I Have to Pick a Favorite?!

Aloha, all!

     This is one of those days when I have to wonder what I was thinking about when I chose the themes for the SUO (Stampin' Up! Only) Challenges!  Today's theme is, "Favorite New Toys," with the idea being that lots of us who love Stampin' Up! (demonstrators and non-demonstrators alike) would certainly have some new products ordered from the 2014-2015 Stampin' Up! catalog and this would be a great time to have us pick a favorite.

     ONE favorite?!!  Please.

     But yesterday, while I was at the home of one of my downline team members, we decided we had some time to make something new, and so the two of us started looking around and picking things we liked (old, new, whatever).  I started by picking up the pack of the new Designer Series Paper Stack, Moonlight, and she picked up the Label Bracket Punch.  One thing led to another and we ended up with a card we jointly created as we went along and I really like it!

     It was when I looked at the finished product that I realized that it really showed off one of my favorite new toys – that Moonlight DSP Paper Stack – and it became my entry into the SUO Challenge!

     This card contains two of the sheets from the paper stack.  While the dotted piece with Basic Gray, Sahara Sand, Hello Honey and Bermuda Bay colors is right out there for all to see, the other sheet is the Hello Honey Grid design that we punched with the Label Bracket Punch.  It made such a nice background for the Hexagon Punched images from the Six Sided Sampler Stamp Set.

     My original idea was to have all three of the stamped images be the same – the outline stamp with the Thank You sentiment. But when I laid it out, I got the idea to make the center stamp a bit different and maybe pick up the Sahara Sand color from the card base.

     Looking at the dotted Designer Series Paper layer, again our original idea was to have it cover the top half of the card and then we'd punch the bottom half of the Bermuda Bay Cardstock with the Border Chevron Punch, letting the Sahara Sand Cardstock show through.  But on a whim (the theme of the day!) I slipped a piece of the printed paper behind my Chevron punched section, and we both loved it!  So much fun with the same design both front and back on the same card front!

     For my final touches, I added some Bermuda Bay Candy Dots to the middle stamped image, and then tied the whole card together with some Bermuda Bay 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon. 

     What a fun morning Dana and I had.  By the time we were finished, we both were so energized with the creativity. It's a good thing, too, because all the while her three delightful young boys (toddler and early grade school) were all over the place.  If you can image what the two words, "young" and "boys," mean when put in the same room with two paper crafters, you might get the idea of our environment.  Add "delightful" and you'll know what a fun morning we had!  I'm looking forward to another trip up to Dana's!