confetti by lexi

SAF 2018: garden whimsy pop-up box card

hello sunshine! papertrey ink stamp-a-faire is well underway!  ink, dies, paper, and stamps are flying around here and i hope for you too! are you ready to plant a whimsical garden in a pop-up box card? i can't wait to show you how, so let's just jump right in...

looks can be deceiving. from simple and understated...

to full-on garden explosion of color! may all your weeds be wildflowers!

head over to the papertrey ink blog to see pictures, a video, and the live stream class - there's even a printable file for the box for those who didn't get the kit. and then don't forget to link up to win! let me know if you have any questions, and most of all, have fun!!

happy box building!
:) lexi

 

stacked die cut assembly

after making several scared silly monsters during the release earlier this month, i thought it would be a good time to share how i assemble all those little pieces securely for then popping up on a card. it's a technique that works really well on flowers and stems too, and all it usually takes is one extra die cut.

So part of the fun of scared silly is that you can build a variety of different monsters by mixing and matching the little pieces and parts. But that same feature can also lead to some frustration in assembly. my easy trick for making the process a little less frustrating is using one extra die cut -in this case, the body - and a xyron sticker maker. i've also used 2-way glue with success on smaller flowers.

i put two of the main piece that holds everything together through the sticker maker - a stamped one with adhesive on the back, and an additional white one with adhesive on the front. the smaller pieces that will be adhered fully to the face can be turned into stickers as well.

features can be added to the back of the stamped shape sticking right onto the adhesive. once the body parts are where you want them, you add the second body part sticker right on top. you can see here how the pieces close to the edge seem precarious. covering them with a body double backing really helps them to stay put.

at this point, it's a good idea to burnish the entire piece, making sure that all adhesive is nice and tight 

next add the face features and voila! i was going for a "one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater" - after building the various monsters for the countdown, it suddenly dawned on me that i really needed this one represented! here you can see what i mean about the extra piece on the back holding everything together nicely.

 

of course i had to turn it into a card. i stenciled a cloud background, added a frame, and plopped our flying monster right on a cloud.

and there you have it, the scared silly version of the one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater" - sure looks strange to me!

tgif!
:) lexi

 

throwback thursday: ombre builders

ombre builders is one of my favorite graphic element sets, with so many possibilities for adding color and pattern to cards. as the name suggests, it's perfect for building ombre patterns with colors blending together. so since I found myself in the mood for a rainbow, i decided on a "full spectrum ombre" for this week's papertrey ink throwback thursday. I'm a sucker for a rainbow card!

to create my blended rainbow, i stamped the paint splatted strip in the six basic rainbow colors, papertrey ink style, on watercolor paper: pure poppy, orange zest, bright buttercup, new leaf, blueberry sky, amethyst allure. while i let the layers touch a little, i did not overlap them all the way. i wanted more of a soft blended look, so i simply sprayed the watercolor paper with water when i was done and let the paper and water do the work. then i sped up the drying process with the heat gun and added a little interest to the panel with mix & mat: confetti. after trimming around the birthday streamer frame, i decided to add another detail by backing the panel with sticker paper, sticky side out and filling the confetti holes with glitter.

i had spent so much time on the rainbow and making the perfect mat, that i had a little trouble when it came to the sentiment. nothing seemed quite right! finally, i found the exact sentiment that i didn't know i was searching so hard for, but it was too wide to fit on my panel without covering up colors in an awkward way. after trying way too many other ideas that simply weren't working, i spied the ink it in: notebook die cut pushed off to the side of my desk and a lightbulb went off - cut it into pieces and create a ransom-style sentiment! i used to love to do these when the sentiment didn't quite fit right or just as a fun design element. i added in the ampersand from ink it in: quoted along with a few doodles to fill the empty spaces and it worked! a rainbow, a little sparkle, and the perfect sentiment. it didn't come together as quickly as i hoped when i sat down, but it came together in the end and i had fun figuring it out - and ombre builder was the easiest part of the whole thing!

if you haven't already, be sure to check out a couple more throwback looks by heather and melissa, both linked on the papertrey ink blog...

