Silhouette Portrait Giveaway!

Good morning and happy Thursday!  
Today we are back with another fabulous giveaway sponsored by Silhouette!

All you need to do is enter below. You can earn multiple entries by following us on Facebook, commenting below, tweeting about the giveaway, and signing up for email updates. This giveaway is open to US customers only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Silhouette is also having a special promotion with their fabric interfacing!  

You are going to love all that you can do with your 

Silhouette and these fabric interfacings!

Jamie is sharing an adorable onesie she created using the Dog Puppy Silhouette cut, the Clean Cut Fabric Interfacing, and the Serenata fabric collection!  

Tutorial:

1.  Cut a piece of the Clean Cut Fabric Interface a little smaller than your fabric.  Place the textured side down on the back of your fabric.

2.  Use a hot iron to adhere the interfacing to the fabric.

3.  The back of your fabric should look like this now.

4.  Remove the backing from the interfacing.

5.  Place the fabric on your Silhouette mat.

6.  Insert your Fabric Blade into your machine and load your fabric.

7.  Move your design to match where your fabric is on your mat and then press the "send to silhouette" button.  Change your cut setting to "fabric cotton print" and make sure your blade is adjusted properly.  Press "cut".

 8.  Your Silhouette will cut your design.

 9.  Unload your mat once the cut is complete and remove the fabric.

10. Your cut should look similar to this.  Remove the design from the mat.

11. Place the design on your onesie and place it where you want it.

12. Iron the design on.

13. I used the Clean Cut Fabric Interfacing for my project and then hand-stitched the edges.  If you want to use a machine to sew on your design make sure you use the Sewable Fabric Interfacing.

If you already have a Silhouette, be sure to take advantage of the promotion!  You can get both the Clean Cut Fabric Interfacing and the Sewable Fabric Interfacing plus the Fabric Blade and a $25 download card for just $29.99!

Just click HERE and use promo code SAMANTHA!

One Buck Wednesday and Wonderful Wednesday! May 22, 2013

Welcome back to another 

One Buck Wednesday and Wonderful Wednesday
at Jessicasprague.com!

Today only,
you can get the following digital die cut kit
50% off:
Digital Cuts or Masks Birthday Set 

And,
you can get the following digital scrapbooking kit

Big Top Birthday Mega Kit for just $1.00!

Digital Cuts or Masks Birthday Set:

This kit contains digital die cut lines for the the two images and the card shown. It will come in three formats: AIv8, PNG, and SVG which will work with most die cut machines. Some machines require third party software such as SCAL to cut SVG files. These files are detailed and are not recommended for hand cutting. (If you own a Silhouette or Silhouette Cameo, please go to the Silhouette store where you will find these files in the proper Studio format.) 

TODAY ONLY, you are able to grab this kit 50% off!

Big Top Birthday Mega Kit:
In this pack you will receive the entire Big Top Birthday digital collection! This mega kit is perfect for your little tots birthday celebrations, with a circus theme! There are 15 patterned papers, 6 solid textured papers and 4 die cut "big top" papers as well as 25 illustrated embellishments, and 72 Birthday Themed Big Top embellishments, in two versions: regular, and embossed! 

TODAY ONLY, you are able to grab this kit for just $1.00! 

Project by Susie Moore


Project by Chrissy Guido

As always, these deals vanish Wednesday at 
midnight Pacific time so hurry to get yours!

*******

Be sure to enter for your chance to win a 

$1000 Photographer's Dream Shopping Spree!

Click on the image below to see all the details...

Flower Heart Basket and Cool Summer Paper Collection

Hi I’m Linda from Paper Boutique with Linda. Today I will demonstrate how to make this adorable Flower Heart Basket using paper from Samantha Walker’s Cool Summer collection!

The Flower Heart Basket is available at the Silhouette on-line store and is so quick and easy to make! You can purchase her Cool Summer Collection by clicking here.

One of my favorite things about this project is that you can use this adorable flower on tons of different projects. This basket would also make an ideal teacher’s gift.

In the video, I show you how to assemble this basket and close-up views of Samantha’s Cool Summer collection. I am in love with this collection and know you will be too! Hope you enjoy the video!

