{capture the moment}

Celebrating the Past, Present and Future: 2007

I thought it would be fun to "set the stage" with each of the posts in this blog series with a few fun facts about the year we are traveling back to. 

Billboard's #1 song for 2007 was Beyonce's "Irreplaceable".

The Final Harry Potter book is published Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The Apple Computer Company announces the release of the very first iPhone during January of 2007. Apple’s first iPhone was exclusively available through AT&T at first and thousands of people lined up outside of stores in anticipation of its release later that year. It was originally sold for $599.00 and within less than 3 months of its release, more than 1 million units were sold. 

And Helen Mirren received Best Actress Leading Role for her part in The Queen!

Our first year is business was obviously an exciting milestone full of many first. February marked the very first "countdown" on my blog, which at the time was a unique way to showcase projects leading up to the official release of new product. Our business model was unique, with a decision to release one stamp set a month. February through June of 2007 we did just that, with a little experiment snuck in for an extra release on April 1st.

At the time I was also one of the only product designers, just learning the graphic design programs to make it happen. November marked the start of a few other product designers joining the ranks, including Melissa Bickford and Candice Agulair.

Our most popular product for that year was Holiday Treats, which featured a collection of stamps sized to fit the address labels everyone was wrapping around Hershey's Nuggets and tucking inside of windowed nugget tins.

Looking back through our offerings that year, I am proud to say that many of the designs are just as useful now as they were then. Living up to the test of time and our motto: simple style and endless possibilities. Let's see if you agree! Here are a few favorites that the designers have decided to revisit.

Beautiful Blooms is a fabulous 27-piece set is full of limitless layering & building possibilities. Featuring several different shapes of flowers, each having coordinating solid & outline images. Fun polka-dot & gingham centers can be used with several different blooms. A trendy font was used for the six sentiments in the set, with a space left to dot the i's with a special miniature floral image. These are flower basics that you will return to over and over!

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Dawn McVey.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Heather Nichols.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Heather Nichols.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from me.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Taylor VanBruggen.

Stephanie says, “I completely adore all of the outline and dotted accents Beautiful Blooms offers. Those seemingly small additions create such a whimsical vibe on a floral set. :)”

CLICK HERE to see more from Stephanie Gold.

Green Thumb contains all the basics for spring in a fun 2-step format. Various sizes of flower images along with stems in four heights make it easy to become a floral designer. You’ll be creating your own custom arrangements in no time! The signature polka-dot boot has separate toe and “loop” stamps to give you the ability to add a second color with ease. Give your projects the perfect finishing touch with one of the seven fun sentiments included in the set.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from me.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Erin Lincoln.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from customer, Kelly S. (Gingham Girl)

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Heather Nichols.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from customer, Kim Singdahlsen.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Heather Nichols.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Heather Nichols.

Heather says, “I think for many stampers floral sets are a favorite. For me, if you add in a few gardening elements then it moves that set up on the list of favorites - and that is exactly what the Green Thumb set is!”

CLICK HERE to see more from Heather Nichols.

Out to Sea is a beautifully illustrated nautical themed set is the perfect collection of images for ocean-lovers and those that are constantly in search of unique masculine themed images. The carefully chosen sentiments pair wonderfully with the images, making this a set that can be used time and again for many different occasions.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Betsy Veldman.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Dawn McVey.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Debbie Olson.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Maile Belles.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from me.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from me.

Wanda says, “This set is special to me because I love everything relating to the ocean. Nautical motifs are one of my favorite crafting themes because of the ocean and because of my faith. My husband and I were married right on the ocean and I have such fond memories.”

CLICK HERE to see more from Wanda Guess.

You will love the layering possibilities with Spiral Bouquet, a unique floral set. Use the linear also use the shadow stamps individually, allowing for a total of three different images alone or in conjunction with the coordinating shadow stamps. You can looks with just one set! There are also several different spirals and garnishes that can be added to either the flowers or leaves, making customization a snap. To finish your beautiful creations, there are six sentiment combinations created in a complementary script. Featuring a total of 26 images, you will find limitless possibilities and stamping fun with this all-inclusive set!

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Betsy Veldman.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from customer, Helen F.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from me.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from me.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Heather Nichols.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from customer, Kate W.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from customer, KCrawford.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Dawn McVey.

