Thursday 31 December 2009

Tea for Two - Love at First Sight!

Hello Everyone!

As part of my introduction as December's Featured Stamper I had to answer a few questions about my love of PTI and stamping, and one of them asked for a favourite colour combo. I mentioned a card I had recently done which featured Vintage Cream, Spring Moss, Melon Berry, Kraft and Plum Pudding, and I promised that although it sounded overwhelming that it really works! So I thought I had finally better share that card with you, and how it gave me inspiration to create a whole set of cards with the same themes and colours - something I've never done before! All of the cards featured Tea for Two, which I just completely fell for when I was using it!

So, here is the first card featuring that colour combo:See, I told you the combo works! As long as you keep the balance of the amount of colour and how it's featured I think it's quite possible to use 3, 4 or even 5 colours on one card successfully!

The background pattern was created with Giga Guidelines, with the medallions embossed with my matt clear embossing powder. I love this stuff! The Plum Pudding strip is again a scrap from a previous card, again showing that scraps are worth saving in my opinion, no matter how small!
Just one last design detail for this card before I move onto the others - I used two loops of ribbon but for interest I had one behind all the layers and one overlapping between layers. I think it adds a nice bit of interest!

I was so in love with this card when I made it that I even almost took it to work with me the next day so I could keep staring at it, lol! I didn't though!

So, seeing as I loved the colour combo so much I decided to create a whole set of cards along the same lines. On some cards I added are Dark Chocolate as well, just to add a bit of contrast/difference. Here they all are:Don't they all work so well together as a complimentary set?! I added some other sets into the mix as well, with Background Basics: Diamonds, Turning a New Leaf, Signature Greetings and Polka Dot Basics II (on the Twill Ribbon) all making an appearance! The rhinestones were all coloured with Copics to match the colour scheme, and you'll see that my favourite Martha Stewart Punch was used a few times too!

I was going to create a Keeping Tabs gift box for all of these but I just couldn't get my printer to play ball with my PTI cardstock! Next year will be a different story though - I've bought a Cricut Expression so I'll be able to cut out the templates once they've been switched over .svg (or if I can figure out how to do it myself, lol).

So what do you think of all of these? Do you have a favourite? Can you even pick a favourite?! lol, I can't, I love almost every detail of every one! I've definitely found a colour combo that I really love. I can't wait for the reformulated Melon Berry ink - then it will match all the other Melon Berry elements even better!

I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank Kate and Aimes for allowing me to be December's Featured Stamper. I've had a real blast, not only with the challenges and the posts, but also working with girls, it's been a real pleasure! And to the rest of you I'd like to wish you all the very best for a peaceful and prosperous New Year.

Taheerah xx

Tuesday 29 December 2009

Challenge - Super Stars!

Hey!

Time to kick-start the creative mojo after indulging way too much over the festive season! Sorry this challenge is set a little later than normal - it's taken me ages to get off the sofa after scoffing so much LOL!!

So for this challenge we want you to think about stars. We'd love to see stars featured on your projects - it could be one star or many stars and can be for ANY occasion! Don't limit yourself to just star stamps though - you could think about die-cutting, a star shaped card, star patterned DP etc...In fact, don't just limit yourself to a card! You could create a tag, a box, anything so long as it features a star!

So here's my example:
Completely threw myself outta my comfort zone with this - still unsure about it! I'm not sure if you can tell that the DP is from my Bitty Stars Basics pack so I've got stars featuring twice (I'm sure you can't miss the big star ;D)

Card Recipe
Stamps: Star Prints
Ink: Lemon Tart/True Black
Cardstock: True Black/Stamper's Select White/Lemon Tart/Lemon Tart 2008 Bitty Star Basics
Other: Nestabilities/Adhesive Gems/Paper Piercer/Fine Black Pen

Kate has finally found her camera cable - hurrah! So although she can now upload her amazing creations - she's now jetting off to America for a couple of weeks! Lucky thing! This means that she's a little busy at the mo enjoying herself in much higher temperatures than here! Though fear not, she'll be back soon!

Our Guest Stamper Taheerah has provided us with this lovely example too! I'm really impressed that she didn't make a dash for the Star Prints set as I know it's one we both love soooooo much!
Thanks Taheerah for providing us with some fabulous examples for our challenges this month!

