Stitching is Cindy Tobey's favorite technique and look how she used it on this fun and friendly frame:

Supplies: 12 x 12 Aqua Cardstock (71058) - AC Cardstock, Crestview Court Paper (35074) - Abode, Lake View Court Paper (35060) - Abode, Response Paper (35028) - Letterbox, Signature Paper (35017) - Letterbox, Chestnut Darling (42909) - Thickers, Mail Phrases (43370) - MiniMarks, Note (70051) - Flair, LetterHouse Fleece (77227) - House, MyHouse Printed Chipboard (77233) - Adobe, Letterbox Mini Jewel Brads (85495) - Elements, Dear Lizzy Lovely (89290) - Ribbon, Dot Glue Runner (61713) - This to That, Wide Double Sided Tape (61707) - This to That

Cindy shares, “My daughter is entering middle school this year (gasp!) and will have a locker for the very first time. Like most girls, she’s been planning how she will decorate her locker for about a year now. Seriously. For part of her locker decor, she asked me to print out a photo of her with her BFF. Of course I couldn’t just give her a plain photo. I had to dress it up a bit with a colorful frame! I used a combination of the Letterbox and Abode collections that fits my daughter’s style perfectly. I used my favorite technique, machine stitching to add texture to the frame and added magnets to the back so that it will be easy to hang in her locker.”

What a fun and easy way to dress up a locker! I *almost* wish I was back in Junior High just so I could fill my locker with fun things like this :)

Thanks so much to everyone who has taken our blog blinkies and put them on their own blogs! We want to thank one lucky person for taking the time to do so by sending her a box of American Crafts goodies - congrats christy a:

Here's a peek of how the blinkie looks on her blog:

You never know when we'll be giving stuff away so keep your eyes peeled and check back often for opportunities :) And don't forget to enter for a chance to win an amazing prize package for the Favorite Technique week a couple posts below. Good luck and thanks for all of your support for AC!

Time for another round of Postmarked Wednesday!

Today's cards are brought to you by Suzy Plantamura and Melanie Louette. 

Supplies: Garden Gala Fabric Paper (35101) - Dear Lizzy Spring, Golden Gleam Paper (35090) - Dear Lizzy Spring, Fairmont Gardens Paper (35242) - City Park, 12 x 12 Cardstock Sunflower (71038) - AC Cardstock, 12 x 12 Damask Cardstock White (71158) - AC Cardstock, Carded Ribbon Lively (89288) - Dear Lizzy Premium Ribbon, Rub On Transfer Sheet Pounce (43378) - Dear Lizzy Mini Marks, Dimensional Sticker Sheet Feather (42703) - Dear Lizzy Stickers, Sticker Sheet Fancy (42706) - Dear Lizzy Stickers, Fancy Strawberry Enchanted (53111) - Thickers

Supplies: 12 x 12 Cardstock Cotton Candy (71461) - AC Cardstock, Fairmont Gardens Paper (35242) - City Park, Courtland Gardens Paper (35232) - City Park, Royal Gardens Paper (35234) - City Park, Raindrop Rapture Paper (35099) - Dear Lizzy Spring, Trail (42183) - Remarks, Salmon Sunny (53120) - Thickers, Grosgrain Teal Checks (58050) - Ribbon

Suzy shares some details about her favorite technique: "I love punches – I can’t get enough of them! I especially like using border punches to create borders out of my favorite patterned papers. For the Thank You card, I used a border punch with the Dear Lizzy striped glittered paper along the top and bottom edge of the card. I used another border punch with little circles on it along the tan paper so you can see through it to the inside of the card. Lastly, I used a circle punch around the circle designs on the City Park paper to form the “O” in you. For my Hello Sunshine card, I used a scalloped border punch on embossed cardstock to create a border for the inside of the card. I cut scallops along the circles in the yellow paper and overlapped them on the front of the card. Punches always add the perfect finishing touches to my scrapbook projects."

