Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking news and pubs

Time to get you all caught up on all the fabulousness that Paper Crafts (and Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking) Magazine has been putting on the newsstands and in the digital world! So many wonderful issues!!

Let's start with Stamp It! Card Challenges. This is an issue I am incredibly proud of! Its what happens when you put a group of 6 crafty minds together, late in a hotel with awesome cheesecake! At Ed Board the Go-To-Gals came up with all the challenges in this issue. We had more fun coming up with a list of ideas that would inspire stampers to get creative with their stamps and supplies. I am inspired. Really. You can purchase this issue at a store, download a digital copy, OR chose the auto ship method. Use the link above to chose the method best for you.

NEW Auto-Ship Method:
This is fantastic. Especially for all of you who don't have the ability to purchase the special issues that come out. (which will be once a month in 2014) You can now sign up for Auto-Ship. Yep, sign up and the special issues will be shipped to your house!! Once a month magazine loveliness!! Read all about it HERE.

My favorite card from several in the Stamp It Card Challenges issue. The challenge was to use gold embossing powder. I love the look of the gold on the pastel colors, but also placing it over the designs on the patterned paper.

Next special issue, Card Creations for Him. All about making cards for the men in your life. All ages, all interests, all styles. This issue is also impressive. I honestly wasn't sure how it would turn it, but it blew me away. The creativity, the excellent designs, well-executed projects. While the cards are all for guys, there are some amazing techniques that I will be adding to my arsenal of tricks.  

One of my favorites from this issue. I had my son in mind when creating all the cards in the issue and he thought this one was "pretty cool." What more approval do you need? :)

And now for the excitement and the big change...Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking, the January issue. This issue is ridiculously thrilling for me because it is my first official issue as a Go-To-Gal!!! We worked so hard on this issue and its our first Dear Go-To-Gal article and projects! Unbelievable and a dream come true. But the big change, because this issue is completely digital. To access it, you will need to subscribe and use your computer or laptop or tablet or smart phone. The change isn't easy. Its hard to lose the old format. BUT, this issue is SO COOL!! There are so many neat features that you could never have with a paper copy. You can read about the issue HERE. I encourage you to give it a try. If you subscribe now, you will also get a free digital copy of Creative Spaces. Its $9.99 for the year. Its back to an issue a month!! Come on, give it a whirl. I know you will love it! Click the photo below to subscribe.

I have a pile of projects waiting to be finished, some great stuff for Christmas gifts, decor, and a guest blog post over at Moxie Fab World! Stay tuned!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

P.S. Its the little man's first swim meet this weekend! He is excited and nervous, just like his mom and dad! Another era of life has begun! What a remarkable thing to have the privilege of watching your child grow up and find what makes them tick! He is our fish. He is happy in the pool. I will have to share a story with you some day...I never would have dreamed we would end up here! :)

Thanksgiving treats and table

Hello everyone! Happy almost Thanksgiving! Today is a fun post because I am also posting over on the Paper Crafts Connection blog! Haven't been there yet? I will wait until you come back.

I know Thanksgiving is tomorrow, but I wanted to share some of the fun projects that we have been creating for our table. And my son being able to help me is the best part about these projects.

I wanted to have acorns to decorate the table, but sadly, I could not find any that I wanted to use. But I did find these super cute treat acorns on Pinterest! And my family loves chocolate. Loves. Their love is legendary. Seriously.

Acorns:

• Nutter Butter Minis
• Hershey Kisses
• Mini chocolate chips
• Chocolate Frosting

Apply a small (tiny, minuscule) bit of frosting to the base of the kiss. Place it on the cookie. Let sit for a few minutes to set up. Add a tiny bit of frosting to the mini chocolate chip (I know, crazy, right?) and place it on the top of the cookie. 

I am not telling you how many of these my son and I ate during the trial and error period...

