Winner of My WCMD Blog Challenge!

May I have a special World Card Making Day Drum Roll, please!

Announcing the winner of my WCMD Blog Challenge! It is Sandee from Dandridge, TN!!! Woo Hoo!!!

It was a tough decision... so much creativity out there! Jennie, your little duckies are sooo cute! And of course, anything baby has special meaning to me right now. And Elaine, I love how you used all those paint chip colors to create your fall leaves! However, my favorite use of paint chips has to be how Sandee embossed them and turned them into darling bird houses! And I love the trim and use of popsicle sticks!

Congrats Sandee!!! Please contact me with your info, so that I can send you your QuicKutz Cookie Cutter Shapes Bundle!

Thanks to everyone who accepted my challenge. And check back soon, as I will be sharing with you the two Halloween Paint Chip Cards that I designed for WCMD!

Winner of My WCMD Blog Contest!

Happy World Card Making Day!!!

I'd like to start the celebration by announcing that the winner of my World Card Making Day Blog Contest and lucky recipient of an issue of Paper Crafts magazine's Cards, Gifts, & More: Paper Crafting 3 Ways is... SueB!

Here's SueB's favorite blogger...

Lately when I'm looking for inspiration I turn to Angie Kennedy Juda of http://chicnscratch.typepad.com/chic_n_scratch/ fame!

Thanks to Random.org for picking our lucky winner. Sue, please contact me with your address so that I can send you your prize!

p.s. Who is my favorite blogger, you ask? So hard to narrow it down to one, sooo here are my top two...

1. Nichole Heady and her Capture the Moment blog -- I find Nichole's creativity in the use of various materials and shapes very inspiring.
2. Kristina Werner and her KWernerDesignBlog -- I love how Kristina's graphic design background shows through in all her projects.
   

Special thanks to everyone who entered my contest. We now have over 25 inspirational blogs to browse! And stay tuned ... I will announce the winner of my WCMD Challenge later today!

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!

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 ...

Birthday Blog Candy Winner!

Drum roll, please!

Announcing the winner of my Blog Birthday Ice Cream Challenge! It is Suzanne from Orange County, NY!!! All the entries were really cute, but I really love the colors and playfulness of Suzanne's card. (You can see more details about Suzanne's creation on her "The Card Garden" blog.)

Congrats Suzanne! Please contact me with your info, so that I can send you your prize package!

And thanks to everyone who accepted my challenge!

A Very Merry Birthday! To Me! To You!

That's right, today is the first anniversary of my initial blog post! So I'm throwing my one-year-old a Birthday Party complete with sweet treats, games and prizes. I'm inviting all of YOU, my blog readers, to join in on the fun and festivities! And what better way to begin a birthday party, than with ICE CREAM!!! Ice cream for everyone!

Presenting the complete tutorial on how to create your very own Ice Cream Cone Card...

Supplies:

• Cardstock: brown from K&Company; blue-green, pink, dark pink, and red from Bazzill Basics Paper; black
• Patterned Paper: The Slab II from Provo Craft
• Accents: colored wire by Making Memories
• Tools: 1" circle punch
• Other: patterns (download here!)

Instructions:

1. Cut out shapes for ice cream scoops & cone following directions on patterns. Punch two 1" circles from red paper.
2. Glue patterned paper to front cone piece.
   Cut half moon shape from dark pink paper and adhere to front of "strawberry" scoop.
   Randomly cut "chocolate chips" from black cardstock and glue to front of "mint chip" scoop.
   Cut small half moon shape from pink paper and glue to one red circle to make a highlight.
3. Fold as follows:
   Back copy of "strawberry" scoop back one inch from top
   Front copy of "mint chip" scoop forward one inch from top
   Back copy of "cone" back one inch from bottom
4. Glue front pieces of scoops & cones to back pieces on the small folded areas only (top of scoops & bottom of cone).
5. Glue back of "mint chip" scoop to back of cone, and back of "strawberry scoop to back of "mint chip" scoop, overlapping pieces.
6. Cut approx. 3" piece of red wire. Curl one end into a small circle and adhere to back of red circle with highlight using glue dot. Glue bottom half of "cherry" to top of "strawberry" scoop. Glue other red circle to back of "strawberry" scoop, making a sandwich with the wire.

Optional: Here is the text that I added to the inside of my Ice Cream Cone Card:
The "strawberry scoop" flips up to say "You're like the CHERRY on top of my ice cream!"
The "mint chip scoop" flips up to say "Life without you would be like MINT CHIP without the chocolate!"
The "cone" flips down to say "Thanks for being my friend!"

Finished Size Approx. 5" x 3.75" (plus cherry "stem")
Additional photos in my online portfolio.

: : : : :

And what would a birthday party be
without games and prizes???

And now, on to the gifts! In honor of my blog's very first birthday, I am giving away a Blog Candy prize package. The package consists of one copy of Paper Crafts magazine's latest special issue "Cards, Gifts, & More: Paper Crafting 3 Ways" (featuring 3 projects by Yours Truly), four packages of Ice Cream themed dimensional stickers, two spools of coordinating ribbon, and one Ice Cream themed box. (Sorry -- due to the high cost of shipping, I can only send this package to residents of the continental United States.)

