**There is a chance to win at the bottom of this post!**

So, I first partially created a layout, until I got it to the point where I would normally add the lettering.  Then I cut out my title using 3 different fonts, and Sprinkle cardstock.

Then I laid each title on my layout to see which one I liked best.  I used several different placements too.  By the way, this is hard for me to show you a partially completed layout!

This font (above) is called “Freestyle Script” and although at first it seemed appropriate, once I saw it on the layout it seems too light and insubstantial to work well.

This one, called FAFERS Handwriting Font, is better, and closer to what I was looking for.  While I like the look of it, it feels a little too sporty for my artsy, graphic layout.

This one is Impact, an old standard.  It doesn’t have the flair I usually prefer in my fonts, but it does stand out more then the others, is easily readable, and complements the graphic nature of this layout quite well.

Here is how I finished the layout:

So, what do you think?  Would you have made a different choice?  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think and why.  I will send one random commenter a few handmade cardstock flowers! (leave your comments by Friday night at 11:59 EST to be eligible for the drawing).

Come back tomorrow to see Heidi play with a few fonts of her own.

~Alyssa~

Supplies used: Couture Cardstock “Alabaster Columns, Canvas, Sprinkle“

I started this layout about a month ago, and created this:

Then I packed it up and sent it to Heidi to finish.  Being the wonderful friend that I am, I did a few things I knew she would love, like the misted background and the fussy cutting, and a few things that I knew would… ummm… challenge her, like the strips across the layout (not really her thing, but definitely mine).   I also chose to work with the Rainy Day Monochromatic Family, since it was on my desk at that moment and I happen to love it.

So, here is how Heidi finished the layout:

Don’t you just love how Heidi finished this?  Her addition of the bright green is amazing!  And I am not sure i would have ever thought of that.  I know why she chose that title though, because we are, indeed, very much alike.  We usually think the same way about things and can pretty much figure out what the other is going to say before they say it.  I love having a friend like that!

Sometime this summer, we will be bringing you another “progressive layout.”  This time, I get to finish one that Heidi starts.  :)

Thanks Heidi, for creating this layout with me!

Check back tomorrow for our BIG PRIMA GIVEAWAY winner!

~Alyssa~

Supplies: Rainy Day Monochromatic Family (Drizzle, Sprinkle, Galoshes, and Liquid Sunshine), Alabaster Columns, Informant

Natalie made this card using the H2o Monochromatic Family:

I made this layout using primarily the Silk Road Monochromatic Family.  Remember that artsy paper tutorial from a few weeks ago?  I finally get to show you where I used it!

Today’s Challenge: Use a color that you wouldn’t normally use!

~Alyssa~

Rules for both of our month-long contests follow:

First, we are giving it all away! In honor of National Craft Month, we are holding a month long contest in March. The winner will receive 1 of every product in our store.  That’s 291 sheets of cardstock, in every color, weight, and texture you could ever need!  Here’s what you have to do to win: put our blinkie on your blog using the code available in the sidebar to the right.   Leave us a comment (on this post) with a link to your blog where you posted our blinkie, and you are entered to win!  That’s all there is to it! We will draw one very lucky winner on April 2nd.  (if you already have our blinkie, leave us a comment and tell us that too, you are eligible to win).

Second,  to celebrate National Craft Month, we are holding a month long contest here at Couture Cardstock, and your participation will determine the size of the prize!  Each day during the month of March, we will be offering a challenge on our blog.  Each day, you have one opportunity win a prize pack by completing that challenge and linking it to that day’s post.   For every challenge entry received, we will add a sheet of cardstock to the prize pack. All entries must be posted by 11:59 pm EST the day of that challenge and the winner for each day will be selected the following morning.  The minimum prize pack will be 10 sheets of your choice, the maximum depends on YOU!!

The details:

1. You may enter each challenge once (only one entry per person per day).
2. Entries must be posted in a gallery or on a personal blog, and must mention Couture Cardstock in the description.
3. You do not need to use Couture Cardstock in your entries, although we encourage you to do so.
4. Each project completed may only be used once.
5. All entries must by posted and linked to the corresponding challenge post by 11:59 pm EST, the day the challenge is posted.
6. The minimum prize pack per day will be 10 sheets of your choice.

