Papertrey Ink November Release

Hi everyone! It's been a busy Thanksgiving week here at our house, but I've got a couple cards to share using the new goodies from the Papertrey Ink November release! So many beautiful stamps and dies this month! I'm still finding new ways to use them all!

This first card uses the Adorning Trees stamp and die set. This set has a more modern feel to it with clean tree shapes. This set includes 3 tree frame dies that are perfect for making little shakers like this one. 

I'm really loving non-traditional colors for the holidays, but the more I look at this combo, it doesn't feel unusual! The combination is Royal Velvet purple and silver! For the background, I added stamped snowflakes and die cut snowflakes (from Border Bling Snowflakes and Starflakes). The beautiful sentiment is from the new Inside Greetings Heaven and Nature Sing set. 

This next card uses the new Holiday Cheer Gift Tag set and the Holiday Cheer Overlay set reinvented as gingerbread cookies!  I die cut the ornament, star, and tree dies with Kraft cardstock. Then I blended on ink to give them that baked glow. 

Then I added "frosting" using the Overlay dies to make stencils. (FYI, Picket Fences Paper Glaze Enhancer looks just like vanilla frosting). I added a little coarse glitter for sugar. I also made some jam filled cookies using dies from the Splendid Snowflakes set. Glitter gel makes great jam! 

I made a cover to mimic a decorative cookie box with cellophane window using the Love to Layer: Notched dies . Last but not least, I tied it up with twine and added a little tag with the perfect sentiment from the Just Sentiments: Holiday Tags Mini Stamp Set. This card was so much fun to make!

If you're looking for more inspiration, go check out all the new goodies now on the Papertrey Ink site!

Mahalo and aloha!

JJ

Papertrey Ink September Release Countdown Day 3: Go-to Gift Card Holder: Mitten, Mitten Accessories, Grand Christmas Sentiments, & Feathered Friends Mini 16

Hi everyone! It's Day 3 of the Papertrey Ink October release and today I have a couple cards to share! This first card uses the Grand Sentiments set in chalkboard mode. I've always love the chalkboard look! And the oversized stamps from the Grand Sentiments set really look amazing embossed! 

Stamps: Grand Christmas Sentiments

Dies: Love to Layer: Notched, Go-To Gift Card: Mittens, Into the Bloom: Poinsettia

Paper: True Black, Candy Cane Prints

To go with the Grand Sentiments, I also went big with the other elements. The poinsettias are from Into the Blooms: Poinsettia and the holly and candy canes are from the new Go-to Gift Card Holder: Mitten set. Don't let the name of the Go-to Gift Card Holder: Mitten set fool you! That set has a bunch of dies in addition to the mittens that will go with all kinds of other sets. 

My second card also uses the Grand Sentiments and pairs it with the new Feathered Friends Mini 16 birdie. This time I die cut the sentiment which is a look that I love. I wanted to highlight my little bluebird friend, so I thought a circle shaker behind him would make him look like he's in a snowstorm. 

Stamps: Grand Christmas Sentiments, Feathered Friends 16 Mini, Winter Swirls

Dies: Border Bling: Dotted Skinny Frame, Feathered Friends 16 Mini, Border Bling: Snow Flake Die, Grand Christmas Sentiments 

Paper: Rustic White, White

I filled the shaker with sequins, hex glitter, and even added snowflake die cuts from the Border Bling: Snow Flake die from last month. I also added a few of those die cut snowflakes around my card. I used iridescent bubbles to add even more colorful shine. 

I hope you are enjoy the release so far! Check out the Papertrey Ink blog for more fun peeks from the rest of the DT! 

Mahalo and aloha!

JJ

Papertrey Ink September Release Countdown Day 1: Build-A-Santa, Just Sentiments: Santa, Ornate Evergreens, & Feathered Friends 16

Hi everyone! Today starts the Papertrey Ink October release and I'm so excited! I have always loved the fall season with the cooler weather and anticipation of the holiday season. This month at Papertrey Ink is all about that vibe. Today is Day 1 and we're highlighting the Build-A-Santa set, Just Sentiments: Santa, Ornate Evergreens, & Feather Friends 16! 

I've got 2 cards to share today to get us started! The first one features the Ornate Evergreens die set. This set comes with 3 tree dies with different detailed cut patterns. These are so versatile to work with and can easily be "dressed up" with different techniques. I thought the die cuts were lovely as is, so I just cut them with glitter paper and layered them on a panel shaker. 

