Stack O' Birds

This little stack of birds is one of my favorite images from the Unity August KOTM (Kit of the Month). Isn't it just so adorable? So I had this little bird stack, already paper-pieced, sitting on my desk, *imploring* to be used. So I looked at Taylor's fabulous Cupcake Challenge Sketch for this week (TECC31) and thought it'd be perfect, I just needed to rotate it to a vertical orientation. Then I started on my card, and realized I had the makings for a card for the Limited Supplies Challenges (LSC183) to use something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. The old is the paper...it's 'Petal Patch', and is from 2 years ago! (I know, practically a dinosaur...) The new was my adorable little Unity image, the borrowed was Taylor's sketch, and the blue is in the striped paper, the sentiment, and the 'candy dots' at the corners.

*EDIT: Changed the photo to one taken in daylight *wink*
And the reason, of course, that I had to go with the night-time/light-bulb-yellowed photo, is that Taylor's Challenge is 'due' by 8am Pacific tomorrow. ...I figure as long as it's done, it'd be fun to *try* and win the coveted guest designer for next week, right? *wink*

Hope you are all having a fantastic Labor Day weekend! Thanks for stopping by!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Blush Blossom, Chocolate Chip, and Very Vanilla cardstock; Petal Patch DP (SU!)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue (SU!)
Stamps: August KOTM 'REmember Happiness', Mix-up of Cuteness (Unity Stamp Company)
Other: foam tape (3M); pewter label holder (Making Memories); blue 'candy dots' (Pebbles, Inc.); Apricot piped ribbon (Martha Stewart Crafts)

Triple Challenge Love Ya!

I haven't had a lot of time this week to do much stamping, and I've been missing my SCS challenges, so I decided to put together a TRIPLE challenge card to make up for it! This one about killed me...

but I like how it turned out. The three challenges were TLC183 (Faux Dry embossing, which is a.k.a. shadow stamping), CC181 (Rose Red, Black, and Kraft or Creamy Caramel), and SC191. The faux dry embossing looks so great in so many examples, but I think it's kind of hard with these colors...it makes my eyes a bit buggy IRL.

I started with the faux embossing, knowing that I wanted to use this image (So & So Loves...) for the long panel in the sketch. I stamped the image first in Creamy Caramel, then used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp again in Jet Black Stazon just off to one side. This creates the shadow or dry-embossed effect. I cut the top and bottom of the image off to make a narrower panel, then matted it in Rose Red and Basic Black, aligning the right edges per the sketch. Next I dipped into my paper stash to find some DP that would go with the color challenge. Can you believe I actually have DP that is Basic Black and Creamy Caramel? I think I may have too much paper....naaah, never mind, that's just not possible! *smiles*

I cut the two panels from the DPs that I chose (the word one is actually all quotes about love, so it even fit with the theme of my image!), adhered them to a Basic Black mat, and added a Creamy Caramel scalloped strip at the joint for a little extra something. Everything then was adhered to the Creamy Caramel card base. And then I was stuck...it just didn't seem finished. So I looked though my Unity sentiments, found one that said 'Love ya' (perfect!), and stamped it to fit in a circle. I punched it out, and then found a metal-rimmed tag with a self-adhesive foam dot on the back (no idea when/where I bought those!) that it fit *perfectly* into, and added a little black ribbon. Voila!

So what do you think?

Hope you all have a fantastic day, thanks for stopping by!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Very Vanilla, Creamy Caramel, Rose Red, and textured Basic Black cardstock; love quotes dp (7Gypsies); filigree dp (Francis Meyer)
Ink: Jet Black Stazon (Tsukineko); Creamy Caramel, Rose Red (SU!)
Stamps: So & So Loves..., Mix-up of Cuteness, and August KOTM 'Remember Happiness' (Unity Stamp Company)
Other: dimensionals (SU!); corner rounder (EK Success); self-adhesive pop-up metal-rimmed tag (unknown)

Unity Challenge Wednesday!

It's finally here! Officially, it's no longer a hop, but more of a HUNT...check out the bloggers who are participating to find the candy (aka freebie) on someone's site! The challenge this week is to CASE (Copy And Share Everything) a Design Team member's card (click on that link to find the blogs to surf for your chance to win!). I chose THIS card by AJ Otto...I love the simple layout and the graphic look of the partial images. Here's my card:

I changed the colors, stamp set, and embellishments, but kept the layout and the partial-image look. I also decided to use Bitty Christmas Tags, the set I *WON* last week at Unity's Hip Hop Thursday (It's every week! Check out the forum tomorrow!)

This card was pretty simple...I cut eight 1" squares and punched one 1 1/4" square in the Very Vanilla, then eight 1 1/8" squares and punched the scalloped square out of Ruby Red. I stamped partial images of eight of the adorable Christmas images from the set on the small squares, and colored them with my Blender Pen. On the center image square, I stamped the angel, wiping off a 'stripe' to fit the sentiment. I adhered the small squares first, leaving a 1/4" border all around, then adhered the center image, using dimensionals under the scalloped square *and* the image square. I added three little 'candy dots' to the corner, and the card was done! Easy peasy *smiles*

I'll let you in on how I did the envelope in another post later today! *wink*

Thanks for stopping by! Have fun blog surfing to find the Unity candy!!
~Michelle

Supplies Used: Paper: Ruby Red, Very Vanilla cardstock (SU!) Ink: Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Summer Sun, Brocade Blue, Wild Wasabi (SU!) Stamps: Bitty Christmas Tags (Unity Stamp Company) Other: dimensionals (SU!); candy dots (Pebbles, Inc.)

