Stamp Simply Ribbon Store BLOG HOP

Welcome to the first ever Stamp Simply Ribbon Store BLOG HOP! Our theme is BE TRUE TO YOURSELF. All the designers are creating, keeping in mind what makes their creations something they LOVE to design, staying true to the style they really LOVE. I put some thought into today's theme and this is what I came up with. A repurposed recipe box, to save seeds and sowing information! I don't have one particular style, I love all sorts of trends, styles, colors, designs & designers, etc. and can adapt to several different styles in my work. But one thing I know for sure is I LOVE to create three dimensional items, altering something bought or already in the house. I LOVE finding several uses for one item. And, I realized that this creative approach really comes from being raised where you had to make something out of nothing, in a word, poor! I'm not sharing this for sympathy, rather for insight. After college and since getting married 30+ years ago, I have been blessed beyond measure, and have much more than I could ever ask for or deserve! So, my point is, most of my creative thinking still goes into the mode of multi purposing items, trying to stretch their usefulness, and attempting to catch every detail possible. Ok, enough babbling! Here is a top pic of the index card box lid. I purchased the recipe box at Michaels for one dollar! I covered the box with my Webster's Petite Papers combo pack, Postcards from Paris & Sweet as Cherry Pie. A Stamp Simply kit is pictured above at the beginning of the post! The $45 value kit is up for blog candy! (more info below) I used scor tape to adhere papers to box and sanded all edges.

My favorite item on this project is the floral embellishment. I folded the striped ribbon in half, hand stitched, and pulled my thread to gather. The GinaK buttons are added with silk ribbon and sewn onto the flower. I attached the leaves separately. After sizing down the suede leaves for this project, I discovered they are two sided! This created a pocket to add filling. I placed a tiny bit of a cotton ball before gathering and stitching the leaf end. (the top photo shows the fullness a bit better)

Using my sentiment from Seeds of Kindess, I stamped with StazOn black ink and circle punched. I set my 15pt Times New Roman font (scroll down page to view stamps) to create an oval border to place my punched circles on. The edges are distressed with a sponge and Rich Cocoa Memento ink. Buttons and silk ribbon finish the front embellishment.

The inside of box reveals dividers and pockets I shared last Friday, HERE. The divider labels are computer generated and punched with an oval punch and attached with scor tape.

I came across this idea some time ago here at the daytripsociety.com site. I wanted to try something similar to this box and thought since our move it would be perfect to help me organize the new little garden patch in the backyard! Another feature I love is the large buttons used as box feet! They are attached with glue dots and I LOVE the look! Also another use for those large buttons! There you have it, staying true to what I LOVE! As a thank you for joining us on our very first blog hop, one lucky commenter will receive a complete Webster's Pages Postcards from Paris Kit! In order to be in the drawing, you are encouraged to leave comments along the hop. At 6pm on Saturday February 27, 2010, a number will be drawn that corresponds to the blogs involved. Another number will be drawn for the comments on that blog and the winner will be then be notified via e-mail. Commenting, while not required, is highly recommended so that you will be eligible for the drawing! Good Luck!

The fabulously talented Stamp Simply Ribbon Store Designers:

Sharon Johnson - No Time to Stamp?/Stamp Simply Ribbon Store Deb Saaranen - Dream in Color Holly McMillen - Toy's Haven Michelle Woerner - Stop and Stamp the Roses Sherry Cheever - Walkin' on the Bad Side Linda Duke - Linda's Works of Heart Barb Schram - Explore. Dream. Discover. (you are here)