Think SMALL--Icon Do This!!!

It's the last Wednesday of July. Really?

Man, it's true what "they" say about time accelerating as you age. Just yesterday it was March.

The last Wednesday of each month is reserved for the monthly blog hop over at  

Bombshell Stamps 

 This month, our Queen Hopster, Alison, tasked us with creating a project using the teeny itsy bitsy "accessory" stamps that come with our stamp sets so that THEY are the FOCUS of our projects. We are allowed to use one "main" stamp, but I challenged myself to use JUST the tiny stamps...Icon do this!!

We've all heard the adage "Go Big or go home" (or something like that)...well, for this challenge it's "Do SMALL or not at all!" So join us now in our "Iconic" blog hop! Hope y'all enjoy yourselves and, please, sprinkle love in the form of comments as your go, and join in for a chance to win some FaBuLoUs Bombshell Stamps! You know you wanna!

If you arrived from Laura's cooliolio blog, then you're in the right place at THE right time. You're so lucky! You should go buy lottery tickets! If you just stumbled on my blog and discovered this...You're so lucky!! You should go buy lottery tickets! 8, 12, 18, 24, 38, 09. That's what I'm predicting as the winning set of numbers. Winning where and what...I have no idea. But those are the numbers. I'm just sure. Oh, and I'll post a full listing of the hop participants at the end of this post, just in case you wanna revisit these wunnerful projectamundos.

To make this challenge more...challenging, I decided for my project I would use only 1 stamp. One itsy bitsy teensy weensy stamp...and see what I could cook up in the labora-Torrey with just one, lonely little stamp.

Well, as I got down to the business of creating, the mojo started flowin'. So much so, that I ended up doing 3 projects for this hop--all using that same little stamp. I'm pleasantly amazed at how different they all turned out--how one, unassuming flower stamp can come to the labora-Torrey and transmogrify into so many different "looks". I could EASILY have created more projects with this little gem of a stamp...but I thought 3 was plenty. Besides...I started feeling like a paper-crafting version of a Kamonian. Don't understand that reference? Hint: Kamonians live on a planet called Kamino...and they had one job.

Still don't get the reference?

Google it.

Project #1 Friends

The inspiration for my first project came after I had just hung up the phone with my bestee, Jodi. I miss her so blooming much. I really detest that we're like 800 miles apart.

*sigh*

So, I was all sunshiny after talking with her. She always makes me smile. At any rate, she inspired this card which just sort of sprang from my sunshiny feeling. The stamp I chose for all my projects is the little flower from "Bombshell Angel". Here is the result.

I bet you're wondering "How on earth did you make that background?" I'll tell ya...and I won't even have to kill ya. I started out by laying this uber cool honeycomb diecut down directly on the front of the white card. I very lightly penciled around each honeycomb hole thingie then set the diecut aside.

Using a scrap of cardstock, I cut out a hexagonal hole the same size of the honeycomb hole thingies and used it as a mask while I randomly stamped the flower all over the card so that only parts of most of the flowers would show through the honeycomb. Then, I decided I wanted my card to be colored in a gradient from upper left to lower right. I don't have a clue as to why...I just thought it would look cool.

I totally colored some of the flowers, and partially colored some more...and left some completely uncolored. I did the same with the background and laid down heavy color in the top left corner and blended it out until there was no color in the lower right. This is not an easy task to do with Primacolor pencils. It took a LOT of working and reworking of the color.

Then, I adhered the honeycomb diecut back over the background and added 2 silhouette cuties and a "title" that I cut with my Cricut. A couple of ribbons and a few extra flowers finish it off. I really like how the silhouette girls magnify your focus on that background.

Project #2 Cherry Blossom Beauty

The idea for this project just sort of...emerged as soon as I finished the first project. I totally dialed-down the color volume on this card. The first card was SO bright, I decided I wanted something a little more...Zen. I chose a warm peachy pink and chocolatey brown for my palette on this serene card.

I started out by randomly stamping the flower all over the front of the card with VersaMark ink. Then I embossed the images with clear embossing powder and sponged soft rose Distress ink all over the surface. The sentiment and branch were made with my Cricut. I was lazy and didn't fussy-cut each flower--I just sort of cut them out in "circles". It still looks fine if ya ask me.

Project # 3 Thanks, Just Thanks

For my last project, I decided to K.I.S.S. it. You know...Keep It Sweet & Simple. I made a little Thank You card with a very graphic feel. I cut 5 identical circles out of the front of the card. Then I embossed it and shadowboxed each circular opening from behind with foam tape and black cardstock. I dropped a colored flower into each shadowbox area; added a ribbon, sentiment, extra flower (to complete the rainbow)...done. Took all of about 15 minutes from start to finish (most of that was coloring).

I'd like to enter one or more of these cards in the following challenges:

• Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
• The ABC Challenge - T for Two (I used 2 silhouette girls, and 2 ribbons)
•  The Paper Shelter - #74 Metal Embellishment (lots of antique copper brads on card #2)
• Crafts and Me: #94 Anything Goes
• Digital Tuesday - Photo Inspiration (card #2 has digital Cricut diecuts) 
• Top Tip Tuesday - #81 All About Circles
• Simon Says Stamp and Show - Hey Girl

Ingredients for all 3 cards:

Flower stamp - Bombshell Stamps (Bombshell Angel)
Hexagon (honeycomb) die - Papertrey Ink
Prismacolor colored pencils
ribbon- Creative Impressions, American Craft
"A Child's Year", "Pagoda" Cricut cartridges - Provo Craft
Distress Ink - Ranger (Tattered Rose)
clear embossing powder - Ranger
VersaMark ink - Tsukineko
Swiss Dot Cuttlebug embossing folder - Provo Craft
mini brads - Creative Impressions

Thanks for hopping by! Your next stop is Sparkly Mary's  FaBuLoUs blog. Be sure to leave love along the way, and have fun!

Here's a complete hop list...just in case.

Bombshell Blog 

Alison
Laura 

 me>>> Torrey<<< me
Sparkly Mary
Stempelientje
Glittery Katie
Kelli
Jodi
Alaine 

Kim 

Kathi