Wednesday 29 September 2010

Featured Stamper Post!

***This Post is from our featured stamper, Margaret!***

So... what's the point ?

You take ink and a stamp. You (possibly/probably) cut up sheets of coloured paper just to stick them down in a different place or order. You have spent hundreds of pounds (gulp..) and hours of time. For what purpose ? Yep, 99% of the time you make something pretty, and it makes someone's day (especially if it's for no particular reason !) and that's a good enough purpose. But I bet you - just like me - have a stash of "no point other than I want to !" cards.

Ever feel guilty about those cards? Or the money/time? If you don't, good for you ! - but I do. Or I did, because they now have a purpose.

In April, my church had Tearfund Sunday. Tearfund is a Christian organisation who work to provide relief from poverty through the local churches. We watched a video that told the story of Stidia – go here and spend 5 minutes watching it – I was very moved. Briefly, Stidia lives in a rural village in Uganda, Africa. She is thirteen years old and every day she walks for two hours to collect water for her family. Every day, she is likely to be beaten – or worse – by gangs of boys. Her other big problem is that she is frequently late for school and misses lessons…. Seriously – this is one of her biggest worries after the constant threat of rape !

I came away from church feeling very frustrated because I couldn’t think how I could do something more practical. My time - like many, many of you - is very tied up between work and family. However, I have also been listening to Christian speaker called Joyce Meyer and I remembered a broadcast she had done where she talked to a woman who had raised $1000 for her charity by providing a spa day for her friends – she was a qualified masseuse and used her skills to raise funds. And a lightbulb went off. I make cards. I like making cards. People like my cards. I could sell some of my cards…

So now, my "no purpose other than to soothe my soul" cards are channeled into the Tearfund box where I sell them. And, as you've read this far, here's a wee bit of new eye-candy for the box.

* Images are from All Booked Up
* Ink is Versafine and Elzybells Sugar Candy (clear-embossed)
* I used a sketch from Get Sketchy ( by our very own PTI Melissa Bickford!)

(I hope I haven't offended anyone by mentioning my faith or rape. I expect that you all find the idea of a 13 yr old girl being raped daily as she gets water for her family far more offensive)

So, can I encourage you to take your stash of "no purpose" cards and set them free ???! For that "handmade" as opposed to "homemade" look, I pop mine into cellophane bags and seal them with a sticker I made up explaining where the money went - cellophane bags are very cheap at Craft Creations (I think it also means you can whack a bit more on the price - and, people, we're WORTH it !) There are LOADS of places that would accept your gorgeous creations (honestly, they're fabulous! I've seen 'em!!) - check your local charity shops, old folks homes etc. Or you can send them to me and I'll add them to my Tearfund box - just leave me a comment on my blog and I'll send you my address.

And on that note, I'll leave you. This is my final post as Featured Stamper - it's been a blast, and thank you for all your positive comments ! Thank you especially to Aimes and Kate for the experience and the opportunity - I'm so gonna miss those sneaky peeks at the challenges !!

Monday 27 September 2010

Sending Hugs

Happy Monday, peeps! I hope the weekend was a goody for ya! I can't say we did anything special; sometimes those are the kinda weekends I like the best KWIM?!

Today I'm popping by to share some hugs with y'all...


This is another li'l card (what can I say, I'm hooked on them!) and measures a sweet 2.75 x 3.5 in size. My piccy doesn't capture it, but that butterfly is absolutely smothered in Glossy Accents *grin*

I'm definitely a believer that a hug is good for you and cheers anyone up. Seeing as I'm definitely not a Monday person, I say, bring 'em on in both phsyical and card form! LOL!

*Hugs!*
Aimes
x

P.S If you've got a few inky moments free, why not play along with our 'hip to be square' challenge?

Card Deets {sending hugs}
Stamps: Butterfly Dreams, Friends til the End, Turning a New Leaf, Vintage Labels (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)/Versamark
Card: Kraft (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: True Black Bitty Box Basics (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/Corner Chomper/Detail Clear EP/Detail White EP/Promarkers/Glossy Accents

Thursday 23 September 2010

Baby Gifts

***This post is courtesty of our featured stamper for September, Margaret***

So, you see your friend once a week at church. About 6 months ago, she announces she is pregnant. Week on week you see her pregnancy progressing. They find out it’s a boy. She goes 3 weeks overdue. You pop in to pick something up the day before she gives birth.

