Friday, January 13, 2012

Paper Crafts magazine Presents: Cool Tools Blog Hop

This blog post contains affiliate links. When you shop through my links, I receive compensation at no cost to you. Thank you from the bottom of my crafty heart!

The day I received an email letting me know that I would have a card featured on the cover of an issue of PAPER CRAFTS MAGAZINE was umm. . .MOMENTOUS to say the least! My husband thought something horrible had happened, because I suddenly shouted out, "OHH. MY. GOSH." across the room.  I was completely in shock. (And completely THRILLED!) 

I have to say, I'm still pretty giddy about the whole thing! So, there it is, up there - the HELLO card on the cover of Cool Tools for Card Makers.  That's mine! Eeeek! :)  

This issue was a ton of fun to work on, and it was a CHALLENGE. I don't consider myself one who thinks outside of the box all that well! It certainly doesn't come easily anyway.  The three cards I created for this issue took some blood, sweat, and tears.  But I love all three of them (especially my cover card!)

Today I have a card to share with you, another HELLO card.  I LOVE this giant sentiment from The {Stamps} of Life!  To create this card, start with die cut circles (or use a paper punch.) Cut each circle into four pieces and mix and match them back together. 

Make a clean and simple geometric handmade card with cut circles. Simple die cut or punch circles, and then cut into fourths. Mix and match colors to make an awesome design.

Please go visit all of the amazing designers participating in today's hop! I am so honored to be listed among them!  I gotta admit, some of my cardmaking HEROES are listed below!  Before you go, leave a comment here at my blog, for a chance to win your own copy of Cool Tools! And then, when you're done, be sure to leave a comment at the Paper Crafts Connection, for a chance to win a HUGE Cool Tools giveaway! (comments due by midnight on the 15th!)
·         Danielle Flanders
·         Cristina Kowalczyk
·         Heidi Van Laar
·         Vanessa Menhorn
·         Kim Hughes
·         Amber Daigre
·         Kalyn Kepner
·         Emily Branch
·         Laura Williams
·         Stephanie Halinski

Looking for the tools to make this card idea? Start with a circle die or punch like these:

links updated 1/25/24
Looking for more ways to use circle dies? 
You might love this post:

228 comments:

1 – 200 of 228   Newer›   Newest»
Lindsay said...

So fantastic Laura! Congrats on the cover! This card is so fun, bold and graphic! Love it!

~amy~ said...

Hello:) What a wonderfully fun & fresh card! Excellent!!!!

Manasa said...

This is soooo brilliant !!! Love it !

Maureen Merritt said...

This is a great "boy" card!!! Thanks for the idea!

Sue said...

I knew the Hello card was yours before I read your text! It just screamed "Laura" to me!

Congrats on another cover!

Tara Cardwell said...

love the graphic style

Irene said...

Wow!!! The simplicity of this card is stunning...although I can immediately picture me beating my head against the wall trying to cut circles evenly! Thanks for the wonderful inspiration!!!

Karen Dunbrook said...

love it!

Hussena said...

such an stunning card perfect way to use the circle punch and so innovative i love the colors you have used...simply fab!!!

Hussena said...

such an stunning card perfect way to use the circle punch and so innovative i love the colors you have used...simply fab!!!

Helene said...

Love your card, so clean and simple, with a great color combo!

Natka said...

An optimistic card! I love the circles!

Deirdre said...

Beautiful - love what you created. So fun, bright and colourful. Yum!

Patti Jo said...

Simple yet effective!!! Great color combination and design!!!

Handmade Cards by Archana said...

loved your clean and simple cards.loved the colour combination too.

Jeanette M. said...

I love your card, Laura! Those colours are great.
Congrats on your cover card!!! :)

Unknown said...

Beautiful card! I love the colors too! Like autumn meets 70s!

Luanne said...

Great card! love the colors of sunset.

Wendy said...

Congrats! on your publications and making the cover...that must be so exciting. Love both of this cards.

Jen W. said...

Genius. Such a simple idea and so hugely effective!
And big congrats on your cover!

