largest flower from the trio and then follow up with a second cut in the center using the smallest die from the set.  The end result gives you fast, economical, easy to mail embellishments that you create over and over again.

 

To make a Double Cut, you want to die cut the largest flower from one of our Beautiful Bloom die Trios.  I've done all of my samples today with Hawaiian Shores felt, but you could definitely do the same thing with paper or cardstock.  After you remove the felt from the large die, place it back on your cutting plate.  Then place the smallest flower from the trio in the center of the large flower die side down.

 

Run it through your machine using the same sandwich you always do for die-cutting and viola, your very own Double Cut!

 

This one I kept very simple.  Clean & white.  The background was impressed with our Picnic Plaid Impression Plate.  the sentiment is from Blooming Button Bits, stamped in True Black ink.  I also added an embossed line at the bottom & top of the sentiment strip to help accent it.

 

Notice that I layered a piece of Green Boutique patterned paper behind the opening in the Double Cut to accent the fun opening.  I also added a New Leaf Vintage Button to the center using a mini glue dot.  I just love the way this turned out!

 

For this next project I used the same process, except this time it was with the scalloped flowers from the series.  I added a large layer of the Green Boutique paper as my mat.  The sentiment strip was done in the same way as the first card.

 

I stacked two New Leaf buttons on top of one another using mini glue dots to accent the center of this card.  Notice this time I layered white cardstock under the felt to help differentiate it from the busy background paper.

 

For this last project, I did a little something different.

 

I cut a block of Hawaiian Shores felt using my pinking shears.  I then die cut the flower from it's center.  Using a second piece of small felt, I die-cut the smallest flower.

 

I then placed the smallest flower within the boundaries of the large flower cut-out, adding a small New Leaf button to finish it off.  (I think this may be my favorite of the bunch!)

Now that I have showcased a few of the things I have been working on, why don't you peruse the AMAZING ideas the team has put together for your reading pleasure today?  I promise you won't be disappointed!

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.

EDITED TO ADD:

I've had a lot of questions about how to use our dies with the Cuttlebug & Big Shot this morning.  This is the YouTube video I created last month showcasing just how to do that.

You can also see a video on how to use our Impression Plates with the various machines HERE.

I hope you enjoyed all of today's amazing inspiration!  Have you purchased our new dies or Impression Plates yet?  What do you think of them?  Have you made anything amazing that you would like to share? Please feel free to post a link in the comments section!

As always, thank you for stopping by today!  Now go stamp something!  :)

 Thinking About You Card (Beautiful Blooms #1 Die Trio)

• STAMPS: Blooming Button Bits
  
• INK: True Black
  
• PAPER: Stamper's Select White, Green Boutique Colection
  
• OTHER: Hawaiian Shores Felt, Beautiful Blooms #1 Die Trio, New Leaf Vintage Button, Picnic Plaid Impression Plate, mini glue dots (for adhering button & felt), Scor-Pal
  
• FINISHED SIZE: 4.25" x 5.5"

 Friends Like You Card (Beautiful Blooms #2 Die Trio)

• STAMPS: Blooming Button Bits
  
• INK: True Black
  
• PAPER: Stamper's Select White, Green Boutique Colection
  
• OTHER: Hawaiian Shores Felt, Beautiful Blooms #2 Die Trio, New Leaf Vintage Buttons, mini glue dots (for adhering button & felt), Scor-Pal
  
• FINISHED SIZE: 4.25" x 5.5"

 Without You Card (Beautiful Blooms #3 Die Trio)

• STAMPS: Blooming Button Bits
  
• INK: True Black
  
• PAPER: Stamper's Select White, Green Boutique Colection
  
• OTHER: Hawaiian Shores Felt, Beautiful Blooms #3 Die Trio, New Leaf Vintage Button, Picnic Plaid Impression Plate, mini glue dots (for adhering button & felt), Scor-Pal, pinking shears (Fiskars)
  
• FINISHED SIZE: 4.25" x 5.5"

An update...

