More Attic Boutique Butterflies!

Happy Thursday!  So, yesterday I showed you the card we made with the Flight of the Butterfly stamp set at Sunday's Creative Connections class.  Well, before I decided on that design (which I forgot to mention in yesterday's post is actually a CASE of the layout on page 141 of the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog), I started with this card.  I really like how it turned out, but it ended up with so many layers and details, I decided that it was just too much work to make my class attendees do!  Here it is:

The card base is Soft Suede, with a layer of Daffodil Delight on top of that, and then a layer of designer paper from the Attic Boutique Designer Series Paper pack.  On top of that is a strip of Pool Party, which I punched on top and bottom with the Scallop Trim Border Punch, and then sponged the edges with Soft Suede Ink.  Next I layered on pieces of Pool Party punched with the Decorative Label Punch, and sponged around he edges with Soft Suede.  I topped that with some of the new Daffodil Delight Seam Binding Ribbon (available now until April 30th as part of the Summer Smooches Promotion, and then again when the new Catalog comes out on June 1st!)

Next are the butterflies, and as on yesterday's card, they were stamped with the dotted outline image from the Flight of the Butterfly set on the Attic Boutique designer paper, then punched out with the coordinating Butterfly Punch.  I sponged them with Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint.  Then, I added a piece of Soft Suede punched with the scalloped flower from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, and a Pearl Jewel in the center of each.

For finishing touches, I added more flowers punched from the Attic Boutique paper with the scalloped flower from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, with pearls in the center, leaves punched out of Soft Suede with the Bird Builder Punch, and the greeting.  For the greeting, I punched a piece of Attic Boutique paper twice with the Decorative Label punch to get the smaller shape.  Then, I stamped the greeting, which is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, in Soft Suede Classic Ink.

The inside of the card is finished rather simply.  I used a layer of Whisper White, with a strip of Attic Boutique Designer Paper, and another stamped, punched, and shimmered butterfly:

Thanks for visiting!

- Michelle

Fluttering Away . . . .

This Sunday was my April Creative Connections class, and I had a great afternoon of stamping with the friends that came over for it!  We made two different card designs during the class.  The one I am showing you today features one of the stamp sets from the retiring stamps list -- Flight of the Butterfly (and the coordinating Butterfly Punch, which I had a hunch might be retiring, and that was confirmed with the Retiring Accessories List released today!  More on that below!)  Here are a few views of the card and even the finished inside: 

 

We started with a Soft Suede base, then used the Adorning Accents Edgelits die to create a scalloped border near the edge of the card front (providing a peak of the pretty designer paper inside) and on the Whisper White layer for the inside.  The designer paper on this card is all from the Attic Boutique Designer Series Paper Pack in the Occasions Mini (only available until April 30!) 

The little flowers were created using the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack flower punches and a little Pearl Jewel in the center of each.  The greeting on the Pool Party Card Stock on the front is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set, and was stamped on a piece punched out with the Decorative Label Punch.  The ribbon is the gorgeous 3/8" Pleated Satin Ribbon in Blushing Bride.  I also offered a choice of using the Riding Hood Red Pleated Satin Ribbon, and like how that turned out, too -- it's a bit of a bolder look, but still pretty and vintage-y:

And, here's a close up of one of the butterflies:

We sponged each butterfly using Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint.  A bit hard to see in the photo, but in real life, these butterflies really shimmer!

Want to see what else is retiring from the Idea Book?  Please click here to see all the retiring products in my online store.  Remember, retiring accessories are only available while supplies last -- and some are discounted up to 70%!  Be sure to check them out and order as soon as possible so you don't miss out on your favorites!!! 

Thanks for visiting!

- Michelle

Today's Digital Downloads!

Hi again!  Just had to pop in one more time and share the digital downloads Stampin' Up! released today -- these are so great for Father's Day projects (and so much more!).  Be sure to check them out by clicking here.

Thanks,
Michelle

Bonuses from Marlene!

