April Papertrey Blog Hop

Wow...it's been a while.  "Occasional Crafting" was not chosen by chance as the name of this blog.  Life's been busy but good.  Although I've missed a bunch of sleep, I wasn't about to miss PTI's blog hop.  A bunch of things stood out from the inspiration photo - the colors, the patterns, and especially the flowers.  I initially incorporated a lot more of the patterns into this layout, but when it was all said and done, most of that got taken off.

Photo Credit

The flowers from PTI's In Bloom set took FOREVER to cut out, but they're my favorite part of the page (second only to the cute picture of my mom and little one), so it was worth it.

The next two shots show the dimension of the flowers and leaves a bit better.  Every flower but one has three different layers of dimension and the leaves are popped up at different angles.

 

Supplies

Stamps: In Bloom, Polka Dot Basics, Turning a New Leaf (all PTI)

Ink: Bashful Blue (SU), Blush (CTMH), Pink Passion (SU), Raspberry Fizz (PTI), Spring Moss (PTI)

Paper: Corduroy Sky (MM), Hibiscus Burst (PTI), Pink Pirouette (SU), Raspberry Fizz (PTI), Spring Moss (PTI), Stamper's Select White (PTI)

Other: Scenic Route Powder Blue Chipboard, Dimensionals (SU), 3-D Foam Tape (CTMH)

PTI Make It Monday 61 - Card 2

Here's another card for this week's Make It Monday. This time, I used PTI's Large Scallop Die to make the flower.  I've only ever done this with felt (see this post), which I have to say is much easier to make into a flower than paper with this particular die.  The flower sticks way off the card, so there's no way I'd be able to mail it (it definitely wouldn't fit in an envelope), and actually I ended up trimming some of the bulk off the bottom of the flower before I glued it on the card.  Regardless, I'm pretty happy with the way the card turned out, and the friend I'm giving it to lives just around the corner, so no big deal.  Here's a closer view of the flower.

To my sisters: Do you recognize the book under the card?

Supplies

Stamps: Background Basics: Retro (PTI), Star Prints (PTI)

Ink: Cranberry (CTMH), Tea Dye Duo (PTI)

Paper: Kraft (PTI), Rustic Cream (PTI), Chloe's Closet DP (MM), Union Square Paper Pad (Recollections)

Other: Large Scallop Border Die (PTI), Eyelet Border Punch (SU), Hemp (CTMH), red button, Texture Tools Foam Brush (CTMH)

Papertrey Make It Monday #61

 This week's Make It Monday Challenge at Papertrey was to create a flower with any kind of non-flower die.  I've been wanting to make more little roses ever since I made these for last month's blog hop, so I pulled out my Simple Circles Die again and whipped up another triple rose hair clip for a cute niece of mine that lives too far away.  (Go to this post to see basic instructions on how I made the roses using PTI's Simple Circles Die.) My niece is such a bright, vibrant little girl that I wanted really bold colors for her hair clip.  I wanted to make the flowers a little more exciting since my niece is only 2, so I made them into flower balloons. (She loves balloons and her mom knows how to make balloons into fun different animals, hats, flowers, etc., so I thought my niece would enjoy that idea.) To attach the clip I simply cut a little line in the card with my X-Acto knife and slid the clip through. 

My niece loves dogs, so I grabbed PTI's Tremendous Treats: Valentine set. (I love that little dog, too!)  I used the X-Acto knife to cut around the little dog's head, so he could hold the flower balloon strings in his mouth. I also used PTI's Simple Circles Die for the scallop borders on the sides of the card.

Here's one more shot of the clip all by itself.

Supplies
Stamps: Star Prints (PTI), Tremendous Treats: Valentine (PTI)
Ink: Basic Gray (SU)
Paper: Stamper's Select White (PTI), Black
Other: Simple Circles Die (PTI); Denim, Pink Sorbet, and Charcoal Twine (The Twinery); colored pencils; dark pink, royal blue, and white felt; alligator clip, white grosgrain ribbon; X-Acto Knife

Papertrey's Make It Monday #60: Generational Stamping

I'm so glad I finally got the chance to play along with Papertrey's Make It Monday Challenge this week. The challenge was generational stamping/stamp off technique, which I actually love and use a fair amount when I stamp (especially when I use gray because I only have one dark gray ink pad and I often find myself wanting a lighter gray on my projects like this card).
I used the generational stamping technique to stamp my background with PTI's Damask Designs.  (I love this set and every time I use it I wonder why I don't use it more often.)  And I actually used the stamp off technique again when I stamped the polka dot chair pattern from On My Couch Additions because I wanted the lighter gray.  My favorite things on this card are the little rhinestones.  You can see them a bit better in the pictures below.  They add just the right amount of sparkle in person.  (Definitely worth the hastle of peeling them off and putting them on one-by-one.)

Supplies (all PTI unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Damask Designs, Mat Stack 3 Collection, On My Couch, On My Couch Additions
Ink: Basic Gray (SU), Raspberry Fizz
Paper: Lemon Tart, Raspberry Fizz, Stamper's Select White
Other: Mat Stack 3 Die, Rhinestone Stickers (Recollections)