*test* for Unity Customer Hop

Ignore this post...just testing for 'scheduled post' for Wednesday's Customer Hop in the Unity Forum. If you're interested, the challenge will be posted in the forum on Wednesday, and there will be a prize for those who participate!

(Writing this post an 8:36 pm on 08/25/08...scheduling for 9:00pm on 08/25/08)

i {heart} your blog award!

Sorry I was MIA this weekend, but I had an all-day stamping workshop on Saturday!! Woohoo!! (Check out Pam's blog for some of the goodies we were able to make) *SO* much fun, and we were able to make so many fun cards, and a box, and play with SU's new Sizzix Big Shot. Definitely a fun tool, and a bit 'heftier' than the Cuttlebug, so I think it cuts just a bit better (which is funny, since they're made by the same company...) The nice thing is that the dies for the Big Shot work perfectly in the Cuttlebug (you just don't use the thick white pad), so there's no real *need* to buy a new die cut machine. Unless you're looking for an excuse for your DH, then I'd go with the "but honey, it's so much heftier and has MORE POWER to cut through different materials!"...hee hee *smiles* Glad I could be of help! *wink*


I'm hoping to do some creating today after finishing up some more housework/cleaning (grrrr....), but I thought I'd post this sweet award I received from Jess (jezirus on SCS), a fellow Unity fanatic and amazing stamper. Thank you, Jess!! You definitely need to go check out her blog for great cards and a daily dose of cute baby *wink*

Here are the rules for accepting this wonderful blog award:

1. The winner can put the logo on their blog.

2. Link the person you received your award from (see the link above)

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs

4. Put links of those blogs on yours

5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you have nominated.

Truly, I could make this a mile long. But since I'm limited to seven, I decided that since I received this from a Unity buddy, I'd send it on to other unity 'buddies'...I've seriously been spending a lot of time 'with' these girls, and *all* of them are uber talented (not just the 7 I'm going to point you to). So this is who I am awarding this "I {heart} Your Blog" to:

1. Angela - both Unity's blog and her personal blog
2. AJ
3. Brooke
4. Jeanne
5. Amber
6. Jennifer
7. Carole

If you want even more amazing Unity inspiration, check out the Unity Forum or Unity Gallery on SCS. It'll knock your socks off *wink*

(Just a note: I also received the Brilliante blog award a couple weeks ago from the very dear Dragana Skoro, and just couldn't deal with the linking and everything then, but I wanted to say THANK YOU again to Dragana...it was so very sweet of you, and I do *really* appreciate it!! {hugs}! Go visit her blog! She's been busy!!)

Thanks for stopping by...and I promise to post some projects ASAP! *smiles*
~Michelle

A Verve Tiffany Moment

Does it remind you of Tiffany's? I was kind of going for that look when I opened up my package from Verve Stamps with the Beautiful You set I received from Julee (WON during the Anni-Verve-sary at SCS)...Julee had it beautifully packaged, wrapped in a sparkly turquoise tissue paper, and even included a gift of two yards of ribbon in the Verve colors (turquoise and chocolate brown)! Can you believe that? A free gift with my free gift...*that* is some amazing customer service! *wink*

Anyway, all the turqoise and white made me think of the Tiffany challenge in this month's Fan Club DD Gallery, so I thought I'd use my gorgeous new set (Thank you, Julee!!) to make a card.

I started with a base of textured Whisper White, and added a Soft Sky panel with the flower from the set embossed in clear. The flower 'nests' perfectly into itself, making it easy to to a background image with some structure. I stamped the sentiment onto a WW panel with Soft Sky, then embossed it in clear again (I thought this sentiment was perfect for the Tiffany's theme...makes me think of getting engaged and opening tiny little jewelry boxes!). I used my ticket corner punch on the corners of the white panel and the Soft Sky panel beneath, and then matted them both with another rectangular white panel, using dimensionals. I added tiny little adhesive rhinestones into 3 of the corners where the ticket punch left a recess.

On the fourth corner, I added a dimensional flower created by stamping the Beautiful You flower 3 times on white, cutting different portions from each, and layering it with dimensionals and a rhinestone brad at the center. I attached it and the sentiment panel to the background, and wrapped knotted ribbon at two of the background panel's corners before adhering it to the white base with dimensionals.

Whew! Long description, but I think the result turned out really well, and captured that elegant look of a turquoise Tiffany jewelry box with its white satin ribbon. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by today!
~Michelle

Supplies Used:
Paper: Soft Sky, textured and regular Whisper White cardstock (SU!)
Ink: Soft Sky (SU!)
Stamps: Beautiful You (Verve Stamps)
Other: dimensionals (SU!); rhinestone brad (Karen Foster); adhesive rhinestones (unknown...Target $1 clearance bin)

Olympic Card Making!

Anyone else staying up into the wee hours of the night/morning watching the Olympics? I've been up late every night it seems (except the day/night I had the flu, that night I recorded them). Well, last night I decided it was cutting into my crafting time way too much, so I combined the two, and managed to finish two cards! *wink* And look! No paper piecing! *smiles*

The first one is for today's SCS Sketch Challenge (SC190). That does make one fringe benefit of staying up late...sometimes the challenge hostesses post the night before! I decided to use my as-yet-uninked "Cute as a Bug" set from Unity Stamps, and made a general-purpose card. I think I'll send this one to a MOPS friend.
I started with a 4 1/2" square card in Chocolate Chip, then stamped my ladybug on Whisper White, and colored it in with reinkers and my blender pen. I cut the image panel into a circle using my Coluzzle (to match the sketch), then cut another circle out of Summer Sun, and scalloped the edge with my corner rounder. I cut a triangle out of this fun DP, matted it with half of a Real Red square cut diagonally, and used the other half on the opposite side. I wrapped a chocolate gingham ribbon twice around the card and tied a knot, then adhered the image panel and sentiment panel and mat using dimensionals.

