Shape it up in March!

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We have a brand new challenge with the Stampendous team this month!  Each Saturday this month, we'll be challenging ourselves (and you!) to make a shaped card or project - something other than the traditional square or rectangular card. Doesn't that sound like fun?

Here is a list of the Stampendous team members playing along today:

Stampendous Impressions

Pam Hornschu

Cyndi Bundy

Lynn Mercurio

Janelle Stollfus - you're here!

Kristine Reynolds

Jennifer Ingle

We want YOU to play along with us!  Just add your direct link to your shaped card or project to the linky tool below my signature (or on the Stampendous blog) no later than April 5, 2012 at 11:00 PM EST.  You do not have to use Stampendous products to play along, but we sure love it when you do!  And as an extra incentive for playing, one lucky person (drawn at random from all the entries) will receive this gorgeous Cling Jumbo Hollyhock Stamp Set:

Due to shipping restrictions, the winner must have a US address.  We hope you get a chance to play along with us - happy crafting!

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As I'm writing this post for a shape challenge I have just come back from a fabulous dinner date with my hubby. It was so good and we splurged on all fronts of our normal healthy eating, but definitely a wonderful time with my sweet man! Now I'll be working on another type of shape this month, LOL. Okay so back to the real challenge of this post and here is how I took challenge.

Yeah, I know. It's almost just a standard square card, but I didn't use a fancy Photoshop trick to get it to look squeezed. It's a die from the Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Inverted Square set. I've seen this a few times on Splitcoast Stampers and just had to try it with one of my sets of dies.

Confession time...I'm in love with Jumbo dies and so much so that I'm an official collector now.  This card has the Jumbo Cling Peony stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with three copic markers (RV13, R14, R46). Then I trimmed around the top of the bloom with scissors and finished cutting with the same shape die as the card.

I got out my ever ready bottle of coffee spray and spritzed and dripped on top of the flower and pattern paper (Crate Paper ~ Random stack). The paper I stamped the peony had a natural curl from adding coffee spray that naturally and by happy accident curled the direction of the petals, so I left that part unglued.

I sprinkled some Crystal Transparent Embossing Enamel behind the petals and then sprinkled a few pinches of Fresh Green Glass Glitter and some extra embossing enamel to sandwich the glitter in place when I heat set it from behind panel. I traced a smaller nesting inverted die and did a hand-drawn border. Added some pretty May Arts ribbon that was antiqued with an E33 Copic.

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This card is also using inspiration from the Splitcoast Stampers Color Combo CC357 with a dessert to add a flower of any kind.

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So that's it from me. Keep moving along on the blog inspiration train (see list above) and then create something to share through the link tool below and even the Stampendous Facebook page.

Details:
Stamps: Jumbo Cling Peony (Stampendous)
Paper: Kraft (Wausau), Pattern Paper (Crate Paper~Random), Cream (Wausau)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento, Tsukineko), black .08 pen (Copic), Alcohol markers (Copics)
Accessories: Crystal Transparent Embossing Enamel (Stampendous), Fresh Green Glass Glitter, May Arts silk ribbon (Stampendous)