Paper Crafter's Library – Page 51 – A world of creativity at your fingertips

Trendy Tuesday – Mess Free Chalkboard

Trendy Tuesday – Mess Free Chalkboard

This past January we highlighted a fun, paper craft trend called the Chalkboard Technique. You have likely seen many wonderful creations with this technique as it remains very popular. Creating a project with the chalkboard style usually requires the use of white pigment ink, embossing powder, and sponging. The popularity of the technique has spun off many more products providing more options to easily use this trend in your projects. Don’t fear the embossing and sponging that may be used for this technique. Instead find and enjoy some of these fun “mess free chalkboard” tools! Card by Lisa Spangler, image source Studio Calico

Chalkboard inspired die-cuts, stickers and papers are the easiest tools you can find to use in your project. I love Lisa’s Halloween project using a Studio Calico kit that includes terrific chalkboard labels from Pebbles that are perfect for this month’s favorite spooky holiday.

Studio Calico Licorice Kit

Pebbles Chalkboard Label stickers, image source Scrapbook.com

Layered chalkboard elements look terrific as shown on Diana Fisher’s project below featuring projects from My Minds Eye line, Chalkboard Studio.Card by Diana Fisher, image source Whimsical Twist

My Minds Eye Chalk Studio Die Cut Stickers, image source Frantic Stamper

Find chalkboard style scrapbook papers ready for your traditional books, Project Life pages, cards and other crafts. Some brands that offer options with this style include American Crafts, Diecuts with a View, Heidi Swapp, We R Memory Keepers, and Echo Park, just to name a few. Here is a quick view of some chalkboard paper options.

American Crafts Dear Lizzy Polka Dot Party Cheerful Chalkboard paper, image source Two Peas in a Bucket

DCWV Chalkboard Stack paper, image source Stampington & Company

Heidi Swapp Jingle All the Way paper, image source Two Peas in a Bucket

Holiday mini album featuring chalkboard elements from Heidi Swapp, image source Heidi Swapp blog

We R Memory Keepers Chalkboard Paper Pack, image source Two Peas in a Bucket

Project life page from We R Memory Keepers blog

Just add washi tape, and your pre-made chalkboard sentiment is ready to go! How simple is that?

Card featuring We R Memory Keepers chalkboard sentiment, image source We R Memory Keepers blog

Echo Park Here and Now Chalkboard Quote paper

Cut a chalkboard quote from this Echo Park paper, or download one of their digital kits from the Here and Now collection, and you can create many different projects with their on-trend product line.

Card by Mendi Yoshikawa, featuring Echo Park Here & Now digital kit, image source Snippets of Mendi

Further enhance your chalkboard creations with a little chalkboard embellishments, like the decorative tape coordinating with My Minds Eye Chalkboard Studio.

Chalkboard Studio decorative tape from My Minds Eye, image source Simon Says Stamp

Card by Michelle Woerner, image source Stop and Stamp the Roses

Confession time… I am pleased to see the options for chalkboard elements expand as my attempts to stamp and sponge my own chalkboard images have been pretty poor. I am determined to keep on trying, but in the mean time, if you’re at all like me, I hope you will find these ready-made products lots of fun to use. Happy crafting, everyone.

Holiday Card Blitz 2013 Open for Registration

Christmas is just around the corner……have you started thinking about it yet? I don’t know about you but it seems as though despite my best intentions I always seem to start getting ready for Christmas just a little bit too late. By the time I sit down to start making my Christmas cards I typically discover that I’ve left it too late….so off to the store I go to buy my cards, or even worse I don’t send any at all!

This year though – for the first time in years – I’ve started EARLY – and I’d like to help YOU start early too!

I invite you to join me on a 3 week Christmas and Holiday Card Blitz. Over the course of three weeks – from October 21, 2013 – Nov. 8, 2013 we’ll be making 30 different Christmas cards EACH with a video tutorial and beautifully designed PDF handout. This class centers around 6 different Stampin’ Up! stamp sets, and I’ll show you how to create 5 different cards with each stamp set.

Please note that although this class uses Stampin’ Up! product, please note that the card designs and techniques are pretty EASILY adapted to Christmas and Holiday stamp sets from your other favourite companies.

