Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine’s Day!  I’m the proud mama of crafty sons — they each made me a homemade card!  We have a lot going on this week and a lot of ways for you to get your hands on some free goodies…

	TUTORIAL AND GIVEAWAY:  Wendy Price always takes my breath away — this week’s tutorial is all about masking to create a variety of images when you have a limited amount of stamps.  She takes it up a notch by offering a challenge giveaway from Stampendous!  Leave a comment HERE ON HER POST and you could win these Stampendous stamps: Butterfly Post and SSC1124 Charm Collection
	SCRAPBOOKING:  Our Scrappy Sunday group is learning how to use Lightroom as a scrapbooking tool.  Create cool collages and manage your photos all in the same place.  Check it out.
	PREVIEW: Want to see the new Distress Markers from Tim Holtz and the folks at Ranger?  I’ve got the CHA preview video up and running!
	3D CHALLENGE:  Adella Rossol can whip up the cutest things in the blink of an eye.  This week, she shows you how to make these precious milk cartons to use as gift boxes.  Hope you play along!
	True Scrap 3 is coming! I’ve done this event twice now and both times I learned something new. In short, it was AMAZING! True Scrap brings papercrafting inspiration right to your desktop. No need to change out of your PJs because you’re logging on, right from home! 15 instructions and 2 days — all recorded to watch now or later. Be the first to know about teacher and class updates, special announcements, and more…Join the True Scrap “Early Notification” Email list. Click here to view more details. Bonus for Planet members: sign up through us and you’ll get Jennifer McGuire’s AWESOME stamping classes from True Scrap 1 & 2 for FREE!

PICKS OF THE WEEK & COOL STUFF

	Have you seen the new Amy Tangerine albums?  I saw these at CHA and they are truly adorable.  Plus, they are small enough to mail to someone really special as a gift.
	Jaydekay shares our photo of the week with this card for the Sassy Cheryl Challenge #102, No Designer Paper
	Bonnie is member of the week for two weeks in a row! Thanks Bonnie for all you do around the Planet!  YOU GO GIRL!

Support the Planet

You can do your holiday shopping and help promote the Planet at the same time. We started an Amazon store on the site to help put foods in our children’s mouths and wine in our glass. You can shop for papercrafting supplies here — but if you want to shop for ANYTHING Amazon sells, use this link and you’ll be supporting the Planet.

 

	True Scrap 3 is coming!  I’ve done this event twice now and both times I learned something new.  In short, it was AMAZING!  True Scrap brings papercrafting inspiration right to your desktop. No need to change out of your PJs because you’re logging on, right from home!  15 instructions and 2 days — all recorded to watch now or later. Be the first to know about teacher and class updates, special announcements, and more…Join the True Scrap “Early Notification” Email list. Click here to view more details.
	Did you see Adela Rossol’s tutorial on embossing on metal?  She took a soda can and transformed it into this beautiful flower.  You can use heat and dry embossing techniques — she shows you how.
	I’m hosting this week’s 3d Challenge.  We’re getting ready for Valentine’s Day with this heart card/mini-book.  Sized to fit in your standard card, but stuff with pages to show the one you love just how much you appreciate them.  Fill it with reasons why they are special, or even coupons!
	Wendy Price rocks our Scrappy Sunday challenge this week — learn how to incorporate stamping into your scrapbook pages, work with damaged photos and generally just get inspired!
	Did you check out our recap for CHA 2012? We cover all the latest trends and share lots of pictures. Videos on some of the new goodies are coming soon.

PICKS OF THE WEEK & COOL STUFF

	I have a “pick” this week to share — it’s not new, but it’s new to me. I just signed up for the Studio AE club through i{heart}papers. Each month, Ali Edwards and the Technique Tuesday team release a new 4″x6″ stamp set. The stamp sets feature Ali’s handwriting or fonts that she picked to fit the words and phrases in the stamp set. Only a limited number of each of these sets – enough for the people who are members of Studio AE are made. The stamps are discounted 17% and Kate is offering free shipping plus a 15% coupon for 6 months. I’m NOT an affiliate — I just truly am so excited about this product. I saw Ali and the Technique Tuesday booth and what’s coming is SO exciting. If you are a Project Lifer, or love Ali’s style, this is a great investment for your crafting collection.
	Anna R is shares our photo of the week with Sassy Party. CUTE!
	Mary posts our top video this week with her hilarious “taking photos isn’t easy”.  Leave her a comment with your tips and tricks for getting a good picture.
	Bonnie is member of the week!  Thanks Bonnie for all you do around the Planet!

