----Paper Sweeties August Inspiration Challenge #34---- Happy Birthday

Time to celebrate!!! Someone is turning three years old this month! 

Happy Birthday, Paper Sweeties! 

In honor of this happy occasion, Paper Sweeties is having a month-long celebration! You are definitely going to want to join us for this celebration because, not only will Debbie be revealing 4 brand new, adorable stamp sets and 3 coordinating Sweet Cuts die sets this month, but there are going to be prizes--All Month Long, beginning with a Happy Birthday Inspiration Challenge:

Abigail is all decked out in her best party dress, from the Jelly Bean Time stamp set, for this special birthday party, including pink pearl jewelry. She is colored with Copics and I used Liquid Pearls for her jewelry. The dress is paper pieced, and I colored the sash then added sparkly Stickles on the flowers there, and on her shoes. Her party hat, cake, and gift are from the Celebrate stamp set. The cake stamp was perfect for Paper Sweeties' third birthday, with it's 3 candles, and, of course, for Paper Sweeties, there is plenty of pink, sparkly frosting. I fussy cut the gift from a piece of patterned paper and colored the bow and ribbon with an opaque gel pen. The white dots are made with a Snow Marker, which added a fun texture. The table was paper pieced using a stamp from the I'm Having a Tea Party stamp set.

For the birthday banner, from the Hello Friend stamp set, I stamped the banner image twice onto patterned paper, then die cut it with the coordinating Sweet Cuts die in the Be Happy set. Then, I stamped the Happy Birthday sentiment with Versamark ink, and sprinkled it with both gold embossing powder and pink (Kunzite) glitter. I had to heat it from the back to keep the glitter from blowing away, but I really like the subtle touch of pink it adds. You can't see it in this photo, but after adding the sentiment to the banner, I cut just that center section out and popped it up with foam tape onto the other stamped and die cut banner.

Here's the inspiration photo for the Happy Birthday challenge. Don't those colors (and the cupcakes) look yummy? ;)

The inside of this card has the same white frame as on the front of the card, and I've added a patterned scalloped border inside on the top edge. The sweet little balloon is another image from the Celebrate stamp set.

You won't believe how cute the rest of the DT's cards are! Be sure to check them out. Also, Paper Sweeties Alumni Designers are joining us for this most special of occasions, and you'll definitely want to see what they've created, too!

Angel Johns 
Annette Witherspoon

Cheryl Lea - That's Me!

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties

 Emily Frasier

Jill Norwood

Julie Tucker-Wolek

Kathy Schweinfurth

Larissa Heskett

Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

August Guest Designer:  Jen Carter

Alumni Designers:
Annette Allen
Jinny Newlin
Kristi Schurr
Lisa Elton
Lori Hairston 
Patti Goldman

The Birthday Celebration is going to be ON for the entire month of August! Be sure to keep checking for new ways to win prizes all month!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve July 2015 Week 3 Sketch Challenge
The Shabby Tea Room Challenge #256: Summer Picnic
613 Avenue Create Challenge #134: Anything Goes w/optional Shabby Chic
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes
Corrosive Challenge #229: To "Die" For
Chocolate, Coffee, & Cards Challenge #96: A Flower in Your Image

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Getting Serious with Books & Boxes

Hi Friends! I hope you are all staying warm, wherever you are today! I haven't been active in my craft room (or my blog) much since I started homeschooling my daughter, but in my last post, I did mention that I have been working on my bookbinding and boxmaking skills. It's quite different than making cards because, at least for now, I'm focusing on the construction and not doing much in the way of embellishing. But, I am enjoying it, immensely! 

This project is a clamshell box with a French Link Stitch blank book inside.

This is what it looks like closed up. I am using bookboard to make the box and the book covers, so these are very sturdy, unlike my usual chipboard boxes, which, while nice, are delicate in comparison. The biggest problem I have with using bookboard, though, is cutting it. It is thick and dense, so I was having to use a razor knife and ruler and cut it by hand, which, frankly, is exhausting. But, in my frustration with it, I found a good cutter that will actually handle this type of board, and, it wasn't too pricey--the Zutter Kutter. I had problems when I first got it, but I got in touch with the company and they were extremely helpful. Now, it cuts great! I'm planning to post a video on the correct way to use the Zutter Kutter in the next week or two.

