Introducing (part of!) the 2015 Team + Project Favorites

Welcome to the first day of February Anniversary Release festivities!  Everyone at Papertrey Ink has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring you TEN days of fun contests & challenges, prizes, inspiration and SO much more!

Let's kick things off with an introduction to (part of!) the 2015 Papertrey Ink Design Team.  We have some additional announcements to make later on in the week!  I have asked each of today's team members to share eight of their favorite Papertrey projects with you, in honor of our eighth anniversary!

This is an amazing group of women and I just know we are going to have a fabulous year together!  I wanted to take a quick moment to just say thank you, although those two little words don't seem to be big enough to communicate what's in my heart.  Working on a team such as this is high pace and very creatively demanding.  There are a lot of tight deadlines that need to be met, no matter what else might be going on in their busy personal lives.  These women always work hard and push themselves to new creative levels.  They never allow the process to become stagnant, they are always reinventing older products and tools, starting new trends and taking chances.  To me, these women are the definition of creativity.  Not only do they create, but they put their hearts into their works of art.  They are constantly pushing the boundaries of this craft and show all of us that we can do it too.  Without them, the products that you see unveiled each month would not be brought to life.  I am grateful for all that they share with us.  It is such a blessing to see them create month after month, year after year.  Each woman has strengths that they allow to shine and I hope they never lose the ability to continue to share their gifts with all of us!

 

I am pleased to welcome Amy Sheffer as a new member of our Release Design Team!  I have admired her work for some time and she is sure to offer a unique twist on all of your favorite Papertrey Ink products! Her layering and use of embellishments make her projects shine each and every time!

Amy says,"I’m so excited to be joining Papertrey, and what a great month to start! I’m looking forward to a fun-fillled year of getting to know Nichole, the design team, and the fantastic PTI fans; interacting with everyone in the forum; and of course, working with the fabulous product! I got my stamping start with Stampin' Up way back in 2003. When I ventured outside of that bubble a few years later, Papertrey (brand-new then), was my first love. Joining the team is an honor, and feels wonderfully full-circle as well."

CLICK HERE to see more from Amy Sheffer and welcome her to the team!

Ashley says, "Since I joined the Papertrey Ink team in November 2011, the designers  generally check in on one another. We like to make sure we are all hanging in there during the release. Most of the time, many of the design team members are finished with all of their projects and have scheduled blog posts a day or two before the deadline. I find that I'm one of the members who always have a few more projects to complete by the deadline. I think it's funny that month after month, I cannot seem to finish before anyone else. Well, I'm hoping to change that this year and moving forward. Let's see if I can be as efficient as my fellow design team members. They are inspiring in more ways than one!"

CLICK HERE to see more from Ashley Cannon Newell.

Betsy says, "I can hardly believe it’s been nearly 6 1/2 years since Nichole first emailed me asking to join the Papertrey team!  I honestly still remember that day like it was last week.  The time has flown by — working with Nichole and the rest of the design team has been such a blessing.  This year has definitely been memorable.  2014 — the year of the paper crimper!  Lots of great laughs behind the scenes too…like the time almost every single person on the team decided to make RED birds for the Songbirds group post.  Or the night before the Uncorked group post when Nichole emailed me after I sent her my project peek that somehow, despite the fact that we are 1000 miles apart we made exactly the SAME card.  2014 was an amazing year here at Papertrey!  I want to thank Nichole for her constant encouragement and for giving me the little (ok, big!) nudge I needed to delve into the design process…it’s been such a rewarding experience and I couldn’t have done it without her.  I’m excited to see all the things in store for 2015 here at Papertrey!"

CLICK HERE to see more from Betsy Veldman.

Danielle says, "I have been in the Papertrey Ink family for 4 years now exactly, heading into year 5, and I can honestly say working with Papertrey Ink products is the most fun I've had creating! This past year was very eye-opening for me as a designer. With the introduction of the Monthly Moments line, I was really able to get back to my grass roots of my love of scrapbooking, and for me it was refreshing. It really allowed me to create in my true style and not to forget who I am as a designer, and also to bring that sort of style into my card making with fun techniques like paints and watercolors and layers and such. The creating part for me is truly the most fun…getting messy and watching the project come to life is good for the soul! My talented teammates push me to be better and better, and I love that. Not only are they talented and fun, but they are such genuine people, and I am so blessed to call them friends. I hope my projects continue to inspire you to find your creativity too."

