Sunday, May 31, 2009

Howz it goin'?


[Don't forget, there's blogaversary candy waiting for someone to claim! Be sure to check out this post for the details! And be sure to check back in tomorrow to find out the winner!]

Good morning!!! Today's card is also for a challenge at Stampin' Out Alzheimer's and it's a sketch challenge sponsored by Taylored Expressions. My base card is Whisper White with layers of Ruby Red, Baja Breeze, and DP from a K & Co. mat pad called Wild Raspberry.
The focal image is from MFT's Text Ya Later set and was stamped on Gina K. Pure Luxury 80lb paper with Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with Copic markers (see below), except for the jacket,which was paper pieced. It was matted with Baja Breeze and Ruby Red and popped up on 3M foam squares after I added some Build-a-brads as accents. The sentiment is from the same set and I think pretty self-explanatory.

I'm so glad you dropped by today! Don't forget the candy!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Text Ya Later (MFT)
Paper: Whisper White, Ruby Red, Baja Breeze (SU!); Wild Raspberry mat pad (K & Co)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: 3M foam squares, ribbon (craft store); Build a brads, circle, oval, Designer Label, and Ticket Corner punches (SU!)

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Stamp Out Alzhiemer's Mojo


[Don't forget, there's blogaversary candy waiting for someone to claim! Be sure to check out this post for the details!]

This card is for Mojo Monday #88. I love black and white or black and ivory together, but especially for an anniversary or wedding card. I just found this paper pad recently and I love it! It's (I think--I'm out of town as I write this but I'll double check when I get home) called Ebony and Ivory and it's by K & Co. My base card is Very Vanilla with layers of Basic Black, more Very Vanilla, and two patterns of the DP with a black satin ribbon tied around. Following the sketch, the next elements are Basic Black and more DP, accented with black faceted jewels. The focal image uses a stamp from Verve's Wishful Elegance set, stamped twice on Very Vanilla with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and one cut out. After I cut the other one out with a circle Nestabilities die, they were joined together with a "brad" that I made from a designer thumb tack that I got at Office Max, then layered on another circle of Basic Black and popped up on a 3M foam square. The sentiment is from Verve's Wonderful Wishes set and was stamped on Very Vanilla with Memento Tuxedo Black, cut out with a Nestabilities die, layered on a Basic Black oval, and is also popped up on a foam square.

I'm so glad you dropped by today! Don't forget the candy!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Wishful Elegance, Wonderful Wishes (Verve)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Basic Black (SU!); Ebony and Ivory 8 x 8 paper pad (K & Co.)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities dies; 3M foam squares, faceted jewels (craft store); ribbon (My Favorite Things); designer thumb tack (Office Max)

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Friday, May 29, 2009

Happy Birthday Rose--Stamp Simply #89


[Don't forget, there's blogaversary candy waiting for someone to claim! Be sure to check out this post for the details!]

Boohoo! This is my last week as guest designer for the Stamp Simply challenge. I've had a ton of fun and have loved every challenge! This is #89 and we're to use a card/project using our favorite flower. Here's the challenge in Sharon's words:

SPRING HAS SPRUNG! - For some of us, spring is just springing and for others summer may be in full bloom already. But wherever you are, spring and summer are synonymous with flowers -- beautiful flowers. Today's challenge is to pull out your FAVORITE flower stamp and make a beautiful floral creation for us. You ARE allowed to use images or flowers from sources other than stamps (preprinted images, primas, etc.), just as long as some favorite flowers are the main focus of the project. Let us fill cyberland with the fragrance of beautiful flowers this week!!! That's is -- an easy one again!!!

Well, my favorite flower is the rose. I grow lots of them and my favorites are the old garden roses. I'm pulling out another of my "new" PSX stamps--an old garden rose. I absolutely love this card--it's a keeper.

My base card is Very Vanilla with layers of Mellow Moss, Pretty In Pink, and DP from the Madeline paper pad by K & Co., and I ran a piece of pink satin ribbon around top to bottom. The focal image, which reminds me of a Redoute' image, was stamped on Gina K Pure Luxury 80 lb paper with Memento Rich Cocoa ink and colored with Copic markers (see below).

