Hallows Eve Inspiration

Welcome to Day Five of Papertrey Ink's August release countdown. Today is our biggest countdown day, as we share loads and loads of new Halloween products. I'm practically giddy over how cute and clever these new products are!

All of the new products will be available for purchase at 10 pm August 15 in the Papertrey Ink store.

Let's kick things off with Betsy's newest addition to the Petite Places line: Spook Manor.

How cute is that crooked house? As with Betsy's previous Petite Places sets, it's all about the details. Those two flying ghosts are my favorite, but check out the pumpkins and the trick-or-treater and the fence, too. 

The spooky background layers were done with dies from the new Scene It: Hallows Eve dies. I just adore these!

I kept the rest of the design simple, just a background panel of Soft Stone Stripe pattern paper, a simple length of white crochet thread tied off in a bow, and a few wood veneer stars. The sentiment is from the Make It Market: Halloween Pin-Ups Mini Kit, which is coming up next.

STAMPS: Petite Places: Spook Manor

DIES: Petite Places: Spook Manor, Scene It: Basic Backer Die, Scene It: Hallows Eve

INK: Smokey Shadow, Simply Chartreuse, Plum Pudding

PAPER: Enchanted Evening, Harvest Gold, True Black, and white card stock

OTHER: white linen thread, wood veneer stars, foam adhesive

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I don't know how Betsy does what she does, and does it so magnificently, but I hope she never stops! Her new Make It Market: Halloween Pin-Ups Mini Kit is darling and sooooo Betsy! All of your favorite Halloween characters in tall skinny form for altered clothespins (and so much more!). Like previous kits, you'll get stamps, dies, pre-designed papers for die-cutting, and accessories -- this time, printed gift bags, baker's twine, and clothespins.

For this treat packaging, I've used a small black chevron bag. Layered on top are a white solid Monthly Moments Journal Card 1, a Simply Chartreuse Monthly Moments Journal Card 5, a white banner from Keep It Simple: Frames, all tied together with the Halloween baker's twine from the kit, a Dracula clothespin, and a sentiment die-cut from the kit.

For all of my Halloween Pin-Ups projects, I've worked with the pre-designed die-cut-ready papers in the kit. They make crafting so quick and easy you almost feel like you're cheating. The best thing is that if you need to mass-produce something, or just run out of the pre-designed die-cuts, you have the stamps to make your own. 

Next up is a set of clothespin magnets packaged very simply for a fun little gift. This time I adhered the bodies and heads with the clip part up (squeeze at the feet to open). I turned them to magnets by adhering a length of magnet tape to the back. 

All three are clipped to a small patterned paper strip. I think this would be such a cute gift!

The kit components work just as well on cards too. Here, I've featured a pair of mis-matched witch legs die-cuts and a stamped sentiment.

I was going for a bubbly witch's brew look along the bottom. The Plum Pudding piece is trimmed down from the new Night Sky Cover Plate die, and the sequins are meant to be bubbles.

Supplies:  Make It Market Mini Kit: Halloween Pin-Ups kit

Extras: white, Simply Chartreuse, and Plum Pudding card stock; True Black Bitty Dots Paper; Night Sky Cover Plate; True Black and Simply Chartreuse ink, blending tool, clear sequins, foam tape

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Next up is a witch hat Halloween decor piece that I made using the Party Hat and Party Hat Trims dies from a few months ago. 

It features Lizzie's super cute Haunted Headstones stamps and dies. I die-cut the headstones from Smokey Shadow card stock, stamped them with Fresh Snow ink, then added the sentiments in Smokey Shadow. I love these sentiments -- so super cute and funny! (And creepy ... some of them, anyway.)

Behind the headstones is the spooky moon from the Scene It: Hallows Eve dies, die-cut in white card stock and sponged with Lemon Tart ink.