So how come it takes you til 2 weeks AFTER the baby turns up to make the gift ???!

Oh dear.

And this really is one of those “can have it all pre-prepared for the final frou-frou” ideas.

But it is cute, right ? Cute enough to get me off the hook ?

* The basket is Papertrey Ink’s Basket Basics (and, people, if you haven’t used one of the Timeless Templates, you should. No P+P and they are very, very good – Dr Suess is revolving in his grave right now…)

* the leaves are PTI Year of Flowers:Roses

* the taggie image and sentiment is Elzybells – still available (just) and SUPER CHEAP

* All else is stash.

The “roses” are actually balled-up baby socks with a stick pushed in them, anchored in oasis ( find your local florist and ask them !!) You can get some GORGEOUS “baby bouquets” out there at some very fancy prices, but it is easy enough to play around and do it yourself (or google for someone who is smart enough to do it and take a video !!)

OK. At least one more baby is about to be born that I need a gift for. Guess what I’m going to make …2 weeks after the birth?!

Margaret

x

Monday 20 September 2010

Hip to be Square!

Hey everyone, and welcome to another Passion for Papertrey challenge!

So are you feeling hip and cool this week? We hope so because we know what's hip don't we.... yep, being square! Ok, so we're not asking you to stop being the trendy stamping ladies that we know you are (!) - but to come up with a card or project that features squares. You can be as innovative as you like, or, if you can't come up with much, how about simply making a square card?!

I may have gone a bit overboard with the squares on my card - I'm not even sure how many there are on it! I used my Monogram Borders and Corners set which I haven't used for years, and kept the design pretty simple:




Recipe:

Stamps - Borders & Corners Monogram Edition/Star Prints
Card - Stamper's Select White/Aqua Mist
Ink - Memento black
Other - star punch(SU)/black pen

Over to Aimes
"OK, I'll 'fess up - I'm a bit of a geek so being square comes easy to me LOL! But geek is chic, right? So after squaring it up in my crafty corner, here's what I've come up with:

Hope you can see my square elements! I've taken a little creative licence with my square card base courtesy of Chompy (my corner chomper) but there's also squares on the bitty box basics DP too to make up for it *wink*

The clouds were created by using a negative die cut as a stencil and sponging Fresh Snow ink over it. I kinda like the effect!
"

Card Deets
{Soaring by to say Hi}

Stamps: Everyday Button Bits (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Fresh Snow (Papertrey Ink)/Rich Cocoa (Memento)/Antique Linen (Distress Ink)
Card: Kraft,Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Spring Rain Bitty Box Basics (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cloud Die, Spring Button Mix, Jute Ribbon Twine (Papertrey Ink)/Cuttlebug/Nestabilities


And as our featured stamper for September, here's Margaret!

"So, squares, eh?? COME ON, PEOPLE !! This is an easy challenge! See if you can top my record number of 4 entries for a previous one !! I'll start you off by having made 2 for my featured stamper position (OK, I was totally putting off doing my planning/marking...!)

This first card was so easy - it uses 4 images from Sign Language, inked in variegated blues on a folded ribbon background. You could so churn these out for that smug, handmade Christmas feeling, and there are enough images on Sign Language for this card to be your go-to quickie for any occasion.

Second card was a little more complex - only because I don't have the new Framed set (my birthday is at the end of this month, if anyone wants to enable me !!) The images are from Masculine Motifs (just how versatile is this set !!) and the sentiment from Autumn Abundance. I dipped the edges of the panels in Versamark and then gold embossed them for definition. The border was drawn with a Versamark pen and gold embossed as well.


So folks, I throw you an additional challenge (no additional prize - I'm cheap !!) Could you make more than one entry for this challenge ? Remember, using a square card counts, square punch, heck, there are loads of Q+L (Quick and Lazy - my trademark ) ways to be a square!"


