Scrapmaster's Paradise

Boy Meets Girl. . .

2012-02-25T13:02:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! Today I have a very clean and simple card for you!

I was really proud of this one because I did a little score/embossing on it.

It is actually kind of funny. Anytime I go for a very clean and simple card, my husband does not really like it. He likes lots of layers and elements on a card & most of the time, he tries his best to tell me how wonderful he thinks my project is. When I do CAS cards, he does the "that's nice" pat on the head type comments, LOL! So when I was making this one, I had it planned out in my head, and the whole time I was saying "you aren't going to like this one very much. . ." well, he wasn't too pleased with it, but luckily, I really liked it so you can see it :)

Joy Bunny Baby Card

2012-02-24T09:45:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I hope that you've checked out the super giveaway I posted about yesterday. Have you entered to win some of the juicy prizes? Well go do that!! Click here! I will wait :)

OK so let's talk about today's project. This is a project I made for The Greeting Farm & it is one of my faves lately. I used the gorgeous Flutter Heart stamp set for this one.

GIVEAWAY Party!!

2012-02-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!! I am so excited because today is GIVEAWAY DAY!! I have two major milestones to celebrate, and we're celebrating in a big way! SP has reached 650,000 visitors AND 1,700 followers! I am just so excited to have so much support & it makes me so happy to come here every day and share what I love. Thank you for being a part of it all.

And now, major giveaway time! YIPPEE!

To enter, here's what you gotta do:

Make sure you are a follower here at SP. Click "Join This Site" under the I Love Followers section over on the right
Leave me a comment on this post. Scroll to the end of the post and click Comments and leave me your comment :)
For additional entries you can do the following (one entry per additional action): Spread the word about this giveaway on your blog, facebook, a forum/message board, twitter, etc. Leave me a comment for each time you help spread the word about our big celebration.

Easy huh?! International readers are eligible to win, I will ship worldwide. This giveaway will end March 1st, 2012 at 11:59AM EST.

Here are our giveaways for our lovely celebration:

Two winners will receive a $15.00 gift certificate to the SP and Company Store!!

One winner will receive one SP stamp set of winners choice! Like any of these:

One winner will receive one single SP stamp of winner's choice!! Like any of these:

One winner will receive a brand newly released SP Stamp Set from our new Vintage October signature line, Vintage October: Journal This Stamp Set!!

One winner will receive brand newly released 6x6 Paper Pad from Echo Park, called Graceful:

And one winner will receive a pack of the brand new XXL Glue Dots!!!

I've got a fun new project posted over on the SP Stamps Blog today so stop by for a treat!

Shop with me anytime 24/7 at SP and Company! If you need any help, be sure to email me at scrapmastersparadise@yahoo.com. Don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter (in the sidebar)!

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Blue I Love You Card

2012-02-22T00:42:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

I promised you last week I would tell you about something that is going on with me lately. . . so here it is! I am now house sitting for my mom in a neighboring town from where my hubby and I live. My mom is out of town taking care of my grandpa, who just had hip replacement surgery. He is doing very well after his surgery, but my mom will most likely be with him during his 6-8 week recovery. So my hubby and I packed up a bunch of our stuffs (including a couple of boxes worth of scrap supplies so that we can be here. The past few days have been a huge adjustment for us (especially since I work from home as you know). I have to go back and forth picking up things we've forgotten (mostly scrap supplies I NEED with me lol). So that is what is up! It is a crazy, chaotic adjustment, but we are making it work.

It is going to be a strange next couple of months! But today is extra fun, because I have a new project, featuring a new stamp and some new paper!

This is a project I designed for The Greeting Farm, with a gorgeous stamp from their Flutter Heart stamp set. OMG how cute is this precious tag stamp!? This Flutter Heart stamp is just jam packed with tons of elements that work perfect on projects. Here is one example:

I just LOVE that tag!!

The patterned paper squares are 1inch squares, and I just arranged them onto a strip of cardstock. I embossed the polka dots onto the cardstock base. Then I added a scallop border, some twine, and a corduroy brad and BAM, lovely card :)

That is it for today! I have a lot of SVG Cut Files to get added to the store over the next couple of days so I decided tomorrow would be the perfect day to CELEBRATE 1,700 followers and 650,000 visitors with a HUGE GIVEAWAY!!! YAY! Thank you all so much for stopping by and being a part of my dreams. It has been such a fun experience & I am so thankful for YOU. So stop by tomorrow for a fun giveaway! See you soon.

There is something super fun on the SP Stamps Blog today! Bonnie has a great 3d project for ya.

Shop with me anytime 24/7 at SP and Company! If you need any help, be sure to email me at scrapmastersparadise@yahoo.com. Don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter (in the sidebar)!

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Pastel Copic Coloring Tutorial

2012-02-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! It is my day on the iCopic blog and it is Tuesday Tips and Tricks. With Easter fast approaching, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about pastel coloring.

Luckily, there are a bunch of lighter Copic colors, namely the 00s, 000s, and 0000s. I wanted to share with you how I create a pastel effect on my projects.

