BG is celebrating the release of two new lines – Paper Cottage and Clippings. And I fell in love with the Paper Cottage line. Look at how lovely this is…

Aren’t those fun colors and whimsical prints fun? Here is what BasicGrey has to say about the line…

Retire to this idyllic, cozy crafty cottage, located just a stroll down Creativity Lane. Enjoy an authentic English breakfast complete with homemade jam or stop for a spot of tea in our tucked-away parlor. Restore your stylish senses with a jaunt through the nestled garden, and return through the glen for a lovely lunch on the patio. Enjoy your restful stay here at the Paper Cottage.

And check out these must-have buttons…

Such fun. Now be sure to head over to Leeann Pearce’s spectacular blog. (Oh, and you can always hop back to the BasicGrey blog for a list of direct links to all the blogs in the hop.) There are lots of prizes to be won!

Speaking of prizes…

And the fabulous folks at BasicGrey are letting me share the love! A lucky winner will get a 6×6 paper pad and lovely buttons from this new Paper Cottage line. Just leave a comment by Wednesday at 11:59pmEST. Good luck.

See you soon.

This one features the Simon Says Stamp June Card Kit of the Month. This is a lovely kit. And the best part of it? The stamp set in it. So fabulous. I used this kit along with THIS great flip die to create this…

So when you open this card, it flips…

… revealing the message inside…

Cool huh?  And stamping with that fabulous stamp set on the front…

So you can find this great June Kit HERE (which includes the amazing stamp set). You can also subscribe to the monthly kit to save a few bucks HERE.

Here is the stamp set inside. Amazing, huh? (My girl Kristina created it.)

And how about that cool flip card design? Just cut with THIS die and add your papers and embellishments. So easy and it can be used with all the die cut machines. (My Christmas card this year had this design, but I didn’t have this die yet. This makes it easy.)

(And it comes in a square flip design, too, HERE.)

Yay! I have a June Kit to give away, thanks to the kind folks at Simon Says Stamp. Just leave a comment here by Friday at 11:59pmEST for your chance to win. Good luck.

SSS June Card Kit	SSS Card Kit of the Month Subscription	Vagabond Die Cutting Machine	Sizzix Circle Flip-Its Card Die
Heart Border Punch	Ink Blending Tool	Distress Inks	Hero Arts Black Dye Ink
Neenah White Cardstock 25 Sheets	Neenah White Cardstock 250 Sheets	Studio Calico Wood Veneer Hearts	Hero Arts Pearls
Glossy Accents	Tombow Stamp Runner Adhesive

Sorry I am not creating much to share right now. I hope to play a bit very soon.

But in the meantime, we have some winners! The winners for Julie’s class spots are Leslie (Crooked Stamper), Susan C and Shari S. And the lucky one who will get the new Distress Inks is Miranda. (I emailed you all.)

Off to rest. This whole creating-a-human-being thing is exhausting. Night.

Just have some fun (and totally random) links for you…

• Remember THIS card? That great stamp set is now available outside of the card kit HERE. Love this set.
• Looking for a baby name? (Ha – I AM!) I love THIS site. Type in a name and it shows it’s popularity over the years. Pretty cool.
• Are you a Hero Arts fan? They just announced a new My Monthly Hero program HERE. I love THIS new birthday set from it. Fun.
• If you are on Facebook, I would love to have your vote for a belly photo contest. Each vote they get gives a dollar to the March of Dimes – awesome. If you are interested, click HERE.
• One of my new favorite cardmakers, Danielle Walls, has a new video series called “Shhh… Mommy’s Hiding.” So cute. Check it out HERE.
• Wanna see one of the best design teams ever? Truly. This is a strong group of artists. Go HERE – it is the A Blog Name Hero design team. Wow.
• I have gotten a few emails asking about our die cutting class, A Cut Above. The first half was traditional die cutting (Big Shot, Cuttlebug, etc.) and the second half is the Silhouette. Lots of fun techniques, a ton of videos and great prizes. You can still sign up HERE. Class is underway but you can catch up anytime as the content never goes away.
• Are you a mom? Proud of your kids? Wanna have a good cry? Go watch THIS.

