Challenge #15 - Happy Lunar New Year!

Happy New Year! – Chinese New Year began on February 14th and it’s the year of the tiger! We are really going to stretch our paper crafting skills and create paper lanterns. There are a number of how-to videos on the Internet, including this one (although it's not very thorough) using recycled red envelopes (aka red packets) used to give gifts during Chinese New Year and a stapler! http://how-to-make.blogspot.com/2007/11/paper-lantern.html .  This video by Dawn is easier to follow and more like the lanterns we made in school: http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-make-a-Paper-Lantern-77391934.  Just have fun and show us what you've got.

MsDee made these gorgeous lanterns with SEI patterned paper, pom pom ribbon and rhinestones.

Myra made her lanterns with Basic Grey's Corsage paper from the Junebug line and embellished the handle with an Asian-themed brad.

Susie made her lantern along with a stunning year of the tiger greeting card!

Finally, here is Terry's take on the lanterns.  The colors she chose are just beautiful and demonstrate just how versatile these decorative lanterns can be.

Okay, show us what you've got.  Leave a link to your creation in the comment section!

Challenge #14 - Non-Traditional Love

First, thank you to all of our followers!  We've surpassed 300!  We appreciate your comments and your participation.  If there's anything you'd like to see from our team, please leave suggestions in your comments.

For this week's challenge, we want to get ready for Valentine’s Day and create a Valentine’s day card, ATC or layout, etc. without using the traditional colors red, pink or white.  We're positive you'll come up with some fabulous projects and can't wait to see what you create!  Check out what our talented design team members came up with below.

Denise used ivory and purple glimmer paper to create this fabulous card.

Lia used distressing techniques for these gorgeous shabby chic tags!

Lisa used Stampin Up! goodies to create this beautiful cone full of hearts card!

Terry used distressing around the frame and patterned paper lettering (great faux embossing look) for her title on this charming "My Love" page layout.

Ms_Dee used Black and Gold Metallic Papers with Hot Off the Press "Dazzles" Stacked Heart Stickers and Dots & Stripes- Paper stack - (Black/Grey Polka dot paper)

Susie made these beautiful yet masculine cards using fabulous Die Cuts With a View paper and Stickles.

Please share your creations by posting a link to your project in your comment. We look forward to being inspired by you!

Challenge #13 - Love Your Own Handwriting!

Greetings paper crafters!  Today is National Handwriting Day so our challenge is to create a card, ATC, scrapbook page layout or other project that includes an element of your own handwriting.  Most of us don't like our own handwriting so this will truly be a challenge!  We hope you're inspired by our design team's creations to do some handwriting of your own!

Marie created this beautiful double-page layout with the journaling done in her own handwriting.

Myra also made a scrapbook page layout with a handwritten title and journaling using a font created from her own handwriting.

MsDee made this exquisite "Love is All U Need" Valentine's Day card with a mini-album on the cover (so cool!) and added her handwriting around the heart emellishment and part of the sentiment.

Susie created this stunning Valentine's Day card with the sentiment handwritten in beautiful calligraphy.

Here is Terry's touching scrapbook page layout with heartfelt journaling in her own handwriting.

So, let's take the challenge and try to create with our own handwriting. Mr. Linky is still having tech issues so please just include the link to your project in your comment (some of you already have done this) --thanks!

Challenge #12 - Going Green

Welcome and happy 2010! This year, we will be posting challenges every other week so that you all have plenty of time to try them out before we move on to the next one.

We decided to start the year right and create a project where you choose what you want to create, as long as your project incorporates at least 50% recycled products. For example, a chipboard album or embellies made from a cereal box; a candy or trinket gift jar using a recycled food jar; or home décor using an old hardcover book covered in patterned paper, etc.

Below is what our design team members came up with. This is the debut of some of our newest design team members and they did not disappoint! We hope you have fun with this challenge. Please remember to use Mr. Linky to link us to your projects!

Denise created this awesome mailbox, so if you missed the cute mailboxes at Target, you can use these, which are even cuter! Denise made an svg file for the box and cut it with SCAL (check out the video on her blog). What did Denise recycle? The box itself is cut from a gift box, and the flag is a piece of plastic from gift packaging. Her family laughed at her on Christmas morning because she kept saying "don't throw that out!" Way to go green!

Lia turned plastic bags (inked with Tim Holtz alcohol inks) into the sheets of pages for this fabulous mini album with a cover decorated with Basic Grey that was made from an old cardboardbox!

Next is Lisa's monogrammed note card holder. Look how pretty this is. Lisa recycled one of the many gift card holders we all have laying around after the holidays by decorating it and filling it with handmade note cards. How cute is that?! Lisa turned this... Into this...

MsDee created this beautiful Valentine's Day card using the new Cricut Love Struck Mini Cartridge to die cut pieces from recycled aluminum cans, her Cuttlebug to emboss the recycled aluminum can pieces for the hearts (clever!), and Ranger alcohol inks to color them. Isn't this fabulous? I never would have thought the can was thin enough to die cut and emboss!

Myra altered recycled pop-top canned fruit cans by using a safety can opener to open the can from the bottom, emptying the contents and then filling the cans with goodies. She then re-glued the bottom of the can with liquid adhesive and decorated and embellished the cans. This is a cute gift idea and there are plenty of tutorials on the web for this technique.

Susie also used something in abundance after the holidays. Susie made these beautifully decorated storage tins for her crafting supplies using recycled cookie and candy tins! What a great way to get your craft space organized for the new year and recycle something we have in abundance.

Terry made this awesome mini-album from a recycled frozen food carton! Now that is clever. She also embellished some of the pages with a grocery store ad from her local paper. Now that is very green!
We sure hope we've inspired you to go green too. Now it's time to go grab some recyclable stuff and show us what you've got!