Stamping with Michelle

Big Bold Birthday

Here's another birthday card that you can add to your collection.  It works up quickly, and the bold colors make it very eye catching.

Materials: Big Bold Birthday
Cardstock: Taken with Teal, Tempting Turquoise, Apricot Appeal, Certainly Celery and Whisper White
Ink: Tempting Turquoise and Apricot Appeal
Accessories: Certainly Celery ribbon, rectangle punch, corner rounder

If you look closely, you can see where I created a slot for my ribbon.  I folded the card and added my strips.  Then I punched using the rectangle punch, right in the fold. I only punched about half the hole so it wouldn't be too large.

Happy Stamping!

Michelle

Year after Year flowers

Here is another sample that uses the Year after Year set.  I've enjoyed playing with this set, and I'll be sad to see it go!

Materials:  Year after Year, Perfectly Pretty wheel
Cardstock: Barely Banana, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Ivory Naturals
Ink: Basic Grey, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Ballet Blue
Accessories: Word Window punch, River Rock stitched ribbon, Mini Glue dots, Aquapainters

This is essentially a replica of the card found on page 60 of the Spring/Summer Catalog.  I changed the image used, but the layout and colors are the same.  The phrase in my punch out was from a Sale-a-bration set, but you can certainly put anything in there!

Again, this set is soon to be discontinued.  You still have until August 10 to order, but don't delay, or you may forget!  This is a great set with multipurpose images, and the bold line art makes it very easy to color.

Happy Stamping!

Michelle

Year after Year Birthday

I don't know about you, but it seems I'm always in need of birthday cards!  This sample was a make and take at my workshops a couple of months ago.  It uses the Year after Year stamp set which is slated to be discontinued with the new catalog!

Materials: Year after Year and Spot on Jumbo Wheel
Cardstock: Lovely Lilac, Pink Passion, Brocade Blue and Confetti White
Ink: Lovely Lilac and Basic Grey
Accessories: Rich Regals Watercolor Crayons, Aquapainters, White Grosgrain ribbon

This is a quick easy birthday card that would be great for a child's birthday.  For a boy's birthday, you could change the color scheme to Blue and Orange or Red and Yellow.

Happy Stamping!

Michelle

Father's Day

I know Father's Day was a week ago, but I haven't yet had a chance to show you the Father's Day card that I made for my father-in-law.  OK....I confess, it was also one of the club cards for this month, but since the last club to make this card was the Monday before Father's Day, I thought it was the perfect way to make sure the sample went to a good home :)

Materials: For Father
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy, and Watercolor paper
Ink: Basic Grey
Accessories: Always Artichoke grosgrain ribbon, Aquapainters, and Neutrals, Earth Elements and Rich Regals Watercolor crayons

This card was made with the For Father stamp set featured in the Spring Mini Catalog.  You only have one more week to order from this mini catalog, and I go on vacation on Thursday, so be sure to contact me ASAP if you would like anything!

I also need to hear from you if you are interested in attending the folding scrapbook class that I'm holding on July 9.  I need payment by tomorrow!

Happy Stamping!

Michelle

Thank you Debbie!

Debbie is a very special person to our family.  For the last three years, I've been volunteering in my children's classrooms one morning a week.  While I am at school, Elijah has been staying with Debbie.  Debbie runs a daycare and feel very fortunate that she's been able to keep him for these last three years.  Next fall Elijah starts preschool, and I plan to work my volunteering around the time that he is at school.  So, yesterday, was the very last day that Elijah spent with Debbie.  Here is the card I made for her:

Materials:  All in the Family, All in the Family Accessories and Background Basics
Cardstock: River Rock, So Saffron, Real Red, and Whisper White
Ink: Basic Grey, So Saffron, Real Red, Night of Navy, Chocolate Chip and River Rock
Accessories:  Night of Navy grosgrain ribbon, Aquapainters and Stampin' Dimensionals

I thought it came out pretty good! 

Thank you, Debbie for the last three years....even when Elijah didn't want to stay with you!  We will miss you, but we'll see you around!

Happy Stamping!

