Kaleidoscope Card How-to and Supplies List

As promised, I'm back! *wink* Let me start out by saying that I did *not* come up with this idea on my own. I distinctly remember seeing it in a magazine (possibly Paper Crafts?), but I can't find a tutorial or mention of it on the internet. I did find one from an episode of the Carol Duvall Show, but the instructions seemed a bit vague and confusing. Hopefully, I can do a better job...though I must say, without 500 images, it's hard to explain clearly. If you have questions *PLEASE* put them in the comments and I'll answer as best I can (and maybe with more photos!).

I started with a sheet of 'Phlordilee' DP from Basic Grey's Aged & Confused Phresh & Phunky line. You can use most DPs for this process, but I find it's easiest if you choose one that has a repeated, mirrored image (i.e. a repeated pattern that is symmetrical), though you can get neat effects using a 'one-sided' image. (FYI: With this piece of DP, you could cut out 7 full pieces of the portion I chose). Here's a picture of the full sheet, with the pattern portion I used outlined:
And here's a close-up...you can see the outlined portion on the left, part of the cut-out portion below it, and a full repeat of the pattern to the right:
I cut out six (6) of the outlined portions, and then cut out the smaller heart-shaped part at the top for the image medallion. To piece together the medallions, I drew 6 evenly spaced intersecting lines on my work paper.
(Because this is a fairly large image, I only needed six...if you were working with a narrower pattern, you might need 8, 9, 12, etc. I drew my lines like the spokes of a snowflake, with 60 degrees between each one, using a 30-60-90 triangle. And you thought that high school Geometry would never be used! *wink*)
I put together the bottom medallion first. I used repositionable adhesive to attach the first piece to my work surface, with the center lined up on a line, and the point touching the intersection:For the next 5 pieces, I worked clock-wise, lining them up the same way (centered on the next line), and adhering the left side of each image to the right side of the one before. Once the 6th piece was attached on its left side, I tucked the right side under the 1st piece and adhered it there. So, in the end, the six pieces are sort of fanned out in a circle. Then I used my Coluzzle circle cutter to cut it out (since the finished medallion was too large for a card).

I followed the same procedure for the image medallion, but I didn't tuck the last piece under the first when I went around, because I would have had to cut it and didn't want to risk having a hole in the middle of my medallion! I put an adhesive flat-back pearl over the center to finish it off.
For the card, I began with a 10 1/2" x 5 1/4" piece of Kiwi Kiss CS, folded in half to make a 5 1/4" square card base. Then I cut the medallion using the second largest circle on my Coluzzle template, and a circle of textured Bayou Blue CS using the largest circle, and then adhered them to the card base and tied on some vanilla satin ribbon. For the center, I cut a circle from the Bayou Blue (I think the 4th from the center), and a ring of Kiwi Kiss, using foam tape to attach it to the Bayou Blue circle. I adhered my flower medallion to the center with foam tape, and then attached the whole panel to the base medallion using...foam tape. (I know, you're surprised. I'm really thinking about buying stock in 3M, I buy so much of their foam mounting tape! lol). I stamped 'Life' in the bottom corner using Not Quite Navy ink and my Stamp-a-ma-jig.

Like I said, if you have any questions, please let me know! This really is a great technique, and really not that difficult. As a note...if the design you choose doesn't come to a point like mine did, just cut it into one. (Since I'm a bit OCD and rather technical, I'd probably do it with a triangle to make a perfect 60 degree angle for each one so that they'd meet cleanly with no overlap, but that's just me. *grins*)

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Kiwi Kiss CS, Bayou Blue textured CS (SU!); Phlordilee DP (Basic Grey Aged & Confused)
Ink: Not Quite Navy (SU!)
Stamps: 'Life' from October KOTM (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: Coluzzle circle cutting system; foam mounting tape (3M); Stamp-a-ma-jig (SU!); ribbon, adhesive pearl (Michael's)

Etsy Inspired #12 - Mercy's Mark

This is just a quick post before I head for some Black Friday shopping (at our local craft store and Michael's *wink*). The amazing Ms. Ashley has a noon deadline on her Etsy Inspired challenge, and I wanted to make sure I got this in on time...I'll come edit later to give you all the details!

This week's Etsy shop is Mercy's Mark...love all the purse goodies in there! I chose this handbag for my inspiration:

And here is my card:
It's a kaledioscope card made using Basic Grey's 'Pflordilee' from their Aged & Confused Phresh & Phunky line.

