Paper Smooches April Guest Designer, week 1 (pic heavy)

Happy Wednesday, everybody! I'm SO EXCITED to be the guest designer for Paper Smooches Stamps this month! Paper Smooches is the first guest designer "gig" I've gotten (or put in for), so that makes it doubly exciting. The three April stamp releases are TOO CUTE (!) and even though the themes are much different, they work so well together. I made a total of eight cards (for the guest design spot - of course, I couldn't stop there though!), and Kim will be featuring 2 of them on the Paper Smooches blog every Wednesday of the month. The cards she chose for this week are featuring the Pretty Momma and Simply Said sets. Now for the paper yummies:

I just love how feminine the images on the Pretty Momma set are. I stamped the cameo onto this die cut frame, and added a strip of rhinestones for her necklace. And do you see that pink "paper" with the text printed on it, behind the cameo? That's product packaging! Yep, it's the backing from a package of trims. LOVE it! I machine stitched all the way around the frame with some natural quilting thread, and also stitched around the pink packaging and down the left side of the card:

In keeping with the vintage-y look, I used a strip of muslin instead of ribbon. I love the way it frays. I stamped the sentiment onto a rectangular die cut, and banner-cut the right side. I added this adorable rose brad and attached the sentiment to the bow. Here's another close-up:

Okay, on to the next card. Now, I'm not normally a butterfly kinda girl...although I don't really know why...? Anyway, when I saw this butterfly, I really loved it and couldn't wait to use it. I think partly because I'm a sucker for a scallop, and this butterfly has cute little scalloped edges on her wings. So I decided I wanted to make her as dainty as I possibly could, and paper-piece her onto white cardstock so those scallops would really pop. And yes, it was really fun to fussy cut those scallops and other little parts not one, two, or three, but FOUR times! Well...maybe not so fun...but TOTALLY worth it! I love the way they turned out! More paper yummies:

So, I stamped the butterfly a total of three times per color - once on the white cardstock and twice on each color of patterned paper. Once I paper-pieced each butterfly, I used a thin line of Tombow Mono multi-glue down the middle of each butterfly to attach it onto the stamped image below. Once they were all adhered, I machine-stitched across them. Then I raised each wing to give it more dimension and "flutter", and added some Stickles. Here's a close-up:

I finished off this card with some baker's twine and the cutest little buttons. I love how the tiny pink one fits right into the white, flower shaped button:

I am entering the first card in these challenges:

Moxie Fab World Don't Throw it Away Challenge (I used product packaging)

Lily Pad Cards Flower Challenge

ColourQ Challenge #131

Papercraft Star Anything Goes Challenge

I am entering the second card in these challenges:

CAS-ual Fridays CFC46: Name That Tune (inspired by "Butterfly" by Crazy Town)

Papercraft Star Anything Goes Challenge

Young Crafters Unite Challenge #8: Stitching or sewing

Thanks so much for looking!

Supplies (card 1): cardstock: Core'dinations; patterned paper, product packaging, die cuts, rose brad: The Girls' Paperie; stamps: Paper Smooches (Pretty Momma, Potpourri); ink: Tsukineko (black, green); bling: The Paper Studio; muslin: Roc-Lon; sanding block: Making Memories; sewing machine: Kenmore; quilting thread: Americana

Supplies (card 2): cardstock: Core'dinations (blue), The Paper Company (black), Georgia Pacific (white); patterned papers: DCWV; stamps: Paper Smooches (Pretty Momma, Simply Said); ink: Tsukineko; corner rounder, hole punch: We R Memory Keepers; scalloped edge punch: Martha Stewart; sanding block: Making Memories; baker's twine: Divine Twine; buttons: craft supply; sewing machine: Kenmore; thread: Singer; glitter glue: Ranger