The Wacky Watercooler Second January Mini Blog Hop

Welcome to our second mini blog hop for this January.  As you'll remember from our first mini blog hop, that's what we've decided to do this month since the Occasions 2016 Catalogue just launched and we've begun Sale-a-bration.  It just didn't make sense to wait and hold our usual single blog hop on the third Thursday of this month.  What does this mean for you?  You'll get to see even more wonderful creations using the gorgeous new products from the new catalogue.  Especially since we've added more "hoppers" and most of us have even more products with which we've been able to play.

As you will remember, if you've wandered through our blog hops before, our blog hop is presented in a circular fashion.  What does that mean?  Wherever you begin in our blog hop, whether you go forwards or backwards through the participants, eventually you will wind up precisely where you began.  I hope you'll take time to visit all the participating blogs and, perhaps, leave a short message letting us know  what you've thought of our posts.

If you've been moving forwards through the blog hop, you'll have arrived here from the very talented and creative Christine Giuda.  Weren't her projects terrific?

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My first project is all about the stunning Bloomin' Heart thinlits.  What a wonderful tool this is!  I think the lacy heart is gorgeous on its own but it's a real bonus being able to use it in a number of alternate ways as well.  My first thoughts at seeing it in the catalogue were that it would be a "one trick pony" and who wants something that is so extremely limited?  But then some of the creative geniuses from around the world began posting their own ideas and I knew I would have to buy this die set.  "One trick pony, indeed!"  This set performs all sorts of "tricks".

I decided to cut the heart out of the carried-over Red Foil.  I'm so glad that product didn't retire, aren't you?  With Valentine's around the corner, this paper is perfect for so many projects.  I kept this card simple since the Bloomin' Heart  is so fancy.  Instead of using an embossing folder on the Very Vanilla, I decided to line it with a layer of the patterned vellum from the Sale-a-bration Botanical Gardens vellum stack.  The effect is very subtle but gives it a wonderful background.

I cut the flowers from the Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer paper.  In real life they dazzle, almost outshining the rhinestones in their centres.  To finish off, I took a sentiment from the Timeless Love set and stamped it in Real Red ink.

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For my second project I decided to finally try out a fold which I had found on Christina Griffith's page a few years ago.   It's a Double Twisted Easel card and took some planning to create.  After all, you have to think about what it will look like when closed and then also ensure that it makes sense when it is standing open.  But the challenge of making the card appealed to me and I'm happy with the result.

It's a tall card, measuring 8" x 4" when closed as you see it.  I took the sentiment from the Endless Birthdays set and stamped it on a Whisper White "paper clip" cut using one of the cute Project Life Paper Clips thinlits.

The top of the card is created as if you're making a 4" x 4" card as is the bottom of the card.

I love the added interest and texture created by the Lovely Lace embossing folder, don't you?  For my teapot, I used the new Cups & Kettles framelits.  First, however, I used Tombo glue to attach a design from the Sale-a-bration Botanicals Garden vellum stack to a piece of Blushing Bride cardstock.  Cutting it out after the pieces were together made it easier to handle.  I coloured a few of the blossoms from the vellum using my Blushing Bride and Rose Red Stampin' Markers as well as the Stampin' Chalk Marker.

For this square I used the new Botanical Builder framelits and some Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake, Rose Red, and Garden Green cardstock.  The pearls finish the flowers off beautifully.

I used more of the die-cut flowers for the inside of my card.  I also used the new Party Pop-Up thinlits instead of stamping my sentiment.  Over the base layer of Whisper White I added a layer of Crumb Cake and then a layer of floral Crumb Cake from the Neutrals Designer Series stack.  The centre is a layer of Rose Red cardstock and a layer of Crumb Cake cardstock, both cut out using the Ovals Collection framelits.

I love the way this card stands up, don't you?

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And that's it for my projects.  I hope you've enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed creating them.  From here you'll be returning to the beginning of the circle again, and another wonderfully creative stamper, Marsha Reed.

If you get a moment, I'd love it if you would leave a comment.

I got the inspiration for the colours in my Double Twisted Easel card from a challenge put on by Bronwyn Eastley, and am going to put this card into the challenge as a result.  I hope you'll check out The Colour Tree Challenge and the wonderful cards linked up there.