Both contests are open to anyone, anywhere.  However, International winners (outside the US) will be responsible for their own shipping costs.

Note: Prizes will all be shipped at the end of the month.

At first, I was terrified. I am a detail girl. I love to hand-cut tiny elements that add visual interest in my layouts, but had never created ALL of my own embellishments for a project.  I found myself looking at the palette of colors that I had picked out, mentally going through a checklist of all the art supplies, stamps, and mediums that I own.

What fun this turned out to be! What I thought was going to be difficult, actually turned out to be incredibly blissful. Therapeutic almost because I was able to free all that creativity lose onto the paper, creating my own patterned paper with details to cut out. The layout became completely my own.  I used Couture Cardstock’s  Brandenburg, Charcoal, Fallen Leaf, Frosted, New Leaf, and One Sheet Wonder.

Tomorrow Alyssa will be bringing you a couple more 100% cardstock projects,  I hope that you find some inspiration in what all the designers have created!

xx Heidi

Today’s Challenge: Use Stamps!

Rules for both of our month-long contests follow:

First, we are giving it all away! In honor of National Craft Month, we are holding a month long contest in March. The winner will receive 1 of every product in our store.  That’s 291 sheets of cardstock, in every color, weight, and texture you could ever need!  Here’s what you have to do to win: put our blinkie on your blog using the code available in the sidebar to the right.   Leave us a comment (on this post) with a link to your blog where you posted our blinkie, and you are entered to win!  That’s all there is to it! We will draw one very lucky winner on April 2nd.  (if you already have our blinkie, leave us a comment and tell us that too, you are eligible to win).

Second,  to celebrate National Craft Month, we are holding a month long contest here at Couture Cardstock, and your participation will determine the size of the prize!  Each day during the month of March, we will be offering a challenge on our blog.  Each day, you have one opportunity win a prize pack by completing that challenge and linking it to that day’s post.   For every challenge entry received, we will add a sheet of cardstock to the prize pack. All entries must be posted by 11:59 pm EST the day of that challenge and the winner for each day will be selected the following morning.  The minimum prize pack will be 10 sheets of your choice, the maximum depends on YOU!!

The details:

1. You may enter each challenge once (only one entry per person per day).
2. Entries must be posted in a gallery or on a personal blog, and must mention Couture Cardstock in the description.
3. You do not need to use Couture Cardstock in your entries, although we encourage you to do so.
4. Each project completed may only be used once.
5. All entries must by posted and linked to the corresponding challenge post by 11:59 pm EST, the day the challenge is posted.
6. The minimum prize pack per day will be 10 sheets of your choice.

Both contests are open to anyone, anywhere.  However, International winners (outside the US) will be responsible for their own shipping costs.

Note: Prizes will all be shipped at the end of the month.

So, I created this album as a reminder to myself.   It lists the top 10 things I want to teach my children.  Your top 10 might be completely different from mine, but I encourage you to make a list.  Remind yourself.  What is it that you are doing?  What are your goals?  Who do you want to be?  I hope this album inspires you to record your goals, and work even harder to meet them, whatever they are.

I used the Silk Road Monochromatic Family for this album.  It’s an accordion album, which means it starts on one side and wraps around to the other side (which is why the numbers appear to be going backwards on the last few photos).

Today’s Challenge: Journal about your goals, OR create a card for someone who is reaching a milestone or achieving a goal.

Have a great weekend!

~Alyssa~

Rules for both of our month-long contests follow:

First, we are giving it all away! In honor of National Craft Month, we are holding a month long contest in March. The winner will receive 1 of every product in our store.  That’s 291 sheets of cardstock, in every color, weight, and texture you could ever need!  Here’s what you have to do to win: put our blinkie on your blog using the code available in the sidebar to the right.   Leave us a comment (on this post) with a link to your blog where you posted our blinkie, and you are entered to win!  That’s all there is to it! We will draw one very lucky winner on April 2nd.  (if you already have our blinkie, leave us a comment and tell us that too, you are eligible to win).

