May Release In Review!

 

Well, folks... the 15th of every moth brings a big ol' humdinger of a Papertrey Ink post :)

 

All of PTI's newest products will be released tonight {pick 'em up at Papertrey Ink} and the design team is offering up the last of our May projects.

 

 

Let's get the ball rolling with Tiny Triangles, shall we?

This was the first card I made this month so I thought I'd give it the lead here, too ;)

 

Those triangles... I just knew I could get a little quick and easy card done with them right out of the gate. A warm color scheme plus just a bit of Soft Stone in a little quirky layout and I was done. 

The split layer really makes this one for me... I was inspired by the straight sentiment from Pedal Pusher and wanted to add just a bit of emphasis to it.  Splitting the white layer over the Soft Stone layer and pointing all of the triangles toward the sentiment work to draw the eye right to the sentiment.

Tiny Triangles fits the bill for a set you can use over and over again in countless different ways.
Love :)


Next up... Boutique Borders: Baby...

I just love a unique baby card!

This one has stolen my heart just a bit... Brian and I papered Eli's nursery walls with maps {stole the idea straight out of Pottery Barn}. Old maps from the beadboard all the way up to the crown molding... I so loved it.  This Boutique Borders: Baby sentiment just seemed perfect for a little map card so I had a bit of a sentimental moment making this one :)

The map image is from the previously released Destination set.  I stamped it with Memento Tuxedo Black and then did some simple watercoloring over it. 

Really, the key with the watercoloring is adding different intensities of colors. I used a lighter blue and green over all of the water and land areas, then went in with darker blues and greens around the edges.  It just adds some depth and makes the colors pop a bit.



The previously released Bountiful Banners image was a perfect fit for the first part of the sentiment... I stamped the banner with Spring Rain, stamping it off once on scrap paper to get a super light blue for the banner, keeping the focus on the sentiment and map images.


And now... a little Red, White & Blue for you...

I thought this one was a fun little take on a patriotic card!  Adding the shot of Summer Sun in the firecracker gave it just a bit of a twist. 

The upper panel could easily pass as a birthday card... love those firecrackers paired with the fun sentiment!  Some simple masking allowed me to split the image into 3 different colors.  I added a few rhinestones for an extra sparkle.

I lined up three of the other Red, White and Blue sentiments along the side panel for a fun background kind of look... super easy because of the stacked design of the sentiments, but I love all the detail it adds...

And for another card with a color twist, here's Wonderful Words: Baby...

Hmmm... yes, I couldn't help it... had to repeat the Smokey Shadow card base from the Pedal Pusher post.  It just makes colors look so bright and fun!

This one is very simple and a bit removed from the more traditional baby color palettes... perfect for a mom who might appreciate something a bit more modern.

I stole the little bow from Polka Dot Parade #5... it's a perfect fit on the Wonderful Words die cut. 

A Double Ended Banner die cut is just right for the longer sentiment.  That sentiment is definitely a new favorite for baby cards!  I was going to add it to the inside of the card but it seemed like just the right way to ground the upper sentiments so I went with it. 


I went for a bit more traditional baby look with some other Polka Dot Parade #5 images.

That little carriage seemed to call for something sweet :)

I continued my current little love of Sweet Blush and paired it with some gold embossing for an elegant look.  Love that the carriage wheels and handle are separate from the main image... the gold wheels... be still my heart :)

I snuggled the carriage right next to some Thanks All Ways (previously released) sentiments.

 

 

And there we have it... May's release... all wrapped up with a bow :)



 

But not so fast... there's still *lots* of sweetness to be seen with the rest of the team!

Nichole Heady
Betsy Veldman

Maile Belles

Dawn McVey

Heather Nichols

Melissa Phillilps

Danielle Flanders

Cristina Kowalczyk
Erin Lincoln
Ashley Cannon Newell

Any favorites??
I'd love to hear what you think!


