{capture the moment}

Love Songs Revisited

the first of the month is now one of the most fun days of the work cycle here at Papertrey Ink due to the fact that it's the day the Senior Design Team looks back on a previously released stamp set and combines it with new products that are available today.  

In preparation for upcoming Valentine's Day activities, parties and treats I thought we would take a look at Love Songs, designed by the talented Lisa Johnson.  This set is full of fun little images to mix and match, not to mention adorable sentiments that use a play on words from many popular love songs.

I thought I would ink up this set again and create a special valentine for David in an untraditional color scheme, since he's not really a pink and red kind of fella!  

I started with the large "love" letters that Lisa included in the set and decided to substitute the "o" for the new circle with heart cut-out die from the Love Lives Here die collection.  To get my placement just right, I placed all of the letters on the block together and used the die itself as a spacer.

Year of Flowers: Mums was stamped with Spring Moss ink behind the "Love" letters in Ripe Avocado.  The die-cut circle was cut from vintage bookprint and sponged around the edges with Spring Moss ink as well.

I die-cut the Double Ended Banners from Kraft cardstock and added one of my favorite sentiments from this set, "P.S. I Love You", using Ripe Avocado ink.  The small heart image is also from Love Songs and after it was added I finished it off with a green rhinestone.

Now, how about some additional projects from the rest of the team!

CLICK HERE to read more from Betsy Veldman.

CLICK HERE to read more from Dawn McVey.

CLICK HERE to read more from Heather Nichols.

CLICK HERE to read more from Lisa Johnson.

CLICK HERE to read more from Michelle Wooderson.

These gals are so talented and really provide so much inspiration when they create for these group posts!  And it is always so much fun to see them breath new life into a previously released set!  I hope you enjoyed today's projects and find yourself wandering into your stamping space today to get creative!

You can go HERE to see the project I created for the original countdown for Love Songs.

Lisa Johnson's original countdown posts can be found HERE using these adorable set all about love!

You can see the Design Teams' original gallery of creations HERE.

Debbie Olson recently posted an adorable card using Love Songs HERE.

P.S. I LOVE YOU CARD

• STAMPS: Love Songs, Year of Flowers: Mums
• INK: Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado
• PAPER: Vintage Cream, Kraft, Vintage newsprint from old book
• OTHER: Love Lives Here Die (circle with heart cut-out), Double Ended Banner Die, rhinestone (KaiserCraft), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), foam dimensionals
• FINISHED SIZE: 4.25" x 5.5"

December Blog Hop

I apologize for my silence here on the blog the last few weeks!  With the holidays and the last finishing touches being added to our new home, things have been insanely busy and I haven't had much time to spare!  I hope you all had a WONDERFUL, magic filed Christmas!

Today we are excited to present the BIG monthly Blog Hop that Papertrey Ink hosts for all of it's talented customers to show off their skills! 

The Blog Hop is now an ALL DAY EVENT!  A Mister Linky list is posted below and you can add your link anytime up until 11pm EST.  And don't worry if you aren't going to get a chance to make a project and play along, there is a contest for non-participants as well over in our forum in the designated thread. I hope that you all get a chance to participate in some way! I look forward to seeing all of your creativity!

All of our customers who enjoy sharing inspiration & artwork with their peers through their personal blogs.

 

 

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The actual Blog Hop will take place today, December 26th, beginning @ 10am EST. 

 

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You will explore individual blogs through this thread on my blog. 

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 A day dedicated to seeking inspiration through projects utilizing Papertrey Ink products. 

 

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It's that time again for our annual holiday leftovers challenge!  Use scraps of wrapping paper, parts of 
holiday cards, recycle gift tags or bits of ribbon on a paper crafting project.  We all have plenty of it 
laying around after all the holiday excitement and this is your chance to incorporate some of those pretty
little things into an amazing piece of art!

 
 -Participating bloggers can add their link to the appropriate list here anytime between 10am EST and 11pm EST today (December 26th) within the Mister Linky list that is posted. The title of your post should be "Papertrey December Blog Hop Challenge".

