Hanna gets Serious

So, I don't think I *announced* that I was asked to be on the Hanna Stamps Design Team - so let me just announce it now! Kristi asked me to be on this fun and so very talented team and I accepted! Yesterday I received the stamps, which are clear and unmounted, in the mail. Now I know I said creativity comes hard when faced with the uncertainty of the situation San Diego is experiencing right now, but one can only watch so much TV. I was definitely TV saturated and my emotions were raw from watching all the news coverage. So I gave myself a personal challenge: create 3 projects using one of the new sets I received in the mail yesterday.

The images in this set 'Tis the Season (available on October 26th) , are by nature very fun, lively, and upbeat. You can certainly see my emotional state in these examples I made yesterday - somber and different than what one would expect to see from these wonderful images. However, it also shows their diversity. And that I like a lot! I just wasn't in a coloring mood yesterday, so I relied on 2 of the 3 snowflakes that are part of the set. I love the larger snowflake, its star center and delicate lines are so fun and interesting. The other challenge I gave myself was to actually use the Cosmo Cricket papers I just purchased, instead of oogling them until after Christmas!

The Star Box is a fun box that could have candy, small embellishments, treats, or as Morgan said, "Mom that is cool, if we made one of those for my friends when we give them a gift card it would be a huge hit!" So there are many possibilities with a Star Box. The tutorial for this box can be found at Scor-Pal, I altered mine to be just 5" tall when completed, so that part of the tutorial is very flexible. This box is very sturdy despite it being made from card stock, it holds its shape very very well! I made a fun little tag using the Tag Punches and Word Window punches that are available through SU! A Hero Arts clear button tops the reverse side of the patterned paper and is tied with linen thread, a dash of gold cord and its tied to the ribbon of the cello bag. On the box itself are snowflakes stamped tone on tone on the cranberry layer and moss snowflakes stamped on circle punched accents, popped up on dimensionals, that add a little unexpected element to the moss band.

The second card is a calorie free donut card! These cards are fun to make, the donut hole gives a little sneak peek to the inside. This card is designed to go into SU!'s Small Open End Envelope, but it can be altered to fit into a standard No. 6 3/4 size envelope, or even an A2, just change the measurements of the finished card to reflect the envelope size. The up close shot gives a better look at the actual snowflake that is stamped inside and highlighted with a Gelly Roll pen for sparkle. I stamped the snowflake twice, once inside the donut, the other time on a saffron scrap. I cut that tiny star center from the saffron scrap and adhered it to the center, creating a little visual interest and tying the saffron color into the image.

Finally, you know me and my 3 x 3 cards! I made a fun little set of 4 cards and enclosed them in a clear box, complete with a belly band that mimics the main focal part of the mini card. The focal point is the snowflake that is accented with a Gelly Roll pen for a bit of sparkle, punched and mounted on a larger circle, which is them mounted on the scalloped layer. I used the SU! Scallop punch for the scallop shape, adding 1/8" punches inside each scallop for added interest. A bit of patterned paper from Cosmo Cricket, a couple of moss eyelets and ribbon, matching stamped vanilla envelopes, and these cards are happy in their clear box. The small clear boxes I purchased at Clear Bags for a very reasonable price, of course while I was there I also purchased boxes for A2 cards, clear envelopes, and clear pillow boxes.

So, there you go, my Hanna gets Serious projects! I hope you enjoy them!

V.~

Supplies: Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'Tis the Season, SU! Cute Converse, Inks: SU! Cranberry Crisp, Mellow Moss, So Saffron, Paper: SU! So Saffron, Mellow Moss, Cranberry Crisp, Cosmo Cricket Be Good line, Accessories: Scor-Pal, Tag Corner Punches, Word Window Punch, 1.2" Assorted Circle Punches, Scallop punch, Round Tab punch, Dimensionals, Gold Cording, Cello Bag, Cranberry stitched ribbon, Mat Pak and Piercing tool, Distressing tool, Mini Eyelets, Moss Ribbon, Artichoke Ribbon, Clear Box, Gelly Roll pen, Dimensionals