Michelle's Moments

New Addy

2010-12-12T16:13:00.005-05:00

Thank you all for checking in with me, lurking, commenting and following my blog. I have created a new site that all posts, pictures and other goodness will be posted to. Please follow this link and keep tabs on me @

http://wanderingscissors.blogspot.com/

I'd love to hear from you over there.
Hugs to all,
Michelle

Blog Candy

2010-09-27T15:12:00.000-04:00

Here ya go ~ as promised ~ My first give away!!! 12 Stamp sets! That's a whole lotta stamps!!!
One set is from MFT and the rest are from Stampin' Up! They can all be yours by doing two little things. The first is to become a follower of my new blog, WanderingScissors.blogspot.com and the second is to subscribe to my You Tube channel
I will randomly chose one person to win all these stamps on October 31, 2010.
Easy Peasy, right?! I'd love to hear what you think
Good Luck,
Michelle

New Web Site..be on the look out for some yummy candy!

2010-09-11T16:27:00.003-04:00

Happy Weekend!
I have some fun news. I'll be closing down this site soon ~ but you can still visit me and follow my adventures in crafting at my new site http://wanderingscissors.blogspot.com/. I felt the need to have all my online adventures have the same name. I've got my You Tube site and my Etsy site under Wandering Scissors, so now it's time for my blog to join them. And that means blog candy, right? So keep an eye out for the details, I'll get them up as soon as I finish taking and getting the candy up. But to get a head start hop on over to Wandering Scissors and become a follower.
Thanks, and check back soon
Michelle

Another Birdhouse

2010-09-10T16:42:00.004-04:00

I love creating these! This was originally one of those naked wooden birdhouses that you can find at Michael's or JoAnn's for a dollar. I covered the birdhouse with paper that I got at Michael's, adhering it with Mod Podge. I cut the little birds out of a matching piece of the paper. I love how they happen to be looking up at each other. I also found some wooden fence pieces that are sized perfectly for my birdies.

Thanks for checking in with me. I'd love a comment or two....OH! I just remembered ~ I've been hired by Michael's to be their Scrapbook instructor. I am quite excited about that. This month I have four students. Let me know if you would like to join me next month and I'll get you in touch with the right people :-)
hugs,
Michelle

10,000 Reasons to Celebrate

2010-08-22T17:44:00.002-04:00

Scrapbook Street is having a gigantic giveaway! If you've never heard of scrapstreet, they are a wonderful on-line magazine for scrapbookers. They are so excited to announce that ScrapStreet Magazine has topped the 10,000 subscriber mark! Yay for them! That sure is a heck of a lot of subscribers!
Take a look at these goodies! Now hop on over there and sign your self up!

Did you lose a shoe?

2010-08-19T12:40:00.005-04:00

Is this not the neatest thing you've seen today!? It came out so cool, and so easy to do! I found the directions to make this shoe at Artful Affirmations She says that there are many other shoe directions out in blog land, but I didn't bother looking anywhere else since I fell in love with hers.

I created the shoe using a piece of 12 x 12 paper that I had bought in a stack at Ross ( love that store!) I edged the shoe using SU grosgrain ribbon then added some sparkly bling. The Petaloos flower is topped with a pink flower then a pretty brad. Yummy!!

On another note ~

GIFTAWAY!! 200 Subscriptions!

Ladies go check cynthialoowho. Shes having an awesome youtube gift away! Good luck everyone!

Thanks for stopping in
time for my nap.....

A little over the top

2010-08-06T12:25:00.007-04:00

I've entered into three challenges this week: Card Patterns , Sketch, Embellish Color Challenge Featuring Birds and Everything but the Kitchen Sink Challenge.

Here is my creation..

It's a bit over the top, but it sure was fun making it. I used my own judgment following the card sketch. It's close, right? The color challenge wasn't too hard since I started out with designer paper that had all the colors. Then the last challenge was to use buttons, which I have no trouble doing that.

I've been wanting to use these flowers. I got them at JoAnn's and are so similar to the beautiful flowers that Webster's pages sell. Probably much cheaper, too.

Here's the inside..such a nice sentiment.
Thanks for stopping by,
m

$1 Bird House

2010-08-01T17:05:00.005-04:00

Here's one of those $1.00 bird houses you can find at JoAnn's turned into something gorgeous!
The papers are all Stampin' Up! the rest you can find at JoAnn's. Those cute little birdies were cut using the Cricut.

I'll admit, this took me a bit longer than I would have liked. I had some health issues and ended up in the hospital for four days. ugggg. Plus my thumb, that I had surgery on last year, has not been very co-operative. Looks like another surgery in the making. another uggg. Although, I would definitely exchange a surgery for staying in the hospital. I hated staying there.

Enough of that...Isn't this the cutest!!! I have another bird house to alter, but I'm playing with my Cricut a bit more. I'm trying to do some paper piecing with the Happily Ever After cartridge. It's not as easy as it looks!
Thanks for stopping in today,
Michelle
.

Friends Cherish

2010-07-30T13:36:00.004-04:00

Here's another card that I've added to my Etsy shop. I love how this cute card came out. I wish I could remember the line of paper that I used, but I just can't seem to find it! If you recognize it, let me know then I can update my post (thanks)
The card uses plenty of dimensionals to pop up the front of the card to create a deep window for the verse. I used a pink colored pencil to faux stitch around the edges of the designer paper. And aren't those the cutest little crocheted flowers!?

Thanks for stopping in today :-)

..Michelle..

A Romantic Card

2010-07-29T13:25:00.002-04:00

This card is absolutely gorgeous! If I hadn't already showed it to my husband, I would have put it in an envelope to give to him.
First off, the lace is fabulous! Second, I made my own shape using Cricuts Design Studio, then after all that excitement I made the cute little flowers using white tissue paper. As you can see, I changed the color a bit.

This has got to be one of the prettiest cards I've made. I hope you like it tooo!

Christmas in July?

2010-07-12T08:32:00.004-04:00

Here are a couple of Christmas cards that I created. I didn't think I'd like making them so early, but these came out so nice that I will probably continue making more. The first card uses a page from the Wonderful Winter paper pack from My Mind's Eye, Spellbinders Labels 4, SU button die, and some twine. I printed the Merry Christmas on my computer using Kingthings Christmas font that you can find for free here.
The next card was quite easy. I used a beautiful page from Webster's Pages, gold trim from Jolee, Gold embossing powder, Gold leafing pen and the Season's Greetings stamp from Michael's dollar bin that I bought last year. It came out so elegant.
thanks for stopping by
.

With a cherry on top

2010-07-12T08:26:00.002-04:00

Here's a card that fits right in to a challenge that Sarah Martina Parker has on her blog.
Sarah wanted fruit to be used. Cherries are available in quantity right now and I just love to see them at our local food store. I like seeing them sitting in my refrigerator even more. So yummy!!

7 Gypsies ATC display

2010-06-29T16:45:00.007-04:00

My road to all this crafting stuff started in 2007 with ATC's. I've since gone to a larger canvas, first with cards and then to scrapbooking. But what to do with all the ATC's I've collected? ta da, 7 Gypsies to the rescue.

Here's what the blank tray started out as. Plain white blocks just itching for some alteration, right?

And this is what happens after the magic wand is waved.
Isn't it gorgeous!!

I've used all sorts of trims including Prima, Petaloo, K and Company, hand made flowers, lace.... such fun!!

Thanks for taking the time to stop in. Please say hi!!

Flower Cart

2010-06-17T11:52:00.002-04:00

Happy today! Tomorrow...well that will be a different situation. Yes, it's Friday which is good for most peeps. But for me it means another round of epidurals. This time we are going to try to take away some of the problems that I am having in my lower back. It's been just over a year since my fusion and I am still having loads of difficulty. So cross your fingers for me that these next few weeks will be worth all the trouble of having needles stuck into my spine. ugggg

So onto this adorable gift box. Yes, gift box!! See the little pink ribbon pull? This is sooo cute! I came across the directions at Mu-Ha.Blogspot. I'll warn you now...it's all in Russian. If you'd like to make the wheel barrow and need help with the tutorial, just let me know.

Chipboard, Brads, Kraft and Pretty in Pink card stock, hand made flowers (by me).

