paper is love

350 Cards & Gifts Winner

Hi there! I'm here to announce the winner of the 350 Cards & Gifts Blog Hop! The winner will receive their own copy of the special issue delivered right to their doorstep. Pretty sweet! So on to the winner!

I used Random.org to choose a random comment number.

And comment #12 belongs to...

Congrats to Brenda Lee! I'll be e-mailing you shortly to get your shipping info. Thanks to everyone who left a comment - they made my day! And thanks to Paper Crafts for inviting me to participate in the hop! If you want to get your own copy of 350 Cards & Gifts, check out their online store.

Have a fantastic day!

 

Die Cutting for Paper Crafters

Hey there! Hope your week is off to a great start! I'm finally playing catch-up and posting projects that I've had published in recent issues of Paper Crafts magazine. The one I'm showing today is in the "Die Cutting for Paper Crafters" special issue. You can find a copy online here.

Here's one of the projects I have in this issue:

This card combines 3 of my favorite things: chevron, gradient and a clean sans serif font. I used a Spellbinders border die to create the chevron pattern and simply lined up different Bazzill cardstock colors to create a fun and bright gradient effect. Then, I took my favorite font die from QuicKutz / Lifestyle Crafts and created the sentiment. It's an easy card with a lot of impact and would be great to make for a card set since it's easy to reproduce.

Do you have a favorite font die or border die? Leave  a comment and let me know! I'm always up for new suggestions to add to my collection. :) 

Paper Crafts magazine Presents: 350 Cards & Gifts Blog Hop

Hey there! I'm so excited today (even more because it's Friday) to be participating in the Blog Hop for 350 Cards & Gifts, the latest special issue from Paper Crafts magazine. This issue is always a fun one because it goes beyond cards and shows awesome ideas for gift boxes, treat bags, and much more. Be sure to check it out at your local bookstore or craft store. You can also order a copy (paper or digital) online at the Paper Crafts magazine online store.

Check out that fun cover! So to celebrate this fun issue, we're combining a birthday-themed craft project and a giveaway! Keep reading. :) 

For the hop, I decided to make a birthday gift bag using bits and pieces from my stash as well as from the new Crate Paper "Party Day" line. The cupcake image in one of the patterned papers served as my inspiration, so I made it a focal point by adhering it to a die cut scalloped circle and a label from the collection's ephemera pack.

I topped off the focal point with a chipboard circle and a sequin then stamped my sentiment and added a border sticker on top of the patterned paper strip.

Now onto the giveaway part! Each designer participating in the hop has one issue of 350 Cards & Gifts to give away! How about that? Just leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered to win a free copy of the issue. I'll choose a random comment and post the winner on my blog. You have until Tuesday, May 14th to comment. Good luck!

But before you go, be sure to check out the other awesome gals' blogs (because I just know they've got some cool stuff up their crafty sleeves). You're on to Lori Tecler's blog next and here is the full list:

Chan Vuong

Heather Campbell

Kimberly Crawford

Amanda Coleman

Kelly Griglione

Nina Yang

Alice Wertz

Emily Branch

Jocelyn Olson

Kalyn Kepner (you are here!)

Lori Tecler

Meghan McMillan

Piali Biswas

Vanessa Menhorn

Thanks so much for hopping along with us and I hope you have an awesome weekend! Don't forget to squeeze in some crafty time! 

Eclectic Digits Card

Hey there! Hope you had a great start to your week! It's been kind of dreary and cloudy here, but after a gorgeous, sunny weekend I can't really complain. My boyfriend and I ran a 5k together, which was such a rewarding experience. We're both trying to get back in shape and it was a great feeling to check that off our list together.

On to today's card! I created this funky little number (no pun intended, although it's a great one if you ask me. Hehe) using the Digits stamp set from Paper Smooches and some Crate Paper paper and Studio Calico papers and embellishments. The "uber cool" sentiment is from the Paper Smooches Slang Gang set.

 

I showed this to my mom and her friend and her friend said, "I don't get it. A camera and a feather? I'm confused." I tried to explain to her that they're just trendy motifs right now and that the feel of this card is meant to be just whimsical, collage-y fun. So while it might not be for everyone, I'm really embracing the "freestyle collage" style right now and I find these type of cards so easy (and fun!) to create.

What's your take on the freestyle collage style? Love it or hate it? Either way, be sure to check out the Digits and Slang Gang sets in the Paper Smooches store tomorrow! There are coordinating and matching dies that go with the Digits set, so you're in for a treat.

Have a great day,

Paper Smooches Blog Hop Winner

Hey all! Hope you're having a lovely weekend! I'm here to announce the winner of the Retail Therapy stamp set from Paper Smooches!

I used Random.org to generate a winning comment:

And the lucky winner is...

