Love for Papertrey Ink

As it is the wonderful Papertrey Ink's 3rd birthday celebration, I thought I would bring you a card I made using one of their stamps.  Now, if you haven't heard of Papertrey Ink, I urge you to head on over to Nichole Heady's blog.  This woman is savvy, clever, industrious (the thought of all she does along with being a wife and mother makes my head spin), innovative, generous and talented.  Her blog is one of my all-time favorites because she knows how to build anticipation, impart inspiration and encourage creativity.  Each month she gives peeks to the upcoming month's releases.  She is ingenious about it I tell you!  She sucks you in and you are forever changed.  You are hooked and must check in on each day until the grand release on the 15th of the month.  She does this each and every month and in February for their birthday month it is even bigger and more exciting.  How does she do it?  With the help of gifted stamp designers, an excellent design team, great customer service (they even pack a thank you note into each order) and fabulous products.  Ladies and gentlemen, Papertrey Ink is a class act through and through.

So, on to the card.  I love tree images and I find trees to work for all sorts of occasions, but most notably for masculine cards.  Now, I think I am not alone in the area of needing to stretch myself to make cards appropriate to guys.  Even in this one I threw in a patterned paper by my beloved Amy Butler.  Do you know I buy this paper obsessively? Whenever I see it I buy it.  I have quite a collection.  I thought I could get away with it as the color is so great and damask was quite the rage even for men centuries ago.  Who am I to question the gender appropriateness of a pattern?  And another favorite of mine snuck in...that Catslife Press stamp has a life of its own I tell you.

Now one of the wonders of Papertrey Ink other than their lovely stamps, incredible stamp designers and design team is their Perfect Match products of cardstock, ink, buttons and ribbon.  And I am an ardent supporter of their Kraft cardstock.  It is a must-have.  A basic...something like jeans are in clothing.  Gender neutral, can be dressed up or down, works for all styles, ages and tastes, but has a certain je ne sais quoi that white sometimes wishes it had.

Not So Basic Tree
Supplies--
Stamps: Tree (from Father Knows Best set), Papertrey Ink; Happy Birthday; Catslife Press
Inks: Aged Mahogany & Peeled Paint, Tim Holtz Distress Ink by Ranger
Pattern Paper: Amy Butler by K&Company
Cardstock: Kraft, Papertrey Ink
Border punch: Upper Crust; Fiskars
Other: Hemp twine; Scor-pal; Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper, We R Memory Keepers; Ink Blending Tool, Ranger