And here are a couple of fantastic cards by Melanie:

Supplies: Picking Pansies Paper (35087) – Dear Lizzy Spring, 12x12 Aqua Cardstock (71058) – AC Cardstock, Smiley (70059) - Flair, 4 x5.5” White Card (71362) AC Cards, Double Sided Tape (61708) – This to That

Melanie says, "I love AC Flair for cardmaking, they’re simply adorable, and make a quick & cute embellishment. For this card, I took a 4 x 5.5” AC card, and punched a hole through it and the ‘Picking Pansies’ paper (cut to size and lined up flush with the card, but not glued) with my circle punch at the top of the card. I added a 2” tall piece of aqua cardstock to the bottom, glued on my ribbon, and then adhered this entire piece to the front of my card, adding the Flair into the center of the circle. Fast and cute! :) "

Supplies: 8.5 x 11 White Cardstock (71273) - AC Cardstock, Lakeview Court Paper (35063) – Abode, Surf’s Up (70061) – Flair, Lively (89288) - Ribbon, Bliss Accents Coffee (53033) - Thickers, Birthday Small Set (59009) – Stamps, Whistle Small Set (59107) – Stamps, Aqua (59504) - Pigment Ink, Chestnut (59512) - Pigment Ink, ¼” Double Sided Tape ( 61708) - This to That, Dimensional Dots (61709) - This to That

Melanie says, "I’m not much of a stamper when it comes to layouts, but I adore stamps, and especially love to use them on cards. For this one, I stamped the cute music notes with the AC Aqua ink, and then punched it out with a slightly larger circle punch to use as a background base for the flair. The ‘Happy Birthday’ sentiment (from one of my most used sets) was stamped with the Chestnut ink, and added above the ribbon to finish off the card."

Great cards Suzy and Melanie! Thanks for the inspiration!

Post your answer in a comment below (only one comment per person please!). One lucky winner will be chosen at random to win a goody box full of Stamps, Ink, and Zing! embossing powder! Submit your comments by midnight PST Thursday September 16th 2010. I'll announce the winner Friday morning. Good luck!

Check out this incredible frame by Becky Williams featuring her favorite technique of cutting out patterns from paper:

Supplies: Dragonfly Dance Paper (35097) - Dear Lizzy Spring, Flowering Fields Paper (35086) - Dear Lizzy Spring, Picking Pansies Paper (35087) - Dear Lizzy Spring, Dear Lizzy Lovely (89290) - Ribbon, Metallic Glitter Mini Brads (85334) - Elements, Bliss Multi (53034) - Thickers
Other supplies: Frame - Hobby Lobby, butterfly punch - Martha Stewart Crafts, glitter glue - Ranger

Becky shares, "I am so excited to be a part of the American Crafts Contributing Design Team and to have my first project up on the blog today. I was a little nervous about it, knowing what you all expect from members of this team. When Paige asked me to create a project using my favorite technique the wheels in my head started turning and this is what I came up with.

There are literally countless ways to scrapbook and infinite ways to put products together. This week, we're sharing some of the Contributing Design Team's favorite techniques for making layouts, projects, and cards.

First up is a great layout by Caroline Ikeji featuring her favorite technique of flower making:

Supplies: 12x12 Cardstock White (71081) - AC Cardstock, Golden Gleam Paper (35090) - Dear Lizzy Spring, Beehive Brunch Paper (35091) - Dear Lizzy Spring, Humble Honeybee Paper (35094) - Dear Lizzy Spring, Raindrop Rapture Paper (35099) - Dear Lizzy Spring, Sweet Strawberry Paper (35100) - Dear Lizzy Spring, Lazy Ladybug Paper (35102) - Dear Lizzy Spring, Giddy Grasshopper Paper (35104) - Dear Lizzy Spring, Friendly Finch Paper (35163) - Dear Lizzy Spring, Peony Party Paper (35165) - Dear Lizzy Spring, Busy Beetle Paper (35169), Lovely (89290) - Ribbon, Flicker (42704) - Remarks, Flutter (42702) - Remarks, Berry Fireberry (53037) - Thickers, Bliss Clover (53031) - Thickers, I Do Large Pearl Brads (85501) - Elements, I Do Pearl Buttons (85502) - Elements, Smiley (70059) - Flair, Black .03 (62311) - Precision Pen

