Introducing Butterfly Dreams

It's hard to believe that the day is finally here when I get to share some sneak peeks at my first stamp set (releasing through Papertrey Ink on February 15th)!  This was the first set I created and it has been so much fun to stamp with the real thing for the past week!  Today, I thought I would share some tips on how I have been using the stamps with the coordinating butterfly die that will also be available on the 15th.  But first, some details on the stamp set and a sneak peek at some of the stamps in the set.

Butterfly Dreams consists of 26 stamps (sixteen butterfly stamps, two background stamps, two antennae stamps, one butterfly body stamp, and five sentiments).  Six of the butterflies in the set coordinate with the butterfly die.  The butterflies range from realistic to whimsical and can be used for so many different cardmaking styles.  While I was creating the set, I also had scrapbooking in mind and I'm happy to say the set works very well for cards and layouts alike!  I have a layout to share later in the countdown.

Okay, how about we get to a sneak peek of some of the stamps in the set!

February is a busy month for birthday girls in our family so one of the first things I had to create with the set was a birthday card.  I used one of my favorite butterflies from the set, the monarch butterfly!  I could use this butterfly over and over and not get tired of it!  It looks so pretty with the wings colored to coordinate with the project.

I used one of the background stamps in the set to stamp the butterfly pattern across the bottom of my sweet blush cardstock.  Then, I stitched around the top edge,

I added some scalloped felt (the new true black felt cut with one of the new scallop dies!) and a strip of patterned paper (from Black and White Basics).  I stitched the felt in place first (under the patterned paper) and then, stitched the patterned paper in place and adhered the sweet blush cardstock to my true black card base.

I die cut a black circle, adhered it with foam adhesive, and stamped the Birthday Girl sentiment from the set.  Then, I die cut the butterfly, stamped the image, and colored it with copic markers before adhering it to my circle with foam adhesive.  Isn't the monarch butterfly such a pretty butterfly?!

Using the Butterfly stamps with the coordinating die
Now, I thought I would share a few tips about how I have been using the butterflies in the set with the coordinating die. 

First, die cut your butterfly image from whatever color of cardstock or patterned paper you are using for your project.  I have a cuttlebug and have found that the new dies from Papertrey Ink will use the same sandwich as the nestability dies from Spellbinders.

I stack them from the bottom: plate A, plate C, die, cardstock, plate B.  (Nichole will have more information on the stacks necessary for other machines.)  The new dies cut beautifully!

I placed my die cut on my black mat that I use for stamping.  The contrasting color is perfect for seeing exactly where I am stamping.  Make sure you are looking down over your project and you will be able to see an outline around the stamp as the stamp gets close to the die cut.  This makes stamp placement so easy.  (Sorry, my photo doesn't really show the outline very well, but in person, I found it to be really easy to see where I needed to stamp.)

 And there is a perfectly stamped image!  Nichole has been using a little different method for stamping with the dies.  You can read about it in her post yesterday when she introduced Heather's new Fillable Frame Collection.  Nichole and Betsy are highlighting Butterfly Dreams today along along with Dot Spot.  Dawn, Heather, Alli, and Melissa also have some sneak peeks at their new sets releasing this month.

Thanks so much for all your support and encouragement over the last couple weeks!  It's exciting to finally get to share some sneaks at my new set.  Lots more to come over the new few days!
Niki