Here is a quick video tutorial showing you my pastel coloring technique:

The image I used is Marci With Bunny from La-La Land Crafts. This is one of their brand new releases. I thought this image was perfect for Easter.

Copic Colors Used:

Hair: Y000, Y00, Y21, Y23
Skin: E0000, E000, E00, E01
Clothing: YR00, YR12, YR14, G40, G43, R81, R83, and R85

Check out the SP Stamps Blog for something new today!

Shop with me anytime 24/7 at SP and Company! If you need any help, be sure to email me at scrapmastersparadise@yahoo.com. Don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter (in the sidebar)!

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A Heart Card

2012-02-20T20:34:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! It is my day over on the Crafter's Companion blog so I've got a pretty card to show ya. My card features another wonderful Anthony and Burt stamp set. I used this lovey dovey set for a project last week, but I loved it so much, I wanted to use it again!

I used a die to cute out this decorative marquee shape and then stamped my image in the center of it. I colored the Anthony and Burt image in with alcohol markers, and then sprayed the entire piece with sparkly glitter spray, you can see some of the sparkles in the photo, but up close, the glitter is soooo pretty! I also sprayed the sentiment with the same glitter spray. I popped the sentiment and the marque shape on pop dots so that they really stood off the page. To embellish the card, I added some matching striped paper and pink ribbon.

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Love Ya Hearts Card

2012-02-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!

Happy Sunday! Today, I have a simple card to share with ya. This card uses the SVG file I designed called the Hearts Card Front.

Hot Cocoa For Two Treat Box

2012-02-18T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! Samantha here and I want to share the little treat box & matching card I made for my husband for this past Valentine's Day. I think this would be a perfect little anytime treat box to share with a friend, family member, neighbor, etc.

It is a hot cocoa treat box, built to hold two hot cocoa packets!! I only has Nestle & Swiss Miss in the house, but both of them will fit this treat box. I am guessing other packets would fit in here also :)

To make this treat box:

Cut pieces of cardstock the following sizes: one piece at 3.5X12inches and two pieces at 5.5X3.5
(Scoring guides are at the very end of this post if you need a visual of the scoring). Score along the 12 inch piece at the following: 5inch, 6inch, 11inch. Fold along score lines. This piece will be the outside of the treat box. The outside of the treat box can be decorated as desired.
For both of the smaller pieces: Score along 3 sides (two sets of score marks on the 5.5inch side) at 5/8inch and 1inch. Trim off the corners where all the score marks cross and fold into 3sided "pockets". The front of these can be decorated with patterned paper like shown (patterned paper was cut to 3.25X2.25inches).
Attach pockets to box. Punch holes for the Orange Divine Twine. Fill with hot cocoa packets and tie the box closed with twine.

Here is a closer look at my coloring. I used this adorable image from CC Designs called Kiki La Rue Latte.

I used the following Copic colors:

For the lightest part of the cup: E40, E41, E42
For the darker band on the cup: E44, E47, E49
For the heart: R29
For her hair: E30, E33, E39
For the clothes: YR000, YR00, YR01, YR12
For her skin: E000, E00, E01

Here are the scoring guides in case you are a visual learner :)

Dotted lines are score lines and arrows indicate which direction you start scoring from. Solid lines are cuts. The grey parts are cut away.

Shop with me anytime 24/7 at SP and Company! If you need any help, be sure to email me at scrapmastersparadise@yahoo.com. Don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter (in the sidebar)!

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Easter Bunnies & Love Bunnies

2012-02-17T01:01:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! It is my day over on The Greeting Farm blog so I am sharing two Lucky Bunnies projects today!

Last week, I shared a little tutorial on using the Lucky Bunnies for a spring themed project (click here to see that), but today I want to show you two more variations of Lucky Bunnies: the Easter Bunny and a Love Bunny. These bunnies are just so adorable, I figure we could use them for every holiday :)

First up, here is my Easter Bunny card:

I just colored his fur in with Copics and then paper pieced his flower, ears, and tummy with the same pastel blue patterned paper I used on the banner. I also jazzed up the card with some easter themed stamps. And voila --the perfect Easter Bunny!

And although it is past Valentine's Day, you could make a love bunny for other occasions (romantic cards, anniversary cards) or just to tell someone you love them.

For my love bunny card, I simply colored in the bunny using reds, pinks, and a touch of grey. I added some red polka dot paper, pink striped paper, and some black twine and a Valentine sentiment (but you could use any lovey sentiment for this one).

I am sure you can think of bunches of ways to use these little cuties, I am sure they would be perfect all green for St. Patty's Day, or red, white, and blue for 4th of July. Seriously the possibilities with these guys are endless!! That's all for today! Have a wonderful weekend.

Jen is showing her stuff on the SP Stamps Blog today with a neat sewing tutorial so check that out!!

Shop with me anytime 24/7 at SP and Company! If you need any help, be sure to email me at scrapmastersparadise@yahoo.com. Don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter (in the sidebar)!

