Courtney Smith

On the first day of Christmas, Paper Crafts Connection gave to me: a pearl ornament card!

On the second day of Christmas, Paper Crafts Connection gave to me: 2 global Christmas cards!

On the third day of Christmas, Paper Crafts Connection gave to me: 3 holiday cards by designer Kelley Eubanks!

On the fourth day of Christmas, Paper Crafts Connection gave to me:  4 easy to steps to Julie Campbell’s “Home for the Holidays” card!

On the fifth day of Christmas, Paper Crafts Connection gave to me:  5 days of holiday fun!

On the sixth day of Christmas, Paper Crafts Connection gave to me: 6 FREE holiday sentiments!

On the seventh day of Christmas, Paper Crafts Connection gave to me: 7 lucky Hero Arts stamp set winners!

On the eighth day of Christmas, Paper Crafts Connection gave to me: 8 different countries and a trip around the world!

On the ninth day of Christmas, Paper Crafts Connection gave to me: 9 Paper Crafts team members dancing! (Just go with it.)

On the tenth day of Christmas, Paper Crafts Connection gave to me: A world wide blog tour!

On the eleventh day of Christmas, Paper Crafts Connection gave to me: 11 chances to win a copy of Holiday Cards & More Vol. 6!

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Paper Crafts Connection gave to me: 12 top designers from Holiday Cards & More and the chance to win 12 different stamp sets! Call me crazy, but I’d take that over twelve drummers drumming any day!

Today’s blog hop features the talented top 12 featured designers from Holiday Cards & More! Here’s how it works: Each designer is giving away a copy of Holiday Cards & More on her own personal blog. After you’ve scoped all of their holiday creativity, head back here for a chance to win 12 CHRISTMAS STAMP SETS and yet another copy of Holiday Cards & More! We’re out of our minds with Christmas cheer! Comments must be received by midnight (MDT) on Sunday, October 2.

• Julia Stainton
• Chan Vuong
• Teri Anderson
• Kelley Eubanks
• Maile Belles
• Vanessa Menhorn
• Amber Daigre
• Lorena Canto
• AJ Otto
• Windy Robinson
• Betsy Veldman
• Dawn Petrick

Saddle up your reindeer and take flight; we’ll see you back here soon! You wouldn’t want to miss out on the chance to win these…

Lawn Fawn, Hero Arts, Paper Smooches, Teresa Collins, My Mind’s Eye, Stampendous!, Graphic 45, Karen Foster Design, W plus 9 Design, Unity Stamp Co., Stampin’ Up!

P.S. Make sure to check back this afternoon for our last leg of our worldwide adventure!

Scatter Sunshine Card by Eva Dobilas

Have you heard? Designer Samantha Walker has partnered with Unity Stamp Co. to release a new line of stamps called Stackers.

The concept is the ability to “stack” stamps on an acrylic block to create different frames and other configurations (like flowers) with options for journaling lines or sentiments. The best part…Samantha has a coordinating set of Spellbinders dies that also fit within each other to accommodate these sets.

In Eva Dobilas’ card above, she stacked three of the stamps from the Ornate Artisan Stacker set and used papers from the Samantha Walker Blossom and Ooh La La collections for Creative Imaginations.

Wanna try out this new kind of stamping? Leave a comment and we’ll pick two lucky winners to take home the Ornate Artisan Stacker set (pictured below). All comments must be received by midnight (MDT) on Sunday, August 21.

~The Paper Crafts Team

P.S. Head over to our Facebook fan page for another chance to win!

P. Kelly Smith

Welcome to Freebie Friday and our final day of Stamp It! Cards Week! In honor of the Fourth of July (and Canada Day), we’re hosting a patriotic blog hop featuring our 2011 Stamping Royalty winners! This great idea came from Queen Laurie Willison who sent me this e-mail shortly after she was crowned:

“When Miss America gets her crown, she spends her time working with charities. Well, since we are going to have these new fancy tiaras, I wondered if we could do something to give back, too. What do you think of a Paper Crafts Stamping Royalty blog hop? The 15 of us could hold a blog hop and then other paper crafters could play along by linking up and all cards made could go to Operation Write Home.”

Needless to say, we “puffy heart” loved this idea. We’ve long been a supporter of Operation Write Home and their mission to donate handmade cards to our deployed troops. They recently surpassed 1 million cards sent and have set a new goal for 2 million cards. Game on! After a week of stamping inspiration, prizes and fun, let’s add a philanthropic blog hop to the party!

Click on the cover image to order your copy today!

Each of our participating designers have created a new card from a different stamp set in their Stamping Royalty prize package. And, in honor of the Fourth of July and our deployed troops, all of the cards are in a patriotic color scheme.

