confetti by lexi

throwback thursday: wonderful words snow

good morning! it's thursday and that means it's time for a papertrey ink throwback. i love snowy stamps, probably because i don't get much of the real stuff in my southern life! with the holiday break coming to an end soon, a bonus snow day off is a january dream, so i was inspired by that particular sentiment combo along with shaking up some fake flakes. 

using pierced feature frames, foam tape, and clear cardstock, i created a shaker element for the front of my card. i wanted the feel of snow, of course, so i went on a search for white and iridescent fillings in my bottomless studio and came up with flakes, tiny star confetti, sequins, and glitter sprinkles. when focusing on one color, a mix of shapes and sizes is a great way to add interest.

the set consists of the focal word snow along with words to build phrases around it. i decided on "bring on the snow days," stamping the extra words on the spring rain backer panel before filling and closing the shaker. you can stamp, die cut, or stamp and die cut the word snow to complete your sentiment, the latter of which i did here. i added it right over the top of the shaker element, layered on two additional die cuts for a little extra pop. with the different phrase options in wonderful words: snow, this design could easily be duplicated for a variety of occasions. don't you love a fun shaker card? if you haven't already, be sure to check out the other throwbacks today, linked on the papertrey ink blog - a great substitute for a real snowstorm!

happy new year & happy stamping!
:) lexi

throwback thursday: holiday double cuts

what a great papertrey ink throwback thursday die set this week! holiday double cuts is the perfect trio of holiday sentiments - three traditional words that can stand alone or be used to complete a variety of phrases. and the font and stacking layers are great for playing with color, too!

and play with color was exactly what i decided to do. i was inspired by the idea of a children's picture book. i feel like i've read "this book" somewhere but i can't put my finger on what book it is - i read a lot of books to kids for my day job! anyway, the idea of a mostly black and white illustration with a pop of color was stuck in my head, so i went with it.

important to that idea was coloring each letter of the word a different color to peek through the double cut top layer since that was my only color on the card. i cut a base layer and three top layers of the dies, keeping one of the top layers in tact. i masked off each letter and blended ink over each one individually. then i layered two white top layers, frame only over the top to build it up. the colored pieces show through perfectly! 

i selectively inked words from the same phrase from sentiment staples: christmas to build my sentiment around the word die cut and added a few stars to finish it all off. the outcome is exactly what i was picturing and fits the sentiment perfectly. i always love when that happens! do you have this set already? please share any great new ideas in the comments! and if you haven't already, be sure to check out a couple more throwback treats by michelle and kelly, both linked on the papertrey ink blog...

happy stamping!
:) lexi

 

throwback thursday: tricky trio dies

i love creating for halloween so I was very excited to play with tricky trio dies for this week's papertrey ink throwback thursday. it's the perfect sentiment to add to any Halloween stamp set or image, so I pulled out scared silly and put them to work together.

i decided to go with my favorite halloween color scheme of green, purple, and black in the form of green parakeet, plum pudding, and a mix of true black, smokey shadow, and soft stone for my blacks and neutrals. The shape of the long line trick or treat die reminded me of a seesaw so i chose that one and let it guide my layout, adhering it on an angle between a cutaway in the soft stone panel and balancing a scared silly monster on the middle.

i selectively inked "li'l monster" under the die to relate the sentiment to the image. and with a trick or treat phrase as part of my focal point, i thought it would be fun to give my monster a trick or treat bag - with a coordinating eyeball, of course! not only is he cute, but he moves too - i couldn't resist another wobbly monster and i think the recipient who ends up with this will agree. a card that moves is the best! well that's all for today. it's a quickie tricky from me, but if you haven't already, be sure to check out a couple more throwback treats by dawn and michelle, both linked on the papertrey ink blog...

happy stamping!
:) 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

 

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

 

throwback thursday: craft brew

good morning! welcome to papertrey ink's throwback thursday. craft brew is one of those sets that i loved right away - the solid guy possibilities amidst all of the flowers, the graphic label-style sentiments, the large size of the glass stamp. it's just so fun! in fact, many girls love a tall glass of beer too and without a "guy" or "man" specification, my card could go either way.

 

i decided on a medium colored beer - not too pale, not too dark! - combining a couple of full layers of bright buttercup followed by a couple of layers of summer sunrise applied to the edges and bottom of the stamp with an ink blending tool. this is one of those designs brought to you by misti. i can't imagine lining up a stamp, even one as straight-lined and simple as this one, that many times without it! a few bubbles in bright buttercup inside and embossed in white on top finish off the pint perfectly.

once i was happy with my golden brew, i added the glass lines in soft stone along with sentiments and details from the set as text on each glass. on the second glass, i selectively inked "let the good times roll" - i thought a simplified version of the stamp worked best on the partial glass since it's still mostly readable and i was able to connect it to the primary glass with the graphic element. the #happybirthday text bubble ties it all together, saying exactly what we're cheering in a fun, current way.

finally, a red bottle cap with a simple flag detail finishes the design off with a pop of color - so worthy of a beer card, right?! while i did originally create this design with a guy in mind, once i uploaded it, i thought of adding a 21 to the bottle cap to turn it into the perfect "coming of drinking age" birthday card for anyone. made for a guy, but perfect for a girl or something like that! like i said, this set is so fun!! if you haven't already, be sure to check out a couple more throwback brews by betsy and michelle, both linked on the papertrey ink blog...

beer cheers!
:) lexi

 

 

throwback thursday: in bloom

hello! welcome to papertrey ink's throwback thursday. i love the detail and lines on the large in bloom flower and couldn't wait to color it for this week's post. inspired by a current tory burch pattern, i decided to color block the flower with shades of pale pinks and peach, and contrast it with a geometric element for a modern twist, all similar to the inspiration.

