World Card Making Day Blog Tour

Hello and welcome to all of you that may be stopping by for the first time via the 2009 World Card Making Day Blog Tour!  I am very excited to be involved with this year's upcoming holiday, a special day dedicated to my greatest passion, making cards!

If you are unfamiliar with World Card Making Day, it is taking place this year on Saturday, October 3rd (be sure to mark your calenders and program reminders in your cell phones!).  Paper Crafts Magazine has put together a special website on it's behalf which you won't want to miss!

visit the WORLD CARD MAKING DAY WEBSITE here!

In lieu of the holiday, Paper Crafts has also established a list of talented particpating bloggers HERE that you will definitely want to check out!  They even have a special Mister Linky List up where you can add YOUR blog as part of the tour!  Super, super fun stuff!  All surrounding this little hobby that we all love!

(click on the above photo for a larger view)

I have a special card to share with you today as part of this momentousness occasion.  It's a little something I created a few weeks ago when my dearest friends Dawn, Mish & Wendy were visiting for a special girls weekend.  We wanted to play with Copics, so we got out a few of our favorite "coloring" sets and went to work.  I ended up deciding on In Bloom, one of my all-time favorite sets that I've designed.

For this particular card, I knew I wanted to create the tone-on-tone polka dot background with Versamark ink and also use the large flourish from Fancy Flourishes, but sometimes the Versamark ink can cause a bit of "resist" when another ink is stamped on top of it.  So I was sure to stamp the flourish in Ripe Avocado ink FIRST and then stamp the polka dots (Polka Dot Basics II) with Versamark on top of it, all onto Aqua Mist cardstock.  The flower was colored with Papertrey's Ocean Tides Copic Trio and cut out.

The left side of the card had quite a bit of empty space that needed to balanced out with something, so I create this border to help give weight to the sentiment.  The sentiment is from Cupcake Collection and is stamped in True Black ink.  The border was create with my Apron Lace border punch with Spring Moss cardstock and stitched in place with my sewing machine.  A few blue rhinestones were added along it's length to add a bit of shimmer & shine.  I just love the way this project turned out and I have just the person in mind to send it to!

Do you love stamping as much as I do and you're ALWAYS looking for inspiration specific to this side of the paper crafting industry?  Paper Crafts magazine puts out an annual issue of Stamp It! Cards which is the number one stamping reference I look forward to each year!  It's wonderful to flip through it's pages and see every single project dedicated to this art form!  They just make you want to get out all your supplies and get inky!

There's also some SUPER duper holiday special issues that I love to gain inspiration from for quick & easy Christmas cards!

If you don't yet own any of these fabulous idea references in your arsenal of inspiration, today is your lucky day!  I've got a special coupon code to share with you that you can use in the Paper Crafts/CK Online Store (valid from midnight on 9/21/09, MDT through 11:59pm MDT on 10/12/09)!!!

Here's a coupon code for 25% off your ENTIRE purchase!!!

XNNG-7V33-WYRZ

Happy Shopping!  You can't beat 25% off your entire purchase!!!  So, how are YOU planning on celebrating World Card Making Day?  Did you celebrate last year?  I would love to hear about it!

Stamps: In Bloom, Polka Dot Basics II, Fancy Flourishes, Cupcake Collection

Ink: Ripe Avocado, True Black, Black Noir, Versamark (Tsukineko)

Paper: Aqua Mist, Spring Moss, Ocean Tides, Stamper's Select White

Other: Apron Lace border punch, Rhinestones (KaiserCraft), Ocean Tides Copic Trio, Spring Moss Copic Trio, sewing machine & thread

Finished Size: 4" x 8"