So you ready to play along? Here are the deets:

*All entries must contain at least one PTI product to qualify

* To enter, use our inlinkz thingy at the bottom of this post. Please leave the correct URL for your entry post and not just your generic blog address! If you're having problems then just 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 and can be in with a chance of being a Top 3 PTI Passionista, but unfortunately prizes can only be shipped within Europe!

* Challenge closes on Monday, October 4th 2010 at 9.00am GMT

* A winner will be chosen at random to receive this stamp set!:





In addition to this, we'll select the top three creations we like the most and feature them on the Blog. The top three PTI Passionistas will have chance to display a Top 3 Passionista Blinkie on their own blog.

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

Kate, Aimes & Margaret xxx




A Winner!

Thank you to everyone to entered our Punch It challenge!! There were so many fabulous creations and innovative ways to use dies and punches, I hope you were all as inspired as we were!!

So let's draw a winner for that cute Fly Away stamp set shall we?!

And the winner is....

Here are your random numbers:

7

Timestamp: 2010-09-20 11:04:44 UTC
(Random.org)


......Voegelchen! Congrats, Voegelchen! Send us your postal addy at apassionforpapertrey@yahoo.co.uk and we'll post that sweet set to ya!

Onto our Top 3 PTI Passionistas! Well you lot certainly knew how to pack a punch with your entries (sorry poor pun - couldn't resist!) After much admiration over your creations, we decided upon the following:


Pickle maybe a newbie to our challenges, but totally rocked it with this fabulous pinwheel created from a paper punch! So sweet and fun!

Debby not only wowed us with her fabulous design, but also the super clever use of a Bird Punch to create the leaves! Two punches for the price of one - we can't fault that!

Adele proves you don't need to have a scalloped border punch or die to create a scalloped border on your project. Check out the way she used her circle punch to create a fabulous border! Such a great idea!

Congrats to the Top 3! If you would like the Top 3 blinkie to blink with pride on your blog then pop us an email and we'll give you the code!

Stay tuned for our new challenge - I think you're gonna like squaring up to this one (hint!)

Aimes, Kate & Margaret
xx

Friday 17 September 2010

Sweet Li'l Thanks


And a very happy Friday to ya! I'm so happy it's Friday: finally the weekend can commence and I might finally be able to find a few minutes to get inky.....I swear every minute of this week has been taken up by something else!

If you read my previous post, you'll notice that I'm on a li'l 3X3 cards kick at the moment. I love how quickly they come together and that I don't have to devote a whole hour (or in my case, hours!) to crafty business when I've got a million and one other things on my list of things to do!

You kinda have to imagine this as a tiny card even though it looks big on the picture! LOL!

The sweetest thing about this card is that it's made entirely outta scraps! For some reason that always makes me so happy; thinking that it's almost like a 'freebie' because I didn't have to cut into any new supplies! Oh and check out that rounded corner: yup, me and Chompy (my new corner chomper) are getting on like a house on fire! I think this could be the start of a beautiful relationship LOL!

OK I've gotta dash, but I'm wishing y'all a super duper weekend! And remember, if you too can squeeze in some inky time, there's still time to enter our current challenge *wink*

Aimes
x

Card Deets
{Thanks}
Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Turning a New Leaf, Daily Designs Sentiments)
Card: Papertrey Ink (Dark Chocolate, Kraft)
Patterned Paper: Papertrey Ink (Turning a New Leaf)
Ink: Versamark/Memento
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/Papertrey Ink (Medium Scallop Border Die)/Lace from Really Reasonable Ribbon

Tuesday 14 September 2010

A holiday tree is not just for Christmas...


Happy Tuesday! Can't quite believe it's only Tuesday....I'm already thinking about the weekend LOL! Guess that's what happens when you're back at work and finding hardly any time for inky therapy!

So with this in mind, I've tried my hand at making a couple of 3x3 cards. Not only do they use half the precious PTI supplies that my normal cards take, but they're pretty quick to make, make great use of scraps and look sweet too (well sweet IMHO!)

Notice that rounded corner? *wink* My new corner chomper has arrived! Yay!

