Sir Stampalot's Moving Challenge

I designed today's card to celebrate Sir Stampalot's move to their spacious new shop in Peterborough, UK!  We've Moved combines older stash (a My Mind's Eye Frame Up, a Paper Bliss House, black and white cardstock) with new toys (CTMH's Around The Block Stamps, CTMH Black Archival and Dye Inks, and Skittles) for a dash of old school charm. If you'd like to join me in this challenge, hop over to Floral Fantasies for the full scoop! 

Here's a taste of what awaits you:

1. A challenging project!
2. A chance to win a Sizzix Big Shot!
3. An amazing blog hop!
4. A tantalizing teaser to solve!
5. Chances to win stamps and embellishments galore!

Sound good?  Act fast - the clock is ticking! Winners will be announced at Floral Fantasies on Feb 14th, 2010 - which is also the last day to register for my One World One Heart Giveaway!

Little Black Heart Multi-Challenge Card

Please don't think I'm dark and twisty (yes, I'm a huge Grey's Anatomy fan!) but recently, I've been preoccupied with little black hearts. You see, while organizing my chipboard, I came across the cutest little hearts from Magistical Memories and thought it would be cool to create some non-traditional Valentine's with them. So, I broke into my new Pitch Black Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber and went to town painting little black hearts - along with miniature labels and anything else I could find!

Here is the 3 x 3 card I created using yet another sheet of CTMH Notebook paper (isn't this a versatile pack?), a cute scrap of polka dot ribbon (manufacturer unknown), and a few coordinating epoxy stickers from Studio 18. I like this card for its versatility - it is quick and fun to create, and it can be used as both a Valentine's card and as an All Occasion card!

My exploration of challenge blogs continued this week, as you will discover if you check out my ever-expanding and newly reorganized Links section. Here are the ones I am entering today's card in - a few of my favorites plus a few new finds!

ABC Challenge - N Is For New - Everything On This Card Is New!
Creative Belli - Belli Challenge 84 - Ribbons - Polka Dot Ribbon
Charisma Cardz Challenge 5 - I Love You - Heart & Sentiment
Creative Card Crew Challenge 44 - Valentines - Heart Theme
Cute Card Thursday Challenge 98 - Spots & Dots - Ribbon & Embellishments
Crafty Angels Week 21 - What's Your Colour? - Blue Is My Favorite Color
Fussy And Fancy Friday Challenge 3 - Hearts - Heart Theme
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Love Actually - Heart & Sentiment
Raise The Bar Challenge 4 - Heart To Heart Talk - Heart Theme

Have a wonderful week, everyone, and if this is your first visit to Create With Joy, don't forget to register for my One World One Heart Giveaway - I'll be picking a lucky winner next week!

EONAC3 & 365 Cards #336 Grunge Card

Lately I've been in the mood to play with "new to me" items - older products I've re-discovered in my stash! So, I'm delighted to fuel the fire with this week's Everything Old Is New Again Challenge!

EONAC3, Forgotten Ink Pads, challenges cardmakers to pull out three ink pads that have not seen the light of day in quite some time and use them on a card! Now, for those of you who have recently sneaked a peek at my Ink Empire - do you think I might have a few ink pads contending for this honor?

For the challenge, I decided to pull out some "new to me" ink daubers that (confession time!) I aquired as much for the cute little storage case they came in then as for the actual ink daubers themselves! My thought was that if rarely used was good - never used was even better!

I was concerned that the daubers might be dried out from sitting too long, but it turns out that they were so juicy, they left ink globs on my test paper! Fortunately, the Maya Road chipboard was the perfect medium for soaking up excess ink. Here is a close-up of the beautiful rich colors that I brushed on for a blended effect.

My Spring Grunge Card also contains the ingredients needed to complete 365 Card's Day 336 Challenge - The 3 S's, which are Stripes, Squares, and Spring! The CTMH Notebook paper contains the squares; the cut-out pattern in the vintage lace contains the stripes; and the handmade paper flower that Jennifer from Random Vintage Finds made me represents Spring!

Thanks for stopping by - and if you have not already done so, please stop by my One World One Heart Giveaway before Valentine's Day for a chance to win a special gift from me!

Raise The Bar Challenge #3 - Cheers!

Earlier this week, I came across a new challenge blog that is hosting the perfect challenge for all of us who resolved to reduce our stockpiles of accumulated stash throughout the year!