CLICK HERE to see more from Danielle Flanders.

Dawn says, "I’ve been working with Papertrey for a long time now…..I joined the design team in July of 2008 (gosh, that’s almost 7 years ago!) and began designing products shortly thereafter, with my very first stamp set (Damask Designs) being released the following February, 2009.  I can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed each and every year, working with Papertrey, and have felt extremely grateful to have this amazing job and so blessed to be a part of this team.  Nichole has truly been a dream to work under…..she’s full of grace and kindness and while she’s extremely talented in her own right, she’s so humble and willing to do all that she can to help US to grow in our skills.  As for the girls on the design team, they’re all gems and I’m so glad to call them friends as well as co-workers.  We are all just like you and we get anxious and antsy for our boxes to arrive each month, just like you do!  Someone starts a thread in the design team forum every month, asking if anyone’s gotten their box yet and then one by one, we all chime in as they arrive, because everyone’s so excited to get the next box full of goodies!  And my favorite each month, is when the release is winding down and we’re all tired from working crazy long days trying to keep up with life outside of Papertrey, as well as cranking out all of our design projects for that month, and someone will start a thread checking in on everyone.  We’ll each update on how much work we have left until we finish with the release, and how much craziness may be going on behind the scenes in each household.  I love these ladies and the friendships that have resulted because Papertrey gave us each an opportunity that brought us together.  Thank you so much, Jane, Julie and Nichole, for another wonderful year, working with a company (and people!) that I love so dearly."

CLICK HERE to see more from Dawn McVey.

Heather says, "I have been with Papertrey Ink since the very beginning 8 years ago and it has been one of the most special and important things that I have in my life. I look back over the past 8 years at everything that Papertrey Ink has given me and how I have grown as a designer and I am grateful and amazed. The team that I work with here is the best. I was so fortunate to be able to visit with Dawn and her husband Bart this past summer when she was up in Minnesota during her visit to Mayo. It had been quite a few years since we had seen each other in person and that time together (which was way too short!) reminded me again of how lucky I am to count these women as teammates and friends. Through phone calls, texts, cards in the mail, and forum posts we laugh together, celebrate with each other, support each other, pray for each other, and share a passion for creating and sharing beautiful things made with ink, paper, and glue with all of you. Happy Anniversary to all of you at Papertrey Ink and here's to many more!"

CLICK HERE to see more from Heather Nichols.

Laura says, "It's hard to believe that it's been a little over a year since I've been on this amazing team, joining in September of 2013. Time certainly does fly when you have new Papertrey Ink goodies to play with. I feel like I'm finally starting to get into the groove of things. It only took me 17 months, lol. I kid you not, for the first several months, I would, just like clockwork, get a big zit on my face during the Papertrey Ink releases. I guess I just put so much pressure on myself, trying to prove somehow to myself and to others that I deserved a spot on this prestigious team. I have so much respect for all who work in front and behind the scenes for PTI and continue to maintain a standard of excellence. Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of it and congratulations on eight amazing years!"

CLICK HERE to see more from Laura Bassen.

Laurie says, "Happy 8th Anniversary to PTI!  I can still remember my very first order back in 2008 and can say for sure I have been hooked ever since.  I was so honored to join the team in March of last year, so this last 11 months has just been amazing.  Every time I get a box in the mail, its like Christmas and I still need someone to pinch me!  When I think back over the last year, I am reminded of all of the friendships that I have made through Papertrey Ink.  Those friends are my most favorite part of this amazing hobby!"

CLICK HERE to see more from Laurie Willison.

Maile says, "My fondest memory during the last year with PTI was the day I came back from maternity leave.  I took two months off and it was worth it!  But honestly, I did miss my usual PTI routine.  During this time off my fellow design team members were so sweet, offering me congratulations and then a warm welcome back.  Since being with this company for 5 years, it felt so good to back with my PTI family.  These ladies are amazing!"

CLICK HERE to see more from Maile Belles.

Melissa says, "There is so much to love about being a part of the Papertrey Ink Design Team.  Behind the scenes, these girls are funny, quirky, down-to-earth, and incredibly supportive.  We have shared lots of ups and downs with each other over the years and I am thankful for their caring hearts and listening ears…I much prefer the happy times we share together :).   This year, one of my laugh-out-loud moments was catching a glimpse of Laurie posing with her snazzy, cardstock, Secret Agent, die cut glasses…it’s the little things we girls get a kick out of :)"

CLICK HERE to see more from Melissa Phillips.

