Anything But a Card Challenge!

Hi Papertrey fans, it's Caryn here. Kate and Aimes have thrown me in at the deep end and have entrusted me with writing the post for our new challenge. Hopefully I won't miss out anything important - don't want to be sacked on my first week in the job, lol!!

So onto the challenge details. We want to see you create ANYTHING but a card. It could be a scrapbook page, a tag, gift packaging or any other creation you can think of - just not a card. All we ask is that you use at least one Papertrey Ink product in your design - simples!

When I found out what the challenge was going to be I decided I would create a gift to give my sister-in-law for my little nephew's baptism. I'm not a fan of the generic baby gifts you can buy in jewellers shops (you know, those little trinket boxes and ornaments - not my thing at all) so I bought an inexpensive box frame from Ikea and thought I'd make a little picture for his new bedroom (they are moving house after Christmas). Aimes has kindly loaned me her Tiny Treats: Valentine stamp set and I thought the cute little images in that set would be perfect for a little 1 year old.



I used a base of Pure Poppy card and the dotty distressed paper from the Pretty Pastels collection and my EK Success star punch to make the stars (from Vintage Cream card). The images are coloured with ProMarkers and the letters (my nephews initials) are stamped in Pure Poppy using a Banana Frog alphabet set.

Over to Kate: "I love stationery sets so I decided to use one of Lauren Meader's From The Desk Of' Timeless Templates to make a set of notelets to have on my desk whenever I need to scribble a quick note. Excuse the picture - I will take a better one in daylight!

Kate

Recipe:
Stamps: Take Note/Mega Mixed Messages/Round & Round Anniversary Set
Card: Hawai'in Shores/Stampers Select White
Paper:Green Boutique
Ink: Hawai'in Shores/Versafine Black
Other: New Leaf ribbon/Circle Nestabilities

Over to Aimes:
"Well life is pretty hectic still, so I'm gonna 'fess up that I'm featuring something for this challenge that I made the other week, but haven't shared here yet; hope you can forgive me!

I just adore these treat boxes - I think I'm addicted! So cute, so sweet and oh so simple to create! Now that's my kinda crafting when you can only squeeze in tiny amounts of inky therapy time!"
Treat Box Deets
{Thank You}
Stamps: Star Prints (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Black (Memento)/Antique Linen (Distress Ink)
Cardstock: Kraft, Raspberry Fizz (Papertrey Ink)
Patterned Paper: Dotty Biscotti (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Treat Box Die (Papertrey Ink)/Star Punch (SU!)/Raspberry Fizz Button (Papertrey Ink)/Fineline Pen

And here's what our wonderfully talented Bev, our November Featured Stamper has created for us using some of the latest products:
For my 'Anything but a Card' project I decided to use some of my new PTI goodies. They are the Favour It 2 Box Die, The Limitless Layers Dies, Holiday jar Fillers and Holiday Tags 2010.






And so what can you win?



Some luscious Raspberry Fizz yumminess. 2 sheets of Raspberry Fizz cardstock, one sheet of each of the 12 designs in the Raspberry Fizz mix paper collection, 3 foot-long samples of Raspberry Fizz ribbon (Satin Dots, Satin and Twill) and a few Raspberry Fizz Buttons.

So here's the serious bit!!

* All entries must contain at least one PTI product to qualify

* To enter, use our inlinkz thingy at the bottom of this post. Please leave the correct URL for your entry post and not just your generic blog address! If you're having problems then just leave a comment with a link to your post featuring the project on your blog or online gallery.

* Worldwide entries are more than welcome to share the inspiration and can be in with a chance of being a Top 3 PTI Passionista, but unfortunately prizes can only be shipped within Europe!

* Challenge closes on Monday, November 15th 2010 at 9.00am GMT

* A winner will be chosen at random to receive some PTI goodies!

* In addition to this, we'll select the top three creations we like the most and feature them on the Blog. The top three PTI Passionistas will have chance to display a Top 3 Passionista Blinkie on their own blog.

We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Kate, Aimes, Caryn & Bev

Emboss It!!!

Hey!

OK ready for a new challenge?! I hope so!

For this challenge we want you to emboss it! Don't panic - you don't have to have a heat gun for this challenge! Now you can have fun with y'heat gun if you want, but here's some other tips for embossing:

• Running an embossing folder through your die-cutting machine
• Using a Nestability die
• Using a good old fashioned light box, stencil and ball tool!

So don't think you've gotta get covered in embossing powder and burn yourself; though that's exactly what I did for my example LOL:

Couldn't resist giving my On My Couch set a little more inky love while it was out on my desk!

The Polka Dots are embossed with white detail powder on Pure Poppy cardstock, as is the sentiment too! I love the way the white 'pops'!



Card Recipe
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics II/On My Couch/On My Couch Additions/Vintage Labels
Ink: Versamark/Pure Poppy/Dark Chocolate/Ripe Avocado/Fresh Snow
Card: Enchanted Evening/Pure Poppy/Stamper's Select White
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/White Detail EP/Ripe Avocado Grosgrain Ribbon/White Gel Pen

Now Kate's still sunning herself in L.A (gosh, what a shock she'll have when she gets back to this weather LOL!) but never fear, Dawn is here as our featured stamper! She goes to prove that you don't have to limit yourself to a card with her stunning example:


Check out that clear embossed Giga Guidelines background!


Dawn's gonna be famous for her amazing notepads - I'm lucky to have one in my possession that I carry nearly everywhere but daren't use for fear of spoiling it!


