Signature Series Showcase

Welcome to another Papertrey Group Post featuring Dawn McVey's new Signature Series stamp sets. I'll be featuring the butterfly set on my projects today. Nichole challenged the entire design team to create a card and a tag for today's post. I created this beautiful ensemble that features pretty butterflies along with office supply themed goodies.
First up is my pretty card. Since all of the Signature Series stamp sets have coordinating dies, I did a little experimenting with cutting different mediums with the dies.
I first die cut a butterfly from Cork Paper and used the negative image as the bottom of my butterfly accent. Next up I die cut a butterfly from some It's Official patterned paper. Then I cut many layers of an old sewing pattern. On the top layer I stamped the butterfly image with Fresh Snow ink. I stitched down the middle of all of these layers and then ruffled up the pattern pieces. By flipping up all the layers, it creates a fluttery little butterfly that looks like it's about to take flight. I added a little glitter to make the butterfly extra sparkly. A Dainty Doily and some vintage ledger paper create the bottom layers under the butterfly accent piece. Luxe Satin Ribbon and Vintage Buttons finish off the card.
I wanted to show you a fun idea.....when stitching down the middle of the butterfly, cut the thread a little longer so that the leftover snippets resemble butterfly antennas. Love.
For my tag, I used the butterfly that I cut from Cork Paper and stamped it with lines and flourishes from the new Mat Stack 1 Collection of stamps. A Large Manila Parcel Tag was layered with more of the It's Official patterned paper. I also die cut a small scalloped edge for the side of the tag. My tag was tied up with Luxe Satin Ribbon and Wrinkle Ribbon from my Etsy shop.
Here you can see that the Cork Paper takes ink really well. I also added some glitter, Vintage Buttons, Twine and Leaf Ribbon.
My card and tag would make such a pretty gift wrap for a girly present. If you'd like to see more goodies made with the new Signature Series stamps and dies, be sure to visit the other Papertrey Designer blogs:

• Nichole Heady
• Heather Nichols
• Lisa Johnson
• Betsy Veldman
• Debbie Olson
• Dawn McVey
• Kim Hughes
• Niki Estes
• Melissa Phillips
• Erin Lincoln
• Maile Belles

Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type Stickers Challenge

Hi friends, today I have two posts so be sure to check out my Papertrey group post project too. I'm here again to share some more projects using Cosmo Cricket products. Today's challenge was to use the tiny letter stickers. I created two fun cards that came together really quickly using all pre-made products like chipboard elements from Mitten Weather, the small letter stickers and items from my Etsy shop.
Both my card sizes measure 4.25" square. I love this fun little size for cards once in a while. On this card, I used the sticker letters to spell out a favorite sentiment of mine that I use with mittens and stockings....coffee mugs, etc. I embellished a pair of purple chipboard mittens with tiny red ric rac and some glitter. These rest on a stitched purple tag that matches the Mitten Weather colors nicely. That extra stitching on the tag really ties in with the homespun feel that you think of with mittens and winter snuggly items.
My background paper and scalloped circle punch were created with Mitten Weather patterned paper. The top of my card features a Dainty Doily that has been folded over the top of the card fold. The clothespin accent features a Small Clothespin adorned with a purple button and tied with baker's twine.
For the card sentiment, I used red letter stickers to spell out a heartfelt greeting. I like to apply these in a *not so straight* fashion....nice and vertical but a little above and below an imaginary line. I love the look of little sticker letters. My best tip is to keep all your letter stickers in one folder and mix and match them when you start to run out of letters. You get kind of a ransom note look that is oh so fun.
My next project is a whimsical little number featuring a quirky Santa chipboard element and a note to Santa that I tucked inside a coin envelope.
I fancied up Santa with a pom pom hat, a tied jingle bell and a little snippet of red ric rac. His little grin just cracks me up. He acts as a tent topper of sorts, if you are familiar with that style of card that I make. Another Dainty Doily was used on the fold of this card as well as some green and red Mitten Weather patterned paper for the card front.
For my note to Santa, I fancied up a coin envelope with more letter stickers, another clothespin accent, a glittered star and some Martha Stewart glitter on the envelope edge to resemble snow.
Here's the best part of this card, all tucked inside the envelope. I created a message to Santa that perhaps wasn't meant to be seen by everyone else. I think some one's been a little bit naughty. Using letter stickers, you can create any type of sentiment you want. For my tag, I used a red tag and layered it with a piece of vintage ledger paper. Another small sticker was used to point the direction the tag pulls out. A chipboard mitten was tied to the tag with baker's twine and piece of green vintage lace. Definitely a card that I could recreate for my ornery little nieces and nephews. I'm sure their parents would get a kick out of these.
Hope you enjoyed my projects today. Be sure to check the Cosmo Cricket blog for more fun ideas using the small letter stickers from the Design Team. If you would like to recreate my cards, I used a bunch of fun goodies from my Winter Crafting Kit...there are just a handful left. All of the items in this kit will coordinate well with Cosmo's Mitten Weather line of papers and embellishments.
Hope you're having a great weekend! I can feel that winter is drawing near....it's been rainy and cold.....perfect weather for lighting a fire....playing Yahtzee with the girls....watching movies....our first big batch of chili and cinnamon rolls....maybe a little crafting. Mitten weather for sure!

