Guest Designer: Mel Blackburn

Hi everyone! I am so excited to introduce you to this week's Guest Designer Mel Blackburn.  Mel was chosen as a guest designer after she posted to our Facebook Guest Designer search and also happens to be a member of our new 2011 - 2012 Pebbles Design Team.  She was chosen as a guest designer before she applied to our Pebbles team so we get a little preview of what Mel has to offer this upcoming year with today's post.  Let's get to know Mel a little better ...

Describe yourself in 3 words … Sensitive, Creative, Shy.

My guilty pleasure is … sour candy, especially jujubes!!! I try to stay away from the candy aisle at the grocery store because if I happen to come across a container of sour jujubes you can be sure that they are coming home with me! ;)

You’ll never find me without … I love my silver necklace which has the first letters of daughter’s names along with their birthstones and a key charm. If I don’t have it on I feel like a little piece of me is missing.

You might be surprised to know that I … enjoy scuba diving. Although I’ve only done it a couple of times, I can’t wait to have the opportunity to do it again, this time I will make sure to take really good pictures so I can capture that activity on a layout.

My least favorite chore is … dusting! I just keeps on coming back!

I started scrapbooking in ... 2004, after the birth of my oldest daughter. I wanted to create an 8x8 family album for Danika and since I had no idea where to start I did an internet search. At which point I stumbled upon Two Peas, I was so impressed with the creativity that came out of scrapbooking. My passion started right then, and I’ve never looked back.

My favorite thing about this hobby is ... I enjoy the creative freedom scrapbooking provides me, the time to sit quietly while looking at pictures of my girls and choosing from beautiful products to accompany my pictures, in the end preserving memories for my girls is the most rewarding part of this hobby.

If I were a Pebbles product I would be ... this was tough, I have so many favorite products but I have to choose the felt layered embellishments. I love all the beautiful accents and colors of these embellishments, I also find they add warmth and dimension to layout or project, these items really make me smile!

Mel created so many amazing projects for us today including this one about her two girls.  Here's what Mel had to say ... "I love the whimsical theme of the Ever After collection; I knew it would be the perfect collection for this layout of my girls. The felt embellishments provided a soft touch and added dimension to this layout.  I especially love the Epoxy embellishment; it is such a cute quote, perfect for this layout."

Pebbles supplies used:
Ever After Paper Royal Banner (751115)
Ever After Paper Princess Tiara (751105)
Ever After Paper Fairy Tale (751104)
Ever After Paper Enchanted (751108)
Ever After Glitter Flower Brads (747101)
Ever After Layered Embellishments (747099)
Ever After Epoxy Embellishments (747095)
Ever After Jewel Candy Dots (747103)
Ever After ABC’s Pink (732045)
Happy Go Lucky Assorted Toothpick Flags (747067)
Floral Lane Candy Dot Lollipop (747114)

Other supplies used:
Thickers (American Crafts)

Here's what Mel had to say about her next project ... "The teal paper was my inspiration for this layout. It was the perfect accent for these pictures of my oldest daughter. The pennant sticker border was also the ideal addition for a girly sport themed layout. The contrast of the white cardstock and soft pastel colors also created a nice balance."

Pebbles supplies used:
Ever After Paper Royal Banner (751115)
Ever After Paper Princess Tiara (751105)
Ever After Paper Sparkle (751113)
Ever After Paper Royal Garden (751106)
Tree Houses Paper Sunset
Ever After Pins (747096)
Ever After Jewel Candy Dots (747103)
Ever After Border Stickers (732048)
Hot Air Balloons Layered Embellishments (747039)
Happy Go Lucky Assorted Toothpick Flags (747067)

Other supplies used:
Thickers (American Crafts)
Mist (Studio Calico)
Punches (Marvy Uchida, Stampin' Up!)

Here's what Mel had to say about her next project ... "I knew that the Floral Lane collection would be perfect for this layout of my daughter.  I also had remnants of a sheet of paper from the Tree House collection which featured yellow and white clouds. This is one of my favorite sheet of paper ever purchased, I was thrilled to use the clouds as accents on this layout."

Pebbles supplies used:
Floral Lane Paper With Delight (751124)
Floral Lane Paper My Darling (751126)
Floral Lane Paper Just Because (751116)
Floral Lane Paper A Little Hello (751118)
Tree House Paper Sunset
Floral Lane ABC Stickers – Brown (732052)
Floral Dimensional Phrases (732054)
Floral Lane Dimensional Stickers 732056
Ever After Buttons (747097)
Ever After Pins (747096)
Happy Go Lucky Assorted Toothpick Flags (747067)
Yellow Glitter Candy Dots

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Thickers (American Crafts)
Mist (Studio Calico)
Punch (Stampin' Up!)
Doilies (Wilton)
Date Stamp

Mel also created a few cards for us.  I just love how she used the Hot Air Balloon Layered Embellishment on this first card.  Here's what Mel had to say ... "As soon as I saw the felt embellishments I knew I had to create a fun card with them. I was happy that they perfectly matched the clouds from the Tree House collection. I think this would make a perfect graduation card."

Pebbles supplies used:
Ever After Paper Royal Banner (751115)
Ever After Paper Magical (751112)
Tree House Paper Sunset
Hot Air Balloons Layered Embellishments (747039)
Yellow Glitter Candy Dots

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Punch (Martha Stewart)

This next card is my favorite of the bunch (pun intended! LOL).  Here's what Mel had to say about her next card ... "The button flowers were my inspiration for this card. The different sizes were perfect for creating a bouquet of flowers. Such a perfect accent for simple card for a dear friend."

Pebbles supplies used:
Ever After Paper Magical (751112)
Ever After Buttons (747097)
Floral Lane ABC Stamps (747106)

Other supplies used:
Cardstock (American Crafts)
Punches (EK Success; Martha Stewart)
Floss (DMC)
Ink (Jenni Bowlin)

And finally here's what Mel had to say about her last card ... "My inspiration for this card was the lovely phrase stickers from the Floral Lane collection; they coordinate beautifully with not only the Floral Lane papers but also the Ever After papers. I also love adding little embellishments to the flags, which is exactly what I’ve done on this card, it adds a personalized touched to this lovely embellishment."

 
Pebbles supplies used:
Ever After Paper Sparkle (751113)
Ever After Paper Princess Tiara (751105)
Ever After Paper Banner (751115)
Ever After Border Stickers (732048)
Floral Lane Candy Dot Lollipop (747114)
Floral Lane Dim. Phrases (732054)
Happy Go Lucky Assorted Toothpick Flags (747067)

Other supplies used:
Thickers (American Crafts)
Punch (Marvy Uchida)

WOW!  Thank you so much Mel for so many inspiring projects!  We're thrilled to have you as part of our team this coming year and can't wait to see what other amazing projects you create!