A Blog Called Wanda

Papertrey Ink Throwback Thursday featuring Instant Photo Pull Out Dies - Coffee Gift Card!

Greetings! Hope you're having a great week! Make sure to enter the prize drawing from my last post! Entries end tomorrow night! I'm so loving hearing all of your planning ideas!! Today I'm here to feature Throwback Thursday for Papertrey Ink! It's when we look back at an older stamp set or die and come up with some fresh and fab ideas! I LOVE doing Throwback Thursdays! I always end up using some supplies that have been on the shelf too long and always have a good time! Today we are featuring the Instant Photo Pull Out Dies! Be sure to CLICK over to the official PTI blog for even more ideas today!

My project for today is a gift card holder for a Starbucks card! The photo pull out dies are the perfect size for giving gift cards! I really love to give out coffee cards as thank you's or birthday, or just because gifts. I have a collection of Starbucks cards so I can always go in my stash and pull out the perfect one for the recipient. Today I chose this pretty card with a coffee shop scene on it. I matched the colors of papers and inks to the gift card so it looks nice all together.  

 

I decorated the front of the gift card holder with coffee cups, hearts and pretty sentiments that all work well together (Supply list at the bottom of my post). This die set is two pieces. One piece folds together to make the 'holder' with the square cut out of it. The other piece slides perfectly inside of it. I lined up the gift card to show through the window. I attached the gift card to the paper with temporary adhesive so it's easy to remove and use. 

 

Here is the part that slides out! I used pretty PTI ribbon, a little heart, and some staples from my Tiny Attacher to put on a pull tab. The colors all work back to the gift card. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PTI always thinks of the best details for everything! This is the back of the holder portion of the die - and it's finished with the sweetest scalloped edge. I glued the holder together using quick dry glue so it would hold up to the weight of the gift card inside. SO easy to make a bunch of these! Great teacher gifts, or co-worker gifts! Perfect for any occasion. 

Thank you for stopping by today! I really loved sharing this project with you! Hope I've given you some inspiration today! XOXO
 

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Taylored Expressions Clearly Planned - Planner Stamping!

7/30/17 EDITED: MY LUCKY PRIZE WINNER IS CHRIS L! SHE HAS BEEN NOTIFIED! THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS EVERYONE! 

Hey everyone! Happy Monday! How was your weekend? We had a very quiet weekend and it was nice. I went to meet some fellow awesome girl bloggers for coffee and work on Sunday morning. What a treat! We all brought our laptops and worked and gabbed. Much more fun to work with friends (and coffee!)

Today I'm sharing something fun and cheerful - planner stamping! You know that I've been bitten by the planner bug, and stamping in my planner? Perfect! I'm doing a spotlight feature post on the super cute Clearly Planned line of stamps from our friends at Taylored Expressions! They have loads of stamp sets that are sized just right for your planner pages. OMG I was smiling the entire time I was stamping these! CLICK HERE to see a little Instagram video of all the sets I worked with! 

AND....I have a giveaway today - so you can try some too! Details at the bottom of my post. Yay!

I ended up completing a week in my Erin Condren planner using several of the stamp sets. I made some cute little clips, too... Oh, and a card! I literally could not stop myself! I am definitely going to be doing more of this. I was really inspired by the gals at the planner meet up I went to a few weeks ago. I have goals now! Ha! 

 

I used the adorable little cats several times on my pages. I colored them all to look like my sweet Buddy - of course! Some of them peek out from the lines of the planner page and some are stand alone like the little tipsy kitty on happy hour day! I used some washi tapes together to add some more color. I don't tend to stamp or decorate too much, because I write big, and I want to make sure to leave space for my appointments etc. 

 

This is my planner open before I started stamping! Looks so sad, right? 

 

OH MY GOODNESS! Little orange kitty with a heart for date night? Adorable! And a tiny pizza slice and wine. Yeah, way too much fun! For the most part I stamped on paper and colored first, then cut the images out and put them in my planner. For some of the images, I stamped directly onto the planner page. I colored everything with Copic Markers and they bleed through the paper - that is the main reason for doing it that way. I don't really mind a bit of that, but for some of the bigger images I didn't want all the color on the other side. 

 

I think this is my favorite one! For Monday, of course! Rise and grind! 

 

SOOOO cute! And, that's actually how I look after a couple of martinis! LOL.

 

I had the idea to make a few cute clips for my planner too! These are so fun and easy! I used the regular large size paper clips. I stamped and cut out two of each image and attached them back to back with foam tape and hot glued them onto the paper clip. They look fun popping out the top of my planner. I definitely want to make more of these!