Second,  to celebrate National Craft Month, we are holding a month long contest here at Couture Cardstock, and your participation will determine the size of the prize!  Each day during the month of March, we will be offering a challenge on our blog.  Each day, you have one opportunity win a prize pack by completing that challenge and linking it to that day’s post.   For every challenge entry received, we will add a sheet of cardstock to the prize pack. All entries must be posted by 11:59 pm EST the day of that challenge and the winner for each day will be selected the following morning.  The minimum prize pack will be 10 sheets of your choice, the maximum depends on YOU!!

The details:

1. You may enter each challenge once (only one entry per person per day).
2. Entries must be posted in a gallery or on a personal blog, and must mention Couture Cardstock in the description.
3. You do not need to use Couture Cardstock in your entries, although we encourage you to do so.
4. Each project completed may only be used once.
5. All entries must by posted and linked to the corresponding challenge post by 11:59 pm EST, the day the challenge is posted.
6. The minimum prize pack per day will be 10 sheets of your choice.

Both contests are open to anyone, anywhere.  However, International winners (outside the US) will be responsible for their own shipping costs.

Note: Prizes will all be shipped at the end of the month.

Kimberly printed My Time Made Easy papers on Bone cardstock, then printed the template and used it to cut her newly printed papers to made this adorable slider box.  She added a border-punched strip of Day at Sea to add some extra pizazz.  Topping it with a few simple embellishments added the perfect finishing touch.

Today’s Challenge: Make something for someone else.  This can be a card, a tag, a postcard, a wall hanging, anything that you plan to give to someone else.

~Alyssa~

Rules for both of our month-long contests follow:

First, we are giving it all away! In honor of National Craft Month, we are holding a month long contest in March. The winner will receive 1 of every product in our store.  That’s 291 sheets of cardstock, in every color, weight, and texture you could ever need!  Here’s what you have to do to win: put our blinkie on your blog using the code available in the sidebar to the right.   Leave us a comment (on this post) with a link to your blog where you posted our blinkie, and you are entered to win!  That’s all there is to it! We will draw one very lucky winner on April 2nd.  (if you already have our blinkie, leave us a comment and tell us that too, you are eligible to win).

Second,  to celebrate National Craft Month, we are holding a month long contest here at Couture Cardstock, and your participation will determine the size of the prize!  Each day during the month of March, we will be offering a challenge on our blog.  Each day, you have one opportunity win a prize pack by completing that challenge and linking it to that day’s post.   For every challenge entry received, we will add a sheet of cardstock to the prize pack. All entries must be posted by 11:59 pm EST the day of that challenge and the winner for each day will be selected the following morning.  The minimum prize pack will be 10 sheets of your choice, the maximum depends on YOU!!

The details:

1. You may enter each challenge once (only one entry per person per day).
2. Entries must be posted in a gallery or on a personal blog, and must mention Couture Cardstock in the description.
3. You do not need to use Couture Cardstock in your entries, although we encourage you to do so.
4. Each project completed may only be used once.
5. All entries must by posted and linked to the corresponding challenge post by 11:59 pm EST, the day the challenge is posted.
6. The minimum prize pack per day will be 10 sheets of your choice.

Both contests are open to anyone, anywhere.  However, International winners (outside the US) will be responsible for their own shipping costs.

Note: Prizes will all be shipped at the end of the month.

Cardstock: Couture Cardstock “Seduction Monochromatic Family: Enticing, Pick-up Line, Dervish, The Other Woman, Courtesan,” “Silk Road Monochromatic Family: Firelight”

Thanks for dropping in!  Have fun creating today!

~Alyssa~

Today’s Challenge: Use RED on your project.

