Papertrey Ink Blog Hop Jan. 2019

Hello friends.  It's the 25th and that means it's time for Papertrey Ink's monthly Blog Hop!  Here's the inspiration photo we were given:

Pretty modern and sophisticated cake, huh??!!  When I started reading the little blurb about the photo you could have blown me away with a feather to find out this is a baby shower cake!!  I must be getting older than I thought friends...I always thought baby shower cakes were supposed to be pastels and cute!  Don't get me wrong...this cake is absolutely BEAUTIFUL...I just thought it was a wedding or anniversary cake!  Shows what I know!!

I decided to go with the black & white patterns and the light blue and peachy pink colors, the little bit of gold, and the tassels, and came up with this:

Since I'm still trying to ramp up my birthday card stash, that dictated what kind of card I made and I just went to town using all these wonderful colors!  I started with a black card base and added a Bold Borders: Polka Dots die cut in white and then added flowers from the Botanical Bounty set stamped in Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush, Spring Rain, Blueberry Sky, and several shades of greens for the leaves.

I did some ink blending with a sponge dauber on the flowers and LOVE the way they turned out!  To mimic the bit of gold trim on the cake I die cut the "happy" from the Bold Borders: Flare die and then added the white banner with "birthday" stamped on it from the Wet Paint stamp set.

I loved the tassels on the cake but just couldn't bring myself to use brown like they did in the inspiration photo.  I used white crochet thread to make the tassels and I really like the celebratory look they add to the card.  I do think this might have to be a hand delivered card though...the tassels are a little thick to go through the mail!

I'm looking forward to seeing how everyone else interpreted this inspiration photo and whether or not I'm the only one who didn't go in a baby shower direction!  Haha!!  You can check out all the details and play along right HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop Dec. 2018

Hello friends.  Playing along with this month's blog hop at Papertrey Ink where the inspiration photo has me thinking love, romance, and Valentine's Day.

I was inspired by the hearts and embroidered flowers and dug out an oldie but a goody set called Embroidered Blooms and came up with this multi layered card:

I started with a piece of Sweet Blush Bitty Big DSP layered onto a white card base, and then added another white layer die cut from the Mix & Mat: Hearts die.  Next I die cut 2 of the Stitched Primitive Heart dies...one in Sweet Blush that I stitched with white crochet thread, and a white one that I stamped with the Embroidered Blooms set.  I also die cut some leaves with Simply Chartreuse Bitty Big DSP using the die from the Songbirds set and also had to add one the new Delicates die cuts using vellum.  For my sentiment I just used the "Love" die that comes with the Bold Borders: Love and stacked 3 of them together and then added WOS for a little bit of sparkle before adhering to my card.

I finished with a few pearls for my flower centers and some iridescent sequins, and now I have my first Valentine card done!!

Can't wait to see how everyone else was inspired by the lovely photo!  You can check it out and play along right HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop - Nov. 2018

Hello friends.  Playing along with this month's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop and here is the inspiration photo we were given:

It's fun, it's festive, and it's pretty...BUT I struggled with it, and up until later yesterday I didn't think I was going to play along.  And the reason I struggled is such a goofy one, but I am not a big fan of BLUE!  I love the red & white, the stripes, the little bits of greenery, but blue is just not a favorite of mine unless I'm doing snowflakes or a sky.  Hey I told ya it was a goofy reason, but what can I say?!  Just not a blue fan!  But then I got to thinking about how I always take these challenges so literally and I really don't need to do that...just pick one or two things that jump out at you from the photo!  So I went with the red and white color theme, the red & white stripes, and the little bit of greenery and came up with this:

 
I had just received my latest order and HAD to include the Bold Borders: Polka Dots die and then cut out a rectangle for the center using Pure Poppy Bitty Big striped DSP on a diagonal.  The JOY I die cut from the Bold Borders: Flurries once in white and once in Pure Poppy to offset with the white.  I am totally in LOVE with the Poinsettia from the Pleasing Envelopes set and used that to draw the eye to the other corner opposite of the JOY.

Although I'm pretty sure this is not what they had in mind when they posted the inspiration photo, I'm really pleased with the way this card came out!  The 2 pinecones are pop dotted for some dimension and I also added a few Pale Gold Nuvo Drops to the center of my Poinsettia!

Now I need to go hop along and see how every one else interpreted this photo, and who knows...maybe someone will change my mind about BLUE!!  You can check it all out and play along right HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop Oct. 2018

Hello friends.  It's the 25th and that means it's time for Papertrey Ink's monthly BLOG HOP, and Autumn is definitely the season shown by this month's inspiration photo!!