I hate to cut any of the image off but they're so large I sometimes have to. Love the Deckle edge I used on this one--reminds me of a picture that's been torn out of an old book. It was popped up on Pretty In Pink with 3M foam squares which was, in turn, matted with Mellow Moss. Then the whole thing was popped up on foam squares. The sentiment is from PTI's Birthday Basics set and was stamped on Very Vanilla with Memento Rich Cocoa and cut/embossed with a Nestabilities die, matted with Pretty In Pink and Mellow Moss, then popped up on foam squares. Three Dew Drops in the upper right corner provide balance.

Come along and play with us and make something with your favorite flower--we'd love to see what you come up with. If you do, be sure to leave a comment on Sharon's blog telling her where you uploaded. Please use the keyword ssnotime88 if you upload to a public forum. Check out Sharon's fabulous sample and also the great designs from the Stamp Simply team:

Julie Koerber

Jennifer Buck

Janine Orchard

Becky Oehlers

A J Otto

Tammy Hershberger

Deb Saarenen

I'm so glad you dropped by today! Don't forget the candy!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Rosa (PSX); Birthday Basics (PTI)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Mellow Moss, Pretty In Pink (SU!); Madeline paper pad (K & Co.)
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities; 3M foam squares, ribbon (craft store); Dew Drops; Copic markers

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Strawberry Time--Sketches! by {Tamara} #97


[Don't forget, there's blogaversary candy waiting for someone to claim! Be sure to check out this post for the details!]

Okey dokey, it's time for another Sketches! {by Tamara} card sketch challenge! This is #97 and here's the sketch:


And here's my card. I love strawberries. I love to eat them right out of the garden while they're still warm from the sun. Just blow the dirt off and enjoy :) Strawberry time is about over here and they haven't been as good as usual--probably due to all the rain we got this Spring. So, I decided to put some strawberries that look good enough to eat on this card.

My base card is Whisper White with layers of Old Olive, Bashful Blue, and Summer Picnic DSP. The next element is Old Olive with it's border punched and Bashful Blue DSP from the hostess Prints Pack. The focal image is a Karen Lockhart image (I love her stamps!) stamped on Gina K. Pure Luxury 80lb paper with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers (see below). It was then cut/embossed with a Nestabilities die, matted with Bashful Blue and Old Olive done the same way, and popped up on 3M foam squares. A light blue gingham ribbon tied in a bow with a red button tied on with Perle cotton holds the sentiment on. It's from PTI's Mega Mixed Messages and was stamped on Whisper White with Memento Tuxedo Black and cut/embossed with a Spellbinders tag die. I think it's bright and cheerful and would make someone who's sick feel a little bit better. What do you think?

Don't forget to check out the sketch at the Sketches! {by Tamara} blog and give it a try--we'd love to see what you come up with!

And be sure to check out the other team members' cards:
Alexandra--California Stampin'
Becky--Bouncy, Flouncy, Fun, Fun, Fun
Carol--Carol's Paperplayce
Jo--Here I Go Again
Krista--Krista be cardin'
Marley--Marley Blog
Olena--From My Hands...To Your Heart
Riley--Stampin' and Dancin' With Riley
Suzanne--Stamp In Style and Cut It Cute
Sylvia--Sylvia's Stamping Place
Tricia--Tricia's Treasures

I'm so glad you dropped by today! Don't forget the candy!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Strawberries (Karen Lockhart)
Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive, Bashful Blue, and Summer Picnic DSP (SU!)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities/Spellbinders dies; 3M foam squares, ribbon, Perle cotton (craft store); Copic markers; button (my stash); border punch (Martha Stewart)

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Waterlilies--Color Throwdown #44


[Don't forget, there's blogaversary candy waiting for someone to claim! Be sure to check out this post for the details!]

OK, it's Color Throwdown Challenge day!! Today's colors were chosen by Tammy Hershberger and she chose Elegant Eggplant, Barely Banana, and Bordering Blue. This week's challenge is sponsored by Stamping Out Alzhiemer's, so be sure to check it out and make a donation to the fight against this terrible disease.


Just so happens, these colors are in Basic Grey's new collection called Wisteria. And it just so happens I have some of it ;-) I'm using Jen del Muro's SFYTT for this week. My base card is Very vanilla with layers of Elegant Eggplant and DP, treated to a border punch. The next element is Bordering Blue, Barely Banana and more DP with two corners rounded. The focal image is an Inkadinkado stamp that has no name on it. I stamped it on Gina K Pure Luxury 80lb paper with Memento London Fog ink since I wanted a soft look for this card. I'm anxious to use it again with brighter colors. It was colored with Copic markers (see below) and cut/embossed with a Nestabilities die. It was then matted with Barely Banana and Elegant Eggplant and popped up on 3M foam squares. I tied a piece of my favorite dark purple ribbon on a spiral clip and clipped it to the left upper corner, then added some bright "gold" brads stuck through some circles of Elegant Eggplant punched with my 1/4" punch. And that's about it!

