Color Throwdown #250 and giveaways!

Today The Color Throwdown challenge blog is celebrating its 5th anniversary with its 250th challenge and IHP is co-sponsoring this milestone by donating a $25 gift certificate.  Play along for your chance to be entered to win.  Details are on CTD blog.  Colors are equivalents of SU's Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Kraft, and So Saffron.  SU! colors aren't required even though those are the color names they use for challenges--just use what you have that's close to the challenge colors. 

For my card I used Memento inks: Rose Bud, Bahama Blue, Desert Sand and Toffee Crunch from the Dew Drop Collections. 

I used this flip flop template.  I stamped the large and small flowers from Paper Smooches Get Outta Town in the various inks and then added some magenta shimmer ribbon and some KaiserCraft bling.  Finally I stamped the Happy Birthday from Sentiment Sampler in Palette New Canvas.  I attached the ribbon everything using my favorite Dimensional Dots. 

I sure hope you'll play along.  There's some great prizes up for grabs!  Thanks for stopping by today!

DT Challenge: Pick one (or two) from the past

Hello!  I am here today with our DT Challenge where we are scouring the archives of our past challenges and picking one.  (I picked two.)  I selected our June 2010 one - Getting Krafty and our April 2012 - Felt (using our awesome wool Pollika Felt).

For my card I used the new Paper Smooches Cutasaurus set, stamped in Memento Black, and then die-cut from the new BG Kneehighs paper and Teresa Collins' Christmas Cottage using the coordinating Dino 1 dies.  I made the grass and cloud using felt, ZigZag die and Puffy Clouds die.  Then I stamped (also in Memento Black) one of the images from Streamers and cut it with the coordinating Streamers die.  Finally I stamped the greeting from Birthday Sampler in Memento Toffee Crunch and Rhubarb Stalk.  I popped that up on double dimensional dots and attached the felt pieces with our own 1/4" ATG tape.  The dinos are also popped up on dots.  It was a fun card to make and it was super fun to look through all of our old challenges.

Stop by and see what the rest of the i {heart} papers team did:

• March's guest designer, Mary Dawn Quirindongo
• Carole
• Deb
• Gretchen
• Judy
• Lori
• Taylor
• Tracy

A few other things to mention while I've got you here.  This will be our last regularly scheduled monthly challenge.  The team participates in lots of existing challenges regularly so we're going to skip doing our monthly coordinated one.  Also, Taylor, who has been my right hand person for the past 6 months, will be stepping down from her social media position at the end of the month (boo!) but will join the design team as a regular member (yay!).  I couldn't stand to be without her in some capacity and she'll still be filling in on the social media side as our backup.  Additionally, I am thrilled to be welcoming Libby Hickson as our new social media coordinator (double yay!) beginning April 1 and look forward to all of you getting to know her a little better through her work here at IHP.

And, one last reminder about our 12x12 Collection Pack sale.  It will be ending soon so this is really your last chance to get these great kits at a great price!

Thank you for your continued support of IHP.  There's no way we'd be here without it.  Please make sure you check in on our Facebook page, too!  We share news, updates, inspiration, and the occasional giveaway!

DT Challenge: Happy 4th Birthday, IHP!

i {heart} papers is thrilled to be celebrating our 4^th birthday this month! We know there’s no way we could have made it this far without each and every one of our loyal customers sharing their IHP love with their friends or following us on Facebook, Twitter, our blog or through our newsletter. So, our celebration is really a celebration of YOU and our gift to you is a 25% off coupon for the whole store, valid 10/16-1-/20 (in stock items only not valid on prior orders and not valid on gift certificates). Use code: 4bdayIHP.  NOTE:  Shop early!  Once seasonal items are sold out, they will most likely not be restocked.  Also, the store will be closed from Oct 18-25th and there will be no shipping during this time.  Orders will resume shipping on 10/26.

We will also have a giveaways on the blog and on Twitter during these days (they’ll be linked from Facebook too but since giveaways aren’t technically allowed on Facebook we have to do it on the blog!) so be sure to check in daily to see how to enter.

But wait! There’s more! Long time customers know that Kate is a huge dog rescue advocate (that’s Mr. Barbo on the left and BooBoo on the right), volunteering for a local dog rescue, transporting dogs in need and doing rescue work on Facebook. October happens to also be Adopt A Shelter Dog month, as well as the birthday of one of Kate’s dogs and the Gotcha/Adoption day of the other. So, in honor of all of that, IHP will be donating 10% of all sales during the birthday sale to Home For Good Dog Rescue, Eleventh Hour Rescue and Pilots ‘n Paws. And if you make your own donation to any of these organizations, we will send you a gift certificate to IHP for 50% of your donation amount (these will be sent at the end of the month). Just email us a copy of your donation receipt and we’ll email you a gift certificate!