happy stamping!
:) lexi

 

tonight's the night!

thanks for joining me this week as we counted down the days to the papertrey ink august release! scared silly and coordinating dies will be available tonight along with the rest of the new product showcased this month. here's a look at the complete sets...

to see the lookbook, head over to the papertrey ink blog now. to buy, head to the papertrey ink store at 10:00 pm eastern time tonight. it's always so fun to share my projects with you. i can't wait to see what you guys do with them next!

happy shopping!
:) lexi

the eyes have it...

good morning! we've made it to day five of the papertrey ink august release countdown - one more sleep until scared silly and the rest of the new stamps and dies are available for purchase. yay! i'm bringing it back to halloween today with a look at two of the simplest images in the set - the eyes!

first up, a mummy card. i've done this design on cupcakes before, so why not a card? i cut strips of bitty big soft stone to zig-zag across with the two eyes peeking out and a speech bubble to finish things off. i did cut the strips longer than the card so that i could more easily attach them and move if necessary, and then trimmed them at the end. boo! instant mummy card!

as i started to cut, i noticed my blade needed changing, but the slightly rough edges made me think of gauze, so i decided to change it for the next project. sometimes fate really does step in while i work. i love the finished card and it was so easy and so fun!

next up, i was inspired by the pile of extra eye die cuts left on my desk - with sets like this i cut a ton ahead of time so i usually have lots of leftovers. anyway, i randomly placed them on a square cut with the middle image from shape shifters: square 2 to create an "eyes in the dark" type card.

since i didn't have a sentiment, i used my dymo to create a custom one, i see you! i also used noted: pinked to create the card base. it kind of reminded me of monster teeth - gotta stick with the theme. and of course, i love the results!

who knew you could do so much with only two stamps and two dies?! the monsters are the cutest, but these are definitely a very close second. well that's it for me this countdown. i have a couple projects brewing, so when things settle down a bit, i'll be sure to put them together and share here and on instagram. until then, be sure to visit the papertrey ink blog to see what's being featured today. so much good fall fun this month!

boo! i see you!
:) lexi

 

all new product, including scared silly, will be available for purchase on august 15th! 

i love you this much!

hello! welcome back to day three of the papertrey ink august release countdown and another look at my new set scared silly. today my little monster is spreading a little love - these monsters are definitely not just for halloween! in fact, i included a couple of sentiments in the set for other occasions, like this one for love. it could be used as a valentine's card or just to say i love you any time. 

simply changing the colors of the monster instantly changes the feel of the card. here i used lovely lady and amethyst allure along with soft grays and lots of white. and how about that glittered unicorn horn?! to get additional sparkle, i added a label behind the mix & mat hearts die and filled the holes in with glitter. instead of putting the sign on a stick in the monster's hand, i decided to emphasize the outstretched arms by stretching the sign as though he were holding it.

and for that extra touch of wow, i mounted the monster on an action wobble mini. the monster is really excited to be sending this message!

i love you this much! i'm helping my daughter move into her sophomore college apartment this weekend - maybe i should hide this somewhere in her room to find later. she's been crushing on my monsters too! as always, be sure to stop by the papertrey ink blog to see what's being featured today - and come back tomorrow for more scared silly, monster mashing fun!

thanks for stopping by!
:) lexi

 

all new product, including scared silly, will be available for purchase on august 15th! 

boo to you!

good morning! welcome back to day two of the papertrey ink august release countdown and another look at my new set scared silly. today i have a halloween treat, no tricks! scared silly plus my previously released matchbook medley die collection equal the perfect mini candy package for class gifts or trick-or-treaters at your door. 

this monster was particularly fun to create. after choosing a halloween color scheme of vintage jadeite, amethyst allure and smokey shadow, i decided to give him a little extra character by twisting his features a bit. two different eye sizes, hair *and* horns, a lopsided smile, and feet turned in instead of out. isn't he adorable? with these extra tweaks, there are even more monster combos to try!

