Blogger Challenge: Week 12

This week's challenge for the members of the weekly blogger challenge group was to share a project that was inspired by "something." My something for this week's project was a pillow from Pier1.

The Pier1 fall catalog arrived in my mailbox this week and had lots of inspiration for me. Most of the projects were in fall-like colors (browns, rusts, reds, greens), but the one that inspired me was in blues and browns--and isn't shown in the online catalog photo that I could find to share with you. I promise, there is a blue and brown one! I really liked the design on these Large Floral Pillows. The design isn't a girly floral. It reminded me of Stampin' Up!'s Pick a Petal set, so that's where I turned for my project.

The solid flower petal image was stamped repeatedly in three shades of blue ink (Night of Navy, Ballet Blue, and Bashful Blue) on shimmery white cardstock. I wish the shimmer showed up in the photo! It looks great IRL . . .

To get the different layers of petals like on the inspiration piece, I did some masking wit post it notes. This was the first time I used masking with this set. The flower's center is a circle covered in Ballet Blue craft ink, then heat embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder.

I have definitely been on a kraft cardstock kick lately, so I knew as soon as I decided on a monochromatic blue look that the card base would be kraft paper. On the bottom Bashful Blue panel, I stamped some of the solid circle image from the Pick a Petal set in white craft ink. The sentiment is from the retired Small Sayings stamp set. I used a strip of dark blue velvet ribbon to add some texture to the card.

Please be sure to check out the projects created by the other challenge participants. You can find links to their blogs on the sidebar on the right. I consider myself lucky to be a part of such a talented group of stampers!

I won't be able to check out anyone else's project until late tomorrow night. I'm heading to Philadelphia this afternoon with my friend Michele for tomorrow's SU! Regional Seminar, followed by a visit to the King Tut exhibit at the Franklin Institute Science Museum. I'm so excited--I've been looking forward to this for a while. When I get home tomorrow, I'll post some of the cards I made to swap at the regional.

Materials Used:
From Stampin' Up!: Pick a Petal and Small Sayings stamp sets; Night of Navy, Ballet Blue, and Bashful Blue Classic inks; Ballet Blue and White Craft inks; Night of Navy, Ballet Blue, Bashful Blue, Shimmery White, and Kraft cardstock; silver brad; dimensionals; mat pack and paper piercing tool; 1 3/8" circle tool; Iridescent Ice embossing powder
Other: dark blue velvet ribbon (Michaels)