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Cute Crow Halloween Treat Bag

This is an easy little treat bag to create and it's a great project to use with paper that has a directional design.
The bag is created by taking 2 - 4" x 4" pieces of Motley Monsters Designer Series Paper.  Score each one at 1" on three of the sides.  If the pattern is directional then make sure to not score the top edge.
Holding the paper with the non-scored edge at the top, cut the two score lines at the bottom up to the first scoreline.  Adhere the two pieces together and then fold up the bottom and glue it closed.
I stamped the crow image from Freaky Friends onto Whisper White card stock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then punched it out with the 1-1/4" Circle Punch.  I layered this onto a piece of Sahara Sand card stock that was punched out with the 1-3/8" Circle Punch and then onto a piece of Basic Black card stock that was punched with the Label Bracket Punch.
The saying is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and was stamped onto a 1/2" x 2" piece of Whisper White card stock and then layered onto a piece of 5/8" x 2-1/4" Basic Black card stock.
I attached the stamped layers onto the bag with Dimensionals.
I used the smallest Cellophane bag, which is 4" x 6", to put some candy in and then tied it closed with a piece of Whisper White Baker's Twine.

Thanks for visiting and happy stamping!
~ Michelle

• Stamps: Freaky Friends (c - 135161), Teeny Tiny Wishes (c - 127802)
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (132708)
• Paper: Motley Monsters DSP (135819), Whisper White (100730),  Sahara Sand (121043), Basic Black (121045)
• Accessories: 1-1/4" Circle Punch (119861), 1-3/8" Circle Punch (119860), Label Bracket Punch (132153), Dimensionals (104430), Cellophane Bags (102757), Whisper White Baker's Twine (124262)

Simple Fall Colors

 Today's project is a super cute and easy card that was inspired by the changing of the leaves outside my window.
The base of the card is a 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" of Whisper White scored at 4-1/4" with a 5-1/4" x 4" piece of Whisper White over it that I stamped with Hello Honey & Tangelo Twist ink and then drew on the stems using the Mossy Meadow Marker.
I layered a 1" x 4" piece of Mossy Meadow card stock with a 3/4" x 4" piece of Tangelo Twist and then added three of the large Rhinestone Jewels that I place in Candy Dot Brad Bases onto the left side.
I stamped the Hello, from the set Four You, with Mossy Meadow ink onto Whisper White card stock and then punched it out with the Decorative Label Punch.  I layered this onto a punched piece of Tangelo Twist card stock and then onto a punched piece of Mossy Meadow card stock.  I used Dimensionals to attach it to the right of the rhinestones.
I hope you enjoy the video!

Thanks for visiting and happy stamping!

~ Michelle

• Stamps : Too Kind (C - 130450), Four You (C - 130538)
• Inks : Mossy Meadow (133645), Tangelo Twist (133646), Hello Honey (133643)
• Paper : Whisper White (100730), Mossy Meadow (133676), Tangelo Twist (133677)
• Accessories : Mossy Meadow Marker (133654 - set), Decorative Label Punch (120907), Rhinestone Jewels (119246), Candy Dot Brad Bases (132293), Dimensionals (104430)

Hodgepodge Sketch

When the sketch challenge on Splitcoaststampers first started I made sure to participate every week and really feel that it helped me grow as a stamper. Now I'm so busy that I very rarely participate but need to get back at it. Here's a card I made for a class next week based loosely on Sketch Challenge #140. The base layer is Really Rust with Chocolate Chip as the next layer that is just peaking out behind the new Outlaw DP. The Pumpkins were stamped on Very Vanilla with Timber Brown StazOn and then colored using an Aquapainter and Classic Ink Refills (Creamy Caramel and Really Rust). They are layered over Creamy Caramel and Chocolate Chip over two strips of Chocolate Chip. When I was adding the sentiment I really wanted to use some of my Hodgepodge Hardware but the colors were just off. I really wanted it to be dark brown so I inked it up using my Chocolate Chip Craft Ink and then embossed it with Crystal Clear EP. It turned out like poop. The EP didn't give me a nice even coat with one application and I didn't want to add layer upon layer. It was going to be too bulky. Then I had the idea to try and ink it up with my StazOn and it worked perfectly. It's hard to tell in the photo but it is a warm brown and not at all as dark as it looks. I finished it off by punching the saying with my Oval Punch and attached to the card with brads that I had also colored with my StazOn.

