October Afternoon

Did you know?

Did you know that October Afternoon prints all of our patterned papers using soy-based inks?  Well, it's true!  We want our papers to be more than just beautiful - we want them to be Earth-friendly, too!  So, now you know!

Contest woes and winner!

So, hmmm.  The card sketches were so great!  (That Celeste just outdid herself!)  It's a shame the contest was just plagued with issues, huh?  First, Mr. Linky...and then typepad was giving us problems with the comments.  Nice.  Oh, well.  I guess we'll just have to move along to the good stuff and name our winner!

You remember that we're giving away a cherry hill paper pad, right?  Our design team just loves those...the patterns are all smaller and so they're just perfect for cardmaking...and mini-albums...and of course, scrapbook pages too.  But, who won?  Right??

 

This week's winner is Erin!!

I just bought some new OA things... thanks for giving me the inspiration to play with them!!
http://noodle-and-bean.blogspot.com/2009/05/october-afternoon-card-set.html
Love the Cherry Hills paper pad. So gorgeous!
Posted by: Erin | May 25, 2009 at 10:53 PM

Congrats!!  Please send your mailing info to [email protected] and we'll send out your prize!!  

Meet the Design Team - Summer Fullerton

Happy Memorial Day to all of our US readers!  We hope you're enjoying your long weekend!  It's our final DT Monday - after today we will have introduced everyone on the team!  So, last but certainly not least, we want you to meet Summer Fullerton!  Let's give her a big hello! What's your Name? Summer Fullerton  What's your favorite OA paper line? Night Light What size do you scrapbook? 12x12 (but I sometimes play around with 8.5x11) 1 page or 2? I do both  Do you make cards? I love to make cards with my scraps. Is your scrap area messy or neat? My scrap area is a little of both: messy while I scrap but once a project is done I always clean up. I cannot start a new project with my workspace messy.  What camera do you use? Canon 40D What is your favorite OA stamp set? My favorite stamp set is Vintage Labels. Your favorite Ink? Versafine  Where do you find your inspiration? Shopping: I love fabrics, colors and displays.  What's your favorite scrapbooking color? Right now I seem to be drawn to teal.  What's your most-used scrapbook tool (aside from your trimmer)? Paper Piercer: it's great for making holes for brads and pre-punching holes for hand sewing which I do a lot of.  Are you a slow scrapper or a quick scrapper? I am a painfully slow scrapbooker.  What's your favorite quote? Life's a journey, not a destination.  ~Aerosmith Give us your favorite tip... One of the reasons I love October Afternoon so much is the lines seem to flow from one to the next. I love to mix up the lines and experiment with color and pattern. Combining papers and product that wasn't meant to be used together is one of the challenges of scrapbooking I love. Experiment: there are no wrongs in scrapbooking.

cards cards cards!

Have you seen the 8x8 paper pads of the new lines? Design Team member Celeste Smith has found inspiration using the Cherry Hill paper pad. The smaller prints and cheerful colors are perfect for cards. Here are three recent cards and sketches for you to try!

The first card uses the smaller versions of Cookie Jar and Recipe Box paper found in the pad. Although the card has some pink in it, the masculine colored buttons make it the perfect card for her brother's birthday. Don't be afraid to use pink on cards for men - just tone it down a bit.

Never one to waste, Celeste used the cover piece of the Cherry Hill pad here as a scrap strip - a little ribbon, a metal tag and a rub-on easily complete the card. Rounding the corners of a card gives a little extra interest. Be sure to round the back corners as well as a finishing touch!

For the third card, Celeste broke out her Quickutz Sihouette to make the custom shape. You could easily use a journal spot or trace an artisan shape you have available in your stash. Adding pop dots behind the title block, gives the card some extra texture. The colors from the Cherry Hill paper pad are bright and warm, sure to cheer up Celeste's ailing friend!

Here are the sketches....

We would love to see what you come up with! Use some October Afternoon paper (the new lines have been hitting the stores over the past few weeks, so be sure to visit your favorite retailer!) and one (or more!) of the sketches above. We'll pick a random winner to receive a Cherry Hill paper pad! We will draw a winner next Wednesday - May 27!  Good Luck!

It appears that Mr. Linky is having issues...leave your links in the comments section if it's not working for you.  Thanks!

Meet the Design Team - Stacey Kingman

We're back!  It's time for another installment of DT Monday!  This week, we want you to introduce you the super-talented and always inspiring Stacey Kingman...

What's your Name? 

Stacey Kingman

What's your favorite OA paper line? 

Definitely, Weathervane. I love the colors, the ginghams, the seasonal variety...Weathervane has it all!

What size do you scrapbook? 

12 X 12.

1 page or 2? 

Both. I do more 1-page layouts than 2-pagers, but I love to do both.

Do you make cards? 

Oh, yes! I love, love, LOVE to make cards!

Is your scrap area messy or neat? 

My scrap area is neat in my dreams. I clean up between every project, but I still have more clutter than I'd like. It's an ongoing situation for me, trying to streamline my scrap space while still being able to make my creative messes...

What camera do you use? 

I have a Nikon D70. I won't tell you how long I've been using it without having read the manual.

What is your favorite OA stamp set? 

That is a hard question! I think my favorite is the Detours stamps...or the Weathervane set...please don't make me choose!!

Your favorite Ink? 

There are lots of ink that I like, but Ranger Distress Ink in Old Paper is by far my very favorite of all inks. I have several of them in my stash at one time!

Where do you find your inspiration? 

