Galaxy Technique Star of Light Card

Happy Wednesday!  So, those of you who are regular and careful readers of my blog will probably recognize this as my card from the August SUper Friends Gathering (in case you missed the original post about that, you can click here to see all the amazing projects from our swap):

Anyway, I decided to share a few more photos of the card today, and to give you more information about it and the Galaxy Technique I used to create the background.  

Here's a picture to better show off the dimension on the star:

So easy to create the 3D effect on the star, as the scoring is done at the same time the star is die cut with the new Starlight Thinlits Dies (available tomorrow!!!).  To attach the star to my card, I used 2 or 3 dimensionals stacked on top of each other, and adhered them in the center of the star.  If I were to attempt to mail this, I would go for a padded envelope or more likely a small box.

I think this star would look great left flat as well . . . going to have to try that on another card!

For the Galaxy Technique background, I started with a piece of Watercolor Paper, and using lots of water to help the ink spread where it would, rather randomly applied blotches of Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, and Emerald Envy.  After those had dried, I went back over the card with more water and a wash of Night of Navy ink,  I also splattered drops of water on afterwards to cause more blending and splotches in the design.  It was fun to see how the colors combined and changed.  Here's how another of the cards turned out:

I made about 12 of these, and they were all different.  Oh, and I did the embossing with Versamark Ink and Detail White Embossing Powder, after the background had dried.

Here's a peek at the inside:

Pretty simple . . . a greeting from the Star of Light set, stamped in Night of Navy, over the large detailed star stamp, which I inked with Soft Sky (apologies because I know it's hard to see that in the photo above!)

Hope you'll give the Galaxy Technique a try!  And, stay tuned for the Holiday Catalog coming tomorrow!!!  I'm excited to show you more of what I've been creating with the items I was able to order during the demonstrator sneak peek!

Thanks for visiting!

- Michelle

Bonus Project Photos from the August SUper Friend Gathering

 Hi!  Happy Tuesday!  Popping in today to share a few more photos from the August SUper Friends Gathering.  I debated about sharing these because honestly the photo quality is pretty poor (I blame the "mood lighting" in my kitchen!)  However, I decided that the greatness of the projects outweighs my embarrassment over my photo quality (or serious lack thereof!)

So, here we go!  This first photo is of some of our swaps set out and ready for exchanging, along with some of Jana's gorgeous creations with sneak peek items from the Holiday Catalog (coming Thurs., September 1st!!!  Not long now!)  Jana's cards are along the left and bottom of the photo.  Swap projects are more to the middle and top.

Here's a close up of Jana's llama card (created with the Fa-la-la-la Friends stamp set and Christmas Pines Stamp Set and Pretty Pines Thinlits Bundle):

And, here's an adorable Cookie Cutter Halloween Dracula in a coffin Jana created for him using the Home Sweet Home Thinlits:

I love that Jana lined the coffin with red felt, and heat embossed Dracula's vest with the Real Red Glitter Stampin' Emboss Powder, which will also be available in the Holiday Catalog.

Plus, Judy-Ann brought along an awesome make and take for us!  She shared with us two projects by Gosia MacKinnon (click her name to see the projects that inspired Judy-Ann's creations, including instructions), using the Detailed Floral Thinlits Dies to create a gorgeous treat holder and votive holder:

Don't you love the tag Judy-Ann created for her treat holder?!  So perfect!!!

And, here is Judy-Ann's sample votive holder:

I have one more creation by Judy-Ann to share with you as well, but I'm saving it for this week's Fabulous Friends Friday!  Stay tuned!!!  May have to create a video with this one, too . . . hmm. . . .

Thanks so much for the extra inspiration, Jana and Judy-Ann!  And, thank you for visiting my blog!!!

- Michelle

SUper Friends August Swap - Halloween and Christmas Projects!

 Hi!  I have a treat for you to help make sure your week is off to a great start!  My SUper Friends group gathered and swapped last week, and I'm very excited to show you the projects they made!!!   We'd agreed for our swap that each swapper could decide whether to create a card or treat box and whether to create something for Halloween or Christmas.  Swappers could use any current Stampin' Up! products -- from the Idea Book, the Thoughtful Branches Bundle available this month (only two more days left to order it, so if you haven't gotten your yet, be sure to visit my online store and do that before August 31st!), or sneak peek items from the Holiday Catalog (coming September 1st! Yippee!!)

On to the swaps!  Let's start with Halloween, and with Jana's adorably spooky treat holder house! Here's the view of the front:

Back:

And back opened to reveal the goodies hidden inside:

Jana created this house using some sneak peek items from the Holiday Catalog -- specifically, the Sweet Home Stamp Set and Home Sweet Home Thinlits Dies (available as a bundle, for a 10% savings in the U.S.).  Jana created the perfectly sized brick images on the outside of the house using the Ghoulish Grunge stamp set, which also will be available in the Holiday Catalog.

