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Monday, March 31, 2014

Perfect Paper Crafting Brand Ambassador Blog Hop

Welcome to our Perfect Paper Crafting Brand Ambassador blog hop.

Our Brand Ambassadors are the heart and soul of Perfect Paper Crafting! They are all truly AMAZING artists. The hop starts today, Monday, March 31 at 9:00 a.m. PST and will go through Friday, April 4 at Midnight PST


We thought we would do a blog hop so you could see our Brand Ambassadors' artistic talents showcasing our newest products. We will show you how to use our new Perfect Layers Mini tools and Perfect Cutting Mat.  We are very lucky to have SugarPea Designs as one of our sponsors for this fun blog hop. SugarPea Designs is giving away a $25 gift certificate to their new on line store to one lucky winner. Also to celebrate our very first Perfect Paper Crafting Brand Ambassador blog hop, Perfect Paper Crafting will be giving away a $50 gift certificate to our on line store. All you have to do is visit all of the participating blogs and leave a comment on every single one. We will announce the winner Sunday, April 6. I hope you enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by today - the next stop on the hop is Cathie Rigby

Here is what the cutting mat and mini tools look like. 
Note that one side is in inches, the other side is metric.  Look at all of the great information on each side, too!
 
   I still love my full size tools, but I REALLY love these mini tools!  They travel beautifully to crops, or girl's day in crafting sessions, and I feel that I personally have more control with the smaller size.  The mat is amazing - makes for a perfect cut every time.
If you look closely, you will see that there are edges on each side with different widths. The first ruler has 3/16" and 5/16" on the front side, and 1/2" and 1/16" on the other side.  The second ruler has 5/8" and 1/8" on one side, and 1/4 and 1/4" on the other side.

Now.....here is what I made using the Perfect Cutting Mat and the Mini Tools:
Adhere your image to mat material.  Then begin creating your first mat, by determining which edge you will be using. For my blue mat, I've chosen 1/8".

Holding your tool firmly, use your X-acto knife, or rotary cutter to cut your first line.

Turn your project, and repeat three more times, until all edges are trimmed.
  
Your first mat is finished - voila!

Repeat with second mat, if you choose to add more than one. For the yellow mat, I used the 1/2" edge.
Repeat with third mat - for this mat, I used a 1/16" mat.
Used a Sherry Baldi 'Besties' image for this one, and an Amuse Studio sentiment. Love the way it turned out! Note the 1/16" black border behind the pink panel, and the 1/8" border behind the center strip.
For this card, I used several size mats.  The image, sentiment, and sunburst paper are from Amuse Studio. I followed the sketch below, and will be entering this card in the Sketch Saturday challenge.
  


If you'd like to try these tools yourself, check out my sidebar for details on how to save money on your own set!

Happy Hopping!
If you get lost along the way, you can find the entire blog list at Perfect Paper Crafting!

Have a great week!
Patti J.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Wish you were here....

Howdy, and Happy Sunday!

The sun is shining in Missouri - it's a miracle!  The temps are nice too - around 50, I think.  Had a great church service today, AND a church breakfast, so life is really good.

I have a card to share, that I don't think I've ever posted.  This is one of the cards that was published in an issue of CardMaker a while back.  I love this Amuse Studio set 'Life's a Breeze'- it's fun to create with!


Thanks for stopping by,

Patti J.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Rock On!

Hi there, and Happy Thursday!
So happy that you stopped by today, as it's my day to post for Die-Versions Dies.
Today, I'm featuring the Die-Versions Sweet Spot Die, "Rock On".
Check out all of the darling Sweet Spot dies at Die-Versions! You won't be disappointed!




This die cuts so smoothly. I love the way the cardstock just falls right out of the die. The letters cut uniformly, and the little pieces just fall away with a flick of my fingertips.  Another thing that I like about this, is that the words stand alone, as well.  Simply trim the circle from around the words, and you have two individual words to add to your card front, scrapbook page, or altered item! The possibilities are endless!

I wanted to work with a card layout that would showcase the Sweet Spots die, and I think this works well! I plan to use the layout again with other Sweet Spots!  The Amuse Studio cardstocks seem to work perfectly for this style, as all of their cardstock is white on the back side.