Hello everyone, and happy Saturday!  I have been super busy getting caught up on my "before the 25th" duties.  This includes getting all of the box bands ready for printing & prepping the index labels. Finishing up all of the stamp designs for the May release!  Finalizing die designs for May too! I just put the finishing touches on everything, so I am finally ready to head out this morning...

 

on a little road trip.  This week is spring break for my kids, so we are going up to the Smoky Mountains to stay in a little cabin that we've rented.  We generally go over there every year during this school vacation week and it always proves to be tons of fun, not mention relaxing & rejuvenating.  I will return on Wednesday and I am hoping to bring you a video or two since I have completed my regularly scheduled "work" for next week.

I hope you all are perhaps beginning to see some warm spring-like weather like we are here in Tennessee.  Enjoy your weekend and I will plan on seeing you back here on Wednesday!

 

P.S. I've been seeing some beautiful work from our customers around the web.  I thought I would give a quick shout out to some of my favorites!  Hopefully one of these talented artists/bloggers inspire you to create something beautiful today!

 
Carol's Ink Spot

Jennifer Carter

 

Heather Pulvirenti

Inventory Updates...

I want to thank each and every one of you for the enthusiasm you have shown for this month's release.  We have been literally overwhelmed with orders from both existing customers & new customers alike.  We try our best to be prepared for these releases in regards to inventory and anticipate what might be the most popular items.  In fact, for this month's dies specifically, we ordered triple what we had last month.  

Your response has been SO huge, that we unfortunately sold out of several dies this morning.  We contacted our manufacturer and have them working double time to replenish our inventory with the sold out items.  We will be getting some stock (such as the new RickRack die) as soon as Friday.  The remainder should be arriving next week.

The Hawaiian Shores buttons will hopefully be restocked in approximately 2-weeks.  All of our reinkers and inks should be restocked by the end of this week/beginning of next week.

We will be sending an inventory newsletter out via email as items begin to arrive.

I know that the few extra days to wait for these products can be frustrating.  I know I would feel the same way myself if I were in your shoes!  But I promise that we are doing all we can behind the scenes to make sure that you are taken care of in the most expedited manner possible. 

Thank you once again for your patronage, your support and patience.

  

The Day After...

I've mentioned it before, but it's worth repeating... my favorite thing to do after all of the excitement from the release winds down is take a look at all the amazing goodies that the team designed using the brand new products.  This month they definitely didn't disappoint and I've been so inspired to get back out all of these new sets and play some more!

Betsy Veldman created lots of soft layers pairing the new Delightful Dahlia set with lots of die-cut vellum layers.  The colors and softness of this project are just amazing and I never would have thought to layer the shapes from the Beautiful Blooms dies on top of the dahlias like this.  Such a pretty look and so much dimension!

Speaking of Betsy, also had to highlight one more project of hers...

Believe it or not, Betsy created this plaid background using the new Distressed Stripes set!  Pure Poppy, Hawaiian Shores & Ripe Avocado!  Isn't it so RICH and just... delicious!  So in love with this!!!

 

Debbie Olson never does anything less than a perfect execution.  This project is just breath-taking.  Her use of the Green Boutique papers paired with the die-cut layers of the Beautiful Blooms II flowers is an amazing combination.  I love the layers she was able to create with the flowers, along with the hint of sparkle with the perfect balance of rhinestones.

You probably already saw this project from Dawn McVey on her blog yesterday, but I just had to showcase it here too because it is one of my very favorites that she made for this release using her new Delightful Dahlia set.  The colors are so citrusy and yummy!  The Distressed Stripes images look so fun & vintage on the Rustic Cream cardstock.  And I don't know about you, but I am always looking for ways to use line images, like these dahlias, without any coloring.  The layout in general is just divine too.  Love it all!

Erin Lincoln totally hit it out of the park with this one!  She created and entire village deep in the hills, with the new Wonderfully Whimsical stamp set.  The most clever thing she did that really caught me attention was the way she used the flower images from Springtime Doodles to embellish the sky!  The loopy daisy for clouds and the dandelion for the sun!  Now, how's that for smart!

