Organising cardstock

I spent some time on the weekend trying to get my cardstock more organised. I have ended up with quite a lot of cardstock from Papertrey Ink (and it is terrific quality- thick and smooth for stamping) and needed to get it sorted. Enter some wooden file holders from IKEA, designed as magazine holders I guess. While I was at it I decided to make a large swatch of my PTI cardstock for helping my choose colours for projects. Isn't it a beautiful sight?

Papertrey July Blog Hop Challenge: office supplies

This is my first PTI blog hop, so an extra special welcome to any hopping visitors! I was very taken with the theme of using office supplies this month, and really tried to rack my brains to come up with interesting things to use.

In the end my supply list included paperclips, a staple, a shipping tag, a price tag and masking tape. And here they all are:


My favourite part of this card is the embossed background. I'm sure you can work out what I used! If you are keen to give this a go yourself, here is how I did it...


I scattered paperclips on a magnetic sheet which I have backed with grip mat. I used the magnetic sheet to combat any sliding around of the paperclips, but it would probably work just as well on a piece of chipboard. I used a Cuttlebug to do the embossing, sandwhich as follows (bottom up): A plate, B plate, magnetic sheet with paperclips on it, cardstock, polymer embossing mat, B plate.


Voila! Just be careful that you don't force anything through your machine that doesn't want to go- you'll break your plates. Got any other ideas for embossing with 'ordinary' items? I'd love to hear them!

My other tip is to try stamping on masking tape. It's kinda like DIY decorative tissue tape!


I tore a strip of tape and put it on some acetate so I could remove it after stamping, then used Papertrey Ink Background Basics text style and black StazOn ink. When it is dry, just remove it gently from the acetate and add it to your project.

Thanks so much for stopping by- I hope you found something fun, useful or inspirational to take with you. If you have the time, I'd really appreciate a comment :)

Card supplies
Paper: Papertrey Ink ripe avocado, kraft; Roman Print white cardstock 300gsm.
Stamps: Papertrey Ink background basics text style, fillable frames #1; Hero Arts galaxy of stars; postal stamps unknown.
Ink: Colorbox chestnut pigment ink, burnt sienna fluid chalk; Hero Arts soft pool shadow ink; Papertrey Ink vintage cream; StazOn black.
Tools: Cuttlebug; Papertrey Ink die fillable frames #1; Tim Holtz tiny attacher.
Other: shipping tag, masking tape, jute string, small price tag, foam adhesive

Welcome Poppy

My favourite cards are the ones I personalise for the recipients. Some friends had their first baby recently, and she is named Poppy. What a perfect opportunity to use this poppy image from Hero Arts!


First I stamped Papertrey Ink Background Basics:text style on rustic white cardstock using Distress Ink (tattered rose). Over this I stamped Poppy Background using versafine ink (sepia). The background has been stamped using PTI polka dot basics, versamark ink and Pearl Ex (pearl) powder added. The sentiment is also PTI- fillable frames #5.

More felt goodness

Still in love with the Papertrey Ink felt. Another card, this time with a die cut felt flower.


For this card I stamped some leaves on rustic white cardstock with spring moss ink, trimmed the piece to a rectangle but cut around the leaves on the edge. I inked the edges with antique linen Distress Ink. The flower is made of a base layer of die cut ocean tides felt, topped with a die cut layer of rustic white cardstock stamped with Background Basics: text style using tattered rose Distress Ink. The edges were inked and a button applied to the middle.

Add a sentiment, some ribbon and some faux stitching with a uniball signo white gel pen.

Felt, wonderful felt

I think I get extra excited when two different hobbies come together in some way, and for this reason I am having a real thing for felt at the moment. This felt from Papertrey Ink is 100% wool, absolutely gorgeous stuff!



I'm torn between making a million and one different things with it and hoarding it in my stash forever! This is the first project it has gone towards- a baby card for some friends expecting soon. I drew the peapod shape on some tissue paper and used it as a pattern to cut the shape from the felt, then backstitched the detail by hand with cotton embroidery floss.



