WCMD: My Blog Challenge

(Cue Mission Impossible theme song...)

Your World Card Making Day Challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to design a card (or two, or three, or four, ...) using those now infamous and highly sought-after PAINT CHIPS! It may be for any theme you wish, but must somehow incorporate at least a portion of one paint chip into the design.

I will pick my favorite and announce the winner here on my blog on World Card Making Day -- Saturday, October 4th. The winner will receive a brand new QuicKutz Cookie Cutter Shapes Bundle package featuring Flower, Spring, and Weather Shapes! I will also be accepting my own challenge and will share my final design(s) with you on WCMD.

To enter, upload a photo of your card(s) to your own blog or online gallery of your choice (like WCMD's own Creation Corner Gallery). Then add a comment to this post including a link to your creation. (Please enter the URL to the website, not to the image file itself.)

On to the fine print...

1. You may enter multiple times - one entry per card design.
2. All entries will be judged on overall appearance, with bonus points for creative use of the paint chip(s).
3. This challenge will not self-destruct. However, all entries must be received no later than 11:59pm on Friday, October 3rd (EST).

Stuck for an idea? Check out my previous Paint Chip Cards!

Let the challenge begin!

WCMD: My Blog Contest

Let the countdown begin!

World Card Making Day will be here in just FIVE days! And to help spread the word, I am sponsoring the following contest...

Just leave me a comment on this post with the name and URL of a blogger who inspires YOU in your card/crafting design. I will randomly pick one entry and announce the winner on World Card Making Day -- this Saturday, October 4th -- here on my blog. That lucky person will receive a copy of Cards, Gifts, & More: Paper Crafting 3 Ways, generously donated by the fine folks at Paper Crafts magazine! All comments must be received by 11:59pm on Friday, October 3rd (EST).

So please! Leave a comment with the name & URL of your fave crafting blogger for a chance to win! One final rule. As flattered as I would be if you were to pick me, I'm hoping to get a nice long list of inspiring bloggers that we all can use as a resource in our craft designs. And since all of us already know my name and URL, please do not list me or my blog for this contest!

And stay tuned... Tomorrow I will announce my WCMD Challenge!

My Three-In-One

I just got my copy of the October/November 2008 issue of Paper Trends magazine. And what to my wondering eyes should appear -- but my three Halloween Treat Boxes, plus four Sgro Holiday cards filled with good cheer!

That's right! This is the very first publication in which I have more than one project -- and I have THREE in this one! My loyal readers will recognize two of the projects. The first is my trio of Halloween Treat Boxes. They made their original debut on my blog last Halloween.



The second is my trio of Paint Chip Tree Cards. I was surprised by how popular these simple cards turned out to be when they first appeared on my blog last November. Hmmm... I believe that was about the same time that I started lurking in the paint aisle of my local home improvement stores. Coincidence? I think not!



My final project is new to my blog. The editors of Paper Trends contacted me back in June and asked me if I would like to be a part of their "1 Sketch, 4 Styles" feature. (Would I!!!) I call the resulting design my "Holly and Snowflakes" card. This is a very easy card to recreate, as I used a premade card base and just added some embellishments. (Full details in the Oct/Nov 08 issue of Paper Trends.)


Happy (Early) Holidays, Everyone!

Flower Thank U Card

Here is the Thank You card that I designed for Carolyn King's "Heart to Heart" Blog Candy Contest. (See previous post for more details.) The front of the card is shaped like a flower, while the back is a simple 5" square. I added a few embellishments to really make this card pop!

