Sketchy Thursday on Friday!

Hey everyone!  So "Sketchy Thursday" is actually "Sketchy Friday" for this week as we wanted to share our new mid-release collection With Love yesterday.  If you haven't seen the new collection be sure to visit this blog post and and leave a comment for your chance to win!  For today's edition of "Sketchy Thursday" I asked some of our design team members to create a project based on this fabulous sketch by Becky Fleck.

Design team member Sarah Webb stayed true to the sketch and was able to complete her layout in no time at all.  Here's what Sarah had to say ... "I love sketches. Sketches are a great source of inspiration and are a great way to get a page started! Using the sketch and choosing one line (Floral Lane) made this one of the quickest layouts I have ever created!"

Pebbles supplies used:
New Addition Adorable (751155)
Floral Lane Just Because (751116)
Floral Lane Memory Lane (751120)
Floral Lane A Little Hello (751118)
Floral Lane Warm Thoughts (751117)
Floral Lane my Darling (751126)
Floral Lane With Delight (751124)
Floral Lane Brown ABC stickers (732053)
White Pearl Candy Dots (744234)

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Mist (Studio Calico)
Pearls (Dollarama)
Tags (Staples)

Design team member Stephanie Baxter changed the sketch quite a bit to accommodate her lengthy journaling.  Here's what Stephanie had to say ... "I always find it really interesting to see how people use sketches for their scrapbooking layouts. I usually stick quite closely to sketches that I use but for today's assignment I decided to challenge myself and try and use the sketch in a looser way as a basis for my page. I kept the main elements that I particularly loved about the sketch (patterned paper background, three embellishments placed in a visual triangle, cardstock block with scalloped patterned paper border and stitching down the left side) and then changed a few things that I thought would work more with the look I was going for on my page. I altered it to 8.5x11, moved the title from the top to the bottom of the page, used only one photo and used spray mist to draw focus to the photo instead of having patterned paper block like the sketch shows. Although my page ended up being fairly different from the original sketch, I'm happy with the way it turned out. And I just can't get enough of Fresh Goods for my pages either!"

Pebbles supplies used:
Fresh Goods Front Desk (751187)
Fresh Goods Window Display (751189)
Fresh Goods Chipboard Flowers (747155)
Fresh Goods Dimensional Butterflies (747154)
Fresh Goods Chips (744118)

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Thickers (American Crafts)
Mist (Maya Road)

Design team member Mandie Pierce created this adorable layout about her family's Sunday dinner by changing only a few elements of the sketch.  Here's what Mandie had to say ... "I stuck closely to the sketch.   I swapped out the smaller photos for 4"x4" photos taken with the Instagram app on my phone and took out one of the embellishment blocks. With the larger photos, it was a little too crowded.  I used Fresh Goods again.  I couldn't help myself!  The colors and patterns just seemed to lend itself to the theme of the layout.  :)  I think the denim cardstock from American Crafts is one of my new favorite colors and co-ordinates perfectly with Fresh Goods!"

Pebbles supplies used:
Fresh Goods Local Market (751190)
Fresh Goods Window Display (751189)
Fresh Goods Daily Special (751185)
Fresh Goods Signage (751186)
Fresh Goods Mom & Pop (751194)
Fresh Goods Denim ABC Stickers (732074)
Fresh Goods Dimensional Stickers (732076)
Fresh Goods Embossed Border Stickers (732077)
Fresh Goods Embossed Masking Tape Stickers (732078)
Fresh Goods Toothpick Flags (747153)
Fresh Goods Fabric Brads (744277)
Navy Blue Candy Dots (44209)

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Pen (American Crafts, Marvy)
Corner Rounder (Fiskars)
Punch (EK Success)
Staples (Tim Holtz)

With Love: Pebbles' New Valentine's Day Collection

We have a new line to share with you! Our new collection, With Love, incorporates traditional holiday colors—red, pink and white—to create an endearing line of products for lovely scrapbooking and, most especially, Valentine’s Day cards.

It's chock-full of hearts, flowers, dots and even a few (love) birds to form the perfect collection of patterns for customers to create Valentines for loved one. Note that some of the patterns are printed on kraft paper, which makes the line extra special and warm.