 

 

 

This is what the clips look like - fun!

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't end up using this set in my planner but I REALLY wanted to color these cuties! So I made a quick, clean and simple card! I love that hipster pineapple guy! I think the coconut lady is his girlfriend! I layered some beautiful ombre stripes paper over an A2 card base and die cut a window for the cute couple. So easy. My Copic Marker colors are below in the supplies. I added just a bit of Clear Wink of Stella pen to them too. 

 

 

 

 

 

People often ask me what kind of planner I use. I have an Erin Condren planner and have used this brand and type for 4 years now. Every year I customize the cover with my favorite Instagram pictures from the year before and it makes me happy to see the pictures every time! 

 

And here is my planning assistant, asleep on the job! LOL. He's tired from planning to take a nap! 

 

PRIZE ALERT PRIZE ALERT PRIZE ALERT!

Many thanks to Taylor for providing some awesome supplies for a giveaway! Two stamp sets, a note pad and enamel dots! Nice! To enter, please leave a comment and tell me how you do your planning! Are you a 'to do' list person? Do you have a planning system? I'd love to hear! I will draw one random winner from all the comments. You have until Friday the 28th at 9pm EST. I'll draw the winner on Saturday the 29th and email the lucky person! Good Luck!

Thank you so much for coming by today! I hope you have a wonderful week! Be sure to enter the drawing. Until next time...XOXO

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Papertrey Ink July 2017 Release Week: Introducing Mountain Majesty and Year Of Psalms July!

Hi there! Thanks for joining me all week as I've been introducing and sharing brand new projects and products from the July Papertrey Ink new release! It has been a whirlwind of creativity and sharing and I've loved it! I hope you've been inspired all week and hope that your creativity is flowing and that you are having fun in your studio too! I wish I could peek into your craft spaces and see what all of you are making too!! Happy Thursday, or as I like to say, Happy Friday Eve!

All of the new products for the July release are available now in the PTI Store. Today I'm featuring two new sets, Mountain Majesty and Year Of Psalms July. I've also added some other new products in with my cards to show you some other new items. 

First up is the card I made with the Mountain Majesty stamps and matching dies. Man, this is such a unique and cool stamp set! A gorgeous three layer stamped mountain range! Wowza! I'm not sure why, but the first thing I thought of was a postcard! The idea just popped in my head! So I set about trying to figure out how to make a mountain postcard...and this is what I came up with. A sweet 'missing you' card! 

 

I started with a white A2 card base and then layered soft grey paper and then red striped paper and set that aside. I wrapped twine around these bottom layers before attaching them to my card. For the postcard I used the new dies - Mix and Mat Postal and die cut the postcard shape. I stamped the Celestial Sky background on the top of the postcard and then stamped the sentiment. Next I stamped two mountain ranges in shades of grey and blue. I die cut them out first. then, I ran them back through the postcard die to get the correct shape on the edges. Next I attached them to the card, offset and layered! I hope this makes sense!

 

Here's a close up of the mountain ranges! 

 

 

 

Next up is a clean and simple card design that features the newest addition to the Year Of Psalms stamp collection. I stamped the Psalm onto a crisp white piece of paper. My card base was layered with kraft paper. I used some purple patterned paper from my stash and die cut an oval into it to fit over the words. I layered the purple layer with foam tape on top of the white paper. 

 

To add decorations to the card, I used the lavender image from the Stemmed Statements stamp set (also new this month). I stamped two and die cut them out. I colored them with Copic Markers. Before I added them to the card I wrapped some natural twine around the stems. 

 

 

 

 

What a crazy fun week! Thank you for hanging out with me all week and thank you for all the love and support and comments! What was your favorite thing from this new release?  CLICK HERE to see all the new stamps and dies from this week. I hope you have a great day, and a great weekend coming up! XOXO

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More Papertrey Ink July 2017 Release: Introducing Fruit Salad!

Hi again! Or should I say ALOHA! Because today I'm sharing fun tropical treats! You have probably already long ago figured out that I love anything tropical and fruity for crafting and creating! When I saw these new PTI dies in my mailbox I squealed with delight! I'm here today introducing the new Fruit Salad dies and stamps from Papertrey Ink as part of my July release week project countdown! Hurray! Everything new for the July release is available now in the PTI Store! 

