Stamping with Melissa

Accordion Scrapbook - UStamp with Dawn and Friends - Let's Score!

2012-01-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hello!

Just popping in again to share my other project for the UStamp with Dawn and Friends Let's Score! event... sorry, popping in is all I seem to do nowadays!

This is my accordion scrapbook and matching card. And yes.. that's a doughnut, haha. :) The mini scrapbook is scored using the Simply Scored tool, and ties closed with the Basic Gray Satin Ribbon:

I have to say, I love how the Basic Gray grounds the brighter colors.. and I'm just in love with this year's In Colors, aren't you?

Click the banner below to be taken to the UStamp with Dawn and Friends Let's Score site!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a great rest of the weekend!

All-Occasion Card Set - UStamp with Dawn and Friends - Let's Score!

2012-01-05T21:47:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!!

Just popping in to share one of my projects for the latest UStamp with Dawn and Friends event - Let's Score! My project went live on the site today, an all-occasion card set...

All of the cards fit nicely into the box, along with their coordinating envelopes. I put together two of my favorite stamp sets - Kindness Matters, and Always Elegant. Let me know what you think! :)

Here's a side view of the box.. it took a while to put all of those pearls on there, ha! I love how it turned out, though.

Click the banner below to be taken to the Let's Score! site!

As always, thanks for stopping by! :)

UStamp with Dawn and Friends holiday blog hop winner!

2011-12-06T17:28:00.001-05:00

Hi there!

First, I want to thank all of you for your wonderful comments this weekend on my project! :) I loved reading each and every comment.. thank you so much!

The winner of the blog candy is...

Congratulations to Scarlet! Please email me at melissahuie at gmail dot com with your info to claim your prize. :)

UStamp with Dawn and Friends! Up on the Rooftop Blog Hop!

2011-12-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! Up On The Roof Top Blog Hop!! Holiday 2011.

If you have been following the blog hop from the beginning, you should have just come from Mercedes' blog and seen her beautiful rosette. Isn't it just gorgeous? I love the way she created the poinsettia!

If you are just jumping in on the blog hop, no problem, as you can start at any point. All of the designers' blogs are linked together, so you will be able to see ALL of the super projects we have for you!

I chose to create a Christmas tree ornament. Wouldn't this just be a great gift? Every time the recipient looks at it on the tree, they'll think of you! :)

I created the ornament using just a clear glass ball ornament, covered in Metallic Silver Waffle Paper. You'll want to sit down with your favorite movie or show for this part! :)

Here's a close-up of the ornament:

Don't you just love those sparkly snowflakes? I was pleasantly surprised to see that even though it's a Sizzlit die, the Northern Frost Decorative Strip Die will cut through the thicker Silver Glimmer Paper! And I just love the font in Hand-Penned Holidays!

Here's my matching card:

Cards are so much more fun with a coordinating inside and envelope, don't you think?

** Comments are closed for the blog candy, but I'd still love to hear from you! :) ** Now, as a special thank you for stopping by my blog I am giving away blog candy! Please leave a comment telling me about your favorite holiday tradition to be entered for a nice little bag of goodies containing current Stampin' Up! products. I will randomly select and announce a winner on Tuesday, so please check back to see if you are the lucky recipient!

But wait! There's more! :)

You have the opportunity to get the downloadable PDF Tutorial for my project free! It's a gift from UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! Yay! See the blinkie below to access the FREE blog hop website.

In the spirit of the holiday season, you have the opportunity to get in on "Special Holiday Pricing" for the upcoming UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! SCORE!! Event. The Stampin' Up! Simply Scored Tool is HOT STUFF, and SCORE!! will feature 40+ projects, all created using the Simply Scored Tool. SCORE!! is a MUST NOT MISS Event!! See the blinkie below to join and get in on the Early Bird savings.

And now for the most exciting giveaway of the season...

Everyone that joins the new and exciting upcoming event - SCORE!! - with "Special Holiday Pricing" will be entered into a Drawing to win 1 of 3 FREE Passes for an ENTIRE YEAR of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events!!

YES!!

You read that right!!

YOU could win a whole year of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events FREE!!

***Special Holiday Pricing of just $19.99 ends Dec 8th***

Winners will be announced on Friday, Dec 9th.

Click the Blinkie below to join SCORE!! with Special Holiday Pricing and a chance to win a FREE Year of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events!

Click the blinkie below and you will be taken to the Up on the Rooftop Blog Hop website!

Of course it's ***FREE*** to join and there you will find the tutorials for all the blog hop projects, plus live chats, challenges and more prizes!!

You will even have an opportunity to be considered for a spot as a Guest Designer!!Yes!! It is all FREE, so tell all your friends and join the fun with UStamp with Dawn and Friends!!

***

Last, but certainly not least, please hop on over to Julia's Cards, where you will find Julia with a lovely frame to show you!

Thanks again for stopping by, and Happy Holidays!

Keep Calm & Carry On - UStamp with Dawn and Friends

2011-11-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

Hi!

I wanted to share my other project for the UStamp with Dawn and Friends Knockout Punches event with you all! I don't know about you, but I absolutely LOVE the "Keep Calm and Carry On" phrase. It helps serve as a reminder to me to not sweat the small things! :) I created a framed art piece, stamped with this phrase.

All of the flowers are made with punches and die-cuts. And I have to tell you, I just love the Kind Thoughts Brocade stencil!

If you'd like the full-color PDF tutorial to make this project, as well as over 50 other projects, join us over at UStamp with Dawn and Friends - Knockout Punches! :)

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Thanksgiving to all of my U.S. friends! :)

Online Extravaganza Sale is coming!

2011-11-19T20:50:00.001-05:00

Just a heads up! Stampin' Up!'s Online Extravaganza Sale will be November 21st-November 30th. Some items will be on sale ONLY from 12:01am - 11:59pm MT (Nov 21st 2:01am - Nov 22nd 1:59am EST). The deals will not be extended past the deadline, so make sure you grab what you are wanting. If it's anything like last year's sale, you won't want to miss it! :)

Shop at my website, at http://melissahuie.stampinup.net!

10 Things I Love About You mini album - UStamp with Dawn and Friends

2011-11-13T17:05:00.001-05:00

Hello!

Just a quick post - my mini album entitled "10 Things I Love About You" went live today on the UStamp with Dawn and Friends Knockout Punches event!

Our 10-year anniversary is coming up in February, so I decided to create an album with 10 things I love about Seth. :) How awesome is it that I have it done early? Yay!

The album covers were cut from On Board sheets, and covered with paper. Here's a peek inside:

If you'd like to access the tutorial, you can find this along with over 50 other projects as part of the UStamp with Dawn and Friends Knockout Punches event! I have one more project for this event, which will post soon!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great night! :)

Life's Moments Paper Bag Album - UStamp with Dawn and Friends

2011-10-25T11:49:00.001-04:00

Hello!

Here is the last project set that I created for the Paper Parade event at UStamp with Dawn and Friends!

It's a paper bag mini album! This was the first time I'd made a paper bag album and I just loved it! My favorite color combo lately seems to be Pink Pirouette + Marina Mist + Pear Pizzazz + Soft Suede, doesn't it? And of course, you have to add in my all-time favorite Crumb Cake too. :)

Here are a few pages from the album:

With the next couple of pages, you can see there's a little side pocket under the Beau Château Side Note to the right:

Each set of pages has an insert where paper bag originally opened. Here's one of my inserts:

My tutorial (along with over 40 other full-color PDF tutorials as a package deal!) can be found over at UStamp with Dawn and Friends Paper Parade. Thanks for stopping by!

Housewarming Gift Set - UStamp with Dawn and Friends Paper Parade

2011-10-16T15:27:00.000-04:00

Hello!

My housewarming gift set project went live on UStamp with Dawn and Friends Paper Parade last week! This project would be a great alternative to a bottle of wine or a toaster, don't you think? :)

The set includes a framed wall décor piece that says "Home Sweet Home", and has Mini Clothespins attached to allow you or the recipient to switch out the photo when they'd like! Also included is a set of tumbled tile coasters. I just love the Sweet Floral image, don't you? I can see so many uses for this pretty background stamp!

If you'd like step-by-step instructions for this project and over 40 others, visit UStamp with Dawn and Friends Paper Parade!

Have a great rest of the weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Wreath - UStamp with Dawn and Friends Paper Parade!

2011-10-06T15:27:00.000-04:00

Hello there!

I'm just popping in to show you one of my projects that I made for UStamp with Dawn and Friends Paper Parade that was posted this morning! This event is all about celebrating our lovely cardstock and Designer Series Paper.

Wouldn't this be lovely over the mantel, as part of your Halloween decorations? You could certainly hang it on your front door, too, but I wouldn't put it where it could be exposed to the elements (in between a front door and screen door could work). And can you believe.. it's only made from about half a pack of the First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper! It's definitely not a small wreath however, as it uses a 12" wooden wreath frame as the base, and is approximately 20" across. It was so fun to make, and definitely creates a wow factor!

You can find my step-by-step tutorial as part of the UStamp with Dawn and Friends Paper Parade event! There are over 40 full-color tutorials included in the price - a great deal!

Let me know what you think, and thanks for stopping by!

Celebrate Today

2011-09-01T10:14:00.001-04:00

Good morning!

Can you believe it's September already? The year is just flying by for me!

Today's card uses Stamping 411's sketch challenge from this week, and some of my favorite colors...

I'm really loving the look of this sentiment stamp set, Perfectly Penned. What do you think? I love that it's a little elegant, yet a little whimsical at the same time. It also has a touch of vintage!

The lovely Fancy Fan Letterpress Plate was used with Crumb Cake Craft ink, on Crumb Cake cardstock. It feels so nice to the touch - just like a real letterpress. A great subtle effect!

Today also marks the release of the new Holiday Mini Catalog! This is my favorite Mini of the year! Be sure to check it out here!

Well, I have a lot on schedule for today, so I have to run! Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

Celebrate Today card supplies:
Stamps: Creative Elements, Perfectly Penned
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Paper: Pool Party, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, and Very Vanilla cardstock, First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools: Pearl Basic Jewels, Mini Library Clip, Old Olive Scallop Dot Ribbon, Linen Thread, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Top Note Bigz die, Fancy Fan Letterpress Plate, Big Shot, Stampin' Sponge

UStamp with Dawn and Friends!

2011-08-23T22:17:00.001-04:00

Hello!

I just wanted to share with you my special holiday project! When Dawn came to me and asked me if I would like to be a guest designer for her UStamp with Dawn and Friends holiday event, I was just so excited! This event is called I ♥ the Holidays and is just filled with all kinds of lovely goodness!

Here's a look at my project, which went up at midnight - I just love how it turned out!

The little book on the left is a Christmas Planner! I've always been meaning to create one of these, but would always run out of time. Nothing like being prepared for Christmas in August! :)

The planner opens up, and there is a mini book inside, with folders for gift, meal, and decoration planning and journaling, as well as spaces for you to document special traditions and other notes. There are also pockets inside for the card and tags!

If you'd like step-by-step instructions on how to make it, head on over to UStamp with Dawn and Friends! You get over 40 amazing tutorials and project ideas from awesome designers.. well worth the price IMO!

Have a great night, and thanks for stopping by!

Kindness Matters

2011-08-18T20:04:00.000-04:00

Hello!

Here is a card I created, using Stamping 411's sketch as a starting point:

I'm telling you, I just love the products in the new Idea Book & Catalog... those romantic/vintage images just appeal to me so!

I stamped the large doily background image onto First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper - isn't it pretty? One of my new favorites! I also love the half-doily image in the Kindness Matters stamp set (and that font? Gorgeous!) - it fit so nicely in the large scallop die-cut from the Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, which I cut from the Beau Chateau Designer Series Paper.

The focal area of the card was created by first embossing the Lucky Limeade cardstock with the Designer Frames embossing folder, then I tore around the embossed portion. I cut out an oval using the Ovals Originals die, and stamped it with the trio of butterflies. The butterflies were also stamped onto another piece of Very Vanilla, watercolored, and cut out. I added them on top of the stamped oval with Stampin' Dimensionals to add more dimension:

It felt so good to make a card! It's been way too long. :)

Well, I have to run for now, but thanks for stopping by! Have a great night!

Kindness Matters card:
Stamps: Kindness Matters and Hello, Doily background stamp
Ink: Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Pink Pirouette, Marina Mist, Lucky Limeade
Paper: Soft Suede, Marina Mist, Lucky Limeade, Pink Pirouette, and Very Vanilla cardstock, First Edition Specialty and Beau Chateau Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools: Crumb Cake Designer Button, Pearl Basic Jewels, Linen Thread, Lace Ribbon Border Punch, Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, Designer Frames Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Set, Ovals Originals die, Big Shot, Stampin' Sponge

Memory Makers August Blog Bounce - Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

2011-08-09T15:38:00.005-04:00

Hello and welcome to my stop on the Memory Makers Magazine Blog Bounce! If you've been following along, you should have arrived from Lain's blog, but if not, you can start at the Memory Makers Magazine blog, or you can just continue on from here.

Our theme this month is all about the changes in our lives! If there is one thing that is "constant" and predictable about life, it's change. Some of you may know that Seth and I have been together for a long time.. 9-1/2 years this month, to be exact! I thought it would be fun to create a page with a few different photos of us from over the years. :)

I used a PageMap from this month, changing a few things here and there, but sticking close to the sketch. I really love this sketch and can see myself using it for many different layouts!

It was a lot of fun to pull out some of our "older" photos, from before the digital camera age. :) I did a lot of stamping and distressing on this page, and even misted some Vanilla Shimmer and Gold Glow Smooch Spritz!

The journaling reads: "It's funny to see that even after 9-1/2 years together, we really haven't changed much physically. Well, Fluffy looks cuter. :) But our love is definitely much deeper. ♥" (By the way, Fluffy is 7 years old; she joined our family in 2004.)

It felt so good to stamp after not doing so for a while! Here's a close-up of my title area:

Don't you think that the Timeless Portrait Designer Series Paper is just perfect for the theme? I absolutely love this collection! :)

Ok, I have to run for now. Your next stop on the blog bounce is Wendy's blog! Enjoy the hop, and thanks for stopping by!

"Us" scrapbook page supplies (12" x 12"):

All supplies are by Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Creative Elements, French Foliage

Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Pool Party, Island Indigo

Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, and Pool Party cardstock, Timeless Portrait Designer Series Paper, First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper

Accessories/Tools: Vintage Type Rub-Ons (retired), Vanilla Shimmer and Gold Glow Smooch Spritz, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Basic Black Designer Button, Linen Thread, Old Olive 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon, Mini Library Clip, Stampin' Sponges, Pearl Basic Jewels, Top Note Bigz die, Simple Letters Alphabet Bigz dies, Lots of Labels Sizzlits dies, Modern Label Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Lace Ribbon Border Punch, Big Shot

A few updates!

2011-07-28T15:34:00.001-04:00

Hello!

Just a quick post for now, with some information on a few things!

I'm back from Convention! Well, I've actually been back for a little over a week now, hehe, but I've been busy getting things together after being away. I had so much fun at Convention! Here's a picture of me and my roommates (yes I had 7 roommates!).. excuse our shiny faces!:

I love how half of us are looking at a different camera. :)

I'm currently accepting new members into my online stamp club! This round will begin in September, and run through March 2012 (taking a break in December). Space is limited, so contact me ASAP if you'd like a spot!

Stamp Club details:

There are 6 members in each club, running September 2011-March 2012 (break in December). The club minimum is $25/month in merchandise, plus TN sales tax (9.25%) and shipping.
Each member has a month during the club to be the "hostess", which is drawn randomly after the club is full. During her month, the "hostess" will receive and choose free product based on the club total (see catalog table here). The hostess is welcome to collect orders from friends and family to increase her free goodies!
Orders are due in to me by email by the 20th of each month, and the orders are placed on the 25th of each month.
The orders are shipped to my home, then they are shipped out to each club member, along with a club project each month! I hold private "online workshops" 1-2 times a month with the club members, to demonstrate techniques and during which we complete the club project together.
Club members receive free catalogs through the duration of the club! (2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog, plus mini catalogs)

If this sounds like something you are interested in, please email me! Here's one of the club projects from this past round:

In other news, the gorgeous Holiday Mini catalog (my favorite Mini each year!) will be released September 1st! If you are not currently receiving catalogs from me and would like to, especially this Mini, please email me and let me know!

Lastly... if you've been thinking about becoming a demonstrator, now is the perfect time! Through July 31st, you can purchase a special starter kit for only $99, with free shipping! Plus, you will receive a free Christmas Keepsake project kit, a $40 value (this ships with your first order)! Here's a look at the gorgeous project kit:

If you would like more information about the club, the Holiday Mini catalog, joining as a demonstrator, or anything else, please don't hesitate to contact me!

Have a fabulous day! Thanks for stopping by!

Memory Makers Magazine July Blog Bounce

2011-07-12T00:01:00.002-04:00

Hello and welcome to my stop on the Memory Makers Magazine Blog Bounce! If you've been following along, you should have arrived from Susan's blog, but if not, you can start at the Memory Makers Magazine blog, or you can just continue on from here.

This month we're all about the vacations! If you know me, you know I don't get a chance to go on vacation very often, so when one comes along, I truly treasure it and try to soak it all in!

Last summer, I vacationed in Nags Head, North Carolina with my mom's side of the family (they live in Georgia). We've never vacationed with them, so it was a nice treat. We rented a house that was actually part of Corolla, NC (a little further south of Nags Head), but we spent a bit of time in Nags Head, and I just think of it as such. :) I've traveled to Nags Head and Myrtle Beach with Seth's family a few times, so I'm fairly familiar with the whole area. We stayed in a lovely house that was big enough for all of us (we had 21 of us there - not all are in the photo below). The backyard butted up to the community's golf course, which had a beautiful lake.

Ok, on to my page! :) To create it, I used a PageMaps sketch Julie posted on the Memory Makers Magazine forum as a jumping-off point. I didn't use the challenge color combo, as I was going for a more beachy look. I loved the sketch though!

I love the look my grandmother has on her face.. too funny. :)

I used one of the die-cut sheets from the new Flirtatious Specialty Designer Series Paper - the back side. The other side of this particular sheet is Pumpkin Pie. I layered some doily punch-outs from the Doily Triple Layer Punch, along with a Top Note die-cut.

I cut out a circle with my Circle Scissors Plus, then stamped along the edge with a couple stamps from the Delicate Doilies set. Here's my journaling:

Well, I am off to Stampin' Up!'s Convention! I still have some last minute things to take care of, of course!

Your next stop is Lisa Pace's blog. Enjoy the hop, and thanks for stopping by!

Nags Head scrapbook page supplies (12"x12"):
All supplies are by Stampin' Up!
Stamps: Delicate Doilies, Four Frames, Sanded background stamp (retired)
Ink: VersaMark ink, Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso
Paper: Baja Breeze, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, and Island Indigo cardstock, Flirtatious Specialty Designer Series Paper, Urban Garden Designer Series Paper (retired)
Accessories/Tools: Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Baja Breeze Stampin' Write Marker, Decorative Label Punch, Doily Triple Layer Punch, Lace Ribbon Border Punch, Alphabet Soup On Board Chipboard Letters, Antique Brads, Neutrals Designer Buttons, Clips Assortment, Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Top Note Bigz Die, Big Shot, Circle Scissors Plus, Glass Mat

{friend to friend} card

2011-06-15T18:01:00.000-04:00

Hello and happy Wednesday!

