Artisan Finalist Blog Hop Day 5

Wow!  I can't believe we are at the half-way mark already.  There have been so many amazing projects shared and my fellow finalists have got my creative juices flowing!

If you are making the rounds on the tour, you should have just arrived from Holly VanDyne's blog.  I just love her work, don't you?

When I started planning my projects for the Artisan Award contest, I knew that I wanted to show several different styles.  Today's card is "simple and elegant." 

To create the flower, I punched several pieces of Rose Red card stock with a scallop circle punch.  I spritzed each circle with water, allowed it to dry, and then distressed it with a bone folder to break down the paper fibers.  This process allowed me to peel the paper circles apart into 2 very thin layers.

The circles were stacked together and a brad placed in the center.  I sprayed the flower lightly with a mixture of shimmer paint and alcohol, then ruffled up the petals.

The scallop borders were created with the Tasteful Trim die.  The edges were sponged and then I placed tiny pearls all along the scallop edge.  Scroll down to the end of this post to see a complete list of supplies.

This blog hop will take you in a complete circle, but if you happen to lose your way, here is a list you can refer to. Be sure to check back every day this week for more great stamping and paper crafting ideas!

1. Connie Collins


2. Holly VanDyne


3. Melissa Stout  (you are here!)


4. Amy O'Neill


5. Sandie Conner


6. Amy Rogers


7. Mercedes Weber


8. Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin


9. Mindy Bingamon

 

You are now ready to visit Amy O'Neill.  She's got a great project to share with you today!

 

STAMPIN' SUPPLIES

STAMP SET:  Teeny Tiny Wishes

INK:  Concord Crush

PAPER:  Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Concord Crush, Rose Red, Timeless Portrait DSP

ACCESSORIES:  Big Shot, Tasteful Trim Die, Rose Red Seam Binding Ribbon, 1-3/4” Scallop Circle Punch, Modern Label Punch, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Basic Pearls

 

Artisan Finalist Blog Hop Day 4

 Welcome to Day 4 of the Artisan Finalist Blog Hop!  Since it's a Monday, I thought it would be a great day to feature a bright & cheerful card.

The Artisan contest really helped me stretch my creativity.  You might find this hard to believe, but I've never felt that scrapbooking was my strong suit and I usually shy away from bright colors.  I think yesterday's scrapbook page and today's card are prime examples of what can happen when you step outside your comfort zone. 

I used markers to ink up the greeting stamp.  The ribbon was gathered and adhered with sticky strip.  I believe this style of card is called a "starburst".  Most samples I've seen, the designer will sew between the different strips of paper.  I DON'T SEW!  So, I used White Craft ink on the edges of each paper to make it stand out.

Here is some great news!  All of the products that I used on this card are still available through Stampin' Up!  I've got the supply list at the end of this post.

 

This blog hop will take you in a complete circle, but if you happen to lose your way, here is a list you can refer to. Be sure to check back every day this week for more great stamping and paper crafting ideas!

1. Connie Collins


2. Holly VanDyne


3. Melissa Stout  (you are here!)


4. Amy O'Neill


5. Sandie Conner


6. Amy Rogers


7. Mercedes Weber


8. Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin


9. Mindy Bingamon

 

You are now ready to visit Amy O'Neill.  She's got a great project to share with you today!

 

STAMPIN' SUPPLIES

STAMP SET:  Bright Blooms, Word Play

MARKERS:  Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Pacific Point, Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black

INK:  Whisper White Craft, Pacific Point

PAPER:  Whisper White, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Summer Smooches DSP

ACCESSORIES:  Big Shot, Designer Frames Embossing Folder, Daffodil Delight Seam Binding Ribbon, Paper Daisies, Brights Brads

Thanks for stopping by!

Artisan Finalist Blog Hop Day 3

Here we are at Day 3 of the blog hop.  I really hope you've been enjoying these amazing projects!  I also want to tell you that I've really appreciated all the kind comments and emails about my projects so far.  For those that are wondering, Bella is doing great and will be starting Kindergarten on Wednesday.

The story behind this next scrapbook page could be called, "How Janine Tinklenberg Helped Me Become an Artisan Finalist."  I loved this card from her and decided to recreate the card to use as one of my class samples.  I made the flowers, but never got around to making the actual card.  So the flowers found themselves in my scrap pile.

In the midst of creating my projects for the Artisan Award contest, I developed Bell's Palsy.  For two weeks, I was unable to do much of anything due to pain and fatigue.  When I finally felt a little better, I struggled with a very dry eye and frequent eye pain.  Unfortunately, I only had 4 of my projects done and just 2 weeks to finish the other 6 projects.  I refused to quit, even though it was very tempting.

This scrapbook page was one of the last projects that I needed to complete.  I had almost everything done, but it needed "something".  I absolutely could not stand the thought of making another paper flower (you'll see why soon).  At this point, I was running out of time and starting to just throw stuff together.  As I was digging through my scrap pile, the Jan Flowers (as I like to call them) appeared.