For today’s DT Challenge, Deb found this post and this amazing inspiration photo that happens to be our logo colors!
I also made my project to coincide with the Hope You Can Cling To challenge 16th Day:  Two Times the Fun, hosted by stagccva, a/k/a Taylor
(Keyword: HYCCT1216).  The challenge was to use two of everything on your project - two different patterned papers, two different buttons, two different ribbons, two different stamps, etc.
So…I made a little birthday gift tote from 1/2 of a clear card box.  I used:

• 2 patterned papers: Lavender pad and Tell Your Story
• 2 Bling: Zva Cupcake and Hero Arts bling from this adorable Cupcake stamp set combo.
• 2 Stamp sets: Mint Motif Simply Sentiments and the balloon image from Paper Smooches Metropolis
• 2 Markers: Copics and Spicas (Black and Clear used for the balloon strings and balloons)
• 2 ribbons: Ivory PomPom Trim and 3/8” ivory double faced satin
• 2 dies: Large Circle Nesties and Large Scalloped Circle Nesties
• 2 adhesives: Dimensional Dots and i {stick} papers, our exclusive redline tape

I hope you’ll hop along and see what the rest of the team made to celebrate and kick off our birthday party.

Carolyn

Deb

Gretchen

Judy

Lori

Taylor

Tracy

Carole - Guest DT  

And to further kick off our birthday festivities this week, we're starting FIVE days of giveaways today!  Want a chance to win this Chicken Girl Design set, Just Skating By?

All you have to do is leave a comment here no later than Sunday, October 21 at 11:59 PM EST.  That's it - that's all!  Just leave us a comment and this could be yours!  All winners will be announced next Tuesday, October 23 right here on the blog - good luck!

Thank you for stopping today and for all of your support and friendship over these past four years.   I look forward to serving you for many more!

Please note: No orders will be shipping 10/18 - 10/25. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Five Minute Friday: CAS Happy Birthday

Hi everyone! It's Taylor here agan, sharing a fantastic card Kate made for Five-Minute Fridays.  How darling is this quickie bithrday card?  It is a great color combo, and the sketch she used could be adapted for so many kinds of cards! She shared with me that the sketch came from Paper Crafts Go To Sketches from April 2010 (pgs 154-155). 


Take a closer look at what she used to pull it all together:
Sentiment Sampler (Paper Smooches); Memento ink; Jillibean papers from Neapolitan Bean Bisque and Southern Chicken Dumpling; Tim Holtz Lavish Trimmings (cut the flowers apart); Kaisercraft Pearl Basics (as the flower centers)


Doing some shopping this weekend?  Don't forget our HUGE Pre-CHA clearance sale!  From July 11-21 you can get 25% off your order of $50 or more!  WOW!

Use the coupon code CHA2012

And remember, it's a store-wide sale! That includes paper, Copics & refills, stamps, ribbon...everything!

And still, as always,  you will receive free US shipping with your $60 order!

Rewards from the {heart}

In our last newsletter, we put out a call to help you name our new referral rewards program.  We got a lot of great suggestions but the design team voted and decided that Jennifer’s suggestion of “rewards from the {heart"}” was the best one!  I loved it since it fits in nicely with our newsletter name “news from the {heart}.” 

Jennifer wins a $15 gift certificate for her help!  (Please email so we can send your gift!)  Thanks to everyone who took the time to email in suggestions!  (I’ll take this opportunity to remind you to subscribe to our newsletter on the right side of the homepage.  The newsletter is sent 1-2 times a month and contains specials, news and occasionally special opportunities and contests that are not advertised on the blog or Facebook.  Plus, one lucky subscriber is selected each month to win a $10 gift certificate just for reading!)

I also never showed you this card that I made for the amazingly talented Becky Oehlers for her birthday.  A mutual friend of ours and I collaborated to surprise her about a week before her birthday and I showed up at her door for what she thought was their dinner reservations!  She SCREAMED so loudly that I think the whole neighborhood heard her.  It was fantastic.  :)

I used some paper from the Hello Spring pad (loving that!) and used a Bitty Bag to create a pocket to hold a notecard where I stamped the greeting from the Technique Tuesday set, Happy Birthday in Memento Black.  What I didn’t photograph is that I stamped the word find from that set lower on the card and used a Multiliner to circle “SURPRISE”!  I used the Classic Edges One Edgeabilities to cut my scalloped edge and then added some Kaiser Sparklets for bling.  The final touch was some white satin ribbon. 

Thanks for stopping by today.  Have a great weekend!

DT Challenge: Beat the Heat

Hello!  This month’s challenge “Beat the Heat” was to create a project with cool colors and/or as few layers as possible.  So…here’s what I came up with using Birthday Wishes and a teeny bit of Country Drive paper.  I stamped in Palette inks, colored with Copics and used my rectangle Nesties.  And I popped up everything with my new favorite dimensional dots from Sticky Thumb.  (If you missed my video on them, check Saturday’s post.)

I also added a Zva gem and some Turquoise Stickles for some shimmer.  Oh!  And the Tim Holtz Swirls embossing folder.  Speaking of embossing, did you see the new No More Shims mat is in stock?  Get it.  NOW.  :)

Quick and easy card!  Now, go check out the new section of the store because there are LOTS of CHA goodies and check out the rest of the DT hop:

Carolyn
Deb
Gretchen
Kendra
Loretta
Lori
Lynn
Tracy

Thanks for stopping by today!

