Oh my did we have some variety with this challenge and what fun it was to look through them all again as we were trying hard to pick our top 3.  But pick we did (despite just about everyone getting a vote somewhere!).  Thanks to everyone who joined us this time, and special congratulations to our Top 3!

 

Sally McD   That lion is just TOO cute!  And we all loved how Sally used the colors from the Sale-A-Bration sets for this over-the-top cute baby card!

 

 

 

Erika Clark.  What an A-Maze-Ing Twisted Easel Card with the pleated ribbon all around to set it off. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lori Rider.  We loved the layering with the Framelit and the Doily Triple Layer punch, and the precision with which she did everything in this card!

 

 

 

 

 

Finally life has come to be somewhat normal (as in “normally chaotic” rather than “all-heck-is-breaking-loose” normal) and I have compiled all our votes for the Top 3 for SUO Challenge 36 –  New Techniques.  Without a doubt many of us on the SUO Challenge Design team were impressed with all the techniques and I think that each one of us learned a new technique in the process.  I’m trying out two of them in my classes next week!

But enough of us!  Congratulations to all of you for showing off so many wonderful techniques – but especially to our Top 3.  Note that clicking on one of the pictures will take you to the original blog post and more information about the stamper’s technique!

Margaret of TotallyAwake4-Stampin.  How much fun is that “Peekaboo Embossing”!?  Not only is the technique fun to use, but Margaret used a perfect stamp set with all the butterflies flitting in and out and around her embossed flowers.  Fun, fun, fun!  Now to go get out our “Flight of the Butterfly” set!

 

Liz Fedyna of Stamper’s Bliss.  Her take on the Vellum Faux Dry Embossing is just stunning, and we especially liked the added touch of the stitching around the central image.  We think that Liz executed this technique with vellum perfectly and we’re all itching to try it again as soon as possible!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gayle Wheeler of Stampingville.  We all just loved the idea of using the Dazzling Details to trace the stamped image in this card.  Gayle gave credit to Stampin’ Up! for showing off the technique.  But Gayle did a dynamite job showing it off to everyone (including those of us who missed it in the demonstrator’s magazine!)

I can't believe that the holidays are almost over – but I continue to be inspired to be in the holiday spirit by looking over all the fabulous projects that you all submitted in our final holiday challenge of the year – Merry and Happy and Everything Joyous!  As you read earlier, the SUO Challenge Design Team is all of that – at least the Happy and Joyous! – to have Cindy Coutts back among us!

But you all outdid yourselves to show off projects that put a smile on the face of everyone who looked at them.  And that certainly is a hallmark of a successful holiday project!

As always, though, we do pick three of your submissions to our challenge as our "Top Three."  That's not to say that every project isn't just wonderful.  But these three artists caught our special attention, and all for much different reasons:

Julie Gearinger, whose oh-so-detailed Christmas card makes us want to reach out and touch all of those textured elements!  The pearls, the embossing and the vintage distressing – all these details make this just a stunning piece of art!

 

 

 

 

 

Winnie Hon, who made a lovely basket of goodies and decorated them so well that I would be afraid to open them to get at the treats inside for fear I'd damage them.  Well, maybe not.  But still – texturizing the card stock for the boxes before constructing them, and then adding on the die-cut snowflakes makes this a delight to look at!

Paula Sievers (from Australia where there aren't that many snowflakes this time of the year!) impressed us all with the way that she used the same basic layout to create some Clean and Simple pieces of art that anyone would be happy to receive in the mail!

A big "Thank You" to these three and ALL of you who submitted entries for this challenge.