confetti by lexi

let the fun begin...

i had so much fun with this little ensemble from the weekend that it gets to jump ahead of the stack! one of my return customers wanted to throw some kind of game night party for her daughter and i showed her mignon's 9th birhtday post for some inspiration. we had turned our family room into a "mini arcade," focusing on the new dance dance revolution for the wii that we had gotten for christmas that year, and borrowing several other games. the biggest hit was scoring a claw machine for the night. it turned out to be just the inspiration my client was looking for. so after she found a place to rent a claw machine, i created a paper one for the invite. i love fun drawing jobs like this!

we carried claw bits and pieces over to the favor bag sticker and a cd sticker for the birthday girl's party mix. "game on" from the invite is changed to "game over" for the favors!

and of course, a claw machine cake was necessary. i think i duplicated the paper one pretty nicely. and judging from the birthday girl's big smile when i delivered it, she thought so too!!

game on!
:) lexi

flashback friday :: hear ye! hear ye!

did you know that this week was princess week? the first annual princess week actually, brought to us by julie andrews, along with disney and target. of course, it's mostly a marketing opportunity to re-introduce princess movies and products to young audiences. but i like to let my inner sparkle shine, too, so why not? by lucky coincidence, i've noticed a little extra action on my princess invitation and cake posts lately, so what better time to flash back to them than princess week? i chose to showcase the princess ponies scroll invite above, since it's most recent and i love it. but it was hard to pick just one, so i'll link them all...

from my own princesses' parties

open the castle door!

a castle is pretty (tasty) in pink

another tasty castle

have a royal weekend!
:) lexi

absolutely fabulous

a new challenge. more washi tape. another quick card. while surfing over spring break, i stumbled onto the runway inspired challenge blog, with fashion inspiration pics straight from the runway. fashion plus stamping? count me in! i love creating cards from an inspiration piece - pulling colors, repeating patterns, getting a similar overall look. the current runway inspired challenge is from the nanette lepore fall 2012 show and, as soon as i saw it, i knew i had to make time to play. i originally thought i was going to create a chevron card because of the shirt, but then i spied the right colors and patterns in my washi tape stash and they won me over. i particularly love that you can see the card stock through the tapes. the gray and silver patterns are similar to the stitching in the chevrons and, of course, the gold is for the skirt. the polka dots actually needed a little help living up to the skirt, which i found in a bit of shiny gold thread. wrapped around the washi, it's the perfect touch of shimmer and shine! finally, the sentiment from pti's mixed messages practically jumped onto the card, in black to mirror the shoes. the result is just what i wanted. trendy, feminine, cool - absolutely fabulous!

:) lexi

hello washi tape

wednesday seems to have become "take time to stamp" day, thanks to the cas-ual fridays blog. the challenge this week is a clean and simple sketch and i took the opportunity to play with my growing collection of washi tape. love the stuff! this set of three from lotta jansdotter provided my color scheme (coincidentally, these are also the colors of my throw pillows!) and the perfect backdrop to the simple overlapping squares of the sketch. while i like to interpret sketches pretty closely, i also wanted the squares of this one to have some added interest. enter modern basics from pti and my corner rounder. like last week, this card came together really quickly from start to finish. clean and simple, quick and easy - my kind of card!

:) lexi

step right up!

come one come all! i have yet another invite from the patiently waiting to be posted file - take two on an earlier amusement park ticket invite. not only is the original one of my personal favorites, it's also one of my most viewed and googled designs, which is how this customer found me. the added challenge was to play with the color scheme and add a little more sophistication fitting for a sweet sixteen. new words and red, black, and grey were just what it needed. the stack to the left is how many i had to print (a lot!), the slightly shorter stack to the right is an enclosure card with transportation details. this invite may be small in size, but it packs a lot of punch. six punches per card, in fact!

:) lexi

flashback friday :: first communion

now that easter is over and people aren't searching for the peeps stickers as much (although some still are!), i can see what else visitors are looking for - and just like this time last year, communion cakes & decorations are at the top of the stats list.  i flashed back to my younger daughter's bible cake then, so this year i decided to show big sister's rainbow cross cake.  both posts are linked below, with all the details, including invitations.

happy weekend!
:) lexi

original posts: may 6, 2007 and may 3, 2009

yoga & yogurt

finally!  one of the invitations from the stack on the desk.  the request was for a party at a yoga studio, ending with self serve yogurt just around the corner.  and so "yoga & yogurt" came to life. 