Card Recipe

Stamps: Let Freedom Ring!/Signature Greetings
Ink: Scarlet Jewel/Sweet Blush/True Black
Cardstock:Vintage Cream/Sweet Blush/Scarlet Jewel
Other: Kars Extra Fine Glitter/Martha Stewart Punch

So here are the deets:
  • All entries must contain at least one PTI product to qualify
  • To enter, leave a comment with a link to your post featuring the project on your blog or online gallery.
  • Worldwide entries are more than welcome to share the inspiration, but unfortunately prizes can only be shipped within Europe!
  • Challenge closes on Monday 11th January 2010 at 9.00am GMT
  • A winner will be chosen at random to receive a collection of PTI goodies!
We can't wait to see what you make us starstruck with (yup, cheesy pun totally intended there btw!)

Aimes and Kate x x

1. Katie
2. Lesley
3. Dawn
4. Margaret
5. Linby
6. Karen
7. Mandy
8. Hanne
9. Caryn
10. Linda
11. Vicki
12. Vannessa

Monday 28 December 2009

A winner!

Hi everyone - I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are all set for 2010!

Thank you to those who joined our last challenge, time to draw a winner!

Here are your random numbers:

1

Timestamp: 2009-12-28 18:14:48 UTC

...Clare! Congrats Clare - please email you postal address to apassionforpapertrey@yahoo.co.uk and we'll get your bag of goodies out to you asap!


Don't forget to check back tomorrow for a brand new challenge!


Kate and Aimes xx

Friday 25 December 2009

Merry Christmas!

Hello all, and Merry Christmas!

Today I have one of my favourite Christmas cards that I created this year. It's about as CAS as I'm likely to get, but there's still a lot of work and detail that went into it.

Isn't that Father Christmas adorable?! He is of course from Holiday Button Bits. I stamped him on Stamper's Select White cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black and coloured him with Copics. I think this is some of my best Copics colouring to date!

I used a snow pen to add some puffy fluffy detail to his beard, hat and suit. His head was stamped again and cut out to be adhered on top of the button.

Speaking of the button, have you ever seen a more perfect button for a Santa belly?! That was the only button in my Pure Poppy stash that had metal button holes! Very lucky find!! I added a small strip of True Black cardstock for his belt and drew on the silver buckle with a silver Sakura PenTouch pen. I used a black Copic to carry on the belt detail on the button.

I cut out the Santa using my Mega Curved Rectangle Nestabilities. I used the same die and drew around the outside edge on a piece of Smokey Shadow cardstock left over from one of my previous cards (it has a Guidlines II pattern stamped on it but doesn't show up in the photos). I cut the shape out by hand and adhered behind the white shape with Pinflair Glue Gel for dimension.


I kept the rest of the card simple - square base (think it was 4 1/2" x 4 1/2") in Stamper's Select White, with a Pure Poppy mat, edged with True Black ink. The sentiment is stamped in Black Versafine.

So what do you think? Isn't he just the cutest?! Holiday Button Bits was definitely one of the best Papertrey sets I purchased for Christmas cards - everyone loved the cards made with it and I'm sure you can see why!!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Day and wish you all the best for the coming New Year!!

Taheerah xx

Thursday 24 December 2009

Letting the Paper do the Talking!

Hey!

Hope y'all ready for the big day?! I'm ready but not in the right place! Weather conditions haven't improved so we figured it best to hang tight and travel to see the family when it's safe to do so!

So with none of my Mum's famous Maids of Honours to scoff on, I figured I'd share some Christmas cards with you:
A pretty simple design but the only way I've found I can use this particular pattern of DP - it's like a diva demanding the full attention of the card and not too many embellishments stealing its spotlight LOL!

I can't mass produce cards (my brain gets way too bored!) so only made 4 but even then had to mix things up a little with the ribbon and buttons!
So firstly ripe avocado ribbon and a pure poppy button:


...and secondly pure poppy ribbon and a spring moss button (I think this is my fave mix though don't tell the combo cards LOL!)

Card Recipe
(All PTI)
Stamps: Holiday Tree
Ink: Dark Chocolate/Versamark
Card: Dark Chocolate/Rustic Snowflakes DP/Ocean Tides/Spring Moss/Pure Poppy
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/Polka Dot Ribbon Pure Poppy/Polka Dot Ribbon Ripe Avocado/Vintage Buttons Pure Poppy & Spring Moss


So before I leave to scoff some more chocolate, I'd just like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! I hope you have a wonderful, peaceful (and maybe in some cases, merry) day!

