Vanessa Menhorn's Soft Pink Thank You Card

Did you know next Wednesday, Sept. 21 is World Gratitude Day?

A day dedicated to expressing appreciation for the great things that individuals and groups do. What a perfect opportunity to send a handmade card!

Designer Vanessa Menhorn was inspired to create her Soft Pink Thank You Card from this pretty clutch purse, which we featured in the Get Inspired column of our July/August 2011 issue:

Leave a comment telling us something/someone you’re grateful for and we’ll pick one lucky winner to take home this pretty purse! All comments must be received by midnight (MDT) on Sunday, Sept. 18.

~The Paper Crafts Team

P. Kelly Smith

Welcome to Freebie Friday! Something this creative industry thrives on is change. Companies come and go, products reinvent themselves and trends burst on the scene and then take their final bow. (Although, truthfully, I don’t think those darn butterflies will ever flutter away!)

This quote by Robert C. Gallagher is a favorite here at the office: “Change is inevitable – except from a vending machine.” We bring this quote up whenever little hiccups arise in our production schedule, photo shoots take longer than usual or a three hour meeting suddenly becomes four hours.

And while it’s often inconvenient and frustrating at the time, change usually brings out the best in us. We adapt, we grow and we often surprise ourselves with the results. So, with that said, I will be transitioning my duties here at Paper Crafts. Going back to my print journalism roots, I will now be writing columns for our monthly magazines. While I’m sad to let go of this little blog, it’s time to refocus my energies.

But never fear…I’m leaving Paper Crafts Connection in very good hands. Editor Courtney Smith will now be bringing you Magazine Monday, Freebie Friday and all the other fun posts in between. I’m confident she’ll give you everything you love and crave - projects from our latest issues, inspiration from our Paper Crafts Go-to Gals and plenty of fun contests and giveaways. And, of course, I will still be stopping by from time to time to say “hey!” and “how you’ve been?”

Change is never easy, but I’m filled with enormous gratitude for the time I have spent here. Your visits, comments and support mean more to me than I could ever express. In my appreciation, I’d like to share one of my favorite cards from the Go-to Sketches column of our September/October 2011 issue:

Teri Anderson's Funky Thanks Card, p. 21

Can Teri rock a card or what? She’s one designer who is always changing it up! From the way she approaches product to the techniques she literally invents in her sleep, she amazes me with her creativity. Leave a comment telling me something you’re dying to see in one of our print issues (I know a girl with some pull!) and I’ll pick a lucky winner to receive Teri’s Funky Thanks Card and the collection she used to make it – Crate Paper’s Emma’s Shoppe. All comments must be received by midnight (MDT) on Sunday, Sept. 18.

Happy Friday!
Kelly

P.S. It’s time to announce the winners of our Back to School Lunch Box Lovin’ and Storage Bag Giveaway posts!

Back to School Lunch Box Lovin’ winner:

littlen (Sept. 14, 2:01 p.m.)

Storage Bag Giveaway winners:

1. Katie (Sept. 14, 11:20 a.m.)
2. Tiffany Sturges (Sept. 14, 7:02 p.m.)
3. Jan (Sept. 14, 12:47 p.m.)

Congrats, winners! I’ll be contacting you shortly to discuss your prizes and get you mailing addresses. Thanks to all who left comments!

Jennifer McGuire

Hello! I hope you’re all enjoying your summer. And if your life is anything like mine, you’re spending lots of time at the pool and only daydreaming of crafting.

But never fear! You can actually find great inspiration at the pool for your summer card making. Just look around at the adorable kid’s bathing suits and the colorful beach towels. Before you know it you’ll feel inspired to create!

So…how about a bit of swimming inspiration here? Check out fabulous colors in this suit from Gap Kids:

And the flowers on this suit from Janie and Jack are amazing. I just love the added white flower at the neckline!

And don’t forget the towels! I have fallen head over heals for these polka dot towels from Garnet Hill:

Inspiring, huh?

