Best Wishes Bash for Melanie

Tonight I have some bittersweet news to share. One of our Paper Craft Planet Super Novas, Melanie Muenchinger, is leaving the Planet. Melanie has been on the Paper Craft Planet Design team since the ‘Planet launched last year, but with mounting family and designing commitments, she needs to scale back on her other teams to focus on illustrating for Gina K Designs. But since this is not really “goodbye”, the PCP ladies are throwing a little going away "Best Wishes" bash in the form of a blog hop today featuring two sets designed by Melanie: " A Year of Leaves” or
“School, Sports, Spirit!”

Gina K is sponsoring a challenge this week on Paper Craft Planet with a chance to win one of Melanie’s newest sets! Upload a new project you create with a "Best Wishes" or good luck theme to the PCP gallery by Monday night 10PM EST, with the tag GKDBW. (Here is a tutorial on adding pictures to the gallery, if you need it.)

A winner will be announced Tuesday. That person will win their choice of “A Year of Leaves” or “School, Sports,Spirit!” Hope you will play the challenge!

I made two projects using Melanie's A Year of Leaves set. The first one was inspired by this week's Paper Craft Planet sketch challenge. Like I said when I posted a card using this sketch on Saturday, I had a few other ideas in mind for the sketch--including this one.

Here, I stamped one of the leaf images repeatedly in black ink on kraft cardstock. The leaves are colored with Prismacolor pencils and blended with odorless mineral spirits. This looks so pretty on the kraft background! I added a variegated organdy ribbon around the top of the card for a little more color.

I ended up changing the placement of the sentiment on the layout to fit my design. The "thanks" sentiment is stamped beneath the leaves and accented with a single copper brad.

Materials Used:
A Year of Leaves stamp set (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black ink (Memento); More Mustard, Dusty Durango, and Kraft cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); colored pencils (Prismacolor); copper brad (Making Memories); organdy ribbon (Michaels)

And, here's another clean and simple creation using A Year of Leaves. I used some earth-toned reinkers and gold Metallic Mixative to make a polished stone panel. I stamped some of the leaf images randomly on the panel and trimmed around them. I used one of my polished stone leaves for the focal image on my card--and now I have a bunch of others left over to use on other projects.

I stamped the "missing you" sentiment next to the leaf image and added a single brad embellishment. A velvet ribbon and faux bow are across the top of the vanilla panel. I layered the panel on a rust card base to finish the card.

You will definitely be missed on the Planet, Melanie! But we know that you won't be too far away and we'll be watching to see what you come up with next for Gina K.

Please see more beautiful samples the Super Novas created with these new sets here:

Adela Rossol
Lynn Mercurio
Kim Burmeister
Wendy Price
Jen Tapler
Tammy Hershberger
Erika Martin
Lori Tecler
Jessica Fick
Sankari Wegman
Susanna Boyd
and, of course, Melanie Muenchinger

Check out our challenge gallery for Melanie!

Materials Used:
A Year of Leaves stamp set (Gina K Designs); Tuxedo Black and Rich Cocoa inks (Memento); More Mustard, Really Rust, Pumpkin Pie, and Ruby Red reinkers, Dusty Durango, Very Vanilla, and Glossy White cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); gold Metallic Mixative (Ranger); brown velvet ribbon (American Crafts); copper brad (Making Memories)