In addition to the above Design Team Members, we are also pleased to welcome back two of your favorite stamp designers!

Lexi says, "I’m so excited to be back for a fourth year of designing stamps for Papertrey Ink. Having been a customer and fan from the very first set Nichole offered, this continues to be a pinch-me kind of job! When I looked back at my projects from last year, I had trouble picking my top eight – it’s like picking a favorite child. So, to be fair and because I designed eight sets last year, I decided to choose one from each set. Looking at each line up of countdown cards brought back all the memories of creating them. One memory stands out stronger than the others, and that is my participation Stamp-A-Faire. First, I was blown away by how much everyone loved the Trapper Keeper card! And second, it was my first time stamping on camera. Oh, if only I’d saved the outtakes – actually it was probably a good thing my digital memory was limited by a sick laptop at the time, because, really, nobody needs see me throwing a stamp fit! In the end, I loved sharing my projects with you and look forward to challenging myself to create more videos in the year to come!"

CLICK HERE to see more from Lexi Daly.

Lizzie says, "I’ve been a part of the Papertrey Ink team since 2012, but this past year may have been the biggest one for me yet! For the first time I was able to participate in Stamp-a-faire as a presenter instead of just hanging out cheering from the sidelines. I was so excited to take on the challenge of coming up with techniques and projects, but it also meant I had to step outside my comfort zone and learn how to produce videos. You all should have seen the crazy contraption I put together to hold my camera! I’ll admit (months after the fact), I thought I was way in over my head a couple of times and I still have no idea how I shot in HD (ha!), but I had a wonderful time and your collective enthusiasm gave me the confidence to relax and enjoy the experience. I can’t wait to grow further and share even more with all of you in the coming year!"

CLICK HERE to see more from Lizzie Jones.

Now, you may or may not have noticed that Erin Lincoln was not listed above.  Erin has indeed stepped down from her responsibilities as a member of the design team. However, she did so in order to work on an exciting announcement that we look forward to sharing the details of later in the week!  So be on the look out for all of that news!  It's so hard for us to wait, but we're going to try our best to keep our lips sealed!!!

In closing, I am sad to say that we also have a farewell to share today!  Melissa Bickford has decided to pursue her dreams and focus all of her amazing creative abilities on her newest business venture, Jean and Jo, a monthly box subscription just for women.  We are confident that her talents will take her far, but at the same time we are definitely going to miss having her around these parts!  If you haven't checked out the details behind Jean and Jo yet, you can read all about it HERE!

 

CLICK HERE to Download 8th Anniversary Inspiration Cards

Eight sketches and eight color schemes for our 8th Anniversary!  Now's your chance to make a project using this inspiration as well as an opportunity to leave some love for the best team in the business!

1. Create a new project that uses one Color Recipe Card and one Sketch Recipe Card from the options above.

2. Your project must use at least one Papertrey product.

3. Upload a photo of your project to your blog, online gallery or any other photo-hosting site (such as photobucket or flickr).

4. Add the direct link to your project on our InLinkz list below.

5. ONLY ONE PROJECT PER PERSON PLEASE. 

6.  And/or you can leave a comment here to be eligible to win.  Leave a "thank you" for the amazing design team members and all of the inspiration they have provided you this past year!  And leave a "welcome" for Amy Sheffer, our newest member!  Only one comment per person please. (Just click the small "comments" link beside the date in the footer of this post.  If you are reading this as an email subscription, be sure to click through to the actual blog to leave an eligible comment)

7. You have until 7am EST, Sunday, February 15th to add your project link or comment and qualify for the contest.

8. The lucky winner will be announced on our February Release Winner page no later than noon EST, February 15th.

One lucky winner will receive their Papertrey wish list for FREE (up to a $300 value)!  Be sure to create a special wish list within your account on our website labeled "2015 PTI Wishlist".  If you are randomly selected as a winner, you will be sent the first $300 worth of items on that list!!!  We encourage customers to include more than $300 worth of items on their anniversary wish list because if a particular item is out of stock on the morning of February 15th when the winner is selected, we will replace it with the next item on the list.  Best of luck with the contest!