October Challenge (a bit late)

I just realized that October is half over. The reason I know this is because my calendar runs on PTI time and tonight is the October release. Where did the month go? I am so sorry that this challenge is so late. I don't like excuses, so I won't make any. Life and kids and a new job and the entire family getting taken out by a fall cold all took its toll. That, combined with a severe lack of mojo has made it a stressful month with very little crafting.

When I get in a funk where I have no time (or even desire) to create, I like to hop around some of my favorite blogs and CASE. So, this month's challenge is to go to a favorite blog of yours and CASE a card that speaks to you. My inspiration came from Karen at Luv to Stamp. I love Karen's style and this card is really beautiful.

Here is my CASE of Karen's card:

I can't wait to see what you do!

August Posse Challenge - All About Me

"Hey pretty lady.  What puts a smile on your face?"  We all know that a PTI box on the doorstep puts a spring in our step, but I'm sure that other things do to.  So, now's the time to share. (But, keep it clean, okay.)  Think, raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.

The Challenge:
(1) Create a card that highlights one of your favorite things - OUTSIDE of stamping.
(2) Use at least one Papertrey product.
(3) Post your creation to your blog (or other online gallery) and tell us a bit about your choice.
(4) Add a link to your post to the Mr. Linky below before August 31st.

All supplies PTI unless otherwise noted.

Paper:  Rustic Cream, all prints (Hopscotch Collection, BasicGrey)

Stamps:  Admit One (LawnFawn), Birthday Basics

Ink:  Fountain Pen (Jenni Bowlin), Vintage Touch Tea Dye Duo

Tools:  Wonderful Words die, Tag Sale 3, Edgers #2,

Other:  Copics, seam binding (Hug Snug)

Easy, eh? So, as this month's hostess, I posted my sample to get your mojo fllowing. But, if you want the story behind it, you'll have to visit my blog once I've linked it up. Can't wait to see your creations and to learn a little bit more about each of you.

Happy stamping!

Papertrey Posse June Challenge: Before and After

Have you ever made a card and after it was completed, posted on your blog and sent on to the recipient, you wished you had done it differently?  I do that many times, sort of like when I think of something I should have said if only I had thought of it quick enough.  Today, for the Papertrey June challenge I am going to do a little Before and After challenge.  For the May Papertrey Ink Blog Hop I made this card:

"BEFORE"

I liked it.  Was satisfied with it, except...I didn't like the chopped off look to the doily.  I wished I could have a do-over, so that is what I did. 

 "AFTER"

Can you notice the changes? 

I used the whole doily this time, just let it extend a bit over the edge of the card.  I cut the gingham layer a little bit narrower, so more of the brown card base shows and rounded the cardbase corner.  It seems more balanced this way.  I changed the flower image and added some glitter to it.  I tied some bakers twine around the images and added the cute little gardening tools for a little bit more interest. 

I am much more pleased with this card overall and since I enjoyed my little Before and After experience, I am challenging my Posse friends to do the same.  Just pick a card you liked but wished you had done something just a bit different to it.  Link it below with Mr. Linky and show us your improvements!

June Papertrey Posse Petite Challenge-Something Trendy

This is my first time hosting a Papertrey Posse challenge and lately I have become very aware of "trends" in the world of cardmaking.  Almost every month we see something released by Papertrey Ink that falls into the catagory of the latest trends.  This month, I thought it would be fun to focus a challenge on creating something using something "trendy".  The first thing that came to mind as being trendy is pinwheels.  I have been seeing them pop up all over the place, so of course I had to take a stab at making a card using handmade pinwheels.   Here is my example of something trendy:

This is a long card, measuring 4 x 8.  The red, white and blue swirls are from Little Bitty Bird.  The Friendship jar has three sizes of foil stars glued inside and the pinwheels have lollipop sticks supporting them.  There is an clear cardstock jar layered over the sticks which was adhered with spray glue.  I have found that as long as you only stick it once and don't lift or move the clear cardstock, none of the glue residue shows.  Not at all.  Just make sure to get it right the first try!  The pinwheels were made using Bitty Dot paper and a small star brad holds it all together.  The finishing touch was a little star tag with the sentiment on it and some red/white twine.  This will be a perfect card for one of my friends whose birthday is on July 4th.