I think that was enough random for tonight. On to the giveaway…

I have a great giveaway! THREE lucky winners will get a spot in my friend Julie Ebersole‘s upcoming class, Fold It Pop It Flip It Zip It. (If you have taken any Online Card Classes, you will be familiar with her work. She also does classes with Ellen Hutson… and they are fab!) Here is more info and it looks like fun…

Ready to take your standard card to a whole new level?  Learn how to incorporate specialty folds, shadow boxes, pop-ups and other fun interactive elements into your greetings!  Join long-time instructor Julie Ebersole for Fold It, Pop It, Flip It, Zip It! and learn more than a dozen different ways to add an extra element of fun and surprise to your card designs!

The two week course features video tutorials, complete step-by-step instructions, diagrams & patterns, along with project photos in downloadable PDF format.  Also included in the class are: A gallery, private forum, additional projects contributed by special guest designers, exclusive shopping discounts and prize drawings!

Come and go to the classroom on your own schedule, and, as always, enjoy lifetime access to all class materials! Class begins May 7-18! For more information, head HERE.

So here is your chance to win one of three spots. Just leave a comment here by Friday at 11:59pmEST. Oh, and if you have any baby name ideas, I would love to hear them. Good luck!

See you soon.

Here’s the info…

Are you a die cutting expert or do you consider yourself a novice? Do you prefer a traditional die cutting machine or would you rather use your computer to design what you’ll be cutting? Or maybe you’re just not sure! Never fear, we’re here to help! Join Kristina Werner, Jennifer McGuire, guest instructor Nichol Magouirk and many great guests for A Cut Above, as they show you the ins and outs and everything you need to know about the various die cutting systems.

You’ll leave class with the knowledge of numerous tips and creative techniques for using the Big Shot, Vagabond, Cuttlebug and Grand Calibur with various types of dies and embossing folders, as well as the Silhouette Cameo. The first half of class will be devoted to traditional die cutting methods and the second half will be focused on the increasingly popular Silhouette (Cameo, SD, and original Silhouette). Simple to complex, beginning to advanced – we’ll cover it all!

This three-week interactive class includes free downloads (including from guest artist Ali Edwards), BIG prizes, galleries, a Q&A forum and lifetime access! Class runs April 16 to May 7, but content will be available for a lifetime.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO & TO REGISTER!

If you’re interested in only the traditional die cutting portion of the class, or maybe in just the Silhouette portion, we will be offering A Cut Above in two separate parts on May 15. You can find more info on that HERE.

Giveaway time! I have three spots to give away in the A Cut Above class. Leave a comment here telling me your favorite die cutting machine or if you are dreaming of having one. I will pick 3three winners on Wednesday 11:59pmEST. If you have already registered for the class and win, we will give you a refund.

Hope you have a blessed and happy Easter, filled with the peace of knowing He has Risen. Take care!

I am also happy to be the first stop…

My Mind’s Eye is revamping their blog (today you can see the new look!) and really integrating into the world of Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. To add to the excitement, MME is revealing their three new mid-release lines this week, too.

As I said before, I tend to hoard MME 6×6 paper pads. They are fabulous. Simply fabulous. The small scale of the papers in these pads, along with the yummy colors they come in, make for quick and easy cardmaking. Here is a quick card I did using a few of these papers…

Fun colors, huh? I used the MME 6×6 On The Bright Side and 6×6 Be Amazing along with an EK Success Zig Zag border punch. The buttons from from MME, too. (I also am growing an addiction for their button packs – they are unique and fun.)

Fun colors = fun card = happy recipient.

The next person on the blog hop is my dear favorite friend, Nichol Magouirk. And in case you’ve lost your way, here is the entire hop list (each participant has prizes and sneak peeks):

• Jennifer McGuire
• Nichol Magouirk
• Rhonna Farrer
• Shimelle Laine
• Stacy Julian 
• Stephanie Howell
• Studio Calico
• MY MIND’S EYE (the last stop- look for several prizes here!)

Enjoy!

MME said I could giveaway a pack of their great buttons I was telling you about. And look closely, these are a peek at one of the new lines! You can see more on the My Mind’s Eye blog later this week. Just leave a comment by Sunday, April 8, for your chance to win.

MME Be Amazing 6×6	MME 6×6 On The Bright Side	MME Rosy Buttons	Zig Zag Punch
Good Gab Paper Smooches	Small Fiskars Trimmer	Snow Notecard	Tombow Stamp Runner Adhesive
Neenah White Cardstock 25 Sheets	Neenah White Cardstock 250 Sheets	Hero Arts Black Dye Ink

“Join Kelly Purkey in another installment of her popular Sketchbook class! Sketchbook 4 is a four week class filled with fresh sketches, easy instructions, beautiful examples, and lots of fun. This class is designed to be used at any time and over + over again when you need inspiration.

Sketchbook is different from any other sketch class out there because Kelly and the contributors offer design tips and detailed explanation of what makes a page work. It’s more than sketches – they’ll deliver valuable pointers for creating great layouts.

By the end of the class, you’ll have a complete sketchbook of 12 original sketches, 38 layouts, and an ADDITIONAL 38 sketches based on those creative pages. All the examples are brand new layouts, exclusive to this class… you won’t see them anywhere else! You will be receiving an example layout from Kelly for each of the sketches, along with two example layouts from a Studio Calico Design Team member and some of your favorite SC Guest Designers.”

Hope to see you there. Interested in winning a spot? Just leave a comment here by Thursday night for your chance.

Here are a few things I have found that you may want to check out…

• The folks at Lawn Fawn are having a great inspiration week with lots of card ideas. Adorable stuff HERE.
• I have loved seeing Heather’s tag creations based on the Tim Holtz Creative Chemistry 101 class. Gorgeous work.
• I am really impressed by the new A Blog Named Hero site. Good stuff.

See you soon.

A quick share for you – this was in a recent issue of Paper Crafts. I rarely share the cards I have in there, but wanted to share this one. If you are like me, you are in constant need of cards with messages like this one…

A little Glossy Accents goes a long way in adding some dimension and shine to those little hearts.

The greeting was generated on my computer… the band aids were colored with Copics… and the paper is My Mind’s Eye 6×6.

By the way, those band aids are from THIS Lawn Fawn set. The stamp actually has the smile on it. But for the first two band aids, I just left it uninked and stamped in the heart instead. Another way to get more from your stamps…

Cute set, eh?

I have a fun giveaway today – the new Paper Crafts Party Ensembles book! This book is a lot of fun – has over 140 party ensembles with over 1000 projects. I have a few in there and here is a peek at one. It is to celebrate Uncle Mike Day – something our family does every year. (There is a holiday for every other person in the family – why not fab Uncles?) To see the whole thing, check out page 114 of the book…

For your chance to win a copy of the Paper Crafts Party Ensembles book, just leave a comment here by Wednesday at 11:59pmEST. Good luck.

The winners of the May Arts ribbon bundles include: Jodi A, Jennifer Snyder and Jennifer Harris. I emailed you.

I wanted to share a video I did for the kind folks over at May Arts. I have been a fan of their ribbons for years, and some of their recent releases are just plain awesome. In this video, I show my favorite folded/pleated ribbon technique with my new favorite chevron twill…

Yummy yummy ribbon…

I am sure you are probably wondering about that lovely chevron ribbon, huh? You can find it HERE.

All the supplies are listed below in the thumbnails under the giveaway.

So there two ways to win some May Arts goodies. First, you could go to the May Arts blog and comment for a chance to win three spoils of your choice.

Next, you can leave a comment here for a chance to win a bunch of some of my favorite May Arts ribbons. I put together three bundles for three lucky winners. Just be sure to leave your comment by Friday at 11:59pmEST. Look how lovely they are…

Good luck.

We have some winners! The winner of Creative Chemistry 101 with Tim Holtz is Pat C and the winner of the Silhouette class with Kerri Bradford is Diana Waite. Yay!

One question I have been asked more than any other lately: “When will the new Studio Calico + Hero Arts stamps be available?” Well… now is the time! It is in stores. If you are looking for the stamps, go HERE. My favorites? Lattice and chevron!

There are also a few new 6×6 Studio Calico paper pads, which you can get HERE… including the 6×6 Abroad, Classic Calico and Take Note.

Happy shopping.

I also saw that the sweet folks at Paper Smooches have a new set out called Little Lady. Sweet, isn’t it? Love. And be sure to check their blog tomorrow for a few chances to win the set and for other surprises…

Enjoy! I will be back soon with something more to share. Gotta get some rest.