More of Marlene's Marvelous Cards

Happy Monday to you!  Hope you had a wonderful weekend.  We had a great weekend -- mostly spent outdoors at my boys' various baseball events!  

I have a treat for you today!  I have some cards from my super-talented friend Marlene Caravello to share with you!!!

This first one uses the wonderful Swallowtail and Oh, Hello stamp sets along with the Cloudy Day embossing folder, all from the Spring Catalog:

I love how Marlene does a beautiful job of finishing her cards inside and out!!!

Next up is this lovely card, featuring the Hexagon Embossing Folder, Dress Up Framelits, and More Amore Specialty Designer Series Paper from the Spring Mini, as well as the Occasions Alphabet Set from the 2012-2013 Catalog:

\

The inside is stamped with a Flourish from Everything Eleanor, and "Happy Birthday" from Bring on the Cake:

Here's a great masculine birthday card, which with a change of sentiment stamps, would also make a fabulous Father's Day card:

The bow tie and shoe stamps are from the Dapper Dad stamp set in the Spring Catalog.

And, last but not least, is this gorgeous card, combining the Oh, Hello and Secret Garden stamp sets, along with the Tea for Two Designer Series Paper from the Spring Catalog:

To create the vase, Marlene used gold embossing powder to emboss the oval stamp from the Oh, Hello Stamp set on a piece of Early Espresso card stock, and die cut that with the coordinating oval framelits.  That along with the die (and fussy) cut Secret Garden flower and stem, adds such great texture and dimension to the card!

These are all so marvelous!!  I feel so blessed to have received them and to get to share them with you!

Thanks for stopping by!

- Michelle

Seriously, My April Paper Pumpkin Kit and Alternate Ideas!

This month's Paper Pumpkin kit featured some sassy stamps (the greetings, as you will see are "Seriously," "you kick booty," and "love your guts"), a cool color combo (Night of Navy, Baja Breeze, Old Olive, More Mustard, and Cherry Cobbler), a generous amount of natural Linen Thread, and the awesome Silver Designer Buttons (from the Spring Catalog).  This kit lends itself well to creating some great masculine cards, which can be challenging!  However, it is also versatile enough that you could create a card for most anyone with it!

Using just the supplies and instruction that come with the kit, you can create 4 cards.  However, as with the Welcome Kit, I decided to add just a couple more sheets of paper (one Night of Navy and one Baja Breeze 8-1/2 x 11" piece of card stock), and some scraps of Very Vanilla, and with those simple additions, I had enough material to create these eight cards:

Here is the first card I created, following the design and instructions that Stampin' Up! included with the kit:

For the next card I made, I decided to follow the provided instructions again, and use the "love your guts" stamp, but  omit the "guts" part.  I took a Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write Marker, inked up just the "love you" part of the stamp, stamped that on a long scrap of Very Vanilla card stock, reinked and stamped again in Cherry Cobbler.  Then, for the third time, I cleaned the stamp, reinked it using a Baja Breeze marker, and stamped:

Time for a confession -- I had a bit of trouble when I inked up my "seriously" using my Cherry Cobbler ink pad, which needs to be reinked (would have had better results if I'd used the Stampin' Spot included with the kit!!).  I had a moment of panic when I lifted my stamp up from the paper and saw an incomplete image on one of the precious die cut adhesives from kit, but then, a simple solution came to me -- stamp on Very Vanilla paper and adhere that over the bad image.  And, that worked pretty well:

 

Phew!!!!


On my third card, I changed things up a bit more.  I had seen some samples created by Marti Crapo, and liked her idea of using stamps from the two other Paper Pumpkin kits in combination with this month's kit.  So, I used the "hey there" and splash stamps from the Welcome Kit, along with the dots stamp from the Try It kit on this card.  I also decided to create a landscape card this time:

Another idea I wanted to try was to stamp "seriously" along with the "fabulous" stamp from Fabulous Phrases.  For this card, I used a Not Quite Navy base, and had cut one of the Not Quite Navy Designer card bases from the kit, to use as a designer paper layer.  I again used the splash stamp from the Welcom Kit and the dots from the Try It kit:

Here's another photo, which shows the "fabulous" a little better (in retrospect, I should probably have stamped it in a more contrasting color like Cherry Cobbler or even More Mustard -- guess I should just re-stamp it on a piece of Very Vanilla and attach over where I stamped it on the card again here!):