My challenge to you, my Posse friends, is to create a card using something "trendy".  I can't wait to see what you all create.



April Posse Challenge: Make it Monday x 2!

Ok ok... I know I'm STILL late, and I promised to be back in a day or two with the April Challenge. Uhm, I didn't make it! LOL! But I had this idea for the Posse challenge, and when I saw today's Make it Monday video on Nichole's blog, I just knew I wanted to get my act together and post it!

So, we are all big fans of PTI here, and of course of the amazing inspiration from Nichole and the Design Team. And I think it's safe to say that most of us have been enjoying the new Make It Monday series on Nichole's blog, where a different technique is highlighted and explained via a new video each week! So for the Posse Challenge, I want you to revisit the MIM videos (you can find them all here!) and pick at least two MIM techniques to incorporate into your card. This is a great opportunity to revisit a favorite, or maybe complete a MIM challenge that you didn't get to the first time around. And of course, feel free to make the current MIM one of your two techniques, so that you can also link it up to Nichole's blog! And, since you have until the end of April to post it here, there will be additional MIM's to use as well! :)

So for my card, I used today's MIM #10 - Masking with Die-Cuts along with #8 - Ink Blending Techniques. I soooo love that soft, blended look and really wanted to try the MIM that week, but time got away from me and I never got to try it. So for my card, I first sponged a PTI white cardstock panel with Summer Sunrise, Orange Zest and a bit of Pure Poppy ink. Then I masked with the negative space from the Fillable Frame #4 die, one of my favorite shapes in the series, and sponged over the Summer Sunrise with blue ink.

I stamped the sentiment from my new (to me) Signature Greetings set. The tree is from Merry Little Christmas, and the bird, birdhouse and little pure poppy flowers are from Tag-Its #2.

I love how soft and pretty this card came out, and I already have a couple of other ideas floating around for revisiting some old MIM techniques, so I'll probably play along again! Can't wait to see what you come up with! Just link up below by April 30 to play along!

April Petite Challenge

Hello, Posse gals and Friends of the Posse! :) It's Debbie here, a little bit behind schedule (sorry!) but ready to post the April Petite Challenge.

As some of you may know, before I discovered PTI and switched my crafting focus to stamping and cardmaking, I was a scrapbooker (who occasionally made a card, lol). I also am a sketch artist and have done scrapbooking sketches for several sites, and continue to be the in-house sketch artist for the blog at Allyscraps, an online scrapbooking and papercrafting store. So I just knew that I wanted to make at least one of my April challenges be a sketch challenge! I'm so happy to get to share my love of sketchmaking here on the Posse blog!

So here is the sketch for April's Petite Challenge:

And here is my card as a sample:

I heat-emblossed the harvest gold base with Polka Dot Basics 2. I used the Birthday Tags set for the "it's your day" tag, and paper-pieced the hat so that I could use several layers in different colors. Also used Mat Stack 1, Limitless Layers dies, the scalloped border die, and PTI ribbon and buttons.

I hope you'll play along with us this month! Just link up your take on the card below! I can't wait to see your takes on the sketch! :) I will be back within a day or two to post the regular April Challenge, so check back!

March Petite Challenge

It's Becky again, with your March Petite challenge!

Petite Challenge: Make a "Spring" Card

I am sick of winter (we got drilled with another foot last Friday), so I challenge you to make a card that has anything to do with spring.  Flowers, pastel colors, whatever says spring to you!



I hope you'll play along with us, you have the whole month to add your link!

The details:

1. Create your card using at least one Papertrey Ink product.
2. Post your creation to your blog by March 31st.
3. Come back here and sign the Mr. Linky so we can check out your work!

Supplies:

stamps - Vintage Picnic

paper - lemon tart, new leaf, certainly celery, white

ink - black, copics, so saffron

acc - twine, button, photo corner punch, ric rac die, tag sale 1

Papertrey Posse March Challenge

Hi there, it's Becky here with your March challenges!

