One-Layer Player

Well, it was time to challenge myself again to do a one-layer Clean and Simple card, and the challenge came from The Paper Players this week, with Challenge #179: A One-Layer Valentine.  For me, Valentines should have lots of rich detail, but I actually found that I loved the way this clean and simple valentine turned out.  Here's the challenge:

To clarify, a one-layer card can not have added layers of paper, ribbon, or other embellishments, so you can imagine how that stretches me.  Basically, it's just good, honest stamping at it's best.  So without any further dithering, here's my one-layer valentine:

• I used two new stamp sets.  The banners are all from a limited time set called Language Of Love , available until May 31, 2014.  The sentiment is a sneak peek of a Sale-A-Bration set called See Ya Later.  I'll be showing you more of this cute set in the days to come.
• I heat embossed all the banners and coloured in some of the areas with Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write marker.  I made a couple of versions I was not happy with until I finally got out my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig and got everything lined up properly.  I don't know why I procrastinate with the Stamp-a-ma-jig. (Maybe so I don't have to type it out in my blog post!)  Anyway, worth it's weight in gold, and everyone knows how valuable gold is right now!
• I used my Early Espresso Stampin' Write Marker and a ruler to create the string that holds all the banners, instead of using Baker's Twine or Linen Thread, which would technically be another layer.

There's not too much else to tell, which is another benefit of one-layer cards, but I will remind you that Sale-A-Bration starts in just 5 more days!  Let me know if you need a brochure.

To purchase the following products, used in today's sample just click on the product which will take you directly to my On-Line Store, available 24/7.

• Language Of Love [wood]
• Language Of Love [clear]
• See Ya Later Stamp Set*
• Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Versamark Pad
• Early Espresso Stampin Write Marker
• Cherry Cobbler Stampin Write Marker
• Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad
• Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder
• Embossing Buddy
• Heat Tool
• Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

*Available to earn with a purchase of $60 or more starting Jan. 28, 2014 as part of Sale-A-Bration.

Burple Birthday Hero

My little grandson, Parker, just turned two.  It's so much fun to talk with him now.  I wanted to make a birthday card for him in his favourite colour, Burple!  And he loves trucks of any kind, so I got out the You're My Hero stamp set for the firetruck image.

And this is what came out of all the creating chaos:

• The palette was Elegant Eggplant, Island Indigo and Real Red, quite a vivid combination!  I don't know if you'll like it, but I know that Parker will because they are all his favourites.  I might not have added the Real Red, but, you know, firetrucks gotta be red!
• The Elegant Eggplant DSP is from the Regals Collection Designer Series Paper Stack.
• The stamp set is You're My Hero and that includes the sentiments as well.

• The two is from ABC-123 Sketch Alphabet and Numbers which fits perfectly into a 3/4" Circle Punch.  Then I used the smallest Starburst Framelit and die cut an Island Indigo starburst to adhere it on to.
• There is a medium Rhinestone Basic Jewel, coloured with a red Sharpie, for the emergency light on the top of the firetruck!

I can hardly wait to see how Parker will react to this!  Being a Grandma is so much fun!

Here are this week's weekly deals:

WEEKLY DEALS

We hope you enjoy this week's Weekly Deals!

	Stampin' Write Marker New Color Kit Item # 130034 Regular Price: $37.95 Discounted Price: $28.46   25% off
	Extra Large Oval Punch Item #119859 Regular Price: $22.95 Discounted Price: $17.21    25% off
	Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons Item # 127555 Regular Price: $7.95 Discounted Price: $5.96   25% off
	Shaker Frames Item # 124155 Regular Price: $5.95 Discounted Price: $4.46  25% off
	Scallop Trim Border Punch Item # 118402 Regular Price: $20.95 Discounted Price: $15.71    25% off
	Epic Day This and That Designer Washi Tape Item # 131269 Regular Price: $6.50 Discounted Price: $4.88    25% off
	Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad Item # 131172 Regular Price: $7.25 Discounted Price: $5.44   25% off
	Reasons I Heart You Swatchbook Template Item # 129013 Regular Price: $13.95 Discounted Price: $8.37  40% off

To purchase any of these supplies, just click on the link to take you to that product in my On-Line Store.

