Poppy Paperie

Scrap-tastic Challenge

January 2010.... holy cow... I can't believe how fast time flies! Happy New Year everyone! Any resolutions??? Mine? Well, I'm a bit of a junk food lover. So this year I just want to eat healthier. :) Tomorrow I turn 41 so I need to take it all more seriously.

So this month Nichole challenged us, the Senior Papertrey Ink Design team, to create something using as many scraps as possible from our scrap piles or boxes. I LOVE THIS CHALLENGE!  I dip into my little stashes all the time. I have a ribbon bucket, A focal image/stamped small layers bin and a big box next to my desk that holds larger pieces of cardstock.

Here is my little duo of scrap lovin' fun!

 

Truly nothing fancy... I'm sort of a frugal gal and haven't been inspired to spend the money on anything in particular. This seems to work fine for me. I have an old Costco popcorn box that I use for my big scraps. It's thicker than normal cardboard so it holds up well.

So pretty much everything here came from one scrap bin or another. The flower Garden stamped paper with in my little bin from something I tried to make 6 months ago. 

The scalloped edge cardstock was a leftover from another project.

 

The card base was even sitting in the bigger box leftover from when I decided to change my color scheme on a card. even the strip of white was there just waiting for a sentiment from Big & Bold Wishes. I just had a little trimming to do to bring it all together. Buttons are something that I make sure to try to restock into their container, especially if it's threaded already! Love that time saver!

 

As far as patterned paper scraps... It may sound messy but they I have one little cubicle that hold my PTI paper... and there is a section that is just there to hold scraps. The reality for me is that if I have to work too hard to organize scraps It just wont happen. So my little simple system works for me.

Such a fun challenge...I hope you will dig into your scrap pile and get inspired! Check out Nichole, The Sr. DT and the Papertrey Distinguished guest designer, Jessica blogs for some fantastic projects for this challenge!

• Becky Oehlers
• Betsy Veldman
• Heather Nichols
• Michelle Wooderson
• Nichole Heady
• Jessica Witty

 

• Stamps- Flower Garden, Big & Bold wishes
• Ink- Spring Rain, Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise
• paper- Bitty Box Basics, Pure Poppy, White
• other- pure poppy buttons, button twine
  

Watercoloring with the new Papertrey Ink pigment ink!

It's always fun to try old tricks with new products. I gathered my new Papertrey Ink pigment inks and played with them... and discovered that many of my favorite true and tested techniques worked fantastically with them. Today I'm showcasing a few watercoloring tricks that you will LOVE!

Can you see in this photo where I've used watercoloring in one form or another?

  

Here's what I did first. I used and aqua pen (you can use a paintbrush just as easily) and wet the stamp image just after I stamped it... dragging the color into the areas that I wanted to be colored. This is something tried and true and is a common technique with dye ink.

  

I've never had great success with pigment inks before. I think the reason why this works so well with PTI inks is because of their faster drying time, allowing the image to set a little. Just an educated guess. :) Look at the layers I created with this great heart from the Heart Prints stamp set. So sweet and subtle.

The next way is by using the re-inker with a brush to color with. I use the acetate leftover from when I put my Papertrey stamps away. A GREAT way to recycle! Just put a drop or two of re-inker on the sheet and use it to create different dilutions of the color.

 

I can pull/ use the more watered down color for creating a lighter and more translucent effect. Pulling/ using the less watered down re-inker gives a more solid and darker look. Here, with Say It With Style,   I just used Raspberry Fizz... but it would be easy to use two different colors with this sentiment. What I want to point out is the amazing ability to coordinate your coloring inexpensively, using products you should already have. Imagine all the possibilities!

 

The trick with watercoloring is be imperfect. leave some variations and some white space.
 

I wanted to show you how it could be done on twill too! It softens and adds some fun dimension.
 

Simple Valentine has so many great images for this technique.

Here is my finished, Watercolor enhanced, card! imagine this card without the watercoloring... it wouldn't be quite as warm and cozy. (click on the photo for a larger view... use your arrow keys to adjust the card on the screen)

 

I hope you have enjoyed today's post. I know that this may not be new to some of you.. but I find that I often forget about the oldies but goodies! And this IS a goodie with a twist using those great new Papertrey Ink pigment inks! if this is new to you... WONDERFUL! So glad I could show you something new to you! Feel free to let me know if there are any techniques you would like me to feature here in the future!