C'mon over to the Color Throwdown blog and play along with us this week. Please use Mr. Linky to post your card and please link directly to your card so we can find it easily. If you upload your card to a public forum, please use the keyword CTD44 so we can see your beauty all in one place. We've changed things a bit, so take a look at this post for an explanation. Hope to see you there!

Be sure to check out what the other team members have come up with this week:
Broni Holcombe--Splashes of Watercolor
Cathy Indelicato--Crafty Thoughts
Danielle Kennedy--Wild Dragonfly Designs
LeAnne Pugliese--Wee Inklings
Tammy Hershberger--Stamp Happy

I'm so glad you dropped by today! Don't forget the candy!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Un-named (Inkadinkado)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Elegant Eggplant, Bordering Blue, and Barely Banana (SU!); Wisteria 6 x 6 pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Memento London Fog
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities die; 3M foam squares, spiral clip, ribbon, brads, 1/4" hole punch, corner rounder (craft store); border punch (Martha Stewart)

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

By the Seashore--MFT Idol Judges Entry


[Don't forget, there's blogaversary candy waiting for someone to claim! Be sure to check out this post for the details!]

This card is for the MFT Idol judges competition. I did "go home" last week but each week Kim has been generously giving gift certificates to three of the "judges". Anyone who is qualified to vote is considered a "judge" for contest purposes so this is open to anyone, and is judged by members of the MFT design team. This week's theme is...well, there is no theme. It's wide open to do what you want! Since I'm heading to the beach in a few days, I thought this card would be appropriate :) This will be me in a few days, although without the dog. Aaaaaah, a few relaxing days by the ocean--can't wait!

My base card is Very Vanilla with layers of Night Of Navy, Really Rust, and DP from the Sea Glass Mat Pad by K & Co. Oh! and I'm using SCS Sketch Challenge #229 for my layout. The next element is more Night Of Navy, Soft Sky, and DP. The next element is Night Of Navy, Really Rust, and more DP. The focal image is from the set By the Seashore and was stamped on European watercolor paper from Flourishes with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and water colored with SU! reinkers and a brush, and then I floated some Soft Sky ink on the "sky" area with an aquapainter. WTG's hat was paper pieced with DP from the mat pad, has a little flower brad accent, and is up on a bit of 3M foam square. Then I added some white caps with a white gel pen--they're hard to see but they're there. It was then matted with Soft Sky, Really Rust, and Night Of Navy. I tied a little sailor's knot on one corner and popped it up on 3M foam squares. A larger sailor's knot serves as a ribbon across the bottom. The little sea gull was water colored, as well, and is also popped up on foam squares. I decided to leave the sentiment off--I might just put this in a shadowbox and hang it in my Girl Cave :)

I'm so glad you dropped by today! Don't forget the candy!

~Recipe~
Stamps: By the Seashore (MFT)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Night Of Navy, Really Rust, Soft Sky (SU!); Sea Glass Mat Pad (K & Co.)
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories: 3M foam squares, cotton yarn, flower brad (craft store); reinkers (SU!); #3 artist's brush; aquabrush

Monday, May 25, 2009

Blogaversary and Blog Candy!!

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I started my blog!!!!! OMGosh! Where has the time gone?! It's been a fabulous year of making cards and making awesome new friends. I've learned tons of stuff and had tons of fun! I appreciate each and every one of my readers and love the comments you leave.

To show my appreciation, I'm offering up some blogaversary candy! Here's what's up for grabs:


The lucky winner will get MFT's Bling Bet and You Take The Cake stamp sets, some Liquid Pearls, a black ink pad, a black Zig pen, a 1" Versamark pad, a Fluffles stamp, two K & Co. mat pads (Actopus to Zelephant and Wild Saffron) and a Gelly Roll Stardust Clear glitter pen.

In order to be in the running for this prize, you must leave a comment on this post. The winner will be chosen randomly on June 1, 2009 and will be announced here on the blog. Tell all your friends, and if you mention it and link this post on your blog, you'll get another chance to win! How's that for a deal?! Just let me know so I can add your name a second time, OK?

