Multicolored Dots on Tan with Dark Blue

My earlier cards with this dotted stamp were very bright, so it was fun to try a more muted look.  The dots look handsome on tan card stock with a dark blue border and sentiment.  I like the stitched sentiment banner, inspired by the set's first sample card on the Concord & 9th store site.  After trying a blue floss for my stitching (too bold) and a light tan (too pale), I settled on the golden brown color (just right!)

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) fine linen (tan), enchanted evening (dark blue), and rustic white.
• Embroidery floss is DMC 436.
  
• Dies are from PTI thank you kindly (banner), PTI stitching lines (banner holes), and Spellbinders card creator A-2 matting basics set B.
• The dots are from Concord & 9th bitty burst turnabout, stamped with PTI blueberry sky (medium blue), Hawaiian shores (turquoise), honey nut (golden brown), and Americana (rustic red) inks.
• The sentiment "thank you so much" is from PTI thank you kindly (retired), stamped with PTI enchanted evening ink.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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String Frames - Black, White, and Kraft

Pierced layers and string frames make an interesting monochromatic layout.  The "hello" die cut is bold enough for a focal point inside the small kraft frame.  I enjoyed planning the arrangement of colors and textures for this card.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) true black, classic kraft, and stamper's select white.
• Embroidery floss is DMC blanc (white) and #3782.
• Dies are Birch Press sugar script hello, PTI stitched rectangles, and PTI string frames.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Sunshine with Stitched Border

A few simple stamped sun rays, dressed up with a hand-stitched border and some rounded corners.  I like all the dotted lines in the yellow-orange stitching and the yellow-orange rays.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) spring rain (light blue) and stamper's select white.
• Patterned paper is the bitty dot print from PTI blueberry sky (medium blue) pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• The stitching holes are cut with a die from PTI stitching lines.
• Embroidery floss is DMC #742.
• The upper and lower right corners of the card base and stamped panel are rounded with Crop-a-Dile 1/2" corner chomper.
• The images and sentiment "sending you sunshine" are from PTI hello sunshine (retiring), stamped with PTI blueberry sky, summer sunrise (yellow-orange), and orange zest ink cubes.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Green Stitched Banner with Gingham

Green layers with a variety of texture and pattern.  I like this one a lot!

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) spring moss (light green), simply chartreuse (medium green), ripe avocado (dark green), and gingham print from PTI ripe avocado pattern pack.
• Embossing folder is the sun ray folder from Lifestyle Crafts/ WeRMemoryKeepers stripe set (may be retired.)
• Embroidery floss is DMC #730 using 3 of the 6 strands of thread.  My uneven stitching is intentional.
• Dies are PTI notched star banner, PTI stitching lines, and Impression Obsession thankful.
• Sentiment "for you" is from PTI wonderful words: thank you, stamped with PTI ripe avocado ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Leafy Frame with Browns and Tan

Stripes of brown accent the leafy framed sentiment.  I like the lines of embroidery floss with the narrow brown edge on the right. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) fine linen (tan), canyon clay (orangey brown), and dark chocolate (dark brown).
• Die is from PTI string frames.  To cut only the left side of the largest die, I ran the card stock through part way, making four offset holes for my floss.
• Embroidery floss is DMC #938.  I used three of the six strands.
• The sentiment "thank you" and the leafy frame with dots are from PTI splits: thank you, stamped with PTI dark chocolate (sponged onto the stamp) and canyon clay ink cubes.  I masked off one leaf to stamp next to the sentiment. 

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Pink Flowers with White Stitching

Clustered pink flowers on white with white stitching.  Green leaves and a swirly lighter green background.  The colors and textures work beautifully together on this card.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) mint julep (light green) and stamper's select white.
• Embossing folder is Cuttlebug d'vine swirls.
• Die is from PTI stitching lines.  My stitching goes through the white layer only.
• Embroidery floss is DMC blanc (white). 
• The flowers and leaves are from PTI floral sketches, stamped with PTI lovely lady (pink), scarlet jewel (burgundy), and vintage jadeite (medium green) ink cubes. 
• The sentiment "for you" is from PTI friendship jar flowers, stamped with PTI scarlet jewel 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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Stitched Banner with Fence and Clouds

A simple and happy scene with bright stitched banners.  I did my banners first, and then it was fun to create a setting for them.  The stitching was easy, thanks to the "holes only" dies in this set. 