Thanks for visiting!

Sweet by Susie Moore

Susie here and I can hardly wait to share today's tutorial with you.  I am using papers and elements from Samantha's new collection called Cool Summer.  I am in L-O-V-E with the brads that come with this collection.  And I knew immediately what I wanted to make with the larger ones.  Take a look:

The larger size is just perfect for hiding the stitching that gathers up this sweet little gauzy flower.  Here are the steps to making this flower and also a peek into how I made my card base.

I used three sizes of circle Spellbinders dies to make my flower.  You could hand cut your circles because they do not have to be perfect.  I grabbed a few layers of some satin fabrics and added in some sparkly tulle too. 

When cutting fabric with dies, I find it best to place a piece of card stock under the layers.  It may or may not cut into the card stock, but it does help cut the fabric.  I ended up with lots of circles!

These are the pieces I used on my flowers.  I had leftovers to use on another flower later.  I stacked the layers and then offset them just a little because I was not going for perfection.

On the top of my layers, I ran a few basting stitches through all the flower layers.  I used blue thread here so you could see.  I made a circle of stitches and then poked the needle through the back and pulled the thread tightly to gather the layers.  Then I just knotted the thread.   I poked a hole through the center and inserted a large brad which covered my crazy stitching.  It was perfect!  Before I spread the prongs out, I added a circle of card stock to the back.  This is not necessary, but I found it easier to glue paper to paper instead of paper to metal when finishing my card.

Now that the flower is done, let me show you what my card base looked like before trimming:

I cut strips of Cool Summer papers and adhered them diagonally across the bottom of the card.  Then I took part of the ice cream border from the elements pack and placed it at the top.  A few quick trims with my craft knife later, I had the card base that you see in my original photo.

I just added my flower and the "Sweet" sticker to complete my card.

I hope you enjoyed today's tutorial.  And I hope you will make some flowers of your own soon.

And here is a little look at the Cool Summer Collection:

Susie

*******

Be sure to enter for your chance to win a 
$1000 Photographer's Dream Shopping Spree!
Click on the image below to see all the details...

Layered Layouts Without The Bulk by Diana Fisher

Hi! Diana Fisher here with you today. I'm going to give you some tips and tricks on making a layered looking page without all of the bulk. I know many of us love this look, but are disappointed once we try to jam them into our albums. Here are a few tricks I use on my pages.

First, I love 6x6 paper pads. Samantha Walker has a Cool Summer 6x6 paper pad offered through Carta Bella. The designs are perfect for those summer pages you are about to make.

6x6 paper pads offer smaller prints and patterns as well as the perfect size for doubling up the papers. These papers also tend to be a lighter paper weight and less bulky. 

To get started, select a few of papers and put them on your page. I chose a center focal point and single picture for my layout. I picked two coordinating papers from the pad and layered them in the middle.

Take a look at some of the other papers you have and choose a couple more. Use only about half of that sheet at 6x3. Pick some accents, too, and start to move them around on the page.

When you feel good about your few layers, go ahead and glue them down, leaving the edges without adhesive. Now, you can take small squares of other patterns and tuck them near your edges. 

2x2 or 3x3 inch squares work pretty well and you can start to glue them in-between your 2-3 main layers. It will add the layered look without the bulk of full sheets.

If you have coordinating embellishments like Cool Summer has, go ahead and begin to layer those in as well. Even with all of the different patterns and papers I used on this page, nothing is higher than a piece of chipboard. It should go nice and neat into an album when I'm all done. 

Thanks for stopping by here today to learn a little bit about layered layouts without the bulk. If you don't have one already, grab a 6x6 paper pad and start to play around with the different layering affects you can get with them.
-Diana

*******

Be sure to enter for your chance to win a 
$1000 Photographer's Dream Shopping Spree!
Click on the image below to see all the details...

Win A $1000 Photographer's Dream Shopping Spree!

Good morning!  Today we have something a little bit different for you!  

We have teamed up with some great folks to offer you the opportunity to 

win a $1,000 Photographer's Dream Shopping Spree!  