The sentiment and frame is more PTI goodness- Fillable Frames #5. I used the co-ordinating die to deboss the shape that the frame is stamped in. The cuttlebug sandwhich was (bottom up) A plate, B plate, thick cardstock shim, die cutting side down, cardstock centered over die, polymer embossing mat, B plate.

Flying banner birthday wishes

Created with some of my newly arrived Papertrey Ink goodies combined with some favourite existing supplies. It is flying off to a birthday party very soon. This is the full set :


When I showed it to my 5 yr old son the first thing he said was "Look Mum, that one (the top plane) has a radial cooled engine, and the bottom one doesn't." I have to admit, that particular detail had passed me by!

PTI: Fly Away mini stamp set, poppy cardstock
Hero Arts cloud background and soft pool shadow ink
Sassafras Lass flag banner stickers.

Vintage layered flower tutorial

So this is how I made the flower for the card in the last post:

Die cut three flower shapes of various sizes from grungepaper and text (I used Donna Salazar's Crafty Chronicle). The grungepaper is important, because it is very robust and sturdy but also pliable. I used Papertrey Ink dies to cut my shapes.



Use gel medium to glue the text flowers onto the corresponding grungepaper flowers & let dry. I use gel medium for this because it has great adhesion and not much moisture and dries quickly. Spray with the pearlised spray of your choice and set with fixative if required. Ink the edges with the distress inks of your choice.



Shape your flower layers (this is why the grungepaper is so important.) For the bottom layer I curled the petals up and then outwards. For the upper layers I shaped the petals more upwards and towards the center. Use adhesive foam to adhere the layers on top of each other and add a button to the flower center.



I attached mine to the card using more adhesive foam and put some Prima leaves around the base.

Vintage text flower card

Last weekend I finally sat down and made a layered vintage flower- something I'd been meaning to try out for ages. Not quite as breathtaking as the Prima text flowers that inspired me, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.



It is definitely the main event on the card- I just rounded it out with a die cut mat and sentiment which I had coated with clear crackle paint. Paper & die cuts Pink Paislee.

My next post in a couple of days will have a step-by-step explaining what I did to make the flower, just in case you're interested.

Pink Paislee: 365 degrees of superhero

Inspired by Heike's sketch challenge for the week at Scrapz.biz. I took these photos of Andy a few weeks ago and just couldn't wait to scrap them. They capture his personality and interests right now and make me laugh every time I see them.



Papers and embellishments all Pink Paislee 365 degrees collection, alphas American Crafts and Studio Calico.

Printing tip
Sometimes I like to print a bit of journaling on a tag rather than use my own handwriting. I just open a new document in Microsoft word, type up my text and eyeball it (making sure the view is set at 100%) and print it out on scrap paper until I'm happy with it. Then I put the die cut or cardstock or whatever over the top, trace the outline of it in pencil, remove it to check I'm happy with the placement of text and stick the die cut back over the text with repositional tape. Back it goes through the printer in exactly the same orientation as the first print and this time the print will be on the die cut.

Cowl for Emma

This yarn is just heavenly- I am definitely in love with Rowan kidsilk haze yarn. I hope Emma likes it.



The pattern was from knitty for free. Gotta love that!

Incorporating kid's drawings into a layout

I've been itching to get some of Alex's craft onto a layout. He drew these aircraft today and the house at preschool.

I finally got inspired by Mel's What's Cooking challenge over at Scrapz.biz. Thanks Mel!

Paper by October Afternoon (Thrift Shop) and Jilibean Soup. Blossoms Sassafras Lass. Alphas Cosmo Cricket.

Air male card

Another male card today- it all seems to come in a rush! I wanted to use an airplane on the card for this particular person, so this sentiment seemed to fit nicely.



This one is really all about the simple design, textures and contrasting colours. The background is Basic Grey, the paper plane has been cut from some Cosmo Cricket paper & pops up a bit with foam adhesive, the Hero Arts sentiment is white embossed give some gloss & contrast and the 'line' backstitched by hand with embroidery floss.

When I hand stitch on cards, I draw the line in pencil, pierce it at regular intervals with a large sewing needle on top of a mouse pad turned over and then I erase the pencil line. After I do the sewing, the thread ends are secured with sticky tape and the cardfront adhered to the base cardstock.