Paper Sweeties December Release Rewind!

I have a confession to make. As soon as I got the Deck the Halls stamps, I noticed the adorable Santa hat. I knew it was for the bird (not for the birds, but for the bird that came in the set). However, I wondered if the hat would fit on the dog and cat from the Sweeties Pets set. I held the hat in the Deck the Halls up next to the dog in the Sweeties Pets set and IT WAS A PERFECT FIT!!

Yeehaw! I love it when I make discoveries like that. I knew exactly what I wanted to do for today's rewind post. (That's the day after the release when we use new sets with existing sets.)

I wanted to keep this card relatively flat so it would easily fit in the mail. To achieve this, I did some masking and stayed away from foam dots, gems, sequins or any other type of embellishments. 

Sets used on this card include:
Deck the Halls stamps and dies (Holly and Santa Hat)
Sweeties Pets (Dog, Dog House, Bone)
Trim the tree stamps (Tree, Star, Presents)
Holly Days stamp and die (Bow)

Please check out the entire design team!

Amber Kroening

Annette Witherspoon
Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties

Julie Tucker-Wolek

Larissa Heskett 
Lysa Rohrer 
Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

Paper Sweeties December Release Party!

Today is the December release party and I brought the treats!! Well, the treat bag at least.

This treat bag uses stamps and dies from the Deck The Halls set. See the wreath? I stamped it with the snowflake in the set. I thought it looked kind of like a fern so I stamped it in a circle (which I lightly traced in pencil) using two different shades of green to give it some depth. I then stamped the sentiment in the middle. Afterward I adhered the holly and bow, which I stamped, colored and die cut. I finished it off with the sequins also found in the store. Easy peasy!

Check out the rest of the team's creations!

Amber Kroening

Annette Witherspoon
Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties

Julie Tucker-Wolek

Larissa Heskett 
Lysa Rohrer 
Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

Paper Sweeties December Release Countdown!

It's Day 2 of Paper Sweeties December release sneak peeks. I made another tag this time using stamps and dies from another new set called Deck the Halls, which includes the cute little bird, santa hat and branch.

The tag was quick and easy to make. It's perfect for those last minute touches to your holiday packages.

Please visit the other design team members' blogs for further inspiration.

Amber Kroening

Annette Witherspoon
Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties

Julie Tucker-Wolek

Larissa Heskett 
Lysa Rohrer 
Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

Paper Sweeties December Release Sneak Peeks!

The Paper Sweeties December Release is in two days. We're sneaking some projects made with the new stamps and dies.

I am doing something a little different for this release. With Christmas being just around the corner, I thought you may want to see some ideas for gift tags. How fun would it be to receive a gift with a shaker tag on it!?!

These fun, interactive tags are made from a new set of stamps and coordinating dies called Snow Time, available in the store on Dec. 15. The set features a snow globe and adorable images to fit inside. When I first saw the set, I immediately thought it would be perfect for the shaker trend.

Please visit my friends on the rest of the design team for more inspiration and sneak peeks into the new releases.

Amber Kroening

Annette Witherspoon -- That's me!
Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties

Julie Tucker-Wolek

Larissa Heskett 
Lysa Rohrer 
Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking Magazine Special Thanks! Blog Hop

Hello everyone. Welcome to stop 11 on the Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Magazine blog hop. You should have arrived from Jessica Witty's blog. If not, I invite you to join the hop. The full list of participants is at the bottom of this post.

I've been thinking about what to write in this post. There is so much I want to write, but if I wrote it all, this would be the world's longest blog post. With more than 200 participants in this hop, I think it's best to keep it on the shorter side. ;-)

 First I want to say that I'm honored to participate in this hop, even though I wish it would not have to happen. Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Magazine has meant a lot to me. Not many people in this world can relate to that, but I'm sure most of you reading this can, which is exactly why the magazine has been so meaningful. It's more than pages splashed with images of beautiful, hand-crafted projects. It's also about people and relationships. Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Magazine created a community of talented, kind-hearted people. I am proud to call many of them my friends. 

I am so thankful that I found the PC&S community. At the time, I was a recent SAHM mom who had spent 10 years in the public relations field. After motherhood, I spent most of my days (and nights) changing diapers and cleaning spit up off of ... well, everything. I needed an outlet to call my own. Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking Magazine filled that void. For that, I am so grateful.