I have a card to share with you! Yes, I indeed created a card! :)

I loved the Stamping 411 sketch this week, so I just had to break out my new SU! preorder goodies and play! Here's my card:

Isn't that patterned paper just beautiful? It's from the upcoming Pocketful of Posies Designer Series Paper pack. I love the graphic feel of the papers, although I know I'm not usually a clean and graphic kind of person. :)

I cut a piece of the DSP and sewed it onto the Whisper White and textured Rich Razzleberry pieces. I punched a strip of Whisper White using the upcoming Lace Ribbon Border Punch, and overlapped some Early Espresso Satin Ribbon along the top. Some stamping for my main piece, and there you go! Three pearls to the right of the stamped piece finish the card off nicely, I think.

Hope you liked my card! Thanks for stopping by!

{friend to friend} card supplies:
Stamps: Bliss (Sale-a-bration 2011), Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Crumb Cake, Rich Razzleberry, Night of Navy
Paper: Crumb Cake, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, and Pear Pizzazz cardstock, Pocketful of Posies Designer Series Paper (available July 1st)
Accessories/Tools: Pearl Basic Jewels, Lace Ribbon Border Punch (available July 1st), Scallop Circle, Word Window and 1-3/8" Circle Punches, Early Espresso Satin Ribbon, sewing machine and white thread

Memory Makers Magazine June Blog Bounce - It's a Guy Thing!

2011-06-14T00:01:00.054-04:00

Hello there and welcome to my stop on the Memory Makers Magazine Blog Bounce! Our theme this month is "It's a Guy Thing", honoring the guys in our life.

You should have just come from Susan's blog, but if not, don't worry! You can continue on from my blog, and continue your way on through. The Memory Makers Magazine blog has a list of all the participants as well.

So as some of you may know, my fiancé Seth and I do not have any children yet, but we do have a furbaby, Fluffy. :) She is definitely treated like she's our child! I love watching the two of them interact and play - it's so sweet!

Something fun - this page uses a couple of items that will be in the new Idea Book & Catalog available on July 1st! See the fun new border punch? Yay! That's the Lace Ribbon Border Punch - it's a big one - and it's so pretty! I trimmed the left side there to round out the doily. I also used one of the new In Colors, Pool Party. My favorite color is blue, and it's the perfect shade of blue for me! :)

I stamped the background DSP with the flourish image from Elements of Style in VersaMark ink, then heat embossed with white Stampin' Emboss powder. The piece of Pool Party cardstock was stamped with the ship log image from The Open Sea, then I distressed the edge using the tool in the Cutter Kit. I then inked around the edge and sewed it to the background DSP, which is sewn onto the Crumb Cake textured cardstock.

I printed out a few of my favorite photos from a time when Seth and Fluffy were playing. :) Lots of times we play around with her, taking in a deep breath, and acting like we're going to blow air at her fur. She always tries to intercept that with a kiss. :D Anyway, the small photos are about 2" x 3", and adhered to a piece of Whisper White cardstock. The little leaf stamped in Crumb Cake from the French Foliage set (which will be in the new catalog, yay!) makes a great "masculine" accent.

Here's a close-up of the left side of the page:

The journaling on the shipping tag reads: "Watching you with Fluffy is so heartwarming. I know that when the time comes, you will be such a great father. :) Love you! xoxo ♥". I wanted to let the pictures and journaling take center stage, so I did not add a title. Plus, I think it's better without one, although I rarely leave off a title.. this might even be the first time!

Hope you liked my page! I had so much fun making it.. think it was all of the blues! hehe

Your next stop is the Memory Makers Magazine blog! Hope you enjoyed the bounce, and thanks for stopping by!

June blog hop page supplies:
Stamps: French Foliage, The Open Sea, Elements of Style
Ink: VersaMark ink, Crumb Cake and Soft Suede
Paper: Crumb Cake textured cardstock, Whisper White and Pool Party cardstock (available July 1st!), Autumn Meadows and Botanical Gazette Designer Series Paper
Accessories: White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Lace Ribbon Border Punch (available July 1st), Vintage Trinkets, Mini Library Clip, Neutral Designer Buttons, Linen Thread, Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Crumb Cake Taffeta Ribbon, Riding Hood Red Striped Ribbon (retired), Stampin' Sponges, Mat Pack, Paper Piercing Tool, sewing machine and thread, shipping tag

Winners!

2011-05-22T18:20:00.001-04:00

Hello!

I owe you a couple of winners from this giveaway! :)

The winner of the first bundle, shown here...

...is Ami! Congrats! Please email me with your mailing address by Friday, and I will get that out to you ASAP!

And the winner of the second bundle, shown below...

...is Kathi! Congrats Kathi!

Well, I have to run for now, but I will have some projects and things to show you very soon! :) Have a great rest of the weekend!

Memory Makers Magazine May Blog Bounce

2011-05-10T00:37:00.006-04:00

Hello and welcome to another Memory Makers Magazine Blog Bounce!

This month our blog bounce is all about the people/things/events that shape us and make us who we are today. If you have been following in order, you should have hopped on over from Wendy's blog. If not, don't worry! You can go to the Memory Makers Magazine blog and begin the blog bounce, or you can continue on and find your way back around. Hope you enjoy the bounce!

So as some of you may be able to guess, one of the biggest "things" to impact my life is my furbaby, Fluffy. She came into our lives when she was just a few months old, in 2004. I definitely cannot imagine my life without her!

I drew inspiration from this PageMaps blog sketch - I love this sketch and see myself using it again, changing it up even just a little bit!

There's a bit of punching and stitching going on here. :) The journaling reads: "As soon as we brought you home (really as soon as I looked into those sweet little eyes), my life forever changed. My sweet puppy Fluff. :)" I don't know what I'd do without her! And this picture.. well.. this picture always makes me smile! She looks so funny in it. :)

The flower in the corner of the photo was created by ripping a strip of Designer Fabric, then twisting it and rolling it around in a circle. I used Crystal Effects to hold it together, and to attach it to the layout itself.

My flags were created by first cutting a rectangle of Designer Series Paper, then inserting the edge into the corner of the Curly Label Punch. Doesn't it make such a cool edge? Love it!

Your next stop on the blog bounce is Lisa's blog. Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of the bounce!

Because of you page supplies:
Stamps: Nature Walk
Ink: Soft Suede, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso
Paper: Newsprint, Botanical Gazette, and Green Tea Designer Series Paper, shipping tags (office supply)
Accessories/Tools: Curly Label, Scallop Edge and Spiral Punches, Old Olive Designer Button, Very Vanilla Designer Button, Victoria Crochet Trim, Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding Ribbon, Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Alphabet Soup On Board Chipboard Letters, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Billboard Decorative Strip Die, Big Shot, sewing machine and vanilla thread

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T14:40:00.001-04:00

To all of you wonderful mothers (even of furbabies, like me :) ) - Happy Mother's Day!

Here is my last of the Mother's Day cards!

The shipping tag was first stamped with VersaMark, then embossed with clear Stampin' Emboss powder. I inked up the tag using Crumb Cake and Soft Suede ink, then stamped with the French Script background and the butterfly. I colored in the sentiment tag just like as on the first Mother's Day card, adding shadowing using the Stampin' Write markers in the same color as the ink pads.

Hope you've enjoyed these cards! Don't forget that the giveaway is still open in the post below!

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great rest of the weekend! ♥

Wonderful Mother card supplies:
Stamps: Nature Walk, Four Frames, Well Scripted (retired), French Script background (retired)
Ink: Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Rose Red, Soft Suede, VersaMark
Paper: Baja Breeze, Early Espresso, and Very Vanilla cardstock, Botanical Gazette Designer Series Paper, shipping tag (office supply)
Accessories/Tools: Rose Red and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers, Blender Pen, Pearl Basic Jewels, Victoria Crochet Trim, Linen Thread, Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon, Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Marina Mist Designer Button, Clips Assortment, Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Decorative Label Punch, Stampin' Sponges, Square Lattice Textured Impressions Folder, Big Shot, sewing machine and espresso thread

Another Mother's Day card and a giveaway!

2011-05-06T20:58:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! Here is another Mother's Day card!

I used one of my favorite stamp sets from the Occasions Mini catalog, Nature Walk - let's hope that one makes it into the Idea Book & Catalog in July! :) I love, love, love this set and see myself using and keeping it forever, hehe.

I stamped the flowers from the set on the shipping tag in Rose Red, then stamped the butterfly in Old Olive twice - once on the tag, then once on Very Vanilla cardstock. I cut out the one on Very Vanilla, and adhered it over the image stamped on the tag, bending the back wing up slightly. I stamped the French Script (retired) stamp in Crumb Cake on the piece of Woodland Walk DSP, then stamped the bird cage over top of the script in Early Espresso.

Next, I sewed around the DSP, just like the previous card. A strip of Sticky Strip on the back of the Early Espresso cardstock allowed me to quickly and easily create a ruffle from the Springtime Vintage Designer Fabric (still available). Added some embossing, and other embellies shown, and the card was complete! :)

Shabby Mother's Day card supplies:

Stamps: Nature Walk, Teeny Tiny Wishes, French Script background (retired)

Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Rose Red, Old Olive

Paper: Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, and Early Espresso cardstock, Woodland Walk Designer Series Paper, shipping tag (office supply)

Accessories/Tools: Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon, Linen Thread, Very Vanilla Designer Buttons, Springtime Vintage Designer Fabric, Modern Label and Word Window Punches, Square Lattice Textured Impressions Folder, sewing machine and espresso thread, Big Shot

Ok, now on to the giveaway! In appreciation of all of my lovely followers and readers, I am giving away two prizes!

- One person will win the It's the Thought wood-mount stamp set + a roll of Always Artichoke Seam Binding Ribbon, and...

- One person will win a pack of Rhinestone Basic Jewel Accents + the new Strength & Hope clear-mount stamp set.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment telling me which prize is your favorite, and what you love about spring! Please leave your comment by Thursday, May 12th. Although I love my international readers as well, to comply with SU! rules this giveaway is only open to U.S. residents... sorry!

Well, I hope all of you have a fabulous weekend! All of you wonderful mothers out there - Happy Mother's Day! :)

Oh, and did you know that tomorrow is (inter)National Scrapbooking Day? Hope you get some scrappy time! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Botanical Mother's Day card

2011-05-05T15:06:00.000-04:00

Hello!! Guess what, I have a card to show you today! :) Actually, I made several cards yesterday, but you will have to wait in suspense to see each one, hehe!

Here's the first one! I used Stamping 411's sketch this week to create this Mother's Day card:

What do you think? Hope you aren't bored with me using Rose Red, Old Olive, and Not Quite Navy together yet! Haha!

Nothing too complicated on this card! I did use the now-retired Botanical Gazette Designer Series Paper from the Occasions Mini on this card.. I feel like I should have bought a couple more packs of that one! I also colored in the flowers and leaves on the label there with the ink pads and Blender Pen.

Well, I gotta run! Hope you have a fabulous day, and thanks for stopping by!

Happy Mother's Day botanical card supplies:
Stamps: Strength & Hope, Four Frames, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Rose Red, Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, Early Espresso
Paper: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Old Olive, and Not Quite Navy cardstock, Botanical Gazette Designer Series Paper (retired)
Accessories/Tools: Pearl Basic Jewels, Rose Red Seam Binding Ribbon, Decorative Label Punch, Blender Pen, Rose Red and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers, sewing machine and espresso thread

Project 12 - March 2011

2011-04-28T22:33:00.001-04:00

Hello!

As usual, I'm working until the last minute. :D Here's my Project 12 layout for March!

This page isn't too detailed this time. I did do a lot of stitching between the papers and pictures, and I may add some buttons or something later. I cut some of the felt trim in half to create the flower stems, and layered some Pear Pizzazz seam binding ribbon to create grass, randomly pleating it.

Here's the 1st page by itself:

Here's the 2nd page by itself, where you may be able to see my journaling better:

Yes, we printed out a picture of our dear friend Lisa, who couldn't come along with us to CKC in Louisville last month.. "Flat Lisa". :D It was so fun to text her with pictures of her adventures... mammoth water bottles and all! Haha! We love you Lisa :) ♥♥

I just love that the title letters almost look like plant pots! I inked the chipboard with Crumb Cake Craft ink, then when it dried I inked up the edges using Soft Suede. To create the "hello", I stamped the upcoming Hello Blossoms stamp with VersaMark on the tag, then embossed it with the new Melon Mambo Stampin' Emboss powder! (I'm so excited that we're getting embossing powder in "colors"! :) Hope the offering is expanded even more!)

Susan and I went to CKC on Friday (as well as the big flea market next door). I plan on making a mini album of my trip. :) Susan took me to this awesome place called Lynn's Paradise Café nearby... definitely delish! The wait times can be very long, so make sure you don't arrive hungry. ;) I meant to put a small picture of this on my layout, but I ran out of printer ink. I had a yummy coffee drink called a Nut Tree Latte, in a fun mug shaped like a cowboy boot! Yum!

I'll share more pictures of Lynn's when I create my mini, which I hope is sometime soon! :) Thanks so much for stopping by!

Project 12 - March 2011 page supplies:
Stamps: Hello Blossoms (available May 1st), Sanded background stamp
Ink: Soft Suede Classic ink, Crumb Cake Craft ink, VersaMark ink
Paper: Very Vanilla cardstock, Woodland Walk Designer Series Paper, Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper, Ice Cream Parlor Accents
Accessories/Tools: Melon Mambo Stampin' Emboss Powder (available May 1st), Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding Ribbon, Early Espresso Baker's Twine (available May 1st), Alpine Ribbon Originals (retired), Sweet Pea Felt Flowers (retired), Clips Assortment, Antique Brad, Rhinestone Basic Pearls, Eyelet Border Punch, Spiral Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Stampin' Sponge, shipping tag, sewing machine and vanilla thread

Botanical Thanks card

2011-04-20T15:13:00.002-04:00

Hello!!

Just a quick post today - I have been meaning to share this card! I actually created it as part of a contest entry [which arrived at its destination nearly two weeks after its expected delivery date... after winners were chosen! Ahhh.. oh well!] and I think it's safe to share it now. :)

Not too complicated of a card, but just a lot of layers! I used a lot of my favorite items from the Occasions Mini (which by the way, is ending April 30th! Did you get the items you were wanting?). The beautiful frame around the sentiment is part of the Four Frames stamp set, available through April 30th as a sneak peek item.. after that, you'll have to wait until July 1st! :)

I colored in the flowers and the bee's body with ink pads and a Blender Pen, and then created some shading using the same colored Stampin' Write markers. I also stamped the bee onto vellum and cut it out, layering it on the other bee to add dimension and make the wings look more real. Then I added a touch of sparkle using the Smooch Illuminate Top Coat.

Oh! I noticed that I hit over 100 followers.. how awesome! Thank you, everyone, for always stopping by and reading my blog! Like I talked about before, I will have a giveaway to celebrate the occasion... look for more details on that soon!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a fabulous day!

Botanical Thanks card supplies:
Stamps:  Nature Walk, Four Frames, Occasional Quotes
Ink:  Early Espresso, Old Olive, Rose Red, Not Quite Navy, More Mustard, Soft Suede
Paper:  Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, and Old Olive cardstock, Botanical Gazette Designer Series Paper, Vellum Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Rose Red Seam Binding Ribbon, Blender Pen, Smooch Illuminate Top Coat, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Decorative Label Punch, Lots of Labels Sizzlits die, Framed Tulips Textured Impressions Folder, Big Shot

Memory Makers Magazine April Blog Bounce

2011-04-12T00:01:00.130-04:00

Hello everyone! Welcome to this month's blog bounce!

If you've been hopping along in order, you may have just arrived from Lain Ehmann's blog, Layout a Day. If not, feel free to keep going after my blog, or head on back to the Memory Makers Magazine blog to begin the blog bounce!

Our theme this month is "_____ Blooms", using some products from the Making Memories Dilly Dally line. I decided to showcase my favorite insect - the butterfly. Butterflies always remind me that change is inevitable, yet can be a good thing. Butterflies instill hope within me, and allow it to "bloom", if you will. :)

I used this sketch here by Becky Fleck, punching my patterned paper into scalloped squares, and sewing grid lines to complete my arrangement. I added a couple of border strips from the Ice Cream Parlor DSP & Quick Accents Pack (retired, from Sale-a-bration 2011), then sewed around the perimeter of the layout.

To create my title, I inked the chipboard letters with Whisper White Craft ink, then covered them with White Stampin' Emboss Powder and heated the powder to melt. I repeated this a couple times to give the letters a nice and smooth look. "In Bloom" is a rub-on, as is the journaling section.

The Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon was gathered by pulling a thread in the middle of the ribbon, then sewed onto the layout.

Don't you love the pink butterfly? It's a sneak peek of the Strength & Hope stamp set (also contains the words below the journaling and the "H-hope" in the circle on the left of the layout), which will be available in the Summer Mini Catalog on May 1st. Stampin' Up! is donating $2 of each purchase of the Strength & Hope stamp set or digital kit to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, a wonderful way to help make a difference.

Hope you enjoyed reading about what "blooms" for me! :) Your next stop is Susan's blog.. I hope you enjoy the Blog Bounce, and thanks for stopping by!

"hope in bloom" scrapbook page supplies:
All supplies by Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted
Stamps:  Vintage Vogue, Strength & Hope (available May 1st)
Ink:  Old Olive, Early Espresso, Melon Mambo, Whisper White Craft ink
Paper:  Whisper White cardstock, Botanical Gazette and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper, Ice Cream Parlor Designer Series Paper & Quick Accents Pack; other patterned paper [Making Memories]
Accessories/Tools:  Alphabet Soup Chipboard, White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Springtime Vintage Big Designer Buttons, Brights Designer Buttons, Neutrals Designer Buttons, Fleurettes II Accents & Elements, Pearl Basic Jewels, Early Espresso Baker's Twine (available May 1st), Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon, 1-1/4" Circle and Scallop Square Punches, Beautiful Wings Embosslits die, Big Shot, sewing machine and kraft thread; rub-ons, fabric flower, and plastic flower [Making Memories]

A retro birthday

2011-04-01T19:05:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!

Just a quick post... today I have a card to share with you! I loved the sketch for Mojo Monday this week, and it worked out perfectly with how I envisioned my card..

I love those little mushrooms, don't you? :)

I did a bit of masking and sewing on here, and used my rotary blade from the Cutter Kit to create my grassy hills. The card itself is 4-1/4" x 4-1/4". I love how it turned out!

Well, I have to run! Thanks for stopping by!

Retro Birthday card supplies:
Stamps:  Funky Four, On Your Birthday, Love Bandit (retired)
Ink:  Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, and Old Olive cardstock, Sweet and Sour Specialty Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon, 3/4" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, and Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede, and Rose Red Stampin' Write Markers, sewing machine and vanilla thread

Project 12 - February 2011

2011-03-28T20:11:00.016-04:00

Hello! It's been a while, and I apologize! I've been keeping very busy, tackling so many projects here and there. Hopefully I can get back to a regular blogging schedule soon. :)

First, I wanted to acknowledge the sweet bloggers that awarded me with blog awards... the Stylish Blogger Award from Jenn and Jennifer, and the Versatile Blogger Award from Jade. Thank you, ladies! I'm very flattered! :) If you would like to see my tell-all post (well, not really, haha), please click on over to this post!