To continue the table decorating, I placed the acorns inside a glass jar. (They might lose their mini chocolate chips, but I am guessing no one will complain.) The patterned paper leaves were die cut and stamped with I Give Thanks from Technique Tuesday. The banner and sentiment are also Technique Tuesday. Use some twine to tie them to the jar. Quick and easy. And yummy!

One last project...loving all things chalkboard and gold, I created these mini frames. The wood is an ornament from Michael's that I spray painted gold. The chalkboard is Chalkstock adhered to the back of the wood frame. I wrote the words with a white gel pen. I like it, but I am considering cutting vinyl with a cool font instead. Guess that gives me something for next year!

Be sure and stop over to the Paper Crafts Connection blog because I have a give away, along with some more table decorating ideas. I will be sending a prize package off to some lucky reader, full of fun goodies from my stash. Leave your comments there to be entered.

And it is the last Wednesday of the month, which means its Go-To-Gal Designer Challenge day! I am out this month with our trip and a sick little man, but be sure and check out the rest of the amazing team!

• Teri Anderson
• Heather Campbell
• Kim Kesti
• Betsy Veldman
• Laura Williams

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Moxie Fab Thanks! blog hop

Today is all about Cath Edvalson and her Moxie Fab World. Well, now it is time for Cath to move on and have her next adventure in life. This hop today is to show her just how much she has meant to us all personally and what she has meant to the industry! Its a massive hop. But I think that shows just how amazing she is!

I love this photo. CHA-W 2013. Disneyland, Anaheim, CA.

Cath was my first Paper Crafts cheerleader. She was kind and encouraging, and frankly, the first time I met her, I couldn't believe that she knew my work! Cath is truly a lovely person. She is passionate and thoughtful and intelligent. I honestly could go on and on about her, never saying enough. Moxie Fab is just not going to be the same without her because she is the epitome of Moxie Fab.

Cath, this card is for you. Technique-y, as always. :)

To create this card, I die cut post-it notes with butterfly die templates. Then I placed them on a white cardstock panel. I stamped over the entire panel with Interlocking Borders from Lawn Fawn. Once I removed the post-it notes, I was left with cool butterflies! I added enamel dots (shocking, right?) to the centers and a sentiment.

You should have arrived here from my fellow Go-To-Gal Laura Williams'  blog. And head off to my sweet friend, Vera Yates.

If you want to see the entire hop list, please check out Moxie Fab World. There will also be a place on the blog for you to share your project and thanks with Cath.

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Handmade Cards a special issue from Paper Crafts Magazine

Handmade Cards is a new and fantastic issue from Paper Crafts Magazine! Its chalk full of ideas about how to use all the wonderful goodies we have in our crafty stashes! Its really clever. The ideas are way outside the box and will inspire you greatly! Its one of those keeper issues, the one you refer to for years!

Stamps: JustRite Poppies Labels Twenty-Nine

It was hard to pick just one of my projects to share with you from the issue, but this card ended up the winner. The poppies were stamped onto a canvas ATC and colored using Distress Inks, that were misted with water. Its basically creating your own watercolor paints. Pretty beautiful effect, isn't it? Easy to do. And that's the best part about the issue, all easy and really clever ideas that you can re-create at home.

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

P.S. Busy, busy, busy. I have many fun things coming up soon, so the old blog is going to be less quiet.

• Oct. 31-the end of a week long blog hop with Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L and Clearsnap
• November 1-the start of the month of gratitude
• November 5th-a special guest design blog post
• November 6th-another special guest designer announcement
• November 8th-Caring Hearts Blog Hop

Whew! And that's just the start! Did I mention we are leaving on vacation on the 15th? I better get to work!

inspired by wood pallets

Welcome from the Paper Crafts Connection blog! You haven't been there yet? Head on over. I will wait for you here...

What did you think? Are you inspired by wood pallets yet? Did you come back for more ideas? I can tell you that I had way too much fun with this idea because this is only a few of the ideas I came up with! Maybe I will share a few more later on!

