New Papertrey Ink Projects and Product Review

~Happy Birthday, Grandma~

Hello Wednesday! It's another lovely Spring day here, and I am cherishing every second of it...Because starting tonight, and for the next four days, the forecast is calling for more snow! 
It has, by far, been the longest and snowiest winter I can remember, and just as soon as the snow starts to melt, it seems to be replaced by more snowfall :( 

So I am soaking up all the sun I can get right now, and crossing my fingers that the weather man is wrong. Of course, it wouldn't be the end of the world if he wasn't, as it would only give me more time to get some much-needed work done, and of course, play with my new PTI goodies!

Which is exactly why I am here today - to share a couple of little items I made this past Saturday at the crop testing out all the bits and bobbles I picked up. O my goodness - I just have to say this - I had a blast using all of it! I am providing a detailed description below so that you call all see exactly what bits I put to use in these projects. I hope it helps you if you are also thinking of placing an order with PTI :)


Yesterday's post featured a card and disc holder I made for one of my grandmas, and I thought it would only be fair to create something sweet for my other dear grams. Her birthday is coming up, so I thought a sweet little tag, tucked inside a decorated glassine baggie would bring a very big smile to her face. Even though she has never seen paper crafting in action, I know she will love looking at these little creations and admiring every single little detail. 


I used one of the small sized glassine bags from PTI, and I covered it with a wide, soft pink vintage lace. I used the Filigree Border die to die-cut a bit of the pretty Rustic White cardstock (which I ADORE - please read more about it below the projects), and I lightly inked it with a soft lilac ink. I added that to the front of the baggie and then die-cut a pinked circle using the Limitless Layers: Circles 1 3/4 dies, onto which I stamped flowers using the Mini Blooms stamp set. I used the co-ordinating die to cut out some leaves, and stamped the pretty whispy ones, but chose to ink up the shorter leaves for two different looks. I adhered them with some dimensional adhesive, and added some liquid pearls to resemble the veins.


For the top of the baggie, I used another pinked circle die-cut, and stamped a green motif to create a delicate pattern. I used the Lovely Layers die to cut out two of the flower bits, which I stamped and then criss-crossed and adhered together to create a flower.

In the center of the larger flower, I adhered a tiny, felt rolled rose, which I distressed with just a wee bit of white paint.


Just below that, I added a soft peach button, stamped a sentiment onto the pinked circle using the Tag Its Number 1 Mini stamp set. I added liquid pearls around the pinked circle, and then moved onto the tag.


For the tag, I used the Tag Sale Number 3 die, which embosses these lovely little dots all around the tag, and you all know how much I love my dots! It`s always a bonus when the work is already done for me, and that is the reason I love this little die so much. 


I inked up the bitty tag re-inforcer with some purple ink, added a lilac bow and a yellow button to the top. Just below that, I stamped a vintage medallion motif in soft blue ink, and adhered a die-cut heart, which I inked up with soft green ink.


Just below that, I added a banner with my sentiment, and then tucked in a die-cut circle (from the Limitless Layers collection) stamped with the Tag Its Number 1 Mini stamp.
I added a smaller scalloped circle in the center, also stamped with an image from the Tag Its pack.
Underneath the pretty circle, I die-cut and inked the Filigree Border, and then topped off all the layers with a few buttons - the heart is a clay button I made, and the two soft pink buttons are from my stash.

Before I go, I just want to quickly share my verdict on the goodies I got, because I know it can be so difficult to find reviews on-line and sometimes it can take hours to source out all the information you are looking for. I really hope my review of the Papertrey Ink items will help you out. 

**My Papertrey Ink Review**

Firstly, the item I was most excited about ordering was the Rustic Cream and Rustic White cardstock packs...And I have to say, I ADORE both of them! This is by far, the sturdiest cardstock I have ever used, making die-cutting not only super easy (because the paper just slides off the dies), but also so fun because of the way the paper looks when die-cut. Since it is so thick, the edges get pinched nicely, and combined with the sturdiness, it creates for a seamless and professional looking finish. 

The colors are also fantastic! I have to say, I though that the Vintage Cream color would be more of an off-white, but it is actually a very light buttery tone..Since I use more white in my creations, I think the Rustic White will probably get more use from me, since it a much softer and whiter color, without being too stark. The flecks in the paper are also lovely, and not too distracting or busy. 

The felt is also something I have been waiting to try and all I can say is that I love it! The colors, the texture, the way it cuts...It`s truly beautiful! 

I have only tested a couple of the colors of the ink, so I will be back with more info about those tomorrow. 

The button colors are slightly different than what is shown online, and for the most part, I find them all to be slightly darker than what my monitor showed. I figured that this might happen, so it is not a  huge surprise, however, some of the colors (for example: Spring Rain or Spring Moss) are much bolder in real life, or are a slightly different tone, and seem to not be an exact match to the ink color. Nonetheless, I still love the buttons and the colors are all still very lovely! 

The stamps and dies are all exactly as expected. I have to note that, even with prior orders of PTI goodies, I was immediately impressed with the quality of the stamps...They are some of the best quality clear stamps I have used to date. I love that the stamps are a sturdy polymer, so they make a clear impression every time. The very detailed stamps are excellent for retaining the detail once stamped and could be compared to some of the top rubber stamp brands. The fact that they are clear is such an important aspect as the unique design of the stamps allows for layering and building of an image, and would be pretty hard to work with if they were not see-through. 
The stamps do not yellow, and work with just about any kind of ink. I have found that other brands of ink tend to stain the stamps, which is the reason why I love the PTI dye inks so much. The trade-off is, of course, pigment and chalk inks tend to provide a more crisp image, but you risk staining your stamps and over time this can somewhat diminish the effectiveness slightly as it becomes harder to see through the stamps to create the layered images. I usually stay away from highly pigmented chalk inks or pigment inks such as reds, dark purples and bold greens, as I have found these to be the biggest culprits in staining stamps. For these colors, I use dye ink instead. For the lighter, pastel colors, I find that I can use any type of ink, as the colors don`t affect the stamps very much.

I will continue to update this review as I use more of the items, but so far, I must say, I am a very happy girl! 

Thank you all for joining me today - I wish you a wonderful Wednesday!

*Ivana*

p.s. I have read forums from prior customers about the poor customer service from PTI, and must say that I have never had a negative experience with them. All of my orders have always been processed very quickly (even during release dates), and have been shipped promptly. Any questions I have ever had have been answered within 24 hours - I have to say, the customer service has been superb! 


2 comments

  1. So soft and pretty, love Papertrey Ink Dies as well and used that same border die on one of my last layout. Hope you had a great time with your inlaws.

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  2. Ivanna I just wanted to say THANKS! for the detailed information; it is such a big help!

    This set is stunning and I don't know where to begin! - but sometimes a 'little thing' will jump out first, and for me it was that peach button on the bag! (I don't know why ~ but it's perfect:")
    It's like Christmas around your craftroom right now, isn't it?!
    Enjoy! I appreciate yout creativity~ Karen

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