Theme Park Challenge Begins Today!

Hey, there! Before summer ends, how about we have some fun with a little contest? In honor of these long, hot days and the theme parks you've most certainly visited...

Welcome to Paper Wizard's Theme Park Challenge!

Using ANY of Paper Wizard's theme park kits, create an original project(s) and post your design(s) to our online gallery between now and midnight (MDT) on August 30.

We'll select three winners based on overall appearance, creativity, execution, and conformity to theme. The winners will be spotlighted right here and receive some fun prizes!

Need some inspiration? Here's a "magical" layout I did with the brand new Mouse Magic kit:

 

We hope to provide you with plenty of inspiration, as well as a forum to post your own designs and comment on others' creativity.

Click HERE to upload your theme park entries today!

Good luck!
P. Kelly Smith

P.S. It’s time to announce the winner of our You Belong in the Zoo post!

Amelia Clark (July 29, 12:57 a.m.)

Congrats, Amelia! E-mail me at bonnie@paperwiz.net and I'll get your prizes mailed out to you.

You Belong in the Zoo!

Hello, friends! I’m back this week to share three brand new kits from Paper Wizard's CHA Summer release. Just in time for summer, these zoo-themed products are sure to reign king of the paper crafting jungle!

Today, I’d like to share three projects I made with these fabulous new kits. While these intricate laser die cuts are perfect for scrapbooking your memories, they’re also great as embellishments on cards, gift bags, and so much more!

Let’s begin with the You Belong in the Zoo kit. The animals are very detailed, so charming and not at all frightening! It's the perfect title to brighten up your zoo page:


Here's a fun layout using this title, complete with cute googly eyes on all the animals:

Next up is the Zoo Frames & Minis kit. Beautifully detailed, with intricate hand-drawn and laser-etched art, these frames & minis are sure to bring all of your memories to life:

And while these adorable frames are great on a layout (as seen above), I decided to add one to a gift bag. What a fun favor this would make for a zoo-themed birthday party!

And finally we have this cute and cuddly Panda Bear:

Inspired by the way he's "hanging out" on his branch, I made a card with this sweet sentiment:

Fun zoo-themed kits, huh? Leave a comment telling me your favorite zoo animal and I'll pick one lucky winner to take home all THREE of these new kits! All comments must be received by Sunday, August 4 at midnight (MDT). And be sure check back with us every week as we have some fun giveaways and contests planned for the coming months.

Until next time....

Happy crafting!
P. Kelly Smith

P.S. It’s time to announce the winner of our Sneak Peek of Our CHA Summer Release post!

Ann Marie (July 23, 8:14 p.m.)

Congrats, Ann Marie! E-mail me at bonnie@paperwiz.net and I'll get your prizes mailed out to you. Thanks to all who left comments!

Sneak Peek of Our CHA Summer Release!

Hey, there! I’m thrilled to be back as a guest blogger on Paper Wizard's blog. I have some exciting new products to share with you...and they're all a part of Paper Wizard's CHA Summer release!

Today, I’d like to share some projects made with these fabulous new kits. While these intricate laser die cuts are perfect for scrapbooking your memories, they’re also great as embellishments on cards, gift bags, and so much more!

Let's take a look at the inspiring Paper Wizard products you'll want to add to your collection!


Here's the brand new Theme Park kits:

Year of the Mouse 2013:


What year is it? Why, it's the Year of the Mouse, of course! (Isn't every year?)

Here's a side view of all the many layers!

Here's a fun project I created with it...the cover of a mini album!

And here's a simple page inside the 6x6 album:

Duck - Dynasty:


Cute & fun, this title will rock your duckiest pages!
 

Here's a side view of all the many layers!

Fairy Tale Princess Title:

Sparkly & sweet, this title is sure to delight your little princess! 

Here's a side view of all the many layers!

Fairy Tale Castle:

Pretty! Our Fairy Tale Castle will make every girl feel like a princess!

Here's a side view of all the many layers!

Fairy Tale Carriage:

Pink & Lavender rule the day in this pretty princess carriage!

Here's a side view of all the many layers!

Mouse Magic:

Mouse Magic is perfect for all those wonderful vacation spreads - especially ones with the Mouse in them!

Here's a "magical" layout I did with pictures from our recent trip to Disneyland:

 

World of the Sea Title:


Simple & bright, this fun title will showcase your photos perfectly!

World of the Sea Kit:

So much fun to play with these words and "sea" what "world," I mean "words" you can make!

Aquarium 2013:

Beautifully detailed, this title will make your Aquarium trip come to life!

Here's a fun layout featuring pictures from a trip to the Atlantis Aquarium in the Bahamas:

And here's a fun new Infants and Children kit!

