The Paper Variety

Challenge Inspiration: Jenifer & Abby!

2012-02-25T06:00:00.009-06:00

LUCKY

What a fun challenge this was! I was so inspired by the image we were given this week, and this is what I came up with! I choose to do an orange theme, because the actresses hair just jumped off the page at me, it's the first thing I see when I look at the movie image. I was also inspired by the fact that they were a couple which is why I choose to do a couple's layout (my husband and me). Lastly but not least I was inspired by the fact that the box is green, she is fair skinned and red haired.....she has the delicate look of an Irish...what do you think of when you think of Irish?? LUCK!!! And lucky we are, to have the kind of love that we share!!

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For my project... When I see green and gray, I think masculine. Not to mention the fact that I couldn't stop ogling over Matthew the entire time I was deciding what to create lol So it's no surprise that I went with a masculine card using the poster's colors.

I found that my Echo Park "Times & Seasons" kit includes green, red (her hair), black and a grayish blue... Score! And I absolutely love the mustache paper and stickers! I was stuck for a bit on what sentiment to use, but I decided on using "good luck" since the movie was set in Ireland :)

Tutorial: Button flowers by Sandi!

2012-02-24T06:00:00.001-06:00

Hi, Sandi here from Slightly off Center with a quick and easy tutorial on how to make a simple yet pretty flower out something that all of us probably have jars full of -- BUTTONS!!

Here is what you will need:

I have a scalloped circle paper punch (you could just hand cut a circle but I like to have my scallops showing around the edges of the flower.), 5 smaller and one large button in coordinating or matching colors, some adhesive (I like Tombo Mono adhesive but you could use glue dots also) and an optional paper punch.

Glue your smaller buttons around the edge of your circle and glue the larger button on top. Let the glue dry for a few minute. I usually tie my twine bow on the button before glueing it on top of the other buttons but you can also sew the button on the paper and then tie the edges into a bow. It is just personal preference.

There you have it....just trim the twine and attach it to your project.

Isn't it pretty?

Challenge Inspiration: Sandi & Caroli!

2012-02-23T06:00:00.008-06:00

Wow, there was so much inspiration to draw from in this photo!! I took a picture of a caricature drawing of my husband and I that we had done a couple of years ago at Universal Studios Orlando. I enlarged it and used it as the focal point of my layout as we are in much the same position as the couple on the movie poster. I used green designer papers from Stampin' Up in keeping with the color scheme of the inspiration photo....I even added the rusty colored paper along the bottom as a nod to the actress's beautiful auburn hair color. I used part of the movie title for my page title also. There was just so much to choose from...it was an awesome photo inpiration challenge and I am really looking forward to all the clever entries we will have.

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For this challenge I chose the love theme and also used the green/gray/white palette which I do love. I used this pic of me and my hubby during our vacations in the beautiful village of San Pedro de Atacama 4 years ago ❤

This is very simple, but I liked it a lot. I used white cardstock as base and sprayed some green and gray glimmer mist on it. I also placed a lot of flags on the let side, made with the Essentials collections (both, Runaway and Upscale) from Echo Park, don't you just love to have TONS of flags?? LOL!
I used my Dymo labeller to write some lyrics of the song Real Love by John Lennon. The title was made with some light wood letters I found on a local store, which I misted to change the color, and also with a couple of flags.

I wish the pics could show the metallic detail of the mist, it's so pretty ❤ You can see some more details and closeups of this layout on my blog, hopefully it will help you to get inspired to participate with us :)

Tutorial: Paper tearing/chalking by Holly!

2012-02-22T06:00:00.003-06:00

Hello, It's Holly from Ribbons & Glue. Today I'm sharing a tutorial on a few basic techniques that I use for paper tearing and chalking.

What I like about chalk is it easily adds a subtle enhancement. You can add more or less by simply blending the color with a cotton ball or applicator unlike using ink pads.

I actually learned this paper tearing technique from a scrapbooking demonstration that I attended on a Royal Caribbean Cruise years ago. The chalking was something else I've added.

What a great vacation, huh? Sun, food and scrapping!

To make this card you will need:

*Chalks

*Cotton Balls and eyeshadow applicators (I just use cheap dollar store applicators).

* White Card Base

* 3- 1 inch white-core cardstock strips in blue tones for ocean colors.

*Die-cut with a body or face that can be enhanced with chalk. I used the Mermaid cut from

Life's a Beach cartridge.

* Stamped sentiment from K. Andrew Designs.

When you tear paper you either want to tear towards you or away from you. In this example, I'm tearing towards me because I want to see the white core. If you tear away from you, you'll still see the rough edge but not the white core.

Using a cotton ball, choose a color you want to chalk with and cover the white torn edges as desired .

Using your cotton ball again, chalk the white background of the card in a circular motion to make the look of clouds or sky.
Stack and attach the waves to your card. Remember you're making waves, they're suppose to look uneven.

Now I want to add a little bit of color to my Mermaid

Using an applicator, I added some pink to her cheeks, a little bit of tan to her skin and some yellow highlights in her hair. For detailed chalking, I use an applicator and blend with a cotton ball if needed.

So here she is.......enhanced with a sun-kissed tan and flowing blonde hair. I mean she is a Mermaid!

Here are a few more examples of paper tearing & chalking:

Add layered torn pattern paper to cards

and use chalk as desired

Use torn paper and chalk to make unique borders and

embellishments on layouts.

Thanks for looking!

Challenge Inspiration: Holly & Sara!

2012-02-21T06:00:00.016-06:00

I love the colors in this movie poster, my first design project here at TPV used this same color palette.

I've yet to see this movie but I did a google search and read it was set in Ireland.

That sparked my first idea of a St. Patrick's Day project then a few other ideas came along but I just kept coming back to that fabulous green dress which needed a cute pair of shoes to match.

So here's my card inspired by my favorite type of shoe and that fabulous green dress. Oh, how I so want a pair of these wedges!

I thought the sentiment inside the card was fitting since the movie is about her asking a man to marry her so,..... "You Go Girl"!

Card base and layer-Art Philosophy Cartridge.

Shoe- Paisley Cartridge

Paper - K & Co, Handmade Pack

Stamped sentiments from K. Andrew Designs- Fashionable Friends set.

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This movie poster really grabbed me! The green color and the good looking guy were my inspiration. I took that inspiration and stuck to a mainly green color pallet and used a picture of my husband.

Tutorial: Twine Sentiment by Kate!

2012-02-20T06:00:00.001-06:00

Howdy y'all! I recently picked up an awesome kit containing October Afternoon's Sasparilla line from My Scrapbook Nook. I'm really loving this paper. It's so fun! I have created a couple of cards so far, including the one that I'm going to show you today.

I'm all about trying everything and anything under the sun when it comes to crafting. I discovered a neat way of creating a title or sentiment with a little bit of glue and some twine. Here's how:

Gather up a piece of paper, some twine, some strong glue (I like to use Beacon's 3-in-1 Glue or Helmar's 450 Quick Dry), sharp scissors, a pencil and an eraser.
Hand write (like I did here) or print out a sentiment on the paper from your computer. Keep your eraser handy just in case you don't like it on your first try. Remember to keep your sentiment BIG. This technique doesn't work very well otherwise.
Apply glue along your pencil lines, working in small sections at a time. Be careful to not get any glue seepage. If you do, carefully rub it with your finger once it starts to dry a little bit and it should come off. Don't let it completely dry, or it will be there for good.

Apply your twine to the glue lines and press it down.
This image shows the completed sentiment.You will notice that I used more than one piece of twine. I cut it at appropriate spots to make for a cleaner look. For example, the left side of the 'h' is made up of one small piece of twine and the right side of the 'h' into the loop of the 'o' is another piece of twine. I have circled all of the spots where the pieces of twine are cut to show what my strategy was.
Lastly, I fussy cut around the twine sentiment. This is optional, you could apply your twine sentiment directly to your card or other project. I decided that this approach was right for my card.

Here is my completed card. I hope that you like it!

Here is my complete list of supplies:

Papers from Lily Bee and October Afternoon.
Die cuts from October Afternoon
Baker's twine from The Twinery
Natural twine from May Arts
Epoxy star from Epiphany Crafts
Epiphany Crafts Star tool
Adhesives from Scotch and Beacon

Challenge Inspiration: Kate & Theresa!

2012-02-19T06:00:00.015-06:00

For the photo inspiration challenge, I decided to use the colours in the photo for my layout. I used papers from Echo Park's For The Record line and Crate Paper's Portrait collection, along with embellishments from My Mind's Eye and Crate. The alphabet stickers are from Sassafras and I used a stamp by Jenny Bowlin underneath the Go Train logo. The tags are by Basic Grey and the train die cuts are from Silhouette America.

My son is a real train fanatic so I have done several train layouts of him. The Go Train (Toronto, Canada's commuter train system) has extra significance to us because my Dad was Senior Vice President of The Canadian Car Division of Hawker Siddeley when they built the trains from the late 1960′s to the mid 1970′s. When my Dad was in charge of the division, they built the Go Transit commuter trains that you see all around the Toronto area, the TTC street cars and subway cars and a few more well-known trains, including some in some major cities in the U.S. My son calls the Go Train, "Grandpa's Train".

Thanks for looking! I can't wait to see what you come up with for this challenge!

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When I first seen the photo inspiration with all the green and the word Leap, The first thing I thought of was frogs. Then I remembered I had this picture of Dax and my nieces son Thomas playing leap frog. It was so funny watching Dax, he wasn't quite two years old. He did a good job of getting his big ole diapered butt in the air, but he had a hard time leaping. When it was his turn to leap, he would just copy Thomas and stick his butt in the air. I was laughing so hard that none of those pictures came out well enough, they were all blurry.

Tutorial: Debossing by Marcia!

2012-02-18T06:00:00.004-06:00

Marcia here today with a debossing tutorial. I want you to look at your embossing folders and see more than the raised images.

Baby feet can become footprints in the sand...

Snowflakes can have some sparkle added to them...

I like to use color Core'dinations cardstock or white Core'dinations cardstock when debossing. You will also need a sanding block and I like to keep some baby wipes handy to clean up the dust. Turn the embossing folder upside down and place the top side of the cardstock face up in the folder.

Run through your Sizzix (or other machine) and then sand the entire top with a sanding block.

I like to wipe the top of my debossed cardstock with a baby wipe to clean off the excess dust after sanding, and then clean up my work space. Now you have nooks and crannies that work great for adding some Stickles or Liquid Pearls.

This adds a little bit of sparkle to a card I made using the Little Yellow Bicycle Paradise collection.

I would love to see your debossing projects too. Leave a comment on my blog (http://onescrapatatime-bymumsie.blogspot.com/) with a link to yours so I can take a peak. Thanks for looking :)

Challenge Inspiration: Suzanne & Marcia!

2012-02-17T06:00:00.009-06:00

Marcia here today with a card to inspire you to join our latest challenge The Paper Variety.

