How about THEM apples?! Join us at Paper Issues!

hey there, chickens!  how's things?!  busy in the life of an orange girl, but good busy!  SO busy, in fact, that sometimes i need visual and OBVIOUS reminders of what's on my schedule or it will pass right by...

today, we're sharing Part Two of our current issue at Paper Issues, and our theme this month is "How 'Bout Them Apples?!"...  it's no secret i have a HUGE crush on apples, period.  honeycrisp apples, quite frankly, are the world's most perfect food.

but i digress!  it's ISSUE time!  we kicked off on September 14th and now we're bringing you part two of the Creative Team's projects to inspire you.  play along!  there's a $20 gift certificate to the Paper Issues store up for grabs, and you still have PLENTY of time to join in the fun...  October 11th is your deadline. 

SO.  APPLES!

there's a bunch of super cute new Bella Blvd stuff in the Paper Issues store, and when i got my happy mail, i knew it was perfect for my little health-inspired reminder board!

this little clipboard will serve as my visual slap in the face, telling me that i have an appointment coming up, or that i have to buy more vitamins, or whatever.  and trust me, i NEED those reminders.  :)  the mammogram card is stuck on loosely with an unstickified pop dot, so when it's time to switch out with something else, it will come off easily.  and it hangs on the front of my studio door (so i see it every day!), but since we just showed the house, i didn't think prospective buyers needed to know i'm getting squeezed tomorrow.  ha!

SO!  yes.  current issue.  TONS of inspiration right HERE.  a fabulous prize, with which you can grab a ton of the awesome new stuff recently loaded into the shop.  there is a TON of it.  

and you might want to use this, too...

It's a Paper Issues free printable ROUND-UP!

did you know there's a whole selection of free printables and cut files in the Paper Issues shop?  they're all designed by members of the awesome Creative Team.  they're released monthly.  they're perfect for journaling cards, pocket scrappin', or re-sizing for cards or pages or just little love notes.  and FREE.  they're free.

today, there's a printable round-up on the Paper Issues blog, and because The Son and i are going through some pretty big things in our lives right now, i couldn't help but lighten the mood and pair this nutty photo of us with one of my favourite printables...

there's a TON of fun stuff on this page, but i started out with gesso and bubble wrap to tone down the harshness of the red background.  i cut into some papers from my latest Paper Issues order - Pebbles Foliage and Webster's Pages What a Day - added some bits and pieces from older Swag Bags, chipboard pieces from Bella Blvd's Hearts & Stars, plus a couple of heart cuts and packaging from the new Pebbles Polaroid dies - added some other little bits from Fancy Pants and some bling, and voila!

zoom to the February printable!

another zoom to the chipboard and labels...

zoom to the other stuff:

so, hey, do YOU reuse packaging at all?  most of the stuff i buy is kept in its original packaging, but sometimes i can't help but cut it up and throw it on down.  the hexie strips and that stripey piece are from packaging. 

CLICK HERE to see what the rest of the Creative Team did to show off the awesome printables...  and don't forget to get in on our current issue which ends TONIGHT!  there's a new one kicking off tomorrow.

and if you want to check out the goodies in the Paper Issues shop, like the stuff i used on my page, GO SHOPPING and remember to use coupon code ORANGE for 20% off your entire order, ANYTIME!

there's something charming about our latest ISSUE!

hey there, chickens!  

how was your weekend?  i got my craft on, i picked up some free swag from the casino, i drank wine and conspired with my nifty friend, Orange Gearle, about how we're going to entertain the masses during our Scrap & Chat event in the Paper Issues Friends and Fans Facebook group on the 24th.  all in all, i had a pretty good weekend! 

so let's kick off an awesome week celebrating a new season (it's really TRYING to be spring here!), new life, new perspective, and a NEW ISSUE!

the very awesome Scrapbook Circle is sponsoring the latest link party at Paper Issues and i had a LOT of fun playing with papers and elements from their March kit, as well as their printables!

our theme...  "Prints Charming" - EASY one, right?  printed papers!  charms!  Disney!  a little prince or princess who might just own your heart.  maybe even a favorite book from childhood (Le Petit Prince comes to mind).  anything to do with prints (printables - we have them free in the Paper Issues shop!).  paw prints.  art.  WHATEVER!  it doesn't even have to be a new project - just LINK HERE and remember to link back to Paper Issues in your blog post.

here's what i did with their fantastic March kit:

EVERYTHING except the Thickers and the twine are from the kit - the black flags are actually cut from the printable and the circles and dragonfly are punched from the same papers as the page.  there are goodies from Simple Stories, Pinkfresh Studio, Bella Blvd and My Mind's Eye, and there's still SO much more i barely touched!

ZOOM because dimension and critter!

isn't he cute?!  his body and legs were all stripey and i kinda wished he was on MY car so he'd come home with me.

CLICK HERE to see what's cookin' on the Scrapbook Circle blog, and join the link party at Paper Issues to be eligible to win their March kit! 

ANNNND there are LOADS of hot new items in the Paper Issues shop you're going to watch to check out.  kinda MAD crushin' on a few of them and i'm STRONGLY anticipating some of the forthcoming arrivals, so keep checking and remember that using my code ORANGE always (!!!) gets you 20% off everything in the Paper Issues store!

a sketchy Saturday CARD for Paper Issues today!

hey there, chickens!

you know we do this thing at Paper Issues where we throw down a sketch and ask you to make something based on it, yeah?  well this month, our girl Jennifer Chapin has whipped up a sketch that I LOVED in a serious way and totally challenged myself because it's totes outside of my comfort zone.  GRIDS.  i don't do 'em.  i struggle with boundaries and symmetry for the most part, so when i saw the March sketch, i knew i had to jump in.

so.  in all its griddy goodness, here's my card, featuring some disguised goodies from the February Swag Bag (the March one is coming - stay tuned, or grab a subscription so you don't miss any!):

YES.  grid.  but i transformed it into a card, because that's what you do with sketches!  you use them as a starting point for your crafty endeavour, and you go to town.  here's the sketch for you to try on for size:

well?  fab, right?  if you get in on this sketchy action, link up your project by March 20th and you might be the lucky winner of a $10 gift certificate to the Paper Issues store!  annnnnd, you know you can get lots of awesome stuff for $10, right?  but it goes even further when you use this:

that might come in handy when you stock up on some of the brand new Bella Blvd stuff that's just arrived...