PageMaps sketch challenge

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

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

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...

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?

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

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?

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