May Honorable Mentions

After much delay, I am pleased to bring you this month's Guest Star Stamper winners and honorable mentions.  I decided it was time for a bit of a face lift and I will now be putting more emphasis on the winners themselves and limiting the honorable mentions to a "Top Trio".  In other words, three additional projects that deserved special mention.  I hope you enjoy the changes and take the opportunity to absorb some incredible inspiration from all of the hard work that these ladies put into their projects this month.  Without further ado…

Belinda (a.k.a. cadnileb) created this vibrant & colorful card (using Scattered Showers) that would be sure to brighten anyone's day!  I love EVERYTHING about this project!  The layout, the way the flowers are spilling out over the top of the boots, the angle at which the umbrella sits, the mixture of patterns.  She achieved a perfect balance by having the large bow opposing the large pink umbrella that extends to the right-side.  Everything is just fabulous, Belinda, from head to *toe*!

There were three additional projects that caught my eye…

Julia Aston used the Purse-onality Clutch template to make a little *Get Well Soon* gift set for someone special.  It includes tissues, cough drops and even homemade banana bread!

Anya created a unique raised border with the set, sprinkling in a few raindrops as a background.  The layering and dimension really stand out as a show-stopper!

Heather Jackman was clever enough to put umbrella top images together to form holiday ornaments.  In fact, they look so good, it took me a few moments to figure out which of our stamp sets she had used to create the project!

Jen Tapler achieved one of my favorite looks and made it look effortless, clean & simple.  Her color scheme was drawn from the tea bags included in this special gift box (Get a Handle On It) for her mother.  I love the use of Background Basics: Retro on the new leaf box band.  It hints towards an ethic theme in a subtle and stylish way.  The simple addition of the die-cut leaf extending over the edge of the box softens all of the straight edges and brings it to the next level.  The leaf also echos the pattern found on the teapot from Tea for Two.  Perfect execution, Jen!

Three other ladies incorporated tea in fun & interesting ways…

Dancing Pear Designs made this amazing tea caddy for an upcoming tea party her young daughter will be having. The way she used the teapots as "labels" for each of the section is just brilliant!  Also note the "button legs" she added to the bottom of the caddy, which was created from 4 For Keepsake templates adhered together.  A perfect finishing detail.

Chrissy recently hosted a Mother Daughter Tea and created several of these as favors.  She says the Rounded Wrap-Up template was the perfect size to hold biscotti and a few tea bags.  I loved the color combo she chose along with the way she kept things simple so they were easy to mass produce.

Aaron Brown found this fun frog shaped infuser to use as the basis for her project, which I assume inspired her fun & funky color scheme.  She chose to place some loose leaf tea in glassine bags in the front pocket of the Take Along Tote.

Maria Levy used All-Star Team to create this masculine gift card holder.  She used on of my favorite color combos, ocean tides & kraft, with a splash of pure poppy as an accent!  Using the pennant as a closure of sorts for the flap is a fun way to utilize the shape.  Integrating Fresh Alphabet to finish the sentiment "All Star Birthday" was a clever touch too!  Great job, Maria!

Not to diminish the quality & achievement behind Maria's win, but I am afraid there were no other entries for this category!  I was so disappointed to not have the opportunity to pick a Top Trio of projects using this incredibly fun & versatile stamp set!

Leigh Ann Baird made the most incredible recipe file as her entry in the Timeless Templates portion of the contest.  Utilizing three Filed With Flair templates together made the perfect basis for her project.  She created dividers for the recipe cards using our Recipe Box stamp set and filing system.  I love the way she cut out Recipe Box Label and added it to the front of the trio, adding a bit of a detail for the eye to stop at.  I can totally picture this on anyone's kitchen bookshelf, coordinated in their own color scheme.  I think it is clever & resourceful.  What a fun thing to fill for a bridal shower or house warming party too!  Amazing, amazing results, Leigh Ann! 

We look forward to working with Leigh Ann as a guest on our template team this month!  So if you liked her project today, you will be seeing more from her in one of next month's new template design downloads!

Even though only one Template winner receives the top prize of earning the guest
position on our template team for this month, there are three other
wonderful projects that I thought deserved special mention!

Terri Moore used our free sample download, Stocking Stuffer, to make this fun spring time boot, perfect for dressing up some spring flowers.  The bright pink tulips she used compliment the new leaf green of the boot perfectly.  The added handles that help reinforce the idea of wellies is such a nice touch!

Charmaine Ikach used clear cardstock to create a fun version of the Rounded Wrap-Up.  It turned out to be the perfect size to hold a special girly set of lip gloss.  The addition of the pink Little Lady tag is just SO adorable.  I don't know any little girl that would turn something like this away!

Tracey Cuccia decided to adapt Desk Top Organizer to hold a special rosary bead gift.  A verse from Everyday Blessings was the perfect addition for the lower corner of the insert she created for the box.  What a special & meaningful way to present such a heartfelt gift.  Certainly memorable.

So there you have it!  Didn't everyone do an AMAZING job!  I just feel so blessed to have so many talented stampers utilizing our images in so many fabulous ways.  Thank you to each and every one of you for sharing your art with us!

Want to see your project highlighted here next month and perhaps win a prize?  The categories for this month's Guest Star Stamper Contest can be found HERE!  You have until June 13th to complete your projects, so you have plenty of time to think it over and put something fabulous together!  I look forward to seeing all of your amazing entries!