PSA Stamp Camp

St. Patty's Day Kids Craft Idea

2012-03-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

What's a mom to do when her nanny is having eye-cataract surgery with a non-napping, 2 1/2 year old -- on a rainy afternoon? Crafting! First I cut an old sponge in the shape of a shamrock and let Molly dip it in green paint and sponge it onto white paper.

This didn't last long... I needed more... I cut hearts out of my Bazzil Basics green scrapbook papers. I let her glue them onto paper. Gluing is REALLY fun when you are 2.

Throw in some glitter glue and Want 2 Scrap gold sticker dots and things are looking promising...

I cut out some shamrocks quickly from cardstock. I didn't pay any attention to detail on cutting them exactly. That wasn't the point. Then I let Molly stamp away with a PSA Stamper. We (okay really I) chose the sentiment "live well, laugh often, love much" from PSA Dare to Dream Peel & Stick collection.

Molly's very focused stamping here, isn't she? I was shocked to see how well she punched holes in the shamrocks when I gave her the hole punch. (Mike who was also home because of the rainy day was true to form and freaking out that she was going to cut herself... but there was little risk, Mr. Helicopter.)

Now I helped her thread twine from The Twinery through the punched holes. I was again pretty shocked - she was very focused on getting the twine through the hole... that particular part of the activity lasted a good 10 minutes.

All threaded up....

And proudly on the mantel...

Just in time for the sun to come out! (And we need not discuss the headband. Or the bracelets. That's what happens when you take a 2.5 year old girl to Claire's Accessories for the first time.)

St. Patrick's Day Crafts

2012-03-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner. The holiday falls on a Saturday this year, which is convenient for all the party-goers in Savannah, just 35 minutes from us. A whole Sunday to recover! Did you know Savannah, GA has the second largest St. Patty’s Day parade and post-party in the country? It’s attended by more people than any other parade second to Chicago. My husband and buddies are headed down there this year for the festivities while Molly and I hang out with my grandfather visiting for the weekend to celebrate his 86^th birthday!

Blogs are a buzz with St. Patrick’s Day crafts. Though I don’t typically think to craft on this holiday, here are some ideas that I’ve picked up to share with you. Click on the caption, it will lead you directly to the source of the image and talented creator (not me or our design team).

http://themagicofordinarythings.blogspot.com/2011/02/st-pattys-rag-wreath.html

http://rebeccacooper.blogspot.com/2011/03/simple-st-patricks-day-banner.html

http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/2012/02/pinched-free-printable-kit.html

http://eighteen25.blogspot.com/2011/02/im-so-lucky.html

We can also celebrate the holiday with card making. Here are some ideas by designers Vera Yates and Mara Campbell. In this card, Vera stamped Happy St. Patrick’s Day using her PSA Vanilla Peel & Stick stamps. She used her acrylic blocks to spell everything out – she did a great job of lining everything up! (Not always easy to do.)

Mara Campbell created these adorable cards last year, all the characters come from UBU Happy Hour Peel & Stick. They look like they’re having a real party – and it sets the mood for a festive card!

You’ve got to check this set out, in case you haven’t seen it before:

She also created this card using the sentiment “Dare to Dream” and the outer ring from PSA Dare to Dream Peel & Stick. I love the hearts arranged in a shamrock and the twine from The Twinery tied in a bow.

Happy St. Patty’s Day crafting!

Guest Designer - Julie Masse

2012-02-29T04:55:00.002-08:00

We are excited to have the second guest designer of the season today! Thanks for joining us Julie Masse! Julie writes a very successful blog. If you haven't visited Julie's site before, be sure to do so today. If you are joining us from there for the first time, WELCOME to PSA Stamp Camp. We showcase crafty ways to use PSA Essentials Peel & Stick stamps every weekday.

In addition to writing (and creating) a crafty blog, Julie is a design team member for the Splitcoast Stampers Dirty Dozen. She was the winner of the Moxie Fab's Get Woodsie Challenge. She's on several design teams for The Kitchen Crew, The Cat's Pajamas, and Say It With Letters. She's also an accomplished published card maker, with work appearing in one of our favorites and most difficult to break into: Paper Crafts! See her creative resume, it's very impressive - here.

As you can imagine, I am always excited to see new designers work and what they come up with using our stamps. Julie did not disappoint! Up first, Julie used Smirk Caffeine Confidents for the adorable little characters. She colored them up to bring them to life. She also stamped "Fabulous Friends" from PSA Dare to Dream. This Dare to Dream collection is part of our sentiments that we currently have - check out all of our stamps here.

Here she used the lips and the Eiffel Towel from PSA Frenchie Peel & Stick. She used our grapefruit ink and her PSA Stamper to achieve those crisp and clean impressions on the lips.

Go see her other card that she designed with PSA Essentials Peel & Stick stamps on her blog.

GIVEAWAY: To welcome all of Julie's fans and followers, we are giving away 1 Peel & Stick stamp pack & 1 Stamper (including black ink) with a $35 retail value. Just become a follower or subscribe to our newsletter and you will be entered to win. Leave a comment on this post and let us know which you've done. The contest is open for two weeks, and we will announce the winner on our Facebook page! Like us over there for more giveaways, contests and a community of over 5,000 crafters.

Have a great day!

Valentine's Day Scrapbooking

2012-02-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Another holiday blew past us! As you take down any decorations you put up, get rid of the wilting flowers, and polish off the last of the chocolates, start thinking about how you will scrap Valentine’s Day 2012. Lucky, you don’t have to think too hard. Kim Schofield has given us a great idea for a layout today.

Kim used 4 layers of different papers and played with geometric shapes. She kept it simple with just one photo – sometimes that’s all you need to capture the event. She stamped several times from Smirk Kiss Me Now Peel & Stick stamps by PSA Essentials. I love the ribbon tape – “happiness is family, happiness is together, happiness is homemade, happiness is sharing.”

Here’s a close up of the Smirk Kiss Me Now stamp kissing characters, “living happily ever after” and “happiness is…being loved” sentiments from that collection. She colored up the characters to make them come alive.

She stamped “Kiss Kiss” also from Smirk Kiss Me now. Look closely, you will also see the lips from PSA Frenchie Peel & Stick. She’s stamped it with a blush pink ink using and her acrylic blocks.

Hope this gives you a little inspiration for scrapping your Valentine’s Day 2012, and hope you had a great “holiday!” with whomever you chose to spend it with.

Library Cards

2012-02-27T00:01:00.002-08:00

Remember the days when you checked out a book at the library and they wrote everything on the library card found on the inside jacket? (Remember the days you actually went to the library and checked out a book?)

Monika Wright was inspired by these library cards and felt such twangs of nostalgia, she recreated them. They can be used as bookmarks, gift tags, mini-books & albums, for scrapbooking, and loaner cards when you lend a book from your personal library. My favorite idea for use is a journal for a grade-schooler to keep track of completed books. Monika created a cover with fun patterned paper and a stamp from PSA Essentials Super Star Peel & Stick stamps, and bound them together with a simple 1-hole binder ring.

You can find this adorable and nostalgic idea on her Etsy store – I loveitall. You will get this cute little package that’s stamped with her PSA Essentials personalized stamp on the outer ring, and the inner ring from PSA Bouquet Toss Peel & Stick.

Best of all? This collection of 10 cards is just $1.50… now that’s good ole fashioned pricing… back like the days when they used paper library cards to check books out! Posted to: http://ladybug-blessings.com/?p=2196

Date Night

2012-02-24T00:01:00.003-08:00

No Molly. No friends. No offense! This weekend, I am looking forward to a date night with Mike.

Today’s a perfect day to share Melyssa Connolly’s Date Night Card that just appeared in the Paper Creations Spring 2012 issue! The card has a shabby chic layered look and is just adorable. Send this to your hubby at work, inviting him out for a date. Send it to a girlfriend to ask her out for some quality girl time.

The stamp “Date Night” comes from PSA Date Night Peel & Stick pack. This pack and Mom’s Calendar Peel & Stick packs are super versatile additions to your stamp collection. If you still use a daily organizer (not your iPhone or Blackberry or other device), it’s really fun to get into stamping your events. Stamp “Drinks” with the girls on Wednesday nights, your mom’s birthday, and stamp reminders for picking up your dry cleaning , going to hair appointments or the gym. Mom’s Calendar will help you organize all those kids activities you have going on, too.

Have a great weekend!

Paper Crafts Winner

2012-02-23T07:14:00.000-08:00

Paper Crafts Magazine is one of our favorites in the industry. Their beautiful, uncluttered bi-monthly publication is one that I look forward to in the mail. It's just full of inspiration month after month. If you aren't a subscriber, check out their great deals and seriously consider it - it's one you want to read cover to cover each month. We teamed up their Facebook page to give Paper Crafts fans an opportunity to win!

As you can see, we're gearing up for bridal season! Our custom stamps are great for return address labels. Stamp the back of your envelopes, shower invitations, wedding invitations and create DIY favors, table top and gifts. Change up the middles with all of our love stamps to really customize.

Not getting married, planning anything bridal, or doing much correspondence that needs return address stamping?

What about stamping your cards? Jamie had a custom stamp made in the Christi design with her blog address and blog name. Now when she creates her cards, she can also stamp the back of them and let people know where they can find more of her work and who did it.

If you are interested in purchasing a stamp like this, head to Cyber-Savvy Shop and right now you can get a custom stamp for just $26.50 (regularly $40.) Purchase a Peel & Stick pack to switch up your middles and get a handy alignment tool for FREE ($10 value.)

Thank-you to all 171 people that commented on the Paper Crafts image & visited our page. The winner is lucky commentor #27.

It made me feel good that Barb won this prize! I am sorry for the loss Barb, but hope that you did have a nice time with your family that you haven't seen in awhile. And isn't it wonderful to be thankful for your health. All the best to you!

Tutorial: Photo Holder

2012-02-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

I take a lot of photos. I just finished my “2011 O’Regan Yearbook” – an 80 page book I made on Kodak Gallery that’s complete with 1,027 of my “favorite” pictures of 2011. What can you really do with all those pictures? The key is ordering prints of your favorites right away. Order them in a variety of sizes, color finishes (black and white, sepia, full color), and even papers (matte and glossy) and put them in frames and photo holders when you get them in. Mae Armstrong on our PSA Essentials design team came up with a photo holder – you will be sure to order and fill this one up! She’s also chosen to display precious cards and other paper keepsakes in it…. Simply adorable.

Here’s how Mae went about doing this. It does involve a few power tools but Mae’s compiled a great step-by-step tutorial here. First she purchased wooden dowels, wood glue, and a thick 3" 1 1/2" wood base at Lowe’s. When she got started, she measured a 2 ½” allowance on each side of the base before drilling holes for the wooden dowels.

She lined up the wooden dowels and made sure the spacing looked even, about 1 ½” space in between. She used a pencil and marked up the middle of the wooden base before drilling to ensure accuracy and to avoid having to drill again.

The 5/16" bit was a perfect size for the wooden dowels, she was happy to use her new drill! Drilling does make a bit of a mess, for that reason Mae suggests doing the drilling outside the house or maybe inside the garage.

After drilling, she filled in holes with Elmer's Wood Glue Max and used a mallet to secure the dowels all the way down. She set it aside and let it dry for an hour.

While waiting for the wooden stand to dry, Mae dressed up wooden clothespins with a fine crochet yarn. She picked red and pink. She wrapped the bottom half of the pin to dress it up and secured the yarn with glue.

Mae found some extra wooden discs and stamped them using PSA Essentials Peel and Stick Rosettas stamp set. She punched some scalloped tags and mounted the wooden discs on it.
To give it more depth she pre-cut some cute doily accents for the outer design.

She then glued the wooden disc onto her scalloped paper and then glued everything on top of the doily accent. She dressed it up with some puff pearl paint and set aside to dry.

As one of the last steps, Mae glued the flower tops onto the clothespins and glued them on the wooden dowels. She waited for a bit and then, this project was complete!

Here’s the finished project on her mantel – looks great, don’t you agree?

Princess Party

2012-02-22T06:20:00.000-08:00

There’s no avoiding my daughter buying into the fantasy world of princesses and fairies. I knew I was in trouble when I was watching Kate and William get married last Spring. My then not even two year old daughter was glued to the TV. From then on, she sees Kate and says – “Mommy, look – the princess!” In her new “big girl” room hangs mosquito netting from the ceiling, meant to go along with the garden theme of the room. She calls it her princess chair. When choosing her sneakers or jacket in the morning – she always goes for the pink shoes, and the pink jacket – glossing over the green or blue. I just have to accept it and give in. Maybe I will really give in and give her a princess party. I said maybe!