I was inspired obviously by the pumpkins, but also the cart and the chalkboard sign.  I was also inspired by Kelly Lunceford's post HERE using the Make It Market Kit: Market Street which sadly I think I have used only once since it came out and I HAD to have it!  So anyway, I came up with a CAS card and little cart that I filled with candy pumpkins...take a look:

I die cut the cart out of Kraft cs and then stamped it using Cocoa Bean ink stamped off once.  The pumpkins were stamped with Melon Berry and Orange Zest and the leaves with Prairie Grass and then die cut and attached to the cart along with the sign in black stamped with white ink.

I attached my cart to a white card base that I embossed with an older Craft Concepts ef called Stately to add the embossed lines around the edges.  Some bakers twine and iridescent sequins finished off my card.

 

And while I was at it, I made a little matching cart using Kraft cs and the dies from the Make It Market Kit: Market Street.  I used an older SU! background stamp called Hardwood to stamp the sides of the cart with Cocoa Bean ink and then sponged the wheels and body of the cart also with Cocoa Bean ink.  This cart came together SO easily and was the perfect size to add a few of those pumpkins from Brach's Harvest Mix.

So there you have it...a sweet little gift that I think I'll give to my mom for Halloween!  Can't wait to see how everyone else interpreted the inspiration photo...always FUN to hop along and check it all out HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop - Sept. 2018

Hello friends.  Feels like forever since the last Papertrey Ink Blog Hop, (last month the 25th fell on their Stamp-A-Faire weekend, so they didn't have the blog hop) so I'm thrilled it's the 25th and can play along!  We had a beautiful Fall table setting as inspiration for this hop...take a look!

Isn't is GORGEOUS?!!  Loved everything about this photo, but in the end I went with a real CAS style (which seems to be my favorite style lately!) and just incorporated some of the color, the pumpkins, and the leaves.  Here's what I came up with:

My first thought was to stamp a plaid background because I just love the colors in the tablecloth, but it didn't really go with my vision of CAS!  So anyway, I used an Aliexpress die to do a white on white plaid for my background, and then added the pumpkins from Simply Gord-eous and the leaves from Leaf Prints.

I stamped both on kraft cardstock and had fun doing a bit of blending around the edges and also adding some aged copper embossing enamel to the leaves.  A little banner tag from Stemmed Statements with a piece of rustic twine and a few rainstones finished off my card.

It's always fun to see how everyone else interprets the inspiration photos, so I'm off to hop around!  You can too by clicking right HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop July 2018

Hello friends.  It's the 25th...my favorite time of the month to play along with Papertrey Ink's monthly blog hop!  And what a FUN inspiration photo we were given this month:

I mean how FUN is this and doesn't it just scream SUMMER?!!  I found inspiration in the colors, and the ocean theme, and came up with this FUN card using some of my new stamps and dies from last month and this month's release.  Here's what I came up with:

I started by making a stencil with the latest Shape Shifter: Oval die and then blended Spring Rain, Blueberry Sky, & Enchanted evening inks to create my ombre ocean background.

Next I started adding elements from the Fence Line: Summer (LOVE, LOVE this set!!) set and Salt Air: Fauna.  I was going to add my sentiment in red to bring in the red from the inspiration photo, but after adding all the elements from the 2 sets, there just really wasn't room to add it, so I added a die cut crab in Pure Poppy from Gina Marie Designs.

I finished by adding a bit of WOS to the fish, some Rainstones, and some white baker's twine to the top.  This was such a FUN card to make and just really, really LOVE all the ocean themed sets that PTI has come out with in the past 2 releases!!

Well I'm off to hop along and see what everyone else came up with for the inspiration photo this month.  You can check it all out and play along right HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Papertrey Ink's Monthly Blog Hop - June 2018

Hello friends.  Happy Monday!  And it is indeed a Happy Monday because it's the 25th, and that means it's time for Papertrey Ink's monthly BLOG HOP!!  And what a FUN inspiration photo they gave us to work with this month!!  Take a look!

Now does this photo scream SUMMER or what?!!  Those popsicles look amazing and with temps about to go into the mid 90's later this week in Michigan, I would definitely LOVE to have a whole box of them!!

I was totally inspired by all the color in this photo and also the blackberries...and what a perfect opportunity to use a couple of my new PTI items!  The new Corner Adorner: June set from Lizzie and the Shape Shifter: Oval 2 die worked perfectly for my Summer-y card!

I started with my background, and at first I was going to use strips of the Bitty Big DSP in ALL the colors that were in the inspiration photo, but then got to thinking that I couldn't use ALL the colors in my stamped part of the card, so limited myself to Green Parakeet, Harvest Gold, Orange Zest, and Scarlett Jewel.  Would have liked to add some Royal Velvet (like I did around the outside shading of my blackberries) but there is no Bitty Big DSP in Royal Velvet available (hint, hint PTI!).  Anyway, I cut my strips in different widths and then added diagonally across my card base.

