PSA Essentials & CardMaker Giveaway!

PSA Essentials is a big fan of CardMaker magazine! We like that it's chalk full of varying styles, ranging from clean & simple, shabby chic, retro, vintage, modern and funky – there's something for everyone. With full page, simple and easy to follow instructions, beautiful photography, inspiration is abundant in every issue. We teamed up with CardMaker to bring other fans of CardMaker an opportunity to win PSA Essentials goodies!

Today we are giving away over $100 in PSA Essentials.

• 1 Custom stamp
• 1 Peel & Stick pack
• 1 alignment tool
• 1 black ink (already assembled)
• 2-color ink

Here's how to enter:

• Become a follower of PSA Stamp Camp Blog (1 entry)
• Become a fan of PSA on Facebook (1 entry)
• Become a fan of CardMaker on Facebook (1 entry)
• Leave us a comment if you are already our fans!
• This contest is open 7/29/11 12:01 AM EST to 7/31/11 11:59 EST. The winner will be selected using Random.Org and announced on PSA Essentials Facebook page on 8/1/11.

Be sure to pick up the September 2011 issue of CardMaker on-sale now! We have 6 projects using PSA Essentials by our talented designers in that issue. How exciting!

Aunt & Uncle Day

Some holidays are more well-known than others. We all know Mother's Day and Father's Day and some of us know about Grandparent's Day. Fewer people know that July 25^th is Aunt & Uncle Day. (It's okay that we are a few days late!) I'm not sure who makes up these holidays. But be it Hallmark or a rumor on the web, PSA Stamp Camp is taking part with a great card by our designer, Anthonette Chavez.

Though at first glance this card may seem simple, pay attention to how carefully it is made. She has layered the photo on top of paper, then on top of pink patterned paper, then on top of yellow card stock. Each piece is cut carefully and spaced evenly, giving it a very professional look. She's tied twine from The Twinery. She's stamped with PSA Rosettas on separate paper, colored them up, and cut them out. To make the stamps pop off the page, she adhered the Rosettas using 3D foam tape. I love the dimension that this card has – between the twine and the Rosettas – it really has character.

Aunts and uncles play an important role in children's lives… they have the ability to be both friend and parent. I know plenty of kids that will tell their aunt or uncle something before they tell their Mom or Dad. My nephews Jack, Brendan and Kevin look up to their Uncle Mike as a role model and friend. This is one of my favorite pictures taken of them almost 10 years ago. Mike calls it "Redneck Nephews" as he put them in muscle shirts and gave them Budweiser beers to hold. I laugh out loud every time I see it.

Today I'd like to pay tribute and give a message to all of my aunts & uncles! To my Aunt Sue, who works in Hospice and is incredibly strong, Happy Aunt Day! To my Uncle Jeff, the coffee loving, social butterfly, Happy Uncle Day! To my Uncle Scott, who has found happiness with his new bride Meg and family, Happy Uncle Day! To my new Aunt Meg – thank-you. To my Aunt Peggy, Uncle John, Aunt Cathy, Uncle Joe, thanks for all of your love. To Aunt Wendy, I love that you blog, knit and travel. And to my Uncle Rich, I know my dad is watching! Happy Aunt & Uncle Day to all!

Paper Crafts Magazine Giveaway Winner

We have a winner! The PSA Essentials Paper Crafts Magazine giveaway was on Tuesday, July 26 and we were giving away a custom stamp, a Peel & Stick pack, an ink and an alignment tool of ours – over $85 in goodies! We received 199 entries in one day and made a whole lot of new friends on Facebook.

If you were not the winner today, here's another chance! We will giveaway 1 Peel & Stick pack (that's 10 stamps!) of the winner's choice to anyone who follows our blog and leaves a comment in the next 24 hours! Tell us which stamp set you'd like to win – see them all here: http://psaessentials.com/peelandstick.htm

So here was the post yesterday at 11.23 am on Paper Crafts Facebook page…

Here are some of my favorite comments on PSA's Facebook page… Yulis says she's dreaming of our switchable stamps!

Janet said she's a rabid card maker. I wonder if she meant avid. Or maybe she is rabid! I love it!

Tami gave us a little South Carolina love.

But we had to remain fair and impartial, which is why we use Random.org. (No, I don't pick the comment I like the best!)

So without further delay, the winner is Maliee Lor! She said, "Hope it's me" and it was! Mailee – please contact me at libby@psaessentials.com to claim your awesome prize.