Father's Day

2010-06-16T11:45:00.002-04:00

I just mailed off my Dad's Father's Day Card and am hoping that I put enough postage on it. The card is a bit 3-d plus I made my own envelope out of SU card stock so it's quite sturdy. Meaning it doesn't bend, which I guess that's not what they like. Oh well, I'm sure my Dad is gonna be happy.
My card is loosely based on a card I found on Splitcoasters made by sunshinestgurl.
I printed the FATHERS on the computer, cut them into tag shapes, inked the edges, threaded them with twine and added faux stitching. The Happy and Day are stamps from SU's Occasions Collection. The stars were cut using SU's star punches, inked and faux stitched. Ribbon and brad are also SU. I added a small punched circle in the center of the brad and set it with glossy accents.

One more...

2010-05-21T20:51:00.003-04:00

It's been a long day today. I had some injections into my neck today. ugh So this is my last post then I'm off to bed.

This is a book that I made as a surprise for my son and his girlfriend. They took a trip to NY recently and sent me pictures. What's a Mom to do but create a keepsake. Right?

I won't go into detail what each picture is about, but you'll get the idea.

thanks for checking in on me.
nighty - night
.

Yes, I'm still here....

2010-05-21T20:31:00.006-04:00

Here are a few scrap pages that I've done recently.

Here's a couple pages of Ciara, 17 years ago. The journaling reads:
When Ciara was in kindergarten her hair was very long. In school the other girls would play her hair so much that she would have trouble concentrating on her school work. So one day she asked to have it cut. We cut it first to her shoulders then up to her ears. Ciara loved it!

Here's a close up of some of the flowers I used. The second page was part of a challenge on Scrapbook.com. What an addicting site that is!

Here's another page I created for two challenges. One was to use a template and the other was to scrap your pets. So I combined the two.

And a close up of the flower I made...Isn't it cute!?

Another Caardvarks

2010-05-03T16:01:00.002-04:00

I decided I had time for one more Caardvarks monochromatic card challenge using Core'dinations Cardstock. Isn't it a beauty!?

The card base is Night of Navy from SU. The next layer is white glossy paper ran thru with the swiss dots folder from Cuttlebug, then Co-ordinations whitewash cardstock was ran thru with Cuttlebug's paisley folder. I distressed the edges, sanded some of the embossing and added ink in other spots. I then curled up the corners. The image is from MFT colored with a range of blue colored pencils and a blender pen. I created a hat pin, attached some lace and then the pretty petaloo flower.
thanks for stopping in,
Michelle
.

contest

2010-04-27T13:57:00.002-04:00

ok I have a Cricut and I have vinyl, now I just need to figure out what I want to do with them. I found some terrific ideas at http://www.vinylcraftlettering.com plus they are having a contest. You (meaning I ) can enter to win a 120$, 60$, or a 30$ gift certificate for vinyl lettering at Vinyl Craft Lettering! That would be sweet! But I really should take the plunge and make something myself instead of rambling here....

THE CHALLENGE

2010-04-25T14:42:00.005-04:00

Happy Sunday.
Today's entry is a Caardvarks challenge to create a monochromatic card.
The card base is SU Bashful Blue. The rest of the card was made using Core'dinations Whitewash. Core'dinations cardstock is great fun to play with because you can sand it, distress it, tear it, emboss it and so much more to reveal the hidden core color.
I tore the background paper then ran it through my big shot using a swiss dots folder. Then sanded it. The butterflies were made using Cuttlebugs cut and emboss Butterflies die, MS punch and the SU embosslits, Beautiful Wings. Then more sanding.

I used dimensionals on all the butterflies, except the baby.I gave each of the a pearl or two. Added some rick rack from Wally's on the top and bottom of the card. Then the final touch was a couple of squirts of Champagne mist from SU.
Now cross your fingers for me, cuz I'd love to win this challenge. The winner will receive a 3 month guest designer spot on the design team, and receive a generous variety of Core'dinations cardstock to work with. Oh ya...pick me paleeze
Thanks for looking and enjoy your day.
Michelle.

Georgia, oh sweet Georgia on my mind

2010-04-09T15:25:00.006-04:00

My daughter and her boyfriend took a long weekend in Savannah Georgia and had an absolutely wonderful time. This was their first time to get away from their hectic college life. And what a fabulous idea to go to a B & B...so romantic.
I decided that they definitely needed something special to remind them of their trip. Hence.. The Book.

She hasn't seen The Book yet so I hope you have enjoyed the peek.
hugs,
m
.

I Ruff You

2010-03-01T18:51:00.004-05:00

My friend Kathy has adopted another dog, what a great reason to make a card :-) I had some fun paper that I had picked up last year during the Tampa Bay Pirate Hunt and I finally had a great reason to use it. I can't tell you the name of the stamp set I used because the package fell behind some shelves that will need muscles to move.

I used some retired SU ribbon along with some cute pom pom fringe, embossed the pups above the trim and used dew drops towards the bottom.

I embossed the "I ruff you" stamp using distress ink, inked the edges and popped it up twice.
It's so cute. I hope LuLu will love it.
thanks for stopping by,
m
,

Hello

2010-03-01T18:33:00.003-05:00

Honest, I haven't forgotten to post, I just haven't been all that busy being creative. I could give excuses, but do you really want to hear my woe's?
For this card I decided to try out my Cricut. The partridge in the tree is from the Storybook cartridge cut out twice. First with retired SU's Baja Breeze then slightly larger with Going Gray for the shadow.

I printed the word HELLO using my printer...how easy is that?! Cut it out along with another piece of gray. Added a pop dot in the center, threaded the button with some really skinny gray paper and glued it all down. The paper is from Making Memories Greenhouse collection.

Then there's the ribbon and pretty cool ribbon I must say. I found it in the clearance aisle at Michael's. What a fun surprise that was. The ribbon is straight to begin with, then when the ivory thread is pulled, the ribbon gathers. How nice!
thanks for stopping in to say Hello :-)
.

Vinyl Ready Designs

2010-02-14T13:16:00.001-05:00

Here's a fabulous link to some wonderful designs using vinyl. Their designs are pre-made and ready to use with just about any vinyl cutting software. Simply download the files you want, import them into your software, and you are ready to start cutting! Check 'em out at http://www.vinylreadydesigns.com/

Where in the world is Waldo...or should I say, Michelle

2010-02-07T15:33:00.005-05:00

Gosh it's been awhile but I do have some very good reasons. The first one being that I had hand surgery December 17th. It's very hard to do almost everything when your hand is all wrapped up. I had what's called a Artelon Spacer placed in my right thumb joint. The damaged occured way back in May of 2008. I had opened my car door too close to the garage and ended up bending my hand almost totally backwards...ya ouch! Luckily I didn't do any damage...or so I had thought. The pain wasn't too bad at first, I would just wear a brace once in a while. But then I got to the point where I couldn't open a door knob or a bottle anymore. So that's my first excuse.
My second excuse is that we moved. We had been tossing the idea around that we wanted to move into a 55+ community and finally said, lets do it. So we went looking, saw a house we loved and purchased it all within a week! Can you believe it! Everything just fell into place. Of course I need to give huge thanks to my friend Kathy who got us our financing so quickly. That girl must have a magic wand!
So now that we are living in a community we are jumping in and doing community stuff. Butch plays Poker on Friday nights and I started playing cards on Wednesday nights. Our card nights involve quarters and nickles so of course I needed a container to put my money (and winnings :-) in. I decided to alter this container.

And I made it into this ~
Didn't it come out great!? I love those pom-poms :-)

Between going to my OT appointments twice a week, out socializing and trying to unpack I made a few Valentine cards using my new Drucilla stamp from Kraftin' Kimmie Isn't she the cutest!

All products from Stampin' Up except the adorable Drucilla.
Thanks for stopping by and I promise that my posts will be coming a bit closer together.
hugs,
Michelle
.

Lifesaver Plant

2009-12-18T18:30:00.002-05:00

Today I thought I'd share a unique plant I have called a Lifesaver Plant. Can you see why it's called that? Pretty cool huh?
This is about all that I'll write for now. I had surgery on my hand yesterday and now have a cast on it. Typing with only my left hand is a bit difficult.
chat later,
Michelle
.

Gorgeous!!

2009-11-20T16:30:00.002-05:00

Gorgeous is the best word to describe this paper from graphic 45. Wholly smokes it is so beautiful. I had a hard time giving it a cut. The paper is from their Renaissance Faire Collection and I wish I could remember what company the purse is from. First I made a template to make sure I cut in the right places so the girls faces wouldn't be cut in half. As you can see, I was able to get the two larger images onto the front and the back of the purse.