SC325: Hippo Birthday John!

Hello and Happy Birthday to John!  Hooray!  For his card today I used the SC325 sketch with some new BasicGrey Life of the Party papers and the hippo from OCL’s Circus, Circus.  I colored him with Copics and then added some Glossy Accents.  I finished it off with some orange glimmer ribbon.  The greeting is stamped in Palette and the hippo in Memento black.

That’s it for today!  Thanks for stopping in today.  See you again soon!  More deliveries this week (did you see that all the new Nesties arrived on Friday!?!!) so be sure to keep a look on the new page.  Have a great Monday!

Happy Birthday: CAS Flower

Hello!  Today’s is DT member Loretta’s birthday and I made (it’s in the mail Loretta, but you’ll get it late – sorry!) this card using the flower/vase from the My Cute Stamps Paris set.  I used a piece of paper from Dutch Mustard Soup collection for the layer and colored the flower with Copics.  I added some Crackle Accents to the vase and finished it off with a little knotted piece of pink velvet ribbon.  I popped the center panel up with some dimensional dots. 

Thanks for stopping in today!  See you again soon!

Monstrously Old!

I decided to use this week’s OCC Sketch as a basis for John’s birthday card.  His birthday was yesterday and we celebrated with some yummy German Chocolate cake.  Mmm..

Anyway, back to the card.  I used one of my favorite Chicken Girl Designs clear sets, Silly Monsters.  Remember, now that Chicken Girl has gone digi the clear sets are only available until inventory is depleted so hurry up!  I stamped the little monster in Palette Charcoal and colored them in with my Prisma pencils.  I put some Glossy Accents on it to make them pop.  The greeting is Palette Jardin Moss.  The designer papers are from Green at Heart and Kioshi.  I used my new (LOVING THESE!) Classic Scalloped Petite Borderabilities for the scalloped edge (duh) and some black burlap twine (wrapped it around 3 times).  The final touch was one of IHP’s EXCLUSIVE polymer buttons, from the Happy Day set.

Thanks for popping in today!  Have a great week!

Birthday Bash – Day Six (IHPBB6)

Our challenge for you today is to Make a special Birthday Card… Remember, everything this week has to do with birthday celebrations...so be sure your creation is birthday related!

Today's prize pack is: (1) Silly Monsters set, (1) self-adhesive crystal birthday bling and (1) Hero Arts Birthday Sayings set.

Here are the hosts we had this week.  Be sure to check their blogs for inspiration and their takes on the challenge for that day. You can also check the main IHP Birthday Bash page at the store.

Day 1(10/19): Kate(owner), Sarah Anderson, and Dee Jackson
Day 2 (10/20): Deb/Latisha Yoast
Day 3 (10/21): Gretchen/Lesa Smaligo and Lynn/Asela Hopkins
Day 4 (10/22): Cathleen/Kerri Michaud and Carolyn/Maria Fiscella
Day 5 (10/23): Megan/Chris Veneruso and Kendra/Debbie Fisher
TODAY Day 6 (10/24): Tracy/Heidi Van Laar and Amber/Kerry Davis
Day 7 (10/25): Sunday, day of rest (finish up your challenges!)
Day 8 (10/26): PARTY! GRAND PRIZE (winners are announced)

And, here is my card.   I used SK251 as my starting point.  I stamped the cutey monster from Silly Monsters in Palette Noir and colored with Prismacolor pencils.  I popped up his belly for a little extra dimension.  The greeting is stamped in Palette Jardin Moss, which is a perfect match for my Garden Green paper.

The designer paper is from the new Nook and Pantry collection and finished it off with a couple of pieces of Lime Yellow Ric Rac.

Do you like it? Do you want to play along?? I sure hope you do! Remember, you can play along with all of this week’s challenges until Sunday night, midnight EST.

Before you begin, PLEASE take a few minutes to review the challenge guidelines! You’ll want to follow these rules to maximize your points and qualify for the opportunity to WIN the prize for today’s challenge and the Grand Prize, all announced on the last day of our festivities!

To qualify for the prize of the day, all you have to do is upload your challenge card/project to Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) and/or Paper Craft Planet (PCP) with the appropriate tag so we can find it. Today’s challenge tag is IHPBB5. The daily challenge winners will be randomly selected at the end of the week.

To qualify for the Grand Prize of being IHP Guest Designer for the month of November, here’s how it will work: Every challenge card/project you enter will earn you points (see below), and one with the most accumulated for the week the Grand Prize winner. So the more challenges you enter, more points you earn — and the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize (and the bigger the value of your Guest Designer box will be)!

You will have until October 25^th to post your work, and you can enter as many challenges as you like, but you CANNOT combine challenges in one project. All winners, including the Grand Prize winner, will be announced at the Birthday Bash on October 26^th.