I'm glad you dropped by today!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Masculine Birthday

A co-worker asked me to make a card for a male relative and this is what I came up with. I'm loving this Gina K. Designs set "Guiding Light" and it's definitely masculine. My layout is based on a sketch from a new challenge blog: Midnight Madness. This one is for week #2.

My base card is Very Vanilla with layers of Mellow Moss, Really Rust, and DP from Archaic by Basic Grey. I wrapped some twine around it and anchored each corner with an antique copper brad and popped it up on 3M foam squares. The second element is Mellow Moss, Soft Sky, and more DP and a couple of brads. It's also up on foam squares. The focal image was stamped on Flourishes' European watercolor paper with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Stampin' Write markers and a blender pen. I was attempting to do this similarly to the Cape Hatteras light house, thus the colors and the DP choice. After I colored the image, I floated some Soft Sky ink all around with an aquapainter for the sky. It was then cut/embossed with a Petite Oval Nestabilities die as were the Soft Sky and Mellow Moss layers, The gulls were stamped, colored, cut out, and popped up on bits of foam squares. The sentiment is from PTI's Everyday Classics set and was stamped on Very Vanilla with Chocolate Chip and attached with foam squares. I think my co-worker will like it.

I'm so glad you dropped in today!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Guiding Light (Gina K. Designs); Everyday Classics (PTI)
Paper: European watercolor paper (Flourishes); Very Vanilla, Mellow Moss, Really Rust (SU!) Archaic (Basic Grey)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Chocolate Chip (SU!)
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities; 3M foam squares, brads, cord (craft store)

Saturday, May 23, 2009

This card comes with a warning label...

...you need to put on your shades! It's BRIGHT! Do it now, I'll wait ;-)

I'm covering three challenges with this card: SCS Color Combinations #219 (Only Orange, Brilliant Blue, and Purely Pomegranate), Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #15 (to make a square card), and the Stampin' B's Challenge #6 (A Specific Supplies/Tool Challenge).

My base card is Whisper White folded to 5 1/4" x 5 1/4" with layers of Brilliant Blue, Only Orange, Purely Pomegranate and DP from a 5" x 7" paper pad called Destination Paradise by My Mind's Eye. The DP layer was cut in quarters and has an antique brass small brad in each corner. The next element is Brilliant Blue and Purely Pomegranate both punched with a Martha Stewart border punch. The sentiment is from one of Flourishes' newest releases called Nasturtiums and was stamped on Whisper White with Memento Tuxedo Black and cut/embossed with a circle Nestabilities die, as were the two mats. Then I added some big Prima flowers with a big brad I made with my new Brad Maker Kit by Chatterbox. Just like Build a brads but bigger and fancier. I'm using the largest size on this card. Some punched out leaves and that's it--it's done. Bright, but it's growing on me.

I'm glad you dropped by today!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Nasturtiums (Flourishes)
Paper: Whisper White, Brilliant Blue, Only Orange, and Purely Pomegranate (SU!); Destination Paradise (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Nestabilities; 3M foam squares, small brads (craft store); large brad (Chatterbox); border punch, leaf punch (Martha Stewart); Prima flowers

Friday, May 22, 2009

Picnic!!!--Stamp Simply Challenge #88


Morning! It's time for another Stamp Simply challenge! I *really* can't believe next week is my last week as guest designer!!! I'm having so much fun I don't want to stop, LOL!! This week's challenge is make a card with red, white, and blue on it. Here it is in Sharon's words:

RED, WHITE AND BLUE - This being Memorial Day Weekend, patriotic colors come to mind, so let's create today using red, white and blue; HOWEVER, you do NOT have to use the traditional flag shades of these colors - you may use ANY variation of these colors you like, as long as your creation contains some shade of red, white and blue. That's easy enough!!! Hope you have fun!!! Can't wait to see all your color combinations!

What's better on a Memorial Day weekend than a picnic? I've had this Karen Lockhart stamp for a while just waiting for a good chance to use it and this is it! I think it's so sweet!!! My base card is Whisper White with layers of Brilliant Blue and DP from the Crafty Secrets Earthy pack, and I used a fancy corner punch on both layers. The next two elements are Brilliant Blue run through my Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots embossing folder and matted with Whisper White. The focal image was stamped on Gina K. Pure Luxury 80lb paper with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with a ton of Copic markers (see below). I then matted it with Brilliant Blue and Riding Hood Red and popped it up on 3M foam squares. The image layer has foam squares between it and the blue layer, as well. Then I added a little ribbon tied to a Tim Holtz mini paper clip (so stinkin' cute!) and red, white, and blue buttons tied on with Perle cotton. I think it looks like a fun picnic--what do you think?