Layout Inspiration from the Fall/Winter Catalog

This card layout came from page 97 of the Fall/Winter Collection Catalog. The color combo is Always Artichoke, Rose Red and So Saffron. To create the main image I chose to use the set True Friend and to ink up the larger flower with markers, excluding the leaf on the right and stamped it at an angle, centering the stem and putting the flower in the upper right corner. I then inked up the smaller flower image with markers and stamped it so the stem touched the stem from the first image. The saying was stamped in Rose Red and after it had a few minutes to dry I colored it in with a So Saffron marker making sure to not bleed the colors together. The So Saffron layer was cut ½" wider than the main image and I folded this extra over and stamped the stitching in Always Artichoke with the All in a Row set. The ribbon is White Taffeta ~ I love this ribbon. It is so easy to tie it into a simple knot and have it look perfect. To finish off the card I added a yellow Circle Rhinestone Brad.

Fabulous Flowers Card for SUDSOL swap

When I saw this stamp set, Fabulous Flowers, I knew that it would be part of my first order from the new catalog but when it finally arrived I just went blank. The large flower was overwhelming on the first few cards that I came up with but when I paired it with the new In Colors I loved it. The base of the card is River Rock with a 1" x 5½" strip of Groovy Guava. Both of these layers were stamped tone on tone with the smallest two flower images from the set. The main image is a 2½" x 3¾" piece of whisper white that has the flower images stamped with Groovy Guava, Purely Pomegranate, River Rock and Wild Wasabi. There was too much blank space for me so I used Itty Bitty Backgrounds with Groovy Guava and River Rock to fill it in a bit. I then layered this with Purely Pomegranate. I have an insane need to put ribbon on all of my projects. They just don't look finished to me without it and this card was no exception. I could have just wrapped the Wild Wasabi Double Stitched Ribbon around the image and tied it but wanted something a bit different. I used the Horizontal Slot Punch so I could thread the ribbon through the main image which I attached to the front of the card with dimensionals. Last but not least I stamped the Dare to be Fabulous saying with Purely Pomegranate. I used this card for the COTM Swap for September on SUDSOL (Simply Unique Demonstrators Sharing OnLine). You sign up for 1, 2 or 3 partners and then swap cards with them.

Anything But a Card Class

At least once each month I try to have a class were we make 3-D projects. These are the three projects that we made at the last "Anything But a Card" class. All of these projects only used ½ sheet of Petals & Paisleys Designer Paper. For the notebook we took a 9" x 6" piece of DP and cut it into a 4" x 6" piece and a 5" x 6" piece and used one side for the top and the other side for the bottom. The top piece was a little challenging. We uncrimped one end of the wire coil and unwound it out. After we glued on the DP we used the 1/8" hand held hole punch to create the holes for the wire to be inserted back in. A piece of Turquoise Grosgrain Ribbon hides the seam. We used a 2½" x 2¾" piece of the DP layered with Tempting Turquoise and topped with the saying and image stamped on Whisper White. For the Post-It Note holder we started with a 7 ¼" x 3 1/8" piece of Old Olive and scored it at 1½", 1¾", 5" and 5¼". We then layered Tempting Turquoise with a 2½" x 2½" piece of DP that had been stamped with the saying. Another piece of Turquoise Grosgrain ribbon completes the front. To keep it closed we used a Velcro Dot. For the Candle we crimped 2 piece of 2½" x 7" and attached them to the jar with Sticky Strip. Then we layered on 2 pieces of 2" x 7" Chocolate Chip cardstock. We stamped a 1½" x 4" piece of Whisper White and then layered it with Cameo Coral to create the main image. We added a tag that was created with the Tag Punch and the Small Tag Punch. The last project was a beaded RSVP pen. We stamped the flower images on an address label and then cut it down to 3¼" x 1½". We stuck this onto the pen and then covered the entire image with strips of the the Sticky Strip and removed the red liner, taking care not to touch the sticky part. Dirt and oil from fingers will reduce the hold of it and some of the beads won't stick. We then rolled it in Micro Beads and then rolled them between our hands to set the beads in. I hope that this isn't all as clear as mud. If you have any questions just ask.