Julie Ann said...

Congrats on being on the cover, that has got to be the coolest moment ever.

Lee said...

Congrats! and i love the color of your card! thanks!

Nicole Doiron said...

Fantastic card!!!

Bethany Stellpflug said...

Beautiful card. I really love it! Congrats on getting a card on the cover.

Mary-Anne V said...

Love how you made the circles... thanks for the inspiration and chance to win.

Nancy said...

WOW, how dramatic is this card. I can see why you were selected to be on the cover...Congratulations a major feat! Love the circles cut into quarters, gives endless color combo's doesn't it. Thanks for sharing.
Love the sentiment too a nice big bright Hello!

Helen F. said...

So clever, Laura! LOVE the cheery sunny colors and this idea :o)

Houses Built of Cards said...

Gorgeous!!! Love the clean and graphic look!!!

housesbuiltofcards@gmail.com
www.housesbuiltofcards.blogspot.com

maria f. said...

Really like your graphic style on these cards.

Sandi said...

clean and simple-I like it

Brenda C said...

How exciting to be on the cover - Congrats! Love the clean simple look! Thanks for the inspiration!

Anonymous said...

What a cheerful card! Margaret K

Scrappin4kim(Jennifer) said...

I love the simple design for your hello card on the cover-and congrats! That's awesome to be on the cover!!!!

Annette Allen said...

fun card...thanks for sharing..

Amrita said...

I love your cover card as well as the one on this post! Thanks for the inspiration!

Die Cut Lady said...

I need to find time to play with my stash of dust gathering tools!

Dwita said...

So much fun to play with punches like you did here.. Need to find more in my stash to play.

Miriam Prantner said...

Love this graphic design. Simple and modern. Thanks!

Betty said...

Congrats! Great cards (cover and blog hop)!! Love this idea!!

Marlena M. said...

Pretty as pie! I love this. ;)

jo said...

How fun! Clean and simple, the way I like it!

Stephanie said...

Such a fun technique! Love the bright colors you used in both cards, too. A big CONGRATS on cover - totally deserving! The "hello" card is awesome! Fun blog-hopping with you today, enjoy your weekend! ~Stephanie Halinski (P.S. Make sure you pick someone else to win the issue :)

Beth said...

Congrats on being a cover girl!

Unknown said...

I love patterns like these and this card is fantastic!

Unknown said...

Love the colors!!!!! This is very creative!

DonnaSue said...

So many great ideas for punches! Love your card!

Michelle said...

This card is fun. It's bright and graphic (love!) and unisex and multi-aged. It's a great card for absolutely anyone.

tape said...

CAS gorgeousness, I love it!

veronica b. said...

very cute! love the simplicity!!

Helen said...

Very nice!! And congrats on making the cover!

Julie Shearer said...

Great card. Very cool colors. congrats on being a " Cover Girl " !!

SandeeNC said...

Congrats on the cover!! Excellent!

Cassidy said...

So simple! I love it! And congrats on the cover!

Summer Braxton said...

so cheerful and clean... just my style. And you're right, some of my heroes are on this hop too. What an honor to be included among them. Congrats to you!!

calamity jane said...

I'd love to be on the receiving end of this card! Love the colors and way you split the circles! I think this is one issue we all can use!

Kimberley said...

I love that cover card! How creative and fun! And I'd be doing the happy dance and shouting too if my card were on the cover!

Ellen said...

OMG! I love your cards on The Stamps of Life! And this one is great too. clean & very graphic. Rock on!

Tina Johnson said...

Congrats on the cover card! It turned out fabulous!

michib said...

wow ! what a stunning card ~ can't wait to try something similiar.

Sue McRae said...

Fabulous colours and design!

Barbara said...

I love your card today and the one on the cover of the Cool Tools magazine! Simple but so effective!

Jessica Strider said...

Simplistic but extremely classy! Brilliant. :)

Michelle said...

I like the bold colors and the puzzle like feel of the circles.

Marla said...

