They're Creepy and They're Kooky...

Well, perhaps I should say "They're CUTESY and they're kooky..."

They're my Halloween Paint Chip Cards that I designed for my World Card Making Day Challenge!

I designed two cards for my Challenge. The first is a quick and easy, simple card in the shape of that enduring Halloween treat... Candy Corn! This was a very easy pattern to create. I based the size on the usable (non-printed) portion of my Behr paint chip. The fold of the card is along the long edge of the left side of the candy. Just for fun, I decided to decorate my card with a goofy face. I know, I know... technically candy corn has a yellow base, orange center, and white tip. Oh well. I think it still looks like candy corn!

The second card that I designed is definitely a bit more complex. And perhaps just a teensy bit creepy. It's my Frankenstein's Monster Paint Chip Card! I really like how this one turned out. I again used a Behr paint chip -- I like its larger size -- and just trimmed off the manufacturer's text along the left side. The base of the card is a 12" piece of orange cardstock trimmed the width of my paint chip. Part of the fun aspect of this design is that it is a gatefold card that opens at Frankie's mouth!

Another fun aspect of this card was in the design of the monster's face. I kept moving different shapes around to find the appropriate expression. At one point, Frankie was lookin' kinda Veggie Tales. Later it was more Sesame Streetesque. You know, like the taller, yellower half of that popular duo, Bert and Ernie. Must be the unibrow...

: : :

In honor of World Card Making Day, here is the complete tutorial for my Candy Corn Paint Chip Card!

Supplies:

• Cardstock: black by DMD; green, white
• Accents: Leaf Self-Adhesive Felt Decorations from Scrapbooking line from Target Stores
• Tools: 1-3/8" and 1" circle punch from EK Success; 5/8" circle punch from Marvy Uchida; hole puncher; Xyron sticker maker
  
• Other: paint chip by Behr; patterns (right-click to download)
  

Instructions:

1. Cut black cardstock and paint chip following patterns. Fold cardstock in half along dashed line. Adhere paint chip to front of card.
2. Punch one 1-3/8" circle from black CS. Cut in half to form "mouth." Punch two 1" circles from white CS. Punch two 5/8" circles from green CS. Punch two small circles from black CS using hole puncher.
3. Adhere circles to paint chip to form eyes.
4. Freeform cut out "tooth." Adhere to mouth. Adhere mouth to paint chip.
5. Adhere felt leaf to top of card for "hair."

Tip: To cut patterns from black CS, print pattern on white paper. Adhere to black CS using removable tape. Cut along lines and remove white paper.

Finished Size approx 3.75" x 4.5"
Enjoy, and Happy World Card Making Day!

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!

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!

BREAKING NEWS: Nationwide Paint Chip Shortage!

AKA "Paint Chip Cake Card Hits the Newsstands!"

I just got my August/September 2008 issue of Paper Crafts magazine, and there it is! Right on page 83 in the "Mediums of Color" column ... my Paint Chip Wedding Cake Card!

To celebrate its grand appearance, here is a similar card that I designed also using a paint chip, but with a very different color scheme.


For this version, I decided to go with bright, contrasting colors. I picked a sherbet orange cardstock for my base and a purple paint chip for my cake. After trimming the paint chip, I again opted to decorate my cake with paper flowers. However, instead of using mini adhesive pearls for the center of the flowers, I chose orange fabric paint. I also used the fabric paint to accent my cake with little swirls. Finally, I adorned the top of the cake with a ribbon bow and flower accent.

Finished Size 4.25" x 5.5"

For more pics of this Paint Chip Cake card, check out my online portfolio.

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.

Paint Chip Cake Card

As seen in the Aug/Sept 2008 issue of Paper Crafts magazine!

Yep! That's right folks! It's yet another card made from a Paint Chip! This time I thought I would stay away from the Christmas theme and go with something a little more generic. I created this to be an anniversary card, but it could easily work as a wedding or birthday card with just a few minor changes.

I began by cutting off the sides containing the text and rounded corners of my Behr 5"x6" paint chip. Next I trimmed off the darkest color, leaving me with three swatches. Instead of separating the three colors, I decided to keep the paint chip in one piece. I removed 3/8" from each side of the middle color and 3/4" from each side of the lightest color. I also trimmed some off of the top of the lightest swatch to make the top "tier" shorter, and rounded the top and bottom corners.