Kim Hughes created this AMAZING & innovative textural background using the Beautiful Blooms II stamp set and dies.  The small pops of Orange Zest & Summer Sunrise provide such a nice contrast, not to mention a sunny disposition!  The letter that form the word "hi" are from the new Outlines Alphabet.  Such a great project!

Heather Nichols put her own rustic twist on Wonderfully Whimsical.  She stamped the houses, hill &  trees onto kraft cardstock using black ink.  She then added just a touch of color here and there with Copics.  I love how simple and easy to replicate this is.  Heather even added some Distressed Stripes in the background using Fresh Snow ink.  Her ribbon treatment is something to take note of too!

Lisa Johnson put Wonderfully Whimsical to work too for this fresh & fun project!  Sometimes I forget how bold and interesting a card can be when using circular focal points rather than the typical rectangle or square.  I love how Lisa did that here and also echoed the shape with her sentiment circle.  The balance of patterns combined from Green Boutique provide the perfect backdrop for these simple images.

Maile Belles created a project that featured one of my very favorite uses of Fillable Frames #2.  I love how it extends over the edge of the card and how she added a bit of a floral accent to the interior of the frame, allowing the sentiment to overlap it.  The flower there helps to break up all the white space and creates a visual triangle between the other Delightful Dahlias stamped in the background.  And don't you love the way she stamped the two Distressed Stripes at the bottom and adorned them with buttons?  Such a great concept!

Melissa Phillips shared this creative take on the new Springtime Doodles set.  Little snails and mushrooms couldn't be more perfectly suited for a baby card, especially when it has a Melissa Twist!  I love the small open circles she stamped around the snails and filled in with glitter.  Just that little bit of sparkle takes the project to a whole new level!

Michelle Wooderson used Springtime Doodles as well for this amazing tag application.  Not only are her colors fantastic, but the use of the Fillable Frames #1 stamp set & die as tags is such a smart idea!  IT would be so fun to have a stash of these little goodies on hand to tie to a gift or merely add to a card cover as a quick focal point.

Niki Estes literally took my breath away with this project she created using Year of Flowers: Daffodils. The soft earth tones she selected to color the flower in with are just perfect and all of the soft distressing she did around the edges of each layer bring a warmth & homeyness that just cannot be compared!  So wonderful!

While we're talking daffodils, I just had to showcase this second project from Erin Lincoln.  She created a whole bouquet of them, all wrapped up in pretty paper edged with Background Basics: Botanicals!  Notice the Fillable Frames #2 image & die used to frame out the sentiment.  I love how she paired it with two red buttons to fill the empty space at either end.  Just genius!

Kelly Purkey, our Distinguished Guest Designer for this month made this incredible layout with Springtime Doodles and the Outlines Alphabet.

Not only is the project overall fabulous, but her color scheme is out of this world too!  And what's not to love about that sweet little butterfly?  I just love how Kelly was really able to embrace the whimsy of this set and yet make it look so modern... and so Kelly!

I hope you enjoyed all of this eye candy as much as I have!  So many ideas, so little time, right?!?!?  I hope you all have a FABuLOUS Monday!  Be sure and do something creative!!! :)

Official Release Party Contest

I'm just thrilled to see so many of you her tonight!  Papertrey has a wonderful line-up of products this month, don't they?  Well here's your chance to win the whole package!  Simply answer the following question in the comments section of this post...

"What is your favorite flower and why?

Is there a memory attached to it?  Does it remind you of something?"

You have until 11:30pm EST to leave your answer here to be eligible to win...

The March "I Want It All" Package! (A $209 value!)

One winner will be randomly selected from the comments left on this post at 11:30pm EST, with the winner being announced here shortly before midnight.  Only one comment per person please.  Winner is responsible for contacting customer service to claim their prize.

Thank you for stopping by to play along and good luck!

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED!

 

Congratulations, Paula!  Please be sure to contact customer service to claim your prize!  And thanks to everyone else for playing!