Paper Maniac ~ 1ST Birthday Celebration Blog Hop

TGIF!! The Paper Maniac is TURNING ONE and we are to celebrate with an awesome blog hop!! You are going to love all the fabulous eye candy and PRIZES waiting for you!

If you arrived here from Amy C's Blog then you are on the right track!

If not, you will want to go to Paper Maniac Store Blog and start at the beginning!!

In honor of this awesome celebration , I decided to make Happy Birthday Banner using the Echo Park Sweet Summertime Kit, Scallop and Circle Nestabilities and a little metallic ribbon!! I just LOVE how this turned out!! The Echo Park papers are AMAZING and I will definitely be ordering more just as soon as I can!!

Here is a quick rundown of all the fabulous PRIZES up for grabs. Be sure and check the Store Blog or Patti Olson's Blog - for COMPLETE details on all the prizes!!

****Big Blog Prize****
One Random Blog Hopper will receive a DELUXE Prize Package - Must leave a comment on each of the participating blogs by Sunday evening.

****Friend Prize****
Sign up as a Friend of Paper Maniac on Facebook and win a package of papers and stamps!!

****Wish List Prize****
Everyday between September 10th and 13th a customer wish list will be randomly selected and wishes will be granted (up to $25.00)

****Free Gift w/Purchase****
All purchases between September 1oth and 15th will have a gift included!!

Now head on over to see what the FABULOUS Dana Grothaus has in store for you!!

Your chance to win some COPICS and CSN certificate, plus new digis from SOME ODD GIRL!

Head on over to Some Odd Girl and check out the new look and take a second enter this awesome contest......

NAME THE MONKEE!

Click on the blinkie to get the details at Some Odd Girl and if you are lucky enough to suggest the name we choose for this sweet little guy, you will win...

***a $40 gift certificate to CSN stores****

****a set of 8 Copic Ciao markers from iCopic!****

****FULL SET of new MONKEE digis - that's 5 adorable images****

You have until October 17th to submit your names and make sure you complete all the steps found here to be eligible. GOOD LUCK!!

TCC September Release Blog Hop

Hi all!! Welcome to The Character Cafe September Release Blog Hop! You are going to love all the fabulous eye candy waiting for you along the hop!!

If you arrived here from Lola's Blog then you are on the right track!

If not, you will want to go to The Character Cafe and start at the beginning for a chance to win some amazing prizes!!

The new releases this month are just TOO Cute!! As soon as I saw Trix-E, I knew I wanted to make a few Halloween bookmarks for my DD and her friends. I used word to add the "Hoppy" Halloween sentiment and cut them out with the PTI bookmark die. The borders are are stickers from Echo Park's Halloween kit.

Make sure and comment on all the DT Blogs for a chance to win the Grand Prize

(2 New Release Images and a $5 Gift Certificate for The Cafe Store).

We’d love for you to become a follower of our blog, or member of The Café Store, however, this is just a request, not a requirement to win anything. We know that once you try TCC, you’ll want to join us. Check back later this week for all the details on the upcoming DT Call!!

Now head on over to see what the fabulous Georgia has for you!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Bugaboo OBG ~ Best Witches

Hi all! Today is Oldie but a Goodie Thursday at the Bugaboo Challenge Blog. This is a chance for the DT to showcase some of their favorite Bugaboo stamps.

I just LOVE these Hoppy Occasions digi stamps. These little frogs are just perfect for so many cards! I decided to make a Halloween card with my new favorite paper from Echo Park. The little broom was just something I had laying around and the plum ribbon is from PTI. The black candy dots are from Pebbles Inc.

This card is also for Cupcake Craft Challenge 106 ~ Let's Get Digital!

Now head on over to the Catch the Bug Challenge Blog to see all the Design Teams amazing creations.

Thanks for stopping by,

Paper Maniac Inspirations ~ Sweet x2

This week for Paper Maniac, I have a super sweet card made with a bingo stamp, recycled blue jeans and a stitched ribbon flower. I just love this bingo card from the Unity December Store Kit ~ Sweet Affections. I stamped it twice and cut it out to use as my background. The finish touches include using a white pen to faux stitch around the blue jean heart and adding a little circle around the I love you square.

