Paper Crafter's Library – Page 37 – A world of creativity at your fingertips

Please Welcome New Paper Crafter’s Library Designer/Educator Jennifer Rzasa

A few months back we decided to add to the Paper Crafter’s Library team. We sent out a number of invitations and selected several ladies to join our team as Designer/Educators. They have been hard at work, creating some paper crafting projects to share with our Paper Crafter’s Library members.

It is with great pleasure that we introduce you to Jennifer Rzasa.

Learn More About Jennifer Rzasa

Hi there, this is Jennifer Rzasa. I teach elementary music in a public school just outside of Boston, MA, and I live in a small apartment with my amazing husband. Paper crafting is just one of my hobbies (among sewing, cooking, painting, skateboarding, cosplaying, making jewelry, etc…) – but it is definitely my favorite! I especially love making cards- it’s such a wonderful feeling to create something in just a small amount of time that can make both yourself and someone else extremely happy!

If you are interested in seeing more of Jennifer’s work, we encourage you to check out and bookmark her blog.

Please help us to warmly welcome Jennifer!

Please Welcome New Paper Crafter’s Library Designer/Educator Linda Yamamoto

It is with great pleasure that we introduce you to Linda Yamamoto.

Learn More About Linda Yamamoto

I’ve been crafting in one way or another most of my life – but paper crafting is my favourite! I am a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator, and in fact was one of the first Canadian demonstrators when the opportunity came to this country. I continue to enjoy teaching and sharing paper crafting with others both in person and online through my website http://www.yamstamps.com . When not working on that, I work in the community as a physiotherapist. I am the proud mother of one teenaged son, who keeps me on my toes constantly, which can come in handy for my interest in running – to the point where I’ve managed to complete 3 marathons. My interests also include travelling, singing and music in general. I’m looking forward to being part of the PCL team and sharing more information on MDS – because digital and hybrid crafting is perfect for letting digital photos live somewhere else than just the memory card or computer.

If you are interested in seeing more of Linda’s work, we encourage you to check out and bookmark her blog.

Please help us to warmly welcome Linda!

Featured Artist/Designer: Debby Hughes

Today on the Paper Crafter’s Library blog, we’re continuing our weekly featured artist spotlight whereby each week we spotlight a different artist/designer in the paper crafting & mixed media world and introduce you to their fabulous work. Today we’re thrilled to welcome Debby Hughes.

Before we show you Debby’s project, let’s get to know her a little bit more…

Hi, I’m Debby Hughes, first off let me tell you a little about myself. I’m a stay at home Mum to three great kids. Born in England, I now live in Scotland where the scenery still takes my breath away even after living here for years. I have a science background but I have always enjoyed creating and it was in 2005 that I found paper crafts. My love of the hobby grew and in 2010 I started my blog, Lime Doodle Design, as a place to share my creations. Nowadays you can also find me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Since those first days, when I wondered if anyone would pop by my blog, it has been a wonderful creative journey involving Challenge Blogs, Splitcoaststampers Dirty Dozen, Company Design Teams, Online Classes and the thrill of seeing my cards in print. Currently I design for Simon Says Stamp, Online Card Classes and Clearly Besotted Stamps.

I’m delighted to be joining Paper Crafter’s Library today to share a Clean & Simple, white on white card with that trendy touch of gold.

Hello

I love the look of white on white but it can be difficult to achieve without the layers blending into one another. However, by adding some stitching and splatters to the background the white Butterfly Tendrils die cut, from Simon Says Stamp, when raised on foam adhesive is clearly defined. All I needed to add were a few scattered pearls.

For the sentiment I turned to another die, the Small Hello die from Simon Says Stamp, cut from some lovely gold glitter card. Oh and I added a little heart die cut from the Large Holiday Shapes set also in gold. And that was it! Clean and Simple with a sparkle.

Thanks for joining me today and thank you Paper Crafter’s Library for having me over.

Supplies:

Dies – Simon Says Stamp butterfly tendrils, small hello, large holiday shapes; Card – Neenah solar white 110lb, DCWV glitter card; Mist – Heidi Swapp gold; Adhesive pearls

We hope you have enjoyed today’s projects courtesy of Debby Hughes. Be sure to stop by Debby’s blog to see even more of her beautiful work (and let her know we sent you).

