Cuttlebug Challenge Blogspot: 1st Annual Spa Retreat Cyber Crop & Blog Hop Event

REMINDER ALERT!! REMINDER ALERT!! REMINDER ALERT!!

Definitely pencil in this weekend on your calendar ladies and join us at the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog for a fun packed weekend as we celebrate National Scrapbook Day!

Its just a few days away now!!! :)

Friday Challenge #37 @ Embellish-Online

Where did the week go, cuz another Friday came and went. It's DT Member's Michelle Pearson's turn this week to host our Friday Challenge over at Embellish-Online which was to create something with lots and lots of flowers to welcome Spring.

I am using EVERY morsel of this Prima Flirty Shimmers paper - I looooove it soo much! Its like someone poured a coating of melted sugar over this yummy paper and it dried and set like that. That's what I made the flowers from using my Sizzix flower die.

This is also my very first attempt at using Copic markers. I have to work on controlling the bleeding of my colors (see where the basket and the dress colors are bleeding into her cute little legs? ugh) and also blending of my colors as I'm not too entirely happy with how her cute little cheeks look. I wish I had more muted Copic marker colors to better match the color pallette of the papers I used, but its pretty cost prohibitive to run out and get a few more colors just for a card right now so I just made do with what I had. Practice will make perfect, so I have alot of Copic coloring practice to do. :)


Anyway! Here's my card I created for our challenge this week using a tutorial that's being featured over at SCS. My card also fits the challenges over at the Caardvarks and The Pink Elephant challenge sites, so definitely check them out too! You can get all the papers I used from Prima and Basic Grey along with the Copic markers that I used at the Embellish-Online store.



Come play with us and be sure to use keyword FC37 when you upload your projects to the gallery so we can all see your beautiful work! To see everyone's submissions, including mine, click *here*

***COUPON CODE ALERT****

Don't forget....GLITTER is the magic word to get you 20% off of your entire order. Coupon code is available everyday, all year round making Embellish-Online the BEST place to shop!

"This Way for Bunny Hugs"
Paper: Prima "Flirty Little Secrets" Shimmer PP; BG Porcelain PP; Repurposed Prima Packaging
Embellishments: Prima Rub Ons; Misc Bling; Maya Road White Dotted Sheer Ribbon
Accessories: Sizzix Flower Layers #3 Bigz Die; Cuttlebug "Diamonds in the Rough" Embossing Folder; Martha Stewart Border Punch; Foam Pop Dots; Glue Dots; The Greeting Farm Anya Easter Stamp; Copic & Spica Marker Pens
Size: 5" x 7"

Marks Paper Company "Grow a Flower" Blog Contest April 15-29, 2009

Marks Paper Company is excited to celebrate the addition of our new Digital/Hybrid Design Team. We're inviting you to celebrate with us! Marks Paper Company is having our first ever blog challenge. Because Spring is such a wonderful time year, we have chosen "Grow a Flower" as our first challenge for the Marks Paper Company Blog. Check out Patty Schaffer's blog for a tutorial!

The Challenge:
Using 75% of Marks Paper Company's products, create a flower(s) on a scrapbook page, altered item, home décor item, mini album, you name it. How creative can you be? Put on those garden gloves and get growing!

The grand prize winner will receive a set of each of the Marks Paper Company paper collections (August and Old Fashioned Courtship), Digital Kits for both lines and a sponsored prize by Short Cuts - SheetLoads of Cards, which includes five (5) each of Clear and Frosted Card Blanks (10 pcs), five (5) each of Clear and Frosted Full Sheets (10 pcs), two (2) each of Gift Card Holder Folders in white, ivory, kraft and black (8 pcs). Total retail value for this prize package is $30.00. In addition, your winning project will be featured on the Marks Paper Company Blog and in our monthly newsletter!

When your project is complete, post a comment on our blog that includes a link to your blog or on-line gallery so we can view your project. Deadline for submissions is midnight (EST) April 29, 2009. Winners will be announced on April 30, 2009 on our blog.

Please e-mail any questions to contactus@markspaperco.com.

This week, enjoy this FREE Printable Patches download by visiting our blog.

Friday Challenge #36 @ Embellish-Online

Its Friday today!! And it was MY TURN as DT member to host this week's newest Friday Challenge over at Embellish-Online which was to hop to it and create an Easter themed card or layout by incorporating a bunny, chick, eggs, etc.

