Button Cards - Trees and Flowers

Two more button cards - above, brightly colored with a mix of button shapes, and below, monochromatic with simple round shapes.  I like the flowers growing from the "hello" word and the trees growing from the curving hillside.  These cards make me smile!  And I'll hope they bring a smile to the recipients, too.  Note:  The scanner captured my 3-D cards with out-of-focus backgrounds.  But the overall effect is true to life.

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source strawberry (light red - retired) and Papertrey Ink (PTI) new leaf (green), cocoa bean (brown), rustic cream, and stamper's select white.
• Patterned papers are the leaf and polka dot prints from PTI winter wisteria (light purple) and spring moss (light green) pattern packs (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• Die is from My Favorite Things vertical stitched strips. 
• Buttons are from PTI vintage button assortments (retired), adhered with glue (Tombow green mono multi) and stitched with DMC #5 perle cotton in white and cream (ecru).
• Images are from PTI everyday button bits (retiring 2018), stamped with PTI new leaf, simply chartreuse (yellowish green), and cocoa bean ink cubes.
• The sentiment "hello" is from PTI polka dot parade #2 (retiring 2018), stamped with PTI new leaf ink cube.  The sentiment "thinking of you" is from PTI keep it simple: thinking of you, stamped with PTI cocoa bean ink cube.

Tree card created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Button Cards - Balloons

Party balloons!  Hot air balloons!  And buttons!  I enjoyed poking through my sandwich bag of assorted buttons and then choosing the coordinating card stock colors.  These new-to-me stamps, designed for adding buttons, will also work well with my circle and button stamps and dies, so I won't need an endless supply of buttons to use.

Note:  The scanner captured my 3-D cards with out-of-focus backgrounds.  But the overall effect is true to life.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) spring rain (light blue), blueberry sky (medium blue), amethyst allure (purple), and stamper's select white.
• Patterned papers are the bitty dot and stripe prints from PTI scarlet jewel (burgundy), melon berry (light orange), and plum pudding (purple) pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired), and the bitty dot print from PTI aqua mist bitty big pattern pack.
• Ribbon is colored with Copic marker Y38.
• Buttons are from PTI vintage button assortments (retired), adhered with glue (Tombow green mono multi) and stitched with white #5 DMC perle cotton.
• Images are from PTI everyday button bits (retiring 2018).  The sentiment "sending smiles" is from Hero Arts many everyday messages, stamped with PTI true black ink cube.  The sentiment "just because" is from PTI keep it simple: just because.  All are stamped with PTI true black and blueberry sky ink cubes.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Red, White, and Blue - Star and Chevron Prints on Gray

Bright and cheerful!  A mix of red, white, and blue patterns with some soft gray.

Card details:

• Card stock is My Favorite Things red hot (red) and Papertrey Ink (PTI) soft stone (light gray).
• Patterned paper is from Doodlebug patriotic picnic 6x6" paper pad.
• Red, white, and blue twine is by Doodlebug.
• Dies are My Favorite Things layered labels (retired) and an unidentified "hello" die by Taylored Expressions (thank you, Laura!)

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Triangles in Teal, Orange and Purple

Trying out a new stamp set with teal, orange, and purple triangles on a folded white card.  Orange and purple lines drawn above and below the sentiment help to set it off.

I like the energy of the colors and the diagonal layout.  In real life, the orange stamping is lighter, and it plays well with the teal and purple.

Note: The gray border is background, not part of the card.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) stamper's select white.
• Triangles are from Altenew trigonometry, stamped with PTI amethyst allure (purple), orange zest, and tropical teal ink cubes.
• The sentiment "just because" is from PTI keep it simple: just because, stamped with PTI tropical teal ink cube. 
• Lines are drawn with Copic 0.3 orange and purple multiliners.  

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Multicolored Prints on Green with Dark Navy

Two multicolored prints, diagonally placed on a textured green background.  The dark navy "thanks" is big and bold enough to stand out from the dots, stripes, and triangles. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) simply chartreuse (green) and dark indigo (navy).
• Patterned papers are from Simple Stories so rad 6x6" paper pad.
• Embossing folder is Darice dot point.
• Die is from My Favorite Things many thanks (retired).

