[inspire me] jam jar

I love freezer jam and often forget how fast and easy it is to make. Last Christmas a friend of mine gave me several jars of raspberry freezer jam. The jars were all different shapes and sizes and set on a white square platter. She had spray painted the lids of all the jars so they would coordinate. Not only did they look nice on the platter, but they looked nice in my freezer. Not that it really matters how they look in my freezer, but it's the little things that make me happy.

A few days ago, strawberries were on sale so I made a batch of jam. I used a new set of jars with standard lids. I contemplated spray painting them because I don't love the printed image on the lid, but it was freezing/snowing outside and spray painting inside the house is never a good idea (trust me...I've tried it several times - you, your kids and especially your husband won't be happy.) Since spray painted lids were out of the question and I wanted the jars to look cute so I could give a few away, I decided to add a letterpressed insert on top of the lid. It was really easy, and I love how they turned out. I definitely think it makes the jam look more appetizing!

I letterpressed the image on L Letterpress paper using the red L Letterpress ink and die cut the image using the circle nesting die included in the combo kit.

Die-cutting Tip: When I'm die cutting an image I've already letterpressed, I like to reverse the way I traditionally place the die and paper on the Epic tool. It will leave a mark on your cutting platform which doesn't affect the functionality of the platform.  For some of you messing up the nice smooth appearance of your platform will be unacceptable, which I totally understand. If I didn't like how easy it is to position the die to ensure I'm cutting exactly where I want, I'd prefer an unmarred platform too. If it doesn't bother you, try it. Instead of the traditional placement method (platform, die with cutting side up, paper, then cutting mat), place the paper on the platform then position the die cutting side down on top of the paper. Place the cutting mat on top and roll through the Epic 6.

[inspire me] gift card

I think the line border from this letterpress printing plate set is perfect for so many things! Don't let the fall/Thanksgiving theme in the set scare you away. I use this set all the time.

Here's a quick project I created this weekend. My neighbor had a baby so I wanted to drop off a small welcome gift of burp cloths and anti-bacterial gel...can you really ever have enough of these two things with a baby?? 

The letterpressed gift card was a perfect finishing touch. I love how the lines of the printing plate can look like ribbon or twine wrapped around the paper.

[Inspire Me] Custom Wedding

The L Letterpress gives you the tools to easily create a one-of-a-kind, coordinated wedding.  Here we used designs from the Wedding Set 1 for the wedding invitation, save the date cards and thank you cards.  Make sure to check out our custom printing plate program to create unique designs and text. 

Supplies:
L Letterpress Tool
Wedding Printing Plate Set 1
L Letterpress Ink (hot pink, brown)
L Letterpress Paper (white)

[Inspire Me] Birthday Party

For this birthday party we decided to use the popular orange and pink color combo.  With the L Letterpress you can easily create all the components necessary to execute a stylish and simple party. 

Supplies:
L Letterpress Tool
L Letterpress Paper (white, A2 flat, mini flat)
Celebration Printing Plate Set 1
Celebration Printing Plate Set 2
L Letterpress Inks (light pink, orange, hot pink)

[Inspire Me] One Pattern, Two Cards

I had a brayer full of brown ink for another project, so I deiced to letterpress several brown backgrounds that I then quickly embellished.  I put them in my file box full of cards that I have ready to pull when I need something quick. 

Supplies:
L Letterpress and Epic Tools

L Letterpress Paper (A2, white)
Everyday Printing Plate Set 2(flower background)
Holiday Printing Plate Set 2 ("Thank You")
L Letterpress Ink (hot pink, brown)
Ribbon
Corner Rounder
QuicKutz Nesting Die

[Inspire Me] Blind Emboss

Here is a blind embossed "Thank You" card I made for a friend who helped me move into my new house a couple of weeks ago (remind me to never move again...I'm still exhausted).

Supplies:
L Letterpress Tool
L Letterpress Ink (teal blue)
Wedding Printing Plate Set 3 ("Thank You")
Flower (not in the L line right now *wink*)

[Inspire Me] Chevron Pattern

I've been seeing chevron patterns everywhere, so we played around with the zigzag pattern from the Holiday Printing Plate Set 1 and several different ink colors to come up with these vibrant designs.  It's easier than it looks.  Scroll down for directions.

Supplies:
L Letterpress Tool
Ink Brayer
Cleaning Cloths
L Letterpress Paper
Holiday Printing Plate Set 1 (zigzag/chevron pattern)
L Letterpress Ink (bright green, orange, navy, teal blue & black, orange, silver)

How To:
Here is where the clear lid and grid on the L Letterpress come in handy.  First ink the whole chevron pattern in one color and letterpress that onto your piece of paper.  While this first layer is drying, clean off your printing plate (chevron pattern) and brayer with your cleaning cloths.  Select another color and ink the whole chevron pattern again.  This time, before you close the lid of your L Letterpress, look through the top of the clear plastic lid and using the grid (or just eyeballing) shift your paper slightly up or down so that the second color does not overlap the first color.  Repeat this process with up to 4 colors.

[Inspire Me] Yellow + Blue

I love the color combination of blue and yellow.  Here I've used these ink colors to create several different projects for a variety of occasions. To create the frame around the "Thinking of You" card, I used just half of the circle border from the Celebration Printing Plate Set 2 and repeated four times. 

Supplies:
L Letterpress Tool
L Letterpress Inks (Yellow, Teal Blue, Gray)
L Letterpress White Paper (A2 Flat, Mini Flat)
Everyday Printing Plate Set 5 ("just because")
Celebration Printing Plate Set 2 (circle border)
Celebration Printing Plate Set 1 (diamond border)
Everyday Printing Plate Set 2 ("thinking of you")

[Inspire Me] Baby O Shower

In November I escaped the Utah cold and headed to Florida to throw my sister a baby shower.  She and her husband hadn't decided on a name yet, and since their last name starts with an "O" we called the little guy Baby O throughout the pregnancy.  "O" was the inspiration for this circle themed baby shower.  I included a lot of details, all of which I created using the L Letterpress.

[Invitations]
I used my home printer for the shower information then letterpressed the design using printing plates that I created. 

[Food Labels]

I cut the circles using the QuicKutz nesting circle dies then letterpressed the ring patterns using red and orange letterpress inks.

[Guest Favors]

I filled small cello bags with candy, a letterpressed mustache and a little game, closing it off with a custom letterpressed tag to thank the guests for coming.  We had everyone pose in front of a piece of fabric with their letterrpessed mustaches.

 

 

For more party details and photos click here!

P.S. Baby O is now McKay!