pine is here.

event embellishing

2012-01-26T20:38:17-06:00

Using your talents for celebrations and events is one of my favorite things. I have shared previous projects that I have done like baby shower invitations & favors, treats for the girls to bring to school for various holidays, etc. It's definitely that extra personal touch that you can add to the day.

For the past several years our family has a team to raise money for an organization that has helped support our daughter Tacy and our family. You can see more information on the event that is going on this Saturday (tomorrow!) here. To keep things fun and interesting, we have been choosing themes and this year our theme is ROCK STAR! We have referred to Tacy as our rock star for quite some time calling handicapped parking "rock star" parking. And she is a little rock star with her spunk and her spirit - the theme is a perfect one!

One of the items that I wanted to create were backstage passes for all of our riders. I cut some white cardstock to 3"x4" (Project Lifers are you catching that measurement?) And then created some custom word cutouts for my Silhouette machine by typing out what I wanted, overlapping the letters, and then merging everything together. I did cut out with Papertrey Ink True Black and Hawaiian Shores cardstock. I made sure that it was set for cutting heavy cardstock and did a double cut. I did have to do a little bit of trimming, but I thought it went pretty darn well considering how thick Papertrey cardstock is.

Next I attached the "back stage pass" cut outs to the bottom of the white cardstock pieces. I used the Boy Basics: Rock On set (not just for boys!) to stamp the guitar in Raspberry Fizz and then the sentiment over that in Smokey Shadow ink. The star is from the Star Prints set and I stamped that in Hawaiian Shores ink on the opposite side of the card.

To personalize the passes, I used the Fresh Alphabet set to add the "Team Tacy 2012" in True Black ink. I will share the finished passes in just a bit...

I wanted another little something for our cheerleaders to have so that they could officially be part of the Team Tacy fan club! I took the "Team Tacy 2012" cut out and used a glue pen to apply glitter to just the "Tacy" part of the piece.

My other daughter Hana was impressed by my use of the "rock star" font that I used for Tacy's name which is Blackmoor - the other font I used is Aviano Slab Bold.

I punched circles to fit into the button maker pieces (just a press together set by Darice that you can find at a craft store) from white copy paper that I stamped with stars in Raspberry Fizz and True Black.

I attached the glittered word cut outs to the stamped circle and then assembled it with the button pieces. I did have to trim a few pieces that overlapped out of the button with some paper snips.

I took the back stage pass cards and attached them to some lanyards that I made with some ribbon and clasps by Darice from my craft store. They were so easy to assemble by just taking an appropriate length of ribbon (determined by matching it to a lanyard that I had) folded in half and then took the ends and folded them over the metal ring on the clasps and stitched them in place with my sewing machine.

Team Tacy is ready to rock it on Saturday - I can't wait to see how everything comes together! This rock star theme would be awesome for a birthday party celebration as well and this rock star theme may come back next fall when we have to put together costumes together for Halloween...!

I will be back after the weekend and give you an update on the race and share pictures of all of these awesome embellishments in action!

Supplies:

all supplies from Papertrey Ink unless noted

Team Tacy Back Stage Passes

stamps: Boy Basics: Rock On, Star Prints, Fresh Alphabet

ink: True Black, Smokey Shadow, Hawaiian Shores, Raspberry Fizz

cardstock: white, True Black

other: assorted ribbons (American Crafts, Offray), corner chomper (We R Memory Keepers), lanyard clasps (Darice), digital cutter (Silhouette)

Team Tacy Fan Club Buttons

stamps: Star Prints

ink: Raspberry Fizz, True Black

cardstock: Hawaiian Shores

other: copy paper (HP), button (Darice), glitter (Stampin' Up!), digital cutter (Silhouette)

make it monday - shaker card

2012-01-23T10:30:24-06:00

It's my turn again for Make it Monday!

This time I am sharing how to create an easy to do shaker card using die cuts.

All of the supplies used for this project are listed at the end of the video. Stop over to Nichole's blog to see how you can join the Make it Monday challenge, share your projects, and be eligible for the contest!

one week until Team Tacy 2012 rides again!

2012-01-20T15:33:20-06:00

Team Tacy 2012 rides this next Saturday, January 28th to raise money for United Cerebral Palsy of Central Minnesota, an organization that our family has benefitted from directly.

