confetti by lexi

sunday stamping

i am often inspired by the moxie fab world's tuesday trigger but i don't always have time to get it done. i really wanted to play the last one, but the week sped by. and then this one popped up - what's not to love about pretty little petits fours?! i couldn't let two perfect inspiration pics go by, so when i finished a little organizing project yesterday, i just had to put trigger to paper and make it happen!

pink flowers, squares, woodgrain - the elements and layout of the image just begged for a literal translation in paper. so i did just that! a woodgrain embossed base card, layered with pink squares popped up on foam tape in a similar formation to the petits fours in the photo, topped with copic colored flowers with black pearl centers and curled up petals. i even added silver mirror paper banners to mimic the spatula. and to balance that, i formed the sentiment out of silver wire - total love!

i always have leftovers when i create, so rather than leave these to clutter my desk, i decided to use them to create a second card. the result still has the same elements - pink flower & square, woodgrain & silver - but the layout is more simplified and less literal. i debated whether or not to add a sentiment, worried that it was too simple. after letting it sit overnight, the simplicity won out. i like the prominence of the woodgrain with the simple single flower, and adding a sentiment seemed forced. if i decide to use the card for a specific occasion, i can easily add someting to the inside. it's always good to have a few open ended cards on hand, especially one that is so pretty and pink! thanks for the trigger, cath. i love a good inspiration pic and this definitely qualifies!

:) lexi

flashback friday :: diaper duty

i mentioned in this week's way back wednesday post that i had purchased the newspaper stamp for a possible birth announcement for my first child. the other set i purchased at the same time was cuddles and tickles. i used both to create a variety of ideas, and in the end, this is the design that won. i can't believe i had never shared it here, but a 14 year old project definitely qualifies for a flashback! there was an article on birth announcements in martha stewart living that came out right when i was looking for ideas, and this one caught my eye. they showed it with a bow on one, and a real diaper pin on another, but i had this great pin stamp, so i immediately saw the possibilities. and i loved that i could slip a photo cut to the same size into the diaper with the announcement card. and there you have it, my first big stamping project. not much stamping, but i traced, cut, assembled, stamped and colored a lot of them! while i never showed this exact design here, i did share a later version in my invitations and announcements photo album - a printed striped diaper in bright colors for a baby shower. i've even made mini gift card ones. this is one of those baby designs that will always be relevant!

:) lexi

way back wednesday :: bubbles & banners

how about another round of way back wednesday? this time, i decided to pull out photo album fun, a stamp set from my very first stampin' up! order. playing with this set was a little like wearing that random saved item of clothing that has made it back in style again. trends can be very cyclical - speech bubbles and banners are all over the place lately, yet this set is circa 1998! i've always had a thing for speech bubbles and often draw my own to custom fit various sentiments, both by hand and on the computer. i kind of forgot i had these! for my first card, i decided to build a rainbow with the different bubbles, adding in a pop of black and white with card stock and washi tape - clean and simple, light and bright. i esecially love that the words from comfort food additions are a perfect fit!

next up, i created a birthday card using the banner. like the main speech bubble above, it is fussy cut and popped up. where were the dies? lol! the trio of stars is also from the set. once again, i got stuck on black and white and rainbow all over. it's such a happy color story, perfect for congrats and birthdays. plus the six stars were just begging for roygbv!

and last, but not least, the front page news. the newspaper was actually the main reason i bought this set. i designed a birth announcment option with it while waiting for my first baby, but after having a girl, another design won out. i still love that little newspaper and how you can personalize the headline. again, i chose a few comfort food additions sentiments for a sweet congrats card, clustering the elements together to create a unified focal point. the cartoon sound effect bubble is a fun way to add a pop of color, while the chevron washi arrow points us in the right direction. chances are you have a few bubbles and banners in your collection, so go have fun! if not, a quick search will turn up several options...