This next card is for yesterday's Color Challenge (CC180 - Ruby Cocoa Blush). I stamped the swirled cupcake from "Cupcakes a la Yummy", and colored it in with blender pens and my ink pads. Then I stamped the 'Happy Birthday' sentiment from Birthday Whimsy underneath, using my Stamp-a-ma-jig.

(*tip: using reinkers gives you a very saturated color, like markers, while the ink pads give you more of a watercolor-type effect)

I punched the image with my Mega circle punch, then matted it with a Ruby Red scalloped circle punched with my Giga punch. (I had to look that up...that's the issue with naming your punch sizes with things that all mean "really big") I scalloped the edge of a Blush Blossom strip using my corner rounder, and added it next to a Close to Cocoa panel, then covered the seam with some satin ribbon that matches the Close to Cocoa, hiding that seam under where my image panel would go. I put my matted image on top using dimensionals, adhered a bow I tied from the same ribbon using a mini Glue Dot, then added 3 little 'candy dots' that match the Ruby Red. It still seemed like it needed *something*, so I added little adhesive rhinestones to all the scallops of the circle. The result is a properly blinged-out card for a dear friend's daughter, whose birthday is this weekend!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!
~Michelle

Supplies used (ladybug card):
Paper: Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun, and Whisper White cardstock (SU!); 'Daisy Field' dp (Autumn Leaves)
Ink: Chocolate Chip ink pad, Real Red reinker (SU!)
Stamps: Cute as a Bug, Mix-up of Cuteness (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: corner rounder (EK Success); Coluzzle cutting system; dimensionals (SU!); brown gingham ribbon (Joann's)

Supplies used (cupcake card):
Paper: Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa, Blush Blossom, and Very Vanilla cardstock (SU!)
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Ruby Red ink pads (SU!)
Stamps: Cupcakes a la Yummy (Unity Stamp Co.); Birthday Whimsy sentiment (SU!)
Other: corner rounder (EK Success); dimensionals (SU!); punches (Marvy Uchida); satin ribbon, adhesive rhinestones (unknown)

{heart} you

Today was the first day since Wednesday that we've ventured out of the house. The boys seem to *finally* be recovered from their bout with our weird stomach virus, so Daniel went to his Fundamentals class at the gymnastics center this morning (kind of like preschool, but not...it's hard to explain). For his birthday he got a mailbox (the vertical kind you hang on the wall of your house/porch), which has since been painted bright yellow...his favorite color, and he keeps asking for mail! *smiles* ...So today I whipped this up in literally less than 5 minutes before going to pick him up, so he'd have a surprise in 'the mail'.

Isn't that background stamp adorable? This is another ATC-sized lunchbox note (2 1/2" x 3 1/2" finished size), and he {loves} it! All I did was take a 5" x 3 1/2" piece of textured VV cardstock, folded it in half, stamped So & So Loves... from Unity on the background in Chocolate Chip, then adhered a punched Blush Blossom cardstock heart and some felt Thickers. I'll bet it took only me 2 minutes, it was so easy! But look how excited this little guy is...

(He did have a huge grin until he realized I was taking a photo...4 year olds! *rolling my eyes*) LOL

I'm hoping to get to do a little more sometime today, including making samples of some MOPS crafts for my leaders' meeting on Thursday, so stay tuned.... *wink*
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Blush Blossom, textured Very Vanilla cardstock (SU!)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU!)
Stamps: So & So Loves... (Unity Stamp Company)
Other: Heart punch (Marvy Uchida); Felt 'Playground' Thickers (American Crafts)

P.S.
The stamp I used was one that I WON at Hip Hop Thursday last week in the Unity Forum at SCS. It's happening every Thursday...come join in the fun and have the chance to win...last week Angela gave away all this stuff worth $282!! You don't want to miss it!

Sassy Unity Bird

This is what happens after almost 3 days of non-creativity and being mired down in taking care of two sick boys...I make a card that takes an inordinately large amount of time and borders on craziness. This card was inspired by this athletic top, from today's Inspiration Challenge (IC141):
I also used the sketch challenge for this month's Fan Club Dirty Dozen Challenges, and the product and materials focus of *bling*. This month's gallery theme was "All that Glitters", and let me tell you...it had some major glitter and bling!!

I used the top to inspire my colors and the swirls for my card. I LOVE the combo of the chocolate with lime green, fuchsia, and teal. So fresh, and yet so grounded. Really makes me want that top! *wink*

So, I started by stamping a swirl design from my Rhonna Ferrer Swirls set onto teal, green, and fuchsia patterned papers, and then cutting them out, using my finger-tip knife and LOTS of patience. (Thank you Mom and Dad for that architecture degree! See, I'm using stuff I learned...) After cutting them out, I adhered them to my Chocolate Chip card base.

*Tip: When cutting something like this, move the paper, not the knife/scissors...you'll get a much cleaner cut.

Then, I stamped this adorable little chick from my Unity Stamp Co. 'Hey Chick' set on Very Vanilla, and then again on the teal, green, and fuchsia papers. I cut out and paper-pieced it to create my colorful chick. I stamped the sentiment on another piece of VV, using my Stamp-a-ma-jig to rearrange the format. I cut the ovals and the circles using my Coluzzle templates, then used my corner rounder on the chocolate Chip circle to create scallops (the fourth circle from the center works out perfectly!)