If you read my blog regularly, you know that I have great fun swapping with my amazing and talented friend Marlene Caravello.  There are many reasons that swapping with Marlene is such great fun, but one of them is that she is so sweet and surprises me with "bonuses"!  In our last swap, she included some candies for my boys, complete with these adorable bag toppers:

The toppers have some of the beautiful paper from the Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper, which you can order until the end of April, and will be available again starting June 1st, when the new Stampin' Up! Catalog starts!  The adorable little chick is made from the Bird Builder Punch.  

Marlene also sent me this beautiful card, done with the "Shabby Chic" technique:

 The background stamp is Hello, Doily stamped in White Craft on Marina Mist.  The teacup is from the Tea Shoppe stamp set in the Occasions Mini (which also ends April 30th, so make sure you have everything you want from it now!!!)  Marlene stamped the tea cup on Certainly Celery paper and embossed it with Black Embossing Powder.  It looks like she also sponged the violets using Marina Mist Classic Ink, and then added a rhinestone center.  Marlene used the Lace Ribbon Border Punch to create the Whisper White accent piece along the bottom.  And, I love how she glittered the Seam Binding Ribbon -- I think she used Dazzling Details on it to make it sparkle.

The inside of the card is beautiful, too:

It's embossed on the left side with the Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder, and looks like it has been sponged with Whisper White over the embossing.  Isn't that a great idea?!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

- Michelle

Summer Smooches Hybrid Pop Up Card

One of the challenges in my most recent swap with my amazing friend Marlene was to create a card that either had an unusual fold or moved.  I decided to try a free standing pop-up card!  I'd seen these before, and found this wonderful tutorial on Splitcoaststampers.   Having the Simply Scored Tool makes creating the score lines even easier!  I also decided to create part of the card using the Summer Smooches Digital Download Kit.  Here's the card, all popped up (with apologies because these photos were taken inside and the lighting just wasn't the best):

The panel with the designer paper and greeting was created in My Digital Studio and printed on Whisper White on my home printer, then trimmed to size.  I created the little flowers using different sizes of circle punches, then ruffling the edges of each circle, and assembling them with a Bold Brights Brad.  The ribbon around the base is the new Daffodil Delight Seam Binding Ribbon.

Here's the other side of the card:

For this side, I used a strip of paper from the Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper pack, next to a strip of Whisper White that could be used to write a message to the card's recipient.  I added more of the layered-circle flowers on this side as well.  Here's a close up of the flowers:

The free standing pop-up was great fun to make -- much easier than I expected!  Hope you'll be inspired to give it a try.  Please be sure to let me know if you do -- would love to see what you create.

Thanks for visiting!

- Michelle

Marlene's Summer Smooches Gate-Fold Card

Here's another of the beautiful cards I received from my amazing, talented friend Marlene Caravello in our most recent swap:

Marlene used the beautiful Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper, which is a sneak peek from the upcoming Stampin' Up! Catalog, and is available as part of a special promotion this month.  Her butterfly is made with layers of die cuts from the Beautiful Wings Embosslit.  The daffodil is created with a couple flowers punched using the Blossom Punch and Daffodil Delight designer series paper, then curled into shape.  I love how Marlene made both the butterfly and flower sparkle with Smooch Spritz and glitter.  Here's a close up so you can see the sparkle a bit better:

Marlene's card is a gate-fold card, made using the Scallop Oval Frame Die to create the interlocking piece that holds the card closed.  It opens to reveal a beautifully finished inside, which features another design from the Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper and a strip of Not Quite Navy that has been punched with the Lace Ribbon Border Punch.  The greeting is from the Pursuit of Happiness Stamp Set.

Thanks for visiting my blog! 

- Michelle

Catching Up!