Here’s two patriotic cards from the Miss You section of Stamp It! Cards:

Ashley Harris's Miss You Tree Card and Kim Kesti's Airmail Smiles Card, p. 107

Leave a comment on each designer’s blog and you’ll increase your chances of winning a copy of Stamp It! Cards (each designer is giving away one!). Leave a comment here and you’ll be entered to win this fabulous stamp prize package:

Two lucky winners will take home this stamping prize package!

• Fountain, Dear Lizzy Whistle stamp sets, Gold, Silver, Bronze embossing powders – American Crafts
• Look Up Additions stamp set – Practicing Creativity
• Hello Friend stamp set – Lawn Fawn
• Elegant Elements, Vogue Vases stamp sets – Gina K. Designs
• Music of my Heart stamp set – Unity Stamp Co.
• Assortment of stamp blocks (3) – Stampin’ Up!
• Assortment of Glimmer Mists (3) – Tattered Angels
• Pitch Black, Espresso, Denim, Cranberry, Meadow and Ginger Adirondack Earthtones dye inks – Ranger
• Non-Stick Scissors #5 – Fiskars

Like what you see? Begin your hop and then come back here and leave a comment telling me something that inspired you from your travels. All comments (on all blogs) must be received by midnight (MDT) on Sunday, July 3. The two grand prize winners will be revealed here on Monday, July 4.

Happy Friday!
Kelly

P.S. If you’d like to join our Stamping Royalty winners and create a patriotic card for Operation Write Home, feel free to link up your project below.

P.P.S. It’s time to announce the winners from Teri’s “Real Life” Reasons to Check Out Stamp It! Cards post!

1. Karen R. (June 29, 9:36 a.m.)
2. Alicia C. (June 30, 4:19 p.m.)

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

Maren Benedict

Good morning! Today is my last Groovin’ with the Go-to Gals post. (You can see my farewell post from March 30th HERE.)

I must have started this post 100 different times. This is my FAREWELL and yet nothing seemed quite right.

I have known this day was coming but it came sooner than I would have liked. 

Sometimes there are no words to describe feelings or emotions.

Sometimes a card says it all.

This is why…

I love paper crafting. 

So here it is:

Since stamping will always hold a special place in my heart, I have two parting gifts today – Unity Stamp Co.’s Bella Fiora and Blossom Soup stamp sets. Leave a comment and I’ll pick two random winners to each take home a stamp set. All comments must be received by midnight (MDT) on Thursday, May 5.

Maren Benedict,
Paper Crafts Go-to Gal

It’s time to announce the two winners from our Spring Card Kit Giveaway post!

1. Michele (May 2, 3:50 p.m.)
2. jennybean (May 2, 12:21 p.m.)

Congrats, winners! You’ve each won DeNami Designs’ Spring Tulip Card Kit, along with some coordinating stamps! Kelly will be contacting you shortly to get your mailing addresses. Thanks to all who left comments!

Jessica Witty

If I was Cath, I’d write a poem about it. If I was Kelly, I’d say it’s been the real thing. Susan…I’d create a color board to show my feelings and then find an outfit {and hanger} to match. Jennifer…I’d take a look at how this event coincides with my natal chart.

But since I’m me and this is my last Groovin’ with the Go-to Gals post, I think I’ll just hit some highlights from the past few years and possibly add in a few sappy comments along the way, okay?

So, if you’re interested, here’s everything you ever wanted to know about being a Paper Crafts Go-to Gal.

It involves a lot of submitting. Like…a lot. Both before and after becoming a Go-to Gal. Luckily, we all like that part, right? This is one of my earliest publications and, I have to say…I still love it after all these years {even if it was before anyone had heard of Copics and watercoloring was the prime method of putting color to paper}.

Greetings from Paradise Card from Stamp It! Cards Spring, 2007

It involves a rigorous application process. This is no episode of The Apprentice, people. The editors make it fun, but I’m not gonna lie…recognizing that this might be your long-awaited shot to achieve a long-desired dream can put a wee bit of pressure on a person. {Or maybe that’s just me.}

Here’s one of my favorites from the application process. It found a happy home in A Card a Day.

Spread Your Wings Card

It {hopefully} involves a constant stream of inspiration. This means that during your tenure as a Go-to Gal, you will forfeit any rights to go anywhere without a camera in hand, to read any type of magazine or blog without filing away ideas for later, to take in any kind of visual information at all without thinking, “How can this inspire a card/project/blog post/article?” {For example…note the card above. That design was totally inspired by a springtime plate I cruised by at Target.}

It involves the willingness to try something new. Because even if there is nothing new under the sun, there can still be a new way to do things, to see things, to put things together…to do something new to you.