After I had my shapes all cut, I added a swirled edging using the same swirl stamp I used for the background shapes. Don't they kind of look like feathers? Since this month's product focus is bling, I added rhinestones to the bird's wing and tail, using some open circles already on the stamp for my placement. I tied a reclaimed piece of ribbon (from a friend's wedding decorations!) around the green rectangle, and adhered everything in place, using dimensionals under the scalloped circle/sentiment.

Took me a seriously long time, but someone from the Dirty Dozen might look at it, so it has to be extra-awesome, you know? *wink* Plus, I needed the therapy! I think after the boys are in bed and I do some cleanup around the house, I'll head back upstairs for some more stamp-therapy *smiles*

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!
~Michelle

Supplies Used:
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla cardstock (SU!); green, teal, and fuchsia patterned papers (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Certainly Celery, Rose Red, Bashful Blue (SU!)
Stamps: Hey Chick (Unity Stamp Company); 'Swirls' by Rhonna Farrer (Autumn Leaves)
Other: Fingertip knife (Fiskars); Coluzzle cutting system; dimensionals (SU!); ribbon (recycled!)

Warm Wishes!

Ready for Christmas? How about winter? Well, Jeanne S is! For today's Limited Supplies Challenge (LSC181), the challenge was to use snowmen, because she's ready for it to cool off. So what do I do? Make a snowman card and offer "Warm Wishes"! Bwahahahaha!!

Okay, back to our usual program. *smiles*

I started with my "Cold Play" set (since it's the only snowman set I have), and decided to make a little snowman, and put him on a hill so I could use my new "Tiny Trinity" trees from Unity. What can I say? I'm in {love} with their stamps...they give great impressions every time. I think somehow there is more 'tooth' to their rubber, so it holds ink a bit better. If you want to fall in love too, go visit the Unity store...today is 10% off you order!! The code for the discount is on the Unity blog (edit: the discount code is actually in the Unity forum at SCS, in this thread). Angela (the owner of Unity) is always offering great specials. She is insanely generous!! You should've been there for yesterday's Hip Hop Thursday! (Check it out here next Thursday, and every Thursday!)

Alright, I'll stop gushing about Unity now *wink*, and get back to the card details! I cut the 'hill' out of some SU! dp, and used a little strip of it for the snowman's scarf. I left the ends loose, and curled them a bit for some dimension. I created my scene on a distressed panel of textured Very Vanilla, using my Tim Holtz ink blending tool, and some Close to Cocoa. Then I put that whole panel onto an Old Olive panel, using dimensionals. Under that, I used some of my adorable chocolate colored gingham ribbon (I wish I knew where I got that!! I'm almost out!), and put my sentiment in a Hodgepodge Hardware oval.

(Now I have a question for you: what kind of commentary do you like? How I came up with my card idea? How I created it? Step-by-step details? Do you just come to see some eye candy, and could care less what I write? I'd love to know what you think!)

Thanks for stopping by today!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Textured Very Vanilla cardstock: Dashing DP (SU!)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa (SU!)
Stamps: Tiny Trinity (Unity Stamp Co.); Cold Play, All Year Cheer I (SU!)
Other: Ink blending tool (Inkssentials by Ranger); dimensionals, Hodpodge Hardware (SU!)

Hey There Giggle Grove!

I *love* how this card turned out. The black is a bit unusual for me, but somehow everything just worked on this one. I made this earlier this afternoon for today's Sketch Challenge (SC189) at SCS. And yes, I paper-pieced again...but really, can you blame me? These Giggle Grove trees from Unity Stamp Co. were just crying out for a little patterned paper! *smiles*

This is definitely a sketch I'll be keeping in my arsenal, since it's so simple and versatile. All the patterned paper came from the now retired Jersey Shore DP from SU! I hand-cut the 'hill', and thought the bird was cute, looking over the 'edge' like he's trying to find his buddy. (Yes, I do sometimes make up these kinds of stories...it satisfies my DS (4) Daniel's curiosity, and mine, when he asks "What is that bird doing?") *wink*

Thanks for stopping by!
~Michelle

Supplies Used:
Paper: Textured Basic Black cardstock, Jersey Shore DP (SU!)
Ink: Stazon Jet Black (Tsukineko)
Stamps: Giggle Grove (Unity Stamp Company); Hey There Cupcake! (Stampendous)
Other: black grosgrain ribbon

Move Mountains Color Challenge

I made this for today's Color Challenge (CC179) - Old Olive, Taken with Teal, and Elegant Eggplant. I have to confess this is not a combo I would have put together, and I kind of struggled with it...but that's what makes it a challenge, right?

I used a Verve Anni-Verve-sary sketch (AVS02), and used my new Unity Single 'Move Mountains' for the main image/sentiment. I've always loved this verse, and I love how easy it was to highlight the 'have faith' 'and it will move' portions. A little bit of a message-within-the-message, and a chance to inject the eggplant.

Thanks for stopping in!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Old Olive, Taken with Teal, Elegant Eggplant, and Very Vanilla cardstock (SU!)
Ink: Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant (SU!)
Stamps: Move MOuntains (Unity Stamp Company)
Other: dimensionals (SU!); jumbo snaps (We R Memory Keepers); ribbon

Tiny Trinity Stained Glass ATC card

Another Unity Stamp Company card!! I am {loving} these images! This time, I made a card for today's Technique Lovers Challenge (TLC181) - Stained Glass. It also fits in with last week's Limited Supplies Challenge (LSC180) to make an ATC-sized 'Lunchbox' card. This was such a fun size that I just had to make another one, and this tree from Tiny Trinity is perfect for it!