Be back with more later! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and Happy Black Friday! *smiles*
~Michelle

Felt snowflake joy! (CI32)

(Note: although this mostly fits the Unity Junkies' Challenge, my real card is in the next post *wink*)

Did you know it's only ONE MONTH until Christmas? To get everyone in the holiday mood, Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration Challenge is a Christmas-y one of red and shades of white and cream...so elegant:
And I know I said I wouldn't be having time to do this, but I'm proving myself to be a liar, apparently. There's not much I can do to help my DH and his dad, so I'm keeping the boys out of their way, and away from the noise and dust....and the craft room upstairs is a pretty good place to do that. *wink*

While I was at Wally's World this morning picking up a box fan and filter for Philip, I also spotted a pack of Martha Stewart Crafts 13" Eyelet Doilies (3 per package!) made of felt, and *knew* they'd be perfect for crafting. Just think of how many embellishments I'll be able to get out of one pack! And then I saw the Kristina had a new Color Inspiration Challenge up, and everything came together perfectly!
I used a circle template, and cut out two eyelet images including the border, and one without. Then I cut two of the smaller daisy-shaped parts. I also cut a portion of the scalloped outer border to use later. After stamping 'Joy' from The Snowflake Spot using Versamark, I arranged the 5 snowflake/flower pieces on a A2 card base of Riding Hood Red (this one is 4 1/4" x 11" folded in half), and attached them using a combination of mini glue dots and silver brads.

Then, I adhered a 1" wide strip of Whisper White to a 1 1/8" wide strip of Sahara Sand, and mounted that over the edge of the scalloped border I cut previously, using foam tape to match the height. Last, I tied on a piece of woven ribbon that matched the Sahara Sand over the layered panel:
I absolutely love that ribbon! It has a slight sheen, almost metallic-looking, and the texture is fabulous. The only problem is that it warps if you pull it too tight, and frays easily when tying into a knot or bow...but I'm completely willing to overlook those problems for the extra touch it gives my card. *wink*

Thanks for stopping by (again) today!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, and Sahara Sand CS (SU!)
Ink: Versamark (Tsukineko)
Stamps: The Snowflake Spot (SU!)
Other: felt embellishments (Martha Stewart Crafts 13" Eyelet Doilies); Silver Brads (Making Memories); Mini Glue Dots; woven ribbon (Michael's $1 spot)

Cherry Lollipop Flower Card

I know, I said I wouldn't be doing blogging for a bit because of the kitchen reno...but when inspiration hits, you just *have* to make something, KWIM? Besides, there's not much else you can do at 9pm when the boys are asleep and your DH is scraping 'popcorn' off the ceiling (that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!)

This is a card for today's Unity Junkies challenge in the Unity forum...Carole picked this week, and here is her challenge: "As well as being thanksgiving, it's my son's 13th Birthday on Friday and his favourite colours are red and white (for Liverpool football club) ...so this weeks challenge is a red and white 'thankful' card". And here is what I came up with:
Isn't that lollipop flower a-dorable? I found a tutorial on how to make them last night on Label Tulip (check out this post: Scrap Love). So first I made the flower, then grabbed a half-sheet of Real Red to make my base (it's a standard 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" A2-sized card). I stamped Distressed Dots onto the top portion of the card, and stamped the sentiment at the bottom using Stazon Jet Black. Then I dug around in my scraps and found the white and black card stock pieces. I adhered them together, and tied a black and white gingham ribbon around them, and attached the panel to the card. Then I attached my flower, using foam tape. Really, it was a rather CAS card, including the making of the flower. I think I may make a bunch of them in my favorite colors just to have on hand for these kind of cards! *wink*

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to check out the challenge thread to see who else is playing!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White CS (SU!)
Ink: Stazon Jet Black (Tsukineko)
Stamps: Distressed Dots, September KOTM (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: 'Pearl' Adirondack Paint Dabber (Ranger Industries); foam tape (3M); ribbon (JoAnn's); brad (unknown)

And so it begins...

Here's what my kitchen now looks like, after some seriously hard work this morning by my DH and his dad:You don't even want to see what the rest of the house looks like, now that a makeshift kitchen and our dining set are stuffed into our living room.... *sigh*

So, just to let you know...don't count on me having much to post in the next few days/weeks. (Sorry!) There is just too much else to do, and never enough time to do it all!