Birthday Bash Points

For each project:

• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to SCS
• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to PCP
• 2 points for uploading to your blog and linking at least one IHP item used to the IHP website

One time points:

• 2 points for signing up to receive our newsletter*
• 2 points for joining our PCP group*
• 2 points for becoming our fan on Facebook*
• 10 points if you participate in all 6 IHP Birthday Bash challenges

*When you sign up, or if you are already signed up, a comment here so your points can be credited.

Remember, you have until midnight EST tomorrow to upload your projects.  Points will be tallied and winners announced on Monday!

Birthday Bash – Day Five (IHPBB5)

Another very important consideration in party-planning is the menu! The kitchen is usually the favorite gathering place for guests, and food and drink are the main attraction.

Our challenge for you today is to make a card (scrapbook page, 3-D item, etc.) using stamps or papers that feature food and/or drink!

Today's prize pack is: (1) Homemade Treats Borders & Centers 2-3/8", (1) Wooden Stamper 2-3/8" and (1) Lemonade 6x6 Pad.

Remember, everything this week has to do with birthday celebrations...so be sure your creation is birthday related!

Here are the hosts for each day. Be sure to check their blogs on their scheduled day to find out that day’s challenge. You can also check the main IHP Birthday Bash page at the store. It will be updated daily.

Day 1(10/19): Kate(owner), Sarah Anderson, and Dee Jackson
Day 2 (10/20): Deb/Latisha Yoast
Day 3 (10/21): Gretchen/Lesa Smaligo and Lynn/Asela Hopkins
Day 4 (10/22): Cathleen/Kerri Michaud and Carolyn/Maria Fiscella
TODAY Day 5 (10/23): Megan/Chris Veneruso and Kendra/Debbie Fisher
Day 6 (10/24): Tracy/Heidi Van Laar and Amber/Kerry Davis
Day 7 (10/25): Sunday, day of rest (finish up your challenges!)
Day 8 (10/26): PARTY! GRAND PRIZE (winners are announced)

And, here is my card. The only stamped part here is the bear from Into the Forest and the cake from Prehistoric Party. They’re stamped in Palette Burnt Umber and colored with Prismacolor pencils.

I used the A2 Polka Dot embossing folder, Oval Nesties and Play With Owl paper and some scraps from Make A Wish. The little bow is reversible celery/pink satin.

Do you like it? Do you want to play along?? I sure hope you do! Remember, you can play along with all of this week’s challenges until Sunday night.

Before you begin, PLEASE take a few minutes to review the challenge guidelines! You’ll want to follow these rules to maximize your points and qualify for the opportunity to WIN the prize for today’s challenge and the Grand Prize, all announced on the last day of our festivities!

To qualify for the prize of the day, all you have to do is upload your challenge card/project to Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) and/or Paper Craft Planet (PCP) with the appropriate tag so we can find it. Today’s challenge tag is IHPBB5. The daily challenge winners will be randomly selected at the end of the week.

To qualify for the Grand Prize of being IHP Guest Designer for the month of November, here’s how it will work: Every challenge card/project you enter will earn you points (see below), and one with the most accumulated for the week the Grand Prize winner. So the more challenges you enter, more points you earn — and the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize (and the bigger the value of your Guest Designer box will be)!

You will have until October 25^th to post your work, and you can enter as many challenges as you like, but you CANNOT combine challenges in one project. All winners, including the Grand Prize winner, will be announced at the Birthday Bash on October 26^th.

Birthday Bash Points

For each project:

• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to SCS
• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to PCP
• 2 points for uploading to your blog and linking at least one IHP item used to the IHP website

One time points:

• 2 points for signing up to receive our newsletter*
• 2 points for joining our PCP group*
• 2 points for becoming our fan on Facebook*
• 10 points if you participate in all 6 IHP Birthday Bash challenges

*When you sign up, or if you are already signed up, a comment here so your points can be credited.

I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

Birthday Bash – Day Four (IHPBB4)

What’s a birthday party without presents? Whether the wrappings are simple or ornate, they bring an air of suspense and delight to onlookers as the honored guest opens each gift.

Our challenge for you today is to use designer papers and ribbons to create a card, box, or bag.

Remember, everything this week has to do with birthday celebrations...so be sure your creation is birthday related!

Today's prize is: 1 yard of each: 1 1/2" Lace Fuchsia, 1 1/2" Lace Parrot Green, 1 1/2" Lace Turquoise, 1 1/2" Lace White, 1" Bright Green Silk, 1" Lavender Silk, 1" Turquoise Silk, 1" Yellow Silk, 1/2" Venise Lace Daisy Ivory/Purple, 1/2" Venise Lace Daisy Ivory/Berry, 1/2" Venise Lace Daisy Ivory/Olive, 3/8" Black & Yellow Gingham, 3/8" Double Faced Satin Brown, 3/8" Ivory Trimmings/Lines, 3/8" Satin Reversible orange/yellow, 5/8" Polka Dot Brown/Pink/White/Ivory/Hot Pink, 5/8" Polka Dot Brown/Blue/White/Ivory/Turquoise/Aqua, 5/8" Sheer Metallic Silver and 1 Night Light Collection Kit.

Here are the hosts for each day. Be sure to check their blogs on their scheduled day to find out that day’s challenge. You can also check the main IHP Birthday Bash page at the store. It will be updated daily.

Day 1(10/19): Kate(owner), Sarah Anderson, and Dee Jackson
Day 2 (10/20): Deb/Latisha Yoast
Day 3 (10/21): Gretchen/Lesa Smaligo and Lynn/Asela Hopkins
TODAY Day 4 (10/22): Cathleen/Kerri Michaud and Carolyn/Maria Fiscella
Day 5 (10/23): Megan/Chris Veneruso and Kendra/Debbie Fisher
Day 6 (10/24): Tracy/Heidi Van Laar and Amber/Kerry Davis
Day 7 (10/25): Sunday, day of rest (finish up your challenges!)
Day 8 (10/26): PARTY! GRAND PRIZE (winners are announced)

And, here is my card. I used the Starry Eyed paper and embossed the white portion with the A2 Polka Dot folder. I paired it with some polka dot ribbon. I decorated the clay vase with wire stemmed roses with some gems.

I used my Oval Nesties to make the focal point and stamped the greeting from Chelsea Sentiments in Palette Reflection Blue.

Do you like it? Do you want to play along?? I sure hope you do!

Before you begin, PLEASE take a few minutes to review the challenge guidelines! You’ll want to follow these rules to maximize your points and qualify for the opportunity to WIN the prize for today’s challenge and the Grand Prize, all announced on the last day of our festivities!

To qualify for the prize of the day, all you have to do is upload your challenge card/project to Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) and/or Paper Craft Planet (PCP) with the appropriate tag so we can find it. Today’s challenge tag is IHPBB4. The daily challenge winners will be randomly selected at the end of the week.

To qualify for the Grand Prize of being IHP Guest Designer for the month of November, here’s how it will work: Every challenge card/project you enter will earn you points (see below), and one with the most accumulated for the week the Grand Prize winner. So the more challenges you enter, more points you earn — and the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize (and the bigger the value of your Guest Designer box will be)!

You will have until October 25^th to post your work, and you can enter as many challenges as you like, but you CANNOT combine challenges in one project. All winners, including the Grand Prize winner, will be announced at the Birthday Bash on October 26^th.

Birthday Bash Points

For each project:

• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to SCS
• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to PCP
• 2 points for uploading to your blog and linking at least one IHP item used to the IHP website

One time points:

• 2 points for signing up to receive our newsletter*
• 2 points for joining our PCP group*
• 2 points for becoming our fan on Facebook*
• 10 points if you participate in all 6 IHP Birthday Bash challenges

*When you sign up, or if you are already signed up, a comment here so your points can be credited.

I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

Birthday Bash – Day Three (IHPBB3)

When you are hosting a party, you want to create an atmosphere of fun and excitement. Ribbons, streamers, table decorations and special party favors all set the stage for celebrating!

Our challenge for you today is to use IHP embellishments to dress up your card (scrapbook page, 3-D item, etc.), table decoration, or party favor. Remember, everything this week has to do with birthday celebrations...so be sure your creation is birthday related!

Remember, everything this week has to do with birthday celebrations...so be sure your creation is birthday related!

Today's prize is an assortment of embellishments including: (4) 1-3/16" Crocheted Flower Ecru/Mauve flowers, (4) 24mm (approx 3/4") Burst Pearl Knitted Flower Purple flowers, (6) 5/8" Ombre Rose with Pearl Pink/Peach flowers, 1 Assorted Foil pack, 1 Dazzlers - Cats and Ghosts, 1 Indian Summer Woolies, 1 Quill Flowers, 1 Scat Cat Black Felt Border, 1 Self Adhesive Crystal Cute Bugs, 1 Super Snowmen Class A'Peel™ Stickers.

Here are the hosts for each day. Be sure to check their blogs on their scheduled day to find out that day’s challenge. You can also check the main IHP Birthday Bash page at the store. It will be updated daily.

Day 1(10/19): Kate(owner), Sarah Anderson, and Dee Jackson
Day 2 (10/20): Deb/Latisha Yoast
TODAY Day 3 (10/21): Gretchen/Lesa Smaligo and Lynn/Asela Hopkins
Day 4 (10/22): Cathleen/Kerri Michaud and Carolyn/Maria Fiscella
Day 5 (10/23): Megan/Chris Veneruso and Kendra/Debbie Fisher
Day 6 (10/24): Tracy/Heidi Van Laar and Amber/Kerry Davis
Day 7 (10/25): Sunday, day of rest (finish up your challenges!)
Day 8 (10/26): PARTY! GRAND PRIZE (winners are announced)

And, here is my card. It is another 4-1/4” square card. I used the backside of Starry Eyed paper and cut out the circle with my Nesties.

I used a blingy birthday and some crochet flowers. It’s a weird pairing but I kind of like how it turned out. The “happy” from Happy Greetings is stamped in Palette Boudoir Blush.

Do you like it? Do you want to play along?? I sure hope you do!

Before you begin, PLEASE take a few minutes to review the challenge guidelines! You’ll want to follow these rules to maximize your points and qualify for the opportunity to WIN the prize for today’s challenge and the Grand Prize, all announced on the last day of our festivities!

