Hello and welcome, friends! It’s Kelly here with a few
Valentine’s Day projects as we switch gears from Christmas to the upcoming year!
Valentine’s Day projects are some of my favorites and creating with traditional
colors helps me transition from beloved Christmas without too many withdrawals!
Last year I created some Valentine’s Day post boxes using the Fireside Holiday Collection and I figured I would do the same thing with the Christmas Market
Collection to create a few Marketplace boxes. Betsy asked on Instagram if
customers would like a small box die to use with the Market Place Mini Die and
of course, it was a resounding yes! I decided to read all of the comments on
the post and realized a lot of us are on the same page wanting additional
market names and additions for the shops!
I’m not sure when or if that will happen, but in the
meantime, I decided to pull out some older favorites, restyle the festoons, and
get these shops all decked out for Valentine’s Day! To begin, I pulled out
three colors of cardstock so I could make each of the 3 styles of shops. As I
mentioned earlier, I went for traditional colors: pink, red, and berry. I cut
the box bases using the Arch Box Large Die and then used Market Place No. 1, Market Place No. 2, and Market Place No. 3 dies to cut each of the shops. Because
I was using three different colors, it made it really easy to simply cut all of
the details for each box using those same three colors, switching trim details
so it wasn’t the same color being used. I did add in a bit of Antique Gold
cardstock for a few of the details as well. I added some tone-on-tone ink
blending around the perimeter of each building for additional depth.
 Market Place No. 1 is cut from Sweet Blush cardstock and all
of the details are cut from Pure Poppy. I used liquid glue to attach all of the
details with the exception of the arched detailing on the 2nd floor
windows; I attached those with mini foam squares. The wreaths, bows, and swags
from the Market Place Holiday Festoons were cut from white and Sweet Blush for the
bows. I colored them with dye ink and blender brushes. I’m going to switch gears for just a minute because after I
got all of the boxes and store fronts cut, I actually got to work on the
flowers and foliage. The Winter Medley Die probably thinks I’m a traitor; it’s
been quite a while since I pulled this set out, but I knew it would be the
perfect thing to help transition these markets from Christmas to Valentine’s
Day. I cut everything from white and then colored the foliage with dye ink and
then each of the four styles of flowers were colored using the same three
colors as the boxes and then I left one variety white. I like to add a dot of
black marker to the centers of the flowers and then shape them on a foam mat
with the end of a stylus. I gave everything a spritz of Hickory Smoke Distress
Spritz and set them aside to dry. Now, back to the boxes! The Market Place No. 2 is cut from
Pure Poppy with Sweet Blush window trim and Berry Sorbet shutters. Each of the
boxes uses the same sentiment, which fits perfectly on the sign die cut, and is
from the Shelved Stamp Set. I heat embossed each one in gold either on Pure
Poppy cardstock or Sweet Blush. I used foam squares/strips to attach them to
the box. The final box was cut from Berry Sorbet cardstock. Each
store-front was splattered with white acrylic paint before it was added to the
actual box. In fact, I did ALL of the details and styling for each “market”
before attaching. It is much easier to do all of the finishing details with it
flat rather than attached to the box. It also allowed me to add the flock
without it falling inside the box or through the windows since I cut the windows
on the box as well. I just love adding battery-operated tea lights inside these
cute boxes and for Christmas, I gifted one inside each box even if it was
holding something else so the recipient could use it as a decoration if they
wanted.  Each of the three boxes got clusters of flowers or wreaths
cut from the Market Place Festoons Die with bows. The strands of lights were
created with small pearls, bows, and gems, additional flowers on a few, etc. I
also used the hearts that are included in the Cupid's Arrow Die. In fact,
before I began ANY of the boxes, I actually just searched for Valentine’s Day
on The Greetery website so I could see what scale of things would work….so
helpful! Once all of the details were added, I glued them to the Arch Box-Large
using liquid glue and set them aside to dry. These were SO much fun to create and I just love how they turned out!
It's never fun to need sympathy cards and I wish this one in particular wasn't needed, but here we are! A dear friend lost her mom a few weeks ago and is now awaiting the passing of her sweet dad! None of the cards I had in my stash seemed fitting for this time of year so I decided to make something new, a little more fitting of the season. Also, I'm breaking a few of my "rules" for sympathy cards, so come along as I dive into the creation of this card.
