Little Paper Shop RELEASE DAY

Hello my friends!! We are so happy that you've joined us as we've shown off our April Previews from the Little Paper Shop. We are finally here at Release Day, and our BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Challenge!

In honor of our Birthday this month we have something special for you. We are issuing a challenge for you to create a birthday card in honor of OUR Birthday. LPS stamps are not required but you know we LOVE to see them. You can do any layout, colors, etc. The only requirement is that it be a birthday card.

You have until Sunday evening at 9:00 EST to get your card loaded to the InLinkz program on the LPS Blog to be qualified to win (via random drawing). What do you win you ask? A $35 Gift Certificate to the LPS store. It's your chance to get all those stamps you have been wanting!! The winner of the $35 Gift Certificate will be announced along with Monday's Challenge winner.

Don't forget all the new April Releases are now available for purchase in the store. You can use the COOOOOOOOOOOOUPON TOO!! Effective now through April 30th, enter the code BIRTHDAY at checkout for 15% off your entire order (including new releases and digis). It is valid on retail purchases through the website only. Yayyyyyy! That Julia is such a generous lady! Thanks for celebrating with us this week. We hope you have had fun!!!

A Blog Hop & A Featured Set

TGIF! I wanted to share with you that Papercraft Planet and Susana's Custom Art & Card Design have teamed up for a big blog hop today! Ten designers are hopping along, each creating something amazing with the Elisabeth Bell & Victoria Case stamps.

I am not part of the hop, I am just letting you know since I'm on Susana's DT. You know with Susana there is bound to be AWESOME BLOG CANDY associated with something this big!!}.

Hop along with the ladies and leave them some love and you could end up winning one of three generous prizes: one sheet of the Elisabeth Bell for SCACD Sampler #3 OR one sheet of the Victoria Case for SCACD Hearts and Hugs - Spring Collection OR one Viva Decor Pearl Pen in Ice White!

The prizes are hidden among the Supernova's {Papercraft Planet DT} blogs, but we don't know which ones! Leave them all some love for your chances to win. Blog comments will be open until Monday April 5th at 8 AM EST. Winners announced on the PCP blog Monday afternoon.

Here are the Blog Hoppers:

Adela Rossol
Lynn Mercurio
Kim Burmeister
Wendy Price
Tammy Hershberger
Erika Martin
Lori Tecler
Jessica Fick
Susanna Boyd
Amy Park

Also today, we are featuring the set Topiary over at the {Little Paper Shop} blog. Head over to the blog to see some samples and get your mojo flowing.

LPSC28 and a Tutorial!!

Happy Monday! What a fun and busy weekend we had over here. I hope yours was good and you're ready for the week! :) Of course Mondays over here mean a new challenge from the {Little Paper Shop}!

Some NEWS over at LPS this morning that I wanted to share! Julia a new forum site and we'd love to have you join us for fun project sharing, chats, and more! Click here to visit the forum - see you there. :) ALSO, there is newa coupon code for 15% off the entire purchase active RIGHT NOW. Yeah!! Who doesn't love coupon codes?? All you have to do is enter the code NEWLOOK at checkout. What a deal! Coupon code is valid until August 31st.

This week's challenge on the LPS blog is to use YOUR favorite color combo challenge! Well my favorite color combo is ALL of them, I think it depends on the image, the layout, my MOOD, LOL. So I'm sharing a card today that I made for the spread in the June issue of Scrapbook News and Review as their Guest Cardmaker. This card also had a tutorial to go along with it, so I will share that with you as well. Before I get to all that, I just wanted to remind you to check out the LPS blog for more inspiration, and if you play along with us, you will have a chance to win two free digis from the {Little Paper Shop}! Link up your post on the LPS blog to enter. If you upload your creation, use keyword LPSC28.

Custom-Colored Background Cloud Tutorial

Supplies - Image or paper you want to add the clouds to, cloud template (mine is home made!), ink, sponge, scratch paper for under your work.

Instructions:

1. If you don't have one, you'll need to make a cloud template. You can use acetate (a transparency sheet), heavy plastic, such as a kid's toy package or clear box, or even paper. If you do use paper be careful because ink will transfer off if you try to use a different color, so you might need several for different colors. To make the template I just hand-drew some puffy clouds. You can see from the photo that my template is not symmetrical, which I did on purpose. I didn't want the clouds to look too much "the same" as I work with them, so I intentionally tried to give it some variety. For this template I used a piece of packaging from some markers I had bought.