Masking Tape Stickers and Clear Stamps

These stickers have the look of masking tape, but go on smoothly, while the warm colors and adorable designs are as precious as your Valentine. The Clear Stamps are sweeter than candy hearts (but we recommend those, too) with usable phrases and designs for expressing cardmakers' twitterpation.



Mini Dimensional Flowers and Dimensional Hearts

Mini Dimensional Flowers and Dimensional Hearts add cuteness and depth, something desirable in a Valentine as well as a Valentine’s card.

The flowers have multiple layers of paper petals and a metal and pearlesque middle, while the hearts—not to be outdone—also have multiple layers, with a stitch up the middle to create a flirtatious butterfly effect.



Here are a couple of projects to give you an idea of how cute this line is and how well the products play together.




The With Love collection also features ribbons, letter stickers and a host of other embellishments that you'll — fittingly — love.

We want to give away a complete set of the collection to one lucky person! Just leave a comment below, by Friday at midnight, letting us know what you like most about With Love and we'll pick a winner at random.

Dear Pebbles

Good morning everyone!  Today we are featuring cards created by some of our design team members using their favorite Pebbles products.

Design team member Laura Craigie created a pair of cards perfect for welcoming a new little princess to the world.  Laura also provided a sketch for her cards as well.  Here's what Laura had to say ... "There have been so many babies born in my circle lately that I knew I needed some baby congrats cards.  It's not something I normally do but I decided to make a sketch for my cards and thought I'd share it with you all.  I used the sketch normally for the first card, and then I just turned the sketch on it's side to make a similar card but with a different look."

Pebbles supplies used:
New Addition Love Bug (751142)
New Addition It's a Girl (751140)
New Addition Beautiful Baby (751148)
New Addition Little Sister (751150)
New Addition Dimensional Phrases & Icon Stickers (732059)
New Addition Dimensional Border Stickers (732060)
New Addition Stamps (747130)
New Addition Mini Clothes Pins (747124)
New Addition Toothpick Flags (747122)
Pink Button Candy Dots (747125)
Brown Button Candy Dots (747138)

Other Supplies Used:
Ink (Jenni Bowlin)
Corner Rounder (WRMK)
Punch (EK Success)


Design team member Melanie Blackburn created a trio of cards with little boys in mind.  Here's what Mel had to say ... "My inspiration for this trio of cards came from the felt elephant, so cute, and a stack of paper doilies I had on my scrap table. The doilies added a soft element to the cards that complimented the textured papers of this collection. The various accents gave each card a unique element all the while keeping a unified theme. I can’t wait to share these cards with family and friends."

Pebbles supplies used - "congrats" card:
New Arrival Dimensional Phrase Stickers (732065)
New Arrival Layered Embellishments (747131)
New Arrival All Smiles (751153)
New Arrival Adorable (751155)
New Arrival Sweet baby (751160)

Other supplies used:
Ribbon (American Crafts)
Doily (Michaels)
Punch (EK Success)

Pebbles supplies used - "little one" card:
New Arrival Dimensional Chipboard Boy (732067)
New Arrival Dimensional Phrase Stickers (732065)
New Arrival Boy Toothpick Flags (747134)
New Arrival Little Prince (751161)
New Arrival Sweet Baby (751160)

Pebbles supplies used - "baby boy" card:
New Arrival Dimensional Borders (732066)
New Arrival Dimensional Phrase Stickers (732065)
New Arrival Sweet Baby (751160)
New Arrival Adorable (751155)

Other supplies used:
Doily (Michaels)

And finally design team member Ashley Stephens created a trio of cards focusing on our new Fresh Goods collection.  Here's what Ashley had to say ... "For my cards this week I wanted to show how versatile Fresh Goods is by playing with some of the styles in the line. This first card has more of a modern look with a small graphic print and lots of white space. The "Hello Friend" card is a little more shabby, utilizing the great vintage flower print in the Freshly Picked paper, combined with woodgrain and the larger flower focal point. It also has a more subdued color palette. The "Hello" card is almost a polar opposite with very bold colors and the large graphic print of Flower Basket. The big dimensional sticker also packs a big punch here! With the ability to create many different looks you can see why Fresh Goods is easily one of my favorites!"