To begin, I created the background by cutting a 4 by 5 1/4 inch piece of Powder Green cardstock and embossed it using a cable knit embossing folder from Gemini Junior. I'm having a hard time locating it, so maybe it is discontinued. I added some Walnut Stain Distress Oxide Spray for depth and interest and set it aside to dry. Next, I die cut all of the foliage, berries, and pinecones using some assorted sets. The brown leaves, the broad, thick leaf and pistachio colored leaves are all from the Into the Blooms: Anemones Die. The brown leaves are colored with Creamy Caramel ink from SU!, the broad leaf is colored with Stormy Sea (PTI) and Handsome Hunter ink from SU!, and the pistachio colored leaves are colored with Mint Julep (PTI) and Handsome Hunter (SU!). The large leaf cluster is from the Into the Blooms: Christmas Sprigs Die and is colored with Stormy Sea and Handsome Hunter.
I set all of the foliage and things aside to let them dry. I die cut the middle size included in the new Love to Layer: Polished Points Die from Vintage Cream cardstock and stamped the sentiment. It is my go-to sympathy sentiment and is from the Vintage Garden Stamp Set. I stamped it with Walnut Stain Distress Oxide ink and added some ink splatters with the same ink. I used a sticky note to cover up the main portion of the sentiment and then just splattered it everywhere else. I felt the sentiment needed something extra, so I rummaged through my mini sentiment stamp sets hoping to find an accent that was fitting. I made some modifications to the original saying; it said Sending Prayers For A, so I just used a sticky note to cover up the unnecessary bits and then heat embossed it in gold. The sentiment is from the Just Sentiments: Get Well Mini Stamp Set. I added the sentiment panel to the background using foam squares and off-set it near the bottom right. I knew I was going to need more room on the left side for the foliage, berries, and pinecones. I arranged them using foam squares and liquid glue until I was satisfied with the arrangement. I added some Rock Candy Glitter and Shimmer Spray-Sparkle. Now, if you've been around awhile, you will know that I generally don't add glitter to my sympathy cards. I decided to add it to this card to give it the snowy look I was going for. So, here I am breaking my rules! ha ha! I also usually don't like to add sequins, but I did add a trio of sparkling clear sequins around the sentiment. I think they just work on this seasonal, winter design! I adhered the entire background to an A2 top-folding Vintage Cream card base using liquid glue. I did stamp an inside greeting and added a few extra berries and leaves to the inside, but I forgot to take a pictures. I am definitely trying to be more prepared and stamp the inside of my cards as I make them and not wait until I NEED them. This really came back to bite me during Christmas....I didn't even get around to stamping on the inside of many of them and I felt bad. Thanks for fluttering by!
Hello and welcome! I'm sharing a fun wintertime card using a variety of products! I fell in love with this sweet Snuggle Snowman and immediately purchased the die! It arrived when I was busy with other projects and deadlines, but I made some time to use it. I got it out of the package and was ready to get crafty, but got called away for other motherly duties. ha ha! Anyway, I ended up setting it aside and then inadvertently threw it away. I was so sad, but I bought another one and it arrived the other day. I couldn't wait to spend some time creating this card. I saved a snippet of wrapping paper from Christmas to use as my inspiration, but I didn't want it to necessarily be Christmas-themed.
 I also bought the beautiful Eyelet Layer Frames, but thank heavens I didn't throw them away! ha ha! To begin this card, I die cut the largest frame included in the set using Seafoam cardstock. I set it aside to do the embossed layer. I pulled out an older embossing folder that I've had for a few years called Pine Bouquet from SSS, but it looks like it's retired. I cut the panel down so it would fit inside the frame. I added some Seafoam Ink over the top using a blender brush to add some dimension.
I attached it to the lace frame piece using foam squares and then added it to a top-folding A2 card base. I die cut all of the pieces for the snowman and got to work assembling it. I took all of my color cues from the wrapping paper, which was fun, because I don't think I would have come up with the hat combination on my own. I glued a red pom-pom from my stash to the top for some added whimsy.
I die cut the eyes and nose twice; once so they could be placed back inside the holes, and again to go over the top for some added dimension. I wanted to add Glossy Accents to those pieces and it's always easier when they are raised a bit. Everything for the snowman himself was cut from white and then I just added some black marker to the eyes and Canyon Clay ink to the carrot nose.
The scarf is cut from Pure Poppy with some Scarlet Jewel blending for depth and contrast. I glued it to the body using foam squares and added the hat with liquid glue. I did add some ink splatter to the body as well for that snowy look. Once the eyes were dry, I added a dot of white gel pen to each one.
The wrapping paper had the snowman holding a bunch of greenery, ,so I got to work creating some. I used the Into the Blooms: Swag Die and cut the pieces from white cardstock. I didn't cut anything that was too holiday or Christmas-y, like holly. I colored the pieces with Stormy Sea ink and then Garden Green and Handsome Hunter from SU! I gave them all a spritz or two of Hickory Smoke Distress Spritz.