Come along and play with us and make something red, white, and blue--we'd love to see what you come up with. If you do, be sure to leave a comment on Sharon's blog telling her where you uploaded. Please use the keyword ssnotime88 if you upload to a public forum. Check out Sharon's fabulous sample and also the great designs from the Stamp Simply team:

Julie Koerber

Jennifer Buck

Janine Orchard

Becky Oehlers

A J Otto

Tammy Hershberger

Deb Saarenen

I'm glad you dropped in today!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Picnic (Karen Lockhart)
Paper: Whisper White, Brilliant Blue (SU!); Earthy Pad (Crafty Secrets); Pure Luxury 80 lb (Gina K)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Swiss Dots embossing folder; 3M foam squares, ribbon, Perle cotton, corner rounder (craft store); Copic markers; buttons (personal stash); mini paper clip (Tim Holtz)

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Faith is... Sketches! {by Tamara} Challenge #96


It's Thursday so it's time for another Sketches! {by Tamara} card sketch challenge--this is Challenge #96 and here's the sketch.


I started with a Very Vanilla card base and added layers of Sahara Sand, So Saffron, and DP from the Everafter collection by Cosmo Cricket. The sentiment is from Flourishes Timeless Quotes set and was stamped on Very Vanilla with Sahara Sand, then I went over the word "Faith" with a gold ink pen and dotted the "i" with a tiny flat backed gold bead. I used deckle edge Nestabilities dies on the sentiment and the So Saffon and Sahara Sand mats and popped the whole thing up on 3M foam squares. But before that, I stuck a short length of 1 1/2" ribbon under it. A few flat back gold beads fill some of the "open" space and it's done! Simple and elegant, I think. Can't go wrong with that, can you?

Don't forget to check out the sketch at the Sketches! {by Tamara} blog and give it a try--we'd love to see what you come up with!

And be sure to check out the other team members' cards:
Alexandra--California Stampin'
Becky--Bouncy, Flouncy, Fun, Fun, Fun
Carol--Carol's Paperplayce
Jo--Here I Go Again
Krista--Krista be cardin'
Marley--Marley Blog
Olena--From My Hands...To Your Heart
Riley--Stampin' and Dancin' With Riley
Suzanne--Stamp In Style and Cut It Cute
Sylvia--Sylvia's Stamping Place
Tricia--Tricia's Treasures

I'm glad you dropped by today!

~Recipe~
Stamps: Timeless Quotes (Flourishes)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand, So Saffron (SU!); Everafter (Cosmo Cricket)
Ink: Sahara Sand (SU!)
Accessories: Cuttlebug/Spellbinders tag die; 3M foam squares, ribbon, flat back gold beads, gold ink pen (craft store)

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Lovely Lilacs--Color Throwdown #43

[First of all, I want to thank everyone who has voted for me and helped me get to the Top Four in the MFT Idol contest. Please don't forget to vote for your favorite Idol contestant (hopefully me!) until 10pm EDT tonight, May 20th! There's a lot riding on this contest. Not only will one of the Top Four win the contest and the awesome prize, but someone (maybe the same someone) will be awarded a 6-month term on the MFT design team. I really want that someone to be ME, so I really need your support! There are new rules for voting, which you can find here. If you're looking for my Idol entry, please scroll down to yesterday's post. Thank you! PS: My birthday is today, it would be an awesome birthday present ;-)]

Time for another Color Throwdown Challenge! This one is #43 and Broni Holcombe picked this week's colors: Lavender Lace, Elegant Eggplant, and Old Olive. Aren't these colors just fantastic together?!
So, as soon as I saw them I knew they would be perfect for my "new" PSX Lilac botanical stamp. My base card is 5 1/4" x 5 1/4" Whisper White with layers of Old Olive and Elegant Eggplant. I used a border punch on the Elegant Eggplant layer and also did some paper piercing on it with an Ornare template. Then I tied some of this fabulous lavender silk ribbon that I got from Sharon Johnson's little store. People, this stuff is something else! Soft as can be and ties like a dream! Check it out! OK, back to the card ;-) My focal image was stamped on Gina K Pure Luxury 80lb paper with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers (see below). Then it was popped up on a layer of Lavender Lace with 3M foam squares, which was layered with Old Olive and then the whole thing was popped up on more foam squares. These images are large, which sort of limits your layout options, but I LOVE them and I'm looking for more all the time.