Support the Planet

You can do your holiday shopping and help promote the Planet at the same time. We started an Amazon store on the site to help put foods in our children’s mouths and wine in our glass. You can shop for papercrafting supplies here — but if you want to shop for ANYTHING Amazon sells, use this link and you’ll be supporting the Planet.

 

	This week, our Scrappy Sunday group is playing along with Becky Higgin’s Project Life.  Click over to find a couple of inspiration pages, some links to more good stuff and a free 4×6 template for printing your own Project Life cards.
	Congratulations! Last week’s lucky winner of our Perfect Layers challenge was Krissy. Krissy has won a complete set of Perfect Layers tools! Please be sure to contact Susanna Boyd within 30 days to claim your prize and be sure to provide your shipping information so we can get that package out to you! And thank you to EVERYONE for playing along! There were so many beautiful cards linked up!
	Lynn Mercurio shares this week’s tutorial for Torn Mosaic Tiles.  This featured background technique features embossing, but I can’t think of why you couldn’t use glitter or flock or even sand.  The possibilities are endless. You can find many more tutorials in our revamped Tutorial Area.
	Adela Rossol provides another rockin’ template for this week’s 3d Challenge.  Just in time for Valentine’s Day, you can make this heartfelt coffee cozy in just minutes.

PICKS OF THE WEEK & COOL STUFF

Cindy Keller has started a really fun “get to know you discussion” in the forums and it’s hoppin’!  Join the conversation and play 20 questions with us!

Lynne Crosskill is our Leaderboard top member this week!  Lynne, thanks for all your contributions.  Members like you make the Planet a better place!

Jaydekay gets “top photo” for her entry into the Sassy Cheryl Challenge #99.

Maria Levine shares a video this week on Emboss Resist using Liquitex Inks.

Hey Scrappers, have you every taken the Layout a Day Challenge? It’s a great way to reconnect with the hobby you love, catch up on your scrapbooking, share the love of your hobby with some top industry scrappers and generally find a TON of inspiration. I’ve done this challenge 3 times now, and can’t wait to do it again.

Support the Planet

You can do your holiday shopping and help promote the Planet at the same time. We started an Amazon store on the site to help put foods in our children’s mouths and wine in our glass. You can shop for papercrafting supplies here — but if you want to shop for ANYTHING Amazon sells, use this link and you’ll be supporting the Planet.

 

	Welcome back to a new year of Scrappy Sunday challenges.  We already have three layouts in our group to inspire your new year.We’re also playing around with the monthly photo meme “12,” where you take a 12 pictures on the 12th of each month this year.  It’s a fun project and I think it will make a great calendar for 2013.  You can download a Photoshop template for this project here.
	Taylor Usry uses the Perfect Layers tools to create this FABULOUS card.  Grab some inspiration, follow Taylor’s easy tutorial, and enter for your own chance to win a set of these great tools.  Check it out quickly — this challenge ends on Monday, January 23rd.
	It was a lot of work, but it was totally worth it — we’ve revamped our Tutorial Area.  Check it out and let us know what you think!
	Lyn Bernatovich hosts this week’s 3d Challenge with this vintage altered tin.  You’d never guess that this precious heirloom started life as a box of mints!
	Good news! We upgraded our chat application. If you regularly use chat, you’ll probably find the new chat more friendly and reliable:• Easy to find: You’ll find the new chat in your browser window’s footer. Click on it and start chatting (click again to close it). • More responsive: It should snap to attention and respond to your commands better than the old chat. • Better technology: It’s not Flash-based anymore, so it will even work on some mobile devices. • New sounds and notifications: You can turn those off if you want. You’ll also see a visual notification when new messages are posted. • Ignore people: Choose who you want to chat with — or click the “Ignore” button. It’s up to you. • Pop it out: Need more space to chat? Pop it out into its own window. Give the new chat a try!

