On Friday, March 5th we had 2 entries in our National Craft Month Challenge a day contest. Selected by random number generator, Nana is our winner. Check out Nana’s amazing butterfly mini album on her blog:

http://youniquereflections.blogspot.com/2010/03/couture-cardstock-challenge.html

Nana, please be sure to contact us via the Couture Cardstock contact form  http://www.couturecardstock.com/contacts/ to provide us your shipping address and choices for your 10 free sheets!

I am delighted to  be the weekend challenge presenter during our month long challenge contest.

Several very talented seamstresses have attempted to teach me to sew, with little success. I am simply incapable of creating anything with fabric that resembles a garment. This means that I have bits and bobs lurking in my craft room from many half-hearted attempts to cure my sewing inadequacy. So today’s challenge is to use a sewing technique or supply in a paper project.

In the below Eiffel Tower layout I used a layer of batting between the American Crafts pink patterned paper and an unseen sheet of our light weight chipboard to create a tufted look with brads. I love the depth and dimension it added at very little cost. I also used my paper piercer to punch tiny wholes around the green Pink Paislee Patterned Paper.  I look forward to what you come up with and the fine print for both of our contests follows below.

Have fun creating,

CarrieAnne

Couture Cardstock: The White Collection: White Linen, A Girl's Best Friend: Onyx; Patterned Paper: American Crafts, Pink Paislee; Brads: Making Memories; Baubles: My Favorite Things.

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.

On Thursday, March 4th we had 7 entries in our National Craft Month Challenge a day contest. Selected by random number generator, Silvia Haynes is our winner. Check out Silvia’s winning card incorporating a butterfly  on her blog:

Silvia, please be sure to contact us via the Couture Cardstock contact form  http://www.couturecardstock.com/contacts/ to provide us your shipping address and choices for your 10 free sheets!

TGIF!  It’s technique Friday today, and I am here to show you a way to make yourself some artsy paper using what is in your scrap drawer.  Sounds good?  Ok, here we go.

Here is what you will need:

• 1 12″ x12″ sheet of cardstock (heavier weights are best.  I recommend Oat.)
• Scraps of various cardstock.  I used Curry Spice, Canvas, and The Other Woman.
• Your favorite adhesive
• Mod Podge
• Glimmer Mists or Maya Mists
• Acrylic Paint
• Ruler

1. Choose the scraps and background color you want to use.  I had some scraps leftover from die-cutting borders, so I used those to add some extra texture. I also had some Canvas cardstock that I had used a background stamp on.  The stamping wasn’t perfect, so I didn’t use it on a layout, but it worked well here.

2. Use your ruler to rip some random strips and arrange them on your background.  After you get an arrangement you like, adhere them using your favorite adhesive.  I use Beacon Zip Dry.

3. Using your acrylic paint, freehand some paint wherever you like.  You can brush it, or drip it, or stamp it.  Just have fun with it.  I recommend using one color found in your scraps and one additional color.

4. Once the paint is dry, apply a thin coat of Mod Podge.

5. Let the Mod Podge dry.  A few small weights can help flatten during drying.  I like to use nail polish bottles.

6. Mist with a few colors of your favorite mist.  This adds a lot of texture and dimension.

7. Now you have a customized, textured piece of patterned paper.  You can use it as a whole sheet, or cut it up and use it like I did on a layout.

Here are some sneak peeks from the project on which I used another sheet of this paper (made the same way).  You will see the whole project later this month.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial!  I can’t wait to see your finished results.

Today’s challenge: Alter a piece of cardstock and use it on your project (this could mean stamping, distressing, painting, misting, etc.)

~Alyssa~

The rules:

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.

On Wednesday, March 3rd we had 7 entries in our National Craft Month Challenge a day contest. Selected by random number generator, Allison Cope is our winner. Check out Allison’s winning card incorporating a computer printed element  on her blog: http://yourmemoriescanada.blogspot.com.

Allison, please be sure to contact us via the Couture Cardstock contact form  http://www.couturecardstock.com/contacts/ to provide us your shipping address and choices for your 10 free sheets!

My project this week is a small gift box and card set made by using all Couture Cardstock and the My Time Made Easy ™ LLC template called Shutt-erfly.

The “patterned paper” is a beautiful digital paper called Flourish White from the Loving Heart collection from My Time Made Easy ™ LLC, printed on Detail Blending paper.

The box template was printed on the non-textured side of Blushing from the Young Love Monochromatic Family. It was cut out, scored and folded, and 2 of the sides were then attached to each other. I found that since I wanted to add layers to the box, it was easier to do so at this point before completing the box assembly.

The butterflies were made from Sweetheart cardstock, also from the Young Love Monochromatic Family, and pieces of the patterned paper I had created for the side panels. They were glued together and tied with ribbon. A pearl sticker was added to represent each butterfly’s head.

I finished by making a 2-1/2” x 4-1/4” card to complete the set, using Green Pasture from the Spring Valley Monochromatic Family. The sentiment is from the Big Birthday Wishes stamp set by Our Craft Lounge.

(Cardstock: Young Love Monochromatic Family: Blushing, Sweetheart; Spring Valley Monochromatic Family: Green Pasture; Detail Blending Paper)

As I was making this box, I had my Mom in mind and how she would love these colors and butterflies, so I think this may just be her Mother’s Day gift!