The challenge trigger had me thinking about frogs and engagements so I decided to make a congrats on your engagement card. The frog SVG is free from SVGcuts and the paper is from Time Flies. I used an embossing folder to make my frog look more warty (lol)! I am saving this card for a friend who I think has found Mr Right finally! Now if he would just pop the question....

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I love photo inspiration weeks! There is so much to chose from when designing a project. I knew I wanted to do a movie theme. So, when my hubby agreed to see "The Vow" this weekend with me - I saved the ticket stubs and snapped a candid pic of us at dinner.Check out my blog for more details :)

Welcome, Guest Designer: Tenny Kusuma! :)

2012-02-16T06:00:00.003-06:00

Tenny Kusuma

Hi, I'm Tenny Kusuma. I'm a mother of 2 and a wife to my childhood best friend. I live in Lincoln, Nebraska, with my family. I was originally born and raised in Indonesia. I'm a stay-at-home during the day, and work part-time in the evening as a Home Health Caregiver.

I've been a papercrafter since I was really young, however, I fell in love with scrapbooking about 7 years ago. I LOVE everything about it, from choosing the papers to finding the perfect embellishments and alphabets. Scrapbooking is my only therapy, and I'm glad that my husband is supportive. My kids scrap with me, and they're the only reason I still scrapbook. I want my kids to remember their childhood lives in a special way.

My blog: Tenny's Crafty Life

A little bit about my layout: Such a great photo inspiration. I decided to used the color combo from the photo and the 'couple' idea. What a fun challenge :D

Sincerely,

Tenny

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Thanks so very much for joining us, Tenny! :)

New Challenge!!

2012-02-15T06:00:00.019-06:00

Good morning! Welcome to our second challenge for February and it's a FUN one! This year is a LEAP year, so how about a little photo inspiration??

Have you seen the movie? It's so cute! Here's the preview...

You can make any type of project for this challenge (a card, a layout, a 3D item, etc.) but you must explain in your post or description what inspired you :) For example.. it could be...

-green/grey/white pop and pop of auburn color palette
-engagement/wedding theme (she's holding a ring)
-project featuring a couple
-include a froggie (leap!)
-use a movie theme
-Irish theme (the movie is set in Ireland!)

Over the next 2 weeks we'll have fabulous projects from our 10 designers and guest designers so check back everyday for more ideas :) Lots of VARIETY!

Our sponsor for this challenge is a returning favorite, Apron Strings Designs!

Apron Strings isn’t your typical monthly kit club. Oh, we have all the newest goodies but we mix them up to provide you with three kits to choose from (two scrapbook kits and one card kit.) There’s a kit for you no matter what your style or experience is. Apron Strings has a simple goal: help you combine your stories and your photos by making pages easier and faster to create. We do that by providing kits with everything you need in the kit; you don’t need to purchase separate add-ons to make fast, fun and fantastic layouts. Sketches and examples come with each kit in a full-color newsletter, and challenges and contests on the blog keep you inspired. Come let Apron Strings help you get your stories and photos in one place for your family to re-live and remember.

Lori has provided this SWEET prize to one lucky winner:

We can't wait to see your projects with our "Leap Year" movie poster photo inspiration. Link up HERE before February 27th midnight EST time :)

Check back tomorrow to meet our latest guest designer, Tenny Kusuma, and see her project! :)

Have a great day!!

Winner!!

2012-02-14T14:30:00.017-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! :)

So many gorgeous layouts and creative cards following our challenge sketch! What a joy it was to see all of your projects.. thanks for joining us!

Today we have a winner to announce! Yay!! :)

This lucky gal will be receiving a $10 gift certificate to My Scraps & More and also this beautiful Authentique "Splendid" collection kit!

Random.org has chosen...

..this super cute and colorful layout by Missy Whidden!

Congrats Missy!!

Please email us with your mailing address and so I can reply with your gift certificate and also ship your collection kit out to you very soon!

Here is a winner badge for your blog :)

We would like to thank Tammi from My Scraps & More once again for being a TPV sponsor!
And don't forget!!
For the rest of February, you can use Tammi's exclusive TPV coupon code (TPV211) to receive 30% off your entire My Scraps & More order!! MS&M just received some brand spankin new Winter CHA collections.. so be sure to check them out for fantabulous savings!!

Also, a huge thanks to April Walker for being our guest designer!!
Thanks April!!
It was great to have you join us again at TPV! :)

We'll return tomorrow with a new great challenge, an awesome prize from a wonderful returning sponsor, talented guest designer, and daily inspiration & tutorials! Hope you all will join us!

Top 5!!

2012-02-13T06:36:00.000-06:00

Wahoo! It looks like many of you were inspired by Abby's awesome sketch this month:

We saw not only layouts, but a few cards too. There is a lot of talent here at The Paper Variety! :) Without further wait, here are our top 5 entries this week:

Be sure to stop by their blogs and leave them some love :)

Congratulations, ladies!! Thanks for participating in the challenge and sharing your creativity at The Paper Variety :) Here's a TOP 5 badge for your blogs!!

You still have until midnight EST time tonight to enter our sketch challenge :) Just link up your entries HERE for a chance to win this Authentique prize from My Scraps & More:

Have a great day!

Tutorial: Make your own embossing folder by Abby!

2012-02-12T06:00:00.001-06:00

Hi TPV friends! Abby here and I'm going to share an easy way to make your own custom made embossing folder :)

Items you'll need are:

Cuttlebug (or other press machine)

Cricut (or other diecut machine)

Scrap Cardstock

Core'dinations Cardstock

Sanding block

Glue or tape

Step 1: Choose your cricut design or image you'd like to have embossed and cut the same image 3 or 4 times with scrap cardstock. I've chosen these starfish from the Life's A Beach cricut cart. Be sure to cut them the same size. (You could use any flat item, really.. chipboard shapes, chipboard alphas etc.)

(So sorry if this green hurts your eyes. I was trying to use up old scraps lol)

Step 2: Glue or tape each piece right on top of each other.

For my project, I used 3 pieces of cut cardstock, but you may need to use 4. You might have to experiment a little. Try to glue the stack as close to even as you can.

Choose the cardstock you wish to be embossed. I suggest Core'dinations Color Core & sanding block. I feel it works best, but any cardstock will do.

Step 3: Create your sandwich for the Cuttlebug.

Stacking from the bottom, you will need...

A Plate

B Plate

Your already made cardstock diecut

Your Core'dinations cardstock (face up)

Rubber embossing mat

B Plate

After you crank it through, your cardstock should look something like this..

If your imprint isn't raised enough, you'll want to add a 4th diecut piece to achieve your desired imprint.

Step 4: Sand the embossed area of your cardstock. Or you can choose to skip this step if you just want to imprint but not sand.

Then just create your card or project and you're done! :)

Depending on how many dies or Cricut carts you have, you can have a lot of fun with this technique! The possibilities are endless! :)

Challenge Inspiration: Abby & Jenifer!

2012-02-11T06:00:00.024-06:00

I made this layout featuring my nephew, Drake.. He's such a cutie, he makes any page look great. Lots of doodling, dimension, splatters and Echo Park's "Little Boy" - an all-time fave! And thanks to Holly's tutorial, I added a bunch of 3D stars :)

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This is my take on this months fabulous sketch! I'm not a multi photo person on my layouts, so I used the doilies in place of the photo's and placed my photo over the center of the cluster.

The photo is of my oldest daughter about 5 years ago....geesh I'm getting old....

The paper is My Minds Eye, Cordinations and Crate Paper. I did some ink and sissor distressing as well as some stitching and doodling. The flowers are a mix of handmade and a few older Prima's.

For close up's and details please visit my blog

Tutorial: Rolled Flowers by Caroli!

2012-02-10T06:00:00.005-06:00

I love rolled flowers, they are such a great embellishment and you can make them very fast and easily. Today I would like to show you how can make a simple plain rolled flower.

Materials

A piece of paper

Scissors

Tweezers

Glue dots or a similar kind of adhesive

Petal roller or similar tool ( I used Imaginesce petal roller but any quilling tool will make it, even tweezers)

For start you will need to cut this shape out of the paper. We have several options for doing this: one way could be to print this image on the back of your paper and then cut it following the lines, also you could draw this by hand and cut.

In addition, there are few diecuts available in the market for cutting these kind of shapes.

In my case (and considering I am a Cricut addict) I used a cutting file and Scal on my Cricut, and this is what I got.

Now, you will need to place the outer end of the paper inside the slot of the petal roller, just like in the pic.

An then you just must start rolling the paper. it is very important to do it carefully and keeping the alingment, so it will be evenly rolled.

Once you finished rolling it will look like this.

Now, if you turn around the flower you will see it has this base area.

In this base you will put a glue dot in order to assemble the flower.

Turn around again and assemble the flower with the help of the tweezers. You may need to unroll it a little until it reaches the size and shape you want.

And here it is! A simple and lovely rolled flower. Of course you can use your creativity for embellish it maybe with some misting, glitter, ink, etc. The posibilities are endless, it's up to you to use your creativity :)

I am giving away a .scut2 file (to be used with Scal) with different kinds of rolled flowers I have found on the net and also a few I created myself. If you are interested in receiving it please leave a comment here with your email and I'd be glad to send it to you :) Thank you for your visit!

Challenge Inspiration: Sandi & Caroli!

2012-02-09T00:47:00.020-06:00

I made this layout with pictures of my little one having lunch in a restaurant last year.

She loves to go out for lunch or dinner, she's just an expert: and orders herself her food (most of the time she asks for french fries or sashimi, LOL!)

I loved the sketch, is so versatile, and the stars are a great element. When I saw the sketch I inmediately remeber these pics :)

I used papers from American Crafts' Daydreams collection. I also used a lot of twine and stitching and buttons. I love how it came out! You can see more details of it on my blog, hopefully it will help you getting inspired to participate with us. Thank you for your visit!

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I love being able to use 3 photos on a layout and this sketch is just PERFECT for that. I used some Jillibean Soup papers and ribbon from last year....I love to dig down to the bottom of my drawers sometimes and see what treasures lurk there. I also love scrapping snowfall pictures on 75 degree January days here in Florida!

Tutorial: Simple card design, many looks by Sara!

2012-02-08T06:00:00.005-06:00

Hi TPV Fans! I am a big fan of simple things (in fact Simplify is my OLW for 2012) and I like simple design. Today I am here to show you a super simple card design and 3 different cards created with the the design.

Simple card design, huh! To me a sketch or design is just a starting point. Its not meant to be copied identically, it servers more as and aid to your creative style. We are going to take the sketch and change the size and style, here we go! Oh, one more thing this sketch the best for using up your scraps!!!!

This cars is pretty strait forward from the sketch. Four coordinating papers cut down to fit the card size and adhered side by side. I added a simple cream strip with a sentiment and cork star with a stamped image layered on top. Simple.