Supplies:
Stamps-Altenew
Ink - Versamark, Tim Holtz Distress Inks, Stampin' Up!
Paper-Tim Holtz watercolor paper, Teresa Collins patterned paper, Vellum from Michaels
Other - Stampendous embossing powder, Eyelet Outlet enamel dots, sequins from the dollar store

Before I go, I want to leave you with a picture of the first card I ever had published in Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking Magazine. I'll never forget getting that email from Susan. I screamed and yelled "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!!" My  husband, who was working from home in his upstairs office, came rushing down the stairs asking if I was alright. LOL. Oh yes, I was more than alright. I was flying high!!

Thanks for visiting. I would like to invite you to become a follower of my blog. Then we can keep in touch without having to play "Ketchup!" (Sorry, I had to do it.)

Your next stop on the hop is Gayatri Murali. Here is the full hop list.

House of Cards December Challenge

The Paper Sweeties design team is joining forces with the House of Cards team to provide inspiration for their December challenge.

I just love the inspiration photo below. The colors, the deer, the silver ... it's all so beautiful and elegant.

My card uses many of those beautiful elements. I just happened to have some Martha Stewart Christmas paper left over from a few years ago. It fits perfectly with the theme! The sentiment is a die from the Joy set. I die cut it several times. I lost count, but I think it was like five or six, then I glued them on top of each other to create a thick raised look. I then liberally applied ink from my Versamark pad to the top of the sentiment, then heat embossed it in silver. It looks like metal, but it's not. It's paper!

I also stamped and heat embossed the snowflakes from the Holly Days set in silver before die cutting them and adhering them to the card.

Please join the rest of the team for further inspiration and then make your own card and enter the challenge. The winner get's a $20 gift certificate to Paper Sweeties!!

 

Char Cundy
Debbie Marcinkiewicz

Jinny Newlin 
Larissa Heskett
Mackie Robertson
Maria Patrick
Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen (HOC owner)
Nancy Penir
Jill Norwood  
Annette Witherspoon

Paper Sweeties December Inspiration Challenge #26 - 'Happy Holidays'

The December challenge is up at Paper Sweeties. Want to win some stamps or dies for you or perhaps to give as a gift to a friend? You can get a gift certificate to the Paper Sweeties store if you win. Just make a card based on the inspiration photo and enter it into the challenge here.

Here is my card. I used a technique I originally saw on a Kristina Werner video. I loved it and had to try it. For the top half of my card, I heat embossed several images from the Holly Days set in white. Then, I used a Versamark Marker to create depth by shadowing parts of the image. The bottom half uses the snowman stamp and die from the same set. I used Prismacolor pencils to color the image and popped it up with foam adhesive.

Here are some additional ideas from my design teammates. Go check them out, then enter to win!

Amber Kroening

Annette Witherspoon<– you are here!

Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties

Jinny Newlin  *special guest designer*

Julie Tucker-Wolek - WELCOME TO THE TEAM!!!

Larissa Heskett

Lisa Elton

Lysa Rohrer

Mackie Robertson - WELCOME TO THE TEAM!!!

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala

Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

Tammy Hobbs

December Guest Designer: Diane Hover

November Altenew Challenge

I love the new Altenew releases. I bought three of them recently and I have so many ideas for ways to use them. One of the ideas actually came from Jennifer McGuire during the new release blog hop. She used colored pencils and Gamsol oil to add depth and detail to the Lacy Scrolls flowers. It's a brilliant idea and it is the reason I bought the set.

It is the perfect technique to use for Altenew's November challenge. Here is the inspiration photo:

I love all the elements in the piece, but to stick to my clean and simple style, I chose to focus on a few of those elements in my card, specifically the flowers, the gold and navy blue colors, and the script sentiment.

I stamped one of the flowers in the Lacy Scrolls set in a light pink, then colored it a deeper pink to create shading and white to create highlights. I stamped and embossed the sentiment from the Painted Poppy set onto a navy blue card panel that I previously die cut from the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Shape dies. The gold and white chevron banner was also cut from the same stitched die bundle.

I really love how they all came together to create an elegant card. Thanks for looking.

Paper Sweeties November Release Rewind!

It's rewind day, which means we will show you projects that uses the new releases with previously released sets.

I'm taking a break from Christmas cards today to bring you a love-themed card. I noticed the sentiment "I ♥ You" sentiment from the new set, also called I Love You, fit perfectly inside the scalloped square with the flowers in the Party Time set. In keeping with the love theme, I stamped the XOX from the Sorry You're Sick set and the heart from the You Are Tutu Sweet set. I finished off the card with sequins from the Tutti Frutti collection.

Please visit my team mate's blogs. They have worked really hard to provide you with some great inspiration.

Amber Kroening

Annette Witherspoon
Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Jinny Newlin *special Guest Designer*

Kerin Sylvester

Larissa Heskett 
Lysa Rohrer

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

Paper Sweeties November Release Party!