{You Can Do It} card

Supplies not available now but available 5/15: 

Stamps - Tiny Triangles
Supplies available now:
CS - White, Soft Stone
Ink - Soft Stone, Orange Zest, Summer Sunrise, Berry Sorbet, True Black

{Welcome to the World} card

Supplies not available now but available 5/15: 

Stamps - Boutique Borders: Baby
Supplies available now:
Stamps - Bountiful Banners
CS - White
Ink - Spring Rain, True Black; Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
PP - Pink Paisley
Die - Bountiful Banners
Other - watercolors, waterbrush

{Oh Snap} card

Supplies not available now but available 5/15: 

Stamps - Red, White & Blue
Supplies available now:
CS - White
Ink - Pure Poppy, Spring Rain, Summer Sun, True Black
Other - rhinestones

{Sweet Baby} card

Supplies not available now but available 5/15: 

Stamps - Wonderful Words: Baby
Die - Wonderful Words: Baby, Polka Dot Parade #5
Supplies available now:
CS - Smokey Shadow, Aqua Mist, New Leaf, Hibiscus Burst
Ink - Hibiscus Burst, VersaMark
Die - Double Ended Banner Die
 

{Thanks} card

Supplies not available now but available 5/15: 

Stamps - Polka Dot Parade #5
Die - Polka Dot Parade #5
Supplies available now:
CS - White
PP - Farmhouse Collection (Crate Paper)
Ink - Sweet Blush, VersaMark
Other - Filigree Gold Embossing Powder, Sweet Blush ribbon

Ruby Rose

 

Welcome back, folks!

 

The Papertrey Ink design team is coming together again today to share more all new products from the May release :)  {Don't forget... all of PTI's new products will be available beginning May 15th at Papertrey Ink.}

 

And today's feature?

Meet the all new floral set... Ruby Rose...



 

Pretty, isn't she?

A few posts back I mentioned my lack of expertise in the area of pastel colors.
To put it simply... they kinda scare me.

I'm not sure if it's just because I've become so comfortable with colors in the more saturated, bright range or what.

Anyhow... I ventured out on a pastel ledge a while back and enjoyed it, so I thought I'd revisit the ledge again :)  This little inspiration helped push me back out there...

{Etsy's Paper & Pip}

 

I love that the pastel pink is mixed with some stringer pinks and greens.  And that banner!

 

The Ruby Rose blooms and sentiment are a little bigger than the above design so I just stuck with the idea of the layout and the color palette.  I switched to a white card base because I didn't want to get too far out on my ledge ;)

 

The long notched die from the previously released Get a Handle On It die makes for a perfectly sized Ruby Rose banner.  A little masking on the sentiment made it easy to break into two sections.

I placed the banner and light pencil line around it, then removed it and stamped the flowers and leaves.  {Sweet Blush, Hibiscus Burst, and Simply Chartreuse gave me that mix of pastel plus more saturated colors.} The pencil line also made it easy to line up the second part of the sentiment and get that stamped correctly. 

I added a little curve to the banner for some movement.  The trick to the gentle curve here was in adhering the right side to the card, but wrapping the left side of the banner around to the back of the white panel and adhering it behind.

 

The white panel is adhered to a Sweet Blush card base so the banner is tucked away and hidden ;)

 

 

I'm happy with it!

I know it's not a daring color combination for most of you but it feels like something new for me.

 

And... I had the Hunger Games playing on my computer when I worked on this one, so I just could not keep myself from saying "Thank you EVER so much!" in the Hunger Games voice ;)

 

 

 

And now back to my regularly scheduled brighter colors...



It's funny... I know that it's not, but I think of this one as monotone because the flowers and sentiment are the same color.  Weird! 

I love that bright white embossing on top of a bright pattern... it's a simple way to make a big pop and really show off the images.

I had the top panel made and ready to go and added the Aqua Mist patterned paper and aqua enamel dots at the last minute.  It totally changed the color scheme and, in my mind, made it all come together.  I love a little jolt of unexpected.


Well, folks... there's *lots* more to be seen with Ruby Rose today... just stop on in with the rest of the team for more...
Nichole Heady
Betsy Veldman

Maile Belles

Dawn McVey

Heather Nichols

Melissa Phillilps

Danielle Flanders

Cristina Kowalczyk
Erin Lincoln
Ashley Cannon Newell

And there's one more big momma of a post tomorrow :)
See ya then!