Here is card #2. I selected a more pastel color pallet out of my scrap bucket for this card. I also embossed the pink card stock paper to give it a 'pop' and rounded the corners of the 2 outside paper strips for a softer look. Topped it off with a pretty pike and a hand made banner - up, the post of the banner is a tooth pic!

I went to a square 6x6 card therefor changing my size of my strips of paper. I also decided to make the strips in to flag and over lap them just a bit. I added the decorative boarder to the top and some embellishments and its done!

Lets recap the things to change to make this card diffenet:

*Card Size

*Paper Colors

*Paper Strip Size

*Alter Paper Strips (flag bottom, rounded corner, border punch the bottom or sides, so many options)

*Number Of Paper Strips (only use 3 or 2 and leave part of the card showing!)

*Embellishment and sentiments to keep the card unique

I hope this card design will inspire your next card! Come visit us again soon!

Challenge Inspiration: Sara & Holly!

2012-02-07T06:00:00.010-06:00

Here is my take on the next sketch challenge. I really liked the stars on the sketch so I took a big roll of cork I have and ran it through my sizzix with a star die to create my own embellishments. I picked a few colors that worked will with the pictures and worked with only a few papers. This was a great sketch and forced me to use multiple photos - I tend to only use one per page.

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Look- it's a Christmas layout already scrapped-Yeah! Well, it's actually from 2010...I'm really, really behind with all my scrapbooking. I used to be a scrapbooker, I'm still one at heart, I just haven't scrapbooked much since I've become obsessed with card making and Cricut projects over the last two years.

Since being on TPV design team, I've been so impressed by the talent these ladies have and there amazing layouts that they've inspired to do a little scrapbooking again.

So, here are my kiddos the night before Christmas after their bath, wearing there Christmas pajamas and waiting for Santa to come. The paper is a Christmas Stack from DCWV. The ornament is cut from Christmas Cheer and the sentiment is the font cut from Birthday Cakes.

Thanks for looking!

Tutorial: Flip-top box by Theresa!

2012-02-06T06:00:00.006-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLNCx1CRVe8

The Diagram

Challenge Inspiration: Theresa & Kate!

2012-02-05T06:00:00.015-06:00

Isn't this a fun sketch? While searching through pictures, I ran across these of Dax when he was about a year and a half old. They brought back fond memories of him learning to go up and down the slide all by his self. He used to count "1 2 3" as he would climb up the steps and slide down. I used some of my older papers by Cosmo Cricket, the Cogsmo collection and fussy cut the cogs, then pop dotted them for dimension. I cut the numbers and title with the Pooh Font cartridge.

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Here is my take on the fabulous sketch that we were asked to work on. I decided that this warranted using the Studio Calico stars that I have been hoarding for a while now, along with some older papers from Sassafras. The papers are from the Sweet Marmalade and Paper Crush collections. The background paper is by Basic Grey.

The stars are wood veneer and they came in a sheet. I treated each of them in a different way. With the largest star, I flipped it over and applied Maya Road glitter to the adhesive side of it, burnishing it with the tip of my finger. In the center, I added some Sassafras paper, and I wrapped twine around the star in a mirrored star pattern. For the orange-red star, I didn't have the right colour glitter, so what I did was apply microfine warm highlight glitter by Glitter Ritz and then colour it in the orange-red afterwards with a Copic marker. I wasn't sure if it was going to work, but luckily it did!

Right before Christmas I won an amazing prize pack from Epiphany Crafts containing some amazing papers from Pebbles and lots of goodies from Scrapbook Adhesives. Epiphany also sent me one of their 'Shape Studio Tool Star 25' tools. I'm now in love with the thing! I need more of them! You can make your own custom epoxy shapes out of any paper you like. They come in a whole bunch of different shapes and sizes. I added them to my layout in a few different places. Here is a close-up.

Thanks for letting me share with you! Have fun with the sketch. I can't wait to see what you create!

Tutorial: Folded Flower by Suzanne! :)

2012-02-04T06:00:00.002-06:00

Happy Saturday morning! Suzanne here with a flower tutorial :) You'll need 5 (and a few extras just in case) 1 1/2" circles. I used a lightweight double-sided patterned paper from Echo Park's Victoria collection.

Visualize your circle scored in thirds. Fold two "thirds" towards the center creating a petal looking shape. This is why you'll want to use a double sided paper.

Use your bone folder to give a nice crease as you go. This will help your flower lay flat. Start laying your pieces together, aligning your folded edges. Adjust as necessary.

Use one of your extra circles as a base for adhering the flower together.

Embellish the center of your flower with a brad, button, charm, etc. I used a pearl brad.

I layered my flower embellishment on this die cut shape from My Favorite Things called "Decorative Doily".

Use your flower to embellish a card, layout, or other project :)

I adhered mine to a white card base (embossed with the Script cuttlebug folder). Sentiment embossed in white by Paper Smooches "Sentiment Sampler".

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial! I would love to see your project if you try one of these flowers. Leave a link in the comments so I can check it out :)

Challenge Inspiration: Marcia & Suzanne!

2012-02-03T06:00:00.013-06:00

Marcia here today to share a layout I made with Abby's fabulous sketch.

I flipped the sketch on its side as my pictures seemed to fit better this way, but otherwise I think I followed the sketch pretty close, right down to using the star embellishments. Stars are always great for boy pages. I used My Mind's Eye Lime Twist papers and the font from the Boys Will Be Boys Cricut cartridge. My stars were inspired by DT member Holly's stars from the Black and White with a Kiss of Color challenge. I wanted to try them on a layout. My little guy is 17 now but he used to sing this song by Sheryl Crow when he was this age. It always made me smile to listen to him. I can't believe I haven't scrapped these pics before now. I have more detailed pics on my blog if you want to take a peak. Well, I hope I inspired you to join us in our latest challenge!

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I loved working with Abby's sketch this week! I used some fun pics of my hubby and I that our 8 year old niece took.. she's a good photographer, isn't she? Imaginisce's "Berrylicious" collection was perfect for these candids ;) Stop by my blog for more details.

Welcome, Guest Designer: April Walker! :)

2012-02-02T06:00:00.006-06:00

April Walker

Hi everyone! I am SO excited to be guest designing for TPV! My name is April and I’ve been a scrapbooker for about 3 1/2 years. I always loved taking pictures when I was younger, and then once I got married and had two daughters, I turned into a crazy picture-taking lady! I got really tired of just sticking my pictures into albums though...I wanted to do something more special with them. Then one day I was surfing the internet and came across scrapbook.com, and I realized there was a way to actually use those pictures and create something beautiful! I’ve been hooked ever since then and I absolutely LOVE it. The thing that makes me happiest is sitting down with a favorite picture, a great story, some awesome supplies and creating a memory for my girls. And the fun part is that they love their pages! They both love sitting down and looking through our

albums which makes me a very happy mommy and thankful that I found this amazing hobby of mine...

If you’d like to check out some more of my work, my blog address ishttp://scrapperforever.blogspot.com. I love having visitors so please drop by anytime!

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Thanks so much for joining us, April! :)

New Challenge! (& Facebook Winner!)

2012-02-01T06:00:00.158-06:00

Welcome back to TPV!
For this challenge, we bring you
a fun sketch created by our own, Abby!

The Paper Variety design team has really rocked this challenge!!
We can't wait to show you all of their awesome layouts following this sketch. We'll be featuring those layouts in the days ahead so be sure to check back here for awesome inspiration!

We are super excited to team up with a great new sponsor for this challenge!

My Scraps & More is a new online scrapbook store featuring many of your favorite companies such a October Afternoon, Bella Blvd. and My Mind's Eye to name a few. We offer low shipping rates and fast shipping, most of the time your order will ship the same day! My Scraps also has an active message board and blog, both full of daily inspiration and challenges to inspire! The blog also has "Giveaway Monday's" you won't want to miss.

My Scraps & More is excited to be a sponsor for The Paper Varity this month and is offering an exclusive coupon for it's members. Use code TPV211 and receive 30% off your orders the entire month of February! We hope to see many of you soon on our board, sharing your talents with us!

Tammi Bennett

My Scraps & More

Thank you so much for your generosity and support, Tammi!

Tammi has kindly donated this Authentique "Splendid" collection kit for the winner of our challenge! Isn't it gorgeous!?!

AND!

Just because My Scraps & More has become one of my (Abby) favorite places to shop,
I'm adding a $10 gift certificate
to this already great prize! Tammi has the best deals and sales, the best blog giveaways, the best products... I really hope MS&M will become your favorite store, too!!

Did you see Tammi's special MS&M offer???
A 30% discount on everything in the store for the entire month of February!? Just for YOU, our TPV followers!? Woohoo! Let's remember, new CHA products are already being added to My Scraps & More and more will come soon! Where else are you going to get 30% off already low prices on all those brand new collections that you love?? I hope ALL our TPV followers take advantage of this FABULOUS deal!!

One more order of business..

Our first monthly Facebook giveaway was a great success,
thanks for all your comments! One lucky random facebook follower has been chosen to receive this beautiful Fancy Pants collection!

Congrats to
Charlene Becker! :)

Charlene, please email us with your mailing address and I'll get that prize sent out to you very soon! :)

We can't wait to see your projects following our sketch!

Enter your project within this link. Or click on the image icon at the top of our sidebar.

Tomorrow we welcome our new guest designer (Yay!)

Challenge inspiration & great tutorials will follow daily! :)

Winners!! & Facebook Giveaway! :)

2012-01-28T12:45:00.005-06:00

Rosettes and other types of fan fold projects filled up our Linkz.. how fun it was to see so much creativity!!

Today we have 2 winners to announce! Woot!! :)

A few weeks ago, I asked you all to let us know how you like the new Paper Variety blog and scheduling format. We received many many positive comments and we thank you! We're so glad that you're all having a great time here at TPV! One lucky commenter was chosen and she is...

Congrats Michelle!! Please email us with your home address and I'll be sending you a lil scrappy gift very soon :)

Our next order of business is

our challenge winner! :)

This lucky gal will be receiving this gorgeous Enchanted collection donated to TPV by our wonderful sponsor, Bo Bunny!! :)

Random.org has chosen...

..this beautiful card by Nicole!

Congrats Nicole!!

Please email us with your address and I'll get that prize sent out to you very soon :)

Here is a winner badge for your blog :)

Also, we'd like to once again thank Kim Martin for being our guest designer!!
Thanks Kim!!
It was great to have you join us at TPV! :)

We'll return on Feb 1st with a new great challenge, awesome sponsored prize, talented guest designer, and daily inspiration & tutorials! Hope you all will join us!

But for now...
Head on over to our Facebook page! We have a winterful giveaway goin on right now! All you have to do to win is "like" TPV and comment! :) Winner will be announced here on the TPV blog on the 1st! Good luck!!! :)

Top 5!!