Featured Company: Paper Smooches

This week we are thrilled to welcome Paper Smooches! In today’s spotlight you’ll learn more about Paper Smooches, see a fantastic project by Kim Hughes – the owner – and have the opportunity to win the stamp set and coordinating dies shown below (details at the end of this post).

About Paper Smooches

Paper Smooches stamps and dies are whimsical, happy and super fun! We pride ourselves in creating unique products that will make your projects truly stand out! Our products are created to stand the test of time and will never retire. We create hand-drawn art that will surely capture your heart.

Paper Smooches Designer

Today we welcome Kim Hughes. We are so excited to have her showcase her work today on Paper Crafter’s Library. You can see Kim’s fabulous project below, but first, here is a little more about her: My name is Kim Hughes. I am the owner and Illustrator for Paper Smooches. We opened our doors just over three years ago and it has been a wonderful experience for me. I have been artistic my whole life but I found scrapbooking over 15 years ago. I have worked with many manufacturers and magazines over the years and I have been a part of nearly every aspect of the paper crafting industry. One of my favorite positions was serving as a Go-to Gal for Paper Crafts magazine. I think the paper crafting industry is amazing and I am thrilled to have the chance to be creative every single day.

Designer Project

I live in sunny Arizona, so I was excited to start creating with our brand new stamp set called Southwestern Charm! I “kissed” the solid cactus by inking up the cactus and pressing it onto an uninked polka dot stamp. It transferred the polka dots and added amazing texture! I cut along the bottom of the cactus to add dimension and popped up the panel for added interest.

Supplies

stamps: Paper Smooches (Southwestern Charm, Bold Blooms, Kissables 1, Eco Friendly, Southwest Icons dies)
inks: Stampin’ Up (Certainly Celery), Fresh Ink (Pool), Memonto (Espresso Truffle, Pear Tart, Bamboo Leaves, Pink Grapefruit)
markers: Copic (YG05, R21, Y02)
cardstock: Bazzill
other: buttons, sequin
adhesive: pop dots

We hope you have enjoyed today’s feature. We want to extend a sincere thank you to Kim Hughes for her fabulous project and to Paper Smooches for sharing their company with us. Be sure to visit Paper Smooches to see more of their great products and their blog for some great inspiration! In order to enter the give-away to win the prize shown above, please leave us a comment in the comments section of this post. One winner will be announced next Wednesday on the Paper Crafter’s Library blog!

Winner of the Verve Stamps Give Away!

I’d like to extend a HUGE thank you to Verve Stamps owner Julee Tilman for sharing such a wonderful project with us and to Verve Stamps for their generous give-away of their collection shown below.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…….the winner is…….Janet Castle!

Congratulations Janet! Be sure to email us at customerservice@papercrafterslibrary.com to claim your prize. Please be sure to put “Verve Stamps Winner” in the subject line of the email, and then in the email itself, be sure to include your full mailing address and phone number.

Join us next week when we feature another great company.

andreasiggypcl

Trendy Tuesday – Mmmm…Coffee

Trendy Tuesday – Mmmm…Coffee

by Katherine Elliot

Pardon me today as I am going to be completely self-indulgent. I’m obsessed with coffee. I live for that aroma that greets me in the morning, preparing me for whatever the day has in store. I don’t think I’m alone. Many companies have found it easy to cater to coffee fans like myself with plenty of coffee themed products, particularly stamp sets, that I’m excited to feature on our post today. Check these out!

Card by Amy Kolling, featuring stamps from Clearly Whimsy Stamps, image source Stamp-n-Paradise

A large number of sentiments, images, and types of cups and mugs make coffee stamp sets fun and easy to mix and match. Stamps and matching dies like those from Whimsy Stamps and Lil’ Inker Designs, give you lots of creative choices, too. It’ll be hard to choose just one set for many caffeine junkies.

Coffee Break stamp set from Whimsy Stamps

Lil’ Inker Designs Coffee Cozy stamp set

Aptly named brand for our featured theme today, Fresh Brewed Designs, also has a variety of casually styled coffee themed images available in both rubber stamp and digital formats. Lori Barnett added some trendy banners and a deliciously colored cupcake paired with her steaming cup of joe using their stamps on her project… yum!

