SPARKS Challenge: Quill you be my Valentine?

Hello, hello and Happy Sunday!

I hope you are having a cozy kind of weekend.  We are snowed in here in NE Ohio with no end in sight to the snow + cold for the next few days. Good times.

Anyhoo, I wanted to share my card for this week's Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge.  This week's challenge is a Designer Drafts and here is what I came up with based on the sketch.

Looking at this week's sketch, I wanted to play with some color blocking and I saw the large circle as a target. Using my Silhouette, I created and cut two sets of nested circles in red and white + white and red.  I trimmed the targets and adhered them together to make a complete circle.  

I used one of the hearts from the Sweet Hearts set to dress up the inside of the target.  The arrow and sentiment is from the Love Struck set + dies. 

Here's a look at this week's sketch: 

You have until Saturday, February 1 at 11:59 PST to link up your take on this week's sketch to the SPARKS blog for a chance to win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store!  Woo hoo!  

Be sure to check out the amazing inspiration from the other members of the SPARKS design team playing along with this week's challenge: 

Rachel

Taheerah

Trisha

Savannah

I can't wait to see what you create! Thanks for stopping by! :)

Fresh Squeezed Stamps: Let's Play a LOVE Game

Hello and Happy Saturday friends!  

I am on the Fresh Squeezed Stamps blog today with a little LOVE game I made using When Hearts Collide and Games People Play.

First, I die cut some thin lines from black cardstock and glued them to white cardstock with a glue pen. Using a computer, you could also create and print the tic tac toe grid onto a cardstock panel or draw your grid with a black marker.  Next I replaced the traditional "O's" with one of the small hearts from When Hearts Collide stamped in red ink.

The "X's" are from Games People Play.  I stamped the sentiment, also from When Hearts Collide in black ink, matted the stamped panel on black cardstock and adhered it to a white cardstock base. 

Three hearts in a row!  Looks like Love Sweet Love has won this game!  :)  

That's all for me today!  Thanks so much for stopping by!  

Katie

Classroom Valentine Treats

Hello friends, 

Every year I struggle with the question as to make Valentine's for my kid's classes or to buy them.  I will be perfectly honest and admit that over the past couple years, I have done both. While it's easy to toss some money at a box of Valentines at Target,  I do enjoy making these sweet treats, but sometime I feel like I am working in Cupid's Sweatshop than making something memorable for (and with) my kids. 

This year, I think I have found a happy compromise and I wanted to share some of my prototypes today. 

I used the Paper Smooches Cupcake die to cut cupcake tops and wrappers from various colors of cardstock. I embossed the tops with swirly embossing folders from Provo Craft/ Cuttlebug and Lifestyle Crafts and stamped the cupcake wrappers with graphic designs.  The polka dots are from Paper Smooches Geo-Graphic and the diagonal lines are from Kissables 2. I adhered the cupcake to the wrapper and added a tag which I stamped with "You're Sweet" from Paper Smooches Giddy Gumdrops.  I used twine and a bit of foam tape to keep the tag in place.

I used the Hearts die to cut some various sizes of hearts from cardstock.  The sprinkles started life as a the hashtag from the Cardbooking Die collection.

On the back of the cupcake, I adhered a small glassine envelope that I found at a local paper and party supply store.  I tucked a chocolate inside the envelope and secure it closed with a bit of washi tape.

The girls can write the To and From on the back side of the cupcake wrapper before we adhere the chocolate.   Here's a closer look at a couple more cupcake varieties: 

Vanilla Cherry

Chocolate covered strawberry- YUM! 

I am excited about these Valentines because there are lots of little steps that the girls will be able to do like embossing the cardstock, putting the chocolates inside the envelopes and taping them shut, adhering the heart to the top of the cupcake with foam tape and signing the Valentines (of course). 

I am sharing this project with the Simon Says Stamp Emboss It Challenge and the Paper Smooches February Guest Designer search. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a sweet day!

Katie

XO

Hello friends!

I got some crafty time with my girlfriends yesterday and got a chance to play with some of my Paper Smooches goodies.

This card uses the Sweet Hearts set which was the Thanks A Million set for December.

I used my Silhouette Portrait to cut XO from a piece of cardstock.  I lightly traced the letters onto my cardstock and filled in the shapes with various sized hearts. I adore this set for the variety of sizes and shapes.  Plus some of the hearts nest inside other hearts which is super fun!  I used ink from Hero Arts (Pale Tomato, Fresh Peach, Bubblegum, Forever Green, and  Field Green).

Once I filled in the shapes, I erased my pencil lines and rounded the edges of the stamped panel.  I then adhered the panel to a Berry Sorbet card base. 

I am sharing this card with this week's Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge- this week's theme is Anything Goes and I LOVE seeing what the players dream up using their Paper Smooches stamps!   You have until January 25th to enter. 

I am also going to link this project up to the Paper Smooches Feburary Guest Designer search.  Please wish me luck! The competition is fierce! So many talented stampers love their Paper Smooches just as much as I do! :)   The deadline for the February Guest Designer search is January 22nd. 

Well that's all for me today!  I hope you are having a great weekend! 

Katie

Fresh Squeezed Stamps- Jar of Hearts

Hello and Happy Saturday friends!  

I am on the Fresh Squeezed Stamps blog today with another Valentine's Day card idea using the two newest sets from FSS: Love Signs and When Hearts Collide.

I die cut a jar from white cardstock and stamped the 'hubba hubba' and 'hot stuff' conversation hearts from Love Signs with Versamark and embossed them with pink, light pink, and red embossing powder.  I created the solid hearts by using a Versamark marker to fill in the words on all but two of the hearts. 

Next I added a few chalkboard touches with white pencil and white pigment ink.  Finally, I stamped "love sweet love" from When Hearts Collide onto a tag and tied it to the jar with a bit of baker's twine.  I adhered the completed panel to a pink cardstock base. 

