Lately, I have been inspired by simplistic design.  I thought I'd give it a go with some modern looking stripes.  

*Tip* I learned that if you are going to emboss with multiple stripes with tight grooves like this, then it is best to do so before adhering the paper down or you get it in them. 

Rookie mistake. I learn something new everyday.  :)   

I liked this design so much I made a thank you card, too.  

As you see I had learned my lesson with the embossing powder and the grooves. :) White ink to the rescue!

Paper: PTI - Soft Stone, Simply Chartreuse, Enchanted Evening, and Kraft.
Stamps: PTI - Congrats All the Way, Think Big Favorites #16
Ink: Versamark - Watermark, PTI - Fresh Snow
Embellishments: Zing - white embossing powder, The Paper Studio - screw brads

For my daughter's first birthday we went with a cupcake theme.  In the hospital for her birth, my husband nicknamed her CupKate and it stuck.

I began the idea of a cupcake invitation with these die cuts that I first stamped with the coordinating frame and then with the cupcake image.  Thinking ahead I stamped extras just incase some didn't turn out right.

I colored the cupcake wrapper with Copics and used hot pink slick puff paint for the frosting detail.  After the paint was thoroughly dry, I applied purple glitter glue for the sweet star. When they were ready, I realized I had forty-eight cupcakes that were usable--way more than I needed.

This is the invite.  The aqua is glitter cardstock and it is a pain to adhere things to, but I really the sparkle it adds.  I used a ridiculous amount of Scor-tape on these to get the ribbon and Mat Stack to stick.

The inside had the party info and a cute little coordinating cupcake which I embossed with aqua embossing powder.

I was pleased with how the icing turned out.  It had a great subtle bumpy texture as if it was hand frosted. :) It dried much quicker than I thought it would so that was a bonus too.

With the extra cupcakes, I whipped up these thank you cards.  I used letterpress paper so it took the embossing folder nicely.  

I still had extra ribbon so I made these drink labels for the party.

And yes, we served cupcakes. :)

Paper: PTI - Raspberry Fizz, Plum Pudding, Stamper's Select White; The Paper Studio - aqua glitter cardstock; Lifestyles - white letterpress paper
Stamps: PTI - Tremendous Treats: Birthday & Tiny Treats: Birthday
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black, PTI - Raspberry Fizz
Dies: PTI -Mat Stack #5 & Modern Alphabet, Spellbinders - Labels 4
Embellishments: Tulip - pink Slick Puff Paint; Bo Bunny - striped ribbon; purple Stickles; Cuttlebug - thank you embossing folder; Fiskars - corner rounder

Taking a small break from all the feminine cards with this masculine thank you card.  Simple but interesting with the chevron.  

The nice thing is it came together quite quickly as I already had the green chevron strips die cut.  

One day a few months ago, I felt like die cutting things so I cut several chevron strips from a rainbow of colors. I keep them in a little drawer and they have come in handy a few times now! 

I glued these green chevrons down with Zig Two-Way Glue Pen but I think next time I use some of these chevron strips I am going to run them through my Xyron sticker maker.  It will make this even easier. I might just do that today!

Thanks for taking a look. :)

All items are Papertrey Ink.
Paper: New Leaf & Enchanted Evening
Stamps: Think Big Favorites #4
Ink: Fresh Snow
Dies: Chevron Stripes

August was a crazy, crazy month.  Not only was it crazy but it flew by--I cannot believe it has been over a full month since I last posted.  I'm sure many of you share this crazy time at August.  I created a lot but it was mainly developing my own curriculum for my son's pre-K that I am attempting to homeschool.  With that behind me, I can finally sit down and share the cards I did manage to squeeze in here and there.

This to-go coffee cup die/stamp set has been sitting, waiting for me to use it for a couple months.  I bought them specifically for whom I made this card.  It is a fun set to use.

The sentiment is stamped inside the negative cut out of the polka dot paper on the card base and edges of the polka dot paper got inked with chai ink.  