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My Heart Card

2012-02-16T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I have another Anthony & Burt project to share with you from the new Crafter's Companion collection. I am hoping that you are loving the new Anthony & Burt stamp collection as much as I do.

My project today is a sneaky peek of another stamp set from the Anthony & Burt collection.

The sentiment and the lined image are two separate stamps, but I decided to combine them. The heart is just the perfect size to add a sentiment inside of it. You could really change it up by adding any sentiment you would like to the inside of the heart.

I also stamped a little heart border, which is another stamp in this stamp set I am showcasing. I really love when stamp sets come with a bunch of coordinating pieces so you really have a bunch to work with.

This card just came together so quickly because the stamp set is just so easy to use. I just colored all the lined images with alcohol markers & did a little embellishing. To the heart, I added some white dots with a white gel pen, and a glitter strip using glitter glue. To the little bugs wings, I added some purple glitter tinsel.

Then I just added a pink cardstock mat around my image and some teal patterned paper and a teal card base and I was finished.

Kelli has a super tutorial today on the SP Stamps Blog about stamping with markers, don't miss it!!

Shop with me anytime 24/7 at SP and Company! If you need any help, be sure to email me at scrapmastersparadise@yahoo.com. Don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter (in the sidebar)!

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ProvoCraft (Cricut) is Sue Happy Once Again

2012-02-15T02:31:00.002-05:00

I actually have my blog posts done through Friday, but I decided to switch things up so that I could post this.

I am a member of the Boycott ProvoCraft group, and I believe that we are making a difference. We are putting our money where our mouths are & not supporting a company who fails us again and again and again. Their actions lately have made them look like they actually are starting to feel the pressure financially. Click here if you would like to read my own personal experience and reasons for boycotting ProvoCraft.

You can join the boycott and make your voices heard too (Click here). I feel a deep personal motive to help my fellow crafters avoid wasting literally thousands of dollars with this company like I did. I feel that my blog is the best platform I have to bring awareness to other crafty consumers so that is why I am writing this now.

If I had it to do over again, I would have NEVER purchased a single item from ProvoCraft. Their actions again and again tell me they don't care about their customers. That is BAD BUSINESS. I pretty much try to do the exact opposite in my own business and I only support and work with companies that have a conscience & that have quality products & quality customer service. I am thankful beyond belief that I never actually worked with ProvoCraft (and I never in a million years imagined I would ever say those words because I wanted to design for them sooooo bad!!)

Here's the latest disturbing actions of ProvoCraft, the company that makes the Cricut:

1. They FIRED their entire marketing department. . . possibly including Jinger Adams, their spokesperson (the lovely blonde lady who is promoting the Cricut in their shopping channel segments & who can be seen on their videos). --To me that seems like they are putting all the blame for their companies lack of sales (which why else would you let lots of people go? This is their THIRD round of layoffs within the past year, that we know about!) on bad marketing? I DON'T THINK SO!! Their bad sales are due to the fact that they sell crappy products (i.e. products that don't work as advertized, products that stop working, product that can potentially catch on fire, half-a** upgrades that fry the machines, etc etc the list of quality control complaints could seriously fill up an entire novel!!). In fact, I would go so far as to say the ONLY THING keeping them going right now IS their top notch marketing. Their marketing is the only thing that is keeping them alive. People believe what those ads say, and run out being their crappy machines that don't actually do as advertized. It's only later that the consumer realizes their mistake, but Cricut has already been paid and is on to its next new victim *cough cough*, I mean customer.

2. They will not fully address the fire issues with their Cricut Imagine Cords. There are at least 22 documented cases of Imagine Cords that have smoked, crackled, or otherwise had the potential to cause fire. Here is the thread on PC's very own messageboard (in the even that the thread is pulled, I have made a copy of it so I will post that here). This is inexcusable!! They should be contacting their thousands of consumers and bringing this serious safety issue to everyone's attention and/or staging a massive recall!!

3. And the icing on the cake is AGAIN they are suing Make The Cut!!! Over supposed "Copyright Violations". MTC is run by a husband and wife team, just like SP and Company is run by ME and my husband. I feel a close personal connection to them in that way. Provocraft's "evidence" is screen shots of the MTC forum and Facebook pages!! So not only are they suing (which is completely asinine in my opinion), but they are paying their employes to patrol OTHER messageboards or websites, when they don't even freaking monitor their own messageboard!!!! You can donate to MTC and help support their fight in this suit by going here! From the words of one of the owners, "Thank you. We'll be talking to our lawyer soon and coming up with a response. We will be keeping everyone updated as everything happens this time around. If there is anything you guys can do to help us we will let you know! Last time we kept quiet, we gave them everything they asked for. Well apparently that didn't pan out too well. This time I plan on doing things differently"

4. ProvoCraft OWNS CricutMachine, ProudParents2005 (an ebay seller), and PaperCraftingPro websites. . . , which means they undercut their own wholesalers!!!! Not just by a tiny bit, but by huge percentages. So ProvoCraft sells their products to stores that want to sell PC products for MORE THAN what PC themselves sell their products for! It is unbelievable! I have heard small business owners state that they could purchase cartridges as a regular customer through one of the abovementioned websites (and even others) for cheaper than they could purchase them wholesale from ProvoCraft. So PC not only totally rips of their customers like you and I, they rip of the very people trying to actually SELL their products. And I have heard so many complaints about all the businesses no longer carrying Cricut products, well this my friends, is why!!