With reference to the title of today's post, I've being playing with my Holiday Tree set. I love the versatility of that tree - suitable for any season with a splash of colouring I think! I couldn't resist dabbling with autumnal colours; on my drives to work I've noticed the leaves are starting to turn, it's getting windy and the car park is a hazard zone with conkers encased in their spiky homes falling prematurely from the trees!

Aimes
x

Card Deets
{just a note}

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Holiday Tree, Daily Designs Sentiments)
Card: Papertrey Ink (Kraft)
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Accessories: Corner Chomper/Promarkers/Fineline Pen

Saturday 11 September 2010

No rounded corners...

Happy Saturday, Peeps!

So the first week back at work is over and it feels like I've never been away! Shame I had to get a horrid cold though that started even before I headed back on Monday! It was an experience to remember to have no voice on the first day with the students! LOL!

But enough sniffling, coughing and spluttering from me; I have a card to share:

I'm thinking of giving this for my nephew's birthday (he'll be 11) but not sure if that flourish is too girly....mind you, do most 11 year old boys notice anything about cards?! Surely it's all about the present, right?!

I can't claim credit for the layout of this card, it was CASED from a creation from Mariana Grigsby! It's definitely a layout I'll be using again - I love it!

Oh, and if you're wondering why there are no rounded corners on this card; my corner punch died on me :o( I know this card is begging for some rounded corners but lucky for me, the tragedy gave me the perfect excuse to buy a Corner Chomper! Now if I manage to break that baby, I know I've done something horribly wrong! LOL!

Aimes
x

P.S The deadline for payment for our PTI Make and Take was yesterday. As we're ordering the supplies we'll need today, we really require your payment if you haven't paid yet! Thank you to those of you who have paid! x x

Card Deets
{Wish Big}
Stamps: Papertrey Ink - Fancy Flourishes, Star Prints
Ink: Versamark/Papertrey Ink - Smokey Shadow/
Card: Papertrey Ink - Smokey Shadow/Soft Stone/Pure Poppy/Hawaiian Shores
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Papertrey Ink - Impression Plate Polka Dots, Simply Chartreuse Grosgrain Ribbon/Detail White EP

Friday 10 September 2010

PTI Make and Take Update!

So it looks like we could be full for our PTI Make and Take! We're so excited that you want to come and join us!

Now we'd like to give you more information and details via email, rather than on the blog so if your name on the list below is green, then we have your email address and will contact you soon! However, if your name is red, then you need to send us an email so we can email you back! Email us at: apassionforpapertrey@yahoo.co.uk

In order to get the supplies for the make and take we will require advance payment. Again, I'd like to stress that we are NOT making any profit from this event! The price is purely to cover the cost of ordering supplies, hall hire and snacks and nibbles! We would like to order next weekend and I'm sure you can appreciate that we cannot cover the costs alone! We really require payment (£15) by no later than Friday 10th September. It would also be really helpful if you could let us know you if you can't attend for whatever reason!!!

We've decided the best form of payment to use is PayPal - don't worry, you don't need to sign up for your own account! Payment is easy:

  1. Head over to this page
  2. Enter Kate's email address in the 'To' box: kate_lewis23@yahoo.co.uk
  3. If you want to be super helpful, you can leave your name in the personal message section. That way we know who has paid and who is yet to pay! Or alternatively send us an email to tell us that you've paid.
If you have any problems/queries, please don't hesitate to contact us!

Aimes & Kate
xx


1.Kate
2.Aimes
3.Taheerah - Paid, thank you!
4.Caryn - Paid, thank you!
5. Adele - Paid, thank you!
6.Nicole - Paid, thank you!
7.Carol - Paid, thank you!
8.Anne - Paid, thank you!
9.Aga - Paid, thank you!
10.Linby - Paid, thank you!
11.Beverley - Paid, thank you!
12.Kerry - Paid, thank you!
13. Anne O'K - Paid, thank you!
14. Sam - Paid, thank you!
15. Worny
16. Debbi - Paid, thank you!
17. Margaret Rose - Paid, thank you!
18. Sally Burrows - Paid, thank you!
19. Dawn - Paid, thank you!
20. Sarah - Paid, thank you!

Monday 6 September 2010

Punch It!