The base was cut from a 7 1/2" x 3 1/2" piece of Night of Navy cardstock, which I scored at 2 1/2" and 5" to make the finished 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" card size. Then, from the front panel, I cut a rectangle measuring 2 1/4" x 3 1/4" from the center. I cut two rectangles 2 3/8" x 3 3/8" out of the pink patterned paper, and cut 2 1/8" x 3 1/8" rectangles from the center of each one. (Is this confusing yet?)

I stamped the tree onto an acetate panel with Stazon, then colored in with reinkers mixed with Diamond Glaze (Crystal Effects is the equivalent SU! brand). After that had dried, I sandwiched it between one of the pink rectangle frames and the front of my N.o.N. card, then backed it with another pink frame, to hide the adhesive.

Here are a couple more pictures, so you get an idea of the tri-fold design. Partially open:
And fully open:
I put white panels on the second flap (so the tree would show up when the card was folded) and on the inside panel (for writing). The little bird you see in the first photo at the top is stamped on the second flap's white panel, and colored with my Blender Pen so he'd be 'peeking out' when the card is closed.

Sorry for the confusing post! It really was pretty easy to do in real life...except for waiting for the stained glass technique to dry! *wink* Catch ya later!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Night of Navy cardstock (SU!); pink patterned paper (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Stazon Jet Black (Tsukineko); Pink Passion (SU!); Violet, Midnight Blue, and Port Red Reinkers (Memories)
Stamps: Tiny Trinity and Giggle Grove (Unity Stamp Company)
Other: Diamond Glaze (Judikins); Blender Pen (SU!); acetate

Struttin' with the Unity Chick

I had a chance to place with my brand-new Unity stamps this morning! *wink*This is a card I made for yesterday's Featured Stamper Challenge (FS79). And the Featured Stamper, Blondie090277, has some *amazing* cards...it was hard to pick just one to CASE!! But, in the end, I chose her Wasabi Pressed Petals card...so many gorgeous layers and such great texture. She features sewing on most of her cards, but unfortunately, I am NOT a seamstress (just ask my mom!), so I decided to use some paper-piercing instead. I also couldn't find my shrink plastic (I really, really, really need to unpack my stamp room boxes!), so I switched up how the sentiment was done, using a label holder instead of a shrink plastic charm. So basically, I changed everything except the layout and layering *smiles*

Besides my new Hey Chick stamp set from Unity, I also got to use these amazing papers by K & Company, featuring a design by Basic Grey called 'Vintage Floral'. Both are embossed, and one is vellum, one cardstock. Aren't they yummy?

Oh, and for those of you that have asked, this is my photo box thingy that I use to take pictures:It gives a nice, diffused light, and I keep it by this sunny window just above my crafting desk for easy access to daylight. The only issue I have with it is that I need it to be *a bit* bigger, especially when I make a larger card like this 5 1/2" square, because you can see the edges of it in my photos. I might just have to make my own.

Thanks for stopping by! Hoping to have even more up later *wink*
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White (SU!); Vintage Floral embossed cardstock and vellum (K & Company, featuring Basic Grey)
Ink: Stazon Timber Brown (Tsukineko); Really Rust, Rose Red, Cranberry Crisp, Ruby Red, and Pumpkin Pie (SU!)
Stamps: Hey Chick (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: paper ribbon (Ikea); Hodgepodge Hardware label holder, dimensionals, and Stamp-a-ma-jig (SU!); corner rounder punch (EK Success)

Happy Birthday Jonathan! ...and a card!

Two years ago, we added this little (and I do mean little!) sweetheart to our family! He was born 3 1/2 weeks early, and was tiny! That's a preemie sleeper he's wearing in the above picture, and he was swimming in it. *smiles* He still purses his lips like that when he sleeps...it's so cute, and makes me want to kiss them every time I see it!!

I can't believe my baby is two already! Here's a current picture, of him playing with the blinds in our bay window (before his half-haircut...he wouldn't let poor Bonnie near him this time, but she did manage to trim those bangs, and a bit off the back):
Happy Birthday, Jonathan! We love you, and all the smiles you bring into our lives!

Alright, onto the card! *wink*
I made this last night for Taylor's weekly Cupcake Challenge (TECC28). I had a hard time with this one!! Probably because I was trying to combine it with SCS's Inspiration Challenge (IC140), and give it an Asian feel, and have no Asian stamps. The sketch is fantastic, though...definitely one to keep in my files. It's a long card, and fits into a standard-sized business envelope (the finished dimensions are 8 1/2" x 3 5/8" when folded), which is great when you want to make a 'different' sized card, but don't want to deal with the special postage of a square card.

It's hard to see in the photo, but the white side of the background is embossed with flowers in clear (I think you can see if you click on the photo to enlarge it). I stamped the leaves on the Cool Caribbean in Versamark, and then the main image, small flower, and sentiment are stamped in Stazon Jet Black, then colored with blender pens and reinkers (so the colors would be more true and saturated).

Oh, and one other surprise came in the mail this morning:
My Unity stamps arrived today!! I wasn't expecting them until Monday, but you can bet I'll be playing with them this weekend! As the Unity chicks would say, 'Holla!' So, so excited!! (Don't worry, Angela, I will *definitely* be enjoying my stamps!)