Right now our online donations are sitting at just under $2000 and we are hoping to raise $5000 or more - last year our team raised over $5800! Please consider donation to this organization that is near and dear to our hearts.

If you would like to donate, please visit my personal fundraising page here.

And I thank you all again for all of you for cheering us on!

january release review

2012-01-15T06:00:00-06:00

Tonight is the night! At 10PM EST all of the new stamp sets and products for the January Papertrey Ink release will be available to purchase.

Today I have the rest of my release projects to share with you...

I put this card together with many of the same elements from the Wedding mini book that I shared with you on day 2 of the countdown.

Lace Bouquet and Happily Ever After are both featured along with one of the new dies from the 2.25" oval Limitless Layers die collection.

This sweet flower is the last in the Flower Fusion series.

Instead of the button center included in the Flower Fusion #12 set, I used a punched circle under an epoxy dome sticker.

And for this last card that I have to share, I paired the new Celebrations set with Think Big Favorites #12.

All of the supply list for the projects that I shared today, and for all of the projects I have shared during the countdown can be found over in the Papertrey Ink gallery. Stop into the forums today as well as everyone countdown to 10PM EST tonight!

Thank you so much for stopping by all during this countdown. See you again soon!

simply jane and more tag-its #12

2012-01-14T06:00:00-06:00

It's day 5, the last day of the Papertrey Ink January release countdown. Today is another group post day and the whole design team is sharing projects that they created with the new Simply Jane stamp set. I also have another card to share with you that uses my new Tag-its #12 set.

All of the new stamp sets and products that I am sharing today will be available to purchase on January 15th, 10PM EST, at Papertrey Ink.

I have actually never read any of Jane Austen's books - I know, I need to! I have seen movies based on her books and about her life and so even without having read the books, I have an appreciation for her writing and as a notable woman in history.

Her softness and romantic themes inspired this card design and I used a lot of the same color that I did in the Wedding mini book project that I shared on day 2 of the countdown. I pieced together a background with several patterned papers, including the new Dearest Jane patterned paper collection. I stamped a small flower image included in the Simply Jane set in Chai ink onto the Dearest Jane script paper for a bit more of a feminine feel. All of the papers are attached to a kraft base, I used an Edgers #1 die on the bottom edge of the piece, and then added the stitching with my sewing machine. I attached the "quilted" piece to a kraft card base and then added the framed sentiment, kraft ribbon, and buttons.

I used one of the silhouette images in Chai on the oval in the center of the frame and then stamped the sentiment over it in Dark Chocolate ink.

Have I told you yet how much in love I am with all of the kraft products debuting this month? Ribbons, buttons, felt, ink? Oh my, I am in heaven.

I took the same concept for this next card as I used in my card Made with the Simply Jane set. This time I used the frame from Tag-its #12 paired with a Heart Prints die cut from Postmarks paper, a leaf punched from kraft cardstock, and a kraft button.

The patterned papers for this card are the book print paper from the Dearest Jane collection that I stamped with the little leaf spring from Tag-its #12 in Chai ink, the green print from the Pacific Vineyard collection, and the blue print from the Argyle Socks collection. The bottom edge of the "quilted" piece was cut with an Edgers #4 die.

The leaf frame is stamped in Ripe Avocado ink on Rustic Cream cardstock and the "love you" sentiment is from the new Script Sentiments set.

Make sure to go to Nichole's blog to link up to everyone on the design team to see the projects that they creted with the Simply Jane set. I am going to go add her books to my library...! Dawn, Melissa, and Candice will have projects to share on their blogs today as well with their new sets.

I will be back tomorrow to share the remainder of my projects for this January Papertrey Ink release! See you then!

Supplies:

all supplies from Papertrey Ink unless noted

Quilted Jane Card

stamps: Simply Jane

ink: Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream, Chai (Tea Dye Duo)

cardstock: Rustic Cream, kraft, Library Ledger, Pretty Pastels, Dearest Jane

other: kraft grosgrain ribbon, kraft buttons, Rustic jute button twine, Edgers #1 die, Simply Jane die

Quilted Love Card

stamps: Tag-its #12, Script Sentiments

ink: True Black, Ripe Avocado, Chai (Tea Dye Duo)

cardstock: Rustic Cream, kraft, Postmarks, Dearest Jane, Argyle Socks, Pacific Vineyard

other: kraft grosgrain ribbon, kraft buttons, Rustic Jute button twine, Heart Prints die, Edgers #4 die, 1 3/4" circle punch (EK Success), leaf punch (Martha Stewart)

team tacy 2012

2012-01-13T10:21:17-06:00

Just interrupting this countdown for an event that we have been doing for my daughter Tacy for the past 6 years. If you don't know Tacy's story, you can view the video below. I put it together several years ago, but it is still our life and Tacy's life everyday. I am a mom, wife, a designer, a caretaker, and an advocate plus more every minute.

United Cerebral Palsy of Central Minnesota is an organization that has been there for us since the beginning. They have helped pay for equipment when insurance would not, they have given Tacy funds for therapeutic horseback riding, and they coordinate many events and network possibilities in the community for people with disabilities and their families.

This is our seventh year pedaling to raise money in honor of our sweet Tacy to raise money for UCP of Central Minnesota. We have 10 riders that pedal 20 minutes each on a stationary bike, racing for this great cause. It feels good to be able to give back to an organization that has given us SO much. Plus, we have a great time doing it (our team theme last year was superheroes!) Here's a video from last year's race.

If you want to make a donation, please visit my fund raising page here. Last year our team raised over $5800 to contribute to UCP of Central Minnesota. I would love to see us beat that total! You can track our team's progress on our team page here.

Thank you so much for all of your support everyday. I know we have a crowd of people who are cheer leading Tacy and our family on every single day. That means the world to me.

mat stack 5 collection and more tag-its #12

2012-01-13T06:00:00-06:00

Welcome to day 4 of the Papertrey Ink January release countdown! Today the whole design team is sharing projects created with the new Mat Stack 5 Collection stamp set. All of the Mat Stack Collection sets are a great coordinating basic for your stamp collection, but take a closer look and you will see that the sets themselves can take center stage on your creations. I snuck the frame image from Tag-its #12 into my projects today too...

All of the new stamp sets and products that I am sharing today will be available to purchase on January 15th, 10PM EST, at Papertrey Ink.

Last month for one of the design team group posts, we took an inspiration piece and used it to create a project using the Rosie Posie set. I really love how the Damask Wishes card turned out that I made that day and used the same inspiration and resulting card as a jumping off point for creating the cards for today.

The main image in the Mat Stack Collection sets are the frames that fit into the coordinating Mat Stack dies. These images are so nice for pulling a card together or even to use on their own to create a tag or use on a scrapbook page for a title or journaling spot. For this card I took one of the main Mat Stack 5 images stamped in True Black ink on kraft cardstock and then matted it with the new Mat Stack 5 Layerz die cut in True Black cardstock. The sentiment is stamped in the Tag-its #12 frame in True Black ink. For the background, I took other elements from the Mat Stack 5 Collection set stamped in True Black ink on the Fresh Linen card base and created a great damask look background.

For this card, I used the extra element images themselves to create the "frame" on the Mega Mat Stack die cut from kraft ink. You can customize the elements to get as fancy or as simple as you want. The sentiment is the same as the last card and this time I attached it to the scallop oval from the Limitless Layers 2.25" Oval die collection. Doing a full damask stamped background on the card base would have been a little too much for the card design, so instead I used the new Fancy Flourishes die cuts in True Black cardstock on the left side of the card front. A bit of Smokey Shadow ribbon and a black vintage button finish off both cards just right.

I am loving how the frame in Tag-its #12 can take on an elegant look like in this set of cards and also works leaning towards the more whimsical like in the Valentine cards that I shared yesterday.

Head over to Nichole's blog to link up to the whole design team to see their projects that they are sharing today using the Mat Stack 5 Collection stamp set. Dawn, Melissa, and Candice will have projects to share on their blogs today as well.

One more day of the countdown tomorrow - see you then!

