Sunday, March 18, 2012

Celebrating 500 Followers with a Paper Smooches Giveaway + Video Tutorial!

A short time ago, this blog reached another milestone. I still remember when I started blogging three and a half years ago, had zero comments and only a handful of followers. Watching those numbers go up on my sidebar makes me really happy and appreciative of all your support. I am truly grateful for all of you and it makes me feel good that the work I do has paid off. To celebrate, I made a special video on how I get ideas and inspiration from my Paper Smooches stamps and, to help me celebrate, Kim is generously donating three $10 gift certificates to the Paper Smooches Store! All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post to let me know what you thought of the video and name your favourite Paper Smooches stamp set. Since this is a Follower giveaway, you must also be a follower of my blog to be eligible.

As explained in the video, I used a couple of different ways to draw inspiration from each stamp set. I used Smarty Pants as the focus of this video because of my adoration for the professor who is extremely versatile. You can use him as he is, as a teacher, but many different types of teachers like a phys-ed teacher or a music teacher. You can also turn him into a Dad, Grandpa or husband for masculine or romantic cards. He's a chameleon! After watching this video, I hope you will be able to see your stamps in many different ways and even be able to mix-and-match all your stamp sets to get the most out of them.

Here are a few stills of the two cards I put together using ideas gathered from this video. The first one is a Get Well card using the professor holding an apple. His arm is in the out and down position after cutting away the polymer between the stick and his hair. Apples are typical gifts for teachers but they're also part of the famous saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," so here the professor is a doctor or a sensible Dad or friend! LOL The sentiment is from Chit Chat and the speech bubble is from He Said, She Said.

My second card features the professor as a conductor, musician, rocker or just someone who appreciates music. This time, his arm is in its original position but his foot is up after cutting away the polymer around his leg. The platform is the top of the rectangular speech bubble from He Said, She Said, the music notes and post holding the disco ball are from My Peeps, the disco ball itself is from Whirligigs and the sentiment is from Sentiment Sampler. I used the rock-and-roll technique on the disco ball.

You can see the other card I mentioned in the video HERE. You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on March 23, 2012 to comment for a chance to win. Simply let me know what you thought of the video and name your favourite Paper Smooches stamp set. You must also be a follower of this blog. I will announce the winner on my Paper Smooches post on March 27, 2012. Thank you so much for celebrating with me and Paper Smooches!!

Sources for Feel Better Soon: SU Real Red & Pumpkin Pie cardstock; Bazzill Basics textured black cardstock; October Afternoon Boarding Pass; Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Paper Smooches Smarty Pants, He Said, She Said & Chit Chat; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Copic markers; foam tape

Sources for You Rock: Gina K Designs pure luxury white cardstock; Paper Smooches Smarty Pants, He Said, She Said, Whirligigs, My Peeps & Sentiment Sampler; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; SU Summer Sun & More Mustard inks; Tim Holtz for Ranger Dusty Concord & Milled Lavender distress inks; Copic markers; Ranger Yellow Stickles

77 comments:

Unknown said...

awesome cards! thanks for sharing your inspiration tips...smart to have the images around you. hope to see more vids too...you're a natural! :)

Annette Allen said...

wow Emily if someone asked me today who most inspires me it would be you. I am so glad you did the video...I love how you get inspired. thanks for sharing...you have once again filled my head with fun ideas. Congrats on having a huge following....

joy said...

What a great video, Emily! I love seeing your thought processes as you play with the images. And, what a great idea to tape up copies of the sets in the kitchen so that you can be visualizing any time you look at them. And, your cards are always so clever and well done.

500 followers is a LOT!! Congratulations!!! I am happy just to have 31. LOL

Levana Xu said...

Emily, thanks for sharing the great video,especially how clever you are bring out the ideas of trimming the stamp in order to get different style. That's clever Emily..!

I always adore your card, and congratulation for reaching 500 followers, you are Rock!

Levana Xu said...

I forgot to tell my favorite stamp so far from my collection is Hangs Up, but there so many favorite list that I haven't had, for example: Zoo's crew and Smarty Pants, really adore how clever these 2 stamps can be.

Tracy said...

Awesome cards! I liked how you explained the different ways to use the stamps in the video! It was very helpful. My favorite stamp set is the Chubby Chums.

Tracy
owlbecraftin at gmail dot com

Erin (Homemade Cards by Erin) said...

So fun to hear you... it's like another layer of my blogging friends coming to life. (I'm just chuckling at the Canadian version of out). Love the idea of you looking at your stamps in the kitchen... what a great idea, and fun to think of alterting the stamps a tad to give them more mobility. I just got the geo-graphic set and loving those... but I think on my wish list is vogue abode.

