Paper Made Bakery: December Summary

How was your Christmas? I hope it was a great time spent with friends and family. 

With December almost nearing its end, I thought I'd line up this month's Paper Made Bakery projects in one spot. 

The Kit

Everything was made from December's Sodas in SoHo Kit, which features trendy, fashionable patterns from the  American Craft's Soho Garden collection with matching bubbly images from  Fresh Squeezed Stamps. 

The Reveal

For today's reveal, I made a birthday card that can easily be modified to suit any occasion. I was inspired by all the bold patterns of the paper line and thought the side by side pairing within each circle was a good way to feature the patterns. For more details, please see today's post on Paper Made Bakery's blog. 

The Projects

I started the month off with a New Orleans layout where I stamped my own background paper. 

I added some apothecary jars from last month's Christmas Treats stamps since it matched my photos so perfectly. 

Next, I made a 30 minute birthday card for my sister's 28th birthday as the bingo chip in my kit just happen to have a 28 on it. 

Later, I made a rainbow of flavors soda card with the sentiment stamped on the labels. This post includes a tutorial on how to color the bottles and get the look of carbonation. 

Lastly, I made an altered frame where I incorporated the stamped image of the fountain glass into the photo. 

If you want further information on each project, click on the highlighted names to be directed to the original post. 

Thanks so much for stoppin' by and don't forget to join in PMB's January blog hop on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013!

December Squeeze-A-Palooza Challenge

The Reveal

I wanted to let you know that Fresh Squeezed Stamps has a fun challenge during the last week of each month. Just make a card or project using any of their stamps or free digital images based on that month's theme. The little bird with the birdhouse on my gift tag is the free digital download this month. Two winners will receive a stamp set of their choice. Last month 9 people submitted, so there was a 22% chance of winning. 

The Challenge

This month's challenge is to make something based on the inspirational photos posted on their site today. Here is the photo I used. 

For the full details along with more inspirational photos and project ideas, please see today's post at Fresh Squeezed Stamps. 

I hope you can join in the fun. 

Thanks so much for flyin' by,

Fresh Squeezed Stamps: A Moose for all Seasons

The Stamps

For my final December guest designer project with Fresh Squeezed Stamps, I'm working once again with the woodsy themed stamp set entitled, "Winter Wonderland." I thought the moose stamp was super cute so I wanted to feature him on a card or two or four. 

The Reveal

I ended up designing a series called, "A Moose for all Seasons". I drew out a simple sketch for the card layout and kept the placement of the embellishments, sentiment and background in basically the same place, but just changed up the themes with a few modifications. You can easily use the moose and create a card for any other occasion that you'd need. 

The Details

I started by creating the woodsy background on all my cards. I used the reverse side of the tree stamp. The front side of the stamp will give you a tree outline, but if you use the reverse side that normally clings to the block, then you can get a filled stamp. Here is the same tree stamped using the reverse, front and combined sides of the same stamp. 

Next I colored in all the moose using Copics in the same color scheme and added some black enamel on the eyes and nose. Now come the variations on a theme. 

For my Father's Day card, I hand drew a tie and mustache on the moose. I wrote in the sentiment because I didn't have a stamp for that holiday. I wanted more of a summertime look since Father's Day is in June so I dabbed on some blue ink in the sky and yellow on the ground. I wanted more of a masculine feel so I added some black and white buttons and natural jute for the final touches. 

For my Valentine's Day card, I drew a dotted bow tie and added some Stickles heart garlands on the trees. I wanted a more feminine look so I added a ruffled border strip, rounded tab, twine bow and rounded one corner to soften the look.

For my birthday card, I wanted a more playful tone. I drew a little party hat and hung it on one antler since the moose couldn't get it onto his head. I used some Sassafras felt stickers I had for the embellishments. 

For this winter card, I added some liquid appliqué for snow on the trees and a red Stickles nose reminiscent of Rudolph on the moose. This Christmas card is actually the genesis for the entire series. I was imagining a string of Christmas lights intertwined among the moose's antlers. Then I started imagining what else he could hang, like shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day, and that's how I ended up with "A Moose for all Seasons". 

