PaperCutz Challenge #76

Good morning everyone!  This week at PaperCutz Challenge your mission is to make a card, LO or craft project for Valentine's Day using a hand stamped, digital stamped or Cricut cut image of a cake, cupcake, cookies or candy, using any colors you'd like.

For my card I used a set of sweet stamps I borrowed from a friend who also had to point out the word play, so I don't know where they came from.  I apologize for the pictures - crazy week.

 
The papers are from HOTP, not typical Valentine's paper, but they are purple!  I love using windows on my card and pop-dotting what is inside, it's such a neat look.

The doilies (at least that's what I think they look like) come from Nellie's Dies available here.  I have fallen in love with this line of Dies the smallest one in each set offers some kind of embellishment - although I didn't use it here, this set has a very sweet button.  There's still plenty of room to write a note and no other sentiment is needed.  This will go in my next Operation Write Home box for their Spring Thaw Challenge.  It's too late to send Valentine's, but I think this one could be an all purpose kind of card.

Join the fun this week and you could be picked for the monthly drawing.

PaperCutz Challenge #75

Happy Friday everyone!  It is snowing again here in Maine, so this is a good day to stay inside my scraproom with a good cup of coffee.  This week at PaperCutz Challenge is an anything goes week.  Make a project or layout in any theme/colors you like.
I created this mini-album for Cheryl at Inspired Designs to highlight a wonderful collection of notecards from Prima called Paisley Road.  Each design is gorgeous and a great value!  You get a total of 30 cards and 6 designs and a really cool box (I love boxes) for only $5.00!  Now, I know these are notecards, but I thought they would make a great mini-album and as soon as I saw the card with the "family is" prompt I knew what I wanted to do.  My album is 12 pages, I also used the backs of the cards to showcase my kids back when they were little (my DD at 5'9" considers herself the "runt" of the litter).

Paper and embellishments are HOTP and stamps used above are Inkadinkado.  On a couple of the pages, I cut around the printed design to edge the pictures under them - they are too beautiful to cover up.

For the back pages I traced the shape and then embossed a background using Cracked Earth stamp by Stampscapes and Zing embossing Powder. I love these word paperclips from 7 Gypsies which I got from HOTP.  They are flat so no bulk and they add just a little "touch".




Join us this week and you could be the monthly prize winner!  As always, I appreciate any comments or feedback.

Sorry I'm Late! Papercutz Challenge #74

Wow, I'm behind!  It's amazing how life stops when the internet is down.

This week at Papercutz, the challenge is to make a card, LO or other project using a tag or tags with any color and theme.  I chose to make a gift tag and matching card for Valentine's Day. Good thing my DD doesn't read my blog!

I started with some really fun paper, Invisibles by Heidi Swapp.  I inked the paper from the edges in for the tag and top to bottom for the card using Distress Inks (Aged Mahogany, Fired Brick and Worn Lipstick) and then rubbed the paper to reveal the white dots.   I then stamped 2 sizes of Outline's Pointed Posy (available here); the smaller 2 are the same stamp, I just trimmed off the outer layer.  I also stamped the tag sentiment twice in different colors.  I did the same treatment for the card; the card sentiment I direct inked Worn Lipstick onto white paper and stamped with the Aged Mahogany.  I've had this stamp forever, not sure where it came from.  I wasn't sure about these polka dots for Valentine's, but I'm pretty happy with how they came out.

Have a great week and be sure to play along!

PaperCutz Challenge #73 and Jif Peanut Butter

Welcome back to PaperCutz Challenges!  We've got another great year of challenges for you .  This week the challenge is to make any kind of project using metal and any colors you would like.  That's where the peanut butter comes in.  You know when you open a fresh jar you have to remove the protective covering?  Well, I save those as they are basically aluminum foil (I do the same with the Folger's Coffee pull-backs).

First, I make sure there is no peanut butter left (LOL) and then I ran it through my Big Shot with a Cuttlebug Embossing Folder.  I guess this is technically a Christmas folder, but I thought it would do well as a general winter card as well.  I tapped black Staz-on onto the embossed image to highlight it (yup, you can see where I tapped a little too hard) and mounted it onto a scalloped nestie using mirror finish paper.  The patterned paper and metal snowflake brads are HOTP; the paper is a collage of winter words - I made sure there were no holiday greetings.  I typed up my sentiment and finished it off with a little bit of silver Stickles and silver edged ribbon.  I'm happy to say it doesn't smell like peanut butter!  This card is already in my box of cards for Operation Write Home.  Please, come and play along with us this week and you will be entered to win the monthly prize!

New Year's Resolutions?

Well, all the hoopla is done - I was asleep at 11:30 on New Year's Eve but the year arrived nevertheless.  I've already had to correct the date 3 times!

I've never been good at resolutions, so I think I will frame them as challenges.  I've already written about simplifying my life and this challenge is about creativity.  The magazine Scrapbook & Cards Today, a fabulous, FREE on-line magazine plus paper copies has what they call a "Project 12" which is to do a 2 page layout a month based on a sketch by Becky Fleck.  I've been watching this on their blog as the months have gone by and they are wonderful sketches.  There is a prize each month with 2 chances to win.  I've been doing so many cards lately, I think this will help get back to preserving my family's memories.

Having said I was focusing on cards...my other challenge is to send a package of cards each month to Operation Write Home.  I feel it's the least I can do.  I think this is where simplifying will be a good thing.  I love elaborate, highly embellished cards as much as anyone, but they aren't always necessary.  Beautiful cards are also clean and simple (CAS).  The big challenge for me is the NO GLITTER requirement - I certainly understand it, but I love my bling!  My hubby loves to watch tv and I can make cards in the family room while I keep him company.  Sometimes less is more - I just need to convince myself!

My last post was about (I think) a gorgeous card using a Design Line medallion.  One of the great things about stickers like these is they leave a whole lot of goodness behind when you take them off the sheet.  The "innies" as they are known can also make a beautiful card.  Here is my take on the innies:

This is a standard gate-fold card and I stacked and cut out the innies just as I did the stickers themselves. The corner treatments are a Nellie's D Die; a 2 piece die which makes a great layered look, they are available here at a great price.  I am really enjoying exploring this new line of dies.  So, my package of stickers was 2 sheets for $2.00 or $1 a sheet and I made 2 cards from one sheet for $.50 each.  Not bad!  That leads me to my last challenge of the year.  Now that I'm not working,I need to be frugal in my crafting budget.  Trust me, I have plenty of supplies - I just need to use them.

PaperCutz Challenge will be back this week - watch for it!