Challenge #2 - last addition 04/01/08

We're off to a great start! Don't forget to go back and check out all the ways Magic Mesh was used - it's a pretty timeless product and it really showed in how well it went with current products!

Our next challenge will be to incorporate slide mounts into a project. Again, I have to admit I have a seriously embarassing stash of these - plastic, cardboard, paper, printed (eek)...I even have a slide mount punch! So let's see what we can do with these babies!



I did a quick google search when I was looking for a picture to use (sorry, after being the only crazy lady with enough Magic Mesh to actually make the life-sized bust I joked about I'm not going to admit to how many slide mounts I have!). I came across a challenge at Creating Keepsakes that had some ideas. I had to laugh because some of the ideas showed the age of the article (yup, during the actual slide mount craze!) with the product used! Mesh, alphabet beads... Interestingly enough though, you'll also see early uses of transparencies too!

And another article from Scrapbooking 101 (dated August 2005) with some reminders on how to cover them in case we've forgotten!

And LOOK! I found a blog entry using the Dottie Ann Magic Mesh to cover a slide mount here - from last month!!!!! It's definitely time to be bringing these items back!!

When you're ready to share, simply leave a comment with a link or email me at michaelcsmommy@yahoo.com and I'll get it up as soon as I can. Also, don't forget to send me a link to your gallery or blog if you'd like to share!

It's never too late - everyone is ALWAYS welcome to hop in at any time and go back to previous challenges as well! So browse through every so often! I'll start changing the title of each post to include the last date I edited with a new addition so you can see easily if there's one you might want to go back and check out!

Ok. So Debbi made me feel bad - I just finally added my Mesh projects today and here she is already with the slide mount challenge done! What a cool idea to do an entire background using slide mounts with different coordinating papers! Way to be on top of things with new ideas!



Wow - I guess not as many people had slide mounts? Well, Deb N has chimed in with her project and this card is gorgeous! All kind of vintage goodies make that slide mount look like a million bucks there as a little frame for that vintage image! Ugh - although her gorgeous photography makes me feel soooo inadequate though, lol!




Aimeslee put together several ATC's using slide mounts that have been stamped and painted - how cute are these! The Paris one is my favorite - love the little polka dots!!!




And here's a super quick project of mine using the pre-printed slide mounts from Design Originals. Gotta love those five minute decorative projects! Candle holders are just too easy!

Deb N has sent in another 15 minute card for us! This turned out beautifully (I love the ribbons tied to the side of the slide!) and now I'm just jealous about the whole 15 minutes thing, lol! She does amazing things in just a quarter hour!

Well, we're halfway through the first challenge!

So far we have three players so scroll down on the challenge post to see what they've done with our old faithful Magic Mesh! I think I just might be falling back in love with it! Yeah, yeah, I know, I haven't finished my own challenge yet, lol! Almost done!

Also, I've added a link list on the righthand side to see more from those who play (I love finding something I love then going back to see what ELSE the creator comes up with!). I have linked to whatever I could find quickly, be it a blog or a gallery. If you would like something different as your link OR if you would prefer NOT to be linked, please let me know and I'll make the changes immediately. In the future, if you'd please all add to your email or comment whatever blog or gallery you'd like to share from yourself, I'd appreciate it!

Alright, ladies, now that we've got some inspiration, what can YOU come up with? Can't wait to see!! Keep checking back for more inspiration and to cheer each other on!

Challenge #1 - last addition 3/28/08

Everybody ready? By an overwhelming majority (lol, which was 7 votes), we're going to start our first challenge with Magic Mesh. Now Magic Mesh is still available so it's not an old, discontinued thing we just have hanging around. However, once upon a time, this was THE hot product around! We all went out and bought it in every color and collected it like it was going out of style...Oops! It went out of style!

Whether the cool kids are playing with it or not, Magic Mesh is still an extremely versatile product and adds great texture without bulk. Check out the link to the website - they have tons of ideas there, including a whole page on therapeutic uses! They've done their homework to find lots of uses for their product, now it's our turn.

Simply link to your project in the comment section or email it to me at michaelcsmommy@yahoo.com and I'll add them all to the main post for everyone to be inspired - don't forget to submit them for publication! At the very least, send your creation directly to Magic Mesh here - I'm sure they'd be thrilled to see new ideas with their product too! We're bringing Magic Mesh back this week!!! If you've used an interesting technique, please share how you did it too! Check back often to see inspiration from others taking the challenge. Since I'll be adding them to this post I don't know that the RSS feeds will let you know or not!