I hope that you will check out the great products at the Die-Versions store,
and that you'll become a follower of the Die-Versions blog!
The ideas from our design team are fresh and fun every day!

Thanks for stopping by,
Patti J.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Girl's Day In...

Hello!
The weekend is nearly here - wahoo! Hope you have some fun plans.  It's supposed to get bitter cold here again, so I don't know what we will attempt to do.  Sigh...mother nature is really mad at us!

So, between our trip to Germany, and all of the many snowy days that we've been cooped up, my friend Shirley and I decided that we would get together on Wednesday and create some things.

I'll just make this short!  Here's what we made:

Isn't this bunny box the cutest thing ever?  Amuse Studio has this fabulous box die.  Perfect for 2 Ghirardelli candies, a box of Tic Tacs, handful of loose candy, a few tubes of Chapstick, etc.  The papers are Amuse Studio, as well. This was fun AND yummy!  Thanks, Shirley!

This was a pattern that Angie at 'My Chic 'n Scratch' was showcasing one day last week.  We used the bunny stamp (sorry, can't remember whose it is!), the center box is Neat & Tangled Stamps and sequins, and the Cardinal is Close to My Heart.  They hold two candy nuggets perfectly!

We also played with the box card again.  Ha ha...if you look closely, you will see that my DP on the bottom front is glued on sideways!  Oops!  Anyway, this one is a hodge podge of dies, bling, punches, and patterned papers. 

This stamp is one of the new releases at Stampin'Up! this spring.  Isn't it pretty?  The sentiment is actually a part of the stamp.  The fun paper is a new patterned paper from Amuse Studio.

Here's a side view....


Then we created the fun and cheerful Easter card.  Again, I'm not sure who the stamp vendor is - sorry! Thanks, Shirley for another fun project!

Here's the inside view...

This is another Stampin'Up! new release stamp.  SO pretty!  I love tulips, and keep hoping to see the real thing popping up soon!

That's all I have for today!  We had a really good day - drank hot tea, got lots of doggie kisses (and a bruise or two :)
and chatted for HOURS!  Long overdue, and I'm already looking forward to the next session.
Great therapy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Patti J.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Happy Day!

Happy Wednesday!
This week seems like it's flown by - can't believe it's already hump day!
I had a great day yesterday - went to my friend Shirley's house, and we created for hours!
I will share our fun creations tomorrow.


When I needed a St. Patrick's Day card for my senior 'buddy', I went to my Doodle Pantry
pre-colored digi stash.  Found this darling bird and sentiment, and followed the Operation Write Home Sketch, shown below.  Used my Perfect Paper Crafting Mini Rulers for the wonderful mats. See my sidebar for details!!!


Voila - card in a jiffy!  Hope it made my senior lady smile.

Have a nice evening!
Thanks for stopping by,
Patti J.

Monday, March 17, 2014

Crochet Lace

Good morning, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!  
Today is my day to post on the Die-Versions blog, and I've chosen to showcase the beautiful 'Crochet Lace' Die.  I've used this border die in three ways, to give an idea of the versatility of this, 
or any of the Die-Version border dies.

First up is the border used diagonally.  I think it really pops against the colors, don't you?  Love the diagonal look, and can't wait to use it again!

Image is digi from Bugaboo Stamps. Sentiment and Butterflies are from GKD. Image colored with Copics.

Who can resist a CAS card?  
This card uses the 'Crochet Lace' Die as a 'ruffle' under the sentiment. 
Flower is from Amuse Studio, Button Candies from Stampin'Up, sentiment unknown, Perfect Papercrafting Rulers (see sidebar for details).


Last, but not least, the 'Crochet Lace' die was used here on the side.  
I've offset the image, to give the die a bit more of a showcase.
Image is from Amuse Studio. Inks are Tim Holtz Distress and Versafine Black.


'Crochet Lace' is one of my favorite dies from Die-Versions.  It cuts so beautifully, the cardstock nearly falls out of the die, and it is such a pretty embellishment on a card.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you'll pop over to Die-Versions and check out all of their amazing dies.  We'd love for you to follow the Die-Versions Blog, as well. There is daily inspiration for all!