STAMPS: Just Sentiments: Santa, Winter Swirls
INK: True Black
PAPER: White
DIES: Ornate Evergreens, Love to Layer: Scalloped Circles, Border Bling: Dotted Skinny Frame,
Border Bling: Snow Flake Die

For the shaker panel, I decorated it with some stamping using Winter Swirls from last month and added some die cut snowflakes using the Border Bling: Snow Flake Die. I love all the sparkly and shine of this one! The trees look so amazing cut with glitter paper!

My second card today uses the new Build-A-Santa stamp and die set and the Just Sentiments: Santa set. I am in love with this charming Santa! He is so fun to put together and I thought he would be perfect on a snowy rooftop on a moonlit night!

STAMPS: Build-A-Santa, Just Sentiments: Santa, Rustic Brick Background
INK: True Black, Pure Poppy, Fresh Snow, Enchanted Evening
PAPER: White, True Black, Soft Stone, Rustic White
DIES: Build-A-Santa

I used the Rustic Brick Background stamp set to create a quick chimney. I love all the textures going on in this card including the fun pompom on his cap!

There's lots more goodies in the release, so come back tomorrow for the Day 2 of the release!

Mahalo and aloha!

JJ

Waffle Flower December 2020 Release Blog Hop

Welcome to Waffle Flower’s Slimlines & Alphabets Release day! This month, Waffle Flower is looking towards the new year with 4 stamp sets, 4 dies, 2 alpha die sets, and 4 stencils! All of the products from this month’s release are already waiting for you on the website here!

 

For the floral lovers out there, Waffle Flower has the beautiful set Tender Blooms (stamp, die, combo) and coordinating sentiment set Tender Thoughts (stamp). These sets are just what you need to create cards of comfort, sympathy, and care. (We all could use more of that, wouldn’t you agree?) For stamps, there’s also the New Beginning stamp and stencil (stamp, stencil, combo) that can be used independently or together to make cards for the new year and fresh beginnings! 

 

This month, Waffle Flower’s release also includes everybody’s new obsession, slimline dies! There’s the Slim Lacy Layers (die), Slimline Window Trio (die), Slimline Stripes (die), and the Slimline Angled Panel (die). If you’re a fan of the slimline card, you’ll have lots to choose from!

 

If you’re looking to up your sentiment game, Waffle Flower is rolling out two new alpha die sets and a fun stamp/die set of sentiment add-ons! The Bold Alpha Die set (die) is a classic block alpha set and includes a full set of letters and numbers! The second alpha die set, the Wide Alpha Die set (die), has a different profile (wider and shorter) that is ideal for stacking and for larger slimline cards. To pair with the new alpha dies, there’s the fun Sentiment Additions Stamp Set (stamp, die, combo). This set has words and phrases that can be used with letter dies, word dies, and other sentiments. Great for bringing new life to dies and stamps you already have!

 

Last but not least, Waffle Flower has added the Stripe Plaids Trio (stencil), Buffalo Plaid Stencil (stencil), and Infinite Triangles Stencil (stencil) to their growing stencil collection. Each of the stencils in the Stripe Plaids Trio and Buffalo Plaid Stencil sets can be used alone or together to create a variety of striped and plaid patterns in your choice of colors. The best part is that these plaid stencils measure 6”X9” and can be used on A2, A7, and slimline cards! If you’re a fan of repeating pattern stencils (like last month’s Rings Builder and Infinite Petals), the Infinite Triangles Stencil can also make multiple patterns just by rotating the stencil or flipping it  over.  

 

To see all these new goodies in action, hop along with us! Everyone’s got some fun and creative ideas to share and get your imagination flowing!  

First up is a quick card I made with the Slimline Angled Panel Die! This die is just like the original Angled Panel die just in slimline size. It's the same scale as the original so that means it also works with the diagonal striped papers in the JJ's Rainbow pad and Christmas Stripes pad. For this card, I used the JJ's Rainbow paper behind the die cut. 

The sentiment on this one uses the new Wide Alpha die and the Sentiment Additions combo. The profile of the wide alphas work great on the expanded slimline size. The "forever" sentiment is from the Sentiment Additions set. I love how the flowy font works with the block die cut letters! 