PICKS OF THE WEEK & COOL STUFF

Margaret Hutton is making me want to make some homemade Valentine’s right NOW with this great Diamond Fold Card.  We don’t have a tutorial for this card yet — maybe you’ll make us one Margaret?  You can discover some other great folds here.

Our very own Adela is topping this week’s leaderboards with herwith the Valentine’s Day blog hop!

Maria Vanderform tops the video charts with this demonstration of transforming a butterfly punch into a flower!

In 9 days, I’m off to CHA.  (Comment here if you’re going to be there too — I’d love to see you!)  I’ve got appointments set up for most of the week to bring you some great video on new techniques and goodies to come.  If you want to see some of the new products on the horizon, check out my friend, Susan, at the PaperCraftersCorner.com.  She’s doing a great job of showing previews of coming goodness.

One last goodie — two friends both shared this recipe with me last week, and it’s DELISH!

Pub Style Chicken and Caramelized Onions

Ingredients

• 3 oz reduced-fat jalapeño Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
• large zip-top bag
• 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 (5-oz) packages fresh pre-sliced onions (4 cups)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup garlic pepper crispy onions
• 1/4 cup refrigerated Caesar dressing
• 1/4 cup light honey mustard dressing

Prep

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Shred cheese (1 cup).

Steps

1. Combine soy sauce, molasses, garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; place mixture in bag and add chicken, turning to coat. Let stand 10 minutes (or overnight) to marinate.
2. Toss fresh onions with oil, salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place onions in 13- x 9-inch baking dish; top with chicken. Bake 20–25 minutes or until chicken reaches 165°F.
3. Top chicken with crispy onions and cheese; bake 2–3 more minutes or until cheese melts.
4. Combine both dressings; microwave on HIGH 20–30 seconds or until hot. Drizzle sauce over chicken and serve.

CALORIES (per 1/4 recipe) 480kcal; FAT 23g; CHOL 120mg; SODIUM 680mg; CARB 25g; FIBER 1g; PROTEIN 42g; VIT A 6%; VIT C 8%; CALC 20%; IRON 15%

Support the Planet

You can do your holiday shopping and help promote the Planet at the same time. We started an Amazon store on the site to help put foods in our children’s mouths and wine in our glass. You can shop for papercrafting supplies here — but if you want to shop for ANYTHING Amazon sells, use this link and you’ll be supporting the Planet.

 

	Did you see last week’s Scrappy Sunday challenge? I hope so — it’s awesome and comes with a free Photoshop template!  There is no new challenge this week — we’re on break for the holiday.
	Congratulations to Debbie L (Debbie is another common name…. email starts with granydewey) for winning last week’s Fran*tage Friday Challenge . Debbie gets some FREE goodies from our friends at Stampendous just for commenting.  Please be sure to contact Susanna Boyd within 30 days to claim your prize and be sure to provide your shipping information so we can get that package out to you! And thank you to EVERYONE for playing along! There were so many great ideas in our comments!
	In this week’s Fran*tage challenge, Jessica shows you how to whip up a cool Christmas frame.  This idea would work for scrapbook pages, family photos — anything! You could win a prize pack from Stampendous just for commenting. (Come on, put yourself on the Christmas list with free stamps!)
	Congratulations! Our lucky winner for www.DiyBangles.com/shop is Virginia.  Virginia has won a $25 gift card to DIY Bangles! Please be sure to contact Susanna Boyd within 30 days to claim your prize and be sure to provide your shipping information so we can get that package out to you! And thank you to EVERYONE for playing along! There were so many great ideas in our comments!hosting a challenge with us this week. Check out the amazing wreaths that Deb made. Prepare to be blown away!