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Black and White Dots with Teal

Black and white sentiment strip on black and white dots, layered on a textured teal background.  The lattice pattern of the embossing folder works well with the tiny, evenly spaced dots.

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source peacock (teal) and Papertrey Ink (PTI) true black.
• Patterned paper is from PTI comic strip A2 paper pack (retired).
• Embossing folder is Stampin' Up square lattice (retired).  I used the debossed side of the card stock.
• The sentiment "thanks" is from PTI limitless layers: labels (retired), stamped with PTI fresh snow (white) ink cube, then white heat embossed.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Green Leafy Cluster on Kraft

A leafy cluster with a roughly striped texture.  I love the shapes and sizes of the floral and foliage images in this new stamp set, Altenew wings of hope, and for today's card, I used the abstract flower shapes as my two large leaves.

A friend designed this set in collaboration with Altenew (congratulations on your first release, Vicki!) and you can see more about it on her blog here.  Along with the images, the stamps feature a beautiful collection of Vicki's inspirational and encouraging sentiments, perfect for her "wings of hope" theme. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Neenah desert storm (light kraft color) and Papertrey Ink (PTI) cocoa bean (brown).
• Embossing folder is Sizzix Tim Holtz stripes.
• The images are from Altenew wings of hope, stamped with PTI new leaf (green), green parakeet (bright yellowish green), and Americana (rustic red) ink cubes.  
• After stamping the berries with Americana ink, I used the same ink and a small brush to add some watercolored leaf details. 
• The sentiment "thinking of you" is from PTI stuck on you, stamped with PTI new leaf ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Green Leaves with Flowers on Blue Stripes

A green garland of flowers on blue and white stripes.  I needed to make a cheerful get-well card, and there's a stripes challenge today on the Papertrey Ink (PTI) blog, as part of their 11th anniversary events.  So, thank you to PTI for inspiring my card! 

Card details:

• Card stock is PTI pale peony (pink), lemon tart (yellow), Hawaiian shores (turquoise), amethyst allure (purple), new leaf (green), and stamper's select white.
• Patterned paper is the narrow stripes print from PTI spring rain (light blue) bitty big pattern pack.
• Dies are from PTI garden garland.  I also die cut the ends of my white sentiment panel, then inlaid it into the greenery.  The inlay makes a smoother surface under the flowers, and also it looks nicer without gaps or overlap between the white and green.  
• The sentiment "feel better soon" is from PTI stuck on you, stamped with PTI new leaf ink cube.

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Pinked Square - Brown with Green and Cream

A monochromatic feeling, with a variety of greens, browns, and cream.   All the angles and dots (embossed, printed, and die cut) keep the eye moving, but there's a resting place with the cream banner and its simple script sentiment.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) prairie grass (green), cocoa bean (brown), and vintage cream.
• Patterned paper is the bitty dot print from PTI fine linen (tan) pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired) and a print from PTI turning a new leaf 8 x 8" pad (retired).
• Embossing folder is Lifestyle Crafts diamonds and dots.
• Dies are from PTI double-ended banners and mix & mat: pinked edge.  
• Techinique:  The pinked edge die is a rectangle, and I cut it twice to make my square.  Starting with a square piece of card stock (3-3/8"), it was easy to cut once, very close to the edge of the card stock, then align the die from the other end (the pinked edge locks into place easily), and cut again for a 3-5/16" finished pinked square.  Cutting that close to the edge of the card stock, the die might want to slide off, so I held it in place with Post-it tape for both cuts.
• The sentiment "with sympathy" is from PTI keep it simple: sympathy, stamped with PTI cocoa bean ink cube.

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Green Banner on Grays, with Aqua and Yellow Leaves

Today's card is for the color recipe challenge today on the Papertrey Ink (PTI) blog, where their 11th Anniversary celebration continues!  I chose Stephanie's color palette as a challenge for myself. 

