Balloon Trio with Blue and Orange

Bright orange balloons and a bright blue card front, embossed with stars, for a birthday card in the recipient's favorite colors.

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source royal blue and Papertrey Ink (PTI) orange zest and stamper's select white. 
• Embossing folder is Darice stars asst (assorted).
• The patterned circles are from PTI bits & buttons (retired), the balloon strings are from PTI everyday button bits (retired), and the sentiment "Celebrate!" is from PTI corner adorner: January (retired), stamped with PTI orange zest and enchanted evening (dark blue) inks. 
• The shiny clear epoxy dome stickers are EK Success Sticko brand, described in this post. 

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Spring Trio in Green with Purple

A trio of springtime words and images.  Three shades of green with three purple flowers in a triple frame.  I like the purple accents on the tone-on-tone green panel. The dotted purple card base adds more impact. 

 Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) mint julep (light green) and vintage jadeite (medium green).
• Patterned paper is from PTI winter wisteria (purple) pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired). 
• Dies are from Memory Box fancy blossoms (retired) and PTI take three.
  
• The bunny and leaf images and the sentiment "spring time" are from PTI take three: spring (retired), and "happy" is from PTI communique sentiments (retired), stamped with PTI vintage jadeite and new leaf (deeper green) inks.
• I used a purple gel pen to add the details of flower centers, bunny eye, and leaf veins. 
  

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Butterflies on Aqua Shimmer

After cutting my leaf and wreath shapes for Saturday's card, I used up the scraps for butterflies, set on a shimmery background.  The floral embossing folder works well with the patterned paper designs.  

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) sea (aqua) and white shimmer card stock.
• Patterned papers are the damask and leaf prints from PTI scarlet jewel (burgundy), summer sunrise (yellow-orange), and orange zest pattern packs (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• Embossing folder is Sizzix berry splash.
• Dies are from PTI signature series: butterfly, beautiful butterflies (retired), and notched star banner.
  
• The sentiment "hello" is from Heffy Doodle down the line sentiments, stamped with PTI tropical teal ink.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Windows with Leaves - Blue and Aqua

A three-window die that I've used many times, with a new-to-me stamp set.  I love the blue and aqua colors for the leaves and background. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) enchanted evening (dark blue) and aqua mist.
• Die is PTI take three.
• The sentiment "thinking of you" is from Stampabilities card phrases, and the leaf trio is from PTI take three: spring (retiring), stamped with PTI blueberry sky (medium blue) ink.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Balloon Trio on Yellow

For my trio of balloons, I stamped patterned circles in red, blue, and yellow-orange, then added clear epoxy dome stickers for some dimension and shine.  I like the swirly lines of the font with the balloon strings.  The embossed background adds more dimension, circles, and swirls. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) harvest gold (yellow) and stamper's select white.
• Embossing folder is Sizzix retro cirque.
• Die is from PTI noted: pinked A2 vertical.
• The patterned circles are from PTI bits & buttons (retired), stamped with PTI pure poppy (red), summer sunrise (yellow-orange), and blueberry sky (blue) inks.
• The shiny clear EK Success Sticko brand epoxy dome stickers (a bit over 1/2" across) have been in my embellishments drawer for 8 or 9 years.  I pulled them out because I read that some scrapbookers had problems with them yellowing badly.  Mine are still in perfect condition and needing to be used!  They are very mailable - flexible, and less than 1/16" thick - not like the more common "bottle cap" tops, which tend to be larger, thicker, more rigid, and more expensive. 
• The balloon strings are from PTI everyday button bits (retired), and the sentiment "thank you" is from PTI thank you kindly (retired), stamped with PTI true black ink.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Red, White, and Blue with Kraft - Triple Window with Stars

Three windows cut in blue with stamped red frames.  I like the sentiment placed between the patterned stars.  The notched red frames look nice in the rounded window squares.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) blueberry sky (medium blue) and stamper's select white.
• Patterned paper is from PTI classic kraft pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• Die is PTI take three.  
• I edged my white panel with Copic marker B21, to hide the outer edge of white beneath the blue layer.  
• The sentiment "thank you so very much" and the frame are from PTI framed out #1 (retiring), and the stars are from PTI stars & stripes, stamped with PTI enchanted evening (dark blue) and pure poppy (red) ink.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Diagonal Dot Strips with Brown

A trio of dotted paper strips with a flowing script sentiment and flourish.  I like all the straight lines, dots, and curves together.  The blue-green dots on the flourish give it a vine-and-berries look, and also help to pull the colors together. 