Congrats, Mary-Anne V.! I'll be e-mailing you to get your mailing address shortly. A big thanks to everyone who played along and left a sweet comment! I really appreciate every single one. :) Stay tuned for lots more Paper Smooches fun coming your way!

Paper Smooches April DT Blog Hop

Hey friends! It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the Paper Smooches May stamp release with you!  Four NEW stamps and SEVEN new dies will be available to purchase at 12:01am, Eastern time...on May 1st.  You will find themHERE

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize!  Just leave a comment on any of the eight design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of our new stamp sets!  (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify)  You have until midnight MT on Friday, April 26th to leave a comment.  Please check all design team blogs on Saturday, April 27th to see if you are one of the lucky winners.

Check out the Paper Smooches blog to see a peek of the new dies

Emily Leiphart

Heidi Van Laar

Kalyn Kepner

Karolyn Loncon

Kim Kesti

Laura Bassen

Laurie Schmidlin

Teri Anderson

To increase your chances of winning:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post

2. Tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop

3. Tell us that you Tweeted about our hop

4. Tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

(which means that you have up to four chances to win on each blog)

 

I used the Retail Therapy set to make this card (along with images from older sets):

I love these little purses and there are even more fun accessories in this set. Any girly girl will love it. The sentiment is from the Quick Qwips set and the flower is from the Pretty Momma set. I chose a fun and funky color combination with papers from the On Trend collection from Crate Paper.

Hope you have a fun crafty day!

Kalyn

Market Fresh Card

 Hey there! Hope you had a great weekend! I got some crafting done after spending some quality time with my guy, so it was the perfect balance for me. 

Today I'm sharing a card I made using the new Market Fresh stamp set and the Notebook Basic Die from Paper Smooches. 

I wanted to make a fun, bulletin board card and as soon as I saw this cork paper from the Crate Paper Storyteller collection in my stash, I knew I wanted to go this route. And who doesn't have tons of American Crafts flair buttons that they've been hoarding for years? Now I'm ready to use them! :) All of the stamps are from the Market Fresh set with the exception of the push pin stamp (that's from the Smarty Pants set). 

Be sure to check out the latest stamps and dies from Paper Smooches - there's a lot of cute coming your way!

Waving Hello Card

Hey there! I hope your week (and month!) got kicked off to a good start yesterday. I'm so excited that April is finally here and hoping that warm temperatures are soon to follow. I think my yearning for spring is starting to show up in my paper crafts. :) Check out this card I made for Paper Smooches using the new Wicked Nauticool stamp set:

The waves, sentiment, birdie and wheel are all from the set. I just adore this one. It can go so many ways. I also used one of the Hot Spots dies to create a little star border (perfect for nautical cards, don't ya think?). I wanted to create a beachy/summery look with the colors I chose and I think I achieved that.

Do you find yourself gravitating toward certain color schemes depending on the time of year? Or do you have your favorites year-round? Just curious. :)

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out all the new April releases from Paper Smooches!

Paper Smooches March Blog Hop Winner

Hey there! Happy Easter! I'm popping in (like the Easter bunny, I suppose!) to announce the winner of the Paper Smooches Blog Hop!

I used Random.org to choose a winner:

Congratulations to Mary Rose! She'll win the First Aid Kit stamp set!

Thanks to everyone who participated and thanks for all of your sweet comments! 

Paper Smooches March DT Blog Hop

Hey there! It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the Paper Smooches April stamp release with you!  Six NEW stamps and SIX new dies will be available to purchase at 12:01am, Eastern time...on April 1st.  You will find them HERE

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize!  Just leave a comment on any of the eight design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of our new dies!  (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify)  You have until midnight MT on Friday, March 29th to leave a comment.  Please check all design team blogs on Saturday, March 30th to see if you are one of the lucky winners.

Check out the Paper Smooches blog to see a peek of the new dies

Emily Leiphart

Heidi Van Laar

Kalyn Kepner

Karolyn Loncon

Kim Kesti

Laura Bassen

Laurie Schmidlin

Teri Anderson

To increase your chances of winning:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post

2. Tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop

3. Tell us that you Tweeted about our hop

4. Tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

(which means that you have up to four chances to win on each blog)

 Today, I'm sharing a card using the new First Aid Kit set. This is just so cute and is perfect for a sick friend or relative. And knowing how many sick people I encountered this past flu season, I think we should all be stocking up on this set for next year. Doctor recommended. :)

I stamped a fun background with two of the bandage stamps and then used a decorative frame die to make a focal point. I stampd the sentiment in the middle and added a cluster of stamps and embellishments. Below that, I added a piece of washi tape and trimmed part of a brand new die from Paper Smooches that you'll see released this week!

Thanks so much for stopping by and joining in the hop with us! Good luck in winning a set!