World Record Card!

So, this post is just a bit (okay, long!) overdue, but I didn't want to miss the chance to share with you a very special card I received in the mail back near the end of (ahem) July!  This card really made my day (think jumping up and down with excitement when I opened it, and a silly smile from ear to ear!), and is extra special for a lot of reasons --  but, to name just a few:  first, receiving a handmade card from a dear friend is always a treat; second, it is from my dear friend Marlene Caravello and she's an amazing artist; and third, it was sent from Stampin' Up!'s Convention in July as part of a Guinness World Record for most greeting cards sent from a single location at one time!  What a thrill to be a recipient of one of the record-setting cards!!!!  Thank you so much for thinking of me, Marlene!!!

Okay, so after all that, are you ready to see the card?  Here it is:

Isn't it a beauty!?  And, I love the sentiment!  The sentiment is from the Label Love stamp set and is stamped on vellum and punched with the coordinating Artisan Label Punch.  Marlene also used the Mosaic Madness stamp set and coordinating punch and embossing folder.  And, I love how she added a banner made from the Gingham Garden Designer Washi Tape, too -- looks like she attached it to a piece of card stock and die cut it with one of the Bitty Banners Framelits!  So clever!

  Thanks for visiting my blog!  

- Michelle

SUper Friends Summer Swap Cards

Happy Friday!  My SUper Friends team of demonstrators will be getting together and swapping again soon, which reminded me, I haven't posted the cards from our summer swap yet!  So, here they are:


Motoe created this soft and stunning card using the By the Tide stamp set:

Using the Mosaic Madness stamp set and coordinating Modern Mosaic Textured Embossing Folder, Agnes created this elegant card:

And, last but not least, is this fun, perfect-for-summer card by Nancy:

I'm looking forward to seeing what the SUper Friends create next!  Hope you are, too.  Stay tuned . .  .

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

- Michelle

Joyce's Beautiful Pop 'n Cuts Gift Card Holder

This summer, my friend Joyce gave me this beautiful card made using the Pop 'n Cuts card base, and it is such a clever and fun idea, I just had to share!  Here's the outside:

Then, when you open it, you see it has been modified to create a pouch in the center:

So neat that you can do this with just a couple scores and folds, and then punching the center fold with the Curly Label Punch!

Thanks so much for the beautiful card, Joyce!   Makes me happy!!!

And, thank you for visiting my blog, that makes me happy, too!  Hope you are having a great day!

- Michelle

Make a Wish

I had fun making this card for a dear friend's and fellow-butterfly-fan's birthday:

It all started with a piece of Melon Mambo that had some pieces punched out of it with the Hexagon punch . . . I thought with some Tempting Turquoise behind it, the openings would be fun places to have butterflies poppin' out!  The butterflies were stamped with the Papillon Potpourri stamp set in Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, and Tempting Turquoise, then punched out with the coordinating Elegant Butterfly Punch.  I added Dazzling Details to the wings -- a bit hard to photograph the sparkle, but here's my attempt at a close up:

The greeting is from the Sweet Essentials stamp set -- isn't the font great?

Hope this card inspires you!

Here are all the ingredients:

Stamp sets:  Papillon Potpourri, Sweet Essentials
Ink:  Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango and Tempting Turquoise
Card stock:  Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango and Tempting Turquoise
Accessories:  Hexagon Punch, Elegant Butterfly Punch, Modern Mosaic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Dazzling Details, and Brights Candy Dots

Thanks for visiting my blog!

- Michelle

P.S.  Don't forget about the 15% off bundle this month for the Papillon Potpourri stamp set and Bitty Butterfly Punch!!!

Glimmery Flurries

Before I move along to showing you a card, you should know that Stampin' Up! has added some great new items to the clearance rack -- totally understand if you want to head over there and check that out first, then please come back to see my sparkly snowflake card!  ;)

Yesterday, I showed you a Halloween card I created for a recent swap of cards using new products from the Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog.  Today, I have a Christmas card to share with you, using a set I couldn't resist when I saw the new catalog -- the Festive Flurry stamp set and coordinating dies (available in a bundle for 15% savings)!  Here's the card I created -- it is a gatefold card, and my favorite part of it is the large, sparkling snowflake on the front:

Here's the card opening to reveal the message inside, from the Christmas Messages stamp set, and stamped in Island Indigo to coordinate with the Winter Frost Specialty Paper used on the front:

And, the Whisper White Organza Ribbon is wrapped all around the left side, so it is a pretty accent on the inside as well as outside of the card:

Here's another view of the card, all wrapped up and ready to be mailed to the other swappers.   I think you can see a bit better here that the largest snowflake is cut out of Silver Glimmer Paper (and actually has a same size snowflake cut of Smoky Slate behind it to give it even more heft).  The next smallest snowflake is cut out of the new Silver Foil Sheets, and has the coordinating stamp set image stamped and embossed on it with Pool Party Embossing Powder.  Topping that off is one of the gorgeous new Frosted Finishes Embellishments.