To decorate my cake, I added mini paper blossoms and accented some of the flowers with pearls. I finished it with some rub-on swirls. Finally I adhered the cake to the card base with foam tape. I also designed a coordinating envelope created from the discarded pieces of my paint chip.

Bonus Tip! When working with delicate items like paper flowers and adhesive dots, don't pull up on the flower to remove it from the adhesive's liner -- you will most likely tear the flower. Instead, use a craft knife or other metal tool (I like to use my paper piercer) to go between the adhesive and the liner and lift from there.

Supplies:

• Cardstock: Assorted Box of Cards by DCWV
• Accents: Neutral Mix Mini Blossoms & Doodles rub-ons by Making Memories; Wedding Adhesive Pearls by K&Company
• Adhesive: foam tape by Scotch; Mini adhesive dots by Glue Dots
• Tools: retro flower punch by EK Success; hole punch
• Other: paint chip by Behr

Finished Size 4.25" x 5.5"

For more pics of my Paint Chip Cake card, check out my online portfolio.

Paint Chip Santa Cards

Here are some more cards that I created using those now famous Paint Chips. This time I chose to turn them into that favorite of Christmas icons... Santa Claus!

For these cards, I again choose to use Behr's 5"x6" paint chips. However, unlike in my Holiday Tree Cards, I did not cut them on an angle. I simply trimmed the text and rounded corners from each long side of the paint chips. Then I marked the middle of the top of the paint chips and trimmed from middle point to each bottom corner to get my triangle. Using the white lines as a guide, I added the following accents:

• Santa's "beard" - half of a scalloped oval
• Santa's "nose" - circle punched from darkest color of paint chip remnants, attached using a pop dot
• Santa's "eyes" - 2 medium circle brads
• Santa's "hat" - small pom pom
• Santa's "belt" - velvet ribbon and metal buckle

For each of the cards, I added a patterned paper background and finished the cards with a rub-on and a snowflake brad.

Supplies:

• Cardstock: Halcraft USA and DCWV
• Patterned Paper: Pinecone Press Papers or Provo Craft
• Brads: black circles by Making Memories and white snowflakes by Jo-Ann Stores
  
• Metal buckles: Jo-Ann Stores
• Pom poms: Westrim Crafts
• Rub-ons: Holiday Word Decor by Royal & Langnickel
• Fibers: Dashes, Dots & Checks black velvet ribbon by Michaels
• Tools: 5/8" circle punch and Mega Scalloped Oval by Marvy Uchida
• Other: paint chips by Behr

"Ho Ho Ho"
Finished Size 5" x 6.5"

"Believe"
Finished Size approx 6.5" x 6"

For more pics of my Santa cards, check out my online portfolio!

Paint Chip Tree Cards

As seen in the Oct/Nov 2008 issue of Paper Trends magazine!

Here are three quick and simple holiday cards that I created using, ... wait for it, ... Paint Chips! Yup, that's right! Those sample swatch sheets of color that you get from the paint or hardware store before you buy the full gallon.


I chose Behr's wide 5"x6" paint chip samples to design these cards. I decided to use the paint chips on an angle to create a more dynamic design.


First I started by cutting the text off of the left side of the chip.



Next I trimmed off the remaining two rounded corners, leaving me with a rectangle.



Then I cut the rectangle in half on the diagonal, from corner to corner, giving me two triangles.


Finally I measured the left side of my triangle. I marked the same measurement on the long side of the triangle and trimmed from corner point to the mark to make the base of my tree.



I now have two trees ready to decorate!



I titled this one "Celebrate Tree." For this smaller card, I created a slightly smaller triangle. I tore a strip of green cardstock to create my deckled edge "ground" and attached it to the bottom of the card. I accented the tree with white snowflake brads and a ribbon "trunk." Finally I finished this simple card with sheer ribbon and a rub-on.




This is my "Twin Pines" card. For this card, I first covered my folded base cardstock with a snowy patterned paper. I then adhered a torn strip of white textured cardstock along the bottom to make "snow." I again accented my trees with white snowflake brads and ribbon "trunks."






My final card is called "Christmas Tree" and it is the most colorful of the trio. Like my "Twin Pines" card, I started with a similar snowy backdrop. But I made this one more playful by accenting the tree with a wooden star and colorful button "ornaments." I finished it off with a length of red plaid ribbon.





Hope you like my cards and are inspired to create your own designs using paint chips. If you would like to see more pics of these cards, check them out in my online portfolio