I have a few favorite scrappy friends whose work really inspires me. I use Google Reader to keep up with great creative blogs and I regularly go to them for inspiration. Also, I almost always find something that inspires me in Pottery Barn Teen catalog.

What's your favorite scrapbooking color? 

Prism Papers has a great cardstock called Intense Kiwi...I seem to include it on almost everything I make and it matches the October Afternoon papers perfectly! I really love green and use it quite a bit.

What's your most-used scrapbook tool (aside from your trimmer)? 

My Fiskars Squeeze Punches! I keep them right in front of my work area...they are one of the very few items that I leave out all the time in my scrap space. I especially love the Seal of Approval, Mint Condition, and You Bracket, You Bought It punches.

Are you a slow scrapper or a quick scrapper? 

I am slooooooooooooooow. I use repositionable adhesive and move things around a lot.

What's your favorite quote? 

I collect quotes and I have several favorites! Here's one of my very favorite quotes from Hebrews 11:1 in the Bible: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Give us your favorite tip... 

Add stitching to your projects. It adds easy color and texture without adding bulk or expense.

Thinking outside of the box

Sometimes, it's too easy to just go along with whatever themed set of papers you have.  But, why not try thinking outside the box?  

It's true that Ducks in a Row is baby themed... and Road Map is travel themed, but that doesn't mean that's all they do!  On this summer layout, Angie Hagist used paper and stamps from the Ducks in a Row collection, along with paper from the Road Map collection...  

Supply List:

Ducks in a Row patterned paper

Ducks in a Row clear stamp set

Road Map patterned paper

Newsroom (Hometown) cardstock letter stickers

County Fair die cut journaling cards

(other) cardstock, mini-brads, marker

Lets name a winner!

How fun was Katrina's card sketch challenge?  We're sure her mom loved the card she made for her!  Thanks to all of you who played along with us!  We were very impressed with the great cards we saw... if you haven't checked out the submissions, be sure to do so!  There were lots of great takes on the sketches!

Now, I bet you're wondering who is going to be getting a box with all of the papers from the Cherry Hill collection, right?  The winner this week is...

#26 Nancy

Congrats, Nancy!! Send your address to us at [email protected] and we'll get your box of goodies right out to you!!  

DT Monday: A goodbye to Stephanie Howell

Due to some scheduling conflicts, our regularly scheduled DT Monday will not be posted today.  Instead, we would like to take this time to say a warm goodbye and good luck to the talented Stephanie Howell, who recently left our team.  She is so full of talent and enthusiasm... we're going to miss her (and her big smile) around here.

In addition, we want to remind you that you still have a few days to enter Katrina's card challenge.  The winner gets the new Cherry Hill papers, so you don't want to miss that.

We'll be back next week to wrap up our DT Mondays (we have two girls left, in case you haven't been keeping track.)  After that, we have a little surprise for you.  It's going to be fun!

last minute Mother's Day cards!

Yikes! Mother's Day is THIS Sunday! Isn't it crazy how holidays can just sneak up on us? If you're scrambling for a last minute card for a Mom in your life, Design Team member Katrina Simeck can help! Katrina created these two simple cards using patterned papers from Cherry Hill. They're super quick to put together, and easy to personalize...

The first card features Egg Basket and Recipe Box patterned papers. These pretty papers, combined with scalloped edges and a pretty flower, create a feminine card that is perfect for any Mom on your list. What a great way to wish someone a happy day!

The second card brings together the classic polka dots of Sunday Dishes with the bright stripes of Cookie Jar patterned paper. Add a simple punched heart accented with a small flower, and you'll have a card that any Mom will love.

These are such fun cards that Katrina put together for us!  And, we know you're dying to use one of those sketches... so, we thought we'd add a little incentive.  Make an OA card using one (or both) of these sketches and post a link to it below.  We'll pick a random winner to receive a set of patterned papers from the Cherry Hill collection!  It doesn't have to be a Mother's day card...but I bet your mom might like it a little more if it was!  We'll announce a winner next Wednesday, so show us your stuff!

Meet the Design Team - Natasja Verbeek

This week we are excited to introduce you to another one of our international girls! Please say a big hello to the uber-talented Natasja Verbeek... 

What's your Name?
My name is Natasja Verbeek

What's your favorite OA paper line?
Can I only pick one?! Uhh...let's go for Daydream because it's such a cute
girly line.

What size do you scrapbook?
All different sizes but lately I seem to be back on 12 x 12 a lot. 

1 page or 2?
always one page but still want to try a 2 page once.

Do you make cards?
No that just doesn't seem to be my thing.

Is your scrap area messy or neat?
Messy while busy but clean, well kind of, when I am finished

What camera do you use?
A Canon EOS 350 D

What is your favorite OA stamp set?
Real Vintage, love that bird!

Your favorite Ink?
stazon, is there anything else?

Where do you find your inspiration?
From a lot of different things; patterned papers, my pictures, fabrics,
magazines...

What's your favorite scrapbooking color?
Uhh...well let my think...no, can't call one a favorite. Is that strange?!


What's your most-used scrapbook tool (aside from your trimmer)?
Aside from my trimmer...I never use my trimmer! But my edge distresser I
do use, a lot ;)

Are you a slow scrapper or a quick scrapper?
That's very different but normally I finish at least one layout on a
evening.

What's your favorite quote?
Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. (Forest Gump)

Give us your favorite tip...
You can't go wrong with scrapbooking, if you like what you made it just fine
like it is!

Here is one of Natasja's recent favorite layouts...