Paper Wishes Blog

Hi Everyone, winter is in full bloom and the days can seem long and dark.  I was inspired by one of our readers, Linda, who wrote about January being her time to  “craft, organize, journal, do things that rejuvenate me and my spirit.” I LOVE that way of thinking and have decided to take it right into February! I’m taking advantage of the quieter days at our house and using the new Spellbinders Owl and Koi Stamp & Die Sets to make some new cards to share with all of you.

Gold Crepe Ribbon and Gold Tiny Words & Phrases Dazzles™

I made a card similar to this one for my Father-In-Law’s Birthday last week. Don loves the outdoors and I found the Owl Stamp & Die Set and Spectrum Noir™ Illustrator Earth Set worked well for the masculine look I was going for. He was particularly impressed with the textured wood grain background!

I cut a 2 1/2″ wide circle, using 8 Circles and Scallops Cutting Dies, to make a hole in the center of  tan cardstock. Then I used the Wood Texture Embossing Folder to add wood grain to the cardstock. To add some contrast, I used the surface of  a brown ink pad over the embossed areas and then inked the edges.

When stamping the owl image, it is important to use Memento ink with the alcohol based Spectrum Noir™ Illustrator Pens to prevent a reaction with the alcohol pens. Finally, after coloring the owl and bugs I added a little gold glitter glue so he knew it was from me before he opened the card!

The Koi Stamps & Die Set inspired me to use Mirror Dazzles™ Sheets to add some sparkle! If you aren’t familiar with this product, the sheets are the same material that we make our Dazzles™ stickers from. So really, when I stamp and die cut the sheets, I’m making my own stickers!

The surface of the Mirror Dazzles™ Sheets are slick and not porous so it is necessary to use a permanent ink like Black StazOn®. I used white cardstock for the water lily flowers and colored them with yellow and pink Spectrum Noir™ pens and, of course, added a little gold glitter glue to the center of each.

Depending on the type of stamps you are using, clear stamps for example, it is better to die cut first and then stamp the image. However, some sets, like the ones above are cling rubber stamps (you can’t see through them to see where to stamp the image precisely on the die cut piece) and you are meant to stamp first and then die cut the image. If you have ever had difficulty using Stamp & Cutting Die sets check out this little video.

Have you started on those Valentine’s Day cards yet? Don’t worry Paper Wishes is looking out for you! Here is a special Valentines treat to help you make all of those wonderful cards. Click on the image for a Free Download of Valentines tags. Click on the image to print.

Before I sign off I want to let you in on one of the latest craft trends that Paulette and Bethany learned about at the Creativation show last week. Edible Art is all the rage and designers and manufacturers are making it so easy to learn and master. Let Paper Wishes know what you think about this yummy Sweet Sugarbelle’s Cookie Decorating Kit from American Crafts. Would you like to see more? What kind of edible crafts do you enjoy making? Let us know in the comment section. We love your feedback!

Now I’m inspired! I think I’ll make some Edible Art cookies as a Valentine’s Day treat for my family. Until next week, happy crafting everyone!

LeNae Gerig

Have you noticed how popular monthly subscription boxes are? They contain everything from dog toys to treats for humans! They are filled things that bring you joy AND they are delivered right to your door! I belong to a few myself and when those boxes are delivered I think my heart rate increases. It’s like it’s my birthday and my favorite relative has sent me something really special…just for me!

Paper Wishes has 9 monthly/bi-monthly craft kits called Personal Shopper and today we will take a peek inside the Premiere Cutting Die Personal Shopper. This kit has so much to offer! Every month you will get one never-before-seen Cutting Die, FREE SHIPPING and a full color step-by-step newsletter with 4 projects and instructions. All for just $19.99! When we include a less expensive cutting die, you will receive a collection of specialty papers. Oh, and I don’t want to forget to mention the members-only special offers discounts!

I filmed a little video taking you along as I open up one of our Premier Cutting Die Personal Shopper kits so you know exactly what to expect when yours arrives.

The January Premiere Cutting Die Personal Shopper features the 3 Flower Spray Cutting Die which is so versatile. Here Debbie overlapped two of the die cuts.

This card features the cutting die cut from Burgundy Suede paper and backed with Vellum Dot paper and both of the papers are included in this months kit!

Ink is applied to the paper behind the cutting die before it’s actually glued in place. Art Daubers are really handy tools to use with this technique.

