Paper Smooches SPARKS: December Picture Perfect Challenge

This week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is a Picture Perfect challenge based on this picture.  The white on white lettering on the canvas piece really stood out to me, so I used that as the  inspiration for my card.

To get the white on white lettering on my card, I used the faux dry embossing technique.  You can find a quick tutorial I wrote up for this here on Paper Craft Planet.   Here, I used die cut letters spelling "love you" in white to go with the love theme of the text in the photo.

The space next to the letters is filled in with a blue vase made from a subtly patterned blue on blue paper.  To dress the vase up a bit, I added a small piece of knotted white ribbon to it.  I stamped a stem and pair of flowers from the Daisies and Paisleys stamp set to fill the vase, mirroring the look of the vase at the edge of the canvas in the inspiration photo.

Stop by the challenge blog for more inspiration and all the details on this week's challenge.

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers:  Paper Smooches Daisies and Paisleys stamp set, Tsukineko Memento London Fog and Pear Tart inks, Carta Bella Alphabet Junction 6x6 paper pad, May Arts white ribbon, Sticky Thumb dimensional dots

other:  Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); blue textured cardstock (Bazzill); lower case alphabet dies (Clear and Simple Stamps); vase punch (EK Success)

Blogger Challenge: Week 279

This week’s blogger challenge theme is monsters and goblins. I created this silly monster themed card using one of the uglies from the Tagline: Uglies set from Clear and Simple Stamps along with this week’s Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge. I’m the host for this week’s sketch challenge and I’d love it if you’d give the sketch a try, too. You can find all the details here.

I used two coordinating patterned papers for the background panel. The patterns are separated by a red grosgrain ribbon strip with notched edges. I colored one of the uglies with Copic markers and cut it out, then used foam tape to adhere it to a round panel that I layered over the ribbon. The set’s “get ready for a screaming good time” is stamped in red ink beneath the ribbon strip. I added a little half circle piece, dotted with a pair of silver brads, as an accent near the top of the patterned paper panel.

For more projects featuring monsters and goblins, check out the projects linked below. And, feel free to create a new project of your own and link it up for the challenge.

Materials Used:
Tagline: Uglies stamp set, Haute Red Couture and Perfect Little Black Dress inks, Trendsetter Blue, Say Yellow to All Your Fans, Dare to Be a Diva Red, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Copic markers (BG000, BG01, BG02, BG10, Y15, Y18), Shapes: Circles dies (Clear and Simple Stamps); School Daze 6x6 paper pad (My Mind's Eye); red grosgrain ribbon, silver brads (Michaels); foam tape

Party Like a Rockstar

Today, October 22nd, we are celebrating our Paper Craft Planet leader, Susanna Boyd's, birthday with a week-long Blog Hop celebration that every member on the Planet can participate in!

The Super Novas got together and each made a special birthday gift for Susanna's birthday. In honor of this momentous occasion, we invite everyone to join in the hop and post a birthday greeting on each of their blogs for a chance to win some fun blog candy! Extra points for commenting on the designers’ projects too! I’m sharing a collection of goodies from Michaels with one lucky commenter, including Martha Stewart, Mod Podge, and Michaels private brand products,

Here’s my project for Susanna's birthday. I used this week’s sketch from the new CASE This Sketch blog to create this fun, girlie birthday card. The sentiment is from a new set from Mama Elephant called Good Times—love all the sentiments in this one! I stamped it in bright pink ink on a pale pink panel. I die cut the party hat using a die from Lil’ Inker Designs. The star cut outs are filled in with silver paper for shimmer and the hat’s topped with a big clear crystal for even more sparkle.

We hope you’ll join us for Susanna’s birthday party celebration from October 22nd through October 28th.   Random winners will be announced on Monday, October 29th on each designer’s blog. Here’s where you can join in on the celebration:
Wendy Price
Lori Tecler—you’re here!
Amy Park
Lyn Bernatovich
Pam Hornschu
Deb Felts
Lisa Somerville
Janelle Stollfus
Steph Lee
Wendy Jordan

If you'd like to play along and give Susanna some birthday wishes, just create a card or a little giftie, post it to the PCP gallery with the tag SBOCT22 (exactly as typed). We'll create a slideshow on the Planet Blog post that you can refer back to. We'll also be posting all the random winners on the same blog post on Monday, Oct. 29th!