To qualify for the prize of the day, all you have to do is upload your challenge card/project to Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) and/or Paper Craft Planet (PCP) with the appropriate tag so we can find it. Today’s challenge tag is IHPBB3. The daily challenge winners will be randomly selected at the end of the week.

To qualify for the Grand Prize of being IHP Guest Designer for the month of November, here’s how it will work: Every challenge card/project you enter will earn you points (see below), and one with the most accumulated for the week the Grand Prize winner. So the more challenges you enter, more points you earn — and the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize (and the bigger the value of your Guest Designer box will be)!

You will have until October 25^th to post your work, and you can enter as many challenges as you like, but you CANNOT combine challenges in one project. All winners, including the Grand Prize winner, will be announced at the Birthday Bash on October 26^th.

Birthday Bash Points

For each project:

• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to SCS
• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to PCP
• 2 points for uploading to your blog and linking at least one IHP item used to the IHP website

One time points:

• 2 points for signing up to receive our newsletter*
• 2 points for joining our PCP group*
• 2 points for becoming our fan on Facebook*
• 10 points if you participate in all 6 IHP Birthday Bash challenges

*When you sign up, or if you are already signed up, a comment here so your points can be credited.

I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

Birthday Bash – Day Two (IHPBB2)

When you’re inviting guests to your party, you really want an invitation that will grab their attention! One way to do that is to create a cool, funky fold, so...

Our challenge for you today is to make a card using a non-traditional fold. Remember, everything this week has to do with birthday celebrations...so be sure your creation is birthday related!

Today's prize pack is one roll of our very own i {stick} papers red line tape and one Tim Holtz Design ruler - both essential when you're making boxes or non-traditional folds! Our red line tape is so strong that it was originally made for car manufacturers to use to hold plastic car parts together.

Here are the hosts for each day. Be sure to check their blogs on their scheduled day to find out that day’s challenge. You can also check the main IHP Birthday Bash page at the store. It will be updated daily.

Day 1(10/19): Kate(owner), Sarah Anderson, and Dee Jackson
TODAY Day 2 (10/20): Deb/Latisha Yoast
Day 3 (10/21): Gretchen/Lesa Smaligo and Lynn/Asela Hopkins
Day 4 (10/22): Cathleen/Kerri Michaud and Carolyn/Maria Fiscella
Day 5 (10/23): Megan/Chris Veneruso and Kendra/Debbie Fisher
Day 6 (10/24): Tracy/Heidi Van Laar and Amber/Kerry Davis
Day 7 (10/25): Sunday, day of rest (finish up your challenges!)
Day 8 (10/26): PARTY! GRAND PRIZE (winners are announced)

And, here is my card. It is a modified gate fold card but I used my Large Circle Scalloped Nesties and Megabilities Curved Rectangles to create the shaped cupcake part.

I embossed the frosting part using the A2 Polka Dots folder and the cake part using the Diamonds and Dots embossing folder (Quickutz is backordered right now but I’ll have more back in stock soon!) I accented the embossed folders with Cinnamon Stickles on the bottom and Rock Candy Distress Stickles on the top and the cherry. YUMMY!!!

Here is a side view so you can see how it closes. I stamped the greeting from Chelsea Sentiments in Palette Burnt Umber and Boudoir Blush.

Here it is completely open. The bow is made with the pink/brown reversible satin ribbon. Did I say YUMMY??

Do you like it? Do you want to play along?? I sure hope you do!

Before you begin, PLEASE take a few minutes to review the challenge guidelines! You’ll want to follow these rules to maximize your points and qualify for the opportunity to WIN the prize for today’s challenge and the Grand Prize, all announced on the last day of our festivities!

To qualify for the prize of the day, all you have to do is upload your challenge card/project to Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) and/or Paper Craft Planet (PCP) with the appropriate tag so we can find it. Today’s challenge tag is IHPBB2. The daily challenge winners will be randomly selected at the end of the week.

To qualify for the Grand Prize of being IHP Guest Designer for the month of November, here’s how it will work: Every challenge card/project you enter will earn you points (see below), and one with the most accumulated for the week the Grand Prize winner. So the more challenges you enter, more points you earn — and the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize (and the bigger the value of your Guest Designer box will be)!

You will have until October 25^th to post your work, and you can enter as many challenges as you like, but you CANNOT combine challenges in one project. All winners, including the Grand Prize winner, will be announced at the Birthday Bash on October 26^th.

Birthday Bash Points

For each project:

• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to SCS
• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to PCP
• 2 points for uploading to your blog and linking at least one IHP item used to the IHP website

One time points:

• 2 points for signing up to receive our newsletter*
• 2 points for joining our PCP group*
• 2 points for becoming our fan on Facebook*
• 10 points if you participate in all 6 IHP Birthday Bash challenges

*When you sign up, or if you are already signed up, a comment here so your points can be credited.

