Paper Smooches July Blog Hop

It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the NEW Paper Smooches JULY release with you!  TWO newstamps and TEN new dies will be available to purchase on June 30th at 8:00pm pacific time. Once our release goes live, you will find our new products HERE.  

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize!  The prize - a $25 gift code to choose what you like at the PS online store.

Here are the details:

• FOUR winners will be chosen at RANDOM from any of the design team blogs and the PS Blog to win the $25 prize.
• Just leave a comment on any of the design team blogs listed below or the PS blog for you chance to win!  (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify but it increases your changes)
• Deadline: You have until midnight PT on Sunday, June 28th to leave a comment. 
• Please check the Paper Smooches blog on Monday, June 29th to see if you are one of the FOUR lucky winners.  

A couple of our designers are taking a small hiatus to care for different things in their life. Amy Kolling is filling in for Emily and Melissa Phillips is filling in for Pamela.  We are so excited to have them join us in July!

Alice Wertz

Amy Kolling

Ashley Marcu

JJ Bolton (you are here)

Kalyn Kepner

Kay Miller

Laura Bassen

Laurie Schmidlin

Melissa Phillips

Michele Boyer

Teri Anderson

To increase your chances of winning:

•   Tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop

•   Tell us that you Tweeted about our hop

•   Tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

(which means that you have up to three extra chances to win on each blog)

Now let's take a look at one of the new dies, Dainty Flowers!  I love the design of these dies (what I call open looped) because they allow you you to do so many techniques.  You can use the die cut alone, make a shaker card, or do inlaid die cutting as I have with this card...

For my card, I used the dies to make a background and just used color on one flower.  This is a fun way to use a very intricate die.  Even though the die is very detailed, the white on white design still keeps it clean.  I blended inks on the one flower and then added the bold sentiment strip.  The black of the sentiment strip is pretty dark, so I balanced the black with some enamel dots.  Couldn't have been easier.  

Thanks for hopping with us today!  The next stop on the hop is the wonderful Kalyn Kepner!  Have a great day guys!

aloha,
jj

CardMaker & Avery Elle Blog Hop

Today is a fun day because the Avery Elle design team is teaming up with our friends over at CardMaker Magazine for a fun blog hop.   Be sure to stop by our company and designer blogs to be inspired and enter for a chance to win a prize.  One lucky commenter will be drawn at random and will win a $30 Avery Elle Gift Certificate.  You have all week to enter to win.  The winner of the Avery Elle Gift Certificate will be announced on the Avery Elle blog on Monday, June 29th.  

With all the new Avery Elle sets, I just can't stop making little underwater scenes:)  For my hop card, I combined the Seal-abrate stamps and dies with the Swim Team stamps and dies to make this scene...

I started by partially die cutting the seal tail and then used the wavy die to create the top of the water.  I love how you can just turn the seal and he looks like he's diving:)  I colored the seal with some Copics and then used the dotty stamp from Swim Team to give him spots on his belly.  I added a little more detail with the wave die cuts in the water.  I finished it off with one of my favorite sentiments.

The next stop on the hop is the lovely Patti Gilliam, but here's the full list if you've just jumped in!

CardMaker 

Katie Gehring  

AJ Otto 

Caryn Davies 

Anita Mulcahey 

Yainea  

Lisa Lahiff 

Melania Deasy  

Lois Bak 

JJ Bolton  (that' s me:)

Patti Gilliam 

Karolyn Loncon  

Sarah Ashley Posch 

Jamie Gracz  

Thank you SO much for stopping by!

XOXO,

jj

Bold, Gold Petals

Isn't it funny how CAS cards can be so complicated?  I think that's why I love the Petal Plate and Petal Plate Additions dies so much. The hardest part was just choosing the colors;)  The sentiment is from the So Happy stamp set and it fits perfectly in the center strip.  Easy peasy!

Have a great week everyone!

XOXO,

jj

Let's Make Cake

Just stopping by with a really quick post of a card I recently made for a friend.  Maybe it was all the family birthday parties we had last month, but I've had cake on the brain.  So for this card, I pulled together Avery Elle's Fly By dies , Scalloped Frame dies, and Fabulous Florals dies with Lawn Fawn's  Baked with Love stamps to make this Congrats cake:)  (Just an FYI, I cut around the die cut Scalloped Frame die pattern.  That die only die cuts the pattern, not the outline of the shape)  

It's always fun to pull stamps and dies that don't go together to make something completely different!  