Materials Used:
Good Times stamp set (Mama Elephant); Memento Rose Bud ink (Tsukineko); Pink Pirouette and Melon Mambo cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Recollections silver paper and clear crystal (Michaels); party hat die (Lil’ Inker Designs); foam tape

TCP Tuesday 223-Handle with Care

It’s my turn to host the TCP Tuesday challenge and I picked the colors for week's challenge with hot summer days in mind.   We’re playing with a bold and bright mix of colors combination—rose, sunshine, and teal. Feeling the heat, right?

I used the colors along with this week's Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge for this sweet card.  The heart hugging bear from the Bear Hugs set is my focal image.  The bear's colored with Copic markers and cut out, then attached to a circular panel with foam tape.  The panel is set over a pair of rose and white gingham panels that are matted on teal cardstock and criss-crossed on a sunny yellow panel.

To add a little interest to the otherwise plain panel, I machine stitched around the edges.  The set's "handle with care" sentiment is stamped at the bottom of the panel in teal ink.  A rose button, tied with a little pink baker's twine accents the sweet image.

For all the details on this week’s challenge and how you can play along to be eligible to win this week’s Cat Cash prize, stop by Alma’s blog or the TCP forum on SCS.

Materials Used:
Bear Hugs stamp set, Neenah white cardstock, Divine Twine pink baker's twine (The Cat's Pajamas); Regal Rose, Taken with Teal, and So Saffron cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Head over Heels Tiny Tablet (Lily Bee Design); circle dies (Spellbinders); pink button (Michaels); sewing machine; foam tape

Thinking of You

Here's a quick card for this week's Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge.  Wendy's our hostess this week and she's designed a great sketch to play with over the next week.

I used Papertrey Ink's Up, Up & Away set for my card.  The focal image is one of the set's balloon images, stamped on a matching die cut piece.  Instead of using a circle panel for my card, I die cut a large cloud from white cardstock and stamped the set's "thinking of you" sentiment on that in aqua ink.

The pieces are arranged on an aqua dotted panel with a strip of red grosgrain ribbon along the right side.  I used foam tape to attach the hot air balloon for a little dimension.  The panel is attached to a white card base.

For all the details on this week's sketch challenge, you can check out the PCP sketch challenge group here. And, be sure to use the keyword sk072712 when you upload your card to the PCP gallery so everyone can check it out.

Materials Used:
Up, Up, & Away stamp set, Aqua Mist ink, Up, Up, & Away and Clouds 1&2 dies (Papertrey Ink); Memento Love Letter and Rich Cocoa ink (Tsukineko); Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); foam tape

Just Plane Cute

The weekly sketch challenge at Paper Craft Planet is back!  This week's sketch comes from Wendy and has lots of possibilities.  I went clean and simple--and cute--for my version.

I just got the new Little Hot Rod set from Papertrey Ink and couldn't wait to try it out, so I inked it up for the sketch.  I used the oval panel to make a simple scene featuring the set's airplane image and a few die cut felt clouds.  The airplane image was easy to ink with two colors and it looks so cute like that!  I stamped the "you are just plane cute" sentiment as two lines instead of one so that it would fit on the panel.

I attached a strip of circle patterned paper to a blue card base, then added a piece of red stitched grosgrain ribbon along the center of the paper.  The image panel is set over that.  Once I had it in place, I attached a piece of crystal flourish behind the plane to make a fun trail.  I hope that doesn't totally ruin the little boy feel of my design!

You can check out all the details on the sketch here in the PCP sketch group.  When you upload your card to the PCP gallery, be sure to use the keyword sk072012 so we can check it out! 

Materials Used:
Little Hot Rod stamp set, Men of Life patterned paper, Little Hot Rod and Heart-2-Heart #6 dies (Papertrey Ink); Memento Lady Bug and Bahama Blue inks (Tsukineko); Pacific Point, Bashful Blue, and Real Red cardstock (Stampin' Up!); oval dies (Spellbinders); clear crystal flourish (Recollections); red stitched grosgrain ribbon; white felt; foam tape

Birthday Girl

Paper Craft Planet has brought back our weekly sketch challenge!  Each week, a different Paper Craft Planet Super Nova will share a new sketch in our sketch challenge group here.  This week's sketch is courtesy of Lisa.

I made fun birthday card using the Scooter Chloe set from Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps.  Since Chloe's a stamp from one of their first releases, this card also fits the current "throwback" challenge on the Sparkle Creations blog.  I colored the image with Copic markers, then added a little bit of sparkle with some Smooch paint along the scooter's trim and with some Spica pen on the hearts.  After cutting out the colored image, I attached it to a circle background with a gray "road" and blue "sky."

