PaperFections

MFT Creative Challenge: Hop Into Action!

Is there any holiday that spotlights sweet and cuddly imagery more than Easter? Bunnies, chicks, and eggs in pretty pastels are the norm but I have a feeling the My Favorite Things design team will open your eyes to a variety of beautiful new Easter crafting ideas with this month’s Creative Challenge. Get a jump (or a hop?) start on Easter projects as we hop into action ... Easter-style! My first card combines this month's Spring Tulips stamp set from Lisa Johnson with the One Of My Favorite Peeps Pure Innocence stamp set (all bold products are linked below in the supply section): The girl was stamped with Chocolate Brown Hybrid Ink onto a Stitched Jumbo Fishtail Banner Primitive White panel and colored with these Copic markers (more details in the supply section below): The sentiment was stamped wonky (on purpose!) with these Hybrid Inks: Sour Apple, Grape Jelly, Blu Raspberry, and Razzle Berry. The colored panel was layered onto a Sno Cone Stitched Jumbo Fishtail Banner and popped up on Copic X-Press It Foam Tape. The Spring Tulips were stamped in Sweet Tooth and Sour Apple Pigment Inks along the bottom of the Natural card base: My next card... Read more →

Colorful Copic & Art Squares Blog Hop

Welcome to the Colorful Copic & Art Squares blog hop! You are in for a treat today, as Copic pairs up with the ever popular Art Squares by Inchie Arts. There are so many things to love about this pairing! Did you know: Art Squares are the perfect canvas for creating small-format art! They come in 6 sizes (1 inch, 1.5 inch, 2 inch, 3 inch, 4 inch, and ATC). Art Squares come in 7 colors (black, dark gray, light gray, kraft, dark cream, light cream and white). They are perfect for wet or dry mediums. Copic markers and inks look amazingly vibrant and deliciously rich on Art Squares! Copic multiliners glide smoothly across the surface. Work on the “top” or toothy side for the best results. You can mix and match your mediums! No warping, bending or curling. You can find more information about both Copic products and Inchie Art Squares at the links below: Copic Website All In An Inch - Inchie Arts Blog Our teaching and design teams have been challenged to put marker (or ink) to these precision-cut matboard surfaces and see what happens! (All bold products are linked below in the supply section). I used... Read more →

Organization for Your Creative Space: Coloring Mediums

A full complement of coloring mediums includes a wide assortment of container shapes, sizes, and storage requirements. Today the My Favorite Things design team is sharing the ways we manage the mayhem of our coloring mediums with this installment of the Organization Challenge! (All bold products are linked below in the supply section). "Coloring Mediums" for me usually means only one thing ... my Copic markers! :) All my markers and their accessories sit right in front of me on my desk top, within easy reach, in these Color Cubbie towers (which, unfortunately are not being manufactured any longer). If you are looking for a similar storage solution, I would highly recommend the Marker Nook by Stamp-N-Storage. They are the makers of my ink pad and refill storage units (as seen in last month's organizational week blog post here), and I highly recommend their quality sturdy handmade wood products! Whenever I may need any more storage, the Marker Nook is what I'll be purchasing! The markers are stored by color families within each "cubbie". I LOVE the ease of being able to just toss them back into one spot -- not necessarily having one small hole for each marker to... Read more →

Creative Construction with Blueprints - Frame It In February

I love My Favorite Things Blueprints Die-namics because they take the guesswork out of crafting beautiful cards in quick fashion when I'm short on time or inspiration. I also love them for their versatility and ability to be mixed and matched when I have the time and inspiration to create something truly unique. MFT's Creative Construction Challenge focuses on these attributes each month, challenging the design team to both assemble a card based on one of the provided Blueprints sketches (all of the Blueprint sketches are now conveniently located on the Printable Resources page of the MFT Blog!), as well as design an original card combining elements from the featured Blueprints. This month, we’re framing it in with Blueprints featuring framing elements of all shapes and sizes. The featured Blueprints this month are 2, 16, 17, & 19. My first card uses Blueprints 19 and one of its provided sketches, turned 90-degrees (all bold products are linked below in the supply section): The sweet Love You With All My Heart Pure Innocence girl was stamped with Black Licorice Hybrid ink onto Copic X-Press It Blending Card, then die cut with the scalloped rectangle frame from Blueprints 19. She was colored... Read more →