Pebbles supplies used - "miss you" card:
Fresh Goods Signage (751186)
Fresh Goods Flower Basket (751183)
Fresh Goods Come Again (751191)
Fresh Goods Mini ABC Stickers (732079)
Fresh Goods Dimensional Butterflies (747154)

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Dies (Papertrey Ink)
Punch (EK Success)
Floss (DMC)

Pebbles supplies used - "hello friend" card:
Fresh Goods Freshly Picked (751193)
Fresh Goods Come Again (751191)
Fresh Goods Chipboard Flowers (747155)
Fresh Goods Fabric Brads (744277)
Fresh Goods Toothpick Flags (747153)
Yellow Button Candy Dots
Welcome Christmas Chestnut ABC Stickers (732070)

Pebbles supplies used - "hello" card:
Fresh Goods Flower Basket (751183)
Fresh Goods Dimensional Phrases & Icons Stickers (732076)
Fresh Goods Fabric Brads (744277)

Other supplies used:
Ribbon (American Crafts)
Cardstock (American Crafts, Papertrey Ink)

How To Tuesday

First things first, I have a winner to announce from last week's "Guest Designer" giveaway. Thank you all so much for your comments. And the lucky winner is ...

Congratulations! Please email your full name and mailing information (including your phone number for shipping purposes) to pebblesincdt(at)gmail(dot)com and put "Guest Designer Winner" in the subject line. 

Did you know that there are only 87 more days til Christmas?  While that may seem like a long time it's never too early to get started on those holiday preparations.  Design team member Gretchen McElveen shares a fun way to scrapbook your Christmas cards and keep them for years to come.  Here's what Gretchen had to say ... "As soon as the weather starts getting cooler, I start looking forward to Christmas.  I love it!  Last week I finally took down the 2010 Christmas cards on the side of my refrigerator in anticipation of new ones coming this year!  I hate taking them down. They are so fun to look at through the year!  And I surely could never throw them away!  For the longest time I just kept all the Christmas cards I had collected over the years somewhat organized in a couple of shoeboxes. Then a couple of years ago I discovered a way to scrapbook them.  And today I am going to show you how to do it!"

What you will need:
Cardstock
Patterned Paper
Strong Adhesive
Embellishments

OK let’s get started!  Use a piece of cardstock as the base of your layout. Don't "waste" a piece of patterned paper when you are going to end up covering it up anyway! For the first and top pocket on the layout, cut a piece of patterned paper or cardstock 12 inches wide x 4 inches tall. You may not want to use your favorite piece of patterned paper as a lot of this paper will end up being covered by Christmas cards too.

Adhere this piece of paper across the cardstock about 3 inches down from the top of the layout.

Remember that we are making a pocket, so only apply your adhesive along the bottom and sides of the piece of paper. No adhesive should go across the top! And make sure to use strong adhesive!

This will let your slip your Christmas cards inside the "pocket" you have created.

For the second and middle pocket on the layout, cut another piece of patterned paper or cardstock 12 inches wide x 4 inches tall. Once again, don't use your favorite piece of patterned paper as a lot of this paper will end up being covered by your cards. Adhere this piece of paper across the layout about 6 inches down from the top of the layout so you are creating another pocket under the first one.

Remember: adhesive only along the bottom and sides of the piece of paper. No adhesive across the top so you create a pocket! Tip: If you use cardstock for this pocket, embellish it a bit by using a border sticker!

Now do use a pretty piece of patterned paper for the bottom pocket on your layout. This piece will actually be seen! Cut this piece of patterned paper so that it also measures also 12 inches wide x 3 inches tall.  Adhere this piece of paper across the bottom of the layout.

Remember: adhesive only along the bottom and sides of the piece of paper. No adhesive across the top!

Now embellish the bottom pocket! I used another border sticker here, a fun dimensional sticker, and cute toothpick flags on my layout. Don’t forget to add a date to your layout so you can remember when you got all these cards (I almost forgot!).

 

Tuck your Christmas cards into the pockets and you are done! You could always turn this into a 2-page layout if you have more cards than you can fit into a single-page layout.