Idea: turn the light colored wood darker, like a pallet and add subway-style sentiment

To turn the wood veneer paper darker, I inked it with Distressing Ink (Vintage Photo) with a foam applicator tool. Its messy, but worth it! 

All of the stamps I used are clear, making it easy to lay them out and see what would and wouldn't work for my sentiment. Once the stamps were all in place, I pressed my acrylic block into them and they were ready to be inked. By doing that, I made sure they stayed lined up exactly how I envisioned.

Idea: inspired by a Pin to create an ombre look with ink and wood veneer paper strips

Again I inked with Distress Ink (Picked Raspberry) on the wood. Each piece received a bit more ink than the previous. The nice thing about the ink is, I could add more as I needed. So each piece started out very light until I achieved the amount of intensity desired.

And again, I lined up my stamps, pressed by acrylic block into them, inked, and stamped.

Idea: inspired by a Pin to create multicolored wood veneer strips, die cut wood strips

Each strip of wood veneer received ink, directly from the pad this time. (My Favorite Things) The dye based ink worked very well, but it did stay wetter longer, so watch that. (Messy, messy, messy.) The inked strips were adhered to a piece of cardstock and then run through a manual die cutting machine with a heart die template. It took several passes because of the thickness of the material. But it turned out awesome! The words love you were die cut from cardstock.

Ready to create cards inspired by wood pallet art? There are tons of possibilities! Be sure and visit the Paper Crafts Connection blog for your chance to win a set of stamps from Hero Arts!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

P.S. If you are looking for more inspiration, check out my board on Pinterest, Wood Pallet Love.

Happy World Card Making Day!

Happy World Card Making Day! I hope you can set aside some time today to create cards, or learn something new, or attempt to make cards while just hanging out with good friends! And, if you do create cards, be sure and enter them in the World Card Making Day contest! Great prizes to be won!

Feathers are pretty trendy right now and like always, I started wondering...wondering if I could make my own? It was actually pretty easy to do. I cut vellum to the size and basic shape of the feather I wanted. The wire was adhered to the center. For my feather, I used these darling twist ties from Close To My Heart. (The excess paper was trimmed off the edges.) Once dry, I cut into the vellum with scissors, repeatedly, until I was happy with the fringe results.

The background is stamped, but to give it a softer look, once it was inked, I misted it lightly with water before stamping. I added washi strips (cut from WR Memory Keepers 6x6 washi) and gems and enamel dots (from Close To My Heart) to finish the card off. Fun and very different for me!

If you are looking to learn some new techniques today, be sure and visit my YouTube channel for lots of ideas. With well over 50 videos, hopefully something catches your eye! 

Link: Kimberly Crawford YouTube Channel.

And there are quite a few videos over on the Paper Crafts Magazine Channel too! (a few with yours truly :))

thanks for always stopping by!

~kimberly

AND...if you are anything like me and love some paper crafting shopping on holidays (or any days that end in d-a-y) here is a free domestic shipping coupon code for you to use at Two Peas in a Bucket! Spend $35 dollars and at checkout enter the code 5ZZKRD. Simply click the photo below and start shopping! 

chalkboard easel and more

On a recent Hobby Lobby shopping trip, I found this chalkboard easel. And you know how much I love chalkboards! There were a couple of sizes, this one at about 5x7, but not quite, and a smaller one at 3x4. I couldn't wait to get playing with them, so I took time yesterday afternoon and am thrilled with how this one turned out!

With the small space to work with, I wasn't even going to attempt my real chalk technique. I wondered if my Silhouette could cut the white vinyl with the small size, while maintaining the details. And look! I cannot believe how perfectly it cut! (Silhouette file 47133)

It was interesting to lay this out. :) Silhouette does sell a transfer paper, to assist in applying the vinyl, but I did not have any on hand. This will soon be remedied. :) A tweezers helped me place the pieces. And, they were easy to pick up and move around as needed. Honestly, after two or three words, it was no problem.