Supplies:

all supplies from Papertrey Ink unless noted

Framed Damask Wish Cards

stamps: Mat Stack 5 Collection, Tag-its #12

ink: True Black

cardstock: white, kraft, Fine Linen, True Black

other: Smokey Shadow satin ribbon, Rustic Jute button twine, Mat Stack 5 die, Mat Stack 5 Layerz die, Mega Mat Stack 5 die, 2.25" oval Limitless Layers die, Fancy Flourishes dies, 1 3/4" circle punch (EK Success), black buttons (vintage)

more tag-its #12

2012-01-12T06:00:00-06:00

Welcome to day 3 of the Papertrey Ink January release countdown. Today I have a little Valentine card duo to share that uses my new set Tag-its #12.

All of the new stamp sets and products that I am sharing today will be available to purchase on January 15th, 10PM EST, at Papertrey Ink.

I am still in a Valentine project making mode and Tag-its #12 is easily adaptable to create a project in that theme. I stamped the heart image in Pure Poppy ink in the center of a Heart Print die cut from white cardstock. The sentiment in stamped in black ink on a kraft 2.25" Limitless Layer die cut from kraft cardstock and I added the postmark image from the 2010 Love Tags set in Fresh Snow on the kraft oval as well.

The polka dot patterned paper that I used on the bottom portion of the card is from the Simple Valentine patterned paper collection.

Today, Nichole and Lisa are showcasing the Flower Fusion #12 and Script Sentiments sets. Dawn, Melissa, and Candice will have projects to share on their blogs with their new sets today too.

See you tomorrow for more on day 4 of the countdown!

Supplies:

all supplies from Papertrey Ink unless noted

Valentine Day Wishes For You Cards

stamps: Tag-its #12, 2010 Love Tags

ink: True Black, Fresh Snow, Pure Poppy

cardstock: kraft, white, Simple Valentine

other: Pure Poppy twill ribbon, Heart Prints dies, 2.25" Oval Limitless Layers die, red heart brads (Making Memories), tiny attacher (Ranger), corner chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

introducing happily ever after and more tag-its #12

2012-01-11T06:00:00-06:00

Welcome to day 2 of the Papertrey Ink January release countdown. Today I have a bit bigger project to share with you that uses my Tag-its #12 set as well as Dawn's new Happily Ever After set.

Happily Ever After is a set of sentiments perfect for all your wedding themed cards, gifts, and projects. There are sentiments for wishing the happy couple well, inviting family and friends to a wedding shower, and even for sending out thank you notes after the wedding.

All of the new stamp sets and products that I am sharing today will be available to purchase on January 15th, 10PM EST, at Papertrey Ink.

I took sentiments from the Happily Ever After set and my Tag-its #12 set and created a little mini book from my own wedding pictures. One project that has been on my list is to take the wedding photos that I do have and do some editing to put a full album together. Unfortunately we had a not great photographer and the photos other people took of our wedding day are better than the ones he took. This mini album gave me a chance to work on that project and decide exactly how I want to tackle it. In the mean time, I now have this sweet little treasure to share and remember that day with...

I used the new Front & Center #2 die for my front and back covers. The sides from the original die cut are at a bit of an angle on the original die cut and I decided to straighten them out with my paper trimmer. I used a silver metallic thread to do the stitching throughout the mini book.

The pages measure 5 1/8" square - the height of the book I ended up with after straighting the edges out. Each page has a 1/2" patterned paper strip on the righ side of the page and the photos are all 4" square. One thing about having a mini book project like this pull together is repeating elements like this throughout the book.

Before I assembled everything, I sat down and decided on patterned paper, die cuts, etc. I die cut a variety of things from my selection and then started putting elements together to make my embellishments for the mini book pages. Here I used the Heart Prints dies, one cut from a patterned paper and one cut from kraft that I had run through a sticker machine, I attached the smaller heart to the center of the adhesive covered larger heart and then added the glitter to it. The sentiment is stamped in Smokey Shadow ink onto a double ended banner die cut with one end trimmed off and then I stapled that to the heart with my tiny attacher.

The Love & Marriage set from last month's release is a perfect companion to the Happily Ever After set. I used several of the sentiments from that set in the book.

I added some tabs to the book that I created with the one of the Journal Tabs dies. I stitched a smaller heart to it before I folded it and stapled it to the page.

