Spring Fling

April showers.......GO AWAY! Oh wait, that's not how the saying goes! And it's not April anymore, Happy May Day. But seriously, enough of the rain already, I need Spring flowers and sunshine. Today, the Papertrey girls are celebrating Spring, rain or shine. We've all selected an inspiration photo and made a project inspired by it. I chose this photo below from my Inspiration Notebook. The soft, pretty colors and florals remind me of what I love about Spring. After studying my photo up close, I saw several wonderful patterns that I wanted to create for my project. I wanted to create some custom designer papers that had the feel of Grandma's wallpaper. For all of my papers, I used the 2008 Bitty Dot Basics patterned paper for my base. I think this is a great little tip because you instantly have the fun polka dots and a soft colored background.

For my first design, I wanted to recreate the hat box design, zoom in for a closer look. I used an Aqua Mist base paper along with the following Papertrey supplies: Guidelines Two, Guidelines, and Everyday Classics stamps(white flower)...and Hibiscus Burst, Fresh Snow and Ocean Tides ink. I feel like you could peel this right off Grandma's wall!

For my second design, I wanted to recreate the pretty damask design on the wall. I used a Spring Moss background paper and the following Papertrey supplies: Damask Designs and Spiral Bouquet(word Bloom you can see if you zoom in)...and Fresh Snow and Spring Moss ink. Very designer looking.

For my last piece, I just loved the polka dots and roses on this fun tin container. I used a Sweet Blush background paper and the following PTI supplies: Garden of Life(flower, leaf and polka dot) and Spiral Bouquet(green sprig) stamps.....and Sweet Blush, Hibiscus Burst, Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado and Fresh Snow inks. To create the two toned flowers, I used the *rock and roll* stamping method...stamp flower in Sweet Blush then roll edges in Hibiscus Burst, then stamp.

Okay, I have my 3 custom stamped papers but now what? I wasn't sure what to make yet so I just pulled together some matching elements: Hibiscus Burst, New Leaf and White Vintage Buttons and Hibiscus Burst and Ripe Avocado ribbons. Notice these contrast a little with the colors on my stamped papers.....not overly matchy-matchy...and I like it.

I decided what I wanted to make....some covered notebooks for Spring gifts for friends and family. I wanted a little sentiment, so I stamped *celebrate today* from Mega Mixed Messages onto some of my custom patterned paper..then the loopy circle from Borders and Corners Circles. I used a circle punch and the Super Scalloped punch for quick work of making an embellishment.Then I just cut strips of my patterned paper and applied it to my notebook fronts. I just love the quirky, fun colors.

Here's a shot of my sentiment embellishments, up on pop dots for emphasis.

And here's a shot of a little strip embellishment I added. I adhered my ribbons and tied Vintage Buttons to Kraft cardstock. There's machine stitching around the edges and the bottom edge is punched with an EK Success border punch. All Kraft edges are inked with Fresh Snow ink.

I wanted to recap some good tips for you to keep in mind, here goes:

1. Stamp designs on patterned paper for a new look instead of using plain cardstock.

2. Mix and match your stamp sets to get the most bang for your buck...I used EIGHT different sets to create my custom papers.

3. Don't be so matchy-matchy with your colors..let loose, get funky with it.

4. Use those big honkin Vintage Buttons on projects like this that don't have to be mailed. They add some great dimension to your projects.

5. Use Scor-Tape to adhere items like ribbon snippets and bulkier items like stitched cardstock.

6. Use punches when mass producing to make quick easy work.

7. Start your Inspiration Notebook today, you'll never be without an idea.

Now.....since I think I must hoard these two little morslets of Spring goodness for myself, I must create more to give away. I hope you are inspired to make some fun little creations for yourself. Check out Nichole's BLOG for a challenge.

And check out these PTI girls' blogs for even more Spring inspiration:

Lisa Johnson
Lauren Meader
Becky Oehlers
Heather Nichols

Kelly Lunceford