Welcome to my crafty blog... a "garden" of colourful cards, quilting, sewing projects, knitting...and what ever else happens along the way!!


Friday, February 14, 2014

Papertrey Ink: Special Delivery 2

This is my second post today.  
You can see my first card and envelope here. 
I started a card for the "Building Blocks Challenge" yesterday, but I could 
not make it work. Today I finished it with a few variations from the 
original requirements and then added the matching envelope to the mix!!

 I decided to use a vertical format for the envelope in order to 
match the the details on my card. If you're going to hand deliver 
a card, I think it's fun to use an unexpected packaging.

The Envelope

Paper: White Envelope; light grey paper (from my stash)
Inks: Pure Poppy, New Leaf, Enchanted Evening
Stamps:  
Polka Dot Basics, Distressed Stripes, 
Vegetable Garden, Garden Variety II, Mat Stack #3
(The tomato and the stripe were created by using a water colouring technique)


Card Front
As I mentioned earlier, this card was originally started after
 "rolling the dice" to determine the supplies I would need to 
use in the  Building Blocks Challenge (details here
I didn't enter the card as I ended up making a few changes!!
 
My list of supplies were to include:
Inks: Pure Poppy, New Leaf, Enchanted Evening
Neutral Colour: Soft Stone     
*Sketch: #5
*Occasion: Just Because   
Technique: Water colouring
Embellishment: adhesive pearls    
Fiber: Baker's Twine

*Changes Made: 
* I didn't use a band of card stock across the front image - 
I created a banner in Pure Poppy card stock and inserted it beneath the focal panels. 
*The sentiment was stamped onto a Tiny Tag and attached to the side of the focal image. 
*The occasion was changed to "a special day"; I will be able to use it for a birthday/celebration.

Stamps: 
Background Basics:Tin Types; Garden Variety II; Vegetable Garden; 
Tiny Tags II; Bitty Background Blocks; 
Dies: 
Garden Variety Frame II; Spiral Notebook Die; 
Double Ended Banner Die; Tiny Tags Die
Additional Supplies:
Water colouring Paper

Thanks for visiting today.
Karen C.

Papertrey Ink: Special Delivery !


Happy Valentine's Day!! 
I had cards and little candy treats for a few of the men in my life 
and received a beautiful bouquet of flowers today. After a blizzard 
yesterday, it was nice to wake up to a sunny (but very white) morning!!
 
Today is the final challenge for Papertrey Ink's 7th Anniversary Celebrations
I have been in a whirlwind of card stock, paper, inks, dies, ribbons and crafty goodness. My craft room looks like  maniac has been on a rampage! 
Today's challenge gives "free rein" to make a card and coordinating envelope. 

 I had started this card earlier for the timed 
challenge (use 7 supplies and create a card in 17 minutes)
I was almost finished my card when I realized I had used 8 supplies and 
way too much time to qualify!! So .... I set it aside and finished it later by 
adding a detailed interior. Today I made a matching envelope. This is ready to 
hand deliver to one of my nieces for her birthday later in the spring.  
I used this card from one of my Pinterest boards as my "inspiration". 
(Thanks to Dawn McVey!!)

Card Stock:   Stamper's Select White,  Hibiscus Burst
Inks: Hibiscus Burst, Simply Chartreuse, Smokey Shadow
Stamps: Reasons to Smile
Other: Green Ribbon (from my stash); Scalloped Border die 


Card Interior
 Paper: Hibiscus Burst Polka Dot Patterned Paper; Stamper's Select White
Inks: Hibiscus Burst, Simply Chartreuse, Smokey Shadow
Stamps: Reasons to Smile; Iconic Images; Sweet Spring; Signature Series: Dress Form
Other: Fabulous Frames Die, Double ended Banner Die; Scalloped Border die; 

Stamped Envelope
Inks: Hibiscus Burst, Simply Chartreuse, Smokey Shadow
Stamps: Reasons to Smile; Postmarks; Delightful Dahlias


Thanks for visiting today.
Karen C.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Papertrey Ink: Stripe Challenge

Wow, this has been a busy time at Papertrey Ink
Each day of the Anniversary Celebrations has seen a card 
challenge issued and I've tried to play along with a few. 


Stripes were on the menu today and I cased  Nichole Heady's card (here) 
to create a gingham effect. She used two new cover plates to make masks 
and then sprayed a colour mist over the vertical and horizontal stripes.
 
I used a different method to create my stripes, and even though it took 
some time, I really like the effect. Each of my "stripes" are 3/8" wide. I placed 
washi tape on either side of the area that I wanted to colour and then used 
an ink blending tool with Aqua Mist ink.  After completing the vertical stripes, 
I used the same process to make the horizontal stripes.