It's a Banner Day

Hi Papertrey friends. It's time for another Design Team Group Post using a much anticipated grouping of products....the Banner Builder stamp set and coordinating dies. For my project I chose to use a sports theme to create some fun door decor for my sporty reds.

Using images from Piney's All Star Team, All Star Team Additions, and Have a Ball stamp sets, I created lots of die cut looking shapes. By embossing all of the images with black embossing powder the cut out images resemble items you'd pick up at your local scrapbook shop. Love. The notch tipped banners are from the new Banner Builder stamp set, along with the pinking shear looking banner topper. And check out those basketballs...they are punched from some textured basketball paper I picked up at my local scrapbook store.
For my banners for the girls I used the large set of notched banner dies. There are two nesting dies which make layering a breeze. I added black stitching to the banners with my sewing machine.
Note: You'll see many of the banner toppers facing downward on the banner. I wanted my toppers to face up so I took a scrap of cardstock and adhered 1/2" Scor-Tape....peeled the backing off.....then added 1/2 of the topper and 1/2 of the top of the banner to the adhesive strip. Makes for a really tight hold. 
To create my banners I simply added all of my embellishments to the banner dies using pop dots. You can really zoom in and see how cool the black embossing looks.
I made two similar banners, one for each of the girls.
I found these great basketball pieces at my local scrapbook store. I thought they would make for some great door decor and a nice backdrop for the banner pieces. Jordan was kind enough to let me use some old shoe laces from a smaller pair of basket ball shoes. These were used to hang the banners over their doors.

Here's a shot of Jordan's door decor. The girls loved them....especially since they usually don't get to tape stuff to their doors or walls.

I also made some cards for the girls using more of the same supplies listed above.
For the background paper I used Pine's Halloween Prints. The black and white stars were perfect since our school colors are black and white. I also used some Cork Paper to place all the miniature banner elements on. I think it resembles a bulletin board that you stick sports pennants to. As a personal touch I added the girl's jersey numbers to some punched circles. The numbers are included in the Banner Builder stamp set.
On the inside of the cards I used lots of quotes from the All Star sets. I thought it would be for Eric and I to add some encouraging comments on each game day. The girls really loved these cards!!
I can't wait to use my Banner Builder accessories more. In the meantime check out the other PTI designer blogs for more banner inspiration:

• • Nichole Heady
  • Heather Nichols
  • Lisa Johnson
  • Betsy Veldman
  • Debbie Olson
  • Dawn McVey
  • Kim Hughes
  • Niki Estes
  • Melissa Phillips
  • Erin Lincoln
  • Maile Belles

More holiday pouches....

