Stitches and Buttons and Hatpins, OH MY!

Somebody stop me!!* No, this wasn't for some crazy challenge like Carolyn and her buddies do when you have to include x number of buttons on a card etc, I'd had an idea to use those stitchy border stamps I mentioned a few weeks back with Rupa's little sewing machine, but hadn't decided yet what colors, layout etc. Then I saw a challenge for My Favorite Things (Kim's so nice, she lets you use other stamps for the challenges) to use black cardstock and black embellishments, so I decided to get started**

I began stamping all my rows of a stitches, leaving a space for the "You're a stitch!" greeting (it almost justifies my crazy, over the top card). I used this piece of DP from my DCVW Spring Stack (Donna brought me some Soft Sky CS earlier that day that was a beautiful match for it and I liked the stitching around the flowers) I cut the sewing machine out, colored and covered parts with my Sakura Glaze pen, and mounted it on my Nestie circle(Apricot Appeal) Next I went cah-RAZY with the sewing embellishments! Lots of clear buttons(altered to apricot and black buttons by punching circles of colored CS and gluing behind them) stitched black ribbon, and since i had one,and the card couldn't really get any busier, a hat pin with a pearl and silk flower form the SU! Pretties Kit. One addition I do like is the little button on the sewing machine wheel(whatever that thingy is called! "wheel", is that right?

The Signo White Gel pen is perfect for stitching on dark CS to make a stitched look(because I swear I will never, ever do any real sewing by machine on a card!!*** Check out all the ways I "skirted danger" during this Dirty Dozen challenge "sew" long ago!! hee!) TIP: If you're too lazy to get out the embossing powder, or don't have any, you can go over your hand-drawn or stamped faux stitching with the glaze pen, for a nice dimensional, threaded look. :)

So in the end, I kind of love it, kind of hate it. Either way, this image and greeting are perfect for your all your buttons, bows and sewing tricks :)

Only two more days to enter my contest!! (Have you heard it through the blogging grapevine Donna is NOT entering?? Please give it a try if you would like to be my stamping superstar!!!)

*if this card were a dress, I think Tim Gunn would have told me I needed to "edit" myself a bit, and then "make it work!"

**and found I'd completed my card one hour after the deadline, too late to enter-wahhhh!! oh well, I wouldn't have won anyway.



***unless the stakes were extremely high... like a million dollars.. let me know if you see that offered somewhere, 'kay?