MFT Guest Designer Challenge....Questions

I've had several people post questions regarding 'how' to become a Guest Designer at My Favorite Things...... Here's some information that I hope you will find helpful. Also, if you'd like to read it directly from the MFT Forum at Splitcoaststampers, here's the link:
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=164
(Sorry, I haven't learned (yet) how to 'write-in' a link with the company name and stuff... Someday...someday.)

My Favorite Things holds a 'Release Party' at the first part of each month. During the party, a challenge is posted by one of the designers on the MFT Design Team. The challenge will be different each month and this month's challenge was to 'Think Outside the Box'. The challenge was to create a project that IS NOT a square or a rectangle, to make any other shape out there…. circles, triangles, octagons, hexagons, just not a square or rectangle.
Everyone is encouraged to play along and the challenge is left open for 24 hours to give everyone time to upload. (We all know that not everybody can attend the party, and that's why the challenge is open for one day.) Though you are encouraged to use MFT stamps when you enter, it is NOT required!! A cut-off time is posted, and a winner is chosen. The entries have been outstanding, so it's been VERY tough for the ladies on the DT to narrow it down!
The Guest Designer receives the new stamp releases for the following month (before they're available to the public) and their creations are uploaded and featured right along with the MFT Design Team's stuff during the next month's 'Sneak Peek's' and Release Party.
We would love to have you play along with us----be sure to join us in February!
I'll be back later this morning with a couple of things to show you. Have a great morning everybody!

Another Sneak Peek......Be Mine Treats & Mailbox

This set, 'Be Mine', is a new mini-set that will be available tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 9th, from My Favorite Things. Playing with the 'conversation heart' stamps made me feel like a kid again----when it was SO cool to get these little heart candies from the boy you thought was cute (at the time). I used my very, very favorite SU DP- the 'Loves Me' DP that was available last year. I've found some here and there, but I sure wish I would have stocked up! The colors in this DP make me think of chocolate and candy....nothing beats that! I joined in on the Target mailbox craze...they're a lot of fun to decorate. I've been looking through my favorites gallery, at some of the first cards that I'd favorited, and found several that had lollipops as the main focus and thought I'd try one too. I used some clear plastic from packets of DP that I've purchased---just cut it to fit, then tied it on with ribbon. Looking at these is making me crave sweets!

Don't forget.....My Favorite Things will be hosting a New Release Cocktail Party on Wednesday night (January 9th) from 9-11 pm EASTERN time. There will be sneak peeks, lots of fun and a chance to become MFT’s next Guest Designer. Head over to the MFT forum on Splitcoaststampers for more details! We hope you join us!

Stamps: Be Mine-My Favorite Things.
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Cool Caribbean, Tempting Turquoise, GP white CS.
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Cool Caribbean, Tempting Turquoise.
Accessories: Ticket corner punch, brads, ribbon, plastic package wrap, dimensionals, sponge daubers, mailbox, red-line sticky tape.

My Favorite Things New Release----'Punny Farm'

This card uses images from 'Punny Farm',a new release from My Favorite Things that will be available on Wed. Jan 9th. There are a TON of adorable images and sentiments in this set (23!)--a horse, cow, pig, sheep, chickens, baby chicks, cat, mouse....plus a bunch of sentiments too! A LOT of fun to play with!I had this farm-scene tag-card in my mind as soon as I saw the set. I wanted to portray (somewhat) a day in the life of our adorable little farm girl....doing her chores and taking care of her lovable animals. Each of the animals are cut out and popped up on dimensionals, and the heads are trimmed and popped up on a second layer of dimensionals to give the scenes some depth. The fences are made from some leathery-textured paper found at Michael's-I just trimmed thin strips and arranged them to look like a fence you'd find in an animal pen on the farm. I used some scraps of burlap and denim from DH's old jeans to add to the 'farm' theme. All of the trees and grass were created using greenery and branch stamps from another MFT set, It's a Jungle Out There. Our little farm girl's work boots were given a little bit of sparkle with a clear Spica glitter pen (gotta have some bling while doing all of those chores!) Thanks for looking----I hope you like it! Have a great day! (Please see the individual photos for a closer look at each panel.) Last month's MFT release party was a riot--so, DON'T FORGET......My Favorite Things will be hosting a New Release Cocktail Party on Wednesday night (January 9th) from 9-11 pm EASTERN time. There will be sneak peeks, lots of fun and a chance to become MFT’s next Guest Designer. Head over to the MFT forum on Splitcoaststampers for more details!