Here's the recipe for the card, which I attached to the back of the card using some of the Season of Style Designer Washi Tape, to make it easy for those receiving it in the swap to remove if they want to use:

What do you think?  Hope you like it!

Thanks for visiting!

- Michelle

Creepy, Crawly Halloween

Stampin' Up!'s Holiday Catalog is packed with so many fun new stamps and products!!  If you haven't seen it yet, you can browse it online here -- after you see the rest of the post, please! ;)  Anyway, a little while back, I created this card, which uses the new Halloween Bash stamp set, for a card swap with some other demonstrators:

To create the starburst background, I cut Modern Medley Designer Paper into triangles, layered into the starburst pattern on a piece of Very Vanilla, adhered the designer paper, then trimmed off the excess.  That piece is layered first onto a piece of Basic Black, and then another piece of Very Vanilla, and finally onto the Basic Black card base.  

I embossed the "Celebrate . . . " using a combination of Gold and Tangerine Tango embossing powders onto a piece of vellum, which I tore at the bottom, and attached to the card using a bit of Witches' Brew Designer Washi Tape.  Here's a closer view of that:

Along the bottom of the card I attached pieces of vellum, on which I'd embossed the image with Versamark ink and black powder, then punched out with the Ticket Duo Builder Punch:

I added a Tangerine Tango Candy Dot for a pop of color.

Inside the card, I used more of the Witches' Brew Designer Washi Tape to attach a piece of Very Vanilla, which I'd also stamped with the bat and "Beware" image:

I also added the supply recipe for the card inside, again using a piece of the washi tape -- lovin' that stuff!!! 

Here's what's in the brew for this card:

Stamp Set:  Halloween Bash

Inks:  Versamark, Basic Black

Paper:  Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Vellum Card Stock, and Modern Medley Designer Series Paper

Accessories:  Witches' Brew Designer Washi Tape, Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder, Tangerine Tango Stampin' Emboss Powder, Black Stampin' Emboss Powder, Bold Brights Candy Dots, Ticket Duo Builder Punch

Thanks for visiting my blog!

- Michelle

Dots, Dashes, and Butterflies!

Hello!  Here's a fun card that I made almost a year ago, and just hadn't gotten around to posting yet . . . can you believe it?!  However, I thought now would be a fun time to do it -- especially considering that right now (until September 30, 2013) you can get the butterfly stamp set I used for it, together with the Bitty Butterfly Punch (which coordinates with the image I used insider the card) for 15% off!  Here's the card front:

And, inside:

To check out the 15% of Butterfly Bundle, please visit my online store here.

Supplies Used:

Stamps:  Papillon Potpourri, Made for You (retired greeting set)
Ink:  Midnight Muse, Rich Razzleberry
Paper:  Midnight Muse, Very Vanilla, Retired Designer Series Paper
Accessories:  Elegant Butterfly Punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Pearl Jewels, Midnight Muse Stitched Ribbon


Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

- Michelle

Soft Morning Meadow Birthday Card

Today's card features one of my favorite hostess-exclusive sets from the 2013-14 Idea Book:  Morning Meadow.

The flourish image from the set fits nicely in several of the framelits from the Apothecary Accents set, especially the used here, and spotlights the greeting so nicely.  I also love how the flower image in the set coordinates with the new Pansy Punch, and it's so much fun to pop a Candy Dot in the middle!  Although subtle, the background is stamped with the flowery stem image from the Morning Meadow set.

Supplies Used:

Stamps:  Morning Meadow
Inks:  Blush Blossom, Soft Sky, Old Olive
Paper:  Whisper White, Soft Sky, Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive
Accessories:  Apothecary Accents Framelits, Pansy Punch, Subtles Candy Dots


Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

- Michelle

sparkly thx flip card

Happy September!!!  Quick post today -- I've been having great fun playing with the new circle card thinlits die, and wanted to pop in and share the first card I created with it, this sparkly thanks card:

Here it is opened:

And, close ups of the different details:

Supplies used:

Stamps:  World Map, Morning Meadow ("thank you" is from this hostess set)
Ink:  Pool Party and Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pads
Paper:  Pool Party, Strawberry Slush, and Whisper White Card Stock; Quatrefancy Designer Series Paper; Silver Glimmer paper
Accessories:  circle card thinlits die; Boho Blossoms Punch; Island Indigo Baker's Twine; Brights Candy Dots; and Brights Designer Buttons