I found all of these pieces so lovely that I decided to use them as inspiration. I took the colors from the striped suit, the flowers from the floral suit and the dots from the towels and pulled them together to create a very summery card:

I first stamped the background with a Hero Arts dot background and Soft Pool ink. I then stamped three flowers and colored them with my Copic Markers. Finally, I white heat embossed three buttons for the flower centers. And get this – that Hero Arts background is called a Cling Pop – the circles pop out so you can stamp them separately, making the button embossing a piece of cake!

And what could make this summer day better? A giveaway, of course! Just leave a comment here by midnight (MDT) on Thursday, July 14 for a chance to win a summery prize pack that includes the Lawn Fawn Swimsuit Season and BasicGrey Lauderdale Sunshine stamp sets and the Echo Park Splash and Summer Days 6×6 paper pads. Love it!

One lucky winner will take home this fun 'n the sun prize package!

Good luck. Oh, and have fun at the pool!

Jennifer McGuire,
Paper Crafts Go-to Gal

P.S. Just a reminder…you have one more day to vote in Round 1 of Gallery Idol! Click HERE to view the Top 20′s cards and cast your vote. Voing will end at noon (MDT) tomorrow!

Jennifer Schaerer

In the adorable way that only she can, Kim Hughes spreads her Paper Hugs around the paper crafting blog community using trademark cheer and creativity. With her sweet crafting style and those end-of-blog “fun facts” that make us smile, scratch our heads, or just plain laugh out loud, we’ve been on the receiving end of her affection for the better part of four years now. 

Naturally, it was a very easy choice when we asked Kim to become one of the inaugural group of Paper Crafts Go-to Gals almost two years ago.

Since then, she’s been the queen of shaped cards and hand-drawn sentiments within the pages of our magazine, so we weren’t surprised when she told us that the times are a changin’.

Some of the sentiments Kim Hughes has designed just for Paper Crafts. Use them on your next project by visiting the "downloads" section of our website.

In case you’ve missed the tidal wave of excitement in the blogosphere this week, there’s a new stamp company in town. With style that is quintessential Kim, she’s launched Paper Smooches - stamps (and downloadable card templates) that feature her signature doodles and characters.

The first three Paper Smooches stamp sets by Kim Hughes

So, it’s with a hug for good luck and beaming smiles of pride that we send her off on this new adventure and say goodbye to her as a Paper Crafts Go-to Gal. I’ve been lucky enough to spend a good amount of one-on-one time with Kim, and I have no doubt at all that this journey will be as successful for her as everything else she’s done. 

We’d just like to say, “Kim, thanks ever so much…”

Thanks Ever So Much Card by Kim Hughes

…and that we “love you to our core” for everything you’ve done as a member of the Paper Crafts family.

Love You to My Core Card by Kim Hughes

We’ll finish the 2011 production year with the Fab Five Go-to Gals who will continue to bring you inspiration at every page turn, and can’t wait to cheer from the sidelines as Kim soars to new creative heights with Paper Smooches.

Smooches right back atcha, Ms. Kim!
Jennifer

P.S. Make sure you join us tomorrow….Kim will be our special guest blogger and there’s a very good chance she’ll be giving away some Paper Smooches!

P.P.S. It’s time to announce the winner of Teri’s I Confess…I Distress post!

Susan C. (Feb. 1, 5:48 p.m.)

Congrats, Susan! You’ve won the Distrezz-It-All from Zutter! I’ll be contacting you shortly to get your mailing address. Thanks to all who left comments!

Kim Kesti

Did you know that January is National Hobby Month? What a grand time to take stock of why crafting makes us such happy campers.

Since I was a small child, I’ve loved crafts. I’ll never forget the first little cross-stitch turtle I made. Then, it was on to painting plaster, macramé and who could forget the era of “dip ‘n drape”? As a young married woman, I sewed dolls and painted chunks of wood for a local craft fair. Many a happy hour was spent working on these crafts.

Today, I think I need to follow my friend Mel’s advice and hang a “New Hobby Need Not Apply” sign on my front door. I’m already up to my ears in fabric for quilting, yarn for knitting and of course, my beloved paper crafting. There are not enough hours in the day/week/month to accomplish everything. But, it’s really not the finished product that matters – it’s the joy of creating.

I combined a little bit of sewing on this card I created with the new BasicGrey Hopscotch collection. The patterned paper reminds me of a quilt, too.