I finished my Project 12 layout for February! You can see the February sketch at the Scrapbook & Cards Today blog here.

Not much happened in February. I did get my fancy new camera. :) And Seth and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary! Where does the time go?

I love how the red grid paper from the Love Letters DSP pops as my background! And I noticed that I used Baja Breeze again.. can you blame me? It's such a pretty blue, so you know how happy I was last year when Stampin' Up! added it to their core color collection! You know I also had to add in my Crumb Cake there as well!

Here is the left page:

I did a bit of stamping with one of my favorite sets, Bliss (which don't forget, you can get for free as part of Sale-a-bration!)... and some sewing to connect my different patterned papers. I sewed a little fabric in a ruffle below Fluffy's picture, and did some button and punch layering over in the top corner.

(Have you ever tried an English muffin, toasted, with some chocolate hazelnut butter, topped with sliced strawberries? YUM!)

On this page.. well, I cut a strip of the large scallop using the Tasteful Trims Bigz XL die, and hid the seam with the Daffodil Delight pompom trim. Some more layering with the smaller punched scallop border and a button, brad, and rosette. I inked the chipboard letters with Early Espresso Craft ink.. love that font! I adhered a bunch of punched hearts along the top edge of my journaling area, and sewed two lines over top. (Yes Barb, I am so glad I had the guts to try sewing on my paper crafts!! :) )

Here are some angled shots... :)

So I noticed that I am almost at 100 followers! I know that may not be very much to some people, but to me it's a big number! I really appreciate all of you readers, and the friends I have made through blogging. :) I'm thinking of doing a giveaway once I hit 100! Yay!

Ok, I need to run! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Project 12 February layout supplies:
All supplies by Stampin' Up!
Stamps:  Bliss, I {Heart} Hearts, Punch Potpourri
Ink:  Early Espresso, Baja Breeze
Paper:  Very Vanilla, So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso, and Crumb Cake cardstock, Love Letters Designer Series Paper, Urban Garden Designer Series Paper, Botanical Gazette Designer Series Paper, Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper (available next month!)
Accessories/Tools:  Springtime Vintage Designer Fabric, Daffodil Delight Pompom Trim, Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon, Ice Cream Parlor Button (Sale-a-bration), Pearl Basic Jewel, Antique Brads, Neutrals and Brights Designer Buttons, Vintage Flower Adornment, Vanilla Rosette, Alphabet Soup Chipboard, and Heart-to-Heart, Full Heart, Small Heart, Eyelet Border, and Scallop Edge Punches, Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, Big Shot, sewing machine and vanilla thread

For Japan with Love ♥

2011-03-17T21:49:00.000-04:00

Hello, everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that I have been working on some projects, and will share soon.

Also, I wanted to bring your attention to what I will be participating in tomorrow, the Bloggers Day of Silence, in support of Japan. I encourage you to donate, if you can, to relief efforts... anything helps.

Please visit For Japan with Love for details on how to help, and please spread the word. Thank you so much!

Memory Makers Magazine Blog Bounce - My favorite treat!

2011-03-07T23:59:00.010-05:00

Hello and welcome to another Memory Makers Magazine Blog Bounce!

This month, we're showcasing our favorite treats! You may have just hopped on over from Michelle Coleman's blog, but if not... don't worry! You can continue on through my blog, or you can start from the Memory Makers Magazine blog. Hope you enjoy the blog bounce!

One of my favorite treats is sleeping in with Fluffy. Usually we try and sneak in an extra 30-45 minutes or so of snooze time after Seth leaves in the morning to his research lab at the University of Tennessee. Seth generally gets Fluffy breakfast (she eats 3x a day like a human) when he gets up, then she loves to take a nap after that! She makes sure he remembers, too. :) What's funny though, is that it's almost always hard for me to get Fluffy up after this nap. She just doesn't want to get up! Such a sweet little lazy thing. LOL

It was quite the challenge to get this picture, setting up our tripod and self-timer. There were so many hilarious outtakes, what with Fluffy's crazy expressions and all! I'm sure she thought I was absolutely insane, taking pictures of us "sleeping".. hehe!

I'm super happy with my page! Definitely one of my favorites. :) I've created a background with border strips before, but only on a card.. this was my first time trying it out on a scrapbook page. I used the Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die from Stampin' Up!, as well as the Eyelet Border punch. The purple crochet flower at the top started out white, and I dyed it using the Rich Razzleberry classic ink refill, diluted with water. Love how that turned out! The large circle on the right was cut from the beautiful Botanical Gazette Designer Series Paper with the Circle Scissors Plus (6" circle), and it was the perfect journaling area.

Aren't the butterflies sweet? I cut them out of vellum paper (thinner than the vellum cardstock) with the Beautiful Butterflies SU! die. I wanted to create a light, airy look, so I sewed them to the layout. I love how the vanilla flower adornment looks with the big button here - just like a cameo! And if you didn't already realize how much I love the pompom trim.. well, I just wish SU! came out with it in so many more colors!

Here are a couple more shots to show you the details and layers (click to see a larger photo):

The flower here at the bottom was created using the Fun Flowers SU! die - I crinkled up multiple layers and added a fun fabric brad in the middle.

Ok, your next stop is Wendy Smedley's blog, which can be found here. I can't wait to see what her favorite treat is! Thanks so much for stopping by!

"a sweet treat" scrapbook page (12" x 12") supplies:
All supplies are by Stampin' Up!
Stamps:  Short & Sweet, Clearly for You
Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, and Very Vanilla Craft ink, Rich Razzleberry Classic ink refill
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Old Olive, and Very Vanilla cardstock, First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper, Botanical Gazette Designer Series Paper, Woodland Walk Designer Series Paper, Vellum Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Springtime Vintage Designer Fabric, Melon Mambo Pompom Trim, Fleurettes II Accents & Elements, Vintage Flower Adornment, Springtime Vintage Big Designer Button, Pearl Basic Jewels, Antique Brad, Sweet Stitches Fabric Brad, Alphabet Soup Chipboard Letters, Eyelet Border, Word Window and Modern Label Punches, Fun Flowers Bigz Die, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, Tasteful Trim Bigz XL Die, Big Shot, Circle Scissors Plus & glass mat, sewing machine and thread

PageMaps sketch challenge

2011-02-28T02:00:00.009-05:00

Hi! Just a quick post here before I head to bed. :)

Becky Fleck is hosting a sketch challenge over at the PageMaps blog, here. Loved the sketch!

I have had this photo sitting around for a while, waiting to be incorporated on a page. My mom attended a Stampin' Up! regional seminar with me in Virginia Beach when I still lived in VA. Shelli Gardner, CEO and co-founder of Stampin' Up!, doesn't always attend the regional seminars, but she was at this one! We waited in line (I missed out on a photo with her in SLC at Convention that year) to get a picture with her.. yay! Don't you just love her style? She's such a genuine person, too.

Well, gotta run! Thanks for stopping by!

"Our brush with fame" scrapbook page supplies:

Stamps: French Foliage, Bliss

Ink: Soft Suede, Early Espresso and Rose Red Classic ink, Old Olive Craft ink

Paper: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Rose Red, and Very Vanilla cardstock, First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper

Accessories/Tools: Springtime Vintage Designer Fabric, Chantilly Lace Trim, Daffodil Delight Pompom Trim, Antique Brad, Timeless Type chipboard letters (retired), Decorative Label Punch, Billboard Decorative Strip Die, Floral Fusion Sizzlits Die, Big Shot, sewing machine and brown thread

Project 12 - January 2011

2011-02-23T13:17:00.001-05:00

Hello!

I've decided to join in on Scrapbook & Cards Today's Project 12! I'd love to know if any of you are doing this as well. :)

In January 2011... let's see.. we're still living in the same apartment as when we first moved to Knoxville in August of 2009. I turned twenty-six! We had an indulgent birthday dinner of steak, an egg, and hash browns. Let me assure you - we rarely eat red meat, and I guess you could describe us as half-time vegetarians. :) Anyway, we also shared a slice of Chocolate Lover's Chocolate cake from Earth Fare - yum!

Becky Fleck of PageMaps creates special sketches for Project 12 (January sketch here), and seeing as how I love sketches, I used it to create my page.

I hand-cut the top of my journaling panel, using the Top Note die-cut as a guide. I also cut two of these Top Notes from Baja Breeze cardstock, stamped them, and adhered them behind the journaling block. I used a lot of items from my retired stash - always a good thing! :) There's also quite a bit of sewing on the layout, courtesy of my handy sewing machine.

Well, thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!

January 2011 page supplies:
(As usual, all products used are by Stampin' Up!)
Stamps:  Elements of Style, Calendar Alphabet & Numbers
Ink:  Pretty in Pink Craft ink, Chocolate Chip and Baja Breeze Classic ink
Paper:  Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, and Basic Gray cardstock, Walk in the Park and Bella Rose Designer Series Paper packs (both retired), First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Basics Glimmer Brads, Whisper White button, Candy Cane Designer Buttons (retired), Timeless Type chipboard letters (retired), Victoria Lace Trim, Linen Thread, Beachfront Ribbon Originals (retired), Eyelet Border and Scallop Edge punches, Top Note Bigz die, Northern Frost Decorative Strip die, Northern Flurry Textured Impressions folder, Big Shot, sewing machine and thread

Butterfly Bliss

2011-02-16T18:41:00.000-05:00

Hello and happy Wednesday!

I really love the new Bliss stamp set (which by the way, you can get free as part of Sale-a-bration!) - it makes for really beautiful cards, with little effort! I combined the color challenge from colourQ and the sketch challenge from Mojo Monday to create my card for today:

The colors in this week's colourQ threw me off a little, but I was ready for a challenge. :) I do like the way it all turned out!

Well, I need to run.. busy night! Thanks for stopping by!

Butterfly Bliss card supplies:
Stamps:  Bliss (Sale-a-bration freebie), Clearly For You
Ink:  Crumb Cake, Not Quite Navy, Tangerine Tango
Paper:  Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Not Quite Navy, and Baja Breeze cardstock, First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon, Pearl Basic Jewels, Not Quite Navy Stampin' Write Marker, Color Spritzer, Word Window Punch, Cutter Kit, Framed Tulips Textured Impressions Folder, Big Shot

Breathtaking...

2011-02-11T12:57:00.000-05:00

I got a new toy.. can I just say... I am in LOVE.

So I'll be a little busy poring over the manual in the next week or so... and this weekend I plan on taking a few walks around and seeing what this baby can do. Yay!

Have a great weekend!

Memory Makers Magazine Blog Bounce - Who do you love?

2011-02-07T23:59:00.006-05:00

Hello and welcome to the last stop on the Memory Makers Magazine Blog Bounce! I hope you have been enjoying all of the projects we have put together for you! I don't know about you, but I'm definitely feeling inspired!

You may have just come from Lisa Pace's blog - wasn't her tag gorgeous? If not, don't worry! You'll be able to find your way back around by going to the Memory Makers Magazine blog.

As part of a new feature, Memory Makers Magazine will be providing you with inspiration throughout the year with beautiful projects from talented crafters. Our theme this month is "Who do you love?". So in celebration of Valentine's Day, I created a 12" x 12" layout about the two loves of my life - my fiancé, Seth, and my Shih Tzu, Fluffy.

I love how it turned out! I had this picture of how I wanted my layout to look, and I am so happy that I was able to create my vision. :)

First, I stamped my tree and my strings of hearts onto my vanilla cardstock. The "grass" at the bottom was created by freehand cutting curves into cardstock with a rotary blade. I built my main section using a recent photo of me and my fiancé (which I altered in Photoshop.. how fun!) and a photo of the ever-beautiful Fluffy (who doesn't *need* any altering in Photoshop, hehe). I added a few fun trims - the rose ribbon in the middle is seam binding, which I gathered into a pretty little ruffle. A little sewing was added down at the bottom with my sewing machine and dark chocolate thread. The tag on the side was cut from the Sizzix Table Setting Bigz XL die, and slides underneath the main section.

At the top, I used the "frosting" from the Create-a-Cupcake punch for my clouds, embossing them with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder to give them a little texture. I inked the chipboard letters for my title with Old Olive Craft ink, then heat embossed with clear embossing powder to give it that fun shine. :) That's pretty much it!

Here are some close-up photos:

Your next stop is the Memory Makers Magazine blog... click HERE or the button below to hop on over. Thanks for stopping by my blog, and I hope you have a fabulous day!

"These Two" 12" x 12" scrapbook page supplies:
All supplies used are by Stampin' Up!
Stamps:  Valentine Defined
Ink:  Early Espresso, Old Olive, and Soft Suede
Paper:  Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, and Old Olive cardstock, First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Victoria Lace Trim, Linen Thread, Very Vanilla and Rose Red Seam Binding Ribbon, Daffodil Delight Pom Pom Trim, Old Olive buttons (from the Brights set), Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, Timeless Type Chipboard, Cutter Kit, Crop-a-dile, Create-a-Cupcake and Heart-to-Heart Punches, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder, Table Setting Bigz XL Die, Big Shot, sewing machine and thread

Vintage Springtime Butterfly

2011-01-29T12:07:00.002-05:00

Happy Saturday!

Thank you for all of your comments the other day concerning Etsy. I may list a few cards and see how it goes, then list more. :) I'll let you know!

I created a card last night using Stamping 411's sketch this week. I absolutely loved this sketch, and it's been feeling so wonderful getting back into the challenges! I also linked this to the "anything goes" challenge over at The Paper Players!

Of course, I used one of my favorite stamp sets, Elements of Style, and paired it with one of my new favorite materials - the Springtime Vintage Designer Fabric... I think it works beautifully with it! I colored in the stamped image using a Blender Pen and the Rose Red and Always Artichoke markers. The fabric (which I ruffled) stays put wonderfully with the use of Sticky Strip.

Did you notice the way the large Not Quite Navy piece is embossed? It's actually embossed twice - once with the Square Lattice, then with the Framed Tulips Textured Impressions folder. It creates such a cool texture!

I stamped the butterfly from the Dreams du Jour stamp set onto a separate piece in Not Quite Navy, as well as in Baja Breeze on a piece of vellum cardstock. I then cut those out, and adhered them together and to the card to create a dimensional butterfly. To give you a better view, here's a close-up photo:

This card made me very happy. :D Especially because it reminds me that spring is not too far away! While I do enjoy winter, I think I'm just yearning for sunshine and a little warmer weather.

Well, hope you have a great day! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Vintage Springtime Butterfly card supplies:
Stamps:  Elements of Style, Dreams du Jour
Ink:  Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Not Quite Navy, Early Espresso, Baja Breeze, Rose Red, and Always Artichoke Classic ink
Paper:  Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, and vellum cardstock, First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Rose Red Seam Binding Ribbon, Pearl Basic Jewels, Springtime Vintage Designer Fabric, Decorative Label Punch, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Square Lattice Textured Impressions Folder, Framed Tulips Textured Impressions Folder, Big Shot, Stampin' Sponges, Blender Pen

Cards for sale?

2011-01-27T17:38:00.000-05:00

Hi!

So I thought I'd throw it out there and ask if anyone would be interested in buying any of my cards? I had opened an Etsy shop a while back, and would love to re-open it if I had any interest. :) Prices would vary slightly per card, and each would be stamped with "Hand Stamped by Melissa Huie" and the SU! copyright symbol on the back to comply with the Angel Policy.

Anyway, let me know if you think I should do it? I have quite a collection of cards here, that I actually don't plan on using. (Generally when creating cards I'm giving out, I create with a specific person in mind.) And don't worry, if you say you're interested, you're not committing yourself to buy! :D

Well hello!

2011-01-26T10:32:00.001-05:00

Hello there!

Sorry for the long hiatus! I hope your year has been going well so far! I've been keeping busy.. I finished the foundation of my December Daily 2010 album a couple of weeks ago, then I was waiting for pictures to be developed and to arrive. I've been working on that little by little, when I had time. So hopefully I will have those pages to share with you soon!

My sweet and talented friend Lisa Young awarded me with the Stylish Blogger Award! Thank you, Lisa! (I hope you forgive me for taking so long to do this!) I am supposed to tell you 8 things you might not know about me. Hmm.. let's see...

1. I am a "middle child" - I have two brothers, one older and one younger. I've always wanted a sister. :)

2. Instead of taking a cruise, I would MUCH rather backpack through Europe. Someday!

3. Nature provides some of the most comfort to me. There is not much better than sitting on a porch, listening to a steady rainfall.

4. I listen to all kinds of music, and consider it to be a big part of me. My favorite bands are Flyleaf, Evanescence, and Coheed & Cambria. I also enjoy a little Taylor Swift and Mindy Gledhill.

5. I secretly yearn to be a fashion designer. A friend and I discussed this at length at one point, and even talked of making it into a side business together. I'm not really an accomplished seamstress, although I am working on it. :)

6. Seth and I have been together for 9 years, less than a month from today. We met at our first real jobs, working at a grocery store.

7. I dream of owning a small-scale farm. I would love to have my own cows, chickens, and sheep, and a beautiful, old farmhouse.

8. I've never been a party-girl, and don't mind at all sitting at home, comfy, in my jammies. Yes, boring, I know. ;)

Ok, those are the things I can think of, off the top of my head! Here are 8 blogs that inspire me.. please take a moment to check them out, if you can. I wish I could list you all, because you all inspire me!

Lisa - Life in Flip-Flops
Susan - Susan's Little Scraps
Lora - The Squirrel Hole
Krystal - Krystal's Cards and More
Tanya - Tinkerin in Ink
Marian - Mustard Seed Creations
Donna - Funky Junk Interiors
Anne - The Maui Stamper

And I do have a card to show you! Fancy that, huh? hehe

I used Mojo Monday's sketch this week, and a new stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog. I love that set! To add a little interest to the strip of DSP (also from the Occasions Mini), I stamped across with one of the stamps in the same set in Crumb Cake ink. I'm also loving that new Framed Tulips embossing folder.. one of my favorite things to do is to actually emboss a separate piece of cardstock, and adhere it to the same color card base to create a tone-on-tone look. Subtle, but additional texture!

And hey.. it qualifies for the Valentine's Day challenge on the SUO Challenges blog! Awesome! :)

Ok, I must run. I'm off to crop for the day! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Espresso Amour card supplies:
Stamps:  Clearly for You
Ink:  Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, and Soft Suede
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, and Blushing Bride cardstock, First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper
Accessories:  Early Espresso Satin Ribbon, Chantilly Lace Trim, Early Espresso button (Neutrals Designer Buttons), 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Circles #2 Originals Die, Framed Tulips Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Big Shot, vanilla thread

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T10:28:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope you are able to spend time this holiday season with those you love. ♥

My inspiration board, at the moment

2010-12-10T14:43:00.001-05:00

Ah... look at my pretty little board of love from friends. :)

I think I need a bigger board!

I was trying to think of a way to display items made by my scrappy friends on my board, without damaging them. I suddenly had this idea last night, and promptly climbed onto my desk to recreate my vision... haha!