Hi, everyone!!!  It's been quite a while since I've posted . . . life has been full.  Last week I was working on finalizing the last few pages to submit to the publisher for my boys' school's yearbook, plus we had lots of baseball and school activities.  My favorite of the school activities was seeing my oldest son transform into Abraham Lincoln for his Living History Day presentation!  If you'll indulge me for a proud momma moment, here he is:

We made his top hat by converting a "bowler-style" party hat from a party store using my paper crafting supplies.  We wrapped two sheets of Basic Black 12 x 12 card stock around the top of the hat, and adhered them with Sticky Strip (marvelous stuff!)  Then, we created a circular insert for the top . . . we started with a circle a little larger than the top of the hat, cut slits every few half-inches from the edge of the circle to the part that would line up with the top of the hat, then put sticky strip inside the hat and stuck the flaps on the insert to that.  Hard to explain in words -- would be so much easier to show -- but hopefully that makes sense!

Then, we were off to Arizona for a couple days to visit family!  We took lots of photos there, and I need to start scrapbooking those, so hopefully will have some My Digital Studio-created pages to show you soon.  Speaking of My Digital Studio, there were some fun new downloads released this week -- be sure to head over to check those out here (after you finish reading this post of course!)

And, while I was away, Stampin' Up! released the retiring stamps list.  There are quite a few sets on this list -- they're only available through May 31st, so be sure to get your favorites before they're gone for good!  You can click on the image below to see the stamp sets in the online store:

Or, click here to see a the stamps listed in a pdf file.

Thanks for stopping by!

- Michelle

April Calendar Page and New My Digital Studio Downloads!

Hi!  It's Tuesday, which means there are new digital downloads for My Digital Studio, and there are some really cool ones this week!  I especially love the images in the Adventure Awaits set, and think the Earth Laughs template is really beautiful!  Plus, there's a fun new hexagon-shaped digital punch!  There are some great downloads for celebrating the graduates in your life as well.   Be sure to check out all the great new downloads by clicking here to go to my online store.

I actually have another of my calendar pages to share with you today.  Again, I kept this very simple -- just started with the Year to Remember 2012 Calendar Template, added my photos, the flag punch, and the stamp for the month:

 
I just love how easy it is to create projects in My Digital Studio!  If you haven't tried it out yet, you can still get started with a free 30-day trial -- just head over to my online store, add the My Digital Studio Express free trial to your bag, then download it, and start creating amazing projects right away! 


Thanks for visiting my blog!


- Michelle

Easter CD Envelope Cards Finished!

I have one more Easter project to share with you today -- or more precisely, I have the finished version of the CD envelope cards I showed you earlier in this post.   I added a greeting and some simple embellishments (die cut adhesives from the Spring Fever Simply Scrappin' Kit and some rhinestones) to the covers:

On the inside, I added my photos and some more of the die cut adhesives from the Simply Scrappin' Kit. Here are a few photos of the inside (along with Timothy checking out my work on my messy crafting space!):

I tucked a note in the back pocket, along with a few extra photos.  I'm happy with how these turned out -- in fact, still want to make one more for myself!

Thanks for stopping by!

- Michelle

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!  Hope you are having a wonderful day!  Our day started early, with our boys very excited to find out what was in their baskets and to hunt the eggs hidden around the house (which seemed to take no time at all!)  It's been a great day here -- even beautiful, sunny weather at last!

I wanted to share some Easter cards and projects with you that I've been working on and that I've received this past week . . . was hoping to do it in multiple posts this week, but alas, life got in the way!  :)

So, here goes!  First up are some cards I had fun creating using the Heaven Blessed set from the Occasions Mini.  I decided to try out using Stampin' Write Markers to watercolor on Watercolor Paper (had to try it on Whisper White to see how it worked, too, and have to admit the Watercolor Paper makes a big difference).

Except for the top card, which uses paper from the Everyday Elegance Designer Series Paper, the cards have designer series paper from the Berry Blossoms pack.  I used the Label Framelits to create the shapes around the images.  And, the bottom four cards have a layer of Whisper White that was first cut with the Adorning Accents Edgelits die and embossed with the Adorning Accents embossing folder.

