PS You Make My Heart Melt...

Don't forget the Paper Smooches September Release Blog Hop begins TODAY!

I was inspired by the Paper Smooches Sparks Picture Perfect Challenge of frames to actually scrapbook a photo to be framed!

Love Paper Smooches stamps and dies on scrapbooking pages too.  I created this page with a combination of Warm Hearts trees & sentiment, Freezy Fellas and Swanky Snowdudes snowmen and Flag Tag dies cuts. Papers are Prima North Pole, with MFT snowflake diecuts and crinkle cut (corrugated) alpha from Jillibean Designs.

In case you are wondering this is my DS, although he's not quite so little anymore!!  I have a TONNE of photos for when the scrapping bug strikes again LOL!

Playing along with Little Red Wagons Pretty Polka Dots

Based on this Sketchabilities Sketch

Paper Smooches Sparks Picture Perfect

If you are interested, you can see some of my other scrapbooking pages here.

This made me smile...

P.S. August GD - With Gratitude, Thank You!

I can't believe this is my last week as Paper Smooches Guest Designer  - hope you have enjoyed seeing my Paper Smooches creations as much as I enjoyed bringing them to you!!!

The first card today features Paper Smooches Artisan Blocks to create the patterned flag, stamped in Tide Pool and sentiment from Many Thanks, stamped in Versamark Watermark and heat embossed in White. This gorgeous background was created using a stencil and texture paste, to add texture without colour. The best thing I discovered is that you can use any of your Paper Smooches die-cuts to create textured shapes to add to your cards, just cut them out of chipboard and fill the space left with texture paste, using a pallet knife to create a smooth finish. This cards layout is based of this fortnights versatile Seize the Sketch and colours on this fortnights CASual Friday Aqua, Green & Blue.

The second card today features three sets from the August Paper Smooches release, Borderlicious used to create the vertical panel and border, Artisan Blocks stamped on the vellum butterfly and Many Thanks sentiment (the August Thanks A Million set FREE with orders over $60). The die cuts are Paper Smooches Duo Die 2 in Echo Parks Cool Summer paper and and Butterflies 3 in coloured vellum. The vertical panel is stamped in Tide Pool, Green Hills, Butter Bar, Orange Soda and Bubble Gum, the scalloped edge and butterfly stamped in Soft Pool and the sentiment stamped in Orange Soda. This cards layout is based on this weeks fabulous Retro Sketch, and colours influenced by this weeks CASE Study.

  

Playing along with Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes too!

This made me smile...

CAS(E) this Mama...

Seeing everyone having so much fun playing with neons, I thought I'd join in with this FAB Mama Elephant Photo Inspiration Challenge, and this weeks funky CAS(E) this Sketch.  Inspired by the stripes, the light and strong graphic elements combined with pops of pink, yellow and black from the inspiration photo, I inked up Mama Elephant On Target arrows in neon yellow.  Next up I heat set the ink before stamping Mama Elephants Bling "Sparkle and Shine" sentiment in Versamark Watermark and heat embossed in Whisper Black Glitter - super shiny & sparkly in real life! In neon pink is a combination of stars of Mama Elephants On Target, Believe in Magic and Starry Night, all pop dotted on some striped Echo Park paper.

 

Still a couple of days left to join in the fun with 

Mama Elephant Photo Inspiration Challenge, 

or CAS(E) this Sketch.

PS Inlaid Timber Veneer...

Inspired by Therese's Case this Sketch card from a couple of weeks ago, I decided I'd try inking my Sticky Barc paper for this weeks Paper Smooches Sparks Cool Shades Challenge I couldn't quite match the colours, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out for a first attempt - this technique kind of reminds me of the old inlaid timber veneer furniture. I think this technique would look super cool if it was finished with a high gloss varnish, to give the impression of french polished wood.  I began by die cutting the largest Big Bloom from the Sticky Barc wood veneer paper, then the two Big Blooms inside, followed by the Hickory Leaves, and finally the thanks sentiment was cut from a separate piece as the letters were too fine to keep track of all the little pieces!  I inked up each of the pieces by dabbing a baby wipe into the ink pad then applying in layers to the veneer, using Hero Arts Wet Cement, Pale Tomato and Butter Bar inks. One thing I did learn is to make sure you let the pieces dry thoroughly before re-assembly - otherwise the ink has a tendency to bleed into areas you don't want it!

Playing along with CAS on Sunday Floral Fantasy too.

A Little Jar of FUSION...

As soon as I saw this weeks FUSION Challenge, I knew I wanted to break out my Paper Smooches Crystal Clear die-cut jar, and create a sequin shaker with this gorgeous watermelon pink vellum.  How about you, will you be inspired by this photo of summertime iced watermelon juice jars, by this fabulous sketch, or by both?

My vellum shaker jar is filled with sequins and topped with Paper Smooches Crystal Clear flower and stem stamps in Blushin Bride and Whisper Green inks, tied with The Twinery Strawberry twine, atop two strips of coloured vellum and a strip of washi tape.