And also a reminder: Everything this week for Unity is moved up a day because of Thanksgiving. The customer challenge (usually posted on Wednesday) will be on Tuesday, and Hip Hop Thursday will be on Wednesday. Make sure you check out the Unity blog to see who's playing the challenge tomorrow, and to check out the happenings on Wednesday for Hip Hop! *wink*

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

As promised...a ShortCuts review!! (and a little Twilight goodie)

First, the background. I commented on this card in the SCS gallery about a month ago and stated "and bravo for the acetate card!! I haven't been brave enough to do one yet!"...which was the complete, unadulterated truth.

(*Confession time: though I love the look on clear elements and am constantly amazed by the things ever-so-clever crafters are able to do with them...they scare(d) me.*)

That card, though, was the right one to comment on...the card's creator, Alicia, sells the acetate card bases online at ShortCuts, sister website to SheetLoadof Cards. She saw my comment, and was wonderful and gracious enough to offer to send me a sample pack...

I'll definitely be ordering more!

Alicia, you have a clear-card-convert on your hands! True, they do require a bit of cleverness on how you attach elements, and cover up your adhesive, but I think that challenge is unbelievably fun, now that I've done it. If you haven't tried a clear card yet, take the plunge. You *really* won't regret it! This card is probably my most favorite that I have *ever* made. Really.

It has serious "Wow" factor with the acetate, and I love the dimension of looking through all those layers...check it out:
For this card, I started by choosing the 'Frosted Card Blank', and was immediately impressed. The acetate is very thick and sturdy, pre-scored for folding, and has a wonderful finish. I stamped the front of my card with Unity's Distressed Dots background using Stazon Cotton White. I stamped and cut out the Butterfly from the September KOTM, sponged it with Not Quite Navy, Wild Wasabi, and some Rose Red, and adhered it to a circle of So Saffron CS with foam mounting tape. I also adhered a scalloped circle frame of Wild Wasabi CS using the foam tape. (I made the frame by cutting the center circle first with my Coluzzle, then punching the scalloped circle around it).

Inside, I backed the circle with an Apricot Appeal oval and a punched Whisper White scalloped oval, stamped with the sentiment and the same butterfly image. On fantastic perk of working on the acetate...I originally put this on upside-down. :oops!: I easily pulled it off, turned it over, and re-attached with no worries of tearing the card or the oval!
I cut the same size oval from Whisper White for writing my message, and attached it inside the card. FYI: One thing I will remember next time (if I can get myself to plan that much) will be to attach the panel for the inside *first*, so that it's easy to line up the front panels.

Since the sample pack Alicia sent to me had both the clear and the frosted product, I decided next to make something with the clear sheet. (Twilight fans...hope you enjoy!) *wink*
I made a favor box using the clear sheet in the sample pack. (Note: I'm not sure, but I think you can order the 'clear card blanks' and have a pre-scored panel. The one in the sample pack was not scored, which was perfect for this project.)

I began by cutting the acetate sheet with my paper trimmer (worked perfectly!) per the tutorial instructions on SCS, and then scored it with my Scor-Pal. The scoring also went *perfectly*, and produced clean, crisp scores without any effort. I was worried at first that the product would be too thick to stay in the Scor-Pal's grooves, or that it would slip, but both were proved unfounded! Worked like a charm...
I decided to stamp the front and back triangles with the Royal Day background from Unity, again using Stazon Cotton White. Another joy of working with the acetate...it's clear, so I turned the stamp and the box upside-down, and was able to line up the image perfectly through the box! *smiles*
This time I didn't worry about being able to see the Glue Dots on the other side of the package, since it'd be inside and the receiver will be distracted by the chocolate. *wink* The apple image is from Unity's Mix-Up of Cuteness kit, and is also available as a single until 11/21 at 12 noon Central time. I stamped it in black, colored in the image with Real Red ink, and then put a HEAVY layer of red Stickles over all the red. It dried slightly raised, very sparkly, and covered the 'core' (which was what I wanted). Here's another picture of the finished favor box, with a close-up of the apple:
I love the sparkle of being able to see the kisses through the box!