To finish the easel off, I stamped these beautiful flowers and leaves from the new Avery Elle set, Laurels. This new stamp set is pretty and perfect. The real brilliance is the way you can layer the images. Each of the flowers has three layers, allowing you to add beautiful dimension.

And one more thing to share with you today, a peek at the new Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking digital magazine! This is the cover of the January 2014 issue! Ok, time for me to be honest. This has been hard. Knowing that the November/December issue was the final print issue of Paper Crafts Magazine was tough. I have loved the magazine since its beginning in 2004. But, there are some very positive things to come out of this:

1. MONTHLY inspiration! There will now be monthly issues. Full of amazing inspiration from the best designers in the industry. All in one place. Beautifully photographed. Large photos. Large text.
2. LINKS! Like that paper? Stamp set? Die template? Supplies will be linked making it easy to find that product that inspires you. Did I mention links to VIDEOS?
3. SHARING! Tweet. Pin. Facebook. Email. You will have the ability to share so much! And if you really want, you can print the entire issue at home or a copy shop.
4. No more clutter! Save all your issues on your computer or digital device! (Have I mentioned that I like to throw things away? Sometimes its important things, like, maybe airline tickets...)
5. SCRAPBOOKING! Many of us dabble in scrapbooking too. I am looking forward to ideas that will inspire me in both hobbies! And even if you don't scrapbook, its still paper ideas.
6. SPECIAL ISSUES. There will be MONTHLY PRINT special issues. And it looks like there may be the possibility of having those mailed to you...stay tuned.

Change is never easy. It isn't easy for me yet. But I will get there. And I am truly thankful that there will still be a magazine. My beloved magazine. New format. New possibilities. 

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

P.S. If you want more details about the changes at Paper Crafts, please check out these couple of blog posts. People who are much better at writing than I. Paper Crafts Connection. Moxie Fab World.

exploring a digital issue of Paper Crafts Magazine, a video

Today I want to show you how a digital issue of Paper Crafts Magazine works, when viewed via their app on the iPad. As so many of you already know, Paper Crafts and Scrapbooking will be the new format of the magazine starting with the January 2014 issue. The magazine will only be available in digital format. Monthly. Yes, monthly issues of the magazine again! And before you panic about not having print issues, special issues will continue once a month, and will be available at your favorite bookseller or through the online store, Scrap and Paper Shop.

Now, I am sharing this as someone who personally subscribes digitally. While I am a Paper Crafts Go-To-Gal, this is what I know about the app and issue. I might not be aware of features, but I am sharing the best of my knowledge. I want you to be familiar and comfortable with the digital format. Its really great. Truly. So many cool features and neat things that you cannot and could never do with a print issue. This video shows the iPad, but you can also access the digital issue with your computer, be it a desktop or laptop.

Watch the whole thing, as I pretty much show you the entire issue and give tips along the way. I truly hope it helps you see how fantastic the issues are and removes some of the fear of the unknown. :)

Embracing the future and thanking you for stopping by!

~kimberly

P.S. Have a fantastic weekend! Barring any unforeseen rain, I will be camping for the first time, EVER. The little man has his first Cub Scout overnight camp out. He is beyond excited. I am feigning excitement, mostly from nerves. Oh, the things our children make us experience. There will be s'mores, that makes it all ok. :)

fun with chalkboard and cork

Welcome, welcome! Its a fun day here on the old blog and on the Paper Crafts Connection blog! Its my turn to post over there today, so if you haven't been there yet, stop on over, because there are prizes involved!

If you have already been there, then let's get to a few more ideas with some great new products from Fancy Pants! You already saw the fun chalkboard tape on Paper Crafts Connection, but look at the label shapes! And the cork shapes! I just had to put these to work immediately!