I used the watermelon and the pineapple dies for my treats today, but there is also a cherry die set, and a citrus die set.  They are yummy and delicious! The matching sentiments are F U N and big and bold. I had a good time making these glassine treat bags. You can put a note card inside (as I did), or candy treats, or even a gift card or small gift. Making these bags is one of my fav craft projects. I like to pile on the embellishments and layers. I do love some fun packaging!

I die cut the watermelon and the pineapple using pretty Papertrey Ink cardstock - so fast and easy!  

 

I started by putting my note cards inside the glassine bags, folding them over at the top, and then stapling them shut with my Tiny Attacher (if you don't have one of these, you need one)! That keeps the bag shut so I can put on all my goodies. I wrapped some polka dot paper around the center for a pop of aqua. Next I die cut out the Doily Die from crisp white paper. This is probably my number one most used Papertrey Ink product. I adore it - and it's so nice to be able to cut a doily out of any color when I need one. 

 

I stamped the tags in rich black ink and then glued on some twine and a pretty enamel dot for the top. I also cut out some Branching Out die cuts from vellum to layer with everything else. (More is more in this case!) 

 

 

 

Here is a close up of the paper-doily-vellum combination of layers. YUM is right! 

 

For the watermelon slice I die cut some black paper to put behind the pink portion, to look like seeds. 

 

 

 

Can you imagine a bunch of these in a pretty bowl or basket as party favors? Maybe with some fruit gummy candy inside? Such a nice treat! Or maybe a place card setting - you could write the person's name on the tag also. So many possibilities! Let's make fruit salad! LOL. 

THANK YOU for coming by each day this week! This post made me think of THIS and smile. Life is too serious these days - it's nice to have a laugh and make a pretty project. Okay, one more day of PTI projects coming your way tomorrow! Until then, XOXO

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More Papertrey Ink July 2017 Release: Introducing Stemmed Statements!

I'm back! Day three of Papertrey Ink Inspiration week for the July new release! Happy to see you again so soon! Today I'm featuring a sweet and pretty new floral stamp set called Stemmed Statements. This stamp set has tons of floral images just right for cards, and also has matching dies. I thought these images were perfect for watercoloring! Everything in the new July release is available now in the PTI Store. I hope you've found some things that you like this month. I kind of loved everything this month!!! Wait until tomorrow's post!! YEAH!!

For today's card, I used the pretty geranium stamp image. My card base is A2 size and then I covered it with PTI polka dot paper from my stash. I die cut a panel from watercolor paper to stamp on and then kept the left over watercolor paper handy for an additional image. I started by stamping and heat embossing the geranium twice on the bottom of the panel. I left a space in the center for another geranium. The third one was stamped, embossed and then die cut out and added on later. I used Zig Clean Color Brush Markers for my watercoloring in vivid reds and soft greens....so pretty! 

 

These stamps are so delicate and lovely! Here is a close up of my watercoloring. I added a light aqua wash of color around the images and also splattered some aqua onto the entire panel. I attached the third geranium with foam squares. 

 

 

 

The sentiments included with this set and sweet and delicate - simple joys....ahhhh...

That's it for today's post! I hope to see you tomorrow! Hint for tomorrow's post: TROPICAL!! XOXO

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More Papertrey Ink July 2017 Release: Introducing Cloche Quarters Summer!

Hi everyone! Happy Monday! Let's start this week off right by continuing to share new Papertrey Ink projects from the July release! How does that sound? I hope you had a great weekend! It was H O T again where we live. Dang, I'm longing for a sweater and a Pumpkin Spice Latte right about now. We stayed kind of close to home this weekend and cooked and worked on our backyard (and writing blog posts of course!) I have lots of fun things to look forward to this week so I'm ready to rock n roll. 

Today I'm featuring a card to introduce the new Cloche Quarters Summer stamps and dies. The entire new release from Papertrey Ink is available now - CLICK HERE. This new addition to the Cloche Quarters stamp series features new items to put inside the jars.... And all beautiful things for summer: shells, a boat, orchids....just lovely! I used two of the orchids and created a country feeling garden card with a clean and simple design. 

I started with a kraft A2 card base and splattered some white paint spots on the top. Next I layered some  patterned papers from my stash and a strip of lavender paper to make my card design. Next I stamped and die cut the wood base, cloche, and two orchids with the stamps and matching dies.  

 

I used the pretty banner and the happy birthday stamp to make a decoration for the top of the jar. You can never have too many birthday cards around! I can't wait to give this one to a friend. The orchids were attached to the card using foam squares for dimension. 

 

There are so many beautiful and wonderful combinations of things to make with this line of stamps! It's so unique and pretty! 