I used a pair of patterned papers from a Simple Stories paper pad for the panels on the card.  A striped one covers most of the cardfront and a strip of number patterned paper runs across it.  The edges of the striped paper are machine stitched for a finished look.  For the sentiment, I stamped the "birthday girl" sentiment from the Lil' Inker Designs Sentiment Flag Additions stamp set on a strip of yellow cardstock and added it to the card with some foam tape.

To join in the PCP challenge, just make a card using this week's sketch and upload it to the PCP gallery using the keyword sk071312.  We can't wait to see what you create!
 
Materials Used:
Scooter Chloe stamp set (Sparkle Creations); Sentiment Flag Additions stamp set (Lil' Inker Designs); Marshmallow cardstock (Bazzill); Memento Tuxedo Black and Rhubarb Stalk inks (Tsukineko); markers and Lipstick Spica pen (Copic); So Saffron, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, and Basic Gray cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Happy Day 6x6 paper pad (Simple Stories); circle dies (Spellbinders); Silver Fox Smooch paint (Clearsnap); sewing machine; foam tape

CSS Release-Day 6

The Collection 4 release continues today at Clear and Simple Stamps with the introduction of the new Toppers and Favors stamps and die sets.  Everything you need to dress up your treat packages and create fabulous party favors is found in this collection!

These stamps and dies aren't just for party favors, though.  I used the Favor Flags stamp set and the coordinating Favor Flags dies to make a fun card featuring a prize ribbon as the focal image.  The ribbon tails are made from a pair of red Favor Flag die cut strips.  The ribbon center's made with a pair of layered circles cut with dies from the Shapes:  Circles set.  I added a red star to the center and the "celebrate" sentiment stamped on another banner cut with the Favor Flags die set.  While I was making this card, I was excited to find that the star I used on this card is a perfect fit for one of the star dies in the Shapes:  Stars die set!

To go along with the card, I used the new Wrap-a-Round stamp set and Wrappers dies to make a flip top box to hold 4 Hershey's Nuggets--yum!  You can find a downloadable PDF template for the box here as part of Paper Craft Planet's 3D Tuesday challenge.  I made the box from Trendsetter Blue cardstock and assembled it with CSS's Simple Adhesive, then decorated it with stamps from the Wrap-a-Round set and a banner die cut made with the Favor Flags die set.  I used the same stamps to decorate the wraps for the nuggets that I cut with the Wrappers dies.

Don't miss what the rest of the talented CSS team has created with the new Toppers and Fillers .  Here's where to find them:

Denise January
Laurie Willison
Kim Duran
Jaclyn Miller
Jennifer Rzasa
Amber Kemp-Gerstel
Lori Tecler -- you're here!
Suzanne Dahlberg (guest)
CSS 

Materials Used:
Favor Flags and Wrap-a-Round stamp sets, True Blue Fan and Haute Red Couture inks, True Blue Fan, Trendsetter Blue, and Dare to Be a Diva Red cardstock, Favor Flags, Wrappers, Shapes:  Circles, and Shapes:  Stars dies, Simple Adhesive (Clear and Simple Stamps); shimmery silver paper (Recollections); foam tape

Scratch Off Card Tutorial

For this week's Paper Craft Planet tutorial, I'm showing you how to make a fun interactive card that's inspired by last week's Power Ball lottery ticket craze. That's right--I'm showing you how to make your own "scratch off" elements to use on your card.

Here's what you'll need for the project: a stamped image panel with an element that needs to be "scratched off," some dishwashing soap, a metallic acrylic paint (mine's the Martha Stewart brand), a paintbrush, a piece of clear self-adhesive shelf liner (I used Con-tact brand), and a punch or die to match the shape of the scratch-off component.

I started off by designing the scratch off element for my card. I created a gender-reveal card using images from the Baby Shower, Baby Sentiments, Grass, and Shapes: Hearts stamp sets from Clear and Simple Stamps.

Next, I used a die with the same shape as my scratch-off element to cut a piece of clear self adhesive shelf liner paper.

To make the scratch off panel, I mixed one part dishwashing liquid with two parts of metallic acrylic paint in a plastic palette and stirred it with a paintbrush (the photo was taken before it was stirred).

I used a paintbrush to apply a thin coating of the metallic paint to the die cut shape, then set the shape aside to dry.

After the shape dried, I peeled off the paper backing and applied the painted shape to the spot on my card where I wanted the scratch off element.


Once the scratch off piece was in place, I set the finished panel in place on the cardfront. I kept the card's design simple to keep the focus on the scratch off piece.