2012-01-27T06:00:00.022-06:00

TGIF!! :)

Wow, January FLEW by didn't it!!? I was lucky to have some extra time this month, recuperating from the holidays and even being snowed in at home a few days :) Looks like some of you had some time to be creative, this month too - LOTS of fabulous entries in our challenge:

Here's our TOP 5!!

GiGi

Bente

Amy

Patti

and Sue!

Congratulations, ladies!! Thanks for participating in the challenge and sharing your creativity at The Paper Variety :) Here's a TOP 5 badge for your blogs!!

There's still a few hours left to enter our rosettes challenge! One random winner will win Bo Bunny's "Enchanted" collection :)

Click HERE to link up :)

See you tomorrow for our winner!

And don't forget to LIKE us on Facebook.

Giveaway at the end of every month !! :)

Tutorial: Scissor Distressing by Jenifer!

2012-01-26T06:00:00.006-06:00

Scissor Distressing

Hi everyone, Jenifer here today, I have a quick and easy lil technique to share with you all today!
So grab a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy!

I adore grungy distressed paper crafting projects, the more distressed the better!

Theres a few tools right now on the market to help you achieve this look, but I get it for

just .74 cents. Below is a cheap, easy and quick way to give you the same look the

distress tools give without the expense.

Supplies

Whatever paper crafting project you are working on (card stock or heavy weight paper works best for this technique) I like to use a cheap pair of school scissors.

(I DO NOT use my cutterbees or anything very sharp, you can easily cut your fingers)

You may want to have some acid free tape handy just in case.

If your going to use a rounded corner punch or any ink distressing on your projects edges, you will need to do these first. Once you've done this you can get started!

It's really simple, but you must be very careful, as you can easily cut yourself, and you wouldn't want to do that. You also might want to practice this technique a few times on a scrap paper until you get a feel for how pressure to use and what angle to place your scissors.

I'm going to demonstrate today on a scrap piece of paper, but you can use this technique on any size of paper!

Open your scissors completely and place your paper project in the center of one side of your scissors blade. Angle the scissors slightly and make striking upwards motions on your paper. Work in small sections at a time to avoid riping and tearing your project. You may need to go over one area several times until you achieve the desired amount of distressing your looking for.

Don't panic if you get a rip just align your paper the best you can and apply some tape to the back side, you'll want to make sure the tape is acid free and meant for scrapbooking. You may need to manipulate your paper a bit by slight moving it upward or pushing it inward a bit to hide the tear.
OOPS

ALL BETTER NOW

Once you've practiced this a bit and have a feel for it, you can even try it on lightweight paper. It works but it doesn't distress as much and it rips and tears VERY EASY. You will have to be super careful.

ALL DONE

I want to thank my daughter for helping with all the photos!

Challenge Inspiration: Jenifer & Abby!

2012-01-25T06:00:00.012-06:00

For my DIVA DECOR I used BO BUNNY'S Enchanted collection. I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I first saw this collection, which is a must have for your stash if you have not purchased it already! It has even more detail and glitter in real life, beautiful, beautiful stuff! Anyway I purchased this cardboard frame meant for altering a few weeks back at my LSS, but hated the small photo opening so I covered the entire thing, stole my mirror from my train case, after some fussy cutting, punching, layering and adhereing this is what I came up with! It's a decoartive diva mirror (if you look above the project you can see that I also added ome ribbon to hang the project). For the fan folding challenge, I decided to create a simple fan as I thought it fit in with the theme and worked perfectly in my flower cluster!

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I created this card for my son for Valentine's Day :) I tried something different.. instead of having my rosette on top of my card, I created a framed window and tucked it behind :) There is A LOT of dimension on this card so it can house the rosette inside.. so it's great that I'll be adding it in a gift bag rather than mailing it :) I used the Bo Bunny Crazy Love 6x6 pad and chipboard pieces. I think it turned out really cute.. hope my son thinks so too :)

Tutorial: Fan fold flowers by Sandi!

2012-01-24T06:00:00.005-06:00

Hi everyone....Sandi here from Slightly Off Center with a tutorial on fan fold flowers (also called rosettes). You will need a scoring board (this is not absolutely necessary but sure makes it easier), strips of pattern paper, a good strong glue (I like Tombow's Mono adhesive), a scrap of paper (I am using about a 3/4" circle here) and whatever embellishment you want to top your fan fold flower with.

I started with a one inch wide by 8.5 inches long strip of paper and I scored it every 1/4". You can also use a 12" long strip of paper but you would want to score it every 1/2".

Then I accordian folded it. If you do not have a scoring board you can just fold it yourself...just try to keep the folded sections a uniform width.

Then I glue the ends together with my Tombow Mono adhesive and let it sit for a couple of minutes.

After the ends are fully adhered to each other you push the circle down until it is laying flat. I glue a scrap of paper (in this case a circle I cut from scrap) on the back side. This helps hold the flower in shape and also helps provide a good surface when you will glue your fan fold to your project.

Then I flip it over and embellish it.

The beauty of fan folds is that they can be embellished any way and with most anything you want. Here are some fan folds I did for current TPV challenge--I used chipboard elements from the Bella Blvd Christmas Wishes collection:

On this flower I used my Fiskars Threading Water border punch on my strip of paper before scoring it:

I hope I have challenged you to try to experiment and make your own fan fold flowers .....what kind of variations will you come up with?

Challenge Inspiration: Sandi & Caroli!

2012-01-23T06:00:00.016-06:00

Fan foldes flowers or rosettes are one of my favorite embellishment, I use them on almost everything so I really enjoyed this challenge.

The pictures are from the celebration of our Independence Day that my little girl had at her Kindergarten last September 18th. That day all the children wore our typical dresses, danced our national dance called "Cueca" and ate some traditional food. All the parents were invited to wacht and participate in the celebration, it was such a lovely day :)

For this layout I used the beautiful collection Fresh Goods from Pebbles. I cut some rosettes using a cutting file and SCAL in my Cricut, and for the others I used the traditional method of scoring and folding. I embellised the rosettes with rhinestones, buttons, chipboard shapes and brads. I also added 2 toothpick flags and a little banner that says "Jardin Pasito a Paso", which is the name of the kindergarten of my little girl. The letters and numbers in blue are stickers from the same Fresh Goods, and I cut the foam number 18 was using my BigShot.

You can see more closeups of this layout in my blog, hopefully it will be a good inspiration for you to play along wit us in this challenge. Thank you for visiting us!

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I think that fanfold flowers are so versatile....especially for boys pages (which I do alot!!) Depending on what you "top" them with, they can be frilly and feminine or cute or funky. Here they work perfectly on this page with my son Adam and his boys, my grandsons Jacob and Cole decorating their tree last month. My favorite picture is Cole placing the star on top of the tree.

Tutorial: Multi-fold cards by Holly!

2012-01-22T06:00:00.009-06:00

Hello! It's Holly from Ribbon's and Glue sharing a tutorial's today on how to make two different Multi-Fold Cards. These cards are small and simple to make. What I like about them most though is that you can use your scraps to decorate them.

Whenever I make multi-fold cards I'm always repeating to myself "Measure Twice, Score Once". I still make errors though, I guess this is why I end up with many scraps of paper to use on them.

How to make a Triangular Tri-Fold Card

Supplies needed:
Scoring Board
1 piece of 3 1/2" x 10 1/2" cardstock
Patterned paper
Ribbon
Image to fit on front of card, approx 3"-4"

Take your 3 1/2" x 10 1/2" strip of cardstock and score at 3 1/2" and 7".

Rotate paper and score diagonally on the end square corner to corner. Make sure both ends are going in the same diagonal.

Fold left side into the middle then fold triangle flap up. Do the same fold on the other side except fold the triangle down.

There you go, a simple little triangle tri-fold card that can be decorated in a million ways

Wrap a ribbon around your card and tie it with a bow to keep it closed. When adding your image to the front of the card remember to only adhere it to one side of the triangle flap. Otherwise, you won't be able to open the card.

How to make Accordion Fold Card

Supplies needed:
Scoring Board
1 piece of 4 1/2 " x 11" cardstock
Patterned paper
Various embellishments

Score your 4 1/2" x 11" inch paper at 1 1/2", 3", 5 1/2" and 8".

Starting on left side, mountain and valley fold on the score lines

How cute are these Valentines stamps? They're from the new "It's Valentines" sentiments at K. Andrew Designs. Check out all of Kristal's stamps including her new Valentines sets- HERE

Happy Card Making!

Challenge Inspiration: Holly & Sara!

2012-01-21T06:00:00.015-06:00

I was so excited when I saw this challenge. I just love to make rosettes, especially rosette wreaths! I gave this rosette picture frame-wreath to my parents for Christmas. I used the Hoot-n-Holler Lite cartridge for my owl and sentiment cuts.

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This challenge gave me a reason to put my new die to use! I used the Tim Holtz Rosette Die for the Sizzix machine. This die give you 2 different size rosettes in just one cut as well as the circles for the center of your flower. I just love how easy it is to make fan fold flowers with the die.

Tutorial: Printing on tags by Kate!

2012-01-20T06:00:00.003-06:00

I love cute manufacturer's journalling tags, and I'm sure that you do too! Sometimes I don't like the look of my own handwriting, or I just want a different look - like a vintage typewriter style font, for example. I found solution so that I can get my home printer to print on the manufacturer's tags. Here's how...

Measure the area on your tag that you want to print on.
I used Microsoft Word for this because most of you will have it. Open Word and create a new document. Click on the Insert tab and then click on insert text box.
A text box will appear.
Resize the text box to the appropriate size by setting the size in the upper right hand corner of the Word control bar.
By default, Word adds a black outline around the text box. You will need to remove it by clicking on shape outline and setting it to none. You don't want that black box printing on your tag.
Type out your journalling in the text box and then print it onto a plain piece of paper. Adjust it and print it again if you're not satisfied with the way it looks. Remember to spell check because once it's on your tag, it's there for good!
If your tag is a sticker you will need to make it less sticky, so that you can remove it after printing on it. I used a Sassafras tag here and they are very sticky. To make it less sticky I stuck it to my jeans and then removed it and then I did it again. It picked up some of the link and made the tag a little less sticky. If you are using a tag that doesn't already have adhesive on the back, then apply a repositionable adhesive to the back, or apply a non-repositionable adhesive and make it a bit less sticky by using my jean-lint method! For a lot of advesives, you could also gently dab the advesive with your fingers. This will make it less sticky as well.
Adhere your tag directly over top of the journalling space lining it up exactly with the printed words centered directly underneath the tag. If you have trouble doing this, hold up the tag to a light source (a window or a lampsade work well) and you will be able to see the journalling through the tag and place it in the correct spot.
Put the piece of paper with the tag on it back into the printer (ensuring that you put it back in the same direction it was when you began) and print again.
Very carefully remove the tag from the paper and adhere it your layout!

Here are some examples of layouts where I've used this method:

Challenge Inspiration: Kate & Theresa!