Rules for both of our month-long contests follow:

First, we are giving it all away! In honor of National Craft Month, we are holding a month long contest in March. The winner will receive 1 of every product in our store.  That’s 291 sheets of cardstock, in every color, weight, and texture you could ever need!  Here’s what you have to do to win: put our blinkie on your blog using the code available in the sidebar to the right.   Leave us a comment (on this post) with a link to your blog where you posted our blinkie, and you are entered to win!  That’s all there is to it! We will draw one very lucky winner on April 2nd.  (if you already have our blinkie, leave us a comment and tell us that too, you are eligible to win).

Second,  to celebrate National Craft Month, we are holding a month long contest here at Couture Cardstock, and your participation will determine the size of the prize!  Each day during the month of March, we will be offering a challenge on our blog.  Each day, you have one opportunity win a prize pack by completing that challenge and linking it to that day’s post.   For every challenge entry received, we will add a sheet of cardstock to the prize pack. All entries must be posted by 11:59 pm EST the day of that challenge and the winner for each day will be selected the following morning.  The minimum prize pack will be 10 sheets of your choice, the maximum depends on YOU!!

The details:

1. You may enter each challenge once (only one entry per person per day).
2. Entries must be posted in a gallery or on a personal blog, and must mention Couture Cardstock in the description.
3. You do not need to use Couture Cardstock in your entries, although we encourage you to do so.
4. Each project completed may only be used once.
5. All entries must by posted and linked to the corresponding challenge post by 11:59 pm EST, the day the challenge is posted.
6. The minimum prize pack per day will be 10 sheets of your choice.

Both contests are open to anyone, anywhere.  However, International winners (outside the US) will be responsible for their own shipping costs.

Note: Prizes will all be shipped at the end of the month.

First I created the tie-dye pattern onOne Sheet Wonder with a “rainbow” of Copic markers.

SUPPLY LIST:
Cardstock: H2O Monochromatic Family: Whale Watching, Bermuda Triangle; Paper: Cosmo Cricket

Then I stamped the image over it, making sure the center of the “rainbow” was lined up in the middle of the t-shirt.

Next, I cut out the t-shirt very carefully! I also used another piece of the patterned paper and some Bermuda Triangle from the H2O monochromatic family to paper piece the girls’ pants, stamping and cutting as I did for the t-shirt.

And here’s a closeup:

I hope you’ll try this tie-dye technique! If you do, come back and leave a link, so we all can see!

Until next time, have fun creating!

Broni

Today’s Challenge: Use markers on your project.

Rules for both of our month-long contests follow:

First, we are giving it all away! In honor of National Craft Month, we are holding a month long contest in March. The winner will receive 1 of every product in our store.  That’s 291 sheets of cardstock, in every color, weight, and texture you could ever need!  Here’s what you have to do to win: put our blinkie on your blog using the code available in the sidebar to the right.   Leave us a comment (on this post) with a link to your blog where you posted our blinkie, and you are entered to win!  That’s all there is to it! We will draw one very lucky winner on April 2nd.  (if you already have our blinkie, leave us a comment and tell us that too, you are eligible to win).

Second,  to celebrate National Craft Month, we are holding a month long contest here at Couture Cardstock, and your participation will determine the size of the prize!  Each day during the month of March, we will be offering a challenge on our blog.  Each day, you have one opportunity win a prize pack by completing that challenge and linking it to that day’s post.   For every challenge entry received, we will add a sheet of cardstock to the prize pack. All entries must be posted by 11:59 pm EST the day of that challenge and the winner for each day will be selected the following morning.  The minimum prize pack will be 10 sheets of your choice, the maximum depends on YOU!!

The details:

1. You may enter each challenge once (only one entry per person per day).
2. Entries must be posted in a gallery or on a personal blog, and must mention Couture Cardstock in the description.
3. You do not need to use Couture Cardstock in your entries, although we encourage you to do so.
4. Each project completed may only be used once.
5. All entries must by posted and linked to the corresponding challenge post by 11:59 pm EST, the day the challenge is posted.
6. The minimum prize pack per day will be 10 sheets of your choice.

Both contests are open to anyone, anywhere.  However, International winners (outside the US) will be responsible for their own shipping costs.

Note: Prizes will all be shipped at the end of the month.