Thank you for popping by today! Have a great week... oh yeah, I'll see you tomorrow!! XOXO

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More Papertrey Ink July 2017 Release: Introducing Give Love and Quatrefoil Cover Up!

Hi friends! Yipppeeee, it's finally time to share all my design team projects from the July Papertrey Ink new release! I'm so happy, I'm bursting at the seams...so hard to keep all these projects secret the past week! The entire new release went live for purchase last night at 10pm EST. Did you already order? Or, are you waiting to see some more projects from everyone? There will be inspiration the next five days in a row from all of us so be sure to stop by each day to see me! And, hope you're having a lovely weekend! My husband went to the State Fair yesterday and they had a Dole Whip stand....and he brought me one home. Yummmmm. Made my entire weekend. So delicious, just like we had in Hawaii! 

I'm sharing three cards today. One card is a classic design for a congratulations card and the other two are happy and cheerful greetings with adorable birds and pretty flowers. I'm featuring the Give Love Stamp Set (and dies) and the Cover Up Quatrefoil Background Stamp. Lots of pictures coming at ya! 

The brand new Cover Up Quatrefoil stamp is one large background stamp that makes this beautiful pattern! I wanted to think of a unique way to use it in my project so I decided to stamp it in pretty blue onto cream paper, and then die cut that panel into a circle for my focal point. I used a nautical theme for this card. I think it would be wonderful for someone retiring, or getting a promotion in their job. Or even moving away to a new home. I always love red, white and cream for a vintage feeling too. I used lots of patterns and stripes but since the scale is all small, it works.

 

 

 

The sailboat is from the new release - Cloche Quarters Summer Fillers! The Congratulations die is also new from this release. I layered the sailboat onto the card using foam sqaures. My card base is A2 and made from Kraft paper. The nautical theme continues by using twine to look like rope. Can you tell I had fun making this card? 

 

 

 

I used my MISTI tool to perfectly line up all the layers of the sailboat stamps. There are four colors altogether in this one stamp. It looks so elegant floating there! 

 

The next two cards are the same exact card - just with different colors! I made the first one in bright cheery Spring and Summer colors and when I was done, I thought... Hmmm, what about in Fall colors too? So I made another card! It's amazing how different it looks just by changing the season! The cards were made with the brand new Give Love stamp set and matching dies. This is seriously the most adorable stamp set! I love the birdies and all the different options for flowers and leaves... The font is also really beautiful. You can't help but smile.  

 

My favorite shades of pink and green.....ahhhh.... And a pretty bluebird! I love the coordinating stamp to make the speckles on his chest. Too cute! For the leaves, I stamped some directly onto the paper and others were die cut out and mounted with foam squares.  

 

 

 

See what I mean about that beautiful font? I added a few enamel dots at the end of the process for the flower centers. 

 

And, here is the Fall version of that card! What do you think? Which one do you like better? It's hard for me to decide. But I loooooove Autumn time! 

 

Nice shades of yellow, brown, orange and gold for this card....

 

 

 

 

Thank you oh so much for stopping by today! Remember, the next four days in a row I have tons more to share from the new Papertrey Ink release so I hope I see you tomorrow! Hope you have a great week ahead. CLICK HERE to shop the new release! 

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Papertrey Ink July 2017 Release Week: Introducing On the Wagon!

Hi creative and crafty friends! It's time to start the festivities for the July Papertrey Ink new release! The fun started on the 9th with our monthly intro/sneak peek video and we will continue to share projects on our design team blogs and on the PTI blog all the way through the 20th. So, lots of inspiration coming your way in the next week! All of the new release items will be available for purchase in the Papertrey Ink Store on July 15th at 10pm EST. This month is definitely one of my favorite releases ever! I have TEN projects to share with you coming soon! 

Today I'm introducing the FUN and cool and retro stamp set called On the Wagon! The main image in the stamp set is a cool old station wagon that you can layer and color in any color combination you can dream up. The accent stamps help you create a surfing scene or a beautiful Christmas scene. Don't even get me started on the GORGEOUS font for the sentiments! LOVE. So I have three cards today to show you. I tried to showcase each of the stamps in different ways so you could get a good feeling for the set. There are also matching dies, which makes everything better!

First up is a vintage Christmas card to make you think of Winter in New England... This is my first official Christmas project for 2017 and I am so happy with how it turned out! The background stamp can either look like snow or waves (so cool) and I adore the little Christmas trees that fit on the top of the car or as parts of the entire scene. For this project I also used the brand new Mix and Mat Postal Dies. I got out another one of my favorite stamp sets from PTI too - Spruce and Sprigs - to add the holly accent at the top of the card. 