I added some delicious Prima flowers centered by some cute buttons that I had picked up at JoAnn's. If you don't have a button shank remover, you don't know what you are missing!

I used some left over paper and more girls from the 'one' sheet of paper to cover the inside. I added plenty of ribbon and lace and now don't know if I want to part with this beauty. I had planned on bringing it to my next craft fair to sell, now I just may keep it.
,

Christmas Cards In the Pink, and Blue too

2009-11-02T14:54:00.003-05:00

Today's card was created for the Pals Paper Arts In the Pink Challenge PPA14 to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Karol Harris, and her loving daughter (and PPA Design Team member), Kris Kilcoyne.

I'm also dedicating my post to my very dear friend, Betty, who is also fighting this battle. I have no doubt that she will win. She is one strong cookie!

The only requirement for this challenge was to use pink, so I made my first pink Christmas Card. I must confess, I did case someone out there in web land for the above card as well as the one below.

But I do hope that I've added some of my own touches to the cards so I can call them my own. I think it was achieved because my silver stickles just happen to be not put away and it was screaming at me to use it. Hence, the silver glitter on both cards that show much brighter in person, of course.
Thanks for stopping in,
m
,

JOY

2009-10-31T16:55:00.004-04:00

Isn't it amazing what you can do with a few letters, some paper and left over Christmas trims bought after Christmas.

I adhere the papers to the already white letters, using modge podge. After it was dry, I sponged the edges using Stampin' Up! chocolate chip. I put a coat of modge podge on top of the paper and surprised to see that the glitter on the paper still showed through.

Then went through my stash of stuff that I had bought last year after Christmas.

In my stash I found two pearls stuck together, well don't they look great with a tiny bow and a charm. It looks like one whole charm.

Thanks for stopping in.
Have a great weekend!

2009-10-31T16:47:00.002-04:00

Prepare yourself to say "ah". These are the cutest little booties, and nothing to do with Stampin' Up! or cards or scrapping..Nothing at all! But I may be on my way to another addiction in these adorable booties.

Of course I know of nobody that will fit into them so I'll add them to my growing box of craft fair items. I'll also put them on my Etsy site if you are interested in purchasing a pair.

thanks for stopping in.
m

In the Pink Watering Can

2009-10-27T14:21:00.006-04:00

Here's an adorable watering can made with Stampin' Up! textured pink pirouette card stock. You can find the template here. Before putting it all together, I stamped the sides with versamark using my Baroque Boutiques stamp. The flowers were all cut with either my big shot or my Expression.

The butterfly was cut out using a die and emboss folder from Cuttlebug. I added lots of white gel pen and also added strips of paper punched out with the eyelet punch from Stampin' Up!

You can purchase this fun gift holder with matching flowers for $19 on my Etsy Shop or here with the Buy Now button.

Thanks for stopping in :-)

High Vista Craft Fair

2009-10-26T16:50:00.002-04:00

Debbie and I had our second craft fair. This one was held at High Vista in Davenport. What a wonderful neighborhood, I want to move there! Everyone knew everyone and if they were new to the area, introductions were quickly made. The problem with all these niceties at a craft fair, is that everyone is visiting inside of buying. I made $23 and poor Debbie only made $2. It was a bit of a bust.

We did have a great time together, as always. Love ya Deb. We have a Saturday off then we go to Bartow for another fair. Hopefully we will fair better. :-)
.

Craft Fair October 17

2009-10-21T19:06:00.002-04:00

Well we had our Craft Fair on Saturday at the Polk Community College campus. It was huge! Last year they had over 10,000 people come through. Of course we didn't know that until the day before that it was such a huge deal. Paper products was not high on the buyers lists but we had a great time.

There were loads of women that stopped at our booth and oooo and ahh'd over our things. Told us how pretty everything was and how talented we were :-) , but they didn't buy. It was a nice boost to our ego's though.

My best sellers were some gum holders that sold for $1 each...I sold 5 of them. LOL I did sell a set of coasters made out of tumbled tiles for $15. That felt nice to hold in my hand.

We each made about $60 on our first craft fair. Would have liked more, but we'll settle for 60.
thanks for visiting,
m

Colby and Erin 1992

2009-10-04T21:13:00.002-04:00

This has got to be my favorite of all the costumes that Colby wore. Here he is with his best friend Erin getting ready for the start of the Halloween Parade through downtown Portsmouth. You can read how I created this digital page over on Scrapbooking.com

Digital kits: The Invisible World (New Life Dreams), Matahati Designs, Scrapity-doo-dah, ScrapOutside the Box, Suzy-Q Scraps
Elements: Filmed Overlays (K Periet)
Font: Morpeus
Paper: Glossy photo paper
Software: Photoshop CS3 (Adobe)

More craftiness

2009-10-04T11:33:00.003-04:00

I'm still in craft fair mode, so here's an adorable accordion file folder that I made this morning. I had been hunting all over the internet in search of a template for one. Go visit Val if you'd like to make one for yourself. It is actually quite easy. I am hoping to alter the template a bit and make the file more vertical than horziontal. Wish me luck.

I added some velcro to keep the folder closed.

Next time, I'll have to use non-safety envelopes.

Here's a set of Christmas cards. Of course the are more sparkly in real life and I could not believe how professional they look all boxed up purty.

Lastly, I just wanted to slip in a Christmas Card that I have been water coloring. Isn't it the cutest stamp?! :-)
Thanks for stopping in,
m

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-09-27T14:49:00.004-04:00

I have been super busy getting ready to do my first craft fair. I didn't realize how much work it would be. I have to stop once in a while and remind myself that this is supposed to be fun.

The first picture here shows a gift card holder. I used my Cricut (which I love!) to cut out the ornaments. All the sides were sponged to add the look of dimension. I then used my big shot to emboss one of the bulbs and added glitter to both of them. I topped them with an 18 kt. gold leaf pen, added some bows and string and glued them all together.

I used my swiss dots cuttlebug folder to add some texture on the inside. I used my 1 1/4 inch circle and tag punches to make the slot for the gift card to slip into. These came out very nice.

Next up are very simple. I cut the flowers so I had about an inch of stem, took the top off the pen and then glued the flower stem into the pens. They turned out gorgeous!!

I purchase some blank writing journals and then went to town covering them with designer paper, glitter and flowers.

Next up is another easy project called Magic Reindeer Food. The poem reads;

Sprinkle this reindeer food outside tonight.
The moonlight will make it sparkle bright.
As the reindeer fly and roam,
This will guide them to your home.

Lastly for today ~ Aren't these the cutest little gift bags?!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your day is fantastic!
Michelle
.

Falling Behind

2009-08-23T16:22:00.006-04:00

Happy weekend, woops it's almost over. I am so falling behind in my postings. This beauty is called a recessed window card. Here's the link for the directions. The papers are all Stampin' Up! The blue flowers were made using my Silhouette, I then sponged everything I could with Chocolate Chip and sprayed the flowers with some Glitter Mist.

Lots of layers with the flowers. I also curled in their petals using then end of a paintbrush.

I made this card for my friend Betty who loves butterflies.

Lots of gold embossing. She is gonna love it.

And the last card for the day is one of the cutest little cards I've made in awhile. Betty will probably want this one too. The stamp is from ClearStamps.com. I stamped it on watercolor paper and used SU markers and an aqua pen to color her in. The other papers are from Stampin' Up! I did a bit of distressing and sponging around the edges.

I love the look of layering ribbon on top of the lace.

Isn't she a cutie.?

