PaperFections

I Heart You

Welcome back to the My Favorite Things February release countdown ... All the new products will be available on Tuesday night, February 3. Be sure to head over to the MFT Blog to see today’s full product reveals AND enter for your chance to win a $75 gift voucher on each of the 5 countdown day blog posts there! Today features the fabulous new Ride the Wave Die-namics and coordinating Wavy Greetings stamp set: I die cut almost all of MFT's pretty pink hues of cardstock with the waves, then pieced them together onto a gorgeous new Pure Plum card base. The wavy I Heart You greeting was gold heat embossed and the row of hearts stamped with Versamark. Finally, three hearts from last month's All My Love Die-namics were die cut from gold metallic cardstock and added with Copic X-Press It Foam Tape. All the new products will be available for purchase on February 3 at 10pm Eastern in the MFT Boutique. During this countdown you can enter to win some HUGE prizes over on the MFT blog . . . where you will also find links to the other design team members who are sharing samples using today’s... Read more →

You Make My Heart Beat

Welcome back to the My Favorite Things February release countdown ... All the new products will be available on Tuesday night, February 3. Be sure to head over to the MFT Blog to see today’s full product reveals AND enter for your chance to win a $75 gift voucher on each of the 5 countdown day blog posts there! Today features a fantastic new MP3 Player Die-namics and coordinating Keep on Rockin' stamp set that I know will make my teenagers very happy! The MP3 Player and ear buds were die cut from Smooth White cardstock, then again from Grout Gray and pieced together. The heart from the Keep on Rockin' stamp set was stamped on the screen in Ripe Raspberry Premium Dye ink. Coordinating Ripe Raspberry dial for the MP3 Player and ear buds were pieced over the white. The Limelight panel was die cut with the very cool new Inside and Out Diagonal Stitched Rectangle STAX, then stamped with the fun Keep on Rockin' heartbeat sentiment and white heat embossed. More hearts were stamped with Versamark on the background. All the new products will be available for purchase on February 3 at 10pm Eastern in the MFT Boutique.... Read more →

Watercolored Tulips

Happy Friday and welcome to the first day of the My Favorite Things February release countdown ... All the new products will be available on Tuesday night, February 3. Be sure to head over to the MFT Blog to see today’s full product reveals AND enter for your chance to win a $75 gift voucher on each of the 5 countdown day blog posts there! I was in a watercoloring mood for this card, which uses Lisa Johnson's pretty new Spring Tulips stamp set, coordinating Spring Tulips Die-namics, and the fantastic new Blueprints 22 (all bold products are linked below in the supply section): I stamped the tulips onto watercolor paper (die cut with the pretty stitched and curved panel from Blueprints 22) with Versamark, then heat embossed them with white powder. Next, I used Premium Dye Ink Refills (colors listed below) and a water reservoir brush to watercolor the scene: The pair of tulips on the right were stamped and die cut from another piece of watercolor paper and after coloring, popped up just a little with rolled glue dots, to give a little more interest to the flat panel. A piece of Sour Apple cardstock was cut with... Read more →

Love & Adore You!

Happy Hump Day, everyone! I can't believe the month is almost over, too -- can you? Before you know it, the Day of Love will be here and I needed another Valentine card, so My Favorite Things' Wednesday Sketch Challenge made this one quick and easy to create: You can play along with this week's challenge, too, for the possibility of winning a fantastic prize! You can find all the details of the challenge here. I couldn't resist coloring up this sweet Pure Innocence Heart Banner girl again. She was stamped with MFT's Copic-friendly Black Licorice Hybrid Ink onto Copic's X-Press It Blending Card and colored with these Copic Sketch markers: She was then die cut with an Oval STAX 1 Die-namics and layered onto a rectangle (from Blueprints 8) die cut Steel Grey mat. She was then popped up on Copic X-Press It Foam Tape onto a layer of Primitive White cardstock stamped with the Typewriter Text Background in Steel Grey Premium Dye Ink. The scalloped trim (from Blueprints 8) was die cut from a scrap piece of Primitive White cardstock stamped in Delicata Gold metallic ink and the Snowfall Background. To make it coordinate with the greys in... Read more →

MFT January Creative Challenge: Hearts!