When I added those 3 flowers to the page, I knew they were perfect.  Jan managed to save my sanity and help me become an Artisan finalist.

Thanks Jan!

There are lots of small details on this page and fortunately I took lots of pictures before sending it off to Stampin' Up!  You can click on any of the thumbnails to get a closer look.  I will have a list of all the ingredients for this page at the bottom of this post.

This blog hop will take you in a complete circle, but if you happen to lose your way, here is a list you can refer to. Be sure to check back every day this week for more great stamping and paper crafting ideas!

1. Connie Collins


2. Holly VanDyne


3. Melissa Stout  (you are here!)


4. Amy O'Neill


5. Sandie Conner


6. Amy Rogers


7. Mercedes Weber


8. Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin


9. Mindy Bingamon

 

You are now ready to visit Amy O'Neill.  She's got a great project to share with you today!

 

STAMPIN' SUPPLIES

PAPER:  Whisper White, Summer Smooches DSP

ACCESSORIES:  Big Shot, Designer Frames Embossing Folder, Brights Buttons, Natural Hemp Twine, White Baker’s Twine, Summer Smooches Brads, Blossom Punch, Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch, Petite Pennants Builder Punch

Artisan Finalist Blog Hop Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of the Artisan Finalist Blog Hop!  I hope you are enjoying all of these amazing projects. 

If you started the hop from the beginning, you just finished visiting the amazing blog of Holly VanDyne.  I am always WOWed by her projects and today's project was no exception.

Today, I'm sharing another scrapbook page and this one has a very personal story.  This picture of my daughter was taken in late December 2011.  Two weeks later, Bella was admitted to the hospital due to dehydration, malnutrition, and fever.  We soon found out that she has Crohn's Disease.

I think that was the longest and certainly one of the most difficult weeks of my life.  When your child gets diagnosed with a chronic, life-long illness, you can't help but question everything.  I wondered what I had done wrong.  I wondered what her life would be like in the future.  And I felt like all my hopes and dreams for her had been crushed.

To say that I went through a grieving process would be an understatement. 

Friends and family made frequent visits to the hospital so that I could take short breaks.  During one such break, I was driving in my car and the song, "I Hope You Dance" came on the radio.  I broke into tears.

I suddenly realized that we could face ANYTHING with the right attitude and that this disease was not going to quash those hopes & dreams.

Here is my second project:

At first glance, this will seem like a clean & simple digital page.  There are many overlays and layers that make up the background.  I used shades of Whisper White, Very Vanilla, and Pink Pirouette to create a very soft, feminine look.

The strand of pearls was created by first stamping a Curly Cue from the Notes stamp set.  I lined up 50 bazillion pearls over the line image of the stamp, then locked them all in place.  (Okay, it wasn't 50 bazillion....but it was close!)

Here are the supplies from My Digital Studio:

Embellishments
    Basic Pearls and Rhinestones\Basic Pearls and Rhinestones - pearl large

Stamps
    _Designer Kits\Twitterpated\Twitterpated - background 3, Color = WHISPER WHITE 255,255,255
    Music Notes\Music Notes - background, Color = 0,0,0
    Notes\Notes - curly cue, Color = PINK PIROUETTE 255,216,209
    Vintage Overlays\Vintage Overlays - texture 4, Color = PINK PIROUETTE 255,216,209
    Vintage Overlays\Vintage Overlays - texture 13, Color = 255,250,226

Punches
    Large Photo Corner Punch, Fill Color = PINK PIROUETTE 255,216,209
    Large Photo Corner Punch, Fill Color = PINK PIROUETTE 255,216,209
    Alphabet & Numbers\Smitten Alphabet Punch\Smitten Alphabet Punch - a, Fill Color = BASIC GRAY 118,122,121
    Alphabet & Numbers\Smitten Alphabet Punch\Smitten Alphabet Punch - c, Fill Color = BASIC GRAY 118,122,121
    Alphabet & Numbers\Smitten Alphabet Punch\Smitten Alphabet Punch - d, Fill Color = BASIC GRAY 118,122,121
    Alphabet & Numbers\Smitten Alphabet Punch\Smitten Alphabet Punch - e, Fill Color = BASIC GRAY 118,122,121
    Alphabet & Numbers\Smitten Alphabet Punch\Smitten Alphabet Punch - n, Fill Color = BASIC GRAY 118,122,121

Photos
    Designer Series Paper\_Designer Kits\Twitterpated - designer series paper\Twitterpated - 7

 

Here's how the Blog Hop works. Our blog hop makes an endless loop, so no matter where you begin, you should find yourself back where you started. If you lose your way then you can refer to the list below. If there are ten of us, then why only nine names? Unfortunately Mary Haugen was not able to join us due to technical difficulities.

