Happy Friday, everyone! I apologize for my long silence! Right after the anniversary festivities ended, I had an unexpected health issue occur that required a short hospital stay. I needed to take some time off to rest and recuperate which didn't allow me to be on the computer as much as I would have liked! :)
But, here I am back at it and in perfect heath! My creativity is bursting with excitement and I can hardly wait for the March release to get here! Have I mentioned that the March release is even BIGGER and BETTER than last month's release? I know, you're probably wondering how that can be, but it's true! Just you wait and see!
From feedback I have received from some of you, you really enjoy the "Day After" postings I do, which recap my favorite projects from the design team from the recent release. While this month the post isn't exactly going up the "day after", I thought it would still be fun to showcase everything in one place. I mean, who doesn't like a good eye candy post like this? I know it sure has my creative juices flowing!
So sit back, enjoy and thank you for stopping by today!!!!
Betsy Veldman did the most CLEVER thing ever with Melissa Bickford's new Asian Fusion stamp set that just came out this month. If you will notice, she used the long solid floral border stamp in several fruity colors to create her own AMAZING plaid paper. I simply love the way this turned out and can hardly wait to try it myself!
Dawn McVey created this pretty little number with Niki Estes' Butterfly Dreams set. I love how she positioned the butterflies so that it appears they are gliding along a wisp of wind represented with the flourish from Fancy Flourishes. The contrast between the True Black felt she cut with our new Medium Scallop Border die and the Raspberry Fizz Twill is just eye catching as well.
Debbie Olson made good use of both the new Polka Dot Basics Impression Plate and Luck of the Irish stamp set. We have heard so much feedback from all of you about how much you enjoyed having a classy stamp set like this to purchase for so little money. I love how Debbie allowed the tag image to hold it's own as the foal point for her project. The polka-dot impressed layer she created is just stunning, with the way she added just a bit of white ink to it to highlight the texture. The ribbon/button treatment is also a simple statement that can make such an impact!
Erin Lincoln more than exceeded my expectations with ALL of her projects this month, but this one in particular was especially wonderful! Erin used the various button images from Dawn McVey's new Studio Style to create this amazing frame of buttons for her card front. (She does a brief tutorial about how she created on her blog post HERE) I can just imagine all the beautiful color schemes you could recreate this in!
Heather Nichols took paper piecing to a whole new level with her use of the new Year of Flowers: Violets stamp set. She stamped the floral images onto the Lavender Moon floral paper from her Pretty Pastels Paper Pad, then followed up with Copic markers. I love how she was able to get a two toned effect by making the outer areas darker and leaving the center the natural paper. Definitely a concept to explore more thoroughly!
Kim Hughes also utilized the new Violets set and achieved a very modern hip look by creating her own background paper.I loved her chosen color scheme of Lavender Moon & Spring Rain. Following up with the sentiment stamped in Enchanted Evening rather than choosing the "usual" neutral of black or gray was especially impressive as well.
Maile Belles knocked my socks off with her first release projects for us. This one in particular had me slapping my forehead and wondering why I hadn't thought of this! Maile created a clever background with the frame image from Fillable Frames #1. She simply stamped the frame repeatedly then filled in the notched corners with one of the flowers from Asian Fusion. One of the things I love best is the way she was able to use the frame image both as a focal point and a background element and it totally *works*!
Lisa Johnson made good use of the new Tin Types Impression plate on her project. Paired with the polka dot frame from Fillable Frames #1. There are two "favorites" I have about this card. One, the way she stamped the flower from Violets in a lighter color towards the corner of the frame and two, the way the center of that flower falls within the center of the letter "a" and is highlighted with a rhinestone. It's little details like this that make me fall in love with stamping all over again!
Melissa Phillips had me at "hello" with this sweet little bunny card created with Alli Miles' new Take Three set! The buttons, the lace! And, oh my goodness, the little pom-poms on the bunny tails! I also love the way she cut just the sides of the bunny blocks with her pinking shears. It adds just a little detail without being "too much". I just love it!
Michelle Wooderson used a bright & bold citrusy color combination for her project that embraces Butterfly Dreams. Her combination of the butterflies and the Dot Spot background are just amazing. The unexpected hint of Lemon Tart satin ribbon helps to keep the project warm but not too overwhelming or stark. The small blocks of Raspberry Fizz Mix patterned paper at the bottom of the project are a welcoming surprise to the eye. Just amazing!
Niki Estes created one of my favorite Copic colored projects using Year of Flowers: Violets. Her violet is colored perfectly and looks so realistic, you almost think you can pick it! She kept the background simple with Background Basics: Tin Types stamped in Ripe Avocado, which was perfect for letting the flower stand out on it's own. The sentiment placement provides a nice balance to the project as well, which I totally love!
This month, I had the honor of introducing Kelly Purkey as our Distinguished Guest Designer. She created several amazing projects for this release, which you can see HERE, but this one in particular totally stole my heart! I love what she did with all those butterflies from Butterfly Dreams!
So neat to stamp them on various colors of cardstock all in black ink! And the multiple button colors used at their centers! Just dreamy! I can just imagine them all lined up along a card front like this too! Such a great concept!!!
So that's it! I hope you enjoyed all of these projects and perhaps are inspired to go get a few of your neglected supplies out and create something fabulous!