Stamps: Unity

Ink: Memento

Paper: Select White and Pure Poppy CS

Accessories: Stitched Ribbon, Felt Buttons

Remember to mark your calendars for the Big Birthday Bash on September 9th!

Thanks for stopping by,

Bugaboo CTBC ~ Dog Days of Summer

Well the first week of school is officially over and now it is time for the hectic world of soccer and cheerleading! Today is a new Bugaboo Catch a Bug Challenge and this week we are celebrating the Dog Days of Summer...use any animals (not just dogs) and the color challenge is to use Neutrals (white, ivory, kraft/brown, or black) + 1 extra color of your choice.

I just love this Summer Dog cruising along in his convertible!! My neutrals are kraft and white and I used orange for my extra color. The dsp is from Joy Ride by Cosmo Cricket and the sentiment is Enjoy the Ride from PTI.

To play along with this weeks challenge and checkout all the amazing DT creations, head over to the Catch the Bug Challenge Blog.

You may use any stamp you choose however if you use a Bugaboo stamp you get two entries per card. We will pick winners with random.org for the following:

1st Place ~ 7 images of choice
2nd Place ~ 4 images of choice
3rd Place ~ 2 images of choices.

Thanks for stopping by!

Some Odd Girl Style Challenge #6 ~ A Sketch

Happy Thursday everyone!! Hope this post finds you all happy and healthy! It has been a great week so far in the Cortes house. The kids love being back to school and can't wait for the weekends activities (cheerleading and soccer).

Anyway, It is time for this weeks Some Odd Girl Style Challenge #6 and this week we have a great sketch for you.

For my card, I choose the adorable Balloon Kaylee for my card. I printed her out and colored her with Prismacolor markers. The dsp is from October Afternoon and the ric rac ribbon is from American Crafts. The fabulous birthday bingo card is from Jenni Bowlin. I used the new Just the Ticket stamps and die from PTI for my sentiment.

To play along with this weeks challenge and checkout all the amazing DT creations, head over to the Some Odd Girl Challenge Blog.

Remember that you don't have to use Some Odd Girl images on your projects, but if you do (and there's always a FREEBIE for the taking!), you'll get TWO entries into the challenge. Be sure to link back to us on your post, and do it by Wednesday, September 8th at midnight EST for your chance to win!

Thanks for stopping by!

Paper Maniac Inspirations ~ Back to School

This week for Paper Maniac, I have kind of an unconventional Back to School card to share with you. It is the first day of school for my kids today. I am going to slip this card in my sons book bag as a little surprise (you can see my daughters card here). When I make cards for my son, I always try and go with a less is more theme so this card is pretty CAS. The sentiment is computer generated and I used the Fiskars notebook punch for the edge of the notebook paper.

Stamps: Unity

Ink: Memento

Paper: Cosmo Cricket ~ Joy Ride

Accessories: Pebbles Candy Dots

Remember to mark your calendars for the Big Birthday Bash on September 9th!

Here is a quick back to school pic of the kiddos!!

Thanks for stopping by,

TCC Feature Friday ~ Dimensional Glaze

Hi again!! Aren't you glad it's Friday?? I am so excited that I have nothing to do today...LOL! Which really means I will be be busy all day trying to get all the household chores caught up!

Today is Feature Friday at The Character Cafe and this weeks challenge is to use a Dimesional Glaze on your card/project.

For my card, I am using one of this months new releases at the Character Cafe - Witch Olga. She is really freaky and perfect for your Halloween cards. I used diamond glaze on the the bubbling cauldron but it is not really showing up in the pic! I just got this new Halloween dsp from Echo Park and I LOVE it. The witch feet charm is from Making Memories.

To join in on the fun and be eligible for this weeks fabulous prize and check out all the fabulous creations from the Design Team. Head over to the Cafe Blog and link your creation to Mr. Linky by next Thursday evening.

