Hey everyone! It's time!!! All of the new stamps, Die-namics, and INK are now available in the MFT Boutique! The design team is showcasing all of it tonight; so you'll want to get on over to the MFT blog, and start hopping!
I had lots of fun with my projects for tonight! I began with the sweet new PI Warm Wishes stamp set, and a 6x6 pad of Basic Grey's Little Black Dress patterned papers. As soon as I saw this little girl's coat, I knew it just had to be done in animal print. She is, after all, quite the fashionista!
Above is a shot of the whole gift set (okay, I did add one more thing at the bottom of this post), including the fun cosmetic bag that will go into the gift tote. I got that in the mail (maybe you got one too?), and decided to fill it up with pretty make-up for a certain young fashionista that I happen to know. ;-)
Here's the card:
Please excuse the rather terrible machine stitching on this card. You may have noticed that it's been a while since I've done any machine stitching on my projects. Well, my sewing machine & I have not exactly been on speaking terms. So, this past weekend I was determined to get to the bottom of the issue, and have a real "heart to heart" with the little stinker. Three straight hours and an entire spool of thread later, I was ready to toss her out the window. Instead, I chose a more rational approach... take a break, and come back with a fresh perspective. So, I did, and I actually got her to sew...but not well, as you can see. The tension is messed up still, and I have finally conceded to bring her into the repair shop. So... no more sewing for me...again. Gosh, last Christmas I was making curtains and chair cushions to beat the band. This year, she just has an ATTITUDE!
Anyway... I digress. I love the combination of tans, browns, and black on this. It is not a combo I reach for often; but I like it! The ribbon is Hot Fudge Grosgrain, and the tiny buttons on her jacket are copper nail heads. I added a few metallic brown Candi's to the bottom corner, and a couple of rows of black pearls to really dress it up. The Die-namics I used are the Fishtail Flags STAX, Fishtail Flags Layers STAX, and the lovely new Bracket Edge Duo.
I stamped the image on X-Press It Blending Card with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, paper-pieced her jacket, and colored her in with the following Copic markers:
*skin - E000/E00/E02/E11/R20
*hair - E37/E39/E19
*boots - E37/E39/E42/E49
*mittens - E35/E37
*hat - E33/E35/E50/E53/W3
*fur trim - E33/E50/E53/W3/W5
Here's a close-up view:
I colored the fur trim by lightly "dotting" the color on, rather than blending it. It gives the allusion of texture or, in this case, "fur" (faux, of course!). If you look closely at her boots, you'll notice they have a warm and fuzzy look as well. I did the same on her winter hat, with the addition of stripes to give it the look of a cabled knit. I also added a bit of shadow on her paper-pieced coat with my W3 Copic maker. I don't believe I've colored an image that was more FUN than this one! I just wanna make her again and again with a different paper-pieced coat each time. I think I'm missing my paper doll days!
Here's a shot of the inside:
I kept the inside as simple as it gets, just a bit of paper and a sweetly stamped sentiment.
Next up, I made a gift tote to match the card:
I began with a piece of 12x12 textured cardstock from the Kraft-core Nostalgia collection from Tim Holtz. I used my Scor-Pal to score it at 4-3/4" & 7-1/4". I then turned it a quarter turn, and scored it at 2-1/2" & 9-1/2". I cut the 4-3/4" & 7-1/4" lines from the outside edge up to the intersecting score line, to form flaps to help hold it together. The flaps were glued inside with Scor-Tape, and the back end flaps were glued inside the front end flaps, also with Scor-Tape. The black scalloped border along the top of the tote was made with the new Mini Double-Dot Border Die-namics and Black Licorice cardstock. I then wrapped some Hot Fudge Grosgrain Ribbon around the top edge, just below the scalloped border. The handles were also made with Hot Fudge Grosgrain Ribbon, which was adhered inside the tote with Scor-Tape.
The detail on the front of the tote was made with Black Licorice cardstock, Whip Cream cardstock, and Basic Grey's Little Black Dress patterned papers.
The Die-namics I used on the front of the tote are: Winter Rose, Royal Leaves, Sentimental Flourish, Fishtail Flags STAX, and Fishtail Flags Layers STAX. I stamped the sentiment from Lisa Johnson's fabulous new set, On the Line, with my Brilliance Graphite Black ink pad. I added a Black Licorice Button and a Hemp Cord bow to the center of the flower.
On to my final project in the ensemble:
As cute as the cosmetic bag is, I wanted to include a little gift card for the recipient's shopping pleasure! I made the little holder with a 4-1/4" x 7" piece of Natural cardstock. I scored it at 2-1/2" & 5". I used a bunch of Die-namics on this as well: Winter Rose, Royal Leaves, Mini Double-Dot Border, and Bracket Edge Duoc. The patterned papers are, once again, from Basic Grey's Little Black Dress collection. Layers of Black Licorice cardstock, a Black Licorice Button, and a bit of Hemp Cord dressses it up nicely. The flower embellishment is part of a belly band made from Hot Fudge Grosgrain Ribbon, which simply slides off to get into the holder.
When you open the first flap, you see a bit of patterned paper, a few stars, and a fun sentiment from On the Line, stamped in Brilliance Graphite Black ink.
The inside reveals the gift card holder, made from patterned paper and the fabulous new Horizontal Gift Card Pocket Die-namics. (The gift recipient will actually have a gift card in here. lol)
The sentiment is from the new Gift Card Greetings II set, another of Lisa Johnson's must-have sets this month! I stamped the tan animal print background with Lisa's Western Backgrounds set.
Just because I couldn't stop myself, I made another little project to add on to the gift.
It's a gift box that I made from a 12 x 6-1/2" sheet of patterned paper. I'm going to fill it with candy; but I need to find some black, white, and tan colored candy first! lol
I scored the 12" side of the patterned paper at 2-1/2", 4", 8", and 9-1/2". I then turned it a quarter turn and scored it at 1-1/2". I cut the flaps for the bottom and put the box together with Scor-Tape.
The window was made with the new Insert It InstaFrame Die-namics. I cut a hole out of the gift tote just a bit bigger than the InstaFrame Die-namics, and adhered a piece of acetate to it.
That awesome animal-print flower was made with the new Winter Rose Die-namic, which I just can't get enough of! The leaves were made with the Royal Leaves Die-namic and Natural cardstock. I added a bit of Hemp Cord and a Black Licorice Button to the center of the flower. I wrapped a strip of Black Licorice Grosgrain Ribbon around the top of the box, and gave the flap a fancy border with the new Bracket Edge Duo Die-namics.
The flap was attached to the box with Scor-Tape, and holds the box closed with a round black Velcro dot. I just pinched the sides of the box like a grocery bag.
The birthday sentiment is from the new On the Line stamp set, and was stamped with Brilliance Graphite Black ink.
...and THAT, my friends, is all she wrote! If you made it this far, you are amazing, and I thank you!
~Cindy
Supplies Used: