Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad!

Today is my parents' 47th wedding anniversary! I mailed this card to them to commemorate the occasion:

You can see that I used some new stamps, including the gorgeous new "Number of Years" bundle from the new Occasions catalog! I can easily predict that I'll be using this set a lot.

I look forward to the time when I can celebrate 47 years with my own husband! ...but for now, we'll be happy celebrating our 24th.

Happy stamping!
Michele

Vintage Leaves #3

Here's another beauty using Vintage Leaves:

I admit that this one was totally CASEd from Teneale Williams. I didn't change a thing - hers was simply gorgeous! I didn't read her post to see how she did it, but I used a plain acrylic block to make the square... just inked that thing right up!

Blessings to you,
Michele

Vintage Leaves

I promised to show you the other Vintage Leaves cards we made at my last workshop... here's the next one:

This one makes me think of how our own aspen trees are starting to turn golden! I simply stamped the leaves onto Whisper White using Crushed Curry, then used an Aquapainter and swiped a little bit of Pumpkin Pie onto the edges of them for more color. I am SO HAPPY that Stampin' Up! gave us the thick Whisper White cardstock for the bases! I always have loved the clean look of white cards, but have never been totally satisfied using the thin Whisper White. Now I can make them all the time! Love it!!

Have a great weekend,
Michele

Autumn Birthdays

I'm thoroughly enjoying the Vintage Leaves set and decided to do an Autumn Birthdays themed class. Here is one of the cards we'll be making:

This was made by sponging some different colors onto a Hello Honey leaf and then spritzing it with alcohol and crumpling it up. It makes a gorgeous centerpiece for any card.

Enjoy the rest of your week!
Michele

Happy Birthday, Mom!

My mom celebrated a birthday last week and this was the card I sent to her:

This was CASEd directly from a card that I made during a make-n-take at Convention. I loved it because it demonstrates how you can achieve a beautiful shaded look by using an Aquapainter and the Reinkers. Here is the inside:

After my mom received it, she sent me this picture saying that my card looks just like the last flower in a birthday bouquet she had received:

Cool, huh?! It feels so good to be able to carve out time to stamp again! I hope you're able to do the same!

-Michele

Paper Pumpkin - 50% OFF!!

Yes, I know it's been a long, LONG time since I've posted!! If you could look at my calendar over the last few months, you'd understand. I feel like I've circumnavigated the globe twice in a 3-month span!

But, I'm BACK! And I'm so glad for that! In fact, my last trip was to Salt Lake City for the annual Stampin' Up! Convention, and it ALWAYS gets me so pumped up and ready to go! I love my job... even after all these years! I hope you don't take my absence to mean that I don't... it just has the luxury of being able to be set aside while I catch up on life. (How many jobs can do that?!)

Okay, so while I was at Convention, I got a sneak peek of the next two Paper Pumpkin kits and they are A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!! If you've never signed up for Paper Pumpkin, or if you dropped your subscription along the way, or if you want a really cool gift idea, you need to sign up before August 10th!! (The August kit is especially fabulous and I don't want you to miss it!!)

To make it even more enticing, Stampin' Up! is offering first-time subscribers 50% off your first two months! 

This offer is good through September 10th, but again, I'd like you to take advantage of it before August 10th so you don't miss out on August's extra beautiful kit!!

Here's the fine print:

• This offer is for first-time subscribers only. 
• This offer is for month-to-month subscriptions only. It is not valid for pre-paid subscriptions.
• After the 50% savings on the first two months, the subscription price will return to $19.95 per month - shipping included.
• Visit PaperPumpkin.com to join, and use the promo code: HALFOFF
• Deadline to sign up with this offer is 11:50pm (MT) on September 10th. 

I hope you'll give Paper Pumpkin a try. There's nothing better than finding a big red box in your mailbox!

Happy stamping,
Michele

Saying Goodbye!!

It's that time again! Each year, we have several items that must retire in order to make room for new goodies!! Please click here or on the banner below to see the retirement list... and notice that many of them have REDUCED PRICES! You may order these items while supplies last until June 2nd, but things tend to sell out quickly, so DON'T DELAY!!

Have a great week!
Michele

Coloring Techniques

Howdy folks,

To help us all overcome our sadness at losing the Blendabilities, Stampin' Up! has created some really cute, really quick videos to show how easy it is to color your images using other products. Take a look! Click on the images below to watch the videos... they only have music so you could mute your computer while watching them if you wish.

This first project in this video uses our Stampin' Write Markers, and the second project uses our Sponge Daubers. The papers she is using are both part of our current Sale-a-Bration rewards!

This next video shows how to use a Blender Pen with ink pads. You must use Staz On ink for this technique. To get the "well" of ink in the lid, simply squish a closed ink pad together.

And finally, this last video shows how to heat emboss and then use the Aqua Painter and Ink Refills to apply color. Keep in mind that when using this amount of water, the best option is our Watercolor Paper.

Enjoy!

New Sale-a-Bration Options!

Because Stampin' Up! had to remove the Blendabilities line, they have added a few extra goodies that you can choose this month as Sale-a-Bration rewards. Please take a look at the new options below, and click on the image to view full-size.

You only have a couple weeks left to take advantage of Stampin' Up!'s biggest sale of the year! Contact me today to get your order in before it's gone until next year!

New Photopolymer Stamp Set

Photopolymer has truly become my favorite style of stamp. I just love how you can see all the way through them, they give a great stamped image, they are flexible, they cling SO WELL to the acrylic blocks, they are less expensive than the wood-based stamps, and Stampin' Up! keeps coming out with great new sets! What's not to love?!

Here's the latest Photopolymer offering:

(click on the thumbnail above to view full size)

Enjoy!
Michele

Blendabilities Discontinued

It is with great sadness that I must inform you that Stampin' Up! is having to discontinue their line of Blendabilities markers due to quality issues that cannot be resolved with their manufacturer. This is quite a disappointment, I know, for we have all come to love these beautiful markers. Please know Stampin' Up! has duly noted the strong desire for an alcohol-based marker, and they will continue to research ways to provide us with only top quality products.

If you have issues with any Blendabilities markers you have purchased through me, please let me know so I can help resolve the issue.

Big Day... again!

Yup... this set has truly become my favorite of the Sale-a-Bration offerings this year... this is easily the one I grab most often!

I also used a new product I just acquired - the Hearts & Stars Decorative Masks (#133777, $2.95). For less than $3, you can create gorgeous backgrounds such as this one! I used So Saffron ink and a sponge dauber, and then went back over the bottom stars with Calypso Coral to give the deep two-tone look. Then I used corresponding Blendabilities markers on the sentiment. Love it!

Oh, and here's the inside:

Such a fun set!! Do you own it yet??! Hurry - after March 31st, it will no longer be available!

Michele

Big Day

Big Day is one of my favorite offerings in the Sale-a-Bration catalog this year! And when I saw this card on Pinterest by Paula Dobson - I loved it even more! Although I usually tweak things here and there when I CASE a card, this particular one is almost exactly the same. Why mess with perfection?!

And here are a couple more in different colors...

Now I think I'll have some cake... and perhaps a little ice cream. :)

For Being You

Here is one of the new Sale-a-Bration offerings - a gorgeous set called "For Being You." I LOVE it already!!

I love the rainbow look they used on the flyer (see below)...

...but I wanted to see what it looked like in all one color. Mine uses Wisteria Wonder, Smoky Slate, and Black... A stunning combination - don't you think?!

Michele