Goldfinch with Sunflowers

A bright yellow goldfinch with yellow-orange sunflowers.  A strip of dotted paper makes a perch for the bird. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Stampin' Up soft sky (aqua), Papertrey Ink (PTI) simply chartreuse (green), stamper's select white, and the bitty dot print from PTI simply chartreuse pattern pack. 
• The sunflower stamps and dies are from PTI simple sunflower, stamped with PTI dark chocolate (brown), summer sunrise (yellow orange), and simply chartreuse ink cubes.
• The bird stamps and die are from PTI spring woods, stamped with PTI bright buttercup (yellow) ink cube and Versafine onyx black ink.
• The sentiment "with gratitude" is from PTI spring woods, stamped with PTI simply chartreuse ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Orange and Rust Leaves and Stripes

For this week's Papertrey Ink Create Along with Us challenge, I chose this card by Maile Belles with orange and white in a simple layout.  It's very different for me, and I enjoyed creating my own version.  I CASEd her layout exactly, but with different stamps, and added some pale orange and rusty red to the colors.  Thanks, Maile, for your inspiration!

Note: the gray border is background, not part of the card.  And in real life, the card looks less red and has more contrast between the orange zest and terra cotta tile colors.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) orange zest, rustic white (which looks great with the ombre stripes paper), and orange zest print from PTI ombre stripes A2 patterned paper.
• The leaves are from PTI splits: thank you, partially masked, and stamped with PTI orange zest and terra cotta tile (rusty red) ink cubes.  The sentiment "thinking of you" is from Stampabilities card phrases, stamped with the same inks.  To keep the terra cotta tile ink from looking too dark, I sponged it onto the stamps.
• I added a bit of Copic marker YR00 at the base of the leaves.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Purple Stripes and Dots with Teal and Turquoise

A very happy "hello" card.  Starting from the purple stripes, I chose teal and turquoise for color contrast, with polka dots for pattern contrast.  Then as I was deciding between the two purple background colors, those ombre stripes nudged me toward both; and then both turquoise and teal for the borders.  The slanted lines of the sentiment and the asterisks play well with the vertical stripes.  I'm happy with all the different elements together.

 Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) Hawaiian shores (medium turquoise) and tropical teal, with polka dot prints from PTI winter wisteria (light purple) and plum pudding (deep purple) pattern packs, and winter wisteria print from PTI ombre stripes A2 patterned paper.
• Dies are PTI wonderful words: hello and the asterisk from Avery Elle icon fill in the blank.
• Asterisk centers are punched with my very old 1/4" hole punch.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Pink with Raspberry and White Flowers

Lots of texture and bright color contrast in my flowery card.  I like the white flower accents on the raspberry floral embossing background.  

Card details:

• Card stock is Neenah solar white and Papertrey Ink (PTI) lovely lady (medium pink) and raspberry fizz (deep pink). 
• Embossing folder is Stampin' Up petals-a-plenty (retired).
• I used a stencil from PTI modern background collection for the chevron embossing.  See this post for the technique and warnings.
• Die is from PTI sketched shapes (long wide banner).
• Punches are EK Success mini daisy and 3/16" circle.  I added some Glossy Accents over the pink dots.
• Twine is pink sorbet stripe from The Twinery.
• The sentiment "just because" is from PTI keep it simple: just because, stamped with PTI raspberry fizz ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Blue and White Thank You with Red and Kraft

A starry blue and white die cut, offset with white.  A red and white diagonal band on star-embossed kraft.  The white details and stars work well for this simple design.

