Make It Monday on Tuesday!

With all that's going on this week at Papertrey Ink, my friend Amy and I were texting about the first PTI stamp sets we purchased.  PTI's first release was in February of 2007.  Do you remember their first stamp set?  It was Paper Tray!  And I bought it!  That same year I also purchased the Borders and Corners Circles and the Ambassodor Monogram Edition.  Little Lady is still on my Wish List, but she seems to keep getting pushed aside. 

In 2008, I added Mixed Messages, Everyday Blessings and Remember to my collection.  Would you believe I just used Remember last month?!  Shame on me!  Still on my Wish List from 08?  Honey Bees and sentiments. 

Most of my stamping budget went to PTI in 2009 as there were so many incredible sets to choose from!  I purchased On My Couch, In Bloom, Take Note, Signature Greetings and Turning a New Leaf.  When finances permit, I still hope to add Damask, Tea for Two, Vintage Picnic, Autumn Abundance and Signature Christmas.

2010 was the Year of Stamps and I was blessed to increase my collection of PTI as I never imagined!  My favorite freebies from this year:  Year of Flowers; Studio Style; Delightful Dahlias; Chair-ished; It's Official; Up, Up and Away; Flutterby Friend; Tea for Two Additions; Love Birds; and Sheet Music.

It was fun to reminisce about the past releases.  Even more fun:  Make it Monday!  Papertrey Radio!  And...the BIG Giveaway!  PTI sure knows how to host a celebration!

Here's my take on Make It Monday!  For me, this card became all about the buttons!  Once I decided on the layout, I knew it needed them.  Not only did it need them, but they had to be sewn on.  Do you know how hard it is to stitch threw 3 layers of paper/cardstock?!  It was so worth it though.  I heart those PTI Razzberry Fizz buttons!  

Hope you're having as much fun as I am with PTI's Anniversary celebration!  Thanks for stopping by~ Patti

PTI Brightens My Day

Another day of anniversary festivities at Papertrey Ink!  How exciting that Maile Belles is going to be designing stamps now too!  Maile has such a fresh, clean style.  I thought I'd try my hand at the look for today's challenge. 
This is so not my usual style, that when my husband saw the card laying on the counter, he said "Who made that card?"  After I told him I had, he said it was too "minimalist" for me.  Perhaps, but it was fun to try something different. 

I'm so excited about the sneek peeks that have been featured this past week on Nichole's blog!  Mat Stack 4 stamps!  The "newsprint" background!  Doillies!  My Wish List just keeps growing!!!  Maybe I'll get lucky and win another year of stamps.  That's probably too much to hope for!  ;)  Hope you're playing along for your chance to win! 

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week! ~Patti

Papertrey Favorite(s) of 2010

Happy Anniversary Papertrey Ink!  Having been the winner of their 2010 Year of Stamps, it was my hope to be able to highlight all of the amazing stamp sets I recieved throughout the year on my blog.  Afterall, it seemed the least I could do having recieved such an amazing gift!  Alas, life got in the way and blogging was pushed aside by things like college applications, band concerts and family gatherings.  Sorry, but I wouldn't trade them.

The good news is, while I was busy working full-time, coordinating a mentoring program at an elementary school, acting as VP in the local Music Boosters and juggling the schedules of our four children (ages 12-19), I still found time to enjoy the stamps.  :)  And, the finished product made it into the hands of family and friends who were celebrating milestones or needed to be thanked or cheered. 

So what did I do with all of those stamps (over 120 sets!).  I shared them...with a couple of my dearest friends.  Each month, I would pick my faves and let them pick theirs.  As we each have different styles, it worked out well.  I'm really hoping one of the two of them wins this years prize, so we can continue sharing the joy of free stamps.  lol

What was my favorite PTI item they ask?  The Mat Stack 4 die!  I reach for it time and time again.  Dawn McVey's Sheet Music background!  I have four musicians in my house, so it's a perfect addition to my collection.   The Year of Flowers sets!  Each one is so beautiful and has lovely sentiments.  The felt!  I bought way too much at CHA this summer.  That was more than one wasn't it?!  Well, it's just too hard to choose.

Today I'm sharing a card that features some of my PTI favorites of 2010. 

I can't thank Nichole, Jane and Julie enough for the wonderful gift of stamps I've received this year.  They have been a blessing that I (and my friends) will enjoy for years to come!

Congratulations PTI on another year of success!  It's well deserved.  All the best! ~Patti

What's Your Style?

I spent the better part of  my morning perusing the Paper Crafts STYLE blog hop.  From Clean and Simple, Cute and Fun, Classy and Elegant to Shabby Vintage, there was a plethura of  styles to behold.  With the focus on style, it got me thinking about my own personal style. 

The Shabby Vintage look is beautiful and I always admire it, but I can't seem to perfect it.  Although the Clean and Simple look is fresh, it doesn't have enough going on in the way of embellishments for me.  I don't do super cutesy and I don't think my cards are elegant. 