 

Here is a close up of that awesome wagon! I used a MISTI to perfectly line up all the parts of the car. There are lots of colors so the final look is amazing! Genius actually! I die cut it out with the matching die and then stamped and die cut a tree for the top of the car. 

 

Here is a close up of the holly leaves from the Spruce and Sprigs set. I gave everything a pretty coat of Diamond Stickles for some frosty shimmer. 

 

I stamped the background stamp off to the side to look like a snow bank, and then added some pine trees. The sentiment is stamped in rich brown ink to lend more of a vintage flair. Everything on the postcard is stamped onto Vintage Cream Cardstock instead of bright white. 

 

 

 

The Mix and Mat Postal die is so crisp and clean!!! I will be using this a lot! 

 

The car, the trees, and the holly leaves are attached to the card using foam squares or foam tape. The card base is made from Kraft cardstock (A2) and then layered with some beautiful PTI papers and ribbon from my stash. 

 

Now I'm going to completely switch gears and share two Summer projects made with the On the Wagon set! After all, it is July right now! This stamp set is perfect for the guys in your life too. So easy to make fancy feminine cards, but just as easy to make perfect masculine cards. I love it when a stamp set is versatile in that way. I'm thinking birthday cards, and Father's Day cards... My husband loves Hawaiian shirts so this is the perfect set to make him cards with! 

In this card, you can see that now the background stamp looks like waves and water. I stamped a few times onto a white card layer to form the background scene. Then I stamped the sentiment and the palm tree in dark rich black ink. I stamped and die cut out the card and the surfboards to complete the look. Everything is attached to the card with foam tape. My card base is in Soft Stone. I layered Parakeet paper and Parakeet polka dot paper for more visual interest.  

 

The surfboard looks so fun on top of the wagon! 

 

 

 

What is better than that? Surf, Sun and Summer fun! 

 

This final card today is clean and simple. I started with an A2 Kraft Card base and then die cut a Kraft circle for the focal point of the card. I stamped and die cut out the palm tree, wagon, and surfboard and then assembled the elements onto the circle. The little flowers stamped around the circle are the accent stamps for the surfboard! 

 

The seagulls are the perfect accent!

 

The sentiment is from the brand new Fruit Salad Sentiments stamp set. It's big and bold and super fun. Also goes great with this wagon set. 

That's it for me for today! Remember, everything new is for sale on the 15th at 10pm EST.  If you don't want to miss anything from the new release, make sure to visit the official PTI blog!  I'll be back on Sunday starting five days of sharing PTI projects with you. Until then - have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by today! XOXO

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Marking an anniversary today....

Hi everyone! It's Monday...and it's July 10th. There is huge significance in this date on the calendar for me, and I wanted to take just a few moments to write about it here. My blog is my creative space, but it has also served as kind of a life journal for me over the past eight years. I journal here, and write my thoughts about important events, and I like to go back and read to see where I was and how I was feeling - as well as how my art has changed over time. Today is the two year anniversary of the day I took the biggest leap of faith in my entire life and quit my very secure and steady corporate career of 30 years to become a self employed creative professional! It's like another birthday - the day I started the journey to become my true self and integrate my life with my work. The leap of faith that confirmed who is in charge, and confirmed that I will always be provided for. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of how major this life change was. I'm filled to the brim with gratitude, and a feeling of responsibility to honor the ONE that makes it possible. All glory and power to God for blessing me with the opportunity to live this new kind of life! 

People ask me all the time what it's like to be a creative professional and to make my living as a photographer/blogger/designer. There is no easy answer to that question! It's the hardest thing I've every done, but it also makes me so very happy. It's really hard to earn a living this way. I do not want to sugar coat it or act like my life is perfect in any way. I am so at peace though. Truly at peace with where I am and what I'm doing, and the opportunities that come my way. I'm grateful for every person that hires me to create, write, photograph, blog, etc.

There have been about a million lessons in the past two years. It's been a real roller coaster of high highs and low lows. People have shown up for me in ways I never dreamed of. People have also burned me in ways I never dreamed of. No one talks about the non glamorous parts of being your own boss lady! Contracts, and asking people to pay their invoices, and broken appointments... It's all a process, but there is way more good than bad. My life is simpler now. I stay home a lot, I cook for us a lot and my husband and I are closer than we've ever been. We spend time together here at home, instead of out running around shopping and spending money. I have decluttered our home and our lives. It's wonderful. And it feels more meaningful to me. I may not be able to live this way forever since I am not earning a big income, but the break has been amazing. I am forever changed and the past two years have allowed me to regroup and breathe and think and BE. I spend a lot more time in reading and studying the Bible and in prayer. I feel compelled to use what has been given to me (1 Peter 4:8-11) to bring glory to God. 