I'm seriously in LOVE with this combo of BG Porcelain and the Prima Flirty Little Secrets line. It goes sooo well together! I think I'll be making stuff until I use up every single piece of these sheets that I have in my possession! Here's my Easter themed card, and you can get both these paper lines I've used at the Embellish-Online store:

Come play with us and be sure to use keyword FC36 when you upload your projects to the gallery so we can all see your beautiful work! To see everyone's submissions, including mine, click *here*

***COUPON CODE ALERT****

Don't forget....GLITTER is the magic word to get you 20% off of your entire order. Coupon code is available everyday, all year round making Embellish-Online the BEST place to shop!

"Hoppy Easter"
Paper: Prima "Flirty Little Secrets" Shimmer PP; BG Porcelain PP
Embellishments: Prima Rub Ons; Prima Bling; Maya Road Silk Wired Ribbon
Accessories: SU Sizzix Top Note Die; Spellbinders Curved Rectangular Dies; Martha Stewart Border Punch; Foam Pop Dots; Glue Dots
Size: 4" x 6"

A Few More April Flower Pretties from Embellish-Online

Here are a few more of my April projects for Embellish-Online. Our theme was "A Change in Time - April Flowers." I have to say that this combo of BG Porcelain and Prima Flirty Little Secret Lines make such a beautiful shabby chic combo! You can get both these paper lines and all these Prima flowers I've used at the Embellish-Online store.

I dug in deep and used a lot of embellies in my own stash that I've been hoarding to add to these babies this month because I thought they were perfect with this combo of papers.

Here's a card I made. Yeah, I'm still in love with my SU Top Note Die, can you tell? I had another bird cage cut out so this is how it all came together. I used some hand dyed (by the wonderful Elizabeth Tuch, owner of Scrap 'N Yap, my lss) 7 Gypsies silk ribbons to give it a very fragile feel to this card.


I couldn't help myself but I re-purposed another one of those Prima packaging tags and made another tag card. This time, I was inspired by an upcoming blessed event in my family, the impending birth of my niece, my family's first grandchild.

The stamp is Paper Inspirations, one of my favorite rubber stamp companies! I stamped it on one of the BG Procelain tie dyed patterned papers, and then colored in parts of the image with my chalk pencils. I mounted that on another BG Porcelain patterned papers, and popped it on foam dots onto the Prima Flirty Little Secrets Shimmer PP for some dimension. That luscious looking Prima paper was actually the diecut left over from my previous card pictured above. That paper is soooo rich with texture and color that I really have a hard time throwing ANY bit of it away. (Plus, its really expensive paper!)

Anyway, I added tons of embellies from my own stash, i.e. the blue flowers are Petaloo, the hand dyed silk ribbons, bits of tulle, stickers, etc.


I'll have one more project to share with you tomorrow as its going to be a Friday, and Fridays are our Friday Challenges at Embellish-Online.

Barb, Embellish-Online's wonderful owner, has just finished loading up TONS of new American Crafts in the store, so come on over and check out all the new yummy stuff in the store including new Prima, Pink Paislee, etc. Please drop on by into our DT Gallery to see what our other DT's have created this month too (we like getting gallery love too)!

***COUPON CODE ALERT****

Don't forget....GLITTER is the magic word to get you 20% off of your entire order. Coupon code is available everyday, all year round making Embellish-Online the BEST place to shop!

Finally, Embellish-Online currently has a Design Team call. You couldn't ask to work for a better Owner and DT Leader, girls, in Barb and Suzy. I hope you consider submitting!

Thanks for looking. :)



"Let Your Dreams Take Flight" Card
Paper: Prima "Flirty Little Secrets" Shimmer PP; BG Porcelain PP
Embellishments: Prima Flowers; 7 Gypsies Die and Silk Ribbon; Kaiser Pearl Bling; Webster's Lace; Misc Pearl Ribbon; Marcela By Kay Sentiment & Butterfly Stickers
Accessories: SU Sizzix Top Note Die; Glue Dots

"Congrats..Capture the Joy" Tag Card
Paper: Prima Packaging; Prima "Flirty Little Secrets" Shimmer PP; BG Porcelain PP
Embellishments: Prima Flowers; 7 Gypsies Die and Silk Ribbon; Petaloo Flower; Misc Bling Stem; Marcela By Kay Sentiment Sticker; Sassfrass Lass Cloud Sticker; Paper Inspirations Rubber Stamp; MM Manilla Acrylic Paint; Cream Tulle
Accessories: SU Sizzix Top Note Die; Chalk Pencils; Foam Pop Dots; Glue Dots

Marks Paper Company's April Celebration Continues

Marks Paper Company is excited to celebrate the addition of our new Digital/Hybrid Design Team throughout the month of April! We're inviting you to celebrate with us!