Hey there friends. Today I have some more adorable holiday pouches to show you...once I start making these pouches I just can't stop!
The chipboard elements, papers and stickers are from the Mitten Weather collection at Cosmo Cricket.
I also added lots of goodies from my Etsy shop like the Small Metal Rim Tags and Dainty Doilies.
All the ribbons I used are from Papertrey Ink. When I get some free time I'm hoping to list some of the unadorned Pretty Paper Pouches in my shop. They're just too fun!
You see lots of tags on my projects lately...they're just so easy to embellish and tie onto projects. I love them! For my pouches I used Medium Red, Green and White Parcel Tags. I also have a special addition to my shop this year for the holiday season...a Small Holiday Tag Trio featuring a smaller bundle of tags to use on your projects. This year I'm skipping the Walmart gift tags and will be using simple tags like this to adorn my presents.
Coming up this Saturday, I will be featuring my next round of projects for my guest designer spot at Cosmo Cricket. I'll be using lots of goodies from this Winter Crafting Kit that coordinates nicely with Cosmo Cricket's Mitten Weather line of papers and embellishments. I can't wait to show you my cute projects!! There's still a handful of kits left in the shop so be sure to grab one before they're gone.
And.....as I type I am anxiously waiting for my delivery truck to arrive. I have some of the cutest items arriving today that I can't wait to put in my Etsy shop. Stay tuned! And last but not least, be sure to check Nichole's blog for the Papertrey countdown this month. Super cute stuff coming up! Enjoy all the excitement!! :)

Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather

Edit: Thanks for all the nice comments. :) Five new colors of Wrinkle Ribbon and a Winter Crafting Kit are now up in my Etsy shop. Enjoy!

Hi friends. Today I am sharing some projects that I created for my Cosmo Cricket Guest Designer spot. I'm using the adorable line called Mitten Weather. Totally suitable because it's definitely getting to be mitten weather around my neck of the woods.

For my projects, I created some of my Pretty Paper Pouches and have stuffed then with cute litlte journals and notecards. They're fully embellished with goodies to match the purples, reds and frosty blues of the Mitten Weather collection of papers,stickers and chipboard accents.

My Pretty Little Pouches (coming to my Etsy shop soon) are all wrapped up with Wrinkle Ribbon and have a Dainty Little Doily tucked over the pocket. Glittery chipboard accents that have been adorned with tied buttons rest on top to create a chilly feel.
Small Metal Rim Tags are tied to the Wrinkle Ribbon with purple twine.
This pocket uses some red accents and Wrinkle Ribbon.
The Cosmo Cricket chipboard accents are so easy to work with. They are adhesive backed so all you have to do is peel and stick. Red Baker's Twine was used to attach the circle tag to the Wrinkle Ribbon.
Here are the journals that are tucked inside the paper pockets. I kept the embellishments simple so that these could be tucked into a tote without getting scuffed up too much.
My Medium Purple Parcel Tags coordinate perfectly with the purples in the Mitten Weather collection of papers. I used a label stamp and die and adhesive paper to make a sticker and then stamped it with sentiments from the Get to the Point stamp set. The *things to do* sentiment was stamped on additional patterned paper and cut with notches to add a fun accent. Vintage Buttons were used to accent a Small Clothespin covered with purple flock.
The journals were created with sheets of graph paper, some vintage ledger papers, and a piece of Mitten Weather patterned paper for the cover. The finished size of the journals is 5.5" x 8.5. Simply stack the papers together and stitch down the middle with your sewing machine. Cute stickers liven up some of the inside pages.
I also made a small notecard for each pocket. These use Papertrey's Kraft envelopes and were adorned with Dainty Doilies cut in half, a PTI sentiment and more of the chipboard elements.
Cards go together really quickly when use the Cosmo chipboard elements. Simply add patterned paper to the card front then add chipboard tags that have been tied with Wrinkle Ribbon and red baker's twine.
I added glitter to the tags for a little winter sparkle.
Perfect little cards that can be used for thank you notes, Christmas cards, etc.
A FUN little pocket of goodies that the recipients will LOVE to receive.
Thanks for stopping by. Check out the Cosmo Cricket blog to see the other Design Team members projects.

Note: Ellen Hutson has a great selection of Mitten Weather and other Cosmo Cricket products at her shop HERE.

Note: I will have some Wrinkle Ribbon that coordinates with the Mitten Weather collection in my Etsy Shop soon. Also, I've created a few fun kits that would go well with the Mitten Weather goodies too. Enjoy!