My life and my work are now the same thing and that's what I was striving for. Before I always felt like two different people. Monday through Friday Wanda and Weekend Wanda. In my corporate life I had to be hard and factual and analytical almost all the time. But the real me is much softer and gushier and more emotion and people oriented. Now, I work at midnight sometimes, and sometimes I can go out and play in the middle of the day. Not having my time structured for me is awesome. I am not a morning person, and this new life allows me to wake up and get my day started without having to fight road rage at 6am on the way to the office. Total blessing! I miss my steady paycheck and I miss the office camaraderie, but not a lot else about that life. Now, I have a really cute furry office assistant and I listen to music all day! I have been given the gift of time. Time to learn new things and meet new people and be more present with my friends. 

Gratitude is the center of my day, and being a faithful steward of God's grace is my goal. I'm a work in progress and that's totally okay. I celebrate this two year milestone by planning my week ahead and hoping for new opportunities and jobs, and new ways to encourage and engage others through my works and my words.

I wish you a happy week ahead! XOXO

Trying something new today! Art Impressions Tryfolds stamp sets!

Hey everyone! Happy Friday! (Already?) And just like that, the 4th of July is over and we are full on into Summer! It's 108 degrees where I live again today so I have Summer/Tropical crafting on my mind. Hope you have a fun weekend planned. I'm going to a photography exhibit Saturday night with the hubs, and then to a cool planner meetup on Sunday (yes, I've gone all in on the planner craze!!) Then dinner with some local bloggers Sunday night. Can't wait for all the great activities.  

I have a really fun project to share today with you - I tried something new! A while ago, at the Scrapbook Expo, I was entranced by the Art Impressions booth and all the super cool folding cards on display. I had to buy some! The stamp sets I bought are called Tryfolds and I bought two different ones to try. They are adorable stamps that layer together to form a scene. The package comes with the stamps and dies together to make it simple. They've been in a basket on my desk and today seemed like the right time to get them inky! What a blast! The finished card is SO cute and sure to make someone happy! It came together very easily, and the package has color indexing and also good instructions. I had fun coloring with my Zig Clean Color Brush Markers for this one! I just now was making my supply list and noticed that ALL of the Art Impressions stamps are ON SALE! Woooot! I'm going to buy some more! CLICK HERE to see all the different Tryfolds. 

This project was really hard to photograph because it's a folded card. I gave it my best shot, though! Lots of pictures today. Here is the finished card all folded together. 

 

From this angle you can see how the different layers fold together with the peek a boo openings! I colored all the images with Zig Clean Color Markers because I love the vivid colors. These images are very small so I used a tiny paint brush and lots of water. I like to apply the ink to a stamp block and then paint with it like a palette. The images were stamped on watercolor paper with Archival ink so it wouldn't bleed when I water colored. I used my MISTI tool to stamp everything. I always use the MISTI when stamping on watercolor paper in case I need to do a second or third impression to get a bold line. These stamped just right the first time though!

 

Here you can see the different layers of papers, etc. I kept the rest of the card pretty simple. A colored card base and cheery gingham. I added some Stickles and a few cococuts to finish off the card! The coconuts are glittery enamel dots! hee hee. SO cute. 

 

The sentiment stamps that come with this stamp set are very small, and I wanted a large sentiment across the front of the card. I used the "hello sunshine" from the MFT Polynesian Paradise stamp set and stamped it onto a PTI Banner. I gently folded the banner with my fingers and used clear glue to take it down in two places. This part is not stamped on watercolor paper. 

 

The front image is the palm trees... Then you open the first fold and you have an umbrella and two pretty beach chairs...

 

Then in the center, there is a pretty sun and some waves! There is an alternate image for this part - an adorable little whale! This sunshine is waaayyyy too cute. SO much fun to color. 

 

Here is the card opened up so you can see the die openings on either side...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the fabulous packaging! This set I used today is called Seas the Day and it's a Mini Tryfold set. 

 

Here is the back of the package with the instructions. you can see the little dies in there too. The dies cut very crisp, even through two layers of paper.

