Stamping with Michelle

Gilded Autumn Sympathy Card

Materials:

Stamps: Peaceful Moments

Ink: Cajun Craze

Cardstock:

    Mint Macaron - 5 1/2" x 8 1/2"

    Brushed Metallic - 5 1/4" x 4"

    Gilded Autumn Designer Series Paper - 5 1/8" x 3 7/8"

    Sahara Sand - 2 1/2' x 2"

    Cajun Craze - 2" x 7"

Accessories: Tasteful Labels Dies, Sunflowers Dies and Stampin' Dimensionals

Have you seen the new Gilded Autumn Designer Series Paper yet?  This package of Designer Series Paper comes in 12" x 12" sheets, and you get two sheets each of six double-sided designs for a total of 12 sheets.  Many of the designs contain either gold or copper foil, giving these papers a wonderful shimmer that is just gorgeous!  It also pairs nicely with the Brushed Metallic card stock as I did in the sample above.  As a side-note, I die cut my label out of the center of the metallic card stock before layering which makes nice use of paper that would otherwise be covered up.  Here are the designs that come in the Gilded Autumn Paper:

You can order any of these supplies by going to my website or by clicking the online ordering button above.  When you place an order in the month of August using the hostess code PSBQM3XT, I will send you my Whale Done Tutorial, which gives you the instructions to make six cards using the Whale Done Bundle as a thank you.  If your order is $150, please don't use the hostess code so you can keep the Stampin' Rewards yourself.  I will send you the tutorial automatically.

Happy stamping!

Michelle

Don't forget to check out my August Virtual Stamp Club!

Autumn Goodness in Cinnamon Cider

Materials:

Stamps: Autumn Goodness

Ink: Cinnamon Cider and Memento Black

Cardstock:

    So Saffron - 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", 1" x 3 1/2"

    Cinnamon Cider - 5 1/4" x 4"

    Whisper White - 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" (2)

    Crumb Cake - 3 1/2 x 2 1/2"

    Brushed Metallic - 3 1/2" x 2 1/2"

Accessories: Autumn Wheelbarrow Dies, Sunflowers Dies, Subtle 3D Folder, Classic Label Punch, So Saffron Dark Blends, Cinnamon Cider Dark Blends, Old Olive Light Blends, Basketweave and Metallic Ribbon Combo and Stampin' Dimensionals

Today's card is another design from my friend Ruth that I made when we got together and stamped last month.  I really like the combination of Cinnamon Cider and So Saffron on this card. It gives the card a nice warm tone, especially when coupled with the Brushed Metallic card stock.

You can order any of these supplies by going to my website or by clicking the online ordering button above.  When you place an order in the month of August using the hostess code PSBQM3XT, I will send you my Whale Done Tutorial, which gives you the instructions to make six cards using the Whale Done Bundle as a thank you.  If your order is $150, please don't use the hostess code so you can keep the Stampin' Rewards yourself.  I will send you the tutorial automatically.

Happy stamping!

Michelle

Don't forget to check out my August Virtual Stamp Club!

Learn to Stamp: Watercoloring with Ink Pads

Materials:

Stamps: Celebrate Sunflowers

Ink: Bumblebee, Old Olive, Cinnamon Cider, Daffodil Delight and Memento Black

Cardstock:

    Bumblebee - 5 1/2" x 8 1/2"

    Old Olive - 5 1/4" x 4"

    Cinnamon Cider - 5 1/4" x 1 3/4"

    Whisper White - 2 3/4" x 3 3/4"

    Thick Whisper White - 2 3/4" x 4"

    Daffodil Delight - scrap for die cutting

Accessories: Sunflowers Dies, Tasteful Labels Dies, Greenery Folders, Water Painters and Stampin' Dimensionals

For today's Learn to Stamp video, I am talking about watercoloring with the ink pads.  This is one of my favorite ways to watercolor because it is so easy to match the ink colors with the paper. (Hooray for Stampin' Up!'s color coordination!)

A couple of things to keep in mind when you are watercoloring.  First, I generally start with the lightest color and then work towards the darker.  After you put down the first layer of color, you can go back in and add a darker color for some shading.  As you work, try to think about the direction from which the light is coming, as that will help you determine where you might want to put darker color for shadows.  Finally, when in doubt, start with less and/or lighter colors than you might want.  You can always add more color, but you can't take it away.

You can order any of these supplies by going to my website or by clicking the online ordering button above.  When you place an order in the month of August using the hostess code PSBQM3XT, I will send you my Whale Done Tutorial, which gives you the instructions to make six cards using the Whale Done Bundle as a thank you.  If your order is $150, please don't use the hostess code so you can keep the Stampin' Rewards yourself.  I will send you the tutorial automatically.

Happy stamping!

Michelle

Don't forget to check out my August Virtual Stamp Club!