-Customers & participants alike can peruse all of the links and absorb all of the amazing inspiration that will be shared!

-After you have made your way through the list, simply return to our forum and participate in all of the fun!

-You can chit chat with everyone in the Blog Hop forum! Take this time to praise your peers efforts, discuss anything new you might have learned and which projects really offered something unique!

-The three random blogger participant winners will be announced tomorrow morning on our forum and highlighted here on my blog!

-You can enter our Blog Hop Forum contest. There is a special thread posted in our forum specifically for this purpose asking a question. Please only post once, as the winner will be picked via the Random Number Generator. The forum contest will end at midnight EST and the winner announced in the morning within the thread.

-Create a project while you are here, using the new inspiration you have gathered from the Blog Hop. You can post your projects in the gallery, even if you do not have a blog! We are looking forward to all the fun today and we are so glad to see you here!!!

EDITED TO ADD WINNERS:

Lee Anne used this fun little gift tag from her aunt as the centerpiece of her project.  I love how she was able to add just a few finishing details to complement the tag and create a whole new project!  And the way she added the Banner Border to hold the sentiment to break up the "squareness" of the card was just the perfect touch!

Jean Martin was able to reuse some beautiful white ribbon she received on a gift from a dear friend to create this stunning birthday card.  The soft color scheme of the overall project allows the ribbon to remain bold, even though it is a neutral white.  And adored the details she added to the center of the butterflies!

Amy Liz Schultz recycled some green ribbon from a special gift that her husband gave her.  The way she looped the thin ribbon at the top ad allowed the tails to hang loose below was such a wonderful way to let a small-scaled embellishment really take center stage and create some drama!

Congratulations to all three of the randomly selected winners!  Be sure to contact customer service with your selected free stamp set as well as your shipping information!  Thank you to everyone who played along!  All of us at Papertrey Ink hope that you had a wonderful Christmas that was filled with family, friends and many blessings!  Happy New Year to all!

 

The morning after...

As tradition holds, I have enjoyed a nice cozy morning with a hot cup of tea perusing the team's projects using the latest sets.  I thought I would pop in this morning and share some of my very favorites with you!

Betsy Veldman made this amazing Year of Flowers: Poinsettias project.  I loved the background she was able to create paired with the blanket stitching around the perimeter.  The special postmark cancellation image (from 2010 Holiday Tags) was the perfect finishing touch!

Dawn McVey created this happy little card using Little Bitty Bird.  (This set will be available for purchase soon!  You can read more about the delay HERE.)  I loved the way she created the multi-colored background with the border stamp!  Such a festive color scheme!

Debbie Olson showcased Make a Wish & Additions is this amazing card.  Her color scheme is right on and I love the way she was able to "nest" the gift in the blank space next to the large loop of the "b".  Her use of Fillable Frames #11 here is fabulous as well!

Erin Lincoln made this beautiful card by pairing up Love Birds and Banner Builder.  I love the little heart-shaped banners and the way she layered the two sizes of bird cages.  So fun!

Heather Nichols created this dramatic Year of Flowers: Poinsettias card.  The layering and coloring alone are enough to steal the show, but the supporting role the Background Basics: Sheet Music strip plays is in perfect balance!

Jessica Witty showcased Little Bitty Bird paired up with Background Basics: Sheet Music.  I love how she used a contrasting patterned paper for just the wing of the bird and you just can't beat the way she made the music flow from the bird's beak.  Truly genius!

Lisa Johnson made Background Basics: Sheet Music appear to be a birthday tune on this project that showcases Make a Wish & Additions.  I love the way she layered the gifts up the side of the project.  It looks so festive!  The sentiment framed with Fillable Frames #11 is the perfect complement as well!

Maile Belles created this amazing clean & simple card with Love Birds.  I love the birdcages stamped to cover the entire card front along with the drama of the single birdcage in a contrasting color.  So appropriate for the sentiment!

Melissa Phillips showcased Love Lives Here with this special heartfelt project.  The little house paired with the small clump of grass and flower from the set work together to build the most adorable little scene.  And who wouldn't love such a wonderful sentiment?

Michelle Wooderson made the house from Love Lives Here into a little bird house paired up with the bird from Little Bitty Bird.  I love how the two go together so well here.  The separate words in the sentiment cut out like this is also such a fun touch.

Niki Estes created this fun little treat wrap using elements from 2010 Love Tags paired up with the new Favor It Box 3 die.  This little tag is so sweet and would be perfect for other occasions just by swapping out the sentiment!

I hope you enjoyed all of this creative goodness from the team!  Harness some of these ideas and go stamp something beautiful today!  :)

Official December Release Party Contest

I am absolutely smitten with all of this month's new releases and I can tell by the excitement that some of you have shared with me that you are too!  A big thank you to each and every one of you who have joined us tonight during release festivities!  

To celebrate the upcoming holiday season and our amazing December release line-up we are giving away a fabulous prize package tonight!  Practically the entire December release,which has over a $165 value!!!  All you need to do to have your chance to win is post an answer to the following question in the comments section below.

Congratulations, Dee!  Please be sure to contact customer service with your shipping information!  Thank you to everyone for stopping by and have a great night!

 

Tonight is the Night!

The night we have all been waiting for is finally here!  Can't you just feel the anticipation in the air!  Now is your chance to be one of the FIRST to get to play with all of the amazing paper crafting goodness that we are offering up this month!!!  I wanted to let you know a few things about tonight so you can know what to expect!

The release party begins at 10pm EST on our forum.
Be sure to stop by our forum and enjoy the camaraderie and chit chat about all of our new products.  It's fast-moving and a super duper way to pass the time until you can begin filling your cart.

You can't have a party without a contest.
Tonight we will feature a contest, HERE ON THE BLOG.  There is a post that will go live @ 10:30pm EST entitled "OFFICIAL Release Party Contest" with a question for you to answer.  Share your answer with us and you will be eligible to win:

Our "I Want It All" package
this includes almost the entire December Release!

The contest will close at 11:30pm EST and the winner will be chosen via the Random Number Generator.  I will announce the lucky winner here before midnight!

Stamp Set Reveal @ 11pm EST

At 11pm EST I will reveal all of the stamp sets in their entirety here, on the blog.  This way you can have a little time to look at everything and make informed decisions about your purchases.

Release Ordering 101

I have added a new page of information that will tell you all about the details of ordering during the release, procedures & policies you should be aware of and more.  Whether your new here or a regular, I think you will all find this information helpful.  You can find this information HERE.

December Quick Picks/Collections!

For those of you who want it all with just one click!  You can see the full list of quick picks as well as all of the other new merchandise that will be available tonight, HERE!

December in a Nutshell!

You can always see a linked review list for each release on my Previous Countdown page, HERE.  But I have also added the list below, so it's easy to navigate while you are making your shopping decisions tonight.

DAY 1: Make a Wish & Make a Wish Additions

DAY 2: Fillable Frames #11 & Little Bitty Bird

(Little Bitty Bird is not available for purchase tonight, please see details below)

DAY 3: Mat Stack 2 Collection & Year of Flowers: Poinsettias

DAY 4: Love Lives Here

DAY 5: Love Birds & Background Basics: Sheet Music and 2010 Love Tags

And one last thing...

This week a small grammar error in a sentiment contained in Little Bitty Bird was brought to our attention.  The word "Everyday" was used at the beginning of a phrase when it shouldn't have been. This is an issue that slid through the system as an honest oversight. There should be a space between the two, reading "Every day...". Because of this error we will be delaying the sale of the set and taking the time to replace the sentiment with the correct version.We anticipate that it will be about 2-3 weeks. We will definitely keep you updated with the status because we know how anxious many of you are to purchase this adorable set of images.

Thank you so much for visiting throughout the week and we look forward to seeing you tonight!