Caroline says, "I've never really considered myself a technique-y person, but one of my favorite techniques is to create my own flower embellishments. I love cutting freehand circle/flower shapes, and just layering them, and finishing them off with a pretty brad, button or jewel (I used the pearl brads from the I Do line here). I decided to create mine here with the fabric paper from the Dear Lizzy line - love the fabric texture, and love that it's self-adhesive to make it easier to peel and stick on top of each other. I added a pearl brad to the centers of the two smaller ones, but I cut out a rose shape from the Dear Lizzy ruffle ribbon. I love the texture it adds!"

Thanks for the tips and techniques Caroline! We all know how awesome handmade flowers are and the great touch of handmadeness they add to any layout!

Before we shine the light on our final spotlight, I'd like to announce the randomly selected winner from last week's Back to School challenge. Congrats to Laurel Seabrook:

What a fun idea for a back to school project! Thanks for playing along everyone!

This week, the challenge is all about you. For a chance to win $50 in AC goodies:

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 so we can notify you if you've won.

3. Layouts and links must be posted by midnight PST on Thursday, September 16th.

To conclude Spotlight week, I'd like to introduce Wendy McKee and her layout:

Supplies: Maple Drive Paper (35076) - Abode, Crest View Court Paper (35074) - Abode, Meadow Brookway Paper (35069) - Abode, Woodland Court Paper (35080) - Abode, Cherryhill Avenue Paper (35063) - Abode, Lake View Court Paper (35060) - Abode

Here are some fun facts about Wendy:

Hometown: A little town in Suffolk in the UK
Occupation: SAHM
If I could live anywhere...I would love the live on the beach...I want to be able to go to sleep every night listening to the sound of the ocean! If I cannot do that I would want to live where I am near my family and friends.
My favorite thing to do on the weekend is...go out in the car, drive around and look for great places to take photos. In reality I spend most of my weekends doing housework.
I find inspiration from...anywhere...I have even got it from billboards as I drive by them.
My favorite kind of music...I am not really a music lover. I mostly like listening to murder mystery stories on cd.
What I love most about American Crafts is...Ohh where to begin! The colours I would say would be my first love, as they are always bright and colourful. Then I would have to say I am a big Thicker lover!!!

Hope you've enjoyed getting to know some of our newest Contributing Design Team Members! Have a great weekend and see ya'll again on Monday!

Spotlight week continues with the introduction of Michelle Lanning and Poki Nobeno. First, Michelle shares a gorgeous layout to accompany her spotlight:

Supplies: Damask White (71158) - AC Cardstock; Peony Party Paper (35165) - Dear Lizzy; Hyacinth Paper (35051) - I Do; Anenomies Paper (35046) - I Do; Gerber Daisies Paper (35040) - I Do; Peonies Paper (35035) - I Do; Orchid Paper (35033) - I Do; Marquise Black (53024) - Thickers;  Silk (78026) - Details; I Do Pearl Buttons (85502) - Elements; Dear Lizzy Assorted Brads (85504) - Elements; I Do Large Pearl Brads (85501) - Elements; Bliss Accents Multi (53034) Thickers; Tulle (43371) - MiniMarks

Thanks for sharing a little bit more about you Michelle and Poki!

Today's spotlight shines on Mahlin Wiggur and Maggie Holmes! Mahlin created this ultra colorful and artistic layout to share with you:

Supplies: Golden Gate Park Paper (35244) - City Park, High Line Park Paper (35230) - City Park, Royal Gardens Paper (35234) - City Park, Skyline Park Paper (35235) - City Park, Rock Creek Gardens Paper (35225) - City Park, Lakeside Park Paper (35224) - City Park, Forest Gardens Paper (35226) - City Park, Crestview Court Paper (35074) - Abode, Sincerely Paper (35005) - Letterbox, Reef Sunny (53119) - Thickers, Flat Robin´s Egg (53018) -Thickers, Bliss Accents Multi (53034) -Thickers, Bliss Accents Coffee (53033) - Thickers, 4x6 Cards & Envelopes (64003) - Just Write, Swing (72003) - Delights, Kite (78039) - Details

