confetti by lexi

simple to spectacular: doodlie-do

hi guys! i'm back again today for yet another fun new papertrey ink blog feature, simple to spectacular. who doesn't love a simple, classic sugar cookie? but then you add icing and it's even sweeter and more decadent. and then you pop on some sprinkles and suddenly it's a party! the idea of this feature is to show how a stamp set can go from clean and simple to simply spectacular with a few extra layers or embellishments. this week we're showcasing doodlie-do and i decided to "send a little sunshine" with mine!  

for my first card, i went clean and simple all the way with a one layer quickie. if you've been here more than once or twice, you know this is one of my go-to styles. i love a quick one layer card! a little simple stamping, add a sentiment, an easy bling thing and voilá! can you figure out how i added color? after stamping the images in smokey shadow ink, i flipped the stamps over on the block and stamped the back of it in color right on top of the matching image. it's one of my favorite tricks when the stamp base follows the basic shape of the stamp image - two stamps for the price of one! to finish it off, i colored each flower dot with a wink of stella clear glitter pen and wrapped a bit of metallic gold thread around the top. i can rarely stay away from a little sparkle and shine even on a clean and simple card like this!

next, i stepped it up a bit with die cuts and more detailed coloring with copic markers. while it's still technically clean and simple with the same amount of white space as the first card, it's a little more involved and took a little more time. i used four shades of yellow for the flowers (Y11, Y21, Y19, YR23) and two greens for the leaves (YG11, YG25). the doodlie-do images are so fun to color with all the little spaces! the two on the right are adhered flat to the card base with multi medium matte, while the third is popped up on foam tape. and although it's hard to see in the photo, the petals of all three flowers are curled up for even more dimension. like the original, i finished it off with my handy wink of stella clear glitter pen and a metallic gold wrap at the top!

and finally, for my "spectacular" take, i stepped it way up, incorporating ideas from both previous cards and adding in ink smooshing, splatters, and more bling things! i really liked the simple color behind the stamped images on the first, so i translated that idea here to support my single blinged out focal flower. after ink smooshing a mix of bright buttercup and harvest gold where the trio of flowers go, i stamped them right on top in bright buttercup to create sort of a background layer. i also splattered some of the same watered down inks all over the white space. i colored the die cut flower and leaf the same way as on the last card, curled up the edges, added a little wink of stella clear glitter (a little more this time!), and finished it off with chunky gold glitter on the dots. after it was sufficiently blinged, i popped it up on foam tape and strategically placed three acrylic dew drops around it. like the others, a little metallic gold thread wraps it all up!

from simple to stepped up to spectacular, i used the same stamps, colors, and basic layout on all three - and i love the results! "simple" one layer cards are perfect and easy when i need something fast, and i really enjoy a good "spectacular" session when i have time to spare for experimenting. But i think i typically live in the "stepped up" realm the most. Still it's always nice to stamp outside of your typical box! What do you think of this new feature? It really is a great exercise in seeing the different possibilities and trying new things. Be sure to check out the original post on the papertrey ink blog - heather and melissa have projects too!!

happy hump day!
:) lexi

 

stamp it!

transformation tuesday: make a wish!

good morning! today it's my turn to host tranformation tuesday, the new weekly feature from papertrey ink. we all have cards that don't necessarily turn out the way we had envisioned or a project that we designed to be feminine that could be made masculine with a few tweaks. i often think of various upgrades after i see things on screen while editing photos, but with some projects, like the card i'm reworking today, i know it's not exactly what i want in the moment.

back when I originally created this card, my starting point was to frame the cake to highlight it. but I remember feeling like the white background was lacking, so i dropped in the negative part of the die cut as a quick fix and called it a day. sometimes it just needs to be done already! and while it's just fine that way, i really wanted it to have more of a festive first birthday feel, so that's exactly what i tried to add this time around...

i decided to stay true to the original color scheme and basic layout with the cake in the frame, while the most notable change was to create a bit of a background within the frame to set the scene. i took away the negative space insert and stamped streamers in the same colors, adding mini star sequins where the streamers came to points. sequins, streamers, and cake - now it's a party!

i still wanted the cake to take center stage, so i doubled the die cuts and popped it all up on foam tape so it really stands out. and finally, i opted for a curved banner and changed the sentiment. while happy birthday is totally on point, make a wish is a little more whimsical and really speaks to that big single candle. i think the new details all pop perfectly. definitely more festive the second time around! now it's your turn - head on over to the papertrey ink blog to see how to play along and link up...

