Julie Campbell

It’s February and love is in the air!

If you’ve stepped into a store or flipped on your television lately, I’m sure you’ve seen those not-so-subtle reminders that it’s time to celebrate our loved ones.

My sister is getting married in just a few short months, so we’ve been gathering ideas on celebrating love for quite some time now.  Nothing says ‘celebrating’ like confetti, as this cute little couple demonstrates!

I’ve heard it says that the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.  Who wouldn’t want to be surprised with this confetti filled cake?

So, this year, it seemed fitting to celebrate my love for my hubby with a handmade card filled with confetti.

Confetti filled windows are really easy to make!  If you’d like to make one yourself, you can find a complete tutorial on my blog today.

I’d love to hear how you like to celebrate your loved ones!  Leave a comment on this post and one of you will be eligible to win the Confetti Collection from our friends at American Crafts! Comments must be received by Thursday February 2 at 5 PM MST.

Thanks for tuning in and good luck!

Julie Campbell

Courtney Smith

You may notice that we’re missing our weekly Winner Wednesday post. (Check back tomorrow!) We bring you something better today.

Today is our monthly Go-to Gal blog hop! We bring you 6 amazing cards created by our 6 wonderfully talented Go-to Gals! Today they’re featuring the Harlequin Background stamp and Essential Sentiments set! And luckily for us, A Muse Stamps is offering each of these stamp sets to one lucky winner!!

So here’s the deal. Head on over to the Go-to Gal’s blogs, check out their projects, then hurry back here and leave a comment for us by Thursday, January 26th at 5 PM MST for your chance to win!

• Teri Anderson
• Julie Campbell
• Kim Kesti
• Jennifer McGuire
• Windy Robinson
• Betsy Veldman

Happy reading!

Courtney Smith

This morning we tackled your resolution to become more organized. This afternoon, we’re conquering that ever-present creativity conundrum! While all of our issues are full of inspiration, did you know there is even more inspiration online?!

Click HERE to view the online bonus projects from our January/February 2012 issue! Projects from Teri Anderson, Betsy Veldman, Julie Campbell and MORE!

And for insta-inspiration, check out this Fabulous New Year Card by Sarah Jay from our November/December online bonus projects!

Fabulous New Year Card by Sarah Jay

Thanks for stopping by, and happy crafting!

Julie Campbell

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is only four days away!  Every year I try to be very organized, checking my list twice to make sure I’ve remembered everyone on my list.  I don’t know if you’re like me, but inevitably, I find myself scrambling to buy a last minute Christmas gift or two.

That’s where being a paper crafter comes in very handy!  It’s so easy to customize and create pretty packaging using the supplies we use every day.  Handmade packaging can turn a simple gift into a heartfelt treasure.

One of the things I’ve tried recently and really love is incorporating dingbat fonts into my designs.  Dingbats are digital type where each character is a small graphic or icon.  Here is a fun & festive dingbat that I used for my projects today. Download your dingbats HERE!

I wanted to create a decorative bag, so I created a document in my word processing program & typed the “/” key repeatedly to create a Christmas tree background.  I then changed the font color to green and printed directly onto a small paper bag. (*Note:  It helps to temporarily adhere the bag to a piece of cardstock for added stability during printing.)

To create a coordinating tag, I used my Silhouette machine, typing the same icon in the corner & then die-cutting.

I made a similar tag by using the sled icon.

Dingbats are so fun to use!  Many of these fonts are free and can be downloaded just like any other computer font.  The images can be printed & used just as you would a stamp set & there are so many beautiful and creative fonts available.

To see even more creative uses for dingbat fonts, please visit my blog today.  I’ve created a trendy holiday gift that I’d love to share with you!

Wishing You & Yours a Very Merry Christmas!

Julie

Jennifer Schaerer

The phrase “magazine cover shoot” sounds pretty darn sophisticated and cool, doesn’t it? As in, “I stopped by the studio for the cover shoot on my way downtown for lunch,” right?

In our world it’s more like, “Darn it! I forgot to get the honey bear prop for the cover so I’m running to the grocery store on my lunch break!”

I wish I were kidding, but I’m not. What you see on the cover is a single lovely moment captured among crazy details and the mastery of our fantastic photographer, Brian Smith at BPD Studios.

A beautiful cover, but what REALLY happens behind the scenes of a cover photo shoot?

My dad was in town for a visit and I was spending time with him, but I got a call from our photo studio asking about the missing honey bear for Julie Campbell’s adorable Bee Mine project (we ask that projects be sent in without anything that could potentially leak and just buy the props ourselves). So my dad, good sport that he is, came with me as I dashed out to the grocery store. When we got there, I found two styles in two sizes – who knew? So I sent a text photo to Kerri Miller back at the office to see which one I should get.

Hmm. Clear honey bear with black cap? Or frosted honey bear with yellow cap? Decisions, decisions.

Answer: large honey bear with the yellow cap. Thanks, Kerri…and thank heavens for technology! We got to the studio and set up the cover shot, honey bear happily in place, and the rest is now history.

See those small projects in the background? That's how the cover starts!