I had these little clothespins for quite a while, as I wanted to some day make an organizer like a Clip It Up... I also already had the twine, and some old push pins. Not sure if I like the push pins the way they are.. I might cover the heads with fabric... yes, that sounds like a good idea!

(The last ATC there was one I had made for a local swap...)

PCS December 2010 - Winter's Tale

2010-12-07T15:47:00.000-05:00

Hi there!

I just wanted to let you know that on December 10th, Paper Crafters Sampler will be releasing the December 2010 issue! This month's issue is called "Winter's Tale" and features a variety of beautiful winter-themed projects.

Here's a sneak peek of my project:

If you'd like to subscribe, head on over to the Paper Crafters Sampler website, and be sure to note the code "PCSMH"!

My Christmas Wreath

2010-12-05T22:10:00.002-05:00

Hello!

I knew I wanted to make my own Christmas wreath this year (although I've never made or bought one before), and had many different ideas on how to go about doing it. I toyed with a few different wreath bases in my head for a while, and the one that I kept going back to and finally decided upon was this ruffled wreath made by Emily Jones of Jones Design Company. I was drawn to its natural feel. I pretty much followed her tutorial, using a 10" styrofoam wreath from a dollar store, and burlap bought by the yard. Then I just spiffed it up!

Here's the end result! I absolutely love it!

I used a few things from my stash, and some wreath adornments found at the local craft store. The pinecones are those ones that smell like cinnamon... yum!

Love how the banner turned out! After I made each pennant, I hot-glued it to the retired silver elastic cord, and hand-sewed it onto the wreath.

I made the pretty little flower below out of the Deck the Halls Designer Series Fabric (SO glad I have two more packages on the way.. I love this stuff!)... I just die-cut some flowers using the retired Flower Layers #3 Big Shot die, folded and layered them, then sewed them together and onto two unfolded layers of flowers. I sewed this as well to the wreath.

And here's how it looks on our door! You'll have to excuse the lighting, as the sun had already set.. :) Maybe I'll try and take another photo in the morning.

I also am thinking about getting a longer wreath holder... as you can see, our peep-hole is a little blocked! You can kind of see through it, but there's a big ol' pinecone there, haha. I'd love to hear what you think about it!

Well, I gotta go.. think I'll make myself some hot chocolate! It has been snowing a little bit off and on, and it's quite cold out. Hope you are staying warm where you are, and thanks for stopping by! :)

I'm linking this here:

The start of my December Daily album

2010-12-03T15:53:00.002-05:00

Hi!

I really wanted to start this year with doing a December Daily album, inspired by Ali Edwards. For those of you who don't know, December Daily is an album that documents the days leading up to Christmas, December 25th. Well, some people do the whole month of December, or even just as a "12 Days of Christmas"-type of album, but you get the point. I've been working on getting my album ready.

It took me a while to really get started, for several reasons... one being that I wanted to use a lot of my stash. You may or may not know that my blog contains only projects using 100% Stampin' Up! products (well, whenever possible.. with the exception of things that SU! doesn't sell, like an acrylic picture frame or something). I think I have finally convinced myself that it's ok to let myself even use non-SU! items in my December Daily. Now, that's not to say that I will start posting a bunch of projects with non-SU! items... I'm just allowing myself to do so for my December Daily, since I consider it more of a personal project than most things. If this disappoints you, I hope you understand. :) I anticipate that my album will, however, probably contain at least 90% SU! products.. just because that's mostly what I have and love!

For that reason, and the fact that a lot of the items I might use are retired SU! products, I won't be posting a detailed list of supplies for my December Daily album (but still will of course, for my other projects). If you want to know what I use, though, feel free to shoot me an email!

I also kind of felt that at this stage in our lives, that maybe it wasn't "worth" doing a December Daily.. after all, we don't have children yet. It's something that I tend to struggle with in scrapbooking, too, but I think I am getting better at not feeling that way. But really, this part of our lives is important too, right? Has anyone else ever felt like that at some point?

I've never taken on a project quite like this, but we'll see how this goes, eh? :)

Thanks for reading through that, or at least skimming! Here is part of what I've done so far... mind you, I haven't been printing pictures and adding them yet, and I will be adding more embellishments and journaling to the pages as I add pictures.

My album is 6" x 8". Here's my cover, which is chipboard, trimmed down from a mini album piece I had in my stash. You can't really see from the photo, but the letters and numbers are glittered.

Here are the next two pages: the inside of the front cover and my title page. I like how Ali created her title page, so I based mine off of hers. She is planning on putting a filmstrip of photos from the month in the blank space. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the inside of the front cover yet, though.

And here's the 2-page spread for Dec. 1st:

Well, thanks for stopping by! I need to get back to work on things on my to-do list. :) Have a great day!

Last chance for the Simply Amazing kit promotion and Online Spectacular sale!

2010-11-30T14:00:00.000-05:00

Hello!

Just a quick post to let you know that today is the last day to shop the fabulous deals going on in Stampin' Up!'s Online Spectacular sale, saving you up to 50% on popular products! Click HERE to see all the deals! Remember that online orders of $150 or more get free shipping, in addition to the regular awesome hostess benefits!

Also ending after today is the Simply Amazing kit promotion.. what a perfect gift for you or someone else! Check out the price breakdown HERE!

Feel free to email me at melissahuie@gmail.com if you have any questions. Have a great day!

"About a Boy" challenge layout

2010-11-24T14:24:00.000-05:00

Hello!

It's been a little while, but I've been busy trying to prepare for the holidays! :) My Dad and my stepmom will be coming down here tomorrow and spending Thanksgiving with us. I'll try to make this a fairly quick post, as I need to get back to getting ready!

I finally finished my layout for the About a Boy challenge over at one of my favorite hangouts, the Memory Makers forum. There's still time to play (needs to be uploaded by the end of today), so you should give it a try! Check the thread out here for details.

So, many of you know that my fiancé Seth and I have been together for quite a while.. it'll be 9 years in February. My, how time flies! I've never actually done a layout like this before, just about him.

The challenge included using a technique from the new PageMaps book by Becky Fleck - creating a faux notebook edge. It took a little time, but I like how it turned out!

I created my background with the En Français retired background stamp, with VersaMark on Early Espresso textured cardstock, then sewed around the page with my sewing machine and white thread. After creating the notebook edge at the top, I stamped the image from Lovely as a Tree (stamped off on scratch paper first to make it a shade lighter) with Crumb Cake on the textured Whisper White cardstock.

Here's a close-up of the journaling: (it's a little mushy!)

I really love how that little border under the photo looks! It was easy to create using just four punch-outs from the Decorative Label Punch (which is on sale as part of the Handmade Holiday bundles at SU!).. I trimmed the side edges and taped them together on the back.

The tag on the side is from the Table Setting Bigz XL die (which is also on sale!). I punched a hole in it and threaded some Linen Thread through. I did leave my chipboard letters raw, as I felt it added to the overall look of the page. What do you think?

Here are a couple more close-up shots...

Well, I must go.. don't forget to check out the challenge! And don't forget about the items on sale in the Stampin' Up! store. They would all make great gifts! :)

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm grateful that you stopped by my blog!

"heart" layout supplies:
Stamps:  Lovely as a Tree, French Foliage, En Français (retired)
Ink:  Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, VersaMark
Paper:  Early Espresso, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, and Soft Suede cardstock, Green Tea Designer Series Paper (retired)
Accessories/Tools:  Antique Brads, Neutrals Designer Button, Antique Trinkets (safety pin), Timeless Type On Board Chipboard Letters, Old Olive 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Linen Thread, Soft Suede Stampin' Write Marker, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Stampin' Sponges, Decorative Label and Heart-to-Heart Punches, Crop-a-dile, Table Setting Bigz XL die, sewing machine and thread, Big Shot

A simply amazing deal!

2010-11-22T11:03:00.000-05:00

Through November 30th, you can get the Starter Kit at 50% off.. yes, that's right - get over $300 worth of items for only $87.50, plus free shipping!

Want to know what you're getting in this incredible deal? This awesome breakdown was provided by my demo friend, Lyssa Zwolanek (thanks, Lyssa!):

Here's what is in the CUSTOMIZABLE Standard Kit and the value of each:

1. Any $33.95 or lower Stamp Set

2. Any $28.95 or lower Stamp Set

3. Any $18.95 or lower Stamp Set

4. Any $9.95 or lower Stamp Set

Before we go on, note that the $87.50 kit cost has already paid for the 4 sets above valued at $91.80. That means EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE IS FREE!!!!!!

5. $19.95 Brights Patterns Designer Series paper stack (OR color of your choice) FREE

6. $16.95 Stampin’ Scrub® FREE

7. $8.95 Whisper White 5/8" satin ribbon (OR ribbon at the same or lower price) FREE

8. $8.95 VersaMark® pad (OR ink pad at the same or lower price) FREE

9. $8.50 Card stock 8-1/2" x 11" (Whisper White OR color of your choice) FREE

10. $7.95 Small Chocolate Songbird Tile Décor Elements® (OR Décor Elements item at the same or lower price) FREE

11. $6.95 Assorted color card stock 8-1/2" x 11" (Getting Started OR assortment of your choice) FREE

12. $6.95 Clear Block C (OR clear block at the same or lower price) FREE

13. $6.95 SNAIL Adhesive® (OR adhesive at the same or lower price) FREE

14. $6.50 Fast Flowers Stampin’ Around® wheel (OR standard wheel of your choice) FREE

15. $5.95 Stampin’ Around Self Inking Handle (standard) FREE

16. $5.95 Classic Stampin’ Pad® (color of your choice) FREE

17. $5.95 Classic Stampin’ Pad® (color of your choice) FREE

18. $5.95 Classic Stampin’ Pad® (color of your choice) FREE

19. $5.95 Classic Stampin’ Pad® (color of your choice) FREE

20. $5.25 Uninked Cartridge (standard) FREE

21. $4.50 Stampin’ Mist® (OR StazOn® Cleaner) FREE

22. $3.95 Stampin’ Dimensionals® FREE

23. $3.50 Stampin’ Write® marker (color of your choice) FREE

24. $3.50 Stampin’ Write® marker (color of your choice) FREE

25. $3.32 Blender pen (single) FREE

26. $2.95 Marina Mist Classic Ink Refill (OR color of your choice) FREE

27. $1.95 Décor Elements Applicator Tool FREE

28. $1.17 Stamping sponge (single) FREE

29. Catalogs ($29.95 for 8), business forms, and other printed materials to get your business off to a great start! FREE

And were you thinking about getting My Digital Studio, maybe for Christmas? Here’s what is in the CUSTOMIZABLE Digital + Kit and the value of each:

1. $79.95 My Digital Studio™ software* (see description of this product below)

2. $8.50 Card stock 8-1/2" x 11" (Whisper White OR color of your choice)

Before we go on, note that the $87.50 kit cost has paid for the My Digital Studio software & card stock above. That means EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE IS FREE!!!!!!

3. Any $26.95 or lower Stamp Set FREE

4. Any $18.95 or lower Stamp Set FREE

5. Any $7.95 or lower Stamp Set FREE

6. $16.95 Stampin’ Scrub® FREE

7. $8.95 Brights Designer buttons FREE

8. $7.95 Small Chocolate Songbird Tile Décor Elements® (OR Décor Elements item at the same or lower price) FREE

9. $6.95 Clear Block C (OR clear block at the same or lower price) FREE

10. $6.95 Assorted color card stock 8-1/2" x 11" (Getting Started OR assortment of your choice) FREE

11. $6.95 SNAIL Adhesive® (OR adhesive at the same or lower price FREE

12. $5.95 Classic Stampin’ Pad® (color of your choice) FREE

13. $5.95 Classic Stampin’ Pad® (color of your choice) FREE

14. $5.95 Classic Stampin’ Pad® (color of your choice) FREE

15. $5.95 Classic Stampin’ Pad® (color of your choice) FREE

16. $4.95 Real Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon (OR ribbon at the same or lower price) FREE

17. $4.95 Glue Dots® FREE

18. $4.50 Stampin’ Mist® (OR StazOn® Cleaner) FREE

19. $3.95 Stampin’ Dimensionals® FREE

20. $3.50 Stampin’ Write® marker (color of your choice) FREE

21. $3.50 Stampin’ Write® marker (color of your choice) FREE

22. $1.95 Décor Elements Applicator Tool FREE

23. Catalogs ($29.95 for 8), business forms, and other printed materials to get your business off to a great start! FREE

Seen enough? Email me today at melissahuie@gmail.com and I'll get you hooked up and answer any questions you have about being a hobby or business demo, our low quarterly minimums, and what happens if you don't decide to stick with it. Or, if you're already convinced, just go to http://melissahuie.stampinup.net and click on Join Now. My authorization password is "fluffy3" and the whole process will only take you about twenty minutes total if you already know what you want in your kit!

A spectacular sale!

2010-11-22T10:34:00.012-05:00

Don't you just love a sale? I definitely do!!

For 9 days only (through November 30th), save up to 50% on your favorite products! And, online orders through my website of $150 merchandise or more get free shipping!

There is truly something for everyone, even the digi-scrappers! :)

Check out this PDF here for a list of all the discounted products and prices, then RUN over to my website! :) Get your Christmas shopping done early, or pick up a few goodies for yourself with these fabulous deals!

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions! Have a great day!

Winter Post Greetings

2010-11-11T17:12:00.000-05:00

Hello!

One of my all-time favorite stamp sets has been Winter Post. It seems that I've been on a vintage kick lately, but I think it really started when Winter Post was released. :)

I used Mojo Monday's sketch this week to create my card..

Yes, yes.. the Music Notes wheel again.. which, by the way, makes two appearances on this card. :) I love it! The Very Vanilla cardstock on the left was stamped twice with the Music Notes wheel and Always Artichoke ink, then adhered to the right of the Love Letter Designer Series Paper. The center Early Espresso piece was stamped with the retired French Script background stamp, then sewn onto the card front. To get the really light impression on the sentiment piece, I inked up the wheel with my Crumb Cake ink pad, then rolled it on scratch paper before going over the Very Vanilla cardstock.

I stamped the ice skaters over some snowflakes (which were stamped with the same technique as above to get a lighter shade of ink) on a 1-3/4" circle, which was then layered on a 2" circle die-cut with the Circles #2 die. Notice the little hint of shimmer on the female skater? I filled in her hat and gloves with a little Illuminate Top Coat Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink. It's so pretty and has such a subtle shimmer!

Of course, to finish off the card, I needed to also add some of my favorite embellishments, the Basic Rhinestone Jewels. :)

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a great day!

Winter Post Greetings card supplies:
Stamps:  Winter Post, Snow Swirled, French Script (retired)
Ink:  Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Old Olive, and Always Artichoke
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Riding Hood Red, and Old Olive cardstock, Love Letter Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Music Notes Wheel, Basic Rhinestone Jewels, Old Olive Satin Ribbon, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Circles #2 Originals die, Big Shot, sewing machine and thread

My inspiration board!

2010-11-09T17:33:00.000-05:00

Hello!

I've had this pretty bulletin board for a while, having wanted to create an "inspiration board" of sorts and finding the board at a craft store on clearance. I wanted to incorporate Stampin' Up!'s decorative line in somehow, originally planning on using a stencil. I couldn't decide what stencil to use, though. ;)

I adore the Upsy Daisy DE, and realized it would look perfect on the board. I simply cut it down to create the look I wanted before applying. It literally took me a couple of minutes to prepare and apply it to the bulletin board! (Just to let you know, the daisies aren't as blinding white in real life as they are in the pictures. LOL - I really think the pictures don't do this much justice!)

Next, I cut out the letters to spell "create" out of chipboard and using the Simple Letters Bigz dies. I then cut the letters out of Sweet & Sour Specialty Designer Series Paper and adhered it to the chipboard using the Anywhere Glue Stick (love this for covering chipboard). I inked the letters with Whisper White Craft ink, then added them to the board with Stampin' Dimensionals. Of course, I also had to use my Music Notes wheel on my Old Olive punched borders. :) The group of scrunched flowers was the finishing touch!

Here are some close-up shots of the two corners:

Of course, the board is "naked" at the moment... I'm going to work on making some altered push pins and clothespins and start hanging things received from friends and inspirational photos, etc. I also might add some other things to the actual design of the board, but you get the idea. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Inspiration bulletin board supplies:
Stamps:  Music Notes wheel
Ink:  VersaMark ink, Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad
Paper:  Old Olive cardstock, Sweet & Sour Specialty Designer Series Paper, Thoroughly Modern DSP (retired)
Accessories/Tools:  Upsy Daisy White Décor Elements vinyl, On Board Long Board chipboard, Simple Letters Bigz dies, Eyelet Border and 1-3/8" Scallop Circle Punches, Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Circle Designer Brads (retired), Big Shot

Vintage Mojo Rosette

2010-11-05T17:42:00.003-04:00

Happy Friday!

I naturally gravitate towards autumnal colors, so this week's color combination challenge (using Peach Parfait, Early Espresso and Cajun Craze) at Splitcoaststampers kept jumping out in my mind. I combined it with this week's Mojo Monday sketch to create my card...

This is definitely a card that you couldn't fit in a regular envelope, but that just makes it so much more fun! :)

I created my background by rolling the Very Vintage jumbo wheel across the cardstock several times, using my Wheel Guide to allow me to fill the background nicely. I then stitched two pieces of Chantilly Lace Trim together using a zig-zag stitch, and stitched that to the background.

I then sprayed some Log Cabin Smooch Spritz over the Newsprint Designer Series Paper, using the Mostly Vintage mask to create a pretty pattern on the DSP. Two layers of pleated Waffle Paper make for a pretty treatment at the top, which was then topped off with a piece of Cajun Craze (stamped with the Music Notes wheel) punched with the Eyelet Border Punch. I had scored the Cajun Craze piece and folded it over the top of the panel, then tied a piece of Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon around it.

The butterfly shows off our fun cork, which cuts beautifully in the Big Shot. This butterfly was die-cut using the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die, then I tied some Linen Thread around to create the body and antenna. I added some Basic Rhinestone Jewels to the body as well.

I just love the way the rosette turned out! It's a spiral piece die-cut with the Table Setting Bigz XL die, which I rolled into the rosette shape, starting at one end of the spiral. The die-cut actually creates a bigger rosette, but I trimmed it a little to make it small enough for my card. I spritzed the rosette with Log Cabin Smooch Spritz as well, then bent the petals down a little. I then sponged it with Early Espresso ink before adding the three Basic Rhinestone Jewels.

Ok, the last part of the card is the sentiment tag, which I created by layering the Decorative Label punch-out and a die-cut from the Lots of Tags Sizzlits die set. Don't you think they layer perfectly?

Well, hope I explained it all well enough. :) Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Vintage Rosette card supplies:
Stamps:  Occasional Quotes
Ink:  Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad, VersaMark ink
Paper:  Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Peach Parfait, Crumb Cake, and Very Vanilla cardstock, Newsprint Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Basic Rhinestone Jewels, Chantilly Lace Trim, Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Linen Thread, Cork Sheet, Early Espresso Waffle Paper, Mostly Vintage mask, Music Notes Wheel, Very Vintage Jumbo Wheel, Eyelet Border and Decorative Label Punches, Lots of Tags Sizzlits die set, Table Setting Bigz XL die, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die, Stampin' Sponges, Big Shot, sewing machine and vanilla thread

Winner of November's Paper Crafters Sampler!