Card details:

• Card stock is Neenah solar white, My Favorite Things (MFT) red hot, and Papertrey Ink (PTI) white tag stock and classic kraft, with a print from  Doodlebug patriotic picnic 6x6" paper pad.  The PTI white tag stock is a heavy weight (160#) and adds some nice dimension to my die cut word.
• Embossing folder is Darice stars asst. [assorted] 
• Die is MFT many thanks.
• Twine is red stripe from We R Memory Keepers.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Red, Cream, and Blue with Stars and Stripes

A very simple design with a diagonal sentiment panel.  I like the weathered effect of the colors, stars, and background texture.  Papertrey Ink's new Americana color (rustic red) works beautifully with the cream, kraft, and blue.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) classic kraft, Americana, enchanted evening (dark blue), and rustic cream.
• Embossing folder is Sizzix Tim Holtz stripes.
• Die is from PTI super star borders.
• The stripes are from PTI plaid builder, stamped with PTI Americana ink cube.  I used the pair of triple stripes for a very easy border.
• The sentiment "thank you" is from Stampabilities card phrases, stamped with PTI enchanted evening ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Aqua and Teal Prints on Green

Soft mint green with aqua and teal prints.  I like the mix of curves and angles in the sentiment, stripes and lines, and leafy branch. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) mint julep (light green) and tropical teal, with stripe and leaf prints from PTI aqua mist and tropical teal pattern packs.
• Die is PTI branching out.  I trimmed off most of the lower stem.
• Embroidery floss is DMC ecru (cream) and #955.
• The sentiment "just a note" is from PTI botanical silhouettes, stamped with PTI tropical teal ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Red, White, and Blue - Square Frame

Another red, white, and blue frame card today.  This one was inspired by a sketch recipe from Papertrey Ink's June newsletter: a square frame placed diagonally, with a sentiment and clustered embellishments.  I turned the sketch on its side and added a banner in the background.

It's crisp and bright.  I like the layered blue and yellow stars, and the tiny sun shapes are perfect to cover the holes in the star buttons.  The blue gingham gives the square a "country" look, and the white banner helps draw my eye to the sentiment.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) pure poppy (red), enchanted evening (dark blue), blueberry sky (medium blue), summer sunrise (yellow), stamper's select white, and the gingham print from PTI blueberry sky pattern pack.
• Dies are PTI double-ended banner, heart squared (square frame), limitless layers: 2-1/4" square (pinking edge square), star gazer (small sun and button star), and tipped tops (framed star).
• The stars are adhered with Xyron, which I applied to the card stock before die cutting.
• The sentiment "thank you" is from PTI communique sentiments, stamped with PTI pure poppy ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Red, White, and Blue - String Frames

My first card with the Papertrey Ink (PTI) string frames dies.  I used the medium size, which cuts all sixteen holes, with two colors of embroidery floss.  It adds a nice texture and pattern to my sentiment panel. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink blueberry sky (medium blue), pure poppy (red), stamper's select white, and polka dot and leaf prints from PTI spring rain (light blue) and pure poppy pattern packs.
• Embroidery floss is DMC white and #321.
• Dies are PTI string frames and framed out #10.
• Corners are rounded with Crop-a-Dile 1/4" corner chomper. 
• The sentiment "with gratitude" is from Fiskars so much thanks, stamped with PTI enchanted evening (dark blue) ink cube, and the 1/2" star is from Paper Smooches seeing stars, stamped with PTI spring rain (light blue) ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Green Vine with Yellow

It's been a long time since I drew something new for my cards.  Thank you, Shelly, for that nudge of encouragement!

I enjoyed coloring my simple vine with berries - or maybe they're buds or flowers - and it fits nicely with the sentiment and frame.

Card details:

• Card stock is Neenah solar white, Papertrey Ink (PTI) new leaf (green), and polka dot and damask prints from PTI new leaf and harvest gold (yellow) pattern packs. 
• My drawing is computer printed, then colored with Copic markers Y13, Y21, G07, G21, and G63. 
• Die is from PTI stitched rectangles.
• The sentiment "thank you" is computer printed in green with a black outline, using Handwriting - Dakota font.  I also made a version with "just a note" as the sentiment.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort. 