On the page bases, I used the new Lace Bouquet set stamped in Fresh Snow ink. It added that perfect elegant touch with out taking over the page design.

Another element created with the frame from Tag-its #12, the butterfly from the Love Lives Here die collection, a small glittered heart, and the "bride-to-be" sentiment from Happily Ever After.

A page from during the ceremony... The little leaf sprig on the left hand page is from the Tag-its #12 set.

I used the new Limitless Layers 2.25" Oval die here and then ran the scallop oval through my die cut machine once with the new Lace Impressions die to achieve the texture on the shape.

On the back of the mini book, I used one of the images from the new Handmade Hodgepodge set - the Tag-its #12 frame works well to place the image into!

Nichole is sharing more about both Tag-its #12 and Happily Ever After today on her blog. Nichole and Ashley are sharing about Dawn's other new set Celebrations. Dawn, Melissa, and Candice will have projects to share on their blogs.

Come back tomorrow for more! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies:

all supplies from Papertrey Ink unless noted

Wedding Mini Book

stamps: Happily Ever After, Tag-its #12, Love & Marriage, Wedding Day, Handmade Hodgepodge, Lace Bouquet

ink: Fresh Snow, Smokey Shadow, Aqua Mist, Sring Moss

cardstock: kraft, white, Rustic Cream, Pretty Pastels, Library Ledger, Postmarks

other: Kraft satin ribbon, Front & Center #2 die, Mat Stack 5 Layerz die, Heart Prints dies, Love Lives Here dies, Double Ended Banners die, Lace Impressions die, Limitless Layers 2.25" Ovals dies, Journaling Tabs die, 1 3/4" circle punch (EK Success), clip rings (Office Max), tiny attacher (Ranger), white gold glitter (Martha Stewart), silver & white thread (Gutterman)

introducing tag-its #12

2012-01-10T06:00:00-06:00

Hi everyone! It's day 1 of the Papertrey Ink January release countdown. This month wraps up the Papertrey Ink calendar year. A little sad, because this wraps up the Tag-its series (and it has truly been a favorite of mine to work on), but I am looking forward to everything that I have to share in the next year!

Here's a look a the whole Tag-its collection of frames...

Don't you just need to have them ALL for your collection?

Tag-its #12 is the twelth and final of the Tag-its series. It features a leaf patterned circular frame with a thicker outside border that measures just a bit larger than a 1 3/4" punch or die cut. The particular leaf pattern in the frame coordinates with several products that I have released in the past year.

All of the new stamp sets and products that I am sharing today will be available to purchase on January 15th, 10PM EST, at Papertrey Ink.

I pulled out the Vineyards impression plate that coordinates with Tag-its #12 and impressed some kraft cardstock. I used the 1 3/4" Limitless Layers circle die to leave a portion unimpressed so that I could stamp the frame image in it. You can learn more about doing this technique in this Make it Monday video by Erin Lincoln.

Here's a bit closer up look at the card. I swiped my Fresh Snow ink pad over the impressed image so more of the pattern would stand out. I then stamped the frame with Fresh Snow ink in the circle area. I stamped the heart image in Aqua Mist and the sentiment in Smokey Shadow over the top of the heart on white cardstock. I punched the design out with a 1 1/8" circle punch and attached it into the center of the heart frame.

The heart border is layered with the medium scallop border, stitched, and has a bit of bling (clear rhinestones) added to it!

There is more to see on this first day of the countdown: Nichole and Betsy are sharing projects made with Lace Bouquet and Think Big Favorites #12. Nichole and Danielle are also sharing the new Handmade Hodgepodge set. Dawn, Melissa, and Candice will share projects with their new sets too.

Thanks so much for stopping by today - see you back here tomorrow!

Supplies:

all supplies from Papertrey Ink unless noted

Cherished Heart Cards

stamps: Tag-its #12

ink: Fresh Snow, Smokey Shadow, Aqua Mist

cardstock: white, kraft, Aqua Mist

other: Vineyard impression plate, 1 3/4" Limitless Layers die, heart border die, medium scallop border die, 1 1/8" circle punch (EK Success), clear rhinestones (Kaisercraft), corner chomper (We R Memory Keepers)