2011 SST! Valentine's Day Blog Hop

Welcome to the Sistas Scrap Too! second blog hop! We had so much fun with our first hop that we decided to do a hop once a quarter. This is the hop for the first quarter of 2011 and we are glad you decided to join us! We have 14 designers working on our theme for this hop, which is none other than Valentine's Day. We've put a twist on it, asking the designers to use the colors red, black, and white in their designs. We can't wait to show you what we've come up with! Some of the Sistas went the traditional route and used traditional colors for their projects. What would craftin' be without creativity and diversity?! We know you'll enjoy what lies ahead on the hop route!!

Remember, start at the beginning of the hop (here) and work your way through each blog. Please leave blog love (comments) along the way and become a follower of the blogs so that you can see the beautiful creations year round and not just when we have a hop! There are Sistas who are offering blog candy and you never know where you'll find some so be sure to visit each participating blog. Thank you for joining us for our 2011 SST! Valentine's Day Blog Hop! We hope you enjoy the creativity...

My first project is a card I made for the monthly swap with my local scrapping group.  I used Cricut Design Studio to get the card front just the way I wanted it.  The French Manor cartridge has a card cut that has the front cut shown, but it is not centered on the card.  I wanted it centered, so with a little contour hiding and adding a plain rectangle, I got the card front that I wanted.  It measures 5 1/4" by 4".  The base of the card is a standard A2 size.  The strawberry is from Celebrate with a Flourish and cut at 3 3/8".  The red layer cuts with the strawberry cap on it, so I just cut that off.  I used Aleene's Paper Glaze to give the chocolate its sheen.  The strawberry is tucked under the card front.  I added 3 heart buttons in the upper left to balance the space usage.  Inside it reads "Happy Valentine's Day" with a stamp I got from Hobby Lobby.

Up next, a layout.  As with most layouts with my son's pictures, it is pretty simple.  With the black cardstock, I cut the heart from the Home Decor cartridge at 11 1/4".  I used the negative of the cut and placed it on the roses paper, which is The Paper Studio brand from Hobby Lobby.  The "Love" came from the Martha Stewart Elegant Cake Art cartridge and the other letters are from the Plantin Schoolbook cart.  The letters were cut at 1 1/2", but I did stretch the "Love" a bit to fill the area.

I had to play with this one a little to figure out the best way to place the cardstock on the patterned paper. I first used my ATG, but that adhered before I had my paper straight. I ended up using Modge Podge on the cardstock and placing the patterned paper on it. This caused the layout to curl and wrinkle some, so I may redo it. I know I won't be happy with the buckled paper.


Now, if you've made it through the hop thus far, and made it all the way to this point in my posting, then you deserve a chance at some Blog Candy!  I am giving away the Organic Flourish Cuttlebug embossing borders set.  If you've read my previous blog post, you know that I wanted this set so much, that I ended up buying 3 of them!  So I am sharing one set with one of you.  I am also giving away a 6x6 stack of  Making Memories Embellishment Paper.  This pack of the Cosmopolitan Collection has the nicest prints in combinations of blue, brown, and yellow.  And something tells me that the winner of this blog candy will find some surprises along with these two items.

In order to be eligible, please leave a comment here, and a way for me to contact you (through your blog is fine) by midnight Eastern time, Sunday, February 13th.  While I would love for you to become one of my followers, I'm not making it a requirement for the blog candy.  I will choose and post the winner using Random.org on Valentine's Day.


Hop Line Up

I hope you enjoyed my projects! Here is the list of participating blogs. I've made them clickable to make it easier for you to follow along the hop route. Don't forget to stop by and visit everyone. Leave some blog love and enjoy!  Thanks for visiting, and hope to see you next quarter!  Now, head on over to see what Kim has created for us.

Sumaiyah:     http://www.stampindymonz.com/ 
Cassie:          http://cjscropcorner.blogspot.com/
Michele:         http://nowstampthis.blogspot.com/
Yvatte:           http://gr8ful1-sweetlilscrapper.blogspot.com/
Lei:                http://divinescrapper.blogspot.com/
Renee:          http://reneehagler.typepad.com/
Tonya:           http://rileyscustomcreations.blogspot.com/     <-- You are here!
Kim:              http://kim-kimscreativecorner.blogspot.com/
Cammi:         http://cuttin-up.blogspot.com/
Normea:        http://mmdezigns.blogspot.com/
Ella:               http://sharingmystuff.blogspot.com/
Lanita:           http://stepintonitasworld.blogspot.com/
Vernetta:       http://scrapinnovations.blogspot.com/
Netta:            http://craftcreationsbynetta.blogspot.com/