Jen W. said...

Emily, this video is brilliant! It's like getting a peek inside your brain! LOL! Stamping multiple images is such a sensible idea and so much easier than trying to visualize it in your head. I have a feeling a lot of people are going to be doing this...
My favourite PS set? Hmmm... That's a tough one. Of the ones I own it's a toss up between My Peeps and Chubby Chums.

Dawnll said...

I can't believe I found someone that does more paper piecing then I do!!!
lol
I love your suggestions and you gave me some ideas for changing how I look at my process of creating.
Thank you so much for sharing
Congrats on 500 followers-I know what it means to gain each and every one. My anniversary is coming up the end of the month.
My favorite stamp set is
Spiffy Scooters
Hugs sweetie

Glenda J said...

Congrats on 500 followers! So fabulous (but then you are so fabulous!). Love the cards - especially the brilliant toe tapping.
Thanks for the giveaway... there are so many to pick from but my current favourite is Smarty Pants too. Thanks for all the ideas in your fantastic video.

btenn said...

Great video! I have always wondered how you gathered inspiration for your amazing creations, so this definitely gives a peek into your thought process : ). Thank you!

I look forward to more videos ; ).

As for a favourite Paper Smooches set, I love "teacher" type sets, so Smarty Pants might be the taker this time around.

Lindsey said...

Congrats on 500 followers! Your cards today are awesome as always; and my, that October Afternoons paper is nice! So fun how you can use the Professor in so many ways.
It's so hard to pick one favourite PS set! Right now, it's probably My Peeps...

diana said...

Great video! I follow your blog using Google Reader and hope to see more videos. Love this Smarty Pants stamp, especially the books. ;-)

Jay Gee said...

You know I am your biggest fan Emily - you are just so amazing! Huge congratulations on 500 followers. Hugs Judith

Angie Blom said...

Congrats on 500!! Love the video so many great ideas, makes want to go get some sets!, love the cards brilliant Emily !,xx

Jocelyn Olson said...

OMG, you are a genius! I LOVED your video. I've done demos here and there (usually because I'm stuck), but never thought of doing something so systematic. I love the idea! I must immediately order the professor set, because you keep making these totally fabulous cards with him. :) Congrats on the 500!

Meghan said...

Congratulations on reaching the 500 milestone! Your video was so inspirational...thanks! I might have said that my favourite Paper Smooches set was one of the sentiment sets but I think I like the one with the professor now that I've seen your video!

Karen B. said...

You are amazing! Great video, lots of good tips, Congratulations on your milestone as well! I think I'm going to have to get that Smarty Pants set now, you've convinced me, but my favorite so far is the Sentiment Sampler.

cassie said...

I have you on my google reader to follow, but just officially joined on your blog. Thanks for that video - I never thought of cutting all the parts out and just playing with the pieces - genius!
My favorite stamp set I think is Geo-Graphic.

Trinh said...

Love the video, Emily! I have wondered how you come up with your ideas and it was fantastic to see your process. Now if only I could channel your fussy-cutting skills. Congratulations on your well-deserved milestone too!

Tiffany Ervin said...

Such creativity! So happy for having so many followers, wow!! Big congrats and I always enjoy your creations!

gRiSeL™ said...

First of all, let me just say that I'm only sorry I recently found out about Paper Smooches, because I am lovin' all your stamps!! Congrats on reaching 500 followers on the blog!

Your video was awesome showing us how your creative thought process works (: You know? I've done that whenever I receive new stamp sets from LF--my faves! I'll stamp the entire set into a notebook I've created by hand and I color, paper piece and decorate so that I can get inspiration for cards. My favorite Paper Smooches stamp set is "Little Lady", because I'm such a girly girl and I love rainbows, sweets, shoes, fashion, bags, and anything cutesy! Thanks for the chance to win!! (:

Chris - Creations in Bloom said...

Your video was FABULOUS! I hope you'll be doing more of those. I really got so many ideas from you sharing your thought process. How generous of you to help us out that way. Loved how you look at your stamp sets and your cards are awesome. It's hard to pick just one favorite PS stamp set, but at the moment I'd say Zoo Crew is at the top of my list. Thanks for the chance to win... congrats on the 500 mark. I'm sure it won't be long for you to be over 1000.

Savannah O'Gwynn said...

OH, Em! This is a GREAT video! LOVE LOVE LOVE your thinking--I think we need to skype so that you can teach me more!!!! LOVE visiting here!