Verdict: A+++, 5 stars, highly recommended!! Go to the website and order some for yourself! *wink*

Thanks for stopping by today!
~Michelle

Supplies used (Butterfly Card):
Paper: Frosted acetate card blank (ShortCuts); Apricot Appeal, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White CS (SU!)
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Apricot Appeal, Wild Wasabi, Not Quite Navy, Rose Red (SU!)
Stamps: Distressed Dots, September KOTM (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: Foam tape (3M); Glue Dots; punches (Marvy Uchida); Coluzzle cutting system; ribbon; makeup sponges

Supplies used (Twilight favor box):
Paper: Clear acetate panel (ShortCuts); Real Red, Very Vanilla CS (SU!)
Ink: Stazon Jet Black (Tsukineko); Real Red (SU!)
Stamps: Mix Up of Cuteness apple (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: Punches (Marvy Uchida); Coluzzle cutting system; Paper piercer (Tim Holtz for Tonic Studios); ribbon

Unity BINGO!!

Make sure you go play in the Unity forum...all you have to do is pick 7 words from the list, and you have a chance to win a Unity single!! There are 3 games, so be sure to do each one! *wink*

Wednesday Challenge #13!

Guess who picked this week's challenge? That's right! It was me!! I'm so excited about this one...I've been saving this image for just such an occasion:

Isn't that bedding luscious? It's from Mystic Valley Traders, and is called Paloma. My challenge to the Unity Junkies (and anyone who wants to play along in the Unity Forum...that means you!) was to create a card using this photo as inspiration. Be inspired by the colors, the patterns, the layers, textures, etc... I based my card on the colors, and used lots of layers and a DP with a similar 'feel' to the pattern on the bedding:

The base is a standard A2 card base (4 1/4" x 5 1/2" when folded) of Chocolate Chip CS. Next I layered a 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" piece of Baja Breeze CS, then a 4" x 5 1/4" panel of Scenic Route DP. The image is also inspired by the current images on a Starbucks coffee cup, of a bird with a string in its beak, carrying an ornament (the idea to use the Tiny Trinity tree as an ornament is CASE'd from the amazing Jennifer Buck...here's her card). I stamped the tree onto Whisper White CS, and again onto a scrap of my DP, and paper-pieced the larger leaves. The small leaves were blender-pen colored with Distress Peeled Paint ink. I stamped the bird from Giggle Grove onto Baja Breeze CS, and his wing onto the same DP, and pieced the wing onto the bird's body. I drew in a 'string' line using a ZIG writer, and adhered the bird to the white CS. Then I cut out the image using my Coluzzle oval template, and cut two ovals the next size up (one Really Rust, one Baja Breeze), and scalloped the edge of the Baja Breeze oval using my small corner rounder (it doesn't come out even, so I just planned to have the extra bit hidden by my bow). I tied on a bow, and adhered the ovals, using foam tape under the Really Rust layer. Then I attached a small knot of ribbon to the top of my 'ornament' using a mini Glue Dot. Finally, I stamped 'Peace' in the corner using a Stamp-a-ma-Jig.

I hope you all play along! As an extra incentive, please reply to this post on my blog with a link to your card (by next Wednesday, 11/26/2008 at 10pm PST), and I'll pick a random winner to receive a little bit of blog candy!!

Thanks for stopping by!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Baja Breeze, Whisper White CS (SU!); Green DP (Scenic Route)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU!)
Stamps: Tiny Trinity, Giggle Grove (Unity Stamp Company)
Other: Coluzzle cutting system; small corner rounder (EK Success); ribbon (Club Wedd by Target); foam mounting tape (3M)

HHH Bitty Poinsettia Gift Tag

It's time for another 'Hip Hop Hangover' blog hop! Angela has a list of people on her blog that will be posting a card or project today...go check it out!

Today I have just a simple little gift tag for you (it measures approximately 2 3/4" x 3 1/2"), using the poinsettia image from Bitty Christmas Tags. *Did you know it's only 40 days 'til Christmas??*

I started by stamping my image onto Whisper White CS, and cutting it into an oval using my Coluzzle. I colored it in using my blender pens and a combination of Cranberry Crisp, Ruby Red, and Bordering Blue ink. After sponging the edge with Bordering Blue ink, I adhered it to a scrap of Bordering Blue CS, and trimmed around it closely (by eye...I don't have an oval template that size) using my scissors. That was adhered to a punched scalloped oval of Riding Hood Red, then I pierced each scallop of the oval with my craft pick. The red oval was attached to a Basic Gray CS base using foam tape for dimension. (You can't tell in the photo, but I also coated the poinsettia with a Sakura Glaze Pen...it shines IRL).