PICKS OF THE WEEK & COOL STUFF

Found this incredible bit of cuteness surfing the web for wrapping ideas.  How about putting a gift card in a can?  Link has free printables download too! Click on the picture to see more….

Our very own Adela is topping this week’s leaderboards with her 12 days of 3d Christmas. Get some GREAT ideas here!

Diana Gibbs is rocking the video charts this week with her Snowman Gift Card Holder.

Jaydekay shares another fabulous card for this week’s Sassy Cheryl Challenge - snowman with a die cut.

One last goodie — I discovered this recipe thanks to my local Publix and it’s our new favorite family cookie:

Peppermint Melt-a-ways

Ingredients

• cooking spray
• 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• large zip-top bag
• 1 cup starlight mints (or candy canes), finely crushed
• 1 large egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 box white cake mix (15–18 oz), divided
• 1 cup white chocolate morsels

Prep

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat baking sheet(s) with spray.
• Cut cream cheese and butter into small pieces; place in large bowl to soften.
• Crush mints in zip-top bag using meat mallet.

Steps

1. Add to cream cheese and butter: egg, vanilla, and one-half of the cake mix. Mix with electric mixer 1–2 minutes or until thoroughly blended. Stir in remaining half of cake mix, morsels, and 1/2 cup mints until blended. Place remaining 1/2 cup mints in shallow bowl.
2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and press tops of dough into mints. Place on baking sheets, mint side up and 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 10–12 minutes or until lightly browned and center is barely set. Let stand 3–4 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool. Serve.

** Susanna’s changes:  I used butter cake mix, because it’s what I had on hand.  I also used chocolate chips.  Still delish!  I did the first batch dipped in the extra mints, but they created a melted chocolate mess all over the cookie sheet, so made the remainder with out that step.

Total Time: 1 hour, Active Time: 30 minutes  (Makes 4 dozen)

Support the Planet

You can do your holiday shopping and help promote the Planet at the same time. We started an Amazon store on the site to help put foods in our children’s mouths and wine in our glass. You can shop for papercrafting supplies here — but if you want to shop for ANYTHING Amazon sells, use this link and you’ll be supporting the Planet.

 

	Did you see this week’s Scrappy Sunday challenge? I hope so — it’s awesome and comes with a free Photoshop template!
	Congratulations to Laura (common name, so if your email starts with leliza1, then I mean you) for winning last week’s Fran*tage Friday Challenge. Laura gets some FREE goodies from our friends at Stampendous just for commenting.
	In this week’s Fran*tage challenge, Adela shows you how to layer images for a cool 3d effect.  You could win a prize pack from Stampendous just for commenting. (Come on, put yourself on the Christmas list with free stamps!)
	DIYBangles.com is hosting a challenge with us this week. Check out the amazing wreaths that Deb made. Prepare to be blown away! Want to win DIY Bangles goodies of your own? Comment HERE and you might be the lucky duck sporting a $25 gift certificate that can be used on www.DiyBangles.com/shop!
	Looking for some last minute hand-made gift ideas still? How about a fun treat jar, beautifully stenciled? Pam’s first time hosting a challenge for us and she ROCKED it!!! This is a fun stenciling technique with definite WOW appeal!

Hey — remember last week when I posted about the contest from UPrinting for some free post cards? Wouldn’t it have been awesome if I had included a way for me to know if you entered? Ugh. I think I’m suffering from severe holiday brain cloud.I’m extending this contest another week — please comment HEREon this very post if you entered and I’ll draw from that.You could win 100 5×7 postcards (not sure if you’d get them in time for holiday cards, but these would be great for Valentine’s Day notes, graduation or shower invites.) (Legal stuff: This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive postcards for hosting.)

How to enter:1. Like UPrinting Postcard Page and share how you would use the postcards if you win the giveaway.

2. Tweet how you will use the postcard if you win the giveaway and at the end of the message include the UPrinting Postcard URL (http://www.uprinting.com/postcard-printing.html)

NOTE: Make sure to use the FULL URL (http://www.uprinting.com/postcard-printing.html) and not use any URL shortening tool for the tweet. Twitter will automatically shorten the URL for you.