Love,
Aimes
x

Wednesday 23 December 2009

Gingerbread guys

Happy eve of Christmas Eve! So have you got everything done? Cards sent, presents bought and wrapped, baking done so you can put your feet up and relax for the next few days??!!! I most definitely haven't lol!

Here's a bunch of Christmas cards I made with the fabulous Holiday Button Bits set - isn't this gingerbread guy just too adorable?!

The flourishes on the base layer were stamped with Versamark Dazzle ink, giving them a nice shimmer :)



Close up:


Recipe: Stamps - Holiday Button Bits/Fancy Flourishes (PTI)
Card - Scarlet Jewel/Ripe Avocado (PTI)

Ink - Versafine/Versamark Dazzle/Colorbox - Chestnut Roan
Other - Scarlet Jewel buttons (PTI)


Got to dash into town now for a few (more!) last minute bits and bobs - I'll post a few more cards tomorrow! Enjoy your day!

Kate xx

Monday 21 December 2009

ATC update

Hi everyone! I hope you're all enjoying the mad run up to Christmas! Apologies for the lack of posts on here recently - like everyone else Aimes and I are both snowed under with Christmas prep but I hope to have a few more cards to show on here as soon as I can find my elusive camera cable!

We just wanted to update you on the ATC swap situation - we're still waiting for ATCs from two people, but as we really can't wait any longer for them we're now going to go ahead and send all the ones we have out. A big thanks to Dawn for doing this - they may even be with you by Christmas, but if not what a lovely package you'll have to open next week!

Enjoy the run up to Christmas everyone!!

Kate and Aimes xx

Tuesday 15 December 2009

A Winner!

Gosh, in the midst of the Christmas chaos, I forgot to pick a winner from our last challenge!

Drum roll please.....

Here are your random numbers:

5 

Timestamp: 2009-12-15 17:21:12 UTC

Number 5 is Cathy! Congratulations Cathy! Could you email us your address so we can get some PTI goodies out to you asap!

Thanks so much to everyone who joins in our challenges, especially at this time of year when we appreciate just how busy everyone is!

Right then, back to the chaos....LOL!

Aimes and Kate

xx

Monday 14 December 2009

Challenge - Macho, Macho Man!

Welcome to another challenge - I hope with all the festive madness you might be able to take a break from it all and stamp something!

Today's challenge is all about the men in our lives because we want you to make a masculine card, can be any themed card - Christmas, birthday etc - and must include at least one PTI product.

I have made a card for the challenge, but now can't find my cable to upload it to my computer!! So you'll have to bear with me until I find it!

Here is Aimes' sample:

"Well whilst the Christmas stamps are well and truly inked up I thought it best to make my masculine card a Christmas one! This one will most probably go to my honey - he loves green (just like me!)"
"I even created coordinating ribbon twine to coordinate by dragging some white twine through a smokey shadow ink cube. Just be sure to wash your fingers after as it's very messy!"

Recipe Stamps: Holiday Tree/Vintage Labels Ink: New Leaf/Smokey Shadow/Fresh Snow Card: Smokey Shadow/New Leaf/Soft Stone Accessories: New Leaf Vintage Button/Cuttlebug/Cuttlebug Swiss Dot Embossing Folder/Nestabilities/True Black Saddle Stitch Ribbon/White Ribbon Twine

Also, as our featured December stamper, here's Taheerah's example:

Recipe
Stamps: Giga Guide Lines/Guide Lines II/Star Prints/Polka Dot Basics II
Ink: Dark Chocolate/Scarlet Jewel/VintageTouch Chai/Pure Poppy/Smokey Shadow/True Black/Versamark
Card: KraftDark Chocolate/Ripe Avocado/Scarlet Jewel/True Black/Rustic Cream/Smokey Shadow
Accessories: QuickKutz Embossing Folder/Nestabilities/Vintage Cream Topnotch Twill/Copics/Fiskars Star Punch


  • All entries must contain at least one PTI product to qualify
  • To enter, leave a comment with a link to your post featuring the project on your blog or online gallery
  • Worldwide entries are more than welcome to share the inspiration, but unfortunately prizes can only be shipped within Europe!
  • Challenge closes on Monday 28th December at 9.00am GMT
  • A winner will be chosen at random to receive a collection of PTI goodies!

We can't wait to see what you come up with!!

Kate and Aimes xx

1. Clare
2. Paulina
3. Aga

Friday 11 December 2009

Shhh! Secret Santa!

Hey!

We're into the full swing of the festive season now so I'm busy beyond belief! Apologies for my lack of posts recently!