the die cut matchbook is the perfect size for fun size m & m's - many other fun size candies will also fit nicely. it's such a great way to package an individual treat. and easy to put together too! to finish it off, i used pencilgrams to spell out boo to you - i just love this little alphabet set. sadly it's on the last call list, but it is still available as i type and at $3.50 it's a steal!

and there you have it, the cutest little halloween monster ever and candy too! i'm actually having a hard time picking a favorite monster, but this one is definitely in the running!! do you make classroom treats or custom trick-or-treat candy? tell me all about it in the comments! as always, be sure to stop by the papertrey ink blog to see what's being featured today - and come back tomorrow for more scared silly, monster mashing fun!

boo to you!
:) lexi

 

all new product, including scared silly, will be available for purchase on august 15th! 

let's do the monster mash!

introducing scared silly! welcome to day one of the papertrey ink august release countdown and a look at my new pieces of confetti stamp set debuting this month. with scared silly you'll have all the pieces and parts to build cute little monsters and boy is it fun!

with different options for bodies, arms, legs and various features - plus all the colors of the rainbow! - there are so many different monsters you can make. and that was the most fun of digging in. i die cut all the pieces and parts multiple times and stamped and assembled away. it's like paper dolls and mr. potato head all rolled into one!

for this first card, i opted for a trio of bright colored silly monsters with different bodies, smiles and eye styles, horns and hair. i stacked them pyramid style against a bold borders: diagonal in smokey shadow which really allows the bright colors to pop. i love the bold and bright contrast! to finish it off, i added a sign with the sentiment to the top monster.

this would be great for a halloween party or a monster themed birthday and would definitely help make monsters fun for the littles. how can you be scared of such silly faces?! you can see several silly monster creations by the design team today - links on the papertrey ink blog - along with details about scared silly and the rest of today's featured sets here. and then i'll be back with a little more each day, so don't forget to keep checking in...

happy countdown!
:) lexi

 

all new product, including scared silly, will be available for purchase on august 15th! 

neutrals with a pop

hello! it's the seventh of the month, which means it's time for a new papertrey ink color ambassador post. today i thought it was a good time to take a look at neutrals. gray, black, white, tan, brown and off-white are typically considered the basic neutral colors. browns, tans, and off-white tend to make color schemes feel warmer, while black and white and greys can look warm or cool depending on the surrounding colors. while neutrals are an important component to almost any color scheme, today we'll take a look at them as the main component.

currently, papertrey ink has three inks in the black/gray color family (with one on the way!) and four basic browns - a nice range for monochromatic neutrals. adding a single bright or bold accent color to either of these neutral palettes is one of the most basic color schemes to try. the idea is somewhat similar to designing with monochromatic colors but even easier to pull off. It's also one of the most visually striking color schemes.

so head on over to the papertrey ink blog to read more about neutral colors, including two examples of each neutral palette with a pop of bright. i always love to hear your thoughts. leave a comment and let's discuss...

have a colorful day!
:) lexi

 

if friends were flowers...

i'd pick ruby rose! i had a couple different pieces and parts floating around on my desk from my papertrey ink throwback thursday post the other day inspired by orla kiely and i just couldn't move on until i finished them. so here i am again - same colors, same stamps, two new cards...

first up, i had worked out this pattern on a scrap piece of paper but i was having trouble figuring out the sentiment and then the large bloom design came together a little more quickly, so i abandoned it. but it kept haunting me, lol. does that happen to you? so i stamped it for real and decided to add a die cut hello. sometimes things just have to sit a bit!

anyway, i wanted the sentiment to stand out, so i layered it on four more die cuts in limeade ice. i considered having the top layer in color as well, but i thought it competed with the pattern too much. the hint of color peeking through on the side of the die cuts was the perfect compromise along with a card base in limeade ice - the splash of color is a nice surprise once the card is opened but doesn't compete with the pattern when closed.

next, this was the original flower i tried that ultimately led to using die cuts and the larger bloom. but i had stamped this on good cardstock, so rather than throw it away or put it in the scrap box, i decided to turn it into a card too. the image fit perfectly into the shape shifters: square 2 outer frame, which inspired a little layering and paper piecing of sorts.

