Gallery Idol Round 3: Buttons

Good afternoon Blogland! I hope you've been well. My week was full of more super nice comments and emails from those of you following the Gallery Idol competition. I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate your support. I'm just a bundle of happy energy these days!

Anyway, today the third round of Gallery Idol begins. Our theme this week is to incorporate buttons. I lurve buttons! I wanted to use them differently than I usually do (as a random embellishment or flower center), so I started going through my supplies looking for an application that may not come to mind in the dead heat of summer. After much deliberation I give you...Christmas in July!


I started with an Aqua Mist base stamped diagonally with a stripe background from Background Basics: Retro in white ink. Then, I stamped my branch onto white cardstock and sponged the edges with Aqua Mist ink. That was adhered to a green scalloped layer and tied with Pure Poppy ribbon.


Next, I drew on my ornament hangers went looking for just the right buttons. I didn't have the perfect red button so I took a great white one and sponged it with reinker and a cotton ball. I realized the trick to even color was to get plenty of the ink on the cotton ball. I heat set the ink when I was happy with the coverage (if you try this at home please make sure to use tweezers and keep your fingers away from the heat). I layered the now red button with a nifty white one for a little extra dimension. I used contrasting thread to stitch on the buttons and add a fun detail.

I stamped my sentiment before mounting my image panel to the card base with foam tape. I'm really happy with this card. The color scheme is so fun and punchy!

So, the voting this week is much like it has been the last couple. The only difference being you don't have to re-register to vote if you've already done so. You may have to log in, but you won't have to re-register. You can go HERE to see everyone's entries and vote for your favorite. Remember: You can only vote once per round! It's going to be a tough decision with so much button-y goodness in the lineup. The voting runs from noon MST today through noon MST on Thursday. This round decides the Top 5 finalists (to be announced on Friday).

Thanks for checking in today! See you soon (I make no promises...I've been sucked into a "brain candy" book series and I can't seem to find my way out)...

Recipe:
Cardstock: Aqua Mist - Papertrey Ink; Ultimate White - Strathmore; Leapfrog - Bazzill
Ink: New Leaf, Pure Poppy - Papertrey Ink; Dark Brown Chalk, Frost White - Colorbox
Stamps: Background Basics: Retro, Take A Bough - Papertrey Ink
Tools: Scalloped Border Punch - Fiskars; Needle
Fibers: Red Embroidery Floss, Aqua Embroidery Floss - DMC
Other: Foam Tape - Scotch; Buttons - unknown; Silver Pen - Marvy