Jolly Little Jellies

Hi friends, I'm here today with another episode of Make + Save for Papertrey Ink. With my Make + Save posts, you'll get great gift ideas that you make at home...and save money. Today it's all about the jelly. I love to can fruits and veggies, especially if they are harvested from our summer gardens. This year we had a bumper crop of jalapenos. Gallons and gallons and gallons, they just never stopped producing until the cold weather came. I used up my last few jalapenos and green peppers just last week while making homemade jalapeno jelly. I love to see that festive green color shining through the jars.
Homemade jellies make great gifts for the holiday season. Whether you need a hostess gift, teacher gifts or maybe you just want to take a great appetizer to a holiday party....my decorated jars and gift sack will be unique and much appreciated.
I found some really cute jars this year at Walmart in the canning section. I picked up some of the 1/2 pint jars and adorable gingham lids and white rings. They're cute enough by themselves that I didn't want to add too many embellishments.
I die cut some Rick Rack felt and tied little snippets up in Pure Poppy and Chartreuse Vintage Buttons with Rustic Cream Twine. These were adhered to the jar lids with pop dots.
To make labels for the jars, I die cute Papertrey Adhesive Sheets with the label die from Tea for Two. The *homemade* and *jelly* sentiments are from Just for you and Fruitful. I've been using the adhesive sheets a lot because they already have adhesive on the back that you peel off and they're also thinner than cardstock and will mold around curved items like jars.

The word *jalapeno* was stamped with individual letter stamps. So that the lids could come off with ease, I finished the jars off with Luxe Satin Ribbon just below the lids. So cute and quick too. Love.
For the packaging, I used a Large Coffee Sack that I embellished with more Luxe Satin Ribbon, some craft store ornament sprigs and a Small Clothespin from my Etsy shop. The stamped portion was made using Tiny Treats: Christmas (the gingham print matches my jar lids so well). I used the mistletoe image and drew in some jalapeno peppers on the sprigs using a fine tip Copic multiliner pen. Those are great for getting a fine line width that matches the stamp set. I colored these with Copic Sketch markers in red and green.

Using felt and a new Limitless Layers: 1-3/4" Circle die, I layered my stamped image onto the die cut gingham label image. These were adhered to a Dainty Doily from my Etsy shop and then adhered to the bag front with pop dots.

To make the gift complete, I always include a stack of crackers and a block of cream cheese along with the jar of jelly. To serve the jelly, simple lay the block of cream cheese on a decorative plate or tray. Dump the jar of jelly on top and serve with crackers. If you want to be really generous, you could also give the recipient a pretty plate and a spread knife along with the food goodies. Tip: Thrift shops have lots of plates, trays and silverware that you could stock up on all throughout the year.
I hope you enjoy Jolly Little Jellies. For a complete supply listing, instructions and one click supply shopping visit the Make + Save section at Papertrey website. This link has all of my Make + Save projects to date. Thanks for stopping by!

Note: Jellies like this one are plentiful by doing an Internet search for jalapeno jelly. There are lots of variations using berries and different seasonings.

Twinkles and Tinsel Packaging Kits

Flipping over to that November calendar page means that the holidays will soon be here. I'm kicking off my holiday happenings here on the blog and in my Etsy shop. I've got some new kits all wrapped up and ready to go.
My Twinkles and Tinsel Packaging Kits are the perfect way to jump start your holiday gift wrapping. With the kit, you'll get all the supplies needed to create two each of the pretty little packages below. Kits require some assembly and you will need pop dots to stick on the tag elements. For each tag, you'll get a label with an adhesive backing....simply write the recipient's name, peel and stick and you've got yourself some cute packaging. Assemble the tags ahead of time and you'll be all ready for gift wrapping once it gets closer to Christmas.

These kits are very unique to my Etsy shop and will be sold in limited quantities. If you miss out on a kit and would like to create your own gift boxes, many of the supplies can be purchased separately from my shop such as: Kraft Boxes with Tissue, White Boxes with Tissue, Green Parcel Tags, Red Parcel Tags, Twine and the Mini Clothespins.

Shop update: I've got a some more Jolly Jingle Bells in stock. :)

Please remember that any of my kits may be reproduced for personal use only....you know I love to share...... but may not be replicated and sold in Etsy shops, etc. :)