C'mon over to the Color Throwdown blog and play along with us this week. Please use Mr. Linky to post your card and please link directly to your card so we can find it easily. If you upload your card to a public forum, please use the keyword CTD43 so we can see your beauty all in one place. We've changed things a bit, so take a look at this post for an explanation. Hope to see you there!

Be sure to check out what the other team members have come up with this week:
Broni Holcombe--Splashes of Watercolor
Cathy Indelicato--Crafty Thoughts
Danielle Kennedy--Wild Dragonfly Designs
LeAnne Pugliese--Wee Inklings
Tammy Hershberger--Stamp Happy

I'm glad you dropped by today! You know I appreciated it!

~Recipe~
Stamps:
Iris (PSX)

Paper:
Whisper White, El
egant Eggplant, Old Olive, Lavender Lace (SU!)
Ink:
Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories:
3M foam squares, brads, ribbon (May Arts)
; border punch (Martha Stewart); Copic markers; paper piercer, Ornare piercing template

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

MFT Idol Contest--Final Four...Again?


[First of all, I want to thank everyone who has voted for me and helped me get to the Top Four in the MFT Idol contest. Please don't forget to vote for your favorite Idol contestant (hopefully me!) from 10pm EDT tonight, May 19th until 10pm EDT tomorrow night, May 20th! There's a lot riding on this contest. Not only will one of the Top Four win the contest and the awesome prize, but someone (maybe the same someone) will be awarded a 6-month term on the MFT design team. I really want that someone to be ME, so I really need your support! Thank you! PS: May 20th is my birthday, it would be an awesome birthday present ;-)]

No, I didn't forget to remove the reminder to vote. It's there intentionally. Yeah, in a strange twist of fate, I'm back! Last week I thought I'd gotten the fewest votes so I "went home." Seems that's not the case. Seems there was a "glitch" in the voting last week and after recount by the guys at Splitcoast, I *did not* get the fewest votes. And since it was not possible to get a clear idea of exactly who *did* get the fewest votes, we're repeating last week. With another project. And this week it's double elimination. And a whole new way of voting (see next paragraph). So, YIKES!

=========================================================
MFT Idol Voting Process
*All votes will be private messaged (PM'd) to the user name MFT Votes.
*All votes will be manually tabulated and announce
d as soon as they are counted.
*All votes will be stored for a minimum of one week in the event an audit is needed.


Your vote will count IF:

*There is only one vote per SCS User Name. If there is more than 1 vote, only the first vote will count.
*The SCS User Name casting the vote was created BEFORE March 15th, 2009.

Why the changes? We are getting down to the nitty gritty, the FINAL FOUR, with a DOUBLE elimination this week. There's a lot up for grabs, we want to make sure that the voting process is fair for everyone, and since the original intent was that the IDOL be selected by our MFT/SCS Family, we are implementing safeguards to make sure the IDOL is selected by fellow stampers!
=========================================================

I thought I'd been doing perfect packages all along in the contest, LOL, but that's the actual theme this week--Create the Perfect Package. Well, let me tell you, I'd accepted that I was out, and stress-free, so imagine having to get my brain back into competition mode! I should get handicap points, right? ;-)

OK, so I started thinking about the theme. I'm thinking you could look at it two ways: as strictly the container or the entire package. Never one to go the easy route, I, of course, chose the entire package. Naturally. So. I've done gardening, spa day, baby, breast cancer, party--what's left? Hmmm. Jewelry! I haven't done any jewelry yet! So that's what this project is: jewelry + package = The Perfect Package, right? Right!

I started by looking at my stamp sets to see what would work well for jewelry. I'm a flower kinda girl, so I naturally gravitated to the flower stamps. I chose Spring Sprouts because they're kinda funky and very cheerful. And they are flowers. I don't usually do funky so this was fun to do for a change and it gave me an opportunity to bling it up a bit. And I'm thinking it would make a great set for a graduation gift.

I didn't want to put my jewelry in a box, or a bag--I wanted a "case" that would resemble a real case in a jewelry store--you know, the ones the jeweler opens up with a flourish to show you "the perfect piece"? So I made a case to open like a book, to show you the Perfect Package.


Here's a closer look at the outside of the case.