Have a great day,
Patti J.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Really? Again???

Hi there!
So, my thoughts today (after riding in the convertible with top down yesterday) was "Really?  Seriously?"
Sigh...is it ever going to end?
This was taken early this morning, and it's continued snowing all day long. Cold, windy,
'snowing sideways' type of snow. 
Bah.


On the upside....
I've been creating, since I certainly can't go anyplace!
Here's what I've made today:

I've always wanted to make one of these!  I had a wedding celebration to attend today for two special young women. I hope that they will like this. I might add their monograms on the towels, but their names start with the same letter. What do you think?
 
This is another item that I've been wanting to try for a long time! The fun thing about these box cards, is that they fold flat for mailing!  I used the new Amuse Studio papers, a couple of grass dies, and some Stampin' Up punches and sentiment.  Just wish I had used flat flowers...

Here is the box card in an A2 envelope.  How cool is this???

I have three more cards to show you on Tuesday, when I post for Die-Versions!

Hope that your weekend has been special!
See you next week,

Patti J.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

WINNER!!!

So sorry - Friday slipped away from me!

The winner of the Hobby Lobby Scrapbooking magazine is:

Lena's Creations!

Congratulations, Lena!

Please email me at: mamagilliam at gmail dot com with your mailing information, and I will put it in the mail on Monday!

Thanks to all who dropped by - keep watching for blog candy at the end of the month or first of next month. I'm going to be celebrating 5 years of blogging, my 1000th blog post, and my 60th birthday!

Happy weekend,
Patti J.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Oops! Bought it twice!

Hello!

Well, the sun peeked out at us today - for quite a while, actually. Wonders never cease!
Hope it was nice where you were, too.  Maybe spring really is just around
the corner.

Well.....


I must have liked this a lot, because I bought it twice.
Don't laugh, I know that YOU have done the same thing, at least once!

It's up for grabs!
Just leave a comment here and tell me you'd like it. 
At the end of the day on Friday, I'll draw a winner, and your magazine will go in the mail on Monday.

Thanks for stopping by!
Patti J.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Creations by AR - March Release - Carrot Patch

Good morning!  

We just returned from a trip to Germany, where we were allowed to spoil our new granddaughter for a week!  We are filled with enough 'happy' to last a long, long time!  Now, it's time to hop!

Welcome to the March product release blog hop for Creations by AR!
The wonderful Adela has been creating again, and this is such a fun template!
It's called 'Carrot Patch', and you can find it HERE.

Can you guess what the three carrots are filled with?  Mmm........

I don't YET own a cutting machine, so this was entirely cut with scissors and exacto knife.  All of the Creations by AR templates come in SVG or PDF files, and so far, I've always been able to keep up with the other girls!

Would you like to win this template?  

All you need to do is comment on each participating blog, and on the Creations by AR Facebook page.  

As I've been traveling, I don't have all of the links here on my blog.  

You can find the entire list HERE!  

Comments will be accepted until Friday, March 14, 12:00 noon Eastern.

One random winner will be announced on March 15th, on the AR Facebook Page, or the AR Website.

Good luck, and Happy Hopping!!!
Patti J.

EDIT:  I actually DO own a cutting machine now!  DH bought me a Silhouette Portrait for an early Birthday gift! My b'day is not until April, but he spoiled me!  We don't usually exchange gifts anymore for birthdays, or Christmas, so this was just an unexpected surprise!  In case you were wondering - yes, I'm keeping him!

Friday, March 7, 2014

Operation Write Home - Die-Versions Blog Hop

Good Morning!


What a great day!  I love hopping with Operation Write Home, and I love working with my Die-Versions Dies, so today is 'Hop Heaven' for me!  This hop features a new set of dies that is to be an OWH fundraiser project!  

If you are not familiar with OWH, their mission is to support our armed forces by sending blank, handmade greeting cards to them, for them to write home on.  They also send "Any Hero" cards of gratitude to encourage them.  More info can be found HERE.  If you have just stumbled onto my post, and would like to start the hop at the beginning, you can start HERE.