2012-01-19T06:00:00.010-06:00

BoBunny is sponsoring this challenge, so I thought it would be appropriate to use some of their product for my challenge reveal. I used their Snowfall Collection. I just picked it up at one of my local scrapbooking stores, and it's a good thing that I arrived when I did because it was nearly sold out!

The papers I used were Snowfall Drift, Snowfall Cabin and Snowfall Flakes. I created my rosettes using the Flakes paper, cutting them out using a rosette cut file with my Silhouette Cameo. I fussy cut around the beautiful sparkly snowflakes and applied my rosettes on top of them and used the whole thing as a page border on the left of my page. I also used a Tim Holtz Sizzix die to cut the plastic mirrorer snowflakes that are on top of my rosettes and applied a blue crystal on top for a final finishing touch. I cut out more snowflakes on BoBunny cardstock with my Silhouette and embellished them by applying crystals and glossy accents on top.

I also used two tags from Elle's Studio as my journalling. Not a lot was needed because it's pretty much self-explanatory. For the title, I used alphabet stickers by Sassafras and American Crafts. The ribbon is from Stampin' Up!

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When I seen this challenge, the first thing that came to mind was the ever so popular fan fold flowers. However, I wanted to try something a bit different, and I am so glad I did. I decided to make a victorian hand held fan. I love how it turned out. I am going to put it in a shadow box and hang it on my wall.

Tutorial: Handmade Roses by Marcia!

2012-01-18T06:00:00.016-06:00

Hello, Marcia here with a handmade rose tutorial for you today. I love making my own paper embellishments for a number of reasons; its cheaper, the roses I make are more realistic, and I can make them in any color I want to match my project. So today, I am going to show you how to make the roses that I used for the Black and White with a Kiss of Color challenge.

You will need the Spellbinders Rose Creations dies (or a similar cut using a cricut cartridge), cardstock, ink, any color brad, and some glue. Using the 4 smallest Spellbinders Rose Creations dies , cut 1 each of the smallest 3 dies and 2 of the next largest die.

Apply ink to the centers of the flowers and ink the smallest flower entirely. I also apply some ink to the petal edges on the back side of the smallest flower. I used Quick Quotes Powder Puff chalk ink and applied the ink with a dauber.

Spritz the flowers with just a little bit of water. This will make them more pliable. You want the paper to be damp, but not drenched.

Take the smallest flower and with the inked side down, roll the edges of the petals up. This will be used to make the bud.

With the larger flowers, place your thumb in the middle of the flower and gently roll the edges of the petals under. The larger flowers should look like this when you are done.

Place a brad (any color will do as it will not be seen) into the center hole of the smallest die and gently fold alternating petals up.

Holding the bud, assemble the rose by adding the shaped flowers from smallest to largest onto the brad. Bend the prongs of the brad open to keep the rose assembled. Twist the flower layers to alternate the petals. Apply some fast drying glue to the inside of the bud and once again gently fold the alternating petals up. (I have tried gluing the bud before assembling the rose, but when I open up the brad prongs I usually end up crushing it)

I apply the finished roses to my layout with a glue dot. The smaller roses on my layout can be made the same way, leaving off the 2 larger flower die cuts.

Now, here is a Valentine version you can make.

You will need: Hershey kisses, floral tape, floral picks, red or pink saran wrap cut into a small square, cardstock, and Spellbinders Rose Creations dies.

Using the 2 largest Spellbinders Rose Creations dies, cut 2 of each. Using the same method as above, shape the petals of the flowers.

Stick the floral pick into the bottom of the Hershey Kiss. If you want to be able to eat the chocolate later, apply 2 layers of foam tape together, stick the floral pick through the foam tape and then adhere the foam tape to the bottom of the Hershey Kiss.

Place the saran wrap on top of the Kiss and twist underneath. Apply the floral tape on the pick over the saran wrap and continue wrapping it down the floral pick to cover the saran wrap.

Add the shaped flowers from smallest to largest. Add some more floral tape underneath the flowers to keep them from sliding back down the pick.

Cut one large leaf using the Spellbinders Rose Creations die. Score it down the middle and curl one edge around the floral pick.

Taking a piece of floral tape, attach the leaf to the pick by wrapping the floral tape around the pick above and below the leaf.

Slightly bend the floral pick so the rose is not straight up, but as it would look if it were a real rose in a vase. Arrange a few roses in a vase with some silk greens or gift it as a single rose.

Challenge Inspiration: Marcia & Suzanne!

2012-01-17T06:00:00.010-06:00

Marcia here, with a fan fold project to share with you today. I decided to make a gift bag for my daughter's upcoming birthday with the Little Yellow Bicycle Winter Twig I received for Christmas. Truth is, I was dying to use it! The snowflake paper kit has strips of paper already scored for you (so you don't need a scoreboard) and gorgeous snowflakes to coordinate. I am also using some the Winter Twig Shapes Clear Cuts. Here is my gift bag ...

If you have a scoreboard, fan fold embellishments are a great way to use up some of those scraps of paper we all have. I created the snowman on this gift bag from scraps of leftover cardstock. Love how this turned out. Now, I am off to find the perfect gift to place inside.

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So grateful to Bo Bunny for the opportunity to work with the beautiful "Enchanted" line! I wanted to create a wedding layout with these papers, with a little pop of color (lol.. that was SO last challenge.. but what I can I say I'm hooked now!) So, I chose this adorable picture of my hubby to be and our ring bearer. Love the blue!

Welcome, Guest Designer: Kim Martin! :)

2012-01-16T06:00:00.022-06:00

Kim Martin

HOWDY ALL!

I am Kim Martin aka Me-Ma Kim in the bloggy world. I live in Versailles, MO which is close to the Lake of the Ozarks, kinda rural around here but we do have a Walmart! LOL! Winter time around here is S-L-O-W, but come Summer this area THRIVES. I live with my hubby and we have been together for 13+years and married a little over 2 years. I have 2 grown children and 4 grandchildren who are the APPLES of my EYE! They are the main subjects in my layouts. I recently closed my little happy place, a small scrapbook store, due to the lovely economy. It just wasn’t profitable enough and it was a SAD day when I had to make that decision. Right now I am a stay at home wife and babysitter for the grandkids, while I try to find a job.

I have been scrapbooking for almost 15 years now. I started the summer my daughter turned 16, when I was introduced to Creative Memories. I look at her first book and just shake my head at all the stickers. LOL! I guess that is why I don’t use many stickers now. My projects can go from Clean and Simple to very Ornate, I think it just depends on my pictures and my mood. I am THRILLED to be a Guest DT for The Paper Variety this week. THANKS Abby and Suzanne for the invite!

THANKS BUNCHES for the invite! Have a GREAT Day,

Kim

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Thanks so much for joining us, Kim! :)

New Challenge!

2012-01-15T05:00:00.001-06:00

Our next challenge is another fun one! Don't you love fun prompts? We all do! :)

There are so many pretty embellishments that you can buy to adorn your paper projects but it's so much nicer when you can make them yourself! :)

We'd love to see your fan fold embellishments!

The Paper Variety is honored to team up with a fabulous new sponsor for this challenge!

BoBunny Press is an industry leader with its innovative paper and embellishment lines. Starting with 2 designs in a single store 16 years ago, BoBunny products can now be found in over 39 countries around the world. Long a favorite of card makers and scrapbookers, Bobunny papers, stickers, albums, brads, buttons, trinkets, jewels, ribbons, stamps, and kits are always hot topics on consumer message boards. BoBunny’s team of graphic designers, each with different styles and expertise, help to create the variety of product lines that BoBunny is known for. Whether your taste is whimsical, elegant, classic or playful, there’s something for everyone with BoBunny.

Check out their website to see all their beautiful collections.. then visit their blog for endless inspiration, challenges and latest Bo Bunny news!

Megan from Bo Bunny has generously donated the Bo Bunny "Enchanted" collection for the winner of our challenge! Isn't it gorgeous!?!!

This collection includes 10 BEAUTIFUL patterned papers (most glittered) along with 12x12 chipboard shapes, cut-outs, combo stickers and layered chipboard!

Megan also kindly supplied a couple of our designers with Bo Bunny product to use for their challenge inspiration projects. Be sure to look out for those in the coming days!

Thanks so much, Megan & Bo Bunny! :)

So to recap.. a fun challenge.. a fabulous sponsor.. and a gorgeous prize!

What are you waiting for?

Enter your project within this link. Or click on the image icon on our sidebar :)

Tomorrow we welcome our new guest designer (Yay!)

Challenge inspiration & great tutorials will follow daily.

Also... you might want to check out our previous "Winner!" post!

There may be a little giveaway tucked in there ;)

Let's see your fan-fold paper projects!!

Winner!

2012-01-14T16:00:00.002-06:00

We've really enjoyed this first challenge of 2012! We hope you have, too! A new TPV format, a fun challenge prompt, amazing projects created by YOU and our fabulous DT.. plus an awesome guest designer and tutorials! What fun!!!

We'd love to hear your opinion about our new recent changes to The Paper Variety! Leave us a comment and let us know how we're doing. Tell us that we hit it spot on, or let us know how we can improve our challenge site even more. We value your opinion! And there may just be a little goodie package sent to a random comment author (wink!) ;)

Also, don't forget to..
Follow us on Facebook! During the last few days of each month, we'll host a giveaway of some great scrappy goodies! This month we're going to gift one of our Facebook followers with a brand spankin new Fancy Pants collection! Yeah! You have to comment on our Facebook wall to win, though, so be sure to like us on Facebook so you don't miss your chance.. the giveaway will be posted in the next couple weeks! :)

We also would like to once again thank Tina Phillips for joining us as our guest designer!
Thanks so much, Tina!
We hope to see more of your beautiful projects at TPV!!

Now onto our challenge winner...

Our randomly chosen winner will receive this beautiful October Afternoon collection..

Lucky #13 belongs to...

Karen B!

Congratulations, Karen!!

Karen, please email us with you mailing information so we can get your prize sent asap :)

Here is where I'm suppose to offer you our new winner badge.. but unfortunately I can't find where I saved it LOL You're welcome to grab our previous style winner blinkie on the sidebar.. or.. I'll ask Suzanne for another copy and post it here on Sunday. :)

Tomorrow we post a fun new challenge and an
AWESOME New Sponsor!!
Don't miss it! :)

TOP 5!!

2012-01-13T21:17:00.000-06:00

TGIF! :) I thought Friday would NEVER get here!

How are you enjoying the new TPV format? Everyday inspiration with design team projects and tutorials? Oh yeah! We have SO appreciated reading your comments... thank you! I don't know about you, but I have so many ideas running through my head.. just need time to do them! Good thing the weekend is here! :)

We have some fabulous projects linked up to our first challenge of the new year:

Abby and I have chosen our TOP 5!

~drum roll please~

and Venus:

Stop by their blogs and leave them some comment love :)

Congratulations, ladies!!