April Stamp Club

I had my monthly Stamp Club Card Class this past Friday and these are the cards that we made. I wanted to use all retiring sets so that they would see what they would be missing come July 1st. For the Roses in Winter card we used the Rock 'n Roll Technique. I inked the largest image up with Apricot Appeal and then rolled the edges in Rose Red and then stamped. I repeated this with the middle image and then for the top one I inked it up with Rose Red and then stamped off. I love how these colors look together. The leaves are stamped with Green Galore, the larger image stamped off first and then the smaller image stamped over it. The small flowers are inked with Tempting Turquoise and then stamped off - full strength was just too much for me. It still looked a little bright so I used the speckled stamp from Itty Bitty Backgrounds and stamped randomly with Apricot Appeal and Rose Red. You can't tell from the photo but the top layer is Shimmery White. I used the Ticket Corner Punch on the main image, then layered it on Rose Red and place a Tempting Turquoise brad in each corner. When I first finished the card the Tempting Turquoise layer was plain with no Faux Stitching on it but it looked way too plain. Because the card was already put together I couldn't pierce the holes so I used my Basic Black marker, drew each dot on then and then created the stitches with my white gel pen. The base of the card measured 8½" x 5½" folded in half and is Apricot Appeal with the large rose image stamped with Apricot Appeal. With Father's Day right around the corner I knew that one of the cards needed to be masculine and as this is the only non-retired, manly set I own the decision was made for me. I really like this set and am disappointed that it is retiring. I used Sahara Sand for the base card and the top layer. The base measures 11" x 4¼" and is folded in half and then stamped with the Canvas background stamp in Sahara Sand. The next layer is Buckaroo Blue with black grosgrain ribbon and black eyelets as accessories. I stamped the main image with Jet Black StazOn and then colored it with my aquapainter. I used Sahara Sand to create a subtle shadow under the truck and on the windshield, the wheels, the bumper and the grill. I colored the rest of the truck with Buckaroo Blue and then over the top I colored the flames with Marigold Morning. I distressed the top two layers with the cutter tool and stamped the saying with the black StazOn. For the third card I wanted to create one with a unique fold so I started with a base of Cranberry Crisp and scored in from each end to 2 1/8". Fold these in and this is the card front. I then stamped the card front with the Paisley background stamp in Cranberry Crisp, adhered a piece of white grosgrain around the entire card and then embossed the saying in Winter White EP. The main image is stamped on Shimmery White using Vintage Violet, Cranberry Crisp, Marigold Morning and True Thyme. The vase image was stamped using the "Kissing" Technique. To create it I first inked up the Paisley background stamp with vintage violet and then inked the vase stamp with Cranberry Crisp. To have a greater contrast from the two colors I first stamped off the vase image once and then "kissed" the Paisley with it. This put the paisley design onto the vase stamp in the violet ink. I then stamped the vase onto the Shimmery White. After stamping the stems and flowers I layered the main image onto Cranberry Crisp and then onto Marigold Morning. Thanks for looking and have a wonderful day!

Scrapbook in a Box

I have quite a few stampers in my clubs who really enjoy scrap booking and always appreciate it when I have a class that incorporates some type of scrapping. For my class this past Saturday I came up with this project. I've heard it called either a Scrapbook in a Box or and Explosion Box. Whatever it's called, it was a big hit with the girls. It does take 2 sheets of 12 x 12 card stock per box so I was very limited on my color choices but really like how it turned out. I used the new set, Crab and Company and the new wheel, Sandy Shells. The card stock is Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue and So Saffron. I only had 11 sheets of the Chocolate Chip on hand so I used Close to Cocoa on the inside of my sample. The directions that I found online only had a 1" edge for the cover but I wanted to decorate it a little more so I created a 1½". If you kept it to the original 1 inch you can actually get 4 covers from a single sheet of 12" x 12" card stock. I wheeled the outside and then colored random images with Rose Red, Bashful Blue, So Saffron and Chocolate Chip with an aquapainter. For the inside you are able to use the corner that are cut out from each level for matting on the next bigger layer. For example, the corners that were cut out of the Close to Cocoa layer I used as matting for the Bashful Blue layer. So there's really not a lot of waste. You do have to cut down the corners of the Bashful Blue layer to use as matting on the So Saffron layer but the strips that I cut off where used to decorate the sides of my lid. You can up to 21 photos on the inside depending on how much you journal and whether you put photos on the front and back of each layer and on the center. I didn't have that many "beachy" photos so I used pictures from last years fishing derby and didn't journal yet. When I get to it, I will journal on the back side of each layer. I already have requests to do this for another class. I'm so glad they like it. Thanks for looking and have a wonderful day! All Supplies Stampin' Up!® Paper : Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Whisper White Stamps : Crab & Company, Sandy Shells Wheel Inks : Timber Brown StazOn™, Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Creamy Caramel Accessories : Corner Rounder, Grosgrain Ribbon, Aquapainter, Sponge, Sticky Strip, Post-It™ Notes