Here's a look at the book and box, together. I found this paper at Hobby Lobby. It's heavy, a bit glossy, and the designs are beautiful.

Here, the box is open. The spine is made of bookcloth rather than paper, so it will stand up to a lot of openings and closings. 

Since one side of the trays are left open, it is possible to have the book fit inside snugly and still be able to remove it easily. You can see how the top tray is slightly larger than the bottom tray so that it completely covers it when closed.

The bookcloth spine is a piece of canvas that I backed with tissue paper so glue wouldn't seep through.

The stitching over the ribbon is called French Link Stitch. The end stitching is Coptic. I like having decorative papers along the outside of the signatures when the spine is left open.

This type of binding allows the book to lie completely flat when open. Each signature (group of folded pages) has a decorative, die cut piece of paper folded around it. Sometimes I prefer the white pages to show in the spine, but it seemed too stark for this particular book.

I used Neenah 24lb. linen texture writing paper for the blank pages. 

This was a great project to work on. I learned several new things while making it, such as backing my own cloth, and making my own wheat paste. Between YouTube, blogs, and instructional books, easily found at the library, you can get quite a bit of information, but, I want to learn more.

I have been searching high and low for bookbinding and boxmaking classes that are fairly close to me and that won't break the bank, and I finally found one at Smokey Road Press in Athens, Georgia! Yay! I've never been there, so I can't say what the class will be like, but just based on the photo of the books and box we'll be making, it looks like it will be a fun week! The website says there is also a retail store, which I'm hoping will have bookbinding supplies, so I may be taking a trip there next week, just to check it out. If I do, I'll give you my thoughts on it. If you are interested in this class, it is small--only 8 people, so don't wait too long to sign up!

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:
613 Avenue Create #108: Anything Goes--Create Your Own Challenge (Patterned Paper, Die Cut, Solid Color Paper, Stitching, Ribbon)
Fresh Brewed Challenge: January-FAVORITES (Book & Boxmaking)

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Happy "Bee" Day

I had so much fun making this little project today! You're probably thinking this is for a birthday, and it could be, but it's not. A friend's son is in a spelling bee next week, so I made a tag for her to use on a bee-themed gift package that she put together for him.

I embossed a Honeycomb background stamp with Distress embossing powder, then spritzed with several colors of Dylusions Ink Spray. After drying the ink with my heat gun, I spritzed gold Perfect Pearls Mist over it so it would glisten like honey. "Happy" was stamped with the Inside & Out Happy stamp set from Flourishes, using Versamark Ink, then heat embossed with black ep, and the letters in "day" are die cuts. The bee was made by punching out yellow and black circles, folding them in half, and gluing them together. The bee face (stamped on cs and colored with a Copic marker) and wings (stamped on vellum and coated with Diamond Stickles) were stamped with a Recollections stamp set called Don't Bug Me, and fussy cut. A strip of Washi tape and some ribbons and jute finished it off. (I thought about adding more, but since it's for a boy, I figured less IS more!) I didn't take a pic of the back, but it is white with the honeycomb bg stamped in Scattered Straw Distress Ink. My friend has plenty of room to personalize it.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

I'm entering this tag in the following challenges:

Simon Says Monday Challenge: Anything Goes

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Emboss It

613 Avenue Create Challenge #54: Anything goes

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Timeless Tuesday #254: Button It Up!

Wherever you are right now, I hope you are warm! We had some unusually cold weather blow through Georgia recently, and I don't fare well when the wind chill dips below zero! Thank goodness we're back into our normal temperature range...for now! Well, our Timeless Tuesday hostess this week is Jenny Gropp, and her challenge for us is right in step with the weather. It's cold outside, so she is challenging us to "Button It Up!" and use at least one button as an embellishment on a winter card.

I used Flourishes' Snow Wonderful stamp set for my winter scene, colored it with Copic markers, and cut it with the Classic Keyhole Die. It's a little hard to see in the photo, but I used Copic Opaque White Pigment on the image for a little textured snow and Diamond Stickles for the sparkly ice crystals. The sentiment is from the same stamp set, and was heat embossed onto vellum with silver embossing powder, then "buttoned" to the image with a couple of tiny buttons. Behind the image are several layers of die cuts and some gray satin ribbon.

This birthday card is for a friend I don't get to see often, and the "true friends" sentiment, from the Friendship & Flowers stamp set was perfect for the inside of the card.

Stop by my teammates' blogs to see their take on this week's challenge, then link up your own creation on the Flourishes' blog, here..

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea...that's me!
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Katie Sims

I hope you are able to play along with us this week. And, remember, you don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize!

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to "Button Up!" this week! ;)

I'm entering this in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve January 2014 Week 2 Challenge
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Ice Inspiration
Simon Says Monday Challenge: Anything Goes
613 Avenue Create Challenge #54: Anything Goes/Optional Theme: Party/Celebrate
Challenges 4 Everybody #37: Anything Goes

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It's Your Day...Smile!

I saw a pretty color palette today over at Designs by Dragonfly, and used it to make a birthday card for a friend.

I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch (#327) for the card layout, and used a mix of stamps and dies from several different companies.

On the inside, I used a Sizzix diffuser when I embossed the white panel, to keep the center flat. Also, the yellow ink that I sponged inside the oval isn't nearly as vivid IRL as it is in the photo, but for the life of me, I couldn't get it toned down in the pic!

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Mojo Monday #327
Simon Says Monday Challenge: Blues
613 Avenue Create: Anything Goes/Optional Theme: Party/Celebrate
Challenges 4 Everybody #37: Anything Goes

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A Happy Birthday

Did you hear...Viva la Verve has a new home--it's very own blog! If you are a fan of sketch challenges, this is a good challenge--one of my favs! You should check it out!

The first week of the month is now a sketch+color challenge, but there are several options for how you can use it. I used the sketch and part of the colors. Instead of blue, I went with green (my fav color!).

I followed the sketch fairly close, however, I switched the shapes, using a square where the circle is on the sketch, and circles in place of the squares on the sketch. The sentiment is stamped on kraft cardstock, and the loopy border was painted with acrylic paint (I had to mix yellow, leaf green, and apple green colors to get just the right shade.) ;)

Instead of decorating the front of a card with the entire sketch, I trimmed part of the front of the card off, where the bottom layer would have gone, and I put that layer on the inside of the card. I like that when it's closed you can't tell at all that the front of the card is shortened. Kinda cool, I think!

And, once you get the card opened, this is how it looks. 

Thanks so much for dropping by. I appreciate your visit and your sweet comments. I'm a bit behind on my commenting, but I'll get caught up soon. :)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve January 2014 Week 1 Sketch Challenge
613 Avenue Create Challenge #53: Anything Goes
Challenges 4 Everybody #37: Anything Goes

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Timeless Tuesday #252: Shake It Up!

Can you believe the last day of 2013 is here already! Whether you are planning a big blow-out party or a quiet night in to celebrate the New Year, I hope that when the ball/apple/peach/pinecone/whatever drops, and fireworks are lighting up the sky, it's the beginning of your Best Year Ever! And, what better way to start the New Year than with a FUN Timeless Tuesday Challenge! ;)

This week's challenge is hosted by Guest Designer, Jessi Fogan, and her challenge is perfect for bringing in the New Year!

Now, if you're like me, and have never have made a shaker card before, here is a SCS tutorial that might help you. The layout of my card is the MojoMonday #326 Sketch.

For the New Year, I just had to ink up the champagne glass in the Lots of Thoughts stamp set for this challenge. It is colored with Copic markers, and the bubbles have Crystal Stickles on them. I used shiny metallic beads, that reminded me of bubbles, inside the shaker. 

The polka dot bg was made using Dylusions Ink Sprays, acrylic paint, Memento ink, and Flourishes So Distressed stamp set. After spraying several colors of ink spray onto a piece of Flourishes Classic White cs, and drying it with my heat gun, I stamped the distressed polka dots all over with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink, dried that, then stamped on top of those dots again, using white acrylic paint. (If you do that be sure to wash the paint off the stamp as soon as you are finished!) The harlequin patterned strip was from a Graphics 45 paper pad, but I spritzed it with dark brown ink spray to give it an aged look. The "Cheers" sentiment is from the Lots of Thoughts stamp set, also. I cut the flag with a Verve Flag It die, sponged Antique Linen Distress Ink over it, stamped the sentiment, edged it with a silver leafing pen, added a couple of dots of silver Stickles, then popped it up over the edge of the shaker area.

