Loving Lovely as a Tree

I finally decided to mount up my Lovely as a Tree stamp set and wowsers am I ever glad I did!
What fun I have been having with the endless possibilities of this set.
On the first card, I gold embossed the trees, then whipped out my trusty brayer. I love the effect the brayer gives, but boy is it hard on the hand. I am still having thumb issues since August so it was a bit painful to create the back ground, but well worth the effort.


Here's a close up of the trees and you can really see how well the brayer blends in all the colors of the sky.


My card group wants to make some Christmas cards at our next meeting. So this is the card that started it all. I know it's not all Stampin' Up, but this paper went so well with the feel of the card.

I even went way out on a limb and used stickles for the few ornaments on the tree.


The girls are always wanting to make some masculine cards so we will be making this card as well.


And here's another that can be given to a man, woman or child. It's beautiful!! I am very proud of this one. Notice the fold of the card and the little pine cones on the inside.


I added quite a few layers


A close up for your viewing pleasure. I created the back ground using a sponge. Didn't it come out great! (tooting my own horn here)


I had seen a card similar to this one on one of the convention display boards and wanted to give it a try. So simple with such striking results.


Another close up. This technique is called reflection and you can find the tutorial on Splitcoasters. Isn't it the coolest!


I thought I'd let the Club Girls try this card out too. I wonder how many will want to purchase the set once we are done.


I used Iridescent Ice on the trees. Very pretty!



Have a glittery fun day and thanks for stopping by

Michelle

Boxes are addicting!!

I love making these little boxes. They are terribly addicting! And so aren't the little note cards that go inside.
This first box combines two challenges from Late Night Stampers. The first challenge was to use Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive along with some metal. The second challenge was to simply make a box. Well once I got started, it's very hard to stop.
I made both boxes using Sahara Sand card stock. The sides of the top of the box was wheeled with the Forever Flowers wheel. I used Versamark then Silver embossing powder. Wow is that pretty! But I took it one step further and colored in the flowers using most of the Earth Elements markers. On the top of the cover, I layered Old Olive, Sahara Sand, and Pumpkin Pie card stock. I used four brads from our Hodgepodge kit on the corners,. the top medallion is made from the wreath in the Together Forever set centered over part of the wheel design. Old Olive ribbon holds it all together.


Of course I needed to put something into the box. These note cards are so simple and so much fun to make. I used Pumpkin Pie, Sahara Sand and Old Olive to make the cards Then the Forever Flowers wheel and colored it all in. This will make a nice Fall gift for my Mom.


The next box came out beautiful too! This one uses the Flores Suaves set and the Forever Flowers wheel. This box is made with Cameo Coral and Sahara Sand, very elegant. Again, I used the silver embossing.


Here's a close up of the butterfly. His main body is glitterized but it doesn't show well in the picture.


The note cards are stamped on Whisper White card stock and the envelopes are made using Vellum. Isn't this a beautiful set?!


Thanks for stopping by


Michelle Bowley

World Alzheimer’s Day

Today is World Alzheimer's Day. I didn't even know there was such a thing until I happen upon Carolyn King's website, Heart to Heart.
Alzheimer's is such a sad disease. I remember when my grandmother was suffering from it and how I felt so sorry that she was missing out on so much of her life. And my poor Mom, how sad to see your Mom not recognizing you any longer. I just can't image it. :-(
So anyways, back to Carolyn's site. You need to hop on over there because she has the most amazing blog candy that you will ever see. To enter into her contest you must make a card and send it to a care giver, of someone with Alzheimer's, to thank them for the tremendous job they have undertaken. If you don't know anyone, Carolyn has an address of a home you can send your card to. This is the card that I will be sending to the home. Please join me, not only for the great blog candy but for the great feeling that someone will recieve when they open your card.

Halloween Flower

Halloween is just around the corner. Isn't that the saddest thing! Where did summer go??
I had made this card for a shoe-box swap that I wasn't able to attend. It uses the Stamp Set Just Jawing and the wheel Arachnophobia. And doesn't every skull need a little flower to look pretty? You can find how to get the directions to make these fabulous flowers here. And you probably have all the ingrediants right in your house!


Here's a close up of the flower. Cool huh?


Have a great day!


Michelle Bowley

d'uh

Check this out. I came up with the coolest idea to organize the Stampin' Up! Catalog. I was always having trouble trying to find a stamp set in the catalog because there are so many things packed into the catalog. Well, (I said to myself) why don't I make some tabs on the side. WOW what a fabulous idea! So using my computer, I typed out all the tab headings that I would need, printed them out and using my least favorite color that I seem to have an awful lot of, I mounted them onto YoYo Yellow that was punched out with the new Scallop Square.