Note: the gray border is background, not part of the card.  And I couldn't get the colors quite right on the screen - in real life, the top and bottom strips are more orange, and the middle strip is more blue, like the marker dots - but the overall effect is close. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) stamper's select white.
• Patterned papers are melon berry (light orange), ocean tides (muted teal), and terra cotta tile (rusty red) prints from PTI 2009 bitty dot basics (retired).
• The sentiment "thinking of you" is from Stampabilities card phrases, and the flourish is from PTI holiday photo finishers (retired), stamped with PTI dark chocolate (brown) ink. 
• The blue-green dots on the flourish are done with Copic marker BG75.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Sunflowers on Golden Brown Plaid

Three bright sunflowers with a panel of dotted blue.  I like the golden brown flower centers - deep but not dark - and the plaid card base echoing the checkered stamp pattern.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) stamper's select white.
• Patterned papers are from PTI spring rain (light blue) and honey nut (golden brown) bitty big pattern packs.
• Dies are from PTI simple sunflower and PTI bountiful banners. 
• The flowers are from PTI simple sunflower, stamped with PTI summer sunrise (yellow-orange) and honey nut inks. 
• The sentiment "sending you sunshine" is from Hero Arts everyday sayings, stamped with PTI blueberry sky (medium blue) ink.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Pink Flowers with Green Rickrack

I've been on a break from card making for the last few weeks, so it felt good to finish a small batch of cards to write notes for our church shut-ins.  Lots of bright spring colors.  I like the rickrack die as a green hill for my trio of flowers. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source blossom (medium pink) and sunshine (yellow) and Papertrey Ink (PTI) new leaf (green) and raspberry fizz (deep pink).
• Patterned paper is from PTI mint julep (light green) bitty big pattern pack.
• Dies are from PTI pencil blooms and PTI XL rickrack border. 
• The flower centers are cut with an old 1/4" hole punch.
• The sentiment "hello" is from Hero Arts many everyday messages, stamped with PTI raspberry fizz ink.

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Bright Flowers on Aqua with Green

Bright, happy colors for a trio of flowers.  I stamped them on a pale pink card stock, which gave me a nice background around the petals.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) sweet blush (pale pink) and aqua mist.
• Patterned paper is from PTI new leaf (green) pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• Dies are PTI notched flowers.
• The sentiment "hello" is from PTI colorful words (retired), stamped with PTI new leaf ink cube.  The flowers are from PTI funky florals, stamped with orange zest, hibiscus burst (bright pink), pure poppy (red), harvest gold (yellow), and scarlet jewel (burgundy) ink cubes.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Flower Trio on Pink

My card is for last Sunday's challenge (fall to layout #81) on the Palm Trees & Pogosticks blog.  I enjoyed stamping a flower trio with a few different red and pink inks, and I like how Natasha's sketch places the sentiment in with the images.  Thank you, Natasha, for the challenge and the inspiration!

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) pale peony (pink), simply chartreuse (green), and stamper's select white.
• The sentiment "for you" is from PTI friendship jar flowers, stamped with PTI simply chartreuse ink cube.
• The flowers are from PTI corner adorner: February, and the leaves are from PTI gathered garden, stamped with PTI pure poppy (red), berry sorbet (pink), terra cotta tile (rusty red), bright buttercup (yellow), and simply chartreuse ink cubes.
• I added a white dot in each flower center with Dr. Ph. Martin's bleedproof white opaque watercolor.