{Ever So Much} card

Supplies not available now but available 5/15: 

Stamps - Ruby Rose
Supplies available now:
CS - White, Sweet Blush
Ink - Sweet Blush, Hibiscus Burst, Simply Chartreuse, True Black
Die - Get a Handle On It, Medium Scallop Border
Other - rhinestones

{Very Happy Birthday} card

Supplies not available now but available 5/15: 

Stamps - Ruby Rose
Supplies available now:
CS - Aqua Mist; orange (My Mind's Eye)
PP - Aqua Mist
Ink - VersaMark
Other - Filigree White embossing powder, enamel dots (MME)

Pedal Pusher



Hey, there, folks!
It's about that time...
Papertrey Ink's May release :)
{As with every PTI release, all of the brand new products will be available at Papertrey Ink on the 15th!}

Today the design team is featuring one of May's brand new sets... Pedal Pusher...

 



I gotta tell ya... this one got me.

Over the years, I've kind of gotten away from cards with lots of details... keeping things a bit more simple has made me happy.

And then Pedal Pusher came along...


 

And I just loved putting all the pieces together! 

Surprisingly for me (it's been well documented here what a slow poke of epic proportions I am when it comes to card making) this card came together very quickly.

I started by putting the fence together using the previously released Picket Fence die and Woodgrain background stamps.  Then I decided that it would be sweet if the bike was riding in the grass along the fence so I added the grass image from Hanging Out both behind and over the fence. 

The bike is actually 4 die cuts put together... the bike itself, the 2 wheels (attached with eyelets), and the flower/leaves image (adhered behind the basket).  I love that the bike die cut already has holes where the wheels attach... everything went together so easily. 

The flowers here are smart, too... two separate stamps for the flowers and leaves so that you can add 2 colors.  I also added some detail to the flower centers with a white gel pen... it breaks up the pink and adds a bit of depth.

I love how the sentiment (can I just add here... aren't the sentiments in this set beautiful?) snuggles right in behind the handlebars... that might be my favorite part!  A few clouds at the top fill out the white space and give the card a finished look. 

This one just tickles me! 


Because I went more detailed on my first Pedal Pusher card, I decided not to push my luck with the details again and keep the next project on the simple side...

 

My original intent for this card was the same layout on a white card base... a gray bike image with the same colorful butterflies.  But the more I considered it, the more I wondered if it might have more punch if I reversed it and went with a darker card base and lighter bike.

You guys would have been proud of me... I was debating but I just decided to decide, darn it, and get moving :)  And I'm happy with my choice!

I'm digging that the gray gives the traditional bike a bit of a modern twist.


And the butterflies coming out of the basket... well... good grief...

 

 

they make me happy :)

 

I love that you can do something different with the bike and basket image every time you use it... I've already got a few more ideas lined up for what might be sitting in (or coming out of!) the basket next time. 

 

And speaking of ideas... I can't wait to check out what the rest of the team has up their sleeves!

 

Nichole Heady
Betsy Veldman

Maile Belles

Dawn McVey

Heather Nichols

Melissa Phillilps

Danielle Flanders

Cristina Kowalczyk
Erin Lincoln
Ashley Cannon Newell

Thanks for stopping by, friends!

You're welcome to let me know what you think and even leave some ideas for what we can add to the Pedal Pusher basket, too!



{Best Routes} card

Supplies not available now but available 5/15: 

Stamps - Pedal Pusher
Die - Pedal Pusher
Supplies available now:
Stamps - Hanging Out
CS - White, Kraft
Ink - Dark Chocolate, Aqua Mist, Hibiscus Burst, Simply Chartreuse, Fresh Snow
Die - Picket Fence
Other -white gel pen, brown eyelets

{Beautiful Ride} card

Supplies not available now but available 5/15: 

Stamps - Pedal Pusher
Supplies available now:
CS - Smokey Shadow, Aqua Mist, Pure Poppy, Orange Zest, Simply Chartreuse
Ink - Fresh Snow, True Black
Other - Triple Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart)

Reverse Confetti Blog Hop!

 Hey, friends!