Combine the above and you have just more reasons to lose even more respect for this company! Just when I think PC cannot do anything else to make themselves look worse, THEY DO SOMETHING WORSE THAN BEFORE!!!

Here is another well-spoken blog post on these issues as well. Click here!

Join the conversation, leave me a comment below or post your thoughts on the FB boycott!! Profane and/or hateful comments will be removed as necessary (and I have turned comment moderation ON so that I can ween out any trolling going on). Be polite, but FIRM & demand better!!

And if you have no clue about Cricuts, or are new to the Cricut, read this!!

If you want to ditch your Cricut, then here is a handy comparison chart of other cutters you should check out!! http://thatsscrapinc.com/ComparisonChartWithBlackCat.htm

There is a grab button code in my sidebar under the blue button labeled "Cricut Stuff".

(And ProvoCraft, if you are reading this, I bet the other die cutting companies are laughing their a**es off alllllll the way to the bank, because you are making them filthy rich!)

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Use it Tuesday Blog Hop!!

2012-02-14T01:30:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!! Welcome to the first Blogaversary Blog Hop for Use it Tuesday!!

I am the third to last stop on the hop. You should have arrived here from Steph’s blog. If you are just starting out here, please start at the Use it Tuesday Blog to begin the hop so you don't miss a thing! Be sure to stop by the entire design team’s blogs as well as the Use It Tuesday blog because we have hidden prizes all along the way!

Now, as Use it Tuesday encourages you to use your stash, we don’t usually do ‘prizes’ per say, but hey, this is a PARTY after all! And what is a party without presents?! (…and the aforementioned cake and ice cream!) And believe me, we've got LOTS of presents!!

So, how can you win?

Hidden along our hop are prizes on each of our design team member’s blogs! Leave each of us a comment and you will have an opportunity to win. Easy as that!
Play with us! Link your creation to our challenge post using Inlinkz; one lucky participant will win a GRAND PRIZE package donated by our fabulous sponsors!
You MUST be a follower of the Use It Tuesday blog to win!

Movie Monday. . . Finally!

2012-02-13T15:04:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! Gosh, I am really feeling three steps behind lately. . . I have got some personal things going on behind the scenes that I have to prep for (nothing super serious, just will affect my scrappy time, I will tell you more about it later this week) so it is just really interfering with my bloggy time lately. I am feverishly creating creating creating, but really slacking here. I apologize, and I will more than make up for it in the coming weeks when I share all these creations with you! Anyway, enough about that stuff.

Here is your Movie Monday. This is one of my all time favorite videos because I am teaching a super fun (and beautiful) technique! Here is my tutorial for a No Sew ruffle for your paper projects. You read that right NO SEW. Yay!

***Movie correction: This is actually the DARK pink Damask paper, not LIGHT pink.

Awesome huh? I love cheater methods of doing super WOW techniques like this one. I always have a list a mile long of things like this that I want to share with you all via video *sigh* so many ideas, so little time!

Here are some close-ups of my card:

Well that's all folks! Two posts in one day :) If you have not yet seen the other project I posted today for Crafter's Companion, click here to go see it now (or scroll down). See you all back here bright and early tomorrow for a special, super duper surprise!!! It will involve prizes :)

Shop with me anytime 24/7 at SP and Company! If you need any help, be sure to email me at scrapmastersparadise@yahoo.com. Don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter (in the sidebar)!

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Smile Umbrella Boy Card

2012-02-13T03:01:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! It is my day over on the Crafter's Companion blog, I switched to Mondays now. I am still working on Movie Monday so it will be posted a bit later in the day.

Today, I've got a sneaky peek from a new line of stamps at Crafter's Companion, featuring Anthony and Burt.

These two little guys are just super cute!! I just loved this image and ,having a bug and a frog, I immediately thought BOY CARDS. Of course, these images could be used for both genders.

February SP Stamp Release & Blog Hop

2012-02-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!! Welcome to our monthly blog hop where we show you all the new SP Stampy goodness. Today I am sharing a few projects here. To see ALLLLLL the wonderful new stamp swatches, head over to the SP Stamps Blog after you are done hopping.

This month's color is Bright Red! After you're done hopping around today, make sure you play along with this month's Red challenge (details are at the end of this post) for a chance to win some awesome SP and Company prizes!

Join us for our Release Celebration that is happening today and tomorrow on the SP Forum HERE. You can talk to all of the designers, discuss projects and chit chat with other stampers!