after die cutting my focal panel, i die cut the same frame in limeade ice. i kept it mostly intact, popping out the small corners and diamonds and then layered the focal piece on top. not only can you see the limeade lines, but there is a hint of it all the way around on the edges of the focal piece. there is also a bit of depth because the limeade ice pieces are not flush to the white but below it and the small corners and diamonds are empty all the way through. to finish it off i added a clear jewel to the center of the flower and one of my favorite flower sentiments from flower power below. now i have a set of three coordinating, but different cards - i'm thinking gift set!

happy stamping!
:) lexi

 

throwback thursday: ruby rose

good morning! welcome to papertrey ink's throwback thursday. i love the bold, graphic look of ruby rose! the images, particularly the single leaf, have often reminded me of orla kiely, so I decided to put that inspiration to ink for my card today. i took cues from a couple of different fabric patterns for my layout as well as my color choices and I love the results. 

using die cut and stamped images, i created one big flower using a stem from flower power, masked to the size needed. i considered an all-over pattern too, which would also be fun, but i do love a good focal object and white space. the flower is three shades of green - limeade ice, simply chartreuse, and ripe avocado - with dark indigo for the leaves. a lot of orla keily's color schemes have a retro feel and the leaves are rarely green, which i love!

to make the flower look even bigger, i used a smaller 4bar card base with a finished measurement of 3-1/2" x 5". and in keeping with the somewhat symmetrical look of the leaves, i assembled it on a center panel which i mounted on foam tape, with tone on tone flowers peeking through on each side. to finish it off, i added a sentiment (from flower power) in the same green spectrum as the flower, selectively inking the word hello two additional times - hello hello hello friend! the final card is clean and graphic with a retro twist - i look forward to trying a few more variations of this one! if you haven't already, be sure to check out a couple more throwback looks by betsy and melissa, both linked on the papertrey ink blog...

happy stamping!
:) lexi

 

simple to spectacular: vintage linens

good morning! it's my turn for simple to spectacular today, one of my favorite papertrey ink blog features! 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! today we're showcasing vintage linens - i just love these bold blooms and couldn't wait to play with them again this month! inspired by the stamp set title, i decided to create a hint of a vintage linen placemat of sorts to ground the stemmed flower duo in the set. as always, i stayed true to my typical clean and graphic style on all three takes, each one a little more involved than the last. from simple to stepped up to spectacular, i used the same stamps, colors, and basic layout on each...

for my simple version, i created a one layer card, using cover up: grid as my offset placemat. i really like a one layer card for the image layering possibilities, especially stamping the sentiment over the images slightly. that is one particular look that gets a little harder when you use die cuts, so it's something i try to do when making one layer cards because i like the results. starting with the simple version, i chose bold black flower centers to play off of the bold black sentiment from the recently released botanical bounty sentiments.

next, i stepped up the design a little bit by adding die cuts for both the flowers and the placemat element. i still used cover ups: grid, but this time on a panel die cut from scallop stackers: medium using only the outside scallop. i offset the whole piece just as i did with the grid on the first to maintain the same layout and to call attention to it, the complete panel is popped up on foam tape. although you can't really see it in the photo, i colored over the center of the flowers with a clear wink of stella glitter pen.

and finally, for the spectacular version, i took it a few steps further. first i added the inner scallop cut from scallop stackers: medium to add more of a lace edge to the placemat and stamped the grid on the inside layer cut from the largest of the pierced feature frames dies, which adds a nice stitched edge look just inside the scalloped edge detail. since these together were two layers of card stock that had plenty of interest, i adhered them flat to the card and popped up the flowers on foam tape instead. a few rainstones are the perfect finishing touch, along with nuvo crystal drops in ebony black in the flower centers, which were also dusted with clear glitter before they dried. a little bling bling is always a good thing!