I just love that little hand pointing - it's such a cute finishing touch!

Stamps: Giga Guidelines, Take Note
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate, Berry Sorbet
DSP: Bitty Dots, Everyday Blessings
Mediums: Staz-on, Chocolate Chip (SU), Embossing Stamp pad
Embellishments: Aqua Mist button, Berry Sorbet ½”luxe satin ribbon
Tools - Paper cutter and scorer, Snail adhesive, Heat gun, clear embossing power.

So there ya have it! I hope we've inspired you a tiny bit to think about embossing and to enter our challenge. Remember, there's some PTI goodies to be won!

Here are the deets:

• All entries must contain at least one PTI product to qualify
  
• To enter, leave a comment with a link to your post featuring the project on your blog or online gallery.
  
• Worldwide entries are more than welcome to share the inspiration, but unfortunately prizes can only be shipped within Europe!
• Challenge closes on Monday 25th January 2010 at 9.00am GMT
• A winner will be chosen at random to receive a collection of PTI goodies!

We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Aimes , Dawn (& Kate from sunny L.A!)
xx

1. Laurel (Joining us again from the USA! Whoop!)
2. Karin (Another PTI fan from the USA sharing the inspiration!)
3. Nadine (entering from Hawaii with a her shiny new blog!)
4. Hanneke
5. Ingrid
6. Chris
7. Beverley
8. Jan
9. Vannessa
10. Aga
11. Mandy
12. Dana
13. Valerie
14. Katie
15. Margaret
16 Margaret (with a second fabulous entry!)
17. Hanne
18. Taheerah
19. Amy

Featured Stamper!

Hey!

Firstly:

Happy New Year!

I hope 2010 brings you peace, happiness and joy! All it's brought me so far is a hazy head from a few Singapore Slings too many (Man, I just ♥ that cocktail!) but I'm sure 2010 is gonna bring me more LOL!

So a new year, a new month, a new featured stamper for us - woo hoo! Thanks so much to Taheerah for being our fabulous first featured stamper! We loved your creations - my fave has to be the use of the Tea For Two set - what an amazing set of cards that so much work and heart went into making!

So who's January's Featured Stamper? Drumroll please....

Dawn!

We asked Dawn a few questions to get to know her a little better, though we already know she's lovely as we met in person at the PTI make and take ;D!

1)How did you get into papercrafting?

I don't remember! I've always been papercrafting in one way or another, I remember winning a drawing competition when I was about 5 or 6 at school and I've always made cards for my parents and other family members for birthdays and christmas, I guess its just grown from there ....

2)How long have you been stamping for?

I've only been stamping for a few years, I discovered Stampin Up first (am I allowed to say that?) and quickly became hooked, but then I found PTI .... and its taken over .... my bank balance

3)How did you get into PTI and why do you love it so much?

I don't know how I discovered PTI, I think I was blog hopping and came across either Nichole Heady's or Dawn McVey's blogs. I resisted for a couple of months but the pull was too great. I love the colour combinations and the way that the papers, ribbons and buttons match. I also the new stamps (and a new colour) every month - its fab, its like a birthday surprise EVERY MONTH!

4)What would you say is your stamping style?

Eclectic! I don't know, sometimes it depends on how much time I have! I love CAS (Clean and Simple) but at other times I love - to pile it all on, bows, brads, lots of layers ....

5)Do you have a favourite PTI colour or colour combo that just makes you drool?

Oooooh ..........colours...........my favourites are chocolate, raspberry fizz AND KRAFT who can live without KRAFT ?????

6)If you had to choose just one PTI stamp set to keep, which one would it be and why?

I don't have many sets, although I aim to remedy that in 2010! My favourites from 2009 that I actually own are the button bits sets, they are so versatile. Of the sets I don't own and I wish I'd bought,(and I probably will on my next order) because I think I'd use it a lot 'Turning a New Leaf' .... There are so many more that I wish I owned ...

7)Who is your PTI Idol?

I HAVE TO CHOOSE! ..... Nichole Heady, Dawn McVey, Heather Nichols, Michelle Wooderson, Lisa Johnson ... HOW DO YOU CHOOSE .... I love them all????

8)Where do you get your inspiration from?

Everywhere........ Mainly the WWW, The PTI forum and Splitcoaststampers, I just look up PTI there are some fantastic cards and projects on there, but I find myself making notes everywhere, even at the supermarket, or staring out the window during a meeting - yes I remember setting a colour challenge that way, I could see a unit across the way with red, yellow, grey, and black in their logo!!

9)What’s your stamping dream?

It was to be on a design team but I'm there now as of December 2009, so I guess the next one is to be published so I'd better send some cards in to some of the magazines ....

10)Where can we go to check out more of your wonderful creations?

my blog, http://auroradawn-ad.blogspot.com or my web page, http://www.auroracraft.co.uk

Thanks so much Dawn for being our January Featured Stamper! Here's a couple of Dawn's creations that really caught our eye though I really recommend that you pop across to Dawn's blog for a good nosy:


I love, love, LOVE this notepad design! You can totally see the inspiration Dawn gets from Lisa Johnson (whose style I adore!) with the classy colour combo and added touch of bling!


Dawn totally rocks at the 3D items with this super cute Tucked Away template! I love the idea of using acetate - giving the recipient a sneaky peek at what's inside!

Look out for more from Dawn in our challenges this month and her two dedicated blog posts here on the PTI blog!

Aimes (& Kate from L.A!)
xx