Thanks and a Farewell {Paper Smooches SPARKS}

Good morning friends,

It's time for another Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge!  Since this month has 5 Sundays, it's a bonus Anything Goes challenge and here's my card:

This card is all about die-cutting.  I built a background using the Hexalong dies and die cut a pretty thanks from gold cardstock. I adhered the sentiment to a circle to help set it apart a bit from the background.  The Paper Smooches products I used are as follows: 

• Hexalongs Dies
• Thanks Word 2 Die

This post is also my farewell to the Paper Smooches SPARKS team.  I am stepping down due to increasing demands on my time at work and home. This was such a hard decision to make because I just LOVE Paper Smooches and my SPARKS gals.  It's been a true joy serving on the team for the past year and a half, and I am so grateful to Kim and Sav for allowing me the opportunity. I also hope to continue to pop in and play along with challenges as a player as time allows. You can read the official announcement here and meet the new members of the team.  (Welcome Karin and Audrey!  Woot woot!!) 

Ready to play?  Just link up your creation to the Paper Smooches blog by 11:59 Pacific Time on Saturday, June 6th.  The winner of this week's challenge will receive a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store. 

The following SPARKS team members are playing along with this week's challenge: 

Audrey

Lisa

Erin

Jenny

Katie

Larissa

Lori

Lynn

Savannah

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

Katie

Tooth Fairy Smile Card {Paper Smooches SPARKS}

Hello friends, 

Today starts another Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge.  This week, it's a Designer Drafts or sketch challenge, and here's my take: 

My youngest daughter, Sophie, is at that age where is seems like she has a wiggly tooth every other week.  I thought it might be fun for the Tooth Fairy to leave her tooth payment in a cute card. 

I stamped the starry pattern at the bottom of a pink notecard before adding some white pigment ink to give it a dreamy look.  The tooth fairy's wings are made from vellum which I die cut with the Hearts dies.   All Paper Smooches supplies are linked below. 

Stamps: 

• Spring Fling
• Royal Cuteness
• Scripty Sayings

Dies:

• Hearts dies
• Tooth Fairy die

And here's a look at this week's inspiration sketch: 

Ready to play?  You know the routine!   You have until 11:59 PT on Saturday, May 30, 2015 to link up your take on this week's challenge to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog for a chance to win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store.  

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

Larissa Heskett
Lori Tecler
Lynn Mangan
Savannah O'Gwynn

I can't wait to see what you create!  

Thanks for stopping by!
Katie

Simple Happy Birthday Card {SPARKS Challenge}

Hello friends, 

It's time for another Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge!  This week it's ANYTHING GOES and here's my take: 

You can never have too many birthday cards on hand, especially those that can work for both gals and guys.  I had picked up the Incognito stamp set a few months ago and it was just waiting for the perfect card to make it's debut.  I stamped the glasses and added a triangle from the Design Motifs stamp set as a party hat.  Before stamping the triangle on the card, I pressed the diagonal line stamp block from Kissables 2 stamp set against it to create the fun pattern.  The sentiment is from one of my favorites and most used Paper Smooches stamp sets- Sentiment Sampler. 

Lest the card be too plain and simple, I dressed up the edges by die cutting a dashed line on either side of the stamped panel using the Dots and Dashes dies and I filled in the lens of the glasses with Glossy Accents. 

Ready to play?  You know the routine!   You have until 11:59 PT on Saturday, May 9, 2015 to link up your take on this week's challenge to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog for a chance to win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store.  

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

Larissa Heskett
Lori Tecler
Lynn Mangan
Savannah O'Gwynn

I can't wait to see what you create!  

Thanks for stopping by!
Katie

Chalkboard Easel Teacher Appreciation Card {Paper Smooches SPARKS}

Hello friends, 

It's time for another Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge!  This week it's ANYTHING GOES and here's my take: 

I have Teacher Appreciation on the mind because that's where my Anything went.  From a kraft card base, I used the Quote tags dies to make an easel.  I embossed the sentiment from the Uplifters stamp set onto black card stock and made a ledge from a brown card stock rectangle.  I added an apple using the School Icons dies and rolled up a scrap piece of white card stock to serve as chalk.

Ready to play?  You know the routine!   You have until 11:59 PT on Saturday, April 25 to link up your take on this week's challenge to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog for a chance to win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store.  

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

Larissa Heskett
Lori Tecler
Lynn Mangan
Savannah O'Gwynn

I can't wait to see what you create!  

Thanks for stopping by!
Katie

Watercolor Rose Birthday Card {Paper Smooches SPARKS}

Hello friends, 

It's time for another Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge!  This week we are inspired by a beautiful photo featuring floral pom-poms and soft gray stripes and here's my take: 

 I die cut the Roses Die and a pair of leaves from white card stock and roughly sketched where I was planning to place them on a panel of watercolor paper.  I removed the die cuts and added color to the panel with Distress Inks.

Once dry, I adhered the rose and leaves to the watercolor panel.  The sentiment is from Lovely Thoughts and I added a few sequins.  I attached the finished panel to a card base with foam tape, trimming it down slightly before adhering so a fun strip of washi tape would peek through.  

Here's this week's inspiration photo: 

source

Ready to play?  You know the routine!   You have until 11:59 PT on Saturday, April 18 to link up your take on this week's challenge to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog for a chance to win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store.  

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

Larissa Heskett
Lori Tecler
Lynn Mangan
Savannah O'Gwynn

I can't wait to see what you create!  

Thanks for stopping by!
Katie

Live like it's Spring {Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge}

Hello friends!

It's time for another Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge.  This week is a Designer Draft challenge and here's my take. 

In place of the long banner on the sketch, I used the rainbow clouds from the Luminous Spring stamp set.  I used a stamp positioner (thank you Misti) to lengthen the rainbow to the height of my panel.  

I colored the rainbow with Copic markers- except the purple stripe.  Apparently I don't own any purple Copic markers- so I had to improvise with a Distress Marker.  And needless to say, I will need to add a purple Copic marker or two to my crafty purchase list. ;) 

After all the marker drama, I decided to stamp the sentiment in black and keep the rest of the card pretty simple.  Here's a look at the inspiration sketch: 

So, now it's your turn!  Make a card inspired by this week's sketch and link up your creation to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog by Saturday, March 28 at 11:59 PST.  The winner of this week's challenge will receive a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches shop!  Yay!!! 

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

Lynn Mangan

Lori Tecler
Larissa Heskett

Savannah O'Gwynn

That's all for me today!  Thanks so much for stopping by!  I can't wait to see what you create! 

Katie

Sweet Valentine Treats {Paper Smooches SPARKS}

Hello friends!  

Today starts another Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge.  This week is an ANYTHING GOES challenge, so albeit a day late, I thought I would share the Valentine's Day treats that my girls handed out to their classmates on Friday.  

Valentine's Day is like the winter equivalent of Halloween whereby sugar and all things sweet seem to rule the day- at least for the classroom set.  The girls LOVE Pixy Stix and begged me to figure out a way to make these sticks of sugar into a Valentine.  We ended up fashioning them into arrows complete with feathers and heart arrowheads. 

We die-cut hearts using the Hearts Dies and glued a heart to the end of each stick.  Colorful card stock cut with the Feathers Dies adorn the other end of the arrow.  I wrapped the base of the feathers with a bit of washi tape to help keep them in place.

It's just not Valentine's Day without a punny sentiment, so the Love Struck stamp set came to our rescue with the fitting "Quill You Be My Valentine" sentiment.  We stamped the sentiment onto a circle punched from white cardstock and mounted the circle to pink card stock cut with the Pinked Circles die before glueing it to the Pixy Stix. 

Once dry, the girls could write the to and from information on the back of the circle.   From what I was told, most of these arrows didn't make it out of the classroom parties and were consumed on the spot.  So now, a moment of silence for the 2015 Gehring Valentine's... we barely knew thee, and are grateful for your contribution in making this Valentine's Day just a bit sweeter.  

So, now it's your turn!  Make anything you like using Paper Smooches Stamps and link up your creation to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog by Saturday, February 21 at 11:59 PST.  The winner of this week's challenge will receive a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches shop!  Yay!!! 

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

Lynn Mangan

Lori Tecler
Larissa Heskett

Savannah O'Gwynn

That's all for me today!  Thanks so much for stopping by!  I can't wait to see what you create! 

