Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts New Catty Mega Blog Hop!!

Hi there!  I'm SO glad you are here!  If you are starting with my blog, I invite you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the things I've created for the blog hop.  After looking over what I've created, you'll find a link at the bottom of this post to take you to the next stop on our tour through the new Idea Book and Catalog, where Dawnmarie will share with you what she's created using Cottage Garden.  If you arrived here from following the link from Debra's blog, welcome!  Weren't her ideas for using Ornate Blossom great?  I'm featuring Friends Never Fade which has a smaller version of that blossom in the set.  All of my projects also use my favorite designer series paper from the new catty, Greenhouse Gala.

My first project is a simple box that you could use to wrap up a small gift or treat in.  I used Chocolate Chip card stock for the base of the box, and some Greenhouse Gala DSP for the lid.  The belly band is one of our new In Colors, Pear Pizzazz, along with some coordinating Greenhouse Gala DSP.  I stamped the flower image in Daffodil Delight, using two flowers to get a three dimensional look to it by cutting part of the petals off from the top flower and then curling them upwards.  The flower center was made by stamping the flower image in Chocolate Chip, then trimming out the center and adhering it onto the Daffodil flower.  I used the Sizzlets die Scribble Swirls to accent the flower.  Wouldn't this be a nice way to present a small gift to someone?

My second project is a simple card.  I used Pumpkin Pie card stock for the card base and more Greenhouse Gala DSP to go along with the flower image.  I colored the flower image with Pumpkin Pie and Pear Pizzazz markers, 'huffed' to remoisten the ink, then stamped onto Whisper White.  Those are Pumpkin Pie brads next to the flower.  The sentiment stamp comes from a set that's been around for quite a while, Short and Sweet, and is stamped in Chocolate Chip ink over the small ornate blossom image, which was stamped using Pear Pizzazz.  Those who know me well know that I can't just leave the scallop circle as is - I either use a gel pen on it as I did here, or sometimes I'll use my paper piercer or my 1/16 inch hand punch to make small holes where the white dots are.

Next up is actually the first thing I created for this blog hop, a card that I'm really proud of.  Like many stampers, I find inspiration for card making by looking at the work of others.  This time around, I was inspired by a card designed by Silke Ludlow (I'll add a link to her card after the hop).  I used her card design as a start, then added the colors and images I wanted to use.  My favorite color combination right now is Pear Pizzazz, Marina Mist, and Chocolate Chip, so that's what I used for my card.  The card base is Marina Mist, which I covered in Marina Mist ink using the Baroque Border wheel.  I stamped the flower image with Marina Mist, and then again two more times without restamping.  I then cut out the three flowers for the focus of my card and popped two of them up with dimensionals.  I used my Circle Scissors to make the circles that the flowers are mounted on - I've had it for a long time, but this was the first time I used it, which turned out to be very easy (when I need circles, I typically grab the circle/oval cutting system by a certain scrapbooking company that my DH bought me for Christmas a long way back, but I wanted to use only Stampin' Up! tools on this).  One technique that adds to the look of a card and that I often overlook is scoring.  I scored two lines on all sides of the Whisper White piece and put a silver brad where the lines overlapped.  Scoring just gives a sense of elegance to a card for me.  Not a card you'd probably want to mass produce, but I really do like it.

My last project is a remake of a 6 x 6 scrapbook layout I made earlier this summer.  The original started out with a PageMaps sketch (another place I visit when I need scrapbooking inspiration).  As I moved card stock and designer paper around, it evolved to my own creation.  This time around, I decided to step it up to 8 x 8 as Stampin' Up! is going to be offering two 8 x 8 albums with the new Holiday Mini catalog.  Our youngest recently graduated from sixth grade at our church's elementary school.  She's been there since she started preschool when she was three, and her class has been a close-knit group.  It was really tough saying goodbye, as they'll be going to different middle schools next year, so I wanted to create a special layout for her to remember two of her special friends.  I shared it with her when I was finished, and I got a HUGE hug from her.  It's the first time I've scrapped using the 8 x 8 size, and I think I'm really going to like that size.  I started with Marina Mist card stock, stamping the top half of each piece with the flower image from Friends Never Fade (also in Marina Mist).  I added the layers of Greenhouse Gala DSP and added a strip of Marina Mist card stock to do some faux stitching using my paper piercer and a white gel pen.  I then added the thin strip of Chocolate Chip card stock down the middle of the 'stitching'.  I love Chocolate Chip ribbon with this color scheme, so I added some wide stitched CC ribbon, which I just realized is now retired (sigh).  I stamped the 'Friends are Flowers That Never Fade' sentiment in Chocolate Chip ink, but instead of leaving the image as is, with a white flower at the top, I took the individual flower image from Friends Never Fade, stamped it in Marina Mist ink, cut it out and adhered it over the white flower.  The center is again added from the same flower stamped in Chocolate Chip and then trimmed for just the center piece.  The Happy Grad individual stamp from the Summer Mini catalog was a perfect sentiment for my page.  The only thing left to add is the school name, graduation date, and names of the girls in the pictures, but I'll do that after the blog hop.

To celebrate the arrival of the new catalog, I'm offering some blog candy.  To enter the drawing, simply leave me a comment on this post, telling me which project you liked the best.  I'll have random.org pick a winner for me on Monday, August 2.  The winner can choose one of the many single stamps SU! sells (from the Summer Mini or Idea Book and Catalog), valued at $9.95 or less, as their prize!

Thank you for looking over my stop on the New Catty blog hop.  It's time to head over to Dawnmarie's blog where I bet she's made some lovely things with Cottage Garden!