Enjoy the rest of your week and have fun creating!

Broni

Today’s Challenge: Use a butterfly or other bug somewhere on your project!

The rules:

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.

On Tuesday, March 2nd we had 8 entries in our National Craft Month Challenge a day contest. Selected by random number generator, Wendy Crowe is our winner. Check out Wendy’s winning layout incorporating border punches  on her blog: http://disneydarling07.blogspot.com

Wendy, please be sure to contact us via the Couture Cardstock contact form  http://www.couturecardstock.com/contacts/ to provide us your shipping address and choices for your 10 free sheets!

(Talk about packing a lot  into one post!)

Couture Cardstock DESIGN TEAM CALL

The Couture Cardstock family is growing and we want you to join our team of designers!

Couture Cardstock products are hand picked and tested by paper crafters. Our offering includes over 275 different colors and finishes. Couture Cardstock encourages crafters to use paper weighted specifically for the particular technique, project, or challenge at hand. Each of our papers are weighted (light, medium or heavy) and helpful project suggestions can be found in our item descriptions and design team member gallery. We have priced our inventory competitively and though you will feel like you are scouring the bargain bin, you will be enjoying our fashion forward cardstock from the comfort of your arm chair.

We are looking for 2 people to join our current team: 1 layout designer, and 1 altered art designer.  You are welcome to apply for both of these positions as you like, but you must submit a separate application for each position, and you may only be chosen for one position. Applications will be accepted immediately, and must be received by April 1^st.

Final decisions will be made by April 5^th, and the new team will be announced on April 7^th.

This call is open to residents of the US and Canada.

Position Requirements:

• 4-6 projects per month.  Project load might vary from time to time due to tradeshows and company needs.
• 2 blog posts per month
• Willingness to submit to an editorial process.
• Cheerful participation in all DT activities, promptness meeting deadlines, and strong communication skills.
• Ideally, designers should own a digital craft cutter or die cut machine (Cricut, Silhouette, Big Shot, etc).

Compensation:

• Design Team members will be compensated generously in products, both Couture Cardstock and partner manufacturer products.
• Opportunities for incentives and promotion exist.

Please read the application requirements closely, as applications that are incomplete will not be considered.

Please provide the following info (all applicants):

• Full contact info (name, address, phone, email)
• Links to your galleries and personal blog
• Please list past and current DT experience
• Please tell us a little about yourself.
• Why do you want to work for Couture Cardstock?

Layout Designers:

Please submit 3 layouts of your choice to both hkelley@couturecardstock.com and amcgrew@couturecardstock.com. One of these may be a previously created layout (show us your favorite work).  The two additional projects should be new and remain unpublished or posted until the new DT is announced.    All of the projects submitted should show us skill in transforming paper products like cardstock, vellum, mirrored paper and chipboard into works of art.

Altered Artists:

Please submit 3 altered items of your choice to both hkelley@couturecardstock.com and amcgrew@couturecardstock.com. One of these may be a previously created project (show us your favorite work).  The two additional projects should be new and remain unpublished or posted until the new DT is announced.  All of the projects submitted should show us skill in transforming paper products like cardstock, vellum, mirrored paper and chipboard into works of art.

And now… today’s challenge and the beautiful project by Couture Cardstock Designer, Natalie Dever!

“Digital papers and One Sheet Wonder are a match made in heaven!!  These papers take the ink so evenly-LOVE IT!

For my card today I used the Fluttering By Digital paper pack from My Time Made Easy and the cut file called Flowers and Flutters, also from My Time Made Easy. The butterflies are cut from Cocoa which matches the digital papers perfectly!”

Couture Cardstock: One Sheet Wonder and Cocoa;  Digital Files: My Time Made Easy;  Twine: Jillibean Soup

Today’s Challenge: Create a project using something you printed yourself using your computer! (Entries must be received by midnight EST.  See contest rules below)

Nat

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.

On Monday, March 1st we had 6 entries in our National Craft Month Challenge a day contest. Selected by random number generator, Dora Phillips is our winner. Check out Dora’s fantastic card incorporating yellow on her blog: http://doraphillips.blogspot.com.

Dora, please be sure to contact us via the Couture Cardstock contact form  http://www.couturecardstock.com/contacts/  to provide us your shipping address and choices for your 10 free sheets!

When I first opened the package of our Silk Road Monochromatic Family, I was struck by the intensity of the hues. To me they burned bright, a fire inspired collection of golden yellows.

(Cardstock: Silk Road Monochromatic Family “Curry Spice, Frankincense, Nomad, “; Seduction Monochromatic Family “Spitfire”; Vintage Christmas Collection “Tannebaum, Sugar Cookie”; Black Monochromatic Family “Raven”)

To achieve the appearance of a flame-like frame, I distressed the edges of both Curry Spice and Frankincense using edge punchers and scrunching by hand. I then used a combination of gesso, ink, glimmer mist, and embossing powders to highlight the rest of the embellishments. The red paper roses were made out of Couture Cardstock’s “Spitfire”, from the Seduction Monochromatic Family and “Tannenbaum” from the Vintage Christmas Collection.

Today’s Challenge: Use an edge punch to add detail to one of your pages! (link your project to this post for a chance to win today’s prize.  Entries must be received by midnight EST.  See contest rules below.).

xx Heidi

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.