I’ve collected a bunch of ideas on Pinterest and Jennifer Holmes created the perfect invitation for a princess party. Jennifer has stamped the dress, crown and ballet shoes from PSA Cupcake Peel & Stick stamps. I just love how soft and beautiful this invitation is.

Here’s the inside, it opens like a present.

Look how she’s taken the time to color and shade the dress from PSA Cupcake. Beautiful!

Jennifer created a card that corresponds to the invitation. These are all stamps from PSA Cupcake – a great set for a princess party! This set of invitation and card appeared in Paper Creations Spring 2012 issue. Be sure to check it out in print – it looks great the way the issue styled and photographed the projects.

Now here are some of the ideas I’ve begun to collect for inspiration. I’ve credited each source so you can read more about these amazing parties by these fabulous women. This over the top pink candy display comes from Dollar Store Crafts. I love the streamers in the background to pump up the pink!

I am taking the paper pinwheels and especially the ribbon banner as inspiration here from Hostess Blog

I’d like to the balloons on the ceiling from The CelebrationShoppe and the giant balloons on the table here. The little girls party hat isn’t too shabby either.

I am also going to borrow ideas from this Pinkalicious party on How Does She Do It? I just love the banner and the paper rosettes hanging. (Though you will NOT see me doing nails for a 3-year old birthday party!)

It’s fun to start collecting ideas now. Pinterest is full of great ones– are you following me on Pinterest yet? Come and see what it is all about: http://pinterest.com/libby_oregan/. Here’s to planning a great party!

Welcome New Design Team Member - Jamie Cripps!

2012-02-21T07:09:00.002-08:00

Sometimes you can't plan for things. Things happen unexpectedly and seem to fall into your lap. Such was the case of bringing on a new designer to our PSA Essentials team. We had recently brought on Regina Mangum, and we aren't set to choose a new team until August. But Jamie Cripps came along and she was too good to pass up!

When we are looking for designers to join our team, we are looking for people who are motivated by the love of craft. Someone who has a blog and posts regularly for the fun of it - who has an audience and shares their passion for paper crafting, design, sewing, decor and entertainment. We are looking for someone who has real talent. And often times, that talent has been recognized by publications.

Jamie is quite accomplished when it comes to her creative resume. She's been published in:

Creative Memories Catalogs
In a Scrap Creations
LTD Commodities
Making Cards Magazine
Michigan Scrapbooker
Momenta Winter Catalogs
Practical Scrappers
Scrap n' Art
Scrapbook News and Review
Scrapbook Trends
Scrapbook Trends - Cricut Magazine
Scrapbooking.com
Scrapjazz
ScrapStreet.com

She's on a few... okay, more than a few design teams.

Kanban Crafts
Momenta
Samantha Walker
SRM Stickers
Sweet Stamp Shop
The Twinery
WOW Embossing Powders

And in the past, she's been on other design teams.

Creative Memories, Nov 2010- December 2011
Scrap Tales, Mar 2010 - June 2011 (store closed)
ScrapbookPal.com, June 2010- June 2011 (term ended)
Creative Charms, Oct 2010- April 2011 (term ended)
Glue Dots, Sep 2010- March 2011 (retired)
P K Glitz, Feb 2010 - March 2011 (retired)
Scrap Within Reach, Jan 2010 - Jan 2011 (term ended)
Sharing Memories Scrapbooking Store, Feb 2010 - June 2010 (retired)
Frosted Designs, Sep 2009 - May 2010 (retired)
Practical Scrappers, Aug 2009 - May 2010 (retired)
Busybee Scrapbooking - Local Scrapbook store, lead designer (store closed)

One of the most important things to consider when bringing on a new member of the team is their personality and if it's someone we'd like to work with for the next year. Jamie is one of the sweetest people I have met! She's responsive to emails, bubbly and enthusiastic about joining the team.

Let's welcome her with open arms! Welcome Jamie Cripps! Now head over to her blog and check out some of her great work. You can see her guest feature on PSA Stamp Camp here. Here's a recent card she posted on her blog that I just loved. Can't wait to see what she comes up with month after month using PSA Essentials stamps.

Make your own journal

2012-02-20T00:01:00.002-08:00

You should see the stacks of journals I have – I have huge collection of notebooks & journals that I write my to-do lists and notes to myself in. I recently paid about $25 online for a photo journal which is really beautiful but probably was an unnecessary expense. Monika Wright has a solution – make your own! You’ve got to love the crafty, DIY-for-less nature of this project. She’s chosen really springy colors and springy stamps in anticipation for warmer weather and the months ahead. Here’s a great tutorial by Monika.

Gather your supplies: notepad, patterned cardstock, adhesive, and your favorite PSA Essentials Peel & Stick stamp sets. After trimming your cardstock to size, score a line to lay your notepad down on the scoring board, score the line, crease, and then place the notepad down again and score the second line. Crease again.

Monika prefers to use a glue stick to give her time to arrange the cardstock just where she needs it, lining up all the edges, before it is permanently adhered together. Make sure you only glue the back of the notepad, staying clear of the gummed area so that the note paper can easily be removed.

Using stamps from several Peel & Stick stamp sets, embellish the lower right hand corner of each page in the notepad in varying shades that coordinated with the patterned cardstock you chose. You can see here that Monika chose a bumblebee from PSA Topiary, the letter "w" for her last name from PSA Archive, and a flower from PSA Rosettas.

Monika then created a “belly band” to go on the outside of the notebook which was embellished with more flower stamps from PSA Rosettas. She stamped and then punched out using two different punches. Adhere to paper that’s the width of the entire notebook.

Stop by and visit Monika Wright’s blog to see more great projects by her! You've also got to check out her Etsy store - use coupon code ILOVEITALL at checkout, they'll get a 15% discount on total purchase. My favorite stuff of hers right now is the subway art and the mini books.

Posted to the Making Mondays Marvelous link party at C.R.A.F.T.

Guest Designer - Jamie Cripps

2012-02-17T06:44:00.001-08:00

Welcome! It's our first PSA Stamp Camp Guest Designer for Spring 2012. We had an enormous number of applications, more than any other before, so this was a tough decision. Ultimately we settled on a designer with lots of experience and someone who demonstrated a versatility in styles. Congratulations and welcome Jamie Cripps from Bits of Paper!

Her creative resume is impressive. She's been published in Scrapbook Trends, Michigan Scrapbooker, Cricut Magazine, and is currently on seven (yes, 7!) design teams including Momenta, The Twinery and great others. She updates her blog several times a week - be sure to visit her for lots of inspiration.

I was anxious to see what she designed using PSA Essentials stamps. She didn't disappoint. Here's what she came up with! For the first card, she chose the sentiment "skip the cake, eat the icing" from PSA Dare to Dream. This card is whimsical and beautiful at the same time.

She stamped the back of her card with her PSA Essentials personalized stamp which I had made with her blog address & name.

Up next, she created a beautiful love card that uses PSA Whimsy Tree. I rarely see this stamp used except for Christmas, so this was a pleasant surprise! I love the colors here.

What's next really made me smile. It's a box that you can fill with presents and goodies to welcome a new baby!

Check out the details here, she used stamps from PSA Little Bunny.

A seasonal card coming up - the colors remind me of St. Patty's Day. She stamped "Make it happen" from PSA Dare to Dream.

We are welcoming all of Jamie's fans and followers of her blog Bits of Paper by hosting a giveaway of 1 custom stamp. Only readers who are not already followers are eligible for this one. Please become a follower via Google Connect or subscribe via "Follow by Email" newsletter to enter. Leave a comment letting us know you've done so! We will close this on 2/24/2012 and announce it 2/25 on PSA Facebook's page.

Welcome Jamie Cripps, thank-you for these beautiful designs! This post was linked up to Craft-O-Maniac Link party!

More Organization...

2012-02-17T00:01:00.001-08:00

I have a few organization projects that I have been wanting to cross off the list. The first was finding a solution for all the post cards my parents send to Molly. Semi-retired now, they do quite a bit of traveling. From every place they visit, they send Molly a post card. She’s amassed an impressive collection over the last 2 ½ years. Instead of handing her the stack one day, I thought this would be a nice way to display them all. I found these great albums which come free with one line of personalization at Exposures Online.

Inside I’ve filled the 5x7 photo pages with the post cards which she can read on the back through the lining. My parents are great about writing in fun details of their trips, what they ate, what they were doing – and always seem to tell her how much they miss her. (Funny… the post cards aren’t to me, nor do they ever say hello to me… ) I think this will be something really fun to look back on some day.

The next project to cross off my list is a way to organize all the great stationery we’ve had as a family. As I mentioned before, I tend to only order 30-50 cards at a time, this way I keep things fresh with new styles and pictures (when appropriate!) I also wanted a place to put my wedding invitation, shower invites from my wedding and baby showers, and special events in our life like Molly’s Christening or parties I have hosted for great friends. I went with a blue one here, and called it “O’Regan Stationery.”

Inside, I filled the 5 x 7 photo pages. The book tells a story without any words. It’s in chronological order and starts out with my own personal stationery as “Elizabeth E. Cobb”, and quickly moves into our wedding invitations, birth announcement, & events to follow. Take a peek inside…

As you can see, it’s an obsession I have with stationery. What’s fun is that now that I know about PSA Essentials, my stamps can also coordinate with my stationery. There really are hundreds of coordinating PSA Peel & Stick stamps to stationery, and it’s fun to match them up. See the bottom right Easter basket invite? That was for Molly’s Easter Egg Hunt last year. Perfect coordinating stamp from PSA Little Bunny!

I love the “challenge” of coming up with the most creative stamp for the stationery. Up next is my St. Patty’s Day Party invitations! I ordered them today. Stay tuned…

Linked up to Weekend Warrior Party at Ask Anna

Recipe Organization

2012-02-15T18:19:00.002-08:00

On a roll with my organization (case in point – my scrapbooking supplies), I decided it was time to tackle my recipes. I have hundreds clipped out from magazines, printed off from The Food Network.com, or given to me by friends and family – but I haven’t been using them because they were a mess. I received a present for our wedding which I had not yet taken advantage of – it’s a recipe journal from Williams Sonoma. It is even stamped with our last name “O’Regan” on it.

Inside it’s organized by tabs labeled with soups & salads, appetizers, breads, brunches, side dishes, poultry, meats, seafood, pastas, desserts and even a tab for cocktails. (That one has a lot of clippings…)

I added my recipes right away. They filed away nicely inside the acetate covers provided.

For the hand written ones, I stamped a few of the cards with my “From The Kitchen Of” personalized PSA Essentials Peel & Stick stamp. This is great for recipes that I want to give friends and family, not necessarily the ones I am filing and keeping in my binder.

I have some really great recipes to use now – I am just dying to try the Truffle Risotto! I made the Asian Flank Steak last night. So many great recipes now being put to good use.

And when I don’t feel like cooking, there’s always the “Take-Out” menu binder. Also now organized by cuisines from around the world....

This post was linked to Organize Your Stuff Now's Wednesday link party. Join the fun by visiting this great blog and linking up.

Celebrating Valentine's Day

2012-02-15T00:01:00.006-08:00

Friday night Molly’s school hosted a Father/Daughter Dance that was too cute for words. For weeks we talked up the dance with Molly and lots of prep went into the day. We went shopping for a new dress and shoes, ordered a corsage, and borrowed one of her friend’s largest pink bows. I helped supply the goods for the craft table (I am hooked up in that department as you might imagine…) and the little girls made Valentine’s for their moms in between dancing the night away with Daddy. Here's a quick photo recap:

Note the PSA Stampers making an appearance! I spy two of them. I loaded 4 with pink ink & XO hearts from PSA Love Birds, pink & orange with "Thinking of You" from PSA Dare to Dream, holiday red ink with "Love" from PSA Love Birds, and the Love stamp from PSA Love Birds.

Molly and Mike (and all the other daddies and daughters) seemed to have a wonderful time. I wouldn't know it because I wasn't there... but thanks to the photographer and my husband managed to snap a few, too!

Last night we celebrated as a family by going to Captain Woody's and Molly opened a few presents. By a few, I mean a lot. When did Valentine's Day become like Christmas? We have the Grandparents to thank for that.

We had a great time! What did you do for Valentine's Day? Hope it was great!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T00:01:00.001-08:00

Today I’m sharing three great cards in honor of today’s holiday by Melyssa Connolly! They're adorable and really celebrate today.