for the background geometric feature, i created a cover plate: modern cross quilt stencil from yupo paper, traced two rows and colored them in with a pale peach copic, continuing the line image look. hello friend from colorful words is the perfect sentiment, adding in another color-in element along with a cursive to coordinate with the flower.

i added pale neutral gray leaves to the flower rather than introduce a competing green, popping the bloom up on foam tape. the leaves are tucked under the foam tape and bent up for added interest. i actually liked the color blocked flower so much, i couldn't stop with just one card, so i quickly colored a couple more - i rarely die cut just one of anything!

for the next card, i used the same geometric element, but as a die cut in white on white. i trimmed off a square of it to layer behind the flower, adding texture and a frame of sorts. again the flower is popped up on foam tape to call more attention to it. in fact, i decided to skip the leaves here and keep it all about that flower.

the in bloom sentiment was a perfect fit under the finished square element. similar to colorful words, i like the pairing of block and flowery fonts. clean and graphic - and simple too. my fave kind!

i had one more flower, along with a smaller one and a few leaves, so for one last card, i decided to create a focal cluster with them. with fewer color elements and an additional bloom on this design, green leaves made more sense, adding a bit of a pop to the cluster.

i skipped the cross quilt background this time and went back to colorful words for the added structure and color-in option. i love how the script font flows under the flower with this particular font pairing. the end result is another clean and simple design.

this is what happens when you make extra cuts - one flower, three cards! and it's such an amazing flower, it really doesn't need much added to it. at the same time, there are so many cool ways to color it, too - if you haven't already, be sure to visit the papertrey ink blog for links to more in bloom eye candy. i love thursdays!!

thanks for stopping by!
:) lexi

 

 

throwback thursday: quilted spring

i was so excited to be assigned to this week's throwback thursday featuring quilted: spring - i loved the whole quilted series when it was introduced! although I don't quilt myself, i'm always drawn to quilts in vintage markets and i can easily get lost looking at them on pinterest or instagram or etsy. just like cards, each quilt is a piece of art. pattern, print, color - what's not to love? 

today i decided to focus on pattern by using black and white. i love a good modern-traditional mashup, and i think the graphic look of black and white on a wedding ring quilt is exactly that. add a pop of color, in this case bright buttercup, and it's even more perfect. have i mentioned that #yellowismyfavorite? i'm sure you're tired of hearing it, in fact! but this color scheme is "so lexi" as my friends would say. my car is a bright yellow convertible bug with a black top. and coincidentally, when i was stamping this card, i was wearing a black and white zebra print dress with yellow slides. true story!

i really wanted the patterned circle to stand out, so rather than leaving the negative spaces white as well, i decided to add a square of bitty big: soft stone behind the wedding ring design. not only does this complete the quilt square, but it provides just the right bit of neutral color to allow the black and white to pop. i finished off my square with a flower "appliqué" in the middle. i contemplated using green for the leaves, but i really didn't want to introduce a new color, and it suddenly occurred to me that if i were actually quilting this in fabric, i'd stick with my color scheme. so black leaves it was, which enhances the modern graphic look in the end.

inspired by the bright yellow and the overall idea of new meets old, i decided to use a sentiment from a more recent set, corner adorner: february, sending you sunshine. the result is a clean and graphic, modern classic! and it's so lexi, too! one day, i'll find the perfect real life quilt to bring home, but for now, i can have fun stamping them! if you haven't already be sure to visit the papertrey ink blog for links to more quilted: spring eye candy from heather and laurie. these posts are so fun!!

thanks for stopping by!
:) lexi

 

throwback thursday: stacked sentiments

another day, another papertrey ink blog feature project! i was so excited to play with stacked sentiments for today's throwback thursday post, in which three team members take a look back at an older set. the style is so bold and graphic and whimsical - all things I love. the sentiments can really hold their own, but they also pair well with other sets, which is exactly what i decided to showcase. i literally stacked the word happy into the middle of a sunny patch of flower power. i thought the boldness of the sentiment would really stand out among a rainbow of flowers! 

the first thing i did was prepare the happy die cut - after stamping one, i stacked it on two more die cuts in addition to cutting one into the upper middle space of a white card front panel, leaving a hole for reference. then, using my misti mini so i could double stamp if needed, i stamped the flowers strategically around the opening. every now and then, i popped in the prepared die cut stack to see how it was shaping up. after stamping the larger flowers from flower power, i added in a tiny bloom and some greenery from stacked sentiments to fill in a few gaps. finally, i stamped the words to finish the sentiment right over the flowers, again with my die cut hole as a guide - oh happy day!

next, i trimmed the edges of the completed panel and attached it to my card base, creating an instant frame. the aqua mist also peeps through the center of the die cut, which helps the die cut stand out even more than if the card base had simply been white. at the last minute, i decided to add a single black die cut to my stack before adhering the last white die cut from the card front and dropped the stack right into the hole. the black layer is one of those fun little details that you see when you move the card around - a small hint of a line that repeats the black of the text and adds to the graphic pop. 

i just love how it turned out - rainbow(ish) colors, bold graphic black, white space. it's such a happy card, even if it wasn't spelling that out for us! now i want to repeat the design with each of the other words. wouldn't that make a pretty card set? wow, it's been a busy week - lots of projects for all these fab feature posts. i hope you've enjoyed the fun, too! Be sure to check out the original post on the papertrey ink blog - including links to heather and laurie!

happy thursday!
:) lexi

 

stamp it!