Wednesday, May 28, 2008

May Papertrey Blog Hop!!!

I'm so excited to be participating in my second Blog Hop with Papertrey Ink!! What a great opportunity for us crafters to share our work and ideas using Papertrey Ink products!! I have to admit, I was a bit stuck on this month's blog hop challenge..and once again, I didn't create a card...I was planning on it but this time around my ideas kept growing and growing and I finally came up with my project. I'm not sure if you are like me but many, many times I start creating one thing and end up with a totally different idea than I had initially started with..I'll do one thing with my project and all of a sudden an idea pops into my head and I go with that...This time around I ended up creating "BABY BINGO" cards for a baby shower... I started by cutting 12 3 3/4 X 3 inch squares from the Lavendar Moon and Sweet Blush Papertrey Card Stock. I then placed a square lengthwise and scored every 3/4 of an inch so I had a total of 4 scored lines. I then turned the square vertical and I started scoring my lines starting from the bottom of the first score line I made when it was lengthwise.(You do this so you have a place to stamp your sentiment "Baby Bingo" without having scored lines there.) You will score every 3/4 of an inch moving vertically with a total of 3 scored lines. You should now have a 4x4 grid with a 3/4th of an inch opening at the top. I then took my Polka Dot set and stamped the middle sized polka dot just on the top. I stamped out "Baby Bingo" using the sentiments from Bitty Baby Blessings. I just used the sentiments "Good Things come in Multiples" and "Baby makes three". I used scotch tape to cover up the letters I did not want to use and was able to spell out "Baby Bingo". Hope that makes sense!! I then just took the tiny stamps from Bitty Baby Blessings and randomly placed them in the squares I had created....Make sure each card you create is different from the others...I finished the Bingo Card by placing it on to a piece of Papertrey Kraft paper and using two small white brads on the top. I repeated these steps with all 12 squares so I ended up with 12 Bingo Cards. I have a paper punch of baby feet that I decided to use as my game pieces, so I punched out several of the feet in both colors I had used. I then punched out several small circles from the Kraft paper and stamped the tiny images I had used on the Bingo Cards onto them. Now you are ready to play Baby Bingo!! Before you play, place a few bowls full of the punched baby feet(or any game piece you decide to use) around the room. Place the circle pieces into a bowl or bag and have the new mommy pick out the pieces and call out the image. You can play by having whoever fills up the whole card first wins, diagonals, corners, etc. It really is up to you...There you have it.. A quick and easy project that utilizes score lines in a fun way!! I think this would be such a fun little game to introduce at a baby shower..the images are just too cute for words!! Thanks for looking!!! Bridget Rose

Friday, May 16, 2008

More GSS Entries...

I'm back to share more of my cards that I submitted for the GSS over at Papertrey Ink... I just love the Garden of Life set..the flowers are so whimsical and sweet. There are so many different ways to play with these flowers by layering and changing up colors! Well, I have a little niece who just loves flowers so I decided to create a small and fun little gift for her using this set. She loves to play the matching game so I thought why not make one for her. I took a piece of PTI's white cardstock(the best)..it works great for this little project because it is so thick. I then took a piece of patterned paper and used double sided tape to place on one side of the white paper. I then just cut 12 2x2 squares. Next, I took a flower image from Garden of Life and stamped that on 2 of the squares so I had a pair. I continued this with the rest of the squares so I had a total of 6 pairs. I took one of the small square tins from PTI, used my crop-a-dile and punched two small holes on each side for a ribbon handle. If you do not own a crop-a-dile, put it onto your wish list...they are so worth the 30.00..and just keep an eye out for a Michael's coupon..you can get it for super cheap then. For the outside of the tin I used the sentiment "perfect match" from Favor it Weddings..I thought that coordinated well with this little gift. I also created a small 2x2 birthday card to coordinate with this gift. I placed it on top of the squares and then put them into the tin.. they fit perfectly inside it. I think she will really get a kick out of this and I love how she can carry it with her..to church, restaurants or anyplace to keep her occupied and I know her parents will love that too!!! My next entry once again uses Garden of Life...As you know I love roses and everything about them..The name Rose runs in my family and my daughter and I both have it as a middle name..So, it means a great deal to me.. Well, I just started playing around with this stamp and ended up creating this card..it is a pretty simple card but that is what I love about it.. I stamped the roses onto Kraft paper and cut them out and placed with dimensionals..I sewed a piece of Sunrise Cardstock to Kraft paper using a simple stitch and placed this over my patterned paper. I used the stems from Garden of Life and the leaves from Spiral Bouquet. The vase is just a cut out from my leftover patterned paper. I used the sentiment "All things grow with love" but only used the "with love"..I just love that saying!! Because I didn't have much space for words it fit perfect for this card. This third card was created using the Pond Life set. I took a piece of PTI white cardstock and stamped the water, the fish, bubbles, splashes and tall leaves. I then took the longer cattail pieces and created my fishing pole by manipulating it how I wanted it to go. Isn't that the best thing ever about clear stamps?? They are just so versatile!! I placed this onto brown cardstock. I then took a piece of Spring Moss Cardstock from PTI and continued stamping the tall leaves as well as my fishing pole.. I like how this turned out..I feel like the white cardstock is a little scene that is popping out of a bigger picture...and the sentiment "thinking of you" is fitting for a fisherman's day out on the water!! Thanks for looking!!! Bridget

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Just so excited!!!

