confetti by lexi

today is release day!

the december 2013 papertrey ink stamps, including cupid's arrow, will go live in the webstore tonight at 10:00pm est! i couldn't get these last few ideas off of my mind, so i pulled them together for one last day of inspiration. first up, a trio of mini valentines. you can tell the size of each from the grid paper - each square is 1/4", with the bold lines marking the inches. (best desk pad for stamping and doodling!) all three feature arrow die cuts that i colored with copics adn a red fineliner instead of stamped, for a different look.

 

this one is a small vellum envelope filled with a stamped and layered card, with the embellishments and sentiment added on top. it would be great for giving stickers or a small, somewhat flat piece of candy, maybe sticks of gum, with stamped wrappers to match. i used the three solid hearts in the set to create the patterned piece, placing all three hearts on one block for quick and easy stamping. the little chevron to the left of the sentiment is the pointed end of the nested heart stamped twice - a last minute aha! it's really cool when something like that jumps out at me, like the stamp is saying, "hey, look at what i can do!" and how about that shiny mirror bow?!

do you recognize what i used  to make a mini matchbook? it's a half & half die! staple in a small wrapped candy when assembling or turn it into a book of little love coupons. instead of stamping the nested heart, i glittered the die cut for a bigger, blingier, pop of color. i stamped the sentiment on a separate piece of card stock, adhering it to cover the staple. a strip of washi tape on the bottom of the front panel highlights the decorative edge of the die cut on the bottom panel, and a little jewel on the arrow is the perfect finishing touch. i think if i were making more of these, i'd be sure to use chipboard or a few layers of card stock for the arrow to make it more stable for hanging off the edge.

and to round out the minis, a 3" x 3" card that could be added to just about anything - on top of a box, tied to a bag or sucker, or tucked into a pocket or lunchbox. i used one of my favorite clear stamp techniques for the happy valentine's day sentiment - curving the stamp on the block - it opens up so many possibilities. the heart has clear glaze on it for a bit of shine and i used more of my go-to washi tape to highlight the arrow. these were all really fun to put together. a good start on ideas for my daughter's valentines in february!

next, i have a square valentine card - i haven't made a square card in a while! like the small heart background above, i've been picturing a background with the nested heart as well. after i stamped them end to end, i added the smallest solid heart to the center of each one. a shiny mirror die cut arrow and pink heart with the sentiment finish it off, perfectly placed over one of the stamped hearts. i think this design would be great for a guy - it's not too pink and girly, and the hearts add more of a graphic touch than a frilly one. and it was quick and easy too - that's always a nice bonus!

and finally, a wedding or anniversary card with another take on the nested heart background. partially stamping the pattern on the right leaves a nice space for the silver cording to the left, which ties in with the mirror arrow. it also keeps the card from looking too cluttered. like on the valentine version, i layered the arrow and heart right over one of the stamped hearts for a perfect fit. then i layered on a sentiment from my previously released mini set, just a kiss on top of that. if pink is too girly for your wedding couple, a pale blue would be a nice alternative, or maybe their wedding colors if you know them. personal touches like that go a long way! so there you have it - a few extra designs to help you make up your mind to buy and case when your stamps arrive!! i've had a blast this week sharing my images and ideas with you and i very much appreciate your kind comments. now, i can't wait to see what the design team members have created for their release in review posts today. let's click on over to nichole and follow the links - my cupid's arrow pinterest board is growing fast! don't forget 10:00pm est tonight...

happy shopping!!
:) lexi

year-round cupid...

hi there! i can't believe it's countdown day five already. cupid's arrow and the rest of the papertrey ink december release will be available tomorrow night at 10:00 pm est. but first, i have a few new designs to share. as i showed you yesterday, cupid's arrow isn't just for valentine's day. but maybe hunger game isn't your thing either. so today, i decided to create a few designs that can be used any time of the year. first up, a neon arrow birthday card. i positioned the arrows to point to the sentiment and colored the end pieces with various neon shades. it's hard to see in the picture, but the first layer is actually some mirror paper i found in my stash. it adds such a cool shine, but it's hard to photograph. i know a few girls that would love this bright and happy birthday card!