a couple of clean & zen inspiring fonts, plus a yoga mat, a girl, and of course, yogurt.  yummy yogurt!

i had so much fun drawing and tweaking this invite & thank you set.  and the birthday girl and her guests loved it too. 

strike a pose!
:) lexi

you're the only fish

so i had to take a couple of days off to try to catch up after all that stamping and posting - catching up seems to be a never ending job.  and even though i have several invites to share, i just couldn't stay away from my stamps!  first, i saw a poster on pinterest last night that i immediately pinned to my stamp it board, thinking of the little fish in baby face.  and then tonight, i ended up at the cas-ual fridays blog, where this week's challenge is about opposite colors.  and well, that + this =  orange & blue fish! 

i rummaged through my stamp sets for the right words, turning up mostly empty handed, except for you're from papertrey ink's piece of cake.  that led me to turn to a couple of alphabets, trajan monogram and alpha blocks, both also from pti.  i wanted a few of the words to be small, but i don't have a small alphabet.  i briefly considered handwriting them, but i didn't want to have to match inks and i really wanted it to be all stamped.  and then i remembered an old provocraft rotating alphabet stamp, like an office date stamp but with letters, which ended up being perfect - yay!  the alphabets were slightly larger than what i was originally picturing, which meant that the little fish might get lost, so i decided to put it on a key tag.  it added the balance i was looking for, but there was a hole and i didn't want to add ribbon.  after a little more playing around, i added another hole to the first to make bubbles.  i think it was the perfect solution all the way around!  even with the few speed bumps, this card came together really quickly - i love it when something inspires me like this!  thank you pinterest & thank you cas-ual fridays...

and thank you for stopping by!
:) lexi

baby face in review

today is the day!  nichole has revealed full product previews of all of the sets and accessories in the april papertrey ink release including my first pieces of confetti stamp set, baby face.  along with everything else, the set will available for purchase tonight at 10:00 pm est and the release party has been underway all day.  as part of the festivities, the design team members have showcased their full round up of projects created with the new sets on their own blogs, too.  of course, i love what they've done with baby face...

ashley - baby's all buttoned up & the flower makes for a quick and polished background!

betsy - oh, baby!  twins & felt blankies + the new script alpha dies = love.

danielle - what's better for sweet baby dreams than a moon and stars?

dawn - the mobile is a perfect match for the baby sentiment from her own tagged sentiments set!

heather - baby has an actual fabric blankie and matching rick-rack & i love how she used the heart.

jessica - sweet & simple!  another felt blankie technique, complete with a cute little pin.

lisa - a little paper piecing, a lot of cute!  a great use of the star for another sweet background.

maile - a pinterest inspired masterpiece!  i'll be giving this one a try for sure.

melissa - baby face gets the lilybean treatment in pretty pastels & i'm still loving the alpha dies!

and of course erin showcased her gorgeous creations earlier this week...

wow, wow, wow!  so much fun to see my images in action by so much talent!  i haven't stamped this much in a long time myself, and just had to take a quick shot of all of my cards together.  they added up quickly!  do you have a favorite?  any that you want to case as soon as you get the stamp set?  i can't wait to see what you come up with, too...

happy shopping!
:) lexi

more sweet baby face

hi there!  here we are at day five of the countdown to the papertrey ink april release and i'm still having fun with baby face.  i have three more clean and simple cards to share today, so let's get to it...

i just love these bottles!  after making the bright rainbow card with them the other day, i really wanted to do one in more traditional baby pastels.  don't they make a sweet mobile?  add a little bling and scallops and we have another perfect card for someone who doesn't know if they're having a boy or girl!

now, this one, on the other hand, is definitely for the boys!  you can hang the fish a few different ways from the mobile.  i decided to hang them this way - like they're hooked! - with a fishing enthusiast in mind.  if you hang them sideways, it could be like they're swimming, and they can face each other too, like in the kissing fish card the other day.  i really wanted a simple mostly monochromatic look and i think i got it just right!  a snippet of ribbon with bubbles and just a little bit of an accent color plus a tiny baby pin were both happy hoarder's finds!

and last, but definitely not least, is a sweet baby girl.  i thought it would be nice to have a white blanket for a change, with just a bit of color on the edge.  very much like a blanket i wrapped my girls in!  i stamped the face only on the pink layer, then stamped both the face and line image of the blanket on a white scrap, colored them with copics, and cut them out closely.  after layering the face over the one on pink (because i wanted the little curl!), i added the blanket below, followed by the banner, stamped with sweet baby dreams.  a little bling on the blanket, a pink baby bottle, and a scalloped edge were the final details that pulled it all together.  i think this is my favorite today!

be sure to head over to nicole's blog, where she is showing off garden variety II and more, including links to each of the design team members' garden goodies.  melissa and maile have more to share too.  and then, set your sights on tomorrow...!!

