Photopolymer - Gotta Love It!

My nephew had a birthday this week and here is the card I sent to him. You'll have to imagine the correct colors as I simply couldn't get the image to cooperate and look right. It's made with the gorgeous Island Indigo and Tangerine Tango, paired with the DSP from Sale-a-Bration. It looks WAY better in person. You have to always keep in mind that I'm a stamper, not a photo editor.  :)

Now, I can't take any credit for this card - I copied it from one I saw at my upline's house (Amy Taylor). But it was just what I was looking for as a way to play with the new Designer Type Photopolymer stamps (item 132956 $13.95)! If you have not tried these yet, you simply must... they are way cool. Not only can you bend and shape the stamp any way you want on the block (like I did with this banner), but they stick incredibly well. That puppy 'ain't comin' off no matter how much you scrub it! The best part, however, is that the entire thing is clear allowing you to look right through the stamp. See those letters on the banner? Piece of cake! No stamp-a-ma-jig needed... uh-uh, not with these babies! I can't wait to see what Stampin' Up! is going to come out with next in their new world of photopolymer stamps, cuz I'm diggin' these!

Hope you've had a great week!
Michele

March Stamp-a-Stack

I've got a big night planned tomorrow!  Several ladies are coming to stamp a stack of cards!  Here's what they will be making...

This first set is using some of the fun Sycamore Street DSP and ribbon from Sale-a-Bration.  I love it paired with white cardstock... so vibrant and happy!  I also have a new favorite stamp set:  Trust God.  Looks great with the Apothecary Accents Framelits, doesn't it?

I had to do two different versions of each card because I didn't have enough of any one color ribbon to accommodate everyone!  That's a great problem to have... plus, it gives everyone more variety.  This next one uses Wisteria Wonder and Pool Party along with the gorgeous Blooming with Kindness set.

I jazzed up the flowers a bit with some Dazzling Diamonds - just a touch here and there!  Fun to do, and adds wonderful texture.

Finally, I put the First Edition DSP to good use on this simple, but elegant, combination.  Apothecary Art along with the Labels Collection Framelits... a perfect match.  The colors are Cherry Cobbler and Baja Breeze with Very Vanilla and Early Espresso.  *Edited to add: Just so you know, I DID go back and change the orientation of the First Edition DSP on that Baja card... it was bothering me.  :)  But I am too lazy to retake and repost a new photo.  ;)

Whew!  I best get busy cutting cardstock!  They'll all be here in less than 24 hours!  Let the fun begin!
Michele

Last Easter Card

Here's the last Easter card I have to show you! I made this one using more of that Delicate Details Lace Tape that I like so much. I also used the Borders Scoring Plate across the bottom - it lines up pretty well with the tape and makes a nice edge (hard to see in the photo).

Have you started on your Easter cards yet?  Well, what are you waiting for?  Time's running out!!

Michele

Easter Cards (again!)

Here are some more I made recently - also with a matching milk carton.  

I have one more to show you tomorrow.

Michele

Easter Cards

It's hard to believe Easter is right around the corner - arriving a little early this year!  I made a few cards, so I'll get busy sharing them before the holiday passes me right on by...!

I made this one in a few different colors, and even added a button to the Marina Mist card.  I just love how the embossing folders add texture to the card and little else is needed!

I also played with the milk carton die and made a matching treat box with a window.  Too bad I ate all the malted eggs that were supposed to go inside.  Ha!!

Michele

Tea Pouch

Here's another project we made at my Technique workshop last week.  This is a pouch made from a modification of the Scallop Envelope Bigz.  These would be so cute to put at a table set for a group of friends, or at a baby/wedding shower done in the colors of the event.  Things that make people smile are my favorite things to make!

We textured it and learned how easy it is to watercolor using only Blender Pens and the ink pads... one of my favorite things to do!

You may recognize these pouches from an earlier post - Maddox and I made several of them to use for his Valentines.

Have a terrific week, everyone!
Michele

Perfect Use for DSP Scraps

A couple of my friends back in Texas had birthdays recently and here are the cards I sent to them.  This  layout is a perfect way to use up that remaining DSP... it's actually a lot of fun to coordinate them to find a combination that looks great together!

I added a blossom with some beautiful Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons for the centers.  Using buttons and other embellishments sometimes means you have to add a little more postage and mark it "unmachineable," but that doesn't bother me... I'd rather add the bling and pay the extra postage than to send it without!  ...and my friends are always worth it!

Michele

Clockworks

Here is another project we made at my Technique workshop this past Tuesday night.

The technique I was teaching here was how to use the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig... we used it to get the hands on the clock exactly where we wanted them.  The Clockworks set is great for masculine-looking cards, and that's what I was going for on this one.  I love using the stamps to make a collage in the background - anything goes, there's no right or wrong way to do it.  Every card becomes unique!  But the best part about this particular card is the way we made the stopwatch look even more real... take a closer look:

We used a window sheet behind the clock as our glass!  Cool!  You can't tell in the photo, but the top piece is raised up with Dimensionals, so the actual clock face sits below the glass a couple centimeters.  It was a fun project.  I hope you like it!

Enjoy your weekend!!

Michele

A New Wallet!

Sorry I've been MIA for a bit - took a long weekend with my family to Steamboat Springs for some skiing.  Had a great time!  There's nothing I love more than to go on vacation with my husband and our boys...

Alas, it's back to "work!"  And you're gonna LOVE this one!  Remember this wallet I made a long time ago for my Girls Club?  Well, I've updated it a bit...

Same basic design, but the inside is a little different.  Instead of using it for Father's Day (which you still could), this one is more for a graduate or someone who just got a promotion or anyone who deserves a treat!  It has a pocket for paper money, as well as a window sleeve for a gift card.  You could always just do cash and then put a picture behind the window... either way, they're sure to love it!

I plan to make a couple for graduation gifts... have any other ideas on how it could be used?
Michele

More Birthdays!

Here's a card I made for another dear friend of mine who recently had a birthday.  I was playing around more with the Delicate Details Lace Tape - it's really easy to work with because it is completely repositionable... no worries if you get it stuck on crooked, just lift it and reposition.  I learned that if you draw a very light line across your card with a pencil (to erase later), it becomes a piece of cake to get the lace on straight. I even cut the strip in half lengthwise so I could get twice as much out of it - that's a whole lot better than just covering up half of it!

Another version in pink:

And a third version in River Rock:

If you were looking closely, you probably noticed the pearls on each one!  Gotta have 'em!
Michele

A Dear Friend's Birthday

One of my dearest friends here in Colorado celebrated a birthday a couple weeks ago. We spent the day at the spa getting pampered and sloughing off all of the stress that tends to accumulate over time. It was a wonderful day! ...I wish I had the time and money to go more often, but in all honesty, I was using up a gift certificate that my husband gave me for Valentine's Day 2011!! Isn't that pathetic?! Thank goodness for my friend who wanted to go to the spa - she had a certificate, too, but at least hers wasn't 2 years old!

Here is the special card I made just for her:

I spent some extra time on this one, cutting out the flowers from the "Elements of Style" set. I then used some "Smooch" to dazzle them up a bit - I don't think that product is available any more (wait, I just saw it on the Clearance Rack... get it while you can!), but the Shimmer Paint or Dazzling Details would also look fabulous. The Smooch brush allowed the colors in the flowers to run just a bit, adding a nice watercolor effect. Again, that can also be done with current products like a blender pen. Notice the small pearls... always a favorite part for me!

Have a great week!
Michele