Sunny Heart Blossoms

Still playing with the 3D Heart shaped box template from PCS.  Testing some colors for Valentine other than the typical Red and pink.  Thought some pretty yellow flowers would be a change.

A bit of glitter on the new butterfly from the upcoming Bliss stamp set (a Sale-a-bration set).  In fact the flower on the side is from the same set.  Add a pearl to the center of the ribbon flower.

Tucked inside is a pocket heart.  Stuff with treats or a special Valentine note.  You can create this same pocket heart using the Petal Card Bigz.  The flourish in the center is from the upcoming Bliss stamp set.

The blossoms were easy.  Simply create a baste stitch along one side of the ribbon like this...

Then pull gently so the ribbon starts to curl.  You'll only need a 4" to 5" strip of ribbon.  I used a daffodil color here.

5 Hours Left!!!

The earlybird is ending in just 5 hours.  How exciting!!!  There's still time to take advantage of the Full Year subscription for $89.00.

Individual samplers will be available on a monthly basis at $12.99 an issue.

Here's a sneak peek using the new Heart shaped gift box template:

Tour de Freaks ~ Sweet Valentine

It's time for another Tour de Freaks. It seems like forever since we've had a hop being that we took a little break during December. We're refreshed and back at it.

This month we're celebrating Valentine's Day and have some fabulous projects to help you get your creative juices flowing.   If you've been following the "next stop" links you've probably just come from the amazing Gretchen Barron's blog.  Her projects are always so creative.

This month, I've created two projects for you.  First up, my EXTRA LARGE "hugs" card.  I say extra large because it was created from a full sheet of cardstock (shaving a 1/4" off both the top and side).  You'll need this extra large card to fit the jumbo sticky cuts letters.

For those not familiar with sticky cuts letters, the back peels off so you can stick the letters directly to paper.  Once down, simply peel the top layer off, revealing the sticky ahdesive underneath.  These sticky alphabet are great for adhering the chunky Essentials Glitter, seed beads or microbeads.

You'll see two new products offered by Stampin' Up! in my sample.  The Scallop Trim border punch (from the Sale-a-braiton catalog) and the small heart punch in the new Occasions Mini catalg.

To recreate the layers for the hanging heart, start with the Three Hearts punch, next the small heart punch, finishing with the smallest heart from the Three Hearts punch.  The white line was created with a signa-gel pen.



The hearts shown in the sample below were created with the small heart punch.  The Multi-purpose adhesive works well to hold the glitter on these small hearts.

A closer look at that tri-layer heart.

Next we have pretty floral Valentine card.  What do you think of that beautiful pink satin ribbon?  Another newbie item from the Occasions Mini.  There's something about silk ribbons used on cards that give them such an elegant feel.

The Valentine stamp is the "Hostess Best" set.  There are flowers on this stamp, but I simply colored the rubber image that I wanted to include (this technique is called omitting).  I went a step further by stamping the "V" in red, cutting it out and mounted it with dimensionals on the card.  Used my Three Hearts punch to create a little pink heart to tuck inside the "V".  The paper is the scrumptious Sending Love designer series paper.

Here's a closer look at that tiny little heart.

I hope you enjoyed my Valentine creations this month.  Next up is the oh so talented Connie Babbert.  She's got some spectacular projects to share.

Superbowl Sunday

Today is Superbowl Sunday. Not that I really care, I am NOT a football fan (at all). Just seems appropriate to acknowledge it since the bulk of the country will be watching the game tonight. So GOOD LUCK to both teams.

I've actually been very busy this weekend finishing up a swap that is late. I try not to be late on my swaps but sometimes it is inevitable. This particular swap was a Heart Art Swap. I'll post a few images below, but the bulk of them will be on my Flickr account. I think my little tin box turned out great!

The theme of this swap was HEART ART ...and "I" (who is slacking up in the 'multitasking' department) didn't create this exactly how the swap hostess wanted. I think the title "Heart Art" kind of explains it all. Here's a close-up of the "heart" I added (as the only hearts I had on it were the tiny pink heart beads).



Below is the inside of the tin. The text on the left is actually script from the "Victoria" magazine underneath. The tin covers are see-through. I think the magazine and the tin photograph well together don't you?



Here is the tin closed. This crepe paper on top is from my 11 year olds 2 year birthday party. I saved it...because, I like to drive my husband C rA Z y!



Friday night was my Pizza and Valentine workshop. A BIG thank you to everyone who came out. I hope you all had fun (it sure looked like you did). Remember, the first Friday night of every month I hold a class upstairs at Whole Foods. Cost is $10 for 3 cards and you get to socialize with your stamping friends!





Now, i'm off to create a Artistic Art Frame for my stampers club tomorrow night. I'm also preparing for Scrapfest which will be here before I know it. Busy, busy, busy!

Have a great Superbowl everyone!

Melanie