If you could only have one stamp set, Winter Wonderland would be a great one since it is so versatile and you can adapt it for any holiday.

The Fun and Games

Fresh Squeezed Stamps is hosting fun games and contests with free stamps as prizes all month long. This week's game called "Christmas Bingo" is to pick 12 words from a list of 30 words. This game ends at midnight tonight and is the last one for the month. But don't worry if you can't participate in this one, there is still Squeeze-A-Palooza to look forward to on Sunday. If you want to keep up with the latest news, check out their Facebook page or Twitter feed.

Thanks so much for droppin' by,

Paper Made Bakery: Root Beer Float

Hello scrappy friends! Today I have an altered frame up on Paper Made Bakery's blog that I want to share with you. I wanted to incorporate a stamp with a photo to make it into one scene. It turned out to be a fun project. Kevin and I took lots of photos to capture the perfect angle, then I placed the stamped image onto the photo. Here is a sneak peek. 

Please hop on over to today's post at Paper Made Bakery to see the complete project in all its glory. Haha. 

Thanks so much for stoppin' by, 

Fresh Squeezed Stamps: Mardi Gras World

The Stamps

For my second guest designer project with Fresh Squeezed Stamps, I'm working with a feather themed stamp set entitled, "Tickle My Fancy." When I first saw this set, I was reminded of Mardi Gras since feathers are used in a lot of the parade masks and costumes. I just happen to have visited Mardi Gras World in New Orleans a few weeks back, so I knew this set would be perfect on a layout. 

The Reveal

I visited the warehouse where a lot of the styrofoam props for the Mardi Gras floats were made. Artists carve the styrofoam, papier-mâché over it and then paint the sculptures. There were a lot of heads and body parts lying around as the parts are recycled, repainted and reused over the years. 

The photos were so colorful I ended up only using black and white cardstock for my papers. I added a hint of Mardi Gras colors in the alphabet stickers of my title and in a few adhesive bubbles that look like beads. For my main embellishments, I made my own stamped feather transparencies. I toned down the colors of my supplies, so they wouldn't compete for attention with the photos. 

The Details

I decided to stamp the feathers on a sheet of acetate so they would blend better into the layout. Also I wouldn't have to fussy cut around each individual barb on the feather. I used a solvent ink pad, Staz-On metallic silver, so it would create a permanent image that wouldn't smear on the acetate. I stamped all three designs multiple times and cut out the ones with a clear image. 

The silvery outlines shows up well on the black background and give just the right hint of Mardi Gras flavor.

The Fun and Games

Fresh Squeezed Stamps is hosting fun games and contests with free stamps as prizes all month long. This week's game called "Dear Santa" is to write a letter to Santa. If you aren't sure how to start, there is a template you can use here. This game ends at midnight tonight. But don't worry if you can't participate in this one, there is one more new game next Monday on their blog. If you want to keep up with the latest news, check out their Facebook page or Twitter feed. If you are interested in being on their design team, check out their design team call that is going on now through Sunday, December 16. 

I'll be back next Thursday for another new reveal.

Thanks so much for droppin' by,

Paper Made Bakery: A Rainbow of Flavors

Hello scrappy friends, happy Thursday! Here is a sneak peek of my latest creation for Paper Made Bakery. Since my hubby is a physics teacher, I tried to get the refractive index correct with the straw. 

I've really enjoyed working with this month's Sodas in Soho stamp set. I like the shape of the soda bottle in the stamp set so much that I stamped it seven times on one card! Since I had 7 bottles to color, I used a quick and fun technique that I will share in today's tutorial.

To see the whole project with the coloring tutorial, please see today's post on Paper Made Bakery's blog. The card turned out super cute so I hope you go and take a look. 

