New Beginnings/Read On...

Once again "New Beginnings or A Fresh Start" has been our theme for our January monthly challenge. I spent just a bit of time today checking out other blogs and realized that Valentine's Day is definitely around the corner. Next week I will be posting on Paper Craft Planet a printing technique you can do with the stencils and an embossing machine. But today we are lucky enough to have this lovely creation from guest designer Elaine Benedict.

Speaking of "New Beginnings", Elaine has recently moved to North Carolina and she and her husband Jay, have been building their retirement home near the coast. Also their daughter Molly is planning her own New Beginning with a September wedding. So love is in the air for the Benedicts this February.

Elaine's creations always have that singular element of beauty. I often look at her cards and try to figure out what exactly it is that draws my "ahhh" breath. Sometimes it is just the little details. On this card she used a background paper that looks like shiny raw silk. Stunning! She dry embossed the new heart design (LG747) on this metallic looking paper, left the stencil in place and stenciled the ruffle with pink ink. Then she traced the large heart from the stencil onto the back of one of Kathy Yoshida's washi papers (which you can shop for by clicking HERE to find her web-site...Hanko Designs) and then easily cut it out with scissors. The sentiment stencil "with love" (LM275) was paste-embossed with the regular Dreamweaver Translucent Embossing Paste (DEPT) and once the stencil was removed she sprinkled the wet paste with Pink Cadillac ultrafine pearlescent glitter from Art Institute Glitter.

Thank you so much Elaine for the beautiful Valentine...we're thinking of you as you begin retirement in NC. But very glad you are still sending creations our direction.

I know I mentioned that we will be putting out a design team call and the fearless leader of the Dream it UP team, Pam Hornschu, has all the details. Some of you may not know what is entailed in being on a design team and we will list all of the details soon, but if you want to email her at phornschu@yahoo.com she will be glad to share the details via email so you can get started. Many of the requirements are just common sense, but we know it is best to address expectations. Would love to have you on board. 

Now if you would like to see what the Dream it UP team has been creating follow the list below and leave some love.

Pam Hornschu   

Laura Drahozal  

Louise Healy  

Wendy Jordan  

Terrece Siddoway 

Kristi Van Doren 

Georgia Sommers 

Lee Kellogg 

Liz Martin

 Cyndi Bundy 

Cherylynn Moser