Wow you have really got me to thinking outside the box. This is something that is so hard for me to do. Love your cut up circles!!

mea5798 said...

hi laura! i love your card: very modern in its style! thank you for sharing your design
marie

marylouh said...

quilted stars in previous blog entry, quilted circles here. Great ideas.

Unknown said...

Congrats on making the cover! That is really fantastic! Your circle card is lovely!

diana said...

Cute card! Thanks for the ideas & inspiration! ;-)

Auntie Em said...

Great job cutting those circles and then piecing them together. I love the sharp graphic style and the colours you used. It feels very 70's retro.
Thanks for sharing! :)

CLB said...

What a great bright, fresh card i love it.
keaunalynn@msn.com

Anonymous said...

Bold, graphic and striking, just as I love it! Thanks for the chance to win a copy a copy of this great issue!

SusanHellinger said...

Love it!

Robin Gibson said...

What a Super Cool card! LOVE your style! Thanks!

Maggie said...

Very clever use of circles.

Anonymous said...

I love your cover card!! Congrats on being chosen for the cover. I also love this new card. So clean and graphic. Thanks for sharing
Ashlee
ashlee@musemyworld.com

Unknown said...

Congrats Laura, your cards are beautiful!

Rachel B. said...

Nice graphic style on this card!

Linda Harris said...

Neat idea for the circle punch!!! Everyone really thought outside the box!!!

Marie said...

Love the CAS feel of this card, and the cut circles! TFS =)

Cheryl said...

So cute. Love this idea. I just got circle and scalloped circle nesties, so I may have to try this. Thanks also for a chance to win.

Lorraine said...

great looking card.....very colorful

Isabel Z said...

Wow, I would have never thought of using this tool in this manner. I'm excited because I own this punch and am going to try it right away. Thank you.

Dorothy C. said...

Great example of Clean & Simple style- love it!

Carolynn said...

Simple, clean, & FABULOUS!

Jessica K said...

Cute card, great ideas, thanks!

TenSGal said...

Cute card! Love the idea!
Thanks for the chance to win, too!

Susan

Emily Todd said...

Great idea! Thanks for the inspiration!

debb said...

Congrats on your cover- fab card!

Scrapycandy said...

It's cool! And I think the colors really make the design too. Thank you!

Tanya said...

oh, this is fun! so bold, and I love the warm, rich colors.

Colleen said...

Congrats on the cover!! And I love what you did the with the circle "hello"...very original!

Message Keeper said...

What a cheerful card! Will try out the idea someday!

marie said...

Bright, cheerful, who wouldn't want to receive this card in the mail? Thanks for sharing it with us.

Lillian Child said...

Something so simple and yet such a dramatic effect. WOW~~

Toni K said...

Sharp card! Love it!

Ullen said...

Like the colours and the way the card is so clean and simple!

Peggy said...

Great card. Love the colors.
Blessings,
Peggy Allen

Katie said...

Brilliant! I love how clean and simple the card is! I may have to try something similar!

Peggy B said...

Your card is stunning! Thanks for sharing...

Valarie (vampme3) said...

What a bright, cheery card!

Dee Tollaksen said...

Thanks for sharing, that the circles were harder to cut than expected. Now that is a helpful piece of info!

Melissa said...

Beautiful card. I love the colors!!!! THanks for sharing!!!

Sue D said...

Very dramatic and great way to use a circle punch.
slrdowney at hotmail dot com

Ravengirl said...

How very cool! I love how those quartered circles look!

Sheri said...

Great job on making the cover! I like your idea. Thanks!

Chunyuan said...

love the modern design.

hodgins said...

So clean and simple...my favourite style!!

Katie said...

Great graphic card! Love the idea of dividing the circle and it could be done with patterned papers, one circle by itself, there are so many ideas that could come from your project! Great work! Thanks for sharing.

Katie B.

cindy said...

I love your "hello" cards and congratulations for making the cover of Paper Crafts mag. The circle card looks easy and you didn't say why cutting the circles in 4 pieces was difficult. Thanks for the great ideas!

