The Pink Elephant: April 2009

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Bleach Technique

Hello All!!!

I have the privilege of bringing you this week's tutorial. If you have seen or remember my previous tutorials, then you know that I like them short and sweet!!
Why should this time be any different...Right?!?!?

Stamping with Bleach
Designer: Lori Boyd, TPE Design Team

Materials:
Bleach
Baby Wipe container
1 baby wipe or paper towel
Stamp Set: Stampin' Up! Upsy Daisy and Bronc Buster
Cardstock Card 1: Stampin' Up! Pink Pirouette, Basic Black, Pixie Pink and Whisper White
Card Stock Card 2: Basic Black, More Mustard and Pixie Pink

This technique is super simple. Place a wipe or paper towel inside the wipe container. The container keeps everything safe and neat. You will pour a bit of bleach over the wipe or paper towel. Enough to moisten, but you don't want to overly saturate.

Next, simply place your stamp directly onto the bleach soaked wipe and then lift and press onto your card stock. Just let inking and then stamping with ink, only you are using bleach instead of ink. It may take a few moments for the bleach to thoroughly dry, fading more and more as it dries.

Repeat, as desired. Then, assemble and embellish your project!!

See, I told you it was quick and easy!!

I did one more sample, just to show how you can create your own "designer card stock".
I stamped the image, from the Stampin' Up! Stamp Set "Bronc Buster" with bleach. Let it dry and then added my own little doodles!! Then used that as the background for the card below, perfect for your little cowgirl.

Can't wait to see some of your samples of the bleach stamping!! Maybe you can use this technique when you create your project for this week's sketch challenge!!

~ LORi BOYD

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Challenge 11 - Winner

Okay!! We have a situation here at The Pink Elephant...You ALL are seriously making our voting/decision making process super difficult!!!
Honestly, every week we go crazy over all your submissions.

So we decided to do 2 things:
First of all, We have placed a poll on the sidebar to the right.
Please, Please be sure to vote on your preference.
Let the DT continue to vote for the winners, Use random.org to select winner and Top 3 or
Don't have an actual winner or prizes, just list a Top 5????
It's all up to you, so we hope you find time to vote!! Maybe, you have a suggestion, something we haven't thought of, a way you'd like to see things go...Well, just leave your idea/suggestion in the comment area. After all, this blog is all about and all for YOU!! So feel free to let us know what you think!!

Secondly, we decided to add a new spot to the Top 3 Category. From now until the poll has closed and your choices have been made we will have our grand prize winner and three Top 3 winners.
We want you all to know how much fun we as the Design Team are having, how much we enjoy seeing your projects (they are such inspiration for all of us) and getting to know you and just how blessed we feel to count you all as our friends!! We feel like one big Pink Elephant Family!!
Thanks so much!!

TPE Challenge #11 Winner
is
# 9 Dawn

Congratulations Dawn,
we will proudly showcase your winning project in
Ella's Hall of Fame for the next 6 months, you will receive
an Image CD from
Heart Work by Cecilia

and you are awarded Ella's...I am a winner banner award

To place on your blog for all to see you are a Pink Elephant Winner!!
Be sure to send your contact info to thepinkelephantblog@gmail.com
.....................................................................................................................................................

Our Runners-Up for
The Pink Elephant Top 3

Gayle

Sandra

Jess

Congratulations Gayle, Sandra and Jess!!

We hope you will proudly display the Top 3 banner on your blog for all to see that you are a winner on

The Pink Elephant!

Thanks you all for your support and participation!
We hope you all are having fun with our theme challenge this week!

~ The Pink Elephant Design Team

Saturday, April 25, 2009

TPE- Challenge #12

Hi Everyone!!

We are excited to bring you a Sketch Challenge this week at The Pink Elephant.
It is an adorable sketch by
Senior Design Team Member Carol Houghton.
We hope you enjoy!!

Here are the Design Team Inspiration samples:

LORi BOYD

Lori R.

