Release day...

Tonight is the night when all of the new releases (stamps, dies and such) are available for purchase at www.papertreyink.com! I have a few new sets to share with you.

Here I've used the new Dress Up Dolls: Winter Fun (snowflakes, snowman, mittens, scarf and snowballs) and the new Fill in the Blank stamp set (thank you background).

The background stitching die is cut with Noted: Scalloped A2 Vertical dies. "Warm Winter Wishes" was stamped with an older set, Two Feet Deep. I thought the saying would be cute with the snowman.

Warm Winter Wishes card:

STAMPS: Dress Up Dolls: Winter Fun, Fill In the Blank, Two Feet Deep

INK: Enchanted Evening, Hawaiian Shores, 

PAPER: Hawaiian Shores, white

DIES: Noted A2 Vertical 

OTHER: twine, dimensional adhesive.

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Next is the new What the Doodle: Piece of Cake and Keep It Simple: Birthday III stamps!

I've tucked the little cake inside the Window Cut Tag die.

Happy Birthday card:

STAMPS: What the Doodle: Piece of Cake, Keep It Simple: Birthday III

INK: Pure Poppy, Versamark

PAPER: Lavender Moon, New Leaf pattern pack

DIES: What the Doodle: Piece of Cake, Basic Cut Tag, Window Cut Tag

OTHER: white embossing powder, Copic markers.

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Also, I have some news to share with you all...

With great sadness, and after 6 years with Papertrey Ink, 10 full years of blogging and 1295 posts, I've decided to step down from crafting and all of my design teams. 

As some of you might know, I went through a horrible, unexpected divorce last year. It was the roughest year of my life. Since then, I've hung on to crafting, as it was one of the things I enjoyed the most, and although it was very difficult to craft many days when I had to come up with my monthly projects...it did get me through some very hard times.

Since then, I've been picking up the pieces one day at a time. I bought my home and refinanced it in my name. I paid off my car. I met a wonderful guy who showed me that I'm worthy of being loved as I am. An unexpected opportunity came to me a couple of months ago, working with breast cancer patients. This past weekend, they asked me to become full time, working with these patients, scheduling their surgeries and following them for months as they go through their mastectomies and reconstructions. I love my patients! I feel as though my situation, having changed, is driving me with this desire to help others get through their difficult times! I hope to still have time here and there to make things when the inspiration strikes me, and will continue to post my projects when I'm able. I don't want to give up crafting all together. I hope you will continue to stop by now and then to say hello. I will miss my Papertrey Ink family tremendously! Papertrey Ink has been my life the past 6 years!

Paper crafters are the most kind and amazing people, and I'm so thankful for the friendships I've made over the past 10 years through this hobby.

Visit the amazing design team to see more projects with the November release! Love this group of girls!!

Amy Sheffer
Ashley Cannon Newell
Betsy Veldman
Dawn McVey
Heather Nichols
Kay Miller
Laurie Willison
Lizzie Jones
Melissa Phillips
Nichole Heady

Creative uses for stamps...

This week at the Scrapbook Expo blog, I have a little post on looking at your stamps in a different way. Can you guess what stamp I used to create these corners that I used to make a frame around the sentiment?

Stop over to the Weekly Scrapper to read more, and leave a link with stamps you've used in unconventional ways...I'd love to see what you're making also!

Thank You card:

STAMPS: Pedal Pusher, Paper Clippings: Thankful For You by PTI

INK: Lovely Lady, Simply Chartreuse, Pure Poppy, Bright Buttercup, True Black by PTI

PAPER: white, Green Parakeet + White Basics

DIES: Die-Namics Four Way Chevron Cover Up by My Favorite Things

OTHER: seam binding, paper clip, sequins.

Introducing What The Doodle: Apple...

Welcome to the Papertrey Ink countdown for April! All of the new products you see here today will be available for purchase on 4/15 at 10pm EST at Papertreyink.com. Today I get to introduce to you a new stamp set and dies called What the Doodle: Apple. I loved working with these and can't wait to make more!

What the Doodle: Apple stamps, dies and Coloring Sheets were used to make 4 cards that I put in a clear card box with envelopes/and a tag for a teacher gift! 

On the first card, I added some Sheer Basics Vellum over a Chicken Scratch Gingham paper. I used a part of the Cover Plate: Pretty Frame Die to add a little frame. I colored one of the What the Doodle: Apple Coloring Sheets, and then I made a pretty apple to go over the top with vellum.

To make the large apple, I used the dies to cut a back layer from the tiny gingham and a top layer from vellum. I stamped the apple onto the vellum and embossed it with white embossing powder. Then colored it on the back of the vellum with Copics!

Next up are 3 cards with the What the Doodle: Apple Coloring Sheets, love these! I colored this one in with Copics and added 2 layers of the Thank you die cut with the Wonderful Words: Thank You die. I colored the die cut with a gray W3 Copic marker.

On the second one, I used some different colors and ink blended the background with New Leaf ink. The frames added are from the Cover Plate: Pretty Frame die again. (Just the outer portion)

The last one is another Coloring Sheet that I used slightly different colors on. 

Then I packaged them all up in a clear card box and created a tag with the Minute To Make: Holiday  Tags die.

The stamps were used on the tag and colored in with Copics again! 

Thanks Teacher gift card box:

STAMPS: What the Doodle: Apple

INK: True Black, New Leaf

PAPER: Sheer Basics Vellum, What the Doodle: Apple Coloring Sheets, 
Chicken Scratch Gingham, Ripe Avocado Pattern Pack

DIES: What the Doodle: Apple dies, Wonderful Words: Thank You die, 
Minute to Make: Holiday, Cover Plate: Pretty Frame die, 

OTHER: white embossing powder, paper clip, enamel dot, twine, 
Copic Markers = R29, W3, YG63, YG11.

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Visit Nichole Heady to see more previews of what's coming this month!

Watercolor pencils: a video tutorial...

Happy Wednesday! Will you get any crafting time in today? Perhaps some watercoloring? If so, hop over to Scrapbook Expo's Weekly Scrapper blog to watch a new video tutorial I filmed yesterday using the new Bold Blossoms Watercolor Sheets by Papertrey Ink and watercolor pencils. You can view the video HERE.

There is also a Bold Blossoms stamp set and some Bold Blossom coloring sheets available at Papertrey Ink, if you are more of a stamper or prefer to color with Copics and other coloring mediums. I hope you enjoy seeing the process with the watercolor pencils, and let me know if you have any questions! Have a great day!