I hope this gives you an idea for what to do with all those Christmas cards you can’t bear to throw away! And hey, a layout like this would work for birthday cards, Mother’s Day cards, or any cards you get for that matter!!

Happy scrapping! And Merry (early) Christmas!

Pebbles supplies used:
Welcome Christmas Merry Christmas (751175)
Welcome Christmas Santa’s Workshop (751176)
Welcome Christmas Dimensional Phrase & Icon Stickers (732071)
Welcome Christmas 12” Border Stickers (732072)
Welcome Christmas Toothpick Flags (747146)

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Thickers (American Crafts)

Mix & Match Monday

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend.  Today on the Pebbles blog we'll be mixing and matching some Pebbles products to show you just how well our collections can be used with one another.

Design team member Eva Pizarro created this beautiful layout by focusing on the blues and yellows in several different Pebbles collections.  Here's what Eva had to say ... "I love to use different collections for my projects and with Pebbles papers this is really easy to do! The colors match perfectly and there are always new color combos I can try! For this particular layout I used the Fresh Goods, Floral Lane and New Addition lines. I decided to do a strip of embellishments at the bottom and added a lot of hand written journaling."

Pebbles supplies used:
Fresh Goods Signage (751186)
Fresh Goods Window Display (751189)
Fresh Goods Chipboard Flowers (747155)
Fresh Goods Chips (744118)
Fresh Goods Chipboard Buttons (747152)
Fresh Goods Toothpick Flags (747153)
Fresh Goods Fabric Brads (744277)
Floral Lane A Little Hello(751118)
Floral Lane Dimensional Icons (732056)
Floral Lane ABC Stickers (732052)
Floral Lane Chips (747108)
New Addition Boy Cutie Pie (751154)
New Addition Boy Adorable (751155)
New Addition Felt Layered Embellishment (747132)
New Addition Felt Layered Embellishment (747133)
New Addition Spiral Paper Clips (747141)
Chocolate Brown Candy Dots (744236)

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Punch (Martha Stewart) 

Design team member Pearl Liu used three different Pebbles collections on her adorable card set.  Here's what Pearl had to say ... "One of the first things I was so taken with Pebbles' patterned papers was the sheer quality and the  heavy weight of the papers . I was curious to see how a note card set would look with coordinating die cut petal envelope utilizing double sided patterned paper.  The square card base here is about 5x5 and this cami fold card would also be suitable to hold a gift card inside.
I had a lot of fun using papers and embellishments from 3 different lines - namely Fresh Goods, Floral Lane and New Addition Boy. This is my first time trying out a notecard set with coordinating envelope and I'm sure it will not be my last now that I know how easy it is to put these together. "

Pebbles supplies used:
Fresh Goods Front Desk (751187)
Fresh Goods Freshly Picked (751187)
Fresh Goods Chips (744118)
Floral Lane Warm Thoughts ( 751117)
Floral Lane With Love ( 751122)
Floral Lane Dimensional Stickers ( 732056)
Floral Lane Hello Duplicate Rub Ons ( 747115)
Floral Lane Thank You Duplicate Rub Ons ( 747115)
New Addition Boy Baby of Mine  (751157)
New Addition Boy Toothpick Flags ( 747134)
New Addition Girl Dimensional Border  Stickers ( 732060)

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Ribbon (American Crafts)
Border Punch (Martha Stewart)

Design team member Anna Sigga focused on the browns and reds in several of our newest collections on this adorable layout.  Here's what Anna had to say ... "Mixing and matching is oh so easy and fun with the fantastic Pebbles products. Here I decided to combine three different collections to create a layout about my lil girls first day at daycare/kindergarten."

Pebbles supplies used:
Fresh Goods Flower Basket (751183)
Fresh Goods Come Again (751191)
Welcome Christmas Gingerbread House (751180)
Welcome Christmas ABC stickers (732070)
Floral Lane ABC Clear Stamps (747106)
New Addition Boy Adorable (751155)
New Addition Boy Layered Embellishments (747131)
Brown Button Candy Dots (747138)
 
Other supplies used:
Ink (Ranger)
Embossing Powder (American Crafts)
Punch (EK Success, Martha Stewart)

Guest Designer: Patricia Kumfer and a GIVEAWAY!