Stamps: Punny Farm & It's a Jungle Out There-My Favorite Things.
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Naturals Ivory.
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Ruby Red, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Bashful Blue.
Accessories: Copic markers, clear Spica glitter pen, ticket corner punch, brads, ribbon, eyelets & Crop-a-dile, HPH, brass hinges, Prima flowers, burlap & denim scraps, dimensionals, sponge daubers.

Sweet Celebrations with Hanna

Sweet Celebrations is a new release from Hanna Stamps---available today! It was refreshing to use the bright colors associated with Valentine's Day after working on Christmas cards for so long. My favorite little stamp in this set is the 'kissy lips'. SO much fun to use, and it makes a cute background as well as main image.
Hanna sports an adorable, shorter hairstyle in this set---giving you the option of changing Hanna's look when you use this image with stamps in the rest of your Hanna Stamps sets.
I added clear glaze pen to the 'kissy lips' images, her red purse, the box of chocolates, and her pink lipstick. It adds just a touch of dimension for a bit more interest. A Clear Spica pen was used to add shimmer to her dress, shoes, and the small pink hearts surrounding Hanna in the main image. Lots of shine and shimmer on this card! It was nice to have you stop by today! Be sure to say 'Hi'! Have a great day everybody!

Stamps: Sweet Celebrations-Hanna Stamps.
Paper: Pixie Pink, Rose Red, GP white CS, KI Memories DP.
Ink: Pixie Pink, Rose Red, Versafine Onyx Black.
Accessories: Copic markers, ticket corner punch, scalloped circle punch (SU), various circle punches (SU), brads, clear glaze pen, clear Spica pen, ribbon (Michael's), sponge daubers, dimensionals.

Hanna Stamps "Sweet Celebration" (New Release)

This set is made with a new-release from Hanna Stamps, called 'Sweet Celebrations'. It has a TON of adorable images...including Hanna with an adorable new hairstyle, and my favorite stamp in the set--these 'kissy lips'. Boy, are there a lot of fun ways to use this little stamp! I added some shine & dimension to the lips by covering them with a clear glaze pen. Sorta looks like shiny pink lipgloss now!

I used a nugget tin available from Papertrey Ink. These really make neat little gifts.....and who can resist chocolate? (Especially when it's decorated with adorable images!) Now, if I can just keep my kids out of my chocolate stash, I'd be in good shape. I seem to be finding empty wrappers everywhere!

I'll be back later today with another creation made with this new release from Hanna Stamps. Thanks for stopping by---I'm glad to have you here!

Stamps: Sweet Celebrations & Things Hanna Would Say--by Hanna Stamps, Papertrey Holiday Treats.
Paper: Green Galore, Pixie Pink, GP white CS, Daisy D's DP.
Ink: Green Galore, Pixie Pink, White Craft, Versafine Onyx Black.
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Dies & Swirls embossing folder, ticket corner punch, brads, Stickles, Ribbon (Michaels, Wal-Mart), dimensionals, sponge daubers, Papertrey nugget tin, Hershey Nuggets, address labels (generic-Wal-Mart).

Fabulous Sage Cocoa & Hanna Stamps Sneak Peek Update

I've had this Cosmo Cricket 'Gretel' paper for a while now, and haven't used it as much as I'd like. I stamped the large flower from Fabulous Flowers (SU) in Craft White ink, then embossed over it in a mixture of clear embossing powder & Dazzling Diamonds. I love the sparkle this flower has---yet it still looks aged a bit, due to sponging the edges of each of the flower's layers with Cocoa ink. I used several different colors and patterns of ribbon for this Ribbon Blossom--the light 'sage'-blue ribbon is Martha Stewart, and the others are from Michael's, Wal-Mart and Hobby Lobby. I'm not too picky about brands, or buying from specific stores---if I find ribbon for a good price, or on sale, and like what I see, I stock up! When I first started stamping, I was lucky enough to find a store that had most of their ribbon on clearance for 10-cents a roll. I think I bought every roll they had!

Hanna Stamps Release:

I'll have something new to show you later today, or early tomorrow, using the newest releases from Hanna Stamps. Cute, cute images to work with---perfect for Valentine's Day creations and many more occasions as well.