I’ve put together a little promotional video you can watch that shares some sneak peeks of some of the class projects.

Registration is now open for the class – and I’m offering a special coupon for PCL and Sunny Stampin’ Newsletter subscribers so if you’re subscribed to one of those email newsletters please check your inbox because I just sent out an email with the coupon code. If you are not subscribed then I encourage you to subscribe as we’ll be sending out the coupon code a coupe more times before the coupon is up on October 20, 2013.

*** If you are a Paper Crafter’s Library member please do NOT sign up for this class as the projects are included in your membership ***

Your registration comes with LIFETIME access to all Holiday Card Blitz videos & PDFs.

Class Type	Class Dates	Price
Self-paced	Oct. 21, 2013 – Nov. 8, 2013	$40

Supply List

In order to fully enjoy and participate in this class you will need access to a computer and high speed internet. A full supply list is posted in the classroom once you join. At the very least you will need:

Christmas or Holiday themed stamp sets (the 6 main stamp sets used are Color Me Christmas, Festive Flurry, Joyful Christmas, A Banner Christmas, Christmas Collectibles and Calm Christmas – full supply list is posted in the class once you are registered). Please note that you can substitute other stamp sets.
A variety of sentiment stamp sets
Dye-based inks

Most other card designs & supplies can be adapted or substituted if you don’t have the exact thing we used.

Class Content

Please note that all lessons, PDF handouts, and videos are provided in English. At this time, videos are not subtitled or captioned. You will need high-speed internet access in order to properly view the videos.

Coupons

When classes are first released $5 off coupons are offered to PCL Newsletter Subscribers. If you are not already subscribed to our newsletter we encourage you to do so from the Newsletter Sign Up form in the right hand side bar of this page.

Refund Policy

Because this is digital content – in most cases class fees are non-refundable. If however you have paid for the class and are unable to access the classroom, please notify us within 7 days of registering for a full refund.

*** If you are a Paper Crafter’s Library member please do NOT sign up for this class as the projects are included in your membership ***

Once you have registered please keep your eye on your email inbox for an email for us with further details on how you will access the class information. If you do not see an email in your inbox please check your spam folder. For questions please email us at customerservice@papercrafterslibrary.com

Featured Artist/Designer: Jennifer Roach

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 – Jennifer Roach

Before we show you Jennifer’s fabulous projects, let’s get to know her a little bit more…

My name is Jennifer and I live in Ontario, Canada with my husband and almost 4 year old daughter. I work full time in the Pharmaceutical Industry during the day and at night and whenever I get a free moment I like to spend time in my craft room!

I started out in paper crafting back in about 2002 when my Mom and I took a scrapbooking class together. A few years later I decided to give card making a try and it’s been my passion ever since. I’m the world’s slowest scrapbooker so the instant gratification of card making really won me over. Over the years I have used more and more stamping in my designs and I love learning and trying new techniques
and styles.

I would probably define myself as a “scrappy stamper”. I *LOVE* patterned paper and most of my cards have lots of it with added layered on embellishments and textures.

I currently design for Purple Onion Designs and Your Next Stamp. I have been lucky to have many of my designs featured in many different card making and scrapbooking magazines over the years.

Designer Projects
1010Jen Roach - POD Happy Thanksgiving card

Firstly I have a Happy Thanksgiving card that I created using paper piecing and a fall-themed embossing folder. To add more dimension the embossed cardstock I lightly ran a white pigment ink pad gently over the top to allow the design to stand out. You can also do this with paint and a foam brush or a sponge and ink.

Secondly, I have a shaped outdoor themed card to share that I created by colouring the image with my Copic Markers and layering it onto a round scalloped card base that was cut out on the Cricut machine.

1010Jen Roach - Stephanie A Snowman card

Lastly, I have a Holiday card to share with you that is similar in design to the Thanksgiving card above. I find when I sit down to craft I like to replicate my designs in one sitting using different stamps and papers. It gives me the maximum “bang” when I’m crafting and allows me to create a lot of cards in one sitting! I used the same technique as the above card. This particular design with the kraft embossed background and fishtails is a great design to use if you have all kinds of coordinating scraps around. You can easily create the background and fishtails and then add your images later. These Doodle Frame stamps I used are just perfect for this type of design!