Here's a badge to display on your sidebars :)

There's still a few hours left to enter our black and white with a "kiss" of color! One random winner will win October Afternoon's "Farmhouse" collection :)

Click HERE to link up :)

See you tomorrow for our winner!

Tutorial: Watercolor pencils by Abby!

2012-01-12T06:00:00.009-06:00

Hi all! Abby here :)

I love adding fun stamped images to my cards and projects. However, I had always believed that to get that bright and contrasting color, I would have to spend a fortune on professional markers. Well, like some of us, I don't have a fortune lol. So instead. I use watercolor pencils :)

Today I'm showing you how you can achieve the same great color on your stamped images without breaking your bank.

Start with your watercolor pencils and blender pen. (I bought mine at Michael's. Just $5 for the pencils and $3 for the Marvy blender pen. That's pretty much the cost of one professional marker!)

Here's the FUN part! Color your image :)

You'll notice (especially on textured cardstock) that the coloring is not an even coat. After you've finished coloring, go over your color with the blender pen in a light circular motion. This creates a nice even tone of bright color :)

Tips: Be sure to dab your pen on some tissue before each time you color over a different color, because it will transfer color. Also, try to not spend too much time in one area- the blender pen is water and it will over-wet your paper causing tiny shreds to appear. I learned this the hard way :)

And here is my result. Bright and even color :)

The great thing about this technique is you can also shade and blend colors just like you can with professional markers :)

Just color the outline of your stamped image - or color your entire image with 2 colors. Use your blender pen to go over your color completely. It creates nice shading or blending.

See how nicely that blends? :)

Here's another quick tip for all you stampers out there! Do your acrylic blocks look like this??

I'm always inking up my blocks (not purposely! lol), and I've tried many different cleaners to get all that off.. no luck! But one day I discovered this tip by accident! lol

Take your inkpad and ink up your entire block, then wipe it off quickly with a baby wipe.

The chemicals in the ink (or something! lol) reactivate and break up the dried ink and it then wipes right off!

So cool! And almost new again!

Thanks for visiting TPV today!! :)

Challenge Inspiration: Abby & Jenifer!

2012-01-11T06:00:00.009-06:00

This is a layout of my youngest daughter Emilee, she's quite a charater let me assure you!

For this layout I used Basic Grey's Out Of Print Collection paired with some DCWV, and I handmade all of the flowers! I distessed, doodled and punched to give my page some depth and charater. Look for close up's and more details on my blog!!

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I LOVE this color challenge! Black & white with any color is just gorgeous!! I had so many ideas rolling around in my noggin.. should I create something trendy, or fun, or whimsical? Well I switched gears from happy & fun and decided to go with an elegant sympathy card.

Everyone needs sympathy cards on hand and not too often do we think to make them. I used my Serenade Cricut cart to cut the spray and the white butterfly is the ever so popular Martha Stewart punch. The purple butterfly is a Martha Stewart acrylic stamp embossed with Ranger Puffs. :)

Tutorial: Homemade Flourishes by Caroli!

2012-01-10T06:00:00.020-06:00

Flourishes are one of my favorite embelishments, they are so delicate and elegant, but sometimes I can't find the right color or shape for the specific project I'm working on, and that's when making your own flourishes becomes really handy.

For creating your own flourishes you will need:

- One piece of acetate.
- One image of the flourish you want to make.
- Fiskars eyelet setters or any other similar tool.
- Rhinestones, pearls or liquid pearls.
- Glue pen and tweezers.

Place the piece of acetate over your flourish image and fix it with some scotch tape.

Use the eyelet setter for perforating the pattern and continue until completing the whole flourish. You can perforate 2 sizes of holes so the effect will be nicer.

Once you've finished it will look like this:

Remove the perforated acetate and place it over the area you want the flourish on your project. The good thing of using acetate is that it is clear, so you will have a concrete idea of how it will look like along with the rest of the elements on the project.

With the help of the tweezers and the glue pen start placing the rhinestones/pearls following the pattern. One thing I find very useful is to mark a tiny point with the pencil on each hole, so it will be easier to remove the pattern and glue the jewel directly. This is specially useful if you are using liquid pearls!

Once you've finished it will look like this:

You can use the whole pattern or just a part of it. You can also combine and place the pattern again and create a bigger flourish.

This is how my flourish came out finally, cute uh? It was super easy and you can keep the pattern for future uses.

Challenge Inspiration: Caroli & Sandi!

2012-01-09T06:00:00.021-06:00

For this challenge I used the same pic I used for the DT introduction here, which was taken by my best friend last week. Most of the time I am the one taking the pics, so when I was requested to post a pic of myself I realized I had no current / decent pic of me!! Also realized I never made a black and white layout before, so this was a real challenge for me!

This year was an excellent year for me and my family and I wanted to capture this good moment of my life with this layout. This is the second layout I make about myself in a month, can you believe it? I never made any about me before, but now I feel like doing all about me haha!

I used papers from American Crafts and DCWV. I cut the title and the butterflies with my Cricut, I'm so into butterflies lately, the are lovely :) I also used rhinestones, my Dymo labeler and some black twine for the banner. I like a lot how it came out, thanks for visiting us!

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I have a confession.....I am hopelessly addicted to Pinterest. There is sooo much inspiration and beauty on there that I could get lost for hours just taking it all in. While checking out some recent pins I found a card that inspired this card but unfortunately was not able to track it back to the creator so I could give proper credit. I love the simple clean design and loved using so many of my Cuttlebug folders on it. The combination of black, white and red is one of my favorite combos...in fact those were my wedding colors. I also heat embossed the Paper Smooches sentiment and used my favorite color of twine from the Twinery -- Marachino Cherry.

Tutorial: Paper bag to Goodie bag by Sara!

2012-01-08T06:00:00.005-06:00

I have a love for paper bags! Yup, the kind you get at the grocery store or pack your kids lunch in. The come in a verity of sizes and their kraft color makes them usable for EVERYTHING!

Today I am going to show you a few things you can do with your paper bag to make them in to something fun! The bag I am making happens to be for Valentines Day - one of my little loves will get this bag filled with sweet treats.

First thing I love doing to my bags is embossing them! Use can use a verity of embossing machines, for my demo I am using my Sizzix Big Shot with the polk-a-dot embossing plate.

Put your bag bottom in the crease of the embossing plate. The bag is taller than the embossing plate so we want to be sure to emboss from the bottom up.

Once you have embossed the bag use you trimmer and cut off the un-embossed part of the bag.

Next gather your favorite boarder punch so that we can enhance the top of our bag. NOTE - keep the top part of the bag you cut off that is not embossed- we will use this!

Start your punch in the center of the top of your bag and then work your way to each side. Be sure your bag is still closed so that you get the punch on both sides of the bag.

Now its time for you to put your personal touch on the bag. I added some double matted paper and some sheer ribbon to start my 'love' look.

Now its time to make use of that top part of the bag we cut off that was not embossed. Take a scallop or any circular punch and put it though the bag. Be sure the bag is closed and you will get 2 of the same shape.

Adhere one scallop on top of the other and then put an embellishment (flower, button, brad) in the middle an then push the top layer scallop towards the center of your embellishment to give it a wrinkled look.

Lastly all you need to so is finish decorating your bag! You will never look at a paper lunch sack the same way again!

Challenge Inspiration: Sara & Holly!

2012-01-07T06:00:00.019-06:00

I really love the B&W challenge! I have needed a reason to use this photo and I LOVE how it turned out!

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I've wanted to make paper stars for a while now so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for my first project as a new member of TPV design team.

I made these stars on Christmas Day and after I finished making them, I realized I just used my first ever Cricut cartridge (George and Basic Shapes) that I received on Christmas 2 years ago. Guess Santa left a good present that year, George now has 49 more friends to keep him company.

The stars are cut in various sizes at 11", 9" and 6 inches. I scored and inked the stars to make them dimensional, added buttons, twine and stamped a "Wish" sentiment from K. Andrews Designs. These stars are definitely going to hang on the wall in my craft room!

Thanks for Looking!

Tutorial: Bauble Dangle by Theresa!

2012-01-06T06:00:00.009-06:00

Challenge Inspiration: Theresa & Kate!

2012-01-05T06:00:00.022-06:00

This picture of my grand daughter is so adorable, and worked perfect for the black and white with a touch of color challenge. Since there was just a hint of pink showing, I knew I would use that as my splash of color. I love the little lamb that was cut from the Create a Critter cartridge. I jazzed it up with some bling.

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I really loved this Black & White challenge! I just picked up Lily Bee's Head Over Heels Collection and it was so appropriate for a black and white theme! I also used papers by Crate Paper and Pretty Little Studio. To add to the black and white with a splash of colour theme, I edited my photos to black and white, but I left my daughter's red outfit and her striking blue eyes in colour. Her eyes are so striking as it is, but with this type of treatment, they really stand out!

I stamped my red heart with red paint and a foam stamp by Donna Downey on a transparency, and I added it to the layout on the reverse (unstamped side) where the colour was more consistent. I added a bling flourish by Prima on top and wrapped some black twine by May Arts around the heart. I also used Maraschino twine by The Twinery, white ribbon with bling by Harmonie and black and white striped ribbon by My Mind's Eye. The ribbon slider is from my local scrapbooking store, Scrapbook Queens.

For my journalling, I incorporated the strip from the bottom of the paper into my sentence. The background paper is called "Smitten" from the "Head Over Heels" line, and that became part of my sentence. The rest of the sentence is made up of stickers by Glitz and Basic Grey.

I really love how this one turned out. Thanks for letting me share it with you!

Tutorial: Faux Paper Lace by Suzanne!

2012-01-04T05:00:00.005-06:00

Good morning! Suzanne here, honored to share our first TPV tutorial :) We alternate challenge inspiration (odd days of the month) and tutorials (even days of the month). Cool, huh?

I've received several inquires on my blog, Scrap With Suzy, on how I make my faux paper lace - as seen in these layouts:

So, I created a video to show you exactly how easy this is!! :)

Here's more detail on the layout I created for the video:

Gorgeous right?

I hope you give this technique a try! Please leave a link to your project so we can check it out too :)

Challenge Inspiration: Suzanne & Marcia!

2012-01-03T06:00:00.018-06:00

I immediately thought a formal occasion would be perfect for a black & white challenge, so I dug into some heritage photos and decided on this one of my maternal grandparents.

The papers are from the Echo Park's Be Mine collection. I loved how the background paper is slightly distressed adding to the vintage feel of the layout. The quote is perfect too. My grandparents were in their 20's when they married, a little older than what was usual for the times.Be watching for a tutorial on how to make these beautiful roses in an upcoming blog post!