Thanks for stopping by,

A Couple Challenge Cards

Happy Thursday everyone!! A huge thanks for all the well wishes concerning my foot. It is healing nicely and the stitches come out Saturday...YEAH! It has just been crazy this week! Why is it that everything has to start back up at the same time...school, soccer, cheerleading...it is just so hard to get back into the rhythm of running all aver place again.

Anyway, I have a couple cards for a few different challenges to share with you. The first card is using the adorable Bugaboo Brat image of Skye and her scooter. The color scheme on this card is quite different from my norm. I was trying to challenge myself to think a little outside of the box and I really like the way it came together.

The cs is pomegranate and kiwi from Stampin' Up! and the dsp os from Cosmo Cricket and October Afternoon. The border was cut with my Cricut and the sentiment is from PTI. This card is for the following challenges:

Mojo Monday ~ Sketch 152
Craft Your Passion ~ Anything Goes

The second card features the super fun Dancin' Mae from Some Odd Girl. I LOVE this image, it reminds me so much of my daughter when she is dancing around with her iPod. I love it when she really gets into it and forgets we are there and starts singing out loud. She gets so embarrassed
when she realizes we are watching her!!

The dsp on this card is Teen Scene from American Craft. I cut the stars with my Cricut and added a ton of glitter to them. For the mat the images is on, I cut one big circle and then a bunch of little (one inch) circles and glued them along the edge of the big circle. I added some silver pearls and black rhinestones and the sentiment is from PTI. The card is for the following challenges:

My Time to Craft ~ Glitter and Glitz
Crafty Pad ~ Glitz and Glitter
Pile It On ~ Get In Shape (use at least 5 cutouts on your project)

Well that's it for me today. Be sure and come back tomorrow for my Character Cafe Feature Friday card.

Thanks for stopping by,

SFC62 ~ Use HOT Colors

Can you believe it is Monday already!! The kids go back to school in just 10 days! It is going to be so weird not having them home all day. They are starting to get excited though. They usually do when we starting buying supplies and getting everything ready.

Today's Squigglefly challenge is to use Hot Colors (red, orange, yellow) on your card or project. I knew this would be the perfect card to use my Hippie Chic paper from DCWV, it is all about HOT colors LOL!! And what goes perfect with Hippe paper? A Hippie Queen of course!! I paper pieced her dress and the sentiment is computer generated. All the patterned paper was really busy so I decided to keep the embellishments to a minimum.

Now it is your turn to play along! Head over to the Squigglefly Challenge Blog and link your card and you could win a prize!

Thanks for stopping by!

Some Odd Girl Digi Day

Hi all!!! Today its Some Odd Girl Digi Day over at SNR...Please stop by and join us for lots of challenges, games, freebies and discounts!!

I have an element challenge to use at least 5 things from the list below for your cards. It is way easier than it sounds...I promise!!

Stitching (real or faux)
Orange (little or alot)
Masking or Paper Piecing
Embossing

Oval
Diecut (can be nesties, punches, etc...)
Distressing

Green (little or alot)
Inked Edges
Ribbon
Lace

If you wanna play along...head over to SNR. Kristy has generously offered a 40% discount for this digi day as well as an adorable freebie... you can get them here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Back to School with Bugaboo

Wow!! It has been one crazy week! I apologize for my lack of posting and commenting this week. I was in my craft room on Wednesday and stepped on a scallop blade for my cutter (one of the interchangeable ones), I couldn't get the bleeding to stop so I went to the ER. Well I had to get 5 stitches and a Tetanus shot...ugh!! Then to top it off...Wednesday night I woke up with the worst headache of my life, fever, chills...the works!! Turns out I was having an adverse reaction to the Tetanus shot and this lasted for about two days!! Just crazy!!

Anyway, I am feeling much better now and it is time for this weeks Bugaboo Catch a Bug Challenge and this week we are going...Back to School!!

This adorable Bugaboo Brat from the Teacher Mini Set is just perfect for your back to school projects/cards. I made this card to slip into my daughters book bag on the first day of school. I do this every year and my kids love it!! The apple dsp is from October Afternoon and the library card is from Cosmo Cricket. The sentiment and ticket stub are from PTI.

