Artisan Finalist Blog Hop Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of the Artisan Finalist Blog Hop!  I hope you are enjoying all of these amazing projects. 

If you started the hop from the beginning, you just finished visiting the amazing blog of Holly VanDyne.  I am always WOWed by her projects and today's project was no exception.

Today, I'm sharing another scrapbook page and this one has a very personal story.  This picture of my daughter was taken in late December 2011.  Two weeks later, Bella was admitted to the hospital due to dehydration, malnutrition, and fever.  We soon found out that she has Crohn's Disease.

I think that was the longest and certainly one of the most difficult weeks of my life.  When your child gets diagnosed with a chronic, life-long illness, you can't help but question everything.  I wondered what I had done wrong.  I wondered what her life would be like in the future.  And I felt like all my hopes and dreams for her had been crushed.

To say that I went through a grieving process would be an understatement. 

Friends and family made frequent visits to the hospital so that I could take short breaks.  During one such break, I was driving in my car and the song, "I Hope You Dance" came on the radio.  I broke into tears.

I suddenly realized that we could face ANYTHING with the right attitude and that this disease was not going to quash those hopes & dreams.

Here is my second project:

At first glance, this will seem like a clean & simple digital page.  There are many overlays and layers that make up the background.  I used shades of Whisper White, Very Vanilla, and Pink Pirouette to create a very soft, feminine look.

The strand of pearls was created by first stamping a Curly Cue from the Notes stamp set.  I lined up 50 bazillion pearls over the line image of the stamp, then locked them all in place.  (Okay, it wasn't 50 bazillion....but it was close!)

Here are the supplies from My Digital Studio:

Embellishments
    Basic Pearls and Rhinestones\Basic Pearls and Rhinestones - pearl large

Stamps
    _Designer Kits\Twitterpated\Twitterpated - background 3, Color = WHISPER WHITE 255,255,255
    Music Notes\Music Notes - background, Color = 0,0,0
    Notes\Notes - curly cue, Color = PINK PIROUETTE 255,216,209
    Vintage Overlays\Vintage Overlays - texture 4, Color = PINK PIROUETTE 255,216,209
    Vintage Overlays\Vintage Overlays - texture 13, Color = 255,250,226

Punches
    Large Photo Corner Punch, Fill Color = PINK PIROUETTE 255,216,209
    Large Photo Corner Punch, Fill Color = PINK PIROUETTE 255,216,209
    Alphabet & Numbers\Smitten Alphabet Punch\Smitten Alphabet Punch - a, Fill Color = BASIC GRAY 118,122,121
    Alphabet & Numbers\Smitten Alphabet Punch\Smitten Alphabet Punch - c, Fill Color = BASIC GRAY 118,122,121
    Alphabet & Numbers\Smitten Alphabet Punch\Smitten Alphabet Punch - d, Fill Color = BASIC GRAY 118,122,121
    Alphabet & Numbers\Smitten Alphabet Punch\Smitten Alphabet Punch - e, Fill Color = BASIC GRAY 118,122,121
    Alphabet & Numbers\Smitten Alphabet Punch\Smitten Alphabet Punch - n, Fill Color = BASIC GRAY 118,122,121

Photos
    Designer Series Paper\_Designer Kits\Twitterpated - designer series paper\Twitterpated - 7

 

Here's how the Blog Hop works. Our blog hop makes an endless loop, so no matter where you begin, you should find yourself back where you started. If you lose your way then you can refer to the list below. If there are ten of us, then why only nine names? Unfortunately Mary Haugen was not able to join us due to technical difficulities.

1.  Connie Collins

2.  Holly VanDyne

3.  Melissa Stout  YOU ARE HERE!

4.  Amy O'Neill

5.  Sandie Conner

6.  Amy Rogers

7.  Mercedes Weber

8.  Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin

9.  Mindy Bingamon

 

You are now ready to visit the one and only Amy O'Neill.

See you back here tomorrow!

Artisan Finalist Blog Hop Day 1

I am so excited to finally be able to share my projects from this year's Artisan Award contest.  Over the next 10 days, all of the Artisan finalists will be sharing their amazing designs.  You'll definitely want to follow along!

What is the Artisan Award?