Well, that was F U N! Hope you enjoyed it too! Something new for me to be addicted to! LOL. I love to color! So here's my tip for the day: Everything stamping related is on SALE right now HERE. Including all these fun stamp sets and the Zig Markers! Have fun creating and have an awesome weekend my friends. XOXO

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Happy 4th of July 2017! God Bless America!

Good morning and Happy 4th of July!!! Do you have some fun plans for the day?? We have no plans!! That's our plan, LOL. My husband had to work yesterday and he has to work tomorrow, so I think we are going to have a nice day at home. I'll cook us up some festive food and we'll hang out. Maybe some local fireworks in our neighborhood. Some of our neighbors really put on great shows! I'm popping in today to wish you a nice holiday and share a patriotic card!

I got out some OLD stamps for this one! I can't even find this flag stamp online anywhere right now. It says 2001 on it! It's from Art Impressions and I have used it so many times over the years. The sentiment stamp is from Denami Designs. I used one of my fav techniques - watercolor misting with Distress Inks. This card came together quickly. I love the vintage Americana look of the ink colors together with the kraft card base. 

 

 

I used mini Distress Ink cubes (Blueprint Sketch and Candied Apple) to apply the inks directly onto the stamp. Then I sprayed the stamp with water and stamped onto watercolor paper. Easy peasy! I let the main image dry completely and then splattered some blue, red, and brown ink onto the card. I used Vintage Photo Distress Ink and a sponge dauber to ink the edges of the paper. I stamped the sentiment in dark black archival ink. 

 

I used a wet paint brush to 'blur' some of the lines of the ink after it was stamped. 

 

 

 

God Bless America! Land that I love! Happy 4th of July!

 

My husband went out to the store on Friday last week and came home with a bunch of small flags, which he put in all our front yard planter boxes! It looks so pretty and so patriotic! It makes our front yard look really nice. I had to take a picture! 

 

Have a wonderful, safe, and happy holiday! I'll see you soon friends! XOXO

My Monthly Hero - July Card Kit Blog Hop - Summer Garden!

Hi friends! Welcome to the Hero Arts "My Monthly Hero" July Card Kit blog hop! I'm so happy to see you today! Happy Monday! Happy 4th of July week! The Hero Arts Kit this month is full of Summer Garden themed products to inspire us by the beauty of nature! The Kit features awesome stamps, loads of dies, cool and interesting papers, and even a Distress Oxide Ink Pad! The add-ons give you even more versatility with the garden and floral themes. My card for today was inspired by the the simple beauty of summer flowers. I made two cards to share today! I think the cards I made would be perfect friendship notes to pop in the mail just to let someone know you're thinking of them. 

You may have arrived here from the lovely Jennifer McGuire's Blog!  If you want to start at the beginning of the hop, CLICK HERE to go to the Hero Arts Blog. Lots and lots of inspiration for you today. I am always so grateful to join these fantastic crafters in this monthly hop. If you're new to my blog -welcome! Have fun! Enjoy the hop today! I will always warn you, these kits sell out FAST so if you like it, don't hesitate!  

For my first card, I used the sweet and simple mason jar stamps to create a pretty scene as the focal point of my card. I started with an A2 card base with woodgrain paper from my stash. I layered a piece of pretty white cardstock on top. For the background paper I used the different floral images from the main part of my card, and stamped them randomly using the pretty Pool Ink. It's a beautiful soft aqua blue that matches the blue I used for the mason jars. I've done this technique before, but never with this blue color. I really like it! A great way to perfectly match your project is to make your own background paper! 

 

 

I wrapped some twine around the bottom part of the card and stamped the sentiment in rich black ink. This part is attached with foam tape to the card base. 

 

I used a few Copic Markers to color the mason jars and the flowers. I wanted a very country look so I kept it simple. I die cut a circle first so that I would know how to make the images fit. I started by stamping the center mason jar. Then I used masking paper over it and stamped the other two jars. The flowers did not require any masking. I used one of the sentiments from the stamp sets to add the word 'hello' across the center jar. 

 

To finish the card I attached the circle using more foam tape. 

 

This next card is big and BOLD! I love the color combo of gray and yellow and when I saw this daisy stamp I knew right away I wanted to use those colors! I started with a dark grey card base and layered a small border of yellow cardstock. For the center white piece I used black ink to randomly (and closely) stamp a bunch of daisies. I did not mask these off. Then I colored just a few of the daisies using yellow Copic Markers. Then I used a light gray Copic Marker to color all the spaces in between the daisies. I think it looks like paper now!!! SO cool. I've never tried that before either. 

 

For the sentiment, I stamped onto a strip of vellum using Stazon ink. Then I wrapped the vellum around the card front at an angle. 