Next on my agenda, a little Stampin' Up! news
Most of you have heard me talk about Sherrill Graf before. She is the list mom for the LNS group. One of Sherrill's callings is to be lead at the Ronald McDonald House in Las Vegas, NV. Sherrill has asked us to post the following three links on our blogs to increase awareness of the RMHC and to hopefully drum up more interest and volunteers for this great organization. Please take a moment of your time to see what this great partnership between SU! and RMHC is all about.

http://latenightstamper-stampandscrap.blogspot.com/

http://www.sugardoodle.net

http://rmhc.org/how-you-can-help/volunteer/30-ways-in-30-days

Colby and Erin 1992

2009-08-10T18:39:00.005-04:00

I know!!! Can you believe it!!!
thanks for stopping in,
Michelle
.

tri-shutter card

2009-08-07T15:08:00.003-04:00

Here's my take on the tutorial over on Splitcoasters for the tri-shutter card. You can find the directions here. I used the beautiful, retired Parisian Breeze Specialty paper from Stampin'-Up! The stamp is from the Baroque Motifs set, then added lots of flowers, half pearl backs some ribbon and a ribbon slide. Didn't it come out great?
I had made one of these a week ago, but ended up giving it to a total stranger who had admired it at CHA. She had admitted to be a newbie to the craft world and was totally overwhelmed by CHA. I'm so glad to have been able to help her along with a new craft. Who ever you are, I hope you are still smiling and enjoying your new hobby.
hugs,
Michelle
.

Catching up

2009-08-06T16:30:00.005-04:00

Isn't she the cutest pup! She hasn't been feeling well lately. I brought her to the vet yesterday for $93 ~ thank you very much. She was given a shot and some pills and if she's not better tomorrow, to give them a call for possible blood tests and x-rays. uggg

This is one of the stamps that I bought myself at CHA.
It screamed for watercoloring and gold embossing.

I cased this card from one of the SU convention boards that was posted online.

A tri-fold card using a doily cut out using my QuicKutz Silhouette.
It cuts such fine details. Then I just had to add the little pearls.

Another bi-fold using all Stampin' Up products.

Thanks for stopping by.

The Invisible World

2009-08-03T17:22:00.003-04:00

I have always wanted to try a fantasy page and I got my chance when The Daily Scrapper team decided that our theme would be fantasy this month. Yay!! I created this hybrid-digi layout using the fabulous kit by New Life Dreams called The Invisible World. There were so many elements to chose from that it was very hard to narrow it down to the pieces that I chose. The kit comes with 186 elements and 18 papers, all absolutely gorgeous!
The image is a picture of my daughter in her prom glory. She was so beautiful.

Here's a close up of the butterfly I made using my Silhouette.

Doesn't the spider and it's web look almost real?

coolie-oh

2009-07-22T09:59:00.005-04:00

This is the coolest present that I could ever think of to give someone. A picture of themselves LOL Once upon a time, I was a model (believe it or not) My daughter took one of my old pictures from my portfolio and then recreated into this fabulous art. She added shells, lace, yarn, scrapping paper...anything she thought would work. Is it not the best!! She gave it to me unframed, so we went to Goodwill and found this terrific frame for 5 bucks! I think the frame works great with the picture. Her artwork is now hanging proudly in my craft room.
Thank you Ciara
xxxx

Deal of the Week #4

2009-07-20T18:48:00.001-04:00

Deal of the Week #4 Is Up!

Deal of the Week #4:
Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware

Stampin' Up!'s Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware adds class to any project. Get it for just $18.99 (over 30% off the regular price of $29.95)—only July 20-26!

Throughout July, be sure to check my web site every Monday for the week's new deal.

Period	Item	Page	Description	Regular Price	Special Price
July 20 through July 27	112454	178	Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware	$29.95	$18.99

Candy alert

2009-07-10T16:43:00.000-04:00

Stampin Addicts dot com has tons of ideas using the Stampin’ Up! Big Shot and is giving away a Big Shot Die Pack as part of the Stampin’ Up! summer celebration. To enter, all you have to do is write about it. This is my entry. Now give me my dies.

Bocci by the Sea

2009-07-04T13:39:00.003-04:00

The new issue of The Daily Scrapper is ready to check out. This issue is packed full of tutorials, interviews, articles and I have a hybrid-digi layout in it's pages. fun! Check out my tutorial here on how I create this page.

Every summer my family has a reunion at my parents house at the beach. Usually we will play volley ball in the sand, but this year we decided to try our hands at Bocci in the sand. That's me showing off my form.

Turning 50

2009-07-02T18:38:00.002-04:00

Today's post is a layout that I made last week using the Sweet Nothings Simply Scrappin' kit. Isn't it adorable! and yes, that is me and I did turn 50 a couple of years ago, So since I was in the scrapping mood....here ya go. I love the colors that are in the kit and the elements were all so cute, it was hard to just pick a few.
My parents gave me a beautiful Bougainvillea bush to celebrate my birthday and sadly it got hit by a heavy freeze we had this winter. Hello! this is Florida, we aren't suppose to have such cold weather. Luckily it's bounced back with gusto, so I've been trying to prune it back into an acceptable shape.

That's me hugging my Dad out by the pool. Then my Mom decided to show off her hula hooping skills. Not too bad for a Mom of an old lady LOL (that would be me)
That's my Dad and husband with a bit of help from my daughter planting the bush.
Thanks for stopping in and have a great weekend.
Michelle

Catitude Pheasant

2009-06-20T19:56:00.005-04:00

Happy Weekend, and thanks for stopping by.
My back pain, from my surgery two weeks ago, is easing up a bit and I was able to make a couple of cards this weekend.
The first one is for my good friend Betty who is going through chemo, I've made it out to her cats from my cat. I think she will get a nice chuckle out of it.

I love how rich the addition of the gold pen makes the card.

My second card uses the Pheasant from one of the new stamp sets from Stampin' Up! called Autumn Days. I've added quite a few elements to this card starting with the paper lace. I made the lace using my new Silhouette from Quikutz. Isn't it beautiful! I added half back pearls to it for even more dimension. The green leaf fronds are made using a Martha punch. The pheasant and yellow card stock were cut out using the same nestie that I used for the cat in the above post.

Close up of the lace and pearls. It's so pretty!!

I used my gold pen again, then added a cluster of primas, half pearls and more fronds.

That's it for today.
Thanks for stopping by,
Michelle

Caught in the Act

2009-06-16T14:58:00.010-04:00

Poor kid. LOL Here's my son 23 years ago...holy smokes does time fly! yup, 23 years ago. He has now graduated from college and has started off on his career in finance. I am so proud of him. Love {kisses} and hugs Colby.
This layout originates from the challenge June Color Play contest on DigiShopTalk We are challenged to use some very fabulous colors along with one of their many prompts. As soon as I saw the prompt for National Potty Training Awareness Month I knew exactly which photo I was going to scrap.

I decided to title the page, 'Caught in the Act' and then put the photo into the layout as if it's 'caught' behind the wire. An added benefit to the wire was that it covered up his boy parts. The page is all digital except for the twine on the tag. Can you believe it!?
The was a free kit called ~ Bee My Honey from Andrea Dickinson.
Thanks for popping in,
Michelle

The Daily Scrapper Issue 10

2009-06-13T17:39:00.005-04:00

Here's the hybrid-digi project I did for The Daily Scrapper's Birthday issue using Cinzia Loosemore’s Celebrate digital kit.

You can find the complete instructions here

I'm still not feeling great...only been 10 days, so I have quite a few more recoup days ahead of me.

thanks for stopping by,
Michelle

Taking a break

2009-06-11T22:58:00.003-04:00

I thought I should let all my faithful readers know what's been going on with me and my crafting.
It's been on hold for a bit since my back has been giving me such a huge problem for the past ten years. Can you bloody believe it! 10 years bloody painful years. Well not too bloody. I finally had an appointment with a Neurosurgeon here in Lakeland who looked over my well travelled MRIs and pointed out ~clear as a day ~ L4 L5 herniated disk into the spine. Well hello! And another huge surprise came out of this mighty fine looking doctors mouth. 'I can fix you.!' Say what!!! well sign this girl up right now!!!!
Now I am a week later and not the happiest crafter bee. I can sit for 10 minutes at a time, but it takes to much work trying to sit straight up with a metal plate and rods in your spine. Never mind trying to get comfortable. I know...gross huh.

I will leave you with this tonight...I was published and will share tomorrow. yippiee

kisses

2009-05-24T16:03:00.003-04:00

Can you beat that picture :-) This is has always been one of my favorite pictures of Ciara and Liyah. Then I came across this quote and the 2 just needed to be scrapped together. Lucky for me, I just got a Quickutz Silhouette! I was able to write out the quote in Photoshop then copy and paste it into the Silhouette software which in turn cuts out the letters for me. Lesson learned is to use a font that does not have such skinny lines.

The flower was made from part of the batch that I had bought from Overstock. I think they went quite well with the ribbon paper from American Crafts. I also added some dew drops, lace and velvet ribbon.

