Spring Fling

Welcome back, friends!

We're celebrating Papertrey Ink's 6th Anniversary and today's contest is the Bunny Hunt! Your Bunny Hunt pic is above.  For all the details on how you can join the Bunny Hunt and have a shot at a $60 PTI gift certificate, just visit Nichole's blog.

For today's post, the design team has been tasked with featuring several fun new items and first up? The new Favor It Box #9 die collection and Polka Dot Parade #1...

 

 

I'll tell you straight up... these two items are just perfect for each other :)

The basket full of grass with the bunny peeking up over... love it.

I took a few pics along the way to help show you how to assemble the basket.  You'll find a complete how-to over with Nichole, so I'm just going to give you a few tips that helped me out...

Here's the very bottom of the basket, along with the insert that sits right on top of it.  To make all of those sides super easy to fold up, I just went around the edge of the insert with my embossing stylus.

Next up... making this little basket a little closer to waterproof ;)

At this point, I'd already stamped the side pieces (with Background Basics: Woodgrain) and added them to the bottom.  To tackle that, I started by added a line of thin score tape around the inside of the basket (near the top). 

And then I added the super secret weapon...

Saran Wrap.
Yup.
Sounds weird, but hey? Why make it more complicated than it needs to be?

One note... be smarter than me and go ahead and add those cute brads to the sides before you put the Saran Wrap on.  Yeah, not my finest moment ;)

My grass (quick growing grass, or winter rye, with simple potting soil) was grown in some simple plastic cups and then transferred to the basket.  This grass takes almost no time and pretty much zero effort to grow.  Super cheap, super easy.

But now... I feel I should confess something to you.
Because I poached that grass straight off of my kiddos' Sunday School projects.
Yes, I did.
Special thanks to our church for providing the inspiration for today's project, haha!
Fortunately, the kiddos like what I've done... whew.
There were some excited "Hey, look what Mom did to your grass!"
"No, that's your grass!"
"NO!  That's YOUR grass!"
Typical, right?
Well... this mama's no fool... just to be clear, I took some grass from *each* of their containers.
:)

I also gave the grass a bit of a hair cut to make it all nice and even.

Once the grass was all nice and happy in the basket, I added the little bunny. 
I have to say... I think he's kind of adorable.

Just a little white embossing on the kraft die cut, but the tail... the tail makes it, right?
I just pulled off a piece of cotton ball, rolled it up, and used some glue dots to stick it on. A simple craft stick attached with a few more glue dots makes for a great little "stake" for him.

A few little flower pins add a sweet touch.

To finish everything off, I added a little Easter banner to the front.  The sweet sentiment and flowers are also from Polka Dot Parade #1.  They fit just right on the (formerly released) In Stitches banner.

So happy with that little project... simple, but still sweet.  It makes for a whimsical little gift with lots of fun details.


And speaking of simple...

I had no idea how much I would love Maile's new Mini Blooms set until I started playing around with it.  This is the first card I made, but I've already got two more Mini Blooms cards waiting in the wings ;) . 

I was originally considering posting it on the watercolor challenge day because the key here is water.
The flowers and leaves are all one connected in one image so I went ahead and colored them in with some water based markers. 

Sometimes when coloring directly on a stamp the ink can dry up before you get to stamp the image down.  Huffing on the stamp will sometimes do the trick or reviving the ink, but I like to give the image a very fine spray of water.  It adds just enough watercolor texture to give it a unique look while keeping a clear image...

And that sentiment?
Definitely up in my top 3 PTI sentiments of all time. 
The fonts in this set... LOVE.
So unique and very new for PTI.
You'll see another one right here on one of tomorrow's projects, too :)

But before then, it's time to check out what the rest of the design team has for you today...
Nichole Heady
Betsy Veldman

Maile Belles

Dawn McVey

Heather Nichols

Melissa Phillilps

Danielle Flanders

Cristina Kowalczyk
Erin Lincoln
Ashley Cannon Newell

Later, friends!



{Happy Easter} basket

Supplies not available now but available 2/15: 

Stamps - Polka Dot Parade #1
Die - Favor It #9, Polka Dot Parade #1
Supplies available now:
CS - Kraft, White
Ink - Aqua Mist, Hibiscus Burst, Raspberry Fizz, Fresh Snow
Stamps - Background Basics: Woodgrain
Die - In Stitches
Other - Filigree White embossing powder, Hibiscus Burst ribbon, brads & flower pins (Making Memories), craft stick, cotton ball

{With Love} card

Supplies not available now but available 2/15: 

Stamps - Mini Blooms
Supplies available now:
CS - White
Ink - True Black, Markers (SU)