i scraplifted, because seriously. LOOK at this sketch!

hey hey, chickens!

are you a member of the Paper Issues {Friends & Fans} Facebook community?
there's, like, a TON of inspiration and we're bringing challenges and free files and fun left and right.

we have a new sketch for you, created with inspiration from the talented Steph Buice, and intended to drum up some mojo for everyone!  because seriously, how can you NOT be inspired by this one?

 

i LOVE the diamond shape, and i love the bits and pieces, and i couldn't wait to jump on this one!

here's my page, with the diamond slightly off-center and my own twist on the sketch:

so, the story with this one...  me and my girl Janice.  photo taken in a club in Buffalo when we didn't have phones with flip screens so you could see what you were shooting.  you pretty much turned a camera around and clicked, hoping something would turn out.  :)  yeah...  not so much in our case!

i used mostly I Am from Simple Stories, plus some ephemera from Crate Paper and Fancy Pants - there happens to be a TON of all of these in the Paper Issues shop right now, with awesome new arrivals from Simple Stories!

zoom to silliness:

LOVE this sketch.  care to join in?  CLICK HERE and play! 
oh, and HOLY WOW, there's a ton of new stuff in the Paper Issues shop.  grab it using this:

i have I AM issues!

hey there, chickens!  i'm up on the Paper Issues blog today with a brand new layout featuring the gorgeous I Am collection from Simple Stories.  i have been loving on it since i laid eyes on it, and i've already made a few pages, with about 3 more underway!

here's my latest page:

zoom!

seriously, i LOVE this line.  everything except a couple of enamel dots, sequins, the strip of ribbon and the "fabulous damn it" alphas are from my stash. LOVE!  oh, and that divine Limba Woodgrain card stock.

there's not a LOT of this line left in the Paper Issues shop, but i'm getting a TON of mileage from the 6x6 pad, and it's TOTALLY easy to make it work with the items left in the store!  CLICK HERE to check out the Simple Stories inventory, and lemme just warn you - if you click on the "All New!" category, you might just find your shopping cart overflowing in no time!

there's new TWINE (mmmm, pretty!), new Snarky Stamps, the new Poolside line from Crate Paper, not to mention the new, ahem, MAY SWAG BAG.  hurry and grab it before it's gone!

remember, EVERYTHING in the Paper Issues shop is 20% off, all the time!  just use this!

 

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!

ode to glitter. and office supplies.

morning, chickens!

i'm up on the Paper Issues blog today and yes, i do believe something may have exploded in my craft studio.  this turned into something much bigger than i'd originally planned, and it just kept growing, and they kept MULTIPLYING...

i have a thing for orange, as you may have already surmised.  and i have always obsessed over office supplies, too.  staplers, liquid paper, pens that write smooth like buttah, and paper clips.  but OH. MY. GOOMIE.  put them together, and gimme orange office supplies?  TROUBLE!

honestly, there is just no describing my "thing" for them.  those little orange coated paper clips are the highlight of my workday, the center of attention at my desk, and deeply cherished little beauties.

the glitter?  yeah, there are some serious glittery bits here.  :)

painstakingly and with lots of love, each itty bitty star and sequin glued down by hand with one dab at a time.  and OH it was fun!  obviously inspired by music (hello, David Bowie!), and using a bunch of fabulosity from the Paper Issues shop:

Simple Stories journaling cards (from the SN@P! DIY line), Studio Calico paper, Amy Tangerine alphas like these, Doodlebug vellum and, natch, Thickers similar to the ones here...

and eeeeeeep, did you know the SERIOUSLY coveted new October Afternoon Treasure Map has landed at Paper Issues?   CLICK HERE to check it out, and at CHECKOUT, enter my code for a sweet 20% discount on your whole order!

i added this project to the May 11th Link Party at Paper Issues - "Let's Get this Par-ty Star-ted and Party Heart-y!"...  there's a glam glittery party going on here, with lots of stars - and orange paper clips are cause for celebration!  :)

Gossamer Blue GORGEOUSNESS at Paper Issues!

hey there, chickens!  sharing a pretty little thang i made for bosses' day not too long ago, and i can't gush enough about how unbelievably beautiful these bits and pieces from Gossamer Blue are...  the "On My Desk" line is my favourite so far, but Gramercy Road and Get Happy are also quite fabulous indeed and i am hoarding a bunch of those, too.  :)  loads of Gossamer Blue available in the Paper Issues store (and often getting restocked in case you miss it!)...

here's my card:

zoom for maximum shimmer and loveliness:

all Gossamer Blue and Simple Stories (papers) and gold flowery bits from my stash.

OOHHHH, the gold.  so much of it!  

CLICK HERE to check out the whole bunch of Gossamer Blue stuff at Paper Issues, grab yourself some pretty things (or get your wish list together so someone else can spoil you!), and knock 20% off your whole order using my code ORANGE:

it's RAINING CATS AND DOGS at Paper Issues!

okay, my cat is awesome.  and i haven't taken NEARLY enough opportunities to whip up some scrapbook pages featuring my wicked awesome dude.  SO.  because there's a bit of time left to join in the fun at Paper Issues, imma share this one with you.  i'd have shared days ago, but my camera is on its last leg.  finally, SUNSHINE! 

so our theme - "It's Raining Cats and Dogs"...  sponsored by the fabulous Simple Stories, of which there is a TON of new stuff in the Paper Issues shop, in case you haven't already seen it.  a TON!  and it's awesome! 

well this, of course, follows the cat part of the theme, but you can go with dogs, rain, showers (of the weather or celebratory kind, or BOTH!), spring/summer, someone acting catty, or someone being a dog, or hey, go deeper and show us a Slush Puppy theme or something!  we're easy to please!  and link up (just remember to link back to the Paper Issues blog), and you could win one of three fun prize packs from Simple Stories! 

here's Fletcher B. Cat, being cool and collected and not even trying.  he should be in the Dos Equis ads.

i could eat him up.  :)
ZOOM!

LOVE HIM, dadgummit.  he's the coolest cat i know, and i'm SO happy to be his person!  :)

i used some SNAP! goodies from Simple Stories, as well as Studio Calico, Doodlebug, Crate Paper, Bella Blvd, BasicGrey and Panda Eight, plus some spritzing action from Heidi Swapp and Mister Huey's, finished off with embossing paste over an UmWowStudio mask (check out the effect below)...  did i cover all the bases?!  :)

oh, and for the record, there's a whole slew of stuff from the Paper Issues Swag Bags on here, from various months - the June Swag Bag will be available SOON, so you'll want to click HERE to see the fabulosity that is the Swag Bag.

RIGHT.  so.  link up your project (old or new!) by clicking HERE, and join us!  take a look at how the Paper Issues Creative Team used the Simple Stories on their projects (and the prizes  and if you're itching to grab some of the various thingamabobs like those i've used on my page, you'll want to do that with a discount code, right?  take this, off your WHOLE PURCHASE at the Paper Issues store...