In her first card, she’s used stamps from three different Peel & Stick packs – Smirk Kiss Me Now (for the characters kissing), PSA Love Birds (for the sentiment Love) and PSA Vanilla Peel & Stick stamps for the letters y, o, & u. We at PSA Essentials love to see when our designers combine many different packs in one card! If you don’t have all three but want to recreate this one, feel free to substitute the stamps with others in your arsenal. Sometimes the layout is half the battle! There are a few layers to point out here –the patterned paper, the red and pink felt hearts, the red button and the perfectly tied baker’s white twine. She’s sewed almost everything together – it’s that extra step that makes your cards extra special.

She continued with Smirk Kiss Me Now in this simple but lovely card.

In this last one, she used the lips from PSA Frenchie to represent the “o” in love, the “v” and “e” from PSA Archive, and “happiness is being loved” sentiment from Smirk Kiss Me Now. Another three stamps from three different packs card by Melyssa! Melyssa tends to put something unexpected in her pieces – like in this one, she has two vertical rectangles of patterned paper, and a newsprint heart floating next to the sentiment. It’s these layers and touches that makes her work unique. Next time you are in your craft room, push yourself one step further with an unexpected element. Use repositionable adhesive and you aren’t committed to something if you don’t love it.

Hope you have a sweet day! J This post was posted to Tip Junkie Tip Me Tuesday!

Decorating for Dudes

2012-02-13T00:01:00.003-08:00

Women more so then men like to decorate for the holidays. For the most part, our male counterparts could care less about seasonal décor (or any at all…) As a way to make Valentine’s Day "sweet" but not too girlie, our contributor Monika Wright created this banner with our dudes in mind. Using stamps from SMIRK Peel & Stick by PSA Essentials, Monika created a simple banner to dress up the picture ledge in their bedroom.

After trimming her kraft paper to 1.50" x 8.50", Monika stamped images and SMIRK sentiments from Smirk Kiss Me Now. She added a heart shape, made the inverted V shape for her banners, and then folded them over onto each other so that she could string them on baker's twine and jute twine. She used gardening twine as another little touch of masculine flair. You'll notice that she used hunter and rink ink cartridge for this project, too...it’s really the perfect complement to the kraft and twine.

So, what do you think, does it pass the test? Not too girlie?

Head on over to Monika's blog to read more and see more great projects!

Posted to The Girl Creative! & Reasons to Skip the Housework!

Reasons to Skip The Housework

http://www.thegirlcreative.com/

Kids Art Kit

2012-02-10T00:01:00.002-08:00

Mae Armstrong is one crafty momma with great ideas to keep her little ones entertained and her own creative brain busy. She made a kids art kit for her twin boys, perfect to keep them busy at a restaurant, on a plane when traveling, or just around the house. She chose a bold black and white elephant fabric and a fun red and white polka dot fabric to hold everything inside. When it was done she filled it with a composition notebook, crayons, and their sign language flash cards.

To make each one personalized and their own, she used a light canvas fabric to stamp their names. She stamped “Will” and “Ryan” using PSA Essentials Peel and Stick Vanilla Peel & Stick stamps. It was the perfect style for this project.

She used a composition notebook as her guide in creating the art kit organizer. She used the main fabric and sewed it inside out and turned it over. Then ironed out the main fabric and sewed folded ends neatly.

After she folded the base fabric in three sections, she pinned the size that required sewing.

She prepared the accent fabric for the outer inside pocket. Using the pins as her guide, she marked down the spaces for the crayon holder and left some space for a pocket. She sewed it down and removed the pins as she went along.

She used a black Velcro to match the project and pinned it down for easy sewing.

After sewing the entire organizer, she cut the stamped canvas down to the size of a business card and pinned the fabric on the main front flap. She sewed it and trimmed extra thread.

Here’s how it turned out inside:

And here’s how it turned out on the outside:

I think it's a hit… Will & Ryan (seen here) seem to be loving it! What a great idea, Mae – thanks for sharing it with us.

Posted to Made by you Monday - Skip to My Lou

Posted to Open House Party at No Minimalist Here

Fridge Magnets

2012-02-09T00:01:00.001-08:00

My daughter Molly comes home with a lot of papers from school. Maybe the teachers and administrators think the more paper and proof of “school work” she is doing, the more justified I will feel in writing her tution checks. And she’s only 2. Imagine how much she’ll bring home when she’s older! PSA Stamp Camp designer Angie Holden’s daughter brings home a lot of school work, too – and Angie’s come up with a clever way to display her artistic masterpieces and her mathematical genious on the fridge with these magnets.

They’re super simple. And I mean simple. Just stamp from PSA Super Star using your PSA Stamper onto construction paper or cardstock. Punch out using a 1 ½” circle punch and adhere to a closepin. Then glue magnetic strips onto the closepin. Angie chose to keep things easy by stamping in black ink on blue paper, but you could mix it up with different color inks or different color card stock. Don’t forget too that coloring up your stamps really adds a lot of character to them. Voila! DIY magnets that look great on your fridge:

Easy and creative - just a little touch for your fridge! Posted to Sumo's Sweet Stuff!

Snow Day Banner

2012-02-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

Our contributor Monika Wright lives in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee and has been having quite a mild winter. No snow yet! Missing the snow, Monika decided to create a snowflake banner to hang above her fireplace…. If you can’t have the real thing, why not try to recreate it? It’s a fun winter project that just took a few minutes.

For this quick-and-easy, 5-minute project, you will need:

4" paper lace doilies
PSA Essentials Flakes Peel & Stick stamp set & the outer ring from the PSA Tree-O Peel & Stick set
Royal blue ink by PSA Essentials
Turquoise ink
Baker's twine from The Twinery

Monika stamped the outer ring of PSA Tree-O using her PSA Stamper loaded with royal ink. Then she adhered the Fancy Flake to an acrylic block and stamped using a turquoise ink. She threaded the doily when the stamps were dry with twine to create a banner.

Who knew that paper doilies and stamps could make such a fun wintery project? Here's Monika’s family room outfitted with a garland of snowflakes while they wait to see if real ones will fall this year….

So simple, you could really go crazy here and create a super long one, too!

DIY Bulletin Board

2012-02-07T00:01:00.001-08:00

As organized as I am, my desk is a neat pile of a big mess. A bulletin board above my desk would be a great place to pin up all the random pieces of paper, notes, reminders and bills to pay where I would see them. But it’s got to be done creatively – no boring brown cork board for this gal. Here are some ideas I pulled from my favorite sources of inspiration: Pinterest and our design team member – Angie Holden.

This is a painted cork board using turquoise paint and a stencil by from Better Homes & Gardens. (Yes, Better Homes and Gardens – you DO need stamps!)

Here’s one from an Etsy seller (http://www.etsy.com/listing/78991396/framed-bulletin-board-for-sale-shabby?ref=fp_treasury_12/). It’s very girlie!

Our PSA Stamp Camp designer Angie Holden recently did a tutorial on her blog The Country Chic Cottage on how to design a memo board. Read the entire process here – it’s a fantastic tutorial. (http://www.thecountrychiccottage.net/2012/01/recovering-memo-board.html) Skipping right ahead, here’s her end result.

Angie also came up with a solution for a bulletin board using PSA Essentials Peel & Stick stamps for us. She used her Peel & Stick stamps on fabric along with bright green ribbon perfect for tucking papers into. She’s used a variety of PSA Essentials stamps here – I see Maxine I am Woman, Smirk Kiss Me Now, PSA Dare to Dream, and PSA Rosettas. She used grapefruit ink, royal ink, turquoise ink, and plum purple ink from our collection of 22-ink colors. (Did you know we had 22?! http://www.psaessentials.com/inkcolors.htm)

Here’s a close up:

Angie walks us how to do this step-by-step here. First you will need:

Memo boar
White fabric (about 1 yard)
Ribbon (at least one spool)
Upholstery Tacks
Hot glue
Stamps and Ink by PSA Essentials (of course)
Covered Button Kit
Scrap fabric to cover buttons
Needle and thread

10 easy, step-by-step instructions to achieve this look:

Cut the white fabric to size. Leave at least 3 inches around all sides of memo board. Cut two of these pieces. (One plain white piece will be used under the stamped fabric so that you cannot see through the fabric)
Take one piece of the white fabric and lay it on a hard, flat surface.
Stamp various quotes and decorative elements. Use a variety of stamps and ink colors.
Allow your fabric to dry completely before you touch it.
Lay your plain white piece over the memo board first, then the stamped piece. Arrange so that your stamps will wrap around the edges.
Pull the fabric to the back and hot glue into place. Should be tight but do not stretch the fabric itself.
Lay ribbon out into a cross pattern. Start corner to corner. Then middle to middle. Hot glue the ends of each ribbon to hold. Again it should be tight but not stretched.
Follow up with upholstery tacks on each ribbon end.
Cover buttons according to package directions.
Sew buttons where ribbons meet. Be sure to catch the fabric layer and both ribbon layers when sewing.

And ta-da! You’ve got a neat and crafty solution to all those random pieces of paper sitting on your desk.

Posted to http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/:

http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/

Molly's New Room

2012-02-06T07:43:00.009-08:00

My 2-year old daughter Molly has two major areas of interest: one is reading and the other is nature – birds, trees, and being outdoors. When the time came to ditch the crib and move to a “big girl bed,” I designed her new room with her interests in mind. Everything came together piece by piece, slowly but surely. I spent hours pinning, surfing and tossing and turning. This was a labor of love and probably overly obsessed over…. Here’s out it turned out!

I found the bedding at Pottery Barn (not from the kids or teen stores). The tree decal on the wall is from Land of the Nod, as is the pink hanging lamp. Molly calls the chair her “princess chair” – the flower netting and oversized reading chair is from Pottery Barn Kids. The framed vintage board game on the wall is from my mother-in-law for Christmas, she got it at the Greenery Antique Shop in Hilton Head. In about 10 years, it will be over 100 years old and quite valuable. I thought it was an unexpected touch to the room that worked great!

She needed a good amount of shelving and storage. I was thrifty and repainted the furniture that was in the guest room a bright green. The long white book shelf is from the Land of the Nod. (My husband asked if we could always order from that store for furniture… it only took 45 minutes to put together and was super easy. Sure, Mike… Sure. I can order from there ALL the time.)

To capture Molly’s interest in reading, I had an idea for artwork on the walls. I took dozens of the paper book covers (they always fall off and are a nuisance, anyway) and laid them out on two 24x36” canvases, spray mounted them to adhere, and coated them 3 times with Mod Podge Gloss Finish. These are something I am particularly proud of! Do you recognize any of these great books?

The artwork looks great in the room - I think it really ties everything together.

Molly is so happy to be in this new room – we didn’t tell her we were working on it and like little elves, we did it while she was sleeping. We had a big unveil two weeks ago – made a huge deal and surprise out of it. She just loves it! The look on her face was priceless.

This post was posted to Tip Junkie Tip Me Tuesday, Ninth Street Notions , Embellishing Life's Creative, Ask Anna , Whipperberry Life, & Under the Table & Dreaming

Tip Me Tuesday

Ninth Street Notations

Embellishing Life

Ask Anna Mosley

Under The Table & Dreaming

Whatever Goes Wednesday - Someday Crafts

Whipperberry

Birthday Cards to Try

2012-02-04T00:01:00.001-08:00

My mom keeps a book devoted to birthdays. Just about everyone she knows is penciled in throughout the calendar year on the date of their birth. Every few weeks, she’s diligent about going through it and sending off cards or presents to celebrate the day. It’s this kind of organization I am hoping to one day achieve…. Not there quite yet, I am currently relying on Facebook reminders for birthdays. Not a great practice. Must adopt a better system.

Here are a few different cards for different birthdays. The first card by Kelley Eubanks is great for a little boy. She’s stamped the rocket from PSA Rocket Peel & Stick stamps. I love the distressed look of the paper and the baby boy blue cardstock is one of my favorite colors.

This “Enjoy” card is simple and elegant and perfect for an adult. She’s stamped “e,n, j, y” from PSA Vanilla Peel & Stick stamps, and the cupcake from PSA Cupcake. I always love how Kelley is not afraid of white space!

Jeanne Streiff created this “40 and Fabulous” card using the flower from PSA Topiary and coloring them up with her Twin Touch markers. The flowers look great – they are perfectly stamped – that kind of perfection only achieved with the PSA Stamper. So crisp!

Three great cards by two talented ladies, today! Are you working on any birthday cards? I linked this post to Ninth Street Notions:

Feelin' Moody?

2012-02-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

Does this sound familiar? Acted a bit nasty to a friend of yours recently? Here’s a great card to make and send by Kim Schofield. This is sure to lighten spirits either way!