At first, I thought of it as a sedate or even a somber combination.  So I'm surprised and pleased with the fresh and happy feeling of my finished card.  Thank you, PTI and Stephanie, for nudging me toward a color mix I wouldn't have tried otherwise! 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) soft stone (light gray), spring moss (light green), lemon tart (yellow), and aqua mist.
• Patterned paper is the bitty dot print from PTI smokey shadow (dark gray) pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• Dies are PTI cover plate: angles, turning a new leaf, and keep it simple frames. 
• Dots are made with my very old 1/4" hole punch.
• The sentiment "just a note" is from PTI keep it simple: just a note, stamped with PTI smokey shadow ink cube.

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Love - Red with Gray Stripes

Today's anniversary challenge on the Papertrey Ink (PTI) blog is to make a card with die cuts and without any stamping.  I thought of a many-layered Valentine for my husband, with die-cut hearts and borders and lots of color.

Then I cut out my first piece, a red "love" word, and set it down on a gray-striped background.  Loved the simple impact of just that.  So I inlaid a striped heart and tied on some striped twine and called it done.  Sometimes super simple is very good! 

Card details:

• Card stock is PTI pure poppy (red).
• Patterned paper is the tiny stripes print from PTI pure poppy "+ white basics" patterned paper (retired) and the narrow stripes print from PTI soft stone (light gray) bitty big pattern pack.
• Red striped twine is by WeRMemoryKeepers.
• Die is PTI wonderful words: love.

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Green Tree Thanks on Green

Today's card challenge from Papertrey Ink (PTI) is to make a card with one of their stamp sets that will be retiring in 2018.  I chose Polka Dot Parade #6, because I've used its sentiments but not the tree and leaf images.  I planted my tree on a "lawn" of the grassy green word, with leaves and flowers in two greens.  I'm glad to have this set in my collection!  Thanks again, PTI, for the challenge today!

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) new leaf (green) and stamper's select white.
• Patterned paper is the bitty dot print from PTI green parakeet (bright yellow-green) "+ white basics" patterned paper (retired).
• Twine is PTI rustic jute twine.
• The images and the sentiment "many thanks" are from PTI polka dot parade #6, stamped with PTI new leaf, green parakeet, and classic kraft ink cubes.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Flowers on Tan with Kraft

Today's flowery card is for Papertrey Ink's anniversary Day 4 floral challenge.  My layout is super simple, offsetting the very busy stamped and sponged flowers.  I like the effect of the bright bouquet on a quiet tan and kraft background. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) fine linen (tan), lemon tart (yellow), spring moss (light green), sweet blush (pink), melon berry (light orange), and aqua mist.
• Patterned paper is the bitty dot print from PTI classic kraft pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• Dies are from PTI color pop florals.
• Flower and leaf details are from PTI color pop florals, stamped with PTI vintage jadeite (medium green), raspberry fizz (pink), bright buttercup (yellow), amethyst allure (purple), and ocean tides (muted teal) ink cubes.  I also sponged the edges with some of the same ink colors.
• The sentiment "hello" is from Hero Arts many everyday messages, stamped with PTI classic kraft ink cube.

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Purple Butterfly on White Doily - Before and After

After

For today's "transformation" challenge on the Papertrey Ink (PTI) blog, I chose a card from 2013 as my "before" card (below).  Though it has some nice elements, they just didn't work together.  The soft paper doily got lost in the mix, the butterfly looked too small and too heavy, and my overall design felt very disconnected.  

When I reworked the design today, I kept the same color scheme with a butterfly on a white doily and a dark horizontal bar.  But I changed the patterned background to embossed texture, and I used a larger and lacier butterfly, placed on a much more visible white doily.  The "after" version (above) works for me now, and I'm glad I tried the transformation!  Thank you, PTI, for an interesting challenge today!

Before  
(Note: the gray border is background, not part of the card)

Card details for "after" card:

• Card stock is Neenah solar white and Papertrey Ink (PTI) lilac grace (light purple) and plum pudding (medium purple).
• Patterned paper is the leaf print from PTI winter wisteria (light purple) pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• The lilac grace card stock is embossed with PTI cover plate: twist.
• Dies are PTI Parisian lace doily and life is beautiful.
• The sentiment "with sympathy" is from PTI communique sentiments, stamped with PTI fresh snow (white) pigment ink cube, then white heat embossed. 

Card details for "before" card are in this post.

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Butterfly with Vellum on Aqua

I've been making a variety of sympathy cards lately - fortunately it's not because I need them!  But I always like to have some available, and also, our senior center asked if I would make some for them to use.

Though it's a sad time whenever I need to send a sympathy card, I do enjoy the process of creating designs with a calm and peaceful feeling.  Today's card has a nice mix of patterns and textures in monochromatic aqua and muted teal colors.

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source pool (aqua) and Papertrey Ink (PTI) ocean tides (muted teal) and stamper's select vellum.
• Patterned paper is a bitty dot print from PTI ocean tides pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired) and an aqua grid print from PTI pretty pastels 8 x 8" pad (retired).
• Embossing folder is Darice plaid.
• Dies are from PTI life is beautiful.
• The flourish is from PTI holiday photo finishers (retired) - a kind gift from Vicki (thank you!) - and the sentiment "with sympathy" is from PTI keep it simple: sympathy, both stamped with PTI ocean tides ink cube.

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Sympathy - Green with Cream

Simple greens and cream.  The foliage looks lovely in the two shades of green.  I thought the sentiment font might seem too casual for a sympathy card, but it works beautifully in this setting. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) ripe avocado (deep green) and rustic cream. 
• The cream panel is edged with Copic marker YG99 and backed with a layer of PTI coaster material for dimension.
• The green card stock is embossed with the Dreamweaver faux cross-stitch stencil screen, as explained in this post.
• The image is from PTI splits: thank you, stamped with PTI simply chartreuse (medium green) and ripe avocado ink cubes.
• The sentiment "deepest sympathy" is from Stampabilities everyday expressions, stamped with PTI ripe avocado ink cube.

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Circle Grid - Red, White, Blue, and Kraft

Papertrey Ink (PTI) is beginning an 11th Anniversary celebration with a sketch challenge on the PTI blog.  I chose Michelle's sketch with its framed circle grid and scored line details.  I'm happy with my version in red, white, blue, and kraft. 

Thank you, Michelle and PTI, for the inspiration!  And Happy Anniversary to PTI!

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) pure poppy (red), classic kraft, and stamper's select white.
• Lines on card base are scored with Martha Stewart mini score board (retired).
• Die is from PTI infinity frames. 
• Circles are from PTI bits & buttons (plaid circle) and PTI boy basics: simple circles (retired - the other circles), stamped with PTI blueberry sky (blue) and classic kraft ink cubes.
• The dots in the star centers are from PTI confetti toss, and the sentiment "thank you" is from PTI keep it simple: thank you, stamped with PTI pure poppy ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Curving Scallops with Muted Teal and Light Green

A softly colorful sympathy card.  I chose my card stock colors to bring out the slightly brighter colors in the patterned paper, which (except for the touches of pink) is mostly dark and subdued.  The curving scalloped borders contrast nicely with the straight lines above.

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source sage (light green) and Papertrey Ink (PTI) ocean tides (muted teal).
• Patterned paper is Craft Smith dark floral 12 x 12" collection (thanks for sharing with me, Vicki!)
• Embroidery floss is DMC 772.
• Die is from PTI round off edgers.
• The sentiment "deepest sympathy" is from Stampabilites card phrases, stamped with PTI fresh snow (white) ink cube, then (after the white ink was dry) restamped with ocean tides.  
• Technique: With ocean tides ink stamped directly on the green cardstock, the sentiment looked too green; a base layer of white ink solved my problem. 

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Flower Clusters - Four Assorted Cards

Card A

Card B (note: gray border is background, not part of the card)

Cards C and D

A stamping friend and I agreed to do a Card Making 101 session at our local senior center in a few weeks.  We'll have card kits ready for the participants to make Cards A through D as shown here, plus a choice of sentiments (for Cards A and B) and various patterned papers/ card stock colors.  They can copy these sample cards, or use the precut, prestamped pieces to create their own designs.  It's all prepared for them to assemble, except for coloring the images on Cards C and D.  (We know that some of the members have enjoyed the coloring book trend.)

This is the first card making session for the senior center, and we have no idea what to expect for skills, experience, and interests.  It will be interesting and fun to see how it goes.  The different kits will highlight a few different card making techniques and styles, and we're hoping everyone will leave with at least one finished and mailable card!