Have a fantastic weekend folks!

Much love,

jj

Floral Thanks with Avery Elle

There are so many fun things to do with the new dies from Avery Elle like shakers (you knew that was coming, lol)!  This card uses the Pierced Circles dies, Peonies stamps and dies, and a bit of paper from the Neutral Collection paper pad.  The flowers and leaves were softened up a bit with some shading using Copics just to contrast with the bold black and white background.    

That's it for me today!  Thank you SO much for stopping by!

XOXO,

jj

Getting Puffy

Hello there everyone!  I've been having fun making little underwater scenes with my Swim Team set, and here's a goofy card that I made for one of my dorky friends (you know who you are;)  Do you have friends you can get goofy with?  I hope so!

Obviously, this little puffer has issues;)  

The background is just blended ink (Distress Inks, of course).  I made a mask using the water die from the Swim Team die set and used it to make little waves over my background.  The sand die cuts were made with a die from the Custom Panels set.  And the fun thought bubble and letters are from Lawn Fawn.  If you've made a card with the Swim Team set, let me know!  I'd love to see it!

Have a fantastic weekend folks!

Much love,

jj

Blessed Friday with Neat and Tangled!

Hi everyone!  I have another Neat and Tangled card to share with you today.  This one uses the Gardenia Blooms Journaling Card die designed by my good friend, Miriam Prantner (love that gal:).  As the name implies, the die is actually the shape of a 3X4 journaling card (Project Life card), but I wanted to show you a way to use it in another way.  

I started by die cutting a couple of the journaling cards in white card stock.  Instead of using the cards whole, I cut out individual flowers or flower groupings.  Then I backed each flower grouping with some vellum.  (To apply the vellum, I just glued it to the back of each die cut and then cut around the edges)

Because the vellum flowers were so light and delicate, I wanted a really bold and bright background.  I used Distress Ink in Abandoned Coral to blend over the entire card front.  Then I spritzed it with a bit of white mist.  The beautiful script sentiment is from the coordinating Gardenia Blooms stamp set.  The last step was just to add my flowers with a few sequins and acrylic raindrops.  

Thanks for stopping in and have a wonderful weekend!  And thanks to Miriam and Danielle at Neat and Tangled for letting me play with such beautiful crafty things:)  

Much love,

jj

Bursting Birthday with Avery Elle

I never seem to have enough birthday cards, so I'm always glad to add one to my stash! Here's one using the new Avery Elle Bring on the Cake set and the new Burst Die.  

Since this is a stash card, I kept it neutral and just made it a chocolate cake:)  I borrowed the candle die from the Cupcakes set.  I have to say that I'm really enjoying all the new Avery Elle background dies like this Burst die.  I've said this before, but sometimes all you need is a little texture in your cards (especially CAS ones).  It always gives a card a little boost without getting too busy. 

Thank you so much for stopping by!  Have a fantastic day:)

Cheers!

jj

Hello with Neat and Tangled

Happy Monday (it is, I swear)!  The lovely gals over at Neat and Tangled have graciously asked me to guest with them in June.  How cool is that?  So this month, you'll be seeing a few projects over the next few weeks using some of the fun stuff from Neat and Tangled.  My first card uses the awesome stamp set Hello There and the Graduated Stripes Cover Plate!  Don't you just love that sentiment stamp?  

To achieve this look, I used my Misti to do some stacked stamping (here's my original tutorial on stacked stamping if you're not familiar).  On the base layer, I added color by blending 3-4 different Distress Inks.  This is a fun and easy technique when you have a large scale stamp like this. 

I'm so, so happy that you stopped by today!  I truly appreciate your visits and your kind words!  

Cheers!

jj

Saturday with Paper Smooches

Happy Saturday folks!  I've got a couple Paper Smooches cards to share today.  The first one is a card and a party decoration using the new Fringe 2 die.  I used the die to cut different colored tissue paper (stacked about 5 sheets high).  After cutting I keep all the sheets together, wrapped them around the end of a coordinating paper straws, and secured with some washi tape.  The beauty of this project is that you can use these as decorations or as straws (you can just push the fringe down the straw).  

I also made a matching shaker card using the Frame Duo 2 die.  I filled the shaker with some hexagon confetti and some tissue paper confetti that I made by die cutting tissue paper into fringe (see below) and then cutting up the fringe into squares.  Here's a closer look of the tissue paper...

This second card uses the new Green Acres Icons dies.  I love the little pig from the Green Acres set, so I couldn't resist making a "when pigs fly" card.  (The balloons are from Hullabaloo and the sentiment is from Uplifters)

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you have a great weekend!  

Mahalo and Aloha,
jj

Avery Elle Summer Release Blog

It's release day, people, and I'm so excited!  All of the summer release is available on the Avery Elle website now!  I really love that this release seems to have something for everyone:)

My first card uses the new stamp set Swim Team and coordinating die set.  I know I'm going to have so much fun making little ocean scenes with these sets!

This next card is a panel shaker using the Petal Panel die and stamp set.  This panel has so many possibilities but is so easy to use.  I decided to back the open areas with vellum to create a subtle shaker card.  

Here's a peek at the back to give you an idea of how the shaker was made.  

I have one last card to share using just the Petal Plate Additions dies.  These dies are meant to be used with the Petal Panel die but the the shapes can be used for all kinds of designs like say, a flower:)  I watercolored some "petals" and arranged them into a graphic flower.  

In the background, I used the new Pierced Circle dies.  These dies do not cut a line but do cut in the pierced circle design.  BTW, you can cut the circles apart, but I used them all together as they came.  The pierced design is perfect for CAS cards when you want a little extra texture but don't want your card to get too busy.  The sentiment is from the Peonies set.

Now are you ready for a giveaway?  To celebrate our Summer 2015 Release Blog Hop, Avery Elle is giving away a $25 Gift Certificate to one random winner.  To enter to win just comment on this post.  There is no purchase necessary and you must be 18 years of age or older to enter.  This giveaway is void where prohibited.  You can also do options 2, 3, 4, 5 or all 6 of the following to increase your chances of winning. You have until midnight Sunday, June 7th to enter.  The winner will be announced on the Avery Elle Blog on Monday, June 8th .  All products are available for purchase in the Avery Elle store right now.

To enter to win you can do 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or all 6 of the following to increase your chances:

1. Comment on any of the design team's posts and/or here on the Avery Elle Blog
2. Follow us on Twitter and tweet the contest (we are @averyellestamps )
3. Follow us on Facebook (we are www.facebook.com/AveryElle ) and share us with your friends - make sure they tell us you sent them. 
4. Follow us on Pinterest
5. Become a blog follower through email (comment on the Avery Elle blog if you already follow us)
6. Join our Flickr group (comment on the Avery Elle blog if you already belong)

The next stop on the hop is the awesome Yainea, but here's the full hop list just in case...

Avery Elle / Jamie
Karolyn Loncon
Caryn Davies
Heather Campbell
JJ Bolton (that's me:)
Yainea
Melania Deasy
Katie Gehring
Maska Vanacker 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Aloha,
jj

Avery Elle Sneak Peek: Swim Team, Petal Panel, & Geek Love

Happy June y'all!  {Still can't quite believe it's June already}  I'm just stopping in quickly today to sneak a bit of the new Avery Elle release:)  I have a bunch of new  Avery Elle  stamps and dies in this release, and I'm so excited to show them to you:)  Here's a little bit of one...

The first set I designed is a set called Swim Team.  This one has a ton of stamps to build yourself a fun ocean scene.  There is a coordinating die set available separately.  There are so many elements in this set, I didn't do a set of dies to cut out each stamp.  Instead, the dies are a combination of elements for underwater scenes and much more (think bubbles, waves, splashing water).

The second set I designed this release is the large Petal Panel die with coordinating Petal dies and sentiment stamp set.  The Petal Panel die cuts a full A2 sized panel with petals/ tear-shaped cutouts.  There is a coordinating stamp set sold separately that can be stamped right in the strip down the center of the die.  Also available separately are the coordinating Petal dies give you 4 different options for petals that can be used alone or with the Petal Panel.  Can't wait to show you examples using those dies and stamps!

The last set I designed is called Geek Love.  This one is my favorite:)  It is a builder set that has the cutest little nerdy couple.  It comes with bits and pieces to change up outfits and hair which is so much fun!  I have fond memories of paper dolls and Fashion Plates (anyone remember those?), so this is super fun for me.  The Geek Love stamp set also has a separate coordinating die set that includes a large heart die (has stitching detail inside and outside of die) and cute banner die that coordinate with some sentiments.  

Stay tuned for more sneaks this week and a full blog hop of the new release this Thursday! And definitely check out the Avery Elle blog this week (seriously, right now!) for sneaks for all the new stuff!   

Cheers!

jj