The word kiss was cut out twice, layered, glued onto the page then I put a coat of crystal effects for more dimension.
oh ~ and ps, this is mostly digital...can you tell?

2004 and counting

2009-05-24T15:49:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple of pages that I made highlighting Ciara's delight in a 'photo shoot' These were taken quite a few years ago, so I am very glad I still had them hoarded away on my computer.
The first picture was taken in our back yard by my garden of tulips, in the spring of 2004. The layout is a freebie frame set that I added quite a bit of glitter to. Yup, I added all that stuff by hand!

The next picture is the one we used for her Senior picture. They grow up way too fast.

Again, more glitter plus primas and pearls.

free..yup free digital stamp

2009-05-15T15:12:00.010-04:00

I decided to give digital stamping a try, and boy oh boy..how many hobbies can one person have?
This is another one of those addicting projects that I just can't get enough of.
I drew the butterfly, scanned it into my computer then colored it using Photoshop. Totally cool stuff.

I'd love to share the butterfly with you and see what you come up with. Just send me an email and I'll forward on the file to you.
Is this considered blog candy?

The Daily Scrapper Issue 09

2009-05-11T14:06:00.007-04:00

I am pleased to announce the release of Issue 09 of The Daily Scrapper. The overall theme of this issue is 'Weddings'.

Here are some Highlights:
-FREE> Collab kit by the Scrappity-Doo-Dah Designers
-FREE Kit from LemonCity Productions
-Product Highlights by BCD [Boutique Cute Dolls], Bohemian Art, Lauren Reid &; Roben-Marie Designs
-Lucky Draw Contest for Kristin's Designs at Pickleberrypop
-Beautiful Wedding Layouts in 'What A Scrap'
-Featured Layout Artist: JenJ
-Wedding Hybrid projects by LuAnn Spang, Norma Kennedy and Penny Springmann.

Altoids altered

2009-05-10T13:51:00.003-04:00

I decided to try my hand at a challenge over on Stamp Something. The challenge is to make something pink, whether it's a card or another crafty project in celebration DT member Melissa's birthday. She is also retiring from her post so there is an empty slot to fill and this challenge. I decided to enter my project into Stamp Somethings DT call.
So on to my project. I use Zip Dry for almost all my projects and if you are familiar with it you know that it clogs up quite often and you need to always have a pin near by. I keep mine in an old boring Altoids tin. Well it certainly is not boring any longer.
I covered the top using modge podge and SU designer paper, the sides are covered with ribbon and lace. The top has small primas with dew drops in their center. The white flower is from the pretties kit. I made the pink center using SU's five petal punch and boho punch.

Happy Birthday Melissa and sorry you are leaving,
Michelle

Beautiful Bella

2009-05-05T21:08:00.002-04:00

Aren't these flowers gorgeous? I wish I had kept the wrapper for the box they came in. I can tell you that the middle of the flower is made from a button that I bought at JoAnn's. Did you know there was a tool to cut the shank off buttons? Amazing!

On to Beautiful Bella ~ she is my sweet kitty that my husband gave me for Christmas. She will be a year on Saturday but still acts like she is a kitten. I scrapped her playing under my curtains. She will entertain herself with practically everything.

thanks for stopping in. Isn't she the cutest?

Ciara 4 months

2009-05-03T17:01:00.004-04:00

Well I'm catching up, only 21 years and 9 months to go before I'm caught up with Ciara's scrapbook.
This page uses some adorable Heidi Swap paper, Sizzix's Wingo Zingo Alphabet die that I bought at Michael's for $4.00. Yup, you read that right, 4 bucks! I also bought a package of cutting pads and the extender platform for $4 each as well. I certainly couldn't pass those up!
I also used Stampin' Ups! Heart to Heart punch and the Round Tab punch, a flower from the Pretties kit and some ribbon from Michael's dollar bin.
Hope you like it :-)

Blooming With Love

2009-05-03T16:50:00.004-04:00

I have fallen behind in my postings so today I will hopefully make up for it. This adorable card is a take on a card I found on Inking Idaho. Most of the papers I used are from Stampin Ups cute Bella Rose collection. The stamp set is Blooming with Love and I did a bit of paper piecing. Isn't it the cutest little card!

My Mom loves to garden so I'll be sending it to her for Mother's Day.

Big Brother

2009-04-23T16:41:00.003-04:00

This was a fun layout using a freebie kit from Digital Scrapbooking The page is all digital except for the half pearls, the heart charm and the butterfly.

Didn't the butterfly come out great? I printed out the butterfly from the kit, cut it out, pop dotted it on then put on some jewels. It's amazing what you can do when you think out of the box a bit.
Thanks for stopping in,
Michelle

Sweet Baby

2009-04-23T16:30:00.004-04:00

Today's scrap pages are brought to you by Ciara, who requested I work on her album. I guess I should get rolling since she's 22 now and in these pages she's a newborn. Gosh, 22 years...that's along time ago!
The papers are all from Stampin' Ups Bella Rose collection, the rub-ons from Heidi Grace and the Sweet Baby from Thickers. I've also added some photo corners, half pearls, ribbon and some vellum punched out with the eyelet punch from Stampin' Up.

The black and white picture is me and was taken exactly 52 years ago...yes, exactly ~ It's my birthday today :-) What do you think? Does Ciara look anything like her mama?
thanks for stopping in,
Michelle

60's flower power

2009-04-18T17:15:00.003-04:00

Boy, was this page fun!! It all started with the fabulous paper from Heidi Grace. Isn't it the grooviest!? I love these pictures of me with my little pixie hair cut and missing teeth, could I be any cuter? I used lots of elements on this page, primas, dew drops, lace, chipboard, and how about the neat border punch up in the left top corner where a bit of journalling is. Isn't that pretty? gee, I ask alot of questions, don't I.
thanks for hopping over :-)
Michelle
ps. To see the details, click on the picture to make it larger.

Disney two page

2009-04-18T16:01:00.005-04:00

I've been in a scrapping frenzy. There are so many memories that I need to document and so little time! Isn't this paper gorgeous!? I found it at my local scrapbook store and right away knew it would go with the colors in our Disney pictures.
Butch and I went to Disney's Animal Kingdom with his brother and his brother's son. It was a gorgeous day, except for the normal Florida lunch time rain shower. I love the picture, above, of Butch and I walking. Me talking and him listening!! How cool is that!

Thanks for taking a break from your day,
Michelle

Another Scrap Page

2009-04-07T14:15:00.003-04:00

I'm still working on the scrapbook of me. Here I am at age 5 with two of my three sisters on Christmas. My other sis was probably napping since she was only 3 weeks old. I used a design from Scrap Maps for the overall design. There is a mixture of Stampin' Up! Papers with Christmas paper and trims that I purchased after Christmas last year. Nice :-)
Thanks for popping in,
Michelle

Unbelievable!

2009-04-07T13:56:00.004-04:00

What an unbelievable deal I found at Overstock.com. All these chipboard flowers and frames, large and small primas, and containers that are screaming "alter me!" all of this for 30 bucks! Go check it out here!

I made this card using a stamp that I purchased last year from Michael's dollar bin. Ain't it cute. This one is going to my son in NH. Hopefully it will put a smile on his face.
Thanks for stopping,
m

Family Wall Plaque

2009-04-07T13:50:00.003-04:00

Here's a wall plaque, I made using a kit I found while on the Tampa Bay Scrapbook Treasure Hunt. What fun that hunt was. Twelve stores were participating and to entered into the drawing to win lots of gift certificates. The First place prize was $1200...holy moly, huh?! Sadly I didn't win, but I did have a blast..
Thanks for visiting,
Michelle

Hippity Hoppity

2009-04-07T13:32:00.003-04:00

Here's another stamp that I found at my scrap store's garage sale. Isn't it adorable? The stamp is called Easter Basket Bunnies from Stamps Happen. I used my SU markers to color it in, did some paper piercing and used my scallop rectangle from Nestabilities. I found some cute little pom poms, cut them in half so they would be flat on one side and then glued them on using my favorite glue, Zip Dry.

Thanks for hopping over,
Michelle

Starz

2009-03-30T20:20:00.001-04:00

You know the feeling when you just have to have something that you don't actually need. That's how I felt when I first saw the star punch from Stampin' Up! I had to have it. Well, I finally used it after a year of the poor thing just sitting around collecting dust. Selene Kempton had posted a card on our Late Night Stampers group that used the punch, and this is a pretty close version to her card.