Thanks so much for poppin' by,

Fresh Squeezed Stamps: Winter Wonderland

I was so honored when Ryann Salamon, one of the creators of Fresh Squeezed Stamps, asked me to be a guest designer for the month of December. It is always nice to be asked instead of having to apply for a position. Of course I jumped at the chance since I use her stamps all the time and in fact have the entire collection! So I can wholeheartedly endorse the product. If you don't believe me, just check out all the eye candy on their blog. 

The Stamps

Today I'm working with the totally cute winter themed collection entitled, "Winter Wonderland." I always start by using the stamp the jumps out at me the most when I first look at a set. I really liked the rounded shape of the larger tree so that became my starting point. 

The Reveal

I liked the tree so much I stamped it 5 times on three different patterned papers. I also stamped the tree trunk on a darker patterned paper and pieced the tree together. As the focus feature on my card, I added brads to the middle tree to look like ornaments and to draw the eye to the center of the card. 

I adhered a star shaped jewel to the tops of each tree and layered them at different heights using different thicknesses of foam adhesive. 

Since I used more of an outdoorsy winter color scheme instead of a traditional Christmas color scheme, I used the small snowflake stamp in the set to create a snowfall background.

The Fun and Games

Fresh Squeezed Stamps is hosting fun games and contests with free stamps as prizes all month long. This week's game called "Say What?" is to write a caption to a photo they've posted here. This game ends at midnight tonight. But don't worry, there is a new game each Monday on their blog. If you want to keep up with the latest news, check out their Facebook page or Twitter feed. If you are interested in being on their design team, check out their design team call that is going on now. 

I'll be back every Thursday for some new reveals.

Thanks so much for droppin' by,

Paper Made Bakery: Happy Birthday!

Greetings scrappy friends! As I was perusing my embellishments in this month's Fresh Baked Kit, I noticed one of the bingo chips had a 28 on it. Since my sister's 28th birthday occurred this week, the opportunity was too good to pass up. 

I quickly made a card for her to replace the card I already had ready. I picked the bold colors and patterns that I thought she'd like. 

To see the whole project and her reaction, please see today's post on Paper Made Bakery's blog.

Thanks so much for droppin' by,

Popcorn Gift Card Holder with Free Cut File

***For Paper Made Bakery's December blog hop, please go here.***

The Reveal

I was asked to be a guest designer for CutCardstock's 12 Days of Christmas series. Since I love their cardstock and card kits, I readily agreed. As part of the series, there is a cute Christmas gift or gift wrapping idea each day. Today is Day 4 in the series and this is my contribution. Hop on over to CutCardstock's blog to see the entire series. 

The Details

I wanted to design something practical that I could make in bulk to give out. One thing I like to give are movie tickets or theater gift cards. What better way to package it than in a cute popcorn gift card holder? If you have another present (like a DVD), you can also add an eyelet to the top, tie some twine and turn it into the accompanying gift tag. 

I drew the image on my iPad and imported it into Silhouette Design Studio. The gift card holder is one piece and the popcorn and banner can be popped on with foam adhesive for dimension or adhered flat. All the pieces fit perfectly on one sheet of 8.5 x 11" Basic White 80lb cardstock. As my gift to you, you can download this Studio file for your personal use. It will only open if you have the corresponding software. 

Silhouette Studio Downloadable file: Popcorn Gift Card Holder

This is a print and cut file, meaning you'd print out the image on your printer first before running it through your Cameo. It will be perforated on the fold lines, so most of the work has been done, and there is no coloring involved. The download will look like the following image. 

After you assemble the pieces, you can add your own finishing touches. I mounted the banner on some Basic Black 80lb cardstock to give it a more distinct outline. I added some jewels and stars on the banner to give it a marquee feel. I added some Liquid Appliqué on the popcorn kernels to give it that fluffy popcorn texture. 

This is a great way to add a personal touch when giving out something impersonal like a gift card. Have fun creating your own handmade cards and gifts. I wish you all the best this Christmas season. 