Card by Lori Barnett, featuring stamps from Fresh Brewed Designs, image source Stamp Scents

The variety of images continues with a fun set from Taylored Expressions. Create an entire coffee shop themed card with the Let’s Do Coffee stamp set.Card by Taylor VanBruggen featuring Taylored Expressions Let’s Do Coffee

Taylored Expressions Let’s Do Coffee

Other popular brands that offer coffee themed stamps include Clear & Simple Stamps, Stampin’ Up!, Hero Arts, Sweet n’ Sassy Stamps, and Papertrey Ink.

Clear and Simple Stamps Morning Brew

Card by Rachel Tessman, image source Stamp Your Art Out!

Stampin’ Up! Perfect Blend stamp set

Oh yeah, Hero Arts has the key to my heart with their fun set…Mmmm…coffee AND donuts….!!!

Card by Amber Kemp-Gerstel, image source Damask Love

Hero Arts Have a Donut stamp set

Cards featuring Sweet n Sassy coffee stamps shared next show off other trendy techniques and favorites, too. Watercoloring, stencils and splatters look terrific combined with the coffee theme.

Card by Giovana Smith, featuring stamps from Sweet ‘n Sassy stamps, image source Believe

Card by Bridget Finlay,image source Sweet n Sassy Stamps

Pick Me Up stamp set from Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps

Beyond the world of stamps and cards, other coffee theme projects are also popular. Coffee cozies, specifically, make terrific craft projects. Use some dies and felt to create a fun gift for the coffee lover in your life. Papertrey Ink has some coffee cozy dies you can try, or give it a go cutting one freehand. I’ll share a gift I made by simply using a cardboard cozy from a coffee shop as a template. I hand cut the cozy from felt then embellished it with die cut felt and hand stitching. Felt cozies are quick and fun to make!

Coffee cozy featuring My Favorite Things felt and dies and Unity Stamp Co. gift tag by Katherine Elliot, image source News from the Craftatorium

Last, but not least, Amy Tsuruta created an even more attractive cozy with some lovely spring colors. She used the Papertrey Ink Coffee Cozy die on her creation featured next.

Card and coffee cozy by Amy Tsuruta, featuring stamps and cozy dies from Papertrey Ink, image source Tsuruta Designs

Oh how I’m juiced up and dizzy with ideas for so many of these fun coffee them stamps and dies! I hope you are, too. Happy crafting, everyone!

Featured Artist/Designer: Kelly Rasmussen

Before we show you Kelly’s project, let’s get to know her a little bit more…

My name is Kelly Rasmussen and I live in a small town in Nebraska with my husband and three kids. I began making cards when I was in college and have been addicted ever since. Besides making cards I also enjoys shopping, photography, graphic design, baking and spending time with my family and friends. I am honored to currently be on the Hero Arts and Basic Grey design teams.

You Make My World Bright

Two of my favorite supplies are my stamps and dies and I’ve featured them both on my card today. The sentiment is from the brand new Hero Arts Written in the Stars clear stamp set, which has some really awesome sentiments!

I created the rainbow by die cutting colored cardstock using the Simon Says Stamp Curved Edge Die. Then I added a die cut cloud and tiny glittered heart to the end of the rainbow. And the black and white polka dots borders on the card are strips of washi tape. I think this card would be the perfect little surprise to tuck in my daughter’s backpack. 🙂

Supplies:

Hero Arts Written in the Stars Clear Stamp Set
Bazzill Rainbow Card Shoppe Variety Pack Cardstock
Neenah Solar White Cardstock
Memory Box Puffy Clouds Die
Simon Says Stamp A2 Card Curved Edge Die
Simon Says Stamp Mini Hearts Die
Hero Arts Long and Cute Tag Dies
Hero Arts Black Dye Ink
Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Marker
Martha Stewart White Gold Glitter
White with Black Polka Dots Washi Tape
Ranger Glossy Accents
Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares

We hope you have enjoyed today’s projects courtesy of Kelly Rasmussen. Be sure to stop by Kelly’s blog to see even more of her beautiful work (and let her know we sent you). You can also find Kelly on Instagram and Twitter.