Here's how you can play along...
PROCEDURES:
1. Play with just the sketch challenge.
2. Play with just the inspiration photo challenge.
3. Or you can create FUSION by combining BOTH challenges into one card.
4. Use the challenge graphic and link back to Fusion in your post.
5. Please read the other considerations on the Experiment Page before playing along.

Hope to see you at the FUSION Challenge Blog soon, in the meantime, here's some more FABULOUS inspiration from the Design Team...

Amy Tsuruta

Geri Freeman

Kelly Griglione

Lynn Mangan

Stacey Schafer


Playing along with Little Red Wagon Layers Challenge,
CAS on Sunday Floral Fantasy, and
City Crafters 1,2,3 Challenge too
1 stamp set, 2 coloured vellum papers, 
3 embellishments - washi, sequins and twine

This made me smile...

P.S. Just for the Record...

So excited to bring a third week of Paper Smooches Guest Designer projects!

Today I was inspired by Paper Smooches Many Thanks "A Note of Thanks" sentiment, to create a 3D musical shaker! I used this gorgeous retro player from Perpetual Bliss to create a 3D "note of thanks" musical shaker.  The player was stamped onto Kaisercraft wood veneer paper backed with black cardstock (for added strength) and fussy cut.  I glued a clear sheet behind this for the face of the shaker.  3D foam was adhered to the back of the shaker face.  A very fine strip of black cardstock creates the inside wall of the shaker and a very fine strip of wood veneer cardstock creates the outside wall of the shaker.  The shaker contains die cut musical notes and treble clef, together with black sequins - the perfect black vinyl LOL!  The centre circle from Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm features pink sheet music. The record shape was cut using Lil Inkers Stitched Circle dies, and the back circle is scored about 2cm from the top and glued to the card front. Because the card is round, you can roll it to activate the shaker too!  Playing along with the Less is More Round & Round Challenge too.

I snuck my second card in early to make the deadline for the Moxie Fab Trendy Triangle Challenge, and details of this Laura Bassen inspired card can be seen here.

Nothing but Blue Skies (and VW Kombis)...

Inked up my Inkadinkadoo VW stamp to play a long with a few challenges this week.  My grandparents were always off camping somewhere in their VW Kombi, and often we joined them.  To me this Basic Grey Gypsy/Romani Orange is the perfect VW Kombi colour, which in turn is perfect for the Blue Skies Ahead sentiment.  This square of colour was left over from making this weeks Muse card, and was created by stamping on a clear block then spritzing it with water and swiping the ink across watercolour paper, in Distress Ink Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey, Peeled Paint and Peacock Feathers, and the sign was stamped on an extra scrap of the same watercolour paper.  Lil Inkers Stitched Squares mats were used for the background square and the cardsock base.

Playing along with CASual Fridays Aqua, Green & Orange, 

Basic Grey Weather Challenge, Adicted to CAS Holiday,

Less is More Round & Round, &

Sketchbook Saturday (flipped).

  

P.S. For Always Tri-ing...

I always thought the perfect paper for a triangle card, would be triangle paper LOL!  This simple card is created using papers from the American Crafts Dear Lizzy - Lucky Charm collection, and MFT triangle die-cuts, stamped with Paper Smooches Many Thanks in Hero Arts Navy ink, with Lil Inkers Rectangle Stitched Mat for added interest.  The key to a successful triangle card is in keeping the interest focused within the visual triangles you create, and having such FAB inspiration from Moxie Fab Trendy Triangles Challenge doesn't hurt either LOL!!

Well & truly inspired by this card from Laura Bassen...

Laura Bassen inspiration...

CASual AMUSEment...

As soon as I saw Therese's gorgeous Muse card, I knew I wanted to get inky!  This card was created by stamping on a clear block then spritzing it with water and swiping the ink across watercolour paper, in Distress Ink Spiced Marmalade, Wild Honey, Peeled Paint and Peacock Feathers.  Once this was heat set dry, I flicked some water droplets and dried them too.  The die cuts are Memory Box Tall Birch and Woodland Bird, and the sentiment Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler. After I posted on Muse, I trimmed the base of the tree to align it with the sentiment.

Theresa's Stunning Muse Card

Playing along with CASual Fridays Aqua, Green & Orange colour challenge too.

This made me smile

and this too...

Lil Inker's Birthday Craft Dash...

9 minutes 42 seconds later...

Today's card brings together two fabulous birthdays!!!  10 Minutes Craft Dash First Birthday Bash, and Lil Inkers 3rd Birthday Celebrations.  Check them out, there are some FABULOUS prizes & discounts available!!!

Basing my card on inspiration from Lil Inkers Third Birthday Challenge graphic, I love the sky and the pops of colour from the balloons floating in it.  I thought it would be cute to have the balloons getting carried away LOL! Started my card by doing all my die-cutting first, with the outline rectangle stitched mat, negative balloon circle and "hap_y" all die cut in the first run, then back through for a second pass with the "p" moved across to complete the "happy", then cut the Echo Park papers to create the orange stitched circle balloon and teal Lil Inker balloon strings in the next pass, and finally the red stitched circle balloon.  Next up I used a Martha's Craft glue pen to secure the balloon strings and balloons to the front panel, before positioning the panel over the Maggie Holmes Crate Paper sky and cutting to size. Inked up the Heidi Swapp birthday sentiment and lined up to stamp the base layer first, then reinked and lined up to stamp the top layer. Adhered the cloud paper to the white cardstock card base, then pop dotted and aligned the top layer - this was the trickiest part for me and the clock was ticking down big time!!!