While those were drying, I attached the snowman to the embossed panel using foam squares. I tucked the greenery around him using liquid glue and foam squares. The snowflakes are cut from the Build-a-Hat die and the smallest one is from the Bring Home the Holidays Die. I added some blue pearls to the center of each snowflake.
I just love this sentiment and thought it would be perfect for this card. It is from the Just Sentiments: Winter Wonderland Stamp Set and is heat embossed in white on a strip of Pure Poppy cardstock. I added it using strips of foam tape. The finishing touch is some Rock Candy Glitter which I made sure to add to the top of the pom pom for a realistic snowy look! I had so much fun creating this card and I'm so glad this cute snowman is finally here to stay! ha ha! Thanks for fluttering by!
Hello friends! It's my turn for the Project Inspiration features for Papertrey Ink and my first one of 2026! It has been insane around here and we have had ZERO snow for WEEKS; in fact, it's only snowed once at all! I decided to channel some snowy vibes for today's project using a variety of favorites!
I pulled out some older favorites, mixed them with the new and had a lot of fun bringing this card to life! I've made a goal for 2026 to send out at least one card a week, so this one will be fun to send (if we ever get snow).
This card comes together in six easy steps, but I will break each step down for you with detailed instructions!
Step 2: Cut the snowflake border from white cardstock using the Cover Plate: Let It Snow Die and attach it to the background using foam squares.
Step 3: Cut the hat pieces using the Build-a-Hat Die from Spring Rain cardstock and a few details from Vintage Cream Felt. Add some Blueberry Sky ink around the edges.
It's hard for me to put away all of the Christmas stamps and dies, so it's always fun for me to keep using them in different ways until winter is over.
As I was editing these photos, I realized how cute it would have been to use the heart that is included in the hat die somewhere on the hat to reinforce the sentiment. *****ETA: I DID end up adding the heart and I love how it turned out! I added the picture at the bottom of the post.
I love the detailing that the distress spritz adds to the greenery with little effort.
I had so much fun creating this card and I hope it snows soon so it can get sent! Thanks for fluttering by! I ripped off the snowflake from the felt pom pom and then added the heart with a foam square and reapplied the snowflake! It looks SO much better like this!
Happy New Year, friends! We've made it to 2026, which seems so crazy to me! The Papertrey Ink Design Team and guests are participating in a fun Designers' Favorites Instagram Hop to share our personal favorites from 2025. You can head there to participate in the hop, but I also wanted to share my favorites here, too! I purposely didn't pick any of the cards that were featured in my Top Nine from Instagram, even though some of them are other favorites. I just wanted some fresh things to share, if that makes sense. One of the things that is special about each of these cards, with the exception of one, is that I remember who I gave each one to and why. The first card I'm sharing is one of my favorites because of the beautiful scripture verse and the flowers. This was when the Into the Blooms: Anemones Die was first released and little did I know then, but this has become a well-loved favorite and I have used it for every season since, including Christmas! You can see one of my favorite Christmas cards that uses them HERE. You can read all about how I created this card from the original post HERE.My second card is just so bright and cheery and uses a bee-theme, which I always love AND the beautiful Into the Blooms: Wild Wood Die and the Cover Plate: Hexagon Die. You can read all about this card HERE. I still have this card and I know this will be one of those that is hard to part with. This particular card was made just-for-fun and not part of a release. It isn't solely PTI products, so I was hesitant to share it on the hop, but it IS one of my favorites, so I said, why not? ha ha! You can read all about this card HERE. This is one of those cards that I want to make again because I love it so much!
 This particular card was a favorite on Instagram this year, but didn't make it in the top nine. This is one of those pleasant surprises that I didn't think people would respond to like they did. I really like it and I enjoyed making it, so it makes me happy when you like it too! You can read all about this card HERE.
I mentioned earlier I didn't want to include any Christmas cards, mostly because so many always end up on my Top Nine. I decided to share one favorite that didn't make it on the top nine. I was telling my daughter when I was writing out Christmas cards that I look at the photos of my cards way more than the actual cards, but when I see them in real life, they just look SO much better. This is one of those cards that just sparkles and shines and photography just can't capture that. You can read all about this card HERE. I want to thank each of you for your sweet support this year and always! I love this community so much; it's hard to find kindred spirits in our everyday life, so I truly appreciate you all so much! Happy New Year! Thanks for fluttering by!
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