And in case you're wondering where I got that color combo, check out this pic:

Yep, pulled it straight from my DS's shirt! *smiles*

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

(p.s. - I *will* be back later with that review of ShortCuts...it's just going to be a long post, so it's not done yet! *wink*)

Supplies used:
Paper: Whisper White, Bordering Blue, Riding Hood Red, Basic Gray CS (SU!)
Ink: Cranberry Crisp, Ruby Red, and Bordering Blue (SU!); Stazon Jet Black (Tsukineko)
Stamps: Bitty Christmas Tags (Unity Stamp Company)
Other: Foam mounting tape (3M); Glaze Pen (Sakura)

Hip Hop Challenges!!

It's Hip Hop Thursday!! As usual, make sure you check out the Unity Blog for Angela's amazing deals (like Oh Happy Day! for only $5!!!) and you *have* to go see the new releases, designed by Lisa Hetrick...they're AMAZING!

Unity is also having two challenges today, and I played along! (I'm just going to show them to you right now, and I'll be back later to give you a full description and a review of the *wonderful* ShortCuts acetate card products). The first challenge was the 'Clearly Unity' challenge: to make a card or project using Unity stamps with a clear element...the clear element could be acetate, dew drops, ghost images, etc. The second challenge was 'Oh, Just cut it out!': Make a card or project using Unity stamps with an image that is cut out and popped up with foam tape or a pop dot. (For those of you that have been here before, you know that I could count *any* project I make for that one!! I {heart} foam tape, and probably keep 3M in business for their foam mounting tape! lol)

So, without further ado, here they are:I'll be back later with all the details and even some step-by-step pics! Thanks for stopping by!
~Michelle

A bug of a different color...

Here's a quick, easy-peasy card for today's Unity Junkies Wednesday Challenge, and also today's Sketch Challenge at SCS. The amazing Ms. Tanis brought us today's challenge, which was to "use the Primary Colors: Red, Blue and Yellow or tones of the three colors". I'll admit it, that scared me at first. Then I remembered this adorable polka-dot paper from Daisy D's, and the ladybug from Cute as a Bug, and the card came together really fast (especially since I had a sketch to work from).


I stamped the ladybug onto Very Vanilla, and again onto my polka-dot DP, and paper-pieced it using foam tape under the wings. I colored the ladybug's body and head with my blender pen and some Wild Wasabi. I ticket-corner punched the panel, added a layered Prima flower with a brad, then attached it to a panel of So Saffron, then a panel of Brocade Blue. I cut three 1 1/2" squares from my DP, and three 1 3/4" squares from the Brocade Blue, and stamped 'hello' onto one of the dp squares, before attaching them to the blue squares. Then I cut a tiny slit in the folded edge for my ribbon, and adhered everything according to the sketch, using foam tape under the image panel. Like I said, QAS* and EPLS*!!

Thanks for stopping by today!
~Michelle

* Legend: QAS=Quick and Simple, EPLS=Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy *smiles*

Supplies used:
Paper: So Saffron, Brocade Blue, Very Vanilla CS (SU!); Polka-dot DP (Daisy D's)
Ink: Stazon Jet Black (Tsukineko); Wild Wasabi (SU!)
Stamps: Cute as a Bug; 'hello' from Tiny Trinity (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: blender pens (SU!); flowers (Prima Marketing); brad (Karen Foster); foam tape (3M)

I {love} Boden kids' clothes!

I'm back! This time with a card for yesterday's Inspiration Challenge at SCS, using Taylor's Cupcake Challenge sketch. (I know, I've been making stuff like crazy...I told you I had too much stampy-ness built up from my week + post-surgery stamping exile!)