I'm back today celebrating Reverse Confetti's big opening release by joining in on the big blog hop! 

There are four new sets being debuted with this release and I was lucky enough to work with this one...

Such a sweet set.

I went bright with it for yesterday's post so I decided to go soft and sweet for today's project...

I even used pastels.
Which are pretty much unheard of on my work table.

My comfort lies in white space paired with saturated colors... pastels are just a whole different animal to me.

Buuuuut...
I've really been wanting to give the bokeh effect a whirl...
and those hearts seemed like they were just *made* for it...
and the pastels seemed to be calling to me for once...
so I decided to go for it. 

I added a few clear embossed hearts for some extra shine and depth plus a pink patterned paper panel on the left side to balance out the design.

I have to say... I think it's so sweet.
Those pastel hearts got me :)


Well, kids... there's a whole lotta Reverse Confetti projects to be seen in today's blog hop.
It started out at the Reverse Confetti blog and if you hopped along you may have arrived here via Amber Hight's blog.

Next up is Dawn Easton, so head on over to see more.

And don't forget to check out all the brand new Reverse Confetti goodness available *now* {like... right now!} over at the brand new Reverse Confetti store!


Thanks for stopping by today, folks.
Let me know what you think!



{I Like You} card
Stamps - I Like You (Reverse Confetti)
CS - White (PTI)
PP - Basic Grey
Ink - VersaMark (Tsukineko); Sweet Blush, Hibiscus Burst, Aqua Mist, Lavendar Moon (PTI)
Other - Filigree Clear embossing powder

Reverse Confetti

Stopping in with a little post for you today...

surprise :)

 

I'm sharing a special peek from Reverse Confetti...

a brand spankin' new stamp company from my friend (and neighbor! As in, my actual lives-in-my-neighborhood, neighbor ;), Jen del Muro.

 

Jen was sweet enough to hand deliver this little goodie to me...

 

Clearly, a sunny card was in order :)
{This is me... always a sucker for a sunny card, I know.}

I used the larger heart image as the focal point and embossed it in white on top of a misted panel.
The little dotted line makes for perfect sun rays, right?

A few enamel dots add a little depth and detail...

The sun panel is floating just above the sentiment.
Speaking of, I can never resist a dual colored sentiment...

Sunny cards make me happy.
Every. Darned. Time.

And, hey... you could get happy, too :)
Leave a comment here for a shot at winning a $25 gift certificate to Reverse Confetti.
Leave it quick, though... you have until 1pm EST today (May 7) to enter!

(Details... the winner will be a random draw from commenters on all the Reverse Confetti Crew blogs and sneak peek blogs for May 5-7. Only one comment per blog per day, please.)

The winner will be announced today!  Check out the Reverse Confetti blog after 5pm EST to see if it's you!

 

Heads up... I'll be back tomorrow to join in on the Reverse Confetti blog hop :)

Until then...

{Sunny Days} card
Stamps - I Like You (Reverse Confetti)
CS - White (SU)
Ink - Summer Sun, Orange Zest & Dark Chocolate (PTI)
Mist - Sun Sisters (Tattered Angels)
Other - Filigree White Embossing Powder, Enamel Dots (My Mind's Eye)

Papertrey Ink April Release in Review!

I love that sentiment :)

It is a good day to be happy ;)
The Papertrey Ink design team is wrapping up the April release by bringing you all the rest of our April projects.  {All of PTI's newest products will be available at Papertrey Ink beginning tonight.}

And to kick this happy day off, we're starting with Happiness in Bloom...

I can't resist a happy card so I kept this one bright and simple.  Hibiscus Burst and Orange Zest make for a fun flower combination.  I trimmed just a tad off the right side of the panel and let part of the black card base show for a bit of balance. 

This card is bittersweet to me.  I really like it, but I'm kind of haunted by the original idea I had for this set.  It was a bit of a complicated idea, involving all of my embossing powders, but it was going to be totally worth it.

And then this happened...

And that would be all 10 bottles of my Zing embossing powders.
All poured out and piled up in one giant pile (read: 0% salvageable).
Along with some Stickles for good measure.

Let me tell you... THAT was NOT a good day to be happy.

