Thanks, Nichole!

This card is for a special Papertrey Ink Blog Hop today honoring one of the creators, Nichole Heady!  Papertrey Ink is one of my favorite stamp companies.  I hardly ever make a card that doesn't have something from "PTI" on it, whether it be a stamped image, ribbon, sentiment, button, ink, background, or cardstock!  Oh the cardstock!  That's what made me fall in love first.  Then it was the images like this one from Vintage Picnic.  I had been nervous purchasing clear stamps instead of the traditional red rubber stamps, but one set from PTI and everything changed for good!

PTI is always on the cutting edge of this industry, making the most versatile and high quality products.  Nichole's blog posts are amazing and she is so quick to share a technique or idea with her customers.   She listens to her customers via the Forums...if somebody states that they want a certain image or color, you can bet that it will show up in the product line-up in the very near future!

The company's customer service team is fabulous, and I always get my items very quickly after I place an order.  Nichole has brought together a "Dream Team" kind of Design Team that shares so many ideas and beautiful projects, as well.  The monthly release parties are a highlight for me, and PTI is so generous in their prize giveaways, too!  I wrote on a message board once, that Nichole should be teaching Business at a local college...she has helped build PTI into an impressive business in just a few short years!

So THANKS, NICHOLE!  For everything that you do!  You will have a loyal PTI customer in me as long as my hands can get inky! 

PS...To Julie, Jane, and Jen...you are pretty special there yourselves!

Papertrey Ink Paper Bag Hop!

This month's theme is Paper Bags!  I found an adorable idea on the Martha Stewart website.  Instructions for making your own Basket Bouquet can be seen by clicking on the link!

Cut cardstock using PTI's Mat Stack 3 die and then stamped the coordinating mat stack image from All Booked Up in pink.  Changed the Year of the Flower: Violet image to a hollyhock using pink and green Tim Holtz Distress inks.  Sentiment is from Asian Fusion.  Real hollyhocks were snipped from the side of the house while my husband was at work!

I think these would be the cutest and cheapest little baby shower, wedding shower, or birthday party arrangements ever!  I got a bag of 100 brown bags for $1.70!  We have all of the ribbon and stamps...now we just need to befriend a florist and we're ready to go.

Thanks for stopping by on the hop!

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #11

For this week's challenge at the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge Blog!  Here is Sketch #11:

Here is my card using the sketch, and the following Waltzingmouse Stamp sets:  the lace from Faux Fun, the background pattern from Pic-Nic Patterns, the flowers from Sewing Box Hugs, and a sentiment from Peace and Plenty.

Thanks for stopping by!

Six Angelic Stamp Sets!

This week's "Friday Free for All Challenge" at Splitcoaststampers was called "Mish Mash" and you were to mix stamp sets from different companies on one card...the goal was to use 2, extra credit for 3-4...so of course I tried to be an overachiever and used SIX!

This also kind of fits the "Waltzingmouse Blog Hop" from this week...to create a Shabby Chic or Vintage card.  I did a "vintage" apple card for the waltz, but this card uses the colors for Shabby Chic that I always think of...cream, aqua blue, pink, and shades of brown distressing!

Here are the stamp sets that I used:

Earth Angel from Waltzingmouse Stamps
Background Basics: Hearts and Faux Ribbon from Papertrey Ink
sentiment from AMuse
flourishes from The Angel Company
Weave and Pretty Pattern Backgrounders from Cornish Heritage Farms
Linen Background from Stampin' Up (on her little stardust satchel!)

This card is minimal layers but it SURE is inky!  Just how I like it!  Thanks for visiting!

Waltzingmouse Stamp Blog Hop!

This month's theme at Waltzingmouse Stamps is Shabby Chic or Vintage!  I chose to go the vintage route...

Used lots of Tim Holtz Distress inks, the WMS stamp sets Pic-Nic Patterns and Peace and Plenty.  Also used PTI cardstock and buttons, the Linen Background stamp (retired SU), and the Open Plaid and Weave Backgrounders (retired CHF).  Had to dust off some of the old to go with my new WMS for this occasion!  The buttons are strung up on a piece of twine...one of my fave ways to use up those beloved buttons.

Thanks so much for waltzing by today!

Jammin' Good Trick!

This week's Queen for the Day at Splitcoaststampers is none other than Mothermark (aka Cindy Motherway).  I chose to case a card she made seen HERE.

This card uses the Modern Grid Technique...but Cindy refers to techniques as "tricks" because if she is issued a card challenge by her friends and it has the word "technique" in it, she runs away and hides.  Here is the way that it works:

-Stamp images randomly all over paper (strawberries)
-Mark a grid with pencil very lightly in even increments up and down the sides of the card on the edges (I used 1 inch)
-Go back with a black fine tip pen and ruler and start to make the grid:  Important Step!...when you are drawing and get to the image, stop your line, and continue on AFTER the image (don't draw through it!)
-Then go back and decorate the squares with doodling, or by coloring some in.  I stamped a little flower image from Pink Persimmon stamped in Antique Linen Distress ink

You get a card that kind of looks like tiles, but you don't have to use masking at all!

Cindy has the BEST sense of humor, so I didn't think she would mind if I sent her a jar full of jam WITH stems included...hee!

Orange you glad we have Betsy?

Betsy Veldman, PaperCrafts Go-To Girl and Papertrey Ink Design Team Member Extraordinaire, posted a tutorial on her blog this week entitled "Build a Doily" ...using stamps!  I had to give it a try...you might be surprised at the images I found that could work!

-Center image (and sentiment) are from Giga Guidelines, Papertrey Ink

-Center circle from Vintage Labels One, Waltzingmouse Stamps

-The layered scallops are the ORANGE SLICE image from Friendship Jar Fillers, heeee!!!

-The outside scroll is from Vintage Labels One, Waltzingmouse Stamps

I chose Paris Dusk ink from Memento to complete the masquerade (I thought choosing a citrusy color might give me away!), the Top Note die from Stampin' Up, and the Textile Embossing Folder from my Cuttlebug.

Thanks sooo much to Betsy for always sharing her wonderful talent and creativity with us!

Plaid Meets Botanical

For Joan Ervin's Technique Lover's Challenge at Splitcoaststampers...she called it "Plaid Silhouettes".  It's kind of like "kissing" with a twist! 

Joan said to stamp a base color or light color first on a "silhouette" type stamp.  I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks on my card in Shabby Shutters (green), Stormy Sky (grey-blue), and Faded Jeans (darker blue).  When you begin to add the darker colors, apply the ink by tapping it at an angle in lines.  Then go back with a darker color, tapping it on the image, and adding color in lines in the opposite direction (like a crisscross pattern).  Then stamp the image on the cardstock and this is what it will look like...fun, huh?!  I used a branch image from PTI's Turning a New Leaf.  Added some A Muse blue pearls, a super old rub-on sentiment from JoAnn's, a PTI Woodgrain Impression plate panel at the top, and some twine at the bottom.  Loved Joan's technique and can't wait to try it again soon!