Happy Thanksgiving card Supplies:
Stamps: Pumpkin Framed Doodle from Purple Onion Designs
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Brown Distress Ink, Studio G white pigment ink
Papers: The Paper Company kraft cardstock, Pink Paislee designer paper
Accessories: Burlap twine, wood button, Darice Fall leaves embossing folderCanoe

Boy card Supplies:
Stamps: From the “Sweet Summer” collection – Rayne (boy), canoe and
oar, Sweet Summer Sentiment set all from Purple Onion Designs
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, brown Distress Ink
Papers: Coredinations cardstock, The Paper Company kraft cardstock,
WRMK designer paper, Neenah white cardstock
Accessories: Copic Markers, wood button, burlap twine, shaped card
base (cut on Cricut machine)

Happy Holidays card Supplies:
Stamps: Snowman Framed Doodle set from Purple Onion Designs
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, brown Distress Ink, Studio G white ink
Papers: The Paper Company kraft cardstock, Basic Grey designer
papers, Neenah white cardstock
Accessories: Darice snowflake embossing folder, The Twinery Twine,
wood button Copic Markers, white gel pen

We hope you have enjoyed the fun creations from Jennifer and we would also like to extend a warm thank you her for sharing these fabulous projects with us! Please take a minute to stop by Jennifer’s Blog and see more of her beautiful work (and let her know we sent you).

Featured Company: May Arts

Today we are excited to welcome back this week’s Featured Company May Arts and to share a beautiful creation from one of their designers using some gorgeous May Arts Ribbon.

Here at Paper Crafter’s Library we’re ribbon lovers – you’ll find ribbon on almost all of our projects – which is why we’re so thrilled to bring you another fabulous May Arts project. You haven’t seen ribbon until you’ve seen May Arts Ribbon – they offer a multitude of different colors and styles of ribbon to suit any preference and taste – and all of it, top quality!

And, we also have a give-a-way for you!! Two lucky winners will receive a “winners choice” of 2 spools of Ribbon from May Arts. One winner will be drawn from all the comments left here on the Paper Crafter’s Library blog to win AND one winner will be drawn from all the comments left on the May Arts Blog to win. You certainly have a lot to choose from:

Remember, each comment you leave is one entry, so be sure to visit today not only for the great project idea, but also to enter your name into our give-away.

About May Arts

May Arts Ribbon was founded in the early 1980’s in Riverside, Connecticut. The original products were high-end silk flowers imported from Taiwan, which were decorated using quality ribbons. The decorative ribbons proved so popular among customers that the business gradually evolved into a dedicated ribbon wholesaler.

As a family-owned and operated business, May Arts began a long-standing tradition of quality, affordability and exceptional customer service. We are dedicated to carrying on this same tradition by offering high quality products at competitive prices. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff is always happy to answer your questions or to assist you in placing your order.

May Arts carries a wide selection of quality ribbons to choose from; such as grosgrain, silk, satin, burlap and a variety of prints and patterns. All inventory is held in stock, so we can ship orders out right away—typically the same day.

Where to Buy May Arts Ribbons

The May Arts website is their wholesale site for online and brink and mortar retailers. We’ve linked to it so that you can easily view their entire product line in one place. There are numerous places where you can purchase May Arts Ribbons including many local scrapbook stores as well as online stores. Two of the online stores that carry the biggest selections that we are aware of include Amazon, who carry the complete May Arts Ribbon Line (plus you can qualify for free shipping). Click on the link we provided and it will take you to our May Arts Ribbon Search Results. To find a particular ribbon, go to the May Arts website, find the name of the ribbon and color and then enter that into your Amazon search results. Please note that through Amazon you’re buying by the roll. Most other online and local scrapbook stores sell May Arts Ribbon by the yard. One of the online stores that carries a great selection is Stamp Simply Ribbon Store.