Don't forget that the random prize patrol is watching so leave a comment on every blog to be eligible for the prizes!!

First up, my red project for the hop!! I combined the new Pure Happiness stamp set along with an older background stamp, the Musical Background. I designed a little mini card set that would make a great little gift for a friend. The cards are all just happy and fun so they would work for any special notes to send out. The cards are 4X4inches and this cute little box measures 4.5X4.5X.5inches.

Next up, I have a couple of other projects to share, I have had so much fun playing with these new stamps that I couldn't stop with just one project today. The next two projects are NOT red, but I still wanted to share them with you!

This one is a project using the adorable new Spring Bunny single stamp. Isn't this little guy so adorable!! I love bunnies, I actually used to have one for a pet when I was a child. :) This is just a simple card I made following the sketch for this week's Mojo Monday challenge. The sentiment comes from the Mix n Match Occasions stamp set, just perfect for a springy themed card.

And my last project for today showcases the ultra adorable Elle Elephant single stamp. This stamp is just so darling, I can hardly stand it!! Elephants are my absolute favorite, and this little lady is something I drew a really long time ago. I am so happy to finally be able to bring her to life in a stamp! This lovely sentiment is from our Easter, Spring themed stamp set from last year, Easter Eggy.

Make sure you check out the SP Stamps Blog to see all the new stamps up close! We also have the Stamp Team and the Challenge Team teaming up today to show you lots of amazing projects with the newest stamp sets!

Here is the list of designers that will inspire you today. Click on each name & make sure to leave each wonderful designer a comment so you can have a chance to win some of these new stamps!!

Jen

Vicki

Patty

Shop with me anytime 24/7 at SP and Company! If you need any help, be sure to email me at scrapmastersparadise@yahoo.com. Don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter (in the sidebar)!

Play along with our Bright Red Challenge!!

Create a bright red project and add your direct link below! Got SP Stamps? Great, use them! If not, now's a wonderful time to buy some, but still play along with our challenge even if you can't use SP Stamps this time. Entries are due by Saturday, February 18th at 11:59PM EST. One winner will be chosen at random to win a $10 gift certificate to the SP and Company Store!

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All About Me: My Happy Place Layout

2012-02-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! Today I am finally back with another All About Me layout. If you play along with the journaling prompt, be sure to leave a comment below with a link to your project so everyone can see!! I have been wanting to get this project flowing for a while. It is just one of those feel good, feeds the soul type of projects.

This is All About Me #2, click here for All About Me #1.

This All About Me topic is Happy Place: What is one of your happy places, or what is your happy place?

I share my happy place below:

Kitty Kat Marci Teen Card

2012-02-08T14:43:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! Sorry this didn't go up this morning! Darn, scheduling AM/PM problem.

Today is my day over on the iCopic Blog so I am bringing you something a little different. I made a funky, grunge inspired card. My card was inspired by this super cool Kitty Kat Marci stamp from La-La Land Crafts. I thought this stamp would be great for a teenie bopper card, so that was my inspiration for this card.

Paint Fusion Card

2012-02-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! Yesterday was my day on the Crafter's Companion blog so I bringing you a Paint Fusion project.

The Paint Fusion stamps were designed to be used with paint, however, these stamps work beautifully with a number of coloring media! You know how I feel about making your crafts your own, so don't limit yourself to just paint with these pretty stamps. You can use markers, watercolor pencils or crayons, colored pencils, paper piecing, if you can think it up, you can do it!

For my project, I decided to go traditional and use paint to color in my Paint Fusion images. I stamped a bunch of images, and painted them. Then once the images were dry, I fussy cut around all the pieces. I created this bunch of images on my shaped card.

Lucky Bunnies Flower Card

2012-02-06T01:01:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! Today is my day over on The Greeting Farm's Blog, and I have a quick Lucky Bunnies project for you today.

The Lucky Bunnies stamp set is so versatile. These cute little bunnies are just so cute, and I wanted to show you a way to use them that you might not have thought of. So for my card, I created a scene with two of the lucky bunnies. Notice that the bunny on the right is supposed to have a balloon, but I had something different planned for him!

Read more »

Stamping with Sami #6

2012-02-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!!

Today our new Stamping with Sami challenge has begun! This week's challenge is Stamp Kissing. Head over to the SP Stamps Blog right now for my video tutorial & to play along with the rest of the SP design team. I created a clean and simple card for this one.

Read more »

Want to be picked for a Design Team? Then Read This

2012-02-04T01:22:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone! I have put together a pretty comprehensive list of the mistakes designers make when applying for design teams. Please feel free to leave your best tips and tricks for applying for design teams in the comments section.

All of the following information is my personal opinion based on reading hundreds and hundreds of design team applications & applying for design teams myself, over the past 4ish years. If you want to apply for a design team AND ACTUALLY EARN A SPOT, then this info may be useful to you.

It's not nice, and it is not personal: the cold hard truth is many many will apply for every design team call, and very few designers will be picked. You need every advantage you can get so I have put this article together for you to give you a little extra advantage.