A word about the construction: The hat part was made by die-cutting two pieces and joining them together by the scored flaps. To add a brim, I die-cut an oversize scalloped circle (using a Spellbinders Grand Nestabilities die, but you could use an electronic die-cutting machine or even do the trace-around-a-bowl-and-hand-cut trick, too). I cut a large hole out of the middle so that I'd be able to get to the inside in order to adhere the brim to the hat. 

The brim and hat are adhered together with four long Double-Ended Banners die-cuts. A quarter or so of each banner is adhered to the underside of the brim. The rest of the banner hinges and adheres to the inside of the hat. 

I also added some spider web ruffle to the brim and some Party Hat Trim to the bottom of the hat.

I'm not sure yet where this will go, so for good measure, I added a few tombstones to the back. Now the hat can be viewed from any angle and look complete.

Just "don't look behind you" .... ewwww!

STAMPS: Haunted Headstones

DIES: Haunted Headstones, Party Hat, Party Hat Trims, Grand Nestabilities

INK: Fresh Snow, Lemon Tart

PAPER: True Black, Smokey Shadow, Simply Chartreuse card stock

OTHER: spider web ribbon, silver star sequins, purple pom-pom, Orange Zest button, True Black baker's twine, Plum Pudding ribbon, ink blending tool

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My last project for today -- a candy corn-shaped shaker card featuring the insanely awesome Shaker Shapes: Candy Corn die, oh my! I triple puffy heart LOVE candy corn. Real candy corn isn't going to play well with my current no-sugar rule, but this shaker die sure will! 

I sponged both the back layer and the frame piece with Summer Sunrise and Terracotta Tile to get that gradient look. The bottom compartment is filled with die-cut candy corn confetti. I colored each one of those candies (on both sides) and brushed them with a clear Wink of Stella pen for some shine. The top two compartments are filled with clear chunky glass glitter.

The acetate layer is stamped in Jet Black Staz-On with a sentiment from Haunted Headstones. I embellished with a Tiny Tags die-cut and some True Black baker's twine.

STAMPS: Haunted Headstones

DIES: Shaker Shapes: Candy Corn, Tiny Tags

INK: Terracotta Tile, Summer Sunrise; Jet Black Staz-On

PAPER: white and Soft Stone card stock

OTHER: Copic markers, acetate, clear glass glitter, liquid glue, True Black baker's twine

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For more Hallows Eve Inspiration, visit the Papertrey team:

Nichole Heady

Ashley Newell

Betsy Veldman

Danielle Flanders

Dawn McVey

Heather Nichols

Laurie Willison

Lizzie Jones

Maile Belles

Melissa Phillips

Thanks so much for visiting,

Reverse Confetti Summer Sale!

Reverse Confetti is having a 20% off sale -- woot! It's Reverse Confetti owner Jen del Muro's birthday, and this is her gift to you!

Each day of the sale, a group from the Confetti Crew will be posting inspiration. Tune in to the Reverse Confetti blog each day so you don't miss out on anything.

For my project, I finally finished up something that I began during the last release. I watercolored a Documented panel (a shy 3x4" card sized for pocket scrapbooking) and added some stamped images and layers using stamps from Weather It Together and coordinating Weather It Together Confetti Cuts dies. I drew stems and leaves onto the hearts to turn them from raindrops into flowers.

I hadn't decided what to do with the panel, but today I decided to turn it into a card by adhering it to a 3 1/2" x 4" white top-fold card base. I used a black pen to add the doodled frame around the outside.

STAMPS: Weather It Together

CONFETTI CUTS DIES: Weather It Together, Documented

INK:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black

PAPER: white card stock, watercolor paper

OTHER: Copic marikers, watercolors, dimensional adhesive, black pen

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Introducing Choose Joy + Twig Wreath

Welcome to Day Four of Papertrey Ink's August release countdown. Today's featured sets were instant favorites for me. Heather has designed a beautiful rustic-style wreath stamp set called Twig Wreath (coordinating dies and a Twig Wreath paper pack also available!), and Melissa and Nichole have collaborated on a set with all sorts of unique inspirational quotes, as well as darling wee little hearts and flowers and garlands and stars. That set is called Choose Joy. Both are just gorgeous!