The papers are from the Parisian Breeze Specialty Designer papers. What nice paper. SU calls it cover-weight textured paper. I Also used some textured Baja Breeze along with Chocolate Chip. Such a pretty color combination. After making the card and tying the ribbons on, I decided it needed one more star in the corner. Do you realize how hard it is to cut out a hand drawn star and make it look at least semi-even?
Thanks for stopping in,
Michelle

Upsy Daisy in Pink

2009-03-28T12:53:00.002-04:00

Here's another stamp set I picked up at the garage sale. I had seen a lot of beautiful cards done with this set, so I was quite happy to find it. I stamped the image and verse with Pink Pirouette onto Whisper White and added some iridescent ice for some sparkle on the flowers. I cut out the Pretty in Pink border. Yes, cut it out with scissors, I don't have the die. The Eyelet edge punch was used for the sides of the card. Everything was mounted together then I created my flowers.

Aren't they beautiful!! You can see another project that I made using my technique, here.
Thanks for stopping by today,
Michelle

Blooming With Love

2009-03-25T11:00:00.004-04:00

Here's another stamp set that I was lucky enough to find at Violette's yard sale. These potted plants are part of the Blooming With Love set. I stamped the three images onto Whisper White and colored them in with my markers. I also stamped the images onto Designer Paper and cut out the pots, which were popped up on dimensionals before putting them in place. I matted the images with Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink. Two of the panels were knotted with Bashful Blue ribbon. The three panels were added onto more Designer paper using more dimensionals. I used Stampin' Up!'s new eyelet punch on the bottom of the Certainly Celery piece then mounted it onto Bashful Blue that was embossed with the small dotted Background plate.

Then it was all mounted onto So Saffron. I liked the way this came out so much that I made four of them. :-) I hope you like it too.
Here's a picture that will put a smile on your face. This is my pup, Liyah, busily licking her nose.
What a long tongue she has!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!
Michelle

Toot, Toot

2009-03-21T18:57:00.003-04:00

Ok, I need to toot my own horn for a moment..Toot Toot! Would you look at this card, holy smokes is it gorgeous!! Ok, I'm done tooting.
I just got this stamp today at a garage sale held by my local scrapping store. Shout out to Violette's. Woot woot. They had rented out tables to ladies who brought their crafting supplies to sell. This particular stamp I purchased from my good friend Betty who was in great spirits even though she is having a mastectomy done on Tuesday. Prayers would be nice.
I had earlier been interested in trying out the new product called Flower Soft and thought this stamp would be fantastic for first try.

I still need to get some pink Flower Soft, but I was so excited by how beautiful the card came out that I just needed to share!
I used my Stampin' Up! markers and water color pencils to do the coloring. The stamp is called Cafe' fleurs from Embossing Arts Co. (sorry SU) The corner punch is from EK, brads from SU and card stock from SU.
Let me know what you think!
Michelle

I'm a Daffodil! :-)

2009-03-20T09:16:00.005-04:00

Hello All!
Went blog hopping and came across this hyperlink that I posted to the left. Go ahead and see what type of flower you are. It is quite interesting to see the types of questions that are asked. But the outcome is fun. When I finished it said that I am a Daffodil.
'You have a sunny disposition and are normally one of the first to show up for the party. You don't need too much attention from the host once you get there as you are more than capable of making yourself seen and heard.'
Is that me or what!!
Take the test yourself and then I'd love to hear what kind of flower you are.

Hello There

2009-03-17T18:58:00.003-04:00

Can you count how many layers are on this thing!? Ten !! holy smokes! This is one of the many cards that I have created for my up-upline, Sherrill Graff whose upline is nun-other than the incredible Shelli !!! She has hired a few of us to create cards for her to use as samples and to donate to the Ronald McDonald House. I've been hired as a Creative Designer to create cards samples for her. These samples will be shown at her upcoming events and shows and then donated to the Ronald McDonald House in Las Vegas. How cool is that???

The following talented demonstrators have also been hired to create cards and projects for the month of March. Be sure to stop by their blogs and see their creative ideas!

Susan Shields

Julie Semones

Heidi Michel

If you are interested in joining a "GREAT" group of talented folks, come and check out our Yahoo group called "latenightstampersconvention2008". You won't be disappointed!.

So anyway, back to the card. That's why you're visiting, right? My card is a take off from a card I saw done by Mary Fish. ~cool site if you get the chance~. The designer paper is all from SU's Raspberry Tart, I am loving this DP too! The flowers are made from the Five Petal Flower punch, Boho Blossoms punch and then one of the sizzlets dies Buttons #5. Cute huh?
thanks for popping in,
Michelle

Another one of THOSE folds

2009-03-17T18:49:00.003-04:00

I decided I needed to make one more card using this fold, since my daughter liked my last one so much, she took it with her back to her dorm. For this one I wanted to start out with the Stampin' Up! Tea Party designer paper. I Love this paper! No matter how I use it, my projects always come out beautiful.

I also wanted to try my hand at drawing my own 'stamp' again. Another butterfly, isn't it cute!? The cute little flowers are from the Playful Petals stamp set.

Here's what the card looks like when opened up so you can get an idea of how it's made.
I hope you are having a fabulous day, and thanks for taking the time to stop in and see me.
hugs,
Michelle

Stampin Up Starter

2009-03-16T21:14:00.003-04:00

Stampin' Up! has come up with a nifty payment plan for their Starter Kit.
The Three Easy Payments option allows you to make a partial initial Starter Kit payment and still receive the Starter Kit right away. To qualify for the Easy Payments option on the discounted Sale-A-Bration Starter Kit price of $169, (valued at more than $335) the Starter Kit paperwork and an accompanying forms must be received by Stampin' Up! (not postmarked) on or before March 31, 2009. Paperwork received after this time will be processed for the regular Starter Kit price of $199.
Let me know if you're interested in learning what is included in this fabulous offer. Gosh I sound like an 'as seen on TV' advertisement.

Bella Butterfly

2009-03-15T16:36:00.004-04:00

I seem to be slowing down on my projects. I remember when I was making a card a day, now it is taking me...too long! Could it be that old age is starting to catch up with me, gosh I hope not!
This card is made with the beautiful Bella Rose Designer Paper from Stampin' Up!

This angle shows you how I made the card. I'm sure the card fold has a name, but I have no idea what it is.

Now I bet you're wondering about that butterfly. All the butterflies stamps that I have are too small for what I wanted, so I drew my own. Yup, drew my own! Can you believe how 'stamped' it looks. It was quite easy. I drew it with a pencil, then outlined it with a marker, colored it in, added crystal effects and some iridescent ice. ta do! Isn't that the coolest?!

I'll definitely be trying out more 'stamp' drawings in the future. Give it a try...you'll be amazed at what you can do.
I hope you have had a good weekend,
Michelle

Weekend Challenge #71

2009-03-07T17:07:00.009-05:00

Here is my take on Weekend Challenge #71 hosted by Sharon.
I really wanted to make a card using the SU scallop circle punch with the center punched out and the ribbon tie in the middle. So that was my starting off point. From there, I turned the sketch to the side and then everything just flowed. I used Rose Red, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White card stock. The printed designer paper is from the Parisian Breeze Specialty series. It's printed on textured heavy weight card stock...Gorgeous!! The ribbons I used are from the Ribbon Originals... Gorgeous again! Stampin' Up! has come out with some really nice stuff!

I also used the scallop punch, the eyelet punch, pearls from the Pretties kit and my paper piercer. and ta da! A beautiful card.

thanks for popping in!
Michelle

Blog Candy alert

2009-03-07T15:41:00.001-05:00

I wish I could say it is from me but I can't. Kim is giving away a whole-lotta goodies on her blog http://paperintheworks.blogspot.com/ . Kim's blog is nothing short of amazing. Her ability to paper tole and add colour is extremely creative. Her blog has had 100,000 hits and now she wants to share the love. Congratulations Kim and here's to 100 more.

just one more

2009-03-01T12:12:00.005-05:00

I am loving this beautiful Playful Petals stamp set and Tea Party designer paper from SU. It is so colorful and has the feel of the 60's...all flower powerish :-)
Todays card is my take on Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge. It’s #70 and they have changed things up a bit. It's no longer called Beate's challenge...just Weekend Sketch Challenge. This week's sketch is courtesy of Lori... thanks!