Gathered Together Sketch Challenge Card

Materials:

Stamps: Gather Together

Ink: Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Garden Green, Merry Merlot, Versamark

Cardstock:

    Crushed Curry - 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" and 3 1/8" x 3 1/8"

    Merry Merlot - 5 1/4" x 4" and 3/4" x 3 3/34"

    Plaid Tidings Designer Series Paper - 5 1/8" x 3 7/8"

    Very Vanilla - 1/2" x 3 1/2"

    Watercolor Paper- 3" x 3" and 2" x 1 3/4"

Accessories: Gathered Leaves Dies, Banners Pick a Punch, Heat Tool, Gold Embossing Powder, Water Painters, Embroidered Ribbon and Stampin' Dimensionals

I was poking around this morning when I found the sketch challenge on the Stamping Pals website, and I decided I wanted to play along.  Here is the original sketch:

I decided to use the Gather Together bundle which is a returning favorite in the August-December catalog and is available to order on Tuesday.  I embossed the large maple leaf and the pumpkins using Gold embossing powder and then I used the new water painters to color them in.  This card also features the Plaid Tidings Designer Series Paper, Embroidered Ribbon and Banners Pick a Punch, all of which you will be able to order on Tuesday.

In the meantime, you can order any other supplies by going to my website or by clicking the online ordering button above.  When you place an order in the month of August using the hostess code PSBQM3XT, I will send you my Whale Done Tutorial, which gives you the instructions to make six cards using the Whale Done Bundle as a thank you.  If your order is $150, please don't use the hostess code so you can keep the Stampin' Rewards yourself.  I will send you the tutorial automatically.

Happy stamping!

Michelle

Autumn Goodness Sneak Peek

We are almost to the end of July which means that the new August-December 2020 Catalog launch is just around the corner.  This is truly one of the best catalogs I've seen from Stampin' Up!, and I've been a demonstrator for 23 years!  I've had a great time playing with the products that I preordered.  Today I thought I'd give you a sneak peek.

Materials

• Stamps: Autumn Goodness
• Ink: Cajun Craze and Memento Black
• Card stock:
•     Crumb Cake (5 1/2" x 8 1/2")
•     Mint Macaron (5 1/4" x 4")
•     Gilded Autumn Designer Series Paper (5 1/8" x 3 7/8")
•     Cajun Craze (3" x 4 1/4")
•     Very Vanilla (2 3/4" x 4" and 2 3/4" x 2")
• Accessories: Autumn Wheelbarrow Dies, Cajun Craze Light and Dark Blends, Mint Macaron Light and Dark Blends, Crumb Cake Light and Dark Blends, Embroidered Ribbon, and Stampin' Dimensionals

I think this is my favorite fall set in this new catalog, and the coordinating dies make it a snap to cut out all the pieces so you can put them together in infinite combinations.  I'm also really enjoying the Gilded Autumn DSP.  I usually try to be rather moderate in the amount of Designer Series Paper that I buy, but I admit that between the annual catalog and this new mini catalog I've bought three times the number of papers that I usually do.  There are just so many good choices!

You can begin ordering from the August-December catalog on August 4, but in the meantime, you can order any other supplies from my website or by clicking the online ordering button up above.  When you place an order using the hostess code 2ZKAXZDH in the month of July, you will get my 16-page tutorial featuring six cards made with the Prized Peony bundle.  If your order is $150 or more, don't use the hostess code so you can keep the Stampin' Rewards for yourself.  I will send you the tutorial automatically. 

Happy Stamping!

Michelle

Don't forget about my virtual stamp club.  Learn more about it here

Bonus Days run now through the end of July.  For every $50 you purchase, you will get a $5 coupon that can be redeemed on an order in August. 

Creating from Inspiration around You

Well hello there!

I truly didn't mean to fall off the face of the blogosphere, but it has been an eventful fall around my neck of the woods.  I *think* I may have found a way that will allow me to blog with some degree of regularity, but we shall see.

So. This is a post that I have had composed in my head for over a month.  It's not Christmas-y, but I wanted to share it with you anyway.

This fall, at my church, we have had this vase of flowers on display behind my pastor.

The color combination caught my eye, and every week I would look at it and think that I needed to design a card around those colors. (Yes, I was still paying attention!)

Here's the card that I finally got a chance to create:

Let's talk about how I was able to use the vase of flowers to come up with this card.

First, I determined which colors I wanted to use.  It looked to me like So Saffron ad Pear Pizzazz were the predominant colors.  When I got closer to take a picture, I realized that the big flowers are actually red, but from my seat they looked like Cajun Craze to me so that is the color I went with.

When you look at the display, the first thing your eye is drawn to is the yellow in the vase, so I knew that my card had to be predominately So Saffron.  The next color that you see is the green of the leaves, so Pear Pizzazz became my secondary color.  I decided to make the card base out of Pear Pizzazz with a So Saffron layer on it.