So, where does that leave me?   Hmm.  I think my cards are a combination of clean, fun and classy.  They seem to have all the right elements, for my liking anyway.   The right color combo, some layering, a little dimension and the perfect embellishments.  A "classic" style! 

Hope you're enjoying stamping your style today! ~Patti

The Sky Is The Limit

Today, we celebrate the graduation of Justin's girlfriend, B.  B has been an important part of Justin's life for nearly two years.  She's energetic, light hearted, easy going, a natural beauty and pretty special to him.  B's off to St. Olaf in the fall to study science and will no doubt be missed here.  I'm not sure what the future holds for "them", but I'm sure each will have a brilliant future.

It's interesting to look back on my own life when these milestones pass for my children and their friends.  I lived in California when I graduated high school.  I loved Berkley and was going to be a lawyer.  Makes me giggle now.  ;)

It is exciting though to see a young person dreaming about their future, making their plans and then working to make those dreams a reality.  Papertrey's Up, Up and Away seemed the perfect set to celebrate B's new journey in life.  Coupled with Bo Bunny's  Sun Kissed paper, this card totally fits Bs delightful personality.  I hope she likes it. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Wherever you are, enjoy this beautiful day! ~Patti

Hello Monday!

Whew! What a weekend! Lots of laundry, errands and cleaning coupled with a percussion concert and a spaghetti dinner fundraiser.

Justin is part of a new A Cappella group at school named Enharmonic Fusion. They are going to New York in a couple of weeks for a national competition. It's a bit pricey to send 21 students to NY for 4 days, so we threw together a fundraiser. It was loads of fun with all the parents pitching in to cook and serve and the students performing. They sound amazing!

I'm really excited about this trip because I get to go along as a chaperone. Justin has a solo in the competition so I'm looking forward to being able to share in this experience with him.

In spite of the busyness of the weekend, I did find a few minutes to stamp. This is Delightful Dahlia from PTI's March release. So much fun to color!

I have a confession to make, I'm addicted to patterned paper. So, I'm prone to keeping the smallest of scraps. Silly, I know. But in this case it was worth it! Basic Grey Euphoria is perfect for flowers.

Looking forward to a quiet evening tonight. Definitely an early to bed night. Thanks for popping in! Take care~ Patti

Butterfly Thank You

TGIF! It's been such a full week. I am so thankful that the weekend is upon us! I'm looking forward to some quality time with my hubby, my kiddos and my stamps. ;)

Just stopping in for a quick post to share one of my favorite PTI sets from the February release. Butterfly Dreams. I'm a huge fan of butterflies and this set is so pretty. It has a great variety of butterflies and there's also a matching die cut.

Stamping is proof that it's the little things that make us happy. :) Hope it's a happy Friday for you! Enjoy your weekend too! ~Patti

Thanks...for Everything

I'm trying to get in the swing of things after spring break. I thought I might catch up on things over break; finish painting the trim in two of the kids' bedroooms, clean the kitchen appliances, maybe relax a bit, visit with friends, spend a day at Starved Rock or go to a movie.

Instead, we took Justin up to Northfield, Minnesota to visit St. Olaf College. They had a Junior Preview Day. Since we were driving 6 hours each way, we decided to take in as much of the college as we could and also attended a band concert, 3 choir rehearsals, orchestra rehearsal, jazz band rehearsal, percussion ensemble rehearsal and a music theory class. We also toured the campus and music building and ate lunch in the caf. Three days later, we arrived home. :)

Needless to say, the appliances still need a good cleaning and the paint trim isn't done. Maybe I'll get to them over summer break. lol

I did find a couple of hours to stamp. Yeah! This simple thank you is for the gals at Paper Trey Ink. It hardly seems like enough for the wonderful gift they have given me in "a year of free stamps", but it's from the heart.

The Violet stamp set is beautiful! I so enjoy coloring the big blooms and leaves with my Copics! Looking forward to spending more time with it soon!

Blessings~ Patti

Lucky

Some call it luck, some fortune; I call it a blessing. I was chosen the random winner of "Free Stamps for a Year" from Paper Trey Ink. I can't tell you how blessed I feel to be receiving such an awesome gift! I certainly didn't do anything extraordinary to earn it. Yet, my little box of 10 stamp sets arrived on my door step this past week. Lucky me! Fortunate me! Blessed me!!!

I feel compelled to share my blessing, so I'm going to try to make it a priority to post some of the cards I make each month with these lovely Paper Trey gems!

Since I'm Norwegian, I haven't ever purchased St. Patrick's Day or Irish stamps, but I have to admit that Luck of the Irish is one of my favorite sets from PTI's January release. With phrases like "You're my pot of gold and Lucky to count you as a friend", it makes for some very sweet friendship cards. And those are my favorite type of cards to make.

This one's off to Texas! One of my dearest friends, Priscilla, moved there in November. My daughter and I went to visit her and her family last month. It was such a treat to be able to chat with her face to face and to see her new home and community, but I am missing her again already.

It feels good to be back to blogging. I look forward to sharing more PTI designs as well as what's new with my family in the weeks ahead. Thanks for visiting! ~Patti