All of the new products will be available in the Papertrey Ink store at 10 pm EST on August 15.

For my first project I've created a new home card and some coordinating baked bread gift packaging using the Twig Wreath stamp set and Twig Wreath dies. This would be perfect to give as a welcome to new neighbors. I don't have new neighbors at the moment, but since the packaging is just a sleeve, I can easily slip it off for another time. (And in the meantime, my family is happy to help dispose of the banana bread.)

For the card, I decided to use the florals in Twig Wreath to make sprigs around a sentiment banner, rather than a wreath. I used masking to stamp all the florals onto the card base (as opposed to layering die-cuts). To soften the stamping, I lightly sponged some Aqua Mist around the stamped images, as well as around the perimeter of the card base. For added detail, I dotted some Glossy Accents onto the berries. I love that little tiny bit of shine and dimension.

The sentiment, from the new Keep It Simple: Home stamp set, is stamped in Aqua Mist onto a Double-Ended Banners die-cut.

I finished the inside with more Twig Wreath stamping, along with a sentiment from the new Tucked In: Home.


Here's a closer look at the bread packaging:

I wrapped the loaf in wax paper, then added a wide belly band out of one of the patterns in the Pretty Pastels paper collection, along with burlap ribbon. Then I adhered a die-cut wreath loaded up with all those beautiful stamped floral die-cuts. The sentiment, from Twig Wreath, is stamped onto another Double-Ended Banner die-cut and tucked underneath the floral cluster. I also added a paper doily in the back and a double bow of jute string for just a touch more homespun charm.

STAMPS: Twig Wreath, Tucked In: New Home, Keep It Simple: Home

DIES: Twig Wreath, Double-Ended Banner

INK: Classic Kraft, Dark Chocolate, Pinefeather, Scarlet Jewel, Canyo Clay, Aqua Mist, and Fresh Snow

PAPER: white and kraft card stock; Pretty Pastels paper collection

OTHER: May Arts burlap ribbon and jute twine, Ranger Glossy Accents, paper doily

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I'm so, so in love with Choose Joy. These quotes are perfect for so many different things -- encouragement cards, lunchbox notes, gift tags and packaging, pocket scrapbooking filler cards, really anywhere you could use a reminder to enjoy life's blessings and focus on the important things.

I'm always on the lookout for quick, easy, and inexpensive gifts to use for RAKs, thank-yous, teacher or volunteer appreciation, and more. This project certainly fits the bill.


I filled a clear pillow box with candy and tied on some ribbon and a stamped tag. A 10-minute project for sure! The tag is die-cut with Tag Sale #5, sponged at the top and bottom, and stamped with a sentiment and a darling sun image, both from Choose Joy.

STAMPS: Choose Joy

DIES: Tag Sale #5

INK: True Black, Lemon Tart, Aqua Mist, and Limeade Ice

PAPER: white card stock

OTHER: Aqua Mist ribbon, black and white baker's twine, clear pillow box (SRM)

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For more Choose Joy and Twig Wreath inspiration, visit the Papertrey team:

Nichole Heady

Ashley Newell

Betsy Veldman

Danielle Flanders

Dawn McVey

Heather Nichols

Laurie Willison

Lizzie Jones

Maile Belles

Melissa Phillips

Thanks so much for visiting,

Autumn Style

Welcome to the first group post for Papertrey's August release. This release is filled with all sorts of autumn elements, which I'm beyond thrilled about, as it's my favorite season, both in general and for crafting. Today, we are featuring a unique brushstroke stamp set called Brushed Off, along with two beautiful foliage dies, Branching Out and Leaf Silhouettes.

Today's featured products, along with the rest of the August release, will be available at 10 pm EST August 15 in the Papertrey Ink store.