In my picture, the white fence and "hello" seem flat, but in real life, they have nice dimension.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) spring rain (light blue), new leaf (green), bright buttercup (yellow), orange zest, pure poppy (red), and stamper's select white. 
• Dies are PTI picket fence, heart-2-heart #6 (clouds), hoopla: stitched banners, and Elizabeth Craft hello.
• Thread is white DMC #5 perle cotton.  I did a running stitch from right to left, and then left to right to fill in the gaps.  Backstitching would be smoother, but I like the uneven look for this card.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Papertrey March Blog Hop Challenge: Gray with Bright Flowers and Embroidery Floss

This month's Papertrey Ink blog hop is inspired by the beautiful work of Izziyana Suhaimi, an artist who combines drawings and embroidery on paper.  The challenge photos show soft and smudgy gray backgrounds with gray figures and bright embroidered flowers.

For my card, I tried to create some of the feeling in the inspiration examples.  I used an uneven gray stenciled background, soft green vellum and shimmery silver leaves, bright flowers, and embroidery floss details.  

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) soft stone (light gray), harvest gold (yellow), summer sunrise (yellow-orange), tropical teal, berry sorbet (deep pink), melon berry (light orange), silver shimmer, and the bitty dot print from PTI sheer basics patterned vellum.  In real life, the berry sorbet and melon berry colors are more orangey.   
• I colored the vellum on the back with Copic marker G24 for a green tint.
• Stencil is from PTI modern background collection, airbrushed unevenly with Copic marker T3.
• Dies are PTI turning a new leaf (vellum leaves), branching out (silver leaves), star gazer (button flower centers), stitching lines, and pencil blooms.  I added an extra hole to the shorter stitching line to get an even number for my design.
• Embroidery floss is DMC #3818 (dark green), 954 (light green), 3705 (pink), 943 (teal), and 744 (yellow) using all six strands.  I left my tails on top and separated the threads.

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Avocado and Gold - Two Thank You Cards

Two cards with mostly the same ingredients.  I made the top card first, one of several recent experiments with embroidery.  The bottom card started with my L-shaped scrap of gold.  I like them both.

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source curry (gold), Papertrey Ink (PTI) ripe avocado (green), vintage cream (top card), and fine linen (tan - bottom card), and patterned paper from Basic Grey PB&J 6 x 6" pad.
• On the bottom card, I edged the green sentiment strip with Copic marker YG97 to add contrast and definition. 
•  Dies are PTI stitched rectangles for both cards.
• Sentiment "thanks" (top card) is cut with Silhouette Cameo.  I added some colored pencil shading in a gold color (Venus 1437 sand - a very old pencil) to connect the cream sentiment better with the gold card stock. 
• Sentiment "thank you so very much" (bottom card) is computer-printed with green ink using Herculanum font (all lower case, bold, expanded character spacing).
• Embroidery floss (top card) is DMC ecru.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (391, 392)

Cross Stitched Love with Lace

More card embroidery to create a nostalgic lace-trimmed "love" card.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) autumn rose, scarlet jewel (burgundy), and the damask print from PTI autumn rose pattern pack.  In real life, the solid and printed rose colors are the same. 
• Embroidery floss is DMC ecru (cream) and 902.
• Lace is white crocheted lace from Hobby Lobby, colored lightly with Copic marker YR30 to match the cream floss - a very good match in real life.
• Die is PTI strip stitch.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (393)

Embroidered Cards - Cross Stitch and Chevron Stitch

Two embroidered cards today - my first experiments using a new (to me) stitching die from Papertrey Ink (PTI).  The die makes a rectangle of small holes, perfect for a decorative panel of embroidery.  I'm thinking of so many different color and stitch combinations for this die.  Both cards have elements in common, so I'm posting them together.

Note: I backed each embroidered panel with a plain piece of the same color.  It looks nicer than having a different color show through the little holes, at least for these cards.  
Card details:

• Left card: card stock is Paper Source plum (light purple),  PTI royal velvet (dark purple) and vintage cream.
  Right card: card stock is Ellen Hutson white linen, Paper Source cobalt (dark blue - discontinued), and PTI scarlet jewel (burgundy) and kraft.
• Both cards: dies are PTI strip stitch and the curved banner from PTI bountiful banners.
• Left card: embossing folder is Sizzix berry splash.
  Right card: embossing folder is Sizzix chevrons (retired).
• Left card: embroidery floss is DMC ecru.
  Right card: embroidery floss is DMC 791 and 902.
  Both cards: I used 3 of the 6 strands of floss for my stitching.
• Both cards: sentiment "Thank you!" is computer-printed in purple or burgundy ink with Copperplate font, all lower case. 