1.  Connie Collins

2.  Holly VanDyne

3.  Melissa Stout  YOU ARE HERE!

4.  Amy O'Neill

5.  Sandie Conner

6.  Amy Rogers

7.  Mercedes Weber

8.  Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin

9.  Mindy Bingamon

 

You are now ready to visit the one and only Amy O'Neill.

See you back here tomorrow!

Artisan Finalist Blog Hop Day 1

I am so excited to finally be able to share my projects from this year's Artisan Award contest.  Over the next 10 days, all of the Artisan finalists will be sharing their amazing designs.  You'll definitely want to follow along!

What is the Artisan Award?

Each year, Stampin' Up! holds a competition for demonstrators based on the creativity, style, craftsmanship, composition, color, and consistency of their projects.  To participate, you must produce 3 scrapbook pages, 5 cards, and 2 scrapbook pages.

Twenty finalists are chosen from among all the entries.  From the twenty finalists, 10 are chosen to be on the Artisan Design Team.  While we are not the ones who were selected for the design team, we still thought it would be fun to give you a closer look at our projects.  I know you will be absolutely blown away by the talent in this group of demonstators.

Here is my first project:

I created this page with My Digital Studio using the Keep This Memory Photobook Designer Template.  This download is probably my all-time favorite!  It includes a complete 26-page template for creating a 12" x 12" photobook.  All you have to do is add your pictures and you are done.  OR.....you can do as I did, and really step it up.

There are quite a few small details such as stitching and small buttons that I added to make this page POP!   One of the great things about MDS2 is I can now give you a list of supplies used.

Background
     Color = SOFT SUEDE

Embellishments
    Designer Kits\Keep This Memory - embellishments
    Staple & Stitching\Very Vanilla - Stitching Straight
    Round Buttons\Soft Suede - button
    Baker's Twine\Baker's Twine - White
   
Stamps
    Designer Kits\Keep This Memory\Keep This Memory

Punches
    Hexagon Punch
    Round Tab Half Punch

 

And here is a little piece of trivia......You can't use a picture of yourself on any of the contest entries.  Do you know how difficult it was to find a family photo that I wasn't in?  I actually had to ask a friend if I could use HER family's photo for this layout!  How funny is that?

 

Here's how the Blog Hop works. Our blog hop makes an endless loop, so matter where you begin, you should find yourself back where you started. If you lose your way then you can refer to the list below. If there are ten of us, then why only nine names? Unfortunately Mary Haugen was not able to join us due to technical difficulities.

1.  Connie Collins

2.  Holly VanDyne

3.  Melissa Stout  YOU ARE HERE!

4.  Amy O'Neill

5.  Sandie Conner

6.  Amy Rogers

7.  Mercedes Weber

8.  Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin

9.  Mindy Bingamon

 

You may have just visited one of my favorite digital divas, Holly VanDyne. 

You are now ready to visit the one and only Amy O'Neill.

See you back here tomorrow!

Are you a Newsletter Subscriber?

If you are, you should have received the August Stampin' Newsletter in your email inbox today.  This month's newsletter includes my upcoming class schedule, a technique tutorial on using the Core'dinations card stock, a quick & easy card, and more information on My Digital Studio.

You can view the newsletter by clicking here.

If you want to subscribe, simply use the sign up box on the right side of my blog or at the link above.

August 1....so much to tell you about!

There are so many exciting things in the Stamping world today and I can't wait to share them with you!

First, MDS 2 is now available!  If you have already purchased MDS, you can get an upgrade to the new software for $19.95.

Get 31% off 31 digital content options and most of our print products for all 31 days in August! Feed your My Digital Studio addiction. Not into it yet? With digital goods on sale and a new software that you can try for FREE with the 30-day trial, August is the time to see what it's all about!

What's on sale?
ALL cards, photobooks, individual pages, and tags.  That's right: print any photobook, board book, swatchbook, individual pages, greeting card, postcard, trifold card, or tag-all for 31% off.

Some of our best digital content.  30 downloads and 1 content disc. Yup, that equals 31.  You can view the sale items in my online store.

 

Spooktacular Offer
During August, we've only got treats-no tricks-for you!  New demonstrators will get a FREE Howl-o-ween Printer's Tray project kit-a $60 value-just for doing what they already love.

It's only $99 to sign up and create their own Starter Kit, choosing up to $125 in any current Stampin' Up! products!  JOIN NOW

 

2012-2013 Holiday Catalog
Wait until you see all the gorgeous products available in this year's holiday catalog.  They are available for ordering now.  You can view the products in my online store or you can download the pdf.

Local customers may pick up a copy of the Holiday Mini catalog at the Stamp Pad from 9am--noon on Saturday, August 4th.

If you would like me to send you a copy of the Holiday Catalog and you are not currently working with a Stampin' Up demonstrator, email me at melissa@thestampdoc.com and I'll make sure you get one!