Have a great weekend... and thanks for poppying by!

 
 

•  Stamps- Simple Valentine, Heart Prints, Rustic Branches, Say it with Style, Background Basics: Hearts
•  Ink- Raspberry Fizz, Dark Chocolate, Fresh Snow
•  Paper- Rustic White, Kraft, Sweet Blush, Friends til the End
•  Other- Vintage Cream Buttons, White Button Twine, Martha Stewart border punch, Marvy Paper trimming Buddy with Pinking blade.

December 2009 Papertrey Ink Release

There is something SO special about creating for friends! This month, while creating my Papertrey Ink samples, I had just that in mind. Each one of these projects are for a specific person. Maybe that's why they seem so different... they reflect, to me... the fun or calmness that they represent!

The first is a gratitude notebook for my friend to keep by her bed highlighting Blooming Button Bits.

Next, a fun card using Say it with Style! (doesn't it just scream... open me!)

Lastly, A glam card using Simple Valentine. Really LOVE those hearts!

 

So that's the gist of the lovelies I created for this month's release. Lots of fun to create... and this month it looks like I was a little more "girlie" than usual. :)

I hope you were able to get what you needed... if not and you are still deciding, check out the gallery for all the wonderful samples that the DT created! (my supply lists for these cards can be found there too!)
I'm off to work of my Tutorial for this week and wrap up a few last minute online Christmas ordering! ACK!
Thanks for poppying by!

Tiny Treats

I love Valentines day.. but I've gotta be honest here... When it comes to Valentines treats for my girls' classes, I don't make any. WHAT??? Oh... no... not because I don't want to... THEY WONT LET ME! They, being all girls, want to make them themselves! My part usually consist of designing them and getting everything ready for them. This year I came up with an easy and cute way to mass produce over 130 valentines. But you don't need to make that many if you don't want to... you just can! AND, I'm really excited to be using Papertrey Ink's Tiny Treats stamp set! (being released December 15th)

Here is the little pattern that I will be using today. Feel free to use it for personal use, not for classes, and I would really appreciate a link back if you use if for your blog posts. Download Envelope treats pattern 

  

Here are a few tips when using this pattern/template...

• Chose "none" for page scaling and it will be a perfect fir to Papertrey Ink's 8x8 patterned paper!
• Print directly onto cardstock. (you can see that below)
• Print onto printer paper and trim to use as a guide template.
• Print onto printer paper then adhere Papertrey's 8x8 patterned paper, pattern side down, on the square. Re-print on that same paper. (this can be a tricky thing for some printers so you might have to experiment a little.)

So here are some of the supplies prepped for the valentines. This is about 5% of what I would need... but gives a good little example. Heather's new patterned paper is super fun!

I used a scoring tool and folded the envelopes. A little Zip dry on the seams secured it really well. I used a little drop to close the top flap.

Check out this little bunny... Oh SO CUTE! Minimal coloring with Copics... a little grey and pink did the trick.

 

Here is the little pup that Nichole peeked on her blog. He is so snugly and adorable... super easy to use. Aren't those hearts from Background Basics: Hearts fun! They are a great size for treat packs.

And finally the super sweet lemons! Brilliant image! I again pulled out my Copic markers.

Fun scalloped trims and little ribbons and buttons add so much.

  

Now as far as what I put in as a treat...These are called Good and Fruity (they are like Jelly Beans). The girls can fill up each little envelope. They can also slip in a personal note. Other ideas would be: Gum, treat size Airheads, Laffy Taffy, Starbursts, Mini Hershey Bars.... SO many possibilities! I love that the girls will have choices and enjoy making these for valentines day!

Ok... So this great little Tiny Treats Set has a lot of versatility in the mix! Here is a quick cute friendship card I made with the little cat and pup image.

                           

I pulled out the little paw image from the With Sympathy: Loss of a Pet stamp set. I thought it was a great companion image for this card.

                               

A Puuuurfect card for any friend...a pet loving friend... or even a friend who you love but don't have tons in common with.

Make check out the other DT members today... it's a Papertrey Ink group post day and there are many inspirational goodies out there!

• Becky Oehlers
• Betsy Veldman
• Dawn McVey
• Debbie Olson
• Geny Cassady
• Heather Nichols
• Kim Hughes
• Lauren Meader
• Melissa Phillips
• Michelle Wooderson
• Nichole Heady
• Niki Estes

I hope you enjoyed todays post... thanks for poppying by!