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (389, 390)

Pink Butterflies with Doily

A sugary pink card for the day after Valentine's.  Damask, doily, butterflies, faux stitching - it doesn't get much sweeter in my crafting world. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source blossom (pink butterflies), Papertrey Ink (PTI) stamper's selsct white, raspberry fizz (dark pink) and the damask print from PTI sweet blush (pink) pattern pack.
• The faux stitching is drawn with Copic 0.3 pink multiliner and with Signo Uniball white gel impact pen.
• Dies are My Favorite Things mini delicate doilies and Impression Obsession butterfly set.
• I notched the banner ends with scissors.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (356)

Blue Stitched Heart with Doily - Before and After

After

Blue patterns with white texture from the die-cut doily and the hand-stitching.  I like this card a lot!  See end of post for my "before" version from last year.  

Card details:

• Card stock is Neenah solar white,  Papertrey Ink (PTI) spring rain (light blue), blueberry sky (medium blue), enchanted evening (dark blue), and the gingham and bitty dot prints from PTI blueberry sky and enchanted evening pattern packs.
• Dies are Elizabeth Craft love, PTI coffee cozy details (heart), PTI stitching lines, and PTI Parisian lace doily.
• Embroidery floss is 3 strands of white DMC. 

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (328)

Last year I made a similar card (click here for details) shown below.  It was a very nice card, but I do like today's better.  It's fun for me to take an older card and see how I can adapt or even improve it.

Before

Wreath of Stars - Red, White and Blue

This card was fun to create, but oh my, lots of tiny bits and pieces!  This is when I'm thankful for the right glues in my collection!  (See technique below.)  My theme is "repetition" for Paula's June Operation Write Home card design bootcamp lesson.  Thank you, Paula!

My design shows repetition in the circles (wreath and two circle layers), stars, white stitching, straight lines (plaid and red layer), and repeating colors of red, white, and three shades of blue.  The only non-repeating element is the brown color of the wreath.

I also considered "focal point" from February's lesson when I added those tiny light blue stars onto the white (negative cut) stars in the red layer.  Without the light blue, the white stars were too eye-catching, which took away from the wreath focal point.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) stamper's select white, pure poppy (red), spring rain (light blue), blueberry sky (medium blue card base), enchanted evening (dark blue), dark chocolate (brown), and the gingham print from PTI spring rain pattern pack.
• Dies are Spellbinders standard circles small, My Favorite Things winter wreath, and PTI star gazer.  The wreath stars are the button die, the red cutout stars (with white underneath) are the leftover scrap from the button die, and the light blue stars are the tiny die.  I appreciate cutting multiple stars with one pass of the die, and being able to use the scrap as a "negative cut" is a nice bonus!
• Embroidery floss is DMC white. 
• Technique:  The wreath and tiny light blue stars are adhered with Glossy Accents, applied with a round wooden toothpick.  It's very strong as a glue, but on the star buttons, I didn't want it to squeeze out through the buttonholes.  So I first adhered the buttons with a fine point Sakura glue pen, then pierced the circle layer through the buttonholes, and stitched them all down with a continuous strand of white floss.  I wouldn't trust the glue pen alone (for an uneven surface like the wreath), and I also prefer the finished look of stitched buttons. 

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (289)

Three Squares with Buttons

Three patterned squares with buttons and stitching.  For the April "Now That's Odd" (odd numbers) lesson in Paula's Operation Write Home Design Bootcamp.  From last month's lesson, I used my "rule of thirds" grid to position the button strip along the right side of the card front. 

While making this, I wondered how often I've used a trio of similar elements on my cards.  "Lots" was the answer, as I looked back through my blog.  I marked the cards with a "trios" label.  To see more, click here (or in the labels list on the right)

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

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) kraft, summer sunrise (yellow), and stamper's select white, and the bitty dots, stripes, and gingham prints from PTI new leaf (green), enchanted evening (blue), and pure poppy (red) pattern packs.
• The kraft layer and buttons are edged with E44 Copic marker. 
• Embroidery floss is DMC white.
• Buttons are die cut with PTI buttoned up #1 (small and medium buttons).  Squares are diecut with WPlus9 pinking squares (1-1/2")
• Embossing folder is Lifestyle Crafts diamonds and dots.
• Sewing thread is Gutermann topstitch thread (similar to Coats and Clark dual duty XP heavy - and not as heavy as "button and carpet").  I just started using this weight for cards, and I like the result better than the normal weight sewing thread.  I do need more practice with my stitching though. 