Mahlin says, "This layout is about my son when he got a garland of flowers from his grandma to wear in the park on midsummer. This photo and theme works perfect with the City Park papers. I have a huge crush on frames and labels and I love adding them to my designs. For this layout I cut out some frames with my exacto knife and adhered them on some gorgeous City Park papers. I also like working with layers as you might see. It´s such an easy way to get that extra dimension on your page. The City Park collection is filled with cute patterns, perfect for cutting out and using as embellishments, like the glitter hot air balloons or embossed ducks."

And here are some fun things to get to know Mahlin a bit better:

Hometown: Åby, Sweden
Occupation: Special Ed´s teacher (Aspergers syndrome and autism)
The best thing about my job is...seeing the kids using the things we teach them. It´s such a reward being able to help them.
My favorite song is...Any song by the Swedish singer/songwriter Lars Winnerbäck
I always...need some glitter, in my life and when scrapbooking.
At the end of the day...I need to create, every day.
What I love most about American Crafts is...the amazing colors and huge variety of products.

...........................................................................................................................

Maggie shares this great card to go along with her spotlight:

Supplies: 12 x 12 Robin's Egg Cardstock (71063) - AC Cardstock, Adieu Paper (35022) - Letterbox, Many Thanks Paper (35013) - Letterbox, With Love Paper (35011) - Letterbox, Hello Paper (35018) - Letterbox, Dear Lizzy Assorted Brads (85504) - Elements, Dear Lizzy Glitter Brads (85506) - Elements, Telelgram (70052) - Flair, Letterhouse Fleece (77227) - House, Thoughtful Phrases (42667) - Remarks, Black Slick Writer Fine (62001) - Pens

Maggie shares, "I made this quick card to send to a friend and love the bright colors and mix
of textures. The Remarks stickers are perfect for these cards and all of the coordinating products made it come together so easily! I love it almost too much to send it off! The bright colors make me happy!!"

Some fun facts about Maggie to get to know her better:

Hometown: Gilbert, AZ
Occupation: Photographer, Scrapbooker, Workshop Leader and Mom
Three things I love...snuggling with my kiddos on the couch, sleeping in (even though I never get to!) and color.
If I could do anything for a day, I would...spend a day away with my hubby relaxing and eating and shopping.
My favorite article of clothing I own is...my cardigans! I am a cardigan junkie! I have every color and style!
To me, scrapbooking...is a creative outlet and a way to preserve all of our memories! I am so grateful for this hobby in so many ways!
What I love most about American Crafts is...how fun and colorful the products are and I also love how easily they mix and match with other products and other manufacturers.

It was fun learning more about you Mahlin and Maggie! Love your projects!

We've added two amazing American Crafts blinkies on the right column of this blog for you to grab and use for your own blogs and posts!

Two more fabulous Contributing Design Team members are in the spotlight today! First is Leah Farquharson who made this beautiful 'save the date' for her upcoming brother-in-law's wedding:

Supplies: Hyacinth Paper (35051) – I Do, Roses Paper (35032) – I Do, Peonies Paper (35035) – I Do, 12x12 Damask Cardstock White (71158) - AC Cardstock, Chiffon (78027) - Details, Tulle (43371) - MiniMarks, Champagne (42700) - Remarks

Leah says about her project, "Recently, my husband’s brother got engaged to a really great girl – I’m looking forward to having her as a sister-in-law! After they got engaged, one of the first things they did was come to me to help them start out with the planning. I found that she was already really well prepared, so I pretty much have just been consulting with her regularly to help out. One of the things we are working on together is their invitations. Of course the first step along the way these days is a 'save the date' – and while this isn’t the design that they’ll be going with (they decided on a great photo postcard option), this was inspired by several things I found in my searching for ideas!"