Each year, Stampin' Up! holds a competition for demonstrators based on the creativity, style, craftsmanship, composition, color, and consistency of their projects.  To participate, you must produce 3 scrapbook pages, 5 cards, and 2 scrapbook pages.

Twenty finalists are chosen from among all the entries.  From the twenty finalists, 10 are chosen to be on the Artisan Design Team.  While we are not the ones who were selected for the design team, we still thought it would be fun to give you a closer look at our projects.  I know you will be absolutely blown away by the talent in this group of demonstators.

Here is my first project:

I created this page with My Digital Studio using the Keep This Memory Photobook Designer Template.  This download is probably my all-time favorite!  It includes a complete 26-page template for creating a 12" x 12" photobook.  All you have to do is add your pictures and you are done.  OR.....you can do as I did, and really step it up.

There are quite a few small details such as stitching and small buttons that I added to make this page POP!   One of the great things about MDS2 is I can now give you a list of supplies used.

Background
     Color = SOFT SUEDE

Embellishments
    Designer Kits\Keep This Memory - embellishments
    Staple & Stitching\Very Vanilla - Stitching Straight
    Round Buttons\Soft Suede - button
    Baker's Twine\Baker's Twine - White
   
Stamps
    Designer Kits\Keep This Memory\Keep This Memory

Punches
    Hexagon Punch
    Round Tab Half Punch

 

And here is a little piece of trivia......You can't use a picture of yourself on any of the contest entries.  Do you know how difficult it was to find a family photo that I wasn't in?  I actually had to ask a friend if I could use HER family's photo for this layout!  How funny is that?

 

Here's how the Blog Hop works. Our blog hop makes an endless loop, so matter where you begin, you should find yourself back where you started. If you lose your way then you can refer to the list below. If there are ten of us, then why only nine names? Unfortunately Mary Haugen was not able to join us due to technical difficulities.

1.  Connie Collins

2.  Holly VanDyne

3.  Melissa Stout  YOU ARE HERE!

4.  Amy O'Neill

5.  Sandie Conner

6.  Amy Rogers

7.  Mercedes Weber

8.  Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin

9.  Mindy Bingamon

 

You may have just visited one of my favorite digital divas, Holly VanDyne. 

You are now ready to visit the one and only Amy O'Neill.

See you back here tomorrow!

Are you a Newsletter Subscriber?

If you are, you should have received the August Stampin' Newsletter in your email inbox today.  This month's newsletter includes my upcoming class schedule, a technique tutorial on using the Core'dinations card stock, a quick & easy card, and more information on My Digital Studio.

You can view the newsletter by clicking here.

If you want to subscribe, simply use the sign up box on the right side of my blog or at the link above.

August 1....so much to tell you about!

There are so many exciting things in the Stamping world today and I can't wait to share them with you!

First, MDS 2 is now available!  If you have already purchased MDS, you can get an upgrade to the new software for $19.95.

Get 31% off 31 digital content options and most of our print products for all 31 days in August! Feed your My Digital Studio addiction. Not into it yet? With digital goods on sale and a new software that you can try for FREE with the 30-day trial, August is the time to see what it's all about!

What's on sale?
ALL cards, photobooks, individual pages, and tags.  That's right: print any photobook, board book, swatchbook, individual pages, greeting card, postcard, trifold card, or tag-all for 31% off.

Some of our best digital content.  30 downloads and 1 content disc. Yup, that equals 31.  You can view the sale items in my online store.

 

Spooktacular Offer
During August, we've only got treats-no tricks-for you!  New demonstrators will get a FREE Howl-o-ween Printer's Tray project kit-a $60 value-just for doing what they already love.

It's only $99 to sign up and create their own Starter Kit, choosing up to $125 in any current Stampin' Up! products!  JOIN NOW

 

2012-2013 Holiday Catalog
Wait until you see all the gorgeous products available in this year's holiday catalog.  They are available for ordering now.  You can view the products in my online store or you can download the pdf.

Local customers may pick up a copy of the Holiday Mini catalog at the Stamp Pad from 9am--noon on Saturday, August 4th.

If you would like me to send you a copy of the Holiday Catalog and you are not currently working with a Stampin' Up demonstrator, email me at melissa@thestampdoc.com and I'll make sure you get one!