2. Starting at the bottom of your piece, set the cloud template onto your project where you want to begin. Get some ink onto your sponge, then dab off just a bit onto the scratch paper so you don't start off with a dark blob where the ink is the heaviest. Then, beginning with the sponge on the template, drag the inky sponge off and onto the paper with an upward motion.

3. Continue this pattern of inking up the sponge, sponging off onto scratch paper and then dragging the sponge from the template onto the paper. You will work from the bottom up and keep moving the template until you are done. You can vary the position of your template so that your clouds don't look too much the same as you work upwards.

4. Now your project is finished. Some optional finishing touches include sponging the edges and adding a bit of ink color to any areas that are too "white" to fit into the rest of the project. To do that, simply ink up your sponge, sponge off WELL onto scratch paper and then very lightly drag over the areas you want to add a hint of color too. You can always go back and add more color, but you can't take it away, so use this sparingly!

5. Another way I use this technique is to add clouds behind a person or scene on a card. When you do this, you will want to make a mask of your image so that you don't accidentally get the cloud ink onto your finished product. Mask off your image {you will probably want to tape it down using repositionable adhesive} and then proceed to add clouds per the above instructions. When you remove the mask you'll have a lovely sky behind your image, but the image itself is clean!

6. Finish project using this piece. You can see mine at the top of this post. I wanted to add - by no means did I invent this "technique", however this is my own written and photographed description of how *I* do it. That's all!

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you have a good one. :)

LPS Preview Day #1 - {Sweet}

Happy Sunday! Welcome to Preview Day #1 for the new May releases from {Little Paper Shop}! We have some real goodies for you this month so be sure to check out all the LPS DT girls and see all of the {Sweet}ness!!

I was so ready to break into my new Basic Grey Lime Rickey paper pad, so the colors on this one got kinda bright! This is a small card, 4.25" square to fit in with the cute cupcake size. I added lots of bling of course, and you can see it better in the enormous picture view, but the top of the cupcake is coated in glitter and the cherry is painted with Royal Red Shimmerz.

As always, Julia is offering up a chance to win this {Sweet} set!! Stop over to the LPS blog today and leave a comment on the blog post there to enter. One name will be drawn at random and you know they'll be saying {SWEET}!! You MUST leave a comment on the LPS blog by 11:59 PM CST to enter the prize drawing. Winner will be announced there tomorrow morning, along with the next preview {and another chance to win!}. Check back!

Also, before I go, I wanted to let you know that {Little Paper Shop} is participating in the Stamping Out Alzheimers challenges this week. Jen Tapler and Susanna Boyd have been hard at work organizing this amazing event -- you won't want to miss it!! For a mere $5 donation you will have access to exclusive challenges and fun prizes from numerous different companies. And the best part..... 100% of the proceeds go directly to the Alzheimer's Association!

Little Paper Shop is hosting a sketch challenge on the Stampin' out Alzheimers forum and would love for you to join us. At the end of the event we will be drawing one name from all the entries to win 4 - 4x6 stamp sets. That's over $60 in value! But the only way to enter is on the Stampin' out Alzheimer's forum! Hope to see you there!

I will be back tomorrow with Preview Day #2 of the May {Little Paper Shop} release. Have a great day, thanks for visiting!

April Release Day at the {Little Paper Shop}!

It's here!!!! Release day at the {Little Paper Shop}! Swing by the store to check out all the new sets. The gallery is available to see all the samples the DT made for the latest goodies {and all the sets LPS has}, and swing over to the LPS blog for a bit more inspiration. You still have a chance to win the Butterfly set from Preview Day #2 as well if you play along with this week's inspiration challenge.

WOW!

LPS Monday

Monday morning! Wow, time flies. My DS #1 is the "special helper" at preschool this morning, so we have had a lot of excitement already today! Whew!

Well, Monday is of course {Little Paper Shop} showcase day! Today's project features the {A Dream} stamp set, which is one of my absolute FAVORITES from LPS. Ok, ok, they're all my favorites. But this one gets to sit on top of the pile.

The colors are Sage Shadow and White. The patterned paper is from....Hobby Lobby. I forget who makes it but I've gotten great use out of it! The butterfly was punched out of a scrap of Sugarcoated white cardstock from Doodlebug {see, I know that one!} and put on with a dimensional after I blinged it up. I did the clouds with a scallop circle punchie scrap and then I added extra sponging to the edges.