Here's a close up for you. The scallops even match the scallops on the edge of the catalog. How cool is that!


My husband and I were having a discussion about how to pronounce the word scallops. I pronounce the A like in the word tall. He pronounces it like the A in cat. He's from Texas and I'm from New Hampshire. Is it a regional thing? How do you pronounce it??
Leave me a comment on where you live and how you pronounce the word scallops.
Have a glitter filled day,


Michelle Bowley

123 challenge

One stamp set, up to two kinds of embellishments, three colors and as many punches as you would like. Well here you go ~ This is a challenge submitted by the Late Night Stampers Design Team (which I am a member of) I love how these cards came out! It's always fun to try new ways to create something beautiful.
The first one uses the Always stamp set, some brads and a piece of chocolate chip ribbon. I used the scallop punch, snow blossom, five petal, scallop square, and the 3/4 circle.


There is a lot of detail in the card. I love how the flowers turned out. I added paper piercing all around the card, made my own faux buttons and faux thread. I even cut up the Scallop square punch to go around the bird.



Next is a very bright card using the new In colors, Pacific Point and Tangerine Tango.
The stamp set is Fresh Cuts stamped with the Tangerine Tango onto Whisper White. Again, I made my own buttons.


To make the buttons, I punched out three 3/4 inch circles, glued them all together. Then using a regular button as a template, I punched the two holes. I then covered it all with Crystal Effects. Be careful not to fill the holes because it'll be a pain to thread the buttons if you don't. Once the buttons were dry, I cut thin strips of co-ordinating card stock then threaded and tied them up. Pretty cool, huh?

Next I used a gorgeous stamp set from the Spanish catalog called Flores Suaves. I don't understand why it's not in the regular catalog, but I'm glad that we have the option to be able to purchase the set.


Here's a close up of the bee. Isn't he the cutest! And it looks like he is walking in honey. I accidentally got this effect when I heated up Crystal Effects a little too much.


If you'd like to join in on our challenges, let me know and I'll hook you up to our site. Sorry, it's a private site but we are always looking for new members. Leave me a post and I'll send you an invite.
In the mean time ~ go glitter something :-)
Have fun,


Michelle Bowley

Celebrate Stampin' Up!'s 20th Birthday!

Celebrate Stampin' Up!'s 20th Birthday!

In celebration of Stampin' Up!'s 20^th birthday, from October 1-31, you can receive 20 percent off select stamp sets when you spend $20 on regular catalog merchandise.

Item #	Page #	Description	Retail Price	20% Off Price
109439	62	Big Bold Birthday	$27.95	$22.36
112895	62	Cumpleaños genial y divertido (Spanish Big Bold Birthday)*	$27.95	$22.36
111532	63	Party Hearty*	$26.95	$21.56
110994	64	Bitty Birthday	$12.95	$10.36
111618	64	Crazy for Cupcakes*	$23.95	$19.16
111546	65	Simple Birthday Thanks*	$17.95	$14.36
111702	65	Time to Party*	$16.95	$13.56
108559	68	Crab & Company	$27.95	$22.36

*Stamp sets are die cut.

Yo Yo Yellow blech!

Well I've gone and done it. I added YoYo Yellow to a card front and isn't it magnificent!! This card uses all of the stamps included in the Haunting Halloween set. And the wheel as well. I'll add a picture of the inside once the sun comes back out.
The base of the card is black with the Yo Yo next which I faux stitched using my Mat Pack for the first time. I stamped the stars from the stamp set onto Only Orange and matted that with Black. The image of the frog and cauldron were next. I water colored them using the colored pencils from Stampin' Up! with the Aqua Painters. I used my stamp-a-ma-jig to place the stars coming out of the cauldron. I then cut out a circle using a stickie note using my 1 1/4" circle punch. I put the cut out circle on the watercolor paper where I want the moon to be. Then I sponged on Black and Lovely Lilac to make the sky. Removed the circle and sponged in a bit of Barely Banana. I added Dazzling Diamonds to the stars. Water colored the witch and 'fussy cut' her out then popped her up on dimensionals. The 'Witching You" phrase was punched out using the oval punch, then I cut out two more ovals (free hand :-) out of Lovely Lilac then Black. Added some ribbon and poof!

Online Ordering is here

Stampin' Up! Online ordering is here!!


