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Design Team Favorites Week Challenge

Woohoo!  We've got another challenge winner to announce... congratulations goes out to Virginia who won last weeks Pens & Markers Week Challenge.  Your doodles all rocked!  So many fabulous layouts this week. Here's a chance for you to a set of all our BRAND NEW Flair.  It's another win it before you can buy it prize!
It's an easy one this week so let's see your entries roll in!

To get you started here's another great layout by Design Team member Wendy Sue...
Supplies: White cardstock (71081) – AC Cardstock, Fannie Mendell paper (34715) – Craft Fair, Alice Stichenson paper (34724) – Craft Fair, Lucy Hootski paper (34717) – Craft Fair, Humpty Dumpty paper (34665) – Baby, Made with Love Flair (70024) – Craft Fair, Sew Cool Flair (70023) – Craft Fair, Knit Ribbon (89100) – Occasions Four, Stitch Ribbon (89106) – Occasions Four, Sunflower Lullaby (42959) – Foam Lullaby thickers, Color Fruit Accents book (42548) – Remarks Books, Color Veggies Journaling Book (42546) - Remarks Books, Chestnut & Leaf Veggies Journaling Book (42547) - Remarks Books, Black Hannah & Henry Letter Assortment (42541) – Remarks Books

To be qualified to win: 
1. The layout must be posted to an online gallery or blog with American Crafts in your supply list.

2.  You must leave a comment on this blog post with a link to your layout online.  You also must fill in your email address when posting your comment on this blog post.

3. Layouts and links must be posted by midnight PST on Thursday, August 6.

Can't wait to see you use your favorites!

CHA Booth

Didn't get down to Orlando for the CHA tradeshow this week?  No problem, I filmed a quick tour of the booth for you!

Because the show floor is so loud and noisy, I turned off the volume on the video.  But here's a little guide to some of the new product you're seeing...

:11 - glitter cardstock
:19: - glitter brads
:40 - clear stamps
1:17 - pearl brads
1:52 - albums
2:53 - paper storage box
3:32 - Remarks sticker sheet section
3:40 - Wayne Mitchell, one of the owners
4:16 - kits
4:52 - I Heart You
5:20 - MerryMint
6:14 - Halloween
7:14 - Junior
8:30 - Blue Skies
9:42 - fabric brads
9:50 - glitter thickers

Whew!  Did you make it all the way through?  Hope you liked some of what you saw.  I'm not going to lie... lots of fun new things came home in my suitcase!

Feel free to leave any questions you have about products in the comments and I'll answer them!

Postmarked Wednesday

Happy Postmarked Wednesday!  Today we've got two great cards from fabulous Design Team members Susan and Jen using their favorite products.

First up is Susan with this cute and colorful card...
Supplies: Faye Needleworth Paper (34730) - Craft Fair, Fannie Mendell Paper (34715) - Craft Fair, 

Rose McGrain Paper (34722) - Craft Fair, Lucy Hootski Paper (34717) - Craft Fair, Journaling Veggies Color Stickers (42546) - Remarks, Sentiments large (59004) - Clear Stamps, Neon Amber Fluorescent (27169) - Zing! Embossing Powder, Aqua Opaque Finish (27143) - Zing! Embossing Powder, 12x12 Cardstock Robin's Egg (71063) - AC Cardstock, 12x12 Cardstock Chestnut (71048) - AC Cardstock, Taffy Medium Jewel Brads (85227) - Elements

Awesome use of the Craft Fair line and how fun are those owls hanging out on the card!

And check out Jen's amazing card featuring her favorite products from Character...

Supplies: 12x12 Cardstock Vanilla (710410) - AC Cardstock; Ledger paper (34749) - Character, Faye Needleworth paper (34730) - Craft Fair, Globe paper (34750) - Character, Enquirer paper (34754) - Character, Telegraph paper (34753) - Character, Times paper (34752) - Character, Typo Mustard (42979) - Thickers;, Italic (89136) - Ribbon, Greenhouse chipboard (77200) - Character,  Button Dandelion (8208) - Elements, Button Pewter (82141) - Elements, Button Cranberry (82127) - Elements, Mini brads Dandelion (8478) - Elements, Fine Slick Writer (62001) - Pens

This cool design is perfect for scraplifting a card or a layout.