Tonight I'm out for a few Christmas drinks with my work colleagues and as always there's a secret Santa. This year we've decided to just buy any old gift and have a lucky dip rather than buying for someone specifically. Now I prefer to do the latter, but as some people ended up without gifts last year (due to the winter lurgy!) I guess this way everyone gets a guaranteed pressie!

So what a perfect opportunity to play with the secret Santa stamp out of PTI's Stocking Prints! I think most of my colleagues will know that this gift is courtesy of me, but lucky for me I picked a nice gift. Don't tell anyone, but it's a scrummy cinnamon soap I picked up at market stall at Covent Garden last weekend! I normally like to buy something really silly but the I just know it'd be my luck for my boss to pick it and for me to be summoned to their office on Monday morning LOL!
I also decorated both the tissue paper and the ribbon using the sweet snowflakes from PTI's Holiday Tree! I love, love, LOVE the effect of stamping onto ribbon - it takes a while but it's totally worth it!
Recipe
Stamps
- Stocking Prints/Holiday Tree
Ink
- Spring Rain
Card
- Stampers' Select White/Spring Rain
Accessories
- Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/Vintage Cream Satin Ribbon/Martha Stewart Border Punch


Now then, would it be totally wrong if I picked this present outta the tub for myself...? LOL!

Right then, I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend! I'm off to start Christmas shopping - that's right, START it! LOL!

Aimes
x

P.S There's still time to enter our current challenge - Oh Christmas Tree! Surely you've got a creation with a Christmas tree on it?! Especially those who attended Steph's make and take! ;D

Tuesday 1 December 2009

Challenge - Oh, Christmas Tree!

Hey everyone!

OK so we know that it's a busy time for everyone at the mo, so we've tried to make this challenge one that's so easy to play along with that you'll probably do it without realising it LOL!!

For this challenge we want to see creations featuring a Christmas tree! For those of you who attended the most amazing weekend ever (Steph's PTI Make and Take), this challenge is one you've already got a card for so feel free to enter it!

Here's my take on the challenge featuring my fave lil' tree of the moment:

Recipe: Stamps - Holiday Tree/Signature Christmas Ink - Spring Moss/Dark Chocolate/Pure Poppy Card - Stamper's Select White/Aqua Mist/Pure Poppy/Rustic Snowflake DP Other - Nestabilities/Martha Stewart Border Punch/Pure Poppy Polka Dot Ribbon

Here's Kate's showing that you just can't go wrong with a classic, elegant Christmas card:


Recipe: Stamps - Tree Trimming Trio/Background Basics - Text Style Card - Stamper's Select White/Aqua Mist/Enchanted Evening Other - Epoxy Circle Stickers

"I'm in mass production mode at the moment!"

So are you ready to enter? Here's the deets:
  • All entries must contain at least one PTI product to qualify
  • To enter, leave a comment with a link to your post featuring the project on your blog or online gallery
  • Worldwide entries are more than welcome to share the inspiration, but unfortunately prizes can only be shipped within Europe!
  • Challenge closes on Monday 14th December at 9.00am GMT
  • A winner will be chosen at random to receive a collection of PTI goodies!
So get your Christmas trees ready; we can't wait to see what you come up with!

Aimes and Kate
xx

1. Laure
2. Laurel
3. Lesley
4. Karin
5. Cathygel
6. Caryn

Featured Stamper!

Happy December! Crikey! December already and I've done zero prep for Christmas so far LOL!

I'm still recovering from the most wonderful weekend at Steph's! Well I have no voice which shows how much chatting we all did LOL!

So a new month, a new (well kinda new) feature for our PTI blog! We're really excited to be now featuring a guest stamper every month! Our guest stamper will be with us for the whole month and not only get to share their wonderful creations with us, but also take part in providing examples for our challenges that month!

So without further ado, our featured stamper for December is......

Taheerah!

We wanted to get to know Taheerah a little better so asked her a few questions, including some real toughies LOL!
  1. How did you get into papercrafting?

I’ve always been creative in one form or another but my creations with paper and card had never ventured into actual cardmaking itself! It came about quite by accident actually – I had some extra holidays in December last year that I had to take, and while I was at home I just happened to flick on to QVC and the next show just happened to be papercrafting! They were showing a Christmas Card kit and I thought it might be fun to create some of my own cards for last Christmas, so I bought the kit to try it out. Little did I know how hooked I would become on cardmaking and that it would lead me to finding a whole other world in stamping and PTI!