Featured Company: Verve Stamps

This week we are thrilled to welcome Verve Stamps! In today’s spotlight you’ll learn more about Verve Stamps, see a fantastic project by the owner Julee Tilman and have the opportunity to win the Birthday Bots stamp set, Geared Up stamp set and Rounded Scallop Frame die (details at the end of this post).

About Verve Stamps

Verve Stamps was started by Julee Tilman in August 2007 out of a desire to pair her passions for stamping and graphic design. Often used in the performance world, the word Verve (rhymes with curve) means “creative enthusiasm” and that’s just what we try to bring to everything we do at Verve. Our line of high quality clear stamps and coordinating steel dies feature timeless elegance, meaningful sentiments and a hint of modern whimsy. Each stamp is designed with the purpose of uplifting and encouraging others because we believe that kindness really does matter.

Verve Stamps Designer

Today we welcome Julee Tilman. We are so excited to have her showcase her work today on Paper Crafter’s Library. You can see Julee Tilman’s fabulous project below, but first, here is a little more about her:

Julee Tilman has been hooked on stamping since attending her first D.O.T.S. (now CTMH) stamping party in 1993, but even before that could often be found making handmade cards using coloring book images and construction paper. Card making is near and dear to her heart, and she shares her love of all things stamping on her blog, Poetic ARTistry, as well as offering her card layout sketches on her long running Mojo Monday weekly sketch challenge and monthly on the Viva La Verve Sketches blog. These days you can find her hanging out with her twin two year olds, trying to juggle being a mom, running her own stamp company, carving out time to illustrate stamps for Verve, and keeping up with her papercrafting hobby.

Welcome Baby Card

This card was made using the paper tole technique, which was one of the first techniques I fell in love with as a new stamper. It involves stamping an image multiple times and then cutting just portions out and layering from the largest to the smallest to create a three dimensional image.

Here I stamped the robot image from Birthday Bots four times on grey cardstock. The first was my base image, which I left uncolored except for some silver glitter pen accents on the antennae. The second image was cut out and I separated the head portion from the overall portion. I like to ink a little coordinating ink on each layered piece to give it a bit more depth. The overalls were paper pieced directly onto my base layer. The head was attached with foam tape and I accented his nose with the glitter pen. The next stamped image, I just cut out the mouth and eye portion. I layered these on two different thicknesses of dimensionals so that the eye portion would stick out just a bit farther than the mouth. The final stamping, I cut out just the square around the eye and paper pieced it onto the eye portion. I accented with some bitty rhinestones, then stamped the image one more time on the green designer paper to paper piece the little pockets.

I framed my bot with a Rounded Scallop Frame die cut and then stamped the sentiment on white cardstock and colored with a copic marker. To mirror the dots on my designer paper, I used a colorless blender to remove some of the ink on the baby lettering. I finished off with a strip of black rhinestones, a thin black mat and a 4.25” x 5.5” card base.

Supplies:

Stamps: Birthday Bots (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Bundle of Joy Dots & Stripes (Echo Paper), smoky slate, basic black (SU!), white
Ink: smoky slate (SU!), black (TPC Studios), copic markers, spica glitter pen
Accessories: Rounded Scallop Frame Die (A Cut Above by VERVE), rhinestones

We hope you have enjoyed today’s feature. We want to extend a sincere thank you to Julee Tilman for her fabulous project and for sharing Verve Stamps with us. Be sure to visit Verve Stamps to see more of their great products and stop by their blog for inspiration.

In order to enter the give-away to win the prize shown above, please leave us a comment in the comments section of this post. One winner will be announced next Wednesday on the Paper Crafter’s Library blog!

Trendy Tuesday – Paper Straws

Trendy Tuesday – Paper Straws

by Katherine Elliot

So I was walking through the grocery store with my husband the other week and he noticed some fun, red and white striped paper straws in the soda aisle. Guess what was the first thing that came to my mind when he pointed them out? “Hey! I’ve seen those on cards!” Dimensional embellishments are fun to play with and paper straws are among some of the most multifunctional embellishments available to crafters. Grab a drink and check out some examples of trendy paper straws used in creative ways. I spy lots of cool trends in Pam Maas’ project featured first!Card by Pam Maas, image source Mackenzie May Designs

Card by Susan Weinroth, featuring Queen and Co Stylish Stix, image source Queen & Co

Colorful, decorative straws can add some whimsy to any project. Queen & Company, Websters Pages and Kikkerland are some of the most popular brands that offer several styles and patterns of paper straws to choose from.