Remember – another chance to win. Just follow our blog!  We have giveaways all the time and have really inspiring, fun ideas to share weekdays.   We are also holding a Design Team call right now.   Always wanted to be on a team?   Ready to take on a new design challenge.   Check out our design team page at the top.  Hope to see you here and nice to meet you!

Michael’s Coupon and Craft Sales

I have a rule that I don't step in to Bed, Bath & Beyond without one of their 20% OFF coupons. It's silly not to considering how abundant they are.  All you need to do is sign up for their e-newsletter, or sign up to have them delivered to your mailbox.  Easy, easy and I'm saving money.

So I have a NEW rule that I won't step into Michael's Craft Stores without a coupon. What was I thinking all these years? I saved a whopping $21 last week using their coupons that I found online – 20% off all canvases, 20% off artist supplies, 25% off your entire purchase, 50% off foam crafts…. It was great! I thought I would share crafty coupons with you today.  I love a good deal and am sure you do, too.  Here's a good one from Michael's.

 


You can print that coupon from here, or click http://michaels.p.delivery.net/m/p/mich/cpn/coupon.asp?mid=1121744058&cid=13108705172&version=US0721728. 

And here is good one from Joann's Fabrics & Crafts:  Print from here or click: http://www.bargainez.com/printable-coupons/20-off-entire-purchase-joann-printable-coupon/





While we are on the subject of sales and saving, a little reminder that our PSA Essentials Summer Sale is going on now! A personalized stamp is usually $40, but our retailers are selling them for $30! Stock up now…they'll be back to their regular price this Fall. Best part about this sale? You don't need any couponing skills or print outs. Click HERE to see our retailers participating in the sale and to buy now!

 Happy Saving!

Diaper Cakes by Susan

My good friend Susan started making diaper cakes a few years ago for her pregnant friends. She should make it a side business: "Diaper Cakes by Susan" because they are true works of art. Speaking as someone who has received one, you don't want to take them apart. It's clear they are labor intensive projects – all the rolling of diapers, positioning, ribbon tying, embellishing and perfecting. Her debut cake was for Ashley's first born daughter Ella back in 2007.

A few years later in 2010, she made this one for Ashley's second daughter Owsley. We called this one the "Elegant Diaper Cake." So pretty, isn't it?

A few days ago, she created a new masterpiece for our friend Joey who is due in a few weeks. This one is my favorite! She's stamped "B-A-B-Y" using her PSA Essentials Vanilla Peel & Stick stamps and used the carriage stamp from PSA Carriage. I love the wide peach ribbon, the orchid flowers, and the crisp, clean white diapers rolled so neatly. It looks great and Joey loved it.

Interested in making one? Head on over to this site for a great tutorial: http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/diaper-cake-instructions.html.

Posted to The Shabby Nest

Christmas In July Blog Hop

It's the Christmas In July Blog Hop hosted by Jazzy!  Have you seen her blog?  She does lots of crafty things, but mostly cards.  Something we love!  

Today I am showing a few of my favorite holiday cards using PSA Essentials stamps by Carly Robertson.  Their clean and simple style is just up my alley, and I love how she colors our stamps in to bring them to life. 

BLOG CANDY ALERT!   Become a follower & leave a comment for a chance to win a free Holiday Peel & Stick pack of your choice.  I will choose the winner using blog favorite - random.org!  

The Hop List:

• Jazzy - http://www.jazzyscards.blogspot.com/
• Amy - http://www.lovetocrop.com/
• Gina - http://californiascrappin-gcin​derella21.blogspot.com  
• Theresa - http://www.thescrapbookingqueen.com/
• Nadia  http://www.nadiasbeautifulmess.blogspot.com/
• Elizabeth - http://visionsofpaper.blogsp​ot.com/
• Anita-   http://www.anitaandbugs.​blogspot.com 
• Elizabeth: http://visionsofpaper.blog​spot.com/
• Vicki: http://visionsofpaper.blog​spot.com/
• Brenda: Http://createbyburffrau.bl​ogspot.com   

If you are starting here, head on to http://www.jazzyscards.blogspot.com/.  Enjoy today's hop and all the fun inspiration.   

Supply Spotlight: 

1. 
   

   Joy Peace Love Card:  Stamps: Rudolph and PSA-Treeo (PSA Essentials), Snowglobe (MemoryBox). Paper: A Muse. Other: Star Dust (Stickles)
2. 
   

   
   

   Happy Holidays Card:  Stamps: PSA-Treeo (PSA Essentials). Paper: A Muse. Other: Markers (Copics)
3. Stamps: Rudolph and PSA-Treeo (PSA Essentials). Paper: A Muse. Other: Holly embellishment (Making Memories)
   

   Peace on Earth Card: 

Britney Spears

Oops! I did it again.