happy stamping!
:) lexi

way back wednesday :: fish lips

i've been stamping for about 15 years. at first it was all about starting my collection and having a variety of images. i signed up with stampin' up! in order to do just that - can you believe we had no michael's in new orleans? i shopped at stamp stores in florida whenever i visited my cousin, and i was so jealous! finally a michael's came to town, as well as a couple of scrapbooking stores, and eventually, i started branching out. i found myself away from home for about 4 months (thanks, katrina) without stamps or any crafting supplies at first, but i picked up a laptop along the way to stay connected. so of course i got hooked on splitcoast galleries and then blogs, which were starting to gain popularity at the time. i decided that blogging would be a good way to showcase my invitations and stationery designs for easy access to customers and i could share stamped cards too - bonus! it took me a little while after moving back home to get started, but once i did in january of 2007, i was hooked. i stamped almost every day at times, sharing my printed work, cakes, and parties as well. the collecting continued in order to keep posting, i fell in love with specific companies, and then i was asked to join a couple of design teams. all of that adds up to a lot of stamps!! and i've never sold a single one. i worry that as soon as i do, i'll need it for something - crazy, i know! eventually, i may get around to pruning the collection down, but i have fond memories of so many images. i can actually picture myself stamping with some! of course, i'm still buying (and designing!) new things, too, but that doesn't mean i have to throw out the old, right? so i figured that for now, i'd have a little fun and stroll down memory lane from time to time with a new stamping feature i've decided to call way back wednesday - not very original, i guess, but it is what it is. i'd like to say i'll do this every wednesday, but work takes over sometimes. i have lots of old favorites to keep me coming back, so i'll definitely try!

i decided to kick it off with the very first stamp i owned as an adult, fish lips by all night media. my friend melanie gave it to me - i know i had a thing for fish, and i've always been crafty, so i think that was why she thought it was perfect for me. i may have already been designing stationery at the time, but i was definitely not stamping yet. i'm pretty sure i kept it on my desk in my first grade classroom and i don't think i stamped with it for a very long time. but i love that i still have it! she's always kind of reminded me of the rainbow fish, so that was the inspiration for my cards today. i started off with a very simple design showcasing her one-of-a-kind rainbow appeal, standing out among others. it's hard to see but she has shimmery glitter pen details on her fins and spots and lips to make her stand out even more. and then with a fun wave washi + a few sequins, fish lips has forgotten all about that little ©1989 on her wood block, swimming right into 2K13! do you remember your very first stamp? and even better, do you still have it?!

:) lexi

construction zone

how about a boy design today? the request was for a little boy, something construction themed, possibly a dump truck. which was exciting, since i had actually drawn a dump truck (with moving parts!) several years ago for a construction themed birthday party.

so i resized the truck, added a road, and used it for a couple of layouts along with an alternate design for my idea pitch. it's hard to see in the picture, but the first initial is also on the boy driver's hard hat. and on the one with the name on the truck door, i included the birth year. i love personalizing things in interesting ways! like the cards from yesterday, i will add these to my etsy store very soon. it's been a crazy busy back-to-work week around here - i really miss spring break!

:) lexi

pastel pretties

hello! i have a rare saturday post today. the moxie fab world tuesday trigger caught my eye and i had a little time to play, so i decided to see where it took me. obviously, i was very inspired by the pretty pastel colors...

first up, a pastel pretty flower to welcome baby. i went a little old school and stamped the memento dew drop pads right on the card stock! i've always loved the flower you can create with them. i was also inspired by the full frame of candies, and decided to trim the edges of my flower to get a similar look. the smooth white button in the center of the flower is a little nod to the white almond in the middle of the picture. the sentiment is from baby face. clean, simple, and sweet!

next, how about some jordan almond ice cream using comfort food? i scream, u scream, we all scream sweet! this was what i actually sat down to stamp, but when testing the colors on my scratch pad, the flower above came to life first. that's one of my favorite things about stamping - following the cards that just start to happen on their own! but i also like to bring the cards in my head to life too, so i couldn't stop with just the one...

this second version was probably more like what i was picturing. although both are my go-to clean and simple style, i like the less centered look of the one layer card with the punched corner, but i worried that it was too plain. when it came down to it, i didn't know which one i really liked best, so i thought i'd show them both! either way, a great thing about this design is that it can be used for any sweet occasion - welcome baby, congratulations, happy birthday, etc. simply stamp it on the inside and go! who wouldn't love a serving of pastel pretty ice cream, right?! i hope i can make time to do these more often - i always have so much fun...