If you would like a chance at winning this package, simply make a paper craft creation (card, scrapbook, etc.) using Ice Cream as your theme. Then upload a photo of your project to your blog or online gallery. Leave a comment on this post with a link to the website (not the image itself!) by Friday, August 29th at 11pm EST. I will pick my fave and announce the winner here on my blog on Saturday, August 30th. If you already have an Ice Cream themed project online, feel free to enter it!

I can't wait to see your creations! And enjoy the Birthday Party!

Winners of my Vacation Blog Candy Contest!

We have our winners! Congratulations to Denise and Tejal! They were the first to identify the landmarks in my two photographs.

Tejal was the first to correctly name picture #1 as the Golden Jubilee Bridge in London, England. This pedestrian bridge connects the north and south banks of the Thames River. It also offers a great view of the London Eye, one of the largest observation wheels in the world.

Denise was the first to identify picture #2 as the famous Eiffel Tower, overlooking the River Seine in Paris, France. This iconic landmark was built for the 1889 Paris Worlds Fair.

(BTW, that object in the center of the Eiffel Tower in my photo is a giant, inflated rugby ball, as we were in France during the World Cup.)

Congrats to both of you ladies! Denise and Tejal, please email me your addresses and I will send you your copy of the October 2007 issue of Paper Crafts magazine. And thanks to everyone else for participating in my little contest. Some of you were sooo close, but I had to wait until I got the correct names of the landmarks before I declared my winners.

Hope you had fun! (And now you see why I had such a wonderful vacation!)

Vacation Blog Candy!

Hello Dear Readers!

I apologize for not posting for a while, but I've been away -- on vacation! My husband and I went away for 10 wonderful days. Our first real vacation in years. Where you ask? Well, I'm not going to tell you! At least not yet...

To make up for the fact that I have been so silent these past two weeks, I am going to turn my vacation destination(s) into a contest. Here are two pictures that I took on my trip. The goal is to be the first person to leave a comment on this post correctly identifying one of these landmarks. I will give away a prize for each photo for a total of two prizes.

My prizes are copies of the October issue of Paper Crafts Magazine. Because of a subscription mix-up, I ended up with three copies of the October issue, so I thought I would give away two of them to you.

Here's the fine print:
As the prize for identifying each photo is the same, I am going to award the magazines to two different people. (Trying to spread the wealth!) So even if you are the first person to correctly identify both photos, you will only get one prize. The second prize will go to the next person to correctly identify the other photo. And close friends and relatives who already know my vacation destination(s) are not eligible to win. Sorry!

Please be sure to sign in or leave your name with your comment so that I can identify you if you win. And keep checking back to see if you've won, or for additional hints if necessary. Remember you can click on the photos to see larger images. Have fun guessing!

UPDATE: It seems that the first photo is far more challenging than the second. Those of you who guessed that the first photo is of a bridge are correct. However, I do need the name of the bridge to declare a winner. So here are some additional hints to help you along...

Hint #1: Residents around the landmark pictured in Photo #1 would say that my husband and I were on holiday, not on vacation.

Hint #2: You can get an EYE-ful of a view while standing on the landmark in Photo #1.

Winners of my Hawaiian Shirt Blog Candy

Thank you to everyone who sent a shirt(s) to Janice for her Senior Services Meals on Wheels Fund Raiser. I would have loved to send each and every one of you something special as a thank you, but I could only choose three...

And here they are! The three winners of my Hawaiian Shirt Blog Candy! Congratulations to Lora from Brooklyn, New York, Paulette from Pompano Beach, Florida and Arlene from Chicago, Illinois! Thank you ladies!

In appreciation for all you've done, each of you will receive a package consisting of the following:

• One of my very own Hawaiian Shirts
• A "Thank You" themed set of Clear Stamps
• Two Clear Stamp Blocks
• A spool of Ribbon
  in tropical colors
• A pack of 100 Mini Brads
  (to use on additional Shirts, perhaps?)
  

My thanks to Lora, Paulette, and Arlene and to everyone who participated in this worthy cause.

Hawaiian Shirt Blog Candy

Or is it a PIF? (Pay It Forward) Or a RAK? (Random Act of Kindness) I'm kinda new at this, so I'm not sure what it is. I'm gonna to call it a great, big THANK YOU for all of you who shared your time and creative energy in order to send a Hawaiian Shirt(s) for Janice's Senior Services Meals on Wheels Fund Raiser.

As a token of my appreciation, I will be giving away three prize packages consisting of one of my own Hawaiian Shirts plus some additional cool scrapbooking product(s). Janice will randomly pick the three winners from among those who sent her a shirt.

If you would like a chance to win, please make sure that Janice receives your shirt(s) by August 27th. The drawing will be on August 28th and I will post the winners here on my blog. (Remember to include a return address with your shirt!)

For more information about the fund raiser, see this post. For more information on making your own Hawaiian Shirt, see my original tutorial here or my revised tutorial for double-sided cardstock here.