next, another birthday card, but this time closer to my usual clean and simple standard. after stamping the arrows off the edge at an angle, i chose three shades of blue to color in the end pieces. like the neon arrows, i didn't follow a pattern. i just tried to distribute the colors somewhat evenly among the arrows. i used the same sentiment pairing from my earlier released comfort food additions on both cards - above in neon pink, and here in two shades of blue to match my arrows. i can see this card in pretty much any color. it's easy too, which is perfect for birthday cards on the run. or maybe stamp a few to have ready and color in with the recipient's favorite color as needed.

and last today, i have a design that i planned when i created the layered heart "target." in keeping with my year-round theme for the day, i chose a congrats, you did it sentiment from the same set above to go with the idea of hitting a bullseye. but this layout would work very well as a valentine with one of the sentiments included in the set, possibly with the target in shades of pink and red. the blues were all still out on my desk, so i went with them and i love how they look! to lessen the clutter of the arrow points at the bullseye, and to stagger the arrows a bit, i only inked the gray ones up to, but not on, the triangle point. that way, the die cut blue arrow could cover the ends of the gray ones and stand out better. trust me, i tried the other way first! all three of these pretty much came out just like i saw them in my head - don't you love when that happens? in fact, i still have a couple designs that are floating around in there. i may just have to put together a lagniappe post tomorrow if i can get them done. until then, it's another group post day for the design team - go get the scoop and follow the links from nichole's blog. melissa and lizzie are sharing more with their new product too. i can't wait to see what everyone has created...

happy saturday!
:) lexi

cupid's arrow or katniss' bow?

welcome back for day four of cupid's arrow inspiration, on the countdown to the papertrey ink december release on the fifteenth. only today, i give you katniss' bow. several of the images in the set were drawn for my daughter's eleventh birthday party invitation shortly after the first hunger games movie debuted, which i'll flash back to below since it's also flashback friday. but first a couple of takes on a hunger games birthday card using the new stamps. above, i used a printed and punched element that i created for her invitation to add the infamous phrase as my sentiment. if you think about it, wouldn't everyone love for the odds to be in their favor on their birthday - even if they're not headed to a reaping!

i couldn't decide which look i liked better. plus, i had trouble finding the seal in my messy desk at first, so i had already pressed out the whole phrase on my label gun. i couldn't let it go to waste! on both cards, i used the bow and the trio of arrows for my focal image - they were the ones i created for the front of the original invitation with katniss in mind. i covered the heart with a hole punched circle of glitter tape and colored the arrow fins with two shades of yellow copics. this was the color scheme i used for the birthday, so i just stuck with it for today as well. i think it's very girl on fire.

speaking of the invitation, here's the peek i posted of it back in may 2012 and the flashback part of my post. i never got around to posting the whole party because i was overwhelmed with the pictures, but i really need to. i was able to come up with some really cool activities despite the kids-killing-kids theme of the books - although we did have our own hide & seek/nerf tag version of the "game" in and around our house, complete with a cornucopia, parachutes, berries, and a cannon/noise horn. in addition to the invitations, i used the bow and arrow images for lots of other party papers, including some propaganda posters we hung and gave as party favors. it really was the best party ever! with the second movie out, it's the perfect time to use cupid's arrow to create your own hunger games propaganda and birthday cards.

as usual, click on over to nichole's blog for links to the design team posts - today's a group post day, so there will be lots to see! melissa and lizzie have posts up with their new product too. and don't forget to come back tomorrow for one more day of cupid's arrow projects before release day...

may the odds be ever in your favor!
:) lexi

eta: a fellow hunger games fan emailed to ask where i got the mockingjay and panem logos i used on my daughter's invite and i thought i should add the answer here as well. i'll go into more detail when i finally get around to posting the full party, but basically, i drew them myself to match the color and style of my other images using various book and movie graphics as a guide. there are some differences from the originals, both by choice and ability limitations, but my goal was to have them as close as possible to the real thing to wow my daughter and her guests and make it feel like they were stepping into the book. i used them everywhere! mine are not transparent vectors so they would be difficult to share, but if you're looking to create something similar for yourself, there are probably better freebie fan graphics out there anyway, especially now with a second movie out.

also, please note that i do try to answer any comment questions in the comments as well, so if you've asked one there, don't forget to check back!

shot through the heart...