Hope you all have a fantastic day!
~Michelle

Supplies Used:
Paper: Wild Wasabi, Cool Caribbean, Real Red, Whisper White (SU!)
Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Versamark (Tsukineko); Cool Caribbean ink pad, Real Red and Wild Wasabi reinkers (SU!)
Stamps: Wonderful Wings, Best Blossoms, Happy Harmony (SU!); flower (Studio G acrylic stamps, Michael's $1 spot)
Other: Real Red grosgrain, Blender Pens (SU!); rhinestone brad (Karen Foster)

Trees a la Lola, and OnBoard mini album

There are a ton of pics to this post! First up, the trees ATC card I made for today's Limited Supplies Challenge (LSC180 - Lunch Notes). The challenge was to make an ATC-sized card (2 1/2" x 3 1/2" when folded) to fit in someone's lunchbox, briefcase, etc. This is what I came up with:
And can I just say, I'm pretty proud of the creativity on this one *wink*. There was a 'bonus challenge' to use one of those $1 stamp sets we all buy and rarely use, so I pulled out this build-a-flower set that I had found at Target, and instead of seeing leaves, I saw a tree! Then, I was contemplating how to make the trunk, and thought of the stick in my Cold Play set, and realized I could use the round snowman-building-blocks as more trees!! I was excited, and came up with these 3 cute little trees. I called them "Trees a la Lola" because they remind of one of my boys' favorite shows, Charlie and Lola. The show is adorable...it's a mix of cut-paper collage and animation, and I love the imagination Lola has, and the way Charlie takes care of her (he's Lola's older brother). Anyway, I stamped the shapes onto patterned paper, cut them on, adhered them to a 'sky' colored patterned paper, and stamped on the 'trunks'. I love them! I think I'll make some more tonight *smiles*

(*Note to GINA - if you're reading this and my parents are around, stop now and come back when they're not...this will arrive next week!)

Next up, a mini-album I made for my mom. I've included a bunch of the pages, so you can see how I put it together. I used SU!'s On Board mini album, and covered the front with some SU! paper from a couple catalogs ago. I love the soft colors in it, and that they're semi-boyish. I used a 'brushless watercolor' technique to stamp the image on the front...a technique I saw Tim Holtz do on The Carol Duvall Show ages ago. I love that it allows you to mix colors on a single image and make it look seamless (like the Bashful Blue, Apricot Appeal, and Pumkin Pie I used here).
I purposely left the front rather 'plain' because my mom has told me she likes to carry them around, and I didn't want her to have to worry about the cover getting beaten up.

Inside, I used a repeating theme, and then added photos to support them. I like this approach because it gives a clear organization to the album, lets you group seemingly unrelated photos, and makes for a cohesive whole. I chose the titles 'family', 'food', and 'fun' to go with the stamp on the front...that "It's the little things that make life big".
And the closing page - with the biggest 'little thing' of all:
Thanks for stopping by and hanging though all my blabbering! *smiles*
~Michelle

Supplies used (ATC card):
Paper: Very Vanilla (SU!); patterned papers (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip (SU!)
Stamps: Cold Play, Happy Harmony (SU!); Mini Make a Flower (Autumn Leaves)
Other: Cuttlebug 'Swiss Dot' embossing folder; ribbon

Supplies used (mini album):
Paper: Bashful Blue cardstock, Petal Patch DSP (SU!)
Ink: Bashful Blue, Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa (SU!)
Stamps: Happy Harmony (SU!); Chelsea Alphabet set (Inkadinkadoo); Antique Lowercase Alphabet set (PSX)
Other: flowers (Prima Marketing); brads (unknown); Pumpkin Pie striped grosgrain, On Board mini album (SU!)

Dreaming Bird

Three posts in one day!! How crazy is that? Well, the last two posts were cards I made yesterday...this one I made today after seeing that Kristina had posted a new Color Inspiration challenge on her blog. I've been wanting to try these since she started (and often do make cards with the colors she suggests, just after the deadline)...so today was my chance! As soon as I saw the fun, kinda funky colors for CI18, I knew I wanted to use this bird, the second stamp in the Cuteworld Girl set from Autumn Leaves (the first was the crown I used on this card).

And yes, I paper pieced him. I'm totally hooked on paper piecing right now...don't worry, I'm sure a new craze will emerge in my stamp room soon *wink*

This was the color inspiration for this week, and the colors to use:
I don't have Green Galore paper, so I chose to go with the Summer Sun option. Though, looking at my card against the inspiration piece, I think Green Galore is the better match.

I was excited to use these yellow rhinestone brads, though! And, I love how it looks like the little bird is gazing at them, dreaming about his potential, as if they're stars in his Rose Red sky *wink*

Catch you tomorrow!
~Michelle

Supplies Used:
Paper: Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, Basic Black, and Very Vanilla cardstock (SU!)
Ink: Stazon Jet Black (Tsukineko); Pumpkin Pie (SU!)
Stamps: Cuteworld Girl (Autumn Leaves); Edgy Eloquence (SU!)
Other: Dimensionals, Pumpkin Pie STriped Grosgrain (SU!); brads (Karen Foster); Coluzzle; Scalloped circle punch (Marvy Uchida)

Sweet Cupcake Trio

Here's my happy little cupcake card! Love this color combo...I took it from the Spring-Summer 2008 SU! catalog (in that "Style Watch" section I mentioned in the previous post). The color combo for this is called "Eastern Eclectic", and it includes Old Olive, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Groovy Guava, Cameo Coral, and Rose Red...such a fresh combo. I used all of them on this card except Cameo Coral and Pumpkin Pie.

