Halloween Treats!

Happy Halloween!  I have some treats for you today!!  These are some amazing Halloween creations by the talented Marlene Caravello.  Check out the fun Fry Box treats she made for my family and me:

And, Marlene also created this wonderfully detailed Halloween masterpiece of a card.   Here it is in it's own envelope, made with designer series paper and the Envelope Punch board:

The card front:

Open to the inside:

And, open to the outside:

Neat watercoloring with the skyline from Calling All Heroes:

Just love it!  Don't you?

Hope you've had a wonderful day!  Thanks for stopping by!

- Michelle

Making a Scene for Halloween

Wow!  It's been almost a week and a half since I've posted . . . sorry about that!  I've been busy with the kids' school, activities, sports and more!  Still finding a little time here and there to get some stamping in, though!!!  Before I forget, there's a special Holiday Catalog Supplement that went live on Monday, which you can see here, and you can shop for the fun and fabulous products from that here.  

Okay, so on to a very special Halloween card I've been excited to show you for a while . . . but had to keep secret for a bit because I created it for a special swap with my friend Marlene (and yes, that means I have some amazing projects to show you from her again as well!!!)   The inspiration for this card started when Stampin' Up! shared this card by Martha Inchley on their website.  I immediately pinned it, and the wheels started turning . . . how cool would it be to make a whole 3D scene like that!  So, I decided to create a spooky Halloween neighborhood scene using a stair step card.  Here's how that turned out:

And, here are a few closeups so you can see some of the details better:

Supplies used:

Stamps:  Holiday Home

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Basic Gray

Paper:  Smoky Slate, So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black, and Whisper White Card Stock

Accessories:  Homemade Holiday and Bitty Banner Framelits; 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Confetti Stars Punch, Frosted Sequins (under ghost and inside button), Brights Buttons, Tangerine Tango Baker's Twine, and Stampin' Blendabilities (Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, and Smoky Slate assortments)

I've recently finished another version of this card for Christmas!  Stay tuned to see that!

Thanks for visiting!

- Michelle

Boo-tiful Bags and Tags

A quick post today to show you what I created with the September Paper Pumpkin kit (Boo-tiful Bags).  Probably the most shocking part is this is one of the first kits where I just made the projects as shown (at least so far . . . I still have the stamps and some leftover products to play around with and see what else I can create . . . and have been seeing lots of great, inspiring alternative projects on Pinterest . . . you can check those out on my Paper Pumpkin board).  Anyway, here are photos of the kit and my creations: 

 

I'm looking forward to seeing what's in this month's kit!  Just a little bit longer now.  Want to find out more about Paper Pumpkin or subscribe?  Please visit my Paper Pumpkin webpage here.

Thanks for visiting!

- Michelle

Time to Celebrate with Pink Pirouette, Cupcakes and Butterflies!

Sorry to keep you in suspense!  Has been a busier than expected week, with early dismissals for parent teacher conferences at my youngest's school, so even less time than usual for stamping and blogging.   However, I'm excited to show you the card I created during World Card Making Day, which was for a very special, one-year old, birthday girl:

 

I'd helped her mom with parts of the invitations and favors, so knew the perfect main color for this card would be Pink Pirouette, which was also the main color for the party.  I also used a bit of Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede, and Strawberry Slush.  The background is embossed with the Perfect Polka Dot folder, and stamps are from the new Cupcake Party stamp set and Papillion Potpourri (with coordinating punches used to crop the images), and the Scallop Trim Border Punch (which it turns out is actually retired, although the Scallop Edge Border punch is still available and would work nicely) shapes the pop of Pear Pizzazz along the banner. 

My design was inspired by this beautiful birthday card I'd received a while ago from my talented friend and fellow demonstrator, Agnes:

And, just had to  show off a close up of the sparkles on her card's birthday cupcake:

Here's a peek at the favors I cut with the Fry Box die and embossed with the large Polka dot folder for the birthday girl's party:

And, here they are, beautifully finished and displayed by her mom:

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

- Michelle

World Card Making Day Blog Candy Winner!