When I hop with OWH, I always start with their wonderful sketches!  Below are the cards that I made (and will send OWH), along with the sketches that I used.  I have to share that the 'Camouflage' cardstock used in two of my cards was created by photocopying a hunting shirt of dear hubby's when I realized that I had nothing that would work.  I'm amazed at how realistic it looks - yay me! 

This card uses the Die-Versions 'Boots & Helmet' Whispers DVW-337 Die.  The ovals were traced and cut from an old plastic stencil. Cardstock is Authentique, Kraft, and handmade Camo!

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Die-Versions "Military Tags" Whispers DVW-341 was used for this card.  The fabulous tags were cut from some metal sheets that I had on hand.  Cardstock is Bazzill, Kraft, and handmade Camo!  The wonderful sentiment is from Creative Vision Stamps 'CVRR103 Dog Tags, and Perfect Layers Tools for my perfect mats (see sidebar for details)'.


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The Die-Versions "Thank You" Sweet Phrases DVPH-012 was a joy to work with on this card. I took the little star that punched out of the ticket, and added it inside the O.  Worked perfectly!  Cardstock is Kraft, Amuse Studio, and Hammermill 100# White.  Ribbon from my stash.  Ink is Amuse Studio Navy, and I used my Perfect Papercrafting Tools for the beautiful, even matting. (see my sidebar for details)..


You can find the Operation Write Home sketches HERE.
You can find all of the great dies that I used on these cards HERE.

The next stop on today's hop will be the incredibly talented


Thanks so much for stopping by!
Enjoy the hop - lots of inspiration, and some pretty awesome new dies to see!

Patti J.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

You are in my thoughts...

Hello!
What a perfect sentiment for a card that you just want to send 'just because'.
It's always nice to let someone special know that they are being thought of.
This card was created with a Stampendous 'Narcissus' stamp set.
The sentiment is a small Hero Arts stamp that I've had forEVER!


The flowers were stamped directly onto patterned paper, and fussy cut.
They were then glued onto a white oval.  Used my wonderful Perfect Papercrafting Tools for the perfect black mat (see sidebar for details!) Very nice, easy card!

Have a nice Wednesday!

Thanks for dropping by,
I'll be back on Friday with a great post!
Die-Versions is teaming up with Operation Write Home for a
blog hop that is FULL of fun and inspiration!

Hope to see you then,
Patti J.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Now and always

Good Morning!
I'm a 'Senior' Card Angel, so I go through a LOT of Thinking of You type cards.
This week, I thought I would pull out the beautiful background stamp that I got a few weeks ago
from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.  It is so pretty!

Used my Perfect Papercrafting tools for the beautiful, even layers - see my sidebar for details!

I heat embossed, then sponged, and put things all together with a Gina K. Designs sentiment.
I hope my Senior buddy likes it.  She's up in years, and doesn't get out much.  Also in a lot of pain.
I hope that the cards I send her each week bring her a bit of cheer.

If you are ever interested, both the Chemo Angel and Senior Angel programs are growing at a rapid pace, and we are always in need of new volunteers.  If you, or someone you know would make a great angel, please share the website, and be sure to apply!  

Thanks for stopping by today!
Hugs,
Patti J.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Sharing in your sorrow...

Good morning!
Sympathy cards are the toughest for me to create.  Such a somber occasion, and difficult to find the right words.  So, when I found myself needing one last week, I decided that clean and simple was the way to go!
This is what I did...


The stamps are from Hero Arts, and worked out so well on this soft color of Amuse Studio cardstock.  I added a sentiment from one of Melanie Muenchinger's Gina K. Designs stamp sets, and a butterfly from Hero Arts to finish the card.  Of course, I used my Perfect Papercrafting tools for the beautiful layers!
Easy, fast, and pretty.

While I had all of the supplies out, I created a second card.


This one uses an Amuse Studio sentiment.

When you need to get something in the mail right away, a silhouette type stamp always works well.

Hope you are off to a nice weekend!

Hugs and blessings,
Patti J.