 

Envelope treats

• Stamps- Tiny Treats, Background Basics: Hearts
• Ink- Noir, Raspberry Fizz
• Paper- Simple Valentine, White, Sweet Blush, Hibiscus Burst, Bitty Box Basics
• Other- Extra Jumbo Heart and Extra Jumbo Circle punch (Marvy), Papertrimming buddy and scalloped blade (Marvy), Score-pal, Copic Markers, Hibiscus Busrt buttons, various Papertrey Ink ribbon. Prisma Glitter, Glue pen.

Puuurfect Friend card

• Stamps- Tiny Treats, With Sympathy: loss of a  pet
• Ink- True Black, Noir, Raspberry Fizz
• paper- Soft Stone, Smoky Shadow, Raspberry Fizz, White
• Other- Various Marvy Punches (Circles), Damask A2 folder, Ocean Tides buttons. Pink floss, Copic Markers, Glitter, Glue pen.
  

Zva Winners announced

Zva winners have been chosen and their name will be announced sometime today on the following blogs (see my side bar on the right for the links):

Teri
Hilde
Lynn M.
Lynn G.
Anabelle

WASN'T THAT FUN!?! We had a ball and we hope that you did as well. Thank you SO MUCH for visiting my blog. Please keep an eye out for another Zva Creative Blog Hop in the future.

Thanks for poppying by!

 

Zva Creative Team Blog Hop

Our First Zva Creative Blog Hop! :)

I am excited to be a part of the Zva Creative DT! We are joining together today to share a Christmas or Holiday Tag that we each created showcasing the beautiful products that Zva has to offer. I am hoping that you will take some time to join us in a little bit of fun!

The Blog Hop begins at Kim Hughes' blog: She is linking to one of the designers and that designer is linking to the next and so on. There are 12 design team members, so be prepared to be inspired along the way. Hidden on 5 of the blogs is a Zva Creative prize package! Those blogs will be randomly chosen after the hop is over, so it's important to leave a comment on as many blogs as you can. Our team is so wonderfully diverse, so we are hoping that you will discover a talent that you have not been aware of.

This Blog Hop runs through midnight on Tuesday, December 8th and the 5 winners will be announced on Wednesday, December 9th. We will do our best to notify each winner, but it's best if you can pop in to all of the blogs once again on Wednesday...plus, you never know what kind of inspirational creation that you may find there. All you need to do is leave a comment on this Zva Blog Hop post...you do not need to leave a comment on each and every designer's blog post to qualify. The more times you leave a comment along the blog hop path though, the more chances you will have to be one of the lucky winners.

 
Here is my little tag contribution to the hop!

 

A fun little fact about this tag is that I pulled a lit of the elements from my Scrap pile. I love peeking in there to wee what little extra's I have hiding. I just lucked out to have some great stamped papers to pull out! I used Copic markers to color the Crystal alphabet stickers.

The little Zva flowers are such a fun addition aren't they!

This photo shows the colors the best... for the Crystals that is!
Please hop on over to see the amazing Ingrid Danvers to continue the hop!

I'm so glad you all get a chance to win some Zva bling! I hope you will enter comments on as many of the team blogs as possible to up your chances to win!

Thanks for poppying by!

 

• Zva Creative products- Pink Flower (FLBK-02CA-103) Green Flowers (FLBK-02CA-109) Crystal Letters/Alphabet (CRP-01CB-101)
  

• Stamps- Faux Ribbon, Let Freedom Ring (Papertrey Ink)
• Ink- Pure Poppy, Spring Moss, Sweet Blush, Hibiscus Burst.(Papertrey Ink)
  
• Cardstock- Spring Moss, White,  Hibiscus Burst (Papertrey Ink)
• other- Pure Poppy Ribbon (PTI), Marvy Oval and corner Punch, Marvy Scallop blade and trimmer. Various Copic Markers.

wanna win a prize?

A few day's ago Jen at the Scrapbook Trends blog highlighted my post on Stamp Kissing. They are having an AWESOME give-away over there. I highly recommend popping over to their blog and entering to win! (you might hop around the last few days posts... there are several opportunities!)

Just thought you'd want to know! :)

p.s. Have a great weekend my friends... and a great St. Nicholas day!