Society of Stampaholics

Blog Blitz at Memory Box!

The holidays are over, Gigi just went back to school, and it's time to get back on track!

And what better way to get my flabby blog fit than to start off with a Blog Blitz? The Blitz started yesterday over at the Memory Box Design Team blog, Outside the Box. Dave has really outdone himself this time by designing over 100 new dies and stamps for the 2013 collection, and they are absolutely fabulous!

Prizes are being given away daily, so don't forget to drop by and leave a comment.

I think all of the dies are lovely, but I have a special fondness for the bee dies as my name means honeybee in Hebrew. As it turns out, Laura posted earlier today using the bee dies, so we have a bee-yutiful theme today, I think! :^D

This card may look difficult to make, but it was actually quite easy.

S U P P L I E S 

All supplies by Memory Box unless otherwise stated.

Cardstock: Dove Grey, Holly Berry, Kraft, Lagoon, Licorice, Squash; Dies: LARGE Classic Lower Case Alphabet (98435), Classic Upper Case Alphabet (98361), Jolly Bumblebees (98492), Bee Skep (98491), Small Circle Burst (98480), Owl Heart Tree Set (98529); Pen: Black PITT Artist (Faber-Castell); Other: Diamond Stickles, Adhesive Foam Tape  

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I N S T R U C T I O N S

1. Die cut the bees from Dove Grey; discard all but the wings.
2. Apply Diamond Stickles to the wings and set aside to dry.
3. Die cut the following from Licorice: M & Y from UC alphabet, heart from Owl Heart Tree set, b from Large LC alpha, bees.
4. Die cut the following from Lagoon: e, h, n, y from Large LC alpha.
5. Die cut the following from Squash: bees & bee skep.
6. Die cut the following from center of 4" x 4.25" Kraft panel: Small Circle Burst.
7. Adhere die cut Kraft panel to Holly Berry card.
8. Position alphabet letters, but do not adhere any but the "b", the second "e" in "bee", the "y", and "MY".
9. After adhering the above, outline the letters die cut from Lagoon with a finepoint black pen. 
10. Adhere the second "e" in "bee", the heart, and the "n", outlining the Lagoon letters with the pen. 
11. Adhere the "e" in "honey" and outline with pen.
12. Adhere bee skep.
13. Assemble bees. Use the Squash bodies as your base and adhere the Licorice bits and dried wings.
14. Adhere bees to card with foam dots.

T I P S

1. When you die cut the heart, place the smallest heart die within the medium heart die and cut all at one time.
2. I haven't taken my alphabet dies apart because I find it much easier to just go ahead and cut the whole lot on one piece of paper. (You can always save the unused letters for future projects.)
3. Adhere the letters in the order above for a MUCH easier outlining experience and GO SLOWLY.
4. Make a small puddle of glue pull it into a thin line. Use a pick-up stick or tweezers to pick up the bee bits and "pat" them onto the glue. This way, you won't have glue oozing from the edges when you adhere the bits to the bees' bodies.  

Like I said, the card looks complicated and time-consuming, but it really only took about 20 minutes. The hardest part was not going too fast during the outlining process. (Plus I'd already adhered all of my letters, so it's much easier to do if you follow the steps I gave above.) The card also looks fine without the outlining step, so feel free to skip it and make this card in about 10-15 minutes.

DO leave comments on the designer posts at Outside the Box this week. One person will be chosen each day to win one of the new dies, and you can leave a comment for each post; there are two posts per day, so you have multiple chances to win! Good luck!

Thanks for stopping and have a blessed day!

Memory Box "Monochrome for the Monogamous" Valentine

Yes, as I alluded to on my Outside the Box post, was I desperate for a title or what?

I enjoyed making this card as I am very fond of these colors, and there's a little sneak peak of something here as well... I wonder if you can figure out what it is?

Supplies:

Memory Box stamps: Leaf Canopy (F1430), Valentine Duo (B1424); Memory Box card (Pool); Memory Box 6"x6" patterned paper (Minuet collection); ink: Fresco (Blue Grotto, Giannini's Garden and Olive Grove), VersMark (optional); Pebbles Shimmer Chalks (optional); Martha Stewart ribbon; felt; Dress It Up! button; embroidery floss; Nestie heart-shaped die.    

Instructions:

1. Stamp LEAF CANOPY with Fresco inks. OR
2. Stamp using VersMark ink, load dry paintbrush with dark green chalk and gently apply to bottom and edges of the stamped image. Add dark blue/teal chalk as you work up.  
3. Stamp VALENTINE DUO using Fresco (Blue Grotto) ink.
4. Adhere panel of patterned paper to card.
5. Wrap ribbon around card and tie in bow.
6. Cut felt out with die.
7. Sew button to felt heart and attach to bow.   

Thanks for looking and have a blessed day!