Poppy Picnic Hostess Gift - Please Vote! :)

I am so excited to share this little project with you!  Over at The Handmade Gift Guide, they are having a contest sponsored by 100 Proof Press.  Ten of us received this gorgeous poppy stamp and were asked to come up with a handmade gift idea using the stamp.  Their readers get to vote on their favorite project, and the designer with the most votes gets a gift certificate to 100 Proof Press.  I loooooove their stamps, and I would greatly, hugely, enormously appreciate your vote!   You can see all of the projects and vote by  following *THIS LINK*.  Pretty, pretty please with poppies on top???? ;)

So, what did I make, exactly?  I put together a little Poppy Picnic Hostess Gift.  I started out with a jar filled with organic poppy seeds (actually an old Prima flower bottle).  I stamped the image on adhesive-backed paper from PTI, then colored it with Copics and adhered it to the bottle.  I also bought two plain muslin flour sack dish towels, and stamped the image repeatedly in red or black inks.  I tested this out a bit with another towel I designated as my "trial towel", LOL!  I used waterproof dye ink, stamped the towel, and allowed it to set overnight.  I then heat set the images with a hot, dry iron.  Just to be absolutely certain it would set, I threw the towels into a hot dryer for about 20 minutes.  They came out pretty well in the wash - just be sure not to wash red ink (*any* red ink) with anything white the first time around!  To tie it all together and give it a special purpose, I included three poppy seed recipe cards, stamped with the image in red.  Here's another view of the project:

You can click on the images for a larger view.  In case you can't see the recipe card, below is a recipe for a really yummy salad with poppy seed dressing.  It may sound like an odd combination, but trust me, it's so good, so quick, and so easy!

Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Dressing:

Mix together:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbs. raspberry vinegar

1/3 Cup sugar

1/4 Cup milk

2 Tbs. poppy seeds

Salad:

Toss together shredded crisp leafy lettuce (romaine or green leaf), sliced strawberries, and thinly sliced sweet onions.  Toss with dressing immediately before serving (if you put it on ahead of time, the lettuce will wilt).

If you like what you see, would sooo appreciate your vote. :)  Happy Easter weekend!