And, here's how the card looks once the scratch off element has been scratched off. Too fun!

Materials Used:
Baby Shower and Baby Sentiments stamp sets, Shapes: Hearts and Grass stamp/die combo sets, Emerald Bling, Green with Envy, and Perfect Little Black Dress inks, Green with Envy, You're Such a Gray-cious Host, and A Blanc Check cardstock, Baby Shower die set, Green with Envy satin ribbon, green baker's twine (Clear and Simple Stamps); Dear Lizzy Neapolitan 6x6 paper pad (American Crafts); silver acrylic paint (Martha Stewart); foam tape

Talking Trends with the IHP DT

Walking the floor of the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) Trade Show is always an adventure! What could possibly be more exciting than getting to see three huge showrooms of brand new products that you can hardly wait to get your hands on? Only one thing: getting to share that experience with your girlfriends!

From the very beginning, the i {heart} papers team has had strong ties to Paper Craft Planet. Our mutual love of paper and paper-crafting was the foundation for our friendship, and CHA has given us the opportunity to meet face-to-face and translate those online friendships into real life. It's so much more fun in person than it is on screen!

As we walked the CHA floor we were drawn to certain products and projects...when we discussed them over dinner we discovered some emerging trends. That's what today's challenge is all about.

Of course, not everyone can attend CHA. We were quite sorely missing some of our team mates...and the general public is not eligible to attend. Thankfully, those of you who couldn't be there can live vicariously through the next best thing: photos! Check out these in this post from Susanna, and several posts from MoxieFab!

One of the big trends we noticed at the Winter Craft and Hobby Association trade show was pinwheels. It’s super easy to create your own in no time at all and I did just that for the challenge. My pinwheel’s made from a 6” square piece of Echo Park designer paper. I chose the paper carefully, making sure to pick a piece with patterns on both sides that would look nice on my finished pinwheel. After securing the folded pieces with a brad, I added a big button to the center, tied with a little orange baker’s twine.

The pinwheel is attached to a clear tube (you might remember I used a similar tube to make a magic wand for our DT challenge a few months back). After filling the tube with brightly colored gumballs, I attached the pinwheel to the top of the tube and closed it. I made a little tag to attach to the tube using a sentiment from the Paper Smooches Eco Friendly set, arriving soon at IHP.

Be sure to check out the trends that are being showcased by the rest of the IHP DT and the PCP Super Novas. Here’s where to find them:

• Carolyn
• Deb
• Gretchen
• Loretta
• Lori--you're here!
• Lynn
• Tracy
• Kate

and our guests from PCP:

• Adela Rossol
• Lisa Somerville
• Lyn Bernatovich
• Susanna Boyd
• Taylor Usry
• Wendy Price

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Echo Park Country Lane Collection Kit, Divine Twine orange baker’s twine, SRM Stickers plastic magic wand tube, Spellbinders circle dies, Paper Smooches Eco Friendly stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Tangelo and London Fog inks

other: Pumpkin Pie cardstock (Stampin' Up!); pink button (Michaels)

Blogger Challenge: Week 235

This week’s blogger challenge theme is “ornamental.” I combined the challenge with my Paper Craft Planet Fran*tage Friday project to make this fun shrink plastic snowman ornament.

The snowman from the Merry Snowman set was stamped on white shrink plastic, colored with Copic markers, and cut out. I carefully rolled the cut out image and placed it inside a clear glass ornament. I heated the ornament in my oven, shrinking the snowman to fit inside the ornament. After heating the ornament and shrink plastic piece, I poured a little champagne crushed glass glitter into the bottom of the ornament for a snow-like sparkle, then replaced the ornament’s top. A pretty red bow with a button embellishment dresses up the top.

You can find a more detailed tutorial (including photos) on this project here on the Paper Craft Planet blog. If you leave a comment on the PCP blog post, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a great prize package from Stampendous.

For more ornament ideas, check out the link list below. And, if you’d like to join the challenge, add a direct link to your new project below.

Materials Used:
Merry Snowman stamp set, champagne crushed glass glitter (Stampendous); Jet Black StazOn ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); red grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); wood button (Simplicity); red baker’s twine (Divine Twine); shrink plastic; glass ornament

Coffee for a Friend

Have you checked out this year’s Holiday Cards and More issue from Paper Crafts? If not, you should—it’s full of holiday inspiration, including card and gift ideas. And, if you check it out, you’ll find this little holiday gift idea I created on page 115. With those single serving coffee machines being all the rage now, I thought it would be nice to have a way to package one of the little coffee packets. I designed a simple box template that’s a perfect fit for a single serving and I'm sharing it as this week’s Paper Craft Planet 3D Tuesday challenge project.

