Especially For You–i {heart} papers Design Team Challenge!

Happy Tax Day, Friends!!

Today, I get the pleasure of participating in the i {heart} papers Design Team Challenge because I’m guest designing for Kate this month.  And let me tell you, I’m so excited to get to play along!!

This month’s challenge is to use felt in your project – doesn’t have to be a card, it can be anything at all.  I actually created a “hybrid” project in that it’s a card, with an embellishment that can also be used as a pin.  When Kate invited me to be a guest designer for her, I had just placed an order for some of the THE most yummolicious 100% wool felt that I have ever laid eyes on.  No, seriously, this stuff is AH-MAZING!!  It comes in a ga-jillion different colors, and it cuts on my Cuttlebug like BUTTAH!!  Have you ever tried to use the cheap felt that you get at the craft stores?  That stuff SUCKS!  Many of the fibers don’t cut all the way through, and you end up distorting the shape of whatever you’re cutting.  Kate’s felt is uber high quality, and cuts like a dream in a die cut machine.

So back to my card/project.  Since Mother’s Day is coming up, I decided to create a little gift for my mom.  I used the smallest of the Nested Flowers to cut out five blooms from the Lemon Felt.  I also die cut a circle for the base of the flower.  I folded each of the flowers in half and then in half again, then trimmed the point off with my scissors.  I applied a bit of hot glue, and adhered each bloom to the circle, filling in the blooms until the circle was full.  I then die cut two leaves from the Slate Felt, and applied them to the back of the flower with hot glue.  I happened to have some extra pin backs (that also have an alligator clip on them, too) from some felt flower pins that I made for the girls in the Paper Smooches CHA booth (I think they’re made by Imaginisce, but I can’t swear to that).  I adhered the completed flower to the center of the pin back with more hot glue, and voila – you’ve got yourself a pretty little pin for Mom!!

The card was created using some gorgeous designer paper from Teresa Collins called Everyday Moments (the yellow quatrefoil paper).   The gray polka dot designer paper is from one of the super versatile Echo Park paper pads called Dots & Stripes Soda Fountain Collection.  The sentiment is from the Yummers stamp set by Paper Smooches, and is stamped in Paris Dusk ink from Memento.

i {heart} papers PRODUCTS USED:

STAMPS:  Yummers (Paper Smooches)
INK:  Paris Dusk (Memento)
PAPER:  Everyday Moments (Teresa Collins), Dots & Stripes Soda Fountain Collection (Echo Park)
ACCESSORIES:  Lemon and Slate 100% Wool Felt, Nested Flowers (Spellbinders)

Be sure and visit the blogs of the other i {heart} papers design team members (links listed below), and let their creativity inspire you to create a project utilizing that yummy 100% wool felt.  Here are the links to the other DT blogs:

• Deb
• Carolyn
• Gretchen
• Loretta
• Lori
• Lynn
• Tracy
• Kate

That’s it for me today, kids!  I’ll be cropping all day today to try and get caught up on some DT stuff.  I hope that you have some amazing crafty plans for the day.  Thanks so much for stopping by today – I love it when you do!

P.S.  I’ll also be using this as my first project for the Online Die Cutting Class that I’m taking.  I think there’s still time to sign up if you’re interested – it’s supposed to be jam packed with information on how to use your die cutting machines and dies (including the Silhouette machines!).  I’m so excited!!