Thanks so much for droppin' by,

Paper Made Bakery: December Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

The Hop:

Welcome to Paper Made Bakery's new December release blog hop. If you've just arrived from Wida's site, then you've come to the right place. If you would like to start from the beginning, please hop on over to Paper Made Bakery's blog. If you are lost, this the blog hop order:

Paper Made Bakery

Wida Miller

Michelle McClure (←you are here)

Lisa Arana (←go here next)

Jennifer Cuthbertson

Amy Tsuruta

The Kit:

December's Fresh Baked Kit entitled Soda in Soho, features colorful, graphic designs from the Soho Garden collection by American Crafts with a matching stamp set called "Soda-lighted" by Fresh Squeezed Stamps. Be sure to grab at kit before they sell out. 

The Reveal:

I was in New Orleans during Thanksgiving week this year and took numerous photos. A few of the photos were taken at night so I grouped those together because of the lighting. Within the photos, there were a lot of glass elements so I thought these would be a good fit with the soda bottle stamp. 

The Details:

When I saw this month's stamp set, I really liked the shape of the soda bottle. I wanted to use it on a layout even though I wasn't utilizing a soda theme. I chose a solid background paper with some distressing (Oxford collection by Basic Grey). I picked a stamp pad with a similar color found in the distressing for a tone on tone effect. 

I stamped the bottle in a rows, leaving space for another bottle in between. This turned a plain, solid sheet into a patterned background paper that subtly matched my photos. 

Since I took some photos in front of a pharmacy museum which had a beautiful display of apothecary bottles, I had to pull out the gumball jar stamp from last month's Christmas Treats set. I stamped it with a permanent ink onto acetate and then colored them in with different markers. It turned out kind of streaky so I just cut out the plain jars and abandoned the markers. 

I then stamped the jar onto a spritzed card that was a rejected draft of my ornament card. I cut out just the central portion of the jar. 

I paper pieced them together to get a filled clear glass look. Whoever said two wrongs don't make a right wasn't a scrapper. 

The die cuts in the embellishment pack are so easy to use and add a pop of color to a page. The journaling card had a tab on the top already so I repeated that shape on each row of my photos as a label. 

There are so many fun components in the kit and stamp set to play with this month. I really enjoyed putting this layout together. I hope you'll have a great time experimenting with your kit.

The Giveaway:

As a way to say thank you for participating in today's blog hop, Paper Made Bakery is giving away a great prize. You can enter by midnight on Wednesday, December 5th by using the Rafflecopter widget below. 

Good luck to all! Your next stop is Lisa's blog. Remember there are daily inspiration projects and tutorials on PMB's blog all month long. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks so much for hoppin' by,

Paper Made Bakery: A Wreath of Words

Hello scrappy friends, happy Thursday! This is my last sneak peek this month for Paper Made Bakery. I've really enjoyed working with this month's Christmas Treats kit. When I was out shopping for a present for my sister, I was inspired to make this Christmas card. There are some great designs on Christmas packaging so keep your eyes open and be inspired by all the decorations this season. 

What I like best is that the sentiment is the visual image on this card. To see the whole project and further details, please see today's post on Paper Made Bakery's blog.

Thanks so much for droppin' by,

Paper Made Bakery: Ornament Card

Hello scrappy friends, happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are spending time with loved ones and eating lots of turkey. Today I have a sneak peek of a Christmas card I made with Paper Made Bakery's Christmas Treats kit. 

Unfortunately, the kit is currently sold out but the stamp set is still available with Fresh Squeezed Stamps. I just love how each set has so many little interchangeable elements. I think my favorite stamp is turning out to be the lollipop. 

I had previously used the lollipop as jack-'o-lanterns in this Halloween card I sent to my hubby's grandmother. 

This time I used it for Christmas ornaments with candy canes as ornament hooks. I have yet to use it for its intended purpose as a lollipop. To see the whole project, please stop by today's post on Paper Made Bakery's blog.

Thanks so much for droppin' by.
Gobble, gobble,