Here's another card, again with a Not Quite Navy base, and using the "hey there, friend" stamp from the Paper Pumpkin Welcome kit in Not Quite Navy ink.  This time I added a strip of the Epic Day This and That Washi Tape as well:

This card uses a Baja Breeze base, along with a flag created from a piece of one of the designer card bases included with the kit.  I stamped the dots from the Try It kit in Baja Breeze under the speech bubble.  I also used my Baja Breeze marker again to add just the "love you" from the "love your guts" stamp.  And, you might notice there is also a clip on this one from the Elements Cute Clips (Spring Catalog):

For the final card, I decided to create something a bit more elaborate.  I die cut a piece of Very Vanilla using  the largest of the Apothecary Accents Framelits.  I used the "seriously" stamp and Try It kit dots in Crumb Cake; stamps from Amazing Family in Not Quite Navy, Basic Gray ("Father"), and Baja Breeze (decorative image); and the ship from The Open Sea in Baja Breeze.  The card base is Baja Breeze, and I layered a piece trimmed from one of the kit's card bases on top of that.  I'd stamped that with the splash image from the Welcome Kit.  There's also a strip of Epic Day Washi Tape, with linen thread wrapped around it, and a small button from my stash of Silver Designer Buttons (not included with the Paper Pumpkin kit):

Hope you enjoyed these ideas!  If you haven't signed up for My Paper Pumpkin yet, what are you waiting for?!  It's so much fun to get a kit filled with wonderful, surprise crafting goodies in your mailbox!

- Michelle

Mojo Butterflies with This and That

I've been missing playing along with the Mojo Monday sketch challenge, and was so happy to finally have a chance this week to do one of the sketches!  This week's sketch #290 worked well to create this summery card to swap with my SUper Friends group when we met today:

  

Supplies Used:

Stamps:  Papillion Potpourri, A Round Array (sneak peek, also available as part of a bundle with the coordinating 7/8" Scallop Circle Punch)

Ink:  Calypso Coral, Pool Party, and Basic Gray

Paper:  Calypso Coral, Very Vanilla, and Crumb Cake, This and That Epic Day Designer Paper

Accessories:  1" Square Punch, 7/8" Scallop Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Epic Day This and That Designer Washi Tape, Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon, Stampin' Sponges.

The Epic Day This and That supplies used on this card are party of the Epic Day This and That sneak peek bundle, available for 15% off the price they will be in the 2013-2014 Catalog, but only until April 30th!  You can get yours in my online store here.

Thanks for stopping by!

- Michelle

Something for Everyone -- the Retiring List is Here!

Hundreds of stamps and accessories from the 2012–2013 catalogs are retiring, and this is your chance to get them before they’re gone! Check out all the great discounts and retiring colors! Many products are only available while supplies last, so be sure to get your orders in early.  

Don’t miss out! Retired List products are available April 24–June 3, 2013. Get them now!

Want to get new products from our 2013–2014 catalog early? Join Stampin’ Up! before May 30 to receive $30 US/$40 CA in more free products and choose new products in your starter kit. Click here to read all about it!

- Michelle

Oh, Hello . . . Fashionably Late Birthday Pop-Up Card

Here's a fun pop-up birthday card I designed for some special workshops during Sale-a-Bration, and realized I hadn't shared here . . . so here it is . . . fashionably late!!!  

For the front, I used the Oh, Hello set from the Spring Catalog.  The oval stamp from the set is stamped in Crumb Cake ink on Very Vanilla Card Stock, then die cut using the coordinating oval from the Oval Framelits.  That's layered onto a piece of Crumb Cake card stock die cut with the next size up Oval Framelit.  The card base is Primrose Petals card stock.  Layers of the Print Poetry Designer Series Paper Stack adorn the card, along with a row of Flower Trim:

Here's the inside of the card:

I cut a piece of Crumb Cake card stock using the Card Base Pop 'n Cuts, trimmed a bit off the bottom, and adhered it to the Primrose Petals base.  I embossed a strip of Primrose Petals using one of the Needlepoint Border Textured Impressions Embossing Folders, and adhered that to the Primrose Petals base just below the bottom of the Crumb Cake piece.

Using the Dress Up Framelits, The dress form is die cut from Very Vanilla, and the dress is die cut from one of the Print Poetry designs.  I added a strip of Silver Glimmer Paper as a belt for the dress, and a couple of rhinestone jewels for buttons.  Here's a closer look at the dress:

For the greeting, I chose the "happy birthday!  fashionably late . . . but worth the wait." stamp from the All Dressed Up stamp set.  It's stamped in Soft Suede on the Crumb Cake card stock:

Hope you like this card!  Thanks for visiting my blog!

- Michelle

Butterflies!

Hi!  Happy Earth Day!  Seemed like the perfect day to share some cards I have created recently using the Swallowtail stamp from the Spring Catalog, and various colors of embossing powder.  I guess because of the coloring these are no longer truly Swallowtails, but I still think they are beautiful butterflies even if not so realistic.  How about you?

First up is a butterfly embossed using Versamark Ink along with Early Espresso, Tangerine Tango, Melon Mambo and just a little bit of Pool Party embossing powder on a piece of Pool Party card stock.  I was inspired to try embossing with multiple colors from a beautiful sample by Betty Gillespie in a Spring Catalog swap I participated in.  (On her card, Betty embossed the Swallowtail with Pool Party, Wild Wasabi, and Early Espresso powder on Very Vanilla card stock.)  I stamped the Pool Party with the splatter stamp from the My Paper Pumpkin Welcome Kit in Pool Party ink.  The Pool Party is layered onto a piece of Early Espresso, and then onto a Pool Party card base:

Here's a close up:

Here's another version, this time with the butterfly embossed on Very Vanilla (everything else is the same):

For the next card, I went back to embossing on Pool Party card stock, and used the same four colors of embossing powder, just more mixed up rather than poured on in blocks of color:

For the next card, I embossed the swallowtail on Vellum using Versamark Ink and Early Espresso Embossing Powder.  I sponged Tangerine Tango Ink onto the back of the vellum, which I guess makes this butterfly look like a cross between a Swallowtail and a Monarch?

I fussy cut the butterfly, then added it to a piece of Bashful Blue, which had been embossed using the Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Embossing Folder and the Big Shot.  The card base is also Bashful Blue (a retiring color!  If this is one of your favorites, be sure to stock up on it before it is too late):

And, finally, this butterfly is embossed on Whisper White card stock, using Versamark and Early Espresso Embossing Powder with a bit of Tangerine Tango embossing powder as well.  The butterfly is fussy cut and attached to a piece of Early Espresso, which I stamped with the splatter stamp from the My Paper Pumpkin Welcome Kit, and attached to a Whisper White card base:

Thanks for stopping by and checking out all my butterfly cards!

- Michelle

Cards from Friends

Hi!  Quick post today -- my boys have spring break this week, so have been keeping busy with them . . . lots of baseball this week while school is out!!!  Anyway, wanted to pop in and share some beautiful cards I've received from friends.

First up is this bright and happy spring card from my friend Joyce, which shows off a wonderful version of the chalkboard technique:

Next are two fun and feminine cards from my friend Agnes, which feature products from the All Dressed Up Bundle from the Spring Catalog:

Here's the outside of the second card (Parker's Patterns designer paper):

And inside:

Thanks for stopping by!

- Michelle

Photopolymer Party Card

Have you seen Stampin' Up!'s new Photopolymer stamp sets yet?  (That's right -- sets, now there are two available!  There's Designer Typeset and the just-released Bombs Away Birthday stamp set).  Here's a bright and happy card I created using Designer Typeset for a workshop last month:  

For the card base, I used one of the adorable note cards from Sale-a-Bration, along with the die cut adhesive gray strip and gray Baker's Twine from the kit.  I dressed up the card with a Daffodil Delight party dress, cut using the Dress Up Framelits.  I used one of the images from the Designer Typeset stamps to stamp a belt onto the dress, then added a rhinestone in the center.  Stamping the banner and "Party" was so easy using the clear photopolymer!  I was able to bend the banner stamp a bit as I put it onto the clear block, to shape the banner to better fit my card.  It is stamped in Basic Gray, and the letters are stamped in Baja Breeze (one of the colors on the discontinued list!  If it's one of your favs, be sure to stock up now, before it is too late!)

Thanks for visiting my blog!

- Michelle

My Paper Pumpkin Butterflies!!!

Have you checked out Paper Pumpkin by Stampin' Up! yet?  Even the logo and packaging are so much fun (not all the boxes have this style yet . . . my understanding is that they eventually all will, though):

I'm very excited to see what will come in the box this month! Just thinking about it gives me butterflies in my stomach because this is the first month it is a big surprise!  And, just received my shipping notice that it's on the way this morning!  Whoo Hoo!  You can bet I'll be anxiously checking the mailbox everyday now until it comes!!!

