Hi there!

The guest post I wrote is up on the Lifestyle Crafts blog...go check it out HERE.  (And if you leave a comment there you'll put a smile on my face! Wink, Wink!) They sent me a great Echo Park Paper collection: "All About A Boy" to work with and here's what I created with my Letterpress...

For all the cards I used leters from the Scholastic Printing Plates, and of course orange letterpress ink. I love how it pops!

This first card is my favorite, 
See how the bottom flips up to keep it closed? I popped up the button with some foam adhesive so the lip of the paper would catch on it.

Here's another one...

And then I decided to change up the words...

Save $$$ and use coupon code "ERIN" for 20% off when shopping at LifestyleCrafts.com

Oh, and I'm so excited that 21 Secrets opened up this week! I love me some online mixed media workshops!!! It's not too late to join us either! Go HERE for more info.

*Sponsor: Lifestyle Crafts, Echo Park

Reminder: This weekend is True Scrap 4! Don't miss out of the fun! Click here for more info!!

It's not often that I do mixed media on cards...and frankly I don't know why.  I really should do it!  I had fun with this card!

You can see that I used a bit of spray ink on it...and I covered the over-spray with some washi tape.

I cut the card out with my Silhouette Cameo ("bohemian gate fold card" design) and added some doodling too it.  The teal blue leaf pattern down the side was done in my letterpress using the Petals printing plate and the "happy birthday" text was letterpressed with the one of the printing plates that comes with the letterpress.

I also added some bling, doodles with a white Sharpie, and some stamping on the back side of the card.

Here's a close up of how it turned out.  I'm really liking it!  Oh, and I know I say this a lot, but don't forget that you get 20% off your Lifestyle Crafts purchases when you use coupon code "ERIN"...so stock up on letterpress and die cutting stuff!!

Sponsor: Lifestyle Crafts

So it's just about time for the Olympics, and Kurtake (known to most of us in the USA as ZIG) is going for the gold with this month's challenge.  The design team joined in on the fun and this is the card I whipped up...you can check out my post on it over on the Kurtake blog where I have a tutorial up on how I made it.  -Feel free to leave a comment there too.  :)

Not only did I use the fabulous gold colored Wink of Stella pen on this card I also used a bunch of Lifestyle Crafts stuff on it ...I used one of the Letterpress Plates from the Splendor kit without any ink on it to emboss the white cardstock and then I doodled on the embossing.  The doodling isn't perfect and that's ok since it's really not that noticeable when you look at the card as a whole.  

I also used some great dies (Nesting Circles, Nesting Frame 5, Label It...which has digi files for a digi die-cutting machine) in my Epic 6 die-cutting machine...although they work in most of the leading die-cutting machines.  I think layering the die cuts up with that awesome stamp give it a great look!

Supplies: Patterned Paper - My Mind's Eye (Lost&Found 2); Cardstock - (A2) Lifestyle Crafts; Dies (Nesting Circles, Nesting Frame 5, Label It) - Lifestyle Crafts; Letterpress Plate (Splendor) - Lifestyle Crafts; Bling - Imaginisce; Glitter/Embossing Powder (Sierra Sunrise) - WOW; Stamp - Unity Stamp Co.; Pens - ZIG Millennium (08), ZIG Wink of Stella (Gold)

So now it's your turn!  Whip up a card for the challenge and enter to win a jackpot of goodies from Kurtake and Basically Bare!

Also, just a reminder....for a 20% off your Lifestyle Crafts order enter code "ERIN" at checkout!

Sponsors: Kurtake/ZIG, Lifestyle Crafts, Imaginisce, Basically Bare

I'm so excited to share with you some really fun spring time projects I've been working on for Lifestyle Crafts.  {Remember you can save 20% off your order by using code "ERIN" at Lifestyle Crafts.}

First up is a card I made with my Letterpress.  I used some of the NEW Blossoms printing plates to letterpress a piece of A7 white cotton paper with the background print...using the hot pink ink of course.  :)  I then letterpressed a white mini card with one of the phrases that comes with this set.

I love the rich texture that letterpressing gives!  It truly is in a class by itself!  :)

Here's a close-up of how I raised up the top of my embellishment pile configuration.  I tend to do that a lot on my cards and scrapbook layouts.

Supplies: Letterpress; A7 Paper; Mini Tag; Ink; Blossoms Printing Plate Set; Patterned Paper - Basic Grey, Sassafras Las; Flowers - Prima; Cardstock - American Crafts; Button & Pin - MME; Stamp - Unity 10/2011 kit; Staples - Tim Holtz; Washi Tape - Hambly

I also made a quick and easy framed art piece.  I seriously think this took less then 10 minutes to do!  

I just die-cut the butterflies using the NEW butterfly die and my Epic 6  and then inked their edges, put them together, and topped them off with twine and buttons.  I then just grabbed an Ikea frame that I had and added a piece of patterned paper, a quote, and a bit of trim and put everything together. 

Supplies: Frame - Ikea; Butterfly Die DR0296 - Lifestyle Crafts;  Patterned Paper - MME, American Crafts, Basic Grey; Quote - Authenique; Trim; Ink - Clear Snap

And lastly, I made this cute little milk carton that I'm going to fill with candy for a little Easter gift.

I used the milk carton die, the NEW spring flowers die, and the NEW bird die to make it...and I stole the little banner I used on a bird house project I did a while ago and added the bird to that.  I love it even more now!

To make the flowers I just took some cute coordinating patterned paper and die cut 12 flowers in order to make 6 flowers.

And then I folded each of the flowers up on the perforation and hot glued two of them together and added a button to the center.  I also used bits of green trim for the leaves.

I used a white mini clothes pin to close up the milk carton so that way it will be refillable. 

Supplies: Milk Carton die, Spring Flowers die, Bird die - Lifestyle Crafts; Patterned Paper - MME, American Crafts; Banner - Imaginisce; Pin - Heidi Grace; Bling; Trim; Buttons;

You can check out more of the brand NEW spring release from Lifestyle Crafts HERE and on their blog.

Want 20% off your Lifestyle Crafts order????  Enter the coupon code "ERIN" at checkout!

Sponsor: Lifestyle Crafts

*****

Registration has opened!!!

Sign up for 15 amazing classes (including my Mixed Media Home Accents class), 5 make and takes, and 1 incredible speaker!!  

For more info or to register click HERE!

{FYI: Each of the teachers is given an affiliate code for registration and get a percentage of the enrollment fee. So, of course, I would totally appreciate and love it if you would use this link if you're planning to register for True Scrap3.  :)  Thanks!}

So, you know how when there's something new you want to do & you get really excited about it...and get everything you need for it...and plan what you're going to do...and then get busy and don't do it?  --Oh, am I the only one that does that????  

Well, I've finally got around to busting out my letterpress and one of my favorite letterpress plate patterns and cranked out a few cards.  -What the heck took me so long to do that?  It was so much easier then I thought it would be.  In fact, I'll make a video soon to show you how easy it is....in the meanwhile, check out my cards:

Ok, and now some great news for me & you!!  

I have loved the products that Lifestyle Crafts creates for quite awhile now & have bought a bunch of it myself to use for crafting (like everything I used for the cards above & more!)...and I'm happy to announce that now I'm an affiliate for them! (-Did you even know you could buy directly from them???)   So the good news for you is that you now get 20% off your order from them by putting in the code "ERIN" at checkout!  Woo-hoo!! 

Sponsor: Lifestyle Crafts