A "That" Challenge Card with Lots of Online Exclusive Sneak Peeks!

I decided to try the "that" layout for this month's Stampin' Up! Creative Challenge!  Here's the card I created:

This card has a Basic Beige base, a layer of Crumb Cake card stock on top of that, then a pattern from the Season of Green and Gold Designer Series Paper, which will be part of the Online Exclusives release available in just a few days now!  There's also a strip of the Gold Mercury Vellum (another Online Exclusive sneak peek!).  On top of that is some Night of Navy card stock die cut twice with one of the Greetings of the Seasons Dies (another Online Exclusive Sneak Peek!), and I used another of those dies for the greeting.  The rest of the stamps and die cuts are from the Frosted Forest Bundle, which is yet another of the new Online Exclusives!  The Frosted Forest Bundle also comes with Decorative Masks, which I used to color the tree!    

- Michelle

A Winterly Treetops Card Trio

 I have been having so much fun with the Winterly Treetops Bundle that we used during Creativity Now.  (You might have noticed!)  I have three more cards I have made with that to share with you today!  

For the first card, I started with a Copper Clay card base, then added some of the birch pattern from the Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper.  I embossed that in the Birch 3D Embossing Folder to add a bit more texture.  I colored the stamped birds and branch with Stampin' Blends.  I also added some of the Natural Tones Linen Thread in a bow and some of the Earth Tones Shimmer Gems:

I started the next card with a Mossy Meadow card stock base.  I again added a piece of Birch embossed designer series paper, but behind that I added a piece of Smoky Slate that had been sponged in Mossy Meadow when we used it as a mask to create one of the Creativity Now make and takes.  I also added a Crumb Cake circle die cut with one of the Spotlight on Nature dies, with the stamped and die cut bird and greenery pieces, colored with Stampin' Blends, layered on top of that.  The greeting is stamped on a piece of crumb cake in Pebbled Path ink, and that flag was cut with one of the Greetings of the Seasons dies (available in July as part of the next Online Exclusive release, as are the berry embellishments next to it):

 

For the final card of this trio, I started with a Night of Navy card base.  I had another center piece in Whisper White from the pine bough frame die, and I decided to cover it in Shimmery White Embossing Paste, which gives it such a fun, snowy, sparkly look and texture!  I added a bird house from the Country Birdhouse bundle, which I cut from Crumb Cake card stock and decorated with Copper Clay stamping and some Copper Metallic Enamel Effects.  The bird and branches are stamped on smoky slate and colored with watercolor pencils.  I also added a trio of adhesive backed flat pearls:

Which of these do you like best?  

- Michelle

  

Changing Leaves Meets Country Birdhouse for Stampin' Through the Catalog's Challenge!

I finished a card today for this month's Stampin' Through the Catalog CASE the designer challenge.  This month's designer is Jay Soriano, and he's an amazing artist.  I really enjoy his work, and the card he created for this challenge is wonderful!  I decided to copy his card's layout and colors, plus some elements like embossing in the background, the folded ribbon behind the fussy cut greeting, and the idea of adding elements cut with the roof die from the Country Birdhouse Dies.  

I used the Changing Leaves Bundle (which will be available as part of next month's Online Exclusive release) to emboss the background and create the letterpressed leaves.  I used Blueberry Bushel ink on the embossing folder, and used the hybrid embossing folder to cut and emboss the leaves from one of the Full of Life Designer Series Paper patterns.  The small flowers were die cut from the same paper using dies from the Country Birdhouse dies.  And, I added dots in the flower centers and on the Peach Pie die cut elements using Copper Metallic Enamel Effects.  

I used leftover bits to decorate the inside of the card as well.

Please let me know if you have any questions about how I made this card!  Thanks to Jay and the Stampin' Through the Catalog crew for the inspiration for this card!  

- Michelle

A Winterly Treetops Thank You for the June Stampin' Up! Creative Challenge

This month's Stampin' Up! Creative Challenge is a card sketch challenge, with a choice from two of the sketches in the new catalog (page 22).  I finally had a chance to play along today!