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Sunflower Circles with Blue

I've been making lots of sunshine cards lately, and I found another sunny opportunity in the circles trio for this week's challenge (fall to layout #73) on the Clean & Simple Stamping blog.  Usually I would have made my circles larger, to show the entire flower image, but I like the cropped, off-center results using the size in the sketch.  Thank you, Natasha, for inspiring my card!

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) simply chartreuse (green) and stamper's select white.
• Patterned papers are the gingham print from PTI spring rain (light blue) pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired) and the bitty dot print from PTI blueberry sky (medium blue) bitty big pattern pack.
• Dies are from PTI hello sunshine (1-1/4" circle) and double-ended banners.
• The sentiment "sending sunshine" is from PTI keep it simple: encouragement, stamped with PTI orange zest ink cube.  
• The flower petals are from PTI simple sunflower, stamped with PTI bright buttercup (yellow), orange zest, summer sunrise (yellow-orange) ink cubes.  The flower centers are the small dotted circle from PTI bits & buttons (retired), stamped with PTI simply chartreuse ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Balloon Trio with Bow

Our community's senior center asked me to make 30-plus blank "just because" cards.  Another volunteer will write cheerful notes inside, and they will go to clients of the adult day care center located in the same building.

I designed a balloon trio, tied with a bright bow.  All the cards are the same design, but with a variety of different prints and color combinations for the balloons and bow.

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

Card details:

• Card stock is Neenah solar white.
• Patterned papers are bitty dot, polka dot, and leaf prints from Papertrey Ink (PTI) Hawaiian shores (turquoise), summer sunrise (yellow-orange), and berry sorbet (orangey pink) pattern packs (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• I pierced two holes in my card front to tie a bow with green embroidery floss, an old unidentified skein from my stash.  The bow knot is secured with a drop of Ranger multi medium matte.
• Die is PTI birthday balloons.
• The sentiment "just because!" and the balloon strings are computer printed in PowerPoint.  The sentiment font is Handwriting - Dakota, bold, with the two e's in a larger font size.
• The lines across the balloon knots are drawn with Copic 0.5 black multiliner.

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Gold Stars with Blue Stripes on Tan

Nice and simple, with an interesting mix of pattern and texture - a trio of shiny gold stars (not dark like my picture), crisp woodgrain, deep blue stripes, and smooth cream.  Very handsome in real life.  

Card details:

• Card stock is Essentials by Ellen tan woodgrain, Bazzill gold metallic foil, and Papertrey Ink (PTI) vintage cream.
• Patterned paper is the stripe print from PTI enchanted evening (dark blue) pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• Dies are PTI sketched shapes (long wide banner) and My Favorite Things stacking stars.
• The sentiment "thinking of you" is from Hero Arts everyday sayings, stamped with PTI enchanted evening ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Shimmer Vases on White

A trio of shimmery vases with bright flowers and foliage.  This card is a beauty, especially with that luminous Copic coloring on the leaves and flowers.  Oval shadows ground the vases to make a tabletop scene, instead of disconnected floating elements.  In real life, the ovals look more gray and less green.

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

Card details:

• Card stock is Neenah solar white (flower and leaf die cuts) and Papertrey Ink (PTI) gold shimmer, blue shimmer, silver shimmer, and stamper's select white (card base). 
• Dies are PTI mega gracious vases, PTI gift card cozy bow, and Paper Smooches silhouette flowers. 
• From left to right, Copic markers are: 
• Iris - Y15, V04, leaves G12
• Fern leaf - YG05
• Leaf cluster - G14
• Flower cluster - upper flowers RV13 with RV14 centers, lower flowers RV14 with V04 centers, leaves YG05
• The oval shadows are from PTI in the shadows, stamped with PTI soft stone (light gray) 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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Balloons on Yellow with Teal

Since I don't make a lot of birthday cards, my first thought about the new Papertrey Ink (PTI) birthday balloons set was "I don't need that."  But after seeing the design team samples, and with the help of some friendly "enabling" on the PTI forum, I bought it all - stamps, die, and stencils - and I'm very glad I did!

