Welcome to Swirlydoos' February Blog Hop Block Party!!

Welcome to Swirlydoos February Kit Reveal Blog Hop BLOCK PARTY!!! If you came here from Karola's blog, then you are on the right track.  If not, go back to Swirlydoos' blog and start from there.  We have some amazing projects for you to see today and as a bonus we have 2 manufacturer blogs that are joining in the fun!! There are 3 prize packs up for grabs so make sure to follow along and have fun!!

 Here are my projects that I made with the gorgeous Bonjour Mon Doux kit for the FIRST reveal:

"Lullaby (& Good Night)"
Here is my take on the sketch for this month. I opted for heavy distressing and inking on this layout because it is a boy layout, and I knew I was going to gussy it up with flowers and hearts, so I thought it would add some balance. I used three different shades of distress ink so achieve this effect. First, I used Antique Linen heavily, then I followed with Frayed Burlap over that, leaving some of the Antique Linen showing, and did the same thing with Vintage Photo to the edges. Then I distressed the edges with my fingernail, and made deep marks to reveal the border strips ( I used the Tim Holtz Antique Lace die). I rubbed Frayed Burlap distress ink on the bird cage. I also gutted the brown roses and replaced the centers with Kaisercraft flowers.

"Heaven Sent"

So, it's my turn to do the "Anatomy of a Layout" this month, and this is my creation. I have to tell you that this was a real challenge for me because the rule is that we can only use the main kit! I always grab stuff from the monthly add-ons and stuff from my own stash for every layout, but not this time! If you want the details, check out the "Anatomy of a Layout" thread on the Swirlydoos forums!!

"Cherish"

I just adore portraits, and this is one taken from my little man's one month session. I really try to keep the focus on the picture when I do layouts of these kind. For the background, I started with a piece of dark brown cardstock, then I cut the polka dot paper using a template, that is just a Technique Tuesday chipboard piece from the funky frames collection. It's an old embellishment, but I love the look, and can't bear to use it, so I just keep it for a template. I finished that off by distressing it with my fingernail, again!

I matted the photo on paper I punched using the Martha Stewart "Cherish" punch around the page, then I hand stitched the holes (a lot of work, but worth the effort). The vines are from Cherry Lynn designs. The title is Dusty Attic- I used chalk ink around the edges, leaving parts naked for dimension.

I hope you enjoyed seeing these projects!

You have until midnight, eastern time, on February 10th to complete the hop. Winners will be announced on the Swirlydoos Blog on February 11th.  In order to qualify to win here is what you need to do:
1: Visit all of the blogs and leave a comment on each. This way we know you were there. Become a follower if you're not already. Take your time. There are beautiful things to see along the way.
2: Before you leave each blog, look for the “special” words and write it down.
Once you have visited all the blogs and collected all the special words, they will create a sentence.
3: Finally, go back to the Swirlydoos blog and leave a comment letting us know how much fun you had AND tell us the sentence that was created with all of the special words you collected.


My special word is : not



The party continues over at Paulien's blog.  Have fun!