This next card uses the Stripe Plaids Trio stencil set. This set has 3 different patterns including this one with the triple stripes. I like that these stencils measure 6"X9" so they work where stamps (A2, A7, and slimline cards). And as you can see, they work on a diagonal too! 

To add a bit of shine, I die cut the stenciled panel with 2 square nesting dies to create the negative "frame" with some gold glitter paper. The sentiment is from the Herringbone Sentiment set and it's stamped on a label from the Classic Frames die set. This is a holiday card, but I can definitely see it for lots of other occasions!

My last card today uses the same Stripe Plaids Trio stencil set as the last card. I used the other two stencils in the set, the wide stripe and the narrow stripe. I love how the stripes look on kraft! I used a white pigment ink and blended very lightly to get a softer look. 

The sentiment is from the Merry Christmas combo and added a couple die cuts from the Holiday Lights die. I can't wait to try plaids on other color cardstocks!

That's it for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by! There's a bunch of amazing folks on the blog hop today and you're not going to want to miss it! Next on the hop is the always fantastic Laura Bassen but here's the full list for you!

Waffle Flower ~ Alix Davis ~ Amy Rysavy

Arjita Sepha Singh ~ Cathy Zielske ~ Channin Pelletier

Elyse Robinson ~ Galina Filippenko ~ Jeanne Jachna

JJ Bolton (you are her) ~ Laura Bassen ~ Lydia Fielder ~ Maria Peters

Natalia Zubkova ~ Rebecca Keppel ~ Vicky Papaioannou

For today’s hop, Waffle Flower is giving away $25 gift certificate to THREE lucky winners. You can leave a comment on this blog and along the hop by 11:59pm EDT on Wednesday November 9th, 2020 for your chances to win. Winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on any of the posts in this blog hop and will be announced on the Waffle Flower Blog on 12/11/2020.

There are more giveaways to enter on our Instagram! Follow us at @waffleflowercrafts so you don’t miss out! 

From now till December 7th, 2020, all orders over $50 placed at waffleflower.com will receive a FREE set of Fish & Chips Stamp Set (No code required; Limited 1 per customer; While supplies last).

Mahalo and aloha!

JJ

P.S. For those of you who are new to Waffle Flower, they have a Last Chance section on their website that lists many goodies for 25% off until they are gone! This would be a great place to start your collection! JJ

Floating Dim Sum

Hi everyone,

I'm back again this week with another dim sum card:)  I wanted to share this one because I used a technique using my heat laminator to create a floating die cut and glitter effect.  This one was a little hard to photograph because of the clear plastic.  

I started off by cutting a bunch of the dim sum with my Brother ScanNCut.  I love dies (obviously), but for cutting multiples, the ScanNCut is the best!

After coloring the die cuts, I put them through my heat laminator with a variety of glitter and stars sprinkled in.  This is a good way to add glitter to a project without the hassle or mess.  Here's the finished product after I die cut a circle out of the full laminated page.  

I attached the floating circle to the card base using foam tape (hidden behind the dim sum) and added a sentiment.  This is such a fun technique and I love how you never know what you're going to get;)

The stamps are from Mama Elephant and  Warm Fuzzies (Essentials by Ellen).  

Thanks for stopping by!

JJ

Trio of Paper Smooches Cards & a Farewell

Hello everyone!  I've got a few Paper Smooches cards to share today using the December release dies and stamps.  This first card uses the Adorable Array die which is just gorgeous!  Look at that detail!  I used it to die cut some shiny metallic gold card stock and layered it over a chalkboard sentiment (Delightful Greetings) and some subtle patterned paper.  I added a bit of large gold hexagon glitter and smaller clear iridescent hexagon glitter too (gotta love the shiny, right?).  

My second card uses the Criss Cross die.  This die measures about 3-1/2" square, so it makes a great background.  I used it to die cut some colored vellum and glued it inside of a circle aperture.  Since it's glued to the panel, the die cuts float over the card base.  

The little science guy (Great Chemistry) doubles as an artist when he's holding a paintbrush (Spring Fling).  The sentiment is from the Word Salad set.

My final card today is a shaker card using the Hello Love die and that's it!  The design of the die made it perfect to create a two-toned shaker.  

I stacked about 6 or 7 die cuts and they naturally made an upper "well" and a lower "well".  After I filled each "well", I glued a clear acetate heart over the die cuts to seal the heart.  Then I added one more die cut over the acetate to cover the raw edges of the acetate.  The trick to this look is glue your layers well and let it thoroughly dry before assembling your shaker.  