Card Front and Card Base 
Stamper's Select White card stock;
Sewing Machine Stitching


Sentiment Panel
Limitless Layers: 2 1/4" Ovals; Stampers Select White Card stock;
The sentiment (Framed Out #1) was stamped with VersaMark ink and then 
Clear Embossing Powder was applied. The blending tool was used to add 
Berry Sorbet Ink. The sentiment really stands out against the coloured background.
Leaves
 Simply Chartreuse Felt; Heart-2-Heart Die
Button Flowers
 Coaster Board; Button-Up #2 Die Collection; Button Boutique;
Summer Sunrise, Berry Sorbet & Aqua Mist inks; foam tape; white embroidery floss

Other Details
Berry Sorbet Twill Tape Ribbon; Crochet Cotton

Thanks for visiting today.
Karen C.


Monday, February 10, 2014

Papertrey Ink Challenge: Day 6

There's still lots to see and do at Papertrey Ink's 7th Anniversary Party
Today's challenge: use word or alphabet dies. (details here ). I've actually 
been working on this card for a while, but when I read today's challenge, 
I realized it would meet the requirements. I love sewing and quilting
 (and paper crafting too!!) so when I saw this wall quilt on Pinterest, 
I wanted to make a Paper Quilt Card for my husband for Valentine's Day.
Shabby Chic Wall Quilt Heart Decor by LittleTreasureQuilts
My Paper Quilt Card
I used lots of Papertrey Inks, card stock, stamps and dies on this card. 
A detailed outline of my process is shown below.


Stamping Background Papers
 All of the background papers were stamped before cutting and piecing
"the quilt". I used the Pinterest Quilt to make a pattern and determine how
 each section would look. The diagram below shows the different
 patterns used and the placement of each. I started by die cutting  
Cover Plate: Diagonals from Raspberry Fizz card stock.
Then I trimmed the inside, in order to leave a thin frame. This
 creates the appearance of binding that you would see on quilts.

I glued a piece of graph paper to the back of the frame, making 
sure to have it even and 'squared ' in the corners. Before adding the rest 
of the papers I stamped the frame as shown in the supplies list below.
A - Vintage Cream card stock; Hibiscus Burst ink; Bitty Background Blocks
B - Parchment Paper (Recollections); Bitty Background Blocks + Kraft Ink
      Flower and Leaves (Birds and Blossoms + Hibiscus Burst + Simply Chartreuse inks)
C - (includes frame/hearts) Raspberry Fizz card stock; Pure Poppy ink; Bitty Background Blocks
D - Tan Parchment Paper (Recollections); Leaf (Tag-It's + Kraft ink)
E - Tan Parchment Paper (Recollections); Hibiscus Burst + Pure Poppy inks
      flowers (Garden Variety)
F - Tan Parchment Paper (Recollections);  Flower (Tag-It's #3 + Vineyard Berry: CTMH)
      gingham (Bitty Background Blocks + Pure Poppy ink)
G - Beige paper from my stash; flower (Garden Variety II + Hibiscus Burst & Pure Poppy); 
      leaf (Birds & Blooms + Simply Chartreuse ink)
H - Canvas Parchment Paper; Text Style + Kraft ink

The patches (1/2" square punch) were the first pieces placed into the frame. 
Each one was glued to the graph paper.

The right side strip (1/2" x 4 1/8") and the top strip (7/8" x 3 1/2") were added. 
The 2" x 2" square was positioned for the main focal point. 
The last papers to be cut and glued were the left side and the portion 
between the square and the patchwork. By working this way I was 
able to 'dry fit' each piece and make sure they would all work.

Die Cut Details
 Heart Print Dies
Large and Small Hearts - Raspberry Fizz/Pure Poppy paper (Print C)
Medium Hear : Kraft Felt        Accent: Light pink adhesive pearl

Lower Case Modern Alphabet Dies
Print C was used to cut each letter. 
I  re-cut the letter "o" by overlapping  the "l" and "v" dies, 
then re-cut the "e" by overlapping the "v" die. Once the 
letters were positioned, it looked like a word die cut. 
I don't have many word dies, so this is something that I will 
be doing again. I love the look!! 

Finishing Details
The Pure Poppy stitching lines were created with Sew Simple Borders 
(I positioned the stamp on my block in a curved design).
The large and small asterisks (Framed Out #5 and #7) were added.
This close-up also shows the machine stitching that I did 
along the edges to create the look of a quilted wall hanging.
The finished card front was glued to the Rustic Cream card base.


Card Interior
I used more of the  'patches' to create a border along the bottom 
of the card. These were positioned onto a piece of graph paper, and 
then edges were sponged with Vintage Tea Dye Chamomile ink, before 
being glued to the card base. The sentiment (Love Lives Here) was stamped 
with Raspberry Fizz ink.  The small heart (Tiny Treats: Valentines) and 
the arrow (Tag-It's #11) covers a little blooper I made!!

This was a labour of love!! 
There were several points along the way when I thought:
 "Why am I doing this?"   "Will I ever finish this?" 
But in the end, it is one of my favourite cards. 