the countdown to new papertrey ink stamps continues - and we're halfway there! today, i decided to focus on the coordinating dies for several of the cupid's arrow images. i've been dreaming up a "working" bow since designing the die, so of course, that one had to be first. just cut off the string part of the die and tie on the twine, leaving a little slack for pulling the arrow back. after i got all of the pieces together, i had a few minutes of not knowing how to use it, but then this layout started to fall into place. the arrow is ready to hit the bullseye on that die cut heart!

although i considered creating in other colors today, i just couldn't stay away from pink and red, so i added a little brown and blue to the mix and went with it. i'm creating valentines after all! this one is probably my fave of the day. criss cross arrows, three sizes of hearts, a cute sentiment - what's not to love?! i've seen images like this here and there, and it was fun to replicate the look with cupid's arrow. i think it would also look nice following yesterday's "letterpress" formula. hmmm, i just may have to make that happen too!

and last, i added slits to a stamped die cut heart with a craft knife and slipped an arrow in one and out the other - shot through the heart! i love that phrase, so this was a must for sure. a little washi tape finishes it off and helps add weight to the tilted image and sentiment. so there you have it, three cards focusing on the dies. i'm still partial to simple stamping, but i have to say that coordinating dies are definitely growing on me. they make designs like these a breeze! Don't forget to check out nichole's blog to see what else is new - betsy, maile, dawn, lizzie, and melissa all have posts up too. and, once again, stop by here tomorrow to see a little more cupid's arrow love.

until then...
:) lexi

love struck

welcome back to day two of the papertrey ink december countdown to new stamps, and another look at cupid's arrow. i hope you don't mind that i've decided to continue on my favorite clean and simple path. i specifically set out to create letterpress look cards focusing on pink with a pop of red. the simplicity of design and color of a good letterpress card always catches my eye. especially when paired with an envelope to match, like the red ones i found in my stash! and since i'm sticking with clean and simple, i thought it was only fair to give you three cards...

first up, a closer look at the three arrows included in the set. each one has a different decorative element on the stick and a different pattern of lines on the end piece. since i was going for three one layer cards with a similar look, i followed the same formula for each - main images in pink, sentiment in red, plus an additonal pop of red somewhere else for added interest. on this design, i added a small heart to highlight the center arrow - cupid's personal favorite!

of course, with all these arrows, there has to be a bow! and isn't it pretty in pink? for my extra pop of red on this design, i stamped an arrow at the ready, right over the bow. following the formula, the sentiment is also stamped in red below - cupid strikes again!

and last, but not least, another arrow card. this time, i stamped over the decorative elements on each one with the smallest solid heart in the set. in addition to carrying the red of my sentiment to the left side of the card, i was able to have matching heart arrows with different end pieces - a little more eyecatching than using the same one. a few extra hearts over the sentiment finish it off. i won't tell you how long it took me to perfect the spacing of the arrows and hearts. clean and simple does not always mean quick and easy!! be sure to head over to nichole today for even more cupid's arrow - both she and dawn are introducing it as well and i can't wait to see what they do! don't forget to follow the links to everyone else's projects too - heather, melissa, lizzie, and erin - there's so much to see this month! and as always, come back again tomorrow for more from me...

:) lexi

introducing cupid's arrow!

welcome to day one of the countdown to the papertrey ink december 2013 release and a look at my newest pieces of confetti stamp set, cupid's arrow. bow and arrows, hearts and fun phrases - hopefully you'll be as love struck as i am! i decided to ease into the countdown with two clean and simple cards showcasing the layered heart. in the card above, i layered it even further with the arrow trio from the sneak peek. the little heart holding the arrows together is the perfect size for the center!

and here, stamped three times stacked, the layered heart provides a mini backdrop, grounded by a single arrow shooting through the bottom heart. cupid strikes again! a traditional valentine color story of pink and red, with touches of glitter and silver, and there you have it - two sweet valentines that will shoot straight for the heart! that's it for day one, but i'll definitely be back with more tomorrow. until then, be sure to check out countdown projects from nichole, and design team members, melissa, cristina, and ashley. plus, melissa, heather, dawn, erin, and lizzie are also sharing their new products as well.

see you tomorrow!
:) lexi

sneak peakin'

a new pieces of confetti stamp set is coming your way! i drew several arrow images for my daughter's hunger games birthday party invitation shortly after the first movie came out and immediately turned them into a potential new stamp set - with love in mind rather than children fighting to the death, lol! and now, with the second movie out, here they are. the countdown starts tomorrow...

:) lexi