I had so much fun with today's projects! There's no single "right" way to use the Brushed Off images, which opens all kinds of doors for creative stamping. 

For my first card, I created a polka dot background by first stamping the partial circle brushstroke in one color, then rotating the stamp 180 degrees and stamping a second color right on top. The combos I used were: Raspberry Fizz with Summer Sunrise, Spring Moss with Ripe Avocado, Enchanted Evening with Plum Pudding, and Canyon Clay with Pure Poppy. 

In keeping with the artsy look of the brushstrokes, I doodled a black circle around each polka dot. Loved that look so much (it reminds me of the super cool doodling that Ashley did HERE) that I added some more polka dots using a small scribble circle from the Circle Scribbles stamp set as well as some black splatter. The finishing touch was a pattern of luxe gold adhesive Leaf Silhouette die-cuts. I know, it's kind of busy, but I like it!

To keep the focus on that crazy background, I opted to downplay the sentiment. I stamped a sentiment from Scripted onto a scrap of Fresh Snow Linen cardstock, notched one end to make a banner, and stitched the other end to the card base.

STAMPS: Brushed Off, Circle Scribbles, Scripted

DIES: Leaf Silhouettes

INK: True Black, Raspberry Fizz, Summer Sunrise, Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado, Enchanted Evening, Plum Pudding, Canyon Clay, Pure Poppy

PAPER: white card stock, Fresh Snow Linen card stock, Luxe Gold Adhesive Sheets

OTHER: Heidi Swapp Black Velvet Color Shine

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For this next card, I stamped the narrow rectangle brushstroke image in different shades of oranges and yellow to create kind of an ombre effect. I varied the horizontal placement of the image each time for a more irregular look to the stroke lengths. 

To get the gilded look, I used a stamp positioner to stamp a second impression of each brushstroke, this time just dabbing a bit of VersaMark ink to the tips of the brushstrokes and then heat embossing in gold. I think the touch of gold just gives the whole background a little more shazam. I also flicked on some water droplets over the stamped brushstrokes (and sort of wish I hadn't).

I have a feeling Branching Out is going to become a go-to die very quickly. I love the large size and full branches, and I also love that you can easily trim off a branch or two to reduce the size, or even trim off a branch to use by itself.  Originally I was planning to stamp a sentiment in the bottom right area of the card base, so I trimmed off the lower right branch to make room. (I changed my mind on the sentiment, but kept the altered die-cut, thus the missing branch.) 

The die-cut "you" was cut with a Scripted die, then coated with Glossy Accents for some shine. The stamped portion of the sentiment was done with the Scripted stamp set. 

STAMPS: Brushed Off, Scripted

DIES: Branching Out, Scripted

INK: Summer Sunrise, Terracotta Tile, Canyon Clay, Orange Zest, True Black, VersaMark

PAPER: white, True Black, and Simply Chartreuse card stock

OTHER: gold embossing powder, gold sequins, Glossy Accents, foam adhesive, stamp positioner

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For lots more Autumn Style inspiration, visit the design team blogs. I can't wait to see all the different takes on Brushed Off! 

Nichole Heady

Ashley Newell

Betsy Veldman

Danielle Flanders

Dawn McVey

Heather Nichols

Laurie Willison

Lizzie Jones

Maile Belles

Melissa Phillips

Thanks for visiting,

Introducing Friendship Jar Fall Fillers Dies

Welcome to Day Two of Papertrey Ink's August release countdown. Today it's my pleasure to introduce the Friendship Jar Fall Fillers dies. How fantastic that Papertrey is revisiting the classic Friendship Jar collection and offering the companion dies -- we love our dies, don't we?

Friendship Jar Fall Fillers dies, along with all of the August release, will be available at 10 pm EST August 15 in the Papertrey Ink store.