Card makers are a pretty sentimental bunch overall and that is a great thing. We spend our time showing family and friends (and sometimes strangers!) that we care deeply for them. This month, the My Favorite Things design team embraces this season of love full-force by creating projects that feature love in the most literally way: with lots of hearts! Any color, any material – hearts will stand strong as a dominant design element that simply can’t be missed. I have three cards for you today! The first two are similar because I couldn't make up my mind which color scheme I liked better, so you'll have to let me know which is your favorite! (All bold products are linked below in the supply section) #1 - Gold: For this gold option, I used metallic gold cardstock for the card base, then a Blueprints 20 scalloped Pink Lemonade layer. The Ripe Raspberry panel was Die cut with the Heart Puzzle in the top center, then a Straight to my Heart arrow in the lower right. Next, I stamped the panel with the All My Love stamp set, in Versamark ink and popped it up with Copic Foam Tape. Another heart... Read more →

Bird Friends

Today I have a project over in Ellen Hutson's the CLASSroom which features making interesting background textures for your die cuts. I hope you'll join me there to find out all the details! Read more →

5 Days to an Organized Crafty Stash: Ink

Are you ready for our final day in this week-long series to a better organized crafty stash?!! You can’t stamp without a collection of ink pads, but having a full spectrum of color options translates into storage issues ... today the My Favorite Things Design Team has ideas for you though! Keep clicking to see how the MFT team manages their stockpile of this stamping essential. The ink pad and refill storage system I lovingly refer to as The Wall 'O Ink (LOL!) I'm finally happy with (it's been an on-going struggle!) are the solid wood Distress Combo Holders from Stamp-N-Storage. They also have cubby holes to hold refill/reinker bottles and smaller cubby holes for coordinating markers. They come unpainted, so you can stain or paint them (or not!) as you'd like. I spray painted mine white. These are four of the 48-pad holders, stacked 2x2 and are sitting on a pair of teal (accent color for my studio) box shelves (found at Hobby Lobby). I wanted the ink pads to sit up off my desk, so the desk area in front of the ink pads could still be fully utilized. This area usually contains my stamp scrubber/cleaner and the... Read more →

5 Days to an Organized Crafty Stash: Cardstock

From beautiful, brand new sheets, to pre-cut card bases, to the tiniest of scraps, a rainbow of card stock is a happy visual reminder of our love for all things paper. Today's My Favorite Things Design Team organizational challenge is Cardstock! I store my most-used cardstock within easy reach of my desk (on top of the desk hutch which is behind my stamping area), in white IKEA Kassett Magazine Files, by color families. These come in a 2-pack, are very affordable, and come in a variety of colors to match your space. Cardstock Color Family Categories: Pink-Red, Orange-Yellow, Green, BG(Blue Green)-Blue-Violet, Ivory/Cream, White, Neutrals Another great storage solution from Jennifer McGuire, I use these Job Ticket Holders to hold my cardstock. They easily hold an entire pack of 25 sheets of heavyweight cardstock and are nice and sturdy, to keep it protected. They make it very easy to pull the sheets out (and put them back), and it's easy to see how much you have left. Usually anything 1/4 of a sheet or larger goes back into these pockets. They also contain some pre-cut and scored card bases. Here again, I use my trusty Label Maker to label the holders... Read more →

5 Days to an Organized Crafty Stash: Dies

Managing your collection of Die-namics can be daunting if you don’t have a system in place -- especially when the sets include multiple, often small, pieces. Today the My Favorite Things Design team is sharing their solutions for keeping their Die-namics collection in check! The storage bin I used for my dies is the same one I used for my clear stamps (<=Link to Stamp Storage post), the InterDesign Double Fridge Binz: The dividers I use here are the same kind I use for my stamp and stencil bins. They are white plastic and came from another type of stamp storage system I purchased several years ago. Unfortunately, they are no longer being made and I haven't been able to find them even on the secondary market or close-out stores. :( Alternately, you could cut down plastic report covers/pocket folders from any office supply store -- that's what I plan on doing when I need more! These are my Die Categories: 3D, Alphas-Numbers-Words, Animals, Backgrounds-Cover Plates, Banners, Blueprints, Borders-Edges, Centerpieces & Transformables, Circles, Doilies, Flowers, Frames-Labels, Holidays-Seasons, Laina Lamb, Nature-Fruit, Ovals, Rectangles, Squares, Shapes-Other, STAX-Tags-Flags I use the same Large and Small Storage Pockets from My Favorite Things that I... Read more →

5 Days to an Organized Crafty Stash: Stencils

Thin, versatile, durable -- Stencils are all of that and more! If you haven’t amassed a collection of stencils yet, we’re confident that once you give them a try, you’ll become quickly addicted! Whether you use them as a mask for applying color or a texture medium, or run them through your die-cutting machine to add subtle texture (using the Embossing Pad Combo), you’ll never run out of creative uses for these supply staples. Today the My Favorite Thngs Design Team is sharing their storage solutions for stencils! I've changed my storage solution for stencils slightly since the MFT team shared their solutions back in September. You can find that original post HERE. When available, I still use the original retail packaging and just slice the top hanger portion off, as seen on the left in the photo below. This just makes the stencil quicker and easier to access -- I'm all about things being quick and easy to be put back in their place! Stencils for which I do not have the retail packaging, I've started using 6x6 scrapbook page protectors. Considered a top-loading protector, turn the protector so the opening is on the right or left (your preference)... Read more →