Yes, a $1,000 Shopping Spree!

The winner will be able to pick out anything they like from DSLR cameras, camera bags, accessories, or lighting!  The winner can even opt for $1000 USD transferred to them via PayPal!  You could shop to your heart's content.

Here are just a few of the bloggers and vendors who came together to make this amazing giveaway possible including Spaceships and Laser Beams, Yumtastics, Go Against the Grain, Life Revolves Around Them, Mimi's Dollhouse, Not Just A Mommy, Angelina´s Dream Parties, Twinkled Spice Boutique, Hello My Sweet, Party Snobs, Inkberry Cards + Design, UR invited, Petite Bebe, Party Printables, Unlimited Party Themes, Party On! Designs, Vanessa Hankins Photography, My Garden Party, Dorothy Kurzydlowski Photography, Sugar Sugar Cakes, DimplePrints, Creative Juice Cafe, Miss Party Mom, PaperCandee, Creative Designs by Toni, Paige Simple Studio, Calamity Kate's Kitchen, Simply Creative Printables,The Way The Cookie Crumbles, Michelle's Party Plan-It, Paper and Style Co., And Everything Nice, Samantha Walker Designs, Simply Sweet Parties, Events by Kate, Cupcake Wishes & Birthday Dreams, One Inspired Party, Kima's Konfections,This Nest is Best, Triple M Good Parties and Myour Stories Designs. 

And that's not even everyone!!!

More than 60 people are contributing to this contest. To see the complete list, take a look at the Rafflecopter form. As small businesses and blogs, we would never be able to offer such a cool prize, so it's a lot of fun to be able to combine forces and giveaway something so special!

Prize Details: The winner can select up to $1000 in camera equipment or supplies (including all sales taxes and shipping) to be delivered to the single destination of their choosing. The winner has the option of receiving $1000 USD in PayPal funds in lieu of receiving their prize.

The winner will be selected randomly via Rafflecopter. The odds of winning are dependent on the number of people entering. Should the winning entrant(s) not respond within 48 hours of being emailed, another winner(s) will be selected. Please ensure spaceshipsandlaserbeams [at] gmail [dot] com is on your safe email list. We would hate to have to redraw another winner!

Rules: This contest is open worldwide from May 17, 2013 at 12:01am EST to June 6, 2013 at 11:59pm EST. All entrants must be the age of the majority in their own country. Should unforeseen circumstances occur, this contest could be cancelled at any time. Void where prohibited by law.

Enter Using Our Rafflecopter Form
Good Luck!

Click HERE to enter!

Disclosure: This blog did not receive any money to participate or promote this contest. This giveaway is in not way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, PayPal or any camera-related company. As one of many participants, we are not responsible for logistics or prize delivery. If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie at Spaceships and Laser Beams by emailing spaceshipsandlaserbeams [at] gmail [dot] com.

Introducing Guest Designer Laura Drahozal!

Good morning!  

Today we would like to introduce you to Guest Designer, Laura Drahozal  

 

Hello, I am Laura Drahozal and I am thrilled to be the Samantha Walker guest designer for this month.  My project is a scrapbook page.

It was from a recent trip to Walt Disney World.  I was truly inspired by Samantha's doily designs.

Here is how I made it:

MATERIALS:

Samantha Walker Doily Making Set #42322

Samantha Walker Border Eyelet Lace with Ribbon Weave #34270

Samantha Walker Multi Label Set #35384

Samantha Walker Cha Cha Swirl Letters Y (28097), T (28092), F (2800), E (27999), L (28084), I (28003), C (27997), A (27995), R (28090) and P (28088)

Silhouette Machine with Blade and Mat

San Serif Font

White Card Stock

Red "Velvet" Paper from Creative Imaginations

Gray Paper from DCWV Timeless Treasure Stack

Manual Die Cut Machine and Mats

Stamping Details Rubber Embossing Mat

Mercart Red Coated Aluminum

Mercart Teflon Tipped Metal Tool

An Old File Folder

Memories Mist in Sparkling Silver

Xyron in 9", 5" and 1.5"

A Big Bite

Red Ribbon

DIRECTIONS:

1)  Open your Silhouette program and create a 12" x 12" page file to size project on.