2010-11-04T13:44:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to the winner of November's issue of Paper Crafters Sampler... Jenn!

Jenn - I'll be contacting Melanie with your email address. Enjoy your free issue! :)

If you didn't win, don't despair! You can still subscribe to this wonderful resource by clicking here and noting the code PCSMH!

Paper Crafters Sampler November Giveaway!

2010-11-03T09:00:00.042-04:00

Hi!

So as some of you might know, I'm on the design team for Paper Crafters Sampler. If you haven't heard about it, Paper Crafters Sampler is an online crafting resource that helps you get the most out of your Stampin' Up! products, and where you will find 8-10 wonderful projects each month.

This month, each of us is giving away a free issue! Simply leave a comment on this post telling me about a favorite family tradition. Please leave a comment before midnight today to qualify, and it's open to everyone. Yay! :)

Here's a sneak peek of my project in this month's issue, which will be released on November 10th:

Remember, if you subscribe to Paper Crafters Sampler, be sure to note my referral code, which is PCSMH.

Have a fabulous day!

An elegant wedding card

2010-11-02T15:59:00.000-04:00

Hi!

One of my favorite new sentiment stamp sets is Occasional Quotes, which is a Level 3 Hostess set. You can earn it for free with a qualifying workshop... or, if you were a demonstrator, you could have pre-ordered it in June (LOVE that perk)! Just keep that last part in mind, because think of what kinds of goodies SU! will have next catalog, and you could always join my team... :)

Anyway, so back to the sentiments! This one goes very well with the images from the Artistic Etchings stamp set...

Let me tell you how much I adore that Music Notes wheel.. I'm sure you're tired of hearing about that! If you don't have it... well, why not?? It makes the perfect background, as you can see here. And if you use stamp wheels, you'll definitely want to use them with the Stampin' Around Wheel Guide, which will make your wheeling life so much easier. :)

I stamped the Eiffel Tower with VersaMark, then heat embossed with Black Stampin' Emboss powder, then stamped the rest as you can see above. The bow is a little different than usual - I've seen around here and there little doubled bows, and wanted to try it out, too. I created mine here by tying a bow in the Very Vanilla Seam Binding, then taking another piece and tying another bow around that one, then finished it off with an Antique Brad. Pretty, eh? And perfect for a wedding card.

My ruffle was created by punching a strip of Sweet & Sour Specialty Designer Series Paper (it has beautiful glossy accents) with the Scallop Edge punch, then folding it here and there to create random ruffles before adhering it to the card. The rhinestones create the perfect finish there at the top!

Thanks for stopping by! I have something special planned for tomorrow, so be sure to come back and see! :)

Wedding card supplies:
Stamps:  Occasional Quotes, Artistic Etchings
Ink:  Jet Black StazOn, Rose Red Classic Stampin' Pad, VersaMark ink
Paper:  Basic Black, Naturals Ivory, Very Vanilla, and Old Olive cardstock, Love Letter Designer Series Paper, Sweet & Sour Specialty Designer Series paper
Accessories/Tools:  Music Notes Wheel, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Antique Brad, Basic Rhinestone Jewels, Black Stampin' Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Stampin' Around Wheel Guide, Scallop Edge Punch

Giveaway winner!

2010-11-01T13:42:00.000-04:00

Hello!

Thanks everyone for visiting me over the weekend and leaving comments! :)

Random.org says the winner is...

...Serene! Congrats, Serene!

Did you all know that November is National Blog Posting Month? Well, I've decided to challenge myself to post on my blog every weekday (Monday-Friday) this month. Just a fun challenge to get myself blogging more! :)

I'll be back later! Thanks for stopping by!

Simple one-layer card and a giveaway!

2010-10-29T10:23:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday! Thank you for all the comments on the embellished tee I posted yesterday. I always cherish your comments!

This month marks my first blog-iversary! Yay!

To celebrate, let's have awesome giveaway! You'll have to read on to find out, though, what it is... :) First, I have a simple, one-layer card to show you:

See what an impact even one piece of cardstock can make? All I did was take a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock, and folded it to make a 3" x 3" card. I then inked up a clear block with River Rock Classic ink, then stamped off on scratch paper before stamping on my cardstock. Then I just stamped various images from the French Foliage stamp set, and tied a piece of Linen Thread around the top. Very easy to do, and you could definitely increase the size of the card to make a standard-sized 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" card.

Simple Fall card supplies:
Stamps:  French Foliage
Ink:  River Rock, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso
Paper:  Very Vanilla cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Linen Thread

Ok, I made you wait long enough! :)

Drumroll, please...

Here's something that is fabulous for if you want to get into making cards, and you don't know where to start. This kit has everything you need to make 10 cards, 5 of each style you see on the front of the instruction booklet there. You could also just go your own way of course, and just use the materials on whatever you'd like! There are no rules in creativity!

Included in the kit:
Sending Happy Thoughts stamp set (set of 6)
Old Olive Classic Stampin' Spot
Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin’ Spot
Real Red Classic Stampin’ Spot
Zig Zag Twill Tape
Pewter Brads
2-Way Glue Pen
Dazzling Diamonds Stampin’ Glitter
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Mini Glue Dots®
Card Stock Assortment
12 Very Vanilla Envelopes

There are rules, however, in the giveaway. ;) Please leave a comment telling me what fun plans you have this weekend (even if it's just relaxing!) before 11:59 PM EST Sunday, October 31st, and I will pick a random winner on Monday morning. Unfortunately, I can only do this in the U.S... sorry! Be sure to check back, because the winner will have to email me to claim their prize! :)

Good luck!! And thanks for stopping by!

Embellished tee

2010-10-28T22:19:00.000-04:00

Hello, hello!

Today I decided to be brave and cut into a shirt of mine. :)

I've been wanting to try embellishing a tee for quite some time, and I was SO excited to snag some Sizzix flower dies from the Stampin' Up! Clearance Rack. (You got yours, didn't you??) I was inspired by Elizabeth Kartchner's tee here.

Well, I've had this black tee for a while, and I felt it was time to spruce it up. I took a deep breath, and cut up a light gray knit shirt I had gotten on clearance a while back, then ran the fabric through my Big Shot several times (I used about half of the gray shirt) with the Flower Layers die. After cutting all of my pieces, I hand-sewed them onto my shirt. I actually washed my shirt too, after sewing, to see how it would look day-to-day.

Here is is...

I am quite proud of it, and I'm sure Seth knows it since I was pretty much happy-dancing around with it on. Haha!

Here's a closer view of the neckline:

LOVE IT!! ♥ :D

As you can see, I had sewn quite a few flowers on there, using the different sizes cut out with the die. Periodically as I was sewing, it helped to hold the shirt up and see how the flowers would hang. I also tried it on when I was almost done, to see if there were any gaps.

This was so fun, and it didn't even take me 2 hours from start to finish! I snagged a couple of other flower dies, and can't wait to embellish some more clothes! (If you have the Flower Folds Bigz XL die, that would work perfectly too.. I just don't have that one yet. :) )

Well, thanks for stopping by! Let me know if you find any good sales on some solid-color knit shirts! ;)

Sweet and Shabby Fabric card

2010-10-22T15:46:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!

I tried something new this week - ripping fabric! I tore a strip of our gorgeous Deck the Halls Designer Fabric... and I have to say, it felt almost liberating! LOL

Here's my card...

Wow! I love the impact of the big, shabby bow, don't you? And it was so easy to create! The strip was torn lengthwise along the fabric, and is approximately 1" wide. I folded my length of fabric in half, and actually snipped about 1" into both layers of the fabric ends, then held the layers together as I tore the strip. Hope that makes sense! I feel that helped me in trying to keep the width even throughout the strip. Then I just tied a nice, big bow and attached an Antique Brad to the center. I folded the ends of the bow in half and snipped at an angle to create a "V" shape, then roughed up the edges a little by pulling some fibers from the fabric.

I did a little bit of collage stamping for my focal piece, and stitched around the perimeter. (You can tell which stamp sets are my current favorites, right? Just checking!) And of course, I felt that the rhinestones added the perfect touch of bling! The embossing in the background stands out nicely with the help of Soft Suede ink sponged over it.

So there's another project created using the fabric for something other than Christmas! I tell you, I'm going to have to buy a few more packages of it... I'm scared to run out; it's so beautiful and versatile!

On another note... I have to share that I am the lucky winner of Donna's Funky Junk giveaway! YAY! I can't wait to put the items to use! Thank you again to Donna!

And thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Sweet and Shabby Fabric card supplies:
Stamps:  French Foliage, Notably Ornate, Artistic Etchings
Ink:  Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, and Soft Suede Classic ink
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla and Pink Pirouette cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Deck the Halls Designer Fabric, Antique Brad, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Cutter Kit, Stampin' Sponge, Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Folder, Big Shot, sewing machine and thread

Mini Notebook Cover with Designer Fabric

2010-10-15T19:35:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday!!

I started this project a few weeks ago, and then put it aside for a while. I finished it today!

I thought it would be cute to use Stampin' Up!'s beautiful new Designer Fabric to create a cover for a notebook. Well, I had some mini composition notebooks laying around that I found on clearance last year, so I created this...

I love how it turned out! I actually used the Deck the Halls Designer Fabric from the Holiday Mini Catalog... so as you can see, the fabric is more than just for the holidays! The mini notebook slides into the cover (like those old textbook covers you used to make out of paper bags for school), so it's replaceable when you fill up the notebook.

To start out, I measured and cut a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock to make a "folder". This just covers the outside of the notebook, leaving excess space around the edges to allow for the sewing. I attached some of the fabric to the front of the Crumb Cake cardstock using the Anywhere Glue Stick, then created a pocket on the inside to hold the notebook. I attached the Chantilly Crochet Trim, then sewed around the edges with my sewing machine (you can see a little blooper there on the bottom edge where my needle kind of skipped a little... oops! Hey, adds to the homemade look, right?). The edges of the fabric on the inside are finished, not left raw.

Here's the inside:

And here's the back, which I left pretty plain:

To create the tag, I first punched a piece of Naturals Ivory cardstock with the Decorative Label Punch (love this new punch!), then stamped the Music Notes wheel across twice with Crumb Cake ink. I then stamped "notes" in Early Espresso with the Sweet Shoppe Lowercase Alpha set (my new favorite alpha), and distressed the edges with Crumb Cake ink. Next, I adhered it to the front with Multipurpose Liquid Glue, and hand-sewed it to the front. Tip: It was so easy to create the straight line of holes with the Mat Pack and Paper Piercing Tool before sewing! I also hand-sewed the buttons.

Aren't those flowers sweet? They were created using the Floral Fusion Sizzlits die, and Always Artichoke and Early Espresso cardstock. I curled the edges to give them a little extra dimension. A gorgeous Antique Brad finished off the bigger flower. :)

And of course, I had to add one of my butterflies. They seemed like the perfect finishing touch!

Well, I have to go cook dinner. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a great weekend!

P.S. Don't forget that the Clearance Blitz ends on Monday, 10/18!

Mini Notebook Cover supplies:
Stamps:  Sweet Shoppe Lower Alpha
Ink:  Early Espresso, Always Artichoke and Crumb Cake
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Naturals Ivory, Always Artichoke, and Early Espresso cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Deck the Halls Designer Fabric, Linen Thread, Chantilly Crochet Trim, Music Notes wheel, Antique Brad, Neutrals Designer Brads, Beautiful Wings Embosslits die, Floral Fusion Sizzlits die, Decorative Label Punch, Big Shot, sewing machine and thread

Patience, grasshopper...

2010-10-14T23:49:00.000-04:00

So I scored a bunch of goodies from the Clearance Rack, and they were due to arrive today. Due to the influx of orders at SU!, it took a little extra time to ship... which was ok, I could wait. Then you know how anxious you get on the day you're expecting something really fun to arrive? So you can imagine me waiting, then finally seeing the message below. Aww... :(

10/14/2010	8:17 P.M.	THE PACKAGE WAS MISSED AT THE UPS FACILITY, UPS WILL DELIVER ON THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY
10/14/2010	6:23 A.M.	OUT FOR DELIVERY

Kind of weird to "forget" a package, eh? I just found it odd, but ah well, at least it's coming tomorrow . I can wait one more day! And I promise to have something awesome to show! :D

Til then... have a good night!

Eternal Perfect Love

2010-10-12T16:14:00.002-04:00

Hello!

I hope you have been having a great week so far!

Today's card uses this week's Mojo Monday sketch, and one of my favorite sentiments...

If you didn't know already, I simply ♥ this embossing folder, and you can get such a different look by doing what I did here - use the "debossed" side of the cardstock. And that sentiment... isn't it just lovely? I thought it deserved to be center-stage, with the beautiful flourish from the Elements of Style stamp set accenting it. (To lighten the stamped flourish, I inked up my stamp in More Mustard, then stamped onto scratch paper before stamping on my cardstock.)

Another thing I am really loving right now is the Music Notes wheel. Such a gorgeous accent on the left side there... can you tell I love how this card came out? LOL

My dear friend Barb asked how I go about making a card. Well, sometimes it is really just easier for me to start with a sketch... yes, I admit that sketches are your friend! Some people may believe that sketches are too stifling. Now see, this is where I think your creativity can really shine. As you work with a sketch, you may decide you want something in a different place, etc. Or, as I do very often, you can follow a sketch very literally. Sketches can be very time-saving (and sanity-saving, hehe)... I encourage you to give one a try!

Here are some of my favorite sketch websites:

Stamping 411
Mojo Monday
Stampin' Addicts sketch challenges
Pals Paper Arts (they switch between sketch, color and inspiration challenges)

Sometimes I also will convert a scrapbook page sketch into a card. PageMaps is a great sketch site that is updated monthly (Becky Fleck creates sketches for layouts as well as cards).

If you find yourself struggling with a color combo, I encourage you to check out one of my favorite challenge sites:

I know there are tons more, but these are ones that I try and keep tabs on, and feed into my Google Reader.

And sometimes I just go back and forth and change my color choices a lot while creating something. It even helps to just walk away sometimes (sorry, I use this word a lot, apparently!), and come back later with a fresh(er) eye. There are times when I, too, get a little frustrated with where my project is going, or just don't have any creative mojo. When this happens, I may surf blogs and galleries for inspiration, or just play with some new products.

I am by no means an expert, but I hope that helps somewhat. If not, feel free to ask more. :) I love to help!

Well, thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a great rest of the day!

Eternal Perfect Love card supplies:

Stamps: Elements of Style, Occasional Quotes (Level 3 hostess set)

Ink: More Mustard, VersaMark ink, Jet Black StazOn

Paper: Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Perfect Plum, and Very Vanilla cardstock, Love Letter Designer Series Paper

Accessories/Tools: Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Folder, Music Notes Wheel, Very Vanilla 1/2" Seam Binding, Crumb Cake Designer Buttons, Decorative Label Punch, Scallop Edge Border Punch, needle, sewing machine and black thread

October issue of Paper Crafters Sampler coming soon!

2010-10-07T23:58:00.003-04:00

Hi!

I just wanted to let you know that the October issue of Paper Crafters Sampler will be out on October 10th to all subscribers! (Available Oct. 11th for single-issue purchase.) It will be my first issue as a member of the design team, so I am excited!

(Remember to use my referral code if you subscribe -- PCSMH -- so they'll know I referred you! :) )

Here is a sneak peek!

Neighborhood Watch!

2010-10-06T20:06:00.001-04:00

Good evening!

Of course, I didn't get too much done at the scrapbook retreat I attended, but I did have fun! :) Lots of laughs, and lots of memories.

I had mailed a bunch of things over so that I wouldn't have to check in a bag. When packing my return box, of course I didn't think to set my most-used tools/supplies aside, and NOT pack them. LOL

Dear Lisa was kind enough to take my things to the post office/UPS (thank you Lisa!!), and I will have them soon enough! Yay! (Ever realize how much you use something when you don't have it? hehe)

Anyway, here's a page I finished at the retreat.. yes, journaling and all! Maybe that's why I can usually get more done at a crop.. I usually save the title and journaling (and sometimes embellishing) for doing at home.

These pictures were taken at our temporary apartment. We stayed in a 2-bedroom unit with a patio while our building (which is actually across the parking lot, and you can see it in the first photo) was being finished. Fluffy loved being able to watch people and cars go by the window on the patio door. She's so nosy!

Yes, she'll even see a dog or person all the way on the other side of the complex/neighborhood, and she will stop what she's doing and watch them. It's quite possibly for this reason that she does so well when we have to leave her at the vet for her comprehensive exam... there's so much going on in front of her and she's too busy watching to miss us! lol

Lots of die-cutting and punching on this one. The little shapes at the bottom were created using the 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch. After punching them out of the Sweet & Sour Specialty Designer Series Paper, I folded them in half, and kept them closed with Stampin' Dimensionals. I also attached them to the page with Dimensionals, and the white rick-rack (how do you really spell it, anyway? Not knowing kind of bothers me..) is threaded through them as well.

I created the journaling spot by first die-cutting a circle with the Circles #2 Originals die, then drew lines with Old Olive and Rose Red Stampin' Write markers. The scallop circle behind it is cut using the Scallop Circle #2 die, and embossed with the Elegant Bouquet Textured Impressions folder.

The journaling reads: "Fluffy loves to people-watch and observe the world around her. Our temporary apartment had a patio, and she absolutely adored sitting at the door!"

Here's a close-up picture of the journaling:

The rest of it you can probably figure out, but feel free and ask me about anything! Thanks for stopping by!

(By the way... you can get the Beachfront Ribbon Originals and the Loads of Letters chipboard pack on the Clearance Rack in my online store!)

Neighborhood Watch scrapbook page supplies (12x12):
Stamps:  Punch Potpourri
Ink:  VersaMark ink, Old Olive Craft Stampin' Pad
Paper:  Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Old Olive, Whisper White, and Chocolate Chip cardstock, Sweet & Sour Specialty Designer Series Paper, Urban Oasis Designer Series Paper (retired)
Accessories/Tools:  Beachfront Ribbon Originals (retired), On Board Loads of Letters (retired), Basic Black, Old Olive and Rose Red Stampin' Write Markers, Neutrals Designer Buttons, Basic Black Brads, Raven 1/2" Lace Trim, Paper Clip from Clips Assortment, Linen Thread, Elegant Bouquet Textured Impressions Folder, Stampin' Sponge, Scallop Circle #2 Bigz and Circles #2 Originals dies, and Full Heart, Scallop Edge, Word Window, and 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punches

Clearance Rack Blitz!

2010-10-05T12:53:00.000-04:00

Hello!

I just wanted to let you all know that Stampin' Up! is having a Clearance Rack Blitz from now through October 18th. They're adding over two hundred more discontinued items - some at up to 80% off - to help make room in the Distribution Center for new products!

To order from me, click on over to my website, http://melissahuie.stampinup.net, and click "SHOP NOW" in the upper right. The clearance rack link can be then found on the left! Happy shopping! :)

Exciting news!

2010-09-29T17:19:00.000-04:00

Hi!

Sorry to leave you hanging the other day!

Here's my news... Melanie has invited me to become part of the Paper Crafters Sampler design team!