Here’s a little sample. I made the box out of kraft cardstock and decorated it with pieces of patterned paper. I wrapped a piece of red satin ribbon around the box, then added a sentiment tag at the top, dressed up with a button and a little ribbon. The sentiment is from the Cup of Cocoa set from Clear and Simple Stamps.

You can find the template here on the Paper Crafts magazine website (note—it says to print the template on 11x17 paper, but I fit it on a standard 8 ½” x 11 sheet). I can’t wait to see your take on the challenge! Be sure to tag your uploaded photo with the keyword 3d137 so I can add it to the album with the rest of this week’s projects.

Materials Used:
Cup of Cocoa stamp set, Haute Red Couture ink, Kraft Like a Rockstar, Dare to Be a Diva Red, and On the Catwalk Cream cardtock, Dare to Be a Diva Red satin ribbon, Dare to Be a Diva Red button (Clear and Simple Stamps); This & That 6x6 paper pad (Lily Bee Design); circle and lacey circle dies (Spellbinders); 1 ¾” circle punch (EK Success); Cherry Red baker’s twine (Divine Twine)

Happy Birthday, Susanna!

Today, October 22nd, we are celebrating Susanna's Boyd's birthday with a week-long challenge event that every Paper Craft Planet member can participate in!

The Super Novas got together and each made a special birthday gift for Susanna's birthday. In honor of this momentous occasion, we invite everyone to post a birthday project or card for a chance to win some fabulous prizes! Yes, there are several chances to win some awesome paper crafting goodies just by posting a birthday themed project!

Further details can be found by clicking on The Planet Blog. Check out where the party is and join us for a week of celebrations!

And, here’s my contribution to the party. I made a little gift set using Adela’s new Bottle of Cheer template and images from the Vintage Wine stamp set from Our Craft Lounge. I cut the template base from deep purple cardstock and added some fun accents like a gold “foil” wrap around the neck of the bottle and a little cork top. It's hidden in the photo, but there's a clear tube filled with some sweet treats inside the bottle. To tie the pieces together, the card uses coordinating colors and the same patterned paper. I added some cream crepe ribbon and a little ruffled trim for a feminine touch.

We hope you'll join us at the party! Can't wait to see what you bring along!

Materials Used:
from i {heart} papers: Our Craft Lounge Vintage Wine stamp set, X-Press white Copic blending cardstock, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copic markers(YG93, YG95, YG97, BV01, BV11, BV13, BV23, E33, R39, Y23, Y26, BG0000)Lily Bee Design Harvest Market 6x6 paper pad, Spellbinders petite oval dies, Creative Impressions cream crepe ribbon and cork sheet, Maya Road cream ruffle edge trim, Bow Easy, ScorPal, SRM clear plastic mini tube with lid

other:
Bottle of Cheer template (Creations by AR); Elegant Eggplant and Old Olive cardstock (Stampin' Up!); gold paper (Target)

Fran*tage Friday: Faux Mother of Pearl

Welcome to the latest installment of Fran*tage Friday! Paper Craft Planet is pleased to be partnering with Stampendous to bring you weekly inspiration and eye candy using Stampendous products. This week, I’m sharing a quick tutorial on how to do the faux mother of pearl technique as seen on the stamped panel in the photo above.


First, you’ll need some pearly paint—I used the new pearlized acrylic paint from Martha Stewart—and a piece of plastic wrap (yes, that’s right, the plastic wrap from your kitchen!), along with some glossy white cardstock. Put a bit of your pearly paint on a palette or some other surface to start. I used a scrap of acetate as a palette, but an acrylic block would work just fine, too. Crumble the plastic wrap up into a loose ball, press it into the paint, then dot the paint all over your glossy white cardstock. You want it to be smooth and fairly well covered. Once you’re done covering the cardstock, set it aside to let it dry. Mine dried pretty fast, even with lots of paint coverage.

Once the paint is dry, use a sponge to cover the cardstock with dye based or distress ink. The paint will resist the ink, leaving a pretty pearlized look with a soft color tint.


After you’ve finished inking your paper, you’re ready to stamp your image over top of the pearlized paper. I used the Jumbo Dogwood image on mine, but this also looks nice with a solid or detailed line art image. I did the stamping with StazOn ink. I tried and found that dye based inks work okay—but need drying time so the image won’t smear.