Isn’t that adorable?  Vee used Blushing, Canvas, and Brown Paper Packages to complete her creation.

Today’s Challenge: Use pop-dots or another dimensional adhesive to create dimension on your project.

Thanks for playing along!

~Alyssa~

First, we are giving it all away! In honor of National Craft Month, we are holding a month long contest in March. The winner will receive 1 of every product in our store.  That’s 291 sheets of cardstock, in every color, weight, and texture you could ever need!  Here’s what you have to do to win: put our blinkie on your blog using the code available in the sidebar to the right.   Leave us a comment (on this post) with a link to your blog where you posted our blinkie, and you are entered to win!  That’s all there is to it! We will draw one very lucky winner on April 2nd.  (if you already have our blinkie, leave us a comment and tell us that too, you are eligible to win).

Second,  to celebrate National Craft Month, we are holding a month long contest here at Couture Cardstock, and your participation will determine the size of the prize!  Each day during the month of March, we will be offering a challenge on our blog.  Each day, you have one opportunity win a prize pack by completing that challenge and linking it to that day’s post.   For every challenge entry received, we will add a sheet of cardstock to the prize pack. All entries must be posted by 11:59 pm EST the day of that challenge and the winner for each day will be selected the following morning.  The minimum prize pack will be 10 sheets of your choice, the maximum depends on YOU!!

The details:

1. You may enter each challenge once (only one entry per person per day).
2. Entries must be posted in a gallery or on a personal blog, and must mention Couture Cardstock in the description.
3. You do not need to use Couture Cardstock in your entries, although we encourage you to do so.
4. Each project completed may only be used once.
5. All entries must by posted and linked to the corresponding challenge post by 11:59 pm EST, the day the challenge is posted.
6. The minimum prize pack per day will be 10 sheets of your choice.

Both contests are open to anyone, anywhere.  However, International winners (outside the US) will be responsible for their own shipping costs.

Note: Prizes will all be shipped at the end of the month.

I stamped a pattern on the left edge of the card to give a little texture and interest. I then stamped the sentiment on Detail Blending Paper and colored it in with my BG18 Copic marker, which matches perfectly! I punched and added smaller circles in the same Oasis and pop dotted them along the card. I hope you love these colors as much as I do.  I can’t wait to see what you create with them!

Nat

Today’s Challenge: Use at least 2 circles on your project.

Rules for both of our month-long contests follow:

First, we are giving it all away! In honor of National Craft Month, we are holding a month long contest in March. The winner will receive 1 of every product in our store.  That’s 291 sheets of cardstock, in every color, weight, and texture you could ever need!  Here’s what you have to do to win: put our blinkie on your blog using the code available in the sidebar to the right.   Leave us a comment (on this post) with a link to your blog where you posted our blinkie, and you are entered to win!  That’s all there is to it! We will draw one very lucky winner on April 2nd.  (if you already have our blinkie, leave us a comment and tell us that too, you are eligible to win).

Second,  to celebrate National Craft Month, we are holding a month long contest here at Couture Cardstock, and your participation will determine the size of the prize!  Each day during the month of March, we will be offering a challenge on our blog.  Each day, you have one opportunity win a prize pack by completing that challenge and linking it to that day’s post.   For every challenge entry received, we will add a sheet of cardstock to the prize pack. All entries must be posted by 11:59 pm EST the day of that challenge and the winner for each day will be selected the following morning.  The minimum prize pack will be 10 sheets of your choice, the maximum depends on YOU!!

The details:

1. You may enter each challenge once (only one entry per person per day).
2. Entries must be posted in a gallery or on a personal blog, and must mention Couture Cardstock in the description.
3. You do not need to use Couture Cardstock in your entries, although we encourage you to do so.
4. Each project completed may only be used once.
5. All entries must by posted and linked to the corresponding challenge post by 11:59 pm EST, the day the challenge is posted.
6. The minimum prize pack per day will be 10 sheets of your choice.

Both contests are open to anyone, anywhere.  However, International winners (outside the US) will be responsible for their own shipping costs.