I speak genuinely & candidly here, and believe me, I have made every single mistake I have listed below when applying for design teams in the past. I have been overlooked for teams more times than I would like to admit. Don't make the same mistakes I have made and I have seen hundreds of people make.

Now that I feel like I finally know what the heck I have doing, I wanted to share my words of DT wisdom. I have been rejected a bunch (like all designers will be, it happens), but I have also been chosen for many absolutely amazing teams.

Even with these words of advice, you may still be overlooked for a position on a team. There are so many factors that go into the decision. Keep your chin up, and keep working on projects and applying for teams you really like.

I wrote this mostly as I went through way over 100 Applications of folks applying for the iCopic team and the SP Team.

When I read an application, here is WHAT I WANT TO SEE:

A Completed design team application -this one seems so obvious, but I want you to fill out the entire application and follow directions. Answer every question completely, use the correct title on your email if it asks for a certain title. If the application asks for 3 projects, then only send 3 projects. When people send in 4 or even 5 projects, that shows they aren't LISTENING.

In my mind, if the person can't follow simple rules on the application, then they probably can't follow my design team rules, which are a bit more complicated than answering a few questions. This is merely an attention to details type of thing. People want designers who pay attention to details.
Also spelling is a big thing, use spell check.

GREAT photography -the projects must be clearly visible, not dark, or blurry, or too small. It doesn't matter how beautiful your projects are, if your photos are crappy, you are not going to get chosen. If someone asked me why I didn't pick them for my design team, 9 times out of 10 my answer will be photography. I simply cannot stress this point enough! Great photos of your projects are soooooooooo important!! See the end of this post for some photo examples.
Someone who is passionate - someone who's passion shines through on their application. Sometimes this is hard to achieve because there are not very many questions. If the application itself doesn't allow for you to show your enthusiasm, then you blog MUST show this.
A great blog: A lot goes into this. I want to see a blog that is updated regularly (consistency is important), that looks nice and is easy on the eyes (no black background with white text. not a million things in the header section like a huge header, plus some grab buttons, plus the followers list all jammed into the blog before you can get to the actual blog posts. music that automatically starts might be a no no for some.). Make it look nice, don't have a header graphic that looks like it was made using the first Nintendo graphics. There are tons and tons of free blog templates out there that look fabulous. And for an even more customized look, pay someone to design a blog JUST for you. People will notice.
Someone who genuinely wants to be on MY TEAM to help me promote MY PRODUCTS: Not someone who is just looking to add another design team to their resume -yep, sometimes it is pretty obvious when people are just applying for the sake of applying. I want you to tell me how much you love my products and how great you are going to be at promoting MY PRODUCTS. I want the application to be about MY COMPANY, not about the person applying for it. When I ask on an application "Why would you be a good fit for my team?" What I really want to know is "WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR MY COMPANY?"

For example: The following is an actual response taken from one of the SP design team applications. . . "I think I would be a good fit for SP and Company because I really like your stamps - both the quality and style of design. I would be proud to promote your products. In fact, I already post your blog hops, giveaways, and the new $5 Friday special in my crafty group anyway! I like the fresh, modern, and laid-back feel of the site. . . . I am an avid cardmaker and like to explore different styles. I try to enter online challenges as often as possible so I am used to trying to work with a certain color or colors, or a theme, or brand of paper or stamps. I really take pride in what I do and who I represent so I will always make every effort to post a professional, well-made card." That response tells me that the applicant took their time to get to know my company and didn't just apply because she saw a link to any old design team call. And this person WAS chosen for my design team because this person told me they had what it takes!!
Another example: Here is an actual response that I wrote, taken from one of my own personal DT applications I sent in: "I would love to design for you, first and foremost, because I LOVE your stamps!! They are fresh and fun, and I love using them on my projects. I think I would be a great fit for your team because I am a team player, very organized, and craft every day. I feel like I can promote your stamps confidently as I already use and love them. With my large blog following, I think I can reach many people and be an effective design team member." And you bet I did get chosen for the team I applied for!!
BE GENUINE, BE YOU and tell them how YOU can help THEM.

Other considerations:

Are you a Design Team Ho? Do you apply for EVERY design team call that you come across regardless of whether you actually own any products from that company? Are your answers always canned? Could you copy and paste all the same responses from one application to the next? Do you have the Design Team Call websites bookmarked and memorized? Are you on more than 5-6 design teams? 10? More?
If you answered Yes to any of the above, then YOU, my friend, may be what I refer to as a DESIGN TEAM HO! I can only tell others that they are, because I have been one myself in the past, and have come across many a Design Team Ho in my DT experiences.

Obviously, if you feel you are suffering from Design Team Ho-ness, it is very important that you re-evaluate what you are doing. The teams you try out for DO notice and WON'T pick you if you come across as a Design Team Ho.
Look at the design team calls out there and choose carefully. If you don't own any products by a particular company, then you probably have zero business applying to be on their design team (as a general rule. . . but if you are totally and completely experienced as a designer then this general rule might be overlooked, but this is rare).

