September has flown by, and we are already on our last project by this month’s Guest Designer, Mel McCarthy. She has made a special gift box shaped like a purse and a set of matching cards. As is typical for all of Mel’s projects, she has paid attention to the smallest details, combining shapes, patterns, and textures for a unique and simply gorgeous result.

Mel wrote: "I’m a flower freak, so this set of floral beauties was a natural choice when I thought about getting a start on Christmas gifts. This is a purse box and set of A2 cards. It uses the set Simply Flowers (for the homemade 3D flowers and leaves) and the Pierced Backgrounds set (as a speedy piercing template for that decorative stitching).

"I love to hand-sew everything, but get bored with a plain stitch and have a difficult time thinking up new stitch patterns! Those backgrounds would also be sweet to faux stitch, since piercing with them is so easy — just print them on scrap paper, lay them over your project, and poke away! ;-)

"The ledger paper, the box templates, and all of the details are available in a pictorial on my blog: Mel Stampz. Thank you for checking this out. Hope your holiday crafting offers as much fun as I had with these sets!"

Photos and description ©2009 by Mel McCarthy. Used by permission.

Thank You, Mel

Mel and I have exchanged emails all month long, and I have valued the interaction with her. As soon as I can arrange for both of us to have eight days in our weeks, I’d love to collaborate with her on some future projects. She has been 100% enthusiastic, and her originality and talent shine through everything she touches. Thanks for all the creativity that you’ve shared with us this month, Mel. You have been a true inspiration.

Introducing Jeanette Comerford

Looking forward to the month of October, we’ll have the chance to see new designs by Jeanette Comerford. Jeanette has an artistic eye for lovely color combinations, and her Copic coloring skills are exceptional. You can check out her style ahead of time on her popular blog, Happy Thoughts & Inkspots. Her photo and background are on the main Angels Landing website: 2009 Guest Designers. Welcome, Jeanette. I’m looking forward to working with you over the coming weeks.