Supplies:

• Cardstock: Miss Muffet from Baby line by American Crafts; green by DCWV
• Accents: She - brown chipboard alphabet by Heidi Swapp; Doodles & Heidi - Rose rub-ons by Making Memories; Embossed Ivory Shimmer Table Confetti from Brides line by Gartner Studios
• Color Medium: Gel Xtreme - White pen by Y&C
• Stickers: Many Thanks by Mrs. Grossman's
• Fibers: green ribbon from Michaels Stores
• Tools: Mega 2.5" Circle by Marvy Uchida; paper piercer by Making Memories; Serrated Tracing Wheel by Dritz
• Other: pattern (right-click to download)

Instructions:

1. Cut out card shape from double-sided cardstock following pattern. Fold in half to form a 5" square card.
   
2. Punch circle from green cardstock. Faux stitch green circle and inside square of card.
   Hint: I used a Paper Piercer to create the "stitches" in the circle, and a Serrated Tracing Wheel for the square.
3. Apply Doodle rub-ons to front of flower portion of card, and "so very much!!!" to inside square.
4. Trim "s" from "Thanks" sticker. Apply to green circle. Attach chipboard "u" and flower to front of circle, and folded ribbon to back of circle.
5. Adhere circle to center of flower with foam tape.
   

Bonus Tip #1! Don't be afraid to use portions of your stickers or rub-ons! Just trim off what you need, as I did with my "Thanks" sticker.

Bonus Tip #2! This design works best with a more subtle pattern for the flower portion, and a contrasting color for the square portion of the card. A larger, busier pattern would act like camouflage for the flower shape, as would a low-contrast color combo!

Bonus Tip #3! I used double-sided cardstock for my card. If you do not have appropriate double-sided CS, simply choose two separate cardstocks. Trim one to a 5" square and use the flower part only of my pattern on the other CS. Just add tabs at the top to adhere the flower portion to the back of the square portion.

Finished Size Approx 5" x 5".
Additional photos in my online portfolio.

Enter to Win Great Prizes for a Great Cause!!!

Carolyn King has a wonderful contest called "Heart to Heart" on her blog right now. Unfortunately, Carolyn recently lost her grandmother due to complications from Alzheimer's Disease. Carolyn has already designed a set of stamps through Gina K Designs called Whimsical Autumn which benefits the Alzheimer's Association. And now she is turning her attention and generosity towards another group of people who are also affected by this disease -- the wonderful caregivers of Alzheimer's patients.

Carolyn has contacted various companies and fellow stampers, asking them to donate items to her contest. Well, word has spread, and so many generous companies and individuals have stepped forward to contribute, that the prize package is now worth over $1,000!!! PLUS, dozens of additional creative handmade cards and gifts!!! All for ONE lucky winner!!! And all you have to do is make one card for a caregiver of someone suffering from Alzheimer's.

Well, I was so inspired by Carolyn's story and contest, that I added my own donation and card to the prize. I will be sending the winner a BRAND NEW QuicKutz Rockstar Mini Cookie Cutter Alphabet Set (list price $89.99) along with my Flower Thank U card (photo above).

Head on over to Carolyn's blog to check out the full list of rules and prizes. Hurry! All entries must be received by Friday, September 26th at 8pm Central Time.

"But Angela!" You say, "That doesn't give me much time!" I know, I know... I'm sorry. I only heard about the contest myself late Tuesday. But please! If you have the time, make a card and enter this wonderful contest for a wonderful cause! And spread the word!

p.s. Stay tuned... I will be posting the tutorial for my Flower Thank U card later this week!

It's Ba-ack! (And Better Than Ever!)

That's right! World Card Making Day is back! It is Saturday, October 4th this year, and it's looking to be as exciting and creative as last year's event! Here's the official word from WCMD's sponsor, Paper Crafts magazine ...

Get ready to celebrate
World Card Making Day!

Join in the fun with card makers the world over on Saturday, Oct. 4, as we kick off the holiday card-making season. Now in its third year, World Card Making Day is a day to connect with fellow card makers around the globe and to celebrate the creativity and joy of this craft! Hobbyists, beginning card makers, manufacturers of card-making products, retailers, and educators, are all making plans to share the excitement of World Card Making Day with workshops, online galleries, parties, contests, sales, and other special events. Visit www.worldcardmakingday.com for ideas and unique ways to celebrate this holiday, including:

• Creating your own handmade cards from the dozens of sponsored ideas in the Inspiration Avenue section
• Sharing your unique designs with the world in the Creation Corner Gallery
• Finding and visiting an Official World Card Making Day Retailer for classes and activities that will help you connect with other fellow card makers
• Planning your own fun activities with friends and family with ideas from the Celebrate section

Join Paper Crafts magazine on this amazing day that brings card makers from all over the globe together in celebrating the joy of giving the gift of a handmade card.