Paper Crafters Sampler is an online publication featuring beautiful projects using Stampin' Up! products. There is a different theme each month, providing a wealth of timely ideas.

You can check out PCS and the design team on my sidebar. If you subscribe, be sure to use my code, which is PCSMH.. that way, they'll know I referred you! :) My first project will be featured in the October issue, titled "The Witching Hour".

Thinking of You pennants card

2010-09-28T16:50:00.002-04:00

Hello!

Do you ever create a card that makes you happy to look at it? Today's card would be an example of that for me! I hope that it makes the recipient feel the same way! :)

I pulled inspiration from Stampin' Celebration's challenge this week:

...and incorporated this week's Mojo Monday sketch into my card...

I loved the pennants in the Stampin' Celebration inspiration photo! They were very easy to create using the Modern Label Punch! I simply inserted my cardstock straight edge first, looking through the underside of the punch. I only inserted the cardstock a little more than 1/3 of the way in, and punched. I then folded a lip into the punch-out, about 1/8" in, and glued each one around the Linen Thread. I wanted to add a little texture, so I ran the whole thing through my Square Lattice Textured Impressions folder. I love how it turned out, and it's a great way to use up scraps!

After placing the butterfly with a mini glue dot, I thought it'd be really cute to create a path using some Linen Thread (which by the way, is one of those accessories I can't live without!). Just a couple of tiny dots of Crystal Effects keeps the loop perfectly in place!

I do have some exciting news that I will share soon! Thanks for stopping by!

Thinking of You pennant card supplies:
Stamps:  Thoughts & Prayers
Ink:  Soft Suede
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Whisper White, Marina Mist, Pink Pirouette, Pear Pizzazz, and Daffodil Delight cardstock, In Color Patterns Designer Series Paper (Level 1 hostess pack)
Accessories/Tools:  Modern Label Punch, Marina Mist 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Linen Thread, Beautiful Wings Embosslits die, Soft Suede and Pear Pizzazz Stampin' Write Markers, Crystal Effects, Neutrals Designer Buttons

Friend to friend silhouette card

2010-09-21T15:36:00.000-04:00

Hello!

I hope you had a great weekend!

Today I have a quick and easy card to show you. This week's Mojo Monday sketch is very clean and simple, yet could be dressed up if you wanted to do so. For my card, I also drew from ColourQ's challenge this week...

Repetition is very pleasing to the eye, so it's a great choice in designing a card. You can see that in my card here, I repeated the stamped image, as well as the small flowers below it. I am growing quite fond of sewing on paper... if you're a regular to my blog, I'm sure you already know that! :)

Well, I need to get going. Still have a lot to do with getting organized. Thanks for stopping by!

Friend to friend silhouette card supplies:
Stamps:  Pocket Silhouettes
Ink:  Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade and Old Olive
Paper:  Old Olive, So Saffron, Whisper White, Peach Parfait, and Poppy Parade cardstock, In Color Designer Series Paper (Level 1 hostess)
Accessories/Tools:  Trio Flower (retired), Scallop Trim Border, 1-1/4" Circle, and 1-3/8" Circle Punches, Old Olive 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Metallic Brads, sewing machine and thread

A very vintage "Just Because" card!

2010-09-17T16:48:00.002-04:00

Happy Friday!!

So... guess what?? I made a card!

Yes, that's right. I know it's been too long, and I apologize! There are various reasons for this, but I'll try and be a better blogger. :)

Well, I received some new Stampin' Up! goodies not too long ago, and I had been itching to make something with them! I had to find my stamping mojo though, so I went looking through some challenge blogs. This week's challenge from Stampin' Celebration prompted me to play, as it uses such a gorgeous color combo!

So much fun, eh? Let me tell you about all these awesome goodies!

The background was created using the Music Notes wheel and Early Espresso ink. Isn't that new wheel just gorgeous? It is one of my must-have items from the Idea Book & Catalog, and I was so happy when I got my little hands on it! Lining up the multiple images was a breeze with the Wheel Guide!

I stamped the beautiful image from the Notably Ornate stamp set (another must-have), cut it out, and distressed it (along with everything else on this card). I spritzed over different elements using the Color Spritzer and the Basic Black Stampin' Write marker, and when the card was all finished, I sprayed the front all over with lots of Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz. It's so beautifully sparkly in real life. :)

The new Raven Lace Trim from the new Holiday Mini Catalog looks just gorgeous layered over the satin ribbon. I created the pleating effect using Mini Glue Dots (one of my favorite ways to add interest to ribbon)... I just love how it turned out with the lace!

See that pretty flower? I made that using the new waffle paper! It was so easy to create! I simply punched out a few flowers using the Fancy Flower XL punch and layered them slightly off from each other (not lining them up), scrunching them up a little. Next, I punched out a scalloped circle from the Newsprint Designer Series Paper (one of my favorite packs!), sprayed it with water on both sides to loosen the fibers, and crumpled it up. I then layered it on top of the waffle paper flowers and punched a hole in the middle. The Antique Brad just works so wonderfully as a flower center... don't you think?

Tip:  When punching the waffle paper, be sure to first layer some cardstock underneath, and punch through both layers. I like to use either Whisper White or Very Vanilla. This ensures that you have a nice, clean cut through your waffle paper!

Ok, gotta run! I need to start packing and organizing my stuff for the retreat I'm going to later this month. Thanks for stopping by!

"Just Because" vintage card supplies:
Stamps:  Notably Ornate
Ink:  Early Espresso
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Pink Pirouette and Very Vanilla cardstock, Newsprint Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Music Notes Wheel, Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz, Color Spritzer, Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker, Stampin' Sponge, 1-3/8" Scallop Circle and Fancy Flower Punches, Raven Lace Trim and Very Vanilla 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Antique Brad, Waffle Paper Assortment #2

The Holiday Mini Catalog is here!

2010-09-01T13:33:00.000-04:00

And it's just filled with all sorts of crafty goodness! I can't wait to get my first shipment from this catalog (hopefully next week!)... want to see it? Of course you do! :)

Click here to see the catalog PDF!

If you are in need of a Holiday Mini catalog, please let me know. I'd love to send you one!

Fluffy & bedtime

2010-08-30T19:03:00.001-04:00

Hello!

I hope you had a good weekend!

Fluffy, as you probably know, is our baby. She sleeps on our bed with us. I never tire of displays of her intelligence! She knows what "goodnight" and "time to go to sleep" means - she'll run into the bedroom and wait for us to put her on the bed, usually standing on her hind legs and putting her paws up on the side of it. Well, these pictures on this scrapbook page just show that, from our point of view. She gets "mad" if we don't get her up on the bed when she wants to come up. The poor little thing is too short to climb the bed herself - we have a bed rail, then a thick box spring, then a thick mattress with a pillow-top. So you can imagine how high it is!

We've tried to get her to run and jump onto the bed, but to no avail. She actually surprised us one day by getting up there, but she had a lot of motivation, I guess, from us holding her toy hostage on the bed. :)

The journaling reads: "It's no real surprise that Fluffy sleeps with us on our bed at night. When we tell her it's time to go to sleep, she'll run into the bedroom after us and wait to be put on the bed. If we don't do so right away, she'll put her paws up on the side of the bed and even growl to make sure we don't forget her!"

Hope the photo looks ok. Since I've adjusted my blog design, I'm able to put a larger picture on here. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Bedtime scrapbook page supplies:
Ink:  Chocolate Chip Craft Stampin' Pad
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, and Tangerine Tango cardstock, Haiku Designer Series Paper and The Write Stuff Specialty Designer Series Paper (both retired)
Accessories/Tools:  Loads of Letters On Board Chipboard (retired), Chocolate Chip 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Linen Thread, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Beautiful Wings Embosslits die, Little Leaves Sizzlits die, Birds & Blooms Sizzlits, Metallic Brads, Circle Designer Brads (retired), sewing machine and thread, and Eyelet Border, 1" Circle and 3/4" Circle Punches, Sponge Dauber

SU! Clearance Rack updated!

2010-08-27T23:44:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone!

Stampin' Up!'s Clearance Rack has been updated! You won't want to miss these fabulous deals, like packages of retired cardstock for $2.49! They also added a Simply Scrappin' Kit for only $7.99, which I have and love. It's definitely a steal at this price!

Check out all the deals! Simply click on over to my website, and click "Shop Now" in the upper right. Then click on "Clearance Rack" on the left side!

Have a great weekend!

Hey Buh-dy! scrapbook page

2010-08-21T15:41:00.000-04:00

Happy Saturday!

Friends of Seth's brother have a daughter named Zailee. We've known her all her life, and she's always been so adorable and such a joy to be around. She's 2-1/2, and we had the pleasure of seeing her when we went back to VA last month. She wanted me to take her picture numerous times, asking after each photo, "can I please see it?" I'd tell her how cute the photo is, and she'd reply, "yes, it sure is!"

Zailee just adored our Shih Tzu, Fluffy. She spent as much time as she could around her, petting and hugging her and saying "hey buh-dy" and "hey puppy-dog". I couldn't wait to scrapbook these photos. :) The larger photo is the result of me saying "smile!" and the second one is of her giving Fluffy a hug. I used a sketch from August's PageMaps, and colors inspired by this top at Anthropologie:

Sigh, another article of clothing from that store to add to my long wish list. ;) Anyway, here's my page...

The journaling reads: "Adam and Whitney's daughter Zailee is so adorable. She loves posing for pictures and just adores Fluffy - calling her "buh-dy" ("buddy") & "puppy-dog". So cute!"

So there's my favorite Presto Patterns Specialty DSP again, using the toile piece. I brayered Early Espresso over it, then spritzed it with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz to give it some sparkle. I created my pleating to separate the panels by first breaking down the fibers a little in a strip of Poppy Parade (actually two strips to make it long enough), then folding it into pleats. I then sewed down with my sewing machine. I also sewed around the white cardstock, and did some hand-stitching on the buttons. The Presto Patterns DSP also shows up on both of the flowers, colored with Cherry Cobbler and Poppy Parade. Tip:  I don't have the Poppy Parade ink pad yet, but the brush tip on the marker worked just great at coloring that DSP!

The flowers add a nice bit of texture. I punched out three pieces of paper for each one, using cardstock and Presto Patterns DSP. Each layer was crumpled, folded and inked with Early Espresso. I used a Stampin' Sponge and Early Espresso ink to color some Crumb Cake Corduroy Brads. And BTW, the Early Espresso cardstock behind the photo was stamped with the single stamp Dot, Dot, Dot in Early Espresso.

One more story about Zailee - she has a new baby brother, who is named after their father Adam. She calls him "Baby Adam". Seth's mom, Gina, asked her what her mommy brought back from the hospital, and she replied, "Baby Adam". Gina asked her then if she wanted baby Adam to stay, or if she wanted him to go back to the hospital. Zailee said she wanted him to stay, and that she loved him. Aww. ♥

Well, have a fabulous day, and thanks for stopping by!

hey buh-dy! scrapbook page supplies (12x12):
Stamps:  Dot, Dot, Dot
Ink:  Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler
Paper:  Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizazz, Poppy Parade, and Cherry Cobbler cardstock, Whisper White textured cardstock, Presto Patterns Specialty Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Sweet Pea Stitched Felt (retired), Whisper White buttons (retired), Crumb Cake Corduroy Brads (retired), Loads of Letters On Board Chipboard (retired), Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz, Poppy Parade Stampin' Write Marker, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Stampin' Sponges, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border and Fancy Flower XL Punches, sewing machine and thread

Coneflower Thank You card

2010-08-18T16:03:00.000-04:00

Hello!

I decided to play with my Color Coach again, and picked the combination of Old Olive, Not Quite Navy and Cajun Craze. So this qualifies me again for Shelli's Color Combo challenge! :) I used Stamping 411's sketch challenge this week as well.

After stamping the coneflowers, I masked them with scratch paper and stamped the grass. I love how it turned out!

Ok, I have to run again. :) Thanks for stopping by!

Thank You card supplies:
Stamps:  Inspired by Nature, Occasional Quotes
Ink:  Old Olive, Not Quite Navy and Cajun Craze
Paper:  Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze, and Whisper White cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Folder, Old Olive 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Filigree Designer Brads, Sponge Daubers, and Eyelet Border, Scallop Oval, and Large Oval Punches

Artistic Thanks card

2010-08-17T16:23:00.000-04:00

Hello!

One of my favorite tools from the new Idea Book & Catalog is the Color Coach! Besides giving you an accurate swatch of each Stampin' Up! color, you also have dozens of different color combinations at your fingertips, listed on the backs of the cards.

Shelli Gardner's Creative Challenge this month was to use one of the color combinations from the Color Coach. I don't normally use pink and blue together, so I was up to the challenge given by the combination of Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze, and Early Espresso. I encourage you to play along! :)

Anyway, here's my card...

Yes, Artistic Etchings is definitely one of my favorite stamp sets! Here I have used it with a technique that involves using clear blocks to stamp. I believe the technique first originated from Sharon Field (at least, that's where I first read about it, on her blog).

Well, I have to run, but thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a fabulous day!

Artistic Thanks card supplies:
Stamps:  Artistic Etchings, Sweet Shoppe Lower Alphabet
Ink:  Early Espresso, Pink Pirouette and Baja Breeze Classic
Paper:  Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso and Very Vanilla cardstock, Newsprint Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Metallic Brads, Mini Library Clip, Very Vanilla 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Clear Block "A", Mat Pack, Paper Piercing Tool, Stampin' Sponges

Inspired Stitched Florals card

2010-08-11T14:38:00.001-04:00

Hello!

For the card I have to share today, I was inspired by this gorgeous cardigan from Anthropologie:

Isn't it pretty? I love the fun look and feel of it! On my card, I tried to replicate the flower outlines with stamping and stitching...

I also used Stamping 411's sketch this week. I think it fit perfectly with what I wanted to do with the card!

Well, I have to run. Thanks for stopping by!

Card supplies:
Stamps:  Petal Pizzazz, Fifth Avenue Floral
Ink:  Cameo Coral (retired), Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight, and Basic Black
Paper:  Basic Black, Whisper White and Sahara Sand cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Tempting Turquoise 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon (retired), Filigree Designer brads, Basic Black Brads (Neutrals), 1/2" Circle, Scallop Circle and Fancy Flower Punches, sewing machine and thread

A Giving Life card

2010-08-06T10:31:00.000-04:00

Good morning!

It's been a while since I've played along with a creative challenge! I created this card using Mojo Monday's sketch this week:

I added a lot of color to the Presto Patterns Specialty Designer Series Paper using the brayer and Regal Rose Classic ink, then sponged with Early Espresso to soften it. The center of the large flower has Presto Patterns DSP brayered with Old Olive, made into a brad with the Pewter Build-a-Brad kit.

The pink flowers were stamped using the rock and roll technique - first I inked up the stamp in Regal Rose, then I rolled the edges of the stamp into Early Espresso. I also sponged a little bit of Early Espresso to soften the white edges I left from cutting out the flowers. To make it easier to see the sentiment, I stamped off once (stamped on scratch paper, then stamped on my cardstock without re-inking). I actually stamped the sentiment twice with Early Espresso to make it dark enough.. although you can't tell, right? That's the beauty of the Stamp-a-ma-jig.. just don't move it and you can easily and cleanly stamp an image or sentiment more than once! :)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous day!

A Giving Life card supplies:
Stamps:  Medallion, Vintage Vogue and Occasional Quotes (Level 3 Hostess set)
Ink:  Old Olive, Regal Rose and Early Espresso
Paper:  Soft Suede textured cardstock, Naturals White, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, and Whisper White cardstock, Presto Patterns Specialty Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Linen Thread, Old Olive 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Pewter Build-a-Brad, Metallic Brads, Corner Rounder and Eyelet Border Punches, Brayer, Stampin' Sponges

Circle journal - favorite thoughts

2010-08-05T11:29:00.001-04:00

Good morning!

Here's the last layout I completed for the circle journal, for Jean...

See, I wasn't kidding when I said these ladies would notice when I learned that sewing on paper was so easy! Haha!

Here are 4 of my favorite thoughts, in no particular order, and some words about them:

"To love what we do and share what we love, as we help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments... in this we make a difference!" ~ Stampin' Up!'s Statement of the Heart

I try to share what I love whenever I can. To me, this is not JUST about stamping (although I DO love stamping!).. I think you should always share what you love, whatever it is! It's awesome to be able to share a part of yourselves with someone, even if it's not always easy. And I do believe that sharing your passion makes a difference, somewhere down the line. :)

"Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable." ~ Bruce Lee

I absolutely love this quote. I used it on a project quite a few years ago (that I'm still working on), and this is actually how I feel about my relationship with Seth. ♥

"A woman is like a tea bag- you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Like I wrote in my CJ layout shown a few days ago (Jenn's), I believe that women are very strong. This is a quote that I have always loved, since before I can remember, and I was thrilled to see that SU! came out with a stamp set with this quote (Favorite Thoughts, in the Summer Mini).

"In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." ~ The Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy

Now this... this has struck quite a chord with me, and I really do think of this one every day. It is also from this Law that the earth-friendly company Seventh Generation (one of my absolute favorites) derives its name. This explains why I try to live "green" every day.. why I eat organics whenever I can, why I eat local products, why I use ONLY earth-friendly cleaners.. and so on. I guess it's my personal philosophy? I won't bore you with the details here, but feel free to ask me. :)

The picture above Stampin' Up!'s Statement of the Heart is of me, my mom, and Shelli Gardner, who is the co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up!. I was tickled to meet her and have my picture taken with her at a regional seminar in Virginia Beach a couple of years ago, especially since I wasn't able to at Convention prior to that. (My mom was my "guest" at the regional.) She's such an inspiring person, through and through! If you didn't know, she has a blog called So Shelli, which she updates regularly about her family life and SU! life. She also has a Creative Challenge every month or so (using SU! stuff).. you should take the time to enter, as you can win free stamp sets! :)

Anyway, the other picture is one that gives me such a profound feeling, whenever I look at it. It was taken when we were at Maymont Park a couple of years ago, in the winter. I felt it went perfectly with the quote above.

Here's my sign-in tag for Jean's CJ:

Lots of sewing here too, to coordinate with my layout. Hope you like it all, Jean!

Circle journal layout supplies:
Stamps:  Taffy Alphabet (retired), Vintage Vogue
Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, Old Olive, and Tempting Turquoise
Paper:  Naturals White, Kraft and Whisper White cardstock, Vellum Cardstock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper (retired), Delicate Dots Designer Series Paper (retired)
Accessories/Tools:  Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Metallic Brads, Scallop Edge Border and Small Heart Punches, sewing machine and thread, and Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, and Clear Buttons (retired)

Sign-in tag supplies:

Paper: Naturals White and Early Espresso cardstock, Vellum Cardstock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper (retired)

Accessories/Tools: Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Scallop Edge Border, Spiral and Small Heart Punches, sewing machine and thread

Circle journal - what I miss when away from home

2010-08-03T12:01:00.000-04:00

Good morning!

Here is my next layout created for the circle journal. This one is for Lisa, who wanted to know what we missed when away from home. I tried to use lots of color for Lisa!