I got the bright idea (sorry, no pun intended!) to go glitzy and used this mirror finish cardstock. Looks awesome in real life, but it's a bear to photograph! The base layer is the mirror finish cardstock and then I managed to sneak in a couple of layers, which you know I love! Next I tied a fancy blue ribbon around so I could tie it together (to increase the "flourish factor", LOL), then I made lots of double layer flowers from the set and attached them to the case front with 3M foam squares. The flowers were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Gina K Pure Luxury 80lb paper, colored with Copic markers (see below), cut out, and the two layers put together with a clear crystal brad. Next I punched out leaves with a Martha Stewart punch and stuck them in and around randomly. Finally, I added some clear rhinestones to balance the corners.

Here's a close up of the flowers:


Now for the inside. With careful measuring, I made a template for the inside mounting pieces and only had to do my template once!! Yeehaw! That was pretty amazing in itself, LOL! I wanted this "case" to have some dimension and "heft" so I made it 1" thick. Because of this, each side "pouch" had to be close to 1/2" thick, which gave me space in which to stuff the extra necklace and bracelet length. I had so much fun with the shrink plastic last week and Flopsey that I decided to make some shrink plastic pieces for my necklace, bracelet, and earrings set. First I stamped on white shrink plastic with Staz On Graphite Black and colored carefully with Copic markers (carefully because Copics will smear Staz On on this medium). Then I cut the pieces out with Nestabilities dies, punched holes in the earring pieces, and shrunk them in the oven. Here's a picture of the inside of the case with the jewelry in place:



The necklace and bracelet pendants are just alike--here's what they look like up close:


And the earrings:


I think most of this is pretty self explanatory, and you can see the size of the stamped image before and after shrinking. The blue DSP is from the SU! Spring Sale a Bration catalog called Delicate Dots and I think it echoes the flower design really well. You can see I was able to sneak some more layers in here on the inside ;-) I couldn't find jewelry findings to use for a backing for the shrink plastic pieces--my local craft store is small and very limited (and we had one day less to work on our projects this time) so I had to improvise. I simply cut some of the heavy silver cardstock with Nestabilities dies and used that as the backing, then used regular jewelry findings for the rest. Check out the earring holder: I used the slit punch and a 1/16" punch for them. More flowers along the inside of the case spine, a flower on the necklace section, and rhinestones everywhere help to finish it off.

Here's a couple of pictures of the little 3" x 3" card I made to go with the Perfect Package. It's a mini version of the case with a sentiment from Sassy Sayings and some inside decoration.




And the Copic markers I used:


I'm so glad you took the time to stop by today. You know I appreciate it! I sure hope you think I've created "The Perfect Package" and will vote for me. Here's the new voting process again:

========================================================
MFT Idol Voting Process
*All votes will be private messaged (PM'd) to the user name
MFT Votes.
*All votes will be manually tabulated and announced as soon as they are counted.

*All votes will be stored for a minimum of one week in the event an audit is needed.


Your vote will count IF:

*There is only one vote per SCS User Name. If there is more than 1 vote, only the first vote will count.

*The SCS User Name casting the vote was created
BEFORE March 15th, 2009.

Why the changes?
We are getting down to the nitty gritty, the FINAL FOUR, with a DOUBLE elimination this week. There's a lot up for grabs, we want to make sure that the voting process is fair for everyone, and since the original intent was that the IDOL be selected by our MFT/SCS Family, we are implementing safeguards to make sure the IDOL is selected by fellow stampers!
==========================================================

[So, if you are eligible to vote in this contest, please don't forget to vote for your favorite Idol contestant (hopefully me!) from 10pm EDT tonight, May 19th until 10pm EDT tomorrow night May 20th! There's a lot riding on this contest, now. Not only will one of the Top Four win the contest and the awesome prize, but one (maybe the same someone) will be awarded a 6-month term on the MFT design team. I really want that someone to be ME, so I really need your support! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me and I'll try to help! Thank you!]

~Recipe~
Stamps:
Spring Sprouts, Sassy Sayings (MFT)

Paper:
Mirrored silver card stock (craft store); Whisper White, Old Olive and Delicate Dots DSP (SU!)

Ink:
Staz On Graphite Black; Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories:
3M foam squares, ribbon, jewelry findings, shrink plastic, crystal brads, flat back rhinestones, super sticky tape, 1/8" and 1/16" hole punches (craft store); Copic markers; Word Window punch (SU!); oven; Scor-Pal


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