Mint Motif Release Day!

Good morning my stampy friends!  Hope you're nice and comfy - this is a long post!! :)  Today is a BIG day - it's release day for Mint Motif available exclusively at i {heart} papers!!  The design team shared our sneak peeks with you on Thursday (see mine here) and the designer, Kimberly Crawford, gave you a closer look at  both sets on Friday and Saturday.  But today is the day you can finally order them! Yippy!  The two sets are

I've Got Your Number 

 and What a Card!

My release project uses both sets really.  I started with the idea that I wanted to make an Advent Calendar.  Our family started celebrating the Advent season several years ago and it has become a wonderful tradition - it helps us focus the whole month on the true meaning of Christmas.  So I started looking around for ideas and came across this one on the red thread.  Perfect!  So this is my version.

I started with the Basic Grey Jovial 6x6 pad.  Since the pad is 36 pages and you use1 page per cone you can make a whole calendar for under $7 and you have paper left over!  Making the cones wasn't difficult at all, simply add Red Line Tape to one side of the paper and roll it into the cone shape.  I learned that with the Basic Grey paper (which is a bit on the thicker side) you really need to use Red Line Tape (don't ask how I learned that - lol!)!  I also added a little bit of tape to the corner on the inside just to keep the nice cone shape.

Now for the numbers.  I started by die cutting 25 circles using Nestabilities and the smaller, solid numbers in I've Got Your Number.  I stamped each number and then used a large rimmed button to stamp a solid circle for a border around the number. 

Next I stamped the woodgrain background stamp from What a Card! and die cut it with a scalloped circle Nestabilities.  The woodgrain square is the same size as all the images in Very Square so it's perfect!  I also used one of the Very Square images so that they wouldn't all be the same and I used about 5 different ink colors mixing and matching as I went along.

I'm really thrilled with how this turned out!! I'll be adding little treats to each cone, little candies or toys, pencils, etc.  As we finish each days reading the children will get to have their treat for the day, I think they'll like that idea! *wink*  So here's a few shots of the whole thing - it was very hard to do but you get the idea.
 

I realized after I had taken all the pictures that I should have hung the cones with the numbers going 25 to 1 instead of vice versa . . . oh well, I'll do it right when we put this up on December 1! :)

Thanks so much for hanging in with this super long post!  It's time to visit the rest of the Mint Motif team to see their gorgeous projects!  Kimberly will also have details about a special contest where you just might be able to win one of the new sets - interested?? I know you are!!  Have a wonderful day friends!

Kimberly Crawford {designer}
Kate Baldwin {owner}
Geny Cassidy {DT Coordinator}
Bonnie Rose Kempenich
Melissa Bickford
Ryann Salamon
Tobi Crawford

Cardstock: (Natural Ivory) Stampin' Up!, Patterned Paper: (Jovial) Basic Grey, Stamps:  (I've Got Your Number, What a Card!) Mint Motif exclusively at i {heart} papers, Ink:  (New Leaf, Scarlett Jewel, Ocean Tides) Papertrey Ink, (Barn Red) Ranger, (Bamboo Leaves) Memento, Tools/Accessories:  (Circle and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities) Spellbinders, Red Line tape, foam adhesive, hemp