And yikes - someone please tell me I'm not the only one with this kind of a stash, lol! And take a picture to share so I don't feel so bad! And you thought I was kidding when I said I had a lot...and that I was doing this challenge for you...it's for me!

A note about the widget on the righthand side of the page! This is called a Blidget. If you click on "get this widget", you can take this feed pretty much anywhere - your blog, your Myspace, your Pageflakes (this is where I have a bunch - love this!) homepage, etc. When you click on it, it will walk you through where you want to put it - totally idiot proof, I promise! You can also change the color if you don't want the obnoxious orange to clash with your own page. Yea, I know, I'm turning into a blog geek but still can't figure out how to do a header, lol! I'm working on that, I promise!

Debbi T is our first challenge player finished! Look how great the red Magic Mesh pulls out the red from the photos (I totally bow down to your photography skills too!!) and really goes perfectly with all the linear aspects of this layout! Yay Debbi!

Here's Alana's take on the magic Mesh. Green mesh gives a whole different look to the leaves for the flowers in this layout! AND, she used some more mesh as part of her background - how cool does that look! And is her niece a doll or what! I swear, I had a "Jenny" doll when I was really young and she looks JUST like her!

Ha! I found a picture! I LOVED this doll when I was really little and every time I scroll past this layout I can't help but think of her! Sorry - hijack over, lol!

Karen used just tiny amounts to give lots of texture to a couple of layered page elements. It only take a touch to make an impact! Are we starting to remember what we loved about Magic Mesh? :) I heart this layout!

Lisa used another form of mesh as a great accent, bringing out the red from her son's shirt. It takes on a much softer look when it's not in perfect grid formation and goes great with the scallops and swirls. I love the layered patterned paper to the left of it too - way to use lots of product!!

Janet used Magic Mesh as journaling lines - how clever is that! I have a horrible tendency to slant my handwriting so I'm going to have to try this! Click on it for a closeup - cut that thin the MM ends up looking like little picket fencing too!

Aimslee has done two ATC's using the Dottie Ann Magic Mesh. Totally clever and the mesh looks completely fresh as a way to add texture to her "ground" in both. Used once with a grassy effect and one with snow!

Ok, and here's mine! Simple little harvest mini basket and this rust color was just perfect! I also used Twistart (similar to Twistel but not variegated and a little narrower).


And one more from me. This was a really inexpensive bracelet blank and I used the scraps from the project above (with all the colors I have, this just seemed to be the one screaming out "Pick ME, choose ME, love ME!"). Added a layer of glossy accents and then some Prima's with copper Scribbles as the centers. Project time - about 10 minutes. Drying time - about 2 hours.



Deb used some Dottie Ann Magic Mesh to give a gorgeous pop of color to this card. And look how well it goes with the stamp too!!


Aimeslee sent me two more ATC's (man I need to try these!) for this challenge! She's been a busy girl - check out challenges 2 and 3 for more - way to go for working into that stash!!!

Another one from me. A simple inexpensive votive holder, some Magic Mesh and strip of Zsiage paper and a few Prima's! Totally quick and easy!

Els sent in this darling card with a mesh background. I don't have a link to a gallery or blog for her yet but can't wait to see more from her!!

A New Challenge to Begin!

We've all got them. Products whose day in the sun has passed. Some of them years and years ago! However we bought them. Paid for them. Hoarded them. And now, years later, still can't seem to part with them! But they're not currently "in style". In fact, people make fun of them on message boards. They turn their nose up when they pass them in clearance racks (lol - or not - some of us can't pass it up when it's 90% off!). They "smack" people whose pages use those products. All the while, those same people probably have a drawer full of it they're dying to actually USE! And that's where this challenge comes in. Lets use those poor unpopular products - who knows, just like with fashion, maybe we can bring them back! Let's breathe new life into those older products, pair them up with current products - maybe even come up with some new, cool uses for them!

Here's how it will work. Every Friday morning I will post the product we'll be focusing on. If you want to play, just jump in and create something with that product! A scrapbook layout, a tag, a card, an altered item, whatever you can think of to use that product. The sky is the limit! Sculp a life-size bust of your child from the 200 packs of Magic Mesh you have gathering dust. Use those walnut ink crystals to dye your couch brown (ahem, this challenge not responsible for experiments gone wrong...). Turn those fibers into a cat toy. As long as the theme product is used, anything goes! Post a link to your project in the comments section and I'll come back and add them all to the main post for all to see! At this point, there are no prizes, no incentives, no design team. Just the satisfaction that all that money you have poured into products that became obsolete faster than a Windows program aren't going to waste!

Come encourage and inspire one another. Let's bring it back! Scrunchies optional.