Next I stamped my leaves, flowers, and berries (Corner Adorner: June) in the coordinating colors to match the Bitty Big DSP and then die cut them out and placed one at the top (with pop dots) of the Shape Shifter: Oval 2 and one at the bottom (with pop dots) with my sentiment in the middle (also on a diagonal).  A simple white bakers twine bow across the top finished off this bright and Summer-y card.

And now it's time to hop along and see how everyone else interpreted this months inspiration photo...I'm sure with this FABULOUS photo there is going to be all kinds of inspiration to see and ahhh and ooooh over!  You can check it all out right HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop May 2018

Hello friends.  It's the 25th and that means it's time for Papertrey Ink's monthly BLOG HOP challenge!  This month's challenge is all about camping/glamping...I think I could be talked into glamping if it looked like this!!

Isn't that just the sweetest photo?!  Since I'm not a camper (not into dirt and bugs...yuck!!), I didn't have any camping themed stamps, however, the gingham tablecloths and flowers spoke to me right away!!

I used DSP from the Smoky Shadow Bitty Big pack for my background and then created my bouquet using flowers and leaves from both the Mixed Bouquet and Botanical Bounty stamp sets.

I lightly stamped the Just The Jar: Pint onto my white panel before stamping my flowers and then stamped the jar again on embossable acetate  (Embossable Window plastic by Judi-kins) with white embossing powder to give the jar a more realistic glass look.

I used the To The Point Edger's II dies at the bottom of my white stamped panel and then layered it over the Smoky Shadow DSP.  A few black enamel dots, some twine, and a Tiny Tag finished off my card.

Can't wait to go hoppin' and see what everyone else came up with this month...I'm never disappointed!!  You can check it all out right HERE.  

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop April 2018

Hello friends.  Playing along with this week's monthly Blog Hop over at Papertrey Ink, where the inspiration photo is absolutely lovely!!

I love tea (especially Peppermint Tea!!) and I would like it even better in one of these beautiful tea cups!!  This whole photo makes me think "vintage", so that was my starting point for my card.

I started by die cutting my tea cups using the Fancy Tea Cup die with Bitty Big DSP in Aqua Mist and Pale Peony and also some gold mirror cardstock.  I distressed them all using some Vintage Photo DOX ink.  For my background layer I used a piece of PTI's Linen cardstock and then did a technique that was from a MIM challenge a year or two ago where you used a stiff bristle brush and lightly swiped color made from a combination of white acrylic paint, a little water, and re-inker (Aqua Mist).  You can see it a little bit better in the following photo:

Once my background was dry I used a Heidi Swapp background stamp with the Vintage Photo DOX ink to give my card even more of a vintage feel.  The little gold frame is from the Cover Plate: Pretty Frame Die.  I finished with a small piece of narrow seam binding ribbon and a little tag from Stemmed Statements.

This was also my first try using tips from Lexi Daly who did a really great post on Flat Photography and just using a few simple items to make your photographs more interesting.  I really like how my 1st photo came out and will definitely be incorporating more of her design tips into my photography!!

This challenge was such a fun one and I can't wait to hop along and see how every one else was inspired...I just know there's going to be some absolute beauties stemming from the lovely inspiration photo!!  If you want to hop along, you can check it all out right HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop - March 2018

Hello friends.  It's the 25th and that means it's time for Papertrey Ink's monthly BLOG HOP.  This month's inspiration photo is awesome...take a look:

Wouldn't you LOVE to have that arrangement sitting on an entry way table or for your centerpiece on your dining room table??!!  I immediately thought of the Nesting stamp set and that's where my card started.

 

I stamped the nest with Classic Kraft ink and then rocked the edges in Cocoa Bean ink using my MISTI, and then added the leaves with Simply Chartreuse and Ripe Avocado inks.  The die that cuts the nest leaves an opening in the center of it and made a perfect place to tuck my flowers from the Bitty Bouquets in to.  I used Melon Berry and Hibiscus Burst for the tulips and Bright Buttercup for the other little flowers.  I used a layer of Blueberry Sky to mimic the wall and table in the inspiration photo and then added the white die cut layer using the Mix & Mat: Confetti die.  My sentiment I embossed in silver on a strip of vellum using the Tulip Time stamp set.  I know there's no bird in this inspiration photo, but the little guy from the Brushed Birds set just seemed to fit right into that little spot on the side of the basket.  A few sequins and some white baker's twine finished off my card that I'm going to use for my mom's 86th birthday that's coming up in early April.

Time to get hoppin my friends...I just LOVE visiting all the blogs to see how everyone interpreted the photo!  Check it all out right HERE!! 

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!