Judy-Ann used the Spooky Fun Stamp Set and Halloween Scenes Edgelits dies (available as a bundle) to create this fantastically spooky scene on her card:

Love the layering and sponging, and while it's hard to see from my photo, that's some stunning copper embossing on the moon, ghosts, and gravestones!  

Here's how Judy-Ann finished the inside of the card:

Agnes inked up her Woodland Textured Impressions Embossing Folder to create a perfectly spooky background for her Halloween card:

Agnes created the "BOO" using her Large Letters Framelits, with some super sponging to give them just the right touch of Halloween eerie-ness!  Agnes created the bats using a neat double-punching trick with the Bitty Butterfly Punch.

For her Halloween card, Connie S. magically transformed the flower blossoms, tree trunk, and leaves from the Thoughtful Branches Bundle into a pumpkin!  You might also spy the Woodland Textured Impressions Embossing Folder in the background of her card:

Connie S. finished the inside of her card as well, with the splatters from the Thoughtful Branches stamp set, plus the greeting and spiders from Jar of Haunts (another sneak peek from the Holiday Catalog):

Margery used the Cookie Cutter Halloween set from the upcoming Holiday Catalog along with the Sliding Star Framelits to create this awesomely-interactive Halloween card:

 Moving on to Christmas, Connie M. used a great combination of old and new on her gorgeous card!  You might recognize the Softly Falling Textured Impressions Folder in the background and the ornament and topper created with the Delicate Ornament Thinlits Dies, which Connie used along with the sneak peek Christmas Pines Stamp Set and Pretty Pines Thinlits (available as a bundle & save!) and the Warmth and Cheer Designer Series Paper:

Nancy also used the Softly Falling Textured Impressions Folder on her sweet Christmas card!  She combined it with a sneak peek of the gingerbread man and greeting from the Cookie Cutter Christmas Stamp Set, which comes in a bundle with the Cookie Cutter Builder Punch (which Nancy used to crop out the gingerbread man and his smart bow tie!):

Jane's Christmas card is actually a window card, with a 3D tree that pops through the window when the card is closed!  Jane used a Paper Pumpkin stamp for the greeting, and cut the trees using the Perfect Pines Framelits: 

Jane's sponging adds such a beautiful texture and dimension to the trees:

Jane also used the same sponging and layering technique to create matching ornaments for everyone (if you were in the swap and haven't gotten yours yet, I will be getting it to you asap!):

And, I decided to use the Galaxy Background technique and another sneak peek bundle, with the Star of Light Stamp Set and Starlight Thinlits Dies to create this Christmas card:

The star is made with new Copper Foil Sheets (available in the Holiday Catalog).  The Washi Tape is the copper dotted pattern from the Affectionately Yours Washi Tape.

So, what do you think?  Are you as excited about the upcoming Holiday Catalog and ready to start some fall and holiday crafting as I am after seeing these sneak peeks?

Thanks so much to the SUper Friends for this awesome swap!!!  And, thank you for visiting my blog!

- Michelle

Thoughtful Branches Flower Easel Card For You

Hello!  Hope your day is going well!  I have yet another Thoughtful Branches project to share with you today!  This one is a bright and happy easel card, which combines images from Thoughtful Branches and the Jar of Love stamp set:

The card base is Peekaboo Peach, and the stamped images are on Whisper White card stock, which is in turn layered on Flirty Flamingo card stock.  There's a bit of Flirty Flamingo Ruched Ribbon tied in a bow around the card.  You can see a bit of texture on the bottom of the Peekaboo Peach, and that is from the Petal Burst Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

I stamped the jar in Memento Tuxedo Black ink, with the water stamped in Soft Sky.  Stems and leaves are stamped in Old Olive, and the blooms are stamped in Peekaboo Peach, Flirty Flamingo, and Sweet Sugarplum.  I added Fine Tip Glue over the jar to give it more of the look and feel of glass.

Here's the card folded into an easel:

The greeting and Flirty Flamingo scalloped circle were cropped with the Layering Circles Framelits.

I decided to use my Envelope Punch Board to create an envelope out of the 2016-18 In Color Envelope Paper to go with my card, and it was nice to be able to adjust the size of the envelope to accommodate the side bow more perfectly:

What do you think?  Hope you like this project!  If you haven't gotten your Thoughtful Branches Bundle yet, hurry on over to my store to buy it -- it's only available until August 31st . . . or while supplies last!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

- Michelle

Thoughtful Branches Christmas Shaker Card

Here's a fun, interactive Christmas card I created with the Thoughtful Branches Bundle -- love how versatile the elements in this are!!! 

For this card, I started with a Dapper Denim base.  I heat embossed some snowflakes on the front of that.  I used a piece of Thick Whisper White to create the shaker window.  First, I drew a pencil line onto the White card stock around the inside of the Layering Circle Framelit I wanted to use to create the window.  Then, I stamped the trees.  I fussy cut out the tree tops inside the pencilled on circle, then inserted my circle framelit below them and die cut the rest of the shaker window.  

