Goodbye to MFT

Well, the cat is officially out of the bag now.  In case you missed it, MFT announced that 5 of the designers are departing the team and I am one of them.   You can read about it HERE. 

Today is filled with mixed emotions for me.   I worked my tail off to make the MFT design team.   I had three months of guest designing for MFT in 2013 and then one day back in December, it finally happened.  Receiving that phone call from Kim and Jody inviting me to the team has by far been the highlight of my crafty career.  I started my term on January 1st.   On January 2nd, I also started a new job as the Dementia Program Director for local nursing home after leaving my job of 5 years as the Senior Clinical Social Worker on a geriatric psych unit.   Over the he past 6 months, I have learned lots of lessons and I thought I would share them with you.

1.  The designers on MFT work their asses off..........and I am talking balls to wall!  This team crafts their hearts out and manages to produce a huge number of  amazingly creative products each month.

2.  My filthy mouth is unacceptable in the MFT designer's hub and I would never be allowed to say "asses" or "balls to wall" there.    OOPS!  :)

3.  I love stencils!   Now, I will never be a Mona Pendleton (she blows me away), BUT I have found

a way to incorporate stenciling into my style and I love it!  Me and modeling paste.....who knew! Thanks for the inspiration, Mona!

4.   Taking on a new job and joining MFT at the same time = STRESS.   Stress makes me cranky.

Stress makes me tired.   Stress makes me depressed.  Stress makes me withdraw from the people I love.   Thankfully, those people I love stood by me and patiently waited for me to realize that I had WAY too much on my plate and that I just wasn't quite myself.   Thanks, friends!  XO

5.  I like to try new techniques.  I can do more than color with copics and ya know what, I like it!

After some of the MFT designers were talking about signing up for the Online Card Classes, I did the same.  I learned so much and the classes left me looking at my crafty supplies with a whole new prospective.  I highly recommend them!  

6.  Creating approximately 20 cards a month for one team plus another 8 for another while working full time, being a mom to a 10 year son and a 12 year old daughter, a chauffeur for the aforementioned duo and their friends, and a spectator / cheerleader for baseball and football games made me feel like a stamping robot and I started to lose the love for the hobby I had so much adored. Apparently, there is a limit to what I can accomplish in one day. Hmph.   

7.  Reducing my stress level immediately reignited my creativity and desire to craft!    I am not going anywhere.  My blog will will not shrivel up and die from inactivity.   Stamping is my therapy!  I  love to create!  I do want to be on design teams. I will continue to design for SugarPea Designs  and The Deconstructed Sketch.    I do want to share what I love.  Having designed for MFT is like having a gold star on my crafty resume and I am thankful for the time I spent on the team and  lessons I learned about myself.   I will set my sights on new adventures I will work my tail off to get on new teams.   

That being said, I thought I would make one last card branded with my MFT watermark to say goodbye to MFT while also playing along with the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge "W is for White."

I started with a sweet tooth CS card base.  I popped up the next layer that I created with the MFT Die-namics Chevron Cover-Up. 

I created the sentiment panel using a die from the Die-namics Horizontal Stitched Strips.  I stamped the sentiment from the Fall Foliage stamp set in black licorice ink.  I created the flowers using the Die-namics Royal Rose and Die-namics Mini Royal Rose.   The leaves are from the Die-namics Upsy Daisy.  

And there it is.  My final card as an MFT Designer.  Thanks for the fun ride!  Thanks for the lessons learned!  Thanks for the free stuff!  God, I am going to miss that!   

Thanks for everything!  

XO,

Kim 

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Just a Happy Hello

Happy Sunday to you!  

I am doing a little Sunday mornin' crafting while sipping some coffee and listening to the birds sing outside.  Ahhhh, I just love summer!

I made this super quick and easy card using the inlaid technique with my MFT dies.  