I chose the "this" layout, and I decided to combine it with some Sneak Peek items -- the Winterly Treetops Bundle from Creativity Now this weekend, plus three sneak peek items from next month's Online Exclusive release (the Changing Leaves Bundle, Gold Mercury Vellum, and Season of Green and Gold Designer Series Paper).  My card base is Blackberry Bliss, and there is another layer of it that is embossed with the folder from the Changing Leaves Bundle, though that is hard to see in my photos).  There is also some Granny Apple Green behind the Gold Mercury Vellum on the largest circle.   

Here's the inside of the card.  I added a strip of embossed Blackberry Bliss along with a strip of the Mercury Vellum:

And, here are some closer looks at the card front:

The circles were cut with dies from the Spotlight on Nature Bundle and Changing Leaves Bundle.  I colored the bird and branches with Stampin' Blends (mostly the 2023-2025 In Colors, but also some Peach Pie from the newest In Colors!). 

Much as I am enjoying summer, the rich fall colors and different textures on this one make me very happy! 

Hope you'll join me in playing along with this sketch challenge!  I may try to do a "that" card as well.  Which of the layout sketches is your favorite?

- Michelle

Creativity Now Projects!

 I really enjoyed Creativity Now on Saturday!  That was an online event for Stampin' Up! demonstrators, where we were able to follow along and make projects with a sneak peek suite of upcoming products that we could preorder, called the Winterly Treetops Bundle.  We also were given some sneak peeks of other products that will be in the September to December Mini Catalog!  I enjoyed texting with other members of my team during the event -- we were able to share the fun, even if we weren't in the same place!  

I finally had a chance to take some better photos of my projects today (if you follow me on Facebook, you may have seen the ones I took on my crafting space right after we finished the first and second sets).  I am creating some cards on my own with this Suite as well, which I hope to share with you soon!  Stay tuned for those!  In the meantime here are the photos of what I created on Saturday.

 First up is a card with some wonderful neutral colors!  We colored the birds with a combination of the Bronze, Ivory, and Color Lifter Stampin' Blends!  Those are Blends that I don't think to use as often as I should.  I think after this class, I'll try to do that more.

 For the next card, we used a frame die that comes in the bundle to create a background, and saved the piece from inside the frame for the next card.  We colored the bird and the greenery with watercolor pencils:

On this card, we sponged around the center die cut piece to create a frame, and turned the die cut and sponged some more to create additional layers and depth in the background.  We also stamped the bird image onto Smoky Slate and then colored with watercolors.  Such a different look than starting with White or Vanilla and then coloring!

For our fourth project, we decorated one of the scalloped gift boxes.   We used Copper Enamel Effects in a fun and different way to create a background (as well as in a more familiar way to add berries to our wreath).

Then, we were given instructions for these two "bonus" cards, which use some fun coloring with Blends and pieces cut from the beautiful Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper:

Hope you enjoyed these!  Which of these projects do you like the best?  

- Michelle

Something Old, Something New . . .

 I found these leftover pieces from the Kerchief Card kit (which was offered during Sale-a-Bration 2020!) when cleaning up in my craft area, and decided to make this card!  

It does have something old (the roses and other kit pieces), something new (the Dashing Designs embossing folder in the background), and something blue . . . not sure about the something borrowed, though?  Probably is a card layout I've seen elsewhere before, so maybe that would count?  And, with that, maybe this would be a fun card for a bridal shower or wedding?

- Michelle

Happy Father's Day

 Happy Father's Day!  So very grateful for my dad and the other wonderful dads in my life. 

 I was very excited when I received the May Paper Pumpkin kit to see how perfect the contents were for creating cards for the special men in my life!  Here are the cards I made with the kit!  

I did cut card bases in the kit apart to create some alternate designs.  I also used dies from Citrus Blooms and Thoughtful Wishes die sets, as well as greetings from the Attention Shoppers stamp set and May 2023 Paper Pumpkin kit in my alternates.  

I decided to create a more feminine card as well, using stamps and dies from the Country Flowers Bundle and Garden Meadow Bundle.  

Please let me know if you'd like more information about Paper Pumpkin or any of these cards! 

- Michelle

P.S.  Don't forget the bundle sale now through June 30, 2024!  You can see which bundles are an extra 10% off here.