and there you have it - three degrees of beautiful bold flowers a la vintage linens! just like other times, i love all three for different reasons. "simple" one layer cards are perfect and easy when i need something fast or want to play around more with layering images, and i really enjoy a good "spectacular" session when i have a lot of open-ended creative time. but the "stepped up" version is probably my most typical stamping zone. what do you think - do you have a favorite? let me know in the comments! and if you haven't already, be sure to check out the original post on the papertrey ink blog - heather and laurie have projects too! i always love seeing what my fellow stampers do with the same set.

have a beautiful day!
:) lexi

 

zappy birthday!

hello! i'm back again with another quick card from the weekend. it was so fun to stamp a few cards just because! this one was inspired by my recent color ambassador post on triadic color schemes. 

i had mentioned how the primary color triad of red, yellow, and blue is perfect for a superhero inspired cards, so i had to pull out zappy birthday and moments inked: day by day blocks to create a new one. i decided to colorblock a simple background with the three colors to highlight the black skyline die cut and sentiment. the sentiment burst is popped on foam tape for extra emphasis and interest. quick and easy and so much fun!

happy stamping!
:) lexi

 

another day, another hashtag holiday!

wouldn't you know it, today is yet another fun hashtag holiday - world emoji day! according to wikipedia, the founder of emojipedia created this day on july 17 because of how the calendar emoji is shown on iphones. interesting! of course i had to pull out hashtag everything (again!) to build a few emojis to celebrate...

i love these little faces, which led me to create this set. the cool glasses and cry laughing emojis pop up in my texts a lot! do you have a favorite? in addition to the mix and match face parts, there are a few other familiar icons included in the set, like thumbs up, fire, and a heart - plus hashtag phrases too. not only is hashtag everything perfect to create cards for kids, but it would also be great for kids to create with. my girls would have loved a set like this when they were younger. now they're always glued their phones, just texting them #teenagers. i guess today is our license to text emojis all day too!

#sofun!
:) lexi

 

i scream, u scream...

we all scream hooray! i decided to dig through my scrap die cuts and put together an ice cream card in honor of national ice cream day. i ended up finding goodies for two, so i went with it. hey, you can never have enough ice cream, right?

first up, an old pint from comfort food - sadly, comfort food has gone the way of the dinosaur, although i will always pull it out from time to time. because ice cream and soup never go out of style. you may be able to find it on the second-hand market on the papertrey ink b/s/t board or another - it's perfect for so many occasions! anyway, the ice cream pint was already stamped in dark chocolate, so i decided on a pantone inspired card after finding this small squarish layer, also in the scrap box. i guess this is exactly why i kept it? or maybe just because i am a hoarder! i blended my base of dark chocolate, masking off the bottom for the sentiment in classic kraft to coordinate with the shades of pinks and tans i added with copic markers and then layered it all on a panel of bitty big pale peony. sweet and simple! 

next up, ice cream itself! this card was inspired by the fact that these "national holidays" are strongly tied to social media - it's so fun to participate in the hashtags. which is what got me stamping today, in fact! so, with that in mind, i paired a scrap hashtag everything love bubble with a fun lovin' ice cream cone and pulled out the #happyday sentiment (also from hashtag everything) to bring it full circle. the ice cream on top is cut from a scrap of paper with a glazed distress oxide treatment from this post. i rarely throw away extra techique-y scraps because i work hard on them, so they pop up until they're gone - every. little. piece. lol! i found a little frame to pull it all together and that was that. well, except for that yummy chocolate sauce, sprinkles, and cherry! what did we do before nuvo drops and shaker sprinkles?! #love #supersweet #yum

happy #nationalicecreamday!
:) lexi

 

triadic color schemes

hello! it's the seventh of the month, which means it's time for a new papertrey ink color ambassador post. Today I thought we’d take a look at triadic color schemes. By definition triadic color schemes are a combination of three colors with equal space between them on the color wheel. Because the colors are in high contrast to each other, these color schemes can be quite bold. 

