confetti by lexi

counting down

before we count down to the new year tonight, i thought i'd finally get around to sharing the christmas countdown project i put together. i saw the idea on pinterest earilier this year and pinned it immediately along with a few other calendars and things on my christmas board. the girls have been wanting a new countdown calendar ever since i gave ours away to my nephews. i really liked the design of that one, but i just never could get motivated to recreate it like i thought i would. plus the boxes on it were only slightly bigger than matchbox size and i wanted something a little bigger. so when i found this vintage coke crate in austin this past summer, i had to have it! i was initially planning on replicating the idea of different boxes and packages like the original in my own color scheme. but in thinking it over, i realized that it would be time consuming to choose the goodies for different sizes and shapes of boxes. i also thought that it might be a pain to refill next year if repackaging was involved. so when i discovered that the mini take out boxes slid snugly into the squares, i was sold. maximum space for the treats, handles that work like drawer pulls, smooth surface for stickers, bright colors - win, win, win, win! and it will be so easy to take out and fill up next year - biggest win! it's almost time for tonight's countdown - are you ready?

cheers!
:) 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

credit to the kiss!

today's the day! my new mini set just a kiss is now available for purchase at papertrey ink. at $5 it's the perfect little set to have on hand for your engagement, wedding, and anniversary cards. there were no performances today and i'm too under the weather to shop, so i stayed home and stamped a little in order to give you one more post of card candy since i was unable to start on monday. when i created the pink and green heart card the other day, i described it as a wedding card, but when i started to think about it, it could have been for an engagement or anniversary, too. in fact, when it really comes down to it, there are many events that we can blame on that first kiss. so i set out to create cards for a few of them!

first, i give you an engagement card. i created a ring in a box similar to the one my ring came in. a couple of circle punches and a few snipped scraps plus a little box detail with the older frames & corners: rectangle and voila! a ring in a box! inside: he popped the question, you said yes! and/or congratulations on your engagement.

next up, another wedding card. i was excited to have time to play with all the cool pieces of the man and wife die set. i love the fun details! i had this very shimmery card stock on my desk from a recent invitation job and it was the perfect backdrop for the bride's dress, while still keeping the card light and bright. inside: congratulations mr. & mrs.

first comes love, then comes marriage, then you might be pushing a baby carriage! i pulled out baby face for this one. i stamped the baby face, blanket outline, bottle, and sentiment with light gray and stamped the polka dot blanket to fill the blanket in. then i colored the face, bow, and bottle with copics. a little jewel finishes the blanket off, and strips of different pink washi tape are the perfect backdrop. of course, if it's a boy, you could easily swap all of the pink for blue, and if it's unknown, try four different colors of tape. inside: congratulations! you've got the cutest little baby face.

a valentine pint built for two! this card was inspired by erin's i love you card to her husband during the project round up last month when comfort food was released. after making it and looking at it, she thought the i scream, u scream part of the ice cream pint made it seem like they screamed i love you at each other. i immediately started thinking of ways to use the pint without the words and camp up with this idea. die cut the ice cream pint and stamp a pattern of some sort on it - i used the heart from baby face. you could even use patterned paper. then stamp the pint on a matching scrap of card stock and cut out the band and lid to use on the die cut one, as above. if you want the ice cream closed use the lid in place, if you want the ice cream open, put the lid somewhere else. here, i used two die cut pints, a pink with the lid cut off, and a white cut to create a back. i punched the spoons from wood paper and slipped them in between the two. problem solved! inside: i love you.


and finally, a milestone anniversary! a little washi tape, a shimmery limitless layers heart, a flower, and a number. i chose the golden 50, but this card could be replicated in a different color for a different number. again, i like light and bright! and clean and simple, too. inside: congratulations or happy anniversary. so, there you have it, 5 different occasions that started with a kiss - and that's only one of the sentiments in the set! thanks for visiting this week. i have several last minute christmas cards in the wings that i plan to post next week, so please stop by here and there. and if you haven't checked out nichole's blog for the full reveal and review or gone shopping yet, what are you waiting for? go!

happy stamping!
:) lexi

congratulations!

day five. december papertrey ink countdown. welcome! on this last day of projects, i give you the last two sentiments of the five included in my new mini set, just a kiss. i chose to have congratulations and on your engagement as two separate stamps so that you could stack them, stamp them in two colors, use them alone, or line them up like i did here. i've continued with my clean and simple theme of the week with my card today, although this one may be a little less of a quickie. i've used clear card stock and a diagonal stripe pink washi tape to create a chevron pattern! a fun little trick thanks to the transparent nature of washi tape. i put down a strip on one side of the clear panel, then flipped it over to add the next strip, lining up the stripes on the opposite side. once you press down the tape, the pattern shows through nicely, slightly lighter. you also get the texture of the tape along with the shine of the clear card stock for added interest. so you go back and forth, adding enough strips 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, i used a glue pen and drew little lines of glue to the clear card stock randomly behind the pink stripes, so you wouldn't see it. the blue polka dot strip of tape also helps secure it further. tie on a big button, stamp the sentiment in navy to match the blue tape and voila! a pretty, graphic congrats card for a modern bride-to-be! thanks so much for bearing with me as i played catch up earlier in the week. i definitely have more ideas for ways to use these sentiments, so please keep stopping by. until then, check out nichole's blog to see who's sharing - it's the second group post day and they've really put their hearts into it! lizzie's sharing more with her new set, too. so much to see today, so much to buy tomorrow!