10 Minute Tip

• Using a metal shim as a layer in your die cutting sandwich when using intricate dies - or any dies for that matter, means you can die cut in one pass with confidence - knowing that your die cuts will cut perfectly every time is a super time saver!

Hope you get a chance to join in the celebrations at the 

10 Minutes Craft Dash First Birthday Bash, and

Lil Inkers 3rd Birthday Celebrations too!!
Playing along with Seize the Birthday Anything Goes too!

This made me smile

and this too

Paper Smooches August GD - Covering all the Angles...

So excited to be presenting another Paper Smooches Guest Designer spot this week!  Today's cards cover all the angles - with the first card featuring trendy triangles and the second featuring colourful chevrons!

The first card focuses on the sentiment, die cut Paper Smooches Thanks, paired with the August release Many Thanks "bunches".  To create this card, I cut the Crate Paper Maggie Holmes paper into 2.5cm squares (about 1 inch), then cut them diagonally to create the series of triangles.  To make the cutting easier, I had already sketched the layout before cutting.  I used the leftover triangle as a template to create the strip for the sentiment, secured all the triangles in place, stamped the sentiment and secured the die cut, then pop dotted this layer over the chevron background.  Right about now I'm wishing this pattern was actually a lovely quilt on my bed I could snuggle under as I've been laid low with a nasty flu virus - I can tell I'm not feeling well when I don't even feel up to crafting LOL!

Card # 1 playing along with Moxie Fab Trendy Triangles Challenge, and 

Simon Says Stamp Triangles

This second card is well and truly inspired by Jennifer McGuire!  Playing along with this weeks CASE Study,  I used the Paper Smooches Borderlicious chevrons to create a rainbow of sun's rays. Stamped in Tide Pool, Green Hills, Butter Bar, Orange Soda and Bubblegum, with the Paper Smooches Many Thanks sentiment stamped in Bubblegum too.  Lil Inkers circle and rectangle dies are used to add the stitching details.

Card #2 playing along with CASE Study Inspired by Jennifer McGuire, 
Paper Crafts Connection August Gallery - Sending Sunshine,
 Keep it Simple Chevron Challenge, 

Addicted to CAS Summer, and
Little Red Wagon Use a Sun.

Hello Uniko...

Uniko Studio are having their very first challenge, so I thought I'd play along!  The theme is Hello, and whilst you need to use a Uniko Studio product on your card, don't worry if you don't have any yet, as Uniko Studio have a fabulous selection of FREE downloadable digital goodies!

I have used this gorgeous layered Uniko Studio poinsettia stamp - this time in slightly less traditional colours of pink and green, together with an MFT Hello die cut.  I stamped the poinsettia image multiple times onto two sheets from my overflowing diverse collection of Basic Grey papers, and fussy cut two green layers and three pink layers, foam dotting each layer, and finishing with some Kaisercraft pearls.

Playing along with Little Red Wagon Falling to Pieces Challenge and 

this fabulous Dynamic Duo warm pink & soft green combination.

This made me smile!

and this too!

A Neat & Tangled Birthday Dash...

8 Minutes and 49 seconds later...

Joining in the celebrations at 10 Minute Craft Dash Birthday Extravaganza - as I had quite a few extra flowers from creating this card yesterday, I thought I'd have a go at creating a second card using the left overs! Also joining in the fun at Neat & Tangled Birthday celebrations, where Danielle challenged us to create a Neat & Tangled birthday card with non-birthday sets, so I've combined the Little Tangles and Fresh Blooms sets.

My first 10 Minute Craft Dash attempt was way too ambitious, so I scrapped that idea and started again from scratch, this time stamping the chevron background then pasting the flowers on top and cutting out the decorated Lil Inkers frames - much more time effective! As the only sentiment in these sets close to Happy Birthday was "Happy Day", I added the little "Bee" to create a "Happy B'Day" sentiment, stamped in Hero Arts Wet Cement.  The Little Tangles chevrons were stamped in Hero Arts Butter Bar and Orange Soda, and the Fresh Blooms flowers and bee left over from yesterdays card, had been stamped over spritzed Dylusions backgrounds with white embossing powder.

As you can see from the extra sequins, enamel dots and twine on my desk, none of this ended up on my card - even though I was running out of time, I didn't feel it needed any - OK well, maybe a little sequins wouldn't have gone amiss ;)

Playing along with Little Tangles Let's Celebrate, 

Neat & Tangled Un-birthday Birthday Challenge

Moxie Fab Birthday Creations Week Birthday Card Challenge, 

Summer Camp Wrap Up Homework, and

Keep It Simple Chevron Challenge too.