It's release day. All the new releases are now available for purchase.

Today I'm featuring the stamps and dies from the Homemade With Love stamps and sweet cuts. I colored the holiday treat with Copics. I don't know if you can see it, but I added clear Wink of Stella to the holly berries and the red pepermint. It addes such a nice touch in real life.

 

Here are the rest of the design team's projects: 

Amber Kroening

Annette Witherspoon
Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Jinny Newlin *special Guest Designer*

Kerin Sylvester

Larissa Heskett 
Lysa Rohrer

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

Paper Sweeties November Release Countdown!

Here's sneak peek number two. The big release is tomorrow.

I stamped the image and colored it with Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol oil, masked off the area around it and distressed a lovely night sky. Ahhh ... what a peaceful, serene image.

Here are more sneaks from the design team:

Amber Kroening

Annette Witherspoon
Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Jinny Newlin *special Guest Designer*

Kerin Sylvester

Larissa Heskett 
Lysa Rohrer

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

Paper Sweeties November Release Sneak Peeks!

Welcome to the November sneak peeks! I'm sneaking the snowman and snow flake from a set called Holly Days.

To create my little snow shaker, I stamped and heat embossed the snow flakes from the new set in white, distressed the card front in blue and sprayed some Perfect Pearls Mist on top. I die cut the paper, then carefully positioned it on top of another piece of white paper and stamped the image through the die cut on top of the paper in the back. I adhered card front on top of an acetate card, and adhered the back behind the acetate card using foam dots. Before putting it in place, I sprinkled some Polar White Flower Soft inside to look like snow.

Please see what the rest of my team is up to with this release. You won't be disappointed!

Amber Kroening

Annette Witherspoon
Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Jinny Newlin *special Guest Designer*

Kerin Sylvester

Larissa Heskett 
Lysa Rohrer

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

CAS(E) this sketch! 98

I'm playing in the CAS(E) this sketch! challenge today. Here is my entry, which is based on the sketch below.

I flipped the sketch from horizontal to vertical. I wanted to use a Christmas tree and the vertical orientation seemed to work better.

To create the snowy hills and sky, I used the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Slopes and Hills dies. The tree is from the Paper Sweeties Trim the Tree set and coordinating die. I added some touches of bling to finish it off.

Thanks for visiting and have a fantastic day!

Paper Sweeties September Inspiration Challenge #25 - 'Holiday Joy'

November first brings us a new challenge at Paper Sweeties. Now that Halloween is behind us, it's time to prepare for Christmas, especially if you're a card maker.

You've probably already started your Christmas cards if you're making them yourself. Why not make one inspired by the photo below and link it up to the challenge? What do you have to lose? You have one more card made and you could win a gift certificate to the Paper Sweeties store!

Here's a card I made inspired by the photo. The colors, the word Joy and the jingle bell inspired me. I made the background by stamping the word Joy onto the card base with Versamark and heat embossing with clear embossing powder before distressing it with a really soft sage color.

I used the coordinating Joy die to cut out the word for the tag and dangling from that satin bow are some rustic jingle bells, which you can find in the store!

Please visit the rest of the design team's blog and then get started on your card!

Amber Kroening

Annette Witherspoon

  Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz

Kerin Sylvester

Larissa Heskett 
 Lisa Elton
Lysa Rohrer

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir
Tammy Hobbs

November Guest Designer:  Jill Norwood

Challenges are a Joy

Just a quick post sharing a card I made for two challenges. The chevron and striped frame are from Reverse Confetti. The Joy and holly leaves dies are from Paper Sweeties.

 

I'm entering this into the CAS(e) This Sketch and Runway Inspired challenges. The card follows the sketch and inspiration pictures below.

 

 

Have a great week. Hope to see you soon!

Moxie Fab World Challenge

I do enjoy the Moxie Fab World challenges. The one I'm participating in today is a challenge celebrating World Card Making Day. Below is a photo of a chromatic bamboo wall clock. I created a card using this piece as my inspiration.

 

Here is the card. Because the holidays are just around the corner, I "Christmas-ized" it by using Christmas trees instead of diamonds. (Yes, I just invented a new word.) 

 

 

The stamp and die are from the new Paper Sweeties set called Trim the Tree. I stamped the trees with Versamark and embossed them with Stampendous gold embossing powder. I arranged the trees in a circle to mimic the clock and adhered Thickers to create the word Joy. That's it.

 

Enjoy!

 



Paper Sweeties October Release Rewind!