Special May Arts Guest Designer

Today we a special project for you created by May Arts Guest Designer Jessica Kephart. You can see Jessica’s fabulous project below, but first, here is a little more about Jessica:

My name is Jessica Kephart. I have an incredibly amazing and sweet 3 year old Son, Mason. He is very thoughtful and compassionate and I am amazed at how he concerns himself so much with how others are feeling! He is my Partner in Crime! He loves paper products as much as I do, and is always asking if he can do a project! He is my Muse, my light and my inspiration rolled into that tiny cute package!!

I began Papercrafting in April of 2011 and it has been such a fun and exciting adventure! I am amazed at the products available to Designers, as well as the creativity of Designers that I have worked with! I have been truly blessed to have the opportunity to work with some incredibly talented men and women in the Industry! I can’t wait to see where all of this goes! Each day is new and exciting and each project just takes me closer to my goals in Paper Crafting!

May Arts Guest Designer Project

Today I will be showing you how to create some SIMPLE pumpkin centerpieces for your Halloween bash!

Step 1: Select your Cardstock and Cut 4 pieces to 1″ x 12″

Step 2: Make rings using Adhesive at where the Paper connects and shape.

Step 3: Roll a piece of Paper and adhere to top with a strong adhesive (I used Zots)

Step 4: Tie Off with your Favorite May Arts Ribbon!

Simply drop a few in a bowl, vase or dish for an appealing and super easy centerpiece this Halloween!

Supplies:
May Arts Ribbons:
1/4 Inch Twill Chevron in Orange

5/8″ Twill in Orange

5/8″ Sheer with Line Edge in Black and White

We hope you have enjoyed today’s feature. We want to extend a sincere thank you to Jessica Kephart for her fabulous projects and May Arts for sharing their company with us. Be sure to visit May Arts to see more of their great products and to enter the fabulous give-away.

In order to enter the give-away to win the ribbon rolls, please leave us a comment in the comments section of this post and visit May Arts to leave a comment on their blog as well. If you do not check the blog regularly, please leave an email address to contact you. Winners will be announced next week on the Paper Crafter’s Library blog!

Trendy Tuesday – Colorful Halloween

Trendy Tuesday – Colorful Halloween
by Katherine Elliot

Have no fear of the dark and dreary this Halloween by using some fun, bright colors on your holiday projects. Cheerful colors help make this spooky season very family friendly. Enjoy checking out these fun Halloween projects using some fresh and bright colors…

Halloween card by Lori Tecler featuring Halloweenies stamp set from Paper Smooches, image source Inking Aloud

Halloween card by Susan Liles featuring stamps from The Cat”s Pajamas, image source Susie Stamp a Lot

Adding unexpected color, like blue or pink, to more traditional Halloween images is a great way to avoid repeating anything you may have done last year. Ann Greenspan”s pink Halloween card is super cute and is sure to surprise your friends and family.

Pink and Black Halloween card by Ann Greenspan, image source Ann Greenspan Crafts

Combine any of your favorite colors, or whatever card stock scraps you have on hand, with traditional Halloween black. Instantly you”ll lighten up the mood of your card, even if there”s a creepy, crawly spider on it!

Boo! card by Michelle Boyer, image source Paper Cuts

Ever feel like a color “scares” you to use it? I have felt that way, and Debra Currier did a great job pointing out that Halloween is a great time to use a color that may otherwise seem scary to use. Her use of the under-appreciated, yellow toned Summer Starfruit cardstock from Stampin” Up! is truly inspiring.

Card by Debra Currier, image source ARTFelt Impressions

Pastel colors are not just for Easter any more! Softer pastel colors, as featured in these next cards, also make very pretty Halloween cards.

Card by Karen Motz featuring stamps and dies from My Favorite Things, image source

Card by Dawn Easton, featuring stamps from Reverse Confetti, image source Reverse Confetti blog

Scrap your favorite Halloween memories with bright patterned papers from companies like Doodlebug Designs and Bella Blvd.

Scrapbook page featuring Doodlebug Design Halloween Parade Collection, image source Doodlebug Design Inc blog

Scrapbook page by Laura Vegas, featuring papers from Bella Blvd, image source Laura Vegas blog

Bella Blvd Trick or Treat Collection, image source Two Peas in a Bucket

Brightly colored washi tape can also help dress up a Halloween project adding some non-traditional color. The unexpected blue tape on the card below coordinates well with the other polka dot strips and looks so fresh and trendy.