The blog is called Raise The Bar, and Challenge #3, The Older The Better, calls for stash-stuffers everywhere to make something lovely out of their old papers! Talk about the perfect challenge for The Paper Princess! I got so into the spirit of this one that I not only used my old papers on it, but I incorporated an old sketch, some old embellishments, and some classic techniques as well!

The sketch that inspired me comes from The Joy Of Card Making, a special edition released by Paper Crafts Magazine in 2005 (see page 59). The embellishments are from 2002 Paper Bliss - Tantalizing Tulips (green) and Winter Wraps. The classic techniques are paper tearing and ink distressing using CTMH Key Lime Dye Ink. And the paper? The manufacturer of the pink paper is unknown, but the purple paper is 2002 All My Memories Vintage Stripes Lavender Fields. The only thing new on the card is the bling, which I added for balance and sparkle!

I loved working with both this sketch and challenge - both are highly flexible and easily reproducible if you need to make cards in mass quantities for a swap or a special occasion! This is definitely one I will return to in the future!

I"ll be posting a second challenge card a little later in the day - so be on the lookout! And, if this is your first time visiting, be sure to register for a chance to win a very special gift from me as part of the One World One Heart Blog Hop I am currently participating in.  I am accepting entries through Valentine's Day, and will announce a winner on Feb 15th, 2010!

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday #5

I"ve been on a creative roll this week, which means that each day, my desk has become increasingly strewn with artsy residue! However, I did not take a current shot because today, I wanted to share Part 2 of my blog candy story - what I received from Jennifer at Random Vintage Finds!

If you recall, last week I received not one, but two large priority mail boxes, which Legend promptly claimed as his own. The first box contained Surprise Candy from Lori, which was filled with goodies galore! I was so blessed by Lori's generosity, I chose to wait a day before opening Jennifer's box, so I could truly savor each gift on its own! This was the sight that awaited me when I opened her box - a dozen or so individually wrapped packages, plus a lovely handmade card and tag from Jennifer!

Now, I was so touched by Jennifer's thoughtfulness - can you imagine all of the love and care she put into individually wrapping all of those packages? Not only is the tissue paper lovely, but she also topped each package with a beautiful epoxy heart - I loved them so much that I carefully removed each one from the package and found an old sticker sheet to save them on for future use (they were just too pretty to toss!) I also saved the tissue paper to pack a future box with - I've never been a fan of stuffing boxes with newspaper!

Now, with all of these individual packages set before me, it felt like Christmas - and I wanted to make that special feeling last - so slowly, throughout the day, I opened a package or two, savoring my gifts one by one. Each package was more delightful than the one before. Even Legend found a few "toys" he tried to claim as his very own!

Here's a picture of everything that I received.  Thank you so much Jennifer for your generosity - your gift is greatly appreciated!

Well, this wraps up this week's edition of WOYWW. Be sure to leave a comment, then jump over to Julia's to see what everyone else's workspace looks like this week! Also, be sure to stop by my One World One Heart post for a chance to win a very special prize from me!

Have a great day everyone!

Bah Humbug #4: Baubles & Glitter

This week, the Design Team at Bah Humbug issued their fourth Christmas Card challenge - make a card that celebrates your love of Christmas ornaments - which meshes perfectly with smArt Word's February Challenge of the Month - Glitter! So, I pulled out my Christmas finest, and created one sparkly yet elegant Christmas card!

If there is one purchase of the season I have been looking forward to breaking into for several weeks now, it is the beautiful specialty Anna Griffin Christmas paper that I used to set the tone for this card. I told myself all season that the Paper Princess did not need yet another Christmas-themed paper pad to fill the Paper Palace with, yet I could not get this beautiful paper out of my thoughts! Finally, I frequented the after-Christmas sales until January, until there was only left, and I could not resist temptation any longer. The paper is double-sided patterned cardstock; several sheets (including the bottom one used here) are glittery; this pad contains some of the most beautiful paper I have seen in quite some time!

Since I'm also trying to use up as much stock-piled stash as possible this year, I adorned my card with these beautiful Paper Bliss Ivory Trimmings, and added some glittery Offray ribbon to match. I stamped the sentiment with one of my new post-Christmas Inkadinkado finds (Tags and Wishes), then distressed it with Colorbox Gold Pigment Ink and Imprintz Silver Pigment Ink.

The end result? My fifth Christmas card of 2010!

