Playing in Paradise #103 - A Loved One

Hooray it's Friday!  And only one week until Valentine's Day!  What better time to celebrate the ones we love?  So, this week I am challenging you to create a project that is inspired by a loved one.  Of course it could be a valentine, but it does not have to be - as long as it is about or for a loved one.  We hope you will join in and are looking forward to seeing all your wonderful creations!

I decided to create a little heart shaped treat box - from scratch.  Admittedly not the simplest of feats and I think next year I might purchase some pre-made and ready to alter (quick and easy!).  

Speaking of quick and easy, I embellished my project with a cute little heart charm made from a punch, shrink plastic and embossing powder.  This is such a fun technique, you will be wanting to shrink all of your favourite punches and dies after trying it out!  After making the heart, I had to make a couple more:

Start by punching or die cutting your favourite shapes from shrink plastic (for this example I used Spellbinders Fantastic Flourish 2 and Wonderful Wings).  Then on a heat resistant craft sheet, use your heat tool to heat the plastic, moving it around until it no longer shrinks.  It will curl in the process, but once the shrinking is complete it will lay flat again.  The second photo shows the size difference from the original dies.  The shrunk pieces are about 2mm thick.  Coat with embossing ink, dip in embossing powder (I used Lindy's Stamp Gang) and heat to set.  For a variation, I painted the corner piece with gesso.  Visit  Scrapbooker's Paradise Online store for all your supply needs.

Let's take a look at what our Challenge team has created this week:

Allison

Jessi

Linda

Nina

Our Guest Designer this week is Cheryl.  Glad you can join us this week and Thank You for taking the time to create this stunning keepsake for us.  Here are a few words from Cheryl on her project:

"When I saw the prompt, I knew it was time to work on a project I had been putting off for a long time. I went through my grandmother's knitting and sewing bags after she passed away, knowing I would want to keep some items to use as memorabilia. I purchased a shadow box over a year ago and the yarn, sewing patterns, needles and notes sat waiting for me. This was the perfect prompt to motivate me! I used paper from Echo Park as the background and made most of the embellishments using her things, I even added her needles. I created a pocket to hold small scraps of paper with her handwriting on them, including notes from one of my sweaters. All that's left to do now is find the perfect place to display this!"

Please note: We post daily, so to find this challenge again once you have your project made please click on the 'Playing in Paradise Challenge' button on the right hand side to be taken to the current challenge.

This week's prize is The Sweetest Thing decorative tape and buttons, as well as a chance to guest design in a future challenge!

How to Play Please Read:

"Our Design Team works very hard to come up with new Challenges every week.

They are designed to stretch your imagination and creative talent. We like to encourage you to try new things, no matter what your paper crafting level is. Please be fair and only enter a project designed with this specific prompt in mind. Previously published or posted projects, will be looked at as inspiration, but will not be eligible for the prize package."

1) Everyone is invited to play! There are no requirements or restrictions on what products  you can use to create your challenge entry. All we ask is that your project is new to our challenge. Projects that have been previously posted will not be eligible for the prize draw.

2) You have until noon on Thursday, February 14th  to link your entries for this challenge below.

3) Please link directly to your entry photo or your specific blog post featuring your project, not a general link. We reserve the right to remove invalid links. If you're uploading to a public forum, then use the keyword PPC103 so we can find you!

4) Please fill in your name (not the name of your card or the name of the challenge) as the caption/label within the linky tool.

CONGRATULATIONS to Karla Yungwirth, the winner of the Playing in Paradise Challenge #102. Please email Pam at faeiryrocks@telus.net  with your correct mailing address, or pick up location. She will  get back to you with the details for your prize and for how you can play along with us in a future challenge!

Good luck!