After die cutting the to-go cups, I use Tim Holtz Distress Ink on the white card stock and then rubbed chamomile ink on top of that to achieve this look.  After all that was dry, I stamped the images. I used a green and a pink Copic markers to fill color on the cups.  The loopy lines got traced with RV25 after the green was stamped, YG13 filled in the checkers on the the middle cup, and RV25 filled the hearts in on the last one. They were then mounted with foam dimensionals on top of the kraft colored ribbon that I tried to make look like steam coming up off hot cups.  I know it is a bit of a stretch but a cute stretch.  ;)

Thanks for looking!

Paper: Close to Your Heart - Dotty for You pack - pink on pink tiny polka dots, Papertrey Ink - Kraft and Stamper's Select White

Stamps: PTI - Heart-2-Heart #1 & Signature Greetings

Ink: PTI - Smokey Shadow, Hibiscus Burst, Simply Chartreuse, Camomile & Chai Distress cubes; Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Antique Linen

Embellishments: PTI - Kraft saddle stitch ribbon

Other: PTI - Heart-2-Heart #1 die & Happy Day die, Copic - YG13 & RV25, Cuttlebug

Quatrefoil = love.  I have so many ideas for this cover plate floating around but most are feminine so I challenged myself and made this more masculine feeling one.  I added the cut out back to the design for more interest.  Kinda cute.

Paper: PTI - Pure Poppy and Ocean Tides; Staples - white cardstock
Stamps: Congrats All the Way
Ink: Versamark
Embellishments: PTI -Cover Plate: Quatrefoil
Other: Zing - white embossing powder; Cuttlebug

Monochromatic color schemes can be so classy looking.  As some of you may have figured out by reading this blog, PTI's Enchanted Evening is one of my absolute favorite colors and used with Blueberry Sky it is my kind of happy.  When I received this limited edition stamp set I thought it would pair nicely with my new swirly embossing folder.  This is the result.

I enjoy the different textures here and found myself feeling this card quite a bit.  Quite pretty indeed...I mean quite masculine indeed. *insert manly grunt here*
Paper: PTI - Enchanted Evening & Blueberry Sky
Stamps: PTI - A Big Thank You (limited edition)
Ink: PTI - Enchanted Evening
Embellishments: PTI - saddle stitch ribbon - Enchanted Evening; The Paper Studio - swirls embossing folder
Other: dimensional foam adhesive and Cuttlebug

This is the thank you card I sent out for my eldest son's birthday.  I stayed with the Pixar Cars theme and used the scraps left from making the invitations.  The diamond cut embossed pattern on the red cardstock I'm still oohing over.  I enjoy texture on cards a lot.  I printed out a few sheets of these the Cars logos then cut them out using my Cricut.  I had used them as the seal on the birthday invitation envelopes and had several leftover.  I mounted them on a Spellbinder's scollop, attached red grosgrain, and volia!  It's a ribbon or as my son calls it "a Cars badge."  The inside had a simple stamped sentiment of "thank you very much" at the top so I had plenty of room to write in it.
Paper: The Paper Studio - red, black, and turquoise cardstock, Kodak - glossy photo paper, Staples -white cardstock
Embellishments: red grosgrain ribbon from Hobby Lobby
Other: Cricut, George and Basic Shapes Cricut cartridge, printer, dimensional foam adhesive

I needed several thank you cards for the people who brought us food after the birth of our last baby. We had food coming every other day for four weeks between my church and family. Needless to say it was a lot of thank you cards. 

I wanted them to be special so when I spied the Papertrey Ink Fruit Fusion: Grapes with coordinating die I snagged it. I figured the grapes being food was more than appropriate for my thank you cards for the food made for us.

I die cut the grapes, stamped them, then applied glossy accents to the individual grapes for a neat detail. I traced the embossed edge of this Labels Four die with a Copic to make it stand out more as well. My new favorite way to attach ribbon is with Zip Dry. You have to be fast but it sure doesn't take much to make a strong hold!

Paper: PTI Plum Pudding and Stampers' Select White, Staples white cardstock

Stamps: PTI Fruit Fusion: Grapes

Ink: PTI Plum Pudding and New Leaf

Embellishments: Glossy Accents

Other: Spellbinders Labels Four, Cuttlebug embossing folder - vines, green satin ribbon from Michael's, Copic marker C1