Happy Boo Day! card by Kathy Martin featuring papers and tape by Bella Blvd, image source Card-Blanc by Kathy Martin

Traditional black and orange is still fun to use for the holiday, of course. Add in bright green and purple and you still have a cheerful, traditional Halloween card. Choose multi color patterns and embellishments or keep it clean and simple and you”ll have a terrific project finished in no time.

Card by Arielle Gordon, featuring Funky Feet stamps from The Alley Way Stamps , image source Snappy Stampin” with Arielle

One Layer Halloween Card by Julie Day, image source J. Day Designs

Inspired to create something new? May you at least feel liberated from the use of only orange and black colors on your crafts this year. Enjoy a bright and happy Halloween!

Featured Artist/Designer: Miranda Edney

Today we’re thrilled to welcome – Miranda Edney

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

My name is Miranda, and I’m from the gorgeous state of Florida. Beach girl at heart! I started scrapbooking about 3 years ago. It started with wanting to make an album to show my honey how much he meant to me, and just blossomed from there. I have spent lots of time searching for my style and what I like the best. I definitely lean to OTP projects and love all things grunge and distressed. But I never like to stay in one area , I like to push myself and try all different styles and types of crafts. I strive to think outside of the box and use techniques that allow me to express myself. I love to share my ideas and create tutorials, in hopes that maybe I can inspire someone else the way I get inspired from others.

It is my absolute honor to be on the Graphic 45 design team, no words convey the level of affection I have for all their products! Being a part of this team is definitely a dream come true for me!

Happy Crafting!

Designer Projects

This Cupcake Stand with Cupcakes is VERY special to me, it was one of my pieces for the final round of the DT call. It was a true labor of love, and I enjoyed every minute of it!

I used mostly A Ladies Diary, but it’s loaded with pieces of Le Romantique and On the Boardwalk. I love to mix and match collections!

Each cupcake opens up to house a little mini album inside, banner, or just a flower. I also have a video tutorial below to give you a brief description on how the project was created as well as how to create your own cupcake:

Supply List for Cupcake Stand:
Graphic 45 Paper:
A Ladies Diary: A Ladies Diary
A Ladies Diary: Delicate Details
A Ladies Diary: La Gazette
Le Romantique Papers & On the Boardwalk Papers
Graphic 45 Staples: Butterflies
Flowers: Petaloo, Iamroses
Chipboard : Imaginarium Designs
Punches: EK Success 1” Flower Punch, Martha Stewart on the Edge Punch
Satin White Ribbon
Brown Trim
Brown Seam Binding
White Flatback Pearls
Paper Mache Mask
Wooden Butterfly Wing
Gesso
Small Fancy Knife
BIrthday Party Paper Cups
Stick Pins

Next is this “train set” I created for the Graphic 45 CHA booth using Steampunk Spells. I have said it many times, and I’ll say it again, this line is my all time fave! As if I could choose! I took a wooden board and cut it into little blocks/train cars of varying sizes.

I used some of the coordinating Patterns and Solids, and lots and lots of fussy cutting! I’m also a HUGE fan of the Graphic 45 Metal Staples, and use them constantly!

Each Train car attaches to the next with a chain that can be unclasped for easy moving!
Hope you like it! Hugs!

Supply List for Steampunk Spells Train Set:
Graphic 45 Paper:
Steampunk Spells-Steampunk Spells
Steampunk Spells- Fanciful Floral
Steampunk Spells- Vintage Voyage
Steampunk Spells- Mechanical Marvels
Steampunk Spells- Tick Tock
Steampunk Spells- Patterns & Solids
Steampunk Spells Banners
Steampunk Spells Chipboard 1
Steampunk Spells Chipboard 2
Graphic 45 Staples:
Ornate Metal Key Hole
Ornate Metal Keys
Antique Metal Door Pull
Metal Tags
Metal Clothespins
Assorted Metal Gears
Tim Holtz Corked Vials
Tim Holtz Muse Tokens
Petaloo Flowers
Chain
Light Bulbs
Resin Bird by Prima

We hope you have enjoyed the fun creations from Miranda. I would also like to extend a warm thank you to Miranda for sharing her fabulous projects with us! Please take a minute to stop by Miranda’s Blog and see more of her beautiful work (and let her know we sent you).