Doncha just luv it!

Playful Petals

2009-03-01T11:57:00.002-05:00

This weekend I jumped back onto the card making band wagon. And very easily too, with the help of the gorgeous Tea Party designer paper from Stampin' Up! Don't you love it!! The cool thing is that the paper matches the fun Playful Petals stamp set. I used only the colors found in the designer paper, to color in the image. So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink and Almost Amethyst. I also used the new Eyelet Punch from Stampin' Up! I'm so glad they finally came out with one and it's fantastic!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend,
Michelle Bowley

One more hybrid layout

2009-02-25T11:49:00.003-05:00

Here's my last digi-hybrid for a few weeks. I've been hired to do some card making so it's time to get rolling on that.

Again, isn't it hard to tell which is real and which is digital!? I love it!!

Thanks for stopping in,
Michelle

Scrapping Michelle

2009-02-24T13:19:00.006-05:00

I've been out of the card making loop and have been working on my scrapbooking. Not your ordinary scrapbooking but 'hybrid' scrap booking.

I am so addicted! Hybrid is doing your scrapping on the computer (which would be called digital) but then adding some dimensionals after printing out your page. Most of these pages have crystal effects or pearls on them. It's amazing how real looking these pages have turned out. See if you can figure out what is digital on the pages and what is real.

I hope you have enjoyed peeking at my layouts. Let me know what you think.
hugs,
Michelle

Blog Candy

2009-02-20T16:51:00.000-05:00

A Fun Blog Candy!

I "won" a homemade gift by leaving one of the first 5 comments on Nancy's blog, so now I'll see who my first 5 are. The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you!
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year! (I will get it to you in the next month or so, hopefully - grin).
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. I have tons of ideas, but who knows what it will be? Not you, that's for sure!
5. The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog! (then come here and post, I WILL check your blog *wink*) The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

So....who will be the first 5 people?????

Colby's First Page

2009-02-18T10:56:00.005-05:00

.Here is the 12 x 12 scrapbook page that I've been working on recently. It's my son's first few minutes of his life. He's now 25 .. I guess I have some major catching up to do!!
thanks for stopping by!
m

Happy Valentine's Day Baby

2009-02-13T20:47:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day Baby!
Here is a picture of the card and box of goodies that I made for my hubby for Valentine's Day.
I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.
huggies,
Michelle
,

Raspberry Tart

2009-02-12T19:12:00.005-05:00

Today I decided to try to incorporate lace into a card, and I love how it came out. I used my new Pinking Circle from Spellbinders on the new designer paper from Stampin' Up! called Raspberry Tart. Isn't it beautiful!? I also used the Pinking Circle on some Elegant Eggplant then some Kiwi Kiss. Layered them all with dimensionals and added some small pink rhinestones to the image. The base card is Kiwi Kiss then more luscious Raspberry Tart, Kiwi Kiss then Raspberry DP again. I laid the lace across the card then placed some Kiwi Kiss Satin Ribbon on top and then more dimensionals to attach the circled image.

Do you love it?
.

I couldn't resist

2009-02-12T19:00:00.003-05:00

I just couldn't resist not sharing this cute picture of Bella. Isn't she the cutest!!

Here's a picture of Ciara, Bella and Liyah just hanging out by the pool on a glorious day.

.

fun times

2009-02-09T21:46:00.003-05:00

Now for some exciting news! I've been hired as a Creative Designer to create cards for my upline's upline, the famous Sherrill Graff whose upline is nun-other than the incredible Shelli !!! I will be creating samples for her using some new products from our brand new Stampin' Up! catalog. These samples will be shown at her upcoming events and shows and then donated to the Ronald McDonald House in Las Vegas. How cool is that???

The following talented demonstrators have also been hired to create cards and projects for the month of February. Be sure to stop by their blogs and see their creative ideas!

Susan Shields

Julie Semones

Heidi Michel
this is gonna be fun!!!

If you are interested in joining a "GREAT" group of talented folks, come and check out our Yahoo group called "latenightstampersconvention2008". You won't be disappointed!.
Have a safe night,
Michelle
.

Spring Song

2009-02-06T14:18:00.004-05:00

I absolutely love the Spring Song stamp set, and I felt the need to pair it with my new pinking circles nesties that just came in the mail. I think it came out fabulous!
First I stamped the image with black stazon onto water color paper and colored the images with my markers and aqua pen. I stamped, painted then popped up one of the flowers on dimensionals. I added some glitter to the center of the flower and the belly of the bird. I then cut out the circle using the discontinued colozzel, sponged the edges with Baja Breeze and sponged a bit in the center using Barely Banana. I also edged the very edges of the circle using Elegant Eggplant. I used the largest of the pinking circles to cut out the Elegant Eggplant and mounted the image onto it. The base of the card is Regal Rose then layered with Basic Black then Old Olive. The Old Olive was stamped with the retired Canvas background stamp and the corner was punched out using an adorable Fiskars emboss plus punch. The image circle was attached to the card with more dimensionals. Everything was layered together and then I placed three flat backed pearls from the Pretties Kit.

Ain't it purty?!
.

Sale-a-bration

2009-02-02T10:04:00.006-05:00

Have you ever wanted to be your own boss? Why not become a demonstrator with Stampin' Up? Have fun, be creative while you are working, and earn income at the same time! Now is the perfect time to become a demonstrator. Not only is the demonstrator kit available with a 15% discount but you also receive a FREE stamp set (value up to $47.95 ) of your choosing from the new 2009 Spring/Summer idea book and catalog!

Want to receive the 20% discount and not sell - no problem! Hobby demos are welcomed right along with career ones.

Click on the promotion image and see what comes in the kit. A $355 value kit is now selling for $169.15 plus tax ~ shipping is free! Add on the Stampin' Memories package (value over $90) and receive all for $211.65 plus tax. The cool part - most items can be chosen to your personal tastes!

An added bonus ~ if you place your first order of $150 or more within 45 days of becoming a demonstrator, receive a discount of 30% plus the Hostess benefits! This perfect if you are purchasing the Big Shot.

If you are interested, please email me and I can answer any questions you have. I'll be there with you on each step of your journey whether you are new to stamping or experienced. Signing up is easy peasy ~ So what are you waiting for? Have fun and be creative with Stampin' Up!

Decadence

2009-01-31T14:32:00.006-05:00

Have I got your attention? I'm sure you're wondering, what the heck is that! It's my favorite meal of all time. Some heavenly, delicious, decadent Chocolate Bread Pudding made at Harry's Seafood, Bar and Grill here in Lakeland. It's definitely my favorite food and we will often (ok not too often) forget about having a meal and just go get some yummy dessert. My husband and I will go out for dessert on our anniversary and I am always requesting to go to Harry's on my birthday. I have never made the bread pudding (why bother when they make it so exquisitely) but there are many recipes to be found on the web. The bread pudding is a rich chocolate, custard style bread pudding and drenched in a white chocolate bourbon sauce. Served with vanilla ice cream. It is way too much for one person so we share a serving with some ice cold milk. What a cheap date, huh?
Thanks for popping by!
Michelle
.

Card Sketch Challenge #18

2009-01-27T16:15:00.004-05:00

Here is my submission for card sketch challenge #18 over at 2 sketches 4 You There is no stamping or inking of any kind on this card, just lots of pretty paper. The rose is from one of the prints included in the Bella Rose Designer Paper from Stampin' Up!

