Paper Pumpkin Celebrates!

March is a big month for Paper Pumpkin!  It's their third birthday and they just shipped their ONE MILLIONTH kit!  To celebrate, the April Paper Pumpkin kit will include a bonus stamp set called All About Everything.  They're keeping the art a surprise, but I know you'll love EVERYTHING about it!  This is just their little way of saying "thank you to our amazing subscribers."  Subscribe by April 10th to get in on the fun!

I am personally offering an additional Paper Pumpkin deal!  For every $50 order you place in the month of March, your name goes into a drawing for a FREE past Paper Pumpkin kit!  You don't have to do anything special other than place your order.  It can be placed online using Host Code T4JK4GSF (available until March 20), order from a class, or contact me directly to place an order.

Even better, you earn a FREE Sale-A-Bration item with each $50 AND a Smiley Reward!  Talk about getting the most for your money!  If you begin a new Paper Pumpkin kit subscription this month, you will receive an additional entry also.  Celebrate Paper Pumpkin with us this month and join the fun! 

Rose Wonder Sympathy

Here is a lovely card that was fairly simple to make.  I used the Rose Wonder stamp set and markers to color in the rose.  The image is stamped on Watercolor Paper with Archival Black ink, as I was planning to use a watercolor technique, but then decided to try the markers instead.  To make the background a bit more subtle, I lightly sponged Soft Sky ink all around the white space.

This is such a lovely stamp set with a nice variety of sentiments, it is way at the top of my favorites list!  The fact that there are matching dies (Rose Garden Thinlits) makes it an even better value!  If you haven't added these items to your collection yet, order today!  You may shop through my link any time.  Anyone who places an order through me during March gets their name into a drawing for a FREE past Paper Pumpkin kit.

I would love to hear your comments.

Rose Wonder

This is a super simple card that speaks total elegance.  I used Blackberry Bliss Cardstock, Gold Foil Paper, and Gold Embossing Powder to make this single layer card.  I cut out the classic rose shape with the Rose Garden Thinlits Dies and glued it to the card base.  The sentiment from the Rose Wonder stamp set is embossed in gold.

Classic.  Elegant.

Timeless Textures

This card was made using the Timeless Textures stamp set.  The sentiment is from Suite Sayings.  Both of these sets are found in the Spring Occasions Catalog.  The ink colors I used were Blackberry Bliss, Delightful Dijon, Mossy Meadow, and Soft Suede.  The card stock is Blackberry Bliss, Delightful Dijon and Whisper White.  After stamping the images on the Whisper White, I very lightly sponged Soft Suede ink on it using a circular motion to soften the harshness of the white.  This helped to give it a more vintage feel.

I just love all these rich jewel tone colors together.  Varying the intensity by stamping off some of the images first helped to create depth to the project without the use of lots of Dimensionals or layers of paper.  I did pop up the Whisper White layer on Dimensionals, though.

Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of my card.

40 Day Lent Challenge

The season of Lent is upon us.

For many it is usually a season of fasting.

Instead of just giving up,

I want to challenge you to GIVE.

My challenge to you during the 40 days of Lent

is to find 40 people to whom you can give

a hand-stamped card.

40 Random Acts of Kindness!

Whether you give one a day, 40 at once,

or a few here and there is up to you;

but 40 is the number of days in the season of Lent.

It's easier than it sounds.

Make a list of possible recipients,

carry cards with you to give to strangers,

or walk up and down the street

and knock on doors. 

However you do it, you will be sharing

love and kindness

without expecting anything in return.

That is the true meaning of giving.

Bloomin' Love Heart

I'm sure you have seen the new Bloomin' Heart Thinlits Dies on the internet by now.  There are so many lovely card designs using the Bloomin' Love stamp set and matching Bloomin' Heart Die.  I love how delicate and detailed the die is!  I heard many of you groan at just the thought of trying to poke out all the little pieces of the heart, but that is no longer a problem.  Now we have the Big Shot Die Brush!  It makes it oh, so easy to pop out all those little pieces!  First, use the Precision Base Plate on top of the Magnetic Platform in your Big Shot.  Place one Clear Cutting Plate on top and run it through the Big Shot 3 times.  Pick it up and look to see if all the cuts are clear through.  If some seem not to be all the way through, turn the die 90 degrees and run it through again.  This way, if your Big Shot has more pressure in one spot than another, you will get clean cuts everywhere. 

Then place the metal die with the card stock still in it face down on the foam pad that comes with the Big Shot Die Brush and run the brush over it in all directions.  The brush will push into the little holes and knock all the pieces out for you.  If a couple remain, you can place the partially cut card stock face down on the pad and lightly go over those spots.  It works great every time!

Who says Valentines have to be pink and red?  I wanted a totally unique look on my card, so I cut out two hearts, one in Whisper White and one in Blackberry Bliss and glued them together slightly offset.  That way the Blackberry Bliss heart really pops off the page!  Then I used the Wink of Stella Glitter Brush Clear to lightly brush over the Blackberry Bliss card stock.  The result is stunning!  Add a few flowers also cut out with the Bloomin' Heart Dies and the Love You banner from the Bloomin' Love stamp set to finish off the focal point on your card.

Popping it up with Dimensionals onto a piece of Lost Lagoon card stock that has been scored on the diagonals with a few Basic Pearls and you have a stunning card!  This card could easily be a Valentine, Birthday, Mother's Day, or appreciation card.  Personalize to suit your needs.  

Thanks to Ann Schach at www.stampinchic.com for the inspiration!  She gave me the idea for the score lines and using non-traditional colors for my card.  You can view her card here. 

Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Party With Cake

Happy Birthday!  What a great way to send a bright, fun birthday greeting.  I used the Party with Cake stamp set and the new Party Pop-Up Thinlits Die to create this simple but vibrant card.  The front shape was created using the Deco Labels Framelits.

Since I didn't have DSP to create the front of the card, I made my own using the confetti image in the stamp set.  I used Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, and Archival Black to make the confetti look.  The Baker's Twine is from the Occasions Catalog and is actually Basic Black and Mint Macaron, but the color blends perfectly with my Bermuda Bay.  The candles are all winked with Wink of Stella Glitter Brush Clear for the perfect amount of shimmer.

What do you think?  I look forward to reading your comments!