White On White Flower & Button Card

Happy February Everyone! It's hard to believe that January has come and gone and the month of love and romance is upon us! Spring is also just around the corner - and with that in mind, I present you with today's card!

The inspiration for this card came from Allison at Charisma Cardz, who issued Challenge #4 this week:  Make White On White Cards.  Now, I know a lot of people find plain old white boring, but I love white - I find it pure, refreshing, and cleansing. So, I chose to bypass the allowance of including a colored image or sentiment and truly dabble with white on white!

To add visual interest and texture to the base of the card, I begun by layering it with embossed cardstock using Cuttlebug's Traffic Jam Folder. Next, I decided to go bold with flowers. Taking a cue from Cute Card Thursday's Challenge 97 - Blooming Gorgeous!, I added 3 layers of flowers - the bright middle flower is from Petaloo - the Daisy White flowers are from CTMH.  I then decided to add more pizazz by glittering all of the flower petals using Star Dust Stickles (the photo does not do the glitter justice!)  I also added a button to the flower center and glittered that as well! Glitter, by the way, is the smArt-Word Challenge for February!

I added wide textured rick rack to the card and thought I was done, but after sitting and staring at it for a few days, I wasn't quite satisfied with the end result.  Then, the other night while blog hopping, I came across a beautiful Valentine card on Caz's blog - A Load of Old Blogocks. Her card inspired me to add what became the finishing touch - the mini buttons that jazz up the rick rack - and include it in Crafty Angel's Week 20 Button Challenge, which I discovered through her site! I'm also entering this in A Spoonful of Sugar's 88th Challenge, Freestyle (anything we like) - which I also found through Caz!

If you decide to give any of these challenges a try, please let me know - I would love to see your creations! And, if you have not already done so, please be sure to stop by my One World One Heart post for a chance to win a very special gift from me!

Love Deeply: Multi-Challenge Card

I have a small confession to make. In the past few weeks, I've become hooked on design challenges! It's been so much fun to visit different blogs, delight in the smorgasboard of ideas set before me, and choose a few to participate in (there's never enough time to do them all!) I love sharing my favorites finds. Recently, I divided my Challenge Links into sub-categories to make them easier to navigate. Please check them out when you have a moment!

Today, I'd like to share my Love Deeply card, which I am entering into five challenges:

Belli Challenge #83: Hearts - Requires hearts. 

Corosive Challenge #49: All You Need Is Love - Requires a love theme.

Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge #3: Hearts - Requires hearts.

Paper Sundaes Third Challenge - Requires a Valentine's theme.

Sunday Stampers Week 89: Anyone Who Had A Heart - Requires hearts and stamping.

For the Paper Sundaes Valentine's theme, I chose to go vintage and lay the foundation with pretty pink polka-dot paper (how's that for a tongue twister!) from CTMH's beautiful Notebook line. I then dug through a ton of stamps until I found the perfect one for my card (which, as is frequently the case, was dictated in part by the size of the white scrap paper I had sitting on my desk!) I stamped the beautiful sentiment - which fulfills the love theme requirement for Corosive Challenge 49 and the stamping requirement for Sunday Stampers - in CTMH Black Archival Ink using a stamp from CTMH's D1368 Tinkled Pink My Acrylix Stamp Set.  I offset the sentiment with another sheet of double-sided CTMH Notebook paper, and lightly distressed the white paper using CTMH Bamboo and Baby Pink ink pads.

To comply with the Belli , Fussy and Fancy and Sunday Stampers heart requirements, I added two chipboard hearts that I custom-colored with various inks.  I distressed the edges with black chalk ink, and added pretty pink lace from my newly organized lace box (I'll be sharing this soon!) and a lovely handmade paper flower, compliments of Jennifer from Random Vintage Finds!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing today's card with me! If you haven't already done so, be sure to stop by my One World One Heart giveaway and register for a chance to win a very special prize!

Have a happy and creative week!

Val's Name ATC

When you were young, did you look forward to giving and receivng Valentine's Day cards from your classmates?

At school, we used to decorate lunch bags and tape them to the sides of our desks to collect cards in! On Valentine's Day, we would drop cards in our classmate's bags when they weren't around so that everyone would be surprised when they opened their bags - and their cards!

I created this ATC with those memories in mind!

When the gals at Sweet N Sassy Stamps challenged us to create pink and red designs a few weeks back, the first thought that came to mind was Valentine's Day! Since I was planning to make Val's Name ATC that day, I decided to surprise her with an early Valentine's ATC - my first Valentine of the season!