To play along with this weeks challenge and checkout all the amazing DT creations, head over to the Catch the Bug Challenge Blog.

You may use any stamp you choose however if you use a Bugaboo stamp you get two entries per card. We will pick winners with random.org for the following:

1st Place ~ 7 images of choice
2nd Place ~ 4 images of choice
3rd Place ~ 2 images of choices.

Thanks for stopping by!

Paper Maniac Inspirations ~ Butterfly Kisses

**If you are hopping along with The Character Cafe, you'll find my card here**

This week for Paper Maniac, I have an adorable circle card to share with you! I just love the Pink Cat Studio images available in the store! Once you use them, you want to buy them all!! They are amazingly easy to color and so versatile!!

Stamps: Lily Butterfly - Pink Cat Studios
Ink: Memento
Paper: Flutter - Making Memories

Accessories: Scallop and Circle Nesties, Kaisercraft Hot Pink Pearls

It is Week 11 of the Summer Saving Spectacular at Paper Maniac and you will definitely want to check out this weeks sales and grab this weeks free calendar images!!

Every Tuesday until Labor Day, there will be a different deep discount sale and a digital download of word art or an image for your use. The whole event will lead up to the Big Birthday Bash on September 9th!

Thanks for stopping by,

TCC August Release Blog Hop

Hello again!! My camera is finally fixed so now I can share my card using Sam and the great sketch from 2 Sketches 4 U . You should have arrived here from The Character Cafe and your next stop is the uber-talented Audrey.

I printed Sam out on Select White cs and colored him with Prismacolor markers. The dsp is Cosmo Cricket's Joy Ride and the sentiment is computer generated. The border punch is from Fiskars and the "graph paper" is actually a strip of printed paper tape from Pink Paislee.

Remember, each of DT Members will be offering up the image they worked with to one
lucky hopper and our Grand Prize winner will receive the entire August New
Release Set. Plus, we're also having a SALE right now, the entire inventory has been marked down 40%!!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Woohoo!! I'm an Odd Girl!

I have just been bursting to share this awesome news!! I am so excited to be joining the Some Odd Girl Design Team.

Today the new DT members are all sharing their Debut Projects with you. For my card, I choose the super cute Baker Kaylee for my card. I printed her out and colored her with Prismacolor markers. I used October Afternoon dsp to paper piece her apron and hat and added a little glitter to her cupcake. I used the new Just the Ticket stamps and die from PTI for my sentiments.

Now head on over to the Some Odd Girl Challenge Blog and check out all the Odd Girl's Debut projects!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Paper Maniac Inspirations ~ Thank You!

This week at Paper Maniac we are saying Thanks!! I just had to pull out the DeLovely Chipboard and DSP from Cosmo Cricket. I used a paper piercer to add a little flourish for the birds "chirp" and the sentiment is from PTI's Signature Greetings. A super cute and easy card for saying thanks to someone special!

It is Week 10 of the Summer Saving Spectacular at Paper Maniac and you will definitely want to check out this weeks sales and grab this weeks free digi images!!

Every Tuesday until Labor Day, there will be a different deep discount sale and a digital download of word art or an image for your use. The whole event will lead up to the Big Birthday Bash on September 9th!

Thanks for stopping by,

It's Bugaboo ABaC Monday!

This is my 2nd post for today. Please scroll down for my Squigglefly Challenge Card.

It is Anything But a Card Monday over at the Bugaboo Challenge Blog You may remember my project from two weeks ago where I posted these adorable magnets made with Mini Skulls for my DD's locker. Well this week, I made an altered notebook and RSVP pen to go with them.

I just printed out the Mini Skulls background paper and glued it to a Composition Notebook. The measurements and instructions for the pen can be found here.

Now head over to the Catch the Bug Challenge Blog to see what else the DT has for you. Don't forget to swing by the store for the 50% off sale and stock up on all the awesome digis!!