• You're My Hero Wood-mount Stamp Set
• You're My Hero Clear-mount Stamp Set
• Abc-123 Sketch Alphabet Numbers
• Elegant Eggplant 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Island Indigo 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock
• Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Regals Designer Series Paper Stack
• Elegant Eggplant Classic Stampin' Pad
• Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
• Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad
• Starburst Framelits Dies
• 3/4 Inch Circle Punch
• Basic Rhinestones Jewel Accents

Mini Thank You Cards with Happy Congratulations

This month I sent out some special  mini thank-you cards to my customers, because they contained my first ever Papercraft Cats Rewards Points!  These points were earned on all orders after Jan. 1, 2014 that totalled $30 or more before tax and shipping.  Every $30 increment earned a point, but orders could not be combined to reach that total.  When my customers reach 20 points, they will receive a $50 gift certificate from me.  Read more about Papercraft Cats Rewards Program here or click on "Rewards" in the top menu.

I wanted to use some gold tones in my thank you minis, so I got out my Encore Ink Pad and some new Watercolour Wonder Designer Washi Tape.  Here's what happened:

• I'm really finding the Happy Congratulations Stamp Set handy!  I love the sketched image and the two-step stamping with the patio lanterns is a lot of fun to use.  Here I stamped the outlines and the sentiment (from Lots of Thanks stamp set) in StazOn Jet Black and the lantern stamp in Encore Gold Metallic Ink. 
• The design at the bottom is a strip of the Watercolour Wonder Designer Washi Tape.  
• The sequins are added as a trendy embellishment.

Here are some closer looks at the designs.  They were so much fun to make.

Click on the links to take you right to my On-Line Store for purchasing anytime:

• Happy Congratulations [english, wood]
• Happy Congratulations [english, clear]
• Lots Of Thanks Wood-mount Stamp Set
• Lots Of Thanks Clear-mount Stamp Set
• Jet Black StazOn Pad
• Gold Metallic Encore Pad
• Crumb Cake 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Very Vanilla 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Watercolor Wonder Designer Washi Tape
• Gold Sequin Trim

Soft and Subtle Congratulations!

Hmmm!  Should congratulations ever be subtle?  I can't think of any occasion where you wouldn't want the congratulations to be hale and hearty!  Maybe you'd want them to be subtle if you had finally been able to make off with the Mona Lisa successfully and you didn't want the world to know about it!

Or maybe if you had just broken the world record for the most days without sleep!

 I don't know, but this card is for the Dynamic Duo's Subtly Yours Challenge #86:

                                       
I had a special congratulations card to make, so I combined the two and got... a subtle congrats card:

• I used the new Occasions stamp set So Very Grateful.  I wasn't going to get this one at first, but then I started seeing so many beautiful cards with it so I had to try it out.  I heat embossed the image on Watercolour Paper with Black Stampin' Emboss Powder and watercoloured the image using Stampin' Write Markers in Pool Party and Pink Pirouette and a Blender Pen.
• The image reminded me a bit of the embroidery I used to do back in the eighties with products from a company called Creative Circle.  I still have some of them framed.  So I thought it needed a frame and so I dug out Papaya Collage and heat embossed that frame in Pool Party Stampin' Emboss Powder.  To get it thicker and bolder, I re-embossed it twice, adding the embossing powder immediately after heating the last layer with the Heat Tool.
• The DSP on the panel behind it is from Retro Fresh Designer Series Paper, another one that I totally missed until I opened up the package.

• The sentiment is from the Pomp & Circumstance Stamp Set, for graduates, but it fit nicely on a Very Vanilla flag here.  I sponged the edges for definition and added some Pool Party splashes using the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set.
• A few pearls finish off this card with just the right touch.

Now, speaking of congratulations, I am hoping to be able to congratulate you on your rewards during Sale-A-Bration this year!  What is Sale-A-Bration, you may ask?  Well, it is Stampin' Up's biggest promotion of the year!  It runs from January 28 to March 31 this year.  There are three ways to earn rewards with Sale-A-Bration:

1. Purchase products from me.  With every $60 you spend (before tax and shipping) you earn one free Sale-A-Bration product.  You can check over what you'd like to earn by downloading the Sale-A-Bration brochure  when it's available.  Trust me, you're going to love it!
2. Host a party!  Invite your friends over to make Valentine cards or some home decor type projects or some beautiful birthday cards, your place or mine!  If you host a party where sales (before tax and shipping) are $400 or more, Stampin' Up! is adding an extra $40 dollars to your free product.  For a $400 party, that would be $70 plus another $40 dollars, giving you $110 in wonderful Stampin' Up! products from any current catalogue.  It is sooo worth it to do this and I can help you make your party successful.  I'm booking parties for Sale-A-Bration right now, so give me a call or send me an email.
3. Join my Papercraft Cats team!  When you purchase the Stampin' Up! kit during Sale-A-Bration, you will get $190 worth of products for only $125.  Usually, you would receive $155 dollars worth of products, plus a business pack, with free shipping.  During Sale-A-Bration, you would get $35 more. This is all in addition to 20% discounts on your stamping supplies, a little extra money (or a lot, depending on how much you want to work it) and a first time Demo order discount of 30%!  There's really nothing to lose!  Plus you get all the benefits of a demonstrator, with a sneak peek of the new Annual Catalogue and the chance to pre-order from it  a month before the public.

Get your wish lists ready for January 28th!!

• So Very Grateful [english, wood]
• So Very Grateful [english, clear]
• Pomp Circumstance [wood]
• Pomp Circumstance [clear]
• Gorgeous Grunge Clear-mount Stamp Set
• Gorgeous Grunge Wood-mount Stamp Set
• Retro Fresh Designer Series Paper
• 6 X 9 Watercolor Paper
• Pool Party 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock
• Pink Pirouette 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Very Vanilla 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Basic Black 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Versamark Pad
• Pool Party Stampin' Write Marker
• Blender Pens
• Pool Party Stampin' Emboss Powder
• Subtles Stampin' Write Markers
• Heat Tool

Quick and Cute with Starburst Sayings

I am planning a new class this spring in response to a survey that I gave my customers at Christmas.  They indicated they would be interested in a Quick and Cute class.  So the first one is next week:  three cute and simple cards, an hour and a half and you're done!  I designed this card for the class, and used my new Starburst Sayings stamp set along with the matching framelits and some Kaleidoscope Design Series paper.  Here's how it turned out:

• Turns out I love the bold and colourful Kaleidoscope DSP (Design Series Paper).  Who knew?  I thought it was all bold geometric patterns, but there are some like these polka dots, that are a little softer in design, although the colours are just as bold.  I think my eye is caught by the bold patterns that define a set and I totally miss the less showy ones.  Then I'm always surprised by them when I finally buy a pack.  Has anyone else experienced that?
• I cut the back panels from one 5" x 4" piece of DSP.  I wanted the outside panels to be bigger than the middle one to give some variety to the background.  I just flipped the middle panel to the inside design to be different.

• The sentiment is from the Starburst Sayings Stamp Set, which originally has the starburst around it stamped.  I die cut the middle with the 1 1/2" diameter Circles Collection framelit, then used the Starburst Framelit that coordinates with that stamp to cut a bigger starburst from Basic Black Cardstock.  I adhered the stamped image to the center of it.
• Using the 2 1/2" Circle punch, I cut a piece of Crushed Curry and using the next largest framelit, die cut an Island Indigo starburst.  I adhered the Crushed Curry circle to the Island Indigo starburst, then using dimenionals, I popped the smaller starburst on the larger one.  I also used dimensionals to add the whole medallion onto the card base.
• The final touch was adding the two little wooden chevrons from the Essentials Wooden Elements package.  They offset the symmetry of the card, which made it more eye-pleasing.

Thanks for dropping by my blog today.  I hope you're having a great weekend.  To purchase any of these supplies, visit my On-Line store by clicking on the links below, or give a call or email.

• Starburst Sayings [english, wood]
• Starburst Sayings [english, clear]
• Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper
• Island Indigo 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock
• Crushed Curry 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
• Basic Black 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Starburst Framelits Dies
• Circles Collection Framelits Dies
• 2-1/2 Inch Circle Punch
• Essentials Wooden Elements
• Stampin' Dimensionals
• Mini Glue Dots

As You See It Challenge #020 with Another Great Year

It's sooo good to be home and back in my Craft Cave again! I've got another challenge from As You See It Challenges to show you and I decided that a new stamp set called Another Great Year would be perfect for it. Here's Amanda's sketch:

As you can see, I turned it on it's size to accommodate the large Birthday image from Another Great Year:

• I stamped the main image in StazOn Jet Black and coloured in the letters with Stampin' Write Markers in Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay and Crumb Cake.  I actually got this colour palette (plus Basic Gray) from the Bermuda Bay Celebration Add-On Kit in the Occasions catalogue.  I really love this combination!
• The little garland is made with some two-step stamping using the Happy Congratulations stamp set, also from the Occasions catalogue.  I hand snipped it and mounted in front, rather than behind the main image.
• Hard to see, but the Crumb Cake background panel has been embossed with the Decorative Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder which you will be able to earn for free with a $60 purchase from Stampin' Up during Sale-A-Bration.

• The little flowers are from the Occasions Catalogue and the stamp set is called Petite Petals [wood]
  and you can bundle that with the punch of the same name and save 15%:  Petite Petals Wood-Mount Bundle
• The ticket is stamped with an image from That's the Ticket stamp set and punched out with the Ticket Duo punch.
• The splatter pattern (sounds like CSI) is from Gorgeous Grunge and is inked with Crumb Cake.

I loved making this card because the sketch was so motivating and interested.  Thanks, Amanda.  You've got to try this one out!  Follow this link:  As You See It Challenges.

• Another Great Year [english, wood]
• Another Great Year [english, clear]
• Happy Congratulations [english, wood]
• Happy Congratulations [english, clear]
• Petite Petals Wood-Mount Bundle
• Petite Petals Clear-Mount Bundle
• Gorgeous Grunge Wood-mount Stamp Set
• Gorgeous Grunge Clear-mount Stamp Set
• That's The Ticket
• That's The Ticket Clear-Mount Stamp Set
• Bermuda Bay 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
• Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad
• Crushed Curry 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
• Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad
• Crushed Curry Stampin' Write Marker
• Bermuda Bay Stampin' Write Marker
• Crumb Cake 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad
• Crumb Cake Stampin Write Marker
• Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pad
• Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Ticket Duo Punch
• Decorative Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder*

*Available for you to earn with a $60 purchase during Sale-A-Bration starting Jan. 29, 2014

Four Colour Challenge with The Paper Players

I normally don't use four colours in my card making.  I find it gets just too busy for my liking, but there is a way to do it successfully if you use lots of a light coloured neutral.  The Paper Players Challenge #178 this week uses four colours and it's a pretty good combo:

I really dug into my new stamp sets and accessories from the Occasions catalogue to do this challenge and had a lot of fun making it all work together:

• I used the new Scallops Textured Impressions Embossing Folder for the Pear Pizzazz background panel.  Very cute, don't you think?
• The new Banners framelits make cutting the different sized banners a cinch.  You don't have to think about what dimensions to make your cuts and worry about making the flag ends centered and even.
• The new stamp set Petal Parade, from the Sale-A-Bration Brochure, is one that you're going to want to earn with a $60 order.  I used 3 of the challenge colours on the images from that stamp set.

• The sentiment is from Happy Congratulations, a new Occasions catalogue stamp set, stamped here with StazOn Jet Black ink.
• I'll bet you can hardly wait to get your hands on that coloured twine from the Sale-A-Bration brochure. It comes with Sweet Sorbet Accessories which include two other colours of the twine and some cork flower stickers.

Speaking of Sale-A-Bration, this would be a good time to host your own workshop with me.  Your guests will be more motivated than ever to purchase in order to win the Sale-A-Bration giveaways and you will get a chance to earn $40 MORE free product from Stampin' Up! if your party sales (before tax and shipping) are $400 or more.  During Sale-A-Bration, that's not hard to do.  It can be your place or mine (I do all the cleaning and baking at my place), all you need to do is invite your friends for a Creative Night Out!  I am booking in February and March now, so call or email me if you want to maximize your Sale-A-Bration benefits.

• Happy Congratulations [english, wood]
• Happy Congratulations [english, clear]
• Banners Framelits Dies
• Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
• Primrose Petals 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock
• Scallops Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
• Pear Pizzazz 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
• Crushed Curry 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock
• Jet Black StazOn Pad
• Primrose Petals Classic Stampin' Pad
• Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad
• Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad
• Petal Parade Stamp Set*
• Sweet Sorbet Accessories Kit*

*Available to earn with every $60 you order from the Sale-A-Bration Brochure starting Jan. 28 until Mar. 31