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Here's my first project for the new year! I really loved this challenge. It stretched me because I love color and patterened paper! I was so tempted to use a beautiful piece of red cardstock with white glittered snowflakes all over, when I heard Abby's voice in my head saying "a POP of color Suz!" So I tucked that paper away and went to town with black and white, adding a few red elements. And this is what I came up with:

Those are my gorgeous nieces! :)

Welcome, Guest Designer: Tina Phillips! :)

2012-01-02T06:00:00.038-06:00

Tina Phillips

My name is Tina and I am a SAHM of 5 boys, 6 if you include my S/O who is probably the biggest kid of all. I have a giify/weird/twisted sense of humor and it often comes thru on my scrap pages....my kids will so love me when they are older with a family of their own.....hehehehe!! I have always had a creative side......probably a self defense mechanism , I can only imagine how crazy I would be if I didn't have some sort of creative outlet. I have scrapped on and off for about 7 years. Started when my youngest was born and that didn't last long.....sharp objects and no sleep just don't go well together. A couple of years passed and I got my paper and stuff back out and have reached the point now where I just know I am gonna be one of those old ladies on "Hoarders" buried under her scrap supplies and not letting anyone toss out pringles cans cuz I just KNOW I will alter them.....SOMEDAY!!!! My style is all over the place......I rarely do girly layouts but my cousin had a baby girl last year and I have had a ball making pages and things for her....in pink even. And I am a self professed hater of pink!!!

Since I have all boys, my pages are usually on the grungy side (for the older boys....I have 3 teenager boys) and I really enjoy the more whimsical lines for the younger 2.......Hello?????? Echo Park?????? LOVE them!!

I just kinda wing it.....I usually start with a sketch but I am famous for going so far off of it it is unrecognizable....Oh well :) And I am just getting into card making as well.....It's great to have something handmade to give to somneone, because to me it means so much more than something you just pull off the shelf. I am NOT a card maker....but I try :) And sometimes it realy helps get the scrapping mojo back up to snuff too.

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Thanks so much for joining us, Tina!

New Challenge!!

2012-01-01T06:00:00.094-06:00

Happy New Year !!!

Wahoo!! Time to ring in the new year with a new challenge {and new format!} at The Paper Variety!! We hope you'll join us in our 2012 resolutions to create more :)

Our first January challenge is a color challenge!

That's right, black and white with a *kiss* of color! Your project should be mostly black and white; with just a "pop" of a third color.

Our prize for this challenge is the "Farmhouse" collection

by October Afternoon!!

Gorgeous, no?

Our rules for playing:

one entry per person per challenge
your project must be NEW and dated after our challenge post
your project may be a card, layout, altered item, etc. but it must include paper
link back to The Paper Variety in your post
we don't mind if you link to other challenges, however, your entry should clearly follow our prompt to be eligible for the prize; entries that are a stretch to "fit" will not be included in the prize drawing.

Get acquainted with our

New Schedule:

1st & 15th - a new challenge will be announced along with sponsor feature and sponsored prize. when you return to enter your project, use the "challenge & entries" tab at the top of TPV or click the image icon on our sidebar for a direct link back to that page.

2nd & 16th - guest designer feature! read about our invited guest designer and view their projects following our challenge.

3rd through 12th & 17th through 26th - daily inspiration as we post our challenge projects and random tutorials for you to learn and enjoy.

13th & 27th - our design team is always inspired by what others post and create. we will feature our Top 5 favorites from your projects entered in the challenge. entries are also due by midnight of these dates.

14th & 28th - randomly chosen challenge winner is announced!

29th - our Facebook page hosts a monthly contest for your chance to win a nice scrappy prize. just comment to win. randomly chosen Facebook winner will be announced before the next TPV challenge begins on the 1st.

You can email us anytime thepapervariety@gmail.com with your questions or suggestions about challenges, entries, sponsoring, prize claims etc.

We hope you'll enjoy the changes we've made to keep The Paper Variety a fresh & fun paper challenge blog! Come play along this year :) We'd love to see your projects. We hope you are as inspired by our design team and challenges as we are by your entries!

-Suzanne & Abby

Meet Abby! :)

2011-12-31T06:00:00.010-06:00

Abby Laubenstein

Hello everyone! I'm Abby, a single mom in central Illinois. My son, Braydon, is a 12 y/o handsome sweetheart who is full of energy and creativity. I also have a couple furry ones- our cat, Logan and dog, Cooper. I've worked for our school district for nearly 10 years, the last few years as a substitute.

I've always been the artsy creative type. In grade school and high school I won many awards for my pencil drawings. I also enjoyed painting and crochet. But 12 years ago, I discovered the world of scrapbooking and have been hooked ever since.

I would consider my scrapbooking style as fun, trendy, colorful, layered, dimensional, whimsical and with many embellishments. Most of my layouts feature my son or my young nephew so I tend to go with bright colors and fun, kid friendly designs. I love to fussy-cut, hand sew and I doodle on almost every project :)

Here are a few of my favorite projects...

You can see more of my projects on my blog, Midwest Memories.

Join us tomorrow as we kick off the new year with our new team, a new TPV and our 1st challenge of 2012!! We have many improvements in store for TPV and you this year and we can't wait to get started!! :)

Meet Suzanne! :)

2011-12-30T06:00:00.003-06:00

Suzanne Spokus

I'm Suzanne, co-owner of this little challenge blog along with my bestie Abby ;) and author of Scrap With Suzy.

I've been married to my wonderful hubby, Dave, for 3 years and counting. We live in Pennsylvania with our 4 year old high-maintance puggle, Jax. We are looking forward to (hopefully and finally!) expanding our family this year. Until then, I'll keep teaching my lively class of 26 first graders. I really love it - hard to believe my first class are going to be in high school next year! :)

I started scrapbooking in 2006, just 2 weeks before I met my hubby Dave. I had returned from a week in Hawaii and determined to document my trip in photos, memorabilia and stories. So glad I was "bitten by the bug" because I have all our memories in albums from the first date to present. Pretty neat! My favorite subjects of course are family and friends, children in our lives, and our travels.

Here are a few of my favorite projects! :)

I'm looking forward to working with a new group of ladies and seeing your takes on our challenges this term!

Welcome back, Sandi! :)

2011-12-29T06:00:00.007-06:00

Sandi Pressley

I am so excited to be returning for another term on The Paper Variety! I am Sandi Pressley and I am married to Elvis -- well, his real name is David but everyone at work calls him Elvis. We are lucky enough to work together....I am in sales for a large building/roofing material supplier and Dave is the warehouse manager. We have been married for 8 years and he is extremely supportive of my hobby. In fact after hearing me bemoan the fact that I needed a good place to photograph my projects, he researched on the internet and found and bought me an awesome lightbox off ebay. Dave takes many of the pictures I scrap leading me to say "he snaps them and I scrap them!"

I am originally from the Chicago area and after marrying Dave we took a company transfer to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where we lived and worked for 4 years before transferring with the company again this time to Florida. We live in Palm Coast which is on the northeast coast of Florida halfway between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. We love the beach and Florida and have settled down here, bought a home 2 years ago and planted our roots.

I am the mother of two grown sons and have 4 beautiful grandchildren, all of whom still live in the Midwest. I started scrapping about 4 years ago because it helps me not miss my family so much. They provide much of the inspiration for my layouts. I love to do scrapbook pages, mini-albums, cards and altered items. My style runs along the clean and simple lines. Some of my favorite manufacturers are Jillibean Soup, Echo Park, Bella Blvd. and October Afternoon.

Working with Abby and Suzanne is so much fun and they are so easy to work with -- it is truly a priviledge to be on this Design Team. I am really excited to be able to challenge and inspire you for the next six months. Hopefully something you see me do will make you say..."I can do that!"

Here are a few of my recent favorite creations:

Welcome back, Theresa! :)

2011-12-28T06:00:00.004-06:00

Theresa Neubaum

Hi, I’m Theresa…and I am an addict! A craft addict that is. From as long as I can remember, I have been involved in some form of crafts. From making mud castles as a child, to drawing, painting, and crocheting through adulthood. I have been scrapping for just under five years, and my style ranges from simple to eclectic, to shabby chic.

I live along the gulf coast in southern Texas. I am married to the most loving and irritating man for 21 years. We have 3 children, and four beautiful grandchildren who are my inspiration.

I am honored to be a part of the design team here at The Paper Variety, and hope to inspire you play along with the challenges.

Welcome, Caroli! :)

2011-12-27T06:00:00.005-06:00

Carolina Schulz

My name is Carolina but everybody calls me Caroli (Ca-ro-lee), I'm a 31 years old Chilean girl in love with crafts, especially with paper crafts. I live in Santiago, the capital of this long and skinny country called Chile, literally at the end of the world!

I live in a little cute house with my fiancé (we've been together for 14 year now, we are forever engaged, haha!), our 3 years old little girl named Isidora and our crazy dog named Hachiko. I have a Bachellors Degree in Translation and Linguistics and I work full time as translator and foreing trade assistant in an international company.

When I'm not at the office I am at home baking, scrapbooking and playing with my little girl, she's the love of my life and I managed to get her into scrapbooking already! We scrap together every friday, that's our weekly scrap time :) My fiancé is very supportive with our hobby and proudly shows our creations to the family and friends.

I started scrapbooking in 2004, after a 2 months trip I made to Japan (I am a English and Japanese translator). I was so excited that I wanted to capture all those memories in an album, but not a regular one, I wanted something special. An American friend told about scrapbooking and it was love at first sight. What I love about this hobby is that it mixes lots of my previous hobbies: photography, paper, decoration, and embellishing. I took a break on 2007 and started over again last year but this time with way more energy and resources that on my begginings. Here in Chile it is really hard to find scrapbooking materials, there are just 2 or 3 stores with very old and expensive stuff, so online shopping is my best friend.

Since here in Chile scrapbooking is something almost unknown, there's no one to hold crops and chat about paper, so I almost forced my friends to get into this hobby. I and I can proudly say that my 2 best friends are into scrapbooking due to me :D

I would define my style as simple, clean, colorful and sometimes childish. I love big tittles, dimension and bright colors and since like 70% of my layouts are about my little one, I adore cute and bright colored paper brands such as Echo Park, Pebbles, American Crafts, Bella Blvd. or My Little Shoebox. Anyway, lately I have been switching into more adult layouts too, featuring my fiancé and me, vacations or important situations of our lives, so Cosmo Cricket and My Mind's Eye are my favorite brands in this style. Most of the time I work on layouts, but just few time ago I started making home decor projects like banners and collages, I loved the idea of decorating my home with paper.

These are some of my favorite projects so far:

Welcome, Holly! :)

2011-12-26T06:00:00.002-06:00

Holly Gagnon

  Hello...I'm Holly Gagnon from Ribbon's & Glue and I'm thrilled to be part of the Paper Variety 2012 Design Team!

I live in Las Vegas, NV with my husband of 12 years along with my 7 year old son, Jonas and my 5 year old Diva-daughter, Reese. I'm a Registered Dietitian who now has the privilege of being a stay at home mom. I absolutely LOVE to papercraft!   My obsession started over 8 years ago with scrapbooking and now my passion has turned into card making, party and home decorations and my true favorite, creating unique personal gifts for friends and family.