   

The chalk and cork screamed back-to-school time to me. And I happened to have an awfully cute photo of the little man that needed a special place. ;) (Thanks to some repositionable adhesive I can change the photo each year.)

The frame is a 5x7 acrylic frame that I picked up for around a dollar. The background is card stock that was embossed with an embossing folder along with a piece of white card stock that was digitally die cut to look like notebook paper.

And the fun part of the frame; this label on the front. Yes, you read that correctly, I adhered the label to the front of the frame. It lets me add some fun dimension. What I liked about the labels and shapes is how well the shapes and sizes all mix and match. You can see here how well the cork circle fits on the chalk label.  

Fun discovery! You can emboss the chalk tape and labels!! The chalk label was embossed with an embossing folder and I rubbed some white ink over the polka dots to bring them out a bit more.

Here is the tape embossed! The star and enamel dot were adhered to the outside of the frame.

Where are the cork pennants? They are not in the product photo? Well, when I was playing with the arrows, I realized that if I cut the point off the arrow, I could have pennants! A pair of scissors cut it easily. I love getting more mileage from great products!

Be sure and visit the Paper Crafts Connection blog for a chance to win an awesome prize pack of chalk products from Fancy pants!

thanks a million for stopping by!

~kimberly

Paper Crafts Go-To-Gal Designer Challenge

What is a Go-to Gal Designer Challenge you may ask?  Once a month the Paper Crafts magazine Go-to Gals will challenge each other to create a project focusing on products from a particular manufacturer.  We plan to feature one manufacturer the last Wednesday of each month.  Just for fun! This month we are featuring The Twinery!

I will admit I have an addiction to baker's twine. What's not to love? All the colors, all the fun ways to use it! And I love all the colors that The Twinery has in their palette, especially the gold and silver versions!

Aren't these sweet? Jars and paper straws float my boat and I thought it would be fun to embellish them with some cute twine pom poms!

Making pom poms is incredibly easy. 

1. Simply wrap a piece of twine around two fingers (for this project, because you want them to be small). The more twine you wrap, the thicker and fuller your pom will be. 
2. Slide it off your finger and tie a separate piece of twine around the center of your circle of twine.
3. Tie it tightly.
4. Puff the twine up and trim the edges until they are even. Like you were giving it a hair cut.
5. Adhere the pom.

I foresee using these on lots of projects...who can resist?

Stop by and see how the rest of these fabulous ladies used twine. I know I cannot wait as they constantly amaze me with their creativity and talent!

• Teri Anderson
• Heather Campbell
• Kim Kesti
• Betsy Veldman
• Laura Williams

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Holiday Cards and More Vol. 8

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas. I can’t help myself. Confession, I bought Christmas crafting supplies at Michael’s yesterday. It was a ton of fun looking at all the new ornaments and projects and ribbons…

Christmas is my favorite holiday and this special issue from Paper Crafts Magazine is one I look forward to every year. Holiday Cards and More Vol.8 is a great issue. And a great resource for your holiday cards and projects. I found quite a few fabulous projects that I could totally see myself recreating for our holiday card!

This issue is also special because I am on the cover! The truck and tree are mine. I have always been drawn to photos and décor pieces with an old fashioned truck getting the Christmas tree, so I thought, why not create that with paper? The truck and trees are all digital cut files from Silhouette. To make the truck a bit more festive, I added a stamped sentiment from Simon Says Stamp.

We are off to the Iowa State Fair this weekend. It will be a first visit for us. We will have to see how it compares to the Minnesota State Fair. ;)

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

silly 16th birthday party ensemble

This latest special issue from Paper Crafts, called Birthday Creations, is a great resource for all card makers. I mean, let’s be honest, the reason most of us make cards is for someone’s birthday! :) The issue is full of cards, great and creative party ideas and matching ensembles, and a helpful birthday organizer section with cute projects to help you remember all those birthdays. Anyone else like me and need all the help they can get?! :)

And this is my favorite project in the issue! It’s a Silly 16th Party ensemble. Photo booths and props are all the rage, so I thought it would be fun to create those, along with a faux driver’s license to add their silly photos to. (You can see it in the driver’s license lanyard in the center.) And I created a template of those for you to print out! Check out the web address in the issue!

