confetti by lexi

transformation tuesday: 3D tree ornament

good morning! today it's my turn to host transformation tuesday for 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, etc. i always love this chance to revisit an old card... 

today, i decided to do something a little different. with holiday crafting gaining speed, i was inspired to take one of the tags from my recent design team tips post on 3D elements with symmetrical dies and transform it into an ornament. i love creating paper crafted ornaments as much as tags and everything else christmas related and the little alterations i made for this one were so easy.

i wanted a fully round tree, so this time instead of stamping three die cuts, i stamped six. the original tree was created from three and sat flat against the card, so i basically created two of those to sandwich the cord through. you can try adding a few more die cuts, but keep in mind that more means they're closer together and you may not see the stamped details as well.

i wanted the tree to hang or float in a frame, so i settled on the medium frame from pierced feature frames: oval. i cut two and stamped both of them with the same snowflake pattern from my original tag. i created a loop for the top with silver cord, leaving a long tail portion to sandwich between the two frames and the tree, using a couple of found beads to finish off the look and hold pieces in place. 

the result is a simple, but sweet ornament that can be used as a package embellishment, given as a gift, or hung on my own tree. because i was creating it based on the tag, i used the same colors and patterns, but really there are so many possibilities with this style of ornament and i'm sure you could find a variety of stamps that would be fun to dangle from a frame and hang on your tree. have you found any great symmetrical die and stamp pairings to share since my tag article? i'm always looking for something fun and new!

happy stamping!
:) lexi

transformation tuesday: merry teapot

good morning! today it's my turn to host transformation tuesday for 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, etc. i always love this chance to revisit an old card... 

today, i decided to rework a tea for two design from my simple to spectacular post last month, specifically the stepped-up version with all of the layers. following the same basic layout, i swapped out the colors and changed up a couple of small details to quickly take it from fall to christmas. 

first, i decided on a two-tone green for the plaid panel, so i die cut one piece with the outer edge die only in new leaf and a second with all three dies in green parakeet, stacking the two together for the new leaf to peek through. this set the stage for a new red polka dot teapot.

a double layer "be merry" die cut stands out nicely against the plaid and a sprig of holly finishes off the christmas teapot perfectly. the overall result is so festive and fun! not to mention quick, since i had the layout ready and waiting to be transformed.

using one card to jump-start another is a great way to build up your card stash or get over a creative block. if you love a layout or certain look, go for it and make it again in all the colors for all the seasons. you know how the saying goes: if a card fits, make one in every color - or something like that, lol!

happy stamping!
:) lexi

transformation tuesday: #hbd

good morning! today it's my turn to host transformation tuesday for 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 - or vice versa as in today's case!

when i created this card during the countdown earlier this month, i knew i would eventually want to recreate it in more traditional girl colors, so i put it on my transformation tuesday list and moved on to other designs. now, here we are - #girlcolors plus a few other changes. 

in addition to swapping the weathervane card base for sweet blush, i decided to create a balloon background on the white layer - a monochromatic take on the balloon filter that you can add to text messages on an iphone - since the layout was originally inspired by the text screen itself. while i still love the clean look of the white space on the original, the balloons add a fun touch, too!

next, i dolled up the birthday emoji in hibiscus burst and limeade ice - a decidedly "girly" color combo. then i added a mini pom-pom - originally white, colored with a copic marker - in place of the star sequin. i kept the text box the same, modeled after the real thing. with just a few little tweaks, this card can be changed to match the recipient in a variety of ways - traditional colors, school colors, favorite colors, etc. gotta love the #versatility! now it's your turn - head on over to the papertrey ink blog to see how to play along and link up...

happy transforming!
:) lexi

 

 

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!