Confessions of a Ribbon Addict: 09/01/2011

Sep 30, 2011

Clearly Sentimental

Hi all and thanks for stopping by today! It's MFT Teaser Time and I have a card using Clearly Sentimental about Family, which was last month's Triple Scoop stamp set. You still have a couple days to earn it free. Check out the details HERE. It will be available for purchase on October 4th, along with a ton of other great stamp sets and Die-namics dies.

I stamped the sentiment and corresponding family stamp in different colors to highlight the most important word. I used the Prima Donna Petals Die-namics, patterned paper, and green felt to create the floral embellishment. I tucked the Woodgrain Fence behind all the panels to jazz it up a bit.

I also used the NEW Triple Scoop stamp set, Clearly Sentimental about Abundance. Remember, you can earn the Triple Scoop Set FREE with a $60 purchase. Just be sure to add it to you cart. :) I paired it with last month's First Class Friend Frame Die-namics. I LOVE that thing! I went with some really calm and soothing colors.

Here are the details about the upcoming release on October 4 at 10 PM EST:

The MFT release is on October 4 at 10 PM EST. You can attend the release party from 8-10 PM EST here in the forum for fun, games, and prizes! All the new sets and dies will be available October 4 at 10 PM EST.
The guest designer contest is ON! Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win over $100 in stamp sets and play along with the DT for a month.
If you'd like to see all the teasers for today, please click on over to Kim's blog NOW! Be sure to leave comments as you go for a chance to win one of 2 $10 vouchers being given away daily, just for leaving a comment. :) Check Kim's blog every day for the winners.

Sep 29, 2011

Autumn

Hi all! It's day 2 of MFT Teaser Time and I am excited to show you my card for today. I used the soon to be released Inspired by Autumn stamp set. The pumpkin image is just SO pretty, don't you think? I used some gorgeous new patterned paper from Crate, Farmhouse. It's a match made in heaven with this stamp set.

I made a bow with some gorgeous suede May Arts ribbon I have in my stash. My new trick: sanding the edges of the patterned paper for a distressed look. Like all my other phases, this too shall pass... please bear with me. LOL I curled up the edges of the patterned paper and the pumpkin panel to add a bit more grunge. I'm pretty sure that's a rule with Farmhouse paper. It shouldn't be pristine, right? *wink*

I had a lot of fun coloring it! :) The grass was drawn in with Prismacolor Pencils and the image itself was colored with Copic markers. As I do with all stitched circles, I took it one stitch at a time using the knob on the side of the machine. It's slow-going, and causes my hand to cramp, but MAN I love how it looks. I just work through the pain. LOL

Here are the details about the upcoming release on October 4 at 10 PM EST:

The MFT release is on October 4 at 10 PM EST. You can attend the release party from 8-10 PM EST here in the forum for fun, games, and prizes! All the new sets and dies will be available October 4 at 10 PM EST.
The guest designer contest is ON! Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win over $100 in stamp sets and play along with the DT for a month.
If you'd like to see all the teasers for today, please click on over to Kim's blog NOW! Be sure to leave comments as you go for a chance to win one of 2 $10 vouchers being given away daily, just for leaving a comment. :) Check Kim's blog every day for the winners.

Sep 28, 2011

I Miss You

Hi all! Thanks for stopping by today! I have a clean and simple card for this week's MFT Wednesday Stamp Club #39 using First Class Friend Die-namics and Stamp Set.

I just LOVE this sentiment... and the whole set really. :) I used the included mini postage stamp die along with the small heart die from Notched Tag Die-namics.

Here is the sketch for you. I hope you'll play along. :)

Remember, you can get all the details by visiting the MFT Blog and the MFT forum on SCS (look for the most recent WSC thread). You'll need to upload your card in the SCS gallery using the keyword shown on the sketch. You will have the chance to win up to $20 in MFT money. One winner is chosen at random each week!

Go get sketchy with MFT!

EP Happy Days

Sticky Stuff

Janome Sew Mini

Coats & Clark Dual Duty XP Heavy Thread

InLinkz.com

Be Strong

Hi and welcome to Day 1 of MFT Teaser Time. Today, we are featuring the gorgeous Who's that Girl Chooses Hope stamp set. This set was part of the VIP Collection (which sold out in about 12 hours). I was feeling quite inspired so I made three different things for today's post, all using the same Crate Random patterned paper pad. What can I say, I'm a creature of habit. LOL :)

On a recent trip to Staples I found a bunch of breast cancer awareness products including some pink pencils and a set of 6 paper clips with an attached pink ribbon charm (for only $1.99). I was bound and determined to use that cute charm and the pencils. I came up with a box to hold 4 pencils, and adorned it with the cute charm. I am planning to do a tutorial video later this week, so stay tuned for that.

For the pencil treat box, I adhered the picture of the single Who's that Girl and used the Mini Ticket Strip to stamp the word "strong" on.