happy easter!
:) lexi

comfort food additions in review

so i made it back. just not until after midnight! it's been a busy day. teaching, creating proofs, dealing with a dead printer, manis & pedis for a 6th grade dance, etc. but i found a few minutes here and there to take a look at the design team projects. as usual, they blew me away...

ashley - warm winter wishes. love the cut out heart, the bowl, the colors!

betsy - wow!! total corny love!!! awesome animated comfort food, let's get together! i also found myself singing "let's all go to concessions..."

cristina - from our house to yours. comfort food additions + houses from spring hills and winter hills. clean and simple and perfect!!

danielle - ice cream party - love the brightly colored bowls full of brightly colored ice cream!!

dawn - let's celebrate birthday card - love how she used the sunrise impressions 1 plate!!

erin - i scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream - total rainbow ice cream love!! and the banners are perfect, too!

heather - i scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream - and a ticket to the country fair!

jessica - congratulations from our house to yours - love her take on the iconic pyrex bowl!!

maile - we all scream for this stack of ice cream pints - love this clean and simple design!

melissa - hooray! let's celebrate! with all those perfect melissa touches!!

and we can't forget nichole's chalkboard card earlier this week!!

it's so much fun to see my stamps in action. especially this time around, with a new take on my personal favorite set. they definitely took comfort food out of the comfort zone and into the party!! now it's your turn the join the fun. the shelves at papertreyink.com have been stocked. comfort food additions mini stamp set, along with the rest of the march line up, is ready and waiting to be added to your cart. i'm surprised at how many cards i created up there - do you have a favorite? you can also see them together with all of the design team projects in one spot on my pinterest board which i add to whenever i create something new. i hope we've inspired you to create lots, too!

happy stamping...
:) lexi

bonus bokeh

the countdown is complete! today is release day and that means that comfort food additions will be available for purchase from papertrey ink at 10:00 pm est along with the rest of the march release line up. but first, i have one more card to share - and there's not a pint of ice cream in sight! like a couple of the rainbow cards on tuesday, i combined two new sentiments as my focal point to create a more sophisticated card. the yellow chevron washi tape "arrow" points right to the sentiment and "bokeh dots" in yellow, teal, and gray add color and interest. i think i might have to use this design for a few graduation cards this year - i can even match school colors!

thanks for stopping by today and for the comments throughout the countdown! of course, the fun's not over yet. the release day party is underway on nichole's blog - full product previews, links to the design team's release day posts, and a contest! and then shopping later tonight...

have fun & good luck!
:) lexi

i scream, you scream...

we all scream for ice cream! so ice cream it is for day five of the papertrey ink march countdown. i have two cards today, both created with the same color scheme - my go-to ice cream colors of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, plus the added pop of teal. a lot of times, i sit down to stamp and start playing with things to see where i'll end up. other times, i know exactly what i want to make. these two cards had been slowly coming together in my brain as i worked on the other designs, so i was particulary excited to make them a reality...

the more i stamped the sentiments on other projects, the more i kept thinking of this card or something like it. it features 6 of the 12 stamps in the mini set! after testing out a couple of layouts, i settled on creating a banner. i used all of the colors on the ice cream carton, and then repeated them with the other elements for a balanced, colorful look. the card fits in a standard 6-3/4 envelope. it doesn't work for every design, but i really like the narrower proportions of this size. and the banner fit perfectly! sweet! hooray! i did it! let's celebrate!

like the banner card, this design kept calling out to me, too. as soon as i settled on the color scheme for that one, i knew it had to be the same here! the ice cream carton was perfect as is, so i just copied what i did first, and then using trajan monogram, i stamped the letters of "surprise" with the same colors. notice that i swapped out a lighter brown for the p, which helped soften the pattern and makes it look a little more spontaneous - it was too short a word to be completely random. while the first card uses many sentiments, this one uses only one. a partial one at that! i selectively inked it to leave off the "for." when i designed the set, i was torn about whether to have it separate or not. finally i decided that it's more trouble to line up the smaller words perfecly, than it is to selectively ink the shorter phrase on the edge of your stamp pad, which is exactly what i did here. doesn't the spoon make a great exclamation point? and the sequins definitely add just the right bit of a festive flair, the perfect finishing touch! i scream, you scream, we all scream surprise!