I’m not gonna lie…it can be scary. Me trying to tackle my perfectionism head first and curb the need to spend forever-and-a-stinkin’-day on a single card by creating 10 minute cards? Yeah. That was a little scary to me. But so gratifying.

Trying to stretch outside of my straight-lined creative box and go for a more artsy style? Satisfyingly exciting.   

Music Card from Stamp It! Techniques

It involves collaboration, and a lot of it. Sitting together at Editorial Board meetings and brainstorming never-before-seen article ideas, walking the floors at CHA and searching for trends, daily chatting through project ideas and techniques. My fellow Go-to Gals and I have been having our own little version of the recent Reject Blog Hop for quite some time now…showing each other our favorites that weren’t picked up and giving each other the proverbial ol’ “better luck next time!” pat on the back.

Being a Go-to Gal means bringing whatever you have to the table, then seeing what everyone else brings to the table, then mixing and mashing it all together to help make one sweet and savory meal of a magazine.              

I’ve loved it. 

*Loved* it.

Glad to See You Sunshine Card from Stamp It! Techniques

And I think I always will.

Love to all of you, my fellow paper crafting friends,
Jess

P.S. Since I’ve shared a few of my favorite cards, I thought it would be fun to do a “Jessica’s Favorite Things” giveaway! Leave a comment and I’ll pick one winner to take home some of my favorite paper crafting goodies: Stamp It! Techniques, Go-to Sketches, doilies from Hambly Screen Prints, stamps from Unity Stamp Co. and mists from Tattered Angels. All comments must be received by midnight (MDT) on Friday, April 22.

One lucky winner will take home this fun prize package!

P.P.S. If you missed my farewell post on my own blog, you can find it HERE. I’m counting on all of you to visit me often.

Susan R. Opel

It’s a banner day in the Paper Crafts world!

Today, yes TODAY is the day that Stamp It! Techniques officially hits newsstands!

Our reader survery lets us know that the vast majority of you love to stamp, and you’re dying to see some fabulous techniques. Well, we’re listening, and…

This issue is just FOR YOU!

Click on the cover image to buy your copy today!

Grab this issue and you’ll be blown away by the variety of techniques that are covered. We’ve got a treasure trove of techniques in these six categories:

• heat embossing
• markers
• paper piecing
• masking
• shimmer sprays
• spectrum stamping

There’s even projects with step by step directions with photos. It’s seriously super inspiring, even for me a stamping novice. {Did I just admit that?}

True confession time – I’m not a great stamper. In fact, there was a time in my life when I swore I would never stamp (or make cards for that matter) and look at me now! For me, the thing about stamping is the mess and the unpredictability. I’ve never liked wet messes for some reason. I even taught junior high art for nine years and managed to avoid paint and papier-mâché! Giving 14-year-old boys paint just sounds like a bad idea all around.

But then, I saw this card by Paper Crafts Go-to Gal Teri Anderson in Stamp It! Techniques. And I thought, “HEY! I could totally pull this off!”

Teri's Congrats Leaf Card can be found on p. 10.

Teri’s card is simply beautiful and the technique is super easy. I love the shimmer and crisp lines that heat embossing gives an image.

I’ve been on a bit of a feather kick as of late as you can see in this blog post I wrote for Cath at the Moxie Fab World blog, so when I saw this peacock feather stamp from Close To My Heart, I knew that it was time for me to toss aside my stamping inhibitions and just DO IT! I was totally beaming when I got done. It turned out exactly how I’d envisioned it!

After I finished my peacock card, I tried masking. Um, yeah – not good. I’ll have to work up to that one! At least with Stamp It! Techniques, now I know how!

So now it’s YOUR turn! You’ve got two great reasons to get those stamps out:

• Reason #1 – The 2011 Stamping Royalty Card Contest is officially open! It’s your chance to join these ladies as stamping princesses!
• Reason #2 – Tomorrow the call for submissions to Stamp It! Cards: Volume 8 will be ready for action. There’s 22 categories just waiting for your creativity!

Giving stamping a try,
Susan

P.S. Leave a comment telling me your favorite stamping technique and I’ll pick one winner to receive 11 Itty Bitty stamps from Unity Stamp Co. All comments must be received by midnight (MST) on Wednesday, Jan. 19.

One lucky winner will take home all 11 of these Itty Bitty stamps!

Kim Hughes

Thanksgiving…

Ahhh, the smells…

Ohhh, the hugs from loved ones…

Uggh, how we feel after stuffing ourselves with too much turkey! 