Robin Willis

Challenges will begin on Mondays and Close Sundays at 12 midnight EST !!
Winning entry (along with two runner up entries) will be announced on Tuesday Evenings.
If you upload your project to SCS please use keyword TPE, but also add a link to it in Mr. Linky so we are sure to see it.

This week our prize is a
$5 Uppercase Living Gift Certificate
from
Terri

Thanks so much Terri!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Challenges are open to worldwide participants. All projects are welcome...cards, layouts, altered items and any other paper projects. To enter, post a link to your creation in the Mr. Linky box below. For complete instructions on how to enter challenges, there is a tutorial in the FAQs on the sidebar.

**note: If you have any trouble with Mr Linky, please just add your name and direct link in a comment telling us that you are having problems and one of the dt members will be happy to add your link so you are entered into our challenges.**

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Fun Felt Strawberries

Hi Everyone!!

It's Thursday! That means it is time for another fun tutorial from one of wonderful TPE design team members!! This week, Tina Quinata is going to share a great idea on making your own felt embellishments.

Fun Felt Strawberries

Designer: Tina Quinata, TPE dt

I love these strawberries from Martha Stewart crafts.

image from Martha Stewart crafts

Being a girl of limited means, however, I opted to try to find a way to make my own. Here is my tutorial on making strawberry embellishments.

Ingredients:
~adhesive backed felt in strawberrylicious colors. You don't need the whole sheet, just enough to make some berries. My strips are about 2" x 5.5". You'll want to keep the backing on until you actually use them in your card, layout, etc.
~green felt for leaves. Again, just enough for some caps & leaves if you like.
~embosser with Swiss Dots embossing folder
~scissors & pinking shears (if you wanna get really fancy)
If you don't have adhesive backed felt or an embossing folder, you can still do this, stay tuned until the end.
1. Run your strips through the embosser. It might take a few runs to get the texture you want.

See? Instant strawberry seeds.

2. Get out some scissors & cut out strawberry shapes. It's like a heart, but not such a deep V at the top & a rounded out bottom.

3. Now for some caps. I use non adhesive felt for mine. First cut out a semicircle.

Then, cutting from the flat side up, cut out some leaves. Don't cut all the way through, though, make sure you leave the top intact. It makes it easier to adhere to the strawberry.

Voila! Strawberry!

4. If you'd like some leaves, use pinking shears to cut out leaf shapes.

The image above also shows strawberries made without the adhesive backed felt. Just use regular felt & make your own "seeds". I made these by making itty bitty stitches, but you could use beads, seed pearls, maybe even eyelets or brads.

Enjoy!

-Tina

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Challenge 10 - Winner

TPE Challenge #10 Winner
is
# 34 Sunghee

Congratulations Sunghee, we will proudly showcase your winning project in
Ella's Hall of Fame for the next 6 months, and you will receive
The Greeting Farm-Cup Of Stuff stamp set

and you are awarded Ella's...I am a winner banner award

Piabau

Congratulations Cindy and Piabau!!

We hope you will proudly display the Top 3 banner on your blog for all to see that you are a winner on

The Pink Elephant!

Thanks you all for your support and participation!
We hope you all are having fun with our theme challenge this week!

~ The Pink Elephant Design Team

Sunday, April 19, 2009

The Pink Elephant Challenge #11

Hi Everyone!!
Well, you have done it again...helped us to have a FANTASTIC week at The Pink Elephant!
Thank You Bunches!!
Are you ready for Challenge #11 here at The Pink Elephant!!
It's a Theme Challenge, but a little different from normal... you get to pick one or the other or both:

For Mom
(Happy Mother's Day or Happy Birthday Mom)
and/or
Don't Throw That Away
(Recycle, Reuse)

you can submit 1 project (Mother's Day or Recycle) OR you can submit a project for both themes this week!!!
Think of it as 2 chances to win!!

Here are the Design Team Inspiration Samples:

Trudi

RobinWillis

LORi BOYD

Carol

Tina