Dawn says, “I was so looking forward to pulling Spiral Bouquet out and playing with it again.  The flowers are so unique and when this set came out the first time, there were a lot of techniques I'd never explored that can totally be applied to this set today!  I hope you'll pop over to see how I gave it a watercolor twist!”

CLICK HERE to see more from Dawn McVey.

Text Boxed is a fun take on reverse images. Each “box” element includes 2 or three coordinating images that can be layered within the “boxed” image or utilized to make patterned paper. A separate frame stamp can be added to outline any of the boxed images. The words were designed to fit at the bottom of the boxes, but have such a simple style they could be utilized for a multitude of projects. This set includes a total of 31 images.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Betsy Veldman.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Debbie Olson.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Heather Nichols.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Lexi Daly.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from Lizzie Jones.

CLICK HERE to see more of this project from me.

Laurie says, “To me, Text Boxed is as classic Papertrey Ink as you can get!  I still remember the month it was released, and how impressed I was with the incredible versatility of it.  Little has changed today!  Reverse images are always in style, and the clean and classy fonts make this a set that will never go out of style!”

CLICK HERE to see more from Laurie Schmidlin.

Now it's time for the future of these sets, which is all up to YOU!

-Do you already own any of the five sets that were highlighted today? Time to dust it off and make an all new project using it!

-Don't own any of today's showcased sets? Draw inspiration from any of the projects highlighted in todays' post and adapt a Papertrey set that you already own.

-Share your new project with us in the Inlinkz list below and you will have a chance to win a $25 gift certificate! Only one project entry per person please.

-For an alternate/additional way to win, leave us a comment letting us know what your favorite 2007 Papertrey stamp set is and why. It can be one of the sets shown today, or you can check out the "Stamps by Release" section of our store HERE. We will randomly select a winner from the comments for an additional $25 gift certificate. 

-You have until 7am ET, February 21st to add your project and/or comment. Winners will be selected that morning and posted on a special "Celebrating the Past, Present & Future: Winners" post the next morning, 7am ET, February 22nd. We can't wait to see your projects!

An InLinkz Link-up

Celebrating the Past, Present and Future: Welcoming the Team

So, is everyone ready to get this party started? We certainly are! 

One of the most important parts of our company and its success is our design team and the talented women it contains. They are each selected because of their unique abilities and the different ways they can showcase products. This year we are making some big changes and building an even bigger team of people to bring you MORE content throughout the month, rather than just concentrated within a standard release week. With that being said, there are a few team members that you have come to love that are not necessarily listed below as part of our "core" team, but they will be continuing with us in new, exciting roles that will be announced later on in this blog series. SO don't panic!

Today I want to focus on the core group of women that will be sharing projects with you each release. There are many new faces which will quickly be counted among your favorite contributors. And of course we have our tried and true ladies, who you have already loved as part of the Papertrey family! Without a doubt, this year's team will truly be one of the best in the business. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work with them and share their incredible talents with you each month.

I have asked each of the ladies to share their favorite project from the last ten years, so you would have a little eye candy today! I loved seeing what each of them selected! It's like a trip down memory lane. I hope you enjoy taking a look at them as much as I did.

Without further ado, here is the 2017 Design Team!

Betsy Veldman   has been with us for several years and it has ben amazing to watch her grow. Back in the day when she just created cards, I knew she possessed something magical and urged her to dip her toe in product design. She has taken the entire industry by storm with her innovative kits and continues to wow us with her paper crafting projects. Betsy works pure magic with products and always does an amazing job coming up with creative, out of the box ways to showcase them. I am so excited to have her continuing on the team, and to see what she has up her sleeve for this year! 

 

 

Dawn McVey is joining us for another season, which is an amazing blessing with the health struggles she has had the last few years. Releases wouldn't be the same without her bright pops of color, her seemingly effortless layering and of course her creative color combinations overall. Not only is Dawn an amazing contributor with her projects, she also has a way with stamp design. Most well known for her clever and thoughtful sentiments, as well as her floral set, we are looking forward to more of both from her in the coming year. Dawn's sunny disposition lights up the entire team behind the scenes and we are so glad to have her join us for another year.

