May Arts Ribbon Design Team Call, 2013!

Yes, you did read my title correctly!  May Arts Ribbon IS having a call for new Prima Ribbonistas and it's exciting! 

I first started using and loving May Arts ribbon whenever I became a designer with Core'dinations.  We would have various product swaps and blog hops with them and so I've become well aware of just how fabulous and versatile their ribbon is. Truth be told, I find it difficult using any other brand of ribbon aside from May Arts when I am crafting these days.  Their product is definitely top-notch quality.

Being that I am applying for a position  for this wonderful DT at May Arts, I will be sharing various projects here that I've created along the way, as well as a requested tutorial, all showcasing May Arts ribbon.   I do hope you will be inspired by what you see here and that you'll fall in love with the May Arts brand just as much as I have! 

First up, I wanted to share with you a technique for making a pretty textural ribbon flower that can be used on a variety of projects. I created my ribbon flower by covering panels of cardstock with rows of adhesive backed ribbon and then die cutting and layering a variety of different sized floral shapes from the ribbon panels. 

Here's a list of supplies needed:

• Choice of coordinating ribbon  (I used May Arts Silky Crush ribbon in brown and teal)
• Choice of cardstock (I used Core'dinations Jillian Spots)
• Choice of metal dies (I used Spellbinder's Nestabilities dies, Classic Scalloped Circles)
• Die cutting/Embossing machine (I used my Cuttlebug)
• Xyron 15 Adhesive and Applicator
• Core'dinations Sand It Gadget
• Decorative Brad

Okay, to get started you will want to cut various scraps of light colored cardstock into panels and then cut several strips of the ribbon. You will want to add adhesive to the backs of the ribbons strips.  I have found that the easiest method of doing this is to run ribbon strips through a Xyron Adhesive Applicator. 
 

 

Once you apply the adhesive to the ribbon, you can begin to cover the surface of the cardstock scrap panels, alternating strips of color as I have done, or  you can cover a panel using strips of one color... your choice, as you are the designer!  

Once all the panels are covered entirely with the ribbon strips you can now die cut your desired shapes from the panels using various sizes of dies.  To create my layered flower, I have die cut my shapes using scalloped circles dies from Spellbinder's Nestabilities dies. 

 

 

To give more visual contrast and texture, I have also die cut some embossed cardstock shapes to be layered into my flower as well.  I used a Sand It Gadget, which is a sanding block by Core'dinations, to sand over the embossed dots of the cardstock. 

 

For the next step, you will want to take each die cut shape and crinkle it up in your hands... don't be afraid to crinkle them up tightly... the more crinkle the better!   Now take each piece and flatten them back out, and  you've just created even more lovely texture and dimension to the pieces.
 

 

 To form the flower, simply layer each shape center to center forming a stack from largest to smallest.  You will want to punch a hole in the centers of each and then attach the stack together using a decorative brad.  Before attaching my brad here I also rolled up a small piece of extra ribbon and coiled it around the center punched hole.  Once you attach the brad fluff up the layers to give dimension.

 

 

Now you can have fun embellishing your projects with beautiful ribbon flowers that you've made on your own! 

 

Here's a card that I made and had published not too long ago in the Cricut Cards Idea Book for 2013.  The one features some of my all time favorite May Arts ribbon... 5/8" purple Cotton Stripes, 1.5" yellow Twill Chevron Stripes, 5/8" gray Solid Plaid and gray Suede String!
 

Next up is a scrapbook page that I created using some more 1.5" Twill Chevron Stripes in red as well as some  3/8" red Grosgrain Diagonal Stripes ribbon.  This layout was published in the Cricut Holidays Idea Book for 2012.
 

Up next is a box set that I created... a plain kraft box that's been embellished with paint, patterned paper (Authentique), embossed cardstock (Core'dinations) and ribbon (May Arts).  I also made candle sleeves for each of the 4 individual votives stored in the box.  Each candle sleeve is tied up with some natural Twisted Burlap string from May Arts.  This box is topped off with a piece of lovely 1.5" ivory Sheer Woven Rosettes ribbon.

 

 

  

 

 

I also LOVE how this green Grosgrain Diagonal Stripes ribbon looks as looped hangers for my handmade paper shamrock ornaments...

 

 

 

And last, a tag to share using some gorgeous purple 1.5" Two Tone ribbon paired with some ivory Twill Chevron Stripes ribbon. 

 

 

 

I do hope you've enjoyed this sampling of projects that I've created, all using the beautiful ribbon selections available at May Arts Ribbon!  I also have more projects that can be viewed if you click on the "May Arts Ribbon" tab under my Labels section here on the side-bar of my blog.

