Stamper's Dream & Friends Blog Hop - Dare to Dream

Today, the Stamper's Dream Dream Team and some very special guests are putting on an amazing blog hop that you will not want to miss! It all starts with Becca Feeken, so run get caught up if you need to. I'll have the full hop order below for your convenience. Be sure to leave lots of comment love along the hop for your chance at two hidden blog candy prizes!

I have a super fun project to share today ... an altered Maya Road ATC Shadow Box. I fell in love with these at CHA this winter and couldn't wait to make one of my own! So many neat things you can do with these (more on that at the end). I started this one with no real plan, just a bundle of new Webster's Pages products (Trendsetter and Ladies & Gents -- love!!) and some awesome Maya Road goodies. Each section is like its own canvas, and then when you put them all together, magic happens! I'll tell ya, I thought I'd died and gone to embellishment heaven!

The rest of my post is lengthy, so before I show each ATC section individually, here's the full hop list. Someone pinch me -- this is one rockin' group of talented designers I get to hang out with today!

Becca Feeken
Michelle Rodgers
Jerri Kay Jimenez
Amy Sheffer{you're here}
Denise Marzec
Arlene Cuevas
Leslie Miller
Cindy Lawrence
Kellie Fortin
Tosh Leyendekker
Jeanne Streiff
Mariana Grigsby
Joan Ervin
Lea Lawson
Frances Byrne
Christina Fischer
Carla Murphy
Teresa Kline
Carol Longacre
Gabriela Devine

There are the two mystery blog candy packages up for grabs. They'll go to two random commenters, so the more comments you leave, the better your chances of winning. The winners will be announced on Michelle's blog Thursday evening, April 14, as well as on the blogs that had the hidden candy. So be sure to check back to see who the two winners are....one of them could be you! Good luck!!

Here are some close-ups of the different sections of my ATC Shadow Box:

The vintage car is from one of the Trendsetter paper patterns. (Trendsetter and Ladies & Gents 6x6 papers are packaged together.) The adore sticker is from the Ladies & Gents Image & Phrase Cardstock Stickers (I thought it looked like a license plate). You can also find Trendsetter Image & Phrase stickers in the store. The little butterfly stick pin is by Webster's Pages, too. Those are out of stock currently, but if you like the butterfly pins, you might also like the Flower & Heart stick pins.

Again, I just cut down one of the Trendsetter patterns and embellished with some buttons and twine. Quick and easy!

This one has some stacked crochet flowers, a grass border (die-cut with a My Favorite Things Fresh Cut Grass Die-namics die), and flower stems made out of a very cool trim from the Trendsetter Trim Card (it's called Beaded Links). I also added part of a Maya Road Kraft Mini Ticket Strip topped with a button and some May Arts burlap string.

The corner piece in the bottom left compartment was cut from one of the Ladies & Gents papers. It reads, "unique & special you." Underneath are three rolls of paper, made from one of the Trendsetter patterns (the rolled paper is a neat idea I saw at the Maya Road booth at CHA). The dress form chipboard is from Maya Road's Sew Cute Mini Chipboard Set. I primed with gesso, painted it white, then added a coat of Tim Holtz's Clear Rock Candy Crackle Paint. The dress form is adorned with more of the Beaded Links trim, along with some Blue Tutu Trim (from the Trendsetter trim card again), and a mini ribbon rose that I cut from Maya Road's Small White Roses Organza Ribbon. The next compartment over is another quick and easy one. The dress forms are part of the patterned paper. I just added two pieces of Trendsetter trims and a large pink button tied off with baker's twine.

Last is the sentiment section. The look and feel of the Trendsetter products is so perfect for a young, hip, stylish woman, and with graduation coming, I decided to give my box an inspirational theme. The blue frame image is from JustRite's Friendship Blooms, and the sentiment is from Dare to Dream. Tucked along the bottom is a piece of "kisspinkruffle" trim, again from the Trendsetter trim card.

Last, around the bottom three sections, I added a length of one of the Trendsetter Fabric Ribbons, topped with pink twine, a pink button, and a Maya Road star stick pin.

A few more shots that help show the dimension and detail:

See what I meant about embellishment heaven? I used so many different goodies on this that I'm almost embarrassed! I think we papercrafters are probably all guilty of having a lot of "stuff," yes? My hope is that I haven't overwhelmed you, but encouraged you to get out some of that "stuff" and play! These ATC Shadow Boxes are the perfect thing! Off the top of my head, a few more ideas for them:
--a family theme home decor item. Add a few family photos along with some fun embellishments for a scrapbookish feel
--a brag box for grandma, instead of the usual brag book
--fill it with some of your favorite inspirational quotes
--organize an ATC swap with five other papercrafters and use this tray to display them
--display vacation memorabilia
--a school days keepsake for a child ... include a school photo, a class photo, a sample of your child's handwriting, some memorabilia, etc.

Thanks so much for visiting today!