I can't believe it..I won GSS over at Papertrey Ink for best use of Garden of Life!! I didn't think I would have a chance this month and was keeping my fingers crossed for a honorable mention..My husband and I got into bed last night and as I tried to get to sleep I just started getting so curious to who may have won..there were sooo many amazing and unique cards this past month..Nichole has a very tough job!! Well, I jumped out of bed, scared my husband half to death and turned on the computer(which is in our bedroom)..he just started laughing because he knows how crazy I am about Papertrey Ink..yes, I do have a problem!!! I opened up the gallery pics and saw one of my cards..I thought it just happened to be in the thumbnail spot for the Gueststar Stamper submissions..then, I looked a little closer and saw that it was in the winners..I couldn't believe I had won..I screamed and this time Brian about peed his pants..I started jumping up and down and he is so funny because he got out of bed and jumped around with me..I'm not kidding..if our neighbors would have seen us they would probably have called the cops on us..too funny..we quickly quieted down once we heard Nora yelling "mom"...Of course, I checked ten times to make sure I was reading it correctly before I went to bed and then once I did get to bed I laid there too excited to sleep!!! This is such an honor coming from Nichole and I really appreciate and LOVE Papertrey Ink!! What an awesome company!!! The winning card is actually the one I posted first yesterday...I saw this bedding in the Land of Nod catalog and decided to try and recreate my own version using Papertrey Ink stamps..so that is what I did and I'm so excited that I won!!!Thanks for looking!! Bridget

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Papertrey Ink Gueststar Stamper

Hello..now that the 14th has finally arrived I can share some of my projects that I submitted for the GSS over at Papertrey Ink!! I loved the stamp sets from this past month but just didn't have the time to submit a lot of work for the contest... The first card I submitted was inspired by a baby quilt I saw in the Land of Nod catalog...I receive so many baby catalogs in the mail and this is where I find much of my inspirations..color combinations, patterns, themes..it really helps when you are having a creative block...I used the Garden of Life set for my card to create my "patterned paper" and the sentiment is also from the same set. My camera picked up the glare from my flower embellishments..they are not that shiny in real life(sorry).. I really enjoy creating my own "patterned paper" with the PTI stamps...the possibilities are endless!! My second submission was a bit outside the box...that is another reason I love using clear stamps, especially from PTI..the stamps come in pieces so you can always find other ways to use them besides their main purpose.. When I first say the sentiment from "May your dreams take flight" I immediately thought of a little bird ready to take flight..I do not own a bird stamp so I thought I would just create my own...For this card I used several of my PTI sets..The tree branch is from Take a Bough and the leaves and berries are from Out on a Limb. I created my little birdie by using the larger leaf stamp from Pond life for his body, I used the smaller, skinner leaf stamp from Pond Life for his front wing, I used only the one side of the double leaf lily flower stamp from Pond life for his back wing...His head is the flower center stamp from Garden of Life, his little legs are from the cattails from Pond Life, his little beak is the turtle's tail from Pond Life and his eyes are from the bubbles from Pond Life(I used the larger open circle and the smaller closed circle from each bubble "set". Some tips on replicating his tummy..make sure to use a darker color for wings and head or you see the body through the wings otherwise, mask off half of the body where the wings go so that part of the stamp does not get ink on it.. My third submission was once again an out of the box card..I saw this flower stamp in my Garden of Life set and for some reason lollipops popped into my head..So, that is what I created..I stamped and cut out the flower and then took a small plastic snack baggie and placed it over the flower..I twisted the baggy and then cut it and tied it off with a ribbon..the lollipop sticks were created by stamping the stem from Garden of life and cutting them out. I used the sentiment how sweet it is from It's a Celebration..Next time I do this I'm going to try and recreate the original colorful lollipops that you would get at the fair...I loved those!!! Thanks for looking..I'll be back later to post more submissions!! Bridget

Friday, May 9, 2008

I'm still here...

I haven't been the best blogger here lately..sorry!! I have been busy with a little project on the side and haven't had time to create for fun and post on my blog..I actually was creating some cards to share with a shop owner here in town to see if she would be interested in selling some of my cards. So, for the past few weeks I have been busy creating, creating and creating!! I had the meeting yesterday and it went fairly well.. she seemed interested in some of my cards and wants me to create Christmas cards that she will sell during that time. I was a bit confused about waiting until Christmas until I realized that shop owners have to think that far in advance for their stores. She will be going to market here in a few days to purchase Christmas items..crazy..so, I'm really looking forward to having the opportunity to create cards and share them with others..hopefully, I can create some magical, one of a kind cards that people will be drawn to! We will see and I will keep you posted!! I was organizing my crafting area(kitchen table..ahh..I need my own space..my husband is planning on creating a little nook for me in the basement soon!!) and I can across the My Punny Valentine set..I just love that stamp set!! Well, I saw the little sheep..one of my favorites and decided to create simple, fun and trendy baby cards that I would have on hand to give..I have several friends and family having babies right now and thought it would be much easier to mass produce this baby card by changing up the colors..blue/brown for boy and pink/brown for girl.. I love Kraft paper so used that as my base card..I then used my rounder punch to create a scalloped edge along the bottom..I did a very small amount of distressing with brown ink around the edge of the card..it just gives it a more cozy feel. I then punched a medium sized scalloped oval onto the base color and also punched out a larger sized scalloped oval from cream vellum for the body of the sheep. I stamped the head and legs onto Kraft paper, cut out and placed using dimensionals. What new mom wouldn't love getting this little card...and I just love the color combo along with the polka dots! Too fun!!
Thanks for looking!!