Before I go, I want to make an announcement that I'm stepping down from the Paper Smooches DT.  It has been an honor to be on the Paper Smooches team and I will miss it so!  Kim is one of the most talented and generous folks in the business (or anywhere for that matter;).  To be amongst the amazing folks on the DT was a dream for sure!  I cannot thank Kim enough for EVERYTHING!  Of course, I will always be a Paper Smooches fan and will be cheering them on from my part of the world always.  I only wish there were more hours in the day;)

To all the Paper Smooches fans I've met along the way, THANK YOU for all your support and kind words!  The Paper Smooches community is such an amazing and supportive bunch!  

Thanks for stopping by today and have a wonderful New Years! 

mahalo and aloha,
jj

Poppystamps Blog Blitz ~ Peace on Earth

I've got one more card on the Poppystamps blog for the new release Blog Blitz!  This time I'm using the Peace on Earth Channel die and some adorable little houses!  

Aloha!
jj

P.S. Did you know that during the Poppystamps Blog Blitz, there is a giveaway for each post?  Just leave a comment on the separate blog posts for a chance to win!  Could not be easier!

Saturday with Paper Smooches

Happy Saturday folks!  I've got a couple Paper Smooches cards to share today.  I hope one of them tickles your fancy;)  The first card uses the new Ring Trio die.  I used water colors and inlaid them into a die cut.  Love how this turned out! 

Here's a closer look...

This second card is something completely different;)  I used the new Tooth Fairy die to create a little card that you the Tooth Fairy can leave some money in under a pillow.  My favorite part of this card are the gold fairy wings.  I heat embossed the wings using a butterfly stamp from the Graceful Beauties set.  (I also used Sunny Side Up set for the teeth and the Thanks 2 die)  Lots of fun to make!

Thanks for stopping by!  

Mahalo and Aloha,
jj

Paper Smooches April Blog Hop

It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the NEW Paper Smooches MAY release with you!  TWO new stamps and TEN new dies will be available to purchase on April 30th at 8:00pm pacific time. Once our release goes live, you will find our new products HERE.  

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize! 

The prize - a $25 gift code to choose what you like at the PS online store.

• FOUR winners will be chosen at RANDOM from any of the design team blogs and the PS Blog to win the $25 prize.

• Just leave a comment on any of the design team blogs listed below or the PS blog for your chance to win!  (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify but it increases your changes) 

• Deadline: You have until midnight PT on Sunday, April 26th to leave a comment. 

• Please check the Paper Smooches blog on Monday, April 27th to see if you are one of the FOUR lucky winners.  

Here are the details:

A couple of our designers are taking a small hiatus to care for different things in their life. Amy Rohl is filling in for Emily and Jennifer McGuire is filling in for Pamela.  We are so excited to have them join us in May!

Amy Rohl

Ashley Marcu

Jennifer McGuire

JJ Bolton

Jocelyn Olson

Kalyn Kepner

Kay Miller

Laura Bassen

Laurie Schmidlin

Michele Boyer

Teri Anderson

To increase your chances of winning:

• Tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop

• Tell us that you Tweeted about our hop

• Tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

(which means that you have up to three extra chances to win on each blog)

Now check this out!  So feathers are like snowflakes, right?  No two the same:)  So with that in mind, I made this card with the new Feathers 2 dies.  This set has 4 different feathers in various sizes.  The scale of these feathers are not too big and not too little.  I used them to create a cascading design and then made one feather a shaker!  (shocker, I know, lol)  

I filled my feather shaker with sequins, stars, small hexagon glitter, and large hexagon glitter.  Mixing up the fillers tends to make them more sticky and they don't all fall to the bottom.  I love the colorful mix!

Now it's time for you to hop on over to the next stop on the hop, my amazingly talented friend, Jocelyn Olson!   

Mahalo,
jj

Shaker Heart with Avery Elle

Hello!  I have a CAS shaker card today that I made with the Avery's Alpha stamp set.   The scale of these alphas is on the small side which is good for things like tags and banners. I thought I'd use the set to create a background for my shaker.  I added a the inlaid arrow pieces to finish off the heart frame.  {I used this heart die and this arrow die for the shaker frame}  I don't care if shakers are trending out (aren't they?), I still can't resist making them:)

I hope you have a fantastic day!  Thanks for stopping by!

Mahalo and Aloha,

jj