WHAT NOT TO DO:

Apply for every design team out there. When you apply for every design team, your application becomes generic and scripted. In reading them, I can tell who took the time to apply specifically for my design team, and who is just applying for it because it was a design team call. DON'T DO THIS!!! What you need to do is apply for teams that you would really want to be a part of, don't just apply for every team just to try to be on a team. DON'T BE A DESIGN TEAM HO (see above!)

For example: DON'T apply for the iCopic Design Team if you don't USE COPIC MARKERS! HELLO?!?! If you don't use the markers, you don't have the experience needed for the position, and it just makes you look a bit silly to apply for a team like that. And I am sure you are laughing and shaking your head, but it happens ALL THE TIME. DON'T BE THAT PERSON who applies for a position they clearly shouldn't be applying for. You burn bridges doing things like that.

Answer a question on the application with anything similar to, "see my design resume here: *link*". If I am asking you a question, I want you to tell me IN the application. I don't want to have to go to new places, because I am already going to be looking at your blog, your online galleries, and your attached/linked projects. When someone answers a question with a link to something else, I generally skip right over them because that tells me they are probably applying for 50 other design team calls. ***The ONLY time it is ok to link to your resume is for your PAST design teams or if the application explicitly asks for a link.

For Example: The application says: Please list all current and past design team experience. A GOOD Answer is: "I proud to say I am currently on the Super Troopers design team, the Sparkly design team, and the Shuffleboards team. I have been on many design teams in the past, including TurkeyTown, Bloggy Stars, and Noodle Doodles. Please see my design resume for the complete list of my past design team experience *LINK*". A BAD Answer is: "See Design Resume *LINK*". . . . See the difference??? One spent time, one looks kinda snooty and rushed.

If you are on so many design teams that you can't list them easily IN the application, then you shouldn't be applying for another design team! This point follows right along with the last bullet point & the Design Team Ho section above. Yep, that is right, too many current design team positions will HURT your chances of getting on another design team. I totally look at that. If you are on 100 different teams, there is no way I want to have you on my team too. When you are on 100 teams, what it tells the person looking at your application is that you don't really care so much about the companies, you just want free junk and want another name on your design team resume.

How many is too many? Well, I guess that depends on the individual looking at your application. I am going to soon be on 4 teams, plus my own, so 5. You won't see me applying for any more than that. And 5 is majorly pushing it for my capabilities. And I do this FULL TIME. You have to think about it. Generally design teams require about a project a week (some more some less, so it is a good average to say 1 a week). That is 4 projects a month per team. When I am on 5 teams, that means I am required to make approx 20 projects per month. Now THAT is a lot of work!! How much time is going to go into those 20 projects? Well, for someone who also has a full time job and a full time family, NOT MUCH. . .I do this full time so I do have the time to dedicate to making wow projects for the companies I design for. I can EASILY spend an hour or two on a design team project. And as a designer myself, I realize that when people are applying for my team and they are already on seriously 10 teams (or more!), there are just not enough days in a month for them to really dedicate themselves to my team. I have seen this time and time again, even on my own design team: They post their SP Project, and then THE SAME DAY within hours of posting their project for my team, they post 2 more projects to their blog for their other design teams and their SP Project. Now as a company owner, why would I want to pay for products out of my own pocket, for this person just to have my project on the top of their blog for one minute? When people post like that to their blogs and every post they make is "for such and such design team" and the projects look like they were made in 5 minutes or less, it makes them look like a Design Team Ho (read "Are you a Design Team Ho" under Other Considerations above)! I know, because I have been one, LOL.

On the flip side, there are some truly AMAZING designers out there that deserve and have earned a bunch of design team spots and seriously design for a living. I am not talking about these truly professional designers. I am talking to you if you are like many out there who do this purely for fun and want to be on a team.

Good and Bad Photo Examples:
Like I said near the beginning of this post, 9 times out of 10, I overlook a designer based on cruddy photography. You can have gorgeous projects, but if your photos suck, you aren't going to be picked.

Bad Photo:

Too small as shown, the photo is too dark, the project doesn't fill the space in the photo. All around horrible photo.

Good Photo:

Good sized photo as shown, lighting is decent, the photo fills the space. The photo is clear so you can see the project. This is a good photo.

What if you STILL don't get picked???

If you are speaking from the heart, have great photos of your projects, are choosing your potential DT positions wisely and you still aren't getting picked. . . then my advice is to keep crafting!! Keep making projects and sharing them on your blog, in online crafting galleries, etc. You keep your own passion alive no matter if you get picked or not. Your crafting should make you happy no matter if you are picked for a team or not.

And keep trying! Apply for your favorite teams as they have design team calls. Participate in the online happenings from your favorite companies (FB pages, contests, messageboards, leave comments on their blogs, etc. Most companies have ways to get involved). BELIEVE ME, the people in those companies making the DT decisions will take note of who's participating.