As always, thanks so much for stopping by and I'll be seeing you soon.  :) 

A Permanent Remembrance

Gee wiz... it seems lately the only posts I make here are for my Stuck On U Sketches challenge weeks.  Things should soon start slowing down for me here in the weeks ahead, so hopefully I will then have some time freed up to get more crafty and bloggy, lol!  At least that's what I'm a hopin' for!

So yes, it is SOUS sketch reveal Friday here and that makes me sooo happy!  Also kinda makes me sad though too, because it's my last sketch as a SOUS designer.  I hate to give up my spot on the team, but I know there are so many other talented ladies waiting for their chance to shine their creative lights there too!  So with that, I do hope you like my interpretation of Leah Shaeffer's sketch this week...

I really love the split imagery design of this sketch and it was easy for me to roll with it!  I had the perfect photo to scrap about and I knew I wanted to use the cool tattoo heart imagery to compliment the photo, using the Indie Art Cricut cartridge. 

"A Permanent Remembrance", is about my brother's tattoo that he's gotten in memory of his son (my nephew), Isaac.  Later after we had lost our Ava and Amelia, my brother went and had hearts added to his tattoo for both of them with their initials as well.  Probably one of the most touching gestures of love that a brother can do... I still am beyond touched and I think it looks just lovely! 

All the papers and stickers here are from the most recent "Carefree" collection by Authentique!  I thought the collection was perfect for adding just the right amount of masculinity to this page, especially with that muted gray woodgrain pattern!  I also used some Core'dinations Core Essentials cardstock.  The wing diecut is also cut from the Indie Art cartridge.  I tied on the sticker tag embellies with some Papertrey Ink natural twine.

Hope you've enjoyed this sketch and my page.  Please don't forget to go to the SOUS blog and see what all the other ladies have created this week as well.  Before I go I'd like to express to the girls how much I've enjoyed sharing my work over on the blog and how fun it's been getting to know each and everyone them.  They are a special group of ladies and I've been totally inspired by them all!  Thanks for having welcomed me there at Stuck On U Sketches! 

Week 3 of Card Sharks!

Hello there, friends!

As the last few hours of the weekend wind to a close, I wanted to post about my card creations that I've done for this, the third week of Card Sharks challenges at The Nook!  Gotta tell ya that even though I'm not in the lead, I've still been having so much fun pushing myself with these creative challenges.  Plus, I've also had my first card that I made for Card Sharks requested for publication with Cricut magazine, so I can not be anything but happy about that!

So onto the latest challenges...

The first is "POKER FLUSH", which involves any 5 cards of the same suit... so we are to create a card using 5 embellishments of the same kind.  A variation of color or shape is allowed, but it should be easy to identify 5 embellies of the same suit!   I went with 5 trees to design a Christmas card. 

I used a tin Christmas tree ornament (in the center) that I bought after Christmas last year and I sanded it a bit and repainted with some Suade It Krylon spray and then spritzed on some Glimmer Mist.  Then I cut the two bird topped trees using the Give A Hoot Cricut cart and the other two trees using the Designer's Calendar cart.  Cardstock is Core'dinations Essentials, TH Kraft Core and BG Ornate collection (Chocolate Box).  The patterned paper is all from the BG Nordic Holiday collection.  I also embellished the tree cuts with Diamond Dust glass glitter, Sugar Coating glitter and glass micro-beads. And I almost forgot... I cut a strip of green Tim Holtz Kraft Core and punched it through my Dymo label maker for the "Oh Christmas Tree" banner.

 

I also happened to see that there is a diecut challenge going on over at Stuck On U Sketches right now using Christmas trees!  How perfect!

The second challenge is the game of "Crazy 8's".  Simple enough we had to use various elements to total a formula of 8 items and no more than 8. 

I used (1) Authentic patterned paper, (1) Authentic Diecut, (1) Webster's Pages Stickpin, (2) Velvet Maya Road ribbon flowers, and (3) Prima leaves.

And for the BONUS challenge, we needed to create a Love themed/Valentine's card. 

Here I used all Core cardstock and My Mind's Eye Lime Twist collection (with a bit more of the Stella and Rose wood-grain and speckled blue pattern from the Pretty Please line). Isn't that the cutest little nest of love birds?  Found this on the Sweethearts Cricut cart!  To create the  nest filler I cut up some jute string and glued the fibers to the top inside of the nest.  The stamp edge frame was cut using the Elegant Edges cart.

 

That's it!  Hopefully I'll be able to continue on and won't be eliminated from week 4!  Have a great week, friends!