I also decorated the inside of these a bit, again using Adorning Accents to create a pretty edge:

I also have to share with you the most adorable Easter bunny box that my amazing and talented friend Marlene Caravello recently sent to me:

And, a beautiful cross card from Marlene as well:

To create this card, Marlene used this technique by Frenchie Martin.  And here's the inside, with a pop-up dove:

Hope you enjoyed these!  

Thanks for checking out my blog!

- Michelle

Everything Easter Baskets from My Digital Studio!

When I saw the Everything Easter Ensemble for My Digital Studio, I knew I had to get it -- after all, it includes the images for one of my favorite stamp sets, Everybunny!  However, once I started using it, I also discovered that it includes an awesome Easter basket template (plus place cards, an egg centerpiece, and more)!!!  Anyway, I've been having so much fun making these baskets.  Here's a sampling of the baskets I've created so far:  

The basket on the far right is the size of the template initially in My Digital Studio.  I played around and discovered I could enlarge the baskets a fair amount without having any problems with pixelation when I printed them.   I printed these onto Whisper White and Very Vanilla Card Stock using my home printer, cut out and then embellished with multi-layer Boho Blossom and Bitty Shapes punch flowers, held together with brads and with leaves from the Bird Builder Punch.

I also experimented with adding different types of "trim" around the top.  As you can see below, I tried out the Lace Ribbon Border Punch and the Dotted Scallop Border Punch.  I think any of Stampin' Up!'s Border Punches would work well for this, though!

I filled the baskets with some shredded paper and goodies in Medium Cello Bags.  Then, I tied off the bags with Pool Party Seam Binding bows, and used Pool Party Baker's Twine to attach tags, which I also created using the Everything Easter Ensemble in My Digital Studio, then printed out.  They printed out the perfect size to punch out with the 1-3/4" Scallop Circle Punch!  Here's a closer view of one of the tags:

 And, here are a few more of the unfilled baskets:

I also had fun digitally decorating a basket before I printed it.  Here's how that turned out:

I again added a Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border around the top of the basket, and for this one used Subtle Flower Brads to hold on the handle.

I love the flexibility of My Digital Studio -- so many great possibilities with the Everything Easter Ensemble for Easter and Spring cards, treats, and more!!!  

 Thanks for visiting my blog!

- Michelle

Summer Smooches Purses

Happy April!!!  This month brings a special promotion from Stampin' Up! -- Summer Smooches -- a sneak peek of some exciting new products from the upcoming 2012-2013 Catalog!  I pre-ordered some of the new products, and while I am enjoying everything, I think my favorite so far is the new Petite Purse Bigz L Die.  I've used it with the bright and beautiful new Summer Smooches Designer Paper to create these little purses, which I decorated with Bold Bright Designer Buttons or with flowers punched with the Boho Blossoms Punch, then filled with some ribbon and brads as a gift for customers who placed orders during the last week of Sale-a-Bration:

 (In the center of each button is a Jewel Rhinestone, which I colored orange using a permanent marker).

For these purses, I used mini brads to attach the handle.  (I tucked the handle inside the purse, but you could put it on the outside instead, if you preferred.)  Here's a closer view of a purse with a punched flower:

And, here's another purse that I created (this was for a shoebox swap at the last SUper Friends Meeting):

For the decoration on the front, I punched a 3/4" Circle out of the Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper, then a smaller (maybe 1/2" Circle) out of another section of the paper.  I put a Bold Bright brad through the two pieces, ruffled up the top piece, then attached it all to the purse with a dimensional.  I also added little tag to the purse, using the Tiny Tags stamp set (colored image with Stampin' Write Markers) and the Jewelry tag punch.  The tag is attached to the purse with a Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine bow:

 For this purse, the handle is attached on the outside, using Bold Bright brads.

Aren't these fun?!  Lots of possibilities for fun favors and little treats with these!  (You can see some adorable purses Heather Summers created for Easter here).

Thanks for visiting my blog!

- Michelle