There are many things I love about this card but mostly I love the layers of patterned paper that all lead your eye to the stamp. And what a stamp! The Smirk Many Moods Peel & Stick stamp set by PSA Essentials is a great one for funny sentiments and characters – sure to make light of any sticky situation.

Need to send an apology? Use – “I plead temporary insanity.” (Only works with friends who have a good sense of humor or when you haven’t royally screwed up.) I also love “allow me to introduce My Selves.” So true sometimes.

Good friends always understand that you can’t be on your game all the time. People are real and aren’t always chipper. Sending a card like this may just be your ticket out of hot water. Next time you find yourself snapping at a friend, re-create this one to make up for it.

Valentine's Day Cards

2012-02-02T00:01:00.001-08:00

Photo credit: Via Pinterest, source not-credited.

February is here! And in a few short weeks Valentine's Day will be here. How many Valentine’s are you creating? My list is long so I better get started. Good thing we have great and simple ideas by Vera Yates. These ideas don’t require a lot of materials, any embossing, ribbon tying, layering or much at all. Yet they are beautiful and say everything you need to say. Check them out!

Vera created this easy “be mine” card with just five materials: her PSA Stamper loaded with holiday red ink, PSA Vanilla Peel & Stick stamps, and UBU Bicycle Bride stamps by PSA, craft cardstock, and the sentiment stamp “be” by Bo Bunny.

She created this one with just as few materials. She stamped the bird from PSA Love Birds, and spelled “Valentine” using PSA Vanilla Peel & Stick stamps. These cards are clean and simple and pack a huge punch. It’s a good reminder not to be scared of negative space in your cards! You do not have to fill up every inch. Some times less really is more!

This post was posted to Sugar Bee Crafts - Take a Look Tuesday!

Sugar Bee Crafts

O'Regan Family Stationery 2012

2012-02-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

I tend to only order between 30-50 cards for our family stationery – that way I keep things fresh with updated styles or new pictures. I just love sending letters in the mail. Be it a quick thank you card or a note just because, I love sending so my friends and family aren’t just getting bills and junk in their mailbox. My latest family stationery turned out great. A bit more formal than usual, this 4 x 5 note card came from Shutterfly. It’s just enough room (but not too much) for a note from us.

When I send something out, I like to include special postage stamps. Like these vintage ones below - I think it adds a special touch. If you’ve been reading PSA Stamp Camp for awhile now, you know I’ve used stamps like these on shower invitations, Christmas cards, & birthday invites. This year, I am stockpiling them to use for every day occasions and correspondence.

I am also starting my own postage stamp collection. (There I go being a nerd again!) Every year, I will buy few sets of the specially released stamp sets and store them away for years to come. One day, I will have my very own vintage stamp collection. I wish I had started this idea a few years ago and collected stamps from all the wonderful places I have been around the world. Postage stamps are works of art and so graphic in nature! These stamps from around the world (found on http://www.augustempress.com/) would look beautiful framed.

Of course, no correspondence of mine is complete now without my personalized address stamper by PSA Essentials. I have several, but mostly use my Wallace or Harrington styles.

I am changing the inks and middles up frequently to suit the occasion. I’m using “Joy Peace Love” from PSA Tree-O this January, and will be switching it up with “Love” for February. Of course, if I am sending a birthday card, I usually change it to a Whimsy Cakes stamp.

Switching up the middles is so much fun and brings another element of personalization to your letters. It’s an extra step, but one that usually doesn’t go unnoticed! If you have time this year, try spicing up your correspondence with vintage postage stamps and your personalized PSA Stamper with switchable middles.

Recycled Magazines

2012-01-31T07:29:00.001-08:00

Photo credit: via Pinterest/ Girls at Lincoln Park

In-Style, Harper’s Bazaar, Southern Living, Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, Parenting, & Us Weekly are my go-to magazines. I go-to each for different reasons obviously. US Weekly provides my essential fluff. (A girl’s got to know what is going on with Ashton and Demi, right?) Real Simple & Parenting are my mom guides, Southern Living and Martha Stewart keep me extra domestic, and In-Style and Bazaar keep me lusting after fashion trends I cannot afford. But what’s a girl to do with a stack of magazines she’s already read?

Angie Holden had a crafty idea. It captures two trends: going green & the latest ombre look in fashion. It’s a picture frame made from strips of recycled magazines!

Start by ripping ads out of your mags, then organize them by color. Cut with your paper cutter or good ole fashioned scissors, and work your magic by gluing onto an old frame you’d like to repurpose. Add the ribbon around the edges for a more finished look. Angie incorporated PSA Essentials stamps using Smirk Peel & Stick. She stamped Kick Ass Babe and Hell on Heels from Smirk Fashionista. See all of our Smirk stamps here, they have real pizzazz. http://www.psaessentials.com/smirk.htm

This is a fun idea, don’t you think?

This was posted to Design Dazzle!

Lynne's Mad Hatter Blog Hop

2012-01-30T05:08:00.000-08:00

We're late, we're late - for a very important date! Welcome to Lynne’s Mad Hatter 60^th Birthday Tea Party Blog Hop, I am sorry to be so unfashionably late to joining this celebration. In this exciting two day hop, you will see projects from talented designers with different styles – all celebrating Lynne’s milestone of turning 60 years old. If you are just starting out, you will want to know about all the great blog candy being offered up to celebrate Lynne’s birthday!

SVG Attic at http://www.svgattic.com/ - a $20 gift certificate
Creative Kuts has offered a $20 Gift Certificate to http://creativekuts.com/
Deborah Marie Foti of http://www.scrappingmamma.net/ will make one of her original birthday cards, Crafty Friends Sentiments Large Sheet by www.gettingcricky.com AND $10 Little Scraps of Heaven Designs Gift Certificate
PSA Essentials - www.psastamps.com.blogspot.com - 1 stamper, 2 Peel & Stick packs of winner's choice. MSRP is $55.
  Pat Catan's has donated a $25 gift card for shopping at their store, if there isn't a Pat Catan's in your area, we can transfer that out for you
·         Karber Digital Images at http://www.karberdigital.com/ - 2 digital designs of the winner's choice
·         Digi My World at http://digimyworld.com/shop/ - $10 gift card

To be eligible to win, you must comment on each stop of the tea party along the way - and be sure to wish Lynne a happy birthday! Please also become a follower of the PSA Stamp Camp blog to be eligible to win the PSA Essentials prize.

Are you familiar with PSA Essentials? PSA Essentials manufacturers personalized self-inking stamps with interchangeable Peel & Stick technology. We have thousands of designs to choose from – ones for each holiday, sentiments, occasions, and licensed ones from Hello Kitty, Peanuts, Smirk, UBU & More. Check out all of our designs here: www.psaessentials.com/peelandstick.htm. We have a fantastic design team that makes cards, scrapbook layouts, home décor, party gear, crafts & more which we showcase weekdays on this blog, PSA Stamp Camp. Hope you join us daily for crafting inspiration!

To celebrate Lynne’s birthday, we are sharing a card by Jennifer Holmes – it’s called “Party Animal.” And I think judging by the size of this blog hop, Lynne IS one big party animal! The card uses stamps from PSA Little Bunny Peel & Stick stamps. The adorable elephant and dog nestled in the grass come from that collection. She’s colored the stamps up with her Copics to bring them to life. I love the twine from The Twinery & beautiful coordinating cardstock base from A Muse Studio. Isn’t it wonderful how Jennifer has rounded the corners of her card? It gives it a more professional look. Something to think about on your next card making venture.

Happy Birthday, Lynne! Now hop on over to Lynne's blog to say happy birthday! http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/

Handmade Dress

2012-01-27T00:01:00.001-08:00

I haven’t learned how to sew. When choosing electives in junior high school, I stayed far, far away from textiles and continued to avoid anything to do with sewing well into art school. I have always been impressed by those who can sew, who can follow a pattern, who create their own patterns, and who can make clothing out of fabric – because it’s not something I ever learned how to do. It’s on my bucket list.

My good friend Susan (and design team member at PSA Essentials) has become very domestic since her engagement and wedding and has been putting her sewing machine to good use. Coming from someone who doesn’t sew and who is impressed by those that do, I was blown away with Molly’s 2^nd birthday gift. It’s a dress – that Susan MADE.

Knowing that Molly loves birds, Susan created lovely bird dress from her husband’s comfy t-shirts. The dress is so soft! It’s stylish, too. Don’t you love the detail on the shoulder? She downloaded the free pattern and instructions here: http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/warhol-dress-pattern.html

Always incorporating PSA Essentials into her work, Susan designed a tag for the dress, using the outer ring stamp from PSA Essentials Carriage and then sewed a “2” onto the tag. I asked her if this is the name of her dress line…. She said she doesn’t plan on venturing into that field.

Too bad though! Because I think it’s the cutest. Will update this post when Molly is big enough to wear this adorable dress. The way she eats and grows, it won’t be long…

This was posted to Funky Polka Dot Giraffe!

Supply spotlight.

Dress Free Pattern & Instruction Download - http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/warhol-dress-pattern.html
Materials: 2 Men's T-Shirts. Stamp: Carriage Pack (PSA Essentials). Paper: White Gift Tag (Recollections). Materials: Pink Floss (Loops & Threads).

Cupcakes!

2012-01-26T00:01:00.001-08:00

The next time you are having company, consider these sweet treats by Mae Armstrong. She went the extra mile to decorate them with cute cupcake holders and festive toppers! She’s used our PSA Essentials Smirk Martini Mix stamps and the outer ring of PSA Archive Peel & Stick stamps for this adorable topper that really stands out. I just love this adorable character holding a bottle of champagne and a glass – it really says “celebrate!” You can also color her up to match the theme of your party and make her stand out even more. Enjoy this recipe today!

HERSHEY'S "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions: Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING. 10 to 12 servings.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

WHIPPED VANILLA FROSTING:

Ingredients

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream

Directions: In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

Posted to Beyond the Picket Fence

DIY Wine Party

2012-01-25T00:01:00.002-08:00

The girls and I had a total blast last week going out for sushi & wine (or hibachi chicken & water for some.) I value the time spent with my girlfriends – I feel energized and I’m reminded that I am not just a mom and a wife. I’m a real living-breathing social creature! Plus I got caught up on real life and celebrity gossip. (What were Jay-Z & Beyonce thinking with that baby name?) But going out is not always budget friendly and sometimes it’s just nice to be home with friends. Mae Armstrong had this wonderful idea to host a blind wine tasting. We could all adopt this one!

She started out by creating wine bags. She’ll place different bottles of wine in each bag, code them with letters, and have guests write honest feedback about each wine on a corresponding card. This way no one is influenced by fancy labels or gimmicky names of wines. The tasting will be based on taste alone.

To recreate, use an old wine tote bag as your pattern like this one here. Mae used natural canvas and retro fabric for the accent. Sew the printed fabric on the front side of the canvas and sew the top opening to prevent from fraying. Then turn inside out and sew all sides leaving the opening.

Mae stamped onto pre-cut doily themed circle tags with PSA Essentials Archive Peel and Stick stamps. She stamped the letters A, B, C, D – the number of letters she needed for the number of wines she was serving for the tasting. She picked a nice thick yarn for hanging the tags.

Cute, right?

For the tasting cards, she used the same doily tags stamped with PSA Archive Peel & Stick stamps and the corresponding letters to match the wine totes. To recreate, thread the yarn through and knot both ends to secure the tag. It's easy if you use a crochet hook to pull the yarn through. Mae also used a bamboo stick to create the holes. This card measures 4"x9" and you can create it using Microsoft Word or In Design.

As Mae always does, she took her project and party two steps further. She sewed a matching canvas favor bag stamped with the initials of her guests. You can fill the jars with any edible treats, Mae used olives. She used the same yarn color to tie the top of the tote bags. It all coordinates perfectly!

She created some cupcakes, too which I will share the recipe & details of tomorrow! Look at this complete set of crafty goodness. Now that’s better than a $30 sushi night!

This post was posted to Singing Three Little Birds

This was also posted to Home Stories A-Z

Surviving the Winter Blues

2012-01-24T00:01:00.001-08:00

It happens every year to me in January. I am flying high during the holidays, I soar through the first two weeks of January with the new year filled with such promise. Then like a ton of bricks, I come crashing down. The end of January and February are my least favorite times of the year. In the Low Country, it’s the only months where the days are short and the weather is cold. Spring and Summer feel far away, there’s not a whole lot of indoor activities for us around here. So I asked our design team member Jennifer Holmes to create some cards to lift people’s spirits during the dark and cold winter days. So use these ideas as inspiration and send them to a friend to help them survive the winter blues! (Or just enjoy them from here yourself.)