      

Well that's all for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by!  

Katie

A sweet Valentine treat + a Neat and Tangled farewell

Hi friends,

I am on the Neat and Tangled blog today with an idea to share for a sweet Valentine treat.

It's also my last project as a member of the Neat and Tangled design team, so dark chocolate aside, it's a bittersweet post.  I am thankful to Danielle for the opportunity, my amazing teamies, who are as kind as they are talented, and for your sweet comments on my Neat and Tangled projects. 

I adore Danielle's stamps, so you will still see Neat + Tangled stamps used here on my blog and in a some upcoming publications. I can't wait to see what Danielle comes up with next, and I know the new design team members will rock these stamps!  

That's all for me today! Thank you for stopping by!

Katie 

Introducing: When Hearts Collide

Hello and happy Wednesday!

There is lots that is making my heart happy today.  My kids are finally heading back to school after an extra, extra long holiday break, we are going up to 23 degrees Fahrenheit today, and I get to preview another awesome set from Fresh Squeezed stamps!

When Hearts Collide is a collection of adorable hearts and a few well chosen and well designed sentiments (like the one above).  For my card, I stamped and masked a series of hearts on a panel of cream cardstock.  Next, I stamped the sentiment in kraft ink and added a few enamel dots. 

I rounded the opposite corners of the stamped panel and adhered it with foam tape to a wheat colored card base. I always struggle with whether to round corners or not and my friend, Lindsay from Note to Self, shared her tip with me.  Her advice is to look at the shapes in the design.  Rounded shapes? Go ahead and round those corners.  Angular shapes? Leave the corners squared. Since hearts are round on top and pointy at the bottom, I decided to round the opposite corners. 

I also wanted to share my color inspiration for my card today.  I took a few liberties with the colors adding some deeper shades of merlot, but I loved the colors found in these rosy grapes.

source

Please be sure to stop by the Fresh Squeezed Stamps blog today for even more inspiration using When Hearts Collide and for a chance to win this set.  Both Love Signs and When Hearts Collide will be available for purchase on Friday, January 10th! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Introducing Love Signs!

Good morning!  

It's release week at Fresh Squeezed Stamps and today we are introducing you to Love Signs.  

Love Signs is a collection of the cutest and most clever sentiments and images perfect for Valentine's Day or any other loving occasion.  For my project, I decided to focus on the You + Me equation.  The equation got me thinking about school, so I decided to try a chalkboard look.  

I made a card from kraft card stock and covered it with a panel of aqua card stock that I spattered with spray ink.  I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment and atomic hearts from Love Signs with white embossing powder.  Next I seasoned the chalk stock with both chalk and white pigment ink.  

I rounded the top corners of the chalkboard and adhered it to a wooden ledge I made with Background Check. I adhered the chalkboard to a doily and adhered it to the card.  A few enamel dots and some quilled chalk pieces added a finishing touch.  

Be sure to stop by the Fresh Squeezed Stamps blog today for even more inspiration from the crazy talented design team and a chance to win this set!  

Thanks so much for stopping by!  

Katie

Hello New Year

Good morning and Happy Monday!

Today, I am playing along with the Simon Say's Stamp Wednesday Stamp Challenge.   The theme for this week is Something New.  I used a new stamp set from Avery Elle called Circle It and made a card to say "hello" to the new year.

I stamped the circles from Circle It in a random pattern with few shades of Hero Arts ink (Pale Tomato, Bubblegum Pink, Butter Bar and Soft Pool)  The black dots were stamped with my trusty Versafine Onyx Black ink.   

I used my Silhoutte Portrait to cut the "hello new year" sentiment from Gold Foil cardstock (Worldwin Papers). I used a glue pen to adhere the sentiment to the stamped panel and matted it with more gold foil cardstock.

Finally, I mounted the matted panel to a black cardstock base. Maybe it's because I like shiny objects, but I really love how the gold sentiment looks on this card. Anyone else smitten with the gold trend lately? 

Well that's all for me today!  Thanks for stopping by!

Katie :)

SPARKS Challenge- Love is All You Need

Hello friends! 

The post Christmas, pre-Valentine's Day love-fest is rolling right along here on the old blog.  This time, I am loving mint + gold on a card I made for this week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge.  This week's theme is Anything Goes!  

I stamped and heat embossed the arrows, hearts and sentiment from Love Struck in gold onto mint cardstock.  I matted the stamped panel on gold cardstock, and mounted it to a mint card base with foam tape.  The mint cardstock is called Mint to Be from Avery Elle. 

You have until Saturday, January 11 at 11:59 p.m. PST to link up your Anything Goes project to the SPARKS blog.  Be sure to check out the amazing inspiration from the other members of the SPARKS design team playing along with this week's challenge: 

Rachel

Taheerah

Trisha

Savannah

I can't wait to see what you create! Thanks for stopping by! :)

Katie

Fresh Squeezed Stamps- Sent With Love

Hello and happy Saturday! 

I am on the Fresh Squeezed Stamps blog today with a Valentine card that (closer to the big day) will be "sent with love."

I stamped the envelope from String Me Along onto a scrap of cream cardstock.  To make the open flap, I simply rotated the stamp 180 degrees and stamped the envelope again. I trimmed away the excess of the top envelope image and was left with an open envelope. I scored and creased the flap to give it a bit more dimension.

The hearts are also from String Me Along.  Using a craft knife, I separated the heart from the envelope.  The end result gives me a lot of flexibility and a cute little heart stamp!  I stamped the airplane, sentiment and trail from The Envelope, Please, then added the twine and a few sequins.  I would say love is definitely in the air!

Well, that's all for me today! Thanks so much for stopping by!  
Katie