Challenge #1: Window or Frame Card

Make a card that has any kind of window or frame on it.

Here's my sample:

and a close-up:

I hope you'll play along with us, you have the whole month to add your link!

The details:

1. Create your card using at least one Papertrey Ink product.
2. Post your creation to your blog by March 31st.
3. Come back here and sign the Mr. Linky so we can check out your work!

Supplies:
stamps - Polka Dot Basics 2, Text Style Background, Tag-its 1
paper - royal velvet, white, kraft, pear pizzazz
ink - elegant eggplant, crumb cake, pear pizzazz, chocolate
acc - limitless layers 1-3/4" dies, mat stack 3, pearls, lavender moon ribbon, dimensonals, stickles, corner chomper

February Parade of Blogs

Welcome to the Parade of Blogs. Maggie issued a challenge this month to create a card (or project) that is all about your favorite things--images, colors, materials, etc.. If you were able to participate this month, sign the Mr. Linky below and then check out our fellow stampers blogs to see what they have created!

February Petite Challenge #1--Feelin' Sentimental

In case you just can't wait to get a Posse challenge under your belt for February, I have something to keep ya busy :) It's time to dig out those sentiment stamps and be creative with them. Sure, you could put it on a tag and call it a day. Stamp one underneath an image and color you done. But this challenge is for you to do something creative with your sentiment stamps.....bend those clear polymer stamps and make that sentiment wave and curl, use it to make a frame around your image or card, make some background paper with it....the sky's the limit (which I actually think is a PTI sentiment......)! When I figure out how to put a Mr. Linky on this, I will totally get that taken care of so that we can see what you're up to!

Maggie--Your February Hostess

Papertrey Posse February Challenge

It's February....the month of LOVE. I could totally be cliche and have this month's challenge be to make a valentine, but (a) that would be too easy and (b) I can't think of red and pink right now when I'm surrounded by white......22" of snow, snow everywhere, which is fun for me because I {heart} snow! So I'm going to combine the two together, which brings me to......
The Challenge: Create a card (or project) that is all about your favorite things--images, colors, materials, etc. Here's a chance to use those stamps, felt, buttons, ribbon that you just can't get enough of! Guess what my project is going to feature? :)
The Details:
1. Create your card using at least one Papertrey Ink product.
2. Post your creation to your blog by February 15th.
3. On the 15th come back here and sign the Mr. Linky for the official Parade of Blogs!

Enjoy! Can't wait to see what you create!

Maggie--Your February Hostess

January Parade of Blogs

Welcome to the Parade of Blogs.  Our challenge this month was to create a card with a black background.  If you were able to participate this month, sign the Mr. Linky below and then check out our fellow stampers blogs to see what they have created!

January Petite Posse Challenge #1

Happy New Year!  Let's usher in 2011 with a bunch of beautiful new cards!

The Challenge: Single Layer Card

A single layer card means you can only use one sheet of cardstock!  That means the cardstock you use to make the card base is all you get to work with.  You have to be creative and think outside the box.

The Details:
1. You must use at least one Papertrey Ink product.
2. You can only use one piece of cardstock.
3. You can use as many embellishments and techniques as you want!
4. Post your card to your blog and then come back here and sign Mr. Linky so we can all see your creation!

Cheers!
Sarah - your January hostess

Papertrey Posse January Challenge

Welcome fellow stampers to a brand new year! What new stamping endeavors do you plan to take on for the upcoming year? Let's get those creative juices flowing with our first challenge of the year.

The Challenge: Black Base Card

I really love how a black base or background can really make colors and images pop on a card. Therefore, for this month you can make any type of card that you want except the card base or the cardfront must be made of black cardstock.

The Details:
1. Create your card using at least one Papertrey Ink product.
2. Post your creation to your blog by January 15th.
3. On the 15th come back here and sign the Mr. Linky for the official Parade of Blogs!

Have fun creating!

Sarah - your January hostess