Card details:

• Card stock is Neenah solar white (Cards B, C, and D) and Papertrey Ink (PTI) aqua mist (Card A), lovely lady (pink), spring moss (light green), and true black (Card B), harvest gold (yellow) and true black (Card C), and green parakeet (bright green) and true black (Card D). 
• Patterned paper is as follows: Card A, three prints from PTI pretty pastels 8 x 8" pad (retired).  Card B, damask print from PTI spring rain (light blue) pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints,  retired).  Card D, a print from My Favorite Things black & white basics.
• Embossing folder (Card A) is Sizzix berry splash.
• Ribbon (Card C) is 5/8" sheer and satin.
• Dies are PTI in bloom (Cards A and B) and double-ended banner (Card B). 
• Colored pencils (Cards C and D) are my very old Venus Spectracolors.  I used two greens for the leaves and three or four reds, yellows, or oranges for the flowers.  Very simple and quick coloring with the side of the pencil lead.
• The flowers and leaves are from PTI in bloom, stamped with Versafine onyx black ink (Cards A, C, and D) or PTI raspberry fizz (bright pink) and simply chartreuse (medium green) ink cubes (Card B).
• The sentiment "hello" (Card A) is from PTI communique sentiments, stamped with Hero Arts unicorn white pigment ink and white heat embossed. 
• The sentiment "deepest sympathy" (Card B) is from Hero Arts everyday sayings, stamped with PTI simply chartreuse ink cube.

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Tan Stripe Windows with Flower and Leaves

A trio of windows with a flower, leaves, and a sentiment.  The colors and shapes went together beautifully for me. 

My layout is based on the second sketch in the January 2018 release inspiration cards posted on the Papertrey Ink blog.  Thank you, Lizzie, for the inspiration!

Card details:

• Card stock is Neenah solar white and Papertrey Ink (PTI) canyon clay (orangey brown).
• Patterned paper is the stripe print from PTI fine linen (tan) pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• Die is PTI take three. 
• The flower is from PTI floral fusion (no longer available) and the leaves are from PTI turning a new leaf, stamped with PTI canyon clay, prairie grass (medium green), and olive twist (dark green) ink cubes.
• The sentiment "thank you so much" is from PTI thank you kindly, stamped with PTI prairie grass ink cube, with touches of canyon clay and olive twist.  
• The sentiment "for all you do" is from PTI counting my blessings, stamped with PTI canyon clay ink cube.  This sentiment's font has thin lines, so after stamping it with my MISTI, I shifted my card stock very slightly to the right and restamped, giving the letters a wider line that stands out more on the patterned paper.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Birds and Balloons on Pink

Another bright birthday card with balloons, clouds, birds, and a party banner.  The balloon strings are slanting to look like a breeze is blowing.  The cotton crochet thread adds some nice texture.  I didn't leave space for a sentiment on the card front, so I'll write a birthday note on the inside.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) berry sorbet (more of an orangey pink than my image), pure poppy (red), summer sunrise (yellow-orange), amethyst allure (purple), limeade ice (green), Hawaiian shores (turquoise), and stamper's select white.
• Dies are PTI what the doodle: sun (clouds), PTI loop de loop, My Favorite Things party banner (retired), Avery Elle icon fill in the blank (balloon), and WPlus9 folk art florals (retired - birds). 
• Thread is white DMC #5 perle cotton.
• I used a Copic turquoise 0.5 multiliner to color the birds' eyes, and a white gel pen to draw across the balloon knots.

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Birthday Wishes Drawing on Dotted Turquoise

A festive "birthday wishes" card for a special birthday celebration.  Cake, party hat, pinwheel, and balloons, all sketchily drawn (by me) and colored with Copic markers.  I also added some highlights with white gel pen.  The black mat and dotted turquoise card base set it off nicely.  And the recipient loved it, so I'm happy, too!

Card details:

• Card stock is Neenah solar white and Papertrey Ink (PTI) true black.
• Patterned paper the bitty dot print from PTI Hawaiian shores (turquoise) bitty big pattern pack.
• The "birthday wishes" sentiment is handwritten with Copic 0.1 black multiliner.
• For Copic colors and other details, see this post.

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