The "Happy New Year" sentiment is from Flourishes Inside & Out Happy stamp set. I stamped it with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and stamped the champagne glass in Memento Pear Tart Ink, stamping off once first, to lighten it up a bit.

Okay, now it your turn to get "Shakin'!" You don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize! You can find all the details for the challenge here.

Be sure to visit the rest of the team, as well as our Guest Designer, Jessi Fogan, for plenty of inspiration. They love hearing from you, too!

• Allison Cope
• Cheryl Lea...that's me!
• Deborah Anton
• Jenny Gropp
• Katie Sims
• Jessi Fogan, our Guest Designer

Happy, Happy, Happy New Year!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
MojoMonday #326
613 Avenue Create #52: Anything Goes/Black & Favorite Color...GREEN!
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Bling It On!

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Remembering You on Your Birthday

I hope you had a Merry Christmas with good friends and family, and are looking forward to a Happy New Year! We had a great Christmas! Jackson, my DD's personal Elf, flew back to the North Pole with Santa, which bummed her out a little bit, but by the time all the chaos was over with food and presents, she was just fine. :) And, while I enjoyed Christmas, I am very ready to get back to making non-Christmas cards for awhile.

This birthday card is based on the Viva la Verve December 2013 Week 4 sketch, and I used Verve stamps for the sentiments, inside and out. Sequins give the card pizzazz! BTW, I am loving all my new sequins! Did I tell you about them yet?  Well, I am now the proud owner of 80 different colors, and they were very inexpensive. I found mine at Blitsy, but you can get them here. There are 10 different sets with 8 colors in each set. I tried to use them directly from the packages they came in, but the colors kept getting mixed up, so I found this bead storage system, and it works great. (I actually found my containers at Michaels, but they don't have them on their website.) I only had to buy 3 sets to hold all 80 colors! It's a bit of a chore to transfer the sequins to the containers because they have so much static and tend to stick to everything, but using lotion on your hands helps a lot. Also, to keep up with which set each of the colors came from, I just printed the names of the sets onto file folder labels, trimmed them down and attached one to the bottom of each container. That way, I could sort them all by color, instead of set. 

I had a really hard time trying to get the inside of the card to photograph right. I finally decided this was good enough. ;)

Have a wonderful weekend!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve December 2013 Week 4 Sketch Challenge
613 Avenue Create Challenge #51: Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Bling It On!

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Ferns & Fiddles Note Card Set & Box

Hello Fellow Bloggers! I know you are probably incredibly busy, here, just 3 days before Christmas, so I won't keep you but a sec, however, I do have a few photos that you can scroll through.

I saw this post on Leslie Miller's Running With Scissors blog, and I loved how she got so much out of one stamp set. It inspired me to choose one stamp set and make a set of cards with it. I also made a magazine-style box and sleeve to hold the set. I used Flourishes' Ferns and Fiddles stamp set and Viva la Verve's December 2013 Week 1 Sketch Challenge for the layout.

I used Lori Whitlock's A2 Card & Magazine Holder with Sleeve cut file to make this box, and rather than cover the outside of the sleeve with dp, I opted for an embossed look, to match the cards.

Everything I did is fairly evident. I edged the fishtail banners in a gold leaf pen, cut the Award Banner from a gold shimmer cs, added sequins to every card, and on the blue and yellow card, I used Nautical Dark Blue cs from Flourishes' True Blue Color Made Easy Paper Collection, stamped several smaller fern images with Versamark, then heat embossed them with clear ep. I sprinkled a sparkly ep and a yellow ep across the cs and heat embossed that, too.  You may have noticed that I used the same image on two of the cards, but with two different names. A botanist, I am not! :)

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you have a Merry, Merry Christmas!

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve's December 2013 Week 1 Sketch Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Stamp Out 2013!
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Bling it On!
613 Avenue Create Challenge #51: Anything Goes--No Twist

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