:) lexi

it started with a kiss...

and now it's come to this! welcome to day four of the december papertrey ink countdown, featuring my soon to be released mini set, just a kiss. today i have a pink and green quickie card, using one of the rhyme sentiments. yesterday i used this sentiment on the inside, but it definitely deserves a spot on the outside too! a little gold polka dot washi tape and a dainty heart die cut round out the clean and simple design. you can certainly pull out a variety of stamps with this little sentiment set, but i love letting the words take center stage. i chose to leave the inside blank today for a personalized note of best wishes to the bride and groom, but you could also stamp congratulations or something similar if you prefer to have an inside sentiment. now i need a wedding to go to!! but first, more stamping! be sure to check out nichole's blog - it's group post day, which means lots of links to follow! and lizzie has another look at her set too. have fun and i'll see you back here again tomorrow...

:) lexi

mr. & mrs.

welcome back to day two of the december papertrey ink countdown and another look at my upcoming pieces of confetti stamp set, just a kiss. i knew that for at least one card this week, i wanted to create some sort of ring. after rummaging around the bottomless pit that is my studio, i turned up a bag of little rings. they are most likely from the wedding aisle of michael's or party city and who knows why i originally bought them, but they've come in handy on more than one occasion! i added the diamond to the mrs. side with foam tape. i simply cut the tape to shape (the scotch plaid pattern came in handy for straight cuts and shaping!), and pressed it into glass glitter on one side, using the other side to stick it down. looping the rings together was a bit too bulky so i wove the strip of card stock with the mr. & mrs. sentiment through them. i love how it pulled it all together and fit so perfectly!


when thinking through the different sentiments for this set, i wanted to have good options for the inside of a card as well as the outside. most can be used for either, with each other or with other sentiments you may already own. for the inside here, i've used two of them paired together to complete the wedding sentiment begun with mr. & mrs. on the outside - it started with a kiss and now it's come to this! a fun and memorable way to say congratulations to the newlyweds, don't you think? if you missed my late night post last night, be sure to check it out and then head over to nichole to see what's in the spotlight. maile, heather and lizzie are also sharing today. i have some more stamping to do, but you can bet i'll do the same when i'm done...

see ya' tomorrow!
:) lexi

a late night post...

i couldn't let another day go by without trying to get something posted for the december papertrey ink countdown. it's been hard enough having the stamps sit on my desk since friday without being home long enough to sit down and stamp, but 'tis the season! anyway, i'm so excited once again to have a set being released. just a kiss is all about engagements and weddings and it's a mini - great for gift tags & cards, easy to add to your current collection. i was also excited that nichole sent her man & wife dies along with my set, since they are a perfect match. today i give you a clean and simple quickie - my favorite style even when i do have all the time in the world! to highlight the engagement and shopping aspect of the sentiment, i created a tiny wire hanger for the dress, adding a shimmery waist detail with a glitter pen, and evening out the right edge of the dress where it shapes the bride's hand. to give it a little extra dimension, i adhered it with a glue dot at the top with the hanger, while adding a bit of foam tape near the bottom to have the skirt flow out a bit. i also love how the bottom of the skirt drapes perfectly over the sentiment! a little washi tape in the same color as the panel was the perfect finishing touch. sometimes you want to have a congratulations card for a new bride-to-be immediately, and this design would definitely fit the bill - simple to create, with just the right amount of fun and elegance! as i mentioned in my earlier post, nichole and ashley both shared projects using just a kiss today, and i'm off to create something for tomorrow, so please c'mon back...

:) lexi

just a kiss

hi everyone! i apologize if you've stopped by to see papertrey ink december countdown projects yesterday and today. unfortunately, i did not receive the set in time to create before my daughter's community theatre kids' production of aladdin hit full swing and am struggling to catch up now that it's over. if not for that, i would have stamped all weekend! i'm hoping to have some projects up later today when i get home from teaching and then moving forward for the rest of the countdown. until then, please enjoy the introductions to just a kiss that nichole and ashley have shared today and know that i will take their ball and run with it as soon as i can!

:) lexi