Hope these cards inspire you to dig out those Craft Fair and Character products again!

The Best Thing

Design Team member Melanie always creates amazing layouts and today she's got one that uses her favorite products from the Character line released in January.
Supplies: Herald paper (34755) - Character, Typo Mustard (42979) - Thickers, Molly (43321) - MiniMarks, Cherry Mini Brads (8475) - Elements

Love this simple design (and that Ray LaMontagne song!)  Can't wait to see what you do with the new CHA Summer products, Melanie.

Design Team Favorites Week

Happy Monday everyone!  The CHA tradeshow starts tomorrow in Orlando, where we're debuting all our new products.  While the new goodies start rolling out, let's reminisce about some of our favorites from the last release.  This week the Design Team shares theirs...

First up is Design Team member Celine using some of her favorite products from the Backyard and Character lines.  She also used stamps and Zing! embossing powder, which were released for the first time.
Supplies: Drip paper (34703) - Backyard, Tweet paper (34687) - Backyard, Globe paper (34750) - Character, Rose Macgrain paper (34722) - Craft Fair, Lullaby blush (42958) - Thickers, Typo mustard (42979) - Thickers, Exclamation (70025) - Flair, Picnic (70021) - Flair, Hannah & Henry Color Baby (42540) - Remarks, Shade Color Backyard(42542) - Remarks, Fruit Color Craft Fair (42548) - Remarks, Thanks LG (59006) - Stamps, Wedding Frame (59021) - Wooden stamp, Powder (27144) - Zing! Embossing Powder, Apricot (27136) - Zing! Embossing Powder, Backyard Petal (89079) - Ribbon, Backyard paper (77196) - Fieldhouse

What are your favorite products from the last release?

Pens & Markers Week Challenge

It's finally Friday and that means we've got another winner to announce!  Congratulations to Kelli the winner of last weeks Music Inspired challenge.  Huge Adele fan here as well! 

It was so fun checking out all your pages, that I am completely inspired to sit down and scrap.  But this week we've got a new one for you to try for the chance to win a prize pack of the BRAND NEW Junior and Fairy Tale Thickers.  Be one of the first to have these new Thickers!

It's an easy one... just show us a little doodling on your page!

Take a cue from Design Team member Linda...

Supplies: White (71156) - AC Cardstock, Globe paper (34750) - Character, White Daiquiri (42743) - Thickers, Red (62124) - Galaxy Markers

Linda says the story behind the layout is the Chinese legend of a red thread that is tied to the ankles of babies who are meant to be together, usually couples. It's the idea of a soulmate.  The string never breaks and eventually you end up together.  She doodled some of her own red strings to accent the page.

To be qualified to win: 
1. The layout must be posted to an online gallery or blog with American Crafts in your supply list.

2.  You must leave a comment on this blog post with a link to your layout online.  You also must fill in your email address when posting your comment on this blog post.

3. Layouts and links must be posted by midnight PST on Thursday, July 30.

Looking forward to seeing all your doodles!

Markers + Thickers

My favorite AC markers are definitely the glitter markers!  They're glitter packed ink that leaves the perfect amount of bling when you use them.  There is even a clear glitter marker that looks awesome when used on your favorite patterned paper.

 
Have you ever used AC markers to customize your Thickers?  It's so easy!  I recommend using the foam ones because they absorb the ink so well.  Looking for orange Thickers to match your layout?  Just use your orange marker to color them up.
Supplies: 12x12 Cardstock White (71081) - AC Cardstock, Rose McGrain (34722) - Craft Fair, Rockabye (42954) - Thickers, Lullaby Accents (42961) - Thickers, Baby Dots (59016) - Wood Stamps, 12x12 Cardstock Leaf (71052) - AC Cardstock, Aquamarine (62404) - Glitter Marker, Purple (62410) - Glitter Marker



A super easy technique for you to try!