Hi everyone! I am so excited to introduce you to this week's Guest Designer Patricia Kumfer.  Let's get to know Patricia a little better ...

Describe yourself in 3 words . . . silly, dramatic, and crafty.

My guilty pleasure is . . . watching Grey’s Anatomy with a chocolate brownie.

You’ll never find me without . . . an electronic device. I’m addicted to checking my email.

You might be surprised to know . . . that I enjoy to draw and have since I was little. My dream was to become a Disney Animator until I realized you had to draw the same character a million times.

My least favorite chore is . . . laundry. I cannot stand doing laundry.

I started scrapbooking in . . . 2002. I wanted to make a scrapbook to remember all my friends from High School. I now have a room and my husband comes in once and month saying “you know how much all of this costs me.” LOL

My favorite thing about this hobby is . . . embellishing. I love little details and the fact I’m doing it with my own memories is perfect.

If I were a Pebbles product I would be . . . a toothpick flag. For real those things are awesome! 

Patricia created so many amazing projects for us today including this adorable layout about her son.  Here's what Patricia had to say ... "I took these pictures of my son on an afternoon session. I am a local photographer and it’s rare I get pictures of my own son in this beautiful setting. Well to get a five year boy and camera to work together I tend to resort to things like lollipops. The pictures give the title the meaning. These papers were perfect for them."

Pebbles supplies used:
Fresh Goods Flower Basket (751183)
Fresh Goods Rain Check (751184)
Fresh Goods Daily Special (751185)
Fresh Goods Signage (751186)
Fresh Goods Window Display (751189)
Fresh Goods Come Again (751191)
Fresh Goods Penny Candy (751192)
Fresh Goods Freshly Picked (751193)
Fresh Goods Dimensional Phrases & Icon Stickers (732076)
Fresh Goods Embossed Masking Tape Stickers (732078)
Fresh Goods Chipboard Buttons (747152)
Fresh Goods Dimensional Butterflies (747154)
Fresh Goods Toothpick Flags (747153)


Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Floss

Here's what Patricia had to say about her next project ... "I was inspired to make my Hello summer layout because we had such an oddly colder winter than normal here in North Carolina. It felt like summer took forever to get here. So when it did finally show up and we were able to get into shorts and drink lemonade on a hot day, all I could think was “HELLO SUMMER”."

Pebbles supplies used:
Fresh Goods Flower Basket (751183)
Fresh Goods Signage (751186)
Fresh Goods Simple Joys (751188)
Fresh Goods Freshly Picked (751193)
Fresh Goods Mom & Pop (751194)
Fresh Goods Denim ABC Stickers (732074)
Fresh Goods Dimensional & Icons Stickers (732076)
Fresh Goods Embossed Masking Tape Stickers (732078)
Fresh Goods Sticky Notes (732080)
Fresh Goods Chipboard Buttons (747152)
Fresh Goods Dimensional Butterflies (747154)
Fresh Goods Toothpick Flags (747153)
Vanilla Button Candy Dots (744276)


Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Masking Tape

Patricia also created an adorable Mini Card Set using the Floral Lane collection.  Here's what Patricia had to say ... "I love to make mini cards sets with scraps from a layout or project. The Floral Lane collection was so bright and pretty I thought it would be a perfect set for a girlfriend. I actually used the packaging from one of the sticker sheets to hold all the cards together as a cute present."

Pebbles supplies used:
Floral Lane Just Because (751116)
Floral Lane Memory Lane (751119)
Floral Lane With Delight (751124)
Floral Lane My Darling (751126)
Floral Lane Heartfelt (751127)
Floral Lane Dimensional Phrase Stickers (732054)
Vanilla Button Candy Dots (744276)
Duplicate Rub Ons (747115) 


Thank you so much Patricia for creating so many amazing projects with Pebbles!  And now for a GIVEAWAY!  To enter simply leave a comment on this blog post telling us which of Patricia's projects was your favorite.  One lucky winner will be chosen at random to win a prize pack full of Pebbles goodies.  Submit your comments by Monday at midnight (EST).  I'll announce the winner Tuesday morning. Good luck!