In the meantime, though, I finally have photos (and lots of them!!!  Big blog post alert!!!) to share with you of the projects I've created so far with the very first Paper Pumpkin kit I received last month!  Here's a little peek at them, hiding back inside the box (it makes great storage for finished projects as well!):

The first kit (which is the Welcome Kit everyone will receive their first month, regardless when they join), comes with supplies to create four of the same card (if you follow the instructions Stampin' Up! provides).  I created one of the cards following the instructions, then decided to come up with my own designs for the rest.   I have a Pinterest Board for Paper Pumpkin ideas, so drew inspiration from some of the amazing ideas others have come up with using this kit as well.   

 

I was able to make six cards by adding an 8.5 x 11 piece of Whisper White card stock from my supplies to what was provided.  I also used some scraps of Whisper White and Tempting Turquoise to create some embellishments for my cards.  Other supplies I added were the Papillon Potpourri Stamp Set; Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder; Tempting Turqoise and So Saffron Classic Ink; and the Elegant Butterfly, Bitty Butterfly, and Decorative Label Punches.  Here's a group photo of my cards:

First up for the individual photos is my card made using Stampin' Up!'s basic kit instructions:



 

 

 

I love the color combo with that bold pop of turquoise!  So, for the next card I created, I decided to create a landscape-oriented design with turquoise butterflies from the Papillon Potpourri stamp set:

 



 

Using the splatter stamp that comes with the Welcome Kit, I stamped once full strength in Basic Gray, then stamped next to that a second time without reinking (a technique known as stamping off).  Here's a close up so you can see that a little better:

 

Then, I decided to cut apart the gray cards that come in the kit, I randomly stamped the splatter image in Basic Gray ink all over half of the card, doing some stamping off again, then ran that through the Honeycomb embossing folder in my Big Shot.  I used the Decorative Label Punch to shape a piece of the designer paper that comes with the kit into the piece for the greeting:

I punched the designer paper carefully, so I was able to use what was left to create this card (which has a white card stock base -- this was created from half the piece of Whisper White I added to the supplies that came with the kit):

I added two pieces created with the Decorative Label punch in place of the one I'd taken out:  one Basic Gray piece (you'll see where I got that in the next card) and one Whisper White piece, which I'd stamped with the greeting that comes with the kit (love it!!!) and popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals. 

On the designer paper, I stamped the splatter stamp in So Saffron, and used the Two-Step Stampin' technique with the Papillon Potpourri stamps -- first stamping the solid butterfly image in So Saffron, and next the small butterfly outline in either Tempting Turquoise or Basic Gray.   Here's a close up of the stamping:

 

Next up is the card that uses the other half of the Basic Gray card I'd cut apart, and has the other half of the Whisper White sheet as the card base.  On the Whisper White, I'd stamped the splatter image multiple times using So Saffron ink in the area that would show through the window created in the Basic Gray where the Decorative Label piece had been punched out:

Here's a close up of the stamping;

For the final card, I used the card base and designer paper that came with the kit, and had three of the Old Olive medallion stickers left, so arranged them along the right side.  I stamped the greeting in Basic Gray, and added the turquoise butterflies for a pop of color:

These cards were so easy and fun to create, I wanted to make some more!  I decided to CASE my favorite design from up above -- the one with the four butterflies stamped on the designer paper.  I couldn't find designer paper in my stash that matched what I had in mind, so decided to create my own by repeatedly stamping the splatter image.  While I was doing that, the idea came to me to drag along the stamp while stamping to create more of a blurred image, like rain streaks on a window.  I used a Pool Party, Basic Gray, and Very Vanilla color combo for my cards.  Here's how they turned out:

For this one, the greeting is on an Extra Large Oval punched piece.  The ribbon is the Basic Black/Basic Gray Striped Ribbon from the Holiday Catalog -- I love how elegant it is. 

And, here's another card I created, just a little different:

The greeting is on a Large Oval punched piece, which is layered on a Basic Gray Scallop Oval punched piece.  There's a 3/8" Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon flag sticking out from the greeting.

Here are a couple of close ups of the stamped images so you can get a better look at the results of the dragging technique I used in creating the background:

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed these ideas and are inspired with new ideas and techniques to use with your Paper Pumpkin welcome kit (not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber yet?  Click here to check it out, and if you are one of my existing customers, or in the U.S. and don't already have a demonstrator, please be sure to choose me as your demonstrator when you sign up! I'll be sending my Paper Pumpkin subscribers special bonus cards and ideas for using the supplies that come in our kits).

- Michelle