So, ready for a new challenge?! After going dotty for the past fortnight, we wanna see you pack a punch! Well not the violent kind, we're talking about the paper kind of punching of course! So c'mon, dig out those paper punches and see what you come up with! Don't have a paper/border punch? Well we'll let you off if you use a die-cut because it's almost the same kinda thing....but everyone has a regular paper hole punch don't they?! Could you use that creatively I wonder?!

I'll confess that I went a little 'punch crazy' on my example - I couldn't resist! So here's my example with not one, not two, but three paper punches (can you spot them all?!)

I've a little bit of an addiction creating these kinda 3D, doily, fan things too! Just love the dimension they add to a card!


Card Deets
{There's no one like You}
Stamps: Papertrey Ink: Friends 'til the End, Around and About Sentiments
Ink: Papertrey Ink: Pure Poppy
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink: White, Hibiscus Burst
Patterned Paper: Papertrey Ink: Simple Valentine
Accessories: Martha Stewart Scalloped Border Punch/EK Success Embossed Scallop Punch/Corner Rounder/Papertrey Ink button, twine/Cuttlebug/Nestabilities


Now I'm gonna cover for my PTI partner in crime, Kate for this challenge. Kate is super duper busy at the moment, so she may pop by with a card later on in the week!

So that leaves you with an example from our featured stamper for September, Margaret! Here's Margaret's lovely autumnal take on the challenge:

"This card was a bit of a challenge for me as I don't really use the many punches I have - most are a bit twee. However, despite the start of an Indian Summer here in Scotland, Autumn is very much on my mind, especially as the trees are on the cusp of turning - really, they are!


Remember how I love CASEing people ? Well, I saw a card by Erin Lincoln at Procrastination Station on the 19th of August where she uses the PTI Autumn Abundance set on Mat Stack 3 ( turns out she'd CASEd Nichole Heady, so if it's good enough for those girls... !) I love it when you can multi-purpose stuff - another great feature of much of the PTI range !

I kinda had leaves tumbling over the card in my mind but I couldn't really make that work as I felt the leaves were too "solid" both in texture and shape. I then came up with the wreath/frame idea, but needed to vary the leaves a bit so I puddled Glimmer Mists to make a variegated cardstock to punch the leaves from - I thought it would be nice to have the leaves curving. However, they needed more of a "grounding" and that's where the Rubber Tapestry stamps came in, stamped in Kaleidacolour Autumn Leaves - you can just see them peeking behind the wreath. Yup, PTI works FABULOUSLY with other ranges of stamps - and it is allowed, folks !!

Oh, I also scored a border around the square card, just to contain it all.

The main image from PTI Autumn Abundance was stamped and coloured with Koh-I-Noor Pencils then I used Crackle Glaze to ...erm.... crackle glaze it (??!) When that was dried, I rubbed Distress Tea-dye ink over to highlight the crackle. Doesn't that sound a nice, calm creative process ? Want to hear the real monologue in my head from this morning ? Then pop on over to my blog - although, be warned, it ain't pretty ..."

So you ready to play along? Here are the deets:

*All entries must contain at least one PTI product to qualify

* To enter, use our inlinkz thingy at the bottom of this post. Please leave the correct URL for your entry post and not just your generic blog address! If you're having problems then just 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 and can be in with a chance of being a Top 3 PTI Passionista, but unfortunately prizes can only be shipped within Europe!

* Challenge closes on Monday, Sept 20th 2010 at 9.00am GMT

* A winner will be chosen at random to receive this stamp set!:





In addition to this, we'll select the top three creations we like the most and feature them on the Blog. The top three PTI Passionistas will have chance to display a Top 3 Passionista Blinkie on their own blog.

So go get punching! We can't wait to see what you create!

Aimes, Kate & Margaret
xxx

Our winners!

Happy Monday! Time for a new challenge today which means time to draw a winner from our previous challenge! We were amazed by the amount of entries we had this past fortnight; I can't help but think the special prize we had on offer had something to do with that *wink

We won't delay you any longer....


Here are your random numbers:

22

Timestamp: 2010-09-06 09:22:30 UTC


....Debby!
Congrats, Debby! You've just won PTI's Anniversary Set, Round and Round! Please email your postal addy to us at apassionforpapertrey@yahoo.co.uk and we'll send that stamp set out to ya!