Too long between posts!!

One morning almost 3 years ago I woke up and when I rolled over to turn off my alarm the whole room started spinning and wouldn't stop. I couldn't walk or make any movements at all with out it happening and feeling incredible ill! Imagine having the worst case of motion sickness that you can imagine and then multiply it by 10 and just for fun add in the sensation of the room spinning around you and not being able to balance yourself as you walk. I suffered for 2 days until I decided enough was enough and went to the doctors. I had a "text book" case of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or BPPV. I thought that the doctor was joking, sure I'd heard of Vertigo but it wasn't a real illness was it. I have come to realize that it is indeed a real illness and a nasty one at that. There are positional exercises that I do weekly to keep it away and have only had 2 episodes since being diagnosed. When it does act up I have medication that I can take to help mask the symptoms until I can do an exercise called the Eply Maneuver and then it takes about 24 - 36 hours until I I can function normally again. It is not fun but it is something that I have been able to deal with until about 3 weeks ago when I woke up with it again. During the past 3 weeks I have had 5 occurrences and I am just wiped out. Finally I went to see the doctor and he took me through 3 rounds of the maneuver and changed my medication. I have been dizzy-free for 4 days now and I am so happy. Being able to walk around my house without holding onto the walls never felt so good!!! LOL I even stamped for a Stamp Club Class that I had this past Friday and after all of this rambling and probably TMI on my part here are the cards that I came up with. All Supplies Stampin' Up!® Paper : Certainly Celery, Shimmery White Stamps : Petal Pushers Inks : Certainly Celery, Lavender Lace, Apricot Appeal, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Bashful Blue Accessories : Corner Rounder, SAMJ, Sweet Shop Ribbon Originals This is a fairly simple card that was inspired by several cards that I've seen. It is so springy and makes me happy to look at it. I stamped the larger flowers once and then rotated the image slightly and stamped again to fill it in. I love the stem stamp in this set as you can stamp each end to create a varied look. All Supplies Stampin' Up!® Paper : Cool Caribbean, Whisper White, Basic Black Stamps : Doodle This, Much Appreciated, In My Thoughts Inks : Jet Black StazOn™, Cool Caribbean Accessories : Aquapainter, Ribbon, Crafter's Tool Kit, Dimensionals, White Gel Pen The colors for this card came from this weeks Color Combination Challenge on Splitcoast. I love all of this years "In Colors" and cannot wait to see the ones from the 2007-2008 SU! Catalog. I know that I am going to love them just from the names. All Supplies Stampin' Up!® Paper : Rose Red, So Saffron, Elegant Eggplant, Confetti White Stamps : Bodacious Bouquet, Simple Sayings II, Friend to Friend Inks : Rose Red, So Saffron, Elegant Eggplant, Always Artichoke Accessories : Crafter's Tool Kit, Cutter Kit, White Gel Pen, Air Tool, Rose Red Marker, So Saffron Marker, Elegant Eggplant Marker, Always Artichoke Marker, SAMJ, Post-It® Notes My favorite images are generally the outlined ones that I can watercolor so I tend to not buy solid image stamp sets. I purposely bought several solid image sets last month and I have to say that I am really enjoying them. This is one that I've had my eye on and I'm sorry that it took me so long to get it. The colors for this card are also from the Color Combination Challenge on Splitcoast. I did add the Always Artichoke to the mix though. Thanks for looking and have a wonderful and sunny spring day!!