I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

Birthday Bash – Day One (IHPBB1)

Welcome to the first of this week’s i {heart} papers Birthday Bash (IHPBB) challenges! We’re looking forward to seeing all of your creations, and we’re very happy to have you celebrating with us!

Here are the hosts for each day. Be sure to check their blogs on their scheduled day to find out that day’s challenge. You can also check the main IHP Birthday Bash page at the store. It will be updated daily.

The hosts for the week are:

TODAY Day 1 (10/19): Kate (owner), Sarah Anderson, and Dee Jackson
Day 2 (10/20): Deb/Latisha Yoast
Day 3 (10/21): Gretchen/Lesa Smaligo and Lynn/Asela Hopkins
Day 4 (10/22): Cathleen/Kerri Michaud and Carolyn/Maria Fiscella
Day 5 (10/23): Megan/Chris Veneruso and Kendra/Debbie Fisher
Day 6 (10/24): Tracy/Heidi Van Laar and Amber/Kerry Davis
Day 7 (10/25): Sunday, day of rest (finish up your challenges!)
Day 8 (10/26): PARTY! GRAND PRIZE (winners are announced)

What’s the first thing you do when you’re planning a Birthday Bash? Before you can choose invitations, decorations, etc., you must decide upon a color scheme, so our first IHPBB challenge has to do with color.

Our challenge for you today is to make a card (scrapbook page, 3-D item, etc.) using the colors of our IHP logo: celery, light blue, rose and black (colors in any brand). Remember, everything this week has to do with birthday celebrations...so be sure your creation is birthday related!

Here is my card. It is a 4-1/4” square card and I used Nesties Labels One to make the white and the four “squares.” I cut out the little party hats from Make A Wish and popped them up. I stamped the greeting from Chelsea Sentiments in Palette Noir and then make little sparkly dots with my Baby Blue Stickles. That’s it! Clean and simple! Do you like it? Do you want to play along?? I sure hope you do!

Before you begin, PLEASE take a few minutes to review the challenge guidelines! You’ll want to follow these rules to maximize your points and qualify for the opportunity to WIN the prize for today’s challenge and the Grand Prize, all announced on the last day of our festivities!

To qualify for the prize of the day, all you have to do is upload your challenge card/project to Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) and/or Paper Craft Planet (PCP) with the appropriate tag so we can find it. Today’s challenge tag is IHPBB1. The daily challenge winners will be randomly selected at the end of the week.

Today's prize package includes:

1 yard of 1-1/2" Silk Celery, atyou Spica Glitter pens in black, pink and baby blue, 1 yard of ¼” Glimmer Ribbon Black and a 12x12 Urban Prairie Collection pack!

To qualify for the Grand Prize of being IHP Guest Designer for the month of November, here’s how it will work: Every challenge card/project you enter will earn you points (see below), and one with the most accumulated for the week the Grand Prize winner. So the more challenges you enter, more points you earn — and the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize (and the bigger the value of your Guest Designer box will be)!

You will have until October 25^th to post your work, and you can enter as many challenges as you like, but you CANNOT combine challenges in one project. All winners, including the Grand Prize winner, will be announced at the Birthday Bash on October 26^th.

Birthday Bash Points

For each project:

• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to SCS
• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to PCP
• 2 points for uploading to your blog and linking at least one IHP item used to the IHP website

One time points:

• 2 points for signing up to receive our newsletter*
• 2 points for joining our PCP group*
• 2 points for becoming our fan on Facebook*
• 10 points if you participate in all 6 IHP Birthday Bash challenges

*When you sign up, or if you are already signed up, a comment on the IHP blog Birthday Bash week so your points can be credited.

I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO i {heart} papers!

Get ready for the i {heart} papers Birthday Bash! That’s right, IHP is turning 1 year old this month, and a whopper of a party is planned! There's also a special gift planned to help others celebrate more birthdays. You’ll read more about that at the end of this post.

First, let’s talk about the party! There will be prizes galore (free stuff – you like free stuff, don’t you?), and a Grand Prize winner will be chosen at the end to be the IHP Guest Designer for the month of November!

There will be 6 birthday party themed challenges, one posted each day starting on Monday, October 19th. Each challenge will be hosted (and posted) by one of the IHP Design Team members. It will also be posted here on the IHP Blog and on the store page for the Birthday Bash.   Some special invited guests will be posting throughout the week, too so you’ll want to check in with them as well as the regular design team members!

Each daily challenge will have its own prize that will be awarded on the 26th.

Here are the hosts for each day:

Day 1: Kate, Sarah Anderson, and Dee Jackson
Day 2: Deb Felts/Latisha Yoast
Day 3: Gretchen Belknap/Lesa Smaligo and Lynn Mercurio/Asela Hopkins
Day 4: Cathleen Torina/Kerri Michaud and Carolyn Mustopa/Maria Fiscella
Day 5: Megan Lock/Chris Veneruso and Kendra Wiestock/Debbie Fisher
Day 6: Tracy Schultz/Heidi Van Laar and Amber Kroenig/Kerry Davis

To qualify for the prize of the day, all you have to do is post your challenge card/project to Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) and/or Paper Craft Planet (PCP) with the appropriate tag so we can find it. The tag (and the prize) for that day’s challenge will be posted on that day.