This issue has so much going on that you won’t want to miss it – a new column, our new Go-to Gals, exclusive online content for subscribers, and your favorite column right up front in the first pages of the issue. You can even download a free copy of Paper Crafts 101 for completing our annual reader survey.

Watch your mailbox – it’s on the way! Or pick up your copy HERE!

Courtney Smith

This week we only have three winners to announce from our challenge on Monday! I guess the quiz was  a little harder than we thought, because we only had two commenters that guessed correctly! Unfortunately, they were both after the deadline! If you see your name below, email me at CSmith@papercraftsmag.com and we’ll get your goodies sent out to you!

Magazine Monday: Welcome to Card Creations: Get Inspired Week post:

Donna Polley (Nov. 28 @ 6:44 AM)

Shelly Greybeck (Nov. 28 @ 3:57 PM)

Kimberely Jackson-Brown (Nov. 28 @ 10:23 AM)

Congratulations!

Courtney Smith

We know, we know, it’s not even Thanksgiving yet! But it’s hard to ignore the fact that after Thursday, Christmas is just around the corner!

One of my favorite memories as a child was opening the daily box of our advent calendar. It might be small candies for each of us, or maybe even a dollar bill if we were lucky. But the mere excitement of opening one present everyday until Christmas was more excitement than I could handle!

Luckily, our Go-to Gal Julie Campbell created this adorable advent calendar using her Silhouette Cameo to count down the days until Christmas fun!

Check out Julie’s blog for instructions on how to make this project, and to read more about the Silhouette Cameo! Oh, and did we mention that we’re actually giving away a Silhouette Cameo?! After reading Julie’s blog, head back over here and leave a comment telling us one of your favorite childhood memories from Christmas, and we’ll pick ONE lucky winner to win a Silhouette Cameo, valued at $299! Comments must be received by Tuesday at 5 PM MST. Click HERE to see more Silhouette inspiration!

Happy crafting, and good luck!

P.S. Use the code PAPER for a special holiday discount on your own Silhouette Cameo! The code is good from Friday, November 25th until Monday, November 28th! Click HERE!

Julie Campbell

Have you guys picked up the new special issue, 365 Cards? This new issue is awesome because it gives you inspiration for every day of the year!  I love that there are cards featured for EVERY major holiday, as well as some non-traditional holidays as well!

I decided to combine my love for this issue with one of my other recent loves: canning jars.  Of course, they’re great for preserving food, but they’re great for so much more!  I’m always on the lookout for fun ways to use my jars.  In fact, I have a Pinterest board solely dedicated to this topic.

Today, I’m going to show you how to create cards for multiple holdiays, using one stamp set! With so many holidays featured in 365 Cards, you will have a hard time stopping!

I used the same basic layout to create cards for Thanksgiving, Christmas & Valentine’s Day, all with a canning jar theme. Check them out below!

As you can see, I was able to create three cards for three separate holidays, using the same stamp set! It’s a great way to create cards for all the holidays in 365 Cards without breaking your budget!

Canning jars are beginning to make their way into paper crafting! Like the Friendship Jar stamp set by Papertrey Ink, or the Bouquet & Containers stamp set by Purple Onion Designs or the Fall Jar Bouquet stamp by Whipper Snapper Designs!

So… have these jars filled you with inspiration?

Leave a comment for me by Thursday, November 10 at 5 PM MST, and I’ll pick three lucky readers to win this Autumn Press paper pad by Studio Calico!

Thanks for reading!

Julie

P.S. Have you checked out Moxie Fab World today? The challenge for today is Pay It Forward, and we’re pretty excited about it! Go check it out!

Cath Edvalson

It’s never too late to get a jump-start on preparations for Christmas, especially when it comes to home decor.

I don’t know about you, but I like to decorate my home the weekend after Thanksgiving. My goal is to invite the holiday spirit into my home as soon as the turkey has been put away, for that way my family and I can enjoy the warm joy that our holiday decorations bring to our lives for as long as possible.

If you enjoy home crafted decor, that means getting started now. Thank goodness we’ve got the latest and greatest special issue from Paper Crafts magazine, Holiday Cards & More at our fingertips–in which 35 of the 44 projects are just 5 steps or less!

All us crafties have to do is turn to page 132 and voila! Instant inspiration!

Take this no-fuss Chalkboard Countdown Frame by Go-to Gal Julie Campbell on p. 146. What a fun–and easy–way to countdown to Christmas!

Looking for something fun to place on a small table or a mantle? This three-step Table Tree Trio by Go-to Gal Windy Robinson on p. 138 is supah fun!

And I’m loving this Whimsical Wall Hanging by Lorena Canto Laveria found on p. 135:

It’s another quick project, requiring just 4 little steps.

I’m certain that these projects will not only light up my home with handmade goodness, but they’ll be finished in plenty o’ time for me to deck my halls by my yearly deadline!

What about you? When do you try to get your holiday decorations up? Do you have any special projects to tackle this year? I’d love to hear all about them. Just leave me a comment by Wednesday at 5 PM MDT and I’ll draw 3 winners to win a copy of this issue, chock full of easy home decor ideas.

Decking the halls has never been so quick and easy,

~Cath