Exciting news! You can now order from Stampin' Up! directly from my Demonstrator Web site. The ordering process is simple You will be able to see photos of the merchandise, add items to your shopping bag and then just a click to check out. The shipping and tax will be automatically calculated. You can now shop online right from your own home without even changing out of our jammies! If you order $150. or more you still get the same great hostess rewards (online version of Benefits.)

Click here to be directed to my Stampin' Up! website. To get you started, there will be a small button on the upper right hand corner that says Shop Now and you're on your own without make-up even! If you have any question please feel free to contact me at michellebowley@gmail.com

3-D Challenge

My first online challenge just happens to be the One sheet box 3-d challenge. You can find the info here. Today is the last day to enter, so hurry! It was quite easy and I really enjoyed designing how the box was going to look. I think it came out very pretty and I'm going to be filling it with chocolate (of course!) to give to my daughter.



I used Pink Passion for the box, scored with my trusty scor-pal. I used versamark on the Forever Flowers wheel and then embossed it. I punched four holes using Mr. Crop-a-dile and laced the wide white ribbon. I found an easy way to get fat ribbon through a tiny hole..used my embossing tool to push it through. smart huh? The letter C is from the Lovely Letters set. I also embossed the letter with the white embossing powder. Then punched it out with the 1" circle punch, layered that on the 1 1/4" punch followed by the 1 1/2" punch and then the scallop punch.
Give the box a try, you'll love the results. This a link to the template.
Have fun,


Michelle Bowley

Spring Song

Beautiful! This card came out so beautiful! The image is from the Spring Song set from Stampin' Up! I stamped the bird and flower on Whisper White card stock with Stazon. Then colored the bird and flower using my markers. I sponged the background with Barely Banana and Brocade Blue. I also, sparingly, added some Dazzling Diamonds. I love how this all turned out. The rest of the card uses Brocade Blue, Regal Rose and Black card stock. Celery and Regal Rose ribbon. The verse is from Heard from the Heart.

May you have the opportunity to use a bit of glitter,


Michelle Bowley

Happy September

Happy September all! Can you believe how fast the summer went by? Here in Florida it's still nice and warm (just the way I like it) but I know that cooler weather is just around the corner.
I'm still working on using my stamps from the new catalog. Honest I didn't buy that many, but I also came home with four new sets. This first card is made using the Flores Suaves that is only found in the Spanish Catalog. I think it's a beautiful set.
First I stamped the flower image using Chocolate Chip and colored the flower using Regal Rose and Old Olive. Then cut the image out. I layered Vellum on top of Whisper White card stock stamped with the verse from the set. I also sponged the edges of the white. Then used dimensionals to adhere the flower to the Vellum. I used Zip Dry to adhere it all to the Regal Rose card stock. If you have never tried Zip Dry, I totally recommend it. A huge bonus, besides being re-positional is that it dries clear. So you can use it with Vellum! The verse is from Warm Words and is stamped with Chocolate Chip. The card base is Chocolate Chip. Attach a ribbon and voila!

The next card uses the Dreams du Jour set. I have been wanting to try out the faux metal look and this stamp just screamed do me! It really is quite easy and the results are fantastic.
I stamped the largest image with versamark onto silver metallic card stock, dusted it with silver embossing powder and heated it up. Love the magic. After cutting the corners with the Ticket Punch, I layered it with Black card stock and attached silver brads. The back drop papers for the square are from the Bella Rose Designer Paper. I also used the new Scallop punch from Stampin' Up!


I hope you have a fabulous day!


Michelle Bowley

Another Inspired by Nature

WOW ~ this is my favorite, for today anyway.
I'm amazed as to how this came out. It is gorgeous!
I stamped the grass background using Mellow Moss then put vellum on top to soften the image. The flowers were colored using markers and the aqua painter. What a cool effect it made! I used dimensionals behind the flowers to give it even more pop.


I hope you love this card as much as I do.
Thanks for visiting,


Michelle Bowley

What is this called??

What a cool photo this turned out to be. It looks like the card is floating. I don't know what this type of card is called, so if you do, let me know so I can give it the correct title. It was very easy and I plan on sharing this with my card club this week. I used most of the new Stampin' Up! In colors, the stamp-a-ma-jig, markers and my new scor-pal. The stamp set is one of the sets I received at the convention, called Flight of the Butterfly. I also used the crimper on the cards belly band.


