Papertrey Ink Blog Hop- April

Hi friends,
Today I'm excited to show you what I did for PTI's Blog Hop.

I was so excited when I saw this month's Blog Hop was to feature Lauren's Timeless Templates (luuuuuuv!) I've purchased most of them because they are truly easy to work with. (At the end of this post, I'll show you how I like to print & put them together.) On to the deets...
This Office desk Trio is for my uncle. He often brings home work to do so I thought I would make these as his birthday present to help him maximize organization of his everyday office supplies for his home office.

First up is a Personalized Note Tray (very much inspired by Nichole's) using "Desk Top Organizer." I used the Damask design because it is gender neutral. It is slightly glittered, but not over the top. I think it gives it elegance. I used a fleur-de-lis border punch to punch a border in vellum.

I also made 4 coordinating pens. I used the Pentel pens because you can unscrew the top & add your personalization to the barrel. I used the smaller pen (I think the RSVP can be bulky). Plus I bought these thinner pens at the 99c store (5 for $1)-much cheaper! I hope you can see the difference in the pic.

Up next is a caddy using "From the Desk of."

I created an acetate compartment that divides the back pocket into thirds. This way, the bottom of the box won't be damaged by scissors, pencil/pen marks. (I'm a little type-A, I know!) Again, I used the border punch in vellum to accent the top of the box.

Finally, is the big daddy of the bunch. I used "File it with Flair" to make this organizer.

I included generic labels (bills, notes, outgoing, paid, to do, to be filed, etc) so he can personalize it to whatever his needs may be. Again, I punched a vellum border to accentuate the top of the organizer.

Now, this is how I prefer to print out MTTs. I have put cardstock in my printer & it goes through alright. Of course, each time I would hold my breath hoping it wouldn't jam, print out unevenly, or bend/warp the cardstock. Too much stress! Well, what I REALLY DIDN'T like was having score lines show. I even lightened them, but you could still see them. I don't know about you, but I like it when someone can't figure out how I did it. When someone can see where the template is- it just looks like my kids can do it too. NOOO!!! I want to look like I'm a crafting engineer, even if I'm not :)

So I just print it on regular copy paper-no muss, no fuss. Then I line it up with my cardstock & staple it around places that I won't be using. Don't need to go crazy- just enough to hold it down. The staples hold it in place beautifully!




Then I simply cut it out. I try to cut in straight lines because then the paper tends not to shift at all. The scraps just fall away cleanly, in big pieces. ( I also use those scraps for other things.)




Then I just put it on my trimmer & score on the template and cardstock together. For me this is the BEST way I've tried.




I folded the papers back so you can see how well it scores through both. I use the Martha Stewart bone folder because it has very pointy tips & edges so your score lines are crisp & clean.


I use Scor-Tape to adhere it together. It sticks to the paper- not to you! I hope you found this helpful & you liked my projects today.

I'm off to meet Eric Carle at the Festival of Books at UCLA today. YAAY! So excited :)
He'll be signing copies of the anniversary edition of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Don't know who he is? Ask any teacher or child anywhere! His books are wonderful!
Thanks for hopping by!