To help visualize the triads or triangles of color, I decided to put together a more complete color wheel than I have for previous posts - a simple interpretation based on the colors we have available.

so head on over to the papertrey ink blog to read more about triadic color schemes, including examples of the ones i use most...

and new cards for the ones that are outside of my normal stamping zone! click here for the full post.

have a colorful day!
:) lexi

 

 

stamp-a-faire 2018

hi stamping friends! i'm so excited to share that i will be hosting a class for stamp-a-faire 2018: crafting a community garden - live this year in cincinnati! i can't wait to meet those of you attending in person. but even if you won't be there, you can still participate online. the limited edition kit is available for pre-order this week! you'll get everything you need to play along at home including stamps and dies designed specifically for the event along with the same supplies we will be using in the live classes. here's a look at my "garden whimsy pop-up box" stamp and die collection...

all the dies you need to build a box that pops up to reveal a whimsical garden - sunshine and insects included!

and a mini stamp set with coordinating sentiments for a variety of occasions along with accent flowers that mimic the dies. may all your weeds be wildflowers!

in addition to the class product and supplies, you will also receive the limited edition stamp-a-faire stamp set, community garden - another collaboration set with images from several product designers, including me! head to the papertrey ink blog for a complete look at the classes and product included or straight to the shop to purchase the kit!

counting the days...
:) lexi

make it monday :: inchie elements

good morning! it's my turn for make it monday with papertrey ink this week. today i decided to design a card with an old favorite of mine - inchies! 

inchies are one inch squares - tiny pieces of art that make great card elements. i decided to stamp a collection of salt air: fauna...

and grid them up with a corner twist for interest. clean and graphic as always!

what will you choose and how will you stack them up? i can't wait to see! head over to the papertrey ink blog to watch the video and play along...

seas the day!
:) lexi

 

matchbook double take

when I hosted a make it monday on creating matchbooks a while back and then introduced the matchbook medley die collection, i shared projects that focused on matchbooks as a packaging idea. tea packets, m & m's and other small package candies, stickers, and more. and they're great for that! but they're also fun to turn into cards or tags when you want to take a break from the typical top or side fold and they make really cute notepads, too. so, i created one of each to share with you today.

first up, the card. i love special fold cards, especially ones that lend themselves to adding more details inside as well as out. because of the extra depth at the top of the matchbook and the fact that it closes on its own, it's fun to add popped up elements inside the card. and if you're going to do that, a window is a must! 

i decided on a trio of flowers from flower power. after die cutting and stamping the matchbook, i stamped cover up: grid on the front and then put it through the die cutting machine again to cut the window using the heart included in the set, which does double duty as a layer or a cut out. you could also create the window from any shape from your collection that fits or create a matchbook specifically around your favorite die - so many possibilities!

 

i used the layer die inside to ground my flower cluster, built to peek through the heart when closed, adding a sentiment below. hand picked just for you! the finished card would make the perfect gift tag - no envelope needed since it closes securely.

next, i used the matchbook to create a mini notepad - perfect to toss in your purse for on the go notes. this time i created the matchbook cover as usual.

a layer, a few more flower power flowers, a sentiment - nothing out of the ordinary, except that i adhered them nice and tight, edge to edge, since they might need to be able to survive the bottom of a bag.

when stapling it together, add a stack of paper cut to fit - in this case - 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" - and be sure to hold them in place securely so the staple can make it all the way through. voila, notepad! the flap makes it easy to rip pages out as you use them or share them. and it closes up nice and neat for taking it to go. in both cases, i used different elements from the die set to cover the staples on the front - with a little added washi tape here. so there you have, two takes on the matchbook other than packaging! 

tgi-friyay!
:) lexi 

 

monochromatic color schemes

hello! it's the seventh of the month, which means it's time for a new papertrey ink color ambassador post. today we'll take a look at monochromatic color schemes. monochromatic literally means one color. a monochromatic color scheme is based on any single hue on the color wheel and can include various shades, tones, and tints of that color.

so head on over to the papertrey ink blog to read more about why i like monochromatic color schemes and tips for creating interesting cards that focus on a single color...

including a few cards to showcase monochromatic color schemes papertrey ink style, along with variations to try, too. click here for the full post!

have a colorful day!
:) lexi