The balloons look great on a birthday card (and I made a few of those, too) but also for this cheerful thank you card.  I chose a sentiment with thin string-like lines to complement the balloon design.

Card details:

• Card stock is PTI lemon tart (yellow), mint julep (light green), aqua mist, and lilac grace (light purple).
• Patterned paper is the gingham print from PTI tropical teal pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• Die is PTI birthday balloons. 
• I used a Copic 0.3 turquoise multiliner to draw the balloon strings (including the short strings across the balloon knots.)  I traced my curves from one of the PTI birthday balloons stencils.  The multiliner isn't the same color as my teal stamping, but in real life, they look good together.
• Technique: Before I drew the strings, I laid down my die-cut balloons where I wanted them.  I used a few inches of Scotch removable tape to hold them together, then made a tiny pencil dot under the "knot" of each balloon.  I also put a dot for the bottom of each string.  Then it was easy to place my stencil and connect the dots.  Note: When I stamped my strings from the balloon set (another similar card, not shown), I used the same approach, but I also masked off the bottom section of my yellow panel.
• The balloon patterns are stamped with PTI birthday balloons using PTI new leaf (green), tropical teal, and amethyst allure (purple) ink cubes.
• The sentiment "thank you" is from PTI keep it simple: thank you II, stamped with PTI tropical teal ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Cardinal with Snowflakes on Blue

For a family anniversary, I made this wintry card with a cardinal and a trio of snowflakes.  I like the contrast of deep red against the blue and white background.  The shimmery card stock looks lovely in real life.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) shimmer card stock in scarlet (red), sky (medium blue), sapphire (dark blue), and white.
• Dies are PTI winter woods and fancy flakes.
• The sentiment "Love" is cut with the Silhouette Cameo.  See this card for details.
• The cardinal's details are stamped with PTI winter woods using Versafine onyx black ink, then clear heat embossed.

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Bright Retro Flowers - Yellow and Red with Gingham

A trio of bright (bright!) flowers in a red frame on some yellow gingham.  It makes me smile!

I made this card for today's challenge on Nichole Heady's blog Capture the Moment.  We were asked to use one of the featured PTI stamp sets from 2010, or to draw inspiration from any of the projects she highlighted.  I don't have those sets, but I do have some of the "beautiful blooms II" dies, so I chose one of those cards to work from.  It's this one, the 2nd "beautiful blooms II" example in Nichole's post today.

I was inspired by the bright red and yellow colors on a white panel, the simple "retro" flower shapes, the red frame, and the black sentiment below the focal image.  It was fun creating this (very bright!) card.   Thank you, Nichole, for your inspiration!

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) pure poppy (red), bright buttercup (deep yellow), stamper's select white, and the gingham print from PTI lemon tart (light yellow) pattern pack.
• Dies are PTI beautiful blooms II #3. 
• The red flower centers are punched with a very old 1/4" hand punch - one of the basics for my card making then and now. 
• The sentiment "sending sunshine" is from PTI keep it simple: encouragement, stamped with PTI true black ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Three Suns - Yellow and Orange with Blue

A sunshine trio for this week's Papertrey Ink Make It Monday challenge to use patterned die cut silhouettes.  Following Lexi Daly's example, I chose one shape in three different colors and patterns, with a contrasting patterned background and a sentiment stamped on white.  

I also tried my background in a few different solid colors, which I thought might show the suns better.  To my surprise, though, this dark gingham looked the best.  Thank you, Lexi, for your challenge and especially for your patterned background inspiration!

 Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) stamper's select white, orange zest, summer sunrise (yellow orange), and harvest gold (yellow), with four prints: enchanted evening (dark blue) gingham, orange zest leaf, summer sunrise stripe, and harvest gold bitty dot, all from PTI pattern packs.
• Dies are from PTI ad sense and what the doodle: sun.  I also used an old 1/4" hole punch.
• The sentiment "sending sunshine" is from PTI keep it simple: encouragement, stamped with PTI orange zest ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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