Artisan Award Design Team Submission

Hello!

Welcome to my first blog as Creative Flare Cards.   Previously I'd been using the domain name www.happystamperkris.blogspot.com,  and that was working for where I was at the time.  Now that I'm branching out more it's time to consolidate all the web entities under a similar name.  

My website is 

www.creativeflare.stampinup.net; 

facebook is 

www.facebook.com/CreativeFlareCards; 

email is 

creativeflarecards@gmail.com.

I've got a theme, and I'm sticking with it ;)

So here's one of the things been on the work table in May:   My submissions for Stampin' Up's yearly Artisan Award.  It's a competition open to all Stampin' Up demonstrators in the USA and Canada.   All the submissions had to be made exclusively with Stampin' Up products that were for sale during the first part of the year, and they were due May 31.    The requirement was 5 cards, 3 scrapbook pages and 2 decorative items.  After racking my brain for about 2 months, this is the result!  

Card 1 is a standard A2 size card made with the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set.  It features the Boho Blossoms, XL Oval, and Butterfly Punches; Lattice Bigz and Beautiful Butterflies Bigz dies; Pool Party, Island Indigo, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White, Always Artichoke and Blushing Bride card stock; Pool Party  seam binding ribbon, and Basic Pearls.

I love 3-D cards.  It's a great impact and the same size as a regular A2 card when folded, but literally stands out when open.  Typically it's called a zig-zag or shutter card, and the card base pattern can be found at www.splitcoaststampers.com - but what you do with it is completely up to you.    Stampin' Up did a sneak peek promotion in April featuring some of the new Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper.  The card base is  5-1/4' x 12" strip of Rose Red card stock.  I also had fun with the Basic Rhinestones and the Fabulous Phrases set.

For the epicureans, this was the Studio Sketches stamp set, on More Mustard, Bravo Burgundy, Whisper White and Basic Black.  A little Bakers' Twine in Early Espresso gives it an added texture.

This was the first card I used Crystal Effects on... it gives a little shine to some of the dots on the outer circles, and I coated the little punched flowers with it and let it dry.  It gave them the effect of being an acrylic bubble embellishment.  Cajun Craze, Island Indigo and Confetti Cream were the colors used.

I enjoy shaped cards, this was made with the Framelets Labels collection, cut on one edge to make it fit into a medium (A2) envelope.  The flower was made with the Ornament Punch.  Basic Gray is a smashing background for Calypso Coral, Cherry Cobbler, and Riding Hood Red.  I used the "shaving cream" technique with Whisper White card stock to get the pattern on the flower petals.

Inside of the same, using the Summer Solstice stamp set and the En Francais background stamp.  There's a little Frost White Shimmer Paint sponged on the background, too.  The window was cut with a Hearts Framelet die.

The contest called for 3 scrapbook pages, all are 12 x 12,  and they all feature my boys.  This first one uses the Blossom Builder punch to create a flame border along a 1-1/4" piece of Riding Hood Red card stock.  It was really hard to let go of these!

The arabesque border was created using the Ornament Punch.  I will add that older blog to this one for reference.

This was a spontaneous act of patriotism on the part of my oldest son when he was in Kindergarten.  It was so touching, and the best way to keep it simple seemed to go with a Haiku poem instead of trying to write out the whole story.

I did a shadowbox collage for one 3-D item submission, it was based off products featured for Sale-a-bration this past winter.   I did one for myself, without the frame, backed on foam core to decorate my office, and my husband liked it so much he suggested I make another for Stampin' Up.  The stamps are the Fresh Vintage set and the Pursuit of Happiness set.

This is my last one, it's about 34-35 roses made from Cherry Cobbler card stock and the Blossom punch, hot glued to a 5" floral Styrofoam ball.  The leaves were made with the Ornament punch and Garden Green card stock, sponged in Garden Green ink.  It hangs from a bow of Cherry Cobbler Seam binding ribbon and some Victoria 5/8" trim.  The roses were sponged with some Champagne Shimmer Paint.  This took 8 sheets of 8-1/2" x 11" Cherry Cobbler card stock to complete, plus every scrap I could get a hold of... time to order more....


There it is!  That was my submission for this year's competition, and the results will be released toward the mid-month about who won and will be admitted to the Design Team... There's probably a 1:1,000 chance of winning, but I'll let you know what happens :)


Enjoy!!!
Kristine