LID Release: Coffee Cozy

Welcome to the first day of the Lil' Inker Designs Release week!  Boy do we have some CUTE products in store for you!! This first set that we are showcasing today and tomorrow I was over the moon excited about!  The first time I saw it more than a month ago, I started dreaming about all the possibilities!

But first, a little business!! You should have arrived from Amy's blog if you are following the blog hop!  If you would like to start at the beginning of the hop, you can visit the Lil' Inker Designs blog.  And, of course there is a giveaway!  Comment on all the blogs on the hop and you are eligible to win a $10 store credit or the Funny Bunny set that will be showcased on Wednesday and Thursday!

Ready to see today's set?  It is called Coffee Cozy and is super cute!! There are even dies to match! 

Cute!!!

Now for my projects! 

The idea for this first card was based on a picture I found on Pinterest pictured below. 

When I saw this I thought it needed to be a card!  So I made it one! :)

I used several of the sentiments from the set (and there are some really GREAT ones...did you see the one that said "Vitamin C"...yeah, a coffee vitamin sounds great to me!!) and placed them on a block.  Then I stamped them with white ink on the black paper to replicate the chalkboard menu from the picture.

I made a small coffee cup with the set by placing the lid down farther on the cup and then trimming off the tips of the cup that pointed up above it.  For both cups, I used a button with twine as the cozy closure to match the fabric cozies in the inspiration photo.  I made a woodgrain impression for the table.

And...who says you can only use this set for coffee!? Why not have a cup of tea or hot chocolate? 

 Thinking along those lines I wanted to use the set in an unexpected way (you know me!!). 

One of the sentiments in the set is "Spill the Beans".  How cute!  Have you ever had a friend that you just KNEW needed someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on?  What a fun sentiment to let them know you care and it doesn't have to involve coffee at all...how about jelly beans?   

I found these clear Chinese take-out boxes cheap at our local party store.  They are perfect for dressing up and adding a fun, colorful filling!  I used the coffee cozy stamp (YES!! in chevron pattern!) as a tag and stamped the sentiment on it. It is the perfect size and even has a similar shape to the box.

Thank you for stopping by today!! Your next stop on the hop is to Sarah Jay's blog!

Be sure to visit the Lil' Inker Blog each day this week for more sneak peeks!  If you'd like to see more samples using the Coffee Cozie set, several of the design team members will have projects to share tomorrow.  Be sure to come back on Wednesday to see my next post with another fun release from Lil' Inker!  Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies

Stamps: Lil' Inker Designs Coffee Cozies
Dies:  Lil' Inker Designs Coffee Cozies
Paper: Echo Park This & That Graceful, PTI Kraft, White, Black

Ink: PTI Snow White, Palette Haystack

Other: Twinery Twine, Buttons, PTI Woodgrain Impression Plate

Spring Twine Butterflies

Welcome!  I have a fun project that I have been so excited to share with you today!  You may have already seen it last week on The Twinery's blog but I wanted to share it here with my readers as well! 

You know how much I love using my Twinery Twine on my projects and I am always trying to think of out-of-the-box ideas on how to use it.

This idea came together a few months ago when I was thinking about a pom-pom tutorial that Caroline had put together last year.  I discovered that when you pulled the bundle of twine off of the fork what you have looks like a butterfly (at least to me).  And, if you enjoy looking at paper craft ideas, you have probably seen the very popular cards and frames that include butterflies or apples or other die cuts lined up to form a grid. 

So I took that idea and ran with it!

I had so much fun putting this together! Don't you just love those twine butterflies!?  You can create so many fun color combinations and even have multi-colored butterflies like you see on the card!  You can make the butterflies very large and full or very small and delicate.  I've included a tutorial at the bottom of this post to show you how to create your own.

I found this frame at Hobby Lobby.  It has a cushiony canvas back to it and I thought that the ivory contrast against the white in The Twinery's baker's twine was perfect.  I attached the butterflies to the canvas with glue dots.

In the bottom corner, I attached a tiny twine butterfly on a tag using a pin.  This tiny butterfly is so sweet!  Can't you image using these in your party decor or on your cards?  So cute!

I also created a coordinating card to go with the frame.  The butterflies work perfectly on a card and make a fun and unexpected embellishment. 

As you can see from this card, I made a multi-colored butterfly by following the steps I've shown below but also adding a 2nd color to the fork before tying the twine and taking it off the fork. 

Here is how I made the butterflies:

First, wrap as much twine around a fork as you'd like.  The more twine you use the fuller your butterfly will be.  For the size of butterflies I made on the frame, I wrapped the twine around all the tines in the fork.  In order to tie the butterflies evenly at the end, it is best to wrap around an even number of tines.

After you've finished wrapping, you will want to take a contrasting color of twine and wrap around the center tine twice and tie.  You will want the knot centered at the top of the butterfly.  Be sure to pull tight.  Once you tie your knot this piece will also become your butterfly's antennas.

This is what the butterfly looks like after you've taken it off the fork.

The last step is to trim the antennas to the size you would like them to be.

If you want to make the smallest butterflies, I wrapped the twine around only 2 tines and then completed the steps above.

Here is one more look at the finished product!  I hope you enjoyed it!

What colors of butterflies are you imagining?

Spring Butterflies Sneak Peek

Hey everyone! I will have a post up on The Twinery's blog tomorrow (Saturday the 10th!) with a fun project I have been so excited to share with you!

Here is a sneak peek to wet your appetite!

Be sure to visit The Twinery's blog to see the post in detail!  I have a tutorial as well on how to make these cute little twine butterflies!

Thanks for stopping by!

Your Friendship Warms My Heart

Hello everyone!

Today I am sharing a card I made for the CPS Sketch Challenge!  Lil' Inker Designs is the sponsor this week so I had to sneak in some LID products! :) 

Here is the sketch for this week that my card is based on.

I am really loving these color together!  That is one reason I love the little pads of paper since everything coordinates together and it is easy to find matching papers in just the right scale for cards!  On this card I used one of the adorable perforated heart dies from "Of the Heart" and a sentiment from the "Cocoa Bear" stamp set.

I hope you play along this week for your chance to win some Lil' Inker goodies!  The deadline to enter is Saturday March 3 at 5pm CST.

Supplies (all PTI unless noted)

Stamps: Lil' Inker Designs Cocoa Bear

Dies:  Lil' Inker Designs Of the Heart

Paper: Blink of an Eye by My Mind's Eye, PTI Kraft, Rustic Cream, Aqua Mist, Terra Cotta Tile

Ink: Dark Chocolate PTI

Other: Cantaloupe twine by The Twinery, Pop Dots