If you’re new to Cutting Dies, remember, you’ll need a Die Cutting Machine. I like the Big Shot because it’s easy to use, doesn’t take up too much space and works equally well with Cutting Dies and Embossing Folders.

This page includes Forest Suede Paper and notice how the bottom portion of flower stems were cut away and used as corner embellishments. For a different look you might cut the blossoms away and use them as a card focal.

That’s all for today. If there are other Paper Wishes Personal Shopper Subscriptions you are curious about, let me know in the comment section and I will try to feature them in future blogs.

LeNae Gerig

I love vintage. A good day for me would be wandering around an antique store for hours. Pre-loved linens, china and gilded frames are among the treasurers that I search for. With my love of all things vintage, it’s not surprising that our new Timeless Treasurers Collection has become a favorite of mine.

The rose is from Timeless Treasures Scrapbooking Dazzles™.

Timeless Treasures paper and Frames Foiled Fancies pair together perfectly. One of my favorite techniques to use with the frames is stamping on them with Fancy Patterns Stamp Set. This is a really simple technique that adds another layer to your project without much effort and who doesn’t like a short cut?

Use Timber Brown StazOn® ink to prevent smudging.

Use the surface of the ink pad to add color to the edges of the frame.

There are so many things to do with Frames Foiled Fancies! For this card I used a Spectrum Noir pen and sanding block to give the frame a distressed look that coordinated with the card. One of the things I like about using pens to color the Foiled Fancies, and then sanding them, is that you don’t have to be too careful about your coloring. You can be a little sloppy and it will still look great after a little sanding.  I took a few pictures as I was working on my project so you could get a better look:

I used the Timeless Treasures FREE Download cut outs to add a bit of lace to this card.

Color embossed areas with dark red (DR7) Red Spectrum Noir Pen.

Lightly sand with Sanding Block.

So easy to add a little color to your frame.

Teresa made this beautiful card using Frames Foiled Fancies and lightly sanded the embossed surface to give the frame a 2 toned look. I love the pearl embellishments!

Family Picture Holder Set

Another great way to use the vintage look is with The Family Picture Holder Set. It comes unfinished, but is so much fun to decorate using Antique Gold and Graphite Cosmic Shimmer Paints and burgundy acrylic paint. Simply base coat the wood piece sides and back and cover front surfaces with  Timeless Treasures Paper and Ribbon Set.  The set comes with 3 picture holders (2 shown)  so you can use the house stacked or try using all pieces on your mantle with candles for a warm and cozy look. Cute!

That’s all for today. Be sure to check back next Tuesday and I will have some new goodies for you. Happy crafting everyone!

LeNae Gerig

Hi Everyone, don’t you just LOVE Valentine’s Day? What a wonderful day all about love and caring. To me, sending Valentines are a simple and fun way to to say “I love you” or “I’m Thinking Of You Friend.” Whether you are a Grandparent or have little ones at home, doesn’t everyone like to get a Valentine? The cards featured today are all from The Little Things Paper Pack and coordinating ribbon set, which are so perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Inside

I make a LOT of cards and I’m always looking for ways to save a little time.  I get a big impact, but save myself a few steps by using the Heart Swing Die-Cut card. If you haven’t tried our Die-Cut cards, they include patterns for covering the cards with paper, making them so easy to use. I paired Critter Love Clear Stamp Set with adorable Valentine Buttons  and Lights Spectrum Noir Pens.

This sweet card is perfect for my daughter, Lauren. She is 17 now, but I still think of her blowing kisses when she was little. Not only is the XOXO stamp adorable, but the Love Always Cutting Die with heart flowers was just the right addition. Here’s a little tip: After die-cutting the base, stems and heart piece from green patterned paper I added Stickles Red Glitter Glue to each heart flower blossom and let dry. Then I glued the base and most of the flowers to the bottom of the card, leaving some of the flowers free of glue to add dimension.

For those of you who are new to stamping I thought I would add a little tip about how to layer your stamped images with patterned paper like I did on the skirt:

1. Stamp on white cardstock.

2. Stamp again on red dot paper & cut out only the skirt.

3. Align and glue red dot skirt over white skirt.

4. Stamp (color) and cut out heart from white cardstock & glue to skirt.

I have to admit that I was inspired to make this card after receiving so many photo cards over the holidays. I enjoy those digital photo cards, but I wanted to make something a little more personal that might be sent to a loved one living far away. For best results use a photo with a light background. I backed The Little Things Scrapbooking Dazzles™ with white cardstock and then added some chalk for a soft look. Place the Dazzles™ stickers over the photo and trim to fit.