Tooth Fairy - Blue:

Cute & fun, this title will help capture the feeling of wonder when your child loses their tooth!

And here's the brand new Country Map kits. Beautifully detailed, with intricate hand-drawn and laser-etched art, these maps are sure to bring all of your memories to life!

Map - Costa Rica:


Map - Denmark:


Map - Dominican Republic:



Map - India:

Map - Finland:

Map - Norway:

Map - Sweden:

And that's a wrap! If you like what you see, leave a comment telling me your favorite summer memory and I'll pick one lucky winner to take home THREE of these new kits! All comments must be received by Sunday, July 28 at midnight (MDT). And be sure check back with us every week as we have some fun giveaways and contests planned for the coming months.

Until next time....

Happy crafting!
P. Kelly Smith

P.S. Stay tuned for next week when we spotlight three brand new zoo-themed kits. ROAR!

Deck the Halls with Paper Wizard!

Hey, there! I’m thrilled to be joining you today as a guest blogger on the new Paper Wizard blog! Paper Wizard and I go way back…back when I was a young college student and PW was just beginning to cast its magical spell on the scrapbooking industry. Now many moons later, I spend my days as an editor for Paper Crafts magazine. From cards to tags to home décor pieces, I’m constantly amazed what people can do with paper, adhesive and a little imagination.

Today, I’d like to share some projects made with Paper Wizard’s Christmas-themed kits. While these intricate laser die cuts are perfect for scrapbooking your memories, they’re also great as embellishments on cards, gift bags, and so much more!

Let’s begin with the Santa with Cookie (H-SANTA-B) kit. This jolly fellow comes complete with a fur-trimmed suit and a chocolate chip cookie! Since Santa deserves to be the star of this card, I matted him with a striped patterned paper and added the perfect sentiment:

Next I had some merry fun with the Christmas Stockings in Crimson (H-STK-C) and Forest (H-STK-G). I decided to make personalized gift tags for my sister Laurie and cousin Carter. All I did was spell out their names with cream alpha stickers and add some gold twine to the stocking loop. Super easy! They also make great tree ornaments!

For my last project, I was inspired by the Silver Snowflake Minis (SE-SNFLK-M). This kit comes with five mini snowflakes made out of sparkling glitter paper! I decided to use one snowflake as an embellishment on this wintery treat bag. Using the navy cardstock strip from the packaging (waste not, want not!), I adhered a small panel to the front of the bag. Then I affixed the snowflake and added a pearl to the center for some extra sparkle. Finishing touches include a white sentiment sticker (shows up great on the dark cardstock!) and a pretty gray and white ribbon:

Well, there's three festive projects that are so easy to make! What can you do with paper, adhesive and a little imagination? Given this magical season, the possibilities are endless!

Happy Holidays!
P. Kelly Smith

Finally Fall

It is fall. The skies are starting to fill with soft, cottony clouds and the leaves are beginning to turn. As I look around me, I remember something my mother taught me, years ago. While I was away at college, my mother would call me up from our home in Fullerton, California and ask me to look out my window. With a sigh and a backward glance at my stack of homework, I would obediently walk over to the window in my tiny dorm room on BYU's campus and look outside. "What color are the trees?" My mother would ask, expectantly. I would shrug noncommittally, as though she could see my shoulders hunch up and then down again, and say, "I dunno, Mom - kinda green?" and we would then talk about other items of interest until we said good-bye. This scene would repeat itself again the next week, and then the next, until one week in early October. She asked her usual question, "What color are the trees?" and I begrudgingly walked over to the window to find out. But this time, I was silent. Then a long breath escaped me as I sighed into the phone... "ohhhh, Mom!" The leaves had turned. They had changed, seemingly overnight into a glorious riot of color. Ambers, oranges, caramels and crimsons danced in the wind before my eyes. I stood quietly as I took it all in, from the tops of the Wasatch Mountains to the tree just outside my dorm window. "That," my mother stated, listening to my silence on the line, "is why I love Utah."

It is the first week in October in Utah, once again. The sky is overcast, but the leaves are beautiful. Earlier this year, I lost my mother to cancer. On April 30, 2011, she left us and my life will never be the same. But I will always have with me the things she taught me. She showed me how, despite my driven nature, to slow down and appreciate the gifts of nature God has given to us to beautify our lives. Autumn in Utah is one of those precious gifts. I doubt that I would have this appreciation had I not had the mother god gave me. Thank you, Mom - for this and for so much more. You opened my eyes to things I doubt I would ever have seen on my own.

As we all rush around checking off the boxes on our collective to-do lists, may we stop for a moment and take a look around. Breathe it all in. Count your blessings; even naming them one by one. We have all been given gifts in our lives. May we always know them, may we always be grateful for them, may we pass them on to the people we love.