Blogger RAKs

I received two Blogger RAKs last week but have been so stinking sick since then that I'm just able to post them. This first one is from Wendy whose blog is www.sunnywl.blogspot.com. I love how the little blue gem just pops! This is a simple yet elegant layout! Thank you so much Wendy. The second is from Debbie Seyer whose blog is www.debbieseyer.typepad.com. This is one of my favorite stamp sets and she used my most favorite paper : shimmery white. If you have never used shimmery white or seen it in person you have to! It is so pretty. Thank you Debbie!

Chocolate Chip Teddy Bear

Today's Technique Challenge was to use only browns and vanilla to create a card. I knew that I was going to use this teddy bear from the new Bundle of Joy stamp set and when I sat down this card just came together first try! Got to love it when that happens. All Supplies Stampin' Up!® Paper : Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Very Vanilla Stamps : Bundle of Joy, All Year Cheer I Inks : Timber Brown StazOn™, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa Accessories : Aquapainter, non SU! Ribbon, Corner Rounder, Creamy Caramel Marker, Coluzzle, White Gel Pen, Dimensionals, Stamp-a-ma-jig To get the dark ring around the vanilla layer I took the image and rolled the edge on the Chocolate Chip ink pad. When I got this all done it looked a little plain so I used the white gel pen to create the faux stitching and when it was dry I colored over it with the Creamy Caramel marker.

March Stamp Club Class

This months Stamp Club Class is tonight so I've been designing cards today for it. I know that I shouldn't wait until the last minute but I just seem to work best under pressure. I've come up with 10 or so cards this past week but I wasn't happy with any of them so bright and early this morning I headed down and came up with these three.

All Supplies Stampin' Up!® Paper : Tempting Turquoise, Glossy White, Old Olive, Petals & Paisleys DP and So Saffron Stamps : Polka Dots & Paisley Inks : Black StazOn™, Tempting Turquoise, Regal Rose, So Saffron Accessories : Aquapainter, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Black Journal Marker, Tempting Turquoise Marker, Rose Red Marker, Turquoise Grosgrain Ribbon, Corner Rounder

I really like this one except for the "happy" tag. This is the first time that I've used a sentiment tab on a card and I'm just not sure about it. The flowers are water colored on Glossy card stock. I saw on the Occasional Stamper where Kim uses it to water color on all the time and just had to try it. I really like the results - the paper doesn't absorb the ink too quickly and it allows you to add more for shading without the paper tearing.

All Supplies Stampin' Up!® Paper : Buckaroo Blue, Ruby Red, Mellow Moss, Sahara Sand and Confetti White Stamps : You Make Me Happy, It's Your Birthday (inside) Inks : Buckaroo Blue, Ruby Red, Mellow Moss, Sahara Sand Accessories : Dimensionals, Ticket Corner Punch, Large Oval Punch, Paper Snips, White Gel Pen, Stamp-a-ma-jig

This is definitely my least favorite of the three. I wanted to use the colors from the cover of the March Stamper's Showcase but I didn't have enough of the Ruby Red to make is the main color so instead of giving up and starting over with new colors this is what I came up with. Hopefully they like it.

All Supplies Stampin' Up!® Paper : Close to Cocoa, Barely Banana, Confetti White Stamps : Bundle of Joy, Warmest Regards Inks : Timber Brown StazOn™, So Saffron, Close to Cocoa Accessories : Aquapainter, Taupe Grosgrain Ribbon, Corner Rounder, Watercolor Crayons (Close to Cocoa and Barely Banana), Horizontal Slot Punch, White Gel Pen, Dimensionals, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Gold Brads

This is my most favorite. When I first saw this set in the Spring Mini I knew that it would be mine. My favorite stamping technique is water coloring and this is perfect for it. It was lacking a little something when I was done so I added the little bits of ribbon and the gold brad. I will be making more of this one.

Lunch Box Tin Class

I finally did it! I've had these lunch box tins for almost a year and I finally used them for a class. You can cover an entire tin with 1 - 12" x 12" sheet of designer paper, including the top and the tags for the inside dividers. We used the new Petals and Paisley Designer Series Paper, the Petals Jumbo Wheel and the new Round Tab Punch all from the Spring Mini Catalog. I struggled on how to make the dividers sturdy enough and finally had a light bulb moment and used poster board. I cut the poster board to 6¼" x 4¼", then matted a piece of Old Olive (6" x 4") to them and then, using the new Petals Jumbo Wheel, I stamped the front and back of each one with Old Olive ink. I attached the tag to the top edge of each but haven't labeled them yet. I'm not sure what categories I want on them. I ordered an acrylic template for the tins online and used it to cut the paper for the top. It was a little big but by cutting it down by about an 1/8" if fit perfectly. Everyone loved them!! I charged $15, had 6 people come and they finished in about 1½ hours.