You will have the full week (until October 25^th, midnight EST) to post your work, and you can enter as many challenges as you like, but you can’t combine challenges in one project. The daily challenge winners will be selected at random at the end of the week.

To qualify for the Grand Prize of being IHP Guest Designer for the month of November, here’s how it will work: Every challenge card/project you enter will give you points (see the list below), and the one with the most points accumulated for the week will be the Grand Prize winner. So the more challenges you enter, the more points you earn — and the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize (and the bigger the value of your Guest Designer box will be)!

All winners, including the Grand Prize winner, will be announced at the Birthday Bash on October 26^th here, on the IHP blog and on our PCP page.

So get ready to PARTY!!!! You won’t want to miss the fun!

Birthday Bash Points

For each project:

• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to SCS
• 5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to PCP
• 2 points for uploading to your blog and linking at least one IHP item used to the IHP website

One time points:

• 2 points for signing up to receive our newsletter*
• 2 points for joining our PCP group*
• 2 points for becoming our fan on Facebook*

10 points if you participate in all 6 IHP Birthday Bash challenges

*When you sign up, or if you are already signed up, leave us a comment on the IHP blog during Birthday Bash week so your points can be credited.

A Special Gift

Because i {heart} papers loves birthdays so much, we’re donating 10% of sales, beginning on October 19^th and through the end of October, to Hope Lodge New York City. Hope Lodge, run by the American Cancer Society, “The Official Sponsor of Birthdays,” offers free, temporary housing for cancer patients and their families who are undergoing treatment. The nurturing, comfortable environment at Hope Lodge allows patients to focus on what is most important - fighting cancer. What better way to celebrate a birthday than to help those who are helping more birthdays happen!

I know it is a lot of information but I hope you’ll play along with us, starting on MONDAY!   See you tomorrow!!!

Hap-py Bee Day!

This is the card I sent Deb for her birthday a few weeks ago! I used the Hap Bee Day set and stamped this cutie in Palette Noir. Then I colored him with Melon, Pitch Black and Yellow Spica pens. I used some of the Piggy Tales Itsy Bitsy Spider collection, this time using some Washed pieces and the small scale side of Spout. I love that a lot of the PT papers have a large scale on one side and then the same design in a smaller scale on the other side. It finished it off with some of the stitched black/yellow ribbon – perfect for bee cards!!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Sweet Friend mirror

Hi! Remember two weeks ago when I told you I’d have the coordinating gift for my friend? Well, here it is!

I used a bunch of the die cut butterflies from this paper and mounted them on a mirror I picked up a long time ago.

Then I dissected this flourish to make the trails behind all of them. They are all mounted with a little piece of i {stick} papers redline tape (only 21 cents a yard!!) and then the wings are propped up with dimensional dots.

I used my Sweet Friend stamp from Chelsea Greetings and my Versamark pad and white embossing powder to stamp the bottom and then finished it off with the wide white 100% silk ribbon to hang it from.

In other news, we learned yesterday that Ron the Mailman is retiring in October but before then (at the end of this month) they are assigning him a new route and he will not be our carrier any more. I can't be 100% sure that I didn't play a part in that. I wonder if he requested a new route! HAHAHA! Ah well...hopefully the new guy is as patient and nice as Ron. Stay tuned...

Remember, orders will not be shipping from July 16- July 22. I'm down to counting the hours until we leave for Niagara Falls but I'll spare you the details. Boy, aren't you going to be glad once this trip is over??!! (But then I'll start talking all about CHA!!!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday Deb!!

Today is DT member Deb’s birthday!  You’ll see the card I sent her soon but in the meantime I wanted to show you the card I did for CPS21.  Tracy is guest hosting this week so I wanted to play along.

I used the Happy Greetings and stamped it in Palette Noir for the greeting and used the little gems from the same package.  The bee is a Woolie from the new June Bug line from Basic Grey. 

I used some of the Piggy Tales Itsy Bitsy Spider collection, the small scale side of Spout.   I made the bee trail from a cut up bit of this Zva flourish and then finished it off with some yellow faux suede ribbon.    I love how it all came together.  I’m really enjoying these sketch challenges lately!!

Please stop by Deb’s blog and wish her some birthday love! Thanks for stopping by!

Are you sick of birthday cards yet?

I told you I had a lot of birthday cards to make this month! And, fair warning…July is even worse!!!

This is a super simple card but I love the fuzziness of it! Those pink swirls are super soft velvet Class A Peels (the same pack I used to make this acrylic block picture frame) and the dots on the ribbon are a little fuzzy too. I was sitting here petting this card earlier! Haha!!!

The tag is made from Oval Nesties and I put little rhinestones in alternating scallops. The greeting, from (you know it by now, right?!!) Chelsea Sentiments is stamped in Palette L’Amour Red.

The base is PTI cs and the paper is a scrap of MME that I had from when I made Sarah’s little believe frame.

Thanks for stopping by today - hope to see you again soon!

Visit Stampin' Out Alzheimer’s