This bright and cheery card may just lift the spirits of someone special in your life. I love the flower stamped in different colors from PSA Life’s A Beach. Jennifer’s colored them up to make them really stand out. She’s stamped the “h” from PSA Gigi Monogram H Peel & Stick, and the “i” from PSA Vanilla Peel & Stick pack.

To further brighten spirits, Jennifer created this “hello sunshine” card. She’s stamped the sunglasses from PSA Life’s A Beach and colored them up with pink and green markers. She’s used a bright and cheery yellow cardstock as the base, and framed her sunglasses and sentiment in a scalloped cut magenta cardstock. I love that she’s tied yellow and white twine around the card – which is just an extra touch and adds some dimension.

This was linked to Fireflies & Jellybeans! Show off your Stuff party!

Hope you have a bright and cheery day!

Guest Designer Call

2012-01-23T11:59:00.000-08:00

Guest Designer Call - 2012

PSA Stamp Camp is looking for 3 Guest Designers to be featured on PSA Stamp Camp blog this Winter & Spring 2012.

Perks:

Designer will receive 2 stamp sets of choice, 1 Stamper, 2 inks, 1 alignment tool. MRSP: $85
Blog candy/giveaway of 1 Peel & Stick pack on their blog

Requirements:

Designer must come up with a minimum of 3 projects using PSA Essentials Peel & Stick stamps.
Must have your own blog with 1500+ followers
Some restrictions on the giveaway, details to be provided if you are accepted
Designer to display “Guest Designer” blog badge on blog for 1-week leading up to the feature, linking to PSA Stamp Camp

How to apply:

Email libby@psaessentials.com with 1 example of your work, blog URL, and the number of followers on your blog.

Chinese New Year Blog Hop

2012-01-22T16:19:00.000-08:00

Feng Li - Getty Images - via The Today Show

Ni hao and welcome to the Chinese New Year Blog Hop! I was recently introduced to April by The Scrapbooking Queen. April recently adopted a boy from Taiwan. Now her fourth child - April is one busy woman to be hosting a hop, too! To celebrate Tuan's culture, she wanted to share some Chinese New Year inspired projects with you. Since this is the last stop - I hope you have enjoyed all the creativity! If you just joined us, please go back to April's blog at www.curlsandgrins.blogspot.com to see everyone's amazing creativity from the beginning!

In case you aren't familiar with PSA Essentials - we manufacture self-inking custom stamps with patent-pending Peel & Stick technology. We have thousands of stamp designs - one for each holiday, sentiments, licensed ones from Hello Kitty, Peanuts, Smirk, UBU & More. They're perfect for all your crafting needs!

We have a great card for Tuan & April's family. Here's: It's a Boy by Jeanne Streiff. This card uses the carriage stamps from PSA Carriage Peel & Stick stamps. It appeared in the September/October issue of CardMaker magazine!

There's some great blog candy to offer from April Nourse of Curls & Grins Creations and PSA Essentials. To be eligible, you must simply comment on each blog on each day's post. We'd love for you to become a follower of each of our blogs too.

To find out more about PSA Essentials, visit www.psaessentials.com or like us on Facebook!

Start at April's!

April - http://curlsandgrins.blogspot.com
Lynne K. - http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/
Ashley - http://theglamoroussideofscrapping.blogspot.com/
Amy - http://www.lovetocrop.com/
Vicki - http://mawmawsthoughts.blogspot.com/
Jearise - http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com/
Shannon - http://www.purplelionpaper.com/blog
Inga - http://mommahobbit.blogspot.com/
Maria - http://www.mdcraftcorner.blogspot.com/
Janet- http://www.createatdreamscrapbooks.blogspot.com/
Dena - http://missdjones.blogspot.com/
Jennifer - http://jenrubio.blogspot.com/
Theresa- http://www.thescrapbookingqueen.com/
Ellen - http://cardmonkey-business.blogspot.com/
PSA Essentials - www.psastampcamp.blogspot.com/

Repurposed Crafts

2012-01-20T00:01:00.002-08:00

Our design team member Angie Holden was tasked with designing something thrifty this month -- something that didn't cost our readers a boatload to recreate. Inspired by glass bowls, vintage cake stands & a shabby chic look like above, Angie repurposed a candle stick and a wood bowl to make a pedestal bowl. This serving wear can be used for just about anything – a candy display, dessert bowl, or any of your entertaining needs. (Angie chose a candy cane holder!)

To recreate, find an old candle stick and wood bowl that aren't in use. Paint both your desired colors and when dry, stamp the bowl using the outer ring star stamp from PSA Anchors Aweigh on an acrylic block. This is a bit tricky on a curved surface, so be patient with it. When finished, paint with a clear-coat sealer like Mod Podge to finish it off. You can really get creative here with what types of materials you repurpose and what you design!

Happy thrifty crafting! This post was posted to The Graphics Fairy, LLC and also Saved By Love Creations

The Graphics Fairy

Thrifty Thursday at Saved by Love Creations

Gift Tags

2012-01-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

Do you have gifts to give this January? I have plenty of them… a lot of important people to me were born in January (my mother, my best friend from college Kristin, my best friend from home, Danielle.) A great way to spice up your gift giving is with handmade tags and special gift wrap. Even if the present itself isn't out of this world, you can knock the recipent's socks off with a great wrapping job. I envision these tags on top of some great great metalic color, gold or silver wrapping paper, like these purple lace numbers from Martha Stewart.com/via Pinterest.

Kelley Eubanks created these tags using PSA Vanilla Peel & Stick stamps.

To recreate these tags and bring the wow factor to your next gift, follow these step by step easy instructions:

1. Die cut tags and punch star
2. Adhere star with removable tape
3. Stamp border, mist and remove star
4. Stamp letter
5. Tie twine and ink edges

Happy Gift Giving!

Eating Well in 2012

2012-01-18T00:01:00.001-08:00

About.com Guide created a list of the Top 10 Most Common New Year's Resolutions. Did yours make the list?

Spend more time with family and friends

Fit in Fitness

Tame the bulge & loose the weight

Quit smoking

Enjoy life more - less stress

Quit drinking

Get out of debt

Learn something new

Help others/volunteer

Get organized!

If #2 or #3 are on your list like most people, you want to get fit, eat healthy and maybe lose some extra pounds. I tasked Mae Armstrong on our design team to come up with a creative way to stay on track with your goals. She answered with a beautiful calendar.

This is a simple reminder each month to try and buy organic products, supporting local farmers, cook more at home and making wise decisions to create a healthy life style. Mae used a 5"x7" layout, created the monthly spreads and drew the vegetable and fruit monthly theme using Adobe Illustrator. This took Mae hours to do – she is quite a talented graphic designer! All the artwork is 100% original by Mae Armstrong. She added starburst as a background to unify each page – each month is a different fruit or veggie that corresponds with the season. She printed them out and cut them individually.

To identify the months , Mae used PSA Essentials Peel & Stick Vanilla stamps and stamped the letters to complete the calendar. After stamping the letters, she used her circle punch and glued the month to the card.

After setting the stamped circle cards, Mae chose the zigzag stitch and sewed a straight line through the circle tags. It's easier if you glue the letter accents down before sewing. This is an extra step that takes this project one step further!

When all 12 cards were done, it was time to punch them. She used her mini Zutter Bug to punch the notebook holes. She also used a nice silver wire coil to bind the calendar.

Before binding, use a chip board and cut two 5"x8.5" cards to serve as the calendar backing/stand. Score 1.25" edge of the card and fold. Punch holes and bind with the rest of the calendar. And here's the end result!

If you'd like to do this calendar at home, you can purchase the template from Mae on her Etsy store. She's selling it for just $9.99! http://www.etsy.com/listing/89708672/printable-2012-calendar-intro-special

This post was posted to Mad Skills Tutorial Link Party!

Mad Skills

Weekend Project – Organization!

2012-01-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

This weekend I spent hours organizing my scrapbooking and crafting supplies. Nerdy, right? My mom's friend Dayle Thomas very generously dropped off three large boxes of scrapbooking supplies. Inside were hundreds of dollars of stickers, embellishments, ribbon, paper, scrapbooks that have never been opened. Combined with my impressive collection of PSA Essentials Peel & Stick stamps, inks, and products we've swapped with Helmar USA, Mod Podge, The Twinery, & Prima – I have an entire store of products at home! (Mental note: less trips to Michael's…)

Check it out! I snapped these quick pictures because I was so impressed with myself. I've organized my new rolling cart into bins for each need – punches & cutting tools, adhesives, embellishments, stickers, neutral papers, and seasonal papers.

Thankfully I have lots of options for adhesives!

This bin is full of stickers – some for each holiday, baby, wedding, travel, food, & more.

This bin is a crucial one – all my scissors and punches. I am currently storing my markers in here, but as soon as I get my Twin Touch Markers – I'll be creating a separate bin for markers!

The bottom two drawers are devoted to paper but I had so much I couldn't fit it all in the bins. Here's the over flow.

And here's a portion of my PSA Essentials Peel & Stick stamps collection. I've stored the packs in clear sheet protectors in a three ring binder. This makes finding them super easy!

Now this organization is nothing compared to my idol Carly Robertson ( see her amazing craft room here: http://carlyrobertson.typepad.com/thesimplethings/home-tour.html) but we all have to start somewhere…..it's a start.

I have a BIG project to start working on – so this organization is going to come in handy. Thanks to Dayle Thomas for the very generous donation of her scrapbooking supplies. I will be sure to put them all to excellent use! I really appreciate everything she gave me.

Martin Luther King Day - 2012

2012-01-16T06:01:00.000-08:00

What's wrong with this picture?

Imagine living in a world where whites and blacks had separate entrances to restaurants. Separate drinking fountains. Separate library books. Separate schools. Separate bathrooms and toilets. It wasn't long ago that Jim Crow laws were in effect – in fact, it was only 47 years ago that they ended. Without getting too heavy (we're a crafting blog and I'm not here to preach civil rights & liberties!) let's remember Martin Luther King, Jr. today. Sometimes with federal holidays that aren't Christmas, New Years or Thanksgiving – people tend to overlook why we have the day off from work. But today's an important day to stop and reflect. With his forward thinking and unwillingness to settle for "separate but equal," Martin Luther King moved our country in a better direction.

Our designer Jennifer Holmes created this adorable card to celebrate diversity in the world. She's stamped all the characters from Smirk Caffeine Confidents (see them here: http://www.psaessentials.com/smirk.htm) and colored them up to represent different nationalities. I just ADORE this card.

She's used her copics to illustrate their skin color differences! Simply perfect for this holiday.

I am so happy Molly is growing up today as opposed to 1960. Her two best friends are African-American and I hope she will be blind to the color of people's skin forever. Aren't they all cute? (This isn't the best picture of them but I rarely have my camera there.... so imagine Yolanda and Kayden are smiling!)

Have a wonderful holiday!

Winter Scrapbooking

2012-01-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

Well, you are either loving PSA Stamp Camp this week or have tuned me out completely! We are featuring great ideas to get a jump on (or wrap up) your scrapbooking! See this great way to document your winter adventures today on our final day of Scrapbooking Week. Kim Schofield calls this one "better together" and I just love her chosen color scheme! The cool blues, navy, white and black is such a great color combination for the season. The black and white photography is so classic - any picture feels vintage with this black and white finish! The whole layout feels a bit chilly – in a good way - doesn't it?

Kim has stamped from PSA Fancy Flakes and even embossed them to set the stamp and make it stand out! This is an extra step but really makes a difference. Check it out.

She's also stamped from Peanuts Snow Day. She's colored snoopy on his sled up with her Copic markers and really brought him to life!

This page is a true work of art – between the stamping, the embossing, ribbon tying, and cutting out of the stamp – you can tell that Kim spent HOURS on this layout! Use it as inspiration even if you don't have hours – replicate parts of it! To replicate, you will need:

Designer Paper: Little Yellow Bicycle

Stamps: PSA Essentials: Peanuts Snow Day, PSA Fancy Flakes

Tissue Tape: Tim Holtz

Ribbon: May Arts

Hope you have enjoyed Scrapbooking this week! Back to cards, crafty home décor ideas, and new year's resolutions next week!

Scrapbooking Thanksgiving!?!?

2012-01-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

If you are behind on scrapbooking 2011 and haven't had a chance to get to Thanksgiving, use this as a jumping off point. Already completed Thanksgiving? Use the layout as your base – replace the colors, patterned papers and sentiments with the theme of your choice. Kim Schofield has a great design here for your inspiration. There's a lot going on here, but it manages to be organized! She's stamped the wreath from PSA Topiary Peel & Stick.