Watercolor Resist

Hello and happy Friday, everyone! Today over in Ellen Hutson's the CLASSroom I'm continuing my Beautiful Backgrounds series, with a watercolor resist technique. I hope you'll join me there for all the details! Read more →

MFT February Release Rewind

Happy Friday and welcome to My Favorite Things February Release Rewind! The design team hopes to inspire you with more ideas for those new February 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 Candy Jars Die-namics and coordinating Candy Jar Companions stamp set I just couldn't get enough of -- you can get SO many different looks with these sets! (All bold products are linked below in the supply section): This fun tall candy jar was die cut from Smooth White cardstock and stamped with the Candy Jar Companions candy sticks in Cotton Candy, Gumdrop Green, Lemon Drop and Red Hot Premium Dye inks. The jar was die cut again from silver metallic cardstock and Vellum, then pieced together with the vellum over the stamped candy. The cute candy label was also die cut from silver metallic cardstock and white heat embossed. The tab from Blueprints 22 is a perfect mat layer for the candy jar lid! The pretty sentiment was silver heat embossed onto a Cotton Candy circle (from Blueprints 22).... Read more →

MFT February 2015 New Product Launch!

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 Inside & Out Diagonal Stitched Square STAX. I adore anything stitched and these great new diagonal stitches make fantastic layers for stamp or die images and one die gives you two different looks from one cut! Here's a great example -- when cutting the squares out of cardstock, besides the diagonal sticthed center square you can use for a mat layer, the dies also cut diagonal stitches on the OUTside of the square cut line, like the window in my first card (all bold products are linked below in the supply section): On the inside of the card, I placed a Pink Lemonade Inside & Out Diagonal Stitched Square STAX die cut layer, on which to place the sweet Somebunny. She was stamped with Steel Grey Hybrid... Read more →

MFT February Release Day!

Tonight's the night ... the My Favorite Things February release products will be available on tonight, Tuesday, 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! My last countdown project before the big release tonight features these FUN Donuts Die-namics and coordinating Donuts and Sprinkles stamp set from Laina Lamb, along with the awesome Stitched Jumbo Fishtail Banner STAX and the new Harlequin Stencil (all bold products are linked below in the supply section): The Primitive White background panel was created with my Copic Airbrush System. I started by randomly spraying B00 and BG45, then filling in with YR31. Next, I lifted the Harlequin Stencil and shifted it OVER the areas I just airbrushed, exposing the areas that had not been previously airbrushed ... then I airbrushed those spaces with just the YR31: The Harlequin background was die cut with the large stitched panel from Blueprints 15 and adhered to the beautiful brand new Summer Splash cardstock base. More Summer Splash cardstock was cut with the gorgeous new Stitched Jumbo Fishtail... Read more →

My Favorite Things February Release Countdown-2

Just two days left 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! Today features some awesome new stamps and Die-namics for candy lovers ... or for any sweet person on your cardmaking or gift-giving list! (All bold products are linked below in the supply section): Squeeeaaalll . . . How adorable are these peeps?!!! I knew I had to use them on cards for my girls the minute I saw them, as they LOVE Easter bunny peeps! This sweet little bunny is included in the Candy Jars Die-namics set. I die cut it from Cotton Candy, Blu Raspberry, and Wild Wisteria cardstock, then adhered them inside their Banana Split peep box die cut with the fabulous new Stitched Rectangle Frames. To create the popped-up sentiment piece, I silver heat embossed the pretty sentiment from the Candy Jar Companions stamp set onto Sno Cone cardstock die cut with the awesome new Free... Read more →

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 →