Paper Crafts is also holding a special card contest to celebrate the day. They will be awarding 20 winners a prize package containing the latest card making products from some of the hottest manufacturers. The retail value of each prize package totals over $225! Woo hoo! That's some prize package! (See photo at right...) For more details, check out PC's official Entry Form.

I will also be spending the day crafting and sharing my creations with you, my readers! I have a couple different projects in mind, not to mention a contest or two with my own prize packages! (Sorry, my prize packages will not be nearly as impressive as Paper Crafts'...)

Stay tuned ...

Baby Says, "Thank You!"

As I have already received several gifts for the future little Baby Sgro, I thought I would take the time to create personalized Thank You cards for each gift-giver. I based my design on a combination of the two Thank You cards that I created for my "Peas in a Pod" themed baby shower earlier this year.

First I settled on a blue and brown color scheme. (That's right! It's a boy!) Like my "Peas in a Pod" version, I chose to cut an A6 Folded Card in half to form my note card. Again like my previous design, I printed the polka dots along the inside of the card and my sentiment on the front -- this time in brown. I also trimmed the front cover with my scalloped decorative edge scissors.

To truly make this a personalized Thank You, I took close up photographs of each gift and adhered a cropped shot to the card with foam tape. Finally I accented the card with a piece of knotted ribbon. So easy!

Tip #1: Make a bunch of these Thank You cards ahead of time, and just add the photos as you receive the gifts!

Tip #2: Some heavier ribbon can create a knot large enough to add additional postage for thickness. To avoid this extra cost when mailing your cards, switch to a lighter weight, sheer ribbon.

Finished size approximately 4.5" x 3".

Paper Crafts Magazine Has Been Tagged!

That's right! The third volume of Paper Crafts magazine's Holiday Cards & More is now out on the newsstands. And featured in their "Wrapped with Love" section are my Holiday Photo Gift Tags! Once you have the photo, these tags are über quick & easy to make. And they're great to use with your toddlers, as they don't have to know how to read to identify the recipient of the gift!

I love this edition of Holiday Cards! And no... it is NOT because I have a project published in it! The whole magazine is chock-full of great ideas for holiday cards, decor, gift wrapping, not to mention the gifts themselves. So many gorgeous and creative projects, that it puts my simple little tags to shame! It almost makes me want to get a record early start on my Christmas projects!

(I did say almost...)

Happy Grandparents Day!!!

I'm a teensy bit early -- the holiday is actually not until Sunday, September 7th this year. But here is the card that I made for my MIL from Baby Sgro...

When trying to come up with a design for this card, I found inspiration in Nichole Heady's Daisy card. Like Nichole's card, the front of my card is a piece of transparency sheet. The base of my card is a 5" x 5" piece of glittered, patterned cardstock. I added a strip of green gingham patterned paper along the bottom. I then cut the piece of transparency to 5" x 5.5" and folded down the top 1/2". I glued that top part to the back of my patterned cardstock to form a top-folded card. Then I adhered two pieces of ribbon on the front of the transparency, layering the smaller teal ribbon on top of the gold ribbon. Finally I designed my sentiment in Photoshop, printed it out, punched out the scalloped oval, and attached it to the front of my card. So quick and easy!

Supplies:

• Cardstock: Nana's Nursery - Baby Boy by DCWV
  
• Patterned Paper: Bitty Scrap Pads - Ginghams & Stripes Backgrounds by Provo Craft
• Transparency Sheet: write-on by 3M
• Fibers: ribbon from Jo-Ann Stores
• Fonts: Beautiful, Minion Pro
• Tools: Mega Scalloped Oval by Marvy Uchida, sticker maker by Xyron

Tip: These square cards cost an additional 20¢ in postage!

Finished Size 5" x 5".
Additional photos in my online Portfolio.