Tag! I'm "IT!"

Woo Hoo! The editors over at Paper Crafts magazine have informed me that my Holiday Photo Gift Tags have been accepted for publication in their upcoming special issue, Holiday Cards & More, Vol. 3! Yay! The issue won't be going on sale until October, so I have a loooong time to wait until I can see it in print.

I actually submitted a whole bunch of projects for this issue, and the one that they accepted is actually one of my simpler designs. Which goes to show, that you can't predict what the editors will choose!

Short, Dark, Handsome... and Online!

I've got great news for all of you who requested a copy of the template to my Tuxedo Card. You will still be able to find it in the Step-by-Step section of the February/March 2008 issue of Paper Trends magazine. But now the editors have also included the template and complete instructions in their online Idea Gallery. So feel free to head on over there and download your own copy! Happy Crafting!

Edited to Add: Although the template and instructions to my Tuxedo Card are available through Paper Trends magazine and their website, please note that they are for personal use only. According to my contract with Northridge Media, I still retain the sole rights to use this template for commercial purposes. Thank you for understanding!

CELEBRATION TIME!!! (Part 2)

Time to put on your Party Hat!


Well, at the end of 2007 I promised you more how-to's from my "Birthday Bubbles" series, and here it is!

Materials:

• Double-Sided Patterned Paper: The Goods Bubbles by American Crafts
• Transparency Sheet: 3M
• Accents: red button from Winnie's Walls collection from SEI
• Fibers: 3" piece of red rick-rack ribbon from Kids Line and Scrapbook Stitches from Making Memories
  
• Adhesive: Glue Dots Craft dots
• Tools: Xyron sticker maker

Instructions:

1. Cut a 5" x 10" rectangle from transparency sheet. Fold in half to form a 5" square, crease at the top.
2. Cut one 3" x 3" square and one 2" x 3¼" rectangle from patterned paper.
   Mark center point at the top of 2" side of rectangle. Trim from bottom corners to top center point to make a triangle.
3. Print sentiment ("Let's Celebrate!") on orange side of square.
4. Run both pieces of patterned paper and rick-rack through Xyron sticker maker, so that the adhesive is on the patterned side of the sentiment square and on the orange side of the triangle.
5. Attach the sentiment square to the center of the inside of the card and the triangle to the center of the front of the card on an angle so that the "hat" covers up the sentiment.
6. Thread Scrapbook Stitches through button and knot. Attach button to the top of the "hat" with Glue Dots.
7. Trim ribbon to fit bottom of "hat." Attach to card.

Bonus Tip #1: Use the grid from a cutting mat to help you center the square on the transparency.

Bonus Tip #2: When printing on small pieces of cardstock, print sentiment on a larger piece of paper first. Then adhere cardstock to larger paper over the sentiment with removable tape. Reprint.

Stay on the lookout for the third installment of my "Birthday Bubbles" series - my yummy Cupcake Card!

Let Them Eat CAKE!!!

Or perhaps I should say,
"Let them PUBLISH Cake!"

I'm so excited! My Paint Chip Cake Card is going to be published in the August/September 2008 issue of Paper Crafts magazine! You may remember this card, as it made its debut appearance right here in my blog back in November. It was the one non-Christmas themed card that I created during my crazed Paint Chip phase...

I have to temporarily take down my blog post about this project, as well as all other online images related to my Cake Card. Sorry if this will inconvenience anyone planning on recreating this card. I will repost the tutorial in July, when the issue hits the newsstands.

Starting the New Year with a BANG!!!

Happy New Year, Everyone!


Hope you all had wonderful holidays! Mine is starting off with a bang! (and a crash, but more on that later...) Last week I got an email from Kelly over at Paper Crafts Magazine, informing me that my "Santa Gift Boxes" were one of three winners in their December Gallery Challenge. Woo Hoo!!! The theme of this challenge was Holiday Gift Wrap.

I decorated my "Santa Gift Boxes" to look like the Big Guy himself. The smaller box's lid lifts off. The larger box's jacket opens to reveal the gift inside. Both boxes are held close by Santa's "belt."

I modeled the larger box after Williams-Sonoma's Handcrafted Marshmallows package. I find a lot of inspiration from their package designs. Not to mention some really Good Eats!

Congrats also to my fellow winners, joey73 and MOlin! Joey73 designed an absolutely adorable gift tag, and MOlin created a very elegant holiday tea tin. You can see all three winning entries (plus dozens more) in Paper Crafts' gallery for the month of January.

: : :

And what about that crash that I mentioned earlier? Well, my cellphone/PDA (that's Personal Digital Assistant, not Public Display of Affection!) died early last week, and I've been spending DAYS trying to recover as much of my data as possible. My PDA is my address book, my calendar, my recipe files, my shopping list, my diary, my memory, my LIFE! Lemme tell you, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth at the Sgro household! Why do I share all this with you, Dear Reader? Well, the moral of the story is... ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR DATA!!!

Thank you. That concludes my Public Service Announcement. You will now be returned to your regularly scheduled life...