Jessie G. said...

Great card!

Chris Dring said...

Wow! Very CAS but this card has such Omph! Thanks for sharing!
cdring at comcast dot net

Noreen said...

I like the color combinations and the way you arranged them.

NancyS (momsnack) said...

What a clever idea!

Emily Keaton said...

Very, very cool--you are right, circles ARE hard to bisect!! But you managed quite nicely. :)

Shelly said...

Congrats on the cover! Great job on the circles, love the hello!

Mariana Grigsby said...

Congrats on the cover, Laura! I love the simplicity of your designs!

Andrea R said...

Stunningly simple. So many possibilities....love it!

Melinda said...

congrats on the cover! i could imagine your excitement! :D

Cryss said...

Great card! I might have to steal this idea =)

Savannah O'Gwynn said...

SUPER fun card--LOVE that color story! Thanks for the chance to win:) sbmmhoover at yahoo dot com

Mrs. Gibson's Class said...

I love the colors!

Unknown said...

I LOVE IT! Thanks for the inspiration! Ciao db:)

Renee V said...

Love your CAS card, and congrats on the cover - your card is so trendy and sweet!

kiwimeskreations said...

WOW - one simple punch, one stunning card!
Blessings
Maxine

Kimberly S. said...

Nice CAS card!! Very cheery!!

Sandi said...

Congratulations on being on the cover....what an awesome accomplishment!

Susan said...

Awesome card! So exciting to be on the cover.Congrats! Thanks for the chance to win!

Kristen said...

Colors - luv them. Like the whole layout as well. :)

Moosisk said...

Love your card! What a great idea for a circle punch. Thanks for the inspiration. :D

Lisa's Creative Niche said...

This is beautiful! I love the simplicity of cutting up a circle punch from different paper colors! How easy, and fun! Thanks so much for the new idea!
Lisa
lisascreativeniche at gmail.com

Angie said...

Great card!!

The Wolverina /// said...

Super sweet! I love it and your color choices are perfect! I am inspired!!

Marla said...

Love this graphic look!

Lindsey said...

This a great graphic and bold card!

reddbudd said...

This is great. I love the color combo

Kitty said...

love how CAS this is!!!

Emily H said...

Oh wow! Bold colors!

wilcoxdesigns said...

I love the bright colors - so friendly.

pcm said...

love that simple yet modern look! congrats on the cover card! wow!

Miss Kathy said...

Excellent blog hop. So many great ideas for using my punches. Thanks for a chance to win.

carefree creations said...

Congrats on your cover! Love this card - the colors are perfect and the modern feel of the circles is too cool

Kathyb said...

What a clean, fresh, and totally fun card. Super presentation!

LBV said...

What a great color combo and layout!

Julianne N said...

I liked your Dream card's whimsical feel with layered punches and your Hello card idea with punches reminded me of trying to use a similar fraction idea with paint swatches. Thanks for sharing your ideas!

Pam said...

This is brilliant! Love.

Betty Meyskens said...

Now this is a card that I love - it is so cool and eye catching and even I will be able to make it without getting stressed! I love the vibrant colours and I envision doing one with masculine colours. What a cool idea.

Kris in Alaska said...

Fabulous! I love it!

Kris in Alaska
funamom at yahoo dot com

crazyoldsyd said...

Congrats on your accomplishment. I would super excited too. Love both of your cards, so simple yet different!

mandalj said...

What an honour, to be on the cover! Love the segmented circles on the second card.

judy said...

Congratulations on your cover! This
is a great way to add color to a card.

carriep said...

very fun circles, looks like it could have been a challenge

Sharon said...

Simply Stunning...your a genius!

Emma J. said...

Very cute and creative, Laura! You did an amazing job on the card! Thanks so much for the chance to win.

Unknown said...

Fantastic idea of a great way to use a punch!

Tricia said...

Laura, love your color choices - lovely card!

FrancineB said...

Love the clean, graphic look of the card with the deep, rich red.

Carol said...