  1. How long have you been stamping for?

I’ve only been stamping since around February or March really. I always told myself I’d never get into stamping, lol! The cards with stamping that I’d seen just looked so uninspiring and too ‘homemade’ for my liking and I really wanted to create something that looked ‘professional’ and ‘finished’. I bought a couple of rubber stamp sets but still wasn’t properly inspired even though the designs were ‘nice’. Of course all that changed when I found PTI … !

  1. How did you get into PTI and why do you love it so much?

I was actually in search for the ‘perfect’ cream ink to stamp with. Just the right shade and coverage, even on darker cardstock. I initially was searching for the SU! Very Vanilla inkpad but that isn’t available in the UK, so I e-mailed some SU! Demos who lived abroad. One of them suggested PTI’s Vintage Cream so I went off to have a look! From there I joined the PTI Forum and started looking at Nichole’s blog. It was close to around the May Release so there was a lot of hubbub and excitement going on. I fell in love with some of the stamps and made my first purchase in June. The rest, as they say, is history!

Why do I love PTI so much? Gosh, there are so many reasons! The designs are just *perfect*, unique and contemporary but not too ‘modern’, not too ‘cutesy’ ... just right. The quality is unsurpassed. Everything co-ordinates perfectly, making it easy to pull together a finished look. The DT are so inspiring and never cease to amaze me, and finally the Customer Service, feedback and incorporation of customer suggestions just make PTI in a league of their own!!

  1. What would you say is your stamping style?

Hmmm. I’m not sure I’ve been stamping long enough to have settled on a ‘signature’ stamping style yet. I’m still learning and playing so much and always trying to experiment with something new. I’d say that my style definitely isn’t CAS though! I don’t like to overcrowd my cards but I always like to keep challenging and pushing myself, so I like to include creating different patterns and splicing them together and then just adding finishing touches to give it that something ‘extra’. So maybe it’s ‘experimental’ without being too out there, and without being fussy, lol!

  1. Do you have a favourite PTI colour or colour combo that just makes you drool?

I love experimenting with different colour combos so I’m not sure I have a definite favourite yet! However a recent card I made had a colour scheme of Vintage Cream, Kraft, Spring Moss, Plum Pudding (with touches of some pink in the pattern) and Melon Berry and that one definitely left me drooling!! I know it sounds over-busy and possibly even garish, but you wait ‘til you see it!!

  1. If you had to choose just one PTI stamp set to keep, which one would it be and why?

Oh Gosh, how difficult is that?! Coming from someone who already owns *38* sets (and with no sign of that number staying still!) you’re almost asking the impossible!! I guess if I had to pick my absolute favourite/staple it would be Guide Lines II. I *love* making my own background patterns and this set really can do it all – masculine, feminine, complex, CAS, there are no limits!

  1. Who is your PTI Idol?

Of all the DT I have to say that Dawn McVey is my idol without a doubt. Her style is so modern, effortless and stunning, and her colour combos are genius and to-die-for! She’s definitely my inspiration! But of course I can’t go answering this without adding ‘Ms PTI’ herself – Nichole Heady. After all without her we wouldn’t even have PTI, and her style and ideas are just awe-inspiring!

  1. Where do you get your inspiration from?

Other than Nichole’s and the DT’s blogs I regularly check out the PTI Forum (especially around Blog Hop time!) where people post links to their blogs/galleries, and I also visit Splitcoaststampers on a regular basis and browse through the Gallery there, though I have to admit to only searching for PTI cards now!

  1. What’s your stamping dream?

My dream come true would be to have my cards published, ideally in ‘Cards’ magazine or ‘Papercrafting’, both of which are US publications. The ultimate dream of course would be to get onto a Design Team but I’d be more than happy with just the first one coming true – and that’s about a million times more likely to happen at least!!

  1. Where can we go to check out more of your wonderful creations?

You can check out my blog at http://littlemisst-papercraft.blogspot.com/ - comments make my day so I’d love it if you stopped by and left some love!

Thanks so much, Taheerah! Here's just a couple of creations that really caught our eye when browsing Taheerah's blog that we want to share here. Be sure to check out Taheerah's blog for more!

Taheerah just proves with this card how well different PTI sets coordinate with each other. Her use of the Giga Guidelines makes a fabulous, bold dp!

Taheerah's super fun Christmas card definitely shows the influence that Dawn McVey has on her cardmaking with the fun mix of colours and divine damask stocking!

Look out for more from Taheerah when upload our December challenges!

Aimes and Kate
x x