Katie

Floral Birthday Wishes Card {Paper Smooches Sparks}

Hello friends,

Today starts another Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge and this week, we are making cards inspired by the most gorgeous inspiration photo EVER.  Seriously, it's soooo pretty.  I will show it to you in a moment, but first, here's my card:

I have really been loving the plus sign patterns I have been seeing in fashion and home decor and decided to create one in black and gold using the Squared dies. 

I left some spaces in the pattern for visual interest and to accommodate other design elements, like the sentiment from the Lovely Thoughts stamp set. 

For the flowers, I die cut the Roses dies from chipboard and topped the die cuts with white card stock.  Next I did a wash of distress ink on watercolor paper traced the die cut, cut it out (slightly inside the line) and adhered the die cuts over top. 

So are you ready to see gorgeous inspiration photo? Here you go!

{via}

So pretty, right?  I bet you are super inspired, so go, run to your craft space and make a beautiful card.  Then link it up to the Paper Smooches blog by 11:59 p.m. PST on Saturday, February 14th.  The winner of the challenge will get a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store!  Yay!!!!  

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

Lynn Mangan

Lori Tecler
Larissa Heskett

Savannah O'Gwynn

That's all for me today!  Thanks so much for stopping by!  I can't wait to see what you create! 

Katie

Hey Sweets {Paper Smooches SPARKS}

Hey Sweets! :)

Just popping in this morning to share a card that I made for the latest Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge.  This week is a sketch challenge and here's my take:

I sort of flipped the sketch a bit and instead of using a scalloped frame, I used the scalloped frosting edge from the Cupcakes die.  Before adhering the cupcake to my card, I added a bit of interest by stamping the frosting with the polka dots from the Geo-Graphic stamp set and the wrapper with the diagonal stripes from the Kissables 2 stamps set. 

The sentiment if from the Ghoulfriends stamp set and I topped the cupcake with a heart from the Hearts Dies set.  The white sprinkles are enamel dots. 

Here's a look at this week's inspiration sketch: 

Ready to play?  You know the routine!  Link up your take on this week's challenge to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog by 11:59 p.m. PST on Saturday, January 31.  The winner of the challenge will get a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store!  Yay!!!!  

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

Lynn Mangan

Lori Tecler
Larissa Heskett

Savannah O'Gwynn

That's all for me today!  Thanks so much for stopping by!  I can't wait to see what you create! 

Katie

Let's Celebrate Card {SPARKS Challenge}

Hello Party People!  

Let's celebrate the very first Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge of 2015!  YAY!  It's a super easy challenge because ANYTHING GOES!  Here's my celebratory card. 

The champagne bottle is the Apron Dies- die cut twice and layered.  Then I added some streamers, confetti and the "Let's Celebrate" sentiment using the Free Spirits stamp set. 

Ready to play?  You know the routine!  Link up your take on this week's challenge to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog by 11:59 p.m. PST on Saturday, January 10.  The winner of the challenge will get a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store!  Yay!!!!  

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

Lynn Mangan

Lori Tecler
Larissa Heskett

Savannah O'Gwynn

That's all for me today!  Thanks so much for stopping by!  I can't wait to see what you create! 

Katie

Tropical Seasons Greeting card {Paper Smooches SPARKS}

Hello friends,

I hope you are having a great weekend.  Today starts another Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge and this week... ANYTHING GOES!  See what I mean?

Last month, we took a family vacation to Florida where Christmas preparation was in full swing at several theme parks and resorts.  I started thinking about what a tropical Christmas would look like, and that was the inspiration for my little holiday scene.  

I die cut the sea and waves using the Borders 1 die set.  I punched a circle from yellow card stock and adhered it below the waves to look like the setting sun.  Next I die cut green card stock using the Feathers die to create a palm tree. 

Then I stamped and die cut the snow men from Freezy Fellas only this time, I don't think they are so freezy... they are sand men! To amp up the Holiday feel, I added a Santa Hat with a pom-pom puff on top to the larger sand man from Merry Motifs and added some sparkling lights to the palm tree with sequins.  Finally, I stamped the sentiment from the Christmas Sampler stamp set. 

Ready to play?  You know the routine!  Link up your take on this week's challenge to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog by 11:59 p.m. PST on Saturday, December 27.  The winner of the challenge will get a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store!  Yay!!!! 