How many challenges are too many for one card?

This card combines three of the weekly challenges from Splitcoast: TLC106 (frayed ribbon), CC104 (So Saffron, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery and Chocolate Chip) and SC114 (the sketch challenge). The hardest part was using the frayed ribbon. To do this you have to take a length of ribbon and trim off one of the edges and then pull the threads out of the middle. We were supposed to use the threads but after a few attempts of using them my stamp table was covered with ribbon fluff that's from 1/2" to 3" long and it was stuck to everything. So, I ended up using the piece of ribbon that was left over from the fraying process. It is wrapped around the image like a frame. I stamped one of the flowers on the square piece and then cut another one out and attached it with a dimensional. I then attached the center piece with another dimensional so the flower is very 3-D. I wish that I had make the celery piece narrower but overall I like what I came up with.

Back to the program already in progress . . . .

lol!! This is such a true statement. Life doesn't stop and wait for you to adjust to everything that is thrown at you. I wasn't able to pre-order anything from the Spring Mini last month but was able to put in a HUGE order from it this morning, almost everything from the catalog - lol!! I am going to be mounting stamp sets for the next month!! I remembered that I do have the Polka Dots & Paisley set so I used that and the Color Combination Challenge and the Sketch Challenge from SCS to stamp a couple of cards. This is the second card that I came up with and it is my favorite of the two. The colors are Cool Caribbean, Certainly Celery and Elegant Eggplant (looks like black) and I stamped the base card with Paisley background in Cool Caribbean. You can't see it well in the scan and in real life it is very subtle. I wanted to add ribbon somewhere on one of the cards but I couldn't decide where so I just left it off. This is the first card and I wasn't sure about it. I also used the Monday's challenge (Try a New Technique) which was "Blurred Vision". I used markers to color the flower image and after I stamped it I used my aquapainter to pull the different colors out to almost frame the image. I really like how it worked. When I first saw this set, other than the giant Paisley image, I wasn't really liking it but now that I've finally inked it up - I guess it can stay. I had a Stamping Club Class this past Saturday and needed to come up with a couple of cards using a SAB set. This one is very simple. The girls in my club range from first time stampers to seasoned pro's so I'm always challenged to come up with cards that they all like. They said this was the favorite of the day because of the simplicity of it. I really like how the basic black cardstock make the image pop off the card. The other colors are More Mustard and Old Olive. The base is stamped with the Linen background stamp in More Mustard and then I used the swirly image from Delight in Life to frame the main image. This was inspired by Kim MacNutt. Hers was one of the first website that I found when I started stamping and her creativity and style has influenced my own stamping so much. I've been seeing so many cards with the giant scalloped punch and I love the way it looks but I try to only buy Stampin' Up products that I can demo so I created the Tempting Turquoise layer using the slit punch and the coluzzle. By sheer dumb luck I cut it out the exact right size so the scallops spaced out perfectly. Woo Hoo!!! Got to love when that happens. Now, back to stamping!!

Thank you all so very much!!

I can't believe that it has been over two months since I last blogged!! I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has emailed me words of encouragement during this time. They each came just when I needed that extra bit of love and encouragement to keep going. Thank you so much!!! The kids, Paige and Timmy, are doing absolutely wonderful and their transition to living with us has been easier than either of us expected. On the other hand dealing with my family has been an absolute nightmare and has pushed me to the edge more than once. Not much surprises me when it comes to my parents actions but they have been more horrible to us than I could ever have imagined and my sister Jessica. . . well, I never thought that she would or could hurt me so much. I just have to believe that I am strong enough to make it through and seeing the changes in Paige and Timmy has been worth it all. My sister Jeana and my niece Ashley and Ashley's husband Lee have stood with us through all of this and I will be forever proud of and thankful for each of them. Just wanted to post a quick update and let you know that I've started stamping again and will post pictures soon. Again, thanks to you all!!!

