Papertrey Ink

 I got my very first order from Papertrey Ink, and the only thing that I'm disappointed in is the fact that I didn't order more! I make my cards out of my scrapbook supplies, but I often get stuck adding the sentiment. I've been looking for a good set of multi-purpose sentiment stamps, but none of the ones I had been finding fit my style. They were either too formal or not sophisticated enough. I've also been looking for place to buy good quality 8.5x11 cardstock for a long time, and things have been getting serious because I'm out of dark chocolate cardstock for my layout backgrounds. Everything just looks good with that color.

When I came to Papertrey's website (courtesy of Creating Keepsake's blog), I found exactly what I had been searching for. I'm pretty picky and have a good understanding of my style (and therefore, what I won't use), so I typically pick and choose what I want to purchase from most companies. I still had to pick and choose among Papertrey's offerings, but it was due to budgetary constraints! And now that I've "sampled" their products, my wishlist has gotten so much longer! Even better, I love what I've seen of how the company is run and how thoughtful, creative, and inspirational the designers are. It's something I feel great supporting.

Anyway, my friend Jessica and I split an order for maximum buying power! I got 4 colors of the Papertrey cardstock, half a package of kraft envelopes, and three stamp sets. I've been slightly obsessing over damask patterns on everything for a while, so I was super excited to find this Damask Designs set! It's going to take me a long time to get all of my damask ideas out of my head and onto paper. I haven't had a lot of time to play with them yet, but I have finished a few cards (and have many more ideas running around in my head). The first thing I did, though, was finish a few nearly-done cards. They needed sentiments, and since I knew my Papertrey order was on its way, I set them aside until my goodies arrived! Just as I thought, the stamps were the perfect finishing touches.

First, a card for Keith's grandma. It's hard to tell in the photo, but the floral paper is shimmery.

Bazzill Basics cardstock; KI Memories patterned paper; Papertrey Ink stamp--Mega Mixed Messages; Ranger stamping ink; Martha Stewart loop border punch; Michaels ribbon

This was inspired by Papertrey designs. I didn't have the supplies I needed yet, but that didn't stop me from making do with what I did have to create a cute card. The dots were stamped using Versamark ink and then embossed with two layers of Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel to give them a smooth, glossy surface. The dots are from an old foam stamp I have, but I'm enjoying my new acrylic polka dot stamps much more. The curvy label is from some new QuicKutz dies I just got. They were on sale and I knew they would be perfect for cards. I matted the white label on a shimmery silver one.

Bazzill Basics cardstock; Autumn Leaves patterned paper; Basic Grey adhesive pearls; Papertrey Ink stamp--Damask Designs; QuicKutz label dies; Heidi Swapp foam stamp; Versamark watermark ink; Ranger stamping ink; Ranger Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel; ribbon

I can't show the whole card yet (because I'm sharing it tomorrow), but here's the last card that I finished off with a Papertrey stamp. This is another QuicKutz label die; it fits most of the sentiments in Mega Mixed Messages perfectly, so I think you'll be seeing a lot more of it!

I have a half-completed card on the desk in front of me that I'm excited about, but I'm going to have to wait until tomorrow to finish it. I'll share it later!