Now onto our Top 3 Passionistas....a real toughie when we had so many entries to look through!


Lorena - check out Lorena's fabulous paper piecing with this gorgeous rose! That rose looks fabby against the kraft background which, if you look closely, has even more polka dots on it from using the Background Basics: Tin Types!

Andreea
- although Andreea didn't have anything polka-dot themed, she didn't let this stop her from playing along with our challenge! Yup, Andreea took the initiative to create her own polka dots on this fab and fun card! What super thinking!

Martha - we don't know about 'batty' but we certainly went dotty over this sweet card! A fabulous layout featuring some sweet polka dots and the best part is, that this was a card made from scraps! It's great when something so fabulous comes from scraps!

So congrats, ladies! If you'd like the Top 3 blinkie to blink with pride on your blogs then pop us an email (apassionforpapertrey@yahoo.co.uk) and we'll email you back the code!

Stay tuned for our new challenge coming up very soon...

Aimes & Kate
xx

Sunday 5 September 2010

Come join us!!!!


Hey peeps! Ok, so today we have a question for you..... we're wondering if you would like to spend an afternoon crafting with a group of fellow PTI-loving stampers?!

Is that a 'yes' we here you say?!!! Well, we're delighted to announce, after many weeks of discussions, we are going to hold a Papertrey Make and Take afternoon in October and we'd love for you to join us!!!

Here are the deets:

- Date: Sunday, October 10th

- Time: 1.30pm - 4.30pm

- Location: Beauchief Baptist Church, Sheffield
(parking is available on site and around the area. The nearest train station is Dore. Connecting trains from Sheffield Station to Dore are at 1.13pm arriving in Dore at 1.20pm and 4.57pm back to Sheffield station for 5.06pm - we'll have to pick you up from the station because it's a good 5min drive from the venue!)

- Cost: £15 (This is just to cover the cost of materials and hall hire. We will not be making any personal profit from the event!)

- Refreshments: Hot and soft drinks with some snacks (there's a local Co-Op opposite for any additional requirements you may have!)

- Projects: Three papercrafting projects (two cards and one 3D item) using Papertrey products. We will provide all card/stamps/ink and embellishments you need to make your projects. Please bring your own scissors, adhesives, and any other tools.


If you would like to join us please leave a comment below by September 5th, there will be twenty places available.

We hope you can join us!

Kate and Aimes
xx


Confirmed Attendees

1.Kate
2.Aimes
3.Taheerah
4.Caryn
5.Vannessa (maybe)
6.Nichole
7.Carol
8.Anne
9.Aga
10.Linby
11.Beverley
12.Kerry
13. Anne O'K
14. Lesley (maybe!)
15. Worny
16. Debbi
17. Margaret Rose
18. Rachel
19. Dawn
20. Sarah

Reserve List
1.Sally Burrows

Wednesday 1 September 2010

September's Featured Stamper!

Hey it's September already! Someone please tell me where the summer holidays went?! I can't believe I'm back to work/school so soon!

So as it's a new month, it's time for a new Featured Stamper for September! Firstly, we'd both love to thank Caryn for being our Featured Stamper for August, we've loved having her on board with us and I'm sure you'll agree that she shared some fabulous projects with us!

And now, without further ado, we'd like to introduce you to our Featured Stamper for September:



We're so happy to have Margaret with us for September. She's been a fab follower of our blog and challenges for a while now and really impressed us with her recent enthusiasm for our past Long & Tall Challenge; entering a whopping 4 times! Now that's the kinda stamping spirit we like to see!

We gave Margaret the usual toughie interview questions to get to know her a little better:

1)How did you get into papercrafting?
I have always been into making things, but it was mainly textiles - embroidery, dressmaking and quilts - until I got Chronic Fatigue. I didn't have the concentration for embroidery, or the strength to make quilts, so I was casting around for a new hobby. Luckily, a FABULOUS stamp shop called Stampaholics had just opened in Perth, Scotland, with an amazingly talented owner (hello Siobhan !!!) A friend and I took a couple of classes and I was hooked. We were originally going to go to watercolour classes - the fine art world's loss is stamping's ...um... gain??!