happy stamping!
:) lexi

 

stamp it!

maximizing your stamp positioner

good morning! welcome to my first papertrey ink design team tips post! one of the things we talked about during the roundtable last week for the release party live was how we get started on our release projects. sometimes i have a specific design in mind and set to work on getting that one on paper first, but more often i just start stamping die cuts to get the ball rolling and creative juices flowing. i thought i'd elaborate on how i maximize my stamp positioner for doing that efficiently in order to save time and be more productive. 

basically, i like to set up my stamps in such a way that i can keep stamping die cuts as needed without moving the stamps and having to line them up again once i settle on a design or move on to the next idea using the same stamp set and dies. this way of setting things up is particularly helpful for multi-step stamping and even allows me to have more consistent stamp placement on my die cuts.

for the birthday cake in particular, this meant making a few extra masks to drop my die cuts in - one for each detail layer since i wanted to stamp cakes in all the different combinations. i also had two masks for the full cake on the cake plate, one for each of the two layers of the cake plate image (i like to layer the cake die cut on top of the plate die cut for a little depth and dimension). first, i placed the stamps on the door and stamped them with the graph paper placed firmly into the lower left corner, then i carefully placed the die cut masks around each image with magnets holding them in place. if you don't have that many magnets, you can use washi tape so you can still reuse them later.

once set up, you simply drop the dies into the masks and stamp. for example, after stamping the full cake in the top left spot, i dropped it into one of the detail layer spots to add the icing detail, like the one still sitting in the criss-cross pattern mask on the second row. ditto for the cake plate, shown after stamping the edge detail bottom right. you can stamp as many as you want without having to move stamps and line things up again. and even if your mask moves, your stamp still matches the image, so you only have to make sure the paper is snug in the lower left corner and realign the mask. you can even stamp more than one die cut at a time.

of course, once you have all those pretty colorful die cuts, it's time to make a card! i tackled today's project organically, stamping the cakes first, then seeing what i could come up with after. i found a leftover light blue tissue paper fiesta flag: birthday flag die cut from my previous release projects (tissue paper ironed onto freezer paper for extra durability) and applied that with spray adhesive for a quick card layer. i placed one cake where it matched up to the flag, along with one more offset on each side of the first to expand on the sentiment, "let's eat cake!" which i added to a banner layered over the banner on the flag.

i just love the fun fiesta cakes in bright colors. this would be perfect for a birthday card or even a congrats or let's celebrate card, any cake eating occasion really! with misti and other similar stamp positioners on the market, stamping die cuts has never been so quick and easy. and consistent too - i barely have mess ups to throw away anymore! so i hope this little tip helps you stamp up a big batch of something fun and put them to good use.

happy stamping!
:) lexi 

 

stamp it: 

celtic knot cross

hello! as promised i managed to squeeze in a little time between mardi gras and packing for cincinnati to play with celtic knots. it was late night/early morning so i only managed one, but that's better than none! the various green inks were still on my desk from the last post, so i decided to continue with the same color scheme and pull in some gold with the frame die cut from luxe gold adhesive paper. it doesn't get easier than paper that sticks itself down! and that shine - i just love it!

aside from the frame, there are two stamps for each knot design in the set - one with open lines and another with solid lines - that can be used separately or layered together. the center medallion on the cross here is an example of layering the two images together to get a two color look. the cross has an additional line image to outline the whole thing and add the circle "layers." i stamped the outline image in pinefeather, adding the detail open line knot image in green parakeet. i stamped the center medallion on it's own die cut in the same two colors, pulling it all together. for added depth, i popped up both the cross as well as the medallion on top of the cross. and for a little extra shine, i colored over all of the knots with a clear wink of stella pen. while the basic layout is pretty simple, all the little details really help this card shine! i hope you enjoyed our facebook live event and the other shenanigans we posted. it's been so fun getting to know other team members in person. sooo fun!! we even delivered a package to a local customer! when yours arrives, please share what you make - as always i would love, love, love to see what you're up to!

happy friday!
:) lexi

 

stamp it:

lucky you!

good morning! now that my college guests are safely back at school, i finally had time to finish a couple of cards to share with you for the papertrey ink february anniversary countdown to new stamps! as you saw on sunday, i have two new sets coming out - irish blessings and celtic knots - and the design team really showed them off! today, i have another look at irish blessings. first up, one of my favorite sayings of the set and one that can be used year round: a good friend is like a four leaf clover, hard to find, lucky to have.