5 Days to an Organized Crafty Stash: Stamps

This week the My Favorite Things Design Team will be focusing on getting different areas of your crafty stash organized! I'm looking forward to seeing all the different suggestions from the team this week as we focus on a different area each day, and we hope these solutions will inspire you to get organized as well. You know we couldn't have all this fun without there being something in it for YOU! There will be a different prize package offered each day -- just check the MFT Blog for all details on what you need to do in order to be eligible to win that day's prize package! You'll also find a list of all the designers participating in today's hop HERE on the MFT Blog. Today's area of organization is near and dear to every stamper's heart: Stamps! Knowing what you have goes a long way in allowing you to maximize your limited crafting time. Do you know what you have and where they are though? Today, the Design Team will share their systems with you! My clear stamp sets are stored in an InterDesign Double Fridge Binz clear plastic container (measures approximately 12" wide x 15" deep x... Read more →

Copic Vintage Background

Today over in Ellen Hutson's the CLASSroom I'm sharing this vintage background technique achieved with Copic markers . . . I hope you'll join me there, to find out how! Read more →

MFT January 2015 Release Rewind

Hello and welcome to My Favorite Things January Release Rewind! The design team hopes to inspire you with more ideas for those new January products you've purchased and are patiently awaiting to be delivered, or to help you finish up your shopping if you are still on the fence about anything! :) My first project today uses the awesome new Tag Builder Blueprints 3 to make four sweet Valentines! (All bold products are linked below in the supply section): I began by stamping the beautiful new Damask Background with Sweet Tooth Pigment ink onto the new Cherry Crisp and Black Licorice cardstock with the new Sweet Tooth Pigment ink, then die cut the damask cardstock with the large scalloped and rounded rectangle dies. Next, I cut four more scalloped and rounded rectangle bases out of Smooth White cardstock. Next, The white pieces were adhered behind the Damask pieces, to serve as a base to adhere the other colors of die cuts back into. This die cutting technique is called Inlaid Die Cutting and you can find a full tutorial for it that I did many moons (7 years!) ago, here. I LOVE all the possibilities this new Tag Builders set... Read more →

Season's Givings Blog Hop 3 Winners!

Many thanks to all of you who entered my Season's Givings Blog Hop 3 Giveaway of Gina K Designs ink pads -- I loved reading what all of you were thankful for last year! The lucky winners, chosen by Random.org, are: Who is: 29 - Celeste Goff said... Happy New Year! Great recap of the year's wonderful projects! I am most thankful for my wonderful family and friends! And #2: Who is: 148 - Maria Johnson said... I am thankful for my wonderful, supportive husband! He supports me in everything I want to do or try. I'm also thankful for my wonderful dogs that love me unconditionally. I love your cards, especially the birthday wishes card. Oh and that giveaway! That would be my DREAM prize! I LOVE Gina K and would love those stamp pads. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw that prize! Congratulations, ladies! I've emailed you both at the addresses you provided ... please let me know if you do not find that email (contact me via the envelope icon/email link under my photo above). BLOG UPDATE: It appears Bloglovin' finally got my feed repaired and new posts are showing up there again.... Read more →

MFT January 2015 New Product Launch!

The time has come . . . Welcome to the January New Product Launch from My Favorite Things! This is the design team's chance to highlight and share more of the new release products that are NOW AVAILABLE for purchase at the MFT Store! Be sure to leave a comment here on my blog post, to be entered for your chance at winning a $100 gift voucher (see last paragraph below for details)! Tonight I'm focusing on MFT's fun new Heart Puzzle Die-namics and Friend Die-namics (all bold products are linked below in the supply section)! My first project is a 5-inch square card using the Friend Die-namics. The pretty background is the gorgeous Damask Background stamped with Tropical Teal Pigment ink onto Blu Raspberry cardstock, then die cut with the stitched square from Blueprints 14: The Friend Die-namics was cut from Tropical Teal cardstock, then the row of dots from BP14 cut into the top and the scalloped piece (BP14) added to the bottom. The friend piece is popped up on Copic X-Press It Foam Tape and topped with a strip of silver glitter paper. The flower (also from BP14) was cut from Berrylicious carstock and accented with a... Read more →