It's rewind day. Today the Paper Sweeties design team is going to show you how to combine the new stamps and dies with the previously released sets to show how they all complement eachother. The possibilities for making unique creations are endless.

In this stamp, I used the Trim the Tree stamps and dies with several existing sets. Sophie (a.k.a Sophie Claus) is wearing an outfit from the existing Let it Snow set, which I colored to look like Ole St. Nick. Sophie Claus is toting her presents - also from Trim the Tree - in a wagon from the Sweeties Wagon set.

As I mentioned, the possibilities are endless. Check out some other projects design team members made.

Amber Kroening
Annette Allen

Annette Witherspoon
Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Jinny Newlin

Kerin Sylvester

Larissa Heskett  (off this month)
Lysa Rohrer

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

Paper Sweeties October Release Party!

It's time to party!! The new releases are available and I have to say that this is one of my absolute favorite releases to date.

In addition to the releases, I have something else that's new and exciting for you today. I made my first ever video tutorial!! It's probably not as smooth as others who have been making videos for a long time, but it was my first try. I really wanted to share a way to get your dies to cut perfectly around your stamped images.

The stamps in the Joy set are very narrow and the dies are closed, so this technique is a great way to line up the two for a perfect cut every time!

 If you're on a mobile device, or you're having trouble viewing it in the post, click here to watch it on YouTube.

Now for my card. I used the Joy sentiment from the new release also called Joy. The pattern is made up of holly leaves cut from a die in the set Snow Friends. The dies in this set are designed to coordinate with an existing stamp set that I don't yet have, but that didn't stop me from getting use from these dies!

Take a look at the rest of the design team's creations. You are going to love what they did with these awesome new sets!!

Amber Kroening
Annette Allen

Annette Witherspoon
Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Jinny Newlin

Kerin Sylvester

Larissa Heskett  

 Lysa Rohrer

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

Paper Sweeties October Release Countdown!

It's day two of sneaks at Paper Sweeties. Remember the Believe sentiment on yesterday's card? Today I'm using a stamp from the same set. I love these elegant sentiments.

I love the Christmas trees, too. They came from another new release that includes both stamps and dies. The little gifts under the tree are also part of the new set. I can't wait for you to see it tomorrow. Seriously, you are going to love them!

You know what else you're going to love? The other projects created by my design team members. Go check them out for more sneaks. See you tomorrow on release day!

Amber Kroening
Annette Allen

Annette Witherspoon
Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Jinny Newlin

Kerin Sylvester

Larissa Heskett  

Lysa Rohrer

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

Paper Sweeties October Release Sneak Peeks!

Today we are sneaking peeks of the Paper Sweeties new releases. Can I just say that I am particularly excited about this release. I love the stamps and dies coming out in just two days.

One of them is a stamp set and coordinating Sweet Cuts dies with Christmas words. See the word Believe in my card below? That's one of them. I only used the die for this card, but you'll see some projects with the stamps, too.

I die cut the word twice - once in pink and once in white, which I used to create a shadow effect. I really like how it gives the word a lot more dimension and makes it "pop" off the page. The heart and tag are also Paper Sweeties dies from the Beautiful Little Wishes set.

Here is a list of the entire design team. Come see their creations for more sneaks.

Amber Kroening
Annette Allen

Annette Witherspoon
Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Jinny Newlin

Kerin Sylvester

Larissa Heskett  (off this month)
Lysa Rohrer

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

WCMD Fun!

Yesterday was a holiday. Nobody in my house celebrated except me. That's because it was World Card Making Day, where card makers worldwide celebrate their craft. There were card-making parties, special sales, contests and challenges! One of the challenges was hosted by online retailer Butterfly Reflections Ink.

I decided to celebrate by participating in the two challenges on their blog. I made two cards. One card is for the inspiration challenge and the other for the sketch challenge.

First up is the inspiration challenge card.

Inspired by the mood board below, I created the wreath with stamps and dies from WPlus9 by first stamping and heat embossing the leaves with clear embossing powder and then die cutting them. I then cut out a circle and another circle inside of it to create a ring. I glued the leaves onto it to give me a perfect circle . Then, I die cut the sentiment, Hello by Memory Box, multiple times and layered them to add thickness and gave it a little sparkle with my clear Wink of Stella marker. The banner is a stamp and die cut from Paper Sweeties. Using watercolor paper, I added some of the same fall colors onto the banner and then adhered the sentiment onto it.

The wreath was not the only element I used from the mood board. I pulled in the triangles from the picture on the top left and the wood planks from the picture with the yarn and kitting project!

Now for card number 2 ...

It's beginning to look a little like Christmas here in Ohio. It actually snowed yesterday! In fact, we had these weird snow pellets. I've never seen them before. They're like mini hail stones. It was weird. Anyway, it's never too early to make a Christmas card.

Using the sketch below, I created this card also using WPlus9 stamps and dies. The chevron stripe in the middle is washi tape (but I forget who makes it) and the bling is from Eyelet Outlet. I also added this super fabulous gold twine from Martha Stewart. I bought it a few years ago before it was trendy and I am so glad I did!

So, that is how I celebrated World Card Making Day. What did you do?

Paper Sweeties September Inspiration Challenge #24 - 'Happy Fall'

Happy fall, y'all! It's the first day of October, my favorite month of the year. I love the fall colors, the bountiful harvest and most of all, I love that it's by birth month.

It's also time for the Paper Sweeties October challenge. The inspiration picture couldn't be more suitable. In Ohio, the leaves will be changing in just a couple of weeks. There will be fall parties, hayrides, and pumpkin carving. I can't wait.

I drew inspiration from the pumpkins and the beautiful home.  Products used to make this card include Home Sweet Home stamp set, Sweeties Wagon stamp and coordinating die. I created the hills with oval dies. The sky is distressed and the house, pumpkins and wagons are colored with Copic Markers.

The rest of the team has been hard at work to create more inspiration. Check them out and then enter the challenge for a chance to win a gift certificate to the Paper Sweeties store.

Amber Kroening

Annette Allen

Annette Witherspoon

  Char Cundy

Debbie Marcinkiewicz

Jinny Newlin

Kerin Sylvester

Larissa Heskett  (off this month) 
 Lisa Elton
Lysa Rohrer

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir
Tammy Hobbs

October Guest Designer: Nance Salkeld

Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Hi there. You probably came to my blog from the Coffee Lovers Blog Hop that starts at Chaitali Narta's blog. If not, then I highly recommend you go there and participate in the hop. There are tons of prizes from multiple companies. Some of the goodies will be given away during flash giveaways throughout the day. Check here for details!

 By now, you probably know that we're having a blog hop celebrating coffee because today is International Coffee Day! When I told my husband about it, I said "We'll have to celebrate by drinking a cup of coffee. Ha! We drink coffee every morning, and my husband drinks it throughout the day.

Here is the card I made to celebrate the occasion. I created this little number with my husband in mind. That man loves his coffee. I like it, too, but my limit is two cups. After two, I have to stop, but dear hubby keeps on going. He also wears glasses, so this is a perfect representation. (Well, maybe not perfect. He is human and he is not purple.)

This post wouldn't be complete without a picture of my cup of joe. Here it is. My brand of choice is Crimson Cup. It's locally roasted here in Columbus, but it's available in several states and online. My husband and I consider ourselves coffee connoisseurs so when I say Crimson Cup is the best, I mean it. Our flavor of choice is called Dark Reign. It's a dark roast with a bold flavor. Mmmmm!!

Now go on and enjoy the rest of the hop and don't forget about the prizes!

Ooh La La!!

Hello friends! I am playing in another challenge called the Cure for the Monday Blues. It's hosted by my friend Taheerah Atchia, who is totally talented.

I made this fun shaker card based on the inspiration photo.  I loved the photo Taheerah chose. As you can see, I pulled several elements from it. The fan flowers, the gold triangles and the sentiment are the most obvious. However, I was also inspired by clear round back of the chair. That's where I got the idea to do a shaker card with a clear, round window.

Here is the inspiration photo. Isn't it just gorgeous. There were so many elements to use!

I'll be back tomorrow for the Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.

Exotic Thinking of You

I'm at it again with the challenges. I'm going for a two-fer this time. I'm entering this card into the current CASe This Sketch Challenge 94, as well as the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge featuring Hero Arts stamps.

Following the sketch below, I heat embossed the floral image from the Hero Arts Exotic Decor set in gold onto water color paper. I water colored the image and added some bling to the flowers for a little extra oomph. The sentiment is from the Thinking of You Kite set.

I flipped the sketch because I felt like the flowers were a little too top heavy turned the other way. I feel like they're more weighted down this way.

That's it and have a great day. I'll be back in a couple days for the Coffee Lovers Blog Hop on September 29. Come back for the hop. There are tons of prizes to be won!

Halloween Cards

Hiya! I'm up on the Eyelet Outlet blog today with a couple fun Halloween-themed cards.Want to know more about what brads I used to make them? Visit the blog here.

Did you know Eyelet Outlet has a monthly sketch challenge? Use the following sketch with Eyelet Outlet products and you could win some goodies. Click here to enter.

Here is a card I made following the sketch.