How many Christmas Cards did you send this year?

My list of people that I send cards to is out of control!! When my husband and I were celebrating our first Christmas together I couldn't wait to send cards to everyone - and I do mean everyone!! As the years have gone by my list has gotten shorter but it is still out of control at over 100 people (107 to be exact) and I only send cards to close friends and family. Just the stamps alone are over $40 and the supplies . . . we won't go there. So, when I was filling out my cards I found that I was about 15 cards short so I came up with this simple card and it is probably my favorite this year. The Snowflakes are embossed with Winter White EP on Glossy White paper. I used Brilliant Blue ink with the polished stone technique** to create the background. The base card is Bashful Blue and the 2nd layer is Brilliant Blue. It's very pretty IRL. ** To do the polished stone technique you wet a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and then using the reinkers place a few drops of ink on it also. Then you just dab around the paper (you must used the glossy paper for this technique) until you are happy with it. Here's a full tutorial by Beate on SCS => Polished Stone Tutorial <=. Have a wonderful day!

My list of people that I send cards to is out of control!! When my husband and I were celebrating our first Christmas together I couldn't wait to send cards to everyone - and I do mean everyone!! As the years have gone by my list has gotten shorter but it is still out of control at over 100 people (107 to be exact) and I only send cards to close friends and family. Just the stamps alone are over $40 and the supplies . . . we won't go there. So, when I was filling out my cards I found that I was about 15 cards short so I came up with this simple card and it is probably my favorite this
year.

The Snowflakes are embossed with Winter White EP on Glossy White paper. I used Brilliant Blue ink with the polished stone technique** to create the background. The base card is Bashful Blue and the 2nd layer is
Brilliant Blue. It's very pretty IRL.

** To do the polished stone technique you wet a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and then using the reinkers place a few drops of ink on it also. Then you just dab around the paper (you must use the glossy paper for this technique) until you are happy with it. Here's a full tutorial by Beate on SCS Polished Stone Technique

Have a wonderful day!

Michelle

November Christmas Card Class

Finally I'm able to insert the scans of November's Christmas Cards. I've been so busy that wasn't even able to create these until the morning of my class. All of the girls seemed to like them so I'm happy. I have one stamper that loves, loves, loves this set and asks that I create a card with it for each of the monthly CC classes. lol I'm not sure that I like the way I attached the ribbon or where I attached it. After it was done and was looking at it I wanted to move it to the top of the card and move the stamped images down towards the bottom. I used Bashful Blue and Whisper White card stock; Basic Black and Bashful Blue Ink; and Certainly Celery, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Lavender Lace, Apricot Appeal, Close to Cocoa and Bashful Blue markers. The first image stamped was the snowmen and then we masked them to stamp the trees. Then masked the snowmen and the trees to stamp the snowflakes on the background. I have older nieces and nephews who only want money for Christmas so I usually buy this size card at walmart for 99¢ each. I hate to buy any type of card so I decided to try and make one - this is what I came up with. The card is 8½" x 6½". Then, holding the card the long way in front of you, score it at 3" from one end and 2½" inches from the other end so you have a 3" section, then a 3" section and then a 2½" section. I then folded the 2½" section into the middle of the card and attached it only on one end (easier to slide the money in and out). It's hard to tell from the picture but the card is Handsome Hunter and I stamped the front of it with Encore silver and Handsome Hunter. To create the custom tag I used my HH marker and colored the outline and the "Make Merry" from the Tag So Much hostess set. I then stamped a small snowflake in place of the image. I saw a card on Splitcoast that used Very Vanilla, Whisper White and Creamy Caramel and really liked it but when I tried to create one with these colors I decided against the Caramel and used Gold Embossing Powder instead. The main card didn't scan so well but it really turned out nice. For the edges of the two smaller layers I used the distressing tool on the new Cutter Kit. Embossing is always such a WOW project and one of my stampers, who is new to stamping, was cracking the rest of us up as she was heating her images. She was totally into it and would start to squeal when the EP started to turn. It was too funny!! Here is the final card. These aren't the colors that I had originally wanted to use but when I went to cut it for the class I didn't have enough so I had to change them. I like this combo so much better. Have a wonderful day!!!