 

A few rich black enamel dots finish off the look. Very graphic. Wouldn't this look cool in hot pink too??? I might have to make another one!

 

 

The kit is available NOW! Yippeeeee! Below is a photo of ALL THE STUFF that comes in the main kit. Awesome garden and floral themed stamps with matching dies, inks, papers, and more! This is a great value for $34.99! The items sold separately retail for $74.00 or more! Hero Arts is VERY generous with their beautiful kits! The other supplies I used are listed below in my links.  

PRIZE ALERT!! Hero Arts is giving away one kit as a prize to one blog reader – selected from the comments across all of the blogs in the hop. Giveaway closes July 9th, at midnight, and the winner will be announced the following week on the Hero Arts Blog. If you've already purchased your kit, and you win, you will be reimbursed! 

 

The kit is available for a limited time only – once it’s gone, it’s gone. Kits begin shipping from Hero Arts on Friday July 7th! These have a habit of selling out fast! So don't wait if you like this one. The last one sold out the first day! 

 

Next up on the blog hop is the amazing May Park! The full hop list is at the bottom of my post. Have fun hopping and have a happy, creative day! XOXO When you make something with your new card kit, be sure to use the hashtag #mymonthlyhero on your social media! TO START AT THE BEGINNING OF THE HOP - CLICK HERE!

 

MAIN CARD KIT CONTENTS:

SUPPLIES FOR TODAY!

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FULL BLOG HOP LIST FOR TODAY!

The Hero Arts Blog

Jennifer McGuire

Wanda Guess

May Park

Yana Smakula

Jessica Frost-Ballas

Kathy Racoosin

Lydia Fiedler

Amy Tsuruta

Michelle Short

Libby Hickson

Introducing the new Modern + Marbled Kit from Papertrey Ink!

Hi everyone! Happy July! Hope you're having a great weekend so far, and hope you have some fun plans for the 4th! We are having a mellow weekend around the house. I'm doing lots of crafting and blogging. It's been peaceful and nice. Our weather is about perfect right now and we spent some time in the yard yesterday morning and all the flowers are doing so well!! I have something very exciting to share today. I've had to keep it under wraps for a while, and now I can finally tell you about it! My dear, sweet, and super talented friend Kimberly Crawford has a brand new line of kits she is designing for Papertrey Ink! It's called Sincerely Yours and I'm so happy for her to showcase her design talents. I'm happy for me because I get to make projects with her new kits! Yeah! The first kit is called Modern + Marbled and it's so classy and elegant. Modern and classic at the same time. The perfect mix of old and new and trendy. The one main stamp in the stamp set allows you to create gorgeous faux marbling. It's very cool. 

For today, I used both the main kit, and the add on kit to create a thank you card and matching envelope. I tried to use all the different elements so you could see all of it used on a project. I hope you like it! The kit went on sale last night - CLICK HERE to check it out. The colors are beautiful shades of grays and pink with pops of gold. Doesn't get much better than that.  

 

The dies that come with the set include three different sized hexagons and this pretty thank you die. My card base is made from Soft Stone Cardstock. Then I cut a white layer of paper and inked the marbling stamp in Soft Stone and Sweet Blush ink. For the focal point of my card I die cut the medium sized hexagon from white cardstock. For the gold edging I used the included glue pen and gilding flakes. The glue pen has a chiseled tip so I used the glue pen to 'draw' a border of glue around the edges. I waited a few minutes for it to dry and get tacky. They I adhered the gilding flakes. SOOOOO elegant!!! Then I glued the thank you die onto the center. The leaves in the background on the card were made with the PTI Branching Out Die. 

 

To make the matching envelope, I used the marbling stamp to stamp just the back flap. This is really custom looking!! I die cut a banner from Sweet Blush Cardstock and layered some leaves with it. The gorgeous faux wax seals that come in the kit are very pretty - and look perfect right on the back of the envelope. 

 

 

Here is a close up of the marbling effect! SO easy - just stamp randomly with one color or two! I think it would also be gorgeous to add some gold accents in with the marbling.

 

I love the way the gold shimmers in the light. It's really so much prettier in person!

Thank you for stopping by today! So excited to help launch this kit for Papertrey Ink - my absolute pleasure. I hope you like it too! Everything I used is listed below in the supply links. Tomorrow is the first Monday of the month, which means a new Hero Arts Card kit too! Lots of good stuff going on. Have a wonderful day! XOXO

SUPPLIES FOR TODAY!

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