:) lexi

flashback friday :: baby face beginnings

it's day four of the papertrey ink countdown to the april release!!!  but it's also flashback friday, so i thought i'd start by sharing some pics of baby face's printed beginnings.  the first recorded project i have is the baby girl birth announcement above right, with a touch of embroidery thread for the hair ribbon (which would totally work with the new boy stamp, if you want the 3d option!), but i think she came to life for a mommy note pad some time before that.  over the years, the simple face has been a go to image for everything baby - from announcements and shower invites to note cards and labels.  i'm so excited that she (and he) are now in stamp form for others to enjoy.

for my first project today, i thought i'd continue on the clean and simple path and create a few 3 x 3 gift cards that are reminiscent of the early printed projects i found - the face, framed simply with the promininent baby color.  i threw in one with a trio of bottles for the unknown gender option - i love that bottle!  these would be perfect for stamping on your way out the door to pick up a quickie baby gift, or tucked into the ribbon of your package.  easy peasy, but super cute, too!

while baby face began as just a face, i was so excited when i came up with the blanket swaddling for the body.  it's such a fun new element to play with, especially in stamp form.  erin showcased the line image for paper piecing the other day, so i thought i'd share the solid image with another fun idea for adding a little detail.  after stamping the solid blanket, i masked off the top fold, and stamped the hearts and stars.  then, using a coordinating copic, i colored them in and added the contrasting stripes.  you can also color the line image if you prefer, but if you're going for a monochromatic look like i've done, it's nice to start with the solid base.  i finished off the card by adding oh, baby!, inking up baby! a second time to play off the twin idea.  the dots on the side were stamped in grey also, and then colored on top with a clear glitter pen - nice and shimmery in person, but so hard to catch on screen.  i can't wait to see what you create when you get the stamps - just a few more days now...

'til then, check out nicole's blog for today's peeks along with maile, heather, melissa, and dawn!

happy friday,
:) lexi

baby face minis

welcome back to the papertrey ink april countdown and day three of baby face.  it was so exciting to see what nichole and erin created yesterday.  babies in a row, a baby face for the letter o in one, a bold and bright baby boy, custom baby background paper, and two unique mobiles - all of them total wows!  today, i've decided to focus on the minis.  while i created them with the mobile in mind, they're so much fun on their own, too...

a line up of bright rainbow baby bottles is a sweet and sassy glimpse into life with baby.  it's the perfect card for someone who doesn't go for the typical baby pinks and blues.

rubber ducky is definitely the one to say congratulations, especially when he's floating on such pretty chevron stripes water!  did you notice the sentiment?  i love how you can bend clear stamps on the acrylic block like i did here - it was just the design twist i needed to finish the card.

i drew the fish so that he could be stamped facing both ways like here.  the only thing that could make this card better would be the sentiment hugs & fishes, but since the fish are kissing, hugs & kisses from limitless labels was the next best thing.  hey, it's not a baby card...

and neither is this one!  flowers and thank yous are such a perfect match, and this little flower is ready to play its part.  i stamped three in a row next to thank you from think big favorites #2, colored them in coordinating purples, and added bling - clean and simple, quick and easy!  which i love.  that and versatility.  there really are so many possibilities with baby face - i'd love to hear your ideas too!

want to see more of what's coming on sunday?  click on over to nichole, where you can link up to all of the design team's berry sweet projects, and to melissa, maile, michelle and dawn, who all have more with their new sets too!

see you tomorrow...
:) lexi

sweet baby dreams

i'm back for day two of the papertrey ink april countdown with another look at my first pieces of confetti set, baby face.  in addition to the two baby faces and four blanket options i mentioned yesterday, the set includes a mobile base and several small images for building the perfect baby mobile...

the flower and butterfly paired together create a pretty hanging garden for the best sweet baby dreams.  the circle at the top of the mobile is a great place for adding a ribbon, but can also be stamped off the edge of your paper to anchor it as well.

and rubber duckies know just how to say welcome little one.  notice, there are two ducks so they can face each other - or not, your choice!  along with the ducks, star, flower, and butterfly, i've also included a heart, bottle, and fish, for a total of eight images.  use only one or mix and match for a new mobile every time.  you can even use other small images you already have on hand.  so many possibilities!