The flowers form the rest of the display, but only as a compliment, so I knew I needed only a little of the Cajun Craze to give the same effect.  I carried over those colors into my stamping and added just a touch of Early Espresso in the form of the ribbon and candy dots.  The overall effect when you look at my card is the same feeling as the colors in the vase.

How have you drawn inspiration from objects around you?

Happy Stamping,

Michelle

Is it Fall or Christmas?

I just realized I still have a couple of fall cards that I never shared earlier.  I guess I should post them before they've gone by entirely!

Here's one we did at my Quick and Easy class in October:

Stamps: Fabulous Phrases

Card stock: Crushed Curry and Very Vanilla

Ink: Early Espresso

Accessories: Thanksgiving Tablescape Kit, Stampn' Dimensionals

This card was actually created primarly using the Thanksgiving Tablescapes kit.  There are a lot of awesome things in this kit that you can't get anywhere else!  My favorite is the birch paper ribbon.  I didn't use it on this card, but, oh, my!  It's fantastic!

I know that Thanksgiving is gone by, but if you get it now, you'll be all set for next year.  You can find this kit in the Holiday catalog and it is only available through January 2!

Happy Stamping!

Michelle

Technique Video: Whitewash

I just realized that I never shared the video for my September stamp club technique card.  In September, we learned the whitewash technique.

The card we did features the Tags 4 You stamp set as well as Gently Falling.  Gently Falling is one of the sets that you can get at 25% off through Monday!

First, here's the card:

Materials: Tags 4 You bundle (including Lable Bracket punch), Gently Falling

Cardstock: Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz and Very Vanilla

Ink: Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Versamark, and Whisper White ink refill

Accessories: White Embossing powder, Heat Tool, Aquapainter, Pear Pizzazz taffeta ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

This wasn't a very difficult technique, and everybody really loved it.  Here's the video I created to show you how to do it:

 

Don't forget about the 25 sets for 25% off sale.  You've got until Monday to take advantage of it!

Happy Stamping!

Michelle

Make Magnificent Fall Card with Magnificent Maple

Fall is definitely here.  The warm days and cool nights.  It won't be long before we start seeing those beautiful fall colors on the trees.

Here's a card I made with the new Magnificent Maple stamp from the Holiday catalog:

Stamps: Magnificent Maple and Express Yourself (hostess set)

Card stock: Cajun Craze, Early Espresso and Very Vanilla

Ink: Cajun Craze, Early Espresso and Crushed Curry

Accessories: Big Shot, Window Framelits, Sponge Dauber, Chevron Border Punch and Stampin' Dimensionals

This card also features the Chevron Border punch from the Holiday catalog.  Instead of using what I punched on the card, I chose to use the pieces that were punched out as the accent.  I think it really adds a bit of fun texture to this card.  Another tip is that I stamped the leaf in Cajun Craze and then I just used a sponge dauber to add a little bit of color to it.  Super quick and easy!

You can order any of these supplies by clicking on the links above.

Happy Stamping!

Michelle

Wonderfall fall card!

I know that today we are supposed to have a little resurgence of summer and it is going to be almost ninety degrees and high humidity.  BUT!  It's still September, and I thought I'd show off a fall card.

This is a card that we did in my Quick and Easy class last month:

• Wonderfall                            131949 (W)/ 128087 (C)    $24.95 (W)/ $17.95 (C)
• Four You                               130535 (W)/ 123442 (C)    $14.95 (W)/ $11.95 (C)
• Very Vanilla card stock            101650    $8.50
• Soft Suede card stock             115318    $6.95
• Sahara Sand card stock           121043    $6.95
• Cajun Craze card stock           119684    $6.95
• Crushed Curry card stock        131199    $6.95
• Cajun Craze ink pad              126965    $5.95
• Crushed Curry ink pad           131173    $5.95
• Soft Suede ink pad                126978    $5.95
• Stamping Sponges                 101610    $3.50
• Big Shot                              113439    $99.95
• Woodgrain Embossing Folder  127821    $7.95
• Autumn Accents Bigz Die       127812    $21.95
• Stampin' Dimensionals           104430    $3.95

I may not be much for fall, but I do love the fall colors!  I think I got this idea from somewhere, but I have no idea where at this point.  If this is your card, thank you very much for the inspiration!

In other news, Stampin' Up got a big shipment of the Magnetic Platforms and they will be turning the code on tomorrow!  I seriously love my Magnetic Platform, and I think it is worth every single penny.

It's just in time, too, because there are only four more days to participate in this month's virtual class.  Order your magnetic platform and participate in the class at the same time!  This month's hostess code is R3PC4WCA and you can view all the details here

Happy Stamping!

Michelle