Morgan is 14!

My middle son recently celebrated a birthday and here is the card I made for him:

Living in the mountains, we love to go on family beach vacations, and this card definitely has a "beachy" feel to it!  I used the new Coastal Cabana, along with Crisp Cantaloupe, and paired them with the fun By the Tide stamp set. Linen thread definitely has a "beachy" feel, so I tossed that in, too.

I can't believe how quickly my boys are growing up!!

Michele

New In Colors

I'm really enjoying the new In Colors! Here is a card we made at my new catalog launch a couple of weeks ago... it uses all 5 of the new colors!

We embossed the pansies from Flower Shop in white, and then used Sponge Daubers and the ink pads to color them in, putting more color at the centers. It was fun!

The sentiment comes from Chalk Talk and it was exciting to see their faces light up when they used the new magnetic platform for the first time!

I love making people smile... that's why Stampin' Up! is the perfect job!
Michele

Pocket Cards

At our last team meeting, our upline, Amy Taylor, showed us how to make these cool pocket cards... this first one was the one Amy made:

It has a pocket on the outside, and another one on the inside - perfect for tucking in a hand-written note, a photograph or two, or even a bookmark like in Amy's!  Here are a couple of my own versions - what's so cool about these is that every one looks different depending on which sheet of DSP you use!

Yes, this particular DSP is retired, but it's a fantastic way to use up what you have left! Please ignore the fact that the small text in the center of the card is upside-down on the front... it's right-side-up on the inside (shown below):

...and how many of us still have a ton of this Sale-a-Bration DSP laying around?! Make pocket cards with it!

Thanks, Amy, for the inspiration!
Michele

PS:  For all of those who have asked me for instructions, I asked Amy where she got the idea (I like to credit the original source when possible), and it came straight from one of Stampin' Up!'s finest, Patty Bennett.  Here is the link where she has created a wonderful tutorial on this double pocket card.  It's super simple to do - I hope you try it!

Treat Boxes

At the end of the school year, I wanted to give Maddox's teachers a special gift. I searched for a simple treat box and found one that uses only 1/2 sheet of cardstock... easy-peasy! Here is my version:

...and here's what it looked like after I tucked in a baggie of yogurt-covered pretzels (yum!) and a gift card to our local spa!

Here are a couple other color variations:

The next one is what we'll be making at my home this Thursday... it's my birthday, so I told folks that their workshop would be free if they made and brought me a homemade card using Stampin' Up! supplies! I can't wait to share what they bring!

And last, but not least, here is my favorite:

Isn't he just so cute?!

The teachers loved them, and since I had fun making them, I'd say it was a win-win all the way around!

Michele

PS:  I received so many e-mails asking for the instructions for this box.  Again, please know that I did not create it!   These were based on a design by Julie Davison.  If you follow that link, you'll go directly to her page where she has the tutorial.  But, if you want the quick nitty-gritty, I created this image for you... click on it to view it larger.  I hope it helps!

Retired Sale!

I finally went through my supplies and pulled out everything I have for sale! If you see something you would like to have, please e-mail me to see if it is still available (I will update this post and remove items as quickly as I can when things sell). Everything is in great condition and I can send a photo if requested.

I accept payment via PayPal on a "first pay, first serve" policy.  I will be listing these things on Craig's List, too, so I encourage you to grab your choices quickly! Prices below do NOT include shipping, which will be through USPS Priority Mail.  Minimum shipping cost is $5.80 and will increase depending on what size box I have to use for your purchase. Please know that I cannot sell outside of the United States.

Happy Shopping!
Michele

Secret Garden Magnetic Frame

Here is another project we did recently - but I can take absolutely no credit for it, as my upline, Amy Taylor, was the one who showed it to me first.  

This is a magnetic frame - see how the pretty (now retired) brads stick to it? We just removed the tines on the back and added a strong magnet. The design is using the wonderful Secret Garden stamp set and framelits - and has been made all the more wonderful with the new magnetic platform! Yay for that!

Happy Monday!

Michele

$39.95, item #130658

Father's Day Wallet

See what happens when I neglect my blog? I have all of these great cards, but the occasions have already passed and sometimes the stamp sets have already retired! *sigh* Life just seems to move too fast for me!

In any case, here is another wallet I made - this one I did in Basic Gray, and I textured the front with the Stripes embossing folder.

Doesn't this texture look great on the wallets?!

Here's the inside:

I sent it to my dad with a couple dollar bills in the large pocket and a gift card to Lowe's in the window pocket. He totally loved it and was SO impressed! (I love it when I can impress my dad!)

Michele

Graduations

Between high school and college, we've had several graduations to celebrate this year. I made a few different variations of the same card. I CASEd the original design from a Stampin' Up! forum, but made several alterations. These first few are very simple (we even did the first one for a Stamp-a-Stack awhile back), but I like the last one the best. Colors are Pool Party, Black, and White.

I needed to have a couple that were a little more masculine, so here it is without the ribbon:

But this last one is my favorite:

I know I may be a little late for you to make graduation cards (sorry!), but you could easily change out the sentiment and use a different image instead of the graduation cap (like a flower) and have any other occasion you need.

Happy Stampin'!
Michele

So Sorry...

I'm back! So sorry it has taken me so long! I meant to post something over this past weekend, but my husband totally surprised me with tickets to see my all-time favorite band: Fleetwood Mac! He had told me we were going to dinner with a co-worker that he wanted me to meet and I had no idea until he drove me straight to the Pepsi Center. Even then, I had no idea until we got inside and I saw the official Fleetwood Mac merchandise booths because there weren't any signs or anything outside! WHAT A TERRIFIC SURPRISE!! He's so wonderful... no wonder I've held on to him for 21 years.

On a different note, the reunion was FANTASTIC - so good to spend quality time with the people I love the most... my family. Here we are:

I'm in the middle - the one with the whistle around my neck. My family has lovingly nicknamed me "The General" because I'm always keeping things in line... and this year, they gave me a whistle. :)

Anyway, now back to my wonderful life here in Colorado! So, I'm sure you all know that we have a NEW CATALOG to celebrate! I imagine all of you have already poured over the pages, but just in case you haven't, click on the image below and go take a look:

And finally, here's a new card for you. It's a simple use of Secret Garden to make a patterned paper, and then "blinged-up" (is that a word?) with some Rhinestones in the middle. Easy-peasy!

I hope you're enjoying the start of your summer break!

Hugs,
Michele