Ribbon Blossom Update--Questions:

Some of you have asked questions in your posts for the Ribbon Blossom Tutorial. I'll try to answer them in a separate post later today or early tomorrow. If any of you have more questions or haven't added your question yet, please add your post here or under Ribbon Blossom Tutorial and I'll try to answer them. Thanks!!

Card Ingredients:
Stamps: Fabulous Flowers, Weathered, Warm Words.
Paper: Cosmo Cricket-Gretel DP, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow, Naturals Ivory.
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Sage Shadow, Craft White.
Accessories: Clear embossing powder, Dazzling Diamonds, heat tool, ticket corner punch, brads, HPH, ribbon, dimensionals, sponge daubers.

Something New to Look At.........Finally!

Ribbon Tutorial: FYI---Since I'm not coordinated enough to hold ribbon with both hands, while holding the camera under my chin trying to take a photo, I'll have to recruit my DH to help with the rest of the tutorial. I'll finish it up this weekend, and get it uploaded here on Monday. I'd also like to ask you all to help me come up with a 'cute' name for the 'poof'. I'm just not good at that kind of stuff. I've been inspired by so many people's creations and ideas, that I'd like to contribute something too. Now, I just need a good name to associate with this 'poof'!
Thanks!!
This is going to be a long post....four cards to show you today! I got a little behind on things during the Christmas rush...but things seem to be settling down a bit more now. The good part is, I've still got two more Christmas gatherings to go to yet! More time with family and more goodies---that's a double-bonus!!
I really love the bright, cheery colors in this designer paper. It was just what I needed when I'd hit burnout with Christmas creations! The flowers on the main image panel are double-layered with dimensionals to give it some depth. My ribbon 'poof' got a bit out of hand....I worked on it while I was watching a movie, and it grew to epic proportions! Oh well, good way to use up scraps!

Stamps: Priceless, True Friend.
Paper: Cutie Pie DP, Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Purely Pomegranate, GP white CS (Wal-Mart).
Ink: Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Purely Pomegranate.
Accessories: Ticket corner punch, brads, ribbon, dimensionals, sponge daubers.





Vintage Violet is one of my all-time favorite colors from SU. I love pairing it with Old Olive and Certainly Celery---the colors together are just gorgeous, to me, at least! The main flower is made up of 4 layers, each separated with dimensionals to give it some depth. I also embossed each layer with clear embossing powder, which seems to make the color 'pop' even more.


Stamps: Fabulous Flowers, Tres Chic.
Paper: Vintage Violet, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, GP white CS (Wal-Mart), Chatterbox DP.
Ink: Vintage Violet, Certainly Celery, Old Olive.
Accessories: Ticket corner punch, brads, clear embossing powder & heat tool, ribbon (SU and May Arts), dimensionals, sponge daubers.

I finally ordered some of the Pomegranate satin ribbon---I love the look of this ribbon, but boy, is it hard to cut!! I used the sharpest scissors I have and the edges STILL kept looking frayed! I finally got it to look right, but boy, was I tearing my hair out for a while. I guess, as they say, beauty has its pains, huh? I embossed the 4 layers of this flower (each layer also separated by dimensionals) with clear embossing powder mixed with Dazzling Diamonds glitter-SO pretty & sparkly in real-life! I love all the shine and shimmer this card has.


Stamps: Fabulous Flowers, Priceless, Carte Postale.
Paper: Purely Pomegranate, River Rock DSP, GP white CS (Wal-Mart).
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, River Rock.
Accessories: Ticket corner punch, brads, ribbon (SU), gold cord (SU), dimensionals, clear EP & Dazzling Diamonds mixture, heat tool, sponge daubers.

Finally, this card was made using the Ginger Blossom DP by SU. When I first saw the colors in this DP, I did NOT like them---at all!! Then, after seeing several gorgeous creations on SCS, it started to 'grow' on me, and I ordered some. It is really, really pretty up-close. The large flowers on the main panel are made up of two layers, each separated by dimensionals. I also used the Poison Ivory shimmery cardstock. It's a nice, heavy weight, and really pretty in person.



Stamps: Embrace Life, Papertrey.
Paper: Poison Ivory, River Rock, Cameo Coral, Purely Pomegranate, Ginger Blossom DP.
Ink: Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, River Rock, Close to Cocoa.
Accessories: HPH, Ticket corner punch, brads, ribbon (SU, Michael's), aquapainter, dimensionals.