Alison Kreft Designs Paper Straws for Websters Pages, image source Two Peas in a Bucket

Card by Daniela Dobson, image source Daniela Dobson blog

Daniela Dobson’s cards show off cute polka dotted straws used to anchor trendy banners. Other trendy elements, like twine, buttons and sequins, make her cards a trendy feast for the eyes!

Card by Daniela Dobson, image source Impression Obsession

Looking for something simple? A single straw banner used on a clean and simple design adds dimension that will certainly get noticed. Julia Aston’s creation shows an easy way to keep the card and sentiment simple and fresh using a bright, candy striped paper straw as a banner pole.

Card by Julia Aston, image source Create with Me

One of my favorite ways to use paper straws on projects is creating faux birthday candles. A bit of string or cord adds a little wick to these pretty paper candles. But please be sure to tell your recipient not to light these candles or their card will go up in smoke!

Card by Michelle Bala, image soruce My Passion for Crafting

Card by Stasia Stoma, image source Stampin’ & Scrappin’ with Stasia

Planning a party? Look for paper straws at party supply stores if you are unable to find them at your favorite craft retailer.

Party supply store striped paper straws, image source Via Blossom

Paper straws with colors to match your party’s decorating palette make easy accents for party favors and decorations. Check out these fun paper straw birthday candles added to some yummy cupcakes. Hey, and the tissue paper flames are safe and smoke free!

Paper straw cupcake decorations from Icing Designs, tutorial and image source at Icing Designs

Colorful straws can embellish many different table decorations, party favors or little surprise gifts to celebrate any occasion.

Paper straw jar decoration by Jocelyn Olson, image source Red Balloon Cards

Some of your favorite craft brands have unique straws to coordinate with their other products. Emma Trout’s fun tassels and party straws were decorated lavishly for her festive project. Emma shared some terrific ideas on the Webster Pages blog featuring their Paper Party Straws and coordinating products. Click on the image for the tassel tutorial to see the original blog post for this scrapbook project.

Straw tassels and party straws on a scrapbook layout by Emma Trout, image source Webster’s Pages blog

Kikkerland has some unique, nature inspired straws. Lydia’s card featured next shows off one of the Birch Tree straws from the Kikkerland company. The natural, modern appeal of her project looks very chic with this trendy, paper straw addition.

Card by Lydia, image source Understand Blue

Kikkerland Birch Tree and Bamboo straws, image source Amazon.com

Straws are often sold in large quantities, so you may find them just as useful in your bar or pantry as well as on our paper craft projects.

Bamboo paper straw with a cocktail, image source Kikklerland.com

Remember, I told you paper straws are multifunctional! Whether you are in a creative mood making cards or scrapbook layouts, ready to add something new on your next party decorations, or just want a new way to enjoy a chic cocktail, break out a fun paper straw and let the party begin. Happy crafting everyone.

Featured Artist/Designer: Ashley Marcu

Before we show you Ashley’s project, let’s get to know her a little bit more…

My name is Ashley and I live in a suburb of Seattle Washington with my husband and three young energetic kids. I’ve been crafting since I was a little girl and was thrilled to stumble in to card making after the birth of my first child in 2007. I would define my style somewhere between cute and trendy. I love to keep things simple but I also love layers. I have been published multiple times in Paper Crafts magazine and was crowned Stamping Royalty in 2012. I’m currently designing for Crate Paper, Bella Blvd, Paper Smooches and Little Tangles.

Oh Snap! Card

I love combining traditional scrapbooking products with stamps and die cut elements. Here, I mixed some patterned paper with a fun bingo card. That set a perfect background for my die cut camera and stamped bookmark flag. Layering this way is a fun and easy way to bring in a lot of interest to your cards!

Supplies:

Bella Blvd Molly Selfie 12×12
Crate Paper Oh Darling Ephemera Bingo Card
Paper Smooches Bookmark Dies, Polariod Dies, We Totally Click Stamps
Dear Lizzy Enamel Dots

We hope you have enjoyed today’s projects courtesy of Ashley. Also, be sure to stop by Ashley’s blog to see even more of her beautiful work (and let her know we sent you). You can also find Ashley on Facebook.