Design Team Projects - March

I am cheating a bit by posting my March Design Team work before it goes live on SCS, so we'll just consider it a two hour sneak peek for you, my lucky readers. Okay?!? Good!! The challenges for March were great and I'm glad the time has come that I can finally share them. I hope you are as excited about them as I am.

Theme:  
Statement of the Heart
We've all read the Stampin' Up! Statement of the Heart: To love what we do and share what we love, as we help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments . . . in this we make a difference! This month, let's live that out and share what we love!

Designer Series Paper/Color Focus: Make us fall in love with your favorite DSP! You can use any current DSP from the annual, Occasions, or Sale-A-Bration catalogs.

No doubt about it, our Stampin' Up! Polka Dot Parade DSP is by far my favorite DSP. How do I know this? Well, as a matter of fact, I used it on every.single.one of my projects without even realizing it until it was time to photograph them. I guess that could technically mean that all of my projects fall into this category in addition to the other categories that I will be posting them in. Oh well, I'm okay with that!

I used a Pals Paper Arts sketch challenge (PPA164) for the layout of this card and I am pleased with the way that everything came together. Although it was extremely tedious to paper piece the letters for the Happy Birthday sentiment from the Outlined for Fun stamp set, it was worth the time and effort.  This is such a bright, cheery, and fun card; it is sure to make its recipient's birthday Happy, Happy, Happy!!! 

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Catalog Focus: Envelope Punch Board or Simply Scored. Show us what you love about these awesome tools!

For the first part of this challenge I created a stack of File Folder Cards using the Envelope Punch Board. I dressed them up with some ... wait for it ... Polka Dot Parade DSP, the Banner Blast Stamp Set, and the Petite Petals and Banner Punches.

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For the second part of the challenge I created what I would consider to be one of my all-time favorite little containers ... a French Fry Box!! I used the Simply Scored tool to make the cross-hair score lines on the box and then decorated it using some Polka Dot Parade DSP, the Itty Bitty Banners Stamp Set and Framelits, Burlap & Polka Dot Ribbons, the Petite Petal Punch, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, and a Button with Baker's Twine. Love, Love, LOVE it!! So Stinkin' Cute!!!

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Holiday Focus: There are 3 holidays in a row in March: St. Urho's Day (3/16), St. Patrick's Day (3/17) and my birthday (3/XX)! For this challenge, make a birthday card in purple (for St. Urho) or green (for St. Patrick). Use a technique or layout that you love!

*Note: "my birthday" refers to the person who wrote the challenge*

Not gonna lie, this challenge stumped me a bit. A GREEN or PURPLE BIRTHDAY CARD? Seriously?!? HMMM ... <insert blank stare at the paper with the challenge on it> ... UMMM ... <insert me scratching my head> UHHH ... <insert smoke coming out of my ears from the gears turning in my head> ... okay, you get the idea!!!  So after being lost in the Hundred Acre Woods for a loonnnggg time bit, I slowly started putting this card together. Piece by piece and with sweat dripping from my forehead great determination and perseverance, I finally finished it. It was Gumball GREEN and it had the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY so I considered it a WIN!

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Scrapbook and More Focus: Show us something you love on a scrapbook page, This-n-That Journal, or 3D project! Let's all remember what we love about stamping this month and share it with others!

I was super excited when it finally came time to work on this challenge. I decided to make a scrapbook page since I made pages for both the January and February Scrapbook and More Focus challenges. 

I have had my Statement of the Heart stamp FOR-E-VER and have never really had a place to use it so this provided the perfect opportunity to pull it off the shelf and dust it off put it to good use. I kept my page true to the challenge and incorporated as many things as I could that represented all of the things I/we love about Stampin' Up!

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If you've made it this far, it is quite possible that your eyeballs are bleeding from all of the reading so I'll wrap this post up and give your eyes some time to recover while I prepare my next post.

Thanks for being part of my little piece of the blogosphere!!  Happy Stampin' & God Bless!!

~Hallie

 

 

Design Team Projects - February

I have to admit, I am beginning to stand awe of the overachievers people that manage to blog every.single.day!! Wowzers!! It seems like just yesterday I was sitting here blogging about the Design Team Process when actually it was three days ago. I am seeing now that it wasn't just a statement during my childhood years, but a statement of fact that, time really does fly as you get older! Speaking of time flying - Saturday will be March 1st which means Christmas will be only 10 months away ... that's just CRAZY! Anyway - enough about time flying, March 1st, and Christmas because I'm pretty darn sure you are more interested in seeing some projects instead of reading my babble. So here ya go ... my February Stampin' Up! Creative Crew Design Team projects. 