I started with a die from MFT Die-namics Pierced Traditional Tag STAX and die cut it twice.  I die cut the sentiment into one of the tags using the MFT Die-Namics Happy Hellos.  I adhered them together making sure that the adhesive would be exposed when I layered the tag with the "hello" die cut into it on top of the black tag. I due cut the sentiment again in patterned paper and laid it into the die cut tag.  The exposed adhesive grabs the pattened paper sentiment.  

I used the MFT Die-Namics Pierced Circle STAX to create the circular panel and I used the largest die from the MFT Die-namics Blueprints 13 to create the gumdrop green panel.

Family Ties 6x6 paper pad by Pebbles	MFT Gumdrop Green CS	MFT Sweet Tooth CS	MFT Happy Hellos Die-Namics	MFT Die-Namics pierced circle STAX
MFT Pierced Traditional Tag STAX	MFT Die-namics Blueprints 13

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SSSC224 - Smile!

So, tonight I decided to something I have not done in a LOOOOONG time.  

I created a card because I wanted to.......not because I had to check something off my list of things to do for a design team.   And ya know what, it made me SMILE!

A while back, I purchased this oh so flippin' cute digi stamp from The Doodle Garden called Keep Smiling.   Truth be told, I purchased more than one, but I had yet to color one up until tonight.  I am huge fan of Jenn, the owner and illustrator of The Doodle Garden.  

I colored her with copics.  I layered her over a panel of PP from the Carta Bella Sew Lovely 6x6 paper pad.  I used largest die from the MFT Die-namics Blueprints 13 to create the stitched ckraft panel.  I used the MFT Die-namics Dainty Lace Border and some dies from the MFT Die-namics Blueprints 12 to create the banenrs nad the flowers.   I die cut the flower from smooth white CS and then sponged the esges with pink lemonade ink. 

  I used a white gel pen to add freckles to her cheeks and to add some polka dots and plaid stripes to the patches on her overalls.  

I am entering this card in the The Doodle Garden's Summer Lovin' challenge as well as the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #224.  Here's the sketch:

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DS157 - Hi

It's Thursday which means there a new Deconstructed Sketch for you to tackle!

Yep!  Time to play along with the Deconstructed Sketch #157!

I started by stamping the text background using a stamp from the MFT Pretty Poppies stamp set.  I due cut the "hi" using the MFT Die-namiics Happy Hellos from black licorice CS.   I created the flowers using the MFT Die-Namics Gerbera Daisy.   I die cut the white panel using the large stitched riange from the MFT Die-namics Blueprints 13.   

Here's the sketch:

 Head to the Deconstructed Sketch blog to play along and link up your creations.  Be sure to check the creations of my fellow DT members for some inspiration!

• Arielle Gordon
• Cresta Woodruff
• Jen Shults
• Joni Wilson
• Judy Rozema
• Kadie Ensley
• Kim O'Connell
• Sheri Gilson
• Tracey Pickersgil

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DS156 - Celebrate Your Special Day

Welcome to this week's addition to the Deconstructed sketch! We've got a fun sketch for you this week to tackle!

I started with an MFT grout gray CS card base.  I chose some PP from the Simple Stories "A Charmed Life" 6x6 paper pad and I used lots of MFT Die-namics to create this card.

I stamped the sentiment from the Birthday Greetings stamp set in nightshift blue ink.  The circular panel was created with a die from the MFT Die-namics Blueprints 12.  I added a few gemstones to embellish.

I crated the pierced banner with the new MFT Pierced fishtail flag SATX and I created the stars with the MFT Die-namics Magical Wishes.


Here's the sketch:

Head to the Deconstructed Sketch blog to play along and link up your creations.  Be sure to check the creations of my fellow DT members for some inspiration!

• Arielle Gordon
• Cresta Woodruff
• Jen Shults
• Joni Wilson
• Joanne Basile
• Judy Rozema
• Kadie Ensley
• Kim O'Connell
• Sheri Gilson
• Tangii Crain
• Tracey Pickersgil

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