I sanded all the edges of my patterned paper to make them stand out against the black box. Her shirt was paper-pieced using the gorgeous patterned paper.

The charms came attached to the paper clips, but I just had to slip them off. Easy peasy (and cute).

I made a coordinating card. I didn't want to add any more patterned paper and wanted to coordinate as closely to the box as I could, so I jazzed it up by adding another stitched box inside the outer layer. It gave me just enough "stuff" I think. :) The perfectly matching brads are from my stash from pink hedgehog. The image is matted on the Open Scallop Doily Duo. I added some Simply Scallops Medium in pink. The sentiment is stamped on the Ticket Tab Die-namics.

Here is a peek inside the card:

I wanted to make another card to show the other main image included in the stamp set. The girls' outfits are paper-pieced and I added a huge flower "pin" to one of their shirts by using the flower die from the Notched Tag Die-namics and white felt. In the center, I adhered a Swarovski Crystal. The image is matted on one of the doilies from the Open Scallop Doily Duo Die-namics (say that five times fast). I stamped the sentiment using Brilliance Black and then clear embossed to make it stand out more against the patterned paper.

Here is a peek inside this card. I used a sentiment from the set and one of the accessory ribbons that can be stamped on the girls' shirts. :)

*Whew* that was a a LOT of pink, and a lot of flowers. I hope you like both of those things as much as I do. LOL

Here are the details about the upcoming release on October 4 at 10 PM EST:

The MFT release is on October 4 at 10 PM EST. You can attend the release party from 8-10 PM EST here in the forum for fun, games, and prizes! All the new sets and dies will be available October 4 at 10 PM EST.
The guest designer contest is ON! Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win over $100 in stamp sets and play along with the DT for a month.
If you'd like to see all the teasers for today, please click on over to Kim's blog NOW! Be sure to leave comments as you go for a chance to win one of 2 $10 vouchers being given away daily, just for leaving a comment. :) Check Kim's blog every day for the winners.

Sep 27, 2011

Creative Chat - Organizing Card Stock

It's time for the MFT Creative Chat. The My Favorite Things Design Team Creative Chat is a monthly feature, where we are challenged to explore our creative spaces and share valuable organizational methods, tools, and shopping strategies with you. You'll be able to peek into our creative spaces, ask questions, and share your own ideas in the MFT forum. This month, we were asked the following questions:

How do you store and organize your card stock?

How do you store your scrap card stock?

Visit Kim's Blog for a full list of designers that have taken up the challenge and get ready to delve into the minds of our creative team!

While I absolutely love this feature, I have to admit that this topic caused me a LOT of work. I had been wanting to corral all my card stock in one location and my stamp room was in DIRE need of a cleaning/organizational kick in the pants. So, after a full 8 hour day of cleaning and another 6-8 organizing, I have a SPARKLING clean stamp room and organized card stock. I LOVE it!

This month, I made a VIDEO giving a "tour" of my card stock storage. Click the arrow below to watch it. :) If you are viewing this post in a feed reader, you may not be able to see the video, but I have included a link for you to watch it>>> VIDEO:

I moved one of my large, folding craft tables along one wall and put 4 large plastic file holders underneath it. I purchased them at Staples for about $17 each.

Placing the paper under the table meant I had bad lighting, so I went to Staples in search of the old style "tap lights". I found these, in a three pack, for around $10 (but each needed 3, AAA batteries). They are LED lights, and not super bright, so I placed one over each paper file box.

I use inexpensive hanging folders to hold my paper in. They come in packs of 25 for about $6.

To label the folders, I cut a piece of the card stock to 2" X 5/8". I print out the name of the card stock on copy paper small enough so I can punch it out with my Stampin' Up Word Window punch (14 point font, generally). Here, you can see I am preparing my MFT Card Stock labels. If you would like my typed up list, I am happy to share it with you, just e-mail me (e-mail address in the side bar).

Here, you can see all 4 lights mounted under the table, and all my 8 1/2 X 11 card stock.

I arranged each bin in a similar way to make things easier to find. In the front, I started with neutral colors, which I use most often: white, cream, black, grey, brown etc), and then progressed to colors in the same general order in each tub: yellows, oranges, pinks, reds, purples, blues, then greens.

For the My Favorite Things Card Stock, I made myself a color chart in word. I am happy to share it with you, just e-mail me (e-mail address in the side bar of my blog). I punched a 1" square of each color and adhered in the labeled boxes. I intend to do this for the the other brands of card stock I use (Papertrey Ink and Stampin' Up), but that will be a project for another day... LOL

On a shelf in another area of my room, I stacked the full packages of "back up" card stock, by company, in the same general order I have them in the file boxes (at this point, are you started to think I have a sickness? LOL).

The only card stock that is "in use" and not in my files, is my 12 X 12 card stock. I have all of that in some inexpensive drawers I purchased at Walmart (3 drawer unit for around $12). I don't have them in any particular order. I just throw them in there. LOL Most of them are multipacks (more than one color per pack).