The cupcakes were stamped on Very Vanilla, using Rose Red for the bases, and Pretty in Pink for the tops (this stamp set has the tops and bases separate, so this was really easy). For the center cupcake, I embossed the 'frosting' in white. I colored bases using my Blender Pen and Rose Red, then cut out all the pieces. I reassembled them on the squares using dimensionals, then put the card together, also putting the cupcakes' matted squares on dimensionals. How about that ribbon? It's a perfect Groovy Guava match, and was a Michael's $1 bin find from who knows when. *smiles*

Hope your day is a sweet one!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Groovy Guava textured cardstock, So Saffron, Rose Red, Old Olive, and Very Vanilla cardstock (SU!)
Ink: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink (SU!); Versamark (Tsukineko)
Stamps: Hey There Cupcake! acrylic set (Stampendous)
Other: dimensionals (SU!); ribbon

Downcast Angel Sympathy card

I made this for a friend at church whose brother passed away yesterday. Sympathy cards are not my favorite to do, but unfortunately, they do have to be done. I think I may make up a few to stash away for those times I'm not up to creating.

I got the idea for the color scheme from Stampin' Up!'s new catalog that starts Monday. They have a new (started in the last catalog) feature of 'trendy' color schemes called "Style Watch". This is a portion of one titled "Silhouette"...it includes the new Kiwi Kiss and Baja Breeze "In Colors", plus Not Quite Navy, Basic Gray, Sage Shadow, and Sahara Sand. It's a very sophisticated color palette. I used the last three for this card, since it had a very calm, subdued feel.

After making this, I had to make a happy card, so I made one with my new "hey Cupcake" set...but that will have to come later, since I'm not quite sure yet how to download on our new system. Philip switched us to Linux last night since Windows was giving us so many issues. It's running *SO* much smoother now, but for some reason the spell check wants to spell everything in the Queen's English *wink* (i.e. 'colour' and 'favourite' instead of 'color' and 'favorite') Funny, funny.

That's all for now! I'll be back with my happy cupcake card soon! Have a great day!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Basic Gray textured cardstock, Sahara Sand and Sage Shadow cardstock (SU!)
Ink: Going Gray (SU!)
Stamps: downcast angel (Anima Designs); Brighter Tomorrow (SU!)
Other: 'Cloud' twill (Martha Stewart Crafts)

Queen of Paper Piecing!

Okay, so maybe not...but I've noticed that I have been doing *a lot* of paper piecing lately! I love the interest it adds to an 'open' design stamp, or that you can add color to an image even if you don't have the ink you want, like for this card!

Yesterday's Color Challenge (CC178) at SCS was a simple one: use the retiring In Colors, plus neutrals, and NO OTHER COLORS. Which is cool, because I have a lot of In Color cardstock. The only problem was that the only In Color ink pad I have is Wild Wasabi...so, it was time to turn to paper piecing, because I really wanted to use this new little crown acrylic stamp!

The crown was stamped on Very Vanilla, River Rock, Groovy Guava, and Bayou Blue, then I cut out the portions of the stamp I wanted from each color. After carefully peicing it all together on the Very Vanilla, I smudged ink on the VV layer (grrrrr...). So, I cut *the whole thing* out AGAIN, and put it onto a new VV layer, using dimensionals. I layered that onto River Rock, then onto Groovy Guava and Bayou Blue layers that were scalloped on one edge using my corner rounder. Then, everything went onto a River Rock 5 1/4" square card, I tied on a VV bow using this video by Kristina Werner, and added some bling to the crown (a girl has to have her jewels, after all).

(Pssst...don't tell anyone, but I did make one *teensy* little cheat: I stamped the sentiment using Not Quite Navy. It's *so* close to Blue Bayou, I decided when they were introduced not to buy the BB stamp pad...but that's our little secret!)

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!
~Michelle

Supplies Used:
Paper: River Rock, Blue Bayou, and Groovy Guava textured cardstock, Very Vanilla cardstock (SU!)
Ink: Stazon Jet Black (Tsukineko); Not Quite Navy (SU!)
Stamps: Lots of Thoughts (SU!); crown from 'Girl' set (Cuteworld clear stamps by Autumn Leaves)
Other: Dimensionals (SU!); ribbon (Michael's $1 bin); self-stick rhinestones (Target $1 bin)

Happy Anniversary...

...to my sweet, darling husband and me!

Here's a photo of us, on the last day of our honeymoon in Catalina (taken with the timer). We had a fantastic suite at the Hotel Metropole overlooking the bay in Avalon. We're thinking about going back (sans children) for our ten-year anniversary *smiles*
This is the card I made for Philip for today:
It's a flap card (meaning it opens in the middle of the front, the seam is under the clock image), and I made it after looking through shellapoo's gallery for this week's Featured Stamper challenge. My card is based on this one by shellapoo...I kept the flap card design and the basic layout...I really liked the circle over the seam and the embellishment in the corner to balance the layout (of course, I had to make it more masculine...I'm not sure how well a flower would have gone over).

I stamped the image and the letters for the sentiment in Stazon Jet Black, because it is a 'true black'...there's no purplish tint to it. Then I cut the clock out with my Coluzzle, and cut a larger circle out of vellum. I free-handed the paper piercing around the edge of the vellum.

