For the love of Papertrey Ink

Oh how I love thee! I just received my Papertrey Ink order in the mail yesterday. I was so excited, I had to open it right away. I ordered the new Signature Greetings and Say It With Style stamps. I'm always looking for great stamps with sayings, because I can never think of what to say in a card. I also ordered some Pure Poppy Ribbon in Swiss Dot and Saddle Stitch. I was in need of some red ribbon, and theirs matches their paper perfectly. The last item I ordered was a Fresh Snow ink pad. When I opened up the package, at first I thought it was a mistake...the ink looked like it was a tan color, I did not understand. Did it turn white after it was stamped? Was it dirty snow? I was so confused, I showed Jon and he held it up to the lamp and realized that the cover to the ink was tinted. So weird. So I had to try out my ink. I have been searching for a while for a really good white ink pad, and boy this one DOES NOT disappoint. The color is amazing, so bright and clear. Here is a The Angel Company stamp I used the Fresh Snow ink stamp pad on. I stamped it on Basics Kraft paper from Papertrey ink and colored it in with Copics.

Aren't the Copics AMAZING on this kraft paper! And with the white ink, they just POP! I added a little fun flock to the earmuffs, just because. If you are looking for a great white ink pad, please give this one a try, you'll love it too.

It's Pile It On week!

I had so much fun making this card. YES, it's metal tape again! This time I place the word "peace" in thickers on the chipboard before I covered the whole thing in the metal tape. Then using the end of a paintbrush (or large stylus) I molded the tape around the letters. Using Alcohol inks I covered the tape in reds and greens. After the ink dried, I sanded the letters to remove the ink from them. The most fun was adding Diamond Dust and vintage tinsel to the "snowflakes".

Challenges I used:

• Pile It On-Layered Chipboard
• Practical Scrappers - Anything Christmas
• Everybody Art - Red and Green
• The Pink Elephant-Favorite Christmas Color Combo
• Whimsy Stamps-Die Cuts
• Cuttlebug Challenges-Glitter
• Charisma Cardz-Red, Green and Silver
• If the Shoe Fits-Snow
  
• Hand Full of Stamps- Something Green
• Color Chef- Red, Green, White
• Stamp with Sarah Kay- Red and Green
• Creatalicious Challenges- Create something for Christmas
• Crazy 4 Challenges- Snowflakes/Snow
• Our Creative Corner- Holidays
• Secret Crafter- Snow
• Fun with Shapes and More- Snowflakes
• Sophisticat- X-Mas Theme
• Corrosive Challenges-Winter
• Paper Cutz-Snowman/Snowflake
• Gingersnap Creations- Winter
• Crafty Ann- Texture

Prickley Pear Star Challenge and METAL Embossing

I've been having a lot of fun playing with 3M metal tape. It is so much fun. It is thin so you need to adhere it to a piece of paper, but it is so thin you can cut it into any shape you need. It also embosses with an embossing folder beautifully. I found mine at a garage sale, but I think you find it in the roofing section of the hardware store. It is about 2"wide.

Star is a tag card. It is smooth on the back so you can write on it.

I created this card for the Prickley Pear Design team. Here's how it is done:

Instructions:
I first started by laying 3 strips of the 3M tape onto a piece of paper. I then cut the paper slightly larger than the star template (provided at Prickley Pear). I used the embossing plate and ran that piece of paper through the Cuttlebug (had to do it a couple times to fill in the entire paper). After I embossed it I used the Alcohol inks and added red and green to the metal. I used the tapper with a felt pad as well as dropped a couple drops right on the metal tape. I then used the sketch template and cut out the larger star out of the metal embossed piece. I mounted that embossed piece onto a piece of solid red paper and trimmed slightly larger. I then used the template to cut out the inside star out of the striped patterned paper. I punched a hole and set a red eyelet at the top.

The stamped center:
I used a Tim Holtz Fragment and dripped cranberry alcohol ink right onto the disc. Dried it completely with a heat gun. Now, this step has to happen really fast. On the inked side of the disc I stamped the PP Dove with a solvent based ink and then rubbed it off right away. (The ink will remove the alcohol ink from the disc). So it stands out a little more I added a piece of white paper behind the disc. I glued about 10 punches of the branch in green behind the white circle (which is behind the disc). I attached the fragment disc to the star with a paper tail (that lets it move). To finish it off I added a small bakers twine bow.

Supplies:
Paper} Solid: Red-Papertrey Ink, Green-DCWV, White-Mohawk PP: My Minds Eye

Ink} Cranberry and Meadow Alcohol Ink
Ribbon} Offray
Tools} 3M Metal Tape, Spots and Dot Embossing folder, Martha Stewart-Branch Punch, Around the Block-Paper Tails, Tim Holtz-Fragments, One Hundred Wishes-red and white string, Eyelet for JoAnns and Stampin Up Dimensionals

Here's some more embossed and alcohol ink samples

Still playing with metal tape and alcohol inks

This is (a copy of) the ornament I created for the blogger ornament exchange (bad blogger, I forgot to take a picture before I sent it, the only difference is hers said joy instead of happy). I hope my exchange partner (Lori) likes it. I am really liking what the alcohol ink does to the metal tape. I did find out that if you tap with the felt applicator all over the tape first, and let it dry completely, that the drops of ink tend to stay and not run as much.

As you can see I also am in love with the "branch" punch from Martha Stewart (purchased at Walmart, not at Michaels, that one is a different branch). I attached the fragment (also loving these days) with a Around The Block paper tail, so it moves.