Stamps:

None

Ink:

None

Paper:

Riding Hood Red 4 ¼” x 8 ½” folded to make card

1 ½” x 4”

Bella Rose green print 3 ¼” x 4”

Bella Rose pink print 1 ½” x 4”

Bella Rose floral print 1” x 4”

Kiwi Kiss ¾” x 4”

Bella Rose large flower print ~ cut out flower

Accessories:

Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon

Pretties Kit

Crystal Effects

Dazzling Diamonds

Scallop Punch

Paper Piercer

Glue Dots

Dimensionals

Use your Scallop punch on the bottom edge of the Bella Rose green print and layer it and the Bella Rose pink print onto your card base. Use your Scallop punch on the strip of Riding Hood Red and adhere to the lined up, scalloped Bella Rose green so just a bit of the green shows through. Adhere the strip of the Bella Rose floral print onto your scalloped Riding Hood Red. Wrap the Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon around the Kiwi Kiss strip and adhere to the floral strip. Glue on the three half pearls and create a hat pin with a bow on top. Adhere the hat pin to the card using glue dots. Using your dimensionals, add the large flower. Cover the flower and leaves with Crystal Effects and spinkle some Dazzling Diamonds onto the wet flower. Let dry and tad da! What a pretty card

Thanks for stopping by,

Michelle

long winded

2009-01-25T15:26:00.006-05:00

Today I'd like to share a bit of our fun filled life. The story involves my daughter, Ciara, our pup, Liyah and a stray dog that Ciara named Ewok. ~ Ciara brought Liyah for a walk and didn't get too far when two lose big dogs, one being a pit bull, decided they didn't like Liyah. Luckily for both of them, Ciara was able to get the dogs off of Liyah, picked her up and ran home with her. I don't know who was shaken up more, Ciara or Liyah. They were both very lucky! Liyah only had a one inch puncture wound behind her ear and a very swollen neck. We called Animal Control who took pictures and Ciara gave her statement. What happened to the dogs after that, I have no idea but I haven't seen them in a week. Liyah has just finished her pain meds and most of the neck swelling has gone down. So I decided it's a good day to go give the owners our vet bill. Boy was I a nervous wreck! I could barely get my words out, but it looked like the owner was just as nervous. I think she was relieved, when I gave her the bill, that it was only $80. She said she would bring the money to me after lunch...well it's 4:15, do you think they are still eating?? So back up a bit. About three days after 'the incident' the dogs owners 10 year old daughter knocked on my door. So I answer and she has a small dog with her that is in some major need of a grooming and asks if I know who's dog it is. I've never seen it an I am wondering why on earth she has come to my my house. This girl was actually outside when the attack happened and was able to pull one of her dogs away so I'm sure she knows that our family is not that happy with her family. So I tell the girl, I have no idea who's dog it is but we'll take it inside and call Animal Control. Boy, I'm out of breath writing all this and I'm sure you are getting bored. So to make a long story short, we got to play animal groomer while we waited for the Animal Control to come. We gave him the name Ewok because Ciara thought he looked like an Ewok then gave him a nice bath and combed out his fur. Hopefully by now he has been reunited with his owners, if not I'm sure he is making someone a wonderful pet. ok, I'll stop blathering now. I hope you're still awake!
Thanks for stopping by!
Michelle
.

Another sketch challenge

2009-01-23T17:05:00.011-05:00

Today's post is from another challenge over at 2 Sketches 4 You. Here is a link to the actual challenge. It took me awhile to create the card. You know how you have something in your head but it doesn't want to come out. Well I guess it was my turn. I'm glad I finally got through my lack of creativity and have completed the challenge.

Thanks for popping in :-)
Michelle
.

2 sketches

2009-01-17T20:39:00.005-05:00

Today's posting are from a couple of sketches I found over on 2 Sketches 4 You. The girls are conducting a Design Team call and I thought I'd give it a try. The first sketch uses the stamp set Eastern Blooms with Tangerine Tango and Ballet Blue. I also added in some black embossing to pop it a bit. I used Crystal Effects to cover the main flower and it dangles from some black grosgrain ribbon.

I used the set Say it With Scallops for my next entry along with some of the new Stampin' Up! designer paper. It's an interesting color combination but I think it works quite well. Orchid Opulence (which I hate) and Regal Rose.

Here's a close up of the faux brads. Whenever I add them to my cards I love the way they turn out. And they are so easy! Just punch out some small circles, I used my crop-a-dile, glue them to your card and add a glob of Crystal Effects onto them. ta-da! ain't it pretty?
.

Freebie Friday

2009-01-10T12:29:00.003-05:00

This digitally page is my submission for the week over at Digital Freebies. This is a cool place to find a lot of inspiration..and freebies! The set was designed by the talented Maria LaFrance and I just love the colors.
thanks for popping by,
Michelle
.

Goody Goody Gumdrops

2009-01-09T16:53:00.002-05:00

Two posts in a day...wahooo! Well it's only because Blogger was having some major issues yesterday. I'm glad to see they are fixed and all the Stampin' Up! sneak peaks are rolling in. My favorite is that SU is going to get into the digital world. It sounds like it's going to have ~ drag and drop SU embellishments, eyedropper color changes, crop, zoom, drop shadows, fonts from your computer, resize elements, premade templates if you want them. Very exciting stuff!
Now on to the card. ~ I used Regal Rose for the base, Very Vanilla for a smaller than normal mat and then the gorgeous new Designer Paper. I also did the same for the band with the yummy Kiwi Kiss ribbon. The image is from the yet to be released Goody Goody Gumdrops set...shhhh.

Here's a close up of all the 'faux' brads. SO easy to make!
Thanks for stopping by...hey leave me a comment or two!
Michelle
,

Mercy's sketch

2009-01-09T16:26:00.008-05:00

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! Today's post is from a sketch challenge over at Mercy's site. It's also the weekly challenge at Late Night Stampers. The design team at LNS challenged us to make a manly Valentine card. Since my husband likes glitter and pink, I did not find that challenging at all. So I challenged myself not to use them.

Here is Mercy's sketch and the card I made following the layout. I wasn't thrilled with it so I changed it a bit. I used Real Red for the card base, followed with Black then some of the yummy new DP from SU. All the layers were outlined using my silver marker. I then cut out the scalloped rectangle nestie out of black, used my swiss dot embossing folder and then outlined the scallops, again with the silver. I embossed the heart from the Always set with silver embossing, cut it out with my colozzule, outlined in silver and popped it up with dimensionals. I also through in a ribbon, 1" black circle (outlined in silver) and a button.

Ain't it cute :-)
Thanks for stopping by
Michelle
.

Moving on in history

2009-01-04T17:16:00.005-05:00

I finished two more pages of my scrapbook. Again I used Carrie Stephens elements. For dimension, I printed out the buttons, layered a few of them together to make them thicker, then covered them with crystal effects. I also dug out my embroidery thread for a few of the buttons but then realized I could just use a marker for the same effect. Lazy girl, huh.

I also added glitter to the scroll design so it's much more sparkly in real life. All the pictures that I have been using were actually developed by my Dad. He had an old fashioned dark room in our basement. He also had some Playboy centerfolds hanging in there. First naked ladies I ever saw.
Thanks for visiting :-)
Michelle
.

Bella and Liyah

2009-01-03T17:51:00.006-05:00

How about a change of pace. Today I'm sharing my pets...aren't you lucky! This is Liyah. She is a 7 year old Jack-a-poo. What is that you ask! She is a Jack Russell ~ Poodle mix. Here she is relaxing after have a nice bubble bath.

And here's my kitty, Bella. We just adopted her from the SPCA last week and love her to death. In the picture you can see her pretty pink nail caps. Nail caps cover her claw tips so no damage occurs when she scratches. Which is a good thing for Liyah.

Aren't they the cutest!
.

New Years card

2009-01-03T16:54:00.010-05:00

Happy New Year...I'm just a little late, but I do have an excuse. I'll get to that later because I'm sure you're here for checking cards.
This beauty started out because of a fabulous card that I came across at Scrapnextras, which you can see here. The flower is stamped with Regal Rose using the large flower from the retiring :-( set Fabulous Flowers, three times. I then cut them out, used my trusty glitter glue on the petals, then popped them up with dimensionals. I cut out two circles using Whisper White and Regal Rose with my coluzzle. Next I used my scallop circle nestie with Old Olive. Whisper White was ran through my cuttlebug with the Textile Texture folder which almost matches one of the new SU designer papers that I used here.

The cute corner pieces were cut out using a punch from EK. Everything was matted onto Old Olive then onto the Regal Rose base. And of course we can never have enough bling, so I added some rhinestones in the corners and the center of the flower. I think the card has a bit of a Victorian flare. I love it!

My excuse...I had a trip to the ER on Tuesday. I woke up around 4:30 that morning with bend over make you cry cramping belly...I don't want to go into gory details but I spent the whole day in the ER. Got home about 9:00Pm with the diagnosis of colitis. uggg. Just a month ago I was diagnosed with a stomach ulcer. I don't know what's going on with my digestive trac but it doesn't sound pretty. So there's my excuse.
Anyway ~ I hope you like my card :-)
.