See a close-up the stamp here! I like how she cut it out with an X-Acto knife and adhered it with 3-D foam stickers. It gives it dimmension and emphasizes it!

To recreate this layout, you will need the following supplies:

Designer Paper – Imaginisce

Cardstock - Bazzill

Additional sentiment stamps – Ali Edwards

PSA Essentials Topiary Peel & Stick stamps

X-Acto

3-D Foam Stickers by Helmar USA

I just love the Ali Edwards sentiment ones. They are so great for journaling and scrapbooking! What do you think of this layout?

Scrapbooking: Halloween?!?!

2012-01-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

All week long, we have been talking about scrapbooking. A few days ago, I stressed the importance of getting your pages done early – right after the holiday so the memories are fresh. Well as we all know – that's just sometimes not possible. Life gets busy and suddenly you find yourself four months behind on your scrapbook. (I am living proof!) No worries, luckily you can still get all the supplies you need year round at your local craft store, and we are here for some good ideas. Here are two Halloween layouts by Kim Moreno – just in case you need to work on those.

I adore the layers, use of dies and the photo booth presentation of photos. Doesn't it remind you of a photo booth? She's used PSA Essentials stamps here – the "boo" and the orange pumpkin are from PSA Haunted Shack Peel & Stick. You can also notice the "Happy Halloween" near "boo" from PSA UBU Happy Halloween. This is the outer ring of the stamp!

For this one, she's used the skull from PSA Haunted Shack and "boo" once again. She really has a knack for artsy, interesting design. I love the paper cut like ribbons and the twine tied around the orange patterned paper. Your eye doesn't get stuck in one place – it's moving all over the page. And yet, it's not too busy.

Feel free to take these layouts and modify the papers and colors and stamps to fit whatever holiday or event you are working on. Use the layout as a template for your creation!

Scrapbooking Life's Little Moments

2012-01-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

Scrapbooking is such an artistic way to journal life's major events and holidays like Christmas. But it's also a great way to journal the not-so-major, everyday life events. Like these ones from our design team member Kim Moreno. Even with her five children, she managed to find the time to scrapbook her son's track meet and do a layout about friendship for her daughter. It's these every day type of events and moments that really document life! And she does it so creatively.

In this one of her son's track meet, I love the series of three pictures. She's stamped "Well Done", "You Rock" and "Keep it up" from PSA Super Star. Such a great stamp set for this page!

Here Kim has used vibrant colors and adorable pictures of her daughter and her friend. She's stamped from Smirk Caffeine Confidents, the two girls and the sentiment "Fabulous friends." This layout is simple and elegant and really tells a great story of friendship!

What scrapbook layouts are you working on?

Scrapbooking Christmas – Day 2

2012-01-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I shared a great layout idea by Kim Schofield to help document your 2011 Christmas holiday. I think it's important to try and get your holiday scrapbooking pages done right after the season. If you wait too long, they get too far down on your to-do list and the memories aren't as fresh in your mind as they were months ago. Plus, it's a great time to find holiday crafting stickers, paper and other products on sale right now! If you can find the time this January, get inspired with this other great idea by Kim.

For this whimsical layout, Kim did a lot of stamping. She's stamped using PSA Fancy Flakes Peel & Stick stamps in the background on the white in blue ink, and on the red in darker red ink. She also stamped the "happy holidays" letter, the star and the Christmas trees from PSA Tree-O Peel & Stick stamps. She's also stamped the date – "25" for December 25^th using PSA Archive Peel & Stick stamps. Way to use three different stamp sets in a project, Kim!

Here's a close up of the stamps:

I love her use of patterned paper – the stockings stuffed with teddy bears are a perfect pair to the young boys in the picture. The scalloped stripped paper adds visual interest, and the white ribbon adds texture. She's layered it on here and done a great job. Here's a list of the supplies, in case you'd like to replicate:

PSA Essentials Fancy Flakes Peel & Stick

PSA Essentials Tree-O Peel & Stick

PSA Essentials Archive Peel & Stick

Copics to color in stamps

Imaginsce patterned paper

Ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon

Stickers by Jillibean Soup

Journaling used with computer paper & computer

Happy Scrapbooking!

Boy Oh Boy Blog Hop – January 9th

2012-01-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

This fun blog hop was created by crafty blogger Jearise at Lorby's World to showcase all things Boy! As a thank-you for hopping, she'll pick just one lucky person to receive a $10 gift card to Joann's Fabric and Craft. You must do two things to be eligible: take the time to hop through all the blogs, become a follower of LORBY'S WORLD, and let her know you've done so!

PSA Essentials is a proud sponsor of the hop! We are giving away 1 stamper and 2 peel and stick packs of the winner's choice, an MRSP is $55. To win, you must leave a comment and be a follower of the PSA Stamp Camp blog – we will chose one person using random.org to win.

Aren't familiar with PSA Essentials? PSA Essentials manufacturers self-inking personalized stamps with patent-pending Peel & Stick technology and thousands of stamp designs – which makes us perfect for all of your paper crafting needs. This blog is dedicated to showcasing crafty ways of using PSA Essentials in your card making, scrapbooking, home décor projects, entertaining & more. Hope you enjoy it! You can check out our website to learn more about PSA or visit us on Facebook for more contests, giveaways & a community of crafters.

Today we are featuring two cards by two talented designers that are great for welcoming a boy into the world. Kelley Eubanks designed this clean and simple card. She stamped the "b" and "y" from PSA Vanilla Peel & Stick stamps, and the onesie from PSA Carriage. You can see these Peel & Stick stamp designs and all of the PSA Original designs here. To view all of our stamp designs, including our licensed ones from Hello Kitty, Peanuts, Rudolph, Smirk, UBU and more, click here.

This more layered look comes to us from Kim Moreno. She's stamped "A Star is Born" from PSA Carriage. The yellow and blue color combination is perfect for welcoming a little boy!

Thank you for joining us today, I hope you've enjoyed these two cards and all the inspiration along the way. If you are just starting out, begin here for the full hop: http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com/

Blog Line Up:

Jearise - http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com/

Liz - http://tryin2craft.blogspot.com

Theresa - http://thescrapbookingqueen.com

Indira - http://www.craftyhomemade.blogspot.com/

Jenny - http://crazyaboutcricut.blogspot.com

Sam - http://scrappingwithpirkie.blogspot.com/

Linda T. - http://lindascreativity.blogspot.com

Zenita - http://www.scrappinwithz.blogspot.com

Anita - http://www.anitaandbugs.blogspot.com/

Shannon - http://www.purplelionpaper.com/blog

April - http://curlsandgrins.blogspot.com

Christel - http://onescrappinsista.blogspot.com/

Amy - http://lovetocrop.com

Deborah - http://www.scrappingmamma.net/

Katie - http://www.ktsangels.blogspot.com/

Lynne - http://slasewcraftiness.blogspot.com/

Libby PSA~ www.psastampcamp.blogspot.com

Scrapbooking Christmas - Day 1

2012-01-08T23:42:00.000-08:00

Sigh…. Christmas is over… you're faced with the daunting and annoying task of taking down the tree and decorations. Also on your to-do list: documenting all the wonderful holiday memories in a creative way. If you are a scrapbooker, check out this great layout by Kim Schofield. She's used a variety of photos, layers, patterned papers, sentiments, words & stamps to create this layout.

She's stamped from PSA Vintage Snowman. The 5 pieces of holly and the wrapped present are great embellishments and really help contribute to the overall theme of the layout. She's colored them all up with her Copic markers to make them come to life and stand out.

Great layout idea, Kim. Tell us what ways you are planning on documenting your 2011 holidays today!

Happy New Year Cards!

2012-01-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

Our week looking back at 2011 has come to close and it's time bring in the new year with some great cards. Did you send out holiday cards in November or December? If you didn't have time to with all the craze, consider sending a card in January wishing friends and family happy new year! Photo cards are the best. This year I made a collage on my window with all the photo cards – it filled my kitchen with the faces of our loved ones. Here are some ideas to try by our newest design team member, Regina Mangum!

Regina stamped "2012" from PSA Funky Numbers in royal blue ink with her PSA Stamper, then embossed the numbers with glitter embossing powder.

Here's a detail – see how well the stamps turn out when you emboss them?

Up next she created this beautiful photo card to ring in 2012. I love the bright orange and magenta, and the coordinating twine from The Twinery. She's broken out of the 4 x 6 rectangle rut by using her dies from Spellbinders to create a uniquely shaped card. She's stamped the champagne glasses from PSA Love Birds Peel & Stick.

PSA Love Birds is a very versatile set – it can be used all year round and it's great for the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday & wedding season approaching!

Lastly to bring in 2012, Regina created this really fun "Happy New Year" Hello Kitty card. She's stamped the Hello Kitty from Hello Kitty On-The-Go. See all of our great Hello Kitty stamp sets here: http://www.psaessentials.com/hellokitty.htm

She's also stamped the numbers 2012 from PSA Vanilla Peel & Stick pack in the background of this card. She's also embossed the stamps – that extra step that makes our stamps really sparkle!

Supplies used in each card:

Stamps: 2, 0, 1 from Funky Numbers set (PSA Essentials), Cardstock: Classic Solar White (Neenah); Hawaiian Shores, Summer Sunrise (Papertrey Ink), Ink: Turquoise Ink (PSA Essentials), Dies: Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Accents: Diamond Stickles (Ranger)

Stamps: champagne flutes from Love Birds set (PSA Essentials); 2, 0, 1 from Times 50pt Font set (JustRite Stampers), Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Dusty Durango (Stampin' Up!); Classic Solar White (Neenah), Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko), Coloring Medium: Sketch Markers (Copic), Fibers: Mandarin Twine (The Twinery), Tools: Circle Punch (EK Success), Accents: Terra Cotta Liquid Dimensionals (Adirondak), Dies: Labels Eight Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Other: Photograph

Stamps: HK in airplane from Hello Kitty On the Go set and 2,0,1 from Vanilla Numbers set (PSA Essentials); banner from In the Clouds set (Taylored Expressions); sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes (Stampin' Up!), Cardstock: Classic Solar White (Neenah); Real Red (Stampin' Up!), Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento (Tsukineko), Specialty Ink: VersaMark Clear (Tsukineko), Coloring Medium: Sketch Markers (Copic); Silver Metallic Pen (EK Success), Tools: Circle Punch (EK Success), Accents: Clear Embossing Powder (Ranger), Dies: Cloud Border (Taylored Expressions)

A Year in Review – Day 5

2012-01-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

I found out this year that PSA Essentials stamps are great party favors. Though it was never the intended use of ours stamps, people just love being stamped and tattooed on their bodies! On several occasions for special events, I had stamps made for that purpose in mind. PSA Essentials stamps made the guest list for Jenny Smith's 30^th birthday party in NYC, Ashley Gammon's 2^nd annual 30^th birthday party in Savannah, and a Britney Spears Concert in Jacksonville, FL.

In February, I was in NYC for Jenny's 30^th.

I had a PSA Essentials stamp that read- "Jenny Smith's 30^th Birthday Party". This is the Brooke design and worked perfectly.

Here are Katie, me and Jenny all "wearing" the stamp.

I'd say the entire bar was stamped by the time we were done….

That was February, so in March – we played an April fool's joke on everyone….
http://psastampcamp.blogspot.com/2011/04/stamp-release-tattoos.html

In June, we hit Savannah, GA for Ashley's 2^nd annual 30^th birthday party. Surely, half of Savannah was stamped by 4 am. Check out Ashley's bicep….

All night long she cradled her PSA Stamper like a baby…. And by the end of the night, I was kissing a fireman's chest and Ashley was faithfully carrying her PSA Stamper.

In August, Susan, Britt & I hit Jacksonville, FL for the Britney Spears concert….

We seemed to tattoo half of the city… almost no one refused us.

What fun times we had this year incorporating PSA Essentials into party life!

A Year in Review – Day 4

2012-01-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

One of my closest friends got married this year. If you were reading this blog during Winter & Spring 2011, you saw many posts devoted to Susan's couple's shower, her Bachelorette party, her invitations, getting ready for her wedding and the wedding itself. It was SUCH a special event – not only for the couple and their families, but our group of friends because it brought us closer together. We had such a blast with all of the festivities, I wish we could do it all again! Here's a look back at Susan & Luke's wedding. Somehow, we managed to incorporate PSA Essentials personalized stamps into just about everything we did. We had one made for the couples shower, the bachelorette party, and I did her wedding programs with the Gigi "D" monogram set.