Congrats on so many followers!! YOU ROCK:)

Jasmine said...

Wow, I can't believe how versatile these stamp sets are! I never would've thought to use flamingo legs as a way to hang up a disco ball! Very creative. :)

I definitely will make use of your idea to stamp things multiple times on cardstock, then cut them out so I can manipulate them to visualize ideas better. That sort of thinking can help me make the most out of my stamp collection, so thank you!

Anita Rex said...

Great video Emily! :> I really enjoyed seeing how you think up your ideas! :> My favorite set? Hmmm that's too hard, they have way too many good sets! Okay I will go with sugar rush! :> :> Congrats on 500 followers, I am not surprised at all!

Nitasha said...

Thank you for sharing your fab video with us! And congrats on over 500 followers! Your work is amazing and I'm inspired to really do more with my Paper Smooches stamp sets! I love them! My favorite one right now is Forest Whimsy! That little gnome just makes me smile! Thanks so much for sharing!

Ujjwal said...

The video is FABULOUS, Emily! There are so many ideas there and I have often wondered how you get them...now I know your secret :D

Congratulations on reaching a new milestone! You are so talented and I wish you good luck in all your new endeavors :)

Gwen said...

Love that you hang your stamp print out by your sink! Great way to get inspired! Your cards are so cute, love the professor set but you interchange them all so wonderfully that I can't pick one set!

Karin Ã…kesdotter said...

I've said it before - you are just so amazingly creative and inspiring! LOVE your cards and your video was great too. Thanks for all the inspiration you share with us all.
Hugs, Karin

Inge Groot said...

Congrats on the 500 followers Emily! You know I love your blog, your style is so inspiring and creative.

Thanks for the awesome tutorial, what a great idea to stamp multiple images and see how they fit together!

Favorite Stamp set:Chubby Chums<3

XX

Lynne in NI said...

Congratulations on all your followers and THANK YOU for the fab tutorial! I love your creative process - its a great idea to cut out all the wee bits for inspiration! My next PS stamps on my wish list are the Smarty Pants set, sunny side up and Zoo crew.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your 500 followers! What a fantastic video tutorial, love seeing how you get the most out of your stamp sets! I will definitely be following your lead on this one! Thanks for the inspiration!

Jessi Fogan said...

I have to pick a favourite? I'm pretty sure that I want every set. I love My Peeps, and Chubby Chums, and Smarty Pants rocks :)
I absolutely love how you showed us a bit of your process - and I laughed so hard at reversing the hammer...for my hubby I would totally leave it like he's hitting himself ;) lol

Isha Gupta said...

Huge Congrats Em!!! Your success is so very well deserved. Thanks for the wonderful video with all the special tips....looking forward to more videos;)

Your cards are so special. TFS.
Oh!!! I am in love with this Smarty Pants set and many more...lol..

walchowDesign said...

You ROCK, Emily! Such a creative way of using one stamp set in so many "professions"!

I can't choose a fav. as all PS stamps are so adorable but looking at how you use this stamp, it's just so fun!

BTW, great video presentation!

cutiephinphin said...

Congrats on your 500 followers. Thanks for the awesome video and your thinking process. It's definitely inspiring.

Definitely looking forward to more videos and more cards from you.

Wendy ten Hove said...

Hi Emily!

Oh, wauw, I loved seeing how you come to your amazing cards! And what a perfect idea to stamp and cut them out several times, to be able to play around with them!! I love that idea!! And that would surely work for me as well! Will get to that asap, for sure!!!
My fave set... oeh. tough question! The set I've used the most so far is Surf and Turf, love that one, but wouldn't pick it as my fave for the images maybe, I think that would be Chubby Chums! And maybe new faves are on the way, 'cause I'm still waiting for the March sets to arrive at my home.. :-( And I do think the Zoo Crew will be a new fave!! :-D
Thanks for sharing this lovely video! Congrats on your 512 followers!!! I'm happy to be one of them, always enjoy coming here!!!!
All the best!!
Hugs, Wendy

Lisa Arana said...

Congrats on 500 followers!!! How super GENEROUS of kim to sponsor your giveaway! I love all PS stamps, as you know. :) Love your video girl.

Jenny said...

Wow Emily, what a great video full of inspiration tips...love how you surround yourself with the images :0)
Two brilliant cards and I cant wait to get smarty pants but if I had to choose one set it would be falling for you...the monster is so cute :0)
Jenny x

Miriam Prantner said...