What do you think? I used a little inspiration from a sketch on PageMaps, as I was feeling a bit burnt out! I know how much Lisa loves those butterflies, so of course I had to use them. :)

To create the Crumb Cake (that name always makes me hungry) layer, I used the "negative" from the butterfly die-cut, sponging Crumb Cake ink into it like a stencil. That gave me great images of the butterflies, almost as if I had stamped them! I also stamped the flower vine from Vintage Vogue in Crumb Cake.

A bit of stitching on here too, as you can see. Even hand-stitched the buttons on at the bottom!

So when I'm away from home, I'm always missing:
1. Seth - when I was at the beach with my family, we talked over video chat almost every night
2. Fluffy - she's like my child, so I'm sure those of you with children (or furbabies too) can relate! :)
3. my own bed - nothing like relaxing in the comfort of your own!
4. home-cooked food - I guess I end up eating out a lot when away from home. To me though, there's just nothing like a good home-cooked meal. (I know the picture is of food not really "cooked", but it was of a recent meal of smoked mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and yummy homemade garlic bread.. hey, that's cooked! lol)

Here's my sign-in tag for Lisa (sorry, it's a little blurry for some reason):

Hope you like it all, Lisa! :)

Circle journal layout supplies:
Stamps:  Jumbo Outline Alphabet and Good Neighbors (both retired), Vintage Vogue
Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Rich Razzleberry and Crumb Cake, VersaMark ink
Paper:  Peach Parfait, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz, and Chocolate Chip cardstock, Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Beautiful Wings Embosslits die, Little Leaves Sizzlits die, Metallic Brads, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White buttons (retired), Spiral and Scallop Trim Border Punches, Stampin' Sponges, Chocolate Chip 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, sewing machine and thread

Sign-in tag supplies:

Stamps: Sentimental Journey

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso

Paper: Early Espresso and Naturals White cardstock

Accessories/Tools: Crop-a-dile, Marina Mist 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Metallic Brad, Word Window and 1" Circle Punches, Cutter Kit, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journalier, sewing machine and thread

Circle journal - I love being a woman!

2010-08-02T15:45:00.001-04:00

Hello!

I hope you had a great weekend! Seth and I drove over to our hometown for the weekend with Fluffy, so we were visiting with family. We just returned very early this morning, so I've had a late start to my day! :)

Last week, I had finally finished my circle journal layouts. Lisa should have them today! (So sorry for the delay, Miss Lisa!)

Here's Jenn's, whose topic was 5 reasons why I love being a woman...

I had a lot of fun making this page! I love the way the elements are arranged, and making that double eyelet border was very easy. The black lettering on the background was printed through Microsoft Word directly onto the Naturals White cardstock. You will notice on these last 3 layouts, that this is the period when Melissa discovered how easy it is to sew on paper. LOL

My five reasons..
1. Being able to multi-task! This is one of my personal strong points, and I will quietly say that Seth has often admired me being able to do this. :)
2. Shopping for & wearing pretty things - I snapped the photo at Target, of one of their jewelry displays. I love jewelry, although I don't own as many pieces as I'd like. I suppose I have trouble spending a lot of money on them, especially "costume" jewelry. I have been meaning to use this jewelry display as inspiration for Simply Adorned pieces.
3. Being strong! I feel that women are very strong and are able to endure a lot.
4. I'm not expected to know a lot about sports (you know, like professional sports teams, etc). Kind of a stereotypical thing, I know, but I'm glad that I don't have to remember all of the pro sports players and how good of a player they are, and so on! The picture on the LO was of the football stadium at the University of Tennessee. It was our first UT game, and there were close to 100,000 people in attendance!
5. I'm looking forward to becoming a mother! That's an experience that I am sure is like none other.

Jenn asked us to make a feminine accessory item for our sign-in tag, such as a purse or compact. I had so much fun making this little purse! Here's the outside:

I took a piece of Early Espresso cardstock, scored it, and covered one side with VersaMark ink. I then covered it with Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, and used my paper piercing tool to draw wavy lines in both directions. Then I heated it, and voilà! A faux alligator purse. :) You can tuck the purse flap into the Filigree Designer brad to hold it in place.

Here's the inside:

Hope you like them, Jenn!

Circle journal layout supplies:
Stamps:  Watercolor Trio
Ink:  Baja Breeze
Paper:  Naturals White, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, and Baja Breeze cardstock, Bella Rose Designer Series Paper (retired)
Accessories/Tools:  Chocolate Chip and Old Olive buttons (retired), Chocolate Chip 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (retired), Filigree Designer Brads, Linen Thread, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, 1" Circle, Small Heart and Eyelet Border Punches, Cutter Kit, sewing machine and thread

Sign-in purse tag supplies:

Ink: VersaMark ink

Paper: Naturals White and Early Espresso cardstock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper pad (retired)

Accessories/Tools: Marina Mist 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Filigree Designer Brads, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Small Heart and Eyelet Border Punches, Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, Paper Piercing Tool, sewing machine and thread

Upcoming New Catalog Mega Blog Hop!

2010-07-27T14:09:00.000-04:00

Hi there!

I just wanted to bring your attention to an upcoming blog hop! This hop will feature over 25 talented stampers and products from the new Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog. The hop officially begins at 12PM EST on Friday, July 30th, and run through August 1st. Check out this post on Stampin' Addicts, which lists the bloggers!

I won't be participating this time, as I've had quite a bit on my plate the last month or so. I can't wait to check out the projects! I'm sure I'll be adding to my wish list.. :)

Have a fabulous day!

Floral Love card

2010-07-23T16:16:00.000-04:00

Hello!

I hope you have been having nice weather where you are. It's a bit humid here, but that's ok with me, as the sun is shining and it just looks so pretty outside.

So about a couple of Wednesdays a month, I have been cropping at a local scrapbook store with a small group of lovely ladies. The store charges $5 for you to come and use their space and supplies, and you also get free drinks and chocolate. I try not to bring too much stuff, as it always takes me forever to finish something anyway. I like to think it's because I'm so detail-oriented. Others may just call me slow. LOL

Anyway, here's one of the cards I made:

River Rock was one of my favorite colors the year it was an In Color. I'm so glad it's back!

I stamped the vines from Vintage Vogue in VersaMark on River Rock, and layered flowers from the set that I stamped and cut out. I love, love, love this quote from the Occasional Quotes Level 3 hostess set. Really, I adore all of the sentiments in that set!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Floral Love card supplies:
Stamps:  Vintage Vogue, Occasional Quotes
Ink:  Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler and Marina Mist Classic Stampin' Pads, VersaMark ink
Paper:  Naturals White, River Rock and Whisper White cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Pewter Jumbo Eyelets, Pewter Brads, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Square Lattice Textured Impressions Folder, Marina Mist 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Big Shot, sewing machine and thread

Hello, Paris!

2010-07-22T11:22:00.000-04:00

Good morning! No, I'm not in Paris... I only wish! :)

Sorry it's been a while! I was out of town all last week, and am still getting everything situated. Since we've decided to stay at our apartment for another year, we've also decided to paint some rooms. We're painting at least our bedroom. I'd love to paint my craft room, but Seth says that'll be too hard with all of my stuff in here, LOL. I'm still thinking about it.. any suggestions for craft room colors??

Well, I do have a card to show you. I've had a bit of a dry spell this summer. I need to order some new goodies from the catalog to pump me up! :D

As you can see, the Artistic Etchings set is one of my favorites! I love the pairing of the new Sweet Shoppe Alphabet with this set. And don't you think that the medallion makes a fabulous sun?

Well, I must get going on some things around the house and organizing. Thanks for stopping by!

Hello Paris card supplies:
Stamps:  Artistic Etchings and Sweet Shoppe Lowercase Alpha
Ink:  Early Espresso, Marina Mist and Daffodil Delight
Paper:  Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, and Very Vanilla cardstock, Newsprint Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Soft Suede 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (retired), Scallop Edge Punch, Mini Library Clip

Vintage Collage card

2010-07-09T12:10:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!!

Today I wanted to share a card I created using a collage-type of look. I used one of my new favorite stamp sets again, Artistic Etchings...

First, I sponged Baja Breeze Classic ink all over the lattice piece from the Presto Patterns Designer Series Paper pack, then punched the Scallop Trim Border. I then stamped various images from the stamp set in Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso and Baja Breeze (the medallion in the upper left was stamped after "stamping off" on scratch paper). Next, I rubbed off excess ink with a paper towel to reveal the paper design, and inked the edges with Early Espresso. I added a little tag on the side as well. The Eiffel Tower was stamped in Early Espresso on Crumb Cake cardstock, cut out, and adhered over the Marina Mist 1/8" taffeta ribbon. My Cherry Cobbler card base was inserted about 1/3 of the way into the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions folder, and finished off with a strip of Newsprint Designer Series Paper.

Well, that's all I have for now! I'm working on the rest of my circle journal layouts, so I should have those up sometime soon before I send them off to Lisa!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!

Vintage Collage card supplies:
Stamps: Artistic Etchings
Ink:  Baja Breeze, Early Espresso and Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pads
Paper:  Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla and Crumb Cake cardstock, Presto Patterns Specialty Designer Series Paper, Newsprint Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Marina Mist 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions folder, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Stampin' Sponges, Metallic Brads, Big Shot

Hydrangea Thank You card

2010-07-06T19:19:00.000-04:00

Hello! I hope you had a great weekend!

Here's a card that I made, using Mojo Monday's sketch this week...

I just love this new stamp from the new Idea Book & Catalog. So pretty! It makes me want to buy some hydrangeas for my room, but I'm not sure they'd last too long indoors.

Anyway, so I tried out stitching on paper for the first time! I think it turned out pretty nicely. I was tickled pink when I tried it and it worked, and couldn't help admiring it. LOL.. you can relate... right??

I watercolored the hydrangea petals using Poppy Parade, one of SU!'s new In Colors. It's such a pretty red! I don't have the ink pads yet, just the markers that I pre-ordered last month, but watercoloring is a breeze with markers! Simply scribble with the brush end onto something like a plastic clamshell stamp case, then pick up the color using an Aqua Painter or Blender Pen. I did the same with Pear Pizzazz (another new In Color) on the stem and leaves. After I had a base color, I went back in and added shading by directly coloring on the image with the markers.

I removed the rhinestone from a Clear Rhinestone Brad to add a nice accent onto the tag. I can't wait to get the new Rhinestone (and Pearl, by the way) Accents in the new catalog! My wishlist is definitely a mile long.. whew! :)

Well, gotta run! Thanks for stopping by, and have a fabulous rest of the evening!

Hydrangea Thank You card supplies:
Stamps:  Because I Care
Ink:  Jet Black StazOn, Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad, VersaMark ink
Paper:  Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait, and Poppy Parade cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Soft Suede 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (retired), Poppy Parade, Pear Pizzazz and Peach Parfait Stampin' Write Markers, Blender Pen, Curly Label Punch, Cutter Kit, Ovals Originals die, Square Lattice Textured Impressions folder, Big Shot, sewing machine and thread

It's here!!

2010-07-01T20:19:00.001-04:00

The long-awaited 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog is here! You can click here, the photo above, or on the sidebar to see the online version. And check out the Stampin' Supplies here.

If you would like a paper copy of the catalog, please email me at melissahuie@gmail.com. I am selling them at only $5 each, plus shipping - a $9.95 value! With your copy of the Idea Book & Catalog, you can also receive a free Summer Mini and 2010-2011 Definitely Decorative Catalog (if you need them). If you live in the Knoxville, TN area and would like a catalog, I can certainly hand-deliver it to you to save on shipping! (Contact me to earn one of those gorgeous new hostess sets while you're at it!)

Speaking of the 2010-2011 Definitely Decorative Catalog - that's now available as well! Click here to view the catalog, and click here to see the supply list!

If you're looking to update your collection of colors, Stampin' Up! has put together a few kits to help you do so! Click here to see the "retrofit" kits!

One more thing.. I have decided to part with some of my retiring stamp sets, ink pads, and a couple of other items. Check out the tab above!

Have a wonderful evening!

Last Chance!

2010-06-30T18:18:00.000-04:00

Don't forget that today is the last day to order from the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog.. you have until 11:50 PM Mountain Time! There are hundreds of items retiring at the end of today. For the most up-to-date list, please visit my Stampin' Up! site here.

If you would like to purchase a 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog at a special rate, please let me know!

Circle journal - 3 things I love about summer

2010-06-26T19:01:00.001-04:00

Hello! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

I finally have Jessica's circle journal layout done. I had this 90% done for a couple of months! Can you believe... I really don't know why it took me so long, but oh well. Sorry!

It took me a little while too to figure out what I loved about summer. I am not a big fan of the sweltering summer heat and humidity! I do enjoy going to the beach, especially to watch the sun set.. going to the farmers' market and getting fresh, local produce.. and growing my own veggies!

The strawberries we had bought from a local farmer a few weeks ago. If you've never had fresh, local strawberries that were picked when fully ripened.. you're missing out! There's a lot I could say on the subject, but let's just leave it at that. :) The picture of the tomatoes was taken last summer.. these were some of the first ripening tomatoes in our garden at Seth's parents' house. I'm missing this so much!

The other pictures are from when we went to Nags' Head a couple of summers ago. It was Fluffy's first time at the beach! She was scared of the ocean, and was just content sitting in the sand in the shade. :)

Like my palm tree? I roughly drew the tree trunk on a piece of cardboard from a box, then cut it out and pulled off one of the layers. Then I just inked it up and freehand drew some leaves and cut those out as well. I snipped into the leaves a little to make them more realistic. I think it turned out nicely!

The title letters I simply cut using the Simple Letters Bigz dies and chipboard, then covered with Whisper White Craft ink, embossing with White Stampin' Emboss powder. I created the "sand" by first using the freehand rotary blade in SU!'s Cutter Kit, then roughed up the edges with the distressing tool from the same kit. I then spritzed some Chocolate Chip ink onto it, then sprayed this and the letters with Gold Glow Smooch Spritz. I stamped "things i love..." from the Things I Love stamp set with Crumb Cake ink (new in the new catalog!), and I love how it almost looks like it was drawn in the sand.. if you can draw letters that perfectly. LOL

Here's my sign-in tag.. nothing really special I guess!

I'm in the homestretch for the CJ layouts. I think I have just three more to do - Jenn's, Lisa's, and Jean's!

Hope you like it, Jessica!

Circle journal layout supplies:
Stamps:  Things I Love
Ink:  Chocolate Chip and Crumb Cake (Kraft) Classic Stampin' Pads, Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad
Paper:  Bashful Blue, Crumb Cake (Kraft), Whisper White, Old Olive, and Chocolate Chip cardstock, The Write Stuff Specialty Designer Series Paper (journaling tag)
Accessories/Tools:  Button Latte, Crushed Curry 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Circle Designer Brad, Mini Library Clip, Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker, Color Spritzer, Gold Glow Smooch Spritz, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Eastern Elegance Rub-ons (retired), White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Stampin' Sponge

Circle journal tag supplies:

Stamps: Tart & Tangy

Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pad

Paper: Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Chip cardstock, Summer Picnic Designer Series Paper (retired)

Accessories/Tools: Real Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Old Olive 1/2" Library Clip, Old Olive and Real Red Stampin' Write Markers, Vintage Brad, Stampin' Sponge, and Scallop Edge, Word Window, 1-3/8" Circle, and Scallop Circle Punches

Because I Care Hearts card

2010-06-23T15:18:00.001-04:00

Hello!

I hope you have been enjoying your week so far! Seth's parents may be driving down tomorrow and staying through the weekend. If they do end up coming, I may not get much time to craft at all. :)

Anyway, I created today's card for the Memory Makers forum color challenge this week. Here are the colors, found on a pretty hair clip from Anthropologie:

And here's my card...

I loved the black and white striped "petal" on the hair clip, and decided to duplicate it on my card. To create this, I cut thin strips of Whisper White, and adhered it to a piece of Basic Black cardstock. I then punched out a heart using the Full Heart punch. The little ruffles at the bottom were just layers of scallop-punched cardstock, and the sentiment is from a new stamp set in the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog, called Because I Care.

By the way... the base green cardstock is a new In Color for this coming catalog, called Pear Pizzazz. Isn't that name cute? I love greens, and this one is so yummy! Makes me crave a fresh, juicy pear!

Well, thanks for stopping by! I need to get the apartment cleaned up!

Because I Care Hearts card:
Stamps:  I {Heart} Hearts, Because I Care
Ink:  Kiwi Kiss (retired) and Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad
Paper:  Pear Pizzazz, Basic Black, Pacific Point, and Whisper White cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Whisper White 1/2" Library Clip, Kiwi Kiss Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (retired), Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder, and Full Heart, Scallop Edge, Scallop Oval, and Large Oval Punches

Vintage Amour card

2010-06-19T11:45:00.000-04:00

Happy Saturday!

Yes, that's right, another card using the Artistic Etchings stamp set! I love French culture and architecture, as well as the language. I studied French for 5 years in school, and seriously considered double-majoring in French and Biology. Anyway, so I just about flipped when I saw this stamp set, and had to have it!

This card just evokes a sense of Parisian elegance and style for me, maybe even Victorian. You're also getting a sneak peek at the new Newsprint Designer Series Paper in the background! I adore this new paper pack, and I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot more of it here. ;) You've seen the Eiffel Tower and "amour" stamp before, and the decorative accent along the blue strip is also from the set. So pretty! (I also love that Baja Breeze is coming back as a core color!)

Hope you have a fantastic weekend! Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there.

Vintage Amour card supplies:
Stamps:  Artistic Etchings
Ink:  Always Artichoke, Rose Red and Early Espresso
Paper:  Early Espresso, Very Vanilla and Always Artichoke cardstock, Basic Gray and Baja Breeze textured cardstock, Newsprint Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Very Vanilla 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Clear Rhinestone Brads, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Stampin' Sponge

Chocolate Orange Amour!

2010-06-18T13:35:00.000-04:00

Haha! I always have so much trouble coming up with names for my cards. I've been hosting color inspiration challenges over at the Memory Makers forum, and this past week our challenge consisted of the following colors:

Pretty, right? I don't know if you've ever had chocolate and orange flavors together, but I love 'em myself! And ohh, guess what? I was pleasantly surprised to see that the MM forum site owners chose to feature my color challenge in the newsletter! How awesome is that?

Well enough rambling from me! Here's my card...

I really wanted to use my pre-order goodies from the new Idea Book & Catalog. I had made another card using this set during my crop earlier this week, but I'll have to show you that later. :)

How scrumptious is that embossing folder? Love it!!

Chocolate Orange Amour:
Stamps:  Artistic Etchings
Ink:  Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pad
Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Basic Gray, Dusty Durango, and Whisper White cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Curly Label and Scallop Trim Border Punches, Basic Gray Corduroy Brads, Dusty Durango 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Folder, Signo White Gel Pen, Big Shot

cherish scrapbook page

2010-06-17T14:38:00.001-04:00

Hello!

I created this layout yesterday and finished it up today. It uses Arielle's gorgeous colourQ challenge this week, and a sketch from PageMaps. I love how it turned out!

I plan to make this into a 2-page layout, as I have a bunch of pictures I wanted to include here. I added a lot to this page, yet I feel the white background really balances everything.

Journaling reads: "Fluffy always sleeps in our bed with us. Whenever we tell her 'it's time to go to sleep,' she runs into the bedroom and puts her paws up on the side of the bed, waiting to be placed on top. Too precious!"