2)How long have you been stamping for?
Eight years. My excuse for not being as brilliant as some of you who have been crafting a much shorter period is that I had a baby during that time (and if you ever met the whirlwind that is DD, you'd understand why it is only one baby !)

3)How did you get into PTI and why do you love it so much?
I probably found PTI the way I find most new stamp companies. I browse quite a few papercrafting blogs and when I see a stamp I like, I check out the company - it may well have been through the delightful Steph's blog "Stamping & Sharing" (hello Steph !!!)
I fell in love with the clean lines of the PTI stamps and the fact they are so versatile. You just need to see a countdown to understand why they become such a staple of a stamp collection as you can create so many "moods" from one image. More bang for your (expensively exchange-rated) buck ! I also LOVE the sentiments and the fonts they use - I'm a real word girl.

4)What would you say is your stamping style?
My most common style is a variant on the Clean and Simple style - the Quick and Lazy ! However, I really love all styles and I am trying to be more adventurous than good old stamp'n'mat. The one I simply cannot do is Vintage. I could buy identical materials to Melissa Phillips, copy her card exactly, and while hers is whimsical and nostalgic, mine is a heap of junk in a puddle of PVA. I don't visit her blog now out of sheer envy....!
I would say with the PTI stamps, you really can get away with the Quick and Lazy style of stamping - it still looks fabulous ! Give it a go, folks!

5)Do you have a favourite PTI colour or colour combo that just makes you drool?
I'm very seasonal - right now I am leaving my brights to head into the quieter tones of Autumn. If you said I could only ever have one colour for the rest of my stamping career, I'd cry. So don't, OK?

6)If you had to choose just one PTI stamp set to keep, which one would it be and why?
You're so MEAN - one colour, now one stamp !!! Right now, in this moment, I'd have to say "Through the Trees", because I have a card that's been sitting in my head ALL WEEK that uses one of the images in that set. However, the set I have used the most is "Beyond Basic Borders" - it really is a versatile set, with the mix of sentiments and images that can make any kind of card.

7)Who is your PTI Idol?
It's got to be The Boss - Nichole Heady. That woman rocks. During the 5 days of sneak peeks, I always think "Nah... Don't need it.... Won't like it...." Then come the 5 countdown days and - oh my... her creations make me despair, because my don't needs/won't likes become GOTTA HAVE NOW!!!! She creates cards that are relatively simple in construction, totally different from each other, yet all just stand out in their loveliness. I also have a soft spot for Heather Nicholls for similar reasons, and I love visiting Mish, Maile and Dawn's blogs. Heck, I think all the designers are great - I'd have them over for afternoon tea anytime ( can you imagine??! )


8)Where do you get your inspiration from?
I would love to say "nature" or "music" and make out that it's all from my own talent ...but that would be a Big Fat Lie. My inspiration comes from all of you bloggers. I am a very firm believer in CASE and I am often inspired by someone else's work, or a technique that someone uses. I think card sketches are genius and can kick start you into something amazing. That said, I think it is SOOO important to credit someone when you nick their ideas - it's only polite !

9)What’s your stamping dream?
Oooh ! That Nichole Heady reads this and decides to make me an honorary, for life PTI Design Member. She back dates my stamp collection with every stamp PTI have ever made ...and makes the rest of the Design Team come round for that afternoon tea once a month. I make great cake - it wouldn't be so bad.
Slightly more realistically ? OK - two. PTI open a European franchise ...in Dundee, Scotland. IT COULD HAPPEN !! And that I manage to get my birthday card book filled for the year ( I think the PTI, Dundee might just be more likely...)

10)Where can we go to check out more of your wonderful creations?
Come to my blog - Threads, Ink and Me. You can skip the blether, and just look at the pretty pictures. Then CASE them. You can also come to tea - I wasn't kidding about great cake !

Yummmy, well I know we're tempted with the promise of tea and great cake! I'm sure you'll join us welcoming Margaret on board, we can't wait share her creations with you here on the PTI blog!

Aimes & Kate
xx