Here's the inspiration piece (from Boden kids' clothing) that I used for my card:
As soon as I saw that Boden shirt/outfit, I knew exactly what I was going to do with my card...I immediately thought of the 'Love' stamp from the Unity September KOTM 'Friendship. Love. Miracles.', and knew I was going to incorporate the colors and those fun striped leggings. This is what I came up with:
I started with a Kraft 5 1/4" square card base, and cut two panels 2 1/2" x 5" - one from Ruby Red CS, and the other from this striped Au Chocolat DP. I colored most of the vanilla stripes in the DP with my Prismacolor pencils (sorry, that doesn't show up so well) in shades of brown, red and pink to mimic the tights. I put pink brads at each outside corner before attaching the panels to the card. Then, I stamped 'Love' onto a Pink Pirouette scrap using Ruby Red ink, and cut around it in a heart shape (I made a template out of some copy paper first). I stuck that to a 2 1/2" square piece of Ruby Red, then attached the RR panel to a Chocolate Chip panel using foam tape. (The Choc. Chip layer is approximately 3" x 3 3/4", with the bottom scalloped using my small corner rounder). I tied on some picot-edged pink satin ribbon, then attached the panel to the case base with foam tape.

I think it turned out super cute, and that it captures the inspiration piece really well! What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by again! Hope you have a fantastic week!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, and Pink Pirouette CS, Au Chocolat DP (SU!)
Ink: Ruby Red (SU!)
Stamps: September KOTM 'Friendship. Love. Miracles.' (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: pink brads (Karen Foster); small corner rounder (EK Success); picot-edged pink satin ribbon (American Crafts); foam tape (3M); Prismacolor Art Pencils (Sanford)

Butterfly friends

Happy Sunday! Here's a card I made for yesterday's Featured Stamper challenge on SCS. Wendy Bell has a fantastic gallery (go check out the things she can do with punches!), so I had a hard time picking one to CASE, but in the end chose this one: Friends and Flowers. I kept the idea of a shaped card, the (general) color scheme, and the butterfly and friend sentiment stamps, but changed it by using *different* stamps from the ones Wendy used, and using an oval-shaped card instead of a flower-shaped card.
I started with a sheet of So Saffron, and folded it down the middle so I would be able to size out a roughly 5 1/2" card base. Then I used my Coluzzle oval template to cut the base (using the largest oval, and being sure to leave part of the fold). Then I cut a Chocolate Chip oval (using the 3rd largest oval), and one from Very Vanilla (using the 4th largest). *Tip: the 3rd largest oval is the perfect size for scalloping the edge with an EK Success medium corner rounder. So that's what I did! *wink*

I stamped the card base with Distressed Dots, and the Vanilla oval with 'Friends for Life' from the Unity August KOTM, and sponged the edges of the vanilla oval, all using my Pumpkin Pie stamp pad. I popped up the Chocolate Chip layer on foam tape, and adhered the Vanilla oval directly to it.

Next, I stamped my {favorite} butterfly onto Pumpkin Pie CS, inking the stamp first with Versamark, then with Chocolate Chip. This keeps the dye ink wet enough to emboss. After embossing with clear powder, I cut out the butterfly, and attached it to the VV layer. The center is adhered with regular tape runner, and I put teeny pieces of foam tape under the wings for dimension.

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your day!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, and Pumpkin Pie CS (SU!)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie (SU!); Versamark (Tsukineko)
Stamps: Distressed Dots, August KOTM, September KOTM (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: clear detail embossing powder (Stampendous!); Coluzzle cutting system; medium corner rounder (EK Success); foam tape (3M); makeup sponge

5 cards in one night!

Yes, you read that correctly...I made 5 (five...FIVE!) cards last night! They're all for the Verve Holiday Release Sketch Blitz, and I'm going to show you all 5 of them right now! (I know, I'm spoiling you. Just remember this doesn't happen often!) However, because of the number of pictures and projects, I'm not going to give a step-by-step for these...please forgive me! If you have a question, *please* leave a comment or shoot me an email, and I'll answer in a future post! *smiles*
VSHR1 - No Small Miracles
Supplies used: Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, and Chocolate Chip CS (SU!)
Ink: Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip (SU!)
Stamps: Beautiful You (Verve Stamps)
Other: satin ribbon (Club Wedd by Target); foam tape (3M)

VSHR2 - Fun is Good.
Supplies used:
Paper: Basic Black textured CS, Very Vanilla CS (SU!); green textured CS (Bazzill); 'Hello Sunshine' DP (Cosmo Cricket)
Ink: Stazon Jet Black (Tsukineko); Peeled Paint, Spiced Marmalade Distress inks (Ranger Industries); Summer Sun, Real Red, Ruby Red (SU!)
Stamps: Beautiful You (Verve Stamps); 'Remember Happiness' August KOTM (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: corner rounder (EK Success); Coluzzle circle cutting system; brads (Bazzill); blender pens (SU!)