It has sure been a busy week around here! I have more coming up as I want to share a bit of our amazing vacation with you and a few other crafty ideas that have been rolling around in my brain!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Paper Crafts Magazine July/August

The July/August issue of Paper Crafts Magazine is now available! This issue is pretty special to me because my card made the cover! Making a cover is a huge honor and it amazes me. Completely.

EEEEE! Its just so unreal to see!! And how awesome is that stamp from Technique Tuesday?!?! It’s a clear set called Bring on the Sun.

I hope this card makes you smile a little bit and brings a bit of sunshine into your day!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

thanks to you!

The May/June issue of Paper Crafts Magazine is now available!! And I owe you all a HUGE thank you!!

Why? Because you chose this card to be in the issue! Thank you!!! This card is located in the Raiding the Kitchen section, along with my other card in the issue. The background of this card was made with sea salt! To find out more about how to create the look, be sure and check out the issue!

AND as a thank you, I have an extra copy of this issue and I would love to give it away to one of my readers! And if you would like, I would LOVE to send you the card!! Simply leave a comment on this post, telling me what you would create a card with from the kitchen. The deadline is at 10 pm CDT. 

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

A bit of a side note about this issue…there is a TON of content in the digital issue! Its beautiful, oh, so beautiful! There are a couple of ways to get access the digital version of the magazine, one is to subscribe to the paper version and then you can get a code to access it online (which is me). Two, is to just subscribe digitally. With iPads, and Kindles, and Nooks, you may prefer to receive your copies only that way. For more about the digital goodness, read Jennifer Schaerer’s blog post HERE.

Paper Crafts 350 Cards and Gifts Blog Hop

Welcome to the Paper Crafts 350 Cards and Gifts Blog Hop! Have you seen this special issue?! Its fantastic! It’s a keeper. You know, the issue you leave on your book shelves and reference all the time? Dog-eared, post-it note covered? Please tell me I am not the only one! :)

I have to say, it was a ton of fun coming up with card sets and gift card holders! I am thrilled to have seven projects in this issue! I will be sure and share one next week with you!

Today’s projects are all about birthdays. And we all have tons of them to celebrate! My project is super girly and frankly over the top, but it will be so fun to hand to a friend! A watering can of roses that will never die! I think it was worth the time and effort because I had so.much.fun putting it together!

It was all cut using my Silhouette Cameo. (the chalkboard sticker was pre-made) The roses were assembled slightly differently than the directions-as you can see on the inside, there is wire. By using 18 gauge wire, I was able to easily put the roses together, with their leaves and bases, along with making them easier to arrange in the watering can.

Check out all these talented ladies and the great projects they have in store for you!

• Chan Vuong
• Heather Campbell
• Kimberly Crawford *you are here*
• Amanda Coleman
• Kelly Griglione
• Nina Yang
• Alice Wertz
• Emily Branch
• Jocelyn Olson
• Kalyn Kepner
• Lori Tecler
• Meghan McMillan
• Piali Biswas
• Vanessa Menhorn

And it just wouldn’t be a proper blog hop without a prize!! Leave a comment on this post by Tuesday, May 14 at 11:59 PM CDT for your chance to win a copy of 350 Cards and Gifts!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

InLinkz.com

P.S. Its been crazy as usual around here! Utah and the Paper Crafts Ed Board was amazing! What a trip! Then its been gardening and landscaping and now my MIL, FIL, BIL, and SIL are all here for the rest of the weekend! AND it’s the hubby’s birthday! Busy and fun!
I wish all of you moms a very Happy Mother’s Day!!