2)  Open Samantha Walker files.

3)  Ungroup the Doily file and select the portion you would like to use.

4)  Resize the doilies to fit the space.

5)  Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the Eyelet Lace and Multi Label Sets.

6)  Ungroup letters and line up next to each other.  You need to select the letters that you would like to use for each part and place so that they are touching to create the word.

7)  Weld the letters.

8)  Use the Offset Function to create the drop shadow.  I used it at .065 with rounded edges.

9)  Cut all the parts out of your selected card stock.  I used the red velvet for the title.

10)  Run the letters through the 5" Xyron.

11)  When applying the letters to the drop shadow, lay the first part of the letters down carefully.

12) As you add letters, flip the backing paper over and bend.  It will be easier to remove.

 13)  When you have the letters down, crumple up the top (sticky) layer of paper and tap it over the title to remove any excess adhesive.

14)  For any portions that you would like in metal, cut them four times each out of the file folder.

15)  Put the folder pieces through an Xyron.

16)  Stack all of the pieces on top of each other, leaving the final one attached to the backing.

17)  Run through your manual die cut machine with metal and the rubber embossing mat.  The Cuttlebug sandwich is A Plate, stacked folders, aluminum red side up, rubber embossing mat and two B Plates.

18)  Refine any edges if desired using the Mercart Teflon Tool.

19)  Sand.

20)  Use regular scissors to trim around the edges.

21)  Cut a large doily to use as a mask on the background.

22)  Place doily on the background paper and spray.

23)  Move and spray until you like the shimmer.  A great side effect is the fact that I now have a sparkling silver doily for use in another project.

24)  Assemble the page.  When you add the metal elements, you can just remove the backing and place on the page.  For the element with the ribbon through it, use the Big Bite to make the holes before you attach it.

I wanted to show you this picture so that you can imagine what the shimmer looks like on the back of the page, it didn't show up too well in the previous shot.

My name is Laura Drahozal.  I am a former art teacher who loves paper crafting because I can use a variety of artistic techniques on my work. I push myself to try new things each time I create.  Because of this, my projects tend to go a little overboard. I design for Dreamweaver Stencils, Art Glitter, Connie Crystal and Globecraft Memories.  I also taught Silhouette classes and enjoy all the creative possibilities of Samantha Walker's beautiful files.  Most of my posts (or links to them) can be found on my blog at www.rememberinglifesmoments.blogspot.com. Stop by and see it sometime--or better yet, become a follower!

A big "Thank You" to Laura for sharing her projects with us today!  

Be sure to stop by Laura's blog to see more of her fabulous creations! 

One Buck Wednesday and Wonderful Wednesday! May 15, 2013

Welcome back to another 

One Buck Wednesday and Wonderful Wednesday
at Jessicasprague.com!

Today only,
you can get the following digital die cut kit
50% off:
Digital Cuts Hat Box 

And,
you can get the following digital die cut kit

Mega Masks Layering Kit for just $1.00!

Digital Cuts Hat Box:

This kit contains digital die cut lines for Hat Box shown. It will come in three formats: AIv8, PNG, and SVG which will work with most die cut machines. Some machines require third party software such as SCAL to cut SVG files. If you would like to hand cut these dies, simply print out the PNG file and cut with a craft knife or scissors. (If you own a Silhouette or Silhouette Cameo, please go to the Silhouette store where you will find these files in the proper Studio format.) 

TODAY ONLY, you are able to grab this kit 50% off!

Mega Masks Layering Kit:
This is a fantastic kit of elegant calligraphic frames, labels and tag masks that are meant for layering. You will receive 22 layering masks. Masks are grouped in files with their coordinating counterparts for ease of use. A separate file contains finished labels and frames after they have been layered. These files can be used as is, or they can be used as inspiration on how to layer the masks. All files come in high res PNG format on transparent backgrounds.

TODAY ONLY, you are able to grab this kit for just $1.00! 

Project by Nancy Cruse

As always, these deals vanish Wednesday at 
midnight Pacific time so hurry to get yours!