 

 

Heather Nichols wins the prize for longevity! She was a member of our original design team that began ten years ago! How do you even begin to express gratitude for someone so dedicated! Heather has been another member of the team that has been a treat to see her growth as a designer over the last ten years. Although, even with all of that growth, she still stays true to her love of KRAFT!!! Heather has a unique style that is all her own, it's simple at it's core, with a touch of rustic flair. You can always recognize a Heather Nichols project or product instantly! One of the things I admire about Heather is the way she is always looking to broaden her horizons with classes and additional learning, experimentation.

 

 

Keeway Tsao is new to the team this year, and we couldn't be more thrilled! If you are unfamiliar with her work, you are in for a real treat! Her style is truly effortless and she definitely has a signature look that will leave you feeling inspired. I most appreciate her coloring skills, she is a magician with markers for sure. You will find lots of white in her designs, which gives her colorful creations a crisp backdrop that totally makes them pop. I am so looking forward to her contributions to the team this year and think all of our customers will look forward to each and every on of her posts!

 

 

 

Laurie Schmidlin joined us for the last few months as an interim member, but we are pleased to have her on board as a permanent part of the team! Our customers have already let us know load and clear that they have loved seeing her work the past few months. Laurie has an incredibly elaborate style that I envy greatly. She has a keen eye, right down to the last detail. I have loved seeing the color combinations she has put together and can really appreciate the effort she puts into making each creation unique and inspiring.

 

 

 

Lizzie Jones will also be joining us for another amazing year! Her clean and simple style has earned her hundreds of loyal followers, myself included! Not only does she bless all of us with her inspired paper crafts, she is a phenomenal product designer. She also has a special talent for stitching with felt and has shared some amazing projects in that area over the years! One of the things I love most about Lizzie is her sense of humor. There have been so many times that she has made us laugh behind the scenes and she is a true joy to have around! So thankful we get to see more from her in the coming year!

 

 

Michelle Leone is a designer I have always admired, especially with her regular contributions to our monthly Blog Hop. I cannot even begin to express how excited I was when she accepted our invitation to join the team. Her thoughtful, clean and simple style is so inspiring. She has a way of adding just that special touch, a unique finishing detail that brings her projects to a whole new level. I'm so thrilled that she will be working with us in this capacity, and I know all of our customers will love getting to know her better too!

 

 

Melissa Phillips is back and better than ever for another year on our team! Her signature style is recognized throughout the industry as hers alone, and it is a huge honor whenever she works with any of our products. She has perfected the shabby chic look to perfection and can use pink in ways you could never imagine! One thing you may not know about Melissa is that she is AMAZING with throwing our one-liners that will make you laugh out loud. I can't count the number of times behind the scenes that she has made us all smile. What a treat it is for all of us to get to work with her again, and even more of a treat for you, the customers, who get to be inspired by her artistry every month!

 

 

Stephanie Gold is known for her submission to our recent Star Search video contest, and now she will be a regular contributor here on the team! She wins the award for being most enthusiastic after receiving an invitation to join the team! That enthusiasm paired with her talent and creativity will quickly make her a strong member of our team. One of the things I love most about Stephanie's creations is the unique pairings she comes up with. Something shabby-chic, paired with something modern, bringing opposites together and making them look like they were meant to be. That takes a special eye, and Stephanie certainly has it! It's going to be a great year with her on the team!

 

 

Wanda Guess is another new member of the team, but surely not a stranger within the paper crafting community. Wanda is one of those designers that just has it all. She is able to execute several different kinds of styles and really excels at showing off the versatility of a product. She has a special talent for putting patterns and colors together, which I have always admired. I can already tell that Wanda is a hard worker who always puts her all into everything she does. To have her on the team is such a huge honor and I know her creations will always inspire me as well as all of you this coming year!

 

So there you have our main Design Team for 2017! I have a feeling that it is going to be an incredible year, and YOU, the customer will get to reap all of the benefits!

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

Now that the team has shared their favorite projects, we want to see YOURS!

Go through your photos or your actual projects and select the one Papertrey project that you are most proud of. Share it with us in the Inlinkz list below and you will have a chance to win a $25 gift certificate! Only one project entry per person please.

For an alternate/additional way to win, leave us a comment about what your favorite Papertrey product is from the last ten years. We will also randomly select a winner from the comments for an additional $25 gift certificate.

You have until 7am ET, February 21st to add your photo and/or comment. Winners will be selected that morning and posted on a special "Celebrating the Past, Present & Future: Winners" post the next morning, 7am ET, February 22nd. We can't wait to see your projects!

An InLinkz Link-up