Here’s my finished card using the image I stamped on my faux mother of pearl panel. I decided to cut out the large flower to use it on my card. I stamped the image a second time and cut out just a portion of the image so I could layer it onto the full image with foam tape. I added some super sparkly Champagne crushed glass glitter to the center of the popped up flower as a fun, feminine accent.

The flower is set on a piece of patterned paper with a doily pattern. I attached a coordinating solid pink strip to the panel and stamped the friendship sentiment from the Friendship Assortment set on the panel. It’s edged with some lace tape. I also wrapped a piece of linen thread around the panel, securing it along the right side of the card with a cream button. The patterned paper panel is set on a kraft panel, then on a cream card base.

Want to win some Stampendous goodies for yourself? Just leave a comment on my Fran*tage Friday post on the Paper Craft Planet blog before midnight on Thursday, October 20 to be entered into the random prize drawing. The lucky winner’s name will be shared on the Paper Craft Planet blog.

Materials Used:
Jumbo Dogwood and Friendship Assortment stamp sets, Champagne crushed glass glitter (Stampendous); Jet Black StazOn (Tsukineko); Pretty in Pink Classic ink, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin’ Up!) Sweet Blush cardstock, Fine Linen button (Papertrey Ink); Baby Steps 6x6 paper pad (Simple Stories); lace tape (Love My Tapes); linen thread (The Cat’s Pajamas); foam tape

3d126-Mix It Up

I’m your hostess for this week’s Paper Craft Planet 3D Tuesday challenge. For this week’s challenge, I’m sharing a simple template (download it here) I created that holds several of those small beverage mix packets that you can add to your water bottle when you’re on the go. The packet hangs from the neck of the bottle. It’s quick and easy to assemble and is a fun and useful little gift during the hot summer months.

For this one, I cut the template out on green cardstock. The front panel has a piece of trendy chevron patterned paper, matted on a yellow panel for a little contrast. I stamped the “Let’s mix it up!” sentiment from the What’s Cooking set from My Favorite Things on a small yellow circle and attached that to the panel. I knotted a piece of yellow satin ribbon around the panel, just underneath the words. I found a package of fun citrus cabochons at the craft store recently—aren’t they perfect for this project? I added one of them to the top of the circle as an accent.

I used another small piece of the same chevron patterned paper to line the inside of the drink mix holder. After punching a hole in the top of the holder so it could hang from a bottle of water and adding a paper "ring" around the opening to reinforce it, all that was left was filling the holder with a few drink mix packets.

I hope you’ll join us for this week’s challenge. Upload a photo of your project to the PCP gallery with the keyword 3d126 so I can add it to the album with the rest of this week’s creations.

Materials Used:
a la modes What’s Cooking Stamp set (My Favorite Things); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); Grass Green cardstock (Gina K Designs); Daffodil Delight cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Kraft Like a Rockstar Green ink (Clear and Simple Stamps); Lime Twist-Life of the Party "Happy Day" designer paper (My Mind’s Eye); YG17 marker Copic); circle punches (EK Success); circle dies (Spellbinders); citrus cabochons (Jolee’s Boutique); clear crystal (Studio 18) Lemon Tart satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink); Scor-Pal, ScorTape

Fran*tage Friday: Faux Bleaching with Spray Mists

The Paper Craft Planet Super Novas have partnered up with Stampendous for the next three months to bring you Fran*tage Fridays! Mix up a bit of montage and eclectic collage with a touch of vintage timelessness á la Fran Seiford, and what do you get? Fran•táge! Each Friday, we'll be showing you a technique using the new Fran*tage line of stamps from Stampendous. The best part? You can win all the stamps demonstrated, just by leaving a comment!

I’m excited about sharing a technique with you today that showcases Stampendous stamps along with sparkly spray mists and embossing. This technique uses heat embossing to get a faux bleached look that looks great on shabby chic or vintage style projects.

I started off by stamping the Music Score background stamp in watermark ink on a white panel. After stamping the image, I covered it with white embossing powder (somehow managing to spill half the container’s contents on my black shorts and the floor, but that’s another story . . .) and heat embossed the image.

Once the image was embossed, I used spray mists to coat the paper. I set the embossed cardstock in a little plastic container that fits a 4 ¼” x 5 ½” sheet of cardstock. I keep this container handy to help contain some of the stray droplets.