I hope that this article is useful to you. I wish everyone out there trying out for a team the best of luck applying for teams they want to be on! Show your passion and keep on crafting!!

Shop with me anytime 24/7 at SP and Company! If you need any help, be sure to email me at scrapmastersparadise@yahoo.com. Don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter (in the sidebar)!

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Madden Love, One Image Three Ways

2012-02-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hi there!! Today, I am going to share THREE cards in the same post, because I want to show you three examples of how to use the same stamped image! Generally, there are three "looks" you can get with a lined image stamp, when you are making that image stamp the focal point of your project.

On all my cards today, I used the spunky Creeper Crew Madden from The Greeting Farm. I just love her spunky, rocker attitude!! I had a lot of fun making these cards and it brought out my inner punk rocker, lol.

Read more »

February Crafter's Companion Challenge

2012-02-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I've got a project to show ya, for the new monthly challenge over at the Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog. The February challenge is "Something Sweet". I thought what could be sweeter than a cute little kitty with some lovely pinks and browns.

Rose of Love Card

2012-02-01T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Happy February!! Today it is my day on the Crafter's Companion Blog, and I am bringing you a new Stamp It project that would be perfect for a Valentine's Day gift. I used this gorgeous Rose Clock stamp from the Stamp It line from Crafter's Companion.

I was drawn to this image for its soft vintage style. I love anything with flowers, and these roses are absolutely gorgeous. I love how realistic they look. Since the image has a vintage feel to it, I decided to go with rich browns & distressed edges for my project.

For my project, I colored my image, and then distressed the white paper with some distressing ink.

Read more »

SP Kit Clubs Explained & Reevaluated

2012-02-01T00:40:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!! Today, I want to talk to you about the SP Monthly Kit Club. If you are one of my customers, you know I am totally dedicated to customer service. I take customers feedback into consideration and with that said, I want to make a few changes to the kit club, and explain more about the kit club.

SP has 4 Kit Club options:

SP Stamps only: receives one newly released SP 4X6 stamp set.
Collection Kit only: receives one newly released Echo Park full collection kit (12 double sided patterned papers plus alphabet sticker sheet plus elements sticker sheet).
6x6 kit: receives stamps + 6x6 paper pad from the newly released collection.
Stamping Collection kit: receives the full collection kit plus new SP stamps

As the kit club is set up, it is a monthly subscription club, which means you sign up via paypal (in the sidebar under "Monthly Kit Sign-UP", there is a drop-down menu and you can just pick your kit option and sign up). Members are automatically charged on the same day every month and don't have to worry about making their payments in time. I have it set up as a subscription club for a few reasons:

I am a SMALL business, with a teeny budget, and so I need to know how many kit supplies to order, and not order too many.
It helps me prepare and plan for the upcoming months when I know I have X number of subscribers.
And since I KNOW how many to order and I know I won't be left with tons of inventory, I can offer one kit option at over 30% off retail (the other kit options are also significantly below retail price)!!

My monthly subscribers are on a special club newsletter, and they get to see the full kit on the 7th of the month and then they have ONE WEEK to tell me if they would like to skip that kit. Club members can skip any kit they would like no questions asked. And members can cancel at any time. Seriously, there is no risk, just the risk of you getting wonderful and gorgeous stamps and papers every month!! :)

I am reevaluating because I have had sooo many people come to me and say, "Sami, I WAAAANT that kit!" But they aren't club members and the kits are gone for that month :(

I am still keeping the monthly subscriber option, but I am going to add a pay-per-kit option too, at a slightly higher, but still below retail price. That way, if you would like just ONE kit, then you can order just one kit!

Being a ZERO debt business and a ZERO debt family, it is just not financially possible for me to order lots and lots of kits.

In order to try to meet everyone's kit needs, I am going to start offering a pre-order period for kits & offer a kit preview (not a full kit reveal since we are dealing with brand new SP Stamps!!) starting on the 1st of the month and lasting one week. I will ensure that all pre-orders will receive their monthly kits. When you want to order just one kit, then you can go to the SP Store and order your kit for that month.

The pre-ordered kits and the subscribers' kits will start shipping on the 15th of the month, and I will put any extra kits available on the SP Store site, but I can't guarantee there will be extras. The only way to make sure you get a kit is to become a club member or pre-order a kit.

I just cannot guarantee that extra kits will be available once kits start shipping.

And there are still perks to subscribing rather than the new pay-per-kit option:

You receive the best kit price as a subscriber.
Subscribers get 15% off EVERY purchase at the SP Store!!
Subscribers also get a small freebie every month included with their kit.
Kit subscribers get to see the FULL KIT before they purchase it, they see new SP Stamps before everyone else.
Subscriber payments come out automatically so you don't have one more thing to remember. You will not believe how many of my kit subscribers have told me THANK YOU for making it super easy for them to get awesome products every month without any extra effort.

With that said, the February kit pre-order is going on NOW!! Click here to see the pre-orders for the February kits. Pick one up, or better yet, sign up for your subscription today!!

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