VSHR3 - Dance, sing, live.
Supplies used:
Paper: Wild Wasabi, Blush Blossom, and Very Vanilla CS (SU!); Two Scoops DP (Basic Grey)
Ink: Wild Wasabi (SU!); Versamark (Tsukineko)
Stamps: Beautiful You (Verve Stamps)
Other: Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug); corner rounder (EK Success); embossing powder, Wild Wasabi striped grosgrain (SU!)

VSHR4 - It's the little things...
Supplies used:
Paper: Old Olive, So Saffron, Very Vanilla CS (SU!); Butterfly Polka Dot DP (Daisy D's)
Ink: Stazon Jet Black (Tsukineko); Real Red, Not Quite Navy, Summer Sun, Apricot Appeal, Old Olive (SU!)
Stamps: July KOTM, October KOTM (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: satin ribbon (Club Wedd by Target); foam tape (3M); blender pens (SU!)

VSHR5 - What's Cookin'?
Supplies used:
Paper: Very Vanilla regular and textured CS (SU!); red textured CS (Bazzill); floral DP (Bo Bunny)
Ink: Stazon Jet Black (Tsukineko); Bordering Blue, Real Red, Summer Sun, Going Gray, Wild Wasabi, Close to Cocoa (SU!)
Stamps: Lovin' from the Oven (Unity Stamp Co.)
Other: gingham ribbon (JoAnn's); foam tape (3M); blending sponge

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

Owl Family treat box

Happy Hip Hop Hangover!! Did you HIP HOP yesterday? Are you feeling a post-hip hop letdown? Then check out some Unity creations to help get you back on track....here's a link: HHH bloggers. You can also go chat in the HHH chat thread - not as fast and furious as HHT, but still fun!

For my project today, I made a Triangle favor box using these adorable owls from the Unity October KOTM. Doesn't that center owl look just a teensy bit annoyed to be stuck between those two bewildered-looking owls? It cracks me up!

I made my triangle box base starting with a 3" x 6" piece of So Saffron CS. After scoring per the instructions and punching the holes for the ribbon, I set to decorating. I stamped 'family' from Tiny Trinity across the bottom of the front panel in Chocolate Chip, and stamped the owls onto a scrap of Whisper White. I colored the owls with a blender pen and various inks (see below), then cut it out an oval shape using my Coluzzle, and sponged the edges with Chocolate Chip ink. That was adhered to a Pumpkin Pie scalloped oval, which was attached to the box using foam tape, after I pierced the center of each scallop.
Here's a closeup of the top, tied with a chocolate satin bow:
...you can see that it closes completely, so no worries of your goodies falling out!

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to check out what the other girls are doing!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: So Saffron, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie CS (SU!)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Close to Cocoa, Old Olive (SU!)
Stamps: October KOTM, Tiny Trinity (Unity Stamp Company)
Other: Blender pen (SU!); Foam tape (3M); satin ribbon (Club Wedd by Target); Coluzzle circle-cutting system; Scalloped oval punch (Marvy Uchida)

Hip Hop Cutie Pie Love Note

Another Unity Hip Hop Thursday challenge card!! This one was to make a card using more than one ribbon. I decided to go simple and use this adorable pie image from Fall Festival. I stamped the pie using Stazon Timber Brown, then colored it in with a blender pen and Distress inks, and sponged the edges with more Distress ink. I punched a scalloped circle out of this mystery scrap of Bazzill, and the cut the pie out using my Coluzzle. Since the image is smaller than most Unity images, I thought it'd be perfect for a little love note for my son, so I cut a 6" x 3" piece of Ruby Red to make a 3" square card base, and mounted both circles to it using foam tape. I stamped 'cutie pie' from Mix Up of Cuteness at the bottom, and tied on two ribbons at the fold. Another easy peasy card! *smiles*

Thanks for stopping by (again)!
~Michelle

Supplies used:
Paper: Ruby Red, Very Vanilla CS (SU!); mystery light orange CS (Bazzill)
Ink: Stazon Timber Brown (Tsukineko); Distress Spiced Orange Marmalade and Aged Mahogany (Ranger Industries); Close to Cocoa (SU!)
Stamps: Fall Festival, Mix Up of Cuteness (Unity Stamp Company)
Other: checked ribbon (Offray); sheer ribbon (JoAnn's); foam tape (3M); Stamp-a-ma-jig (SU!)