i paired it simply with a piece of pretty patterned paper that i'd been hoarding (so perfect for this!) and a single four leaf clover to match the phrase. i matched my ink colors to the paper - tropical teal for the sentiment, green parakeet for the clover, which is covered in glitter for a little extra bling. simple and well coordinated is the key when using so much of a pattern - but of course, i always love quick and easy!

next up, i have another card featuring the four leaf clover, along with a "field" of shamrocks. although i've only used one size of each clover on today's post, there are three sizes of each for variety. you can mix and match them like betsy did on the intro post or stick to one size like i have here depending on your design. i wanted to highlight the "luck" of finding a four leaf clover with the phrase lucky you, another phrase that can be used year round.

to do that, i stamped my shamrocks on the card base, tilted this way and that somewhat randomly off the bottom edges of the card, in three shades of green for added interest - new leaf, green parakeet, and limeade ice. i added the sentiment in pinefeather (one more green!) on a limeade ice double ended banner trimmed flush to the right edge. to finish it all off, i popped up the four leaf clover in new leaf overlapping the banner, which emphasizes it even more. clean and graphic, and to the point - lucky you! don't you just love the mix of greens?! i'm off to the last day of parades, but i hope to be back with a couple more cards soon, so stay tuned. until then, there's so much to see and play on the papertrey ink blog - can you tell who works in which workspace? good luck!

and happy mardi gras!
:) lexi

 

stamp it:

papertrey ink 2018 anniversary set

good morning! today we get to introduce you to the papertrey ink 2018 anniversary set, mixed bouquet, designed collectively by the product designers. it was so fun to collaborate on this together and i just love, love the finished stamp set - a variety of stemmed flowers that can stand on their own or be gathered together to create a bouquet. this special "customer appreciation set" will be available to "purchase" with reward points only and will not be available for regular sale.

i decided to give you a lexi-styled bluebonnet, in honor of my time in texas. i used to love when the bluebonnets popped up along the highway. seas of beautiful blue wildflowers! mine is a little more simplified version - clean and graphic, if you will. (shout-out to the forum peeps!) there are eight stamps to build your image - the petals, the crowning petals plus detail, the stem, and two leaves plus a detail for each. depending on your look, you may not want the use them all or you can even use individual pieces in a different way on their own.

i opted for a clean and simple design with lots of white space and a focus on two die cut and stamped bluebonnet stems. i used one of the frames from mix & mat: hearts dies to create the look of a layer to ground my images and sentiment. after adding the sentiment to the lower right edge of the box, i balanced the stems to the left. to add a little depth to the petals, i added a little royal velvet ink around the edges after inking it in blueberry sky.

i had one extra stamped stem leftover, so i couldn't resist adding the flower to a color blocked card in the style of the texas state flag. i cut the pieces using the cover plate: comic strip die and popped them up on foam tape for added dimension.

i draped the bluebonnet across the seams which helps direct your eye to the sentiment in the lower right corner of the flag. i tried to find howdy in my stamp stash, but ended up having to settle for a handwritten hi from pencil me in.

just look at all those fabulous flowers!!! if you haven't already, be sure to stop by the papertrey ink blog and follow the links to see each one up close! and remember: mixed bouquet is a special "customer appreciation set" and will not be available for regular sale - you can only get it with reward points, so hopefully, you've been saving up!

happy stamping!
:) lexi

p.s. please bear with me if i miss a day or two of the countdown - it's mardi gras here in new orleans and i have been juggling a lot!! a houseful of ut freshman began arriving with my daughter tonight and i've been preparing for my ride in the muses parade tomorrow - including glittering shoes, the most coveted carnival throw! but, i will be here sharing as much as i can once my sets are introduced, so please keep checking in!!

 

stamp it:

another year with papertrey ink!

hello! it's february and for my papertrey ink readers, that means anniversary time!! eleven days of fun announcements, contests, and challenges - all culminating with the february new product release on the 15th! 

 

 

i’m so excited to be back for another year designing product and working on some of the "special teams" like make it monday! i love sharing my art with you, especially seeing how you bring it to life with your own ink and layout choices. i actually love that part the most! are you ready? it’s going to be a fun year! be sure to follow along with the festivities on the papertrey ink blog...

happy stampiversary!
:) lexi