3. Comment here that you entered so that I’ll know! I’ll pick from these comments.

Good luck!

PICKS OF THE WEEK & COOL STUFF

MyGrafico is giving away a Silhouette Cameo! Seriously, a FREE 12″ die cut machine that doesn’t require a cartridge?  Sign me up.

Our very own Adela is topping this week’s leaderboards with her 12 days of 3d Christmas.  Get some GREAT ideas here!

I love Catherine Pooler.  She’s sharing another great video on mass producing your Christmas Cards.

Jaydekay shares this stunning white on white card for the Sassy Cheryl Challenge.

Wendy Price shares these cute free holiday printables from We Love to Illustrate….

You can do your holiday shopping and help promote the Planet at the same time. We started an Amazon store on the site to help put foods in our children’s mouths and wine in our glass. You can shop for papercrafting supplies here — but if you want to shop for ANYTHING Amazon sells, use this link and you’ll be supporting the Planet.

 

This week’s 3d Challenge is designed around helping you get ready for Christmas — Glass Tile Necklaces/Magnets!  In fact, Adela is sharing 12 days of 3d Holiday ideas.  Make sure you check it out!

I think I had a completely original idea today! Use QR codes in your cards and scrapbook pages to make them interactive. Why not share that video of your roller coaster ride, along with the scrap page, or sing happy birthday and include it in the card? Your readers can use their smart phones to participate. (I used http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ to make this qr code)

(You would have known about this already and watched my funny video if you were following our Google+ Page for the Planet!)

Congratulations to Melissa Smith for winning last week’s Fran*tage Friday Challenge.  Melissa gets some FREE goodies from our friends at Stampendous just for commenting.

Are you ready for another Fran*tage challenge? You could win a prize pack from Stampendous just for commenting. It was my turn to host and this week we’re making Swing (aka “Flip Flop”) cards.  This is a fun way to give a gift card or a family photo.

I was asked if I wanted to do a postcard giveaway by UPrinting.  Of course! You could win 100 5×7 postcards (not sure if you’d get them in time for holiday cards, but these would be great for Valentine’s Day notes, graduation or shower invites.)  (Legal stuff:  This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive postcards for hosting.)

How to enter:

1. Like UPrinting Postcard Page and share how you would use the postcards if you win the giveaway.

2. Tweet how you will use the postcard if you win the giveaway and at the end of the message include the UPrinting Postcard URL (http://www.uprinting.com/postcard-printing.html)

NOTE: Make sure to use the FULL URL (http://www.uprinting.com/postcard-printing.html) and not use any URL shortening tool for the tweet. Twitter will automatically shorten the URL for you.

Good luck!

PICKS OF THE WEEK & COOL STUFF

MyGrafico is giving away a Silhouette Cameo!  Boy, I hope I win….

Catherine Pooler’s video for mass producing Christmas cards is topping the leaderboards this week.  Check it out!

Marion posted this adorable tree shaped gift box for the Cuttlebug challenge. So adorable.

Margaret Hutton made me laugh, “Ho! Ho! Ho” when she shared this Snowman Pillow Box.

Jen Taplar shared this video with Wendy Price and she shared with me…. http://bergcloud.com/littleprinter/  How stinkin cool is that?! Wish I had invented that, lol! I was thinking December Daily, Project Life, event Cathy Zielske’s “Monthly”!

Lynn Mercurio says:  I’m always looking for new titles for my layouts, or clever words to use in my blog post.  While tooling around on the internet, looking for a Thesaurus, I found  Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus.  Check it out here.  You enter a word and the program populates a visual array of words that may be used as alternative words that may take your scrapping titling up a notch. Click on one of the orbit words and you are taken to a new page with another population of more options.  While a full membership is $2.95 per month, you can see what a fun tool this is with a 14 day free trial.

You can do your holiday shopping and help promote the Planet at the same time. We started an Amazon store on the site to help put foods in our children’s mouths and wine in our glass. You can shop for papercrafting supplies here — but if you want to shop for ANYTHING Amazon sells, use this link and you’ll be supporting the Planet.