Have you ever made a Paper Quilt?  Do you think you would like to try one?
Next time, I'm going to be looking for co-ordinating 
patterned papers to help speed up the process!!

Thanks for visiting today.
Karen C.

Papertrey Ink: Day 1 Colour/Sketch Challenge

I'm back with another card for Papertrey Ink's Anniversary Celebrations
On Day 1, Nichole Heady posted colour and sketch recipes (details here) 
that we could combine for the challenge. I chose the same colour scheme 
as my first card (here) , but switched it up by using a different sketch.

I have to admit that this card took quite a while, 
with several variations left on my craft table!! 

http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c64e753ef01a73d6ffc69970d-pi
  
 http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c64e753ef01a511649f09970c-pi
I used the fox from Hello Foxy, rather than a floral stamp. 
In order to make it work I flipped the sketch so that the focal 
image appears on the right side and the sentiment is on the left.

The sentiment (Framed Out #6) was stamped onto the Rustic Cream 
card front with Pure Poppy ink (happiest)and Vineyard Berry (WISHES)
The center banner (birthday) was stamped onto a strip of card stock 
with  Dark Chocolate ink, hand cut and then mounted onto the front.
 
The grass and flowers (Garden Variety) were stamped with  
Fine Linen, Pure Poppy, Classic Kraft and Vineyard Berry (Close To My Heart).
 
Top and bottom "brackets" were made with a Fillable Frame #4 die cut, 
stamped with polka dots (Waltzingmouse Stamps) and then over 
stamped with Background Basics: Gingham using Dark Chocolate ink.


The fox was stamped onto a die cut white card stock  and again onto 
Pure Poppy Polka Dot patterned paper with Memento Tuxedo Black. 
The head and body were paper pieced with the patterned paper and 
the face and tail were coloured with copic markers. I cut two additional 
fox die cuts and layered them to create a bit more dimension.

Before adding the top and bottom frames and the fox, 
I ran the card front through a Cuttlebug with the 
Canvas Impression Plate and then machine stitched the edges.
The card front was mounted onto a Dark Chocolate card base.

There's more fun to come, so I better get back into my crafting 
room to work on the next Anniversary Challenge!! See you soon!!
Karen C.
*********

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Papertrey Ink: Celebrating Birthdays

It's Day 5 of Papertrey Ink's Anniversary Celebrations 
(details here) and today we were challenged to make a 
"birthday card" to celebrate their 7th year of stamping fun!!

I've been working on various challenges and 
papers and inks were scattered on my desk, so I took 
my inspiration from some of my favourite PTI products. 

Stamper's Select White card stock was stamped with
Movers and Shakers Sentiments in True Black ink. 

Stitching Impression Plate  was a great choice to create a 
'fabric background' - I love adding texture to my cards

I then cut seven"buttons" from coaster board 
using the  Button Up #2 die collection.
The 'buttons' were stamped with Papertrey Ink colours:
Berry Sorbet, Hibiscus Burst, Summer Sunrise, Harvest Gold, 
Simply Chartreuse, Aqua Mist and Hawaiian Shores using  
a polka dot button stamp. (Button Boutique) The buttons 
were tied with white embroidery floss, then glued onto 
the card under the sentiment.

The stamp showing the # of years (7) is visible in the 
top corner. It was stamped with Hibiscus Burst Ink and 
the card was mounted onto a Hibiscus Burst card base.
 
This could be classified as 'clean and simple' - not usually my 
style, so I keep debating if it needs something else added. But I 
will have to leave it for now - time to get it posted for the challenge!!

Thanks for looking today.
Karen C.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Papertrey Ink Anniversary Challenge: Day 1

Papertrey Ink, my favourite stamp company, is celebrating its 7th 
anniversary this month and there's lots of fun activities happening!! 
Visit Nichole Heady's blog here to find out all the details.
  
Today's contest involves combining one Colour Scheme and one Sketch 
Inspiration on a card.  The colours and simple design make this perfect 
for a masculine card. Here's the inspiration for my project:

 http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c64e753ef01a73d6ffc69970d-pihttp://nicholeheady.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c64e753ef01a3fcb50291970b-pi

I made a 3" x 4" card using an arrow stamp (Framed Out #5) 
to create diagonal stripes on a Rustic Cream card front. 
 Inks: Dark Chocolate, Classic Kraft, Pure Poppy; Vineyard Berry (CTMH)

 
The sentiment (Hello Foxy) was stamped with Dark Chocolate ink 
 and the heart (Tag-Its #11) with Vineyard Berry (Close To My Heart).
The Stitching Impression Plate was used to give the front panel 
some texture, then mounted onto a Kraft card base. 


I used the same colour scheme to make the inside panel.
Stamps: Vintage Labels; Tiny Treats: Valentine

I'll be back soon with another Anniversary challenge.
Thanks for visiting today. 
Karen C.