I adhered a bit of Window Sheet behind my window.  Then, I used the new Foam Adhesive strips (love these!!!), added some sequins and glitter before adhering the window layer to the base, and my shaker was quickly and easily done!

Finished the card with some cute red bird die cuts, a greeting (from Peaceful Pines), a bit of the new burlap ribbon, and a star from the Metallic Enamel Shapes.

Here's the inside:

If you haven't gotten your Thoughtful Branches Bundle yet, be sure to click here to head over to my online store soon to get yours before they are gone!  

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

- Michelle

Thoughtful Branches Apple Tree Thank You

Happy Monday!  Hope your week is off to a great start.  In case you hadn't noticed, I'm really enjoying the Thoughtful Branches Bundle available this month (or while supplies last!).  Today I have a thank you card I created with the bundle to share with you. For this card, I decided to create a little apple tree scene:

I cut the Whisper White piece for the tree using one of the Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits, and used another to create the shape for the greeting.  The background layer is embossed with the Woodgrain Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

I added a bit of Gold Metallic Thread behind the greeting.  In addition to the two leaves stamped and cut with pieces from the Thoughtful Branches Bundle, I cut the little butterfly with a die from the Sunshine Wishes Thinlets, and added a heart from the new Metallic Enamel Shapes to the butterfly center:

If you haven't gotten your Thoughtful Branches Bundle yet, be sure to click here to head over to my online store soon to get yours before they are gone!  

Also, if you have Bonus Days Coupons from last month, be sure to redeem those before August 31st!

 

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!!

Michelle

Thoughtful Branches Class Samples

Hi!  Happy Saturday!  Popping in today to share a few samples for the upcoming Thoughtful Branches class, which will be next Sunday, August 28th, from 1:30 to 3:30pm.  I've been seeing so many wonderful ideas with this set, and been having fun coming up with my own ideas!  It was hard to settle on just four projects for the class, but I finally did!

Here's a special gift box, made extra special with copper embossing on the box and tag:

For the cards, I fell in love with this sunflower I saw on Connie Collins blog (love the poinsettia she created, too!), and the gift bag she created with it inspired this card:

And, here's my take on the pumpkin cards that are being made with Thoughtful Branches (not positive who started it, but the first one I saw and pinned is by Kim Jolley, and you can see her original post here.  I also love the Cinderella coach / gypsy wagon card she created, which you can see here):

Last but not least is an original design, which also features some stars created with a sneak peek item from the upcoming Holiday Catalog and actually the greeting is from a stamp set from the Holiday Catalog (so two sneak peeks!):

Hope you like these!  If you'd like more information about the class or to rsvp, please click here.

The Thoughtful Branches Bundle is only available until August 31, 2016, or while supplies last.  So, if you haven't purchased your Thoughtful Branches Bundle yet, you can order it online here, or you can purchase just the stamp set here.  (And, if you purchase from me, you can get my class either for free or half off!!!)  Please let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

- Michelle

Fabulous Friends Friday: Marlene's Thoughtful Branches Cards!

Happy Friday!  I have some amazing cards to share with you today from my fabulously creative friend Marlene!  As you may know, Marlene and I regularly swap cards, and we just swapped a batch of cards made with the Thoughtful Branches Bundle, which is available this month (or while supplies last!)   She sent me four amazing cards in this swap, which show how versatile the stamps and dies in this bundle can be!!!

Here's a beautiful autumn card using the tree from the bundle: 

I love how Marlene heat embossed the stamped leaves with our new Copper Embossing powder, and the neat way she framed the card with notches on the top layers, around which she wrapped the Copper Metallic Thread.  Marlene used the Woodland Textured Embossing Folder to add the perfect touch to the Crushed Curry background.

Here's a peek inside of the card:

Marlene also sent me this elegant, clean and simple card, which is perfect for sending Christmas or winter greetings:

The Softly Falling embossing folder creates the perfect background, and I love the sweet red birds in and under the die cut tree from Thoughtful Branches.

How do you like this adorable lamb Marlene made using the leaves/flowers die?

Marlene made the lamb's body and the sun using the new Layering Circles Framelits.  The head and hooves were created with the Fox Builder Punch.  Marlene used the new Labeler Alphabet set to create the greeting.  The Tempting Turquoise background paper is from the Brights Designer Series Paper Pack (love these!).  Marlene's creation was inspired by this card by Judy Strickling.   

And, here's a peek inside Marlene's card:

The final card from Marlene is this beautiful hydrangea card:

The greeting is stamped on a Window Sheet and die cut with one of the Layering Circles Framelits. Marlene added the background texture with the Fluttering embossing folder.

Surprise!  This is actually an easel card:

The bee and greeting are from the Pun Intended Hostess set.

And, here's the card all the way open:

Thanks so much, Marlene, for these beautiful cards!  And, thank you for visiting my blog!

- Michelle