Directions:
Score an 11 inch x 4 1/4 inch strip at 1 3/8 intervals (or 3 1/2 cm) down the length of the card stock. Fold strip into an accordion shape with the front fold facing up. The four diamond backgrounds are graduated by 1/4 the largest starting as a 3 inch square, 2 3/4, 2 1/2, then 2. The white card stock is cut into 2 inch, 2 1/4, 2 3/4 and 3 inch squares. Using the stamp-a-ma-jig, place the butterflies in the center of the white squares. Adhere the squares together then adhere to the front of the folds. I made a belly band but you could easily use a ribbon to keep the card closed.
Have fun!



Michelle Bowley

Aidan's birthday

I have a few cards to post so to start off, here is the birthday card I made my nephew, Aidan. The card is made using the criss cross template that you can find here. I used Brilliant Blue for the base and More Mustard for the contrast. I don't particularly like the More Mustard color (blech) but it does look very nice with the blue. I also use some of the retired More Mustard designer paper. The stamp set is from the Fun and Fast Notes set. This set is my most used of all the SU stamps I have. I also used the 1/4 inch Night of Navy grosgrain ribbon, a clip from Hodgepodge, Dazzling Diamonds (of course DD! even a boy's card needs some glitter), Crystal Effects and I used the blender pen with markers to color in the cake.


I made a money envelope for the inside. I'm sure he will love that even more than the card! But I'm betting his Mom will like the card as much as I do.
I hope you enjoy it as well,



Michelle Bowley

Box in a Bag Band Wagon

Well, here is my box in a bag. Since everyone else is doing one, I needed to do one too. I am such a follower! And yes, they are very easy to make and come out so dang cute! On this one, I wanted to try out all the different flower punches. I added some white gel pen and gave them a bit of dimension. I think the whole thing came out wonderful and will be doing these with my gals at my next stamp camp.


Have a fabulous day!


Michelle Bowley

The Butterflies Are Free

Today's card was made with the Flight of the Butterfly stamp set. I've seen quite a few Monarch and Yellow Swallowtail butterflies in my yard this year. What beautiful 'bugs'
I really do like this stamp set because of the endless (well ok maybe not endless) ways you can make the butterflies using the stamp-a-ma-jig. I went to Staples today to get some acetate so I could make each stamp set their own little template. But wouldn't you know, I get there and I forget what I was there for. grrrr I did pick up some ink for my printer so it wasn't a completely wasted trip.
I hope you enjoy your day and thanks for checking in on me,



Michelle Bowley

Inspired by Nature

My first creation using the Inspired by Nature stamp set. Of course not counting the gift bag we made at convention. This card is totally not my usual style, as my husband let me know. Well then I'll just have to add some glitter! And here you go. Much better.


This card uses textured Kiwi Kiss and Baja Breeze card stock as the matting. I then stamped the flower using Kiwi Kiss and the sentiment is of course Baja Breeze. I cut out the right side of the design and mounted the flowers with dimensionals. I also dyed some ribbon using the Baja Breeze. And must not forget the dazzling diamonds! I hope you like it.



Michelle Bowley

New sets and a dentist

Here is a new set that I came home from convention with. Eastern Elegance. I combined it with the Bella Rose papers, ticket punch, scallop punch brads, white gel pen and ribbon. and voila...a lovely card. But of course it didn't just throw itself together. There was some cutting and adhering going on in the background.Well, not a new set, but a set that I am continully drawn to. I saw this card done somewhere and I thought I had kept the gals name. If it's you I cased, let me know so I can put a link to your site. This card got some faux stitching which I found very easy to do. I colored in the ribbon slide using a sharpie. I noticed it was the wrong color pink, but at that point it was too late. I hope you like it anyway.
This cutie pie card was cased from a card that was on display at the SU convention. I love this set and was lucky enough to win it at the Late Night Stampers pre-Convention party YAY!
The main design was embossed with white then pounced with lovely lilac, the same was done with the smaller medalion. The last flower was also white embossed but then colored in with LL and a half pearl in the center makes it very pretty. The purple background was created using the barouque motifs wheel.
On a personal note, I spent 2 hours with my mouth open at the dentist office, again. I have a temporty crown in just waiting for my permanent one. Then you know what goes and happens?
I break another tooth. This time on the top but on the same side. So I guess I'll be chewing on my right side for awhile. 2 hours...crazy! Another thing that was bothering me. Why doesn't anyone tell me what they are doing iin my mouth. All I get is, 'open and relax your tongue'. Have you ever been able to relax your tongue when someone has five unknown objects in your mouth and you know one of them is spinning and it's gonna take a huge gouge out of your tongue...there ain't gonna be no relaxing in my mouth! To celebrate living through the 2 hour toture, I ate two bowls of chocolate pudding with whipped cream..mmmmm gooood!



Michelle Bowley