It started with a couples shower in February…

And then there was the Bachelorette party in Charleston in April…

I managed to wrap all of her gifts in PSA stamped wrap.

This great party CD was stamped with a custom stamp: "The final fling before the ring, Susan's Bachelorette Party."

We then stamped the entire town of Charleston, SC.

You can read about her wedding invitations and her thank-you present to me here: http://psastampcamp.blogspot.com/2011/04/calligraphy-attempt-thank-you.html. Then there was a whole week of bridal, dedicated to Susan & Luke:

Bridal Week Day 1: http://psastampcamp.blogspot.com/2011/05/bridal-week-day-1.html

Bridal Week Day 2: http://psastampcamp.blogspot.com/2011/05/bridal-week-day-2.html

Bridal Week Day 3: http://psastampcamp.blogspot.com/2011/05/bridal-week-day-3.html

Bridal Week Day 4: http://psastampcamp.blogspot.com/2011/05/bridal-week-day-4.html

Bridal Week Day 5: http://psastampcamp.blogspot.com/2011/05/bridal-week-day-5.html

And then it was time for the wedding on May 23^rd, 2011. Isn't she gorgeous?!

You can read the whole wedding recap here: http://psastampcamp.blogspot.com/2011/05/bridal-week-day-5.html. Their wedding was surely a highlight for me of 2011!

A Year In Review – Day 3

2012-01-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

Another of my favorite posts this year was in May 2011, celebrating Mother's Day. I attempted to sum up my mother in two words, and I challenged our readers to come up with two words to sum up their mother's. (The responses ranged from "batsh**t crazy to best friend!) Here's a look back on this great post…

In two words, my mom is honest and supportive. My relationship with my mother can be summarized by one comment she made to me a few years ago. I was upset about something that had not gone my way. I was disappointed in her honest reaction so she said: "Libby, don't you have a friend to call to tell you what you want to hear?" You see, my mom is the most forthcoming person you've ever met. She'll tell you the God's honest truth without fail.

In addition to being the most honest person you've met, she's also the most supportive. This is a good thing because it means if you've done something wrong, she'll call it like it is but also support you. She's also an excellent cheerleader. My tennis partner Erin loves playing against my mom, because my mom spends about half of the match congratulating us on our shots. This is also a metaphor to everything I do in life – she's always putting me before her own gain and cheering me on. Here she is! (Isn't this a stunning picture of her?)

I don't need today to celebrate my mom, and don't need to be celebrated for being a mom – but I'll join in with the commercialism of it all. Here are some great ideas for Mother's Day cards. Hurry, there's still time to make them! The first one is by Carly Robertson. She's stamped the butterfly from PSA Cupcake and used Spellbinders dies to create visual interest around the stamp. Love her color palate here, too!

This is also by Carly. The impressive detail of sewing on the buttons really elevates this card. She's stamped "Happy Mother's Day" from PSA Topiary. This collection is perfect for spring!

This next card was designed by Jennifer Holmes. She's colored up the butterflies, which makes the stamp extra special! The coordinating ribbons and paper tie everything together so nicely!

So I have described my mom in two words: honest and supportive. What two words would you use to describe your mother?

A Year In Review – Day 2

2012-01-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

As I look back on all 282 posts of 2011 to choose my favorites, I am finding that my favorite ones are personal ones I have written that incorporate some designs into it. Like this one from June 2011 in anticipation of father's day… I had just finished reading James Dobson's, Bringing Up Girls who writes that a daughter's sense of self-worth and confidence is linked directly to her relationship with her dad. If this is true, then my daughter Molly's going to be one confident lady! He is always complimenting Molly on how pretty she looks and telling her how smart she is, but more importantly he is always interacting with her. He is always explaining, always teaching, always entertaining.

Our design team came up with wonderful ways to celebrate Father's with great cards. Jennifer Holmes has stamped the martini glass from PSA Frenchie here. I love a good series of three!

Our talented design team member Anthonette Chavez, stamped with PSA Rosettas here to create a beautiful pattern on the bottom portion of this card. She colored up the Rosettas and matched it to cardstock. The "Happy Father's Day" in black against the yellow really stands out. I love this card!

This very clean and simple card was done months ago by former design team member, Carly Robertson. The crown is stamped from PSA Cupcake. She's used only half of the outer ring to stamp and create the half-moon of dots. Looks great and is real visual surprise for me.

These cards were great Father's Day 2011 cards – don't you think!?

A Year in Review – Day 1

2012-01-01T10:12:00.000-08:00

Before we jump on into the New Year in full swing, let us take a look back at the great work of 2011. It was a fantastic year! In 2011, I posted 281 posts on PSA Stamp Camp – a giant leap from 2010's mere 42 posts! As of last Tuesday, December 20^th, we had 75,236 page views in 2011. As the number of posts and the page views have grown, so has the quality of the work that we've been sharing. Our newest design team is full of creative ideas that have expanded past the realm of card making and scrapbooking, and into sewing, home décor, party planning, and clothing. Over the next few days, I am taking a look back at my favorite posts of 2011. They're across the spectrum but they have one thing in common – they're fabulous!

Take a look back at my daughter's 2^nd birthday invitations. The cards were ordered from Tiny Prints, the design is by Tallu-lah who is well-known for her stunning letter press stationery. See her greeting cards and learn more about her here: http://tallu-lah.com/#the tale/.

I ordered vintage stamps from Paper Nickel Stamp Company (http://thepapernickel.com/). The owner and mastermind behind this business Holly picked out these stamps me once I showed her the invitation – she customized the postage stamps to the theme of the party and the colors in the invitation.

Since the party is an ice cream social, I asked Dawn at PSA Essentials to create a truly custom PSA Essentials stamp. It reads "Molly's 2^nd Birthday Party" and has an ice-cream cone in the center. I'll be using it to craft party hats, pennant flags and more decorations! I stamped the backs of these invitations and the fronts of a few I was hand delivering.

This was such a fun one!

Bringing in 2012

2011-12-31T06:33:00.000-08:00

We are all about traditions – though some may call it routine, or some negative ones might call it a rut. Whether it's Friday night movie night, or our daily bath time/bedtime routine, when something works – we stick with it. Which is why we are having a repeat performance of last year's New Years Eve. Gone are the days of my sparkly dresses and oodles of champagne, fancy parties and late nights out. I am most content with our new tradition: The 5:00 pm dinner at a fancy restaurant (Michael Anthony's on Hilton Head, to be exact) with Molly and a movie at home with Mike. Susan will call me a house cat but I can't help it – I just love being home with my family.

Here's a great card by Jeanne Streiff to celebrate the New Year. She's used the toasting champagne glasses from PSA Mr. & Mrs. and lightly colored them in with blue to give them that glass look. The whimsical "Happy New Year" writing coordinates perfectly with the twine, the tied ribbon on the stamp, and the color scheme of the card. Adorable!

Whatever you tradition – be it staying at home, an early dinner out, or partying into the wee-hours of the night – enjoy your New Years Eve. Have a Happy New year!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

It's here! Christmas Eve is upon us - millions of children are preparing themselves for Santa's big arrival, millions of families are gathering for a feast tonight, and millions are off to Church to honor the day. What are you doing? Whatever it is - Merry Christmas! Here's a wonderful card by Melissa Phillips to celebrate the holiday.

Merry Christmas stamp from PSA North Pole

Enjoy Christmas!

Last minute packaging

2011-12-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

Christmas is just a few days away, and if you're like most people who celebrate the holiday – you are running around doing those last minute things. You're busy picking up stocking stuffers and scrounging for gifts for those hard to buy for people. If you can take a breather and get into your craft room, here are some ideas for inventive gift wrap by Melyssa Connolly. She's decorating parchment paper bags to make gift wrapping extra special.

What about a coaster made out of scrabble letters? Melyssa thinks it's a good idea and has decorated this parchment paper bag with Fancy Flake Peel & Stick stamps by PSA Essentials, and "Merry Christmas" sentiment from PSA North Pole. She's stamped the snowflakes in white ink on the white parchment paper, they fade into the background and create a subtle extra touch.

These bags are perfect for jewelry, small handmade gifts, or delicious treats. I love all the layers here, between the twine, the lace, ribbon, patterned papers, and stamping – there's a lot of texture here!

Which one is your favorite? It's hard to choose. I would have a hard time throwing these away if someone gave them to me, that's for sure!

Holiday Decorating

2011-12-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

What best describes the way the exterior of your home is decorated this holiday season?

A) Completely dark – it's the holidays?

B) A single wreath on the door

C) A wreath on every window, lit reindeer in the yard, a blow up Santa, and lights all across roofline

If you've answered "B", I have a holiday decoration for you. It's understated and simple, yet still festive. Just like the exterior of your house.

To recreate, find your favorite basket and add winter flowers or plants. Our designer Heidi Ferguson chose this adorable log basket (perfect for the holidays) and added holly. Stamp "NOEL" from PSA Archive Peel & Stick stamps in red ink on white paper, then punch and adhere to larger punched red cardstock. Glue onto bamboo sticks and stick into the basket of flowers or plant.

Voila! You've created a centerpiece for your table or a decoration for your home that looks great but isn't over the top. My kind of decoration! (I answered B.)

Gift idea & handmade packaging

2011-12-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

Our design team member Mae Armstrong places a lot of emphasis on the way a gift is wrapped. To her, the packaging and wrapping is equally a part of the gift as the gift itself. After all, it does set the tone. Her friends and family know her for giving wonderful gifts, wrapped in beautiful, handmade designs. And with her innovative, reusable ideas, the packaging truly is a gift within itself. Check out this wonderful idea to try out. It's a draw string bag, perfect for jewelry!

Here's what you will need:

PSA Essentials "Treeo" Peel and Stick Stamp Set

PSA Essentials Stamper

PSA Essentials Alignment Tool

PSA Essentials Black and Pink Ink

1-3/8 " Circle Puncher

2" Scalloped Circle Puncher

Spellbinders Nestabilities Dies - Labels 2

Crystal Sticker Pearls - Natural Pearl - 3mm

Pink Yarn

Retro Fabric (from Fabric.com)

Pre-punch all your shapes, stamp the tree design from PSA Tree-O Peel & Stick on the white card stock (inner layer) and embellish with pearl stickers. Place inner circle on top of the scalloped circle tag and glue on top of the base label. There are a total of three layers for this project.

Cut the fabric according to the size of your present. On the front side of your fabric sew the Christmas label. Turn over hem, start sewing all sides for your draw string bag. Add the pink yarn at the end and thread through the bag. Mae found a cute pink tin container with a clear top. Perfect little storage for the bracelet. You can also fill the bag with shredded pink paper.

And voila! You have a cute drawstring bag to give!

Winner

2011-12-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

Last week all week long, we featured holiday cards by our designers. We had hundreds of comments as entries to win, but there could only be one winner. Congratulations to Jessica! You are the winner of any Peel & Stick pack of your choice. Email loregan@psaessentials.com with your address & choice of Peel & Stick pack. Congrats!

Gift Card Holder

2011-12-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

So you copped out and got a gift card instead of a personal gift for someone on your list. Or maybe it isn't a cop out and it's the perfect gift for that person that's hard to buy for. (Let's go with the latter.) In either case – make that gift card extra special and personal with a handmade gift card holder, like this one from Jennifer Holmes. It's the extra effort that will go noticed and appreciated.

Here's how to do it, step by step.

Cut Simply Chartreuse cardstock to 4.5" x 11".

Randomly stamp cardstock with star circle border from Peppermint Swing using Versamark ink.

Using Scor-Pal, score cardstock at 4.5"and 9".

Using a circle punch, punch a small notch from 2" piece at bottom of cardstock. Ink edges with Versamark ink pad.

Apply Scor-Tape to edges of 2" piece and fold up, adhering to card base. Stamp sentiment just below notch using Dark Chocolate ink. Fold entire card in half at remaining score line.

Tie red twine around front of card twice and tie a knot to keep in place.

Cut snowflake from vintage cream felt and adhere under knotted twine.

Tie red twine onto button and adhere on top of felt snowflake, covering knot.

Cut a circle shape from vintage cream cardstock using die.

Place sentiment onto acrylic block in a curved shape. Stamp sentiment around perimeter of circle cardstock.

Stamp stocking image from Peppermint Swing in center of circle.

Color image using Copic markers and add white accents using white gel pen.

Cut slightly larger circle from red cardstock. Adhere to back of stamped circle and adhere entire piece to card front using Zap Dots.

Here's a close up of the adorable stamp from UBU Peppermint Swing! Jennifer colored her up with her Copics beautifully, even shading her to give her a realistic look!

UBU Peppermint Swing is one of my favorite holiday stamp sets. Check it out if you aren't familiar with it and let us know what you think!

