The time is always right... to Go Fly a Kite

Hi and welcome to day 1 of MFT Teaser Time!  That means in 5 short days, MFT's newest stamps and dies will release.  This month, there is plenty to be excited about.  5 new dies (which are as fabulous as ever), and a TON of new stamp sets are coming your way!

My first card today uses the Brand Spankin' New stamp set, The Great Outdoors, which was designed specifically to work with many of MFT's outdoor elements Die-namics dies (grass, sun, clouds, kite, etc).  It's awesome and a must have if you are a fan of Die-namics dies.  You can make fun, quick, and scrappy cards using it and it just makes sense.  Add it to your wish list.  ;)

Check out the new clouds.  They are SO cute.  They are flat-bottomed and come in 2 sizes.  I cut them using a very light blue felt.

The new Fly a Kite die is AMAZING.  It is so much fun to create paper-pieced kites.  Here, I created one with the My Mind's Eye True Blue patterned paper pack.

The bow tie tail piece is also included in the die.  I used a 4 mm Swarovski crystal in the center of each one.

Want to see how I created my stitched kite tail?

Figure out where you want your kite tail and draw a little swirl lightly with a pencil.  Trust me.  If *I* can do this, YOU can do this.  LOL   Put your paper in your machine and put the presser foot down so that the needle will go in your paper at the start of your hand-drawn swirl.

Turn the knob on the right-hand side and go one stitch at a time, CAREFULLY following your pencil line.

When you reach the end of the swirly kite tail, remove the piece from your machine.  Please note there is one stitch on here that is driving me crazy.  If you look at the finished card, you'll see how I fixed that.  ;)

Now please PLEASE do not back stitch on your machine, trim the ends off on the front of your paper, or do anything else that shows the ends of your threads.  There is an easy way to pull your thread to the back for a seamless finish.  ;) 

Tug on the loose thread on the back of your panel.  A loop will appear as shown.  Either stick a paper piercer through the hop and pull it out the back, or grab it with your fingers and pull it back. 

Then, adhere the ends to the back of your panel. I prefer my sticky dots because they are easy to grab one-handed, and the liner can be removed when I am adhering my labels together, so it is sticky. When I used to use scotch tape it repelled the other adhesives I used and made the bond looser, so this is my new, improved method. You could also use red line tape, but that is not one-handed.  Repeat for all ends of your thread.

Here is my kite tail, waiting for the kite.  You could make it long, short, super loopy, a little loopy, and anything in between.

My second card today uses Clearly Sentimental about Time.  This set can actually be earned free NOW by qualifying for the Triple Scoop set.  Check out the details HERE.  It will also be released for sale on February 1st.

The sentiment was stamped, then die-cut using Nestabilities.  I added three Swarovski crystals to the sentiment panel to jazz it up a bit.  The sentiment panel was laid over a rosette, that was created with the 3/8" Rosette Die-namics die.  I also added a simple flourish cut from white chipboard with my Sizzix die and added a crystal to the ends of the flourish swirls.  For this card, less is more.  :)

Here are the details about the upcoming release on February 1st at 10 PM EST:

• The MFT release is on February 1st at 10 PM EST. You can attend the release party from 8-10 PM EST here in the forum for fun, games, and prizes! All the new sets and dies will be available on February 1st at 10 PM EST.
• The guest designer contest is ON! Check out the forum for details on how YOU can win over $100 in stamp sets and play along with the DT for a month.
• If you'd like to see all the teasers for today, please click on over to Kim's blog NOW! Be sure to leave comments as you go for a chance to win one of 2 stamp sets being given away daily, just for leaving a comment. :) Check Kim's blog every day for the winners.