I have a few different projects to share today. First up is a warm and cozy fall-themed project featuring a pair of die-cut caramel apples:

Both the apples and the sticks are die-cut with the new Friendship Jar Fall Fillers dies and colored with Copics. The apple die is separate from the pair of sticks die, which allows you both to place other shapes on the sticks (pumpkins, ghosts) and to use the apples (and other shapes) separately. 

My apples are placed in a Friendship Jar shaker, which I created using the previously released Friendship Jar stamps Jar & Lid die, Friendship Jar Shaker die, and Jar Toppers die. 

Can you spot the other new item on this card? The Ripe Avocado gingham pattern is part of a new Autumn Chicken Scratch paper collection. Yep, there are now six more colors of that fabulous chicken scratch gingham paper! 

The seniment is die-cut with Wet Paint Cuts and the little leaves are die-cut with an Enclosed: Apple die and stamped with an Enclosed: Apple image.

After coloring the caramel apples with Copics, I added Glossy Accents to the caramel. Doesn't it almost look like the real thing?

STAMPS: Friendship Jar, Friendship Jar Fall Fillers, Enclosed: Apple

DIES: Jar & Lid, Jar Toppers, Friendship Jar Shaker, Friendship Jar Fall Fillers, Wet Paint Cuts, Enclosed: Apple

INK: True Black, Fresh Snow

PAPER: Vintage Cream Linen card stock, white and Pure Poppy card stock, Autumn Chicken Scratch Paper Collection, Bitty Dots Patterned Paper

OTHER: vellum, jute twine, buttons, Copic markers, doily, Glossy Accents, buttons, sequins

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Next up is what I'm fondly calling Self-Portrait #1:

I'm the one in boots {wink}.

Before I talk about this project, let's first talk about this particular die. In case you're not already familiar with this Fall Fillers image, it's witch boots next to a broom surrounded by all sorts of swirls and stars. You can see the full image HERE. Can you even imagine trying to fussy cut something like this? All those swirls -- forget about it!

For my candy corn tag (die-cut with Tag Sale #5), I stamped and colored and die-cut the image first, then decided to have a little fun with the witch boots and the pile of candy corn (also a die in the Fall Fillers set). I simply snipped the image in two, trimmed off just a tiny bit of broom handle that was next to one boot, then turned the boots upside down and layered them behind the candy corn pile. Adding the broom too was kind of an after-thought, but I just love how it looks like she parked her broom and dove head-first right into that candy corn. 

The label is die-cut with the Jar Label die, stamped with a frame and sentiment from Friendship Jar Fall Fillers, and colored with Copics.

STAMPS: Friendship Jar Fall Fillers

DIES: Friendship Jar Fall Fillers, Jar Label, Tag Sale #5

INK: True Black

PAPER: white and kraft card stock, Bitty Dots Patterned Paper

OTHER: black and white baker's twine, milk bottle, candy corn

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My last project of the day really shows off the effortless layering you can do with all of these dies.

I've stamped and die-cut four jars out of vellum using Friendship Jar stamps and the Jar & Lid die. Two have lids that were die-cut out of Luxe Silver Adhesive Sheets. The candy corn, ghosts, pumpkins, and sticks are all die-cut with the new Fall Fillers dies.

Layering all the die-cuts was a breeze, and the vellum jars are translucent just enough to see the jar contents. I'm loving the fun corner cluster design, too!

STAMPS: Friendship Jar, Friendship Jar Fall Fillers

DIES: Friendship Jar Fall Fillers, Jar & Lid, Jar Toppers

INK: True Black, Jet Black Staz-On

PAPER: white card stock, Bitty Dots Patterned Paper

OTHER: Copic markers, ink blending tool, white linen thread, black Sakura glaze pen

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Thanks so much for joining me today! 

Be sure to visit the following designers for more countdown projects and product introductions:

Nichole Heady

Betsy Veldman

Dawn McVey

Melissa Phillips
Erin Lincoln
Heather Nichols
Lizzie Jones