This is a wonderful warm and bold colored card. Great idea on using your punch. Never would have thought of it. I will now though. Thanks for the chance.

Anonymous said...

Such a wonderful design and I like the colors you chose.

Connie said...

I can see why you were published. Very talented! I love bold and graphic cards. I bet it was hard to cut all the wedges into equal portions. Awesome card though. It was worth it :-)

Angela said...

Cute, love the colors of your card!

kisha said...

I love the bright, clean and simple card. TFS
Kisha

Larissa Heskett said...

THANKS for sharing!! I LOVE the card and the ideas!! Have a FABULOUS WEEKEND!! =)

Sue VanDeVusse said...

This has such great impact, CAS and wow!

N@ Ali said...

verry effective!

krcmasterpiece said...

Congrats on making the cover! That is so cool.
Your hello card is very eye catching. Simple yet bold!

Grá O'Neill said...

Great card I love the bold colours :)

Barbara Greenberg said...

Such an easy trick with circles that really makes for an extra pop. Thanks for the idea

rush said...

you did a fine job in making the parts equal. i know how difficult that can be, but once you decide, you just gotta go with it! thank you for sharing.

NatQuebec said...

nice card!

Cara G said...

FUN..bright...simple! Love it!

Samantha Mann said...

Congratulations on being on the cover!!! Yay! I love the boldness of both cards! Hello! :)

Sadie said...

Your card is so plain but striking! Love the colors and the way you pieced your circles. I always like "Hello" cards.

Jeni said...

Nice card! I like the color combination you used.

ann said...

Such a bright colorful card. Love the idea. Thanks for a chance to win. Ann O.

jess457682001 said...

Thank you for sharing and the opportunity to win!

sharon g said...

I love how simple your card is. I get too complex sometimes. Thanks for the reminder---I LOVE your card so much.

B. Poteraj said...

What a pretty card. I love it!

Linda said...

Fantastic card and simple. Love, Love, Love it. Thanks for sharing.

Linda D.

Pam said...

Love the clean look of this card.

Nancy said...

Such a great graphic result! Love your card!

BettyBee said...

Well, CONGRATULATIONS! I can imagine your elation when you heard the news, and you certainly deserve it! Love your "hello" cards! Very nice!! Thanks for the inspiration.

Lynne in NI said...

Congrats on being on the front cover, you must be thrilled! Love your circle card, I'm definately going to give that a go!

cgargus said...

What a bright pretty card! The colors are great, and the circles are cut perfectly! Thanks for sharing!

Isha Gupta said...

Love the bright CAS graphic card of yours. TFS

veronica said...

love your color combo.

Bree Salyer said...

Love the zebra love card further down on your page. So simple but stands out at the same time. ;)

Scrapping Galaxy said...

like the design the mixed colors makes

Janet's Joy said...

Congrats on the cover! Love this card too!

lynda said...

Your card is so gorgeous in its' simplicity. The color scheme supports he simplicity, I think.

Kelly Massman said...

cute! TFS! thanks for a chance to win! And, have a GREAT day!
kmassmanATgmailDOTcom

Denise Bryant said...

I love the colors on this card!
DeniseB

stampingbowd said...

Wow Gorgeous!!! Love the bold simple look to this card. I KNOW it wasn't simple to do though!!! I have tried cutting apart shapes and placing them together again....my cuts are never straight! Great work!!

Indy's Designs said...

What a fun card with fractional circle pieces!

SouthernMrs said...

Congrats on your card making the cover! Very pretty!

Tanja said...

Great CAS/graphic card!

Nicki S said...

Great colorful card! Congrats on being a cover girl...I love that card! :)

Michelle said...

love the colorblocking, neat idea!

Vicki said...

So pretty. Love the colors. Thanks for sharing.

sciolek3 said...

We have cut-up stars from Emily and cut-up circles from you. My oh my, such great ideas. By the way-love that Hello card on the cover, congrats.

DanielleMW said...

This is a great idea. I like the simple font and the colors - which is saying something for a girl who doesn't like orange very much. ;)

Congrats on the cover!

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