Heart-Shaped Message Boards

Today was my 4th Annual Hostess Appreciation Tea, and it was great fun to celebrate with many of the ladies who have been hostesses and loyal customers this past year (and previous years -- in fact, some for all 5 years I have been a Stampin' Up! demonstrator now!).    Anyway, the special make and take I had planned for the party was a heart shaped message board. 

In the Occasions Mini are new On Board Books.  These are shaped chipboard albums -- you can choose from a Heart, Scallop Circle, and Bird!  Any of those shapes would be great fun for this project -- although I have to admit, I think the heart is probably easiest in terms of requiring the least amount of cutting!  The albums come with eight pages and a key ball chain to hold them together if you plan to use them to create a scrapbook. (My packages even had a "bonus sheet" of uncut chipboard -- I think to support and protect the die cuts in transit, but I definitely will be using that with the Big Shot to make some other shapes for other projects).  However, the chipboard shapes can be used individually as well . . .

Stampin' Up! also recently released Chalkboard Decor elements sheets, and I'm really loving our new 5/8" Satin Ribbons.  I thought it would be very fun to combine all these great products to make a heart shaped message board that could be hung from a door knob or on a wall -- or given as a gift to someone special.  So, here's how my sample turned out -- first the chalkboard side:

And, for the other side, I used the Welcome Neighbor Designer Series Paper Pad (one of the products you can choose for free with your $50 order during Sale-a-Bration!)  For embellishments, I added a bird and branch punched with the awesome new Extra Large Two-Step Bird Punch, and a greeting stamped with the new Well Scripted set (both the punch and the stamp set are in the Occasions Mini).  I punched out the greeting with the Scallop Oval Punch, and sponged the edges.  Here's how it turned out:

Here's a sampling of what my friends made at the tea:

And, while we were working with the Bird Punch, my friend Lea came up with the brilliant idea of creating a turtle from the pieces -- isn't this adorable?!

So much fun to have an afternoon crafting with friends!  Thanks to everyone who came!  And, if you couldn't be there this time, I hope you can join me for some stamping fun sometime soon!

If you'd like to order any of the supplies we used to create these projects, please send me an email or visit my website and click the shop now button in the upper right hand corner!

- Michelle