So, Happy Valentine's Day Val - I hope my card warms your heart and is the first of many you receive this February!

Speaking of next month...

In February, I'll be designing ATCs for two more participants in the ATC Names Swap, and sharing the story behind the creation of those cards.  I'll also be announcing the winner in my One World One Heart Giveaway, so if you have not already done so, be sure to stop by and enter the drawing today!

Bah Humbug #3 - All That Glitters

This week, the fine folk at Bah Humbug challenged participants in their year-long Christmas challenge to make a glittery Christmas card. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do at first - I was feeling a little glittered out - but then I came across a bag filled with scraps that I decided would be fun to piece together and build a Christmas card with! So, after playing with various combinations, I pulled some Doodlebug cardstock scraps, cut a few Martha Stewart borders down to size, and added the glittery DCWV paper as an accent.

Next, to coordinate with the swirly glitter paper, I used one of the pretty stamped images I received from Lori in my surprise blog candy.  The white paper seemed a tad stark, so I lightly distressed the white background with CTMH Baby Pink Ink to add just a hint of color. Finally, I embellished the card with some pretty glittery flowers from Petaloo's Glitter Dahlia Box Blend (Valentine) and coordinating bling.

The result? My fourth completed Christmas card for 2010!

Now, if you are have not already done so, be sure to check out my One World One Heart Giveaway - I'd love for you to be a part of this special drawing!

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday

Welcome to today's edition of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW) - a brainchild of Julia Dunnit's at Stamping Ground! For those who are tuning in for the first time, each Wednesday, a group of bloggers fearlessly show off their workspaces for all the world to see! It's a fun way to get organizational ideas, see what's new in the crafting world, see who's neat and who's not, see what cool projects others are working on, etc! It's also a great way to chat it up with fellow artisans and make new friends!

Last week, I finally got fed up with my mess and decided to start beautifying my workspace, beginning with my desk!  This weekend, I worked hard to clear the clutter, with great results! I'm not sure who is happier with the new found real estate - me or the cats - but it's wonderful feeling to be greeted by calm, not chaos, when I walk into the Paper Palace!

Now, I couldn't have cleaned my desk at a better time, because this week, I received not one, but two large priority boxes containing blog candy from two very special ladies! This week I will share the Surprise Candy I received from Lori at My Comfort Cottage. Next week, I'll share the Blog Candy I received from Jennifer at Random Vintage Finds.

Since Lori was sending me a surprise, I had no idea what to expect when I opened the box. But, I can tell you I was not expecting the marvelous array of goodies she blessed me with! From the lovely card she made me - to the amazing stash shown here - I was just blown away by her thoughtfulness! I've already sorted everything into project bags - I can hardly wait to delve into the Christmas bag (since I am working on year-long Christmas challenges) and the Valentine's bag - and try out a few of the stamps and the punches! So, thank you so much Lori for your generosity - your thoughtfulness is so appreciated!

I am also excited to share that I am participating in this year's One World One Heart Giveaway - an event designed to connect bloggers around the globe! So, be sure to enter my giveaway - leave a comment - and I look forward to visiting your blogs and sharing more with you next week!

Lotus Moon & One World One Heart

Happy Tuesday Everyone! I'd like to extend a special welcome to all who are visiting Create With Joy for the first time as part of the One World One Heart Blog Hop. As a first year participant, I am amazed by the outpouring of love I have received from both visitors and regular readers of this site. I've already met so many wonderful people through my blog - I look forward to visiting and connecting with many of you over the next few weeks!

I hope you'll have fun exploring my blog and, if you like it, consider becoming a Kindred Spirit! In the meantime, be sure to leave a comment at One World One Heart Giveaway so that you'll be included in the drawing on February 15th. I will approve your comments as soon as possible - I'm under the weather at the moment, so things are taking a little longer than usual!

Today's ATC, Lotus Moon, is a card I made for my friend Val as part of an Asian-themed swap we were partnered in. Unfortunately, due to postal mishaps, Val never received her card! Although I did send her a replacement, I was disappointed she never had a chance to see the original! So, Val, today's post is for you - I hope you enjoy the digital version, as I'm sending it with lots of love!

Tomorrow is What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW).  Tune in to see whether I've progressed or regressed in the ever-changing landscape known as my desk!