These are all wonderful things, but sharing what we are thankful for is what binds us together. I am thankful for my VERY loving and supportive family and friends, a career that I love with great passion and healthy loved ones all around me. I truly feel blessed.

I think that many of us would answer family, friends, health and/or career to the question: “What are you thankful for?” But what about those “silly” things that we’d rather not live without, and are essentially thankful for? I am “silly” thankful for:

• Starbucks
• comfy bed
• my computer
• pens/paper
• 80′s music

Today I thought I’d share a Thanksgiving ensemble that consists of a card, a napkin holder and a place card:

Creating ensembles are easy…just use the same products on each project. You can keep the same design throughout or mix it up. Keeping the same color combination will help each piece complement the other.

Here are some Thanksgiving card sentiment ideas:

• Thankful For You
• Bountiful Blessings
• Eternally Thankful
• Love and Gratitude
• With Gratitude
• You Are Appreciated
• Many Thanks

Today, Thursday and Friday I’ll be posting additional projects with a “thankful” theme on my blog. But before you hop, I’d love to know one “silly” thing that you are thankful for this year. I’ll pick one winner to receive these stamps by Unity Stamp Co. All comments must be received by midnight (MST) on Thursday, Nov. 25.

One lucky winner will take home these Itty Bitty stamps by Unity Stamp Co!

I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving and get stuffed with food and love!

Kim Hughes,
Paper Crafts Go-to Gal

P.S. Just a reminder that tomorrow is the last day to take advantage of our special Snapfish promotion. Click HERE to save 25% on all orders by using the coupon code: “CARDMAKING”. Need some inspiration? Check out the blogs of Paper Crafts Go-to Gals Kim Kesti and Jessica Witty…they sure had fun with their Snapfish photo cards!

Maren Benedict

Let the countdown to World Card Making Day continue! Can you believe the big day is 48 hours away? It’s almost here!

Today I’m here to talk about one of my favorite issues, Go-to Sketches. It has 282 projects inspired by 66 sketches from the Paper Crafts Go-to Gals.

And what a perfect resource for that mounting list of holiday cards. Sketches take a lot of the guess work out of the way so I can sit down and CREATE!

Let’s start with this sketch here:

This fun sketch was designed by Go-to Gal Kim Hughes.

One of my FAVORITE projects using this sketch is Kim’s Good Fortune Card on p. 72. I just adore how she attached the chopsticks and tied in the sentiment “Wishing you good fortune.” Kim is one amazing paper crafter, don’t ya think?

And here’s my take on Kim’s card:

Who doesn’t love a candy cane (or two!) with their holiday cards? I know candy always brightens my day! Just think of the other fun things you could add to your cards—pixie sticks, a yummy candy bar…endless possibilities! 

Leave a comment telling me a favorite treat you like to add to your creations. Three people will win a copy of Go-to Sketches, plus some goodies from Unity Stamp Co. All comments must be received by midnight on Friday, Oct. 1.

Three lucky winners will take home one of these Unity prize sets!

Maren Benedict,
Paper Crafts Go-to Gal

P.S. I hear Cath has another amazing giveaway over on Moxie Fab World. Make sure you check it out! And come back here tomorrow when Go-to Gal Jessica Wittyshares a new project inspired by Holiday Cards & More, Vol. 5!

P.P.S. It’s time to announce the three winners from Kim Hughes’ Define Your Style this World Card Making Day post!

1. Anna K. (Sept. 28, 2:55 p.m.)
2. Peggy McCurry (Sept. 28, 10:45 p.m.)
3. Carrie (Sept. 28, 9:17 a.m.)

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

P. Kelly Smith

Welcome to Freebie Friday and Paper Crafts latest installment of the trivia game I-Spy! Just in time for spring (the first day is tomorrow!), today’s giveaway is all about lovely, blooming trees!  

Get ready to play because I’m picking five winners this time! (Each winner’s prize package is literally growing right before my eyes! If you win, you will not be disappointed!) 

You must have a copy of our spring-infused March/April 2010 issue in front of you. All questions will be directly related to this issue and this issue only.  

March/April I-Spy Questions:  

1. I spy Jennifer’s Editor’s Note. She mentions that there are 19 first-timer designers in this issue. Name the three designers whose last names begin with the letter “S”. 

2. I spy our Paper Crafts Connection column. In honor of World Card Making Day, how many international bloggers participated in Cath’s World Tour of Card Making on the Moxie Fab World blog? 

3. I spy our Go-to Sketches column. How did designer Aly Dosdall create the sun rays in her UR My Sunshine Card? (It’s pure genius!) 