Featured Company: Graphic 45

We are happy to bring you this week’s Featured Company: Graphic 45. We are so excited to be featuring them regularly on Paper Crafter’s Library. For those of you unfamiliar with Graphic 45 , we’d like to take a minute to re-introduce them to you.

Graphic 45 is an award-winning scrapbook and paper crafting company— owned and operated by a mother and her two daughters.

Diane Schultz—Designer and CEO (aka mother)

“I’m passionate about being creative and eager to make it possible for others to find their creative voice. My background includes stints as a designer for, McCalls, Simplicity, Vogue/ Butterick, Mattel Toy Company and a host of other jobs that each, in some way, led me to what I do now. At 45 I went back to school and got my degree in graphic design— I named the company to celebrate that achievement.”

Aimee Filimoehala —Director of Operations

“I wear a lot of hats and love it that way. Business, marketing, operations, etc. have made me a pro at multitasking (aka juggling‑figuratively and literally). When we launched Graphic 45 just three years ago we had no idea what was in store, working together as a family has been an amazing journey that we all feel so grateful to be apart of.”

Charee Filimoehala —Director of Customer Service and Design Team Coordinator

“I joined the team a little over three years ago and haven’t looked back…what a life-changing experience this has been. I love working with and around creative people and products (not to mention I like my co-workers quite a bit). I spend my days working with our friendly stores and talented design team…the occasional trip to a workshop or tradeshow pretty nice too.”

Together we create vintage inspired crafting products that capture the flamboyant style of the 1920’s and 30’s – with vibrant color, irresistible texture and imaginative design to create products with decades-old appeal that’s both fresh and familiar. Let our products inspire your next scrapbook layout, card, album or home decor project.

Graphic 45 Designer Karen Shady

Our Graphic 45 Guest Designer for this week is Karen Shady who is part of the 2013 Graphic 45 Design Team.

You can see Karen’s fabulous project below, but first, here is a little more about Karen:

My name is Karen Shady, I am Mum to my 5 children, and am happily married to Chris, together we own and run a 6500 acre cropping farm in Victoria, Australia. I am a nurse by profession, but, feel very fortunate, that I now am able to stay at home and be a full time Mum to my kids.

My paper crafting journey began well over 10 years, and is a huge part of my life. I have what I think is a unique blend of ‘shabby vintage’ style. I love to layer and fussy cut images from paper. I do like to try new things, and have a love of rustic style works also.
Over the years, I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work for some amazing magazines, and manufacturing companies. This year, my long held dream came true, when I made the Graphic 45 design team. Along with Graphic 45, I also design for Manor House Creations and The Dusty Attic, I also work as a designer for Australian Scrapbook Ideas magazine, and Scrapbook Creations magazine.

Graphic 45 Designer Project

For this layout, I have used the ‘Secret Garden’ collection, which remains one of my all-time favourites.

Materials used:
Cream Bazzil cardstock
Graphic 45 ‘Secret garden’ paper collection. Posy patch, Seed fairy, Secret garden, Springtime, Leafy treetops
Manor House Creations flowers
The Dusty Attic chipboard flourish
The Dusty Attic leaves
The Dusty Attic Acrylic Paint – Alabaster

Cheery Lyn ‘Mini tags’ Die
Moulds by Mel Frame Mould and Resin
Martha Steward Border Punch – Doily Lace
McGill Punch – Fern
Prima Alpha Stickers
Tim Holtz Distress Ink – Antique Linen
The Crafters Workshop 6×6 Brick Mask
Mont Marte Modelling Paste

We hope you have enjoyed this fun creation from Karen. I would also like to extend a warm thank you to Karen for sharing her fabulous project idea with us! Please take a minute to stop by Karen’s Blog and of course the Graphic 45 blog to check out all their amazing creations!