From April 8th through the 14th, Marks Paper Company will offer, for one week only, a Free Desktop Calendar! Come and get yours over at our blog.

We also would like to start introducing our digital design team ladies by showcasing their work individually. A new digital project will be showcased every Sunday and Wednesday over at the Marks Paper Company blog the whole month of April.

Today we are showcasing my very good friend Maggie LaMarre's tutorial. Check it out.

If you have created an awesome layout using Marks Paper Company papers, please comment on the Marks Paper Company Blog by leaving a link to your layout and you just may find yourself and your work highlighted on the blog! You'll get to feature this blinkie award on your blog!

Embellish-Online Gallery Reveal & 2 Sketches 4 You Card Challenge

Its Spring Time!!! I see baby spiders and daddy long legs!! Ewww!! Yes, its spring time and I'm afraid of bugs, lol!

But Spring also brings April flowers and the promise of a new beginning. :) The DT took a breather last month as we were waiting for new CHA product to arrive and we're back with some fresh projects to hopefully spring your imagination.

Yes, our theme this month over at Embellish-Online for April is "A Change in Time - April Flowers." We got to work with all the new Basic Grey and Prima releases from Jan '09 CHA.

Here's one of my projects I'd like to share with you. I based this tag card off of this weeks' 2Sketches4You card sketch.

I repurposed the packaging of one of the Prima flowers packets and used it as a base for my tag card here. It just seems too pretty to throw away!! First of all, there's that really pretty green teal color. It has that pretty decorative edging on the top and bottom, and it already is decorated with those very sweet swirly-dos all along the edges! Yes, too pretty to throw away. It does have some kind of coating on it, so it proved very stubborn for me to Glimmer Mist it to give it a bit more sheen! Oh well, I still really like my tag card. It definitely screams S-P-R-I-N-G!....no?

I'll post my other projects for you tomorrow as I'm running short on time today (work is definitely keeping me busy!). Definitely come on over and check out all the new Prima, Pink Paislee, American Crafts, etc goodies that Embellish-Online has been receiving in lately! And DEFINITELY don't forget to check out our DT Gallery to see what our other DT's have created this month!

***COUPON CODE ALERT****

Don't forget....GLITTER is the magic word to get you 20% off of your entire order. Coupon code is available everyday, all year round making Embellish-Online the BEST place to shop!

Lastly before I sign off, Embellish-Online currently has a Design Team call. You couldn't ask to work for a better Owner and DT Leader, girls, in Barb and Suzy. I hope you consider submitting!



"Spread Your Wings Today" Tag Card
Paper: Prima Packaging; Prima "Flirty Little Secrets" Shimmer PP; BG Porcelain PP
Embellishments: Prima Flowers; Cream Tulle; Kaiser Bling; MM Tiny Alphas; Webster's Lace; Marcela By Kay Sentiment
Accessories: Glue Dots

Cuttlebug Challenge Blogspot: 1st Annual Spa Retreat Cyber Crop & Blog Hop Event

Definitely pencil in this weekend on your calendar ladies and join us at the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog for a fun packed weekend as we celebrate National Scrapbook Day!

March Scrapbook Nook Projects & Here's Our April Kit

I still can't quite get over how ethereally beautiful this Ever After paper line from Cosmo Cricket is. Thankfully, the March My Scrapbook Nook Kit was chalk FULL of it, so I could loll in it til my heart's content!

I obviously have wedding on the mind (not that I'm doing anything remotely CLOSE to getting engaged!) and here's what I came up with. Man, this paper is beautiful!! Did I say that already??

My first project is a Wall Hanging utilizing those large metal frames from Basic Grey that turned up at Big Lots for something like $2.50 each! I grabbed a few of those as I was really inspired by a similar project designed/taught by Candice Carpenter a few years ago. The ivory frames were a perfect complement to the Cosmo Cricket Ever After papers. I'm pleased with how my version came out. The picture is of my brother and his wife on their wedding day last April. (He he, and they have a baby on the way already, who's due in mid-May! Dang, those two don't waste any time, huh?)

I wanted to take a break from cards for awhile, so I was thrilled that one of my local cropping groups was going to the Pinecone Press location for a crop a few weeks ago. Pinecone Press, as you know, is a great manufacturer of products and pre-packaged kits, etc. Their headquarters is completely stocked with ALL the Accucut dies ever made!! I was in heaven!! I wanted to try out all these boxes and shapes that I was too lazy to measure/cut out on my own using patterns I've found on line. So, yes, I got to play with all those dies and here's what I came up with.

I'm either going to use this as a bridal shower invitation or as a little gag gift to the next friend of mine who gets married. This little purse is scored in such a way on the bottom that I could actually fit a few sheets of papers in between, so I could include tips, funny anecdotes, items for a survival kit, etc.

Then, I'm always out of ideas for place settings/table favors!! So I worked up a few mock samples.



I've always loved this photo of my sister in law on her wedding day. She had a damn good photographer, didn't she? I kept this one fairly flat because my SIL's style isn't as lumpy as mine.

Definitely check out the gallery to see what the other Nook DT's created with this fabulously gorgeous kit! We still have a few of the March Kits left, so definitely get yours before they're completely sold out!

Before I sign off, I gotta show you our April kits!! Yes, I intended for kits to be plural!! We have two kits this month; one of them is a special limited one!

Here's our April kit at the Nook:

I'm diving into it now and will hopefully have some projects to share with you after this weekend. I absolutely LOVE Pink Paislee!!

And here's our Limited Edition Spring Kit: (more Pink Paislee goodness!)

And very last thing, I promise, before I go. The Nook is featuring a card per day using the March, April, and May kits for a month. Definitely come play along with us or just visit for inspiration in our card forum!

Alright kiddos, its time to hit the road for me. (I've got lots more to update the rest of this week!)



"Wedding" Wall Hanging
Paper: Cosmo Cricket "Ever After" PP; Chipboard
Embellishments: Cosmo Cricket "Ever After" Die Cuts & Chipboard; Cream Tulle; Jenni Bowlin Jeweled Ivory Button; Misc Cream Flowers; Misc Iridescent Pearl Beaded Ribbon; Offray Cream Satin Ribbon; Basic Grey Alpha Stickers; Basic Grey Ivory Metal Frames
Accessories: Perfect Paper Adhesive; Glue Dots

"Bridal Purse"
Paper: Cosmo Cricket "Ever After" PP
Embellishments: Cosmo Cricket "Ever After" Die Cuts & Chipboard; Cream Tulle; Jenni Bowlin Jeweled Ivory Button; Prima Lace; Misc Iridescent Pearl Beaded Ribbon; Misc Brown Wired Satin Ribbon
Accessories: Accucut Purse Die; Glue Dots; Double Sided Sticky Tape

"Cake Tower Place Setting / Favor"
Paper: Cosmo Cricket "Ever After" PP
Embellishments: Cosmo Cricket "Ever After" Die Cuts; Misc Cream Flowers; Offray Cream Satin Ribbon
Accessories: Accucut Cake and Topper Dies; Glue Dots; Double Sided Sticky Tape

"Cake Favor"
Paper: Cosmo Cricket "Ever After" PP
Embellishments: Misc Iridescent Pearl Beaded Ribbon; Misc Large Silk Flower
Accessories: Accucut Cake Dies; Glue Dots; Double Sided Sticky Tape; Scalloped Scissors

"Happily Ever After"
Paper: Cosmo Cricket "Ever After" PP
Embellishments: Cosmo Cricket "Ever After" Die Cuts & Chipboard; Cream Tulle; Jenni Bowlin Jeweled Ivory Button; Misc Cream Flowers; Offray Cream Satin Ribbon; Prima Lace and Pearl Swirly
Accessories: Glue Dots

Design Team Call @ Embellish-Online

Embellish-Online.com is forming a new design team! We are an online retailer looking for innovative, creative and friendly card and scrapbook designers who are comfortable working with the products we sell such as patterned papers, embellishments and clear stamps that are detailed and may require coloring. If you work with Copic markers that is a plus!

You need to have an active, well maintained blog, be active on forums like SCS and/or 2Peas to share your work, be able to meet deadlines and participate in team challenges and on the store’s forum, and have a friendly, positive attitude. We require at least one EI exclusive post a week on your blog using our products, and to create for the EI gallery once a month (around 6 cards, layouts or projects a month in total).

In return, you will receive approx. $25 worth of product a month to design with, which usually includes patterned papers, embellishments, and sometimes stamps. You will also receive a 30% discount on almost everything in the store.

The design term will last six months.

To apply please send your name, address, link to your blog and SCS/2Peas galleries, and 5 examples of cards or projects that best reflect your style to suzy@papermonkey.org . Please keep each image under 100 kb in size or your application will not be received. Please also include a little bit about yourself, what other design teams you are on (DT experience is NOT necessary though), and why you would like to be an EI designer.

Applications are due April 30th. New designers will be announced by May 5th . The design term will begin June 1st and end December 31st.

*******Sniff, Sniff!! I can't believe my term is almost over. I still remember getting my notification from Suzy back in July '08 to let me know I had made the team! I was over the moon!!! Embellish-Online was one of my first DT gigs, and I am forever grateful to both Suzy and Barb for giving me the opportunity.

Good Luck to all the ladies that apply!! I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed being a part of the Design Team this past term. I've learned, grown and been so inspired by all the ladies at Embellish-Online. I've never scrapped or made so many cards in my life! LOL! Seriously, Barb and Suzy are the best people to work with, and I feel so very blessed to call them and all the other Aug '08 - May '09 Embellish Online DT members, Norma, Debbie, Michelle, Heidi, Julie, Cindy, Bonnie and Daniela, my friends.

Lots of Happenings & Free Digital Kit @ Marks Paper Co :)

Thanks so very much to all of you for spreading the news about Marks Paper Co! If I daresay, I feel like this new paper company is the hottest thing to have debuted from Jan '09 CHA. Whoohoo to Stacy Marks, our wonderful creator and owner of Marks Paper Co.

Now on to some NEW news.... :)

We recently had a Digital Hybrid Design Team search and I just want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to our newest additions to the Marks Paper Co Design Team:

Maggie LaMarre - who's our new Marketing Director too!
Michele Ciola
Patricia Komara
Cathy Pascual
Deanna Kroll
Cindy Gilchrist
Pamela Young

Check out their blogs!! These ladies are majorly talented!! Its an honor to be on the same team with them!

Marks Paper Company is excited to celebrate the addition of our new Digital/Hybrid Design Team throughout the month of April! We’re inviting you to celebrate with us all month long!

From April 1st through the 7th, MPCo will offer a Free Digital Template Giveaway and 25% Off All Digital Kits! Visit the MPCo blog for your chance to win!

April 1st also means the reveal of our featured Guest Design Team Member who is Charity Hassel. Check out Charity's work here in our gallery!

Be sure to keep an eye on the Marks Paper Company Blog...do a MPC layout link yourself up and you just may find yourself and your work highlighted on the blog! Yep...this award! How cool!

And finally, I want to share my most recent projects using this fabulous paper. I've always been enamoured with papers that wax childhood nostalgia, and this particular paper from the Old Fashioned Courtship line just melt my heart! For my card, I used the He Loves Me/Picnic Blanket & Neck Tie/He Loves Me along with Long Walk/Rouge papers. Yeah, I know, I have a thing for the paper pleating. My friend Kari says I need to move on from this technique. Lol, in time Kari, in time!

For my layout, I used Summer Log/Meadow and Ice Cream Cone/Board Shorts from the August Collection. I was soo proud to have snapped an "artsy fartsy" photo when my Mom and I were lounging in front of the Pantheon. It took us a few days to find this monument since the streets in Rome are pretty windy crazy, especially when you're tired and your feet hurt! Later on that day, I remember, my Mom and I just hung out on the steps of that Fountain enjoying the box of chocolates that we had hand picked earlier in the morning. It was a GOOD day indeed!


I also used a few journaling bits from Photo Log Journaling Jotters set of 7 (in Kraft & White) available from Jenn Steven's etsy shop now renamed Creative Chaos.




"He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not...He Loves Me" Card
Paper: Marks Paper Co "Old Fashioned Courtship" PP; Bazzil Bark CS
Embellishments: Offray Ivory Ribbon; Jenni Bowlin Jeweled Ivory Button; Kaiser Kraft Pearls
Accessories: SU Sizzix Top Note Die; Glue Dots

"My Best Shot"
Paper: Marks Paper Co "August Collection" PP
Embellishments: Prima Lace & Flowers; Marcela by Kay Diecuts & Dimensional Stickers; MM Tiny Alphas (White); Creative Chaos "Photo Log Journalling Jotters" Spots; White "Daiquiri" AC Thickers
Accessories: AC Slick Writers in Black Fine Point; Glue Dots