     My papercrafting style is all about the small details. I love double-sided paper, texture, chalks, glitter, ribbons and buttons. I love to work with dimensions and I'm a sucker for a fun box or bag!

Here are a few of my favorite projects:

Welcome, Marcia! :)

2011-12-25T06:00:00.001-06:00

Marcia Dehn-Nix

Hi I am Marcia Dehn-Nix and I am so excited to be a part of the Paper Variety! I am married to the most wonderful guy (28 years!) and we live in Maple Grove, Minnesota. We have three kids; Naomi (22), Colette (19), and Trenten (17). Naomi is working on her Masters degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis on creative writing. Colette is in her second year of college with a pre-vet major. Trenton will graduate from high school this spring. So it looks like we will be empty nesters next fall. Maybe this is why we are acquiring more pets. Currently in residence are cats Delta and Spook and dog Satchel. We sometimes foster for a rescue organization, so the number of cats and dogs varies. It is sometimes hard to part with these temporary pets and we do adopt them ourselves. Spook was one of our fosters and so was a cat my daughter Naomi now has.

I have been scrapbooking for just over 10 years. My scrapbooking evolved out of a love for photography. In fact, I used to be a wedding photographer! I did portrait sittings of my own kids at home. Because I am always the one behind the camera, we never had a family portrait sitting until my daughter Naomi was about to leave for college. Here is a layout made from that family portrait sitting.

I love to make cards also, and knit, and sew. This past summer I volunteered to turn old marching band uniforms into these awesome pillows. The pillows were sold to current and former marching band members as a fundraiser.

I do have a 9-5 job working as a senior software engineer creating software for electrical utilities. The senior just means I am old. I celebrated 25 years with the company last summer. My creative side helps to balance the technical side of me.

And here are some of my favorite projects .....

Any craft involving chocolate, especially M&Ms is a favorite of mine! Like this Thanksgiving turkey.

Welcome, Jenifer! :)

2011-12-24T06:00:00.007-06:00

Jenifer Evans

My name is Jenifer Evans known on many scrapbooking sites as "Jennaroo"! I have 5 kiddos and am married to my high school swetheart! We live in a small farming community....and honestly there's not much to do besides scrap and chase my kids from one sporting event to the next! I have been seriously scrapping now for 2 years but started many years ago when my first child was born. I scrapbook to preserve memories for my children and theirs to come but I also scrap as a creative outlet for myself! My friends and family make fun of me because I see things differently than they do, I get inspired by surroundings and often wonder how I can scrap them or incorporate them into my crafting somehow, whether it be something that would make a great title or something that could be altered or sqeezed onto a layout. I would say I have more than one style of scrapping because I don't want to limit my creativitey. My dominant style is shabby/pretty chic, but I've been known to produce grungy as well as clean and simple layouts once in a while. I pretty much go where the pictures and paper take me!

Welcome, Sara! :)

2011-12-23T06:00:00.004-06:00

Sara Zenger

Hi I am Sara Zenger and I am honored to be a part of The Paper Variety Team! I live in Northern NY with my husband, our one 7yr old son (Cole) and our new puppy (Bauer).

I have been scrapbooking for about eight years and have loved every minute of it! I dont think I have a particular style but I do gravitate to making things with dimension - I go to through pop-dots and foam tape like you would not believe! My favorite manufactures are Sassafrass Lass, Crate Paper, October Afternoon, Pink Paislee just to name a few.

I am a craft alcoholic! I love creating scrapbooking layouts but that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my crafty love. I love to make cards, home decor, gift bags, banners, playing with fabric and more! I am blessed to say that I have made many new friends both locally and online since my crafty days started! These friendship mean so much to me! There is nothing better than sharing something your passionate about with others that share the same passion.

I organize monthly craft days at my home (Scrap N Chat Days is what we call them) for a group of about 20 local girls. Then once a year I organize a weekend long (Friday- Sunday) retreat where we all stay over and all our meals are provided there are goodie bags and prizes galore! This past October I hosted my 8th Crop Til You Drop Retreat to 79 girls! I love doing this for them!

I wish I could say I crafted all day but I do have a 'real world' job as a manager of a convenient store. When I am not working or crafting I enjoy being outdoors with my family, working out, reading, baking/ cooking or taking photos!

Here are a few of my favorite crafty projects!

Welcome, Kate! :)

2011-12-22T06:00:00.007-06:00

Kate Vickers

Hi! My name is Kate Vickers. I am a wife and mother of 3 small children, ages 7, 3 and 2. I live in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. I have scrapbooked seriously for about 5 years now, but I have been interested in arts and crafts since I was old enough to hold a crayon.

My scrapbooking style is a bit ecclectic and varied. It depends on what I'm in the mood for, who has been influencing me lately and the papers and photos I'm working with. I love doing single page 12x12 layouts, the occassional double page layout, cards, altered items and minis - pretty much any craft involving paper!

My other passion is horseback riding, however, it’s a very expensive and time-consuming sport. I have put that on hold for a few years while my children are young. As every parent knows, young children are also very expensive and time-consuming!

My real job is part-time freelance Web project management, design and development. I have my own small business – Vickers Media (pardon the dust and cobwebs - my Web site is in serious need of being re-designed!), and I work part-time as a Web Project Manager at a marketing company in Mississauga. I have also been lucky to be able to do freelance work for some other major Canadian marketing firms. My specialty is open source content management systems like Joomla and WordPress. What I love most about my job is that I make my own hours and I still have a lot of free time to do the things that I love, like spending time with my family and scrapbooking!

Here are some of my favourite projects:

Introducing......

2011-12-21T06:00:00.009-06:00

Good morning!

If you would tell anyone that knows me now, that I used to be REALLY shy way back when - they'd probably laugh their heads off. I think it's safe to say, I'm not so shy anymore. (I think moving away to college cured me of that.)

I'm such a "people person" now! Just ask my bestie Abby (and partner in crime here at The Paper Variety) - I talk really fast, too. When we talk on the phone, she can barely keep up LOL! I wish my fingers could keep up with how busy my brain is. So much to say, so little time!

So, imagine my excitement today when I get to announce our next TPV design team!!! Wahoo! I get butterflies every time we begin a new term. It's amazing how many talented paper crafters there are - not only all across the states, but all over the world. Pretty cool, huh? And, to think we get to "WORK" together here. Work? Yeah right, we're having so much fun planning the next 6 months!! :)

One thing in the works you'll notice right away.. our normal "Team A and B" have merged into one mega-talented team.

**Introducing**

Kate Vickers, Ontario, Canada

Theresa Neubaum, Texas

Carolina Schultz, Chile

Marcia Dehn-Nix, Minnesota

Sandi Pressley, Florida

Sara Zenger, New York

Holly Gagnon, Nevada

Jenifer Evans, Nebraska

and your founders ;)

Abby Laubenstein, Illinois

Suzanne Spokus, Pennsylvania

One team? As my first graders would ask dramatically, "So what does that meeeeeeean?" :)

It means we will be having bi-weekly challenges, on the 1st and 15th of each month. Not only does this give you more time to enter your paper projects, but we will also be providing you additional technique, video, and guest designer posts. We have a talented team and we want to share the inspiration!

So, please join me in welcoming the ladies above. Throughout the next 10 days, we'll introduce them formally so you can get to know their scrappy styles and personal blogs. Make sure you are a follower of The Paper Variety so you don't miss a post!

Feel free to also grab our new logo:

Wishing you the merriest of holidays,

Suzanne (and Abby!)

Winner!

2011-12-20T18:36:00.000-06:00

Wahoo! Time to announce our last winner of 2011.

We had 150 fabulous entries for our "anything goes" challenge.

Lots of variety -- and you know we love that!

And our winner is..

Lisa's beautiful card!

Congratulations, Lisa!!

Please email us at

thepapervariety@gmail.com

with your snail mail address.

We'll get your Echo Park prize to you!

Guess what???

Tomorrow we announce our new design team!!

You don't want to miss it :)

-Suzanne

The Paper Variety

Challenge Inspiration: Jenifer & Abby!

Tutorial: Button flowers by Sandi!

Challenge Inspiration: Sandi & Caroli!

Tutorial: Paper tearing/chalking by Holly!

Challenge Inspiration: Holly & Sara!

Tutorial: Twine Sentiment by Kate!

Challenge Inspiration: Kate & Theresa!

Tutorial: Debossing by Marcia!

Challenge Inspiration: Suzanne & Marcia!

Welcome, Guest Designer: Tenny Kusuma! :)

*New* Challenge!!

Winner!!

Top 5!!

Tutorial: Make your own embossing folder by Abby!

Challenge Inspiration: Abby & Jenifer!

Tutorial: Rolled Flowers by Caroli!

Challenge Inspiration: Sandi & Caroli!

Tutorial: Simple card design, many looks by Sara!

Challenge Inspiration: Sara & Holly!

Tutorial: Flip-top box by Theresa!

Challenge Inspiration: Theresa & Kate!

Tutorial: Folded Flower by Suzanne! :)

Challenge Inspiration: Marcia & Suzanne!

Welcome, Guest Designer: April Walker! :)

New Challenge! (& Facebook Winner!)

Winners!! & Facebook Giveaway! :)

Top 5!!

Tutorial: Scissor Distressing by Jenifer!

Challenge Inspiration: Jenifer & Abby!

Tutorial: Fan fold flowers by Sandi!

Challenge Inspiration: Sandi & Caroli!

Tutorial: Multi-fold cards by Holly!

Challenge Inspiration: Holly & Sara!

Tutorial: Printing on tags by Kate!

Challenge Inspiration: Kate & Theresa!

Tutorial: Handmade Roses by Marcia!

Challenge Inspiration: Marcia & Suzanne!

Welcome, Guest Designer: Kim Martin! :)

New Challenge!

Winner!

TOP 5!!

Tutorial: Watercolor pencils by Abby!

Challenge Inspiration: Abby & Jenifer!

Tutorial: Homemade Flourishes by Caroli!

Challenge Inspiration: Caroli & Sandi!

Tutorial: Paper bag to Goodie bag by Sara!

Challenge Inspiration: Sara & Holly!

Tutorial: Bauble Dangle by Theresa!

Challenge Inspiration: Theresa & Kate!

Tutorial: Faux Paper Lace by Suzanne!

Challenge Inspiration: Suzanne & Marcia!

Welcome, Guest Designer: Tina Phillips! :)

*New* Challenge!!

Meet Abby! :)

Meet Suzanne! :)

Welcome back, Sandi! :)

Welcome back, Theresa! :)

Welcome, Caroli! :)

Welcome, Holly! :)

Welcome, Marcia! :)

Welcome, Jenifer! :)

Welcome, Sara! :)

Welcome, Kate! :)

**Introducing......**

Winner!

New Challenge!!

New Challenge!!

Introducing......