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (280)

Lace Flowers with Hand-Stitched Felt

Something very different for today's card!  Lace flowers with hand-stitched felt centers and green leaf ribbon.   It's beautiful with lots of texture and color contrast, and the felt squashes down nicely for mailing.  The hand-stitching was fairly quick to do, just overcast.  It's not perfectly even, which I feel adds to the simple charm of it. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) harvest gold (yellow) and Hawaiian shores (turquoise). 
• Embossing folder is Sizzix berry splash on one side of the card front.
• Felt is PTI harvest gold.
• Ribbon is leaf ribbon by PTI.  I was happy to find more colors at a fabric store, where I bought some white (easily to color with Copic markers) and some bright green.  
• Lace flowers are by Maya Road.  I haven't seen them available recently, so I might buy these instead and try to detach the layers.
• Embroidery floss is DMC #3011. 
• Technique:  I die cut the felt with a 5/8" circle die, then adhered it to the flower center with just a 1/4" square of Scor Tape.  I didn't want adhesive on the edges where I would be sewing.  Then I stitched the edges (simple overcast stitch) with a full 6-strand of floss.  I found it worked better not to stitch the felt to the lace flower, except to sew and knot the floss ends through the flower center.   
• The lace flowers are also adhered with Scor Tape: a 1/2" square in the center and 1/4" strips across the petals.  Although the lace is openwork, the Scor Tape stickiness doesn't come up through it.  The leaf ribbon is also adhered with 1/4" Scor Tape squares on some of the leaves.  I'd be afraid of liquid glue showing through on it, especially because the leaves have small slits where the veins are formed.   

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (279)

Hello with Script Print and Polka Dots

A simple note card with just a few ingredients.  The large script "hello" die is complemented by the script print paper.  The pastel orange polka dots add some cheerful color.  And the brown faux stitching ties the colors together and makes it look more polished.  

I enjoy using the book and script prints, and I'm careful to look at the words first.  These Jane Austen selections contain some negative-sounding words and phrases.  It's all fine in the context of the novel, but out of context for a greeting card, I will avoid those areas, especially for my Operation Write Home cards.  Sometimes I'll cut narrower strips to break up the words, or use strategic placement of another card element.   For such nice patterned paper, it's worth the effort. 

Card details:

• Card stock is all Papertrey Ink (PTI)  - dark chocolate (brown), script print from Dearest Jane, and polka dots from melon berry pattern pack. 
• The die is PTI wonderful words: hello.  
• The faux stitching is done with a brown Micron pen. 

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (260)

Pink Butterflies on Gray

Bright pink butterflies on a three-windowed frame.  I like the complex butterfly shapes on the simple frame outline.

Like yesterday's card, this one is for Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps midweek challenge, to make "Miss You" cards for our heroes to send to loved ones at home.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink soft stone (light gray), hibiscus burst (medium pink), and raspberry fizz (dark pink). 
• Dies are Papertrey Ink take three and heart-2-heart #10.  The small butterfly shape has antennae like the large one, but I trimmed them off to layer for this card.  
• I used a pink 0.3 Copic multiliner to draw the dotted lines on the butterflies.
• The sentiment "Miss you" is computer-printed in pink ink with Apple Chancery font. 

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (228)

Kraft Stars with Red, White, and Blue

A simple note card design, with a variety of textures and patterns.  The faux stitching adds interest and a third touch of red.  

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink classic kraft, pure poppy (red), stamper's select white, and enchanted evening (dark blue) patterned paper from the 2009 bitty dot basics paper pad.  
• The sentiment "Thanks" is computer-printed in red ink with Stencil Std font (expanded spacing).
• The stitching is hand-drawn with a red Signo Uni-ball gel impact pen.  
• The embossing folders are Cuttlebug candy cane stripe and Craft Concept solid stars. 
• Dies are WPlus9 label layers 1 (blue) and the small inner shape from Papertrey Ink framed out #7 (white). 

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (221)