It’s time for another contest! Would you like to win the supplies to make this card?  It’s so easy! Just click here to connect to our Facebook page and get the details.

The Bendi card is another one of our Die-Cut cards, which I particularly like because it has lots of surface space for embellishing with greetings, Blue Bird Jewel Dazzles™ stickers and yes, even a whimsical Garden Gnome! Here I backed the adorable mushroom stickers with patterned paper and the friendly Gnome with white cardstock and colored with Spectrum Noir Brights and Skintone/Pale Hues. After cutting out the images I placed them on the Bendi card with a little foam tape on the center back of each image, which allowed them to move more freely than glue would.

My dear mother raised a practical girl so I have to admit that when I make home decor projects I’m thrilled when I can use them for more than one thing. This Valentines Cupcake works for both V-Day and Birthdays. Celebrate a friend’s special day with a hand painted glittery cupcake! I used pink acrylic paint for the frosting base and then covered the wood topper with pink The Little Things Paper. Decorating wood with paper is easy and adds a lot of impact. I just used glue stick on the surface and then smoothed paper to remove air bubbles. Turn the piece over and cut around the back edge to remove excess paper. Lightly sand edges to get a perfect fit and a distressed edge. I used Teal Cosmic Shimmer Paint on the sparkly base and Russet Red Cosmic Shimmer Paint on the hearts, plus a little Red Glitter Glue on top for even more sparkle!

I hope I have given you a little inspiration to start those Valentine cards. Show someone you care by making them something this year and happy crafting!

LeNae Gerig

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It’s Paper Wishes 15th Birthday (and Hot Off The Press’ 36th Birthday, that’s our parent company). So much goes into bringing you our designs and products, from the initial idea to design, manufacturing and packaging. In fact, during Hot Off The Press’ history, we’ve designed and produced 16,826 items just for you. WOW! And last year Paper Wishes sent 35 million emails because we have so much to share with you! So Happy Birthday Paper Wishes and Hot Off The Press! We owe all of our success to wonderful crafters like you.

Now that it’s the New Year I wanted to tell you about the 12 Top Sellers of 2016! You crafters really knew what you were doing by scooping up these amazing products for your projects. If you want a closer look, Bethany and I did a Facebook LIVE  post last week so be sure to check that out. We had a lot of fun!

Let’s talk about new products! I am completely taken by the new collection of Tim Holt Distress Crayons! I like them so much  I’m going to give you a preview of collections #4-7 that will be featured on this weeks What’s New Wednesday. I like to use stencils and the crayons, which are a smooth water-reactive pigments that are softer and, I think, easier to use than Gelatos®. Today I have a few of my favorite Distress Crayon Techniques.

This technique is really easy. Add color to the top edge of the petals and then pull the color down, filling in the lower portion of the pedal. You can use a sponge for this method, but I prefer to use my fingertips.

I used Fired Brick, from Set #7, on the petals.

The smooth texture of Distress Crayons makes them easy to manipulate.

Crushed Olive on the leaves.

Or try this one. Blend 2 different colors by placing one color next to the other allowing on the petals. Gradually mix in certain areas by blending, with sponge or fingertip, and stand alone in others.

I used Spun Sugar & Dried Marigold from set #5.

Here is my finished card! I used Circular Rose 6″x6″ Stencil, Distress Crayons #5, The Little Things Paper Pack and Ribbon Set and added some sparkle with Lilac Lane’s Winter Blues Embellishment Bottle and black ink for the greeting. Be sure to check out What’s New Wednesday tomorrow to find the Distress Crayons and much more!

If you’re like me you occasionally have trouble making more masculine cards for the men in your life. I was so excited to hear that on today’s First Look Week Of Webisodes (day 2) our Designers, Susan and Teresa, have created some amazing projects, that include both masculine and pretty feminine cards. The Timeless Treasures Collection is one of my favorites because it is so versatile.

That’s all for this week. Feel free to leave a comment about techniques you’re curious about and I’ll address them in coming weeks. Until then, happy crafting.

LeNae Gerig
Paper Wishes Blog

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