O’Regan Holiday Cards – 2011

2011-12-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

I ordered my photo holiday cards this season from Shutterfly. I was impressed with the quality – the matte finish and heavy weight card stock is luxe and the design is colorful and whimsical. Take a look! Molly is singing Jingle Bells on the beach in Cabo. (This would have been a great video!) She's such a happy child with abundant personality, I think that shows through in this card.

I spent some time decorating the outside of the envelopes with various Peel & Stick stamps from PSA Essentials, and my own personalized stamper. For the return address, I used four different middles with my outer personalized address ring - the "north pole" sign and ornament from PSA Vintage Snowman, and the holiday letter and the decorated palm tree from PSA Tree-O. I used my hunter & red ink to make it stand out. I had 125 cards to send out, so I changed things up with my middles every so often. Just because it's easy to do so and because I couldn't choose just one! Take a peak here - sorry I have to blur out my address!

Which is your favorite? The ornament surprised me as mine – I love how crisp and clear the cross-hatching is in the illustration, it looks like an etching.

I also ordered vintage holiday postage stamps from The Paper Nickel Stamp Company. Each stamp is real postage from 1963 and to 1981. It's a hoot to see how the designs have evolved over the years! Adding vintage postage stamps gives each card an extra special touch and really makes them stand out in a sea of bills and cards this season. You can order them too at: http://thepapernickel.com/

With my PSA Essentials stamp and vintage postage stamps, these cards just sparkle! And even more so when the addresses are prominently displayed!

What do your family cards look like this year?

Christmas Magic Blog Hop

2011-12-16T19:34:00.000-08:00

Looking for the Winter Wonderland Blog Hop? Click here:

For the Christmas Magic Blog Hop, you should be joining us from Mindy. Today we are showing three cards by PSA Essentials design team member Carly Robertson that appeared in Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine. Aren't familiar with PSA Essentials? We manufacture self-inking personalized stamps with switchable technology and thousands of designs. We have ones for each holiday, sentiment, occasion, great licensed ones too. Aren't these cards amazing?

See them all together here - they're such a fantastic trio.

BLOG CANDY ALERT! In addition to our sponsorship prize, you can also win 1 Peel & Stick pack of your choice. Which is your favorite? Leave a comment and let us know. To win, you must be a follower!

Up next is Robin!

Here's the entire line-up (just in case you are lost!)

Ashley - http://theglamoroussideofscrapping.blogspot.com
Nicolette - http://beyondscrapin.blogspot.com
Lisa- http://honeybearzdesigns2011.blogspot.com/
Jamie -http://myamusinglife.blogspot.com
Tami - http://tamboscreations.blogspot.com
Gina - http://californiascrappin-gcinderella21.blogspot.com/
Angela - http://creativecraftin.blogspot.com/
Janet R -http://janetscreativeworld.blogspot.com/
Zenita - http://scrappinwithz.blogspot.com
Janet S - http://ladyluvbug.blogspot.com/
Mindy - http://papercreationsbymindyblog.blogspot.com/
Libby - http://psastampcamp.blogspot.com/
Robin - http://scrapandchat.blogspot.com/
Tanya - http://little-scrapper.blogspot.com/
Vicki - http://scrapbookingcreationsbyvicki.blogspot.com/
Liz - http://tryin2craft.blogspot.com
Kristy - http://scraptasticalkreations.blogspot.com

Holiday Card Week – Day 5 (&Winter Wonderland Blog Hop)

2011-12-16T19:21:00.000-08:00

Greetings! Welcome to the Winter Wonderland Blog Hop & Day 5 of our Holiday Card Week. You're joining us from Jamie probably, but if not - just start from the beginning at the Queen.

I bet you knew that we carried some really popular and really adorable characters like Hello Kitty, Peanuts & Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Today we are showcasing holiday card designs using our licensed Peel & Stick stamps – all of them have sets devoted to the winter holidays.

This card is an old favorite by Carly Robertson. She's stamped "joy, peace, love" from PSA Tree-O but the adorable little Rudolph comes to us from Rudolph & Friends Peel & Stick stamps. My friend Bari Adler collects snow globes from all around the world, and this one reminded me of her. The card is so simple, but completely adorable.

Vera Yates created a "Seasons Greetings" with Snoopy from Peanuts Wishes. She too colored up the present to make it stand out.

Enjoy great inspiration all day long on this Winter Wonderland Blog Hop!

BLOG CANDY ALERT! Leave one comment per day all week long to be entered to win your favorite Peel & Stick pack! What's your favorite licensed Peel & Stick holiday pack of ours? Let us know today! Here's the whole line-up:

1. Theresa H.~www.thescrapbookingqueen.com
2. Lisa ~ http://handmadewithlove-lisa.blogspot.com/
4. Amber J. ~ http://pixiperfectcreations.blogspot.com
5. Colleen H. ~ www.cbcscrapbooking.blogspot.com
6. April N. ~ http://www.curlsandgrins.blogspot.com
Blog is Down... adjust accordingly please...
8. Michelle H. ~http://www.craftychelle.blogspot.com/
9. Brenda B~ http://createbyburffrau.blogspot.com/
10. Jamie ~ http://myamusinglife.blogspot.com/
11. PSA~ http://www.psastampcamp.blogspot.com/

Holiday Card Week – Day 4 (BLOG CANDY!)

2011-12-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

Are you tired of red and green yet? Let's take a break today and enjoy some inspirational holiday cards that use different color schemes. As a designer it's a challenge to use different materials, unexpected colors, fabrics and papers in your work. Jennifer Holmes took that challenge by creating a holiday card using cardboard and felt ribbon in this "Merry Christmas" ornament card. She's stamped both "Merry Christmas" and the holly image from PSA North Pole Peel & Stick stamps. Her use of card board and ribbon to create the ornament is very inventive!

Look how beautiful this turned out.

Melyssa Connolly was feeling jolly without green and red with this joy, peace and love card. She's stamped joy, peace and love from PSA Tree-O Peel & Stick, and the blue snowflake from PSA Fancy Flakes. I love her use of materials in this card, including the cork. It's amazing she has taken the time to sew the blue cross-hatched pattern paper onto the beige cardstock base. Sewing your cards IS one extra step but produces really beautiful results.

Melyssa Connolly also created this adorable "let it snow" card using a limited color palate of beige, white and an accent of red. She stamped various snowflakes from PSA Fancy Flakes using her acrylic block and beige ink. By stamping with a slightly darker shade of ink onto similar color paper, Melyssa was able to achieve a subtle, background effect. She's made the snowflake adorned with a red gem the star in the bottom of the card.

I hope you have enjoyed these alternative color schemes today! Be sure to check out Melyssa Connolly's blog – she's another one of our long standing, highly published and talented design team members on the PSA Stamp Camp team. We love her work and appreciate all that she's done for us over the last year. http://www.fantastink.blogspot.com/

BLOG CANDY ALERT! Leave one comment per day all week long to be entered to win your favorite Peel & Stick pack!

Holiday Card Week – Day 3 (BLOG CANDY!)

2011-12-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

On this third day of Holiday Card week, I have two great whimsical cards by our talented Jennifer Holmes. The first card uses a lot of dies, punches, and cardstock layers to frame the tree stamp from PSA Tree-O Peel & Stick stamps. The cute trio of trees is really enhanced by this. This technique creates also a lot of depth within the card. "You make the season bright" sentiment stamp is such a wonderful message to send a friend or loved one.

I also like the use of die cutting here in this card, "merry and bright". Jennifer stamped the trees from PSA Whimsy Tree Peel & Stick stamps and colored them up to coordinate with the cardstock. The design is whimsical, girlie and fun and I can see sending it to my favorite tween or girlie girl.

To recreate this "merry & bright" card, follow Jennifer's step by step instructions here. The whole card should take less than 25 minutes.

Cut card base from Raspberry Fizz cardstock. Stamp polka dots onto card base using Versamark ink.

Using Labels Ten dies, cut shape from Simply Chartreuse cardstock and cut slightly smaller shape from white cardstock.

Stamp polka dots onto Simply Chartreuse cardstock using Versamark ink.

Stamp three trees onto white cardstock. Color using Copic markers.

Stamp sentiment under trees using Smokey Shadow ink.

Adhere this piece onto Simply Chartreuse cardstock using Zap Dots. Add rhinestones to sides.

Adhere entire piece to front of card using Zap Dots.

I just love Jennifer's work. If you have a chance, pop on over to her adorable blog. It's full of great designs and tons of inspiration. http://www.simpleflourishes.com/ Jennifer's one of our longest standing design team members and also one of our most published. You'll see a lot of her work featuring PSA Essentials this coming spring in Paper Creations, CardMaker, Paper Crafts & more. We're appreciative of Jennifer and all that she has done for us at PSA Essentials.

BLOG CANDY ALERT! Leave one comment per day all week long to be entered to win your favorite Peel & Stick pack! What do you like about Jennifer's work?

Holiday Card Week – Day 2 (BLOG CANDY!)

2011-12-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

We are continuing our holiday card week with some of my favorite cards of all time. You'll notice a common thread with these designs. They pick a focal point, don't use patterned papers, don't shy away from white spaces, and use minimal layers. These are traits of one of my favorite card design styles: clean and simple! Often times, a simple card packs the most punch.

Kelley Eubanks created this "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" card from Peanuts Christmas Wishes Peel & Stick stamps. She stamped Snoopy and the sentiment using her PSA Essentials Stamper onto white paper. Then she colored the lights up to make them pop. She's used a 1.75" circle punch to cut out the stamp, then adhered that with a 3D foam to red cardstock cut with a 2" inch punch. This also pops off the page (even more so in person.) I love how Kelley has rounded the corners of the card. This really adds a professional touch.

Jennifer Holmes also used her Corner Rounder for this Winter Wonderland card. She's stamped the snowman from Smirk Happy Holidays Peel & Stick stamps. She's colored up his nose and tie to bring him to life. I love the shades of blues. This time of year, I get sick of red and green really fast.

Jennifer also colored up the reindeer, stamped from Smirk Happy Holidays Peel & Stick stamps, in this "Oh, deer" card. Wouldn't this be perfect to give to your spouse? She's done just a touch of layering here with the ribbon, the button and the twine. But it's all simple enough to be classified as clean and simple.

This next card appeared on Good Morning America! Jennifer's design is striking. I love the three trees stamped from PSA Whimsy Trees. She's colored them in a bit with red marker, which matches the red in the twine. She chose white as her cardstock base which serves as good reminder to us not to shy away from white. The card itself is also a good reminder that you can have a strong card without a lot of "stuff."

BLOG CANDY ALERT! Leave one comment per day all week long to be entered to win your favorite Peel & Stick pack! Which of these will you try to incorporate into your 2011 holiday cards? Is this your type of card making style?

Holiday Card Week – Day 1 (BLOG CANDY!)

2011-12-12T06:05:00.000-08:00

We've devoted an entire week to great ideas for handmade holiday cards. Even if you don't have time to make cards for everyone on your list, maybe you'll find time to create a few for special occasions or special people. Melissa Phillips who was on our design team last year designed these three shabby chic cards for us this season. Melissa's style tends to be layered, she uses multiple papers, colors, and patterns, often uses ribbons, embellishments, and layers of stamps. Check these out.

In this card, she's stamped the bells from PSA Vintage Snowman and Merry Christmas sentiment from PSA North Pole. She stamped "2" and "5" from PSA Archive Peel & Stick sets.

There's so much going on in the next card – I'll just point out a few things. She's layered a doily, ribbon (both pink and white lattice), red gingham paper, a snowman embellishment, scalloped paper, star embellishment and button onto cardstock. She's stitched around the edge of the card, right into the cardstock, which is a beautiful detail and extra step. Melissa has stamped the candy cane from PSA North Pole in holiday red ink with her PSA Essentials stamper. There is so much going on in this card, so it's impressive that it's not busy.

More layers on this card. Melissa has stamped "JOY" from PSA Archive Peel & Stick, she's also stamped the holly around the "O" (a beautiful effect) from PSA Vintage Snowman. I love the Santa embellishment, it really brings such character to the card. This seems to be a new trend in card making – making a card look like a post card. She's added a postage stamp to the upper right corner.

It's fun to see different styles of cards on our blog. Up tomorrow, you will see some clean and simple cards and later in the week, some whimsical ones!

BLOG CANDY ALERT! Comment once per day all week long to win the Peel & Stick pack of your choice! Each comment (5 entries maximum) will enter you to win! Must be a follower or email subscriber to win. Good Luck! Of all three, what's your favorite?