Thanks for stopping by,

SFC60 ~ Use Ribbon

Where did the weekend go? I can't believe it is Monday already!! Summer is just flying by and I can't believe August is already here!! We spent the weekend getting ready for a yard sale and did some back to school shopping!

Today's Squigglefly challenge is to use Ribbon on your card or project. I needed a boy card for my neighbor so I decided to use the awesome Space Adventures set. This is a huge set of 15 digi stamps.

Now it is your turn to play along! Head over to the Squigglefly blog and link your card and you could win a prize!

Thanks for stopping by!

Friends + Coffee = Perfection!

This week at Paper Maniac we are celebrating Friendship. What goes perfect with friends?? Why coffee of course LOL!! There is nothing better than taking time out of a busy day to sit down with a friend to chat over a great cup of coffee! My image and sentiment are from Fueled by Caffeine by Our Craft Lounge. The dsp is Nutmeg from Cosmo Cricket and I used circle and scallop nesties to make the cuts for my image.

It is Week 9 of the Summer Saving Spectacular at Paper Maniac and you will definitely want to check out this weeks sale....Copic Packaged Sets in Sketch or Ciao and Atyou Spica Sets 15% off, Ribbon and Cosmo Cricket 25% off, Cling Mounted Rubber Stamps 20% off.

Every Tuesday until Labor Day, there will be a different deep discount sale and a digital download of word art or an image for your use. The whole event will lead up to the Big Birthday Bash on September 9th!

Thanks for stopping by,

Bugaboo CTBC ~ Sweet Summertime

The Bugaboo Catch a Bug Challenge theme for this week is...Sweet Summertime

This adorable image from Bugaboo is definitely sweet and there is nothing better than spending a summer day at the beach! I colored the image with Prismacolor markers and cur it out with circle nesties. The green scallop ribbon is from Cosmo Cricket and the flower embellie is Making Memories. The sentiment is from PTI's Scattered Showers.

To play along with this weeks challenge and checkout all the amazing DT creations, head over to the Catch the Bug Challenge Blog.

We have a fabulous sponsor this week...The Character Cafe is offering one lucky winner a $10 Gift Certificate. This is in addition to usual Bugaboo prizes!!

You may use any stamp you choose however if you use a Bugaboo stamp you get two entries per card. We will pick winners with random.org for the following:

1st Place ~ 7 images of choice
2nd Place ~ 4 images of choice
3rd Place ~ 2 images of choices.

Thanks for stopping by!

TCC Feature Friday ~ Pocket Cards

Hi all!! Any big plans for the weekend? We just spent two days at Cedar Point so I am going to be using the weekend to get everything caught up. It is amazing how far behind you get in just a couple days. Today is Feature Friday at The Character Cafe and this weeks challenge is Pocket Cards.

For my card, I decided to reuse on of my favorite Character Cafe images - Suzie. She is just so cute and I love her crazy hair. The measurements for my card are 9 1/2 by 4 1/4 and then scored at 5 1/2 and 8 1/4. I used pop dots only at the top of my image so it could slide over the edge of the card. This way it works for both the card and the tag.

To join in on the fun and be eligible for this weeks fabulous prize and check out all the fabulous creations from the Design Team. Head over to the Cafe Blog and link your creation to Mr. Linky by next Thursday evening.

Thanks for stopping by,

Paper Maniac Inspirations ~ Emboss Resist

I am so excited about this weeks featured technique at Paper Maniac. Using emboss resist creates such an elegant touch to even a simple card. For my card I used clear embossing ink and powder on my flower image from Unity. I created mask with a circle nestability and used blue ink to cover the image and circle. The sentiment is also from Unity and I finished it off with some stitched ribbon and a white button. I created this card after seeing this card by Karen Dunbrook on SCS.

It is Week 8 of the Summer Saving Spectacular at Paper Maniac and you can check out my tutorial for making flowers out of stitched ribbon.

Remember every Tuesday until Labor Day, there will be a different deep discount sale. There will also be a digital download of word art or an image for your use. The whole event will lead up to the Big Birthday Bash on September 9th!

Thanks for stopping by,