Michelle

Teacher Gifts

This is my children's last week at school, and I thought I would show you what I've been working on for teacher gifts!

I made this really fun little box.

And when you open it............

You have a fun stationery set!  There are full sized cards, notecards, and gift tags and a spot for a homemade notebook, postage stamps and a pen.

Here is a closer view of the cards and tags.

This makes a really fun gift set, and I'm thinking that I'll do a class on this sometime this summer!  Be watching your inbox for more information!   If you'd be interested in taking a class like this, let me know so I can begin to gauge interest.

Happy Stamping!

Michelle

Birthday Pretties

My grandmother's birthday is tomorrow.  Yesterday I sat down to stamp a card for her.  I haven't played a lot with my Pretties Kit, so I decided to pull that out and make use of it.  After playing for a little bit, this is what I came up with:

Materials:  Sanded and Warmest Regards (Retired Hostess set)
Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate, Regal Rose and Whisper White and Pretty in Pink DSP
Ink: Purely Pomegranate and Regal Rose
Accessories: Pretties Kit, Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon, Key Tag Punch, Aquapainters, Pop Up Glue Dots

The flowers in the Pretties Kit are white so that you can add color to them anyway that you choose.  You can sponge color on, you can color them with markers or chalk, you could dab them right onto the pad, or you can watercolor them.  For this card I chose to use my  Aquapainters and my ink pads.  I first used Regal Rose and picked up the color from the lid just like if I was watercoloring a stamped image.  Then I painted the color onto the flower.  After I was done, I used Purely Pomegranate and ran color right through the crease in the middle of each petal.  I attached the half back pearl to the flower using the Tombow Multi glue, and when that was dry, I attached the whole thing to my card with a Pop Up Glue dot.  For the layer under my Happy Birthday punch out, I just punched another tag and then cut it in the middle and attached it to either side.

Happy Stamping!

Michelle

Pretty Flowers

What is it about flowers that automatically makes somebody smile?  I think it is the simple beauty of flowers.  Flowers come in so many different colors, and shapes and sizes.  The combinations you can create are just endless.  Here is a flower card for you, and I hope it makes YOU smile!

Materials: Just Because and Circle of Friendship
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Lovely Lilac, Certainly Celery, Whisper White and Flowers For You DSP
Ink: Lovely Lilac and Basic Gray pads; Tempting Turquoise, Lovely Lilac, Certainly Celery markers
Accessories: 1 1/4" Circle punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Circle punch, Certainly Celery 1/4" ribbon, Stylized Silver Hodgepdoge Hardware, Stampin' Dimensionals

Enjoy the beautiful weather and Happy Stamping!

Michelle

Happy Birthday Alex!

Yesterday was my oldest son Alex's 10th birthday.  Ten years ago today, I began the first day of the rest of my life as a mother.  I cannot believe that ten years have gone by.  He has gone from a beautiful baby boy to an adolescent that I am very proud of!  Lest you think I'm only going to wax eloquent in this post and leave nothing for you, here is the birthday card I made for him!

Materials: Fun in the Sun and It's Your Birthday
Cardstock: Brilliant Blue, Tempting Turquoise and Real Red
Ink: Tempting Turquoise pad and Real Red and Brilliant Blue markers
Accessories: Bold Brights brads, Real Red grosgrain ribbon, Tempting Turquoise grosgrain ribbon, Stamp a ma Jig

I was quite pleased with how this card came out and 10:00 on Monday night!  I used my stamp a ma jig to stamp the greeting.  The original stamp says "They say it's your birthday", but I didn't want the whole thing.  Using the stamp a ma jig and my markers, I was able to stamp just the words I wanted and reposition them so they didn't look funny.

On a side note, be sure to follow the link at the top of the blog for the Fresh Cuts Sneak Peek promotion.  This is a sneak peek purchase opportunity that is to die for!  The Fresh Cut set is $21.95 and when your purchase it, you can purchase the soon to be released Fresh Cut Notes for only $5!  These laser cut notes are 4"x 4" and have flower cut out of the front.  They are soooo cute!  Also be watching the website and my blog.  The retiring stamp list will be released on June 15!

Happy Stamping!

Michelle