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Aqua Flowers with Orange

A bright bouquet with a simple aqua border and an orange patterned background. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) aqua mist, stamper's select white, and the leaf print from PTI orange zest pattern pack.
• Die is My Favorite Things notched border (retired).
• Flowers are from PTI friendship jar flowers, stamped with PTI green parakeet (medium yellow green), limeade ice (light yellow green), vintage jadeite (bluish green), Hawaiian shores (bright aqua), aqua mist (less bright aqua), canyon clay (orangey brown), and orange zest ink cubes.
• The sentiment "hello" is from PTI winter woods, stamped with Versafine onyx black ink.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Flowers, Stripes, and Chevrons

Chevrons and stripes in pretty colors.  A bit of embroidery floss and a few small flowers.  I like the mix of shapes, textures, and patterns. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) winter wisteria (light purple), green parakeet (bright green), stamper's select white, and stripes from PTI winter wisteria pattern pack. 
• The green layer is embossed with Dreamweaver faux cross-stitch stencil screen, as explained here. 
• Stencil is from PTI modern backgrounds, embossed (as explained here) and sponged with PTI sweet blush (pink), winter wisteria, mint julep (pale green), and green parakeet ink cubes. 
• Dies are PTI treat box tag and color pop florals.  The tag shape is edged with Copic markers V15 and V25.
• Embroidery floss is DMC 225.
• Flowers are sponged with PTI raspberry fizz (bright pink) and stamped with PTI amethyst allure (purple) and bright buttercup (yellow) ink cubes.
• The sentiment "just a note" is from PTI winter woods, stamped with PTI green parakeet ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Red, White, and Blue Thanks with Gold Banner

Lots of red, white, and blue on my card today, perfect for Memorial Day weekend.  I'm very thankful for all our heroes who have protected our freedom and sacrificed to keep us safe.

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source royal blue, Papertrey Ink (PTI) gold shimmer and stamper's select white, and two prints from Doodlebug patriotic picnic 6x6" paper pad. 
• Embossing folder is Paper Studio tiny stars.
• Dies are from PTI sketched shapes (long wide banner, cut shorter) and My Favorite Things layered labels (retired).
• Label is edged with Copic marker R24. 
• The sentiment "thanks" is from Fiskars so much thanks, with two circles (the upper case letter O) from PTI simple alphabet, stamped with Memento tuxedo black ink.
• Sentiment and circles are colored (lighter at top) with Copic markers R24, R29, B24, and FB2.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Beach Waves - Before and After

My card, above, is the "after" version of an earlier scene, shown below.  Originally, my scene with beach, waves, and sun seemed to call for a landscape (horizontal) orientation.  But I wanted a bigger sun, and so I tried today's portrait (vertical) idea. 

It works so much better!  Less crowded, more expansive looking.  I like the layered sun and the white birds.  I'm very glad I tried something different with my design.

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source pool (bottom wave), Papertrey Ink (PTI) aqua mist (sky), fine linen (beach), Hawaiian shores (middle wave), ocean tides (top wave), harvest gold (inner sun), summer sunrise (outer sun), and stamper's select white (birds).
• Dies are Memory Box flying birds (on left), Impression Obsession sm. bird set (on right), and PTI XL rickrack border, heart-2-heart #6, and snowflake flurries.
• The sentiment " *** thinking of you *** " is computer-printed in dark tan ink using Chalkduster font, bold. 

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

Below is my "before" version, posted here.  (It was created for Operation Write Home.)  Both cards have the same colors, except for the sun, which is PTI lemon tart in the "before" card.

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Pastel Flowers and Lace

Flowers and polka dots with lace and lacy diamonds.  A soft and sweet card for a family birthday.

Card details:

• Card stock is Stampin' Up soft sky (blue), Papertrey Ink (PTI) sweet blush (pink), spring moss (light green), and lemon tart (yellow), and polka dot print from PTI fine linen (tan) pattern pack.
• Embossing folder is Lifestyle Crafts diamonds and dots. 
• Lace is white 3/8" crochet trim, tinted by sponging lightly with PTI fine linen ink cube. 
• Dies are from PTI color pop florals kit.
• The edges of the flowers and leaves are sponged with PTI orange zest ink cubes, and the details are stamped with PTI orange zest, simply chartreuse (medium green), and summer sunrise (yellow) ink cubes, using stencils and stamps from PTI color pop florals kit. 
• The two "happy" words are spelled with letters from PTI simple alphabet, stamped with PTI orange zest ink cube.

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