For interest and depth, I used a few different shades of browns and a bit of pink, too. And, while I had the mess out, I did a few sheets so I'd have a little variety to work with. Here's what one finished quarter sheet of cardstock looked like after I was done spritzing away. You can see how it resisted the embossed areas.

After the mists dried (with a little help from my heat tool since I’m impatient!), I heated up my craft iron to a low heat setting. I have two irons at home—one for clothes and one for craft projects—LOL! I set a sheet of plain white copy paper over the embossed image and ironed over the panel. This re-melts the embossing powder and transfers it to the white copy paper, removing the raised embossing. You’ll know this is happening when you can see the shadow from the embossing powder through your copy paper. Please use care when doing this so that the paper doesn’t burn. If you move the paper around to remove the embossing from different areas, shift the copy paper so that the part that’s under the iron is clean to prevent embossing powder from transferring back to your misted paper.

Once you’ve removed the embossing powder, you’re ready to create your project. I turned one of the panels I made into a pretty shabby chic style card with the Music Score image as a background.

I distressed and inked the edges with a little distress ink, then machine stitched the panel to a pink panel. Since I already had the spray mists out, I used them on a pretty paper doily and the panel stamped with the Dream Forever sentiment. I used the spray mists one last time to color a little white seam binding to match the card. I just added a few drops and some water to a plastic bag with a piece of the seam binding and squished the bag in my hands to spread the ink. After it was dry, I formed it into a double-looped bow and added a pair of buttons at the bow’s center before attaching it to the cardfront. A trio of pearls added one final elegant touch to the card.

Want to win these stamps? Comment on this blog post on the PCP blog and let us know what technique you'd like to learn. You have until Thursday at midnight, Eastern Time. After that, we'll pick a winner through Random.org and announce that lucky duck on the next Fran*tage Friday.

Materials Used:
Music Score (CRR103) and Dream Forever (CRV219) cling stamps (Stampendous); white cardstock (Xerox); Memento Rich Cocoa and Versamark inks, Angel Pink Fireworks (Tsukineko); Pink Pirouette and Crumb Cake cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Labels 4 dies (Spellbinders); Vanilla Breeze and Bronze Glimmer Mists (Tattered Angels); white paper doily (Wilton); buttons (Clear and Simple Stamps); self-adhesive pearls (Queen & Co.); twine (Papertrey Ink); white seam binding; sewing machine

What a Blast

How about a little more goodness from The Cat's Pajamas for you today? This morning, I shared my card for this week’s TCP Tuesday challenge, and now I have another TCP card, this time for this week’s Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge, courtesy of Lynn.

I used the What a Blast set on this one. PJ is colored with Copic markers and cut out. When I stamped him, I omitted the pinwheel from the image and instead, made my own using TCP’s pinwheel CutUps die and some patterned paper. I used foam tape to set both PJ and the pinwheel on a piece of cloud patterned paper with a strip of die cut grass along the bottom. The “what a blast” sentiment is stamped next to PJ, just above the grass.

After rounding the panel’s corners, I set it on an Ocean Tides mat. It’s layered on a yellow panel, embossed with a dotted pattern instead of using patterned paper. I wrapped a piece of blue seam binding around the card (it’s been lying on my table forever—it was nice to finally find a use for it!), then layered the panel on an Ocean Tides card base.

You can find all the details on this week’s sketch challenge here—you don’t want to miss out on this one since one lucky participant will win a fun prize . . .

Materials Used:
What a Blast stamp set, Neenah white cardstock, grass and pinwheel CutUps dies (The Cat’s Pajamas); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Barely Banana cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Ocean Tides cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Quite Contrary-Little Boy Blue designer paper, Lime Twist-Life of the Party 6 x 6 paper pad (My Mind’s Eye); silver brad (Making Memories); feldspar seam binding (Martha Stewart); Polka Dots embossing folder (Sizzix); corner rounder (WeR Memory Keepers); foam tape

HB2U Fungi

Happy Saturday! I'm the hostess for this week’s Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge. The sketch is based on this clean and simple masculine card I made for a recent Paper Crafts magazine call. The card didn’t make the cut for the magazine , but I really like it, so I thought I’d share it as a sketch instead.

I used images from the Fun Fungi and Fun Fungi II sets from Clear and Simple Stamps and the matching Fun Fungi Simple Cuts die set, too—love that there are dies that match the images! I die cut the mushroom pair, then stamped the matching image in brown ink and colored it with Copic markers. I used foam tape to attach the colored image to a cork circle, then stamped the “HB2U fungi” sentiment directly on the cork. Cork is one of my favorite embellishments for masculine cards. It adds lots of interest and texture without being frilly or girly.