Loved your video and how you stepped us through your kind of creative process. I like the idea of printing out copies of the stamps and leaving them around....although I'd have copies everywhere....the hubby might not like that...., but I also love how you had a bunch of them cut out and could just play with them. I'm definitely going to try that out. There are so many PS stamps that I like. My favorite oldie is Sunny Side Up, but this one, Smarty Pants is my favorite new one. The hubby is a teacher, so it's perfect for our family in general, but also great for all the teacher gifts and things that we put together for the girls' teachers. Thanks for the chance to win!

Jen M said...

Love the video! It's cool to hear your thought process out loud. ;). I don't have the smarty pants set yet but its at the top of my wish list!

missstamper said...

I love the cards you made! My favorite set is the Forest Whimsey! So cute!

AJ said...

congrats Emily and great Video! :)

Sue D said...

Wonderful video. I tend to use stamps just as they are and your video opened my eyes to use them in creative ways. I am a follower and my favorite PS stamp set is Chubby Chums.
slrdowney at hotmail dot com

Chunyuan said...

congrats, Emily. Great video. Love your cards. There are some stamps I really like. But my new favorite is Little Lady.

Marlo said...

Congratulations on 500 followers! I just found your blog and I love your videos. Thanks for the inspiration.

I don't have any paper smooches stamps yet but I'm placing an order soon to order smarty pants, geo-graphic, primary, reflections etc. So many cute designs to choose from.

Virginia L. said...

CONGRATS on reaching 500 followers! Love hearing your Stamp Talk video! You should definitely feature this more often ( when PS has a new release), you should totally do a stamp talk--just my two cents!I don;t have any PS stamps (VERY sad, I know). I love the new background stamp that Karolyn designed! They are on my order list!

Lisa said...

Loved watching how you get these amazing ideas of yours, Emily! It makes me want to think in a different way and I think cutting out the pieces is a wonderful idea. Thanks for sharing your secrets :)
This Smarty Pants set is just too adorable isn't it?! I don't have it, but my fav one that I do own is "Falling For You".

Mary-Anne V said...

Love your video...it was so good to see how you think through your cards. Thanks for the pointers. I was watching with my 4 year old and we both laughed when you mentioned reverse stamping the hammer so the prof doesn't hit himself! My 4 year old LOVED it! My fav. stamp set has to be Party Posse! Thanks for the chance to win.

Bumblebee said...

wow, 500 followers is amazing! I can't imagine how patient you are to cut out those little men, they're very intricate! Thanks for the chance to win some lovely Paper smooches!

Cheryl said...

Great video! I am completely in awe of your creative process. You have given me some ideas on how to go about trying to think out of the box.

Congratulations and well deserved on reaching such a milestone.

I really love the Forest Whimsy set.

Thank you for the chance to win!

*Alison* said...

Emily.. super fun video.. I really love it.. my favorite one is the smarty pants right now.. that might change.. :) I have been a follower and email follower forever.. :) thanks so much for the chance to win! Congrats..hugs

Karin said...

Woo hoo! Congrats on your milestone and I guess I will pick Smarty Pants as my favorite ;) Great video...Until I saw it, I didn't quite understand what you meant when you said you cut his foot...Thanks for the peek into your creative mind :)

Karenladd said...

Congrats on your 500 follower milestone! Your video was awesome and I loved seeing the creative process! It was filled with lots of great ideas...and I'm impressed with how those small touches can make a stamp set so much more versatile! My favorite stamp set is either Wake Up, or Giddy Bugs..! I am a follower already and always look forward to reading your blog!

StampNK said...

Your video was so fun to watch. I really like the way you play with the images and I can see how cutting them out and manipulating them can help in the design of your cards. I am a blog follower now and I love seeing all of your projects on the blog and in various magazines. My favorite Paper Smooches set is chubby Chums, but I also like several others! Let's face it, they're ALL adorable!

yyam said...

Congrats on the awesome milestone! Love getting to know your creative process in the video! I love how you've demonstrated the versatility of the stamps through manipulating the images.

I love My Peeps! :)

Lynn said...

Emily, I have to be honest. I'm sitting here in awe of you. What an amazing video. Your thought process is fabulous. I love to see how you can make one small change and truly transform a stamp. WOW! Thank you so much for sharing this. My favorite PS set is My Guy. Thanks for the chance to win!

Jennifer said...

WOW!!! 500 followers!!! IMPRESSIVE. I think I was one of the followers from way back and I've been amazed at how you've grown your blog/followers!!! Not suprising with all your FABULOUS cards!!! (= I enjoyed watching your video and how you come up with your ideas!!!
LOVE all the paper smooches sets. Hard to pick just one!!! (=

Karen said...