Did you know that the {Little Paper Shop} is turning ONE year old in April!?? I can't believe it either! We are going to be having a month's worth of celebrating starting next Monday, so stay tuned! There will be WEEKLY prizes for challenges, new digi stamps!!, PLUS our April stamp releases are truly amazing. Be sure to stick with us ALL month for a LOT of celebrating!

Last thing, there is a color challenge this week over on the LPS blog! The colors are Riding Hood Red, Kraft and Chocolate Chip. We'd love for you to play along, so be sure to link your creation to a comment on this post on the LPS blog to let us know you did {details are there too}! If you upload to SCS or PCP, please use keyword LPSC09.

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to visit all the other LPS ladies to see what they've created for today's showcase. See you tomorrow!

Twinkling Tuesday St. Patty's Style!

Before I get to my Twinkling Tuesday card, I wanted to remind you that today is the big March release day at {Little Paper Shop}! Two brand new stamp sets, {Blessings} and {Bound by the Heart} are now available in the store!

Also, please join us at LPS in welcoming LORI TURNER as our March/April Guest Designer!

ANNNNNNNNNNND Last thing - don't forget about the Stitch it Up! Challenge. The winner will be announced on Monday, March 23rd on the LPS blog so get stitching!

Ok, on to the TWINKLING TUESDAY! This week it is a color challenge - St. Patrick's Day style!

Whatcha think? We'd love for you to play along, just make a card using this color combo and link it up over on the Twinkling Tuesday blog. Keyword MTTSC14 if you upload to SCS or PCP.

Here's my contribution! This fabulous Irish Blessing stamp is from Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps, and I hand-doodled the border. I ran the Garden Green through the Cuttlebug with Swiss Dots and then put Diamond Stickles on all the dots {TEDIOUS!}. Added some Primas with Kaisercraft pearl centers. Easy peasy!

Thanks for stopping by today! See you tomorrow!

LPS Preview - {Blessings}

Happy Monday! Wow, the morning flew by already - I can't believe it's 9:00! Today is the second preview day for tomorrow's BIG RELEASE over at {Little Paper Shop}. This set is called {Blessings} and it is just GORGEOUS!! You are going to be instantly in love. In addition to being a fabulous set for Easter, it has some really lovely quotes that are just so versatile.

Want a chance to win this set? Leave a comment on today's post on the LPS blog! One random winner will be chosen and announced there on release day, TOMORROW!

Don't forget about our Little Paper Shop "Stitch it Up" challenge this week, too! The winner will receive the new {Bound by the Heart} set and will be announced on the LPS blog next Monday. See you tomorrow for LPS Release Day!

Release Day at {Little Paper Shop} and a Sale!

Today is a double-post day for me, so please SCROLL DOWN for today's TWINKLING TUESDAY sketch card!! Read this first...It's finally here!! Release day at {Little Paper Shop}!! The new Hedgehog set we previewed on Sunday and the sweet Angel from yesterday are now available!! And even better than THAT?? There's a sale on too!! Julia is offering 10% off all stamps, INCLUDING the new releases! Hurry over to see all the wonderful offerings, it's hard to pass up a sale! Sale prices are good until February 25th, no coupon needed.

And don't forget, you STILL have another chance to win one of these new sets! Leave a comment congratulating our sketch challenge winner and telling us what you are most looking forward to this month on this post over on the LPS blog and you'll be entered!

MTTSC10 - Thoughts of Spring

Tuesday today! Time to see what Miss Madelynn has in store for us for Twinkling Tuesday...

There it is! MTTSC10 - can you believe it's been ten weeks already??! Wow, time flies! This was a great sketch, clean and simple, and Madelynn said we could add a front image panel if we were so inclined, which I was. :)


My colors are Certainly Celery, Apricot Appeal, Old Olive and Soft Sky. I took this gorgeous new image from Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps {Paris Spring half sheet} and colored right on the rubber with my Stampin' Up! markers in order to ink it up. I did this because I wanted the tree parts to be Celery, the birds to be Apricot, and then when I was done I went back and added touches of Olive to the tree to give it a little more distinction. When I was satisfied with the coloring, I "huffed" onto the stamp to remoisten the ink and then stamped right on the white cardstock. I made a horizontal line for the ground and did the sky with my cloud template. The grass was made by sponging with Celery and Olive ink.

Woo hoo! Not nearly as complicated as I made it as I was creating, I have to say. *g* If you'd like to play along, we'd love to see your work! Be sure to link up your creation on the TT blog, and add the keyword "MTTSC10" when you upload to SCS or PCP so we can find your creations. Be sure to visit the rest of the Twinklettes {links on my left sidebar} for more fun with this sketch.