Theme: 
February is the month to remember by many affairs with color, layouts, and special days. Let's explore some of these! 
  
Designer Series Paper (DSP)/Color Focus: Watercolor Wonder Designer Papers (Occasions Catalog - p. 23) or the colors: crushed curry, daffodil delight, gumball green, island indigo, smoky slate, tangerine tango and whisper white. Use this DSP or these colors with your latest purchase or free item from Stampin'Up!

As I sat staring at my Blossom Punch and the various pieces of Watercolor Wonder DSP I knew I wanted to create something "different", something with a "wow" factor, so I grabbed a piece of Whisper White cardstock and punched out a blossom. As soon as I laid the scrap piece negative image down on the DSP I knew I had found my "different". From there I used my Nestabilities to cut the scrap piece with the negative image into a circle and I embossed it using the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. I cut a second circle using the Watercolor Wonder DSP and then a third circle using some Basic Gray cardstock. Each time I increased the size of the circle by one die. Once I had my pieces cut out, I layered them with Dimensionals and then added the Button with Baker's Twine to the center.  After finishing the negative image circle, I punched a blossom using the Watercolor Wonder DSP and made a positive image circle to see what it would look like. I liked both elements so I decided to incorporate both of them into my card.  The rest of the card came together fairly easily. I adhered a piece of Daffodil Delight DSP (Polka Dot Parade DSP pack) to a piece of Daffodil Delight cardstock and stitched around it using gray thread. Next, I adhered a piece of Tangerine Tango cardstock to a piece of Basic Gray cardstock and stitched around it. Once I had my layers completed, I layered them on one another using Dimensionals and then added the three Basic Pearls in the top right and bottom left corners.

 

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Catalog Focus: Punches! Stampin'Up! has so many great punches that make our cardmaking that much more fun. Use a punch or punches to create a window card.

Did that say "window card"?!? Why Yes, Yes.It.Did!!! If you didn't catch it in my last post, I had another project that counted as a twofer. I absolutely love twofers because they make my life oh so easy!! This card was made the exact same way as the first, just using different colors (Gumball Green, Island Indigo, Basic Gray, Whisper White). Easy Peasy!!

  

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Holiday Focus: No Brainer Day is February 27 Make a project in the spirit of No Brainer Day: simple, easy, obvious or totally logical. Add a little bling for some elegance.

This is another project that served as a twofer. Each month, and especially for holidays, I try to make a little something special for my hubby to give to his office staff. This month Valentine's Day provided the perfect opportunity for February's "something special" while the CCREW "No Brainer" challenge provided the avenue for me to keep the gifts quick and simple. I filled 1X8" Cello Bags with M&M's and used the Pinwheel Thinlit Die to make the pinwheels. I used Mini Brads to fasten the pinwheels, punched small hearts using the Small Heart Punch and placed a Basic Jewel in the center of each, and stuck them to the cello bags using Stampin' Dimensionals. Simple, easy, and true to a "no brainer"!

 

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Scrapbook and More Focus: Random Acts of Kindness Day is February 17 Send a RAK to someone this month after you share it with us. This can be anything! You may wish to record this event by journaling your deed so you can do it again soon.

My RAK actually started early last year when a dear sister friend of mine asked me to make her a few cards similar to a handmade card she had received from the local animal shelter. Since my sister friend owns a Dog Bakery, there was no question as to the theme of the cards. I found some cute paper at Archiver's a big box store and made the cards in no time at all. The problem arose when I knew I couldn't just "hand her the cards!" I mean, how plain, boring, and uncreative would that be?!? Handmade cards delivered in a zip-lock bag ... uh No!! So I procrastinated set the cards aside and used this CCREW challenge to FINALLY finish and deliver the ensemble that consisted of 16 cards with matching envelopes, a tin, a pen, and a clothespin that I glued on the inside of the lid to hold the pen.

Pk

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Since the challenge focus was Scrapbook & More, I took pictures of each phase of the project and then assembled my scrapbook page.

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That wraps up today's post ... I hope you've enjoyed my ramblings.
See ya next time!!
~Hallie