An amazing video. I love the way you manipulate the stamps to help you visualize the cards. I am always impressed with your wonderful cards. My favorite set right now is Zoo Crew which I just received today. The animals are adorable. Thanks for sharing your creative process with us.

SHartl said...

500 followers...and you deserve every one! I remember how excited I was when I found your blog. Your video is great...so many good ideas! I am a blog follower!
Oh yes, and my favorite stamp set from Paper Smooches is Chubby Chums, but I really like them all!

Kary said...

Congrats, Emily on a new milestone of followers!! You deserve it!! So very happy for you :-) Your video is Excellent, it gives a peek into your thought process with stamp sets and such great tips and ideas. LOVED it!! {hugs}

Angie said...

Great video! I love the idea of hanging the print out in your kitchen. I might give that a try. Smarty Pants is one of my favorite sets. And I love so many of the background stamps that were just released... Now to buy the all!! Congrats on the 500 followers!

Marie-Pierre Capistran said...

Emily! You have the brain of a genius! It was amazing to hear you explain everything you saw from those images....the houses out of the crayons. WOW! You are truly amazing! I hope to see more videos. This one was very inspiring.

Congrats on your 500 followers.

And to answer your question: YES! YOU TOTALLY SHOULD GO FOR PROJECT LIFE!!! It's really a great and easy way to build an album and you know, the every day life details are the one that will amaze us in some years. To see how small your little boy was, and what he was eating, and what games he was playing, and what he said, and, and, and...! I encourage you to do it and I hope that I can see your album here some times soon.

Marie-Pierre Capistran said...

sorry to post twice Emily I forgot to mention my favourite set. I have to say: Hang ups. But it's difficult to choose, there are so many great sets!!

Brenda said...

Firstly, CONGRATS on your 500+ followers! It says a ton about what an inspirational person you are! Now, seriously, when can we book that brain transplant!!!! I just want a little bit! WOW! That video was so enlightening, seriously, I think I am going to look at my stamps a little more differently now! I really love the idea of stamping out the images and playing around with them like that! Thanks so much Emily! Currently I am eyeing out "Zoo Crew"! Thanks for a shane to win Emily!

Angela said...

Congrats, of course!
Ok, I still have to find a minute to watch your video, but can I just say that your conductor rocks! I showed it to Andrew and he thought it was pretty awesome too (shocker, huh?) So right now, between the professor and the conductor in this house, I'm pretty sure Smarty Pants is my favorite PS set! ;)

Jingle said...

You are absolutely amazing, do you know that? The things you see in stamps...WOW! Awesome, inspiring video! I really loved it! As for my favorite Paper Smooches set...well, that depends on the day, but today I'm loving Spring Fling!

littlen said...

great video. very cute cards. tfs. my favorite stamp would be the wood grain background stamp. i'm a follower.
littlen44 at gmail dot com

Cornelie said...

Oh this is so nice to watch (and hear your voice!) at this video!
It seems so easy, but you have really great idea's! Thanks for sharing! It's great to know how your cards are "growing"! Nice!

Vera Yates (Ling) said...

Great video, Emily! And, big congrats on your 500 followers. Wish you all the best.

canadian_liner said...

Emily, you are so generous to share your trade secrets with your followers! I remember you told me to print/stamp out all new stamps sets so they can be easily "pictured" . But I really love your idea of making multiple copies and playing around with them.
I think if I were to choose a new PS stamp set it would be one of the sentiment ones, as I love the funky fonts, maybe Chit Chat. But I also love "dressing" up the critters with all the accessories Kim includes with her sets. So Chubby Chums or Santa Paws...Hard to choose!

handmade_cass said...

Love your idea to print the images and look at them throughout the day. My biggest problem is coming up with a creative layout, so it would be great to start planning ahead! And I love all the sets that you use. I love your cards! But if I had to narrow it down, I am loving Chit Chat and Chubby Chum Pals.

Unknown said...

Congrats on your 500 followers. I'm a follower and I love your video. Love how you have a different perspective if you look at your stamps in a different way. thank you.

My fave Paper smooches set would be Smarty Pants!

Helle said...

Wow! Love it! Love your style!

Ashley M said...

Awesome video Emily! Loved seeing how you work through the design process. My favorite set right now is Metropolis. SO many fun images to play with in that one. :)

donna mikasa said...

Congrats on your 500+ followers, Emily! And I love your videos, each and every one of them! It's neat to see how you visualize the different images. My favorite PS set is Spring Fling. Love those little critters!