Happy Tuesday!  So, I have another big announcement today.  A big thanks to those who left comments on my World Card Making Day blog candy post!  I enjoyed reading about your favorite Stampin' Up! stamp sets!  As you might imagine, since I've been a demonstrator for a while, I have many favorite sets.   It's really hard to choose just one!!  Probably my current favorite, though, is Holiday Home.   (And, I actually just realized today that it is available as a digital download as well, which has my mind spinning with some possibilities for larger houses and scenes, and, well, that could be trouble because I might just have to get that download to try that out. ;) ).

Anyway, enough about that . . . on to the announcement!  My sons have helped me pick a name again, and this time it is:

In case you can't read that, it is Rosemarie!  Congratulations!!!  Please contact me soon so I can get your new Good Greetings stamp set to you!

I'll be back soon to show you the card I made on World Card Making Day!

Thanks for visiting!

- Michelle

Pre-World Card Making Day Blog Candy Winner!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend and were able to make a card (or more!) to celebrate World Card Making Day!!!  I had my sons help me draw names from those who left a comment on my Pre-World Card Making Day blog candy post (thank you all!!!) . . . and drum roll please . . .  the winner is:

In case you can't read my handwriting, that's Connie!!!  Congratulations, Connie!!!  I'll be in touch with you about your new Wish Big Paper Pumpkin refill kit soon.

And, there's still another chance for blog candy -- make sure you leave a comment for me on this World Card Making Day Blog Candy post before midnight PST tonight! 

Michelle

Happy World Card Making Day! (More Blog Candy!!)

Happy World Card Making Day!!!   Hope you are having a wonderful day and getting to do some card making!  I haven't made a card yet today (spent a lot of today at my youngest son's school for their big fundraiser).  However, hoping to change that soon -- have a birthday card I need to make!  

Anyway, I also have some more blog candy to give away.  Leave me a comment letting me know what your favorite Stampin' Up! stamp set of all time is.  Please leave your comment before midnight PST on Monday, Oct. 6, 2014.  I'll randomly select someone from those who leave comments to receive a new Good Greetings clear mount stamp set (this is a special set only available when you host a party with more than $300 in merchandise ordered -- or order over $300 in merchandise yourself! :)  ).  Here's a photo of the stamp set (apologies for the bad lighting!):

Or, you can see it in my online store here.

I'll announce who is selected here on my blog on Tuesday, Oct. 7th, and that person will have until Oct 9th to contact me to claim the kit.  Please note I can only ship this kit to a U.S. address, so you must be able to provide a U.S. address in order to claim the kit.  (Apologies to my international readers and friends!)

Look forward to hearing from you!   

Thanks for stopping by!

- Michelle


P.S.  Don't forget about the Stamp Stock and Save promotion going on now through October 6th!!!  You can check out the great deals here.

Pre World Card Making Day Celebration - including Blog Candy!

Enjoyed some crafty time with friends today to celebrate World Card Making Day!  I had fun creating some pumpkin goodie boxes as a little treat for those who came.  I used the Curvy Keepsake box die to cut out Pumpkin Pie card stock, and stamped on my boxes (before assembling) using images from the Work of Art stamp set, to create the look of grooves and "pumpkin-ify" the boxes a bit more:

For the finishing touches, I cut tags using the adorable tag dies that come with the Curvy Keepsake framelits, die cut a leaf using the Flower Fair framelits, and tied them off with a bit of Mossy Meadow ribbon:

So, what are your plans for celebrating World Card Making Day?   How does some blog candy sound?  Leave me a comment letting me know what you are thinking of creating on World Card Making Day, what your favorite Paper Pumpkin kit is, OR what your favorite stamp set from the Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog is (bonus points if you answer all three!).  Please leave me a comment before midnight PST on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2014.  I'll randomly select someone from those who leave comments to receive a Wish Big Paper Pumpkin Refill kit. 

I'll announce who is selected here on my blog on Monday, Oct. 6th, and that person will have until Oct 8th to contact me to claim the kit.  Please note I can only ship this kit to a U.S. address, so you must be able to provide a U.S. address in order to claim the kit.  (Apologies to my international readers and friends!)

Look forward to hearing from you!  And, be sure to check back tomorrow for another giveaway! 

Thanks for stopping by!

- Michelle


P.S.  Don't forget about the Stamp Stock and Save promotion going on now through October 6th!!!  You can check out the great deals here.