Well, I have to make this short, as I have a lot of things to get done. Hope you have a wonderful day!

cherish 12" x 12" scrapbook layout supplies:
Stamps:  Simply Said
Ink:  Jet Black StazOn, Cameo Coral and Ruby Red Classic Stampin' Pads
Paper:  Whisper White, Ruby Red and Cameo Coral textured cardstock, Always Artichoke and Apricot Appeal cardstock, Walk in the Park Designer Series Paper (retired), The Write Stuff Specialty Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Ruby Red buttons (retired), Linen Thread, Always Artichoke 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Cherished Memories Rub-ons (retired), Aqua Painter, Round Tab and Eyelet Border Punches, Beautiful Wings Embosslits die, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Vintage Brads, Paper Piercing Tool, Big Shot

Western Father's Day card

2010-06-16T21:12:00.000-04:00

Hello!

I feel lucky because I got to get together with a couple ladies and crop again today! I always get distracted when I'm trying to craft at home. The only problem with scrapping away from home, though, is that I always manage to forget something. ;) I try to limit myself to just my carry tote (which can fit A LOT, I might add).. especially since my rolling tote broke! Anyhoo, I had a lot of fun, and got a few things done.

I hope my Dad likes his Father's Day card! He might think I'm a little crazy because it's not like he's into Western things, haha. I don't really have any manly stamp sets (that needs to change!), and this is one of the sets they had available for use where we cropped. Oh well, I like it, and I know he'll like it too, if only for the fact that I made it. LOL :)

Lots of distressing on this one as well. I don't know what it is with me and distressing lately (AGAIN!). I created the edge effects by first breaking down the fibers along the edge of the cardstock, then separated the layers of paper, tearing across. Then I inked it all up with Mellow Moss ink. This time I stamped on the Mellow Moss piece with Mellow Moss ink, which gives you the same tone-on-tone look. A great way to make a background!

If you're looking for a unique way to add your sentiment, and you want to break up any linearity you have going.. try creating a tag and tying it to some ribbon or twine, like I did here. I love how this turned out!

Oh, psst.. did you notice that dark, deep brown? It's one of the new core colors coming in the new Idea Book & Catalog, called Early Espresso! I LOVE this new color, and I already know it's one of my favorites!

Don't forget that the Wanted stamp set is retiring this month, along with Mellow Moss cardstock and ink!

Well, thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a fabulous rest of the night!

Western Father's Day card supplies:
Stamps:  Wanted, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Early Espresso, Mellow Moss
Paper:  Early Espresso, Mellow Moss, Kraft, Not Quite Navy, and Very Vanilla cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Hemp Twine, Linen Thread, Paper Piercing Tool, Word Window and Spiral Punches, Stampin' Sponge

Journey card

2010-06-15T13:51:00.000-04:00

Hi!

Today I have a quick card to show, that I made while at a crop this past weekend. The colors are from Pals Paper Arts' challenge this week:

One of my favorite color combos! I'll miss Bermuda Bay, but I'm so excited that Soft Suede is joining the Color Collections!

I figured out how to play around more with colors in my photos, so we'll see how that goes! I don't know what it is, probably just the perfectionist in me.. but it bothers me when the colors aren't true to seeing it in real life. This is as close as I could get it! :) Haha, I figure it's probably different on some of you all's screens, so this was probably for nothing. Well, I just won't look at it on another computer to save my own sanity. LOL

Anyway, so this card was created using one of my new stamp sets, Sentimental Journey. I repeatedly stamped images from the set in VersaMark on the card base, and used the plane on my focal piece. Lots of distressing going on here as well.

Journey card supplies:
Stamps:  Sentimental Journey
Ink:  Soft Suede and Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pads, VersaMark ink
Paper:  Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry and Whisper White cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Linen Thread, Soft Suede 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Mini Library Clip, Cutter Kit, Stampin' Sponge

Blog Hop Project Details

2010-06-14T13:57:00.001-04:00

Happy Monday!

I hope you enjoyed this past weekend's Retiring Blog Hop! As promised, here are some more details about my projects...

So first off, the altered mini clipboard.. this was so much fun to make! I bought this mini clipboard for a little over a dollar at an office supply store. It's the perfect size for one of those smaller memo pads, or to hang from a wall with a mini calendar or treasured photo.

I first measured and cut a piece of Whisper White cardstock, punching the top end with the Scallop Edge Border Punch, then adhered a piece from The Write Stuff Specialty DSP. Make sure you use adequate amounts of adhesive.. you want this to be completely adhered to prevent air bubbles. I then applied a découpage medium to the back of the Whisper White piece, as well as to the clipboard. Next, I laid the paper down, smoothing out all air bubbles with my bone folder. With the help of my Stamp-a-ma-jig, I stamped the little guy from the stamp set in the corner with Soft Suede Classic ink, and colored him in with ink pads/Blender Pen and markers. (Remember that even though Blush Blossom is retiring, SU! will still carry the Stampin' Write marker.) I then inked up the edges of the entire thing with Soft Suede ink and a Stampin' Sponge, and tied some Crushed Curry ribbon along where the DSP ends.

I wanted to cover up the office store's name on the clip, so I decided to try out one of those paper roses I had been seeing everywhere. To create my rose, I actually followed an awesome tutorial by Julie Williams, which you can see here. I tied some Linen Thread around the clip, then attached the rose with some Pop-up Glue Dots. It adds so much to the clipboard, and makes it a little feminine. So cute!

Altered Mini Clipboard supplies:
Stamps: Very Thankful (retiring)
Ink: Soft Suede, Tempting Turquoise and Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pads
Paper: Whisper White and Crushed Curry (retiring) cardstock, The Write Stuff Specialty Designer Series Paper (retiring)
Accessories/Tools: Pretty in Pink and Blush Blossom Stampin' Write Markers, Blender Pen, Linen Thread, Crushed Curry 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (retiring), Scallop Edge Border Punch, Stampin' Sponges

I also created a matching gift card holder, based by Holly K.'s 3-D Challenge over at Stampin' Addicts:

It's very simple! Holly gives instructions and measurements in the link above, so be sure to check it out! I colored the little guy the same way as on the clipboard. I'm not sure if you can see, but I forgot to mention that I gave him little pink cheeks with the marker as well. :)

One of the fabulous things about the Textured Impressions embossing folders is that you can emboss just part of your paper! I love the folders, and I always just have to buy a new one as soon as SU! comes out with another exclusive. When I ran it through, it didn't create a crease there at the end of the embossing (since the paper hangs out of the folder, it may show that part by creasing), but I wanted to set it apart from the image with the Crushed Curry ribbon. I applied a rub-on from the Chit-Chat pack on two lines, then punched it out with the Large Oval punch, matting with the Scallop Oval. Here's the inside view:

I know the Panera Bread gift card doesn't really match, so just imagine it does! I had a Starbucks gift card somewhere here that matched perfectly with my color scheme, but of course I couldn't find it in the wee hours of the morning! LOL Anyway, I created a layer with Soft Suede cardstock, and just eyeballed where the Slit Punch would need to be to hold in the gift card.

By the way, the Slit Punch is retiring, so be sure to snatch one up.. it is just perfect for gift card holders and other projects! I use it all the time! Plus, this gift set would be just perfect for about anything... just change out the stamped images and sentiment, and you're good to go!

Gift Card Holder supplies:
Stamps: Very Thankful (retiring)
Ink: Soft Suede, Tempting Turquoise and Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pads
Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive, Soft Suede, and Crushed Curry (retiring) cardstock
Accessories/Tools: Pretty in Pink and Blush Blossom Stampin' Write Markers, Blender Pen, Crushed Curry 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (retiring), Stampin' Sponges, Vintage Brads (retiring), Chit-Chat Rub-ons (retiring), Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder, Big Shot, Slit Punch (retiring), Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch

Ok, now here's the standard-sized card I created, using Mojo Monday's sketch #142 and Stampin' Celebration's Inspiration Challenge #6...

I won't go into too much detail, as I don't want to bore you and you can probably figure out what I did... well, I colored in the cute little turtle and his cart of love with ink pads and a Blender Pen. I then cut out a couple of shapes from the Pink Flamingo DSP (same sheet as behind the embossed piece) and adhered that to the turtle's shell to give it a little something extra. I guess everything else is pretty self-explanatory (maybe??), but let me know if you want to know anything else about it!

Very Thankful card supplies:
Stamps: Very Thankful (retiring)
Ink: Jet Black StazOn ink, and Certainly Celery, Garden Green, Basic Gray, Going Gray, Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, and Creamy Caramel Classic Stampin' Pads (the last 4 are retiring!)
Paper: Pink Flamingo Designer Series Paper (retiring), and Certainly Celery, Garden Green and Whisper White cardstock
Accessories/Tools: Blender Pen, Pretty in Pink 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Certainly Celery 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Circle Designer Brads, Vintage Brads, Square Lattice Textured Impressions Folder, Big Shot, Eyelet Border Punch, Paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack

On to my next project! This is one of my favorites, as I really love making these Simply Adorned Charm inserts. Here are two photos of the insert.. one inside the charm, and one outside of it:

Making this was very simply too! I first cut down a piece of Kraft cardstock to 1" x 1-1/4", then stamped on it several times with More Mustard ink, using the vine part of the peacock stamp. I then stamped just the peacock with Real Red, then layered over the image with the "thankful" part of the turtle stamp (see card above) in Chocolate Chip. Finished it off with a couple of flowers cut from the "Thanks so Much" stamp from the set to create some pretty accents. I cut off the backs of the Small Clear Rhinestone Brads with my Craft & Rubber Scissors (these babies cut through so many different materials!) so that it won't be too thick to fit in the charm, then adhered these with Mini Glue Dots. I love it!

Simply Adorned Charm Insert supplies:
Stamps: Very Thankful (retiring)
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pads
Paper: Kraft and Very Vanilla cardstock
Accessories/Tools: More Mustard and Real Red Stampin' Write Markers, Simply Adorned 1" x 1-1/4" Rectangle Charm, Simply Adorned 18" Chain, Small Clear Rhinestone Brads, Paper Piercing Tool

One more project! Hope you've been sticking with me so far. :) I wanted to show off all of the stamps in the set, so here's the fourth and final one (the flowers are also shown in the above charm insert):

This adorable little card is perfect for tucking in with a gift! I love the look of a clean white card with images stamped in colors. So pretty! To create the rows along the bottom, I paper pierced using the Mat Pack template. I'm glad the Mat Pack isn't retiring.. that's definitely a tool I use a lot too!

Simply Adorned Charm Insert supplies:
Stamps: Very Thankful (retiring)
Ink: Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin' Pad
Paper: Whisper White, and Soft Suede textured cardstock
Accessories/Tools: Bermuda Bay 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack

Thanks for stopping by!

And the winner is...

2010-06-14T10:24:00.001-04:00

...Carol B.! Congratulations!

Carol b said...

I love the turtle thank you card. The turtle is adorable and the pink ribbon seals the deal.

JUNE 11, 2010 3:09 PM

Carol, please email me your mailing address, and I will get the stamp set out to you ASAP! Please do so within 48 hours, or I'll have to draw another number. :(

Stampin' Addicts Retiring Mega Hop!

2010-06-11T09:24:00.010-04:00

Hi!

It's that time again!! Welcome to another Stampin' Addicts blog hop! This hop is all about the stamp sets on the Last Chance Lists (ask your demo for more info), and will run Friday, June 11th, through Sunday, June 13th.

I am stop #27 on the hop! You may have just come from Jason's Stampin' Pad. Didn't you just love what he did with the One of a Kind stamp set? So many different looks! If this is your first stop, don't worry! All of the blogs are linked in a big circle, so you can always find your way around. If you get lost, you can see a complete list of the participating blogs here at Stampin' Addicts!

My projects feature the stamp set Very Thankful. Have you checked out this set yet?? It comes with a great variety of images, each with a different way of saying "thank you", in different fonts. I used it in this way in my projects; however, it's more than just for "thank you" cards! You can easily ink up the images alone and use them for whatever purpose, or even just use the sentiments. And if you purchase this set through your demonstrator, $2 of each sale goes to the Ronald McDonald House Charities! How awesome is that! :)

By the way, I'll just be posting the supply lists for these projects. Be sure to come back on Monday after the hop to read more details! Stick around, because I'm also giving away some scrumptious blog candy!

Here is my first project, a gift set using this cute little guy from the stamp set. You could easily create a girl instead by extending the hair with the coordinating Stampin' Write marker after stamping! This particular gift set would be perfect for a teacher, or anyone else who works with children. The card to the right of the mini clipboard is a gift card holder.. who doesn't like gift cards?

Gift set supplies:
Stamps:  Very Thankful
Ink:  Soft Suede, Tempting Turquoise and Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pads
Paper:  The Write Stuff Specialty Designer Series Paper, and Whisper White, Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, and Old Olive cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Blush Blossom and Pretty in Pink Stampin' Write Markers, Blender Pen, Linen Thread, Crushed Curry 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Vintage Brads, Chit-Chat Rub-ons, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder, Big Shot, and Fancy Flower XL, Scallop Oval, Large Oval, Slit, and Scallop Edge Punches, Paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack

My next project is a card using this week's Mojo Monday sketch, with inspiration sparked by this week's Stampin' Celebration challenge!

Isn't the little turtle cute? That's probably my favorite image from the set, tied with the peacock!

Very Thankful card supplies:
Stamps:  Very Thankful
Ink:  Jet Black StazOn ink, and Certainly Celery, Garden Green, Creamy Caramel, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Going Gray, and Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pads
Paper:  Pink Flamingo Designer Series Paper, and Certainly Celery, Whisper White and Garden Green cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Blender Pen, Pretty in Pink 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Certainly Celery 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Circle Designer Brads, Vintage Brads, Square Lattice Textured Impressions Folder, Big Shot, Eyelet Border Punch, Paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack

Onto our next project! Here is a Charm Insert, shown inside the Simply Adorned 1" x 1-1/4" Rectangle Charm. On Monday, I'll have a picture of the insert outside of the charm, so you can see the details more clearly.

Charm Insert supplies:
Stamps:  Very Thankful
Ink:  Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pads
Paper:  Kraft and Very Vanilla cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  More Mustard and Real Red Stampin' Write Markers, Simply Adorned 1" x 1-1/4" Rectangle Charm, Simply Adorned 18" Chain, Small Clear Rhinestone Brads, Paper Piercing Tool

Last, but not least, I have a clean and simple 3" x 3" card. This size card is great to slip in with a gift!

3" x 3" Thanks card supplies:
Stamps: Very Thankful

Ink: Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin' Pad

Paper: Soft Suede textured and Whisper White cardstock

Accessories/Tools: Bermuda Bay 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack

Ok, now about that blog candy! I have an extra Very Thankful stamp set up for grabs! Leave a comment by June 13th, 11:59PM EST telling me what your favorite project is, and I'll use Random.org to pick a lucky winner! Make sure you come back on June 15th, when I'll announce the winner of the stamp set!

I hope you enjoyed my projects using this stamp set.. thanks for stopping by! Your next stop is Sarah's Ink Spot. You'll love her spooky, yet cute, projects! And feel free to join us over at Stampin' Addicts!

Next blog ---->

Upcoming Retiring Product Blog Hop!

2010-06-08T13:07:00.001-04:00

Hello!

I've been a little MIA due to a loss of crafty mojo (where are you??) and reorganizing my craft room.

Be on the lookout, as this weekend (beginning June 11th), my friends at Stampin' Addicts and I will be showcasing retiring stamp sets and products. Have you checked out the lists yet? Don't forget that retiring accessories are while supplies last, and some are discounted up to 50% off! Retiring Definitely Decorative items are also 25% off regular price.

Last Chance Lists and a special recruiting promo are here!!

2010-06-01T21:45:00.001-04:00

Hello!

SU! released their Last Chance (retiring) lists today! Don't wait to get your favorites; some items are even discounted! Here are the lists...

Note that retiring accessories are only available while supplies last, and the PDF will be updated by SU! regularly to reflect sold-out items.

You can place an order directly on my website, or feel free to email me with an order!

Today also marks the beginning of a new recruiting promotion! Join my team during the month of June for just $99 with a Mini Starter Kit! What a fabulous and fairly inexpensive way to start doing what you love.. stamping and sharing! The kit contains stamping and business supplies to help you jump-start your business, with over $120 worth of items. If you'd like to join SU! for the discount on their awesome products, that's ok too! :) Contact me for more info!

I will be back tomorrow with something to share. Have a great rest of the day!

Kraft Birthday

2010-05-28T10:38:00.000-04:00

Good morning and happy Friday!

For today's card I decided to try out a look I had seen on a few cards and actually on a 8-1/2" x 11" scrapbook layout in a magazine. I felt that this week's sketch challenge at Stampin' Addicts went perfectly with the look I was going for:

It also went with Stampin' Celebration's fun inspiration challenge!

Mmmm, doesn't that cherry pie just look delicious? These colors really spoke to me! I only wish that I had the Wild West Alphabet! Now I'm itching for a cook-out! :)

Ok, now here's my card...

What do you think of the border punch background look? I simply punched strips of Kraft cardstock with three different border punches, then adhered it onto my Kraft card base. I added a strip of Crushed Curry for a pop of extra color. Love how this turned out!

Don't forget that you can get a free pack of Designer Brads when you order select stamp sets.. the Circle Circus set I used here is one of them! The Filigree Designer Brads are one of the four free choices as well.

If you're finding yourself with some crafty time this weekend, check out both of the challenges!

Have a wonderful day!

Kraft Birthday card:
Stamps:  On Your Birthday, Circle Circus
Ink:  Soft Suede and Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pads
Paper:  Kraft, Riding Hood Red (available July 1st), Old Olive, Crushed Curry (retiring), Soft Suede, and Naturals White cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Filigree Designer Brads, Soft Suede 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, and Scallop Trim Border, Scallop Trim Corner, Eyelet Border, Pinking Hearts Border, 1" Circle, 1-1/4" Circle, and 1-3/8" Circle Punches

Spotlighted Thanks

2010-05-26T10:45:00.000-04:00

Good morning!

I just loved Stamping 411's sketch challenge this week, and thought I'd put a little twist on the sketch by doing the spotlighting technique. I discovered Stacey's Curtain Call color challenge a little while ago, and figured this was the perfect chance to play along:

It's been quite a long time since I've used Almost Amethyst, so this color combo was definitely a challenge for me!

The spotlighting technique is very easy to do! Stamp your image twice, and pick where you'd like to "spotlight" your image. Punch out this area on your second image and color it in however you'd like. Layer it, and adhere with dimensional adhesive to the first image, lining it up. I used a 1-1/4" Circle Punch for the second image punch-out, and a 1-3/8" Circle Punch for the Night of Navy layer. I kept the card fairly clean to really highlight the "spotlight". :)

Well, I have to run for now. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Spotlighted Thanks card supplies:
Stamps:  Elements of Style, Watercolor Trio
Ink:  Night of Navy, Pretty in Pink and Garden Green
Paper:  Almost Amethyst, Garden Green, Pretty in Pink, Night of Navy, and Whisper White cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Vintage Brads, Whisper White Organza Ribbon, and Large Oval, Scallop Oval, 1-1/4" Circle, 1-3/8" Circle, and Slit Punches