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papertrey ink inspiration {June 2011 blog hop}

 
 

I haven't had the channce to play along with the Papertrey Ink blog hops these past few months, but I did get a few minutes to play along this month.

 
 
{photo credit}

We thought we would start a short inspirational series with the Blog Hops for the next few months as a fun way to spice things up!  This month we are providing you with a beautiful photo to help trigger some creative ideas with color!  This inspirational photo is just dreamy and it's the perfect thing to give you a creative jumpstart that will lead to nothing but fabulous results!  We look forward to seeing everyone's interpretations using this inspiration!

I was inspired by the rainbow colors, and those awesome silver hooks.  My card features a hand colored back ground, I used my Karat Aquarelle watercolor crayons.  The card base I used was my favorite italian cold pressed watercolor Fabriano Medioevalis notecards,  with matching envelopes. The butterflies are made from aluminum foil, that is debossed (the embossing folder is pressed into the design).  The steps for these are:

1) find a scrap of cardstock, adhere aluminum foil to a square large enough for your project.   I like to use "heavy duty" foil, but the regular will work also.  I like to use a glue stick and cover the cardstock completely with adhesive and then adhere it to the aluminum foil.

2) Use your favorite cuttlebug embossing folder.  These are small, so I like to use something with alot of design - but play around!  You can de-boss (which is what I did) use the folder upside down for the impression pressed INTO the foil, or emboss and have the impression raised on the foil.

3) use your favorite die or a punch

 
 

The deets:
Notecards:  Fabriano Medioevalis
Cardstock:  white PTI for under the aluminum foil
Stamps:   Sweet Peas YOF (Fill the Day with Joy), Handwritten Notes ("Have a Goodie")
Accessories:  watercolor crayons, aluminum foil

 

If you'd like to see more of my embossed aluminum foil creations <----- just click.  Or check out my card on DIY Life for AOL & Huffington Post:  http://www.diylife.com/2011/05/20/random-recast-aluminum-foil-round-up/

vintage pansies {eic140}

 

I have been playing with my colored pencil and odorless mineral spirits - and these pansies (aks Year of Flowers Violets from Papertrey Ink) were my recent target.  I matched them up with Button Boutique set and some paper from Graphic 45.  After coloring the flowers and cutteing them out - I used my Tim Holtz Rock Candy (clear crackle paint) over top of them for a cool effect - here's a close-up:

 

These flowers were inspired by this week's Etsy Inspired Chalenge and the Peaden Scott Designs  store: Peaden Scott Designs.

My inspiration came from the flowers on this card:  

etsy inspired friday ! (EIC138)

 

Its an etsy inspired type of day!   I am jumping in quick to get in EIC138 featuring the Etsy store of  Bear Creek Design!  OH MY! These little needle felted creations are the cutest and they have kits!  If you've never tried needle felting (one of my fav hobbies besides papercrafting!) you can get started inexpensively with one of their kits.

I was inspired by the flower needle felting kit to make these sweet flowers!

 

The deets:

Cardstock:  So Saffron (SU) with First Edition dsp (also SU), watercolor paper
Stamp:   Friends till the End from PTI
The image is embossed and then watercolored with several SU reinkers.   The whole thing is glazed in Gel Gloss medium.  A bit of ribbon from my collection completes it. 

 

reduce, reuse, recycle

 

This card features "faux cloisonne" and recycles a glossy catalog into a card creation!  My tutorial on this is featured over at Properly Scandalized and you're welcome to come over and check it out. 

The card features Pansy stamp set from Papertrey Ink's Year of Flowers collection, stamped on a catalog, Kraft and Spring Moss cardstock. With a touch of Aqua Mist polka dot ribbon. (All supplies from Papertrey Ink) 

Awash!

 

 
I did this card a while back, and pretty much forgot to blog it - but its awash in color!  I thought "awash" was a great word for my Monday - which has been pretty much "awry"! 

I embossed on water color paper with a Papertrey Ink's stamp set (black ep) and then watercolored using my reinkers in Riding Hood Red, So Saffron and Pacific Point.   I used Golden's GEL MEDIUM over the top of the watercolored piece - its a great product you can get it in gloss, semi or matte and it adds texture while sealing in your project.  And what I really love about it - it dries!  It really dries!   It *really* dries!   Modge Podge always stays tacky here in Florida - I assume that there is just to much humidity.  There is a closeup below, so you can see the texture the gel medium adds when dry - this is with a thick layer added, you can do a thinner layer and smooth it more  - but I like the texture. 

Stamps:  Friends Til the End (Papertrey Ink) 
Paper:   Rich Razzleberry CS (SU), Basic Black CS and watercolor paper
Other:  Images were stamped with Versamark and embossed in fine black embossing powder, So Saffron wide grosgrain ribbon

 

tag time

 
Today's challenge over at Papertrey Ink is to make a tag featuring a frame.  I had so much fun with my paint chip gift tags for the holidays that I made that I decided to create some more for any ocassion.