Here are some things I bet you didn't known about Leah:

Hometown: Lauderhill, FL
Occupation: wife/mommy/general "Martha" of our home. On any given day you'll find me with a hammer, a spatula, or needle and thread in my hands.
I love my family because...they keep me grounded.
My dream job would be...designing/crafting/writing for a living.
The best thing about where I live is...the beach and the cultural diversity.
When I was little...I loved being outdoors, making mudpies, and riding my dirt bike.
Next year...I'll have my own craftsy business!
What I love most about American Crafts is...the bright colors, variety of textures, and modern patterns.

.........................................................................................................

We'd also like to spotlight Céline Navarro and she made this beautiful layout about four girls in London to accompany her spotlight:

Supplies: Dahlias Paper (35044) - I Do; Firefly Festival Paper (35085) - Dear Lizzy; Golden Gleam Paper (35090) - Dear Lizzy; Butter Rose (58180) - Ribbon; Delight Blue (53072) - Thickers; Beauty (70035) - Flair; Veggies (42546) - Remarks

Céline shares, "I just got back from London a couple of weeks ago and I just loved the  time I got to spend with my three girlfriends :) I wanted to celebrate our friendship and our fabulous time together. When I pick a photo I want to use on a layout, I try to look at the colors in order to see what kind of papers I'm going to use. This time, I couldn't ignore this beautiful photo taken in Notting Hill, where you can see cute pink, blue, yellow houses, and I then picked the right papers to go along with the colors. Try to pick a darker paper for the background, in order to make the colors pop."

Here are some fun facts about Céline:

Thanks for letting us get to know you a bit better Leah and Céline!

We'd like to say hello to our new Contributing Design Team and use this week to get to know some of them better. So this week, it's spotlights week!

First on the list is Chin Pooi Pooi (better known as Pooi) from Singapore and she created this darling project to go along with her spotlight:

Supplies: Curious Matlida Paper (35265) - Enchanted, Gentle Badger Paper (35253) - Enchanted, Skyline Park Paper (35235) - City Park, Exquisite Phrase Stickers (42181) - Remarks, Trail Phrase Stickers (42183) - Remarks, Everyday Printed Satin (57914) - Ribbon

Pooi says, "My five year old son Sean likes to bring bits and pieces of papers along with his colouring materials in a tool box whenever we go outdoors. He loves to draw pictures as he explores the nature. I made these simple, adorable, and easy jotter books for him to to bring along. He simply can jot down anything he fancies. The Remarks Stickers fit right in this project with eye-catching finishes. I used them as titles for the jotter books. There are a lot of varieties in the remarks stickers and I’ve planned to use them more."

Here are some fun facts to help you get to know Pooi better:

Hometown: Singapore
Occupation: Education
I love to snack on...anything fruity; fruit gums, fruit candies, fruit chocies, fruit smoothies, fruit salad...
The best thing about where I live is...I get sunshine almost throughout the entire year.
If I could have any job in the world...I’d have be a fruit stall owner to sell fruits and create all new different fruit juice concoction everyday!
My family is...just very small and we still communicate using the most traditional ways, sending cards and letters to each other.
What I love most about American Crafts is...the variety of Thickers, the Remarks stickers and rub ons which are my must have items in all my layouts.

It's the start of the weekend - woo hoo! This week's randomly selected challenge winner is Mandi:

I love how she used all different kinds of Dear Lizzy product - patterned paper, Flair, Thickers, and House!

Hope you'll give this week's challenge a try for a chance to win a prize pack full of American Crafts products valued at $50. Here is your challenge for this week:

1. The card or 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. Cards/layouts and links must be posted by midnight PST on Thursday, September 9th.

To wrap up Back to School week, here is a fun layout by Mary Jo Johnston:

Supplies: 12 x 12 White (71081) – AC Cardstock, Oak Ave Paper (35065) – Abode, Skyline Drive Paper (35078) – Abode, Crestview Court Paper (35074) – Abode, Wheeler Avenue Paper (35079) – Abode, Woodland Court Paper (35080) – Abode, Crimson Letterman (43071) – Thickers, Leaf Delight (43060) - Thickers

Mary Jo says, "I love the 'Back to School' theme week! I used this week’s theme to document my four year old twins learning to write their names. This is such a precious time in their lives and I didn’t want to forget how excited we are every time we see them concentrating so hard to get the letters just right. Try documenting something important to you during the back to school time and use memorabilia or a favorite child project in place of photos."