Postmarked Wednesday with Kelli Crowe

It's Postmarked Wednesday and if you guessed that today's Guest Designer is Kelli Crowe you were correct!

 

If you ever have the opportunity to meet Kelli in person be sure to bring along some Kleenex, because she will make you laugh so hard you'll cry.  Besides being one of the funniest people that I know, she is also one of the most creative.  Always thinking out of the box, Kelli's projects are truly masterpieces.  Here's a little bit more about Kelli, in her own words...

Once upon a time

in a time that is starting to seem far far away...

Kelli Crowe was born.

She led a very quiet and crafty life with a few more than average awkward moments in 7th grade gym class.  

Then 15 years ago, she married her husband, starting having kids an felt the need to document it all.

Kelli Crowe has participated in several Autumn Leaves publications including Designing with Type, Freestyle, The Look Book, Designing with Recipes and the Autumn Leaves Calendar. She currently is a Garden Girl for the web site Two Peas in a Bucket.  She lives in Atlanta, Ga with her 3 boys (who she homeschools), her very patient husband and more patterned paper than any person ever really needs.

She still can not do a cartwheel.

Check out her wonderful blog at http://kellicrowe.typepad.com

For Postmarked Wednesday, Kelli created two amazing cards featuring AC pens & markers...

I adore this wonderfully colorful cityscape card!

Supplies: Vacation (70003) - Flair, Edith Fitzbolt Paper (34733) - Craft Fair, Checking it Twice Paper (34529) - Christmas 2008, Jack Be Nimble Paper (34656) - Baby, Howdy Paper (34553) - Everyday, .01 Black (62301) - Precision Pen, .05 Black (62321) - Precision Pen

Kelli's wonderful giraffe card was inspired by a childrens growth chart.  Too cool!

Supplies: .01 Black (62301) - Precision Pen, .05 Black (62321) - Precision Pen, Long Time No See (34552) - Everyday, Jack Be Nimble Paper (34656) - Baby, Gidday Paper (34554) - Everyday, Black Bold (62121) - Galaxy Maker, Grape (6105) - Memory Marker, Geranium (6115) - Memory Maker, Grass (6108) - Memory Marker

Kelli uses a bold Galaxy Maker to ink the edges of the paper - a great trick when you want to ink tight scallop edges.  Thank you so much for sharing your awesome ideas, Kelli!

AC Contributing Design Team Call Closed

The Design Team call is now closed.  Thank you for all your wonderful submissions... it's going to be very tough to choose!

New members will be notified via email in August and announced here on the blog.  Good luck everyone!

Journaling on Photos

Our line of Slick Writers are one of the most popular pens in scrapbooking.  Quick-dry ink and a durable acrylic tip makes this the ideal marker for writing on any surface, including photos, stickers, ribbon, vellum, metal and glass.  You can write on photos and within seconds it will be dry and won't smear.  They come in three tip sizes - fine, medium, and bold - for all of your journaling or doodling needs.

Check out this great page from Design Team member Jill where she used a Slick Writer to journal directly on the photos...

Supplies: 12x12 Cardstock White (71081) - AC Cardstock, Grow (70020) - Flair, Letters - Hannah & Henry (42541) - Remarks, Rainbooks (42967) - Thickers, Transparent Accents Sun- Chestnut (42545) - Remarks, Veggies - Chestnut & Leaf (42547) - Remarks, Humpty Dumpty paper (34665) - Baby

Have you done some fun journaling or doodling on photos?  Link us up, we'd love to see!

Tomorrow we have an amazing Guest Designer joining us for Spotlight Wednesday.  This Southern superwoman homeschools her three boys and has been reading a lot of Jane Austen spin-offs this summer.  Any guesses who it is?