I found a fun patterned paper to use for the cardfront’s large panel and set it on a kraft card base, then added a strip of dark brown twill along the bottom of the patterned paper. It’s accented with a button tied with some twine. The cork panel is layered over the twill to complete the card.

I'm looking forward to seeing all the different takes on this sketch. Please link your creation using the linky widget found at the end of this post. And, if you want, you can also upload your project to the PCP gallery using the keyword sk043011 so everyone can find it.

And, as far as Paper Crafts magazine goes, it's not all bad news for me. Just yesterday, I got an email letting me know that three of the projects I submitted for the upcoming Holiday Cards & More issue will be published--yay! I can't wait to share more about the projects with you once the issue is in print!

Materials Used:
Fun Fungi and Fun Fungi II stamp sets, Fun Fungi Simple Cuts dies, Dish All the Dirt Brown ink, Copic markers, Kraft Like a Rockstar cardstock, Dish All the Dirt Brown button (Clear and Simple Stamps); patterned paper (My Mind's Eye); twill (Martha Stewart); twine (Papertrey Ink); circle die (Spellbinders); cork (Creative Impressions); foam tape

Give it a Whirl

This card's a pretty loose interpretation of this week's Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge, courtesy of Keely. I wanted to showcase the new pinwheel die and matching stamp set I got from my friend Laura at Lil' Inker Designs and I saw the pocket on Keely's card and ran with it to create an interactive card to house my pinwheel.

I die cut the pinwheel pieces from a piece of double sided October Afternoon patterned paper, then secured them with a brad. I added a button tied with twine at the pinwheel's center to dress it up, hiding the brad in the process. For the pinwheel's stem, I used a wooden skewer, attached to the back of the pinwheel with a glue dot and trimmed down to size to fit my card.

The rest of the card is fairly simple. I used the same patterned paper on the cardfront as I did for the pinwheel to tie the pieces together. I machine stitched a decorated pocket panel to the bottom portion of the card, then added the "you mean the whirl to me" sentiment at the bottom of the pocket, accented with a pair of layered buttons. Isn't the pinwheel just perfect for inside the pocket?

Materials Used:
Pinwheel Sentiments stamp set and pinwheel die (Lil' Inker Designs); Bermuda BayClassic ink (Stampin' Up!); Simply Chartreuse and Hawaiian Shores cardstock, medium scallop edge and double-ended banner dies, Simply Chartreuse grosgrain ribbon, Hawaiian Shores button (Papertrey Ink); Ducks in a Row designer paper (October Afternoon); green buttons (Michaels); olive baker's twine (Timeless Twine); sewing machine; wooden skewer

Tea-rrific Tea Lights

Have you checked out the Paper Crafts magazine special issue, 350 Cards & Gifts? If you have, you might have seen this pretty project I designed that's featured on page 153. The tealights and slide top box are today's Paper Craft Planet 3d Tuesday challenge.

The tealights are super easy to make. Start by stamping a solid image stamp on plain white tissue paper. I used images from Verve's Petals and Stems set here. Use a circle punch to punch out the image and a handheld punch to make a hole in the center of the circle to thread the tealight's wick through. I found that placing a piece of copy paper behind the tissue before punching made it easier to get a clean cut circle.

After setting the tissue circle on the tealight, use a heat tool to heat the wax so that the tissue becomes covered in wax, adhering it to the tealight. The tealight's metal rim will become hot, so handle it carefully. I use a craft tweezers to hold the tissue and tealight in place while heating it.

The box is made from some cut and scored cardstock. You can find the box and box top template here on the Paper Crafts website--you'll have to scroll down a bit to find it, but I promise it's there! The box top is decorated with a strip of cardstock stamped to coordinate with the tealights. I tied a little tag around it to dress it up and it's all ready to give as a gift.

We'd love to see your take on the challenge, so be sure to use the linky widget here on the Paper Craft Planet blog to show off your project. You can also upload your creation to the PCP gallery using the keyword 3d110.

Materials Used:
Petals and Stems and Thankful Hearts stamp sets (Verve Stamps); Regal Rose Classic ink, Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette, and Whisper White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Memento Dandelion ink (Tsukineko); Sweet Blush satin ribbon (Papertrey Ink); pink baker's twine (Divine Twine); button (Clear and Simple Stamps); 1 3/8" and 1 1/2" circle and 1/8" handheld punches (EK Success); tealights; heat tool; white tissue paper