So... one day the Happiness in Bloom card that lives in my head will make it out.
And that day will apparently come after all of my embossing powders are replaced.


Moving on ;)

I kept the bright colors but kept it to some smaller elements for this one...

This is a little Wonderful Words: Memories and Sketched Shapes combo.  Those little Sketched Shapes elements... I'll warn you now... they are going to be getting a lot of use over here. 

The little triangle line was easy to ink up with a few different colors.  Just ink a few at a time, then wipe off any ink that got on the remaining ones.  Scoot the image down and ink the next part. 

For the upper panel I stamped the Wonderful Words: Memories images then added a white die cut to the top.  The ink makes for a fun little shadow effect. 

Love that sentiment... I thought it would be just perfect to hand off to a friend who's moving away.


Sketched Sentiments made another appearance with 7th Inning Stretch... do you see it?

 

I pulled out my Birch veneer paper again for the baseball bat die cut.  A little strip of silk ribbon wrapped along the end makes for a good grip on the bat.  I love details like that :)

The little chevron strip from Sketched Shapes fits right in, right?  Looks just like baseball stitching to me.


I have a bit of a different idea for you with Boutique Borders: Father...

 

I know cards for dads can be tough, but including a picture is almost always a hit.  Especially if you're going to be mailing your card off and including a picture or two in it, why not go ahead and add it to the front?  I adhered this one with some repositionable tape so it can be easily removed. 

One more tip... I went ahead and added a clear cardstock overlay to this card and stamped my image on that with StazOn Opaque ink.  That protects my photo from any mistakes that might happen while stamping... just a way to avoid some frustration ;)

Love the font Dawn used here!  You'll be able to use the sentiments in this set in a variety of card styles.


And finally... Polka Dot Parade #3...

 

What a cutie pie set!

I love how the sentiments work together.  Being able to have 3 sections of sentiments really worked well for the design of this one.

A little trimming with the kraft knife and I was able to alter the tv to put a picture in it.  This is a picture from a Martha Stewart Living magazine... I loved the colors and that the scale seemed just about perfect. 

An actual picture would be something fun to try, too.

I love that this one would be great to use for Father's Day, but would also work for lots of different occasions.  It would also work well for men or women.  I think it would be especially fun to personalize it with pictures of people they know or things they love to do or watch.

Well, folks, that wraps up another release!
Be sure to catch the rest of the DT and their April release projects...
Nichole Heady
Betsy Veldman

Maile Belles

Dawn McVey

Heather Nichols

Melissa Phillilps

Danielle Flanders - {FYI - Danielle's taking a break this month due to her big move!}

Cristina Kowalczyk
Erin Lincoln
Ashley Cannon Newell

Whew!
Let me know what you think!


{Happy} card

Supplies not available now but available 4/15: 

Stamps - Happiness in Bloom
Supplies available now:
CS - White, Black
Ink - True Black, Hibiscus Burst, Orange Zest, Summer Sunrise, Limeade Ice, Simply Chartreuse

{Relax} card

Supplies not available now but available 4/15: 

Stamps - Polka Dot Parade #3
Die - Polka Dot Parade #3, Sketched Shape
Supplies available now:
CS - Kraft, White
Paper - MME
Ink - Dark Chocolate, Aqua Mist
Other - small magazine photo

{Grand Slam!} card

Supplies not available now but available 4/15: 

Stamps - 7th Inning Stretch, Sketched Shapes
Die - 7th Inning Stretch
Supplies available now:
CS - White, Birch paper (Creative Imaginations)
PP - Soft Stone
Ink - Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy
Other - silk ribbon

{Memories} card

Supplies not available now but available 4/15: 

Stamps - Wonderful Words: Memories, Sketched Shapes
Die - Wonderful Words: Memories
Supplies available now:
CS - White
Ink - Aqua Mist, Orange Zest, Going Gray (SU)

{Happy Father's Day} card

Supplies not available now but available 4/15: 

Stamps - Boutique Borders: Father
Supplies available now:
CS - White
PP - Soft Stone
Ink - StazOn Opaque Cotton White
Other - silk ribbon