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