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!

Fletch in the sketch! Pretty Little Studio inspiration

evening, chickens!

okay, so it's midnight, and i've been crafting the afternoon away.  i saw the sketch challenge for April at Pretty Little Studio and i knew just what i wanted to do, and just what photo i wanted to use.

Fletcher B Cat is a big, lazy glug.  yep, that's a word.  ;)  when he snoozes, he SNORES.  sometimes in the night he wakes me up because of his loud breathing.  it's kind of endearing, but mostly it's disruptive.  still, i can't get upset with him because he just loves being loved, and when he's not sleeping in his roost, he's napping in any one of a half-dozen boxes we keep around the house just for him.

here's my big fella, waking up after a nap, and likely getting ready to take another:

here's the sketch!

i pretty much stuck to the sketch but changed the left flags to arrows because i liked the extra movement they created on the page.  the flags, arrows, tab, feathers and label are all from Pretty Little Studio's Neapolitan collection (seriously, LOVE this!) and i added in just a couple of little details and called it a day.  loved working with the sketch! 

zoom, because LOOK at that face!

zoom - modelling paste and glitter (kind of a new thing for me)!

i have a goal to try incorporating little bits and pieces from my older stash on just about every project, so this little star is an old BasicGrey woolie and i'm happy to see it go.  :D 

and that's all she wrote, folks!  i'll be back in the morning with another critter page.  hee hee.

a smidge of inspiration

got this HUGE and totally generous and sweet package of goodies from the lovely Aimee Maddern a few weeks back, just because, and i have been picking out bits and pieces here and there.  i sat on this page for literally the last 10 days and just couldn't bring it together, and i'm sure it was just the lack of mojo, but it was really starting to get on my nerves.  i am FULL of creativity, dadgummit, and it was high time i kicked this slump in the rump.

today, i saw the sketch at Paper Issues for their Sketchy Saturday feature, and that sealed the deal.  WOOT!  mojo spotted!  i had the elements, everything was ready, but the placement just needed a push.  tweaked it, adhered away, and i am FINALLY happy with this flippin' page.

the majority of the elements are from Pretty Little Studio - all of the papers, the folder tabs, the number stickers and the year die-cuts (i just altered them with ink and mist to make them work for my page)...  the star flair is from Toni From Designs, the "hello" die is from Lawn Fawn (the "love" die is a new fave of mine, but they keep selling out!), some orange Thickers, and i believe the arrows are from Studio Calico. 

have i mentioned how much i love my Dymo label makers?  seriously.  coloured tapes.  different fonts.  subtle.  old school perfection.

ZOOM:

one more:

and here's the awesome Paper Issues sketch that helped me bring it all together, once and for all:

WHEW.  i am so relieved - i was really beginning to wonder if it might be time to start packing up the crafties and throwing in the towel altogether.  but nope.  now i want to use the card sketch to make a commissioned card for a co-worker.  yep, i'm feeling INSPIRED.  and it's about freaking time.

how you doin'?

spotlight on BasicGrey's "Second City" line at Paper Issues

morning, chickens!  how was your weekend?

i had some fun checking out our town-wide yard sale, some drinks with the hubbin, volunteering at a cat adopt-a-thon, and some seriously late-night crafting, which i hadn't done in a LONG time!

well today, i'm sharing the fruits of my labour on Saturday night...  i grabbed a slew of the new Kelly Purkey line, "Second City", from BasicGrey and it came in one of my most recent Paper Issues orders.  WELL!  there are some gorgeous, bold patterns, and for someone who is generally TERRIFIED of purple, i'm kinda loving it in this collection! 

i'm up on the Paper Issues blog today, along with my super-talented teamie, Jen Chapin, and we're showing you how it's done, Second City style...

here's what i made into the wee hours, using one of my fave Origrami prints, the Limba White Woodgrain cardstock (my absolutely fave white!), and various items from the Second City collection (plus a couple of Highline items and VERY old brads and alphas from BasicGrey mixed in)...

i wasn't planning to go all bright and colourful with the photo - it just happened!  but i loved how it turned out!  the transparencies are my favourites from this line (that little HOUSE!):

and page flags!

i have two cards up on the blog, too, but you'll have to go there to check them out!  besides, you won't want to miss the fabulosity of Jen's pocket pages using this line!  CLICK HERE, check it out, and to see all the fun Second City (and Highline!) goodies, CLICK HERE...  if any of it happens to fall into your shopping cart, i've got a code for you!  20% off all of it, anytime.  yep, everything!

Paper Issues and a Pocket Full of Sunshine!

hey there, chickens! 

new issue today at Paper Issues, and i am DELIGHTED to share something slightly out of character!  i don't get tired of making cards, i assure you, but i got this set of photos from my Instagram feed, and i couldn't resist some of the new pretties i got with my last Paper Issues order.  i made a SCRAPBOOK PAGE!  yep.  craziness!

our theme for the next two weeks is A Pocket Full of Sunshine, and there are SO many fun things you can do with this!  sun.  son!  pockets.  pictures of pockets.  something that's FULL.  anything bright and happy.  whatever!

our sponsor?  the very fun Panda Eight Designs - specializing in some of the most AWESOME flair ever!  (go LIKE their Facebook page!)

here's my page...

LOVE the gradient chevron paper from Chic Tags, and you might not be able to tell, but that pink and white polka dotted panel is actually the new Doodlebug Sprinkles Vellum in white over a piece of plain blush cardstock.  i'm in LOVE with the vellum.  i bought it in EVERY. SINGLE. COLOR.  and some multiples.  those cute little chevron stickers are also new from Doodlebug (get 'em here!). 

zoom!

used some goodies from the inimitable Swag Bag (random pieces appear on random projects), and the alphas are from Jillibean Soup (the title is in Grapefruit Pink, and so is the date, layered over Blueberry Teal), little Amy Tangerine stickers, giant Selfie title from some super old Cosmo Cricket stash, and that gold foil paper behind the sun rays cuts is new from Fancy Pants (and it's fabulous)...

zoom again!

loving the Panda Eight Flair!  (and my Dymo label buddy is always within reach)

AND not only is the lovely Panda Eight Designs offering up FIVE flair packs of the winner's choice (she even made one specifically for this issue!), but we have a DISCOUNT CODE for you, too!  use SUNSHINE20 at checkout for 20% off your order!

CLICK HERE to check out the rest of the Paper Issues Creative Team's creations for this issue and to get in on the action!  i'm still kind of in shock over the fact that i SCRAPPED.  :)

OH, and here's a little something for you!

...lastly, i combined the sketch AND the color inspiration challenge at Unity's {be inspired} challenge, because, seriously, how awesome is the sketch?! (i was pretty true to it, which is a first for me!)  and how perfect are the colors?!  the stamps i used are We Click (camera) and Could I Be Any Cuter? (rainbow) - and this is the first time i've used stamps on a scrappy page, too!