Trendy Tuesday – Sequins

Trendy Tuesday – Sequins
by Katherine Elliot

Sequins are lightweight, mess-free embellishments that add sparkle and dimension to a project and wow, are they trendy right now! When added to a card, they won”t bulk up your project so you can easily send them through the mail which is another added plus. Take a look at some of the beautifully embellished creations I found to share this week featuring this trend…

Card by Tenia Nelson, image source Jazzy Paper Designs

You can find sequins in a full spectrum of color and a variety of sizes. They are often available in bulk quantities at your local craft store so you”re unlikely to run out of them very quickly. That means you don”t have to hesitate to use a little or a lot.

Tree House Studio sequins, image source Hobby Lobby.com

Birthday card by Audrey Tokach, image source Pink Ink Originals

Add some well placed, shiny sequins or randomly sprinkle sparkling metallic sequins for a lovely dash of bling on your projects.

Card by Nikki Foraker, image source Scrappin” Navy Wife

Card by Inge Groot, image source Patterned Paper, Paper Crafting by Inge

Iridescent and semi-transparent sequins are beautiful, too. See-through the pretty, extra large sequin highlighting the masked banner on the gorgeous, watercolor inspired card below featuring stamps from Mama Elephant.

Thank You card by Pearl Lui featuring stamps from Mama Elephant, image source Krafty Pearl

A collection of delicate, pastel colored sequins look sweet as candy on Paulina”s pretty project shown here…Card by Paulina Nakamura, image source Pretty Pink Posh

Scrappers can find lovely uses for sequins, too. Easily added as embellishments, or even tucked into little pockets or envelopes, sequins are lightweight, little surprises to spruce up your pages.

Scrapbook page by Jeanette Lee, image source Crate Paper blog

Scrapbook page by Michelle Unruh, image source Happenings on This Side of the River

Matching colors with your favorite patterned papers and paper craft products is easy with many brands that offer coordinating sequins.

Card by Michelle Unruh, image source Happenings on This Side of the River

You can find sequins to perfectly match any of your everyday and holiday projects. Look for sequins from trend setting brands like Studio Calico, Lawn Fawn, My Craft Spot, and Teresa Collins to coordinate with their product lines.

Atlantic Sequins from Studio Calico, image source Two Peas in a Bucket

Into the Woods Mixed Sequins, image source Lawn Fawn

Card featuring Lawn Fawn sequins, image source Lawn Fawn.com

Trick or Treat sequins from My Craft Spot

Halloween card by Ally Egaas, image source Rock Paper Cricut

Teresa Collins Santa”s List Sequins assortment, image source Scrapbook.com

Joy shaker card by Just Nora, image source Scrapbook.com gallery

As seen above, sequins make fun shaker card fillers, too. Add a bundle of the shiny spangles to create a fun, interactive card. You are sure to find many uses for these trendy, multi-faceted pretties. Happy crafting everyone!

Featured Artist: Amy Wanford

Today we’re thrilled to welcome back – Amy Wanford

Amy was featured on our blog back in April and we are so excited that she has returned. Before we show you her fabulous projects, let’s get to know her a little bit more…

Hey! I’m Amy Wanford, also known as Aimes. I’m a tea, toast and paper-crafting addict from England and currently live in Sheffield with my fiancé. I’ve always loved getting my craft on with various mediums and I discovered the joys of stamps and ink in 2008 and started my blog, Crafting Confessions in 2009. I’ve been lucky enough to have my projects published in magazines such as Paper Crafts and CARDS and serve on design teams. I currently design for Clearly Besotted Stamps, Uniko Studio and the challenge site, CASE Study. The highlight of my crafting adventures so far has been designing stamp sets and seeing them being manufactured for purchase.

When it comes to creating, I’m a card maker and one that gravitates towards a clean and simple style (CAS). CAS and graphic designs make my heart skip a beat. I love to think outside of the box and use a product for a purpose it maybe wasn’t intended for, or use items around the house and incorporate them into my designs. I also get a real kick out of creating interactive cards: it’s like creating magic before the recipient’s very eyes!

I’m delighted to be featured here on Paper Crafter’s Library and hope you’ll like my projects.

So, let’s get straight to it!