I love how this layout will forever memorialize her children's handwriting - too fun! Thanks for another great week here on the AC blog - see you Monday!

Every month the talented ladies on the Contributing Design Team create at least two projects featuring American Crafts products which they then post around the web to promote AC. Here is a sampling of what you'll see if you click on the Contributing Design Team Gallery over on the left column:

This is the last batch of projects we'll see from the 2009-2010 Contributing Design Team - thank you so much for all of your hard work and inspiration! Look for all-new creations from the 2010-2011 Contributing Design Team at the beginning of next month!

We've got not one, but two awesome back to school projects to share with you today! First up is a great schedule board by Elizabeth Carney:

Supplies: This to That Dimensional Dots {61709} Adhesives, Delight Watermelon Thickers {43059} Fabric Thickers, Letterbox Sincerely papers {35005} Letterbox, 12x12 Cardstock White {71081}  AC Cardstock, Blue Skies Pocketful of Sunshine {34986} Blue Skies, Blue Skies Wouldn't It Be Nice {34978} Blue Skies, Delight Black Thickers {43061} Fabric Thickers, Details Color Set 2 {78002} Details Layered Embellishments, Dear Lizzy House {77237} Dear Lizzy Spring House, Remarks Feathers {42110} Remarks, Remarks Holland { 42102} Remarks, Flair Relax {70048} Flair, Premium Ribbon {58094} Craft Fair Ribbon, Premium Ribbon {58106} Craft Fair Ribbon

Other supplies: Generic black paint, Wooden frame Michael's, Computer font Century Gothic.

Elizabeth says, "Since we are homeschooling for the very first time this year, I wanted to create something that we could use as well as be a functional aspect of our schooling experience. I created this so that Alyssa could hang it in her space and use it for her daily schedule. This way she'll be reminded each day what needs to be done and when! Even though this is school themed, I used many different aspects from American Crafts to create a daily schedule frame that would fit into our den! That is what I love best about American Crafts, you can mix and match and still come up with something totally cute and functional! Alyssa loves it and we'll definitely use it year after year while we are schooling."

And here's a spectacular layout from Beth Proudfoot:

Supplies: Creamy Coconut Paper (35107) - Heat Wave, Pretty Papaya Paper (35109) - Heat Wave, Maverick Mango Paper (35111) - Heat Wave, Shello Dimensional Stickers (42135) - Remarks, Tyler Dimensional Alphabet stickers (42108) - Remarks

Beth says, "As summer winds down and we get our cameras poised to take those back to school photos, don't forget to document those last day of school memories! Around here, those are just as, if not more, important than those first day of school memories. After all, that's when the real celebration begins!"

Thanks for sharing these great projects with us Elizabeth and Beth!

It's Wednesday which means it's, you guessed it, Postmarked Wednesday!

Today's cards are brought to you by Piradee Talvanna:

Supplies: 12 x 12 Cardstock White (71259) - AC Cardstock, Lake View Court Paper (35060) - Abode, Cherry Hill Ave Paper (35063) - Abode, Wheeler Ave Paper (35079) - Abode, Crestview Court Paper (35074) - Abode, Roosevelt Way Paper (35071) - Abode, My Home (70056) - Flair, Sugar & Spice (70057) - Flair, Dolce White (42926) - Thickers, Letterman Crimson (43071) - Thickers, Rockabye White (42954) - Thickers

Piradee says, "How fast time flies by, the next thing you know summer will be over and school is starting all over again and what would be better than some cute cards to welcome back your little ones favorite teacher(s or just to say thanks!?"

I love how Piradee took the time to decorate the inside of her card as well. I'm sure any teacher would be ecstatic to receive one of these homemade cards from their students!