well, we made it. tomorrow's the day! comfort food additions mini set will be available for purchase at papertreyink.com - for $5 you get 12 new sentiments that coordinate with and give new meaning to my previously released comfort food. i believe i've shared all but two of them! while waiting, be sure to visit nichole's blog for another group post day and lots o' links - melissa is sharing with her new sets, too! i might be back with another card in the morning (we'll see how it goes!), but i'll definitely be back with my usual round up at some point later in the day...

get your lists ready!
:) lexi

wednesday, zooop!

today is wednesday! do you know that song? with a focus on soup on this specific day of the week, i just couldn't resist! so, welcome back for day four as we count down to the papertrey ink march release, and a new pieces of confetti stamp set, comfort food additions. i've been serving up a lot of ice cream so far this week, and now it's time for a little soup. as winter tries to hang on and the temperature changes back and forth, you might find yourself needing a get well card. while most of the sentiments in the additions set focus on the ice cream carton and celebrating, i've also included a few with the soup in mind. this old milk phrase kept popping in my head when i was creating with the soup can in november and i think it's a perfect match. when you're sick and you can't eat much else, what do you eat? soup - it does a body good! i wanted to create a fun get well card, one with more springtime colors to carry us into the new season, so i turned to andy warhol's pop art for inspiration. the first one (above) started with a single warhol inspired soup can, then i added more color and patterns similar to his aesthetic to pull it all together. i even created a cute tissue box out of a scrap of cardstock, stamped all over with the mini daisy from baby face, with a little piece of real tissue sticking out of it!

of course i had to recreate a small grid of soup can art while i was at it. while i liked the look of stamping directly on colored cardstock for the first card, i wanted a softer, more translucent look. so for these, i stamped the wrong side of the stamp in four light colors first for a shadow or halo of color. then i stamped the can image right over those, all in vivid quirky color pairs to resemble warhol's work. not only would this be great for a get well card as planned, but the sentiment can easily be changed to happy birthday or hello, or anything really. i think i need to make several of these to have on hand!

and last but not least, how about a bouquet of flowers to brighten your day? i stamped yet another warhol inspired can and filled it up with a bouquet of flowers from green thumb, sticking with a bright and cheerful color scheme. the complete sentiment is warm winter wishes - since there are more spring days than winter here lately, i thought i'd selectively ink warm wishes (separately) and leave winter behind for now. isn't it great? when you're finished eating the soup, repurpose the can!

these were so much fun to create - i hope you've enjoyed them! as usual, i'll be back tomorrow with another serving of yummy cards. until then, don't forget to visit nichole's blog to see what's in the spotlight - it's group sharing day so there are lots of links to follow. and melissa is sharing more with her sets too!

see ya' tomorrow...
:) lexi

what's your flavor?

welcome back to day three of the papertrey ink march countdown and another peek at my soon to be released mini set, comfort food additions. today i decided to add a little flavor - ice cream flavors, that is! first up we have neapolitan. i stamped three carton diecuts with the colors shown, cut them up together so they matched and pieced the pieces i wanted back together - voila! a pint of neapolitan ice cream. a few elements from grunge me layered in matching colors behind the focal element provided just the right touch of cool, and really tied it all together. i scream, you scream, we all scream happy birthday!

how about a little mint chocolate chip? one of my personal favorite flavors! i created the bowl the same way i did when comfort food was released, using 2 bowl diecuts. i trimmed along the front rim of one, inked the back rim of the other, and stuck them together, sliding the ice cream circles and spoon in between the layers. the speckle stamp (still sitting on my desk from the first card!) was perfect for adding the chocolate chips, and a trio of leaves from beautiful blooms was a nice stand in for a sprig of mint. i scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream - congratulations!

and last, one of my daughter's old favorites, cotton candy! i thought it would be fun to create an ice cream cone for a change, so with a circle punch, snips, and the little dotted grid stamp from grunge me, i did just that. the speckle stamp came in handy again once again to create a mixed up pink & blue similar to the real thing. the end result is soft and sweet, great for a little one's birthday! i scream, you scream, we all scream hooray! happy birthday!

so what's your favorite flavor? while you're thinking it over, be sure to check out nichole's blog to see what's in the spotlight today - including the most fabulous comfort food + additions chalkboard card! melissa, danielle, dawn, heather, maile and melissa all have posts to share, too. thanks for stopping by and don't forget to c'mon back tomorrow...

:) lexi

we all scream hooray!

welcome back for day two of the countdown to the papertrey ink march release, and another look at my up and coming mini set, comfort food additions. i have an affinity for rainbow cards and have created many over the years. they're bright and cheery and always make me smile, so i thought it would be the perfect color scheme to scream "hooray!"

first up, i started with a rainbow of ice cream cartons from comfort food. i scream, you scream, we all scream hooray! i drew the speech bubble by hand to fit the new sentiment perfectly. i liked the extra bit of flair it gave over stamping it in line with the rest of sentiment, which had been my original plan. this card is larger than usual, sized to fit a #10 envelope, and would be perfect for the whole family or office to sign. hooray it's your birthday! hooray graduate! hooray on your promotion! one card, many occasions.

next, it's time to celebrate with a rainbow of hoorays! clear stamps make a design like this so easy to stamp. but a little tip is to lightly draw a line in pencil where you want the hoorays to line up, and erase it after stamping. to get consistent spacing between them, i simply lined up the top edge of the stamp in the same place in relation to the stamped image above it as i went along. i also had the let's celebrate! piece ready for proper spacing, but didn't stick it down until last so i could center the dotted line from faux ribbon in the opening after stamping the hoorays. the end result is bright and cheerful, clean and simple!

and last, but not least, a birthday card. more black and white with a splash of rainbow, this time in the form of buttons. i dug through my button jar for a variety of tiny buttons and discovered that they were just the right size to space out on the diagonal striped washi. the sentiment is adhered with foam tape to better match the height of the buttons, while the red mat adds an extra pop of color. hooray! hooray! happy birthday!

i hope you've enjoyed my trip over the rainbow. i feel like i should be eating skittles or have a pot of gold hidden here somewhere! don't forget to visit nichole's blog for more eye candy as usual - heather, ashley, dawn, maile, and melissa are all sharing too. have fun and i'll see you tomorrow...

:) lexi

more ice cream!

the countdown to the papertrey ink march release is officially underway and i'm excited to have a little something new to add to the pieces of confetti line up. when i designed comfort food, the original inspiration and purpose was for get well and hang in there type cards. but as i started to create with it, i wanted to use the images for other reasons, too. first and foremost, i had to finish the saying on the ice cream carton - i scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! so for my first look at the new sentiments, i thought i'd focus on just that. and we're screaming for chocolate ice cream specifically! stamp one of the included phrases, like happy birthday or you did it!, on the inside and this card would be great for a birthday or congratulations card - two happy occasions that easily call for ice cream. yum! if you haven't already, be sure to stop by nichole's blog to see what else is coming - betsy, erin, dawn, heather, maile, and melissa all have posts as well. and don't forget to come back tomorrow for take two...

enjoy!
:) lexi

designing with papertrey

papertrey ink is celebrating 6 years and for the second year, i have designed a few pieces of confetti stamp sets that will make an appearance in the coming months. but for now, it's day two of the anniversary celebration and the stamp designers have created freebie images for you create with. and if freebies aren't enough on their own, you can win a prize, too - 6 lucky winners will each receive a custom stamp set, which includes a personalized return address stamp and “created by” stamp! so what are you waiting for? download the freebie sheet on nichole's post, create a project with one of the images (mine's perfect for valentines!), add it to the inlinks list, and cross your fingers! you can enter as often as you want, too - or as often as you can by tomorrow morning. i can't wait to see what you create...

:) lexi

super simple last minute

two more holiday cards and i saved the easiest for last! these demonstrate perfectly why i love washi tape so much. just a little tape on a white card makes for a festive look in very little time. the patterns are so fun and the tape is sticky, so the only extra adhesive you may need is if you want to add a layer to the card like i did on these two.


on the first card, i used the layer to tie on the banner. and on the second, i used it to wrap the tape around for a polished edge. while the layers aren't really necessary, i also like the added depth on such simple cards. so there you have it, a week of quick and easy christmas cards that can be made in minutes as is or in tag form to dress up a package. i may be back before christmas, i may not. we'll have to see. but until then...

