First up today is who won the slot in the Summer Card Camp 2 class from Online Card Classes? Well, that would be Agus (3:48 p.m. on 6/17)! Congrats, Agus! I just sent you an email about your prize!

Second, I’m blogging elsewhere today. I’m sharing a couple double page pocket-style scrapbook layouts over on the Simple Stories blog. Yes, the card girl did say layouts. (Holy smokes, you guys, the pressure of sharing them with you. )

Here’s a itty bitty peek of one of them.

I’m also excited to share a little bit of my “free-spirited” approach to pocket style pages, too.  I think you’ll find I’m pretty relaxed about putting these pages together.

Anyway, you can read about it over there. Hope you will consider checking it out.

Have you heard the news? I’m super dang excited to be taking part in the new Summer Card Camp 2 workshop from Online Card classes.

Just in case you haven’t heard anything about it, here’s a little about Summer Card Camp 2 (courtesy of the OCC crew):

Join your Online Card Classes Summer Camp counselors—Kristina Werner, Jennifer McGuire, and friends (including me!)—for a three-week adventure packed with cardmaking ideas! Each day, you’ll discover a new way to have fun with your cardmaking supplies, whether we’re exploring a color combo, transforming a design sketch, or learning a new technique together. Summer Card Camp 2 includes designs from over 40 guest artists (yay!), lively videos, PDFs containing step-by-step instructions, shopping discounts, and loads of giveaways! Plus, you’ll have lifetime access to all of the class content—talk about making that summertime feeling last! Summer Card Camp 2 runs July 8-29. Sign up now for only $35!

And here’s a sneak peek of the project I cooked up for Summer Card Camp 2.

And guess what? I get to give away one slot for Summer Card Camp 2 to one of you. (Why yes… yes, I do!)

Leave a comment for me on this blog post today (6/17). I’ll pick and announce a winner on Tuesday, 6/18. Good luck!

Just a couple quick things today!

First, a card in honor of the dads out there.

Happy Father’s Day to all of them!

This is just a simple card I recently submitted to Paper Crafts magazine that wasn’t selected  for publication (and I know those wild and crazy editors hate the word “reject”, but I am going to use it anyway.). It was a reject, people.

For me, part of the adventure of submitting is sometimes seeing what does get selected and what doesn’t. I sometimes scratch my head. And, other times, I think “Heck yeah, baby!” You know the old phrase: “You win. You lose some.”

Anyhoo, going back to the card: I stamped the words with the Dad Rocks by Ali Edwards stamp set from Technique Tuesday. I was going for a paint splattered look here so I flicked spray mists all over the panel before I did the stamping.

Simple technique and a simple card, but still a fun one to make.

One other little thing: The folks over at Simon Says Stamp! invited me to share some projects over on their blog again. Here’s a little peek of what you’ll find over there.

I’d be honored if you’d consider checking it out.
And thank you again, Simon and friends! It’s a total pleasure… and honor… when you invite me to play.

Be back again later. gators!

Just a quick little card today, made to celebrate the release of some new dies from Paper Smooches that coordinate with the June 2013 stamp sets.

I made this one with the new Briny Blue 2 dies, which coordinate with the Briny Blue stamp set.

I really just cut a bunch of the dies out and started stamping on them and playing with the arrangement on the card until I had something that looked like I had a whole lot of fish hanging out together.

Ha! The goofiness kinda humors me!

To make one of the fish stand out a little more, I popped it with foam tape and added the wiggle eye. I felt like the scene needed a little bit of a focal point.

That’s all I have! Be back later, all!

Hope you are having a good Saturday!

It’s Studio AE Blog Hop time again. Hooray!

I’m joining the team in sharing today something made with the new Fun in the Sun by Ali Edwards set, the Studio AE stamp set for June!

Here’s a peek at the set, in case you haven’t seen it.

I used the set to make a little pocket-style scrapbook page to document a color run/walk I recently took part in with a couple good friendst!  Each of us (definitely not the vision of health perfection) paid for it for a few days afterwards, but the event was sure a fun way to kick off Summer! (Ok, and It was really cool to say we did it! )

I created each of the banners on my page with the Fun in the Sun set by stamping them on cardstock and cutting them out. So they would fit across the little cards, I only used part of the banners on them. I sure like the different look it gives them by just using a portion of the banner, rather than the whole thing.

I also used a couple other stamp sets on the page: Ali’s Bring on the Sun and Awesome and Fill in the Blank. (In full disclosure, I designed both the Awesome and Fill in the Blank stamp sets. Awesome came out last Summer, while Fill in the Blank debuted at the CHA-Winter show. )

Thanks for taking a peek!

Be sure to check out the projects from everyone taking part in today’s hop!

• Ali
• Ashley
• Linda
• Daniela
• Nichol
• Laura
• Sharyn
• Teri (<—– here you are!)

Be sure to leave a few comments as you hop! Technique Tuesday will be giving away a $25 gift certificate to someone who comments during the hop. The winner will be selected from all the comments received and announced on the TT blog sometime on the 15th.

Be back again soon!

Just one little card to share today.  Never got around to posting  it here so thought I would.

Made this guy while messing around with a kit from Studio Calico. It really was an adventure of just seeing what I came up with.

What else can I tell ya? Who won the stamps from my post for the Paper Smooches Blog Hop this month? Well, well…. that would be Darci Powers (5/31 at 3:46 a.m.). Congrats, Darci! I sent you an email!

And one more thing:  I have a little news.

You can read a little more about it here. There’s a great giveaway on that post.

And you can read a little more about the Life Documented philosophy and the history of Simple Stories here.

Let’s talk in real time for a minute: Much of my crafty life involves make cards, cards and cards. Every so often, I need to just take a break from that. Sometimes, it is just 30 minutes. Sometimes, it’s an hour. I get in this zone where I feel like I need to reminisce. And I need document what’s happening now. I look forward to sharing that side of me a bit more often.

Thanks for swinging by!

It’s once again Pep Rally week in the Paper Smooches world, and the gang is banding together today to share a sampling of the Paper Smooches June stamp release with you!  FIVE new stamps and FOUR new dies will be available to purchase at 12:01am, Eastern time…on June 1st.  You will find them HERE

To add extra fun to our blog hop…we are offering up a prize!  Just leave a comment on any of the eight design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of our new stamp sets!  (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify)  You have until midnight MT on Friday, May 31st to leave a comment.  Please check all design team blogs on Saturday, June 1st to see if you are one of the lucky winners.

To increase your chances of winning:

• Leave a comment on this blog post
• Tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop
• Tell us that you Tweeted about our hop

Tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

(which means you really have four big chances to win on each blog)

So let’s get on with the project!

I used two new stamp sets from Paper Smooches – Off the Charts and Chart Toppers! Some of the stamps came from one set, and the others came from the other. The cool thing about them they work really well together. One is images. The other consists of words and a few small images!

I thought this might be a fun little wedding or anniversary card… or a card to just give to a favorite couple, just to brighten their day!

Kinda fun, right?

So that’s all I have for you, but one more thing….

By the way, we have a bonus giveaway for you today, too.  Stop by the Paper Smooches blog for your chance to win a Scor Buddy!  You will find the details HERE

Be back later! Thanks, as always, for visiting my blog! I appreciate your comments and kindness!

It’s a play day here!

My Paper Smooches pals are joining forces this week with Scor-pal and sharing a lot of projects made with stuff from both companies. Plus, both blogs are giving away prizes, so check out these two blogs every day through Friday, May 31.

• Paper Smooches blog
• Scor-pal blog

Today, it’s my turn (and Kimmer’s turn) to share something on the Paper Smooches’ front!

So, without further ado, let’s get on with the project!

The stamped  “thanks” is from Paper Smooches’ Simply Said stamp set, while the leaf was cut with their Loopy Leaf die.

I used Scor-Pal’s Scor-Buddy to give the orange, yellow and blue cardstock strips the striped pattern.

I also used it to score the frame around the card front!

A little tip: Because I normally try to have a clean inside for my card, I often make card fronts first and then just mount the card front to a fresh card.  I’ve been asked a lot about messy card fronts over the year (you know, ones that have twine, ribbon and marks on the backside). Anyway, that’s the secret to what I try to do. In fact, I did that here because of the score marks.

So that’s all I have be. Back tomorrow. Don’t forget to check out Kimmers’ project!

Hi friends!

Super excited today to take part again in one of Operation Write Home’s blog hops. I knew the second I heard about this weekend’s hop that I wanted to sign up.

Operation Write Home is an organization I really admire. Not just because they support  the troops by making handmade cards for them to send their loved ones, but they also get us card makers fired up about sharing our love for the hobby! I think that is just great! (Really, thanks, guys, for supporting the troops and for mobilizing all of us! )

Ok, so enough mushy stuff!  Of course, I have a card to share today.  So meet today’s card, which I will be sending in for the troops!

I really wanted to make a friendly little card so I used what I like to call one of my go-to happy sentiments. This one is from the Bring on the Sun by Ali Edwards stamp set from Technique Tuesday.

That’s real cork on that card. Had a little leftover from another project so I decided to put it to use! The papers are all from my scrap pile!

The hearts were cut with a die from Lawn Fawn. I added a little bit of stitching, as well as a screw shaped brad, to them. Kinda fun!

So that is all I have!

Be sure to head here to find links to everyone taking part in the hop this weekend! Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Just a couple cards to share. Both were made with May’s Greenhouse Society stamp set from Technique Tuesday.

Meet #1.

And say hello to #2.

I lived on the edge (hee!) and did a little bit of stamping and fussy cutting with the rose on both cards. I actually stamped the flower twice on the first one, cutting out a small portion to pop it up off center.

I added sentiments to both cards with a couple Ali Edwards stamp sets from Technique Tuesday: So Sorry and A Million and One.

By the way, TT has a sweet deal right now. Because the Greenhouse Society has been around one year now, Greenhouse Society members are getting a bonus stamp set this month. They are each getting the A Million and One stamp set included with their May shipment. If you haven’t joined yet and are thinking about it, join the program by 5/31 and you’ll get the A Million and One set, too.

Alright, that’s all I have got!

Be back later, y’all! Have a great weekend!