4. I spy our Color Play column. How many green pearl accents are on Layle Koncar’s Spring Card? (Look closely!) 

5. I spy our Shimmer & Shine feature. How did designer Kimberly Crawford get her rhinestones to perfectly match the yellow umbrella in her Cheer Up, Buttercup Card? 

6. I spy our Thanks & Congrats feature. Name the two designers who each have three-step cards in this feature. 

7. I spy an ad for our 2010 Stamping Royalty Card Contest. When must entries be postmarked by? (Hint: There’s still time submit!) 

8. I spy our Designer Challenge Your Choice: Pick Any Three feature. What three supplies did designer Maile Belles use to create her Thank You Button Card? 

9. I spy our Lovely as a Tree feature. What quote is featured on Go-to Gal Maren Benedict’s Plant Hope Card? (BTW, this Unity stamp set is up for grabs today!) 

10. I spy our Tips, Tools, & Techniques column. Paper Crafts Go-to Gal Kim Kesti paper crafted six REAL eggs – just in time for Easter! Name two of the six techniques shown in the column. (To find out how she achieved this eggscellent look, click HERE!) 

Five random winners (who answer five or more questions correctly) will win a selection of product we feature in this issue’s Product Parade and Sweepstakes columns. (Just turn to pages 80-81 for a closer look!) To play, please enter your answers in the comment field below this entry. All comments must be received by midnight (MDT) on Sunday, March 21.  

Five lucky winners will receive an assortment of this tree-licious product!

Good luck!
Kelly

Brandy Jesperson

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m a bargain shopper. I love stretching a dollar and getting the best possible deal I can find.  

This is precisely why I love the Stamp It! 3 Ways section of our latest special issue Stamp It! Cards. I’m always drawn to the creativity and diversity of three projects that all use one stamp set (talk about stretching your supplies AND your dollar).  

Our designers are experts at thinking outside the box when it comes to techniques and occasions that seem to magically appear from a single stamp set. Take the Grow Love, Plant a Tree set from My Favorite Things:    

Grow Love, Plant a Seed set from My Favorite Things

Michele Boyer, Angie Hagist, and Laura O’Donnell were able to take this stamp set and create their Lonely, Hi Tree and Grow Love cards in three distinctly different styles – genius! 

Turn to p. 85 in Stamp It! Cards for a closer look at these 3-Ways cards.

Have I converted you to the ways of saving money while still making oodles of cards? If not, I’ve got a few more tricks up my sleeve. The Paper Crafts Go-to Gals have joined forces to show you the diversity of two more stamp sets. Three gals made cards from one stamp set and three gals made cards from another set. Visit each of their blogs and discover how easy it is to maximize your stamps with a bit of technique and a lot of creativity!  

• Teri Anderson
• Maren Benedict
• Kim Hughes
• Kim Kesti
• Betsy Veldman
• Jessica Witty

And since this week is all about celebrating stamping, I can’t leave without offering one whopper of a prize. One lucky winner will win ALL SIX STAMP SETS featured in Stamp It! 3 Ways. That’s right, someone will win: 

• Everyday Button Bits set from Papertrey Ink
• Harmonious Sprig stamp from Unity Stamp Co.
• On the Desk set from Cornish Heritage Farms
• Margaret set from Kodomo
• Grow Love, Plant a Tree set from My Favorite Things
• Spiro Garden set from Technique Tuesday

Everyday Button Bits stamp set from Papertrey Ink

Harmonious Sprig stamp from Unity Stamp Co.

On the Desk stamp set from Cornish Heritage Farms

Margaret stamp set from Kodomo

Spiro Garden stamp set from Technique Tuesday

If that’s not enough, you can enter to win SEVEN TIMES! Please leave a comment here and on the blogs of all six Paper Crafts Go-to Gals. Each time you leave a comment you will be entered to win. As an extra incentive, all Go-to Gals will be giving away copies of Stamp It! Cards on their blogs. All comments must be received by midnight (MST) on Friday, Feb. 26. 

Happily stamping,
Brandy 

P.S. Today on Moxie Fab World, Cath is featuring an “Ask Around” with Jennifer McGuire. There’s also a chance to win some fabulous Hero Arts stamps! 

P.P.S. It’s time to announce the three winners from Jennifer’s You, My Friends, Are STAMPERS post! 

1. Kelly Sas (Feb. 23, 7:32 a.m.)
2. Rebecca MI (Feb. 23, 8:31 a.m.)
3. Bev J. (Feb. 23, 7:20 p.m.) 

Congrats, winners! You’ve each won a fun prize package from American Crafts and a copy of Stamp It! Cards! Kelly will be contacting you shortly to get your mailing addresses. Thanks to all who left comments!