may your merry be very!!
:) lexi

more merry christmas!

christmas continues with a couple more easy last minute cards - make them a little smaller and they'd be perfect for gift tags, too. one of my favorite ways to use washi tape is to add a patterned tape on a strip of the same color card stock for a tone on tone look. above i created a christmas tree doing just that - green on green for the tree, red on red for the pot. for the tree i used temporary tape to line up three small strips on a scrap of card stock and trimmed to shape before placing on my card. any tape pattern would work, but i especially love the dotty tree. and of course, a blingy star on top is a must!


using leftovers from the strips i made to create the tree, i also cut a couple of notched flags to highlight my sentiment focal point here. white and cream is a fresh color scheme i go to when i want neutral with just a little something. i often layer white on white, but with cream, the white can really pop! it's hard to see in the photo, but there are cream swirls behind the letters - one more tone on tone pattern to pull it all together. two more quickie cards tomorrow - and they're even easier!!

ho, ho, ho!
:) lexi

season's greetings

yesterday was the last day of school - a very hectic last day followed by an equally hectic first day of vacation! but i still have a few cards waiting in the wings, so i'll step it up and share two. the first, a wreath created out of cardstock punched with two circles, then wrapped with green baker's twine. a silver grid washi tape gives the feel of a window behind it, while the red star washi makes a perfect bow, complete with a little bling to finish it off.


and second, a bold red and green peace card. a couple of strips of gold polka dot washi create the illusion of a larger tape behind the red on red strip. the tape patterns add a soft visual interest to the bold red and green, allowing the flowers to really pop. and we can't forget the glitter - everything's better with a little sparkle and shine!

:) lexi

merry & bright

today, christmas is candy colored! i thought it would be fun to use both of the striped tapes from the washi tape chevron cards for an offbeat chevron. a few strips of tape to the left on a side fold card + image and sentiment in inks to match on bottom right = clean and simple at it's best. i love red with the pop of lime green and pink for christmas. it's definitely merry & bright!

cheers!
:) lexi

washi tape chevrons

the pink washi tape chevron card from the other day was inspired by this christmas one that i made first. it was picked up for publication, but then i guess didn't make the final cut. if you saw it somewhere, let me know! anyway, the double thick/thin stripe pattern on this tape made a really cool chevron pattern. just like with the pink card, i used clear card stock and the diagonal striped tape. start with one strip down the edge on one side of the clear panel, then flip it over to add the next strip, lining up the stripes on the opposite side. the double stripe is a little trickier in that you have to flip it around just the right way to match up the lines. once you press down the tape, the pattern shows through nicely, slightly lighter. so you go back and forth, adding enough strips of tape to get it to the desired size, and then trim it all the way around to even out the edges. to stick it down to the card stock, use a glue pen or adhesive that can be hidden randomly behind the red stripes on the clear card stock. and there you have it - a fun way to use washi tape, and a cool backdrop for a simple sentiment!

happy holidays!
:) lexi

just a kiss in review

welcome to the morning after! just a kiss along with the other december release products went live at the papertrey ink store last night. i usually post a round up of design team projects using my stamp set on release day, but i was still busy stamping up a few "first kiss" projects of my own yesterday to make up for my late start. of course, i loved seeing the 5 little sentiments pop up on their creations throughout the week too, so here we go with my usual shout outs...

cristina - just a kiss + with all my heart = the prettiest little gift box for the mr. & mrs.!

danielle - a colorful kiss card with the xoxo border - mwah!

dawn - a true love engagement card that's all heart!

heather - another mash up with all my heart makes a sweet candle and card ensemble!

maile - a golden quilled elegance card for the mr. & mrs. - simply beautiful!

of course we can't forget the fabulous creations from nichole and ashley earlier this week when the set was introduced!

as always, it's so much fun to see what they've done with my stamps, especially with such a small sentiment set mixed in with so many other images. i hope we've all inspired you to create something for a special new bride-to-be or newlywed couple - in fact, i didn't think i'd end up with so many of my own cards with just the five sentiments!  so, do you have a favorite? if you want to see them all in one place (the design team cards + mine), i've started pinterest boards for each of my sets. and of course, i can't wait to see what you do too, so be sure to come back and share...

:) lexi