This time our girls trip was to Jacksonville, Florida to see Britney Spears! And this time my PSA Essentials stamp read: "It's Britney, Bitch! Britney Spears, Jacksonville, FL 7/23/11."  Hundreds of concert goers woke up Sunday morning tattooed with the stamp on their body. Would you hold it against me?  Here's a photo recap with corresponding Brit Brit lyrics.

Shame on me… to need release!



It's Britney, bitch!

Hit me baby one more time.

Womanizer, womanizer, oh baby you're a womanizer!

Keep on dancing 'til the world ends… 



And I am tired.  (Not a Britney lyric, just the truth.)

Father-In-Law Day

An unexpected holiday coming up on July 29th!  For crafters who like an excuse to create a card and for people who like me (who adore their father-in-law), this one is for us.  And all the great father-in-laws out there!

I liked my father-in-law Frank O'Regan instantly.  We talked about all the travel I had done, the school I went to, where I was from – he had so many questions and he was so engaging. To this day, he'll listen for as long as you want to talk, ask questions, offer insight and give advice.  He's a great storyteller, with comedic timing and a boatload to share.  He's a semi-retired Maritime lawyer and one of the most logical, well-read and intelligent people I know. His hobbies of golf, reading, crossword puzzles and cinema keep him busy.  While the iPod shuffle still sits in the box and the Amazon Kindle has just one book that I downloaded for him on it, he is expanding in the world of email.  I'll send him pictures of Molly and he writes back longer and longer messages each time.  He has a great relationship with his family and I definitely hit the jack pot on father-in-laws!  Here is one of my favorite pictures of him and Molly.

Anthonette Chavez created a few ideas to share with you today to celebrate this holiday.  She has a knack for incorporating PSA Essentials Peel & Stick stamps to blend harmoniously with the design.  The stamps are not an afterthought. See here:

But there it is – the beautiful fleur de lis, stamped in the background behind the sentiment.

On this one, she used one of my favorite color combinations, red, white and black.  She stamped using PSA Rosettas.

Here's a close up.

We've all heard terrible stories of in-laws. Socks for Christmas when your spouse gets a new set of Callaway Clubs, being asked to take the family picture instead of being in the family picture, and the constant feeling that you don't belong… these are not my stories.  And I am thankful for that! Happy Father-In-Law Day, Pop-pop!

 

Back to School

Target, Walmart, Staples and other retailers have us all believing "Back to School" is near. Isn't it too soon to be talking of Back to School? After all, it was just the fourth of July! But as July draws to a close, we Southerners have less than 20 days until our kids head to classrooms. Here's a quick and easy project to ease everyone back into the school mindset. Carly Robertson created a pencil set. She stamped Snoopy from PSA Joe Cool Peanuts Peel & Stick and colored him up with her Copics. She made the stamp into a tag, tied some ribbon around adorable Snoopy pencils, and voila! Easy does it. Now head off to the pool and think about school later!

A Beach Layout

The Want2Scrap design team coordinator Mimi Leinbach, created a bright and beachy vacation layout that I had to share with you! The are a lot of things I love about this layout. The variety of papers – journals, post marked letters, and the way she created waves are some. The two great action shots of her son skim boarding are more. And ofcourse, I love the PSA Anchors Aweigh Peel & Stick stamps. They are colored up perfectly and add such character to this layout. Notice that she's also changed up her ink cartridge two times – she's used black and royal blue inks from PSA Essentials in her stamper.

My favorite stamp on this layout is the palm tree! I love the way she's added a gemstone to the sun to make it really shine. The impressions here really are crisp, aren't they?

And check out this journaling she did. It made me laugh out loud!

What a fun summer layout to add to her scrapbook! Thanks for sharing Mimi!

Birthday Party

It is hard for me to believe that my daughter turns 2-years old on August 30^th. We found a lot of support at the hospital's nursing group and made a lot of friends – babies that were born within weeks of Molly. That means July and August are packed with birthday parties! This weekend was the first of several – Genevieve Payne turned 2! Molly and I made some wrapping paper using PSA Vanilla Numbers and PSA Whimsy Cakes…

We also made a very quick tag…. Here's the gift all wrapped up (Molly helped tie the bow…)

The party was held at the Payne's home – there were at least a dozen near 2-year olds. The kids splashed in the sprinklers and baby pool and played on the swing set. We feasted on mac & cheese, chicken nuggets, cake, ice cream and cupcakes. Genevieve was so happy as we all sang to her!

It sure was a lot of fun!