remember, baby face and the rest of the april release will be available for purchase on april 15.  but you can see more peeks today from dawn, heather, melissa, and maile.  and nichole and erin both have amazing baby face projects - so fun to see!

enjoy!
:) lexi

the cutest little baby face

the countdown to the papertrey ink april 2012 release has officially begun, and i'm so excited to share the very first peek of my very first pieces of confetti stamp set.  meet baby face!  isn't she adorable?  of course, you can't have a baby set for girls only, so there's not one, but two cute faces...

a girl and a boy, along with four blanket burritos to swaddle them in and a few sweet baby sentiments, too.  clean and simple baby cards will be at your fingertips!

and those cute little baby faces are just the beginning - wait 'til you see the mobile...

until then, be sure to check out the more peeks from betsy, heather, melissa, maile, dawn, and of course nichole!

oh baby!
:) lexi

sneak peek time!

hi there!  here i am with a rare (and exciting!!!) saturday post.  the april 2012 papertrey ink release is quickly approaching, and it will include my first pieces of confetti stamp set.  nicole posted this little peek today and the stamp set arrived yesterday for me to start playing and making my own peeks with it.  i can't believe it's time - very soon, you can buy it and play with it too!  so, be sure to come back for the countdown, beginning april 10th, when you can see the set in action.  isn't that cutest little baby face?!

yay!!
:) lexi

flashback friday :: hop on over

today i have a little bit of a different flashback friday.  instead of something i'd already posted, i have an invitation from the desk archives, something i never got around to posting.  this invitation was for an easter egg hunt last year.  i've been wanting to post it for two weeks now, but those peeps have been keeping me hopping!  you might recognize the little hiding bunny from yesterday's "you've been egged" sign - he was perfect for that job, too!

happy hunting!
:) lexi

you've been egged!

i had a few minutes to blog hop today and came across the idea to egg friends' houses - easter egg them, that is.  kind of like boo-ing at halloween (which we love!), leaving a little egg hunt in their yard or around their porch, along with a little sign saying "you've been egged!"  what a fun new meaning for that phrase!  so i pinned it to my hippity hoppity pinboard on pinterest to remember for next year, thinking we didn't have time before people headed out of town for spring break. but after telling my girls about it, we just had to do a few tonight.  and of course, i had to make my own cute sign!

hoppy, hoppy!
:) lexi

more peeps on my desk

i'm still so amazed at the attention my little peeps s'mores stickers have gotten this year, especially since the last time i had posted about them was a year ago for flashback friday, looking back at the original post from 2008.  up until a few days ago, i was making daily trips to the post office, with a few stragglers going postal today.  and as the printed orders started dying down, the diy pdf orders started streaming in and the proofing and messaging has continued.  there's still time to get the pdf if you want to make them for sunday, or if your last day of school is friday like us.  you can even change them to say "happy spring" and give them any time in the next month or so!  of course, the peep doesn't have to be reserved just for s'mores.  with all these peeps on my desktop, it's not surprising that i had peeps on the brain yesterday, when i got a call for some quick and easy easter gift stickers.  "to one of my favorite peeps" is such a cute pun that you could even take off the happy easter and use them for birthday gifts all spring.  speaking of birthdays and gifts, please know that my designs don't all revolve around peeps!  i have many other cards and stickers, some posted here or on etsy, others still waiting to make it the world wide web, and even more waiting to come to life.  many thanks to those who've kept me busy printing and shipping over the past month - i hope you'll keep me in mind for other stationery, sticker, and invitation needs!

:) lexi

one shoe

there were many days last month when i thought march would never end.  mostly tuesdays and thursdays sitting in the cold basement of the cdc, hoping that i wouldn't get picked to actually serve on a jury.  and then there were the peeps sticker orders.  so exciting - and so time consuming!  but one thing i'm sad to see end is colleen's jpas theater kids production of cinderella.  she absolutely loved it and made so many new friends.  it was weird not to have to go to practice tonight!  i wanted to give her something special with her flowers after the final performance saturday night, so i made this little print with a cinderella quote i'd seen in a local shoe store.  a quickly drawn slipper and sparkle stars plus a couple of well picked fonts add up to a sweet and simple piece of artwork to hang in her room - something that will bring back many happy memories every time she looks at it!  for now, she's made a little shrine in the entrance hall along with her flowers and i was inspired to post it.

'night!
:) lexi