Card Projects

It’s no secret that I’m a procrastinating crafter. I leave everything until the last minute. I’m the one that’s been known to be stamping Christmas cards on Christmas Eve! But this year is different. This year I’m going to be organised. Well, organised in so much as having my Christmas cards prepared well in advance! 🙂

This year I’ve been inspired by poinsettias. Not only are they so pretty and festive, but they also feature my favourite colour combination when it comes to celebrating the season: red and green. I’m here today with some Christmas cards that are totally inspired by this pretty Christmas flower.

When I think of poinsettias, I immediately grab and ink up my Pure Florals: Poinsettia stamp set by Uniko Studio. I love the detail of the huge poinsettia stamp in the set! This first project is easy peasy and so quick to mass produce. Don’t ever be fooled into thinking that you need to use/show the whole of a stamp on a project. I really like the effect of stamping off the focal point. I kept it extremely graphic and CAS, and by simply using layers of white cardstock the red ink of the poinsettia really ‘pops’ against the crisp, clean white (almost like a poinsettia in the snow!).

My second project demonstrates how you can get a totally different look/style by using the same stamps, but different colours and techniques. For this card I created a mask of the Poinsettia stamp from the same set, and covered a panel of cardstock with the flower with Versamark ink using a masking technique. I then dusted gold Perfect Pearls on top to create this delicate, shimmery background. A simple stamped sentiment and a row of bling finishes the card off. Tip: by the way, I always like to buy clear bling and colour it with an alcohol marker to make it coordinate with my project. For this card I used a yellow marker to make my clear bling turn to gold.

Now you may be thinking that you don’t own any poinsettia themed stamps, but please don’t let that stop you from being inspired by them. My next project features no actual poinsettia themed supplies, and features basic crafting supplies that I (and you may have) already!

Most stampers/crafters have a flower stamp or die in their stash somewhere. For my next project I simply used a flower die from Clearly Besotted Stamps Flower Arrangement Die Collection and die cut flowers from red cardstock, adding a cluster of yellow bing to the centres of each to make them resemble a poinsettia. So simple and so easy to achieve the same result with flower stamps too as well as dies.

So there you have it. My Christmas cards will mainly feature poinsettias I think – and fingers crossed that I won’t be creating Christmas cards on Christmas Eve again! Ha!

Thank you so much to Paper Crafter’s Library for having me on board for today, and thank you for checking out my poinsettia inspired projects! 🙂

Project Supply Deets
Graphic Poinsettia
Stamps: Pure Florals: Poinsettia (Uniko Studio)
Ink: Red Pepper (Adirondack Dye Ink)/Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Card: Stamper’s Select White (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Clear Gems (Hero Arts)/Yellow Promarker (Letraset)

Happy Holidays
Stamps: Pure Florals: Poinsettia (Uniko Studio)/Sentiment from Stocking Prints (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Versamark (Tsukineko)/Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Card: Ripe Avocado, Scarlet Jewel, Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Gold Perfect Pearls (Ranger)/Clear Gems (Hero Arts)/Yellow Promarker (Letraset)

Poinsettia Wreath
Stamps: Sentiment from Modern Christmas (Clearly Besotted Stamps) Coming soon *wink*
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Card: Stamper’s Select White, Pinefeather, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Material: Dark Chocolate Felt (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Flower Arrangement Die Collection (Clearly Besotted Stamps)/Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders)/Cuttlebug (Provo Craft)

We hope you have enjoyed today’s projects courtesy of Amy Wanford. Also, be sure to stop by Amy’s blog to see even more of her beautiful work (and let her know we sent you).

Winner of Halloween Give-Away from Claudine Hellmuth

I’d like to extend a HUGE thank you to Claudine Hellmuth for sharing such wonderful projects and for her generous give-away of her Halloween Stamp sheet pictured below.

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

Congratulations Carla. Be sure to email us at customerservice@papercrafterslibrary.com to claim your prize. Please be sure to put “Claudine Hellmuth giveaway” in the subject line of the email, and then in the email itself, be sure to include your full mailing address and phone number.

For those of you that didn’t win, each week on PCL we feature a different company, and each of those companies generously sponsors a prize. We will be back next week when we’ll be featuring another fabulous company.