Here's an 'open' view so you can see better how the flap works:
Man, it's hard to take a good shot like this of a black and white card! I cut the flaps a bit longer, so that I could tuck the lower one between the upper flap and the clock image, which is mounted on dimensionals. This helps keep the card closed, and I also tucked the clock under the knot a bit to help even more. *Really should get some of those ultra-thin magnets for these kinds of cards!*

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Whisper White, Textured Basic Black cardstock (SU!); vellum (The Paper Company)
Ink: Stazon Jet Black (Tsukineko)
Stamps: clock (Magenta); alphabet (Studio G - Michael's $1 bin)
Other: Dimensionals (SU!); jumbo snap and Crop-a-dile (We R Memory Keepers); paper piercing tool (Tim Holtz for Tonic Studios); ribbon (Michael's $1 bin)

Monogram cards and Tim's August Technique

These are the monogram cards I made as a gift for my friend Holly before she heads off to Albania. They're fairly simple, but classic and elegant, so I thought they'd be perfect for her *smiles* They were made to kind of coordinate with this card posted a few days ago. I gave her the card set and the "Be a Good One" card at her going-away Good Pie party (no one likes good-byes, but everyone likes good pies, right? *wink*)

I partially embossed the cards using the D'Vine Swirls and Swiss Dot embossing folders (that card's not shown), wrapped a section of white twill around the top of the embossing, with the seam on the front of the card, to be covered up by the monogram. Then I punched circles with my second-to-largest Marvy Uchida circle punch (is that a Mega or a Giga?), stamped them with her initials, and punched scalloped circles with the largest Marvy Uchida scalloped circle punch to go behind. The twill and the monogram were both adhered using Glue Dots, since they're about the only thing that holds well to ribbon/fabric.

Next up: Tim Holtz's August Technique Challenge. This was seriously fun, and *fast*. The hardest part was figuring out which alcohol inks, and which stamp I wanted to use. Since Carte Postale was near the top from the "Be a Good One" card mentioned earlier, I used the small swirl as my image. I don't have the Archival Ink pad he listed, so I decided to try in with my Stazon pad, and it worked pretty well. It didn't remove completely from the Fragments, the way his sample did, but it did remove the alcohol inks, and the image ends up being mostly clear:
Clear enough for me, anyway. There's still a faint hint of black (whereas Tim's looks crystal clear), but it's not enough to bother me *smiles* Very fun technique...definitely go look at his post and check out how he uses these.

I'll be back tomorrow! Happy Monday!
~Michelle

Supplies used (Monogram cards):
Paper: Soft Sky, Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White cardstock (SU!)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU!)
Stamps: Ornamental Bodoni alphabet (Martha Stewart Crafts)
Other: white twill (Martha Stewart Crafts); Glue Dots

Supplies used (Fragment):
Base: Fragments (Tim Holtz Ideology)
Ink: Cranberry, Lettuce, and Eggplant alcohol inks (Ranger Adirondack); Jet Black Stazon (Tsukineko)
Stamps: Carte Postale (SU!)
Other: Ink applicator tool (Tim Holtz for Ranger)

issues...

So, Blogger has an internal error anytime I try to upload an image today. Since my posts are basically based on images, that causes some serious issues...

I'll have something up ASAP (3 items waiting in my files!!), as soon as I hear from Blogger, so hang in there!

Catch ya later,
~Michelle

Double Challenge Right at Home

Yes, I know that DTGD is over *sniff*. But, I think I'm officially addicted to doing challenges! So, this card fulfills Thursday's Ways to Use It challenge (WT177 - Scrap It), which was to make a card using only scraps, and Taylor's Friday Cupcake Challenge (TECC #27). Each week on Friday, Taylor gives a great sketch to try on her blog. It's a 'cupcake challenge' because Taylor loves cupcake stamps (who can blame her?!?) and if you have 'em, you should use 'em. *wink* Sadly, I don't have any *yet*, which was why I used a Cricut die cut for her DTGD cupcake challenge.

So, just to show how legit I am, I took a pic of my scraps before I started. These were leftovers from the DTGD challenges:The scraps I used were mainly from the Rock Star card, which, ironically enough, was also a double-challenge card combined with a Ways to Use It challenge. Coincidence? Actually, yes...I just realized that when I looked up the link *wink*

I colored the main image using my Blender Pens and a *ton* of different inks, used my punches and Coluzzle for the circles, and stamped on some faux stitching (love that little set!).

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday, and I'll catch ya tomorrow!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, Bordering Blue, and Very Vanilla cardstock (SU!); polka dot paper (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Stazon Timber Brown (Tsukineko); Chocolate Chip, Night of Navy, Not Quite Navy, Bordering Blue, Old Olive, Cranberry Crisp, Bravo Burgundy, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Apricot Appeal (SU!)
Stamps: Right at Home (SU!); stitching set (Technique Tuesday)
Other: circle and scalloped punches (Marvy Uchida); dimensionals (SU!); Coluzzle; ribbon

I {heart} my Stamp-a-Majig!

I used it *a lot* on this card!! ...First, to make the repeating flourish background (which was partially embossed with the Swiss Dot embossing folder on the Cuttlebug (thanks Melinda!)), and then to change the shape/layout of the sentiment. Originally, it looks like this:So I had to stamp the whole image on the plastic imaging sheet, stamp the "whatever", clean the stamp, stamp "you are", clean the stamp, stamp "be a"...etc., etc... It took a while, but it fit on the square I wanted! *wink* The square and the scalloped square are both popped up on dimensionals.

I love this color combo together...Soft Sky, Sage Shadow, and Chocolate Chip. And even better, Martha Stewart Crafts' "Cloud" twill matches perfectly! *smiles*

To give the inside a little something, I scalloped the bottom of a Very Vanilla panel (using my corner rounder...can't wait for SU!'s scallop-edge punch!), then paper-pierced in the center of each scallop, and a line just above that. (You can see a bit of it peeking out in the top photo)

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great weekend!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky, Sage Shadow, and Very Vanilla cardstock (SU!)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU!)
Stamps: Carte Postale, Edgy Eloquence (SU!)
Other: Cloud Herringbone Twill (Martha Stewart Crafts); dimensionals, mat pack (SU!); retractable piercing tool (Tim Holtz for Tonic Studios)