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

Lynn Mangan

Lori Tecler
Larissa Heskett

Savannah O'Gwynn

That's all for me today!  Thanks so much for stopping by!  I can't wait to see what you create! 

Katie

Rockin' Record Card {Paper Smooches SPARKS}

Hello!

Today starts another Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge and this week, we are inspired by this picture of a lovely necklace:

source

There are so many approaches to take with this inspiration photo, but when it came down to it, I saw rocks and my mind went here: 

Using the Beboppin' stamp set, I stamped a bunch of the records on a white card base.  I added the record labels with ink colors that reminded me of the rock colors.  I popped a few of the records up with foam tape for a little interest.  

I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of white card stock and trimmed it at an angle. I adhered it to the card also with foam tape on top of a black card stock mat.   Lastly, I stamped the star among the rockin' records and called it finished. :)

Ready to play?  You know the routine!  Link up your take on this week's challenge to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog by 11:59 p.m. PST on Saturday, December 20.  The winner of the challenge will get a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store!  Yay!!!! 

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

Lynn Mangan

Lori Tecler
Larissa Heskett

Savannah O'Gwynn

That's all for me today!  Thanks so much for stopping by!  I can't wait to see what you create! 

Katie

We Wish You a Merry Christmas card {PS SPARKS}

Happy Sunday friends!

I hope that you are having a lovely holiday weekend.  My No{work}vember is sadly coming to a close, and I head back to the office on tomorrow, but it's been wonderful having some time off for a Walt Disney World vacation with the family and another week to recover from the vacation because let's face it, WDW with two girls is not really a vacation.  

Whilst recovering, I found some time to make a simple, but colorful Christmas card for this week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge.   Since there are 5 Sundays in November, we have a bonus Anything Goes challenge this month and here's my card: 

On a white card stock panel, I stamped the evergreen boughs from the Holly Jolly stamp set in Mint Julep (Hero Arts), Limeade Ice (PTI) , and Emerald City (SC) ink.  

Next, I added the berry clusters with Sweet Gelato (W+9) ink. To make the berry branches, I stamped a few of the twigs and stems from the Botanicals 1 stamp set in Cranberry Crush ink (W+9) and added the berries with one of the small circles included in the Holly Jolly stamp set. 

I added a few green dots with Emerald City ink and a couple yellow stars with Sunny Days (SC) ink to balance it out a bit before stamping the greeting with black ink.  The greeting and the small stars both came from A Holy Holiday stamp set.   I matted the stamped panel on black card stock and attached it to a white card stock base. 

Are you ready to play along?  Link up your take on this week's challenge to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog by Saturday, December 6 at 11:59 p.m. PST.  In order to be eligible for prizes and recognitions, Paper Smooches stamps and dies should be the main focus of your project. As always, the challenge winner will receive a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store!  

Please be sure to check out the Anything Goes creations of the PS SPARKS team playing along with this week's challenge:

Alice Wertz

Erin Taylor

Jenny Mullens

Katie Gehring

Lynn Mangan

Lori Tecler
Larissa Heskett

Savannah O'Gwynn

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

With Gratitude {Paper Smooches SPARKS}

Hello friends, 

It's time for another Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge! This week is a Designer Draft or a sketch challenge. 

Confession time:  I have to admit that this sketch got the best of me... hangs head in shame...so I simplified the sketch- a lot and here's what I came up with:

I stamped two of the large leaves from Leafy Greens onto a cream card stock panel.  These leaves are taking the place of the squares on the sketch.  Next I added the sentiment from Chit Chat in brown ink.  After I stamped it, I thought about stamping it on a banner- ala the sketch, but I decided to leave it as is. 

I felt that the card was a little too simple, so I added the stitched die lines from the Stitched die set and adhered the stamped panel onto a piece of woodgrain patterned paper before attaching it to a cream card base.  

Here's a look at this week's inspiration sketch:

Ready to play? You know the routine! You have until 11:59 PT on Saturday, November 29, 2014 to link up your take on this week's challenge to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog for a chance to win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store. Woot, woot!  

Well that's all for me today!  Be sure to check out inspiration from the awesome members of the Paper Smooches SPARKS team playing along with this week's challenge:

Larissa Heskett
Lori Tecler
Lynn Mangan
Savannah O'Gwynn

Thanks for stopping by! 

Katie