 

chocolate cherries button bracelet

over at Papertrey Ink they are celebrating their fourth anniversary - do you remember your first PTI experience?  I sure do!  I've always been drawn to their style, but there's alot of things that keep me coming back.  One of those things that always draws me back is their product coordination in the Perfect Match system:  ink, cardstock, ribbon, felt, and BUTTONS!  PTI offers buttons in thirty (yes, 30) different colors - all coordinating with their other products.   The buttons come in these wonderful assorted colors, shapes and sizes.

I haven't been able to play along with all the challenges this week due to some work related stuff (which I just hate it when work interferes with play :-) !) But, I did spend some time to play along with the button challenge for today - which was to make a project using their buttons in a creative, unique way - so here's mine - a button bracelet!   I used PTI's "Pure Poppy" red buttons on a piece of chocolate brown felt.  I went with simple and used some self adhesive velcro as my closure.

 

My favorite papertrey ....

For Papertrey's fourth anniversary - we all got to name our favorite Papertrey Ink project from the past year.  This is probably mine (although I had a hard time choosing!) its for the tissue paper challenge from April 2010.  I used tissue paper in a faux silk background, and tissue paper for the flower.

Today's Papertrey Ink blog hop is all about tissue paper!  Our challenge:  

It has become one of the hottest trends in the paper crafting world and we want to see you take it on!  Whether it is die-cutting it to make beautiful layered blooms, the faux silk technique, creating layered backgrounds or even delicate stitched pleated borders, we want to see you get creative!  And don't forget, your new stamps arrive lovingly wrapped in tissue paper each month, so these can prove to be "free & green" projects as well!  Have fun and we look forward to seeing all of your projects!

I've been wanting to use my Giga Guidelines set .... and to use Aqua Mist and Sweet Blush together as a color combo.  SOoooooooooooooooooo I went with a shabby-chic, vintage cottage style.  I stamped my background on tissue paper, then faux silk style, adhered it to cardstock.

Stamps:  Giga Guidelines, Guidelines 2, Fillable Frames #1
Ink:  Sweet Blush, Aqua Mist, Spring Moss and Chamomile Tea
Cardstock:  Sweet Blush and Spring Moss
Accessories:  Aqua Mist Buttons, Aqua Mist polks dot ribbon

 

I had a few runner-ups for favorite projects, I think a common theme here is that they all used Aqua Mist.

This was my challenge project from June 2010.

 

And this from the August 2010 Challenge

The first card features die cut flowers (these are PTI dies), I inked the edges in Hawaiian Shores ink - spritzed and crumpled together.  And in continuing the main theme, I decided to see what else I could find in the kitchen - and found this great white mesh.  Its from a bag of Laughing Cow lite baby bell wedges.  I think these flowers came out  great! 

In my second card, I used the brown paper bag die cut in the blossom and die cut with fillable frames #1, the sentiment is from Handwritten Notes.  In the "stuff from my kitchen" category, I embosed an aluminum foil panel and I also used a bit of twine with the flowers.

CHA-CHA flowers! EIC123 and PLAY2

 

 
I'm playing along today with two challenges - Etsy Inspired Challenge #123 and a little challenge on Facebook for those of us not going to CHA (The Craft and Hobby Association trade show).

For Etsy Inspired: I headed over to Nanny's Room this week for my inspiration. You are going to LOVE these original artwork pieces and handmade items. Nanny's Room creations are made with watercolor and colored pencils, and they are miniature in size [2 1/2" x 3 1/2"]. You are going to love all these vibrant colors, I sure did - these are STUNNING!  I am in love with the incredible colors in her artwork and pendants. 

For the FAcebook Challenge (see my Facebook page for me info) Play 2 - this uses the colors of CHA - Candy Apple Red, Honey and Aqua. 

 

I embossed on water color paper with a Papertrey Ink's stamp set (black ep) and then watercolored using my reinkers in Riding Hood Red, So Saffron and Pacific Point.   I used Golden's GEL medium over the top of the watercolored piece - its a great product you can get it in gloss, semi or matte and it adds texture while sealing in your project.  And what I really love about it - it dries!  It really dries!   Modge Podge always stays tacky here in Florida - I assume that there is just to much humidity.

Stamps:  Friends Til the End (Papertrey Ink) 
Paper:   Lemon Tart (PTI) CS, Basic Black CS and watercolor paper
Reinkers:  Riding Hood Red, So Saffron, Pacific Point & Bliss Blue (all SU)
Other:  Images were stamped with Versamark and embossed in fine black embossing powder

 

 

Pawprints

One of the saddest occasions to make a card for, the death of beloved pet, this is for a friend.

 

The deets:
Cardstock:  Very Vanilla, Basic Black, with First Edition dsp from Stampin' Up!
Ink:  Tuxedo Black from Memento, Broken China from Th Distress inks sponged on edge
Stamp:  With Sympathy-Loss of a Pet from Papertrey Ink
Accessories:  silk ribbon