To see more BasicGrey cards today, check out the other Go-to Gals:

• Teri
• Maren
• Kim Hughes
• Betsy
• Jessica

I would love to hear about your hobbies, past and present. Leave me a comment about what makes your hobby special and I’ll pick one lucky winner to take home this fun collection from BasicGrey! All comments must be received by midnight (MST) on Thursday, Jan. 27.

Kim Kesti,
Paper Crafts Go-to Gal

P.S. The Craft & Hobby Association Winter Show is this weekend for the trade. Watch our Paper Crafts and Moxie Fab World Facebook pages for updates and sneak peeks of everything new in the crafting world.

Maren Benedict

Did all those Christmas cards drain your creativity? After taking a few days off for the holidays have you lost your mojo? Do you have a mountain of thank you cards to make and no ideas? Have no fear—

Paper Crafts is here! 

Seriously, have you seen all those amazing creations in the January/February 2011 issue? 

I am always on the look out for something unique, whether it be a fabulous color combo (love this month’s Color Play), an interesting twist on a sketch (Regina Mangum’s mountains are BRILLIANT) or a creative use of embellishments. This 7^th Birthday issue is chock full of ALL kinds of ideas.

And it inspired me to make some of those thank you cards. For example, I just love how Cristina Kowalczyk blinged out the bird’s belly on p. 27. Just a simple touch of elegance. Gorgeous! 

Cristina Kowalczyk's Thinking of You Card

So that did it. I created a little birdy with a blinged out belly too! Simple, fun AND still flat enough to send in the mail! 

One thank you card down. More to go. Hop on over to my blog for some MORE January/February inspired creations. 

Maren Benedict,
Paper Crafts Go-to Gal

P.S. Oh, and it is the end of the month. You know what that means, right?  Time for another Paper Crafts Go-to Gal Challenge! This month we are playing with the LOVELY Imaginisce. Be sure to check out what Kim K., Kim H., Teri and Betsy and I came up with!

Susan R. Opel

At this very minute, I am in my home state of Michigan for Christmas, and I’m seriously giddy! There’s nothing like being surrounded by family and friends, you know?

Today I am getting together with my college roommate and suitemates for a little reunion. The four of us had some hilarious and fun times at Concordia College, Ann Arbor, MI, in the early 90’s jamming out to EMF and Vanilla Ice. Now 18 years later, it’ll be exciting to share our experiences since then.

Tomorrow, I’ll be gathering with all sorts of old friends from my alma mater, Valley Lutheran High School for a night of karaoke and reminiscing. We’re all a little older and grayer (underneath the hair color), but we still know how to rock!

And the rest of this week and into the weekend I’ll be basking in the Christmas joy with my sweet family. My brother Kurt and his family spent the last two Christmases in Istanbul, Turkey, so I’m awfully thrilled to spend time with my cute nephews (and my brother and sister-in-law, too, of course!). My brother Paul is coming from upstate New York, and my sister will arrive from Utah on Thursday. My adorable parents will have a houseful! We’ll spend time celebrating our Lord’s birth at one of my favorite places on the planet, St. John Lutheran Church.

Yes, spending time with family and reconnecting with friends is one of my all-time favorite parts of the Christmas season. One way that we can stay connected all throughout the year is to send handmade cards. That personal touch makes all the difference in saying, “You mean the world to me!”

I recently created this sparkly thank you card using the brand new L Letterpress from Lifestyle Crafts, and I think I just might send it to a fabulous friend in 2010 just to say thanks for being so awesome.

This year I’m particularly thankful for Facebook! Both my college and high school reunions came about because of our contacts there. And did you know that you can be connected to Paper Crafts magazine through our Facebook Fan Page? Become a fan and join in the rollicking good time!

So now I want to know, who are you looking forward to seeing during this festive time of year? Leave